Chapter Twenty
“I blew it with Goldie,” Hailey said as she picked at her dinner.
“You mean Garth, right?” Rory said as she took a bite of her barbecued ribs.
“He goes by Goldie now. I’ve told you that before.” Hailey pushed her plate away. She shouldn’t have gone out with Rory and Claudia. They had a standing girls’ night out every Tuesday, and they usually went out to dinner. Sometimes they’d go to a new club or bar, but mostly they tried out different restaurants.
Since the night she’d danced with Goldie at High Dive, she hadn’t seen or heard from him. She hadn’t even bumped into him at Cherry Vale, even though she’d purposely stay later in the hope she’d see him. It was like he was avoiding her.
“I did tell him to leave me alone,” Hailey said.
“And he is, so all is good. He was so not your type. You were just taken in by his looks. I’ll admit that he’s got a totally drool-worthy body, but when he gets older he’ll probably get the middle-age spread that seems to hit most men, and his tats will fade and look ridiculous on crepey skin.”
For a brief instant, Hailey imagined herself stuffing Rory’s mouth with her napkin to get her to shut the fuck up. I shouldn’t have come out tonight.
“Stop it, Rory. You’re not helping. Hailey obviously likes Goldie.” Holding her hand up to stave off yet another quip from Rory, Claudia shook her head. “And it doesn’t matter if you get it or not. The point is you like him. Right, Hailey?”
She nodded. And boy, did she like him. Never had she been so taken with any man. At first she’d thought it was because she’d known him, but as time went on, she realized they had a real connection apart from their background. And whenever she was with him, her whole body responded. His touch, his voice, his scent, his body, and his taste combined wonderfully, making her mind swim with a heady intoxication. And now she’d blown it with him.
“I think if a man wants you, he’ll chase you. Since he’s not, I think you have to accept that he still thinks of you as your brother’s little sister and move on. What was wrong with Palmer? I mean, he handled the whole thing with Garth like a gentleman. Garth acted like an arrogant rogue, but Palmer held his own.”
“He came back to the table with his tail between his legs. He was scared shitless of Goldie,” Claudia said.
“I was talking to Hailey, not to you.” Rory put a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.
“Goldie would never chase a woman. I don’t think it’s in his biker lifestyle,” Hailey said.
“If a guy wants you, it shouldn’t matter if he’s a biker or a lawyer or a welder. A guy should chase a woman. I hope you’re not thinking of calling him or anything like that,” Rory replied.
Hailey shook her head. “No, I’m not. I know he won’t come after me, and it’s probably not all because of the biker thing. The whole thing with Ryan is complicated for them. It’s not for me, but it seems to freak them both out.”
“You should go out with another biker,” Claudia clapped her hands and squealed. “He’d totally deserve that. He shouldn’t have played with your emotions if he was fucked up about who you were.”
Hailey nodded. But we were attracted to each other before either of us knew the truth. I was drawn to him the moment I saw him, and he was to me. I don’t care what anyone says. Goldie and I shared something that night. Some damn connection that kept pulling us together.
“I’m serious about going out with another biker,” Claudia invaded Hailey’s thoughts. “Oh shit. One of them is coming over to our table. I can’t believe it.”
Hailey turned around and saw a tall, good-looking guy covered in tats and wearing the same type of vest Goldie wore. “He’s Goldie’s friend. I’ve met him before. His name is Army. I wonder why he’s coming over here.”
“Because they’re all wolves looking to score.” Rory’s eyes were glued on him as he came over to the table.
Army went over to Hailey and bent down on his haunches. “Goldie’s brother is getting married and he wants to pay for the flowers.”
“Dylan asked Skyla to marry him. How wonderful,” she said.
“Dylan’s got a great job, and he’s good-looking. He’s a catch. He’s the one you should’ve been looking over,” Rory said.
“Dylan’s cool. I see him all the time when he comes into the pet store. He’s got the cutest dog. It’s a mutt he got at the pound, but he’s super friendly and just a sweetie,” Claudia added.
Army fixed his gaze on the two women. “That’s great. Enough about Dylan. Goldie wants to buy the flowers for the wedding.”
“So? He can come to the shop and place an order. Or if he’d rather not see me, then he can go to Rambling Rose. It doesn’t concern me what he does.”
He shook his head. “You’re just as fuckin’ stubborn as he is.” He rose to his feet and swaggered away.
“That was strange,” Rory said, her gaze fixed on him. “He’s got a nice butt.”
Nodding, Claudia let out a loud laugh. “I totally agree.”
“Goldie’s such a jerk. Sending his friend to tell me to call him. Screw that. If he wants to talk to me, he can call me.”
“Maybe he came on his own. He’s sitting at a table with a bunch of guys, and they’re all wearing leather vests.” Rory craned her neck. “I don’t see Garth in the group.”
“Why would he come over here and tell me that? I hardly know him. Besides, he’s a biker, and I can’t picture bikers doing that.”
“Are you kidding? Men can be way worse than women with gossiping and getting involved with the petty crap.” Claudia squinted. “There’re some hot men over at that table.”
“Maybe Goldie’s been acting like an insufferable pain in the ass since High Dive and his buddy’s sick of it.” Rory placed her napkin on the table.
Hailey darted her eyes from Rory to Claudia. “Have I been an insufferable pain in the ass?”
“Not insufferable, but a bit mopey and whiny. I mean, we understand, but you have to admit it’s been the topic of all our conversations,” Claudia said as Rory bobbed her head.
“Wow. I didn’t realize it. Sorry, guys. Now let’s talk about something totally unrelated to bikers, Goldie, or Ryan.”
They laughed and talked well into the night, and when Hailey came home, she was in a better mood than she had been all week. After unlocking the four locks Goldie had installed on her front door several weeks before, she turned to lock her screen door when she saw the outline of a man standing across the street, his white shirt having caught her eye in the darkness. It seemed like he was looking at her. Slamming the door, she quickly locked it, then went around the house closing the curtains. Goldie and his buddies had secured all her windows and made her basement into Fort Knox, so she felt relatively safe in her home. But the mere fact that a stranger had been watching her made her legs buckle.
Stumbling to the couch, she sank down and called the police. She told them about the man, then about the man she’d seen a few weeks before coming out of the bushes. The deputy assured her it was probably nothing, that all the women living alone had been jumpy since news broke about the series of rapes in town. He promised he’d send over a patrol car to canvass her neighborhood.
For a long time, Hailey stayed on the couch, staring ahead of her at nothingness. Was the guy the same one who’d been watching me that night I was spooked? The one tonight looked like he was the same height, but I can’t be sure. Over and over her thoughts turned topsy-turvy in her head until she wanted to scream. With a tissue, she dabbed her damp hairline, then stood up. All she wanted to do was forget everything unpleasant.
After she switched off the lamps, she went over to the picture window and peeked out into the blackness. A police car cruised slowly by, then disappeared around the corner. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Exhausted to the core, her legs like lead, she slowly climbed the stairs, wishing she were already tucked under the cool sheets.
* * *
Vases full of flowers, Mylar balloons, and a volume of “get well” cards taped haphazardly on the wall facing the metal bed distracted Hailey while she waited for her aunt to return from physical therapy. A soft knock on the door made her heart leap in anticipation as she jerked her head toward it. Kevin stood there with a tray in his hands.
“It’s dinnertime,” he said as he came into the room and set the tray on the swivel table. “Where’s that pretty aunt of yours?”
The guy’s so weird. “At physical therapy. She loves burgers, so I was going to get some for her and me.”
Kevin frowned. “You didn’t tell the kitchen. You’re supposed to tell the kitchen so they don’t make a tray for her. It’s been that way since Patty has been here. You should know this.”
What the hell’s the big deal? “I do know the rule but I forgot. Sorry.”
For several seconds, he glared at her, and then he went over and picked up the tray. “You’re so flippant about it. None of you know what goes into caring for your loved one.”
“Here we go,” Nadine said as she walked into the room with Patty. She smiled at Hailey. “Your aunt did very well today. She keeps getting stronger all the time.”
“That’s good.” Hailey went over and gave Patty a quick hug, then helped her into a cushy chair. Kevin still hung by the door with the tray in his hands. “That’s all we need, Kevin. Thanks.” He smiled at Patty and glowered at Hailey, then left the room with Nadine on his heels. “That guy’s a creep,” Hailey said as she turned her attention back on her aunt.
“He is strange. Did he bring me a tray? I always build up an appetite after physical therapy.”
“I’m going to get us some burgers. I just wanted to wait for you to get back so they didn’t get cold. I saw the sheriff’s car here when I came in. It’s like the third time I’ve seen the cops here in the last couple of weeks. What’s up with that?”
“I’m not sure. No one around here is talking, but there’s been a flurry of activity the last few days. I think it has something to do with how many patients have died in a relatively short period of time.”
“Do they think something’s suspicious with the deaths?”
Patty shrugged. “Who knows, but it seems kind of suspicious to me that there’ve been so many deaths. I mean, Albert died last week, and he told me he was feeling so much better and looking forward to going home. He didn’t look like a dying man.”
“How old was he?”
“Eighty-three. I know that’s old, but the point I’m making is that he was feeling better. I even heard Dr. Rudman tell him that when I was taking one of my night strolls down the hall. And if Dr. Rudman says anything positive, you have to take him up on his word. Then Albert died the next night.” Patty pulled her cardigan tighter around her. “It gives me the chills thinking about how he died just like that.” She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.
“That does seem odd, but he was older. The cops must be looking into something. I’ll go get our dinner. Be back in a flash.”
After they’d eaten their dinner and watched a bit of TV, Hailey said goodbye to her aunt and walked down the hallway. She stopped at Mrs. Humphries’s doorway and saw her form on the bed, a blue blanket covering her.
“Looking for Goldie?” Shelly asked her from behind.
Hailey spun around. “No. I was just looking in on Mrs. Humphries. How’s she doing?”
“I can’t discuss her health with you. You’re not family. Goldie was here for a little over two hours. He just left fifteen minutes ago.” Shelly smirked.
Hailey knew the nurse was enjoying the fact that Goldie never went down to her aunt’s room to see her. Holding her head high, she said, “I’m glad he’s able to come often to visit his grandmother. I have to go.” She walked out to the parking lot, the realization that Goldie didn’t even walk the fifteen yards down the hall to see her crushing her heart.
He had to have seen my car. He knew I was visiting Aunt Patty. Just face it. He doesn’t want anything to do with you. He’s probably already hooked up with a woman. I hate him! But she didn’t; she couldn’t. Garth had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, and she couldn’t just turn off any feelings she had for him as easily as he apparently could with her.
Texting everyone she knew, she sighed in frustration: no one could hang that night. Gripping the steering wheel, she drove back to the flower shop. There was no way she could go home and spend the night in that big house, all alone and obsessing over him. Elated that there was a space right in front of the shop, she pulled in and took out the keys before she left the car.
Magenta and amethyst streaks painted the sky as the first twinkle of lights appeared in the eastern sky. The scent of sweet honeysuckle drifted in the air, and in the distance, she heard the lone wail of a train’s whistle. She breathed in deeply the sweetness of a summer night, wishing she were wrapped in Goldie’s arms, watching the sunset from Dolores Canyon. That was where the boys and girls used to make out when they were in the early stages of romance. She wondered if it was still the go-to place for teenagers.
With a sigh, she unlocked the door and stepped inside the shop, locking the door behind her. In the still quiet of the store, Hailey spruced up the arrangements slotted for the following morning’s deliveries. Rubbing her sore neck, she glanced up and saw a shadow by the front door. It looked like someone was standing against the brick wall next to the entrance as if to avoid detection, but the recently lit streetlight cast the person’s shadow. Hailey cursed under her breath for forgetting to pull down the blinds so she would be obscured. Sitting in the shop with the lights on suddenly made her feel like she was in a fishbowl.
Standing up, she crept slowly to the front of the store, her heart pounding a mile a minute. She tapped in 911 in case she had to call the cops in a hurry, then picked up one of the heavier vases in case the person broke through the window. She figured she could always clobber him over the head with the vase. Keeping as close to the wall as she could without toppling everything off the shelves, she approached the front door. Then she saw the tips of the person’s shoes. If I can just grab the chain and pull down the shade without him seeing me. Then she froze. What if it’s the same guy who was watching me across the street a few nights ago? Oh no. It can’t be him. What if it’s the serial rapist? Why am I thinking like this? I’m scaring the shit out of myself.
Leaning over, she reached for the chain, her hand wildly trying to grasp it, and then the man came out of the shadows to face her full-on.
And she screamed.