Whiskey and Country

10

NICHOLAS

Iwoke up to the sound of a knock on the door. For a moment, I wondered where I was. Canary-yellow walls, a quilt that had, for sure, been sewed by hand, a two-seat wooden kitchen table, a floral loveseat along the wall. In the daylight, the apartment was cute and welcoming. A soft voice spoke from the other side of the door. “Nick, are you awake? It’s Kelly. I’ve made pancakes. With homemade peach jam my granny taught me to do.”

I yawned, stretching my arms over my head. The night had been restful. “I’ll be right there, Kelly. Can you gimme about ten minutes?”

“Yes. Meet us in the kitchen when you’re ready. Mama said you don’t need to knock.”

“Awesome. See ya in a bit.”

What did I do to deserve so much hospitality from Amanda and her daughter? A grin took over my lips. Today would be a good day. I could sense it. The sun shone high in the sky, throwing the entire apartment in brightness after I opened the curtains. The fog around my heart had lessened. A tad more.

Dressed in dark jeans and a hoodie, I joined my hosts.

“Good morning, Nick,” Kelly singsonged, placing a mountain of pancakes before me on the table.

“Wow. All for me?” I asked.

The girl bobbed her head. “Yes. Mama said grownup men eat a lotttt.”

Amanda and I shared a stare, and she shrugged.

“Coffee?” she asked, holding a mug in her hand, barely hiding the curve of her lips.

“Sure. Black.”

The girls sat on the opposite side of the table, and once Kelly’s chitchat lessened, I attacked my breakfast, my mouth watering at the sweet smell tickling my nostrils.

“These are amazing, Kelly. You should be a cook when you grow up.”

“You think?”

“I’m certain. You gotta share your recipe with me. I promise to keep it a secret. But it’s that good, I’m telling ya.”

The girl giggled, and the sound, innocent and warm, fixed more pieces of my broken heart. “You’re funny, Nick.”

Amanda mouthed a “Thank you” my way, sipping her caffeine, her stare locked on mine.

My heart frizzled in my chest. I hadn’t imagined the connection we shared last night.

“About this roof leak? Where should I start?” I asked, putting my dish into the sink once I finished my breakfast. “I’ll stop by the hardware store but gotta assess what must be done first.”

Amanda stepped closer to me, her arm brushing mine. “Nick, you’re not fixing it. Already told ya. You’re on vacation. Wouldn’t you prefer visiting the town or doing something fun instead?”

“I don’t know what is there to do around here.”

“Well, if you agree to have some company, Kelly and I are free to give you a tour. It’s Sunday after all.”

“You sure about that?”

“Affirmative. This could be fun.”

“In that case, I’m ready when you are, ladies.”

The three of us spent the day walking along the streets of the old town, eating lunch in a park from a tacos shack belonging to Kelly’s aunt, visiting the petting zoo and the fair where I won Kelly a pink stuffed elephant so big she had to use both hands to carry it around. The distinctive whiff of pretzels and corn dogs permeated my nose. And, for an afternoon, I went back to being the ten-year-old Nick. The boy whose parents took him to the carnival every summer.

The next day, I woke up early and was finishing my morning run when Amanda drove past me.

I stopped and jogged in place when she lowered her window. “Good morning, Nick.”

“Hey Nick,” Kelly chimed in from the backseat. I waved at her, and she offered me a wide, missing-teeth grin.

“Listen, I’m driving Kelly to school and going to work afterward. Message me if you need anything.” She rolled her window back up but stopped midway. “Enjoy your day.”

“I will. See you later.”

We exchanged a smile, and they drove away while I resumed my run.

My phone rang. Tucker.

“Hey man, how’s it going?” I asked when I connected the call through my earbuds.

“You sound happier. These vacations are good for ya. Anyway, I’m calling about that job. Did you think about it? Are you in?”

I reduced my pace, going from a run to a light jog.

“About that.” I slid my bicep across my forehead, wiping the pearls of sweat with my sleeve. “I looked it up. Green Mountain doesn’t sound so bad.” Tucker made a funny sound, and I pictured him pumping his fist. I spooled my laughter. “Do you think Uncle Mike could point me to a place to stay? Since I’ll be living there for at least six months, I’d like to avoid motel rooms. A semi-permanent place would be great.”

“Still in Medora Beach or you hit the road to elsewhere already?”

“Yeah,” I said, walking to cool down. “Still here.”

“I thought it was a one-night kind of destination. See the ocean and get going. What are you doing while you’re there? Getting your suntan in check? I don’t want to piss on your parade, but I’ll always win at this contest.”

I let out a heartfelt laugh. “Finally, something you’re better at than me.”

“You wish, man.”

“Good to know you didn’t lose your sense of humor since I left.” An idea popped into my head. “No, I’ll fix the roof leak at my landlord’s.” I had nothing better to do, anyway. And I loved my job, so why not?

“Landlord? What the fuck, man? I thought you were staying at a motel or a B&B.”

“Nah. Change of plan. Met this woman and her little girl. Staying in their garage apartment—” I grimaced the moment the words flew out of my mouth. Damn it. I wouldn’t hear the last of it.

Tucker’s loud laughter resonated through the line.

His amusement tinted every word escaping his mouth. “You’re messing with me on purpose, right?”

I reached the house without even noticing it and had to walk back to get to the alley leading to the garage.

“Are you fucking her? The mom, I mean. Is she hot? How old is she? Thirty? Forty? You could use a woman with more experience than you. Perfect your technique.”

I pinched my eyebrows.

“Damn, Tuck. Yes, she’s hot. No, I’m not sleeping with her. Her daughter told me she was twenty-nine. Anything else you wanna know?”

“Can I visit? I want to see with my own eyes.”

Despite myself, I smiled at my friend’s enthusiasm.

“No. Leaving for Green Mountain in a few days. Your idea, remember? You can meet me there, though.”

“Be serious, man. Is roof leak a code for blowjob or something?”

I spluttered into a loud laugh, unable to contain it anymore. “Roof leak means exactly what it is. I’ll fix the roof, then get going. Let’s talk later.”

Tucker signed. “Fine. Need to get to work, anyway. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, man.”

I shook my head. “Tuck. You do about anything and everything. That’s a shitty piece of advice.”

“Yeah, so you’re entitled to some fun. Just wanted to put it out there in case you change your mind. Or forgot. Blowjob or whatever. Gotta go. Bye.”

We hung up, and after a quick shower, I climbed on the roof to assess the damage left by the last tropical storm.

Two days later, I was in the garage apartment, ready to go to bed, when loud voices erupted outside. I recognized the first one but couldn’t place the second, a deep male voice.

“Stop asking me for money. You and I are done,” the man barked.

“I’m not asking for money. I’m only asking you to be there and provide for your daughter. I thought we’d settled everything in court. You just never kept your end of the deal. Remember Kelly? The girl you used to call your princess but forgot all about, then flushed from your life the day you married that woman you met on a train. She needs you. She needs her daddy. She asks for you. All the freaking time.”

“Mandy, don’t tell me what I should or should not do.”

“Let go of me. You’re hurting my arm.”

I’d heard enough. By the window in less than five seconds, I pushed the curtains to the side and watched Amanda being manhandled by a man who I supposed was her ex-husband. The one Kelly told me all about.

With disheveled dark hair and a few-days-old scrub spotting his jaw, he looked threatening even from up here.

I put shorts on and slid a T-shirt over my head as I hurried down the stairs.

“Let go,” I warned, inching closer to them. “I believe she asked you to let go of her.”