I didn’t know what it wasluck or physics or some stray guardian angel left over from my days as a Marine that made me miss the girl standing in the middle of the road. Maybe I’d swerved just neatly enough to keep me astride the motorcycle and her alive, or maybe she’d had the sense to step back at the last moment.
All I knew, my chest heaving as I turned the bike around and idled back to her, was that a massive tragedy had just barely been averted. How had I seen her in time? The black of the desert surrounding Rio Seco at night was absolute. If I’d been any deeper in my thoughts, I would’ve hit her.
I opened my mouth to ask her if she was all right, but she obviously was, standing at the side of the road, giving me a look that told me she was clearly unimpressed with my driving skills. It barely registered that she was beautiful long legs, smooth skin the color of nutmeg, a halo of hair floating up and out, away from her face, not enough clothes to ward off the chill of the autumn night. The initial panic I’d felt quickly gave way to anger.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I spat, yanking off my helmet so fast that I nearly gave myself whiplash. “You could’ve gotten us both killed.”
“But I didn’t.” Whoever she was, she obviously didn’t give a shit. She looked as relaxed as if we were having a conversation about the weather. My heart was pumping like I’d just run a marathon.
“What are you even doing out here?” I asked her, still flummoxed. If she was aiming to disarm me by confusing me, she was doing an awfully good job at it.
“Looking for a ride,” she said, and left it at that, as if that would explain everything.
“There’s nothing out here,” I said, spreading my arms for emphasis. “How did you get here?”
“Hitched a ride with a trucker.”
“And the trucker just left you out here?”
“He said he wasn’t going all the way into town.”
“So he just left you at a crossroads? Just like that?”
“He brought me all this way from Phoenix.”
“And he couldn’t take you just a couple of miles out of his way?”
She laughed. “Hey, man, take it up with the trucker. I wanted to get out here. It’s beautiful country. The sunset was just dynamite.”
I blanched, and swallowed hard. It was pitch black outside, now. “How long have you been waiting for somebody to come by?”
“Late afternoon,” she said. “There’s only been a handful of people to pass by.”
“It’s a small town,” I said. “Plus, it’s a school night.”
“What day is it?”
“Sunday.”
“Really?” She looked a little surprised. “It’s hard to keep track of them. Sunday. Huh.”
“What day were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. Not Sunday, I guess.”
“You’ve been waiting here since it was still light?” I asked, her very presence still befuddling me. “What in the world have you been doing?”
“Trying to get a ride, of course,” she said. “And enjoying nature. Taking pictures.”
“Taking pictures?”
“It’s kind of my thing.” She smiled at me. “And you’re the first person who stopped for me.”
“Because you were standing out in the middle of the road, trying to kill yourself or something.”
“Wrong. Just looking for a ride into town. So, do you mind? Or should I keep waiting? I don’t care, either way.”
“You don’t?” I shook my head at her. “There’s no telling how long you’d be standing out here until the next driver happened by, and then there’s still no way of knowing if they’d stop.”
“I was just about to get my tripod out of my backpack and start taking some long exposures of the stars.”
“What?”
“Pictures.” She pursed her lips and mimed holding a camera to her face and mashing the button, clearly making fun of me. “Taking some pictures.”
“Plus you’d, uh, be cold,” I spluttered. “Aren’t you cold?”
“I don’t mind the cold,” she said. “I think it’s nice out, for being fall. And I’ve got a jacket in my backpack, too.”
“So you’ve got this thing all figured out, right?” Why in the hell was my next inclination to offer her my own leather jacket? I tamped down the urge. “Well, I’ll leave you to your picture-taking, then, if you do.”
If my decision fazed her, she didn’t let on to it. “All right. Drive safe out there.”
I huffed, taken aback that she was so willing to let me roll out of her life like that. “It was a joke. Of course I’ll give you a ride. I’m not going to leave you out here like some kind of asshole trucker.”
“Man, you’ve got something about truckers,” she said, hefting up her backpack.
“They seem to always want to run us off the road, from time to time.”
“Well, motorcycles are hard to see sometimes, when you’re driving.”
“I can’t believe you’re taking their side.”
“Said the guy who almost ran me over with his motorcycle.”
“Said the girl standing in the middle of a dark highway.”
“It’s Nadine, actually.” She stuck her hand out. “Nadine Kimble.”
“I’m Brody Rockland,” I said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you. Here. Take my helmet.”
“I’d rather you wear it.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the one driving this thing. We need you to be protected. Plus, I want to feel the wind in my hair.”
“I’m going to have to insist that you wear the helmet,” I said. “You’ll still feel the wind.”
“All right, I’ll follow the rules.”
“Climb aboard, then,” I said, revving the engine. “I’ll introduce you to Rio Seco.”
“Pleased to meet it.”
There was nothing impressive about Rio Seco, but maybe that was the inexplicable charm in this place. People drifted through, and more often than not, decided to stay. Beyond a few smatterings of residential neighborhoods and trailer parks, Rio Seco was nothing more than a main street with a gaggle of historic buildings and a park. The motorcycle club I belonged to, Horizon MC, was working on a series of fundraisers to help revitalize the town, and revamping the park had been a recent victory for our efforts. Bit by bit, though, attracted by the nice park, more and more interest was being shown in preserving the historic downtown. Buildings that had stood empty for years were getting new tenants, and eateries were springing up on roads that used to be nothing more than patches of sand, cacti, and Aloe Vera plants. Some people complained about the development, but it was good for the town. As long as we kept the chain restaurants out, I was confident Rio Seco would retain its charm and revitalize itself as much as it needed to in order to survive.
“This is so cute,” Nadine said behind me. “I can’t wait to see it in the daytime. I’m going to photograph the shit out of this place.”
“That’s…nice, I guess.” I slowed down to the speed limit as we passed the row of buildings. Horizon MC Bar was at the end of the row, near the park. “How long are you planning to stay in town?”
“I’m not sure yet,” she said, after a pause. “I’m kind of just letting the wind blow me around, decide where I go next. I don’t have any assignments at the moment, but that’ll change. It always does.”
“Assignments?”
“Yeah, the photos,” she said. “I’m a photographer.”
“Ah. I thought you were just taking photos for fun out there in the desert.”
“I do take them for fun. But assignments are fun in that they give me money, though I can try to sell some photos to magazines and galleries and on my website.”
“You have a website?”
“That’s right.”
“Could I maybe see some of your photos?”
“Yeah. It’s just my full nameNadine Kimble dot com. Easy as that.”
We rolled to a stop. “This is the bar,” I said, parking the bike and accepting the helmet from Nadine, who climbed off the back of the motorcycle without assistance. “I just have to open it up really quick and I can take you wherever you need to go.”
“Oh, I’m here,” Nadine said.
“Pardon?”
“Where I’m going. I’m already here.”
I stopped for a moment, blinked at her. “You were planning on coming to the Horizon MC Bar tonight?”
“No. I wasn’t even really planning on Rio Seco. I just wanted somewhere photogenic in New Mexico, but that’s practically the entire state. I’ll stay in Rio Seco for as long as I’m able.”
“Well, if that’s the case, it’s just a short ride to the motel,” I said. “Within walking distance, even, of the bar. Lord knows we’ve all made that stumble once or twice.”
Nadine pulled a face. “Motel? Do you have any hostels close by? Pensions?”
“I don’t know what those are,” I said, confused. “Are they places to stay?”
“Yeah, but really cheap.”
“Sorry. The motel’s about as good as we can do.”
“I’ll figure something out,” she said brightly. “Mind if I tag along with you for the time being? I won’t bother you.”
“You’re fine,” I said, surprised, wondering how she planned to “figure out” a lodging situation with the motel being her only option in Rio Seco. “Follow me.”
I approached the bar and was relieved that there was only one person waiting for me to open it. I’d been afraid there would be an entire line.
“I thought you weren’t going to show,” said Marty, one of our regulars. He had a mournful face, like someone was constantly threatening to take away everything he loved. In this case, what he loved most was a place to drink. Horizon MC Bar was the only place to do that in town.
“Of course I was going to show,” I said. “This place pretty much stays open, doesn’t it?”
“That’s handy, for a bar,” Nadine commented. “People need a place to go.”
“Only place in town,” I said. “People have to come here if they need a place to go.”
“Bet you all do pretty good business,” she said, following Marty as he made a beeline for the bar even as I was still flicking the lights on.
“We do all right.”
“Then I kind of have a proposition for you,” she said, sitting directly next to Marty at the bar even though there were so many other seats available. Marty was an alright guy, but he wasn’t much to look at. Nadine, however, didn’t seem to care.
I popped open a bottle of beer for Martyhe didn’t vary in his tastes and slid it to him. “What’s your proposition?”
“You hire me here.”
That made me halt in my prep, which didn’t mean much more than stocking up with cherries and slicing lemons and limes and oranges. “You want to work here?”
“Well, I’m having some money trouble. That’s why I don’t want to stay at the hotel. I’m afraid I don’t have enough money to.”
“You might be surprised. The motel’s pretty affordable.”
“What I’m trying to tell you is that my money troubles are that I don’t have any. Like, at all.”
I blinked at her. “You’re broke?”
“No money, no problems.”
“I think the quote is ‘mo’ money, mo’ problems.’”
“And my quote is ‘no money, no problems.’”
“If you’re broke, how in the world have you been surviving?”
“I have granola bars in my backpack,” she said, giving it an affectionate kick on the floor. “And I only officially ran out of money a couple days ago. That’s why I’ve been hitch hiking.”
“That’s dangerous. Especially when you’re by yourself.”
“I’ve met nothing but the best people.”
“I’m glad. Can I get you a beer?”
“Broke,” she chirped, sounding pretty happy about it.
“I’ll buy you a beer,” Marty offered.
“That’s all right, pal,” I said. “It’s on the house, Nadine, if you want it.”
“You’re too kind,” she said, smiling at me in a way that turned my insides to liquid.
“You know, I haven’t had dinner yet,” I lied. I’d just come from a dinner party. “If I ordered a pizza, would you eat some of it?”
“Now you’re just feeling sorry for me,” Nadine laughed.
“I could eat some pizza,” Marty said.
“Pizza it is,” I announced, making the call.
“So, if the bar’s doing well, are you guys open to making a temporary hire?” she asked as soon as I got off the phone.
“Temporary?”
“Just long enough for me to save up to move on,” she said. “Or until a new photography assignment comes my way.”
I considered this. The bar always did well, and we sometimes ran our asses off trying to make sure it was covered. I technically wasn’t supposed to be behind the bar tonight, since I was the general manager, but I was giving Ace and Haley a break. Jack, even if he owned the joint, would never work if he could keep from it. Maybe it was time to make a hire, especially if it wasn’t a huge commitment. If Nadine really was planning on just saving a few bucks to move on out of Rio Seco, it seemed pretty straightforward.
Except the idea of her leaving again, right as soon as I had met her, made me inexplicably blue. I’d known her for, what, all of an hour? Less than that? Why did I already feel like we had a connection?
“I’ve got to run it by the owner of theplace,” I said. “But he’s a good guywe’re pals and he’ll probably say yes.”
“That’s really, really good news,” she said. “I won’t be here forever. I promise. And I’ll do good work while I’m here.”
“I believe you,” I said, even though I didn’t really have any reason to. I’d nearly run her down on the road with my bike. The only thing I really knew about her was her name, that she liked to take photos, and that she needed some quick cash.
“Can I start tonight?” she asked. “I need to scrape a few bucks together to get a room at that motel, then, like you said. Is that an okay place to stay? Just tell me it’s not infested with anything terrible, like bed bugs. Roaches I can deal with, but bed bugs are a plague.”
“You can stay with me.” The words fell out of my mouth before my head could even recognize them.
“Really?” She peered at me. “You don’t look so sure.”
I hurried to try and smooth the shock out of my features. “I mean, if you’re comfortable with it. You’d be more than welcome to stay with me. No need to spend money if you’re trying to save some.”
“It would be a big help,” she said. “You’d hardly know I was there.”
Oh, I would definitely know she was there. I was already running through my home mentally, trying to figure out what I’d need to kick under my bed or behind the couch. Would it be weird if I asked her to stay outside for five minutes while I sprinted through, trying to put things right?
“Well, what we need to worry about first is a little paperwork,” I told her briskly, mostly trying to reassure myself. First things first. I had to get through this shift at the bar. Then I could worry about the state of my home and what, exactly, it meant that I was so eager to invite Nadine into it.
“Paperwork?”
“Yeah. The hourly rate’s not great, but you’ll make it up in tips,” I explained. “I’ll just need you to fill out a W-2.”
“I was hoping we could keep this under the table,” she said, leaning closer. For someone who’d been standing around in the desert all evening, she smelled nice like the petals of some blooming flower I didn’t know enough about to name. “Can we just do it as a temporary position?”
“Even temps fill out paperwork, Nadine.”
“Okay, then call it contracting,” she said. “Part time. Whatever you need to do to help me avoid that W-2.”
“What’s so scary about a W-2?”
“It’s not the form that’s scary. It’s what it means.” She gave me a tired smile. “I mean, no offense. I’m sure your town is really great. But I’m not looking to put down any roots. I just need the money so I can move on again.”
“Move on to where?”
“Wherever the wind blows me. Or the photos take me.” She pushed her hair out of her face. “So, can we do that? No forms, no roots? Just some cash? The way I see it, I’m saving you and the bar some money and precious time and effort.”
“If it’s that important to you…”
“It is.”
“Then it’s fine with me. I’ll still have to ask the owner, though.” Jack was going to be curious about this. Probably as curious as I was. Who was Nadine, anyway? Someone with a phobia of commitment? Was she on the run from something or someone? There was no real way of knowing. Not this early in the game.
“I’ll convince him,” she said, with confidence. “I’m charming.”
“Oh, really?”
She gave me a saucy wink. “Charmed you into a ride and a job and a place to stay, didn’t I?”
Now I felt dumb. “Well, when you put it that way…”
“Oh, come on,” she said, laughing and giving my shoulder a playful swat. “I didn’t take advantage of you. I simply…reminded you that you have a good heart.”
“I have a good heart? Me?”
“Yes. You. Definitely.”
“How can you tell that about a person?” I asked. “We’ve only just met.”
“I can just tell.” She smiled, and my heart lifted with it. “Good people just give off a good feeling. It’s as simple as that.”
“I give off a good feeling?”
“That’s right.”
I tried to sniff discreetly under my arm to discern what “giving off a good feeling” might entail. I could’ve stopped by my place and swiped on a little extra deodorant before coming into the bar, but if I’d done that, maybe I would’ve missed Nadine. Maybe someone else would’ve picked her up. Maybe she would’ve vanished into the night, and I’d have lost my chance to ever cross paths with her. Life was a funny thing.
“It’s not something you can smell,” she chided me, noticing my worry. “It’s just something that is or isn’t. You feel good around good people. Even if you’re feeling down, they lift you up again. You smile when you’re around them in spite of yourself. You want to be with them.”
I gaped at her. “And you feel like that around me?”
“I do.”
“Even though we’ve only just met?”
“That’s right. Don’t you feel the same way about me?”
I paused to consider it. “You know, I kind of did. I hope that doesn’t sound creepy.”
“It’s not creepy at all. It’s just something people notice. Vibes.”
The pizza arrived and we set into it with a vengeance. Nadine ate like she knew what it was like to be hungry, and I hated to see that. Marty ate like he loved getting free shit, which we gave him all the time just because he was always here, like a fixture. I picked at my piece and watched Nadine as much as I could before she classified me as a certifiable creep. She was beautiful even as she packed away slice after slice of pepperoni pizza. To keep myself from staring too much, I looked up her photography website…
…and was blown away. Absolutely floored.
“Nadine, you…wow…”
“What are you looking at?” she mumbled, washing down the mouthful of pizza she’d had with a swig of beer. “Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“I’m looking at your website right now.”
She laughed, casting her eyes downward in an adorably embarrassed gesture. “You didn’t really have to look at that. I know you were just being polite, earlier.”
“Yeah, okay, you caught me, but goddamn, Nadine. This is…it’s art.”
“I hope so,” she said, sounding unsure of herself. “Thank you for thinking so.”
“Are there naked ladies?” Marty wondered, craning his neck to try and see my phone screen.
“Beautiful people and beautiful places,” I said, turning it around so he could see, scrolling through photos of surfers and beaches and split-screen shots of the waves above the surface and a snorkeler diving beneath, mingling with fish. “Where was this taken?”
“In Costa Rica,” she said. “It was beautiful.”
“Obviously.”
“The spirit of the place, is what I was trying to say. The spirit was beautiful. That’s what I was trying to capture.”
It seemed silly to think it, but she really did capture that beautiful spirit. Even photos of stray dogs a little battered from their feral lives were filled with joy. Rusted, corrugated metal of shanty roofs became abstract art pieces. A prostitute jutting her hip into the street was a high fashion model, gorgeous, powerful.
“Where all have you been?” I asked, staring at her, unable to separate Nadine from the beautiful, ethereal shots she’d posted online.
“Oh, here and there,” she said, grinning as she gnawed on a crust. “I try to make a post of collected photos from everywhere I stay for a little bit.”
“I want to see more. Which ones should I look at next?”
“Don’t look at any more tonight,” she said. “You’re staring at me like I’m something supernatural. It’s kind of freaking me out.”
“I don’t want to freak you out!” I exclaimed. “I’m sorry!”
“No, I mean, I’m not worthy of that,” she laughed, covering her face with her hand. “Dammit, if I were a white girl, I’d be as red as a fire hydrant right now.”
“These photos are amazing,” I said. “I hope you know that.”
“They’re just something I do,” she said, humble. “Just wish I had a little more money to do it full time.”
“I don’t think the owner’s going to stop by tonight, but I’ll definitely ask him when he oh.”
Somewhere between devouring pizza and watching Nadine and drinking in her photos, Jack had strolled into the bar and made himself at home in the club booth.
“That’s the owner,” I said. “Didn’t see him come in. Another round before I go chat with Jack, you two?”
“Hell, yes,” Marty said. “Can I still look at the photos?”
“Sure,” Nadine said. I gave him my phone.
“Any naked ladies?” he was asking her as I walked away, and I rolled my eyes.
“Aw, Jack,” I complained, sliding to the booth. “I thought for sure that you wouldn’t make an appearance tonight.”
“Couldn’t break my streak,” he said easily, thumbing at his phone.
“But you were having a good time at Chuck and Haley’s party, weren’t you?”
“Yeah. Then I decided to come here.”
“But they have a pool.”
“I wasn’t swimming.”
“Everyone’s there.”
“You’re here.” He frowned at me. “What’s wrong with me being here? It’s still my bar, right?”
“Of course it’s still your bar,” I said, placating. “We all just thought it would be good for you to get out of here once in a while.”
“I leave once it’s closed,” he said. “That counts for something, doesn’t it?”
“All I’m saying is that sometimes you’re here when I leave and sometimes you’re here when I come in,” I pointed out. “You need to get a hobby.”
“The bar’s my hobby.”
“A healthier hobby.”
“Are you going to get me a beer, or are you going to lecture me?”
“Hi.” Both of our heads swiveled around to see Nadine, who was beaming as she stuck a hand out. “You must be the one in charge. I’m Nadine.”
Jack glanced at me before taking her hand and shaking it. “I am in charge, but I have to tell you all complaints go to Brody.”
“Not a complaint,” she said sweetly.
“I’m your man, then,” Jack told her, leaning back into the booth. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, Brody here tells me we need your approval to get me hired here,” she said. “You really want to hire me.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you before we got into a discussion about your various bad habits,” I sighed at Jack, as he raised his eyebrows at me.
“I wasn’t aware that we needed an extra hand around here,” he said.
“You know we could use one,” I countered. “Even our slow nights are getting busier. Unless you want to start picking up the slack around here”
“Hired,” Jack said smoothly, grinning up at Nadine, who clapped her hands with triumph.
“It’s only on a temporary basis,” she explained. “Just so I can save up to get on the move again.”
“Look, sorry, what’s your name again?”
“Nadine.”
“Nadine. As long as you keep me out of working, you can stay on as long as you like.”
“Yay!” Her excitement bubbled over, and it was almost infectious. Almost.
“Hey, Nadine?” I asked. “Could you excuse us for a moment? I need to chat with Jack in private.”
“Can I man the bar?” she asked eagerly. “I know how to mix drinks. And if I don’t know a recipe, that’s what the internet is for.”
“Knock yourself out,” Jack said, waving her off.
I waited until she was at least out of earshot before giving Jack a look. “Seriously? Knock yourself out?”
“You’re the one who was going to ask me to hire her, weren’t you?” he asked. “What, do you not want to hire her? I trust you, Brody. That’s why I put you in charge.”
“I can’t keep up with you sometimes,” I said. “Am I in charge? Or are you the one in charge? You tend to make a fuss if I take any kind of responsibilities away from you.”
“Do you honestly have a problem with hiring this girl?” Jack gave me a dubious look. “Is that why you’re waffling back and forth on this? You need me to let her down easy for you?”
“It’s not that,” I said, then scrubbed my face with my hands. “I don’t know. I don’t know what it is.”
“Brody…” I looked up to see Jack shaking with laughter, making an obvious and useless attempt to restrain himself.
“What?”
“Are you…are you hung up on this girl?”
“What are you even talking about?”
“You like this girl, Nadine.”
“I almost hit her with my motorcycle on the way over here.”
“You can still like her, even after that. She doesn’t seem like she’s any worse for wear.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“And neither do you. But I know you well enough to know that you have something for her.”
“The only thing I have for her is concern,” I said, feeling more antagonized and confused by the minute. “I don’t know. I thought maybe she has something to hide.”
“The only thing she’s hiding is a crush on you.”
“She does not have a crush on me.”
“She’s looking over here right now.”
“Probably because she needs another beer.” But when I turned to confirm it, Nadine was just looking at me, smiling to herself. When she noticed me gazing back, she seemed to shake herself out of whatever trance she’d been in and waved at me before giving us both a thumbs up. She’d successfully given Marty another beer her first task as Horizon MC Bar’s newest employee.
“You’re a champ, Brody,” Jack said, grinning when I turned back around.
“What?”
“Smooth moves. She’s totally into you.”
“You think so?”
“Definitely. Do you know where she’s staying tonight?”
“Yeah. My place.”
Jack choked on his beer, coughs progressively turning into laughter. “You’re so epic.”
“It’s not like that.”
“No? Then what’s it like?”
“She needed a place to stay. And a job. And a ride. I’m just helping her out. Platonic.”
“For now.”
“Jack.”
“I condone everything. You have my blessing. She is a knockout.”
“You’re her boss.”
“So are you.”
“I’m leaving, now. Some of us have to work around here.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep the beers coming.”
I couldn’t banish Jack’s words from my head while Nadine and I closed up the bar, or as we rode together to my house, or as she gushed over “how cute” my place was.
“You know, for a bachelor pad, this is pretty amazing,” she said.
“It’s not a bachelor pad. It’s a home.”
“Needs a woman’s touch,” she joked. “I don’t know if I’m that woman, though. I’m pretty unorganized.”
“If you can fit everything you need into a backpack, I think you have your life pretty much together.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
I gave her an impromptu tour, showing her where she could find everything, and we ended up back in the living room.
“As far as sleeping arrangements go,” I began, fighting the urge to blush, “I’d be happy to”
“I’ll take the couch,” she said quickly.
“No, no,” I said. “You’re my guest. You’re sleeping in the bed.”
“I can’t take your bed. You’re letting me stay here for free.”
“And what kind of host would I be if I didn’t let you sleep in the bed? Come on. I won’t be able to sleep a wink if I knew you were out here, languishing on the couch.”
“It’s a comfortable couch,” she said fondly, patting it.
“But the bed is yours.”
“If you insist.” She smiled. “If it makes you happy. Good night, Brody. Thank you for everything. You’re one of the good ones. And a lifesaver.” She leaned over and lingered as she kissed my cheek, and I blushed from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes.
“Good-good night,” I stuttered, watching her go.
Turned out I couldn’t sleep on the couch, either, thinking about Nadine just a few yards away from me, in my bed.