15. Mags
15
MAGS
Ever since Red came out of Rod’s camper, it’s like he’s the old Red–before life and loss got him down. He seems lighter, looser, and a hell of a lot more carefree… and I for one am not complaining.
Now, it’s Sunday night and we’re on the road heading to the local bar for the rodeo after party.
I thought I’d be more tired than I am, but I've discovered there's a lot to be said about working on your feet all day. It's given me a hell of a lot of stamina for an almost fifty-year-old woman. I feel like I could run circles around these young buckle bunnies if I wanted to.
While Red drives, I pull out my phone and message Charlie to see how things are going back home.
Mags: How’s my Charlie Bear doing?
Charlie: Hey Mom. How’s the road?
Mags: It’s good. We’re heading to the after party since it’s our last night in Ninilchik.
Charlie: Oldies hitting the town, huh? Those young ‘uns better watch out ha ha
Mags: Watch your mouth! Who are you calling old?
Charlie: OK. The mature members of our extended family then. Is that better?
I snicker and shake my head, earning a curious side glance from the driver’s seat.
“Somethin’ funny?” Red asks.
“Char just called us old.”
He snorts. “Well, sorry to say, she’s not wrong.”
“True, but it doesn’t mean my daughter has to remind me of the fact.”
“Kids are good like that. I feel older than ever just havin’ mine leave the nest,” he adds.
I reach over and squeeze his forearm, flexing my fingers and fighting against the urge to pull away when sparks tingle up my arm and my pulse spikes. "You don't feel old to me."
“Good to know,” he mutters with a smirk, looking entirely unaffected. Maybe I just have a static electricity problem?
The longer I watch him, the more his grin grows. Thankfully I’m saved by another text message coming through.
Charlie: How’s the vacation rental?
Mags: The cabin is as cute as a button. You’d love it. Maybe not the color, though. The owner has a penchant for pink…
Charlie: So, it’s like a mini Barbie dreamhouse?
Mags: I’d say that was definitely her inspiration. It’s… colorful. That’s all I’ll say.
Charlie: Has Red come out in hives yet?
Mags: Surprisingly no.
Charlie: It’s a miracle! Is it romantic?
I stare at the message, wondering if I’ve read it wrong.
Mags: What? Why would you say that?
Charlie: Well, you said I'd love it and it’s a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. Means it must be romantic. What did you think I meant?
Mags: Oh. Yeah. You’d love it. It's pretty private and not what you'd expect to find on the Kenai Peninsula.
Charlie: I’ll tell Austin to keep it in mind. Maybe I can tag along with him on his next ranch-related trip, and we can sneak away for a night or two.
Mags: Now who’s being romantic? I got to hand feed a moose the other day.
Charlie: What?!? I’m jealous. The moose around here are too scary to get close to. Where did you do that?
Mags: Red’s old rodeo friend Justice works at this wildlife center on the way down here, so we stayed a while and did the tour.
Charlie: Wow. I think I owe Red a drink when y’all are back
Mags: Why?
Charlie: Because he's getting you to have fun and relax AND feed a moose!
Mags: I have fun all the time, thank you very much. Don’t you start in on me about relaxing. Red’s been telling me the same thing.
Charlie: He’s not wrong. You needed a break and Wy leaving meant you could kill one bird with two stones, or whatever the saying is…
I giggle under my breath, earning another curious look from Red.
Mags: Two birds, one stone, sweetheart. Are you coming off a night shift?
Charlie: How’d you know?
Mags: Miss you, Charlie Bear.
Charlie: Who are you and where is my mom? You haven’t even asked about the diner?
Mags: I'm on vacation apparently. I didn't think I was ALLOWED to ask about MY diner.
Charlie: But you’re just dying to know, aren’t you?
Mags: Charlie Bear, so help me…
Charlie: The building is still standing. The booths are still full. All of your staff are still employed, and Dad hasn’t lost his mind… yet.
Mags: Well, that’s a relief. Maybe I will start enjoying this vacation now.
Charlie: Keep it up Mom and I’ll make sure Red extends your trip another week.
A sneaky glance across the cab at my now crooning best friend has me thinking that wouldn’t be such a bad thing…
Mags: OK, you win. I’m going to go now but say hi to Austin and everyone else.
Charlie: Will do, Mom. And have fun, doctor’s orders. Love you.
Mags: Love you too.
I'm still smiling as I lower my phone to my lap, the warmth spreading in my chest the polar opposite to the crisp Alaskan air rushing through the window. Red glances my way, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he does it.
“How’s Char?”
“She’s good. Cheeky as always, but good,” I reply.
“Wonder who she gets that from, huh?” Feeling childish, I poke my tongue at him, getting a grin in return. “And the diner? There’s no way you didn’t ask about it. I know you too well.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s still standin’ apparently.”
“Well, that’s good,” he says with a wry laugh. “Wouldn’t want to have to rush back because you thought it was crumblin’ without you bein’ there.”
“Hey!” I gently hit his shoulder. “I’m not that bad.”
He rubs his chin as if having to think about it. My offended gasp gets him laughing. “No. But you are allowed to be worried about it. Just not enough to stop you havin’ fun. Yeah?”
“We haven’t even been away for a week yet. I think I’ve done well not checkin’ in every five minutes. I’ve been tryin’ to control myself. It’s not like you’re callin’ the ranch all the time.”
“That’s cause it’s not all on me. The diner is your baby.”
I lean my back against the truck door and look over at him. “You’re sayin’ it helps not bein’ the only one who has to make the decisions?”
“Why? You thinkin’ about takin’ on a business partner?”
I hadn’t thought about it before. Is that why I asked?
The question lingers in the air between us as I think about the idea. "I don't know. Maybe?”
Red goes quiet for a moment as if thinking about what to say. “You know you’ve done very well for yourself, and the diner is proof of that.”
“I know. But is it worth what I’m missin’ out on? Y’all had to drag me out of the place to get me to have a vacation. Is that a good way to live?”
"You’ve got a lot to show for it though. You’ve done well for yourself, and I don’t just mean financially. You’ve created a meetin’ place, a restaurant, a home away from home for the townsfolk.”
“Yeah, I guess. It’s just…I don’t know, I’m bein’ silly.”
No, you’re not. You’re evaluatin’ things and wonderin’ what if, am I right?” I nod. “We all have those moments. Hell, I’ve been havin’ a lot of them myself since Wy told me he was leavin’.”
“Did you come up with any answers?”
“Nope,” he says, popping the p. “But I do know that this is my first break away from everythin’ in years too. I know one thing though.”
“What?”
“Damn glad I’m on it with you.”
Well, hell. What do I say to that? Before I can reply, he continues.
“The thing to take away from this, darlin’, is that you have a ton of people in your life who just want the best for you. This trip away–whether you think you were dragged along or you got suckered in by Wyatt’s big green eyes— is all the proof you need that we all care about you.”
Not knowing what to say to that, let alone how to say it, I don’t say anything. Instead, I just stare at him.
“What’s got you thinkin’ so hard over there? If I’ve stepped outta line, you can tell me…”
“It’s not that.”
“What is it then?”
He’s right, of course. About everything. But me being me can’t just tell him that. Instead, I decide to lighten the mood just a little.
“I’m wonderin’ if this is a vacation or the start of a spiritual journey? Maybe I need to wake up my inner goddess and realize there’s more to life than just work, bills, and sleep. Or at least start listenin’ to what Star tells me to do.”
The corner of his mouth quirks. “Not sure your inner goddess needs to wake up, darlin’. I am interested in what Star told you to do?” He turns the truck into the packed parking lot of ‘The Pen Bar’ where the rodeo party is being held.
“You really want to know?”
“Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” he says matter of factly.
“She told me it’s time to start prioritizin’ my own happiness.”
“Always knew she was a smart woman,” he says, an unreadable expression appearing on his face. “What else did she say?”
I’d love to know what’s going through his head right now because he’s the type of man who takes anythin’ spiritual with a grain of salt.
“She told me to keep my eyes open because you never know when the universe might throw a curveball of its own my way.”
Red starts choking then coughing, hitting his chest with his fist as he tries to catch his breath. Thankfully he finds a parking spot quickly.
“You OK there?” I ask, frowning as I hand him a bottle of water from my purse.
He takes a few sips of water but his eyes never leave mine as he does it, and once again, the air between us crackles with something . It’s like we’re in a force field and there’s a spring between us coiling tighter and tighter. I felt the same thing when we were up on that knoll the other day too.
After a long moment of silence where we just stare at one another, Red clears his throat and hands the half-empty bottle of water back to me. "Thanks," he murmurs, his voice rough and thick.
I nod, my heart still thudding in my chest as I try to gather my thoughts. The silence between us stretches on and for the first time, I wonder if there’s something he’s not telling me.
Finally, Red breaks the quiet, his gaze intense as he meets my eyes. "Mags, I..."
It’s then that the truck jolts and there’s a thud on the hood. We both snap our eyes forward and I gasp when I see no other than Duck Norris standing on his one leg right in front of us.
“What that f—” I start to say.
“Dammit. Not now,” Red spits out.
"Quack! Quack! Quack!" Then, as quick as he arrived, he’s gone, and it's as if he was never there. He just vanishes. Well, flies away. But it's definitely a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of moment.
I turn to Red just as his head swivels my way. “Was that…?”
“I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes.”
“But we’re so far away from home. How—I mean… how? ”
Red leans forward to look out the windshield, then turns to do the same out of the driver’s window. “If it was him, he’s well gone.”
A startled laugh bursts out of me. “I think we need a drink.”
“I think you’re right,” he replies. He palms his Stetson from the seat between us and nods my way before he hops out of the truck, coming around to my door and opening it for me. I jump down without his help, earning a tell-tale frown that he always shoots me when I do that.
“Careful, darlin’,” he warns deep and low, sending a different kind of shiver down my spine at the sound.
I grin up at him, earning twitching lips for my troubles. Lively chatter and laughter from inside the bar mixes with the low twang of country music that seeps through the walls as we make our way toward the front doors. Red pushes open the swinging door, the smell of beer and barbecue like a rodeo welcome home party.
I lift up on my toes, bringing my mouth to his ear. “So, is this when us oldies let loose and show these young ‘uns how it’s done?”
He wraps a strong arm around my waist, steadying me as we’re bumped and jostled by the crowd. He curls me into him, holding me close, and my mind goes completely blank.
When he looks down at me, his smile is so warm—so something— that I realize I don't have a clue what’s happening. "I'm game if you are," he says with a twinkle in his eye. “But first, you’re goin’ to need this.” Then he takes his cowboy hat off his head and plops it down on mine.
I scrunch my nose, confused as all get out. He’s never given me his hat before. He’s never done anything like that before.
The only time I’ve ever seen him give his hat up was the very first night Anna and I met him...
Staring up at him, I open my mouth to ask him what's going on but he beats me to the punch. “C’mon, darlin’. Let’s go.”
Unable to do anything else, I follow him.
But it doesn’t escape my notice that Red sticks by my side like a bee to honey for the rest of the night. And wouldn’t you know it, not a single randy, drunk, looking-for-fun cowboy comes near me.