Slow Ride (Riding with Honor) (10 page)

If he was trying to make her even sorrier for not having the guts to tell him how she felt or
show
him how she felt…as he’d tried to do…it was too late.  She was already sorry.

The party was probably over or almost over but what the hell?  She’d lived in her self
-imposed cage of insecurity for long enough and it had cost her dearly.  If she wanted him and the girls…she was going to have to fight for them.

Grabbing her purse
, car keys and the directions she’d printed from the internet, she headed over to the seedier side of town.  Pulling up in front of a small but well maintained home, she noted Tommy’s bike parked alongside several other motorcycles in the driveway.  She noticed that his motorcycle had what appeared to be a small chair attached to the back of it as she passed by it on the way to the front door.

She could hear the sounds of laughter, music and several excited children coming from within. 

The door suddenly flew open and Gretchen yelled, “Miss Atkinson!  You’re here!” and then threw her arms around Dana’s waist and hugged her tight.

“Happy Birthday
, Gretchen!” she smiled down at the excited child.  “I’m sorry I’m late.  I’ve got a gift for you though.”

“I’m getting ready to open all my presents real fast before we go to the salon.  You could come with us.  Do you have time to get a haircut today?” Gretchen asked
.

“Oh I don’t know…”
she said.

“Come and eat some of my birthday cake
,” she said, dragging Dana by the hand through the front door.  Sugar and excitement seemed to have created a bull in a china shop.

As she stepped inside
Lilly approached her.

“Oh you made it!  I’m so glad.  Gretchen was just about to start opening her gifts.  Would you like something to drink or a piece of cake?”
she asked.

“No thank you, I’m fine
,” she said scanning the crowd until her eyes landed on Tommy.  He was staring at her.

An older woman made her way to where Dana stood.  The woman’s eyes were thoughtful and twinkle
d with some knowledge that Dana didn’t possess. 

Stopping in front of her she held out her hand “I’m Edna, it’s so nice to finally meet you
,” she said.

She saw Tommy roll his eyes as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in
, drinking a beer, and walked out of the room. 

Without looking behind her, Edna smiled at her and then nearly yelled
, “Thomas McMurray!  You better sit right back down and watch this baby open her gifts.”

Dana watched him stop in his tracks and then turn around and come back in the room
to sit back down in his chair.

“Dickie, bring Miss Atkinson a chair please
,” Edna ordered after Tommy reseated himself.  Then taking the gift from Dana’s hands she smiled again and said, “Thank you for coming.”

An attractive older man brought a chair over and sat it down next to the younger guy who’d unlocked her car door this past week.  She sat down wishing to hell she hadn’t come here. 

Gretchen hadn’t left her side and was eventually scooped up by the younger guy who began tickling her until she squealed that she was going to pee.  Every eye in the room seemed to be on her rather than Gretchen, but they attempted not to make it obvious.  Tommy’s eyes were on her too.

Another man entered the room and Dana recognized him from somewhere but she couldn’t place him.  He had curly dark hair that hung down past his shoulders and a heavy scowl that gave him a dangerous yet attractive appearance.  His chest and shoulders were powerfully built and made the t-shirt he wore seem too tight.

“Are you going to get on with it, Gretchen?” he said motioning toward her pile of gifts.

“Yes
, Uncle Bobby, but my Chucky is tickling me,” she squealed before breaking into more peals of laughter.

The dark haired man smiled and it changed his whole appearance and somehow he no longer seemed as intimidating as before.  Chuck eventually released Gretchen who ran over to her pile of gifts and began opening them as Lilly sat next to her on the floor helping her keep track of
which gifts came from whom.

After opening Tommy’s gift
, which was a small blue motorcycle helmet with white flowers on it, Gretchen squealed with delight, “It matches!”

After Gretchen hugged him and returned to opening her gifts he looked over at her and said
, “At least someone likes what I have to offer.”

Dana could feel her face flame.  Though she realized no one
could know what he meant other than her, she could not seem to stop the anger that threatened to explode.

“Don’t be a dick
,” Bobby said to him.

After finishing opening her gifts
, Gretchen went around the room hugging everyone and thanking them for her gifts.  When she got to her Dana said, “You seem so much older than yesterday, using grown up manners and everything.”

“I feel old
,” Gretchen said with all seriousness.

Lilly giggled and looking over at her they shared a smile at the child’s antics.  The crowded room
started to disperse and Lilly told Gretchen it was time to get ready and go to the salon.

Looking around the room, she did not see Tommy anywhere and decided that it was time to leave after his off color comment.  She had made an attempt to fix the situation and he’d thrown it back at her….she’d done all she could.  Grabbing her purse from the floor near her chair she stood up and headed for the door.

Lilly cut her off at the door holding on to Gretchen’s hand, “Come with us!  My sister can’t because she’s working.  I’m still new here and don’t have many friends...” then leaning in to her she whispered, “We might as well enjoy the afternoon while Gran…I mean Edna chews Tommy a new one for being so rude to you.”

Seeing the hesitant look on Dana’s face, Lilly looped
an arm through hers and dragged her out the front door as Gretchen followed behind them jumping and skipping around in her excitement.

“Is it ok to leave my car parked there?”
she asked as Lilly dragged her toward a little red car.  Gretchen followed along sporting a new purse that was a gift from Lilly.

“Absolutely!”
Lilly smiled in victory.

Just as she opened the door of the little car Tommy burst out of the front door at a run and hopped over the railing on the side of the porch.  Faster than she could have imagined he was in her space and just his nearness seemed to provoke a response in her.

“Don’t cut it,” he said gruffly.

“What?”
she asked.  “What are you talking about?”

“Your hair…
don’t cut it… not until I get to…” he said and then closed his eyes briefly.  Then eyeing Lilly who stood with the driver’s door open gaping at him he said, “Just don’t cut it off.”

“I…I won’t
.  It gets curly when it’s short,” she said quietly.

He stared at her for several long moments until Lilly began fastening Gretchen into her seat in the back of the car. 

Leaning in to Dana where Lilly couldn’t hear he said, “I hardly slept at all last night.  We need to talk.  Maybe when you get back later?”

This was her chance and
, by God, this time she was going to take it.  Grabbing his shirt she pulled his face down to her and kissed him as he had kissed her yesterday at her apartment. 

As she released him she saw Chuck and Bobby standing out on the porch watching them.  Chuck was grinning from ear to ear as he took a swig from his beer.

“Hey, Tommy!” he yelled, “Is it true what they say about red on the head…fire in the bed?” Then he and Bobby both laughed.

“I’m sorry for my friends…they are jackasses
,” he whispered into her mouth before kissing her again.  Then backing away from her, his eyes held her gaze for a moment before he grinned.  She could swear she felt her heart skip a beat.

“I am going to beat you down
, Chuck!” he yelled and then winked at her before running back towards the porch.

Lilly stood back up out of the car and watched while Gretchen yelled
, “Get him Daddy!”

Seeing how quickly Tommy was gaining on him
, Chuck set down his beer and laughing loudly yelled, “Oh shit!” and then jumped over the opposite side of the porch and took off running across several neighbors yards with Tommy in pursuit.

Bobby laughed at them from the porch and yelled his encouragement for Chuck as Edna stuck her head out the front door and watched the commotion for a minute before going back inside. 

As Tommy and Chuck disappeared around the side of the last house on the street she turned back to the car and caught Lilly’s broad smile.

“Must seem a lot like recess around here
,” she quipped with a smile before getting in the car.  Dana sat down in the car and closed the door as Bobby walked over to the driver’s side and rested his arms in the open window of Lilly’s door.

“Do I get a reward for being a
good
boy?” he asked her with a smile and a wink.  Dana couldn’t stop the blush at his words to Lilly.  Tommy wasn’t the only one who said dirty things it seemed.  Looking at Dana, he laughed and then winked at Lilly again.

“We’ll bring you back a prize
, Uncle Bobby!” Gretchen called from the backseat.

Looking at Lilly his smile disappeared and he
gazed at her mouth and said, “I’ll be looking forward to my ‘prize’ when you get back.”

Then he leaned in the car and kissed Lilly full on the mouth and she had to look away.  Then he was gone heading back into the house.

As they headed out of the neighborhood and towards downtown, she finally said, “Sorry for causing all…that.  I just didn’t think he was ready to…talk.”

“Well you can thank Gran for that when we get back.  I guarantee her foot up his behind helped facilitate that along
,” Lilly laughed. “They are like ten year olds in really buff bodies.”

“What’s a buff body
, Miss Lilly?” Gretchen asked.

Dana laughed in spite of herself as did Lilly before finally choking out
, “Crap, I forgot she was back there… now they will
all
know.”

After getting their nails done they headed to the hair salon where all three stylists fawned over the length of Dana’s hair.  As they sat waiting for their turn Gretchen said
, “Daddy says you have
very
pretty hair, Miss Atkinson.”

That’s not all your Daddy says.
  “You shouldn’t repeat everything you hear, Gretchen,” she said.

The stylist only took off the dead ends and added some layers but
the makeover had brought back life to her hair.  She hadn’t cut it since high school when it had been short and overly curly adding to her already poor self-image. 

As the stylist finished blow drying it and turned her around to face the mirror she could hardly believe the difference.

“Oh my God!  You look like a lingerie model,” Lilly said in shock.

“You like it?”
she asked skeptically, looking at her in the mirror’s reflection.

“We
have
to get your makeup done too before we go back,” Lilly said with a wink. “Gretchen, you want to spend the night with me and Gran again tonight?”

“Yes…but can Uncle Chuck stay and help me build my motorcycle from Miss Atkinson?”
she asked.

“We’ll see
,” Lilly replied.

After stopping off at an upscale department store not
far from the salon, they wandered around for a little while.  After having their makeup done, they headed back to Edna’s house. 

As they pulled up to a
stoplight another car full of young guys pulled alongside them.  The guys noticed her and began whistling at her and then Lilly as well.

Leaning forward in her seat Gretchen looked at the guys angrily and then yelled
, “Stop it!  My Daddy loves Miss Atkinson and he’s going to make her love him back!”

The light changed and the carload of guys took off.  Lilly looked over at Dana and then in the rearview mirror.  “Where did you hear that
, Gretchen?” she asked as she slowly accelerated.

Gretchen looked guilty for a minute and then said
, “He told Gran last night.”

“Tommy was at Gran’s last night?” Lilly asked incredulously.

“Yea, after you and Uncle Bobby went to bed and
actually
went to sleep,” Gretchen replied.

She could see the embarrassment on Lilly’s face and turned her head to spare the woman further. 

“They were in the living room talking for a long time and I heard him say that… so those guys shouldn’t do that to Miss Atkinson…right, Miss Lilly?” she said.  After a few moments of silence, “And Uncle Bobby will whoop their ass for doing that to you, huh, Miss Lilly?” she finished smartly.