“Of course, we’re good. You know I can’t hold a grudge against you for long. You happen to hold the keys to ma’s kitchen.” Bekkett winked, trying to show he was truly over it.
“Get your ass out of here then. Are we gonna see you for dinner tonight?” his father asked, narrowing his bright blue eyes as if he calculated the next question depending on Bekkett’s response.
“Probably. If not, I’ll shoot you a text to let you know. Give Samson a punch in the arm for me.” Hegave his father a nod, then went around the hood of his truck. He needed to see his baby girl since he’d only stayed there a short time. Bekkett would
“Sounds good, son. You know your ma worries when you’re home, and she loses contact for too long.” His dad turned back toward the door leading into the house.
Bekkett kept the snort to himself, having heard that line too many times to count. His father never liked to admit he worried as much as their mother, but he’d seen his old man pacing the floor many times back when he’d been a kid, and Samson broke curfew. The lecture always included the phrase‘their mother worried.’Their father strode around the living room to the front door, back to the mudroom, cursing a blue streak until his idiot brother stumbled in the door.
The drive outside of town took forever, yet not long enough. He turned onto the familiar road. His fingers gripped the steering wheel so hard as he drove through the iron gates, their intricate details making them look almost gothic. Luckily, they weren’t locked, so he didn’t need to call anyone to let him in.
Snow and ice crunched beneath his tires like a low cacophony of music he’d heard dozens of times. The sun hit the white blanket of fluff on the ground, making it almost blinding to see, but he knew the twists and turns to his destination. After about ten minutes of knuckle-gripping driving, he brought his Duramax to a stop, unable to bring himself to get out just yet. Over the steering column, he looked out at the view. Row upon row of headstones in a myriad of shapes met his eyes. Oh, sure, some are made of different materials, but they're all similar.
Bekkett released the death grip on the steering wheel, pushed the button to turn his truck off, and got out. He reached into the passenger seat and grabbed the presents he’d brought before shutting the door. Snow crunched under his boots as he walked over to the bench facing a set of tombstones. He sat down before he fell. Fuck, he wondered when it would get easier to visit a place that he’d been to more times than he could count.
“Merry Christmas, Sugar Plum. I sure miss your sweet face. You’d probably love playing in the snow like I did when I was a kid. Hell, who am I kidding?” Bekkett sniffed, remembering how he and hissiblings used to spend hours outside seeing who could build the biggest snow forts. Well, he and Samson would make them while Solange, their baby sister, sort of dictated what she wanted hers to look like.
Bekkett stared at the cold stone with his daughter’s name engraved into it, then over at the one placed beside it of his ex-wife’s. Bitterness filled his heart at what she’d taken from him. He tamped the anger and feelings of resentment down, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good.
The crinkling sound of paper interrupted the silence of the morning, making him look down at his hands. He released the grip on the presents he held, hating the knowledge his child would never get to open and play with a doll, a game, or play dress up.
“I’m so sorry,” he cried, tears falling freely down his cheeks.
Bekkett ignored the howling wind, dismissing the way his tears sounded as they landed on the foil paper. For the next few hours, he cried and talked to the little girl who owned his heart. Her sweet little face was ingrained in his mind, forever a baby.
How long he sat there, Bekkett didn’t know. His body no longer registered the cold. His elbows rested on his knees as he hung his head, staring down at his boots. The ground blurred. A shiver shook his frame. When he looked up, the sky had gone dark.
“Fuck,” he muttered and picked up the presents that fell onto the snow-covered earth.
Chapter Four
Jinx closed the door to her house and set the alarm automatically. After dropping Fred off, she’d driven home, taking several extra turns and driving faster than the slick roads called for. Her heart hammered each time she saw a set of headlights in the rearview mirror, fearing the fuckers from the bar might’ve double-backed and followed her.
Once she’d been sure nobody followed behind her truck, she’d taken the desolate road toward her property. Of course, her nerves stretched so tight Jinx worried she’d wreck if a deer or some other poor animal jumped out in front of her. Her breath came out in a ragged gasp the second she heard the steady beep of her alarm resetting.
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. “Fuck,” she groaned.
With a shaky hand, Jinx tugged the small device out, already knowing who was calling. “Hello, Fred. I just walked in the door.”
“I’m aware, my wanderer. I have you on Life app. Why did you drive around like a madwoman and break speeds when you know the roads are slick asfuck? You realize my heart can’t take that kind of stress, right?” His voice sounded shrill and higher at the end.
“Simmer down, my little slut. I drove around to make sure nobody was following me,” she said without addingduhsince she figured he’d get pissed, or rather, more pissed.
“You’re so lucky you live too far away, or I’d come over there and slap some sense into you. As it is, I’m tired and already in my cozy jammies.” Fred huffed.
Jinx rolled her eyes and pushed off the door. “I’m glad you weren’t so stressed you couldn’t get into your comfy clothes.” Teasing Fred eased some of her anxiety as she moved through the quiet house.
As Fred extolled his absolute fear for her, she moved through the open space that was her living and kitchen area. When she’d bought the property, it had an A-frame house made of rustic-looking wood and glass, with one bedroom. She’d lived in the home while a crew added on a large addition and remodeled the kitchen and living area in stages until finally the place looked nothing like the old house. The last things she’d done were replace the windowsand finally replace the old wood with reclaimed logs from locally sourced trees.
“Well, you’re obviously safely ensconced in your hermit habitat, so I’ll let you get settled. Don’t worry about taking me to get my car tomorrow, or rather, later today. I’ll have my sister run me over since we’ll both be working the early shift. Get some sleep, Jinxy.” Fred yawned audibly.
“You sound like you’re halfway there, Freddy. Go to bed and don’t worry about me. I’ll probably sleep like the dead until noon.” They both knew that was a lie, but he didn’t call her on it.
After a few more minutes of talking, they hung up. Jinx made herself a cup of herbal tea, then walked up to the loft. She walked through her home office, not turning on any lights, since the floor-to-ceiling windows let in enough moonlight to guide her. She had a feeling her sleep wouldn’t come easily or peacefully.
She moved through the office area, keeping the lights off in the hopes that it would help her body and mind fall into a natural sleep mode. Jinx snorted at the notion, knowing her dreams would mock her, but a girl could pretend.
On autopilot, she went into the ensuite, discarding her clothes into the hampers they belonged. Her undergarments went into one, while the jeans and top, which were both black, went into another. She stared at her huge tub, but again, she didn’t want to take the time or effort it would entail to fill the massive porcelain beast. With a few button presses, her shower water heated to the desired temperature. She already twisted her hair up into a topknot and covered it with a cap to keep the long tresses from getting soaked as she stepped inside. Washing off the double shift exhaustion, Blair allowed the jets to pound her stiff shoulders and back before turning to face the water. She reached for the pump on her body wash, attached to the tiled wall, and squirted a considerable amount onto her palm. With quick efficiency, she washed and rinsed, then turned off the water.
