Page 49 of At Last

He lifted me to set me on the back of the bike, climbed on in front of me where instinctively, I wrapped my arms tightly around his middle, and we spent the whole day out riding. Duke and his girls.

That brought us to this morning, early this morning. Duke got called away on some club business, leaving us to putz around the house. I got the brilliant idea to head to the home store. With Saturday having been so perfect, I should know better than to expect a carryover into today. When will I learn?

I open the door to find an older woman with gray hair but brown eyebrows fidgeting with the red leather hobo bag resting at her hip. She’s thin, age undetermined, as she suffers from permanent sad eyes. I’ve seen these a lot in my line of work. And a general look of constant suffering about her. That, I’ve also seen a lot in my line of work. Sad eyes and constant suffering age harsher than time ever could.

“Can I help you?” I ask, tucking loose hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear.

“Where’s Duke?” The woman asks, sharply. Confused.

“He’s out on club business.How—did the prospects let you in?”

“They know to let me in. Who are you? Why are you—what are you doing?” She shoves me out of the way to storm inside. “This is Dawna’s house. Who gave you permission to change Dawna’s house?”

Confused now myself, I answer. “Duke…did.”

“Bull. I don’t know who you are, but Duke would never let some strange woman change his Dawna’s house. The love of his life, this is how he keeps her. So you need to go.”

Now starting to lose my cool—hello, redhead after all. Fiery hair, fiery temper—I raise my voice to almost a yell. “I will not leave.” Although, it hurts to hear her say Dawna was the love of his life. As he’s still quite alive, that would encompass all his remaining years to come. So where does that leave me in this hierarchy?

Jade comes running out from her room. “Mama, why you yelling?”

“A kid?” The strange woman asks incredulously. “Seriously? You pieces bringing kids around now? I should call child protective services, but I don’t know where you live.”

And that’s when my beautiful preschooler, only trying to help, pipes up. “We live heew.”

If a person’s head could actually explode, I’d be covered in brain matter about now. Which is when I put it together, that this is Dawna’s mom.

Phone in hand, she punches a contact and puts the device to her ear. After what I would guess to be about four rings, no hello, she shouts into the receiver. “There’s a whore in your house painting over Dawna.” She pauses. “You get her gone, Duke. She’s ruining Dawna’s home, everything she built for you.” More pause. “No. I’m not going until she does.”

“Please don’t talk like that in front of my girl.” I order through gritted teeth. My lip pulls thin as I try my best to check my temper.

“Shut up, whore.” She replies.

Not good. “Jade, your room. Close the door.”

My girl knows me, hears the seriousness in my voice and does what I ask without hesitation or complaint. Then I turn to the unwanted bitch standing in the living room. “I told you, don’t.” I shove her chest, not super hard, but hard enough for her to take a step backward. “talk.” And I shove again. “like that.” A third shove. “in front of…” Shove number four. “my girl.” The last shove she stumbles out the door and down the stoop.

“Duke will hear about this.” She threatens me.

“Fine. Let him hear it outside because you’re not coming in again.”

I shut the door in her face to a whole lot of, “You can’t treat me like this.” Repeated over and over. Loud enough that I start to think she’ll strain her vocal chords, and I will not be doctoring her after she called me a whore. Loud enough that I wonder why none of the brothers at the clubhouse have come to check out the situation.

Finally, she shuts up so I go back to my painting. Besides, if the woman bothered to pay attention, the color I picked freshens up the room, is manly enough for a guy like Dukeandcompliments the chintz in the fabric on the sofa.

The last wall just about finished, her screeches pick up again. The front door opens then Duke strides in, a smug, still loud but not screeching any longer woman on his heels.

“Look.” The woman points to the paint on the wall. “She’s ruined your house. Dawna’s vision gone.”

“Mamie, that’s enough.” Duke grumbles at the woman. “Doc, why’d you paint in here?”

What?He told me to. “You said to do what we had to get comfortable.”

“I told you to paint Peaches’ room.”

“Peaches? Who’s Peaches?” The Mamie woman shouts. “Duke, I want her gone. This would break Dawna’s heart, seeing her home destroyed.”

“I hardly destroyed it,” I defend myself. “The walls needed a fresh coat of paint. Duke?”

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