Page 14 of Skid
“No. Thank you… For everything.”
He gave me a nod, and then he was on his way. And I was left wondering when I would be seeing our hero in leather again. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long.
5
SKID
“Got the information on the girl.” Shep took a swig of his beer before adding, “She’s been through it.”
“That’s what I figured.” I leaned back in my chair, bracing myself as I asked, “How bad is it?”
“Mostly the run-of-the-mill kind of thing. Grew up over in Calhoun. The family didn’t have much. Lived in a trailer and made do with what they had. She graduated high school, and things seemed to go downhill after that.”
“How so?”
“She was doing the whole community college thing, then up and moved when she turned 19. Moved around a good bit after that. Holed up with some friends for months at a time.” Shep took another drink before adding, “I figure that’s around the time she found out she was pregnant.”
“So, the parents booted her when they found out she was expecting.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Shep shrugged. “Small town folks can be rough like that, especially when money’s tight.”
I took a long pull from my beer before asking, “What about the kid’s father?”
“No idea. Can’t find anything on him. Name was blank on the birth certificate.”
“Damn. She wanted nothing to do with the asshole.”
“Apparently not.” We sat there for a beat before Shep gave me one of his looks. “So, what’s the deal with this girl? She mean something to you?”
“Just some girl who needed a hand, and I’m doing what I can to give it to her.”
“How you doing that?”
“Well, for starters, I’m trying to get her piece of shit car running again. After that, I’m not sure.”
Shep raised a brow.
“I’ve never met anyone like her…” I trailed off, searching for the right words to explain how she’d gotten under my skin without sounding like a complete idiot. “She’s different. She’s a fighter. Not trying to get something for nothing. Feels like… Ah, hell. I don’t even know what the fuck it feels like.”
“Ah, our boy’s got it bad.”
“I don’t even know this girl.”
“Maybe not….” He gave me a brotherly pat on the shoulder. “But when you know, you know.”
He didn’t say anything more. He didn’t have to. He’d already said plenty. I stared down at my half-empty bottle of beer and wondered how the hell a girl I barely knew had managed to get to me the way she had. I drained the rest of my beer and placed the empty bottle down on the counter as I said, “Appreciate you looking into things for me. I owe ya.”
“No problem.”
I pushed up from the stool and stretched out the stiffness in my back. “I'd better get to it.”
“You got a shift tonight?”
“Nah.” I grabbed my keys from the bar. “Gotta finish up with the car.”
That earned me a smirk. “You’re really working hard for this girl’s attention.”
“Gotta do something, man, ‘cause she’s definitely got mine.”
