Page 10 of Open Road (Tattooed Hearts Duet 3)

Signingthe last of the papers, I slid the cash across the table to the guy. He quickly flitted through it, counting, but it was all there. When he was satisfied, he passed me the keys. Thankfully, I’d made some connections last fall when I’d been looking for a replacement car for Peach. So when she said we needed a van, I knew exactly where to go.

It just sucked that it was a few hours away, keeping me from my girl. The smile on her face when she saw me drive up in this thing would be worth it, though.

Opening the back, I laid down the seats and eyed the carpet. If I rolled my motorcycle up into it, it would stain it, not to mention I'd need to pull them out to get her to fit. Scrubbing my face, I debated on what to do. I should’ve taken Simon up on his offer to tag along, but it had been something I’d selfishly wanted to do myself.

“I could make you an offer, I reckon,” the man said, eyeing me.

Lifting my eyebrow, I assessed him. “I’m not selling my bike.”

He laughed, the sound hearty as he slapped his knee. “What would I need your bike for out here?”

Sighing, I knew he had a point. It had been difficult driving the last few miles on that bumpy road. “What do you suggest?” I shielded my eyes from the sun while waiting for him to answer.

“Well, I could sell you a tarp, but getting those seats out would be hell just so it would fit. So, I’ll do you one better.”

Crossing my arms, I ground my back molars as I waited for him to get to the point. Southerners always had all the time in the world.

“Yeah?” I finally asked when he didn’t look like he would spill unless I prompted him. Hell, he could’ve fallen asleep up on his porch for all I knew.

He slapped his knee again, getting up from the rickety rocking chair that had seen better days. The old man climbed down the steps, dodging broken bird baths that had all seemed to pile up on one side of his yard, and moved to the other, where it was full of rusted car parts, old bathtubs, and what looked to be a horse trailer. It was dented on one side, so it was hard to tell. The old man slapped the trailer I’d been looking at, smiling at me like it made sense.

“You want me to buy a horse trailer? It looks… bent.” I knew I needed to tread carefully with my words, but the thing looked to be on its last legs.

“It’s not a horse trailer, it’s a pony one, and yeah, it’s busted on this side, but that makes it perfect for what you need.” He grinned wide, his yellow teeth showing as he waited for me to be excited. I was beginning to wonder if he stole the van I purchased, with how ridiculous he was being.

“But I don’t have a horse. I have a motorcycle,” I said slowly, like it shouldn’t be that easy to mix the two up.

The man slapped his leg again, laughing at me as he pointed. “You’re a funny kid. Of course you don’t have a horse. That would be dumb. You wouldn’t want to put a horse in here.”

I stared, hoping it would make sense if I just stayed quiet. It did not.

“Okay, I give up. How will this help me?” I asked, rubbing the back of my neck. I decided I was ready to leave loony town and return to Peach and Simon.

“I reckon your bike will fit perfectly in the stall. About the same length as a pony, and you only need one side. Winner, winner.” He grinned wide like he’d just solved the world’s hardest puzzle.

Walking over, I peered into the trailer, realizing he was right. It might be weird, but it would work.

“Fine. How much?”

A few hundred dollars later and with his help to hitch and load my bike onto the trailer, I was headed back home. Sitting behind the van's wheel, I turned the dial of the radio, realizing it didn’t get great reception. We’d have to fix that. Giving up when it would only play polka music, I settled in for the drive, thoughts of how I could take both Simon and Lennox in this van to christen it filling my head.

Yeah, this was going to be good.

Despite my brother tagging along and us having to do a bunch of silly competitions, it would be fun to travel. I knew Lennox hadn’t done much of it, so I was excited about getting to share the world outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky with her.

If I had to do a few tattoos along the way, I guess it wasn’t too horrible. It would be good for business as we got the shops back up and running. I could even see if there would be a good location for a third one.

The whole time I was planning, I conveniently left out visiting my father and his new girlfriend. Hopefully, Thane would forget about it as well.

* * *

“I’m almost home.Can you bring Peach outside and cover her eyes?”

“Yep, can do.”

“Thanks, Si.”

“See you in a few.”

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