“I love you, Edie,” she mumbled and then stroked my cheeks. “Sleep tight, honey.”
“
I liked Vasco,” I said. “Nice old man.”
When Lanie turned around and stared at me, I laughed.
“Not like that. He was just nice.”
“
Did you like anyone 'like that'?” She asked carefully.
“
No. Ella did her very best to get me interested in the single guys in the club.” I shook my head with a smile. “Are you worried about that flirt?”
“
Dawg. He's... a dawg.”
“
I got that, Lanie. Don't worry. Besides, I'm apparently 'off limits'. Not sure Ella got that info. You should fill her in.”
“
I'll tell her. Dawg is a special case, he's... very charming.”
“
I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. He's not the first flirt I've met.”
I didn't add that I'd actually fallen for a few of those flirts in the past, but then again, that's how I'd learned my lesson. The fuck ups are how we learn, and sometimes we need to do the same fuck up more than once to get the message. As for falling for flirts, I'd done it more than once, got upset about it the first times, and the last time I just got pissed at myself. So I'd had my share of that type. I wasn't going down that lane again. They were good when you just wanted some fun, because they usually were fun. Hooking up with a guy like that and then having to be around him wasn't worth all the fun in the world.
Besides, he was much too cocky to really be interesting and not half as good looking as he obviously thought. Although he was good looking. Full beard, ring in his nose, gray eyes, and I suspected dark blonde underneath that beanie. And ink! That guy had full sleeves and ink all the way up over his neck and throat. And he rocked it, didn’t look cramped or overdone at all. It suited him.
“
I know you are. I'm just not used to how big of a girl you are,” Lanie said with a smile and hugged me. “You've become a remarkable woman, Edie. I'm so proud of you.”
“
I love you,” was all I could think of saying, and then she was gone.
I sat in the armchair in the guest room and ate the cookies while thinking over my situation. I had some money left. Not much, though, so I needed a job. I was planning on asking Brick if he thought Vasco was serious about helping me. If not, I'd go barhopping the day after tomorrow to see if they needed help somewhere. After two cookies, I realized that I needed milk, so, pulling on the yoga pants that now seemed to be mine, I went out in the kitchen.
“Hey, girl!” Brick said and I jumped in shock.
“
Shit! I didn't see you.” I took a glass and poured some milk before sitting down opposite him. “What are you doing?”
“
Enjoying what my kitchen feels like when it's quiet. It doesn't happen often.” He must've noticed my expression. “Don't get up, I can take a break from the silence if it means talking to you.”
“
I can go and get the cookies Lanie gave me.”
He smiled. “Go and get them.”
When I came back he'd taken out the milk and put it on the table with a full glass in front of him.
“
So you don't drink?” he started.
“
No. I realized I liked it a bit too much, so when I started working as a bartender...”
“
... you thought it best to not do it. Smart. Not the story you told the others.”
“
No. But that was kind of the truth as well. I don't like myself when I drink.”
It wasn't a big thing. I just didn't seem to be able to shut up when I drank. And I always had the worst anxiety the day after, regretting pretty much every single word I'd said the night before, which, due to me not shutting up, meant quite a few words and conversations to obsess about.
“About Dawg...” he started, and he looked uncomfortable.
That was when I figured out how he viewed me. I was his wife's sister, sure. But I was a much younger sister, and he was actually quite a lot older than her, too. Or 'just old' as Eliza had put it. I wasn't even that much older than his own sons. So if I interpreted it right, I was a younger female family member. I didn't think he really viewed me as a daughter, we didn't know each other well enough for that, but if we ever got really close, that would be what I was and how he'd act towards me. And now he was worried. It was kind of cute. Not that I'd tell him that. I didn't think Brick was gonna take it all that well if I called him cute. I was also a bit fed up with everyone asking me about Dawg. So I took a swing, verbally at least.
“He was cool,” I said, looking innocently into my glass. “Is he seeing someone?”
Brick coughed and I managed to hold my facade for a few seconds and then I laughed.
“I'm kidding. I got it, Brick. They all warned me.”
“
Good. Would hate to break your heart by telling you he was seeing everyone, more often than not two at a time.”
“
Like two at a time in the bed?”
“
Like that.”
“
Greedy boy.”
“
You've got no idea.”
I laughed. “Either way. I got that and no worries. I think Lanie had a go at him just for talking to me.” Before he had time to open his mouth I held up my hand. “And I know he doesn't 'just talk' to chicks, but he wasn't exactly hitting on me, it was more force of habit-hitting while being quite nice.”
“Okay. Good.”
“
And the rest were nice, too. A few more force of habit hits, but nothing you need to work yourself up over. Like I told Lanie, I'm a big girl, I know how to spot 'em.”
Brick gave me another one of those sweet smiles. “You're the only one calling her Lanie.”
“Old thing,” I shrugged. “I wasn't always the only one. Not sure I can get used to Mel.”
“
Shouldn't. She's Lanie to you.”
We were out of cookies and we were both a bit too old to just sit around sipping milk. And it was also late; I was tired.
“I'm gonna go to bed and let you enjoy the silence for a while longer.”
He nodded. “Night, girl.”
I stood up and was just about to leave when I turned around.
“
Thanks, Brick. For all of this, really making an effort to make me feel welcome and all that.”
“
You're welcome,” he simply said, and I appreciated that. That he didn't throw me the 'you're family' thing. It made it more obvious that he understood that I really was grateful and let me express my gratitude.
I woke up with a jerk when I felt someone climbing into my bed. It was Eliza.
“Can I sleep here?” she whispered.
I had no idea how to handle this, but finally I just nodded and lifted the cover for her to get under it. She curled up, facing me, and popped her thumb in her mouth, closing her eyes. Again, I wasn't sure what to do. Luckily, she was. With her thumb still in her mouth and eyes closed, she said;
“You're supposed to put your arm around me.”
“
Oh. Okay,” I said and did it.
“
Can you make pancakes for breakfast tomorrow?” she whispered.
“
Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but I can't cook at all.”
She looked a bit disappointed and sighed. “Not even scrambled eggs?”
“I could try.”
“
Okay. Night, Edie.”
“
Night, baby girl.”
I pulled the small, warm body closer and shoved my nose into her hair. With a satisfied sigh, she moved even closer. It was kinda comfy, so I soon fell asleep with the sweet-smelling girl next to me.
CHAPTER THREE:
Who Knocked Him Out?
-o0o-
Wednesday, April 11
th
“HONEY, PLEASE USE THE
fork,” Mel said with a tired voice, and Brick had to bite his cheeks to not laugh.
He had to bite even harder when Eliza replied.
“But, mom! Aunt Edie eats with her hands all the time!”
“
Yes, because Edie spent most of her adult life surrounded by savages. You're in America, so please use the fork.”
Eliza was right. Edie did quite often eat with her hands. And over the month since she’d come back, Edie'd become his baby girl's hero. She wanted to do everything the way 'Aunt Edie' did. On the upside, Edie always ate everything, every last scrap on the plate. He hadn't once heard her complain about not liking something that was put in front of her. He assumed that she’d gotten used to eating whatever was around.
Vasco had pulled through for Edie, and it hadn't taken more than a week. So the past month she'd been working at a bar, sometimes as a bartender, but more often as a waitress. Brick'd put her out of the idea of paying for herself in less than five seconds. There was no fucking way his wife's sister was gonna pay for staying at his house. Not on a waitress wage and definitely not when she was pulling her weight the way she did, helping out, taking care of Eliza, cleaning and not even mentioning how she let his baby girl sleep in her bed whenever she needed it. He did wish she would stop trying to cook though, 'cause that chick couldn't even make a decent fucking sandwich. He'd been surprised, Mel was an amazing cook, but that gene was completely missing in Edie.
He was getting more and more attached to her. She felt like family. She fitted in, and he really enjoyed their late night talks. He didn't need much sleep, which meant he more often than not was up when she got back from work. So they talked, and he'd gotten a lot of respect for the girl. There was a lot more to her than he'd thought to begin with. Like Mel she was smart, didn't ask questions and was very observant. As opposed to Mel, she was always calm, took time to think about things and never jumped to conclusions.
Someone else who respected her was Vasco. Just like Brick had suspected he would. He'd basically taken on the role of her grandfather, and he already had a lotta love for the girl. They'd been out for more than a few coffees and had even taken a few beers together. Or rather, Vasco drank beer and she sipped on her fucking Cokes. He'd asked Vasco about it, and he'd just said that the girl had an old soul and a lot of shit to straighten out. Edie loved him, didn't talk about him much, but it was easy to see how she lightened up when she saw him. Much the same way as she did with Eliza.
“
Eliza!” Mel half yelled. “Use the goddamn fork!”
His wife was losing it, so he looked at his daughter and gave her the stern look. With a sigh she picked up the fork and started to eat the chicken with it, even trying to using her knife.
-o0o-
I was nearing the end of my shift, something I was happy about, but my feet were absolutely deliriously happy about it. I actually liked working in bars, it was a good way to meet people, throw some shit, charm some guys to get a good tip. All at an impersonal level. The money wasn't all that good, and obviously there were days when I hated it. Customers do have that effect on anyone working in the service sector. The working hours were pretty crap, too. It sucked to have the majority of the shifts in late evenings. All in all, I was starting to wonder if I should go to college, but it just felt a bit late for it. Not even mentioning that I didn't think I had the grades or the money for it.
When I finally got the last customer out of the bar, promising I was madly in love with him, I heard a chuckle next to the door. It was Vasco.
“
Hey. Here to give me a lift home?”
“
You know it, girl. Hope you're okay with a truck.”
He knew I preferred to ride on his bike with him. But either way it was so nice of him to pick me up as often as he did that I wouldn't dream of nagging about him taking a car. Neither would Dawn, my co-worker, since it meant she didn't have to take the long way round to my house to take me home.
“Such a gentleman. Come inside.”
“
So do I get a beer?” He gave me his happy face, and I nodded.
“
I'll get you a beer, like I always do, you know that. It'll be a while. I need to clean the place up before I go.”
“
I know that, doll. Not the first time I’m taking you home. Tired?”
I knew why he was asking. More often than not he took me to an all-night diner for a late night snack and a lot of talking. But this night I was beat, so I nodded.
“Yeah. Very ready for bed.”
He followed me inside just when Dawn yelled, “My turn to choose cleaning music today, old man. Hope you're up for some ass shaking.”
“Brace yourself,” I mumbled. “She's currently on Beyoncé.”
“
Don't give a shit if it means I get to look at young women shaking their tight little asses while drinking free beer.”
And just as predicted, the uptight beats of Beyoncé started to pour out of the speakers at a much louder volume than they ever did when we had customers. I didn't like Beyoncé, but part of the deal was that you danced and sang along no matter what you thought about the music. It was a way to pick up the mood and get the cleaning going faster. I went to the back, kicked off my work shoes and put on my crocs to give my feet some much needed release before I took the bucket with the rag and went out to dry off the tables and put up the chairs. All the time dancing and singing along, just like Shauna, Dawn and Micha were doing.
Once we were done, Vasco stood up and shook his head with a smile.
“
Ready to go home, doll?”
“
Yup. I'm ready.” I gave his cheek a kiss. “Thanks for waiting.”
“
To an old man like me, watching three pretty girls dancing around and singing is almost as good as getting laid.”
“
Oh my god! You're such a dirty old dog! And I know you don't think it's as good as getting laid. I saw you with your hand up a skirt last week at the clubhouse.”
I'd actually seen it more than once. Dawg had been right, Vasco was a horny old man. He'd told me he was at the strip club more than once a week, so I doubted that watching us dancing around fully dressed did all that much for him. And now he was just laughing at me. I hit him in the arm on our way out and he laughed even harder. My god I loved this man.
He'd been great. He'd fessed up the second time we met that he knew I'd killed my dad, but told me to not hold it against Brick that he'd told him. That Brick had done it because he knew Vasco needed to know and that he'd help me. I had no idea what he meant at the time and was worried he was gonna start playing shrink with me. He didn't, at all. He was just there, and we talked, a lot. I’d even started to tell him about dad. He took it like he took anything I threw at him. With nods, straight questions and encouraging smiles. It was easy to talk to him, nothing like talking to the shrinks. He never asked things like 'how did that make you feel' or 'does that make you angry'.
When I walked toward the house I noticed the glow from Brick's cigarette on the deck. So after taking a bottle of water from the fridge, I went outside to sit down with him.
“Fair warning,” was the first thing he said without turning his head. “Your sister is pissed at you.”
“
Why?”
I had no idea why she would be pissed at me, and I racked my brain for what I could've done.
“Eliza doesn't want to use her fork when she eats. She wants to eat with her hands like Aunt Edie.” He turned his head and smiled. “She also wants to drink water, not milk with her food.”
“
Sorry.”
I hadn't thought about it. I'd gotten used to not always having silverware around. And drinking water all the time was a habit I'd picked up since I'd spent a lot of time in really warm areas. And this was a pretty warm area as well. I'd never liked drinking milk, but had been forced. Milk left an icky, fatty residue in the mouth, didn't like it at all. So once I could choose myself, I had water. Unless it was with cookies when I had the munchies. That was a whole other deal.
“Don't worry. Think it's PMS.”
My sister was horrid during her PMS. I wasn't; it didn't effect me much. At least I didn't think so. My period was another thing, though. I got the worst of those and Lanie got a pretty easy one. Nature had a tendency to balance things out.
“That why you're out there?”
“
Nah,” he shook his head. “Lot on my mind.”
I nodded and looked at him. He often had. I hadn't been here for long, but I'd noticed that, and I'd taken a cue from Lanie to not ask questions or hassle him about it. I knew he shared a lot with her, but she didn't pass it forward, especially if it was club shit. I preferred to not know, and none of them would've told me anything even if I asked.
“Hey, I know you'll fix it, whatever it is.”
“
Thanks, girl.” He turned again and smiled before emptying his beer. “I'm gonna go to the other woman in my life who says shit like that.”
I laughed. “Yeah, she's a fan.”
He looked down at my feet, and I could feel myself blushing. I had forgotten I was wearing those. I usually kicked them off in my room to make sure neither he or Lanie saw them. I'd forgotten this time.
“
Really?” He was definitely mocking me, and I couldn't blame him. “Remind me, darlin'; what was it you said about crocs?”
“
That it was a deal breaker.”
Crocs were the ugliest fucking footwear there was. I hated them, and if I guy even owned a pair, I would never look at him twice. They were just so fucking comfortable, and I'd had a long shift today. My feet would be screaming if they had mouths.
“Yeah,” his smile was almost cruel. “And that if I guy owned a pair you wouldn't touch him with a ten foot stick. That him saying he didn't have a pair
anymore,
to you
sounded like a guy saying he
used
to own a piece of plutonium but he wasn't that radioactive anymore.”
“
I know....” I was extremely embarrassed by now.
“
Polluted forever and hazmat suit required! Was also yelled, if I remember correctly.”
“
They're comfy and my feet hurt,” I tried.
“
I'm so gonna tell Mel about this.”
“
You suck!”
She'd taunt me for weeks about this, and I was gonna get back at Dawn for it. She's the one who gave them to me. Just to mess with me since I'd given her the deal breaker speech as well. First time I used them after a shift I was hooked. They were really comfortable shoes.
He shook his head, leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “Women! I don't get you.”
“
You're not supposed to,” I yelled after him as he walked inside.
I sat there for a while before going inside, locking doors and set the alarm. After a quick shower and a not so quick foot massage, I got into bed. I hadn't even closed my eyes when I heard a knock on the door.
-o0o-
Dawg was outside Brick's house, along with Bear, Bull and Mech. They'd called, but he hadn't answered, and they knew he'd want to hear about this. He
needed
to hear about it.
Two weeks earlier, one of their smaller dealers had taken off with some of their pot. They didn't have many dealers. In general, they weren't dealing much at all, they were just muling the stuff, but the idea was that some pot on the streets kept other gangs away and made it easer to keep the streets clean from the heavier stuff. It worked, but once in a while someone did something stupid, like this fuck had done, and they needed to set an example.
Dawg had no idea how the idiot thought he'd get away with it. Since dealing was such a small part of the business and not something they paid a lot of attention to, it had taken them over a week to realize the guy was gone. It took him and Sisco another week to find him, and Brick hadn't been too happy with that. In their defense, finding a guy hiding in a school basement wasn't all that easy. Especially since he apparently hadn't left the place for the full two weeks. At least not judging by the buckets and bottles full of piss and shit he had standing along the walls in his lair.
At the moment, Dawg wasn't thinking so much about the guy who was bound and gagged at the back of their van as he was about the fact that they were just about to wake up their prez and probably half of his house. He didn't see that going over all that well.
“Sure about this, bro?” he asked and looked at Bull. “He'll be pissed.”