Chapter Twelve
CHAPTER TWELVE
When Canon awoke , Albie wasn’t there. He glanced at the time and grumbled, “It’s late.” He reached for the light and sat up.
His pillowcase was streaked red, orange, and yellow. He rubbed his face and when he pulled his hands away, they were discolored and sticky. He groaned.
Canon strode to the shower and scrubbed his hair until the water ran clear. Sighing, he remembered Albie’s body snuggled against his. Suddenly, his manhood sprang to life. Maybe they could have another round before he left for work.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed to Albie’s bedroom. “Albie?” he rapped on the door with his knuckles. Her bed was pristine, but he reminded himself that she hadn’t slept in it.
After the public kiss, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. They’d made it home and fell into bed.
“Wow.” Canon envisioned her curves pressed against him. He moseyed into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal. Mr. Doodles’ bowl was empty. He took the cat food and shook it. Usually, the fur ball came running, but this time silence met his ears.
“Here kitty,” Canon called, searching the first floor. Not finding the kitten, he bounded upstairs.
He paused in the bathroom. Albie’s makeup wasn’t on the counter. His heart dropped. He threw back the shower curtain. No shampoo or conditioner. No pink scrubby thing.
Canon held his breath as he hurried into her room. Her closet was ajar. Opening it, he found empty hangers.
He tried to keep the panic at bay as he scurried through the duplex, hunting for a note. When he looked outside for her car, it wasn’t there.
“What went wrong?” Canon sunk onto the sofa with his elbows on his knees. He covered his face.
“We made love, then she fell asleep in my arms.” Goosebumps appeared on his flesh as he remembered her lips on his neck trailing down to his chest. She hadn’t reacted negatively to his touch.
“Why has she gone?” His gut churned, and his shoulders hunched with the weight of rejection. “Why did she take the flipping cat?” Of course, Mr. Doodles was hers.
Canon needed to workout. He changed his clothes and packed a bag. He had a forty-eight-hour shift starting soon. As he exited the apartment, Grammie Nan called from her door, “Canon, where’s the fire?”
He stopped but couldn’t face her. He heaved a sigh and hoped she’d let him alone. “Hitting the gym, Grammie.”
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Her sympathetic tone made his breath hitch. The porch floor creaked as she stepped near.
He sighed. Canon knew better than to gloss over his feelings. His head drooped. “Albie left.”
“I know. She told me she was going,” Grammie Nan informed, approaching him.
Canon lifted his head and met her gaze. “She did? How come she didn’t tell me?” A bolt of betrayal zapped his heart.
“Come here, baby doll.” Grammie opened her arms, and he fell into them. She patted his back. “I don’t know why she didn’t tell you, but I saw her hurry out this morning. She was smiling, and that’s saying something after catching a cat to put in the pet carrier. I’ll get you some cookies.”
Canon nodded and gently squeezed her. “Thanks, Grammie. You always know how to make me feel better.”
At the station house, he threw his bag on the bench and stretched. He started on the treadmill, putting his earbuds in so he didn’t have to look at his phone.
Notifications kept chiming, but he chose to ignore them. It was the book club guys. Forrest had seen him driving and tried to be friendly. Canon’s greeting must not have appeared genuine. Now they were vying for information about his date. He’d love to commiserate but didn’t think his raw emotions could take more prodding.
The day dragged on.
The next morning, when he looked at his phone, he saw he had a voicemail dated early the previous day. His heart leaped as he recognized Albie’s number.
He played the recorded message. She mumbled to the cat as she shuffled around. The car door opened, the car chimed, the cat meowed, and then the words tumbled out. “I meant to tell you sooner, but I thought we’d have more time.” She paused and sighed. “I’m sorry to leave—” the connection cut out and garbled her words. “No way to—” then the call ended.
Canon’s hope was stomped on and chucked into the pit of despair along with his heart. “So much for being a B’SHOAF.”
At the end of his shift, B.J. waited, arms crossed, leaning against the post on Canon’s porch. The deep scowl on B.J.’s face was etched as if he had been loitering for days.
They didn’t speak, and B.J. followed Canon inside like a stray cat. Canon strode to the kitchen and opened the fridge, going for a beer. He lifted a bottle to his guest. B.J. nodded, took the longneck and pulled out a chair at the small table. He didn’t speak, and it was both reassuring and alarming.
After half the beer, B.J. finally spoke. “I finished the next book. It was pretty good, and it only took me two evenings. Thought you’d want the distraction.”
Canon tipped back and examined him. “How did you know?”
B.J. shrugged. “I have excellent detective skills.” When his attempt at humor fell flat, he said, “At first, since you weren’t spilling any beans about your date, we thought you got lucky.”
Canon’s face heated, and he crossed his arms.
“Then when you kept ignoring us, we thought you were mad about the restaurant. The longer the silence lasted, the more anxious Jasen became. He’s a worrywart and sent me to—”
“Sate his curiosity,” Canon mumbled.
“Check on you. Hell, I was worried, too. We are all worried.”
Canon stared at the clock on the microwave, waiting for the minute to change.
“Then I talked with Nan,” B.J. admitted.
Canon’s gaze slid to meet B.J.’s. “And?”
“And she told me about Albie leaving.” B.J. lifted his bottle.
Canon squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them. A sigh escaped. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”
B.J. slapped his back. “Don’t worry about it. Chicks are weird.” He glanced at his watch, then stood and tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin. “Jasen should be here any time with pizza. I think Brad is bringing Chinese, and Forrest is grabbing a movie.”
“Parker?” Canon asked. He rubbed his chest, feeling the weight subside some.
“Beer.”
Canon sighed again. Tears welled, but he blinked them away.
“It’s okay, asshole, I cry for beer too,” B.J. winked.
Canon laughed until he doubled over. God, he needed his friends. His book club.
The doorbell rang. Canon let Jasen in.
“The za is here,” Jasen sung. The smell of pizza filled the room.
Soon Brad and Parker arrived. Luckily, Brad thought about bringing paper plates because Canon didn’t have enough clean dishes.
“When’s the gingerbread man going to get here?” B.J. grumbled.
“Go ahead and eat,” Brad said, thrusting a paper plate in his face.
Canon opened a roll of paper towels and brought it to the living room. He glanced around the space. The sofa would accommodate three men, but other than the coffee table and TV console, he didn’t have any furniture. He turned to Jasen. “Grab a chair from the kitchen. We’ll need three. Be right back.”
Canon visited Grammie Nan and borrowed her TV trays. When he returned, Forrest had arrived. He was shoveling lo mien noodles into his mouth with his eyes rolling back in his head.
“Oh, this is heaven. I haven’t had Chinese in so long. Ever since Ivy was pregnant, Chinese food makes her wheezy. We haven’t had it.” Forrest moaned again.
“Get a room,” Parker teased.
“I’m in one,” Forrest countered.
On the coffee table were three movie cases. Deadpool, Star Wars: A New Hope, and The Godfather. “What should we watch?” Jasen glanced at Canon, who shrugged. “Star Wars?”
B.J. opened the case. He held up the DVD. “What the hell, Forrest?”
“I didn’t put that in there. Ivy must have put it in the wrong case.”
“I am not watching Jar Jar Binks. I’d rather stick forks in my eyes and electrocute my testicles,” B.J. uttered, leaning forward and crossing his arms.
“Okay, The Godfather?” Brad suggested.
B.J. again opened the case and laughed. “Paw Patrol. Try again.”
“That leaves Deadpool.” Parker took a seat on the sofa with a plate of pizza.
“I’m afraid to look at it.” B.J. opened the player and set the disc in without checking it. “We get what we get.”
The men set their books on the table and talked over the plot similarities. “You’ll like the cat star book.”
Forrest leaned forward. “Oh, did the alien have a magic wanker?”
“Actually, no.” B.J. turned red. “It was magical semen.”
“They are part of the navel academy?” Brad asked.
“Ha. Ha. No. Alien jizz reacted biochemically to the females’ bodies, making them physiologically have the best orgasms of their lives. Other species can’t compete.”
“Dude, that’s some conflict for you,” Jasen said, rubbing his eyes.
“I know, right?” B.J. said, “The magic-spunk aliens are used in the sex industry and the ladies line up, but the males never find love. And their species is being hunted to extinction.”
Canon stared at the muted TV as the third kids’ movie trailer rolled by. “Is it me, or are there a lot of kids’ previews for a Deadpool movie? It doesn’t seem right.”
“Uh oh,” Forrest muttered.
“What is it?” Brad asked as the Disney castle appeared.
“Oh shit. Whatever cartoon crap this is, I will still watch it over Jar Jar Binks.” B.J. declared, glancing around for a consensus.
“You just don’t want to electrocute your testicles,” Brad said with a chuckle.
“You mean electro-ugly,” Jasen teased.
The title Frozen appeared on the screen. “Oh shit,” B.J. repeated.
“Anyone ever seen it?” Forrest asked. They shook their heads or replied negatively. “It’s a musical, and it’s actually not bad. Decent plot and all that.”
The men sat glued to the movie, stuffing their faces. Halfway through, a knock startled them. Canon paused the movie.
Jasen popped to his feet, “Great, I’ve got to pee.” He disappeared.
Canon opened the door. Grammie Nan offered a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
Brad sniffed, rising to his feet. “Mm. What a wonderful scent.”
“I thought Canon could share these with his friends.”
Brad tipped his hat. “Thank you, Nan.”
“You’re welcome.” She handed the plate to Canon. “Thank you all for watching out for Canon. Your friendship is golden.” Canon handed Brad the plate, then took Grammie’s elbow and walked her the few feet home.
“Thank you. You have great timing.” Canon dipped and kissed her cheek.
“Are you having a good time? I hear music. Who’s singing?” Grammie asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“That’s Forrest. He knows all the words by heart. I guess the movie is one his daughter loves to watch over and over. Or maybe the parents don’t hate it as much as the others.”
“Heavens, with as much passion as he sings, he loves that movie, too,” Grammie Nan laughed. “Have fun and remember, you had a long shift and need your sleep.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Canon hugged her. “I love you, Grammie.”
“I love you, too.”
Canon entered his living room, all eyes trained on him. The plate of cookies lay untouched on the table. Olaf’s face, frozen mid-sentence, stared from the screen. “Something wrong with the cookies?” Canon asked.
“No. We are waiting like pigs,” Brad informed. “We were afraid to start in on them in case we ate them all.”
“Let’s make popcorn,” Forrest said, hopping to his feet.
“I don’t have any.” Canon followed him in to the kitchen, stuffing the memory of burning popcorn to the recesses of his mind.
“No worries,” Forrest answered. “I brought some. Movie style with all the fake butter. Delish.”
Forrest listened to the popcorn while Canon found a few bowls. One made him frown.
“Here.” Forrest handed Canon a bag. He shook it, getting one more kernel to pop.
“What’s with the long face?” Forrest put another bag in the microwave.
“This was Albie’s bowl. It belonged to her grandmother. She treasured it.” With a sigh, he dumped the popcorn into it.
“I’m sorry about your girlfriend.” Forrest put a hand on Canon’s shoulder. “The thing is, once you meet the one, you know. It’s weird. All the ones you have beforehand, the not-so-bad ones and the not-so-good ones, teach you what you like or don’t like in a relationship.”
“What have you learned?” Forrest asked, pulling the other bag out.
“I don’t know yet.” He tossed popcorn in his mouth. “It’s still too fresh.” Canon nodded. “When I figure out what went wrong, then I’ll be able to process it.”
“Take your time, my friend.” Forrest threw the empty bags in the trash. “When you’re lonely, just ping me or one of the guys. We can always meet you. I love my family, but sometimes I need a little me time, too.”
“You can call me anytime,” Canon returned Forrest’s smile. “When Frozen on Ice comes to a town, I’ll go with you.”