Page 41 of Intangible
Thayer looked up at Ben in concern. His keening had now turned into what appeared a shaking fit.
“Hey, at least I didn’t do that band kid with the buck teeth behind the school,” Memphis growled back at her.
“Are you sure? You did everyone else.”
“Girlfriend!” Memphis shouted back at her, motioning with his head to Thayer. When Thayer looked up at him in shock, he blurted out, “What?”
“When did I become your girlfriend?” Thayer asked. The table went silent as everyone focused on them, even the younger children.
He looked at her with a scowl on his face. “I thought… I mean… I don’t know.” His words drifted off for a minute. “Do you think I’d take up with just anyone?”
“Apparently so,” she said with a smirk, gesturing at Hettie.
“Oh, snap,” Hettie said quietly, reaching over for a high five from Thayer.
“That’s enough now,” Miss Beulah said, interrupting the silence. “Jay, say the prayer so we can eat while it’s still hot.”
The conversation turned to more mundane topics through dinner. Thayer learned a little more about the people who had raised Memphis as they good-naturedly bantered across the table at each other. She smiled, thinking about how different this chaos was to her quiet dinners with her parents when her mom was still living.
Soon, she noticed Memphis starting to favor his side more and more. Standing, she looked over at the woman who had obviously meant so much to the rest of those sitting around the table.
“Thank you so much for dinner, Miss Beulah. If you don’t mind, I think it might be time for us to head out. I think I’m still exhausted and I know Memphis has to be as well.” With a nod, Miss Beulah rallied the younger kids to help with cleanup while Thayer walked into the bedroom to gather their things.
When Memphis walked in a few minutes later, he found her staring out the window into the night.
“I’m sorry about the crap at dinner,” he said quietly, stopping behind her. Looking at their reflection in the dark window, she was shocked at how weary they looked. Taking a tentative step toward her, Memphis wrapped his good arm around her waist, pulling her against him. He breathed a sigh of relief when she relaxed against him.
“I’m really sorry,” he started again. “They were just teasing you. I was pretty screwed up when I was young, but somewhere along the way, I got my act together. I haven’t been with anyone since I moved to Minnesota.” He gently spun her in his arms, pulling her chin up until her eyes met his. “I sure as hell have never cared enough about someone as much as I do for you.”
She smiled up at him. “I don’t care who you’ve been with and I know they were just trying to get a rise out of us.” She rose up on her toes so she could kiss him gently. “So I’m your girlfriend now? Is that what I understand?” she asked, giving him her best smirk. She had to admit, she didn’t hate the idea. As a matter of fact, the more she was with him, the more promising their future seemed.
“I have no idea what we are,” he answered, grinning back. “But I think for right now, we’re stuck together. I’ve got to say, though, I’m not opposed to the idea.”
They reluctantly turned when there was a knock at the door. “Yeah,” Memphis answered, holding Thayer against him.
“Hey guys. We came to apologize,” Jay said, sticking his head in.
“I’m really sorry, Thayer,” Hettie added, slipping into the room. “I should never have said what I did. I was just teasing though.”
“It’s fine, really. I love that you have such an amazing relationship with each other. I really loved getting to know everyone better,” Thayer answered with a yawn.
“I think we should get you two on your way. Thayer looks like she could fall asleep standing.” Jay nodded to the others, prompting them to start gathering up stuff.
Ben drove Memphis and Thayer over in their SUV while Jay followed behind with Hettie and Shaun. The twenty minutes it took to drive across town were just long enough for Thayer to fall asleep.
* * *
They were all incompetent, every single one of them!
Curtis had read the news reports from Minnesota. He had even managed to get his hands on the preliminary report the FBI agent had filed.
The papers had failed to report the two bodies found dead in the trees dressed in night combat gear. He assumed Agent Tanaka had his own reasons for covering that up. The report also stated that none of the burned bodies were female.
The veterinarian was also a question. They had found blood on the ground behind the cabin that matched the doctor's blood type, but a DNA match was still pending.
When the staff at his clinic was questioned, they claimed he called in sick, but no one had heard from him since. For now, Curtis had to operate under the assumption they were both alive.
It was his fault, really. How many times has the old adageif you want something done right, do it yourselfproven to be true. This time, he would take care of the problem personally.
