CHAPTER 15: BRETT
I walked down the road whistling. I was happy.
Suddenly, it didn’t matter that there was a gang after me, or that the police might just discover my history as a drug user. I was in love and because of that, I knew everything would be okay. It all had a solution. We just had to find it.
Now, I felt confident that we would.
I kept an eye out for any suspicious looking people, but nobody really noticed me, except a guy watering his lawn, who scowled as I sailed past with a big smile on my face.
He’s cheerful, I thought ironically. I smiled more. Today I loved everyone. And nothing was going to get me down—I was so happy.
I checked my phone. The cafe was around the corner, according to the directions the map was giving me. I turned the corner and headed up the street.
I saw it on my right—as the map had promised I would—and grinned.
“The Shamrock.” Well, she was almost right—it could have been “Clover”.
I went up into the place and greeted the waitress.
“Hi,” I nodded. “A table for two?”
“Sure,” she said. She indicated one near the back, facing the door. The place was almost empty except for a pair of older women just back from church, having coffee. I smiled at them, they waved back. I sat down.
I still couldn’t believe I was here, waiting for Kerry.
When she walked in I looked up immediately. Her hair loose and flowing round her shoulders, a soft, floaty top in a sort of dark olive that complimented her hair, dark slacks, she was stunning. I saw the two ladies look at her with some surprise and I bit back a grin.
“Kerry,” I breathed. I stood and she grinned.
“Brett. Listen, I am so…”
“No,” I interrupted. “I am sorry. I was a fool.”
She laughed. “That’s what I thought!” She chuckled. “I mean, I thought I was a fool. Oh, Brett! I’m so glad.”
I smiled. “I’m so glad that you’re here.”
“Well,” she said, sitting down nimbly and stretching her legs out in front of her, “I hope you had breakfast.”
“I…” I paused. “You know, I didn’t?”
She laughed. “You shocking man. First rule of dancing—don’t skip meals. You are going to have something right now.”
I laughed. My smile was broad. My heart glowed. I had forgotten how she took such brisk care of people—especially me.
“Thanks, Kerry,” I said. “But please let me pay for it. It’s the least I can do. Really.”
She shot me a look. “How are you for cash, Brett? I mean, really?”
“Not good,” I said. I pulled a face. I had been okay, but with this recent payment and the doctor’s fees and now the hotel, I had hit more expenditure than I had anticipated this month. It didn’t seem promising right now.
I could do so much more if I could just sell that wretched house, I thought, annoyed.
The house.
In Florida, on the coast, up on a remote stretch of shoreline about fifty-five miles up from Miami city. It was perfect.
I couldn’t believe it! The solution had been staring me right in the face all this time!
“Kerry,” I said slowly. “I don’t suppose…could I ask you something?”
She frowned. “Sure, Brett,” she nodded. “What is it?”
“It… Kerry, would you run away with me?”
She stared at me. “What?” she asked. Her face was in utter shock but her eyes shone.
“Sorry, Kerry,” I said. “I know I probably shouldn’t ask, but…but I need to get out of town for a while. And I have a place to go. I was wondering if you could come down with me?”
She stared at me. Then, suddenly, she giggled. “Brett,” she said, “of all the amazing, crazy things! I would never have dreamed that you would ask me something like that…” she shook her head.
I smiled. “I’m sorry, Kerry,” I said again. “I just got ahead of myself, I guess. And I would worry about you, if you were here alone, I guess…” I shook my head. “Maybe that’s just me making excuses for myself. But I do worry that maybe they know where you are too now?”
She shook her head. “Oh, Brett. Don’t worry about me. How would they know about me? We’re always pretty careful, and it’s not like my apartment is exactly close to yours.”
“True,” I nodded.
Her work was closer to my apartment, though. I didn’t want to mention that. I was just being paranoid, I was sure. No point in worrying her. If she came with me, I didn’t want it to be simply because I convinced her into it.
“Well?” she frowned. Her eyes shone. “Where would we go?”
I laughed. “Kerry! You mean it! You really would?”
She was laughing too, now. “Brett, who would say no to something like that? An adventure! With you! Where do we start?”
I laughed again. Her face was lit with wonder and that sweet smile set a slow fire in the pit of my tummy. I wanted to push her backward, covering her with kisses. But I was in the middle of the cafe and we had an audience of people now—mostly pensioners coming in after church. They’d be horrified.
“Well,” I said, laughing delightedly. “I think we could probably do with seeing the police first. I guess if I disappear before I give them some sort of statement, then they’ll wonder what the heck I’m doing.”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m sorry I called them when you asked me not to.”
I sighed. “No worries, Kerry. Really.”
“I was just frightened,” she continued, looking up at me from where she had been contemplating her fingers. “I was scared they’d kill you.”
I let out a long, full breath. “I know,” I said. “And it means the world to me that you cared so much about me.”
She looked into my eyes. The whole world could have stood still at that moment and I wouldn’t have been aware: all the pensioners, the waitress, the birds in the trees—they were all silent and distant and remote. I was with her and that was all I knew about.
“Of course I cared,” she said softly. “I do care. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We touched hands. I took her long, pale fingers in mine. They were cool and I held them, warming them. When the waitress came, at last, to take our order, we were still silent.
“What will you like to drink?” she asked politely.
“Cappuccino for me,” I said. Kerry nodded.
“Me too, please. And, Brett?” she raised a brow at me.
“Um,” I paused, noticing that she was right. My tummy was grumbling, and I was really hungry. “You have breakfast?”
She chuckled. “I can do you eggs?”
“Please,” I said intently.
She nodded and wrote it down and went off.
While we waited for the coffees, I made some plans. Kerry cleared her throat.
“Where is it?” she asked. “This place?” I could hear the tension in her voice and I realized, hearing it, that it was excitement.
“It’s in Florida,” I said. “On the coast.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Well, it’ll be hard to get down there.”
“It will,” I agreed. That was part of the problem I hadn’t considered. I could probably afford a flight out of the savings I had, but it would leave me with almost nothing. And I wasn’t sure about her either.
“You know,” she said, her eyes shining again after a moment’s thinking, “I think I could borrow the cash. My parents are in Miami, and they might—might—agree to pay for a flight if I drop in and see them.”
“You do?” I grinned ecstatically. “Oh, wow!”
She smiled, flapping a hand at me as if to shush my excited outburst. “Oh, Brett,” she said.
I laughed. “Well, this sounds perfect! We should check and see when the next flights are.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “If we could go tomorrow, it would make sense, wouldn’t it? Oh, hell…”
“What is it?” I asked.
“What will I do at work?” she said, laughing, though she sounded miserable. “I can’t just walk.”
I frowned. “Well… if you stay there, neither of us have to pay rent.”
She laughed. “Oh, Brett! But what would we do with our apartments here? We can’t just run, you know! I owe a month’s notice on mine. Yours?”
“The same,” I nodded.
At that moment, our coffee appeared.
“Thanks,” I said to the waitress. She smiled and set it down on the table. I took a sip. Kerry took a sip too. I watched her pink lips press the rim of the mug and I felt a stabbing ache of longing in my groin. She set it down and smiled at me.
“Well, then,” she said. “I can afford to give a month’s notice, if my mom covers the flight. You?”
I frowned. “Maybe,” I said. “If I could sell my car it would help. But…” as I thought about it, I got an idea. “Dominic!”
“Dominic,” she said slowly.
“He owns a garage! He can sell my car for me! I’m going to call him now.” I was already taking my phone from my pocket, the possibilities exciting me like nothing else had done in a long while. I must be mad not to have thought of all this earlier! But, I reasoned, earlier I had been trying to get as far away from Miami as I could.
“Hell, Brett,” Kerry chuckled. “Shouldn’t we slow down?”
I sighed. “Sorry,” I said. “I just can’t believe I’ve been so dumb lately.”
I could ask myself why the heck I had moved all the way up to Colorado, where my uncle had helped me to get a small cheap apartment, when I could have stayed rent-free in the house in Florida? But, I reasoned, I had wanted to flee the state entirely, just in case the gang could catch up with me that close to Miami.
As it happened, it didn’t help much.
I laughed. My shoulder still ached, a reminder of how close I’d come to nearly getting shot. I might have got shot just as easily staying in Miami.
“Well,” Kerry said slowly, “I guess I could resign.”
“You could,” I agreed.
I imagined the two of us living in the house on the coast. What quite we would do for a living, I wasn’t sure. It was in a pretty remote place. And I had to admit I hadn’t thought about that overmuch. With the rent covered—I owned the place so we wouldn’t have to pay rent—I hadn’t thought any further.
She cleared her throat. “I’ll need time to think about it,” she said slowly.
I laughed. “Well, I need to see the police,” I said shakily.
“Let me come with you, okay?” Kerry said. “You shouldn’t have to see them alone.”
I reached over and held her fingers. I felt quite emotional. It had been a long time since I had considered anyone caring about me.
“Thanks,” I said.
I sipped at my coffee and I was still sipping it when my breakfast arrived.
“Thanks so much,” I said fervently. She smiled, and so did Kerry.
As I ate—I couldn’t believe how hungry I was—I discussed the plans a bit more with Kerry.
“So,” she said slowly, “the idea is that we settle things with the police, then we go to my place, yeah?”
“Yes,” I said. My throat was tight with tension. I was nervous. I was also astonished. Of all the crazy things in my life—which included coming second at the Golden Grand Prix in Japan—this was the craziest thing I had ever done. And easily the most wonderful.
She grinned at me. “You want some more coffee?”
I laughed. “I don’t need any caffeine right now! I am already shaking.”
We both laughed.
“Okay,” I said, drawing a shaky breath. “I should probably settle the bill and go see the police.”
“I’m coming with you,” she said firmly.
We drove there in her car. I wasn’t nervous anymore—miraculously, with all the other things I was thinking about, my heartfelt belief that the police would take one look at me, guess my history and lock me up, simply dissolved as if it had never been.
We were treated with a surprisingly-friendly lady cop, who took our statement, and promised they would be in touch.
“Um…” Kerry cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, officer, but we’re going to be on holiday.”
“Oh?” she frowned. “Well, let me know when you’re getting back to town, then.”
We looked at each other.
“We’ll probably be back next week,” Kerry ventured. “Can I leave my card?”
“Sure,” she said.
I was amazed. Of all the crazy things, I would never have expected this to go off so easily. I was still lightheaded with amazement when we sat down again in her car.
“Whew,” I said.
“See?” she chuckled. “Not so bad. It’s not like anybody knows your story, is it? Except you. And them.”
“And you,” I pointed out. “And I’m glad.”
She got a surprisingly tender look on her face. “I’m glad you trusted me,” she said.
“I did trust you,” I nodded. “I do trust you.”
I did.
We both leaned in. My lips brushed hers. With a feeling of rising wonder in my chest, I kissed her. My mouth tasted hers, my tongue gently parting her lips and slipping in, and I knew I had never before felt quite so happy.
We talked later, on the way back.
“I’m glad I’m coming with you,” she said gently.
“I’m glad you’re coming with me,” I laughed. “I guess it’s silly of me, but I’ll feel safer knowing you’re going to be there with me.”
“I’ll feel safer,” she said slowly. “Not that I think there’s any danger for me here right now.”
“No,” I said. “I guess I would worry, but there’s nowhere they could have seen us together, is there?”
“No,” she grinned. “You have been quite careful of not having me in your apartment.”
I shook my head, laughing. “It’s not on purpose. It isn’t because of how horrible it is in there or anything.”
“It’s not horrible,” she protested. I laughed.
“It’s not as good as yours.”
She smiled. “I like it. And it is far away from yours, so they’re unlikely to know about me.”
“No,” I agreed. “The shop is quite close, though, which is nice, since I can visit you there.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Like the other day, when you visited me there, and…” she trailed off, frowning.
“And what, Kerry?”
She looked at me. “Nothing, Brett. I’m just being silly.”
“No,” I insisted. “What, honey? What is it?”
“I just…you don’t think they could have seen you there, do you?”
“Well, it is close to my apartment, but I’d be surprised if it’s that close. I mean,” I frowned. “I don’t reckon they’re dedicated enough to do that. Why?”
“Nothing,” she said. She was white-lipped. She looked terrified. I was worried.
“What?” I asked, scared.
“Brett, I think I saw them. They saw me.”
“What?” I was speechless. “Kerry? When?”
“The other day. When I was in the yard. Someone looked over the wall. It’s probably nothing. Probably unrelated. But they were looking at me.”
I was scared. I looked at her. Suddenly, I was more worried about her than I was scared for her. I reached out a hand, rested it on her knee.
“It’s okay,” I said gently. “I think they did see you. But it’ll be okay. You’re coming with me.”
She turned and her eyes locked with mine. Then, to my surprise, she smiled.
“Good,” she said.
My heart felt full of light.
We drove back together.