Page 85 of Nave
“Well, you know where to find him, don’t you?” Junior asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I do.”
It wasn’t ideal to have to go that route. But if someone wouldn’t back off, you had to do what you had to do to protect yourself and who you cared about.
“You do what you gotta do to find peace of mind. And you sleep soundly knowing it was the right thing.”
He sounded like a man who spoke from experience. And he was right. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over Ben being wiped off the surface of the earth.
But there was time.
I didn’t want to be taking any trips until I was sure that Lolly felt secure with me and where we stood.
Once I was sure of that, it seemed I had a little road trip to the woods to plan.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lolly
I would never admit it aloud, but I was bone-deep disappointed when Kit and Ariah said the motorhome was ready again.
I mean, sure, the clubhouse had its drawbacks. There was no such thing as privacy. Someone was always milling around, interrupting private moments. And, yeah, it was loud at night. It seemed like the prospects were nocturnal creatures, getting up just in time to do their chores, hit the liquor store to stock up, and party until the sun came up.
Sure, the noise also provided a certain amount of privacy for when Nave’s and my hands started to roam, to tease, to stroke.
I never had to worry about how loud I got when there was no hearing me over the thumping bass beat of the music.
That said, the motorhome, while very private, was really not big enough for the both of us.
I honestly had no idea how Kit and Ariah managed to live in the thing for months at a time. True, they were two smallish women. But still. I felt like I was getting in my own way some days.
Soon, other things would be cluttering up the space: a crib, a swing, plastic containers full of baby clothes and blankets. And whatever the hell else a baby needed.
I felt like I was suffocating just thinking about it.
Then, of course, I immediately felt guilty. I mean, the girls were letting me live on their land for free. Not only that, but they were supplying me with free fruits, veggies, and eggs. They were teaching me new skills. They were inviting me into their friend group.
And here I was being an ingrate about it.
Which was kind of why I insisted on coming back even though Nave told me there was no rush. I didn’t want the girls to think I didn’t appreciate everything they were doing for me.
Watching Nave go that first time had been hard, even though he promised to be back. I knew that, unless I spent some nights at the clubhouse again, things had kind of regressed for us. There would be no more sleeping on his chest or waking up with him spooning me. No shared showers where we got carried away with ourselves. No cooking lessons in the kitchen.
“Everything alright, Loll?” Ria asked. Glancing up, I saw her leaning on her shovel, her long hair piled on top of her head with a scarf, her light-wash overalls smeared with dirt. “You’ve been digging that same hole for about ten minutes.”
“Oh, sorry,” I said, glancing down to where I had the little finger-sized object used to make a hole just big enough to slip a seed into.
“I’m not criticizing you. You’re the only one helping me out. I’m just worried about you.”
Using her elbow, she peeled off one glove, then removed the other, before dropping down a few feet from me. She reached into her pretty pastel pink cooler and drew out two stainless steel bottles. She passed one to me.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s going to make me sound pathetic.”
“Which means a man has to be involved.”
“Yeah, kinda.”
