Chapter 17 Shave and a Haircut #2
I was ashamed to say that, but it was clear that Dad cared about himself more than Catalina and I being safe. Having a dad like that was embarrassing, to say the least. And sad.
Part of me expected Dad to look especially remorseful at this point, but instead he blanked his face, turned and left.
Punc locked the door after him and came to me.
“I don’t mean to bring up an earlier topic, but are you still sure you want to be with me?” I asked.
He grabbed my hands and gave them a squeeze. “Fuck, yeah. It takes a helluva lot of courage to do what you did and mean it. People say shit, but you weren’t wishy-washy at all. I’m fucking proud you’re my woman.”
I twisted my hands free and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Thanks for that.”
With his arms around my shoulders, he hugged me tight. “You’re more than welcome. Are you sure you’re okay after that? It was pretty intense.”
“I’m trying to ignore it,” I murmured.
His fingers traced the underside of my jaw to tip my face up. “Your days of ignoring shit or powering past it are over. Let it out, sweetheart. I’m here to do more than just keep you safe.”
I gave him a wan smile. “I think I gave up on Dad a long time ago. And my instincts were right, that conversation had to be private.”
“To keep your sister safe,” he deduced.
“Yes, she—”
He put his finger on my lips. “It’s great you care that much, but you can’t shelter her from the world, babe.”
“Believe me, I’ve figured that out. It’s going to suck, but I’ll be sharing this with Cat. Maybe she’ll see it differently and forgive Dad.”
Punc chuckled. “I doubt that. She doesn’t take any shit, based on how she was after your attack. Wouldn’t let me sugar-coat anything.” He paused as though something occurred to him. “Hell - he didn’t say jack about your attack and showed damn little remorse. Surprised I didn’t deck him then.”
“Well,” I started.
“No, babe. He looked guilty, but he didn’t even reach for your hand.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, my nose stinging. I’d really been trying to ignore that aspect of the confrontation.
“Let it out, honey,” Punc encouraged.
A tear leaked out of my eye. “He’s the one person we should be able to turn to right now. He’s our last link to Mom, and it makes me feel even more alone.” A wry laugh squeaked out of me. “And that’s a tough thing to do these days.”
Punc bent forward so we were eye-to-eye. “You’re not alone, Savannah. You just gained a helluva big family.”
I swiped at my eyes. “I did?”
“Yeah. We’re a brotherhood, and it gets crazy, like any family, but they’ll do anything for me - and now, you.”
A bunch of feelings swirled inside me. It felt overwhelming yet calming. I’d never had any man step up for me like this. Then again, I’d never had issues like this either, but I knew I’d fallen for him. I couldn’t imagine anyone else being so right for me.
“Have I told you how much I—,” I paused at the cocky smirk that twisted his lips.
His brows shot up and he finished my sentence, “How much you love me?”
I tilted my head. “If that was my answer, would it freak you out?”
He shook his head as the smirk relaxed into a patient smile. “No, Savannah. I’ve never asked another woman to be mine. I fell for you the moment you got sassy about building up a cushion.”
“You’re joking.”
He brushed his lips across mine. “I’m serious. And I stopped falling the moment you swung off my bike this evening. That smile on your face…the way you love being with me. I love you, Savannah.”
“I love you, too, Ted.”
He kissed me hard. It went on and on, to the point when he stopped, I felt dizzy.
“I love it when you look dazed like that.”
“Are you sure this isn’t too soon?” I asked.
“Woman, I don’t care. What I know is that life is short and you’re the one. The only other opinion that matters about it is yours.”
I lowered my chin to concede the point. “Okay, but, um… I’m kind of a single mom to a smart and sassy teenager.”
He grinned. “Yeah. I’m not gonna be a father-figure to her, but I know she’s part of the deal here. She’s great and Doug had it wrong. I will keep Cat from him if I think for even a second he’s putting her in danger.”
How did he keep getting hotter? I smoothed my hands down his chest. “Okay, okay. It’s all right.”
He shook his head. “Not really, babe. I should have hit him twice and much harder than I did.”
“Boy, you’re this protective now, how gonzo are you gonna be for our kids?”
His hands went to my ass, and he lifted me up. “Really fucking crazy, so get used to it now, baby.”
Punc
Mid-morning the following day, Punc heard the mower sputter out next door. He hurried outside and caught Jim Hader before he went into his garage.
Jim took off his boonie cap and wiped sweat from his forehead. “Good morning. If you want to take Nome, I’m not sure he’ll do you any good. He’s wearing the cone of shame, since he got snipped on Friday.”
Punc grimaced. “Poor pooch. We don’t need your dog. I’m not sure how much Catalina shared, but the girls are in a bind.”
Jim narrowed an eye at him and put on his cap. “What kind of bind?”
Punc hesitated, not wanting to share about Frank Darren. “It has to do with their dad.”
“Doug,” Jim scoffed. “Say no more. Though I’m not sure how I can help.”
“A buddy of mine is going to come by, and I wasn’t sure if he could park his truck in your drive. We don’t want to tip Doug off that the girls have company.”
Jim stared at him for a beat. “Is this buddy of yours a biker, too?”
Punc nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Being a biker had gotten Punc judged plenty by other men. The way Jim looked at him now, he wasn’t judging so much as he’d shifted to being cautious. “How long will his truck be parked here?”
“If all goes well, less than an hour.”
“When is this happening?”
“It should be tomorrow morning - though the situation is fluid, so maybe this evening.”
“Fluid,” Jim said with a chuckle. “That’s a new way to describe Doug.”
Punc kept quiet.
Jim sighed. “Catalina’s a good kid, and her sister’s doing her best to fill the void. Even though I’d normally say no to this, my gut says those two need all the help they can get after Beth’s passing. Tell your friend he can park here.”
Catalina came home at a quarter to noon. Before she could retreat to her room, Savannah shared the plan for the day.
“Wait. Why am I going to this clubhouse? I could just—”
Punc shook his head. “I want both of you where I know you’re safe, and Doug can’t get to you.”
Confusion stole over Catalina’s expression. “Doug? You mean Dad? We haven’t heard from him—”
“He was here last night, sweetie,” Savannah said.
“Really?” There was a hint of hope in Catalina’s voice as she sat down next to Savannah.
“Did you know what was in the boxes in the garage?” Savannah asked.
“No. Before Mom died, I had to get rides from Bella or someone else since Mom drove the Buick to work, so I hardly ever went in the garage, and I didn’t care about the boxes. I take it you opened them.”
Savannah nodded. “All counterfeit shit, but my message about those boxes got him to pay us a visit. He was in jail the past couple months.”
“Tell her the rest, babe,” Punc said.
Savannah frowned, then focused on Catalina. “Dad knew the police were after the boxes when he left them here.”
“Okay,” Catalina said.
“And he left them here, knowing it put us in a different form of danger.”
Catalina shook her head. “What do you mean? The cops wouldn’t hurt us—”
Punc sat down next to Cat. “There’s no way to know that for sure, but Children and Family Services would have been called in if they thought Savannah was an accomplice or complicit in your dad’s activities.”
Catalina slouched down in the couch. “Didn’t he think about that?”
Savannah shrugged. “If he really went to jail when he said—”
“No, Savannah,” Punc said. “He didn’t care if your mom was found with the merchandise either, which means he put her in a bad spot, too.”
“Can we hand the merchandise over to the cops?” Catalina asked.
“Punc and his friends took care of it,” Savannah said.
Catalina straightened in the sofa. “We go to the clubhouse, and then what happens?”
Savannah shook her head. “You go, I’ll be there later.”
“How about I go to Muriel’s?” Cat asked.
“Muriel’s? You hardly know her.” Savannah said.
A knowing gleam hit Catalina’s eyes. “She had clothes delivered to me at the hospital - from an upscale San Marco boutique. We bonded.”
Savannah and Punc were silent.
Catalina pressed the issue. “Her place is gated, and Dad has no clue about her.”
Savannah shot him a questioning look. “It’s a decent idea - especially since she thought your buddy from the Navy was hot. This will keep her from crushing on someone else who’s too old for her.”
Punc thought about it, and then jerked his chin up. “Give her a call. See what she says.”
Twenty minutes later, Catalina bounded back into the room. “I spoke to Muriel. She suggested I spend the night.”
Savannah nodded. “I don’t have an issue with that. Are you sure you’re okay about Dad? Before he left, I told him he’s dead to me. If you want to keep a line open to him, I won’t stop you, but—”
“No. I’m angry as hell. For now, I don’t mind cutting him out. I’ll be happy when you don’t have to strip to pay this jerk for a loan that never should have been our problem.”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice not to worry about that anymore,” Savannah said.