Page 7 of Spyder
His words strike a chord deep within me. I’m sure that nugget of wisdom is based on his own personal experience. If I had to bet, I’d say he came by it in the military. I’d imagine being in a war and facing down death has a way of shifting your priorities. And I’d further imagine that he’s also talking about his girlfriend and her son. Like I said, I never imagined him as the type who would settle down and have a kid, and yet… here we are.
“That’s good advice,” I tell him. “Thanks for sharing that.”
He flashes me a roguish smirk. “Is ‘thanks for sharing that’ meant to be sarcastic, or is—it—”
I interrupt him with a loud guffaw and shake my head. “No, I mean that sincerely. I really do. It makes me realize that with my whole world kind of changing and in flux right now, I maybe need to change my perspectives and priorities along with it.”
He gives me a rueful smile. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to lecture you.”
“You didn’t. It’s actually something I think I needed to hear. I’m so busy going a mile a minute, trying to take care of everybody else, I rarely seem to stop and think about what it is I need.”
Max perks up and his smile grows wolfish. “Great. So, should I give Derek your number?”
The heat in my face feels like it’s going to burst into a three-alarm fire if I don’t find a way out of this conversation in the next thirty seconds.
“I’m speaking more in a general life sense,” I tell him.
“Uh-huh,” he replies. “Fair enough. But just let me know and I’ll make the connection.”
I catch myself giggling like a teenage girl and clamp it down quickly. I haven’t felt this out of balance or awkward since I was that teenage girl. This whole day’s been one unexpected emotional surprise after another. I had no idea when I came back to town that I’d be on this kind of emotional roller coaster at all, let alone on my first full day. Maybe I should have. Just because I left town doesn’t mean all of the old ghosts I left behind just dissipated.
“Anyway,” I tell him. “I should get going. I’ve got to get back to my mom.”
“Sure thing. It was good seeing you, though. Welcome home.”
“Yeah, you, too.”
Max gives me a smile then walks away with Cole hand in hand. I hear them talking and laughing with each other as Max cuts up for the little boy. It’s adorable to watch and so out of character for the boy I knew back in the day. It shows me that for all the progress I’ve made in my life, I remain pretty static in some other essential areas inside of me. Time moves on and people change. And I’m not convinced I have. Not entirely. Not in some ways that really matter.
As I climb into my car, I can’t help but wonder what changes time has wrought in Derek and whether he’s become a different man like Max clearly has. Or whether he’s more like me, half in and half out of change and caught in a time loop that’s holding him chained to his past.
Chapter Four
Spyder
“How you doin’ today, Derek?”
“I’m doin’ fine, Ashley. Thanks for asking.”
It never fails to amuse me that Ashley, Domino’s girl, has flat out refused to call us by our MC names. She will only refer to us by our given names. I know Domino’s tried to get her to use our club names, but she just digs her heels in. Says it’s childish and that grown men shouldn’t be giving each other nicknames.
Personally, it doesn’t bother me, but I know it bugs Domino. Which is why I always encourage her to keep doing it. She sets the coffee mug down in front of me and fills it. As I lean down and inhale deeply, savoring the rich aroma, I feel the smile stretching across my lips. Coffee is the one thing I love most about waking up in the morning. It’s the kick start to my day I always need.
I sit up to find both Ashley and Domino looking at me, with matching incredulous expressions on both of their faces.
“What are you guys looking at?” I ask. “Is there something wrong with loving a good cup of coffee in the morning?”
“I didn’t think so,” Domino says. “But after watchin’ what you’re doin’ with that mug, I’m starting to have some doubts. I think there might be laws against that sort of thing, man.”
“All I know is that I wish Max looked at me the way you look at that mug, Derek,” Ashley chimes in.
“You guys are hilarious,” I say.
“Have you considered Tinder, Derek?”
“I’m kinda thinkin’ he needs more like a coffee fetish dating site,” Domino says.
They laugh together and I just shake my head, ignoring them as I pick up my mug and have a drink. This is one reason I like to spend my mornings with my coffee and a newspaper… Nobody making stupid jokes at your expense.
