“Jesus, Kel. I’m so sorry.” He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Is that why your brother lives with you?”
“Mhm. I was the only family he had to care for him. I’d tried to make it work in San Francisco, but my boyfriend at the time, wasn’t keen about having my brother with us. Kevin had issues. He’d been in the car with my parents, and surviving when they didn’t hit him hard. Moving him out of San Diablo and away from the only life he’s ever known wasn’t the best for him. So we moved back.”
“And the boyfriend isn’t in the picture anymore?”
“No.”
“It’s been challenging doing everything on my own. But I’ve seen some improvement in Kevin. He’s happier here than in the Bay Area.” I took a sip of my drink. “What about your family? They still around?”
“Shit, are you joking? They never wanted me around. The week after we graduated, they moved to Florida. Haven’t seen them since.”
“Oh, Gideon. That’s awful. Do you at least talk to them?” Again, my heart ached for him.
“Hey, I’m better off without them. My MC family is the best. We really care about each other. Got each other’s backs.”
“They sound great.” And from what I saw yesterday, they were very protective of each other. Perhaps Gideon was right about being better off without his family.
Back in the day, Gideon didn’t have a good life. His parents were never around, and his dad would beat him for the dumbest reasons. I felt sorry for him and would invite him over to our place for dinner. His mom never cooked and my mom always made a ton of food and she liked Gideon. Sometimes, we would hang out in my dad’s garage, tinkering on the old 1968 Mustang my dad was restoring.
Thinking about the car made me blurt out, “Do you remember Michelle?”
“Hell, yes. Whatever happened to her?”
“She’s in storage. After my parents died, I had to sell the house and most of their possessions. But I couldn’t let her go.”
“Does she run? I remember your dad was close to getting her running the summer after we graduated.”
“She runs. I just haven’t been taking her out. She’s actually in town. I never took her to San Francisco.” And now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t. Weird.
“Man, I can’t believe you have the Stang.” He whistled. “She was a beauty.”
I tossed my head back, laughing and took my phone out to show him a picture. “She was not. She needed a lot of work. Paint and new rims. But now Michelle is a gorgeous baby blue. See…” I held up my phone.
He took my device for a closer look. “She doesn’t even look the same. Yeah, there are hints of the old girl that I see, but she’s breathtaking now. Much like her new owner.”
“Stop it.” I elbowed him playfully. “Michelle’s transformation is way better than mine.” But I could tell he meant what he said.
“Believe whatever you want.” He gave me back my phone. “Think you might want to swing by the club tomorrow? Cassandra was asking about you this morning. She’d love to meet you. You’d like her and since you’re sort of new in town, it might be nice to make a new friend.”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it.” I smiled at his suggestion and sipped my drink. “Maybe we could pay Michelle a visit.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He gave me a brilliant smile. It was so intense and genuine, I melted.
I hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time, or comfortable in my own skin. But it was nice being here with Gideon and getting reconnected after so many years. Sure, we’d both changed, butthe easiness we’d always had when we were together was still there.
I had to admit, I liked it.
I liked the way he looked at me.
I liked the butterflies in my stomach, swirling about as our shoulders touched.
But mostly, I liked being with my old friend. They guy I used to trust more than anyone. The person who knew my parents and seemed saddened by their deaths.
I didn’t know what the future would hold for me, but I hoped Gideon would have a spot in it.
10
GQ
