Chapter 20
CHEWIE
“I hear his music!” Samara yelled excitedly as she rushed through the front door.
“The dad’s?”
“Yes! He’s an Ozzy fan.”
“I’m gonna go to the neighbor’s house, but I’m gonna wait until you’re somewhere else.”
“No! What if something happens? You’ll need me to call 911!” When I gave her a blank stare, her eyes got wide and she said, “I forgot that you’re not the 911 type.”
“What kind of criminal do you think I am, Samara? I’m not gonna kill him.”
“Maybe not in the bright light of day, but you probably switch to vampire mode and go batshit after dark, huh?”
“The mashups you create between the paranormal books you read and the true crime documentaries you watch at night to fall asleep are mind-boggling.”
“I don’t know why it bothers you so much that those kinds of stories calm me.”
“It doesn’t bother me, honey. It terrifies me.”
“Only because you’ve known some of the people who were involved in the cases I watch.”
“One, and that was a coincidence.”
“But you met him!”
“It was only one time for a brief second, Samara. The way you’re fangirling makes me think I should track your online footprint to see if you’re conversing with some criminal and monitor your bank account to make sure you’re not adding to some freak’s commissary."
“I would never do that! Besides, you forgot one.”
“One what?”
“Online is one thing, but they have phones in prison.”
“I’m well aware of that,” I reminded her. “When you tease me about shit like this, it makes my heart rate rise to an alarming level, and I start having homicidal ideations.”
“Oh! Ideations?” Samara leaned closer in interest and asked, “Did you hear that from the prison shrink, or . . .”
“I heard it on the fucking podcast you listen to while you’re cleaning. Earbuds, Samara! Get some.”
“That would be an excellent stocking stuffer,” Samara said, unperturbed at my tone of voice or obvious worry about her entertainment choices.
“I’m going to buy yogurt and eggs. It will probably take me at least an hour because I’m hungry, and everyone knows it’s a bad idea to shop for groceries on an empty stomach. ”
“While you’re there can you pick up some sanity and common sense, please?” I asked.
“I’ve been dying for you to finally admit that you were lacking!” Samara sassed before she tiptoed up to kiss my cheek and then breezed back out the front door. Over her shoulder, she called out, “Have fun!”
I tugged at my beard in frustration. Sometimes talking to that girl made me crazy.
I couldn’t imagine what she’d been like as a child.
I often thought about how much I had missed over the years, but then she would completely ignore me when I told her I was worried about something and remind me that I would have never survived her toddler years without intense therapy and some sort of addiction.
I imagine I would’ve ended up a raging alcoholic, because sometimes talking to her now made me really want to drink.
I glanced at the clock and made sure I puttered around for at least fifteen minutes, giving Samara plenty of time to get within sight of traffic cams and maybe even the security cameras at the grocery store before I grabbed the flyer I’d set aside just for this occasion and then walked down the sidewalk toward the neighbor’s house.
The neighborhood Samara’s parents had chosen to raise their daughter in was very nice and would have probably been considered affluent in its heyday.
They’d lived here almost all of Samara’s life, so the house wasn’t new by any means, but the majority of the homes were well taken care of with big lots and tidy lawns.
I appreciated the expanse. I’d had enough of being elbow-to-elbow with neighbors when I was locked up.
Even though there was a little distance between the houses, the man clearly enjoyed his music and had it cranked up so high that I could hear it before I left the porch.
When I got to his place, I was surprised to see him look up from the car he was working on because there was no way he had heard me approach.
The first thing I noticed were his eyes. They were a clear blue, and his brows were light brown shot with gray. His face was also free of bruises or scratches - two things I was positive he would have after fighting with Jodie.
Yes, it had been a few days, but she was a powerhouse who had studied martial arts. Any hits she landed on an opponent would leave bruises that lasted for some time.
I knew without a doubt that the man was aware of my tussle with his son, and at the time I’d been surprised he hadn’t confronted me about beating the shit out of him.
However, I knew that if I was gunning for someone and the cops were already involved, I would need to be careful.
He might have known that and been waiting for the right time, but when I saw the resigned look on his face, it was clear that wasn’t the case at all.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Yeah, man, I’ve seen you out here working on your car, and when I got this in the mail, I thought you might be able to use it,” I said as I stopped on the other side of the vehicle and held out the flyer from a local parts store.
“It’s got some great coupons on there, and it would be a shame for them to go to waste. ”
The man took the flyer and glanced down at it before he said, “Thanks. As much money as I’ve sunk into this beauty so far, I could use any breaks I can get.”
I knew without a doubt that this wasn’t the man I was looking for, and since his son was out of the picture, at least for now, I didn’t need anything else from him.
We chatted for a few minutes about the classic he was working on, he answered a few questions about my bike, and then I said goodbye.
As I walked back home, I sent Samara a text.
All clear. You can end your shopping spree and come home.
Do you like artichokes?
Not particularly.
What about eggplant?
Didn’t you go to the store for yogurt?
Shit! I completely forgot about that!
I shook my head as I walked through the door, glad I had already started prepping dinner since Taya would be here any minute now. We had a good system in place between our jobs and rarely talked during the day except for the occasional text. That gave us plenty to talk about when we were together.
Even though we spent every night together and saw each other when the day started, we were happy to see each other again every afternoon.
Whether it was at my place or hers, she always entertained me with her story ideas and writing progress while we cooked dinner.
She had been stressed lately with her kids hovering, but I understood their worry and had to restrain myself from doing the same.
As a matter of fact, it was killing me to know that she was alone in the truck on her way to my house. She’d insisted that she could make the drive without supervision and refused to let me pick her up or have one of her sons bring her to me.
I knew she was a strong woman who could take care of herself, and when I found out she carried a pistol with her, I understood just how well.
But when she was attacked in the parking lot, she didn’t have time to pull out her gun or have any reaction at all.
The gun in her purse had been nothing more than a paperweight.
That didn’t make giving her space any easier, especially since we had no idea if there was more trouble coming or if the incidents that had already happened were random and meant nothing.
I had a feeling that wasn’t the case, though, even now that I’d eliminated another suspect.
The case against him hadn’t been very strong in the first place, so it didn’t surprise me that he wasn’t Taya’s attacker.
It didn’t make any sense that he’d come after her about the dog when we hadn’t even seen any posts on the neighborhood social media page about a missing animal.
Sadly, I had a feeling that Rose wasn’t the first pet to go missing from that household. The parents probably figured the poor dog had met the same fate as the ones before her.
While I thought about that, I pulled out everything I would need to assemble the enchiladas for dinner and was surprised when I heard the front door open and Taya and Samara talking about her trip to the grocery store.
Like an addict, I started getting antsy when she didn’t come close enough. I was ready for a kiss since I hadn’t had one in at least ten hours. Apparently Taya felt the same way because she made a beeline for me the second she walked into the kitchen and melted into my arms as I kissed her hello.
“How’s my Tay?” I asked.
“Better now that I’m with you.”
◆◆◆
My mind was racing as I drove up the lane toward Taya’s house.
I’d lost track of time in the studio this afternoon, happy that my creative juices had begun to flow again and proud of the work I’d accomplished in the last few days.
Tomorrow would be spent delivering items to the local shops and going to the post office to ship the orders I’d fulfilled.
Then I could get back into the studio tomorrow afternoon to take care of the items I’d created today.
Business was booming. I had so many orders to fill that the stress was getting to me, but I knew that in a few weeks I’d have a lull and be able to restock the items I kept on hand for online orders. I would even take some time to start creating things for Valentine’s and Easter.
I owed my success to Samara and her insistence that I establish an online presence.
It would be a lie if I said I hadn’t been surprised that the videos I’d made of my creative process had garnered so much income, but then again, they took up a lot of time too.
Luckily, she had a classmate who was in that field, so I didn’t have to worry about camera setup or editing.
All I had to do was turn on the cameras and get to work.
The initial setup took some time, but we’d streamlined the process.
Videos of me in my studio were now all over the internet, which generated traffic on my website and had orders flowing in faster than I could have ever imagined.
Luckily, Ajax hadn’t called with any new cases, so I was able to fill the orders that came in and get them shipped in time for Christmas.
And the sight of Taya’s house, lit from within, was another reminder of how close the holiday really was. Since Taya and Jodie were recovering from the attack the day after Thanksgiving, her family tradition had been rescheduled for a few days later.
That Sunday, she invited me, Samara, Jodie, Jaimee, and Donner over to take part in their festivities. We ate leftovers from the holiday meal, listened to Christmas music, and decorated the large tree in her living room together.
As Taya and her kids unwrapped the ornaments from their storage packaging, they laughed together and explained what year that ornament had been purchased along with its significance.
Taya had found the time to shop for ornaments for us, too, and I loved the one she’d chosen for me as well as the one she’d gotten to celebrate our being together.
Now there was a Chewbacca ornament hanging on the branch above a miniature snowglobe with a log cabin inside.
By the end of the day, the house was overflowing with holiday decor, and when I arrived for dinner the next night, there was even more.
The crew she hired to put lights up had been and gone, and the house was lit up on the outside now as well as the inside.
From the dish towels in the kitchen to the shower curtain in the bathroom, Taya’s home was a Christmas paradise.
As I parked, I was amazed at how much I was looking forward to celebrating the holiday with Taya and her family.
Donner and Jodie were planning to come back, too, which would make it even more fun.
Taya already had at least three lists going to organize the meals she had planned, the gifts she wanted to buy, and the events and games she wanted us to play while we were there.
I hadn’t been this excited about Christmas since I was a child, and I knew that was all because of Taya and the happiness she’d brought into my life.
Seeing how excited Samara was about the holiday also gave me some insight into what it might have been like when she was a kid.
That made me sad because it brought to focus what I’d missed, but I was so incredibly grateful that I could experience that joy now.
Even though there was still a possible threat out there and I was worried about Taya’s safety, I still felt happier and more excited about the holiday season than I had in years.
I guess I’d been sitting in my truck for too long, watching the twinkling lights and waxing poetic about the magic of the holiday, because Taya walked out onto the porch and motioned for me to come inside with a smile.
The sight of her standing there as she waited for me to kiss her hello gave me a feeling inside that I wasn’t sure I should voice just yet. I knew what it was and had only told one other woman the words, but I was certain now that what I felt for Taya was completely different.
This time it was real. And this time, it was going to last.