9. Chapter 9
Chapter nine
“I’ve got my head on straight now.”
Abe and Maggie went into the garage, and she stopped at the sight of the car with the front end up on ramps. “Is that my car?”
“Yeah.”
“Why is it here?”
“I asked Bruce to tow it over.”
She ran a hand down the side of the old Toyota. “I thought it wasn’t worth fixing.”
“It’s not if you consider the cost of labor. But if you know someone who can fix it, then it becomes much more affordable.”
She turned to him. “You’re fixing my car?”
“I know you’re weirdly attached to it.”
She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”
He patted her back. “You’re welcome.”
Maggie stepped back. “When will it be ready?”
“A couple of weeks. I don’t have much time to work on it, and there are a lot of things wrong with it. But it’ll be good as new when I’m finished.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this for me.”
He shrugged. “I want you to have your car back and not have to spend the money you’ve saved up for the Mayhew place.”
“I’ll pay for the parts.”
“Let’s get it running, then we’ll talk about that.”
She put a hand on his chest. “You’re being sweet again.”
“It creeps up on me every now and then. It surprises me too when it happens.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Hmm. Anyway. That’s what I wanted to show you.”
“Thank you.” She looked at the collection of motorcycles parked next to the car. “I didn’t know you had so many.”
“The three with red tanks are my racing bikes. That guarantees I always have at least one in racing condition. That big black hog is my project bike. Still working on it. And then, the one I’m currently using while you have my truck.”
“Are you sure you’re okay doing that for a couple more weeks?”
“Yeah. I love riding my bike. The weather right now is perfect for it.” He looked at her. “Have you ever ridden a bike?”
“No.”
“Do you want to?”
“It has never occurred to me.”
“We should go for a ride.”
She took a step back. “I don’t think so.”
“We’ll take it slow and follow the river road. It’ll be beautiful.”
“I don’t know.” He cocked his head, and she smiled. “Fine. But if I get scared and want to come back, we turn right around.”
“I promise.”
He went to a work counter, picked up two helmets, and handed her one. “Put this on.”
She looked at the helmet as she took it from him. “Wow.” She put it on, and he adjusted it for her, connecting the strap under her chin. “Beautiful.”
“I doubt that.”
He removed his hat and put on his helmet, then straddled the bike and started it. He backed it a few feet, then held out his hand. “Come on.”
Maggie sighed, then got on the bike behind him. “Do I need to do anything?”
He patted her hand. “Hold on tight and don’t fight the motion.”
“Like riding a horse?”
“Um…more side to side than up and down.” He drove forward, and she tightened her grip around his waist. “I’ll take the back roads so there won’t be much traffic.”
He pulled onto the street, then turned off the main road and drove through the neighborhood.
They ended up on a little-used road that would take them to Northside.
It paralleled the Smith River for twenty miles before ending at a recreation area with a small beach, picnic tables, and restrooms. Beyond that, the river was accessible only on foot or by small boat.
Abe picked up speed once he turned onto Northside, but he went slower than he would’ve if he had been by himself.
The sky was clear, and the quarter moon lit the water of the slow-moving river.
As they passed a row of weeping willows, their branches nearly touching the water, Maggie spoke into Abe’s ear.
“It’s so pretty.”
“Not scared yet?”
“No.”
Abe continued down the road until they arrived at the park. He pulled into the small parking lot, then stopped the bike.
Maggie got off and removed her helmet. “Wow.”
“You liked that, didn’t you?”
“I really did. I had no idea.”
Abe removed his helmet, then got off the bike. They left the helmets with the bike and held hands as they walked toward the river. The water widened at this point and slowed, making swimming from the sandy beach safer than in some of the other faster moving areas.
Abe and Maggie sat in the sand, and he listened to the frogs for a moment. “Somebody’s in love.”
“What?”
“The frogs. That one is making quite sure he’s louder than the rest.”
Maggie laughed. “So, some pretty little female frog is swooning over his lovely song?”
“I guess so. Or at least he hopes so.”
“That’s pretty cute.” She nudged Abe’s shoulder. “I think we can consider this our first date.”
“You mean I don’t have to croak for you to notice me?”
She tucked her arm around his. “I see you, Abe.”
“Does that mean I get to kiss you goodnight when we get back home?”
“I think it might.”
Abe loved the sound of the water, and he closed his eyes for a moment to listen. A fish jumped up and splashed somewhere outside the moon’s path of light. “It’s not too late to back out.”
“From going on our date tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He turned toward her. “I’m serious. If it’s too weird.”
“It’s not weird as long as you don’t make it weird at work.”
He sighed. “I won’t. I think I’ve got my head on straight now.”
“Do you think we would’ve made it to this point if I hadn’t…if we hadn’t had those two nights?”
Abe blew out a breath. “I have no idea.” He smiled. “You’re done with Larry the laundromat guy, right?”
Maggie laughed. “I haven’t seen him since he stood me up.”
“Good. I’m not sure I can compete with the laundromat prince.”
“Hmm. I’d say you’d have a pretty good chance.”
“Good to know.” He looked at her for a moment. “Do I need to wait until we say goodnight to kiss you?”
“Yes. We’re starting from scratch, remember?”
“Right.”
She leaned against him. “This is a perfect moment.”
“You shutting me down?”
“No. You and I sitting here under the stars and listening to the water and the frogs.”
He squeezed her hand. “It is perfect, isn’t it?”
They stayed for an hour, then got back on the motorcycle and headed for Abe’s house. He drove slower, wanting the ride back to last a little longer. Maggie held him tightly around the waist, her head resting on his back. It was perhaps the best ride he’d ever taken.
After parking the bike in the garage, Abe walked Maggie to the truck. She stopped at the door and turned to him. “Can we do that again?”
“Anytime you want.”
“How often do you race?”
“Not as often as I’d like. The races are usually on the weekend, so I need to take the day off.”
“So that’s where you are when you don’t show up on Saturdays.”
“Most of the time, yeah. Would you like to come watch sometime?”
“No.”
He put his arms around her. “It’s pretty exciting.”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I rarely get hurt. I’d have to crash to get hurt, and I don’t crash…too often.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You could come watch me run the course a few times with nobody else there.”
She put her arms around his neck. “That I might do.” She looked at him for a moment. “You said something about a goodnight kiss.”
“Oh, right.” He leaned in and kissed her. “How was that? Good for a first date?”
She smiled. “Yes.” She let go of him and stepped back. “And now, I’m going to go home to Donovan, who is way past needing to go out.”
“Poor Donovan.”
“He has a doggie door to my tiny backyard, but he’s afraid to go through it.”
“Of course he is.”
“If he really has to go, he’ll do it, though. He hasn’t peed on the floor yet.”
Abe opened the truck door for her. “Home you go, then. Don’t want to keep the mutt waiting any longer.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night. Should I come pick you up since I have your truck?”
“I’ll ride over to your house.”
“Okay.”
“I can’t walk you to the door at the end of the night if you drop me off here.”
“Thank you for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.”
She drove away, and Abe stood in the driveway until he could no longer see her taillights.
He looked up at the stars. “Well, I guess I’m dating Maggie.
So weird.” He closed the garage door and sat on his porch.
He leaned back and settled into the chair.
A cloud had moved over the moon, obscuring some of the light, but without nearby artificial light, he could still see across his unkempt front yard.
I should water the grass and maybe plant some flowers.
He sat up and rested his forearms on his knees. “Wow. One day you’re a carefree single guy and the next you’re thinking about planting flowers.” He laughed. “Maggie, what are you doing to me?”
When his phone rang, he checked the number, hoping it was Maggie, even though she wouldn’t be home yet. But it wasn’t Maggie. It was Gentry, which was unusual this late. “Gentry? Is everything okay?”
“The bank deposit isn’t showing up in the account.”
“Oh, crap.” Abe felt his pocket. “That’s because it’s in my pocket.”
“What the hell? How can you forget to go to the bank?”
“Sorry. I was…” He sighed. “I'll go drop it off now.”
“Do it in the morning. Just don’t lose it between now and then.”
“I’ll put it under my pillow.”
Gentry laughed. “You don’t need to go that far.”
Abe ended the call, then looked at the house. Tomorrow was his day off. Did he really want to get up early and go to the bank? “Nope.” He opened the garage, straddled his bike, and headed for town.