30. The Walk Home
THIRTY
The Walk Home
TARA & STEVE
Tara
Tara hurried out of Jo’s, hoping Steve wouldn’t really follow her out. She just wanted to get home.
Albeit gently, he grabbed her arm at the elbow to get her to stop. “Hey, Sugar. Slow down.”
She turned and snapped. “Stop calling me that, would you?” Doing an about-face, she shrugged her arm loose and started walking again. Steve easily caught up to her.
“I just want to make sure you get home safe, okay?”
“Then why do you make it so hard to take you seriously?”
He shrugged. “Talented, I guess.”
She couldn’t stop herself from laughing. She looked up long enough to roll her eyes at him again. He smiled, and oh, how she liked his smile. She kept walking as the cold autumn air caused her to cross her arms to seek some warmth.
“Hold up,” Steve said, holding his jacket out for her to wear.
She barely hesitated before sliding her hands through the sleeves while he pulled it up to make sure it covered her. She didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she also couldn’t blame the cold for the shiver she felt when his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her neck.
She pulled it shut in the front. “Thank you.” It was way too big for her, but it was warm. And it smelled good, too.
“Kiro told me your dad was in an accident a while back.”
She breathed in the scent of his cologne off his jacket before answering. “Yes. A few weeks ago.”
“We were at the scene, but I worked on another car. I didn’t know it was him. How’s he doing?”
She glanced up as if confirming his sincerity. “He’s home now, but won’t be able to work for another month or two.”
“So you’re sticking around for a while? Kiro said you lived out of state.”
“Chicago, yes.” She thought about how she missed Chicago, but Grant’s Crossing would always be her home. “I was actually supposed to be on vacation next week, but Mom and Dad need me.”
“Vacation where?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does.”
“It’s not any place fancy.”
“It doesn’t matter how fancy it was. Where were you going to go?”
She laughed. “Mackinac Island. I’ve always wanted to go there and stay at the Grand Hotel.” She met his gaze with a half smile. “Okay. Fine. So maybe it was going to be fancy. It’s just so beautiful up there. Or at least it looks that way in the movies.”
She continued walking.
“It is beautiful.”
“You’ve been there?”
Steve
He took a few steps before he realized she’d stopped. He walked back to her. “Yes. I filled in for the fire department up in St. Ignace. A neighboring town lost two men in a bad warehouse fire, so a few of us volunteered to go up and fill in until they could get permanent replacements.”
“So, how’d you end up in Grant’s Crossing?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We have three more blocks to go.”
Steve stared down and rubbed the toe of his shoe on the ground as if putting out a non-existent cigarette.
“Well, three and a half blocks, if you want to be exact.” She smiled.
He took in a deep breath and stared back at her. After a slow exhale, he started talking. “I’m originally from St. Louis.” His words came slowly at first. “Just outside of it, anyway.”
They started walking again, but slower, as if they were now taking a leisurely stroll by the not-so-distant river.
“Is that where your family is from?”
His eyes flickered in her direction. “I suppose.” They walked past the fire station.
“You suppose?”
“The family I claim lives outside of Chicago. I never really got along with my parents. They were always...” he seemed to struggle for the right words. “They never seemed to want kids. I think they were more interested in the label of parents than actually being parents.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My parents were conservative, like ultra -conservative and incredibly religious. Fanatically so.” He breathed out a sigh and took the plunge. “Do you know the Westboro Baptist Church?”
Tara made a face. “You mean that church that rails against anyone living a non-traditional lifestyle?” Tara used air quotes for non-traditional. “They blame anything bad in the world on the LGBTQ community?”
He confirmed her interpretation with a nod.
“Nasty people, if you ask me. Cruel for the sake of cruelty.”
He pressed his lips into a tight line. “Yeah. That’s pretty much how my parents raised us.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
He grunted in response. “Don’t worry. It didn’t take.”
“You said we . Do you have brothers and sisters?”
For a split second, his face lit up. “One brother. Nicky, er. Nick.”
Tara smiled as he corrected himself from his brother’s nickname to his actual name, as if Nicky were only for him to use.
“He had a rough time growing up, knowing he was...” he paused.
Tara stopped long enough to finish his sentence. “Knowing he was gay?”
Steve’s eyes met hers. “Yes. He was put through a lot. Then, I enlisted..."
"Marines, right?"
"How'd you–?”
"I've seen your tattoos, remember?"
A playful grin tugged at his lips as his eyes lit up. Then it was gone. “Nick went to live with our great aunt and uncle on their farm. When he became old enough to make his own bad decisions, he dropped out of school and moved to Chicago on his own.”
They passed a few more shops in silence.
“When I got back, we saw each other on and off for a while. Then... he disappeared. Until a few weeks ago, that is.”
“Disappeared? So you found him, then?”
“Yes. I found him the day after your father’s car accident. Derek and Kiro helped me. Derek,” he swallowed and caught his breath in his throat, “To his credit, Derek was there in the thick of it. He saw how bad it was but has never once said a word except to make sure Nick was doing okay. I owe him. Kiro, too.”
Steve paused in front of a small music store with a guitar hanging in the window. He thought back to how his brother would pick up a guitar and play songs he’d only listened to once or twice.
“So, is your brother going to be okay?”
“I hope so. He’s getting the help he needs, and he’s close.” He sniffed again in the cool night. “And he’s safe.” He turned back to see her smiling.
“I’m glad to hear that. At least you don’t have to wonder.”
“I suppose.” He scrubbed his hand down his face. For the first time in a long while, Steve reigned in the cocky attitude he typically projected. “I don’t really know why I told you all of that. I didn’t even tell your dad about this when I rented the apartment. I just told him that I’m here to be near family.”
“It’s your story to tell, Steve. I won’t say anything unless you want me to.”
A quickly-muttered thanks was all he could get out in response.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t know if it’s better for him here or not.”
“What do you mean?”
“The other day, we had a car accident involving some kid who was rear-ended and forced into a telephone pole.” Steve cleared his throat. “He’s eighteen, but his dad showed up on the scene yelling and screaming. He was railing against the poor kid. Wasn’t even his fault, but the kid…the young man… John… he was almost too scared of his father to even go to the hospital to get checked out.”
“What happened?”
“The guys on the scene created a human wall to separate him from his own father long enough for Derek and Kiro to treat him. He ended up going to the hospital, so I offered to stay with him and get him home.” Steve shook his head. “He was shaking, he was so scared. I…uh…” Steve looked away for a moment, then exhaled. He met Tara’s gaze. “I probably did something I shouldn’t, but…”
“What did you do?”
“I told him where he could find me if he ever needed anything.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“I wanted nothing more than to deck his dad for being such an… I mean,” Steve rubbed the scruff on his chin. “It shouldn’t be so hard to love your own kid, you know?”
Steve paused as they stopped in front of a white, three-story Victorian home.
Tara motioned toward the house. “This is it.”
Tara
He walked her to the front porch, where she turned to face him. “Thanks for walking me home.” She glanced at him as if waiting for something she couldn’t define.
His eyes dropped to the window at a prominently displayed flag with two blue stars, indicating they had two family members actively serving in the military.
“You’re a military family?”
Tara glanced back at the window. “My brother and sister are in the Navy.” She smiled. “Tiff’’s based out of Norfolk, and Tristan is based out of San Diego.”
She put her hand on the doorknob before remembering why she was so warm. “Oh.” She slid out of his jacket and handed it back to him, receiving a quick chill from the cool night air. “Thanks for this.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her green eyes brightened long enough to smile. “Well, goodnight!”
She slipped inside the door as he wished her a good night in return.
Peeking through the curtain-covered window, she watched as he shrugged on his jacket and trotted down the steps. He paused for a few seconds on the sidewalk, then walked back the way they came.
She closed her eyes and leaned back against the front door with a sigh.
Opening her eyes, she reached inside her purse and shot a quick text to Celeste, letting her know she was home safe.
Tara: Just got home
Celeste: The night’s over already?
Tara: That’s enough, Cel.
Celeste: You look good together.
Tara: We’re not together
Tara received a text from Kiro.
Kiro: He’s a good guy
Tara: He’s...
Kiro: Yes?
Tara started a group text with both Kiro and Celeste.
Tara: Stop ganging up on me! Goodnight!
She added a few smiley emojis to make sure they knew she wasn't entirely serious. Rolling her eyes at the LOLs and various emojis that came through her phone in response, she headed upstairs to go to bed. As she pulled the blankets up over her shoulders and rested her head on the pillow, her mind was filled with thoughts of a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed man.
Admittedly gun shy after her breakup with Ethan, it was the first time she’d even entertained the idea of being with another man. With a smile on her lips, she drifted off to sleep thinking back to his chest... and that ink... and those piercings... and those beautiful blue eyes.