Chapter 4 -- Interlude 1
Derrick didn't feel much like company, especially at two in the morning when someone knocked, a little too loudly on the door. Not Junior or his father -- he'd have heard their heavy step coming up the stairs. He'd been sitting on the bed, still dressed, still thinking about why he came to this damned town. He crossed the small room with a new feeling of worry.
He slowly opened the door to the woman who stood on the walkway outside. She hadn't dressed for the weather, and if she thought goose bumps were a turn on, she was sadly mistaken. He hadn't ordered a hooker, so he wondered what the hell --
"Well come on, boy, invite me in," she said with a throaty laugh.
The voice finally gave her away. "Reba?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten me." Her lower lip puckered out in a pout. Had he liked that childish look when he was seventeen? He couldn't remember. "I heard you were in town, and I thought we'd get reacquainted. Invite me in, will you? I'm freezing out here!"
"You should have worn a coat." He stepped aside, despite his doubts about letting her in, but he didn't want to freeze too.
She went past, making sure her hip brushed against him in all the wrong places. Reba had never been subtle. And now, with her in his room, he didn't know what to do. He stood at the door, half tempted to go for a nice long, cold walk. But remembering Reba, she'd just stick around and wait.
"Come on, Derry. Close the door. Or are you afraid I'll ruin your reputation?" she asked with a wicked smile.
"I think you better leave, Reba." He watched her eyes go wide and her face flush. "I'm not interested in companionship."
"Really. That's not what I heard about you and Ginny," she answered with an unexpected bite in her voice. "Dinner together, keeping guard on her at the store. I never would have expected little miss perfection to be your type. Close the damned door."
"I will. After you leave."
She threw herself on the bed. He left the door open and walked to the chair. She glared at him, and her face flushed again. "You want to spend time with Ginny and not me? What did she ever do for you?"
"This isn't high school, Reba. A lot of things have changed since then." He thought back to their wild high school days and had to fight not to flinch at the memory. He kept his face devoid of emotion so she didn't have to see his dislike of her. He didn't like to be cruel. "I won't be here for long, Reba. I don't want to get involved with anyone here."
"Except Ginny."
"If you think hanging around in a convenience store with someone is 'getting involved' then you need to go find yourself a few friends. You better leave."
"She's divorced, you know. Couldn't hold on to a good man -- a man with a future. He tossed her out."
"Are you married?"
"Yes."
"And you think this makes you better somehow? Makes the situation better for you to be here, throwing yourself at me?" He stood and went back to the door. "Now is the time to leave, Reba. You don't want to hear anything else I have to say."
She stood, her blue eyes blazing. Then she blinked and sauntered by. "You know I don't give up so easy. I'll see you, Derry."
"I'm not going to be here long enough for you to play these games, Reba. Go home to your husband."
She went past him at the door -- almost another brush, but he stepped aside in time. Once she stepped outside he closed and locked the door. He could hear her stomping all the way down the stairs.
Damn, he couldn't wait to get out of this town. He'd been stupid to come back here, especially for a man he never knew. This had been one disaster after another.
Except for the few hours with Ginger. In fact, those few hours with Ginger had been the most pleasant he'd spent with anyone since his wife --
He shut down those thoughts -- all of them as he went back to the bed and sat down. He reached under the pillow and found the hard metal of his revolver. If Junior came back tonight, he would be in for a hell of a surprise. Maybe the gun would have scared Reba off faster. Or maybe not. She'd never been all that bright.
He sat and waited again.