Page 25 of Rebel

She grinned, “Berries instead of flowers. That’s a welcome change around these parts.”

Before I could think of something clever to say in response, her mother approached us. “Welcome, Mr. Ross. Lacey has told us so much about you. I’m glad to get the opportunity to put a face to the name.”

I shot Lacey a quick glance. She spoke up immediately, “I told them all about how you’ve helped turn Livingstone Electrical around by improving customer service and completing a record number of jobs each week.”

They ushered me into their living room where Lacey’s father was sitting in a recliner watching television. He clicked it off immediately. I walked over to shake his hand. “It’s good to meet you, sir.”

“You as well. Have a seat. Lacey has been telling us what a prolific worker you are. Do you mind if I ask where you got your training?”

“Not at all, sir. I had an electrical MOS in the Army. They have very strict standards. I managed to get in enough hours to qualify as a Master Electrician, so I sat the exam.”

“That’s the way to do it. You get paid to train rather than paying someone else to train you.”

“Yes, sir. That’s about the size of it.”

Lacey was still holding the hefty bag of blackberries. She held them up for everyone to see. “These are larger than anything I’ve seen before. Where did you get them?”

“I rode out to visit my grandmother this morning. She insisted upon picking blackberries, so that’s what we did. We had a great visit, and it gave her caregiver a bit of a break.”

Lacey spoke up, “You said she has some medical problems, right?”

I nodded, not particularly liking where this conversation was going. “Yes, she has cardiac problems, but other than that, her doctors say she’s in good condition for her age.”

Gesturing at the bag of berries, I asked, “What do you have in mind for your berry acquisition?”

She just shrugged, “Blackberry cobbler, blackberry cobbler, and then maybe some more blackberry cobbler if there are enough berries.”

I grinned, “So there’s no blackberry pancakes, muffins, jam, or pie. Just cobbler all day long and then some.”

Her mother’s expression lit up, “I love that expression and yes, we’re big cobbler fans. We usually do peach, so this will be a treat for us.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll send you some,” Lacey said with a smile.

“I wouldn’t turn down cobbler,” I told them. Worried I might have overstayed my welcome I stood up and said, “It was nice meeting you both. Hope you enjoy the berry bounty. I’m due at the clubhouse to do some wiring for our security cameras, so I’d better get going.”

Lacey and her mother came to their feet, but her father just reached for the remote control. He was a man after my own heart for not standing on ceremony. Lacey and her mother talked to me all the way to the door. On the one hand it made me feel welcome but at the same time it was all kinds of awkward. I really wanted to ask Lacey why she’d left without telling me this morning, but I couldn’t very well do that with her mom present. However, the fact that she seemed really happy to see me made me think that I hadn’t scared her off.

The woman I hoped to make my own walked me out to my bike. I threw one leg over the seat, intending to talk to her for a bit. Once we were alone, I decided to broach her absence this morning, “You tore out of my bed pretty early. Hope the four rounds of sex didn’t scare you off?”

She grinned at me. “Not one bit. I have to admit I was feeling it this morning and if we’d added a round of morning sex I might have been walking funny for the foreseeable future. You were totally out for the count and I didn’t want to wake you, so I left a note on the nightstand. I only left early because I promised my mom that I would help her convince Dad to go to his medical appointment later in the week.”

“Yeah, old men can be stubborn that way. Maybe he’s just tired of the womenfolk fussing over him. Tell him that if he wants, I can get a sidecar for him and take him there myself. We can grab a beer afterwards.”

She frowned, “He can’t have beer with his meds.”

“That’s fine. I can get him a nonalcoholic beer. If your mom’s worried, she can meet him at the doctor’s office. If he’s not interested, that’s cool too.”

Her mouth fell open for a brief moment. “No, I think he might really enjoy something like that. He’s on a new treatment and has been more coherent lately. I think anything we can do to get him out in the community will help, doing normal things will be good for him.”

I was glad she thought I could be helpful, I told her, “Let me know what he says. If he’s interested in the sidecar, I can bring an extra helmet. So he doesn’t have to worry about that.”

Lacey stepped close and slipped her arms around me. Giving me a tight squeeze, she whispered, “Thanks for offering to give him a nice new experience. He really needs that right now.”

“I’m happy to do it. Your old man seems like a cool guy. I like the stories you tell about him starting a bowling club for his employees and inviting them to family events. He’s my kind of guy, a role model for the next generation.”

She pulled back, looking a bit suspicious. Poking me in the ribs, she asked, “Who are you and where did my grumpy partner go?”

I frowned at her gentle teasing. Before I could respond, she jumped on her tiptoes to look me in the eyes. “Blink once if you’re still in there Benny, and twice if you need help.”

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