The Hookup

  “Do that right now, son,” Dave replied.

  He loped to the stairs and down them.

  Johnny watched.

  Then he shifted the chicken that was done to the top shelf and put on the steaks.

  Margot, Dave and Addie were in the chairs back up on the deck.

  Brooks was asleep in the middle of Johnny’s bed, surrounded by pillows.

  And Johnny was on his ass on Izzy’s blanket. She was between his legs, resting her back against his chest. He had one arm around her, one hand up in both of hers and she was playing with it. The water wheel was splashing water gently not too far away and Ranger was lying on the blanket on one side, Swirl at their feet, Dempsey on their other side.

  The man Margot raised knew he was being a bad host when most of his guests were up at the house and he was not.

  Izzy right there, playing with his hand, Johnny didn’t give a shit.

  Though he figured, Izzy and him right there, the rest of them didn’t give a shit either.

  “Got plans next weekend, spätzchen?” he asked.

  “I’m getting a horse to stable,” she answered.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  He’d forgotten.

  She wrapped the fingers of one of her hands around his and put them to her chest, turning slightly in his hold to look up at him.

  “Why?”

  “We missed a date to go camping.”

  She’d been relaxed, wine, food, pie, good company.

  Still, he felt her ease further into him.

  “Yes,” she said softly.

  “Take Mist back weekend after next, sometime in the morning. About twenty miles farther, there’s a great camping and fishing spot. We’ll drop Mist off and head out.”

  She put her free hand to his chest and slid it up to rest it under his throat. “That sounds awesome.”

  “You cool with hitting Home to have a few drinks with me after you have dinner with your sister tomorrow night?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  Johnny drew her up, slanted his head and bent his neck to kiss her lightly.

  When he was done he didn’t go very far away when she asked, “Wanna come over for dinner one night next week?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He caught her smile in the waning light.

  “Today was great, Johnny,” she told him.

  Started out spectacular and it was arguable, but he’d argue it only got better.

  “Yeah.”

  “You have a way with meat,” she said.

  He chuckled.

  “Well, you do,” she affirmed.

  “I’m a man raised by Margot, baby. I’m trying not to be crass.”

  It dawned on her and she mumbled, “Oh.”

  He pulled her up farther and gave her another light kiss.

  Then he settled her back down, turning her so her back was fully to his chest again and he wrapped both arms around her.

  “We’re probably gonna have to go soon.” She said it like she didn’t want to say it.

  “Yeah.” He said that like he didn’t want to say it either.

  “How’s Wednesday for dinner?” she asked.

  “Works for me,” he answered.

  She fell silent.

  Johnny held her to his chest.

  Into the peace, she said hesitantly, “You haven’t asked.”

  “What?”

  It took her a moment to say, “Nothing.”

  He gave her a squeeze and reminded her, “Babe, we talked about this this morning.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “Iz, I haven’t asked what?” he pushed.

  “About sex.”

  “What?”

  “Drinks at Home and dinner at my place and, well . . . you haven’t asked where we’ll fit in sex.”

  And again, Johnny fought against getting pissed.

  “You can take it as given I want that from you whenever we find our shot, Eliza. But since it seems I haven’t made it clear yet, I’ll do that now. That’s not all I want from you.”

  “Okeydokey,” she replied quickly.

  They fell silent again while Johnny continued to try not to be pissed.

  “Uh . . . Johnny?”

  “Yeah,” he grunted.

  “So, um . . . well, just to say, I’d like to know when we’re gonna fit in sex.”

  For a second, he went still.

  Then he busted out laughing.

  She turned in his arms, pushed up and looked in his eyes.

  “That isn’t an answer,” she declared.

  Johnny kept laughing.

  She started to pull away.

  He pulled her back and gave her an answer.

  “After drinks, we’ll come back to my place and I’ll fuck you stupid. And after dinner at your place, I’ll spend the night and we’ll be quiet.”

  She glared at him through the twilight.

  “We got a plan?” he asked, trying not to sound like he was still amused but not succeeding.

  “We have a plan,” she answered, not trying not to sound like she was annoyed.

  “Now I need to take you up to the house before I take you into the woods and fuck you stupid there.”

  She didn’t sound annoyed, she sounded back to disappointed when she said, “’Kay.”

  Johnny gave her another kiss. He let that one linger. Then he brought them both to their feet, nabbed the blanket and walked her up to the deck with all three of their dogs trailing.

  After a day like that day, goodbyes between all of them lingered too. But Brooks being asleep meant they eventually had to end, which meant with nothing but a peck on the lips, Johnny had to stand with Ranger sitting by his side and watch Izzy drive away.

  When he lost sight of their taillights, he looked down at his dog.

  Ranger looked up and tilted his head to the side.

  “You like her, boy?” he asked.

  Ranger got up on all fours, wagged his tail and licked Johnny’s hand.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  He slapped his thigh and moved to and up the stairs with his dog at his side.

  They entered his house. Johnny got a beer, got his book and read with his dog lying at the foot of his chair until it was time to hit the sack.

  He did that and he didn’t jack his junk thinking of Izzy.

  Because he’d have the real thing tomorrow night.

  Motor Oil and Kitten Fur

  Izzy

  “UH . . . SAY WHAT?”

  The last two words Deanna said were practically shouted so I quickly got out of my chair, dashed across the room and closed the door to my office.

  I turned back to her.

  It was the morning after Memorial Day. We were back at work.

  And I’d just filled Deanna in on all that had happened that weekend.

  She hadn’t even sat down.

  I probably should have waited for her to sit down.

  “Deanna—” I started.

  “You told me you were hungover, Iz. And just to say, we went to the festival. We heard the word going around. I knew you weren’t hungover. But when you got something to sort, I know you. You need space to sort it. And anyway, Addie was with you so I thought she’d have you until you got to the point you wanted to share with me.”

  “I actually was hungover,” I told her. And added, “As well,” when her eyes narrowed on me.

  “All the rest happened and you didn’t phone your girl?” she asked, her voice pitching higher and higher with each word.

  “I was kinda busy,” I told her.

  “Kinda busy having Johnny Gamble grillin’ meat for his family and your sister, but what about the rest of your family, Izzy?”

  “You guys went to Charlie’s mom’s,” I reminded her.

  “Charlie’s mom works my last nerve, you know that. An excuse to bag on spending Memorial Day with her, listening to her tell me I didn’t get the right amount of brown sugar in my beans and maybe I should work less and spend mor
e time making and taking care of the babies I have as yet failed to give her son, I’d jump at the chance.”

  I knew this and immediately felt bad.

  She crossed her arms on her chest. “How are things?”

  “They’re . . .” I hazarded a smile, “great.”

  She nodded her head once. “Mm-hmm. And what’s next for you and Johnny Gamble?”

  “We’re meeting at Home for drinks tonight. Then he’s coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I’m stabling a horse for a friend of his starting Saturday and Johnny’s coming over to take care of him every morning, as well as Serengeti and Amaretto. And when we take Mist back, we’re going camping for the weekend.”

  “Well, hells bells,” she muttered. “That boy makes a decision, he don’t dick around.”

  I grinned. “I think he likes me.”

  “Well, girl, strap in because that was not lost on the town of Matlock.”

  I blinked at her. “Sorry?”

  She didn’t make me wait.

  “Now, the division between Shandra and Izzy is forming, baby girl, but far’s I can tell, you’re winning.”

  My chest started to feel funny.

  “Sorry?” I repeated.

  She put her hands on her hips and a foot out, settling in to sock it to me.

  “Apparently, Johnny met Brooks,” she said.

  “Yes,” I confirmed.

  “Now, you see, you and Johnny and Brooks being all cozy got some hearts a’flutterin’. That new girl who owns the acres up north is a miracle worker, they say. She cured Johnny Gamble’s broken heart.”

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  “Yeah, wow. Then Shandra shows and Johnny takes off after her and Matlock is in a tailspin. A little less than half of them thinking that’s just the way it should be, and a little more than half of them ticked at Johnny for leaving a sweet thing like you in his dust as he raced after the woman who broke his heart.”

  “He was going after his dog,” I told her.

  “I know that and you know that, they do not know that.”

  “Does any of this matter?” I asked.

  She stared at me.

  “I mean, I know what’s happening and Johnny knows what’s happening and you know what’s happening, so what do I care that they know what’s happening?”

  She continued to stare at me.

  “Deanna, my earliest living memory is hearing scary noises coming from my parents’ bedroom and walking in on my father beating the hell out of my mother. Do you think I care if people do or do not want me with Johnny?”

  “Izzy, you grew up in the city. This is a small town. Things are different. You can escape things in a city that will be in your face in a small town,” she explained.

  “He said, ‘Get rid of her.’ And her nose was bloody, her face puffy and wet with tears, and she looked at me and said, ‘Baby, go back to bed. I’ll be in to tuck you in in a minute.’”

  Deanna’s face grew gentle.

  “She was in when he was done with her, and she’d cleaned up and she tucked me in,” I finished.

  “Baby girl,” she whispered, her voice thick.

  “If things work out for me and Johnny, they’ll get used to it. If they don’t, I don’t care. In the meantime, I don’t care. He likes me, Deanna. He drops to the floor with Brooks and tickles him and he shovels shit right back at Addie when she’s shoveling it at him, and Addie loves it, and he looks at me like I’m the prettiest thing he’s ever seen. That’s all I care about.”

  “You happy?” she asked quietly.

  “I’m scared and I’m ecstatic,” I answered.

  She studied me for a while then she lifted her chin and warned, “I best be meeting this boy and soon, Iz.”

  I grinned. “I’ll talk to him, but how’s Saturday sound?”

  “I won’t talk to Charlie. I’ll tell him his behind is at your place on Saturday and it’s not a free meal. He’s got a job. The job of sizing up your new fella.”

  Charlie would love Johnny. Two peas in a pod, just two different colors.

  “That’ll be great.”

  “If you’re ecstatic, I’m ecstatic for you,” she told me.

  I grinned again.

  “And if I hear anyone say anything, I’ll set them straight.”

  I stopped grinning. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Still doing it.”

  I shook my head.

  She raised a raspberry-tipped finger and pointed it at me.

  “Now from here on in, I don’t get news on a forty-eight hour delay. Am I heard?”

  I was back to grinning. “You’re heard, Deanna.”

  “Yeesh, we’re gonna get fired things don’t settle down with Johnny Gamble. We never get any work done.”

  I looked at my watch then told her, “It’s eight twenty, Deanna, we’re done with the update and I’ve already cleared my inbox.”

  “That’s because you’re an overachiever.” I thought she was in the middle of making a quip but knew she wasn’t with the sudden change in the way she was looking at me. “You didn’t get much from your dad, but even if it was forged through adversity he gave you the drive to find something better in your life. That’s yours. You work it. You own it. But he gave it to you. I’m not saying you should be grateful. You don’t thank a rapist for teaching you how to be more careful as you walk to your car at night. But you own the strength you earned by getting through that even if it’s all kinds of unfair you had to find that strength. He played a part in making you the Izzy you are, and you should be proud this is who you became when it could have gone another way entirely.”

  “Stop making me wanna cry when my makeup is this fresh,” I retorted.

  “Whatever,” she muttered then asked, “Lunch?”

  I nodded.

  “And just saying, you’re keeping Addie and Brooks from me too.”

  “I’ll ask her to bring Brooks into the city for lunch tomorrow.”

  “Huh,” she puffed out (which meant in Deanna-still-kinda-annoyed-at-you speak “okay”).

  With that, she strutted out of my office.

  I watched her then went to my phone on my desk.

  Deanna wants to meet you, I texted Johnny.

  Almost immediately I got back, Knew that was coming.

  She’s good people, I shared.

  Figured that, he replied.

  Saturday at my place? I asked.

  I’ll be there, he answered.

  See you later.

  You absolutely will.

  I smiled at my phone.

  Then I got to work.

  I hurried in the back door of Home and saw there was only a smattering of people, Johnny one of them, sitting on the stool he sat on the night we met.

  It was not lost on me I had attention well beyond people turning to look and see who was coming in the door.

  I just ignored it as I made my way quickly to Johnny.

  “Sorry,” I said, sliding between him and the stool where I’d sat when we met. “You been waiting long?”

  “Babe, I’m at a bar with the game on. It’s not a hardship to sit here and drink beer.”

  I grinned at him.

  He stared at me.

  “Everything okay?” I asked, setting my purse on the bar and hefting my behind up on the stool.

  “You are totally not with the program,” he muttered.

  “Sorry?”

  “Babe, kiss me,” he ordered.

  That sent the trill up my spine.

  I leaned into him and touched my mouth to his only to have him cup the back of my head, making the kiss longer, sweeter, but keeping it light.

  He let me go and murmured, “Have a good day?”

  I nodded.

  “You want a glass of wine?”

  I nodded.

  “What you want?” he asked.

  My eyes trailed away as I mumbled, “Um . . .”

  “Sally, you got a wine list?” Johnny called.

  Sal
ly, the bartender, looked at him like he’d gone crazy.

  Johnny looked to me. “It’s house red or house white, and maybe if you’re lucky, house rosé.”

  “White,” I said.

  Johnny turned back to Sally. “Can you get my girl a glass of white?”

  “Sure thing, Johnny,” she said and moved to the wineglasses suspended upside down over the bar.

  Johnny took a tug of beer.

  After he swallowed, I asked, “You have a good day?”

  He’d been positioned facing the bar through all this and only then did he twist on his stool toward me, put a forearm on the bar, fingers still wrapped around his beer.

  “The goal for having a GM is that people bring in cars. I fix them. I know they’re not gonna like how much it costs so I can tune that out. They drive away with something fixed. I work on the next car. In other words, being able to tune out the only shit I might take, I don’t have to deal with any shit. So, spätzchen, it’s rare I have a bad day.”

  I smiled at him. “That’s cool.” Sally put my glass in front of me and I turned my smile to her and said, “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” she murmured and moved away.

  “News about Addie?” he asked.

  I took a sip, put my glass down and told him, “She still hasn’t shared.”

  “How long is she staying?” he queried.

  “Maybe forever?” I replied in a question and saw his brows go up. “She hasn’t said how long she’s staying but she’s gone so far as to unpack in my guest room and set up a makeshift nursery for Brooks in my office. And she brought a lot of stuff, Johnny. She’s a waitress. It’s at a high-end place so she makes a lot on tips. But she’s hourly. She doesn’t get paid for vacations.”

  “This isn’t getting better,” he muttered.

  “No,” I agreed.

  “You good with her staying forever?” he asked.

  “Totally,” I answered.

  His lips hitched. “Figured that was a stupid question.”

  I leaned toward him, scooting my wineglass closer, and grinned.

  “You talk about your mom, Izzy, know your sister, what’s up with your dad?” he asked.

  I leaned back, scooting my wineglass away, and my grin died.

  “Iz?” he called as I lifted the glass and took a sip.

  I swallowed it and requested, “Can we keep tonight light?”

  “Sure. But just to say, baby, I’d like to get to know you better and talking about your sister’s possibly disintegrating, possibly already crashed and burned marriage isn’t exactly featherweight.”