Vincent wound through the small streets and onto the interstate. The route took them north on Interstate 15 through the Temecula Valley. As they dropped into the scenic area, thousands of acres of open land covered in tall grass and dark green vineyards opened before them. The sky was crystal clear and the weather temperate.
Apparently, someone thought a new highway in a rural valley was a good idea. He frowned as the Celica passed under a recently built overpass that only led to the rolling fields, little business areas, and a few small neighborhoods.
‘What are they thinking here?’ Vincent asked.
‘The state must expect it to grow a bunch sometime in the future,’ Jule said.
‘Hmm, maybe a good place to buy land.’ He’d have to give Mr Brown a call.
Knife chimed in, ‘Sure, if you had lots of money, but it might be years before you saw any return on your investment.’
Jule added, ‘Yeah, you’re right. But the economy is strong, and the area is booming, so it might happen faster than you’d think.’
‘Listen to you, financial planner gal.’ He looked over at her with a smile. If she only knew how much money he…well, maybe we, had now.
‘Business majors of the world unite,’ she said as she raised her fist.
‘Ya know, I’m thinking of picking that up,’ he said.
‘Oh fun, we can have classes together.’
‘There goes your concentration,’ Flea said.
They laughed and chatted as they climbed out of the north end of the valley and continued on State Highway 215, winding their way by various freeways to Redlands. Vincent exited and turned left under the freeway then turned into the parking lot of a supermarket. ‘Time to go shopping.’ He pulled into a space.
‘For food? I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad will have tons.’
‘I thought I’d make something.’
‘Dude, you cook?’ Flea asked. ‘Like boil water cook or Galloping Gourmet cook?’
‘I loved the Galloping Gourmet,’ Knife said.
‘Well, you did say you wanted me to cook for you sometime. Remember?’ Vincent asked.
‘How could I forget? I asked you to marry me.’
The awkward smile she had was a match for his, recalling the moment. Mr Brown did say he could perform the ceremony. He’d talk to him about that too. ‘Hey, yeah…you owe me a wedding.’
‘Like heck I do,’ she said. ‘You asked me to marry you twice after that.’
‘Well, you were dressed all sexy, what can a guy do?’
‘TMI,’ Knife said.
She licked her upper lip before answering in a throaty voice, ‘Oh…I could suggest several things.’
The guys snorted and snickered.
‘Gaaa, you…woman.’ He jumped from the car and she followed, laughing. He loved her assertive, self-assured nature, and their playful teasing had become something of a ritual.
‘You just wait till I get my hands on you.’
He held his arms out. ‘Come and get me baby.’
‘Oh, you’re a big talker in the parking lot, but get ya alone and it’s a different story.’
As the words left her mouth, his heart dropped like a stone. A real man would have carried her to the first available bed. He tried to maintain his smile, but Jule must have realized she had taken the teasing a step too far.
She walked to him and wrapped an arm around his waist as they turned toward the store. ‘I’ll take whatever you want to give, anytime you want to give it,’ she whispered.
He put his arm around her tenderly. ‘You seem to know me better than I know myself.’
‘Love will do that to a gal. That, and I have supernatural powers of perception.’
‘Oh, don’t I know it.’
‘Ninja training and all.’ She giggled.
The guys extracted themselves from the car, stretching. Knife’s back gave a loud pop. ‘Oh, man I needed that.’
Vincent turned back around and pointed to the gas station at the corner of the parking lot. ‘Why don’t you two top off the Celica while we get the stuff from the market?’
‘Skin two birds with one stone in the hand.’ Flea managed to mix three metaphors, not a record, but a good effort.
Vincent waved as they walked to the store.
‘So, what are you making?’ Jule asked.
‘Since your parents probably have everything planned, I figured I’d make a soup. We can have it tonight or as a starter tomorrow. It just gets better the first few days after it’s made.’
‘Sounds like a plan. What kind?’
‘Grandma Muldoon’s potato soup, a real classic.’ He looked forward to sharing his heritage with her, to revealing another side of himself, to experiencing something he shined at…besides fighting. He might not have the sex thing down but he could cook like a TV chef.
‘Yum. I wish I could have met her.’
‘I wish you could’ve too.’ He smiled, the image of his plump, aproned grandmother, silver hair in a bun, standing at the kitchen stove passed through his mind. He grabbed a cart as they entered. ‘Okay, we need butter, canned milk, potatoes, and onion. Do your parents drink?’
‘Yes, not a lot though.’
‘Should we get a bottle of wine?’
She gave a small smile and shook her head. ‘I’m sure they’d appreciate the gesture, but my dad will have all the wine we need. Since he knows you’re coming he’ll probably bring some rare ones.’
‘Really?’
‘He isn’t a snob about it, but he has quite a collection.’
He smiled. ‘Thanks for saving me.’
She shrugged as she pulled the milk off the shelf. ‘It would have been fine. My parents are pretty giving.’
‘I’ll just amaze them with my kitchen skills.’
‘Actually, you probably will. Most guys sit on the couch like lumps,’ she said.
‘You know, with everything that went on and then finals, we really haven’t talked about our families yet.’
Jule’s brow furrowed. ‘Wow. You’re right. We have another hour or so, let’s correct that,’ she said with a nod then pointed. ‘That many potatoes?’
He looked at the five-pound bag in his hand. ‘This? I’m Irish. They might last a few days in my house.’ He grinned.
‘So a sack of onions too? For the Italian half, right?’ She arched her eyebrows.
He chuckled. ‘No, smart aleck, we only need one onion.’
After picking up the butter, they went to the front of the store and got in line. A thin man in a hooded sweatshirt stood in front of them and an elderly woman behind.
‘It does a body good to see a couple who look so happy together.’
‘Pardon?’ Jule asked as she turned toward the grandmotherly woman.
‘My Hank and I, we fit together hand in glove. I bet it’s the same for you two.’
Jule replied, ‘Thank you very much.’
‘Are you married?’
‘No, we’re not.’
The woman patted Jule’s arm, as if to tell her not to worry and Jule gave her a smile.
Vincent smiled as well, but his heart was pounding as he did. How was he going to actually pop the question if just hearing about it made him get all nervous and shaky? He turned back toward the cashier. The young woman was looking harshly at the man in front of them. Her name tag read ‘Debbie.’
‘Reggie, I told you not to do this!’ she said to the man.
‘But Deb, you can’t go, you —’
‘Leave Reggie.’ She pointed. ‘Just leave.’
‘I’ll leave, but you’re coming with me.’ He reached for her and she jerked away.
‘Get out, Reggie.’
Reggie reached into his sweatshirt and started to pull a compact pistol from the pocket. In his nervousness, the hammer caught in the cloth. Without a moment’s consideration, Vincent took a quick sidestep and brought his leg up, driving his foot out in a powerful sidekick. His heel pounded into the joint of Reggie’s jaw, just in front of his ear, snapping his head sideways. The kick lifted Reggie off his feet, and he fell to the floor, unconscious before he landed.
The cashier jumped back with a surprised shout. ‘What’d you do that for?’
He pointed at Reggie. ‘He has a gun in his pocket.’
‘What?’
‘Call your manager or security before he comes to.’ Vincent bent down, pulled the .38 from the sweatshirt, and set it on the counter. Debbie’s eyes grew big, and she fumbled with the intercom handset.
The elderly woman behind them exclaimed, ‘My goodness! That was just like something in a movie.’
Jule smiled at her, the picture of composure. ‘It was, wasn’t it?’
‘Manager to…checker five, Red, manager…Code…to…oh…Sam, get up here fast,’ Debbie said.
‘Would you mind checking us out please?’ Vincent asked.
‘Yes…I…okay.’ She went through the familiar motions automatically.
‘Good heavens! How are you so calm, dear?’ The grandmother waved an arm at Jule.
‘Oh, this happens a lot.’ She looked at Vincent with a raised eyebrow.
This was pretty tame after last month. Vincent exhaled through his nose and gave her a small smile but kept quiet.
‘Four thirty-eight, please,’ Debbie said, her voice distant.
He gave her a five-dollar bill, and she made change. Slipping the groceries into one arm he took Jule’s hand and they stepped around Reggie, heading toward the door. Running footsteps clapped on the hard floor as they exited but he didn’t look back.