Ogre

⊱✿ ✿⊰

How does Vidalia look even sexier wearing my mom’s sweatpants and a Kentucky county fair shirt? I’m relieved her hair is still up in a bun for work. If I see her shiny red hair hanging over her narrow shoulders, I don’t think I can keep my lips to myself.

We sit quietly in the living room of my parents’ quiet, double-wide. Even though I’ve prepped for this moment, I can’t think of anything to say that won’t make me sound like a fucking idiot. When my stomach growls like a 400-pound bear, Vidalia fights a grin.

“I can run and get us some food,” I offer, standing up.

Vidalia’s nervous gaze flashes to the front door and then back at me. “Isn’t there anything here to eat?”

“There are a couple of places like two blocks away,” I say, standing and reaching for my keys. “Burgers, sandwiches, Mexican, whatever you want.”

Vidalia stands up and reaches for my arm before yanking back her hand as if she’s been shocked. I don’t know how to react to how she avoids touching me. Do I disgust her? Did Vidalia only think I was attractive at the bar because she was too drunk to see me?

“I don’t want to stay here alone,” she says, her voice trembling. “Please don’t leave. We can find food here.”

What kind of dick am I? Instead of feeling guilty for putting her in this position, I smile at how she views me as her protector.

“I’ll see what we have in the kitchen,” I say and rub my fingers against my jeans to keep from touching her pale cheek.

Vidalia follows me past the banquette to the fridge. Since she and Dad spend half their time in Ellsberg, Mom never leaves around food that’ll go bad. I only find a few Healthy Choice TV dinners in the freezer.

“Is there bread?” Vidalia asks from next to me. “I see jelly and peanut butter. We could make sandwiches.”

Smiling down at her, I can’t keep my fingers from brushing against her cheek. Vidalia doesn’t shrink away from my touch. Her lips tighten, though, and I suspect she’d prefer if I stopped touching her.

“Sorry.”

“About having no bread or entering my personal space?”

I know I’m blinking too much, but I have no idea how to respond to her accusation. I’ve never been smooth with women. Now the only one I’ve ever wanted for more than a quickie is accusing me of being a dick.

Vidalia suddenly smiles. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

“I don’t mean to seem pushy.”

Snorting, Vidalia pushes past me and reaches up over the fridge. “There’s bread right here. Can you get out the jelly?”

I set the jar on the counter next to the peanut butter. “Vidalia, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Then call me ‘Vi.’ That’s what my family calls me. Vidalia is the name of a country song by Sammy Kershaw. It’s about a girl with the same name as a kind of onion, and she always makes the guy cry. You know, like cutting an onion. My mom didn’t get the point of the song, so she named me Vidalia, but no one except her calls me that.”

“It’s a real pretty name.”

“Yeah, for an onion.”

Chuckling, I hand her a butter knife. “I can see why you might not like it.”

“It’s not horrible like, say, Champagne, but I prefer Vi. It’s simple which is more my style.”

“My mom hates how people call me Ogre. She doesn’t care if it’s a club name. She’s smacked a few club brothers upside the head for using the name in front of her.”

“Wow, your mom hits bikers?”

“She’s part of the Reaper organization, so it’s not like she’s a normal old lady. All the guys know Mom has the ear of our president. If you piss her off, he’ll finish you and send my dad to do it.”

Vidalia –– a name I like too much to stop saying in my head –– gives me an odd look, and I realize I’m bragging about my mom having people killed.

“She’s tough is all,” I say like an idiot.

“I understand.”

“Do you?”

Vidalia shrugs. “You come from a different lifestyle where things that seem crazy to me aren’t so crazy to you. I don’t get the whole club thing and finishing off people, but I doubt your mom would choose her boyfriend over her kid. So, there’s that.”

“My mom’s gonna love you.”

Vidalia’s eyes widen. “I thought you said they were out of town.”

“They are, but when they get back, I’m sure they’ll want to meet you.”

“Why?”

I don’t know how to answer in a cool way, so I say instead, “Because you’re Vidalia Cornish.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense,” she mumbles, trying not to laugh while finishing up the sandwiches. “Is one sandwich enough for you?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, giving me a look I’ve seen on my mom’s face when I lied to her.

“Two would be better.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Vidalia makes another sandwich while I get the plates and napkins. With us casually working together, I can’t get out of my head how we’re meant to stick. Like how my mom and dad met under unusual circumstances but couldn’t deny they belonged to each other.

I want Vidalia to feel my certainty too, but she’s difficult to read. While I don’t think she currently fears me, I haven’t done anything particularly frightening in the last hour. Vidalia remains calm because I’m calm. In the alley, she followed my lead, and I can’t help hoping she follows it when I finally come clean with her.

Vidalia sure makes a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Knowing just the right mix of each ingredient, she could teach my sister a lesson about moderation. Heidi goes so insane with mayo on her sandwiches that I can’t taste anything else.

As if knowing I’m thinking about her, Heidi texts to say she’s on her way to the house and I better not leave until she gets the chance to ream me out.

Rolling my eyes, I set down my phone and study Vidalia finishing the chips we found in a cabinet. I don’t know where her mind is, but I suspect she’s thinking dark thoughts about what happened earlier. Or what I might do to her tonight.

“My sister is dropping by to talk. She isn’t happy about what happened today,” I say, picking my words carefully. “I don’t want her to scare you, so I need you to hang out in my parents’ room while we talk.”

“Where am I sleeping tonight?”

“I assumed you’d like my parents’ room.”

“No way. Being in there feels like I’m entering a person’s private space. Isn’t there another room I can use?”

“The master has its own bathroom. You’d have more privacy.”

Vidalia stands up and stares directly into my eyes. “Gunnar, I do not want to sleep in the same bed where your parents knock boots. It’s their bed and should stay private.”

“They won’t care.”

“You don’t know that unless you’ve asked them, and I don’t think you have.”

“Why does it matter so much?”

“I’m wearing your mother’s clothes and eating your family’s food. They don’t know me, and now you have me invading their marital bed.”

“To sleep. It’s not like you’d be doing anything––” Vidalia gives me a disappointed frown. “You have the same pissed look that my mom gets. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on me when she does it and it won’t with you either.”

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No. We have two guest rooms. You can pick one of them.”

“See how easy that was?” she asks, taking our plates to the sink. “Do you think your sister will kick my butt or something if she sees me?”

Trying to keep my lies to a minimum, I don’t answer her question. “I need to talk to her privately about club business.”

“And I’m a stranger.”

“Even if I knew you all my life, it’s still club business, and that stays private.”

“Understood.”

Vidalia finishes cleaning up after our lunch while I stand outside waiting for Heidi to arrive and chew out my ass. After a few minutes, I glance through the screen to find the kitchen empty. I don’t know which room Vidalia chooses, but she’s long gone by the time my sister arrives in her red SUV with Jox close behind on his Harley.

“What up, man?” Jox says, climbing off his hog and smiling like he doesn’t have a care in the fucking world. I doubt he even knows why they’re here.

“Please get the baby,” Heidi instructs the blond lump of muscle who looks around as if he isn’t certain where the kid might be.

While he finally wanders over to the SUV, Heidi stands in front of me and glares with her fierce blue eyes.

“What in the fuck?” she asks in the weird calm-ish voice she uses before calling a hit on someone.

“Chill, will ya?” I say, leading her away from the house. “I needed to get my girl alone for a few days and kidnapping her seemed extreme.”

Waving at the double-wide, she demands, “What do you call this then?”

“Keep your voice down.”

“Of course, we don’t want your hostage finding out you’re a weirdo pervert freak.”

“Now you’re just being mean.”

“Before you whine to Mom that I hurt your feelings, keep in mind what I can tell her about you.”

“Don’t you want me to find what you have with Jox?”

“Is that your way of telling me this girl is an idiot? Trust me that I figured out her low IQ when she went along with your idiot plan.”

“She is a civilian, and I’m persuasive.”

“What exactly did you tell her?”

“That she saw that guy––”

“Do you mean Rick from Ellsberg who you asked to do you a little favor? That guy?”

“You’re so bitchy today.”

Heidi exhales hard. “Jox rolled over on me last night, and it took nearly twenty minutes to wake the drunk fucker. I hate men and their giant bodies right now.”

“Though I understand your suffering,” I say patting her shoulder and eliciting a glare from Heidi, “don’t take it out on me.”

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want, Gunnar. This thing today was dumb.”

“It worked, and she is warming up to me already.”

“Because you’re protecting her from the big bad biker man. What happens when you no longer have to protect her?”

“The same thing that happened when Dad didn’t have to protect Mom anymore. They stayed together for thirty years and had a laidback son and a high-maintenance daughter.”

Heidi smacks my arm once, sees it has little effect, and slugs me harder.

“Is that a mosquito biting me or are you throwing a punch?”

Heidi kicks me in the leg but only hits my boot. “I hate you.”

“I know, but I need Vidalia, and this was the only way.”

“It’s not the only way.”

“The fastest way then.”

Heidi glances around me and studies the house. “She isn’t super stupid, is she? I can’t deal with idiot women like I can with idiot men.”

Like clockwork, Jox shows up and hands her Axe. “He wants you.”

“Teach him to want you,” she says, refusing to take the baby. “Make him want you like Eleanor at the grocery store does.”

“Is it my fault she looks?”

“No, but it is your fault that you flash your pearly whites at her stupid face. Now take the baby and entertain him while I beat on my brother.”

“Why can’t I beat on Ogre and you hold the baby?”

Heidi ignores Jox and focuses on me. “How long is this supposed to last?”

“Three days to a week.”

“How long do you think it’ll be before she figures out you’re a fucking lying idiot?”

“I’m hoping to get a solid thirty years like Mom and Dad.”

Heidi smiles and slaps my face. “You felt that, didn’t you?”

“Not really. You’d think carrying around the kid all day would toughen your upper body but nope.”

“I’m going to run you over with my car one day.”

“Well, that I might feel.”

Smiling wider, Heidi finally takes the baby from Jox who starts for the door.

“No,” I growl at him. “I don’t want you scaring her.”

“How am I scarier than you?”

“She thinks I’m a nice guy. No one thinks that about you.”

“It’s true, honey. Not even Eleanor with her giant boobs thinks that about you.”

Jox rolls his eyes and stomps back to his Harley. Heidi watches him and then grins at me.

“He’s so hot when he acts like a spoiled brat.”

“Everyone has a type, and yours is weird.”

“You sound like Dad.”

Smiling, I muss up her hair and then do the same with the dark fuzz on top of Axe’s head. “If you let me have this, I won’t ask for anything else for a while.”

“You really couldn’t win this girl over in the normal way? If your answer is no, I want you to consider what that means. She only wants you because you’re her hero.”

“No, she wants me because she wants me, but she has it in her head that she shouldn’t date, so she’s trying not to want me. I’m giving her an excuse to get past her no dating rule.”

“No dating, huh? Did some man do her wrong because those kinds of women are a handful?”

“You mean like Mom?”

“You said that. I didn’t.”

“Vidalia is the one. I know it in my gut, and I tried asking her out in the normal way. That didn’t work, so now I’m doing this.”

“Spoiled brat.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“You always get what you want. Precious Gunnar and his precious feelings always win because of his stupid, sad eyes that make Mom feel guilty for saying no. Now you’re pulling that crap on this poor, stupid girl.”

“Vidalia isn’t stupid.”

“She fell for your ruse.”

“She’s not part of this life. How would she know what is real and what isn’t? You need to learn to put yourself in other people’s shoes.”

“No,” she says, kicking me again. “And stop wearing boots. I need a way to hurt you.”

“Oh, you’ve hurt me plenty,” I say and pat my chest, “in here.”

Heidi laughs and kisses her son’s head. “When can I meet the pretty dummy you’re hot for?”

“Once I win her over, I’ll throw your crazy ass at her.”

“What you call crazy is simply my passion for life and those I love. It’s why I’ll hunt down Eleanor and beat her ass for flirting with Jox in front of me. It’s also why I’ll play along with this stupid shit you’re doing.”

“Thank you.”

“Next time you pull something like this; just tell me ahead of time, will ya? Don’t make me look stupid in front of the minions.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t keep you in the loop.”

“Fine then. You do this thing with your sweet dummy, and I’ll pretend you’re not a fucking stalker.”

“You remain my biggest cheerleader.”

Heidi pats my cheek. “I want to meet her soon. Gotta check her out and make sure she’s good enough for my big, dumb brother.”

“I never got to check out Jox before you eloped with him.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t need anyone’s approval, but you’re the sensitive type, so I gotta make sure you know she’s the one.”

“Sounds good, but I need you to leave now before Vidalia’s curiosity gets the better of her.”

Heidi stares at the front door, likely wishing to hurry along the process so she can size up Vidalia. I don’t do anything to invite her to make that move. Sighing, Heidi steps back and looks at Axe.

“I should go.”

“I’ll miss you,” I say, snickering at the thought.

Narrowing her eyes, she mutters, “Behave, Ogre.”

Heidi walks back to the SUV where she puts a pissed Axe into his car seat. Jox remains nearby, staring at his phone and occasionally chuckling. The guy loves videos of people falling, so I assume he’s watching one.

As soon as my sister’s SUV pulls out of the driveway, I hurry inside to see if Vidalia spied on the conversation. Rather than finding her listening in, she’s sound asleep on a guest bed. I smile at the sight of her red hair loose around her relaxed face.

Vidalia’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and I completely believe that once she’s mine, my lies won’t matter.