How It Rolls (14 page)

             
“You knew she was homeless,” It wasn’t a question.

             
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.” She leaned back in her chair.

             
“You knew what I would want to do when I found out about it.”

             
Tears came to life in her eyes, “Son, are you sure?  I mean, think about the logistics.  Are you going to tell her?  If you do, she’s probably not going to accept it.  But if you don’t, you’re lying to someone you—care about.”

             
“I’m willing to take that chance so she’s not on the streets Mom.”

             
“When,” she asked.

             
“I’ll call a realtor tomorrow.  I want to do this as soon as possible.  The thought of her, not having a place to sleep, eat, shower, things we take for granted…”

             
“Let me know if I can help you.”

             
“Ok.” I got up to leave.

             
I had found my purpose.  It wasn’t her or us together.  It was her happiness.  It was her, safe and sound in a place of her own. 

             
I drove back to the bookstore excited and plotting in my head.  I picked her up at the back door and drove her back to my apartment.  Mom sent food home with me for Reed. 

             
She ate while sitting on my couch.  I didn’t know how much convincing it would take to get her to stay the night again. 

             
“Ok, I’m exhausted.  I’d better get going.  I’ve got a long shift tomorrow.” She got up and I reached for her hand.

             
“If you leave, I’m not going to be able to sleep and then I’ll mess up all the accounts tomorrow because I’m so sleepy.  Then everyone’s businesses will fail.”

             
“That was pitiful, Falcon.  I can’t just stay here every night.” She laughed and shook off my hand. 

             
“I’ve seen you sleeping in your car.”  She gasped and I clarified, “So I know your roommate or something is stopping you from getting sleep at night. Think of the team.  They need you at your best.”

             
She looked around, trying to compose herself.  “Yeah, it gets, um, noisy, when I try to sleep.”

             
“Then stay,” I sighed.

Chapter 20

Reed

             
Most people thought that roller derby girls were delinquents, social deviants, and miscreants. They couldn’t be more wrong.  But for girls like me, derby was the only thing that gave me solace in an ever changing, negative life.  Plus, who doesn’t love a girl in a pair of fishnets?

             
There were two distinct sides of me and both were showing their asses tonight.  One was the girl who was clearly smitten and was having trouble telling him no.  The other girl didn’t need him or his ‘most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in.’ Maybe they weren’t so different after all. 

             
“This is the last time.” I put my hands on my hips to make sure he knew I meant business.

             
“Ok, but you know you can stay here anytime you want to, right Poppy?”

             
“Did you just call me Poppy?” I laughed at him. “Either you are seeing a girl named Poppy or you just called me a flower.”

             
“It fits you.” He smiled, pleased with himself.

             
“Calling me by the name of a flower does not fit me.  I’m tough and mean and tough…”

             
“You said tough twice.”  He was full on belly laughing now.

             
“Ok, but don’t call me that in front of the girls.” 

             
“Deal.”  He agreed and grabbed some green pajama pants and went into the bathroom.  I ran down to the car and grabbed some things from the trunk.  When I got back, I took my turn in the bathroom and when I came out he was already in the bed, waiting. 

             
It scared me that we had become this close so fast.  Somehow I had gone from being someone who was ping ponged from one family to another, to being wanted by someone that I mutually wanted to be with.  And there was the fact that he hadn’t kissed me yet. 

             
The next day I had a harder time than I wanted to admit leaving him when I had to go to work.  He said he had some things to do and wouldn’t be coming in to work. But I did get a few texts from him complaining about his Lit class. I’d also see him at the family dinner tonight. 

             
I worked all day and Nellie and I went to lunch.  I called Farrah in the afternoon and she was coming to the bout on Saturday.  I also wanted to get an outside opinion on Falcon. 

             
He was late for dinner that night, which was uncharacteristic but he blew it off, saying he was running some errands.  Dinner conversation centered around Chase and Sylvia’s upcoming vow renewal thing and then they were leaving on a second honeymoon.  Owen also announced that the same week he was going to the Gulf of Mexico with someone named Drew on a research trip.  During the bustle of conversation, Falcon turned to me and whispered, “Sorry, if it’s a little bit overwhelming.” I smiled back at him.  “It’s actually kinda great.”  He nodded back at me.

             
He walked me out to my car later.  “I think we’re due for a second date.” 

             
“I think you’re right.”  He was way too close to me.  Or maybe he was too far away.  Either way I could feel his thighs against mine.  When he spoke I could smell the lemon cheesecake on his breath.  If I could trade a useless organ for the ability to eat citrus I would.  And if he didn’t stop looking at my lips as he spoke to me, insanity would find me soon. 

             
“How about Wednesday?  No practice, you don’t work on Wednesday.”

             
“Sounds good.  Where are we going?” 

             
“Hmmm, how about dinner and we’ll figure something else out after we eat.”

             
“Ok.  So, I’ll see you then.” 

             
“Have a good night,” he said. He moved in towards my face and I thought, ‘this is it, he’s finally going to kiss me.’ 

             
His hands grabbed my waist at the same time his lips connected with my cheek, right at the corner of my mouth.  I groaned, much louder than I wanted to, and he chuckled.

             
“At least we know I’m not the only one suffering.”

             
“Not by a long shot.”

             
I got in my car and drove to my spot behind the diner until after two or so in the morning.  Then I drove to Falcon’s and parked outside his apartment.  My pride kept me in the car.  I worked all day Tuesday and went to derby practice.  I fell, trying to execute a new fall and busted my lip open.  It wasn’t a big deal and I immediately iced it.  But by the time I got in the car my phone was already ringing.  I looked across the parking lot at Nellie and she smiled as she shrugged her shoulders, the little snitch.

             
He convinced me to spend the night with him again so he could make sure my lip was ok.  We both knew my lip was fine and truth be told, it didn’t take very much convincing anyway.  He woke up early and went to class.  He told me that he would be back about five so I should just meet him here.  I took the opportunity to get laundry done and got ready right at his apartment. 

             
I threw on my purple skirt and a black top that had some kind of flower drawing on the shoulder.  I braided my hair and when he got home I was waiting on the couch for him. 

             
“I could get used to this,” he smiled as he threw his bag on the counter.  “Just let me get changed and then we can go.”

             
“Ok, take your time.”

             
He grabbed his clothes and I heard the shower come on.  Not ten minutes later he was out, looking like he’d been in there for an hour. 

             
“Ready?” He said.  Of course I was ready. 

             
We drove in his truck for a while before we reached another restaurant, this one on the riverfront with a deck overlying the Mississippi River.  He opened my door and we walked in and the hostess led us outside to the deck under a webbing of twinkly lights.  We sat down and he was so smiley today.  It was intoxicating.

             
“What’s all this happiness for?”

             
“What? I’m not that broody.”

             
“Um, yeah, you kinda are.  But I love your broodiness. I shall call thee His Royal Broodiness.”

             
“Another nickname?  I’m gonna forget what my real name is.”

             
“That’s ok.  I won’t forget.  I love your name too.”

             
“Well, aren’t you just full of things you love tonight?”

             
“I definitely am.”

             
The waitress approached the table and spouted off names of dishes and got my drink order.  She turned to Falcon and asked him three times what he wanted to drink but his eyes were still on me.

             
“Falcon?” I waved my hands in front of me trying to snap him out of his trip to space.

             
“Yeah—oh—um—just a Sprite, thanks.”

             
“What are you off in space about?”

Chapter 21

Falcon

Be very, very careful of realtors.  I swear those people, especially the female ones,
will sell you your own house if you’re not careful.  You don’t even know what’s hit you until after you’ve signed your name in blood.

              Her question was a loaded one and she didn’t even know it.  I was in space about so many things, most of which I couldn’t even tell her.   One being that I bought her a house on Monday.  I didn’t mean to—I swear it.  I asked the realtor to show me condos and townhouses but she said she wanted to show me one place that she had a gut feeling about.  It was the third property I was shown and it was perfect for her.  It was a Victorian style cottage that was recently foreclosed on.  It was pretty beat up on the inside and desperately needed a paint job and a landscaper.  But that’s what I had brothers for.  I was signing the papers next Monday morning. 

             
I was also wrestling with lying to her.  And I would have to eventually.  She wouldn’t accept the house from me outright.  I knew she wouldn’t.  She was too independent and bull-headed for that.  So I needed to come up with a scheme and it didn’t sit well with me. 

             
I concentrated on being present.  We made small talk for a while and she said something about my mom so I asked her about hers.

             
“Will you tell me about your parents?” She looked out on the water for a few moments before turning her head back to me. 

             
“My mom was the best.  She was really soft spoken and she always kept her hair up in a French twist.  She would spend hours and hours in the garden outside.  They both died in a house fire when I was eleven.  I was spending the night with my aunt, Elaine.  Then after they died, Aunt Elaine didn’t want me so I was put into a foster home.  The first one wasn’t so bad but a few months after I got there the woman got pregnant and I got relocated.  I lived in thirteen foster homes in seven years.  I wasn’t very well behaved and sometimes I overdid it if I didn’t like my current home.  That happened twice.”

             
“Why?” I blurted out.

             
“Why what?”

             
“Why did you want to leave those two families?”

             
She cleared her throat, “The first one, when I was fourteen, the lady smoked pot all the time. And the other one, well, after about two weeks or so, the guy got a little friendly.”

             
I thought my eyes might pop out at that confession.

             
“He—he didn’t...”

             
“Hell no, I would’ve kicked his junk into his throat.  But the constant vulgar comments about my ass were just too much to take.  I mean seriously, it’s not that great.  It’s just an ass.”

             
“I beg to differ,” How that one made it past my filter, I’ll never know.

             
She covered her smile with her hand but there was no covering her blush.