Page 10 of Wild Child
Ipull the truck into a parking space and kill the engine. Charlie unclips her seat belt and stretches.
“Where are we?”
We’ve parked in front of the town square of a bustling small town. A woman pushes a stroller past the truck and takes a seat on a park bench near a box of bright flowers. People mill about, walking briskly or sitting in groups on concrete stairs that surround the centerpiece of the town square.
Charlie peers out the window, and her head tilts up to take in the statue at the center of the square. It’s an eagle made of brass panels and it stands as tall as two tanks. The wings are outstretched, encompassing the town square. It would look impressive if it wasn’t for the giant clock embedded in its chest. The proud bird has been turned into a time piece.
“Kings County, Tennessee.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Never heard of it. Is this where the festival is?”
She hasn’t read her itinerary. “We won’t reach the festival until tomorrow night. This is our lunch stop.”
Charlie frowns. “But we’ve been driving for hours.”
The eagle clock shows it’s just after midday.
“We’ve been driving for five and a half hours.”
She slides her feet into her boots and goes to rest the left foot on the dash to tie the laces. I give her a pointed look, and the foot hovers in the air before coming down on the seat instead.
It’s a small victory, but I’ll take it. She’s not defying me on everything.
While Charlie gets her boots laced, I slide out of the cab. It gives me an opportunity to stretch out my back where she can’t see. It’s been aching for the last hundred miles, but I won’t let Charlie see that.
I do some stretches, and when I hear her door slam, I straighten up and walk around to the front of the truck.
“Was this place on the itinerary?”
Charlie smirks at me as if forward planning is something to be ashamed of. If it was left to her, she’d wing the entire trip.
“A lunch stop is on the itinerary. I chose this town because of the famous eagle clock.”
Charlie glances up at the weird clock tower. “Really?”
“No. I randomly took an off ramp and here we are. The eagle is a happy accident.”
Her mouth falls open in mock surprise. “Did you just make a joke?”
I give her a deadpan look. “I never joke.”
I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips, and when Charlie sees it, she smiles too. I don’t usually joke, but I like making Charlie smile.
“Let’s walk. We need to stretch our legs.”
The town square borders a river, and we walk along the path for a ways. Swans glide across the water, and a small mechanical boat cruises next to them. Across the lake, a man crouches next to a small boy, helping him use the remote control that controls the boat. The boy smiles with delight, and the man ruffles his hair.
There’s a pang in my chest as I watch them. I dedicated my life to the military, and there wasn’t room for anyone else. It’s a tough life on families, and I never regretted my decision.
But the last few years, seeing all my MC brothers settle down with kids, I wonder if there’s something I’m missing.
“Ooh donuts!”
Charlie pulls me out of my thoughts, and when I turn she’s got a huge grin on her face. The sun catches on the pink highlights of her hair, and her eyes light up in delight.
She practically skips over to the donut van that’s parked near the lake.
“Dana’s Donut Delights” is written in cursive script on the top of the van, and a woman who looks not much older than Charlie loads a tray of colorful donuts into the display cabinet. They’re decorated in thick pink frosting with chocolate sprinkles.
