Slow Ride (7 page)

After, she had stared at him, stunned into silence. Once her ears stopped ringing,
she packed her books and some clothes, letting him know by her silence and her actions
that she was leaving. He had begged her to stay, made a million promises, blamed the
stress of his job, and swore it would never happen again. But it did. Over and over.
He got smarter, too, leaving the bruises in places no one would see and making her
wear long sleeve shirts when he left marks on her wrists, which was often. She would
try to leave and he would somehow sweet-talk his way back into her life, promise to
go to counseling, promise to never hurt her again, beg her for another chance.

Soon Kyla didn’t know why she stayed, other than the fear of what he would do if she
succeeded in leaving. The time before they both ended up in intensive care, she had
made it to her car, keys in hand. But he ran after her, desperate and pissed off like
she’d never seen him. He grabbed her by the upper arm and turned her around, slammed
her back against the door. The handle dug into her back as she kicked and struggled,
but he had an iron grip on her arm and she feared it would be crushed under his strength.
His other hand came around to her throat and he squeezed, her lungs seizing as she
tried to get air into her lungs. She heard a strangled scream and realized it came
from her, right before she saw stars as he slammed the back of her head into the car
door he had trapped her against.

“You’re not leaving, Kyla. Get this through your fuckin’ thick skull, you are
not
leaving. Ever. And if you try to do it again, I won’t just come get you. It’ll be
war, against you, your brother, your parents, those moron friends of yours at the
store, and in that band you sing with. Got me?”

She couldn’t answer, afraid she’d throw up if she opened her mouth. She had simply
nodded while she trembled. He dragged her inside.

The worst part was, not one person who was in that parking lot did a thing to stop
Frank. They all knew who he was, what he could do. Even though Kyla begged them with
her eyes as she stumbled, they all looked away. That was the moment she went numb.
That was the moment she gave up.

After she was finally free of Frank, after she and Mike were out of the hospital,
and she was seeing her counselor, Jane, she often wondered if she would ever find
someone to share her life with. She was suspicious of people now, always wondering
what their true nature was, fearful of when they would turn on her. After a while
she just gave up on the idea that she’d be able to have a normal relationship. Frank
had worked hard at destroying who she was, and the hope she had for a good life, and
he had, sadly, succeeded.

But Kyla wasn’t home anymore. She was in Ashten Falls, a new town, a new start, a
new everything. Frank wasn’t here to remind her of what he had done, what he had taken
from her. She could move on, move forward, and hope again. Couldn’t she?

Kyla pushed through the door to Music & Motors, or the Music half of it anyways. She’d
walked by it for what felt like a hundred times in the past week, but had stopped
herself from going inside. Mainly because many of those times she’d seen Cooper either
outside or through the window, behind the counter, and she’d chickened out. The man
made her nervous.

But Cooper also owned the car shop that was currently home to her Mustang, and he
owned the music store. That right there, had her curiosity piqued. She also missed
being around music. Perhaps though, the most important reason for going in was that
she needed to talk to Cooper about her car. Her money was going to run out soon and
she had to make a plan, or in the worst possible scenario, ask her mother for a loan.

The bell over the door rang as she stepped inside. The place was a throwback to the
sixties with seventies punk, eighties hair bands, and a few of the nineties boy bands
thrown in. The colors were loud, the furniture and music displays scattered, and there
didn’t seem to be much organization to the space. Lenny Kravitz’s greatest hits CD
was playing over the speakers. It was a hodgepodge of records, tapes, CDs, musical
instruments, and musical accessories. One corner of the shop sported a large television
mounted on the wall. At the moment, three teenagers were hunkered down on the couches
and chairs, yelling and shooting at monsters and zombies on some video game.

Kyla’s eyes moved to the counter, which was sparse and sat across from the front door.
She didn’t see Cooper, or anyone, working in the store. As she was about to leave
she caught sight of a piano in the far corner. She walked over and ran her fingers
over the ivory keys. Until she heard the soft sound that escaped from the light touch,
she didn’t realize just how much she missed playing. She slid onto the bench, not
caring about the dust on the seat, and began to softly play Canon in D. It wasn’t
a hard piece, it was something she’d learned early on in the piano lessons she’d taken
as a child, but it was still one of her favorites.

Kyla was so focused on the piece that she hadn’t heard the teenagers stop playing
their game. She hadn’t sensed them move either. A glance over her shoulder told her
that they were behind her, mouths agape as they watched her play.

As she finished the piece one of the teenagers spoke. “Whoa. I haven’t ever heard
anyone play that thing. Ever. And I’ve never heard anyone play like that. You’re really
good.”

Kyla smiled, “Thanks. I’ve been playing all my life so I’ve had a lot of practice.”

The boys chatted with her a bit more and then, after she played another piece for
them—this time a rock piece from the early nineties—Kyla found the courage to ask
the question weighing on her mind.

“Um, have you guys seen Cooper, the guy who owns this place and the car shop?”

One of them guffawed, “Women are always looking for Cooper. He’s got a line of women
in town that follow him around. Never catch him though.”

Kyla rolled her eyes. “I’m not looking for him to ask him out. He’s fixing my car
and I need to talk to him about that.”

The teenagers didn’t seem to believe her by the looks they were giving each other.
“Sure, lady, you need to talk about your car. I saw him leaving earlier in the tow
truck, so who knows when he’ll be back, but try the garage. Phil will know when to
expect him.”

Kyla sighed as the boys wandered back over to their video game, and the store was
filled again with the sounds of zombie heads being blown off and the boys’ high-fiving.
Kyla considered going to the garage, to talk to Phil, but decided against it. Instead,
she turned back to the keys and played some more, feeling more at home than she had
in a long time.

• • •

On her third visit to the store as she flipped through a box of old records, someone
approached her from behind, stopping so close she could feel the heat. She whirled
around, her hands up in front of her, and started to push at whoever intruded into
her space, only to look up into Cooper’s blue eyes.

“Hey there, Ms. O’Grady.” He didn’t attempt to move. “What do you think of the place?”

Kyla blinked. “The place?” She furrowed her brows. “Oh, here. I like it. It certainly
has character. The fashion sense is a bit scattered though. I mean, a poster of the
Cure next to New Kids on the Block? I think that might be against the law.”

He chuckled. “Yeah? I’ll get right on fixing the interior decorations of this place
when I have a free minute. How’s that?”

She shrugged. “Fine, but the punk gods might rain down some serious hellfire if you
don’t fix that, and soon.” She liked teasing him and found it came easy.

Cooper shifted and pressed forward, forcing Kyla to press her back into the table
behind her. “Find anything you’re interested in while in the shop?”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth and then lifted back to his eyes. Her tongue darted
out and licked her lips. It was mostly an unconscious move on her part, but the effect
was a low growl from Cooper. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m sort of a try-before-you-buy
girl.”

Cooper blinked slow and then smiled, his white teeth flashing. “I doubt that, honey.
You look exactly the opposite of the kind of girl who takes it for a test drive before
knowing what she wants. I’d say you’re a careful consideration sort of woman.” His
head dipped, his mouth at her ear. “‘Course we could try the test drive thing. Sometimes
it’s nice to switch things up.”

“We need to talk about my car.” Kyla whispered, trying to stay focused and not think
about kissing the man whose lips were so close to her skin.

“You’re right we do. I tallied the labor and parts cost. It’s going to cost a mint
to get her fixed and take time for the parts to come in. But I’ve been thinking, since
you’re here in town, maybe you can work off some of the cost?”

Kyla felt her eyes widen and she pushed at Cooper’s chest. “Are you kidding me? I
cannot believe you would think I am that kind of girl!” Her voice was rising, along
with her temper.

Cooper grinned, shaking his head. “I like seeing you all riled up. Who knew there
was a temper lurking inside there?” Kyla scowled but Cooper kept right on speaking.
“Seriously, Kyla, what kind of guy do you think I am? I meant working at my shop,
not sex. I need to hire someone in the front office and you need your car fixed. I
figured it’s a win-win situation.”

“Mr. Moretto! I need to go before I’m late getting home. Can you cash me out?” came
a voice from somewhere near the front.

Cooper touched Kyla’s hand, his fingers brushing over her palm. “Just think about
it and get back to me in the next day or so, all right? Otherwise, I’m going to need
a down payment to get these parts ordered and on their way.”

Before Kyla could answer, Cooper was gone. Literally one second he was there, the
next Kyla was watching his backside as he sauntered over to the counter. She missed
his heat instantly, but she took the time to get her breathing under control. After
that, he was moderately busy at the counter as kids gathered their things and headed
out for the day. Kyla slipped out the door, seemingly unnoticed, and headed home for
a cold shower. And a nap, though she knew it wouldn’t be a good one unless Cooper
was starring in her dreams.

• • •

Kyla watched the crowd of people in the motel’s pool area celebrating the opening
of the pool. It was decorated like a tropical paradise, with cardboard hula dancers,
bright lanterns and lights hanging from the posts and trees. Despite the slight chill
in the spring air, between the decorations and the people, the atmosphere was warm
and cozy. Kyla saw Rose holding court at a table with Steve, the owner of the bookstore.
Kyla had gotten to know both of them better since she’d been staying in town, and
liked them both. They were kind, caring, and great listeners, yet they didn’t pry
into Kyla’s past. Kyla giggled as Steve stood up and she saw the grass skirt he was
wearing over his khakis. Kyla was starting to fall in love with Ashten Falls, and
it had a lot to do with the people she was meeting.

“Kyla, I’m glad you came. It’s nice to see new faces sticking around town.” Kyla smiled
as Rose called out to her. She headed over and sat in the chair Steve pulled out for
her.

“We have visitors,” Maggie piped up from the nearby lounge chair she was laying out
on. “They just don’t stay. The town has to work on its marketing campaign, otherwise
we’re never going to move forward.”

“C’mon, people, let’s start eating,” Steve hollered and set down a plate full of grilled
meat on a nearby table filled with bowls of macaroni and potato salad, fruit salad,
and chips. A nearby cooler overflowed with beer, water, and soda. “And just in time
for the food, here come the boys from next door.”

Kyla looked up at that moment to see Cooper and Phil head their way, each carrying
a cooler. There were other people following whom she didn’t recognize.

Rose handed her a plate filled with food. “Well-done cheeseburger. Just how you like
it.” She was smiling and followed her gaze to the group now gathered around the food
table. “I invite the local businesses to the pool opening every year. The town is
pretty small and we all have to stick together. Cooper has a similar block party in
October, kits out the backfield and plot next door with Halloween decorations and
a haunted trail. Kids love it.”

Kyla eyed the plate in her hands with trepidation; mounds of mayonnaise-laden salads
abounded. At least there was a scoop of fruit salad, but she was pretty sure that
was bathed in what looked like marshmallows. “Thanks. It’s nice, everyone coming out
and supporting each other. Don’t see that too often.”

She was settling on the bench seat when someone was suddenly next to her, leaning
in and pushing her gently with his big shoulder. “Long time no see.” She chewed, her
eyes flicking over to Cooper before giving him a small smile.

Cooper settled on the seat next to her and dug into his food, chatting with Rose and
the others as he did. He pushed the plate away when he was finished and leaned back
a bit, casually laying the arm closest to Kyla on the back of the bench. Though she
tried not to, she flinched, which drew his curious eyes. He didn’t ask her about it,
instead adjusting his arm so his hand was more on her shoulder. And then he squeezed.
It was a gentle, warm touch that she felt all the way to her toes. When his hand slid
just as casually down her arm to rest on her hip, his fingers moved just as lightly
and gently. Kyla stared at her plate, her mind unsure what to do with it all.

After a long moment and forcing her nerves back, she relaxed. She wasn’t going to
let Frank in here. Even he couldn’t reach that far unless she let him. Kyla stole
a look at Cooper and smiled again. It was shy, but it was a smile.

“Told ya.” Maggie grinned.

Kyla stuck out her tongue at her and went about eating.

“What?” Steve looked between the two women as if they’d fallen off their rockers.