5. Smitty
SMITTY
When a brother calls asking for help, you don’t ask questions.
You just move, so when Skid called Grim and me, we did exactly that. Neither of us had any idea what was going on. He just told Grim that he needed us at his place, and he needed us there now.
When we pulled up, the garage door was wide open, and before I’d even had a chance to cut the engine, Skid came trudging out with a red face and sweat clinging to every inch of him. His eyes were wide as he gasped, “What the hell took y’all so long?”
Grim climbed off his bike and started over to him as he answered, “Got here as fast as we could. What the hell is going on?”
“Baylor’s rabbit got loose.”
"Loose?" Grim repeated with an exasperated huff. "How the hell does a rabbit get loose?"
“The little psychopath clawed his way out of his cage.”
“He did what?”
“You heard me.” Skid ran his hand over his face, wiping the sweat from his eyes. “Chewed through the latch and forced his way out. Now, he’s running around my damn garage like he’s escaped from prison.”
That earned him a chuckle from both of us.
“Nothing funny about this shit. I’ve been chasing that damn thing for half an hour, and every time I get close, he darts away from me.”
“I believe I warned you about getting her that rabbit for Christmas.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Skid let out a frustrated breath. “I was just trying to do something special for her.”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
“I didn’t think I’d have to run the fucker down.”
“It’s a sad day when you get outsmarted by a rabbit.”
“Okay, I’ve had about enough of that shit,” Skid fussed. “You gonna help or what?”
“Yeah, we’ll help, but it’s gonna cost you.”
We followed Skid into the garage, and it looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Tools were scattered across the ground, and several storage bins were overturned. A couple of rakes and a broom were strewn about, like there had been some kind of attack.
There was a faint scratch coming from behind the workbench, and Skid yelped, “There he is!”
I turned, and the rabbit froze. He was small and gray with floppy ears, and he couldn’t have looked less threatening if he tried. Skid lunged for him, and the rabbit hopped to the left, dodging him without really trying. Grim started chuckling, and Skid scolded, “Don’t just stand there!”
The rabbit darted across the garage floor, and when I saw that he was heading straight for me, I crouched down low.
He slowed, then he hopped right up to my boot like I was his long-lost friend.
I slipped one hand under him and used the other to steady him as I brought him up to my chest, cradling him.
I scratched between his ears, and he settled instantly. Skid looked utterly offended as he grumbled, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“He’s probably just tired of running away from you.”
“Then he should’ve stopped running.”
“He was scared.”
“Scared?” he snapped. “I’m the one who feeds his ass every damn morning and night.”
“Don’t take it personal.” Grim tried to console him by saying, “Smitty has a way with animals.”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Sure, you do,” Grim argued. "Remember that stray dog at the bonfire?"
"That’s just a coincidence."
“What about that bird that landed on the brim of your hat a few weeks back?”
"That was a fluke."
"And the cat that climbed into your truck?"
“You’re just making up shit now.”
"I don’t care what it is.” Skid folded his arms across his chest. “The rabbit choosing you over me feels a bit personal."
The rabbit shifted comfortably against my chest. Grim chuckled, “Hell, even he knows.”
"Knows what?"
"That you're an idiot.”
“I don’t know why I thought calling you over here was a good idea.”
“Glutton for punishment.”
“Clearly.”
The rabbit settled against my chest like he didn’t have a care in the world while Skid glared at him with narrowed eyes. “We need to get the mad rabbit back in his pen.”
“Need to get the latch fixed first,” Grim reminded him.
“Yeah, we do.”
Skid didn’t move. He just stood there and kept staring at the rabbit, so I asked, “You good?”
“He’s mocking me.”
“He’s a fucking rabbit, brother. All he cares about is getting his next carrot.”
“Well, he ain’t getting it from me.” He gave the rabbit a snarl before grabbing some wire and his toolbox. “Cage is around back.”
I adjusted my hold on my new furry friend, making sure he was secure as we headed outside. The cage was tucked under a big weeping willow tree, and judging by the marks, the furry escape artist had been working on an exit strategy for quite some time.
Grim crouched down next to it and grumbled, “Damn, son. How’d you miss this?”
“I didn’t miss it,” Skid admitted. “I just haven’t gotten around to fixing it.”
“Then, you got what you had coming.”
Grim leaned in, looking things over before reaching over and taking the wire and toolbox from his son’s hand.
I stood behind them, watching while they got to work.
They hadn’t been at it long when the back door to the house opened, and Baylor, Skid’s stepdaughter, came flying out.
She rushed up to me and ran her hand over the rabbit’s back. “You caught him.”
“Sure did.”
Laken, her mother and Skid’s ol’ lady, followed her over and gave the bunny a scratch on the head. “There he is.”
“He’s a criminal mastermind.”
“He’s not a criminal,” Baylor argued.
“Smitty just meant that he broke out of his cage,” Laken explained. “And he was pretty clever about it.”
Baylor’s brows furrowed. “He just wanted to get out and play.”
“Well, that changes things.”
Laken giggled as she said, “He wouldn’t be so eager to escape if he had a bigger cage.”
“I know.”
“She’s right. He needs more room,” Grim added.
“I know.”
“And tunnels.” Baylor smiled. “And a spinning wheel.”
“He’s not a hamster, kiddo.”
“And things to climb on.”
“Baylor.”
She planted her hands on her hips and huffed, “What?”
“Pop and I will build him a bigger cage in a couple of days.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Grim shook his head as he complained, “That’s great. Volunteered for yet another project.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Skid scoffed. “That’s what grandpas are for.”
Grim muttered something under his breath, and we all chuckled in response.
Once they had everything secure, Skid stepped over to me and took the rabbit, whispering warnings in his ear as he placed him in the cage.
The rabbit hopped across the enclosure and went straight to his water, taking a drink like nothing had happened.
Baylor closed the latch, then looked up at Laken and asked, “Can we go to the fair now?”
“Yes, sweetie. We can go now.”
“Yay!”
“I need to change first,” Skid added.
Baylor’s smile vanished as she groaned, “That’s gonna take forever.”
“It’ll take five minutes.”
“You always say that.” Baylor’s expression turned to a pout. “And you always take more than five minutes, especially when you go to the bathroom.”
Grim laughed even louder than before as he teased, “Kid’s right about that.”
“Don’t encourage her,” Skid fussed. “You and Jenna still planning to meet us over there with Luna?”
“That was the plan.”
“Good deal. I heard they’ve got some good food vendors coming.”
“Yeah, Jenna was saying something about a corndog made out of cheese? No idea what the hell that is, but she’s excited about trying it.”
“I want one, too!” Baylor gasped. “And some ice cream!”
“I think we can manage that,” Laken answered, before turning her attention to me. “You should come, too.”
“Hard pass.”
“Wow, that was pretty definitive.”
“Not a fan of the fair.”
Baylor looked wounded by my response and gasped, “They have games and prizes.”
“I’m aware.”
“And rides.”
“Too hot for rides.”
“Corn dogs made outta cheese!”
“Tempting, but still too damn hot.”
“Oh, come on,” Laken pushed. “It’ll be fun… A couple of girls from work are going to meet us there, too. I think you’d like them.”
“Ah, there it is.”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“The setup.”
“It’s not a setup,” she lied. “It’s just a couple of friends coming to hang out.”
“Not interested.”
Laken shook her head, then turned to Grim and said, “And that’s why he’s still single.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Might as well tell her you’ll come,” Grim groaned. “Or she’ll keep at it.”
“He’s right.” Laken smiled. “I can be very persistent.”
A couple of hours later, I was weaving through a crowd of sweaty parents chasing their sweaty kids and regretting every life choice that landed me at the county fair.
The place was packed, and I don’t mean a little crowded.
I’m talking shoulder-to-shoulder, hope the fire marshal doesn’t show up kind of packed.
It was rough, and it didn’t help matters that it was hot as blazes.
The sun had started to go down, but it hadn’t helped to cool things off.
The air was thick and humid, and it clung to my skin like a wet blanket that I couldn’t shake.
Sweat was dripping and rolling into places it had no business rolling.
Skid and Grim were walking right next to me, and they both looked equally miserable. Grim didn’t care who heard him when he announced, “I hate the fair.”
“Same.”
“I hate people, too.”
“Same,” Skid and I replied in unison.
“Why’s it gotta be so damn hot?”
“I believe I mentioned the hot thing when we were at Skid’s.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
Grim huffed as he adjusted the giant stuffed dog he had tucked under his arm. I had no doubt it wasn’t helping with his sour mood, and I couldn’t help but give him hell about it. “That thing is almost as big as Luna.”
“It’s bigger than her.”
“And you spent twenty bucks to win it.”
“Thirty.”
“That’s even worse.”
“Made her happy,” he answered without an ounce of regret. “That’s all that matters.”
A few feet ahead, Baylor, Luna, Laken, and Jenna were talking together like they didn’t have a care in the world, completely oblivious to our suffering. Or maybe they just didn’t care. I couldn’t tell.
When we reached one of the food vendors, Baylor jumped on her tiptoes and said, “I want the Oreos!”
“Okay. That sounds good,” Laken told her with a smile. “I think I want a funnel cake this time.”
“They have fried Snickers, too,” Jenna added. “I might have to try them.”
“I heard they are great.”
They went on and on, trying to figure out what to order, and I kept hoping one of them would say corn dogs and put an end to the conversation.
They were the best thing this place had going for it, and I should know that better than anyone.
Hell, I’d already had two, and I was seriously considering having a third.
My gaze drifted over the crowd, and I was relieved that I hadn’t seen any sign of Laken’s friends from work.
I was in no mood to talk to a woman, especially with the amount of sweat I had clinging to my T-shirt.
A couple of kids weaved between us, and I had to guide Grim and his stuffed dog out of the way.
As soon as they were gone, I looked up, and that’s when I noticed her.
There was a little girl, maybe twenty feet ahead of me, and she was perched on a woman’s hip. I usually didn’t pay much mind to kids, especially ones who were barely walking, but this kid was cute in a way that made it impossible not to notice.
She had these adorable, round cheeks, a tiny nose, and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. They were the kind of blue that seemed to pierce right through you. I knew that kind of blue. Hell, I saw it every time I looked in the mirror, but I’d never seen it in a kid her age.
I tried to force myself to look away, but she was staring right at me.
She wasn’t just glancing in my direction or looking around at the crowd. Her eyes were fixed on me, watching my every move with complete fascination. I glanced behind me, making sure it was really me she was looking at, but there was nobody there.
She babbled something I couldn’t understand and pointed at me.
I smiled wider and lifted my hand to give her a goofy wave, the kind that Grim and Skid would give me hell for if they’d seen me. Thankfully, they hadn’t. But she sure had.
Her entire face lit up, and a split second later, she let out a squeal so loud that it turned heads. I waved again, and that earned me another shriek, even louder this time. The woman carrying her finally got curious enough to turn and look for whatever had gotten her so worked up.
I’d already noticed the dark hair, but now, I’d actually seen her face.
And just like that, the world stopped, and for one impossible second, it felt like somebody had reached inside my chest and taken hold of my heart, squeezing it so hard I might drop to my knees.
It was her.
After all this time, she was here, and all I could do was stand there and stare. I couldn’t believe it. After all the sleepless nights I'd spent wondering where she was, wondering if she was happy or if she'd found somebody else, she was standing twenty feet away.
But she didn’t look happy to see me.
Instead, she was looking at me like her worst nightmare had just come true.