Chapter 12 #2
“Yeah, he and I are the same age. Our school was small. Everybody knew each other. All the kids played all the sports,” Max said, the jolliness was back on his face. Very endearing.
“What’s the age difference between Mace and Lori?”
“Eleven months. Less than a year. It’s a big family funny deal. Their story was told every year at the family Thanksgivin’. It’s kind of uncomfortable to sit through.”
Mace placed a mug of water on the bar. Enough force to slosh some over the side, drawing our attention to him. “Lori said to give you water. Sober up, got it?” Mace said firmly, doing his best to control the situation. “She shouldn’t have to get you home when she’s this far along.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Max said, knocking a fist toward Mace.
“The kids are old enough to fend for themselves. After this baby, it’ll be years before I’ll have another good time again.
I was tellin’ our friend here that you and Lori were close in age.
” Max explained his faulty reasoning as Mace grabbed an empty beer mug.
My handsome guy’s gaze finally found mine.
Somehow, I knew he knew that I now knew too.
“We’re backed up. Our dishwasher had to start waitin’ tables. Lori’s seein’ a sprinklin’ of stars in her vision. She probably needs to go home, but goddamn she’s too hardheaded. Do you know how to wash dishes? Does that fall into the cleanin’ category?”
He knew I knew how to do that too. “Sure.”
“The kitchen’s in the back. Anything you do will help,” Mace said, pointing me toward the liquor store’s back door, the kitchen sat just to the side of that entrance.
I got the feeling that assigning me a chore was more due to Mace wanting me away from Max and most likely away from all these people who had known each other forever.
He pivoted away, leaving me again, and I did what he asked, scooting off the stool.
“I’ll help,” Max said, bumping me as he swung off the seat at the same time. His sway was real, but he did lead the way to the cleaning part of the kitchen. Dirty glasses were everywhere. No dishwasher insight. I popped on the rubber gloves and began doing what my guy asked.
My guy.
The possession was new too, only developing since I’d made the decision to come tonight.
=?=
Mace
“You didn’t need to stick around until we closed,” I said, trailing after Slade. He carried a loaded trash bag in one hand, and so did I. He pushed through the back door, hanging a hand back to keep it open for me. We were alone. It had to be at least three o’clock in the morning.
“I thought you needed help,” Slade answered, lifting the awkward top of the dumpster before tossing his bag inside. Mine followed. “Do your parents always give people rides home?”
“Yeah, the police help too. So do my aunt and uncle. This community has a habit of overdoin’ all the time. We’ve been ride-sharin’ for as long as I remember. My dad had an old-school bus for a while.” The memory was special, causing me to grin as I watched my steps over the broken concrete.
“I wish I could have met your parents. Are they worried about Lori?” he asked.
Unfortunately, the night was so busy, I had to think back to whatever happened to Lori.
It took a second, Lori was a diva, dramatic all the time.
“I don’t know. Maybe. Probably not. She dealt with swellin’ and high blood pressure in all her pregnancies.
She doesn’t have too much longer before the baby gets here.
I’m guessin’ her doctor will put her on bedrest.”
I didn’t follow with a celebratory yeehaw, which I counted as a win. She wouldn’t be back for several months. The peace was going to be amazing.
“You were a boss sending her home that way,” Slade said.
“You have to be assertive with her. She’s hardheaded and goes the opposite direction of what’s right,” I said, opening the back door wide.
“A trait you all must have. What does that mean for the bar?” he asked, grabbing the edge of the door, and ushering me inside before him.
“My parents’ll come back to work more often. I’ll take more hours and likely move to mid days. I’ll work double shifts when needed. It’ll be a kinder environment without her here.”
“You mean you’ll have the nights off during the week?” Slade asked.
“I guess,” I said, chuckling at the direction Slade had taken.
The one thing I learned about Slade over the last week, the man could have sex many times a day and be perfectly fine to go at it again. We were versatile, but my ass on the other hand, needed a break now and then. No matter how many times Slade tried to get me to change my mind.
“What else do we gotta do?” Slade asked.
“We? You washed every dish in this place twice, I bet. You can go home,” I said, walking straight down the hall, turning the overhead lights off as I went.
“Did you drink tonight? I’ll get you home,” Slade said, following behind me.
“Yeah, right,” I said, a bark of laughter followed, startling the two older women who were dubbed the overnight cleaning crew. “I haven’t had anything to drink. I haven’t had much since I woke up in your house, not exactly sure where I was.”
“The morning you snuck out without saying goodbye,” he reminded me, continuing the trail we made to the front door. Out on the street, litter was everywhere, but I bypassed it, heading to my truck.
“Who cleans this all up?”
“Those women,” I said, starting to push my key inside the door lock of the truck. “Why’re you followin’ me?”
“Ride home with me. I’ll bring you back in the morning,” Slade offered.
After the briefest pause, I decided not to argue because I needed to know what Slade and Max had talked about. When I pulled the key out and tucked it into my front pocket, Slade’s brows narrowed. “What?” I was literally doing what he asked.
“You gave too quickly,” he said.
“Want me to drive?” I asked and stopped at the hood of the pickup, waiting for Slade’s decision. He stared at me until he shook his head and started the other way. I spotted his Jeep in the last parking spot on the street.
“No, come on.”
There were so many things about Slade that shouted he no longer belonged in this area, and his decked-out Jeep was one of them. Maybe it could go off-road but it was a fancy vehicle, made for rugged comfort. Actually, everything in Slade’s life was designed to offer a subtle relaxation.
Slade also made me lose my inhibitions. All this friendly comfort was addicting.
I hadn’t been home in a week. Once we were tucked inside, Slade pulled out of the parking space, taking a wide swing into the road.
Clearly, he thought we were alone. We weren’t.
Hopefully the people hanging around were too drunk to put two and two together.
Until recently, I’d been one of those kind too.
That was how I knew I had a solid chance of going unnoticed.
Even the silence between us was comfortable. Nothing but dark skies and quiet surrounded the ride. It took a few minutes before I turned as far as I could to face Slade. “What did you and Max talk about tonight? You can’t always believe everything he says.”
Slade nodded, taking a right turn on the two-lane country road that led to his property.
“I think you know,” Slade finally said, his normal expressive tone was neutral and weird.
“Tell me anyway,” I urged, not angry, not really anything. If Slade was repulsed, I wouldn’t be sitting here. The accident left a permanent mark in town. Too many lives lost not to have constant reminders. Like I’d ever forget what I had done.
“He told me that you were in an accident. That you were the only one to survive.” Slade’s gaze stayed fixed on the road in front of them. His hands relaxed on the steering wheel. No emotion showed on a face I’d studied thoroughly.
The passive expression meant he knew more than he let on.
“So you know it all? I caused the accident. I killed six people and Wildflower—”
“Who’s Wildflower?” Slade asked, cutting me off.
“The mare I loved more than anyone or thing in my life,” I said, my heart taking a hit at her memory. “Did he tell you Natalie was pregnant?”
“He did,” Slade said, monotoned and distant.
“It wasn’t my baby, but I’d planned to raise it. We were gonna be married,” I said, getting defensive. I lived under the cloud of my bad decisions every day, but I wasn’t a bad guy.
“So she was your beard?” Slade asked carefully.
“Yeah, I guess,” Mace said and turned in the seat, facing out the front window. “She knew I wasn’t into women.” The weight of the confession had me yawning, my past settling on me like a heavy blanket.
“Max doesn’t think the accident was your fault. He says the investigators got it wrong,” Slade said.
“I didn’t remember what happened at the time. There was somethin’ about brakin’ and tire marks. I didn’t get the memory back for a few years. By then, the case was closed. My insurance company paid everyone. The police wouldn’t reopen the case.”
“What life did you see for yourself back then?” Slade asked.
What an interesting question that no one had ever asked before.
“I never wanted to work at the bar. Wildflower and I were gonna travel in the rodeo circuit. I guess I’d have a home base here.
I dreamed about ownin’ a quarter horse farm.
Horses and I understand each other. I feel them and I believe they feel me.
I did with Wildflower anyway. She was my best friend.
It was cool that she understood me so well too.
” I stopped talking when tears built in my eyes.
I willed them to dry before they slid down my cheeks.