Chapter 2
TAJI SLOANE
“Who hit me with a bus?” I groaned while flipping to my back.
It wasn’t a hang over—six in the morning came fast when you didn’t want it to.
Six was my buffer zone—by right, I didn’t really have to leave until about quarter to seven. But I knew I would dilly-dally in bed for a few minutes, protesting.
I couldn’t put it off any longer.
If I did, what would even be the point now?
I laid in bed, listening to my alarm blaring from mars. It felt as if I’d just crawled under the covers since I’d worked a lot later than I probably should have the night before.
My eyes were tired and filled with sand from the sandman, but I had to get up.
Being an adult is a scam.
Putting off another planned visit to my grandparents’ grave would definitely be blasphemous. I hadn’t been there since the summer before.
And while the place had a caretaker, I wouldn’t try to imagine what the gravestones looked like. The caretaker’s job was to make sure the landscaping was taken care of. Nothing else was on his job description.
Grunting, I crawled out of bed to use the bathroom before dressing in track pants and a t-shirt. After throwing some coffee down my throat, I gathered the bag I’d packed the night before and headed out the door.
It was barely morning—the sun was still kind of hiding beyond the tops of the trees. It was probably debating if it wanted five more minutes, like I would have killed for.
I yawned.
Groaning, I wanted to go back inside and back to bed. But if I left later, the sun would be too much.
Whimpering, I set my things in the trunk, tossed by purse to the backseat before climbing behind the wheel.
After starting the ignition, I gripped the wheel tightly with both hands, screamed to clear my brain from the fuzziness. After a few breaths to steady myself, I checked around my car before turning to leave the yard.
Pops loved me dearly and this was the least I could do for him and Nan.
Finding a parking spot, I climbed from the vehicle, gathered my cleaning supplies and flowers then made the five or so minute hike to where I’d chosen to bury him and Nan.
After I became an adult and was in charge of Pop’s estate, I had Nan moved for them to be side by side.
I’d buried them in an area Nan had always liked.
It overlooked the most beautiful view and was peaceful.
The sunrise from there is perfect—the dew turning to mist rising upward from the two. The sky was this beautiful yellow that became bright orange with the early sun—Nan would have liked that.
By the time I arrived, the exhaustion and thirst was out of control.
I had to have some water before sitting with my legs hanging off a slight cliff area to catch my breath.
“I am not in shape.” I panted then smiled. “I know, Pops. But that walk shouldn’t have taken it out of me so much.”
Thinking back to what my grandfather would tell me each time I told him I felt fat, I giggled.
“I don’t need to lose weight—just, get in shape a little.” I turned my head toward the angel over his tombstone. “Get things nice and tight, you know? So that a little trek like this one won’t kill me.”
I turned my head in the direction of my place.
There was a lone road that could be seen curving around the landscape leading up to the trees that hid the long driveway up to the house. About a year before, the town tried passing a law that said the road was no longer a part of the town and therefore my responsibility.
They didn’t understand that I was no fool and by the time I was done, they looked like complete idiots.
If they didn’t want to take care of the road, I’d just close it down and accessed my place via the waterway that it backed up on then hiked to my place.
I’d turn it into a private space and charge them to use it—I’d become my own small town not recognizing their laws or by-laws.
I’d be the bitch most of them thought I was but worse.
I don’t care.
As a child, I used to wander along the path on foot then find a place to sit and lean against one of those very trees that were older than me.
Sometimes I would fall asleep.
For the first time I realized how far from the town my place was—but the people in town left me alone to my weirdness, my silence and my loneliness.
Sometimes I even think I preferred it that way.
I didn’t have to deal with the silent questions, the disapproval and the whispers.
After a while, I slapped my palms to my thighs before carefully pulling my feet back to solid ground and standing.
Using a brush in a basin of soapy water, I scrubbed down my grandfather’s angel. Afterward, I set to work pulling all the weeds in the small garden around it and shoving them into a small garbage bag I carried with me.
“Hi Pops.” I smiled, shooing away a errant bird that had landed on one of the Angel’s outstretched hands. “I know, it’s been a while. But it’s not that I didn’t’ want to visit. Things have been a little—busy.”
I planted a few extra sunflowers then turned my attention to my grandmother’s grave. For some reason, ever since I was fifteen, I found out no one was taking care of my grandparent’s graves. My father and mother didn’t care—they never cared.
This explained why my grandfather’s will was set the way it had been.
“Hi there, beautiful lady.” My voice cracked.
Inside my head, I could hear my grandmother’s reply.
“Sweet talker.” She used to tease while tapping my cheek with a tender finger.
Smiling, I set to work cleaning her angel, setting marigolds in the angel’s hands then sat to talk to her.
Mostly, I talked about my life living in such a small town where people treated me like the village idiot.
Or rather, should I say the village’s witch?
“The only thing is they can’t burn me at the—” I frowned. “You know what, don’t worry about it Nan. I’m stronger than we all think, right?”
Exhaling, I looked up, watching the sunshine through the leaves above. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, held the breath and listened to the soft music of the wind through the leaves. The cool air rose up the slight hill to wash over my face like a cool caress.
A few hours later, I pulled into a spot in front of the diner.
After ensuring I didn’t have mud on my face like the last time, I pushed from the front seat and slammed the door behind me.
“Well, time to go be the town’s pariah.” I shrugged.
Ignoring the whispers and the stares, I strutted to the front counter and picked up a menu.
After looking through it, I decided on the BLT with a country salad and a bottle of water. I would be cooking a major meal for breakfast and didn’t feel like cooking dinner just for me.
“I thought she moved away?” One whispered.
“Dare to dream.” Was the reply. “And what gave you that idea?”
The judgment and hate I’d inherited from my mother. She was the woman the town’s most eligible bachelor chose. She was the foreign woman he’d fallen for—or rather that had seduced my father into her bed.
That wasn’t the truth—that was far from the truth.
In their minds the truth wasn’t important, and my parents didn’t care what the thought.
I supposed they hadn’t thought what that reputation would mean for their children.
It wasn’t a good life.
But as horrible as my father was, he’d treated my mother like a queen. No one could tell me, despite all his faults, that my father never loved my mother.
And it didn’t matter to these terrible people that I wasn’t my mother, and that my mother had passed away when I was just a little girl. They saw her in my face and they hated that.
They hated that so desperately, they’d passed the hate down to their kids who were now passing it on to me.
It didn’t seem like they even cared that my father had only had eyes for one woman.
Straightening my spine, I paid for my food and left a tip even though Esther was side eyeing me. I checked my food to make sure she hadn’t spat in it, flipped some brown hair over one shoulder and catwalked back to my car.
But all that pretending to be strong had me exhausted and lying shirtless on my living room floor so the coldness would help with my sadness.
Maybe it could help me hold off the panic attack I could feel coiling in my chest, threatening to drown me.
Whatever I was feeling, I had to get rid of it before the firefighter showed up the next day.
I wasn’t sure why I agreed to this.
This man could be a serial killer. I mean, Dexter looked like a normal guy until everyone found out he was sending souls to the other side in his spare time.
Dramatic?
Maybe, but I didn’t know this man.
And I didn’t know how to fight.
Knowing I had a few projects to work on for my Graphics business, I reluctantly hauled myself off the floor, pulled my shirt back on and poured myself a drink. I sighed like a teenager who had to wake up for school and wandered into my office to boot up my laptop.
The first project didn’t have much else to work on. The logo turned out a lot better than I thought it would, and I was obsessed with the colours.
I was knee deep in work when my cell rang and I saw that it was Valentina Forsythe. Her voice was cheerful and full of life when she told me to call her Zoom.
I’d laughed at that and agreed.
“Zoom.” I answered. “What’s up? Is anything wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zoom replied. “Everything is fine—better than fine, come to think of it.”
“Awesome.” I yawned.
“I was just doing some last-minute checks to make sure we’re still on. My boss is on my ass about this whole thing. Apparently, his boss is riding him too.”
“The work of the captain is never done.” I picked up my cup and realized it was empty and sighed. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon? I’m sure that beautiful man of yours didn’t release you from being tied to his bed. What gives? I thought you were coming back—next week?”
Zoom laughed. “I tried.”
“Tried?”
“Couldn’t have done that. My husband wanted to spend some time with his niece before she has to go back to school.” Zoom explained. “Between her job and the boyfriend—”
“Ahh.” I giggled. “The boyfriend.”
Zoom laughed again.
“He’s a good kid. Their jobs and preparing for school and trying to figure out what this new look is going to be for their relationship. It’s a lot for them. There’s never enough time in a day.”
I thought about how late I’d stopped working the night before and sighed.
“Fair.”
“Anyway, we planned our honeymoon around that.” Zoom told me. “He promised to make it up to me later.”
“Sexual favours?”
Zoom giggled.
“I hope so.” She replied.
I’d never had female friends before—I’d never really had friends. This was new.
“Oh, and by the way.” I nodded. “I have everything planned. Breakfast, tour of the property, the first visit to the station. You told me he’s a runner and there are plenty of places on my land he can run. His room was cleaned and the windows open for air to flow through—trust me, I’m ready.”
“Good.” She sounded relieved. “This man means a lot to me. I’m feeling some kind of ways asking him to take this on. But your cadets need the best and Trucker—well, he’s one of the best.”
“Thank you for taking such care of them. They’re young and the work they’re signing up for is dangerous. People underestimated them, especially our lone female.”
“I get it, trust me.” Zoom sighed. “My own parents looked down on me when they found out what I was doing.”
Exhaling, I finished my conversation with her and went back to look at the pages on this Mayson Calhoune she was sending my way. There wasn’t a picture and though I was curious, it would probably be weird to ask for one.
I supposed I’ll be surprised the next morning.