Page 41 of Fix Me Up, Cowboy
Not quite the kiss I was hoping for.
But before my body can respond and pull her closer to me, she’s out of the truck and walking to her rental car.
Tonight, my body says.You’d better be planning to kiss her tonight.
12
Kate
The momentI step into the house, I hear a muffled thud coming from the living room. Soon after, Charlie enters the foyer and gives an excited bark. I fuss with him for a few minutes as I tell him about the ranch. He listens intently, interjecting a bark into the conversation every so often.
The box with the letters from Charlotte and John is on the kitchen table where I left it this morning. As I make lunch, my gaze keeps drifting to it, and an urge builds to read another letter. Just one.
That’s all.
Maybe I can find out what happened to him since his name didn’t ring any bells for Tilly and Meg.
I grab my plate and stroll to the table. The green linoleum flooring is cool against my bare feet.
I sit on the chair and remove the next letter from the box. It’s addressed to Charlotte:
My dearest Charlotte,
Every time I think of the Thunderbird, I’m reminded of the time we made love in it by Stinson Beach. It’s one of my fondest memories of our time there before I was shipped off. The way your dark hair shone in the glow of the sunset. The way it brushed against your bare breasts. The way you said my name in the heat of the moment. Those are the memories that keep me going during this war. Those are the memories that keep me warm at night.
I just know that one day soon we’ll be driving down the coast together and reliving that day. Only this time I won’t be leaving you. This time I’ll be with you forever.
Like with the other letters, he continues with stories about his friends on the front with him. He avoids talking about the horrors of the war, and I suspect that’s for Charlotte’s benefit. Unlike nowadays, with our 24-7 news on TV and the videos and photos on social media, Charlotte was oblivious to the truth.
I take a bite of my sandwich and read another letter from her. Like before, she shares a fond memory from that trip to the beach.
And let’s just say my great-aunt was more adventurous than I realized—especially when it came to the Thunderbird’s back seat.
I fold the letters away, head upstairs to my room, and change into my dusty yoga pants and a clean tank top. Then I sort through Charlotte’s room, which mostly contains junk she stockpiled over the years. Unfortunately, there are no hidden treasures or journals to give me further insight into the woman.
Well, that’s disappointing.
I do find some old photos of the two us, taken while she was visiting my family, and some drawings I sent her during the first year or two after that. Charlotte had stashed them in an album with a few other mementos from that trip.
The doorbell rings as I make my way downstairs. I open the front door, but it’s not Noah like I was expecting. “Hi, can I help you?” I ask the older man.
“Are you Kate? Noah sent me with the dumpster.”
“Wow, that’s fast.”
“That’s what happens when you owe Noah a favor. He’s worse than a gangster who wants to be paid now or else you’ll lose a limb.”
I feel the blood drain from my face, making me look even more like Elvira. Add fangs and the look would be complete.
He barks a laugh. “I was kidding ya. At least I was about the gangster part. I did owe him a favor, otherwise you’d be waiting until next week for the unit.” He hands me a clipboard with a form attached. “You just need to fill this out first.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.” I take the form and fill it in, then hand it back to him.
“Where do you want me to put it?”
I tell him, and five minutes later I’m the proud (temporary) owner of a large metal container in my driveway. He’s about to pull away when Noah arrives in his truck.
While I wait for Noah to come inside, I dump a load of clothes into the washing machine. These will be donated to the Golden Falls homeless shelter. Yesterday I phoned my parents’ house and talked to a woman who does the laundry there. She walked me through how to use the washing machine and dryer.
