Page 26 of At Last

When I stiffen because Jade is watching, Duke takes it upon himself to once again, blow my mind. “Good for her to see this, honey. Good for her to see how a man should treat a woman because eventually, she’ll be a woman who’ll most likely have a man.”

Then he starts the truck, shifts into gear, and pulls out of the parking lot. As if he hadn’t left my mind a gooey mess of brain matter splattered on the blacktop. I mean, from blowing it.

We end up eating the greasiest fast food breakfast. Mine, sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant. And these little cheesy hashbrown tots available for a limited time only, according to the sign in the window. Jade ordered those same cheesy tots and French toast sticks. One upped by Duke again, he orders everything both Jade and I did, plus a second sandwich and these mini cinnamon rolls.

We both drink coffee. Jade, an orange juice. I refuse to acknowledge the amount of fat and calories we consume. Not that I’m normally a calorie counter, but I could pretty much feel my arteries clogging. Though I have to admit, it tastes delicious.

Before we leave Nashville, Duke makes a Frappuccino run for me without my asking. And we head home—his hand never leaving my thigh except the one time he has to downshift because of a traffic backup. An accident already mostly under control. The looky-loos, not the accident causes the backup.

After three and a half hours—the half because of the accident—we roll back into Thornbriar.

“Gonna head to the shop, Doc. You’ll need a loaner ’til we get your Jeep sorted.”

Stupidly I turn to him. “A loaner?” I ask. “How much will that cost?”

I know it’s stupid when he pins me with a ‘really, Doc?’ which clearly states it’s stupid.

“Well it ain’t so much a loaner. I bought me a new truck. This one works, but it’s got high miles. Don’t have all the bells and whistles ’a the new ones.”

“Bells and whistles?” I ask.

“Yeah.” His eyes search out Jade in the rearview mirror. “Gonna be carting around a little one, figured I needed an upgrade. Got the text last night, dealership left it at the shop.”

“When… um… when did you order a truck?”

“After I dropped you and Peaches off at home when she got outta’ the hospital.”

For some reason, hearing him tell me he bought a new truck with bells and whistles a week ago, it gets me. Gets me to the point I find it hard to blink back the tears rimming my eyes.

When I know he’s not looking at me, I use the inside of my Tee to dab the wetness away. Though, I hear him chuckle and clear his throat, and look to see him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. Grin visible even through his unruly mustache and goatee.

“Shut up,” I mumble.

That only makes him laugh harder. At least he lets my girl moment go without any further discussion on my said girlie-ness. Maybe I need to adopt one of those bitchy, biker old lady personas that I’ve seen on television or the movies.

A stop sign and two turns later, we pull into Ellis Auto & Towing, where he stops next to a shiny, new silver pickup.

“Didn’t know if you could drive a stick, so the new truck I got automatic. Four wheel drive, standard. You use it on the Jeep?”

He pauses for an answer.

“Ah,yes. I have,” I say, it still not really registering what he’s told me.

“Good.”

Then we both climb out of his old pickupwithoutall the “bells and whistles”.

While I attempt to process, well, everything, it occurs to me that his shop is a bustling hub of activity. Men, most of them brothers, move cars in and out of the five bays. Five. That’s huge for a garage.

I recognize the brothers from my times at the clubhouse, but also because each one wears his cut visible from under greasy blue and pinstriped coveralls. Proud. Elise had explained some of this to me, but it’s something else to see the proof in front of my face. They work so hard to earn their cut and it means so much once they have that they wear it like a second skin.

Chin lifts and, “brother” or “Prez” greet Duke. And then it happens. I get my first, “Hey Caity.” From Sly of all people.

“Caity?” I ask.

“Yeah, Caitlin sounds too formal. So we decided last night, it’s official. Caity.”

“You—uh—decided last night?” I ask. Though he doesn’t answer, apparently because he already had.

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