Page 24 of Accidental Fire
Chapter Nine
Kit
After my run, I went to the beach, kicked off my shoes and socks, and peeled off the band that held my phone on my arm before running into the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. The water was about seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and it felt damn good after the run I’d just taken.
I swam out a bit before swimming back to go to my room to shower. As I was walking through the lobby after drying off a bit, I saw River and his band members heading into the hotel’s buffet restaurant.
They all appeared to be getting along, which was good, especially since they had a show that night. They needed to be in top form. One more review like the one from LA and Nate would cancel the rest of the tour. I didn’t want to see that happen to them.
As I was about to walk over to say hello, Marshall strolled up to the entrance, pecking River on the shoulder. There was a short exchange, and then the group was led into the restaurant and seated at a table near the buffet. I was planning to keep my eye on Marshall Kensington. There was something about the guy I didn’t trust.
After my shower, I went down to the coffee shop in the lobby, ordered a double espresso and a muffin, and sat at an outdoor table that gave me the perfect view of the restaurant where the band and Marshall were having breakfast. I pulled out my phone and sent Nate a text.
Show is tonight. I have a feeling the band’s going to be spectacular. You want me to video some of it for you? Wanna check the return on your investment?
A server brought my order, and I watched Marshall interacting with the various band members. It was the first time in my life that I wished I could read lips.
“Hey, want some company?” I turned to my right to see Clancy.
“Sure. How are ya? That reminds me. I gave River the keys to the van since we didn’t go out to the Cultural Center as planned. I’ll bring the truck out to the Center at one for the guys to unload. What did you do last night?” I asked Clancy.
He was in his late forties or early fifties. He didn’t wear a wedding ring, though that wasn’t really an indicator of someone’s relationship status. I hadn’t spent much time with him, but he seemed like a decent guy.
“I stayed in my room and finished up a book I’ve been reading. With driving, well, you know how it is. I’ve been looking forward to the downtime. How about you?” Clancy stood and waved to someone. A server came over and brought him a cup of coffee and a pastry.
“I went to the beach bar and drank too much.” No need to tell Clancy everything about what had happened the previous night. The kiss hadn’t left my thoughts since I’d woken up in bed with River. I still wasn’t sure what I thought about it.
Clancy laughed. “I remember those days. I’m too old to do that shit anymore. If you ever need company, I happen to be a fan of club soda with lime. I had the balcony door open and heard a decent band down there last night. I like good music.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks. This is going to be a long tour, and with the crazy shit that can happen, it would be nice to know someone would call my pop if I ended up dead or in jail.”
Clancy laughed. “I hear ya. I have a few friends back home who might care, but my dad’s passed. I grew up in Iowa on a crop farm. Wheat, corn, and soybeans. My mom lives in an assistedliving facility in Des Moines. Happy Acres, in case you need to notify her of my backslide into my criminal past.”
“Criminal past? You were a criminal in a former life?”
He flinched slightly, so I knew I’d hit a nerve, but I chose to ignore it and plow ahead. “I’m a Cali boy, born and bred. Pop lives in El Segundo, and I’m not far away at the beach. You live in the area or back in Iowa?”
“I live in Iowa, so I can be around if Mom needs anything. I drive a school bus on an as-needed basis, and when Kensington calls, I get my old ass on a plane and here I am,” Clancy explained.
“Wow. How fun is it driving a school bus?” We both laughed.
“It’s as much hell as you could imagine, but exponentially worse. That’s why the shit these clowns do doesn’t bother me at all. I just zone out until I smell smoke.”
I laughed hard at that one. “Yeah, that’s probably a good approach.”
“So, you leave a pissed-off girlfriend back home?”
“Naw. I’m sort of a loser when it comes to dating. Before I took this job, I was a long-haul truck driver. Being gone three weeks out of four doesn’t really provide a lot of time for dating, so I gave up on it. It’s a damn hassle anyway.”
We both laughed. “How do you get laid?”
I held up my right hand. “What’s the old joke—Rosie Palmer? I get along better with my right hand than I ever have with a woman I’ve tried to date more than once. Lately, though, there might be someone. I’m just not sure how I feel about it.”
“Well, take your time and see what happens. If it’s right, it’ll work out. That’s what my mom tells me anyway. And don’t get jealous—I’ve dated Rosie several times myself. I did start seeing a female soldier before we started this tour.”
“Wow, that’s kind of shit timing, isn’t it? Do you think it could be something important?” I asked.
“Actually, I signed up for this tour because of Penny. She was being deployed to Belgium for a joint task force. She’ll be gone for six months. She’s flying to Phoenix to see me before she leaves. She wants to talk about us. I’m not looking forward to the talk, but I am looking forward to seeing her…and getting laid.”
