Page 4 of Bratva Past

It had taken him most of the day to realize he and Lucy didn’t make arrangements for their date. He didn’t know if he should go to the bar or pick her up. So, he opted for the latter.

Knocking on her door, he stood and waited. Lucy opened it seconds later, and his breath nearly got locked in his throat. Her brown hair was curled, cascading around her face, and she looked positively beautiful. She wore a deep red dress that matched the shade of red she had on her lips.

She offered him a smile. Her eyes were smokey, but again, she wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup, just enough to enhance what was already beautiful about her.

“I ... wasn’t sure where you wanted to meet,” he said.

“This is good. I realized as I was getting ready that we didn’t ... you know, figure that out. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I am.”

She grabbed her keys, a denim jacket, and they were already out the door, Lucy locking it behind her. They walked down her short driveway, heading out onto the main street.

“I brought my truck,” he said.

Lucy nodded, and then he realized something. He’d never seen Lucy get inside a motor vehicle. She never took a cab, always walked.

“Do you want to walk or drive?”

She looked at the truck and he saw her indecision. He hadn’t even thought of the reason why she might not want to drive. Her parents were killed in a drunk-driving accident. Lucy hadn’t been there, only her parents, and if she had any trauma from the experience, she was still carrying it.

“How about we walk?” Isaac asked.

He held his hand out, hoping to cut the tension he’d created. Lucy looked down at his hand, and he wondered if he had pushed too far, when she slid her hand in his. She had small hands, and he noticed that even in the height of summer, they were cold.

They started walking toward the local bar. He loved this quaint little town of Saint Falls.

“It’s a nice evening,” Lucy said.

The sun hadn’t quite set. Summer was still in full swing, and he glanced toward her.

“Yeah, it is. Are you feeling hungry?” he asked.

“Starving.”

“I know Richard makes the best chicken wings. You want to share a couple of baskets?”

Lucy laughed. “Yeah, it better be a couple of baskets.”

He laughed.

Richard owned the bar, and he’d named it, aptly, Falls Saints. Richard had thought it was funny, but the truth was, the guy didn’t have the first clue what to name his bar. Taking the town name and swapping the two words seemed to make him laugh quite a bit.

His own shop was simply named, Saint Falls Mechanics. There were a few customers that had come in and asked why he didn’t add “and sons” or “and daughters.” He would tell them he didn’t have either.

They arrived at the bar, and sure enough, country music was playing in the background, and there were already a lot of people, as he expected on a Friday night. Friday was always party night. He miraculously found themselves a table and ordered several rounds of hot chicken wings.

“It’s busy,” Lucy said.

“I’m sure Richard is loving it.”

Being busy was good for business.

He glanced around, seeing several couples he knew, and a few single people. Most of them were having a lot of fun.

Returning his attention to Lucy, he watched as she glanced around, and he saw how nervous she was.

“You want to tell me about your day?” Lucy asked, getting there first. She offered him a smile.

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