Page 17 of Loch
“Thanks for this weekend.” I didn’t have to thank him. It was the type of shit he had to put up with being a prospect. He wanted in, he had to do the crap work. He never complained though. I had no doubt that patching him in was going to be on the list at the next meeting, but I wouldn’t tell him that.
“No prob, VP.” He pulled his hat off and ran his hand through his hair, attempting to fix it. Then he rubbed his eyes. I wondered if he’d gotten any sleep while I was gone.
“You look like shit,” I said, giving him a little sympathy in my tone. He nodded once. “Need you to do something for me, when you’re done hit the fuckin’ sack, man. Won’t need you ‘til tomorrow.” He sat up straight, letting me know he was paying attention to me.
“Yep.”
“Need you to take Reagan’s car to Carl’s,” I said.
Carl’s was in the next town over. It was a tiny car lot that we got most of our vehicles from. He had a small inventory, but if there was something specific we needed he would find it.
“Get her somethin’… better. Not new. She is goin’ to be pissed enough as it is. Figure I should lessen the blow,” I said scratching the back of my neck. He nodded and sent me a knowing smirk. That girl had fire in her. I could respect that, even if it plain ticked me off most of the time.
“I’m on it.” He jumped up like he was ready to take off.
“Make sure it’s small, four doors. Not too old. Nice.” She hated my truck and I knew she would flat out hate and refuse something big. No trucks, no SUVs. “I’m gonna take her out and distract her. Otherwise, she’ll be in that house all day. Get the keys from Ethel, I’ll fill her in.” He nodded and I stood.
“I’m gonna shower then head that way. Should give you enough time to convince her to go with you,” he said grinning. “Maybe…”
“That woman…” I shook my head and did my best to hide my chuckle. I was a little amused with the thoughts of how hard she was going to fight me on it.
I didn’t have much at home in the way of food, so I rode over to the small deli in the middle of town. I ordered two chicken salad sandwiches, fresh fruit bowls, and chips. Then I took off for Reagan.
I knocked on the door and was a little relieved when Ethel answered. I needed a moment alone with her to tell her my plan. She smiled and patted me on the hand after I explained everything.
“I’ve known you all these years, Nathan, and I never thought I’d see the day…” She left it unsaid, but I knew what she was getting at. I shook my head, trying to ignore the twinge in my gut that agreed with her.
“She’s your granddaughter. I’m just lookin’ out for her, same as I do for you.” I tried to sound convincing, but she was too wise. I saw the little gleam in her eyes as she looked up at me and nodded. Reagan had gotten under my skin and Ethel could see it.
“Her life hasn’t been easy, Nathan,” she said. A sadness appeared on her weathered face. “I know yours hasn’t been either. But you are both strong. Too strong. The two of you are downright damn stubborn. Try not to let it get to you… or the better of you.” With that, she called up the stairs to Reagan, then shuffled off to the kitchen.
I stood waiting in the front doorway. Reagan rounded the corner and froze when she saw me. She had changed since this morning. She was wearing cutoff jeans and a loose tee. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail and it wrapped around her shoulder. I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through the silky strands.
“What are you doing here?” She sounded breathy, caught off guard by seeing me standing there.
“Let’s go. We’re goin’ for a ride.” I looked down and saw her feet were bare. I cursed at myself for not thinking that far ahead.
“Just let me go get my keys and phone.” She turned back to the stairs.
“You don’t need it.” I looked down beside the door and let out a relieved breath. Her boots were sitting right inside the front entryway. I picked them up handed them to her.
“Mr. Bossy, jeez.” She bent down and put them on. When she stood back up she cocked her hip and put her hand on it. I looked at her with a blank expression on my face, trying my best to hide my amusement. “You could sayplease, Reagan, I would love your company for a little while.”
“Reagan,” I started in a stern tone. But it was all I could do to keep my lips from twitching into a smile. That girl had balls. “Get on the damn bike.” I barked. She jumped with a start and I swear there was smoke coming from her ears. “Please,” I said through gritted teeth.
“That wasn’t so hard now was it?” She smiled, patted my shoulder, then bounced out the door and down the stairs. I looked over to see Ethel laughing and shaking her head at the whole thing.
I fastened the helmet on her head then straddled my bike. She climbed on behind me with ease. I felt her take a deep inhale before wrapping her arms around my middle. Like the last time, she was trying to keep distance between us. And just like last time, I wrapped my hands around the upper thighs and yanked her flush with me. She made a noise in the back of her throat. I took off before she could say anything.
I was surprised she didn’t ask where we were going. I half expected to get the third degree before she even walked out of the house. The fact that she didn’t, made me think that there was a part of her that wanted to be around me. Even if it was a small part, I’d take it. I couldn’t help but smile as I drove through the winding roads out of town. We weren’t going far. There was a spot I always went to when I needed time to reflect and be in my head. I had never shared that place with anyone. Not even any of the brothers.
I pulled off onto a dirt road, leaving a huge cloud of dust behind us. She held on tighter as we bounced along. The road ran through a thick forest of trees. On the other side of the tree line was an old farm, long abandoned. I pulled off a bit when the trees started to thin. She hopped off and I followed. She gave me a questioning look as I reached into my saddlebag and pulled out the food and a blanket. I didn’t say a word and was shocked when she followed without asking a million questions.
We zig-zagged through the trees then hopped the old wooden fence lining the property. In the overgrown field, there was one, lone, huge willow tree. We made our way over to it, stomping down the tall, dry grass. Spreading the blanket out near the trunk of the tree, I watched her. The subtle wind blew the loose strands of hair around her face. We studied each other intently. Both of us wanted to say something, but neither of us dared to break the moment. She plopped down on one corner and I sat a few feet away from her on the other. I pulled out a sandwich and handed it to her. She stared down at it with a sick expression on her face.
“You need to eat, Rea.” My voice was calm but demanding. She huffed before picking it up and taking a bite.
“Happy?” She scowled at me. I laughed. I found when I let my guard down a little, it was easy to laugh around her.
