Chapter 11 #2
“I think it’s weird,” I said as I leaned against the vanity so I could watch Taya put lotion on her face.
I loved the fact that she didn’t wear a lot of makeup, just a hint here and there to highlight her natural beauty - nothing to try to hide the early signs of aging that showed on her face.
“They’re obviously really into it if they introduce each other to people using those names. Who does that?”
“I don’t know, Chewie. Who does that?” I started to laugh as I thought of all the men I knew who went by their road names, including myself, and then hooted when I realized the irony of my judgment of Samara and her friends. I did the same damn thing. “See the absurdity now?”
I waited until Taya had twisted the lid back onto the small container she had been using before I pulled her into my arms and sniffed. “You smell good.”
“I smell like lotion.”
“Lotion and warm woman and everything I like.”
“If you start that, we won’t get to take a ride before the rain starts again.” Taya’s tone was chiding, but she made no move to get away. Instead, she fit her body against mine before she asked, “Where are you taking me anyway?”
I shrugged and said, “Just for a ride. No particular destination.”
“Is there any chance you could take me by the craft store so I can pick up some Christmas ornaments? I’ve bought one for each of my kids every year since they were born and have added Jade and the grandchildren to the mix.”
“I can do that.”
“And this year, I’ll add Samara.”
“You will?”
“And you too.”
“I don’t even own a Christmas tree.” I thought about it for a second, rather than analyze how happy it made me to know Taya was including me and my daughter in her family’s traditions, and said, “There’s actually probably one in the attic.”
“Will you spend Thanksgiving with my family?” Taya asked.
“Are they going to be okay with that?”
“It’s my house and I’m the one cooking, so they don’t have much choice in the matter.”
“Why does that mom tone give me goosebumps?”
“Are they good goosebumps or bad ones?” Taya asked.
“Do it again, and I’ll tell you.”
Taya narrowed her eyes before she said, “You need to get a coat because it’s chilly outside, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
I shivered before I said, “Yep. Those are good ones.”
Taya wriggled against me and giggled before she said, “You think my tone of voice is sexy, and I love using it to make you shiver. That speaks volumes about our chemistry.”
“It takes all kinds, sweetheart.”
While Taya finished up, I went downstairs to warm up the bike and empty my saddlebags so they would be ready for Taya’s purchases today. Once she came downstairs, bundled up for the weather, I helped her adjust the straps on Samara’s helmet, and then we took off.
Taya was tense behind me at first, but the longer we rode, the more relaxed she became until she was finally able to enjoy the surroundings.
Since the sun was shining, the ride was much more pleasant than I’d thought it would be, so I decided to take a longer route than I had originally planned and rode to Fern Ridge Lake.
I took Clear Lake Road and followed that to the other side of the lake, where I drove down Territorial Highway to the other side of the lake and the Florence Eugene Highway that would take us back to Eugene for the shopping Taya wanted to do.
We’d been gone for quite a while by the time we got back to town and stopped in front of the Christmas shop she’d mentioned earlier.
I knew she was probably uncomfortable after such a long ride.
She proved me wrong when she bounced on the seat behind me and said, “I want to do that every day!”
I twisted around and watched her pull off her helmet.
Her hair was crazy now, no longer in the slicked-back ponytail she’d left the house with, but it just made her even more alluring.
That probably had something to do with the excited smile on her face and her exuberant cheer after such a relaxing ride.
“Every day, huh?”
“Maybe not every day, but often. Maybe we could even go to the coast or something,” Taya suggested. She furrowed her brow before she said, “I’ll need to get some rain gear, but I think I’d still like to ride even then.”
“It’s uncomfortable at times, depending on the season, but when you live around here, you have to get used to riding in inclement weather or you’ll rarely get to ride at all.”
Once we were off the bike and standing on the sidewalk, I remembered that shopping today was probably not a great idea.
It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with people preparing for the holiday - not the best time to peruse.
As a matter of fact, I couldn’t think of a good time to ever go shopping, but this season in particular was a retail nightmare.
Taya didn’t seem to mind and grabbed my hand before she took off for the store, weaving in and out of people who weren’t walking fast enough to suit her. Once we were inside, I could see why she wanted to come here. It smelled like Christmas and felt like we’d just walked onto a holiday movie set.
There were at least a dozen trees set up and placed strategically throughout the store to display their collection of ornaments and decor, and even though they were all fake, they’d somehow managed to make it smell like a Christmas tree farm.
“I’m just going to wander around to find the right ornaments.”
“What exactly are we looking for? Maybe I can help you find them.”
“Okay, I buy an ornament for the kids each year that has something to do with an event they experienced or something they like. For instance, Blaine booked a vacation for him and Jade one year that ended up being a swingers’ retreat, so I got him a pineapple ornament.
Now every time we get it out, we laugh at him, and he gets flustered and defensive. It’s hilarious.”
I laughed at the wicked grin on her face before I said, “Silly me just thought we were shopping for matching ornaments or something simple, but you’ve nefarious intentions.”
“Not always. I’ve gotten ornaments to commemorate many events throughout their lives.
There’s a red bicycle I bought the year Blaine learned to ride without training wheels and a blue one for the year Brandt did the same.
I got a pink one for Brinn when she hit that milestone, and she was so proud when I put it on the tree next to her brothers’ ornaments.
I’ll never forget the smile on her face. ”
“What a great tradition!”
“I love it. Of course, it means that the trees in my . . .”
“Trees as in plural?”
“Oh, yeah. I outgrew having just one a while back. Brinn and I go out early to hit the Black Friday sales we’re interested in and then we’re back home to hang out with the family by the time they’re getting up and around.
We have breakfast together and then start decorating while we eat leftovers and nap. ”
“Samara went with you last year, right?”
“She did! We had so much fun. I think she’s coming again this year, and Mary and her mom may join us.”
I chuckled when I realized she was still using Jaimee’s nickname before I explained, “I met Jaimee through her mom, who is a friend of mine. She asked me to watch out for her while she was here for school. It worked out perfectly that she fit in so well with Samara and her buddies.”
“Brinn and I both adore her. I can’t wait to meet her mom. I’ve invited her to spend Thanksgiving with us.”
“That’s great. Jodie’s a wild one, but I think you’ll get along great.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Jodie reminds me a lot of Juni, and the two of you seem to really like each other.”
“Juni is a doll. I just love her.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m sure you’ll really like Jodie. I don’t think they’ve met before, but they’re similar in a lot of ways.”
“How so?” Taya asked.
“Strong, opinionated, so sarcastic that the urge to choke them out is almost overwhelming sometimes.”
Taya barked out a laugh and said, “If that’s how you feel about people you like, I can’t imagine what you think about people you don’t.”
“I don’t let people I don’t like live in my head rent-free. They don’t matter in any way, and I won’t let them take up a single drop of my emotions.”
“That sounds like a great way to handle things, but it’s not that easy for me,” Taya said as she touched an ornament with the tip of her finger. She smiled at me before she said, “Not that I have a bunch of enemies or anything, but the ones I do have make up a damn solid short list.”
“How short?”
“My ex. A woman who I truly believed was a friend. The car salesperson who talked to me like I was stupid and kept insisting that I call my husband to get his approval before I purchased my car. The mechanic who tried to convince me the fuel pump in my first car was bad and needed to be replaced immediately.”
“Your first car? Wow. You really hold a grudge.”
“It was a 1984 Toyota Corolla.”
“Shit,” I scoffed. “Did those even have fuel injection?”
“Maybe some of the nicer models, but mine was basic and had a carburetor.”
“What an asshole.”
“That’s why he’s on the list.”
“Is that all of them?”
“There are a few dishonorable mentions.”
“You were right. The list is short. Who are the rest?”
“A guy who came out to look at my heater and tried to convince me I needed a whole new system instead of just doing the annual maintenance and check-up I have to get for my insurance.”
“Tried to screw ya, huh?”
“He tried, but I called for a second and third opinion and reported him to my insurance company. They looked into some of his past work and realized I wasn’t his first mark. He lost his license and was charged with insurance fraud last year.”
“Damn. And he didn’t even make the short list?”
“No need. I think he’s paid his debt since karma dry-fucked him with a cactus.”
I erupted with laughter, my voice booming around the quiet store, but I didn’t even care when people looked at us like I was nuts. Her delivery had been so deadpan and serious that I thought it was the funniest thing I’d ever heard.
I put my arm over her shoulders and kissed her temple. “You’re pretty fucking terrific, Bookstore Beauty.”
“You’re pretty great yourself, Bookstore Biker, although I really wish you’d consider being Beast for just one day.”
“Back to Halloween again, huh?”
“I’m a dedicated optimist,” Taya said as she left my side to walk around the enormous tree we had been standing near. As she reached out to touch another ornament, she smiled and said, “I’m also stubborn and always get my way.”
“Like water on a rock, huh?”
“Something like that.”