| |
Carmen and Charlotte tumbled from the bar’s dim, fumy interior and into the warm embrace of the summer night. A breeze stroked their cheeks, and Carmen turned her face up in welcome. Glad for the sobering effect and the freshness.
They walked a couple of blocks in a giddy silence, punctuated by the odd giggle when one of them misstepped on the straight sidewalk. Out of nowhere, Charlotte seized Carmen’s arm and jerked her head at the street behind them.
“Some douche is trying to scare us,” she said under her breath. “There’s a knife in my purse. Keep walking; don’t turn around.” Carmen’s heart clawed at her throat.
The car continued to trail them for another block. It was keeping them trapped in the pool of illumination from its headlights. When the horn honked, Carmen yelped, nearly jumping into Charlotte’s arms. Charlotte stared at her, eyes sparkling in the light from the vehicle.
“We almost shared a Shaggy and Scooby-Doo moment,” she remarked, totally deadpan, then turned and hollered, “Asshole!” over her shoulder. The car stopped with a crunch of gravel.
“Carmen!” The hairs on the back of Carmen’s neck prickled upwards in a rush at the voice. A bubble of anxiety burst under her ribs, spreading tingling fear through every inch of her extremities. For a moment, she worried she would lose her cheap wine all over the sidewalk.
“It’s my ex.” Carmen closed her eyes and commanded her heart to slow its erratic charge. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Just Billy. Stupid, stupid Billy. She should have known better than to assume he would give up so easily. He never backed down when it came to his pride.
Charlotte stood still beside her. One hand rooting in the depths of her purse. Carmen did not doubt for a moment her fingers were seeking the knife she said was there. She kept her eyes glued to Carmen’s face, waiting for her reaction, for some signal of what to do.
“You know what?” Carmen used both hands to shove the hair off her face. “I’m done.” A thread snapped inside her chest. Some last lingering imagined attachment. “I’m fucking done!” she hissed through her teeth.
She spun around and walked to the car as Billy slid out of the driver’s side door. The condescending smirk twisting his lips made her hand itch with the urge to slap it away. Carmen slammed both palms down on the hood of his car instead. Billy twitched in surprise.
“What the hell are you doing following us, Billy?”
Enough light oozed from the interior of the car for Carmen to see the flicker of shock cross his unshaven face at her words. He hid it as quickly as it had come. “Don’t act like a crazy bitch, Carm. You do not impress anyone. Nobody thinks you’re tough. Get in the car so we can go talk.”
“Like hell, I will.” Carmen straightened and stalked closer, so only the metal sheet of the door separated them. She was close to the same height as Billy and used it to her advantage, staring straight into his eyes.
“Unless you want me to send a picture of my bruised face to your place of business and do a little presentation for your manager, you better do as I say.” She leaned in across the door, her face so close cigarette-tarnished breath brushed across her lips. She fought down a wave of nausea. “And unless you want to buy out my half of the apartment, move your shit out, we are selling. Do not contact me unless it’s regarding that sale. Stay away from me, stay away from my family, or I’m going to make you regret it. We. Are. Done.” She rapped the tip of her finger against the glass, accentuating each word as she bit them out.
Carmen stared into the slate grey of his eyes as she waited, the seconds marked only by the pounding of blood through her skull. Finally, Billy shook his head. “They wouldn’t believe you.”
She knew him well enough to detect the worry hiding beneath the cockiness in his voice. “You’re the one who ran off and started screwing some other guy.”
Acid burned her stomach, churning at the ugliness of his words. Everything he said revealed more of his soul and presented her with evidence of how blind she had been. So blind for so long, the shame was a weight that threatened to push her to the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again and pinned Billy with glare, choosing to ignore the latter part of his remark.
“I’ll tweet it then,” she said. “Put it on Facebook. I’ll tell everyone who banks with your company until I make an impact. Don’t test me,” she hissed, then turned and walked away. She did not look back, not even when her limbs started to shake. On the sidewalk, Charlotte began to slow clap.
****
SOMEONE SLIPPED OUT of the side door to the garage and triggered the motion light just as they walked up. Charlotte let out a little whoop of excitement and ran at the man Carmen knew instantly must be Sawyer’s older brother, Sam. He was as tall as his father and Sawyer, but lankier. Blond hair cut short on the sides and left longer on top hung in a riot across his forehead, wavy and at odds with the darker whiskers dusting his chin and jaw. As Charlotte jogged forward, he pushed the strands back and straightened his shoulders. Eyes that Carmen was sure were the signature Stevenson blue slid closed as Charlotte threw her arms around his neck.
Carmen looked down, hiding her smile as she waited for them to complete their hug. Even from a distance, Carmen could sense Sam’s reluctance to release the woman in his arms.
Tucking her hand through Sam’s arm, Charlotte led him the rest of the way to where Carmen stood. “Carmen, did you get to meet Sam yet?” she asked.
“No.” Her face grew heated. “I’m afraid I left the party in a bit of a rush.”
Sam flashed her a crooked smile, so much like Sawyer’s that her heart faltered. He held out a long-fingered hand to her. His were smooth, slimmer than Sawyer’s, but just as strong. There was a calmness that radiated off the man and left Carmen with no doubt as to why he was good at his profession.
“That’s all right. I heard so much about you tonight. I feel like I already know you.” Sam winked and chuckled when she hid her face in her hands, groaning out loud.
“Oh, great, so much for first impressions. I shudder to think of what sorts of things your family is saying about me.”
“Only that you’re crazy and have a big wart nose and, oww . . .” Sam clutched his shoulder where Charlotte punched him, grinning down at her. “Of course not. I only talked to my brother, and that man is so torn up over upsetting you, he started confessing his love for me just to atone for it.”
“Aww, how sweet!” Charlotte still held Sam’s arm, and Carmen did not think she noticed the playfulness drain away from Sam’s face at her words.
“Yeah, real sweet,” he said, forcing a smile. “Can I walk you home, Chuck? I think these two crazy kids probably have a few things to discuss.”
“I think you are right,” Charlotte agreed, untangling herself from Sam and stepping forward to wrap Carmen in a hug. “I’m glad you are here,” she said. “And I have a feeling we are going to see a lot more of each other.”
Carmen squeezed her back, a lump of affection swelling in her throat. She prayed Charlotte was right. Already the people here had become a part of her. Not just Sawyer, she was crazy about all of them.
Sam threw an arm around Charlotte and pulled her away down the sidewalk, but she turned back to Carmen, stumbling slightly. “Oh! And you were a total badass tonight, my girl!” She waved enthusiastically, then allowed Sam to pull her away.
The murmur of Sam’s voice as he questioned Charlotte trailed after them as they headed off into the dark. Carmen shook her head and turned back to the garage. The apartment was awash with light, and a wave of something akin to homesickness stole her breath. What was she doing wasting the last of the slim, precious time they had together? Sawyer was up there. Suddenly she was running.