Derek

I spent almost all day yesterday planning for today. I have never spent even a tiny fraction of this amount of time trying to impress a woman. I am completely absorbed with trying to impress her so that I can make her mine. I don’t want to own her. Hell, she owns me. Already. I’ve been walking around with a stiff cock for days. But I don’t just want her physically; I want all of her. Physically, mentally, and emotionally; just like she has me. She’s taught me how to love someone mentally and emotionally in just a short amount of time; without trying. The little teacher has taught the heartless man that he does have a heart! Imagine that. Now, I wait as the clock slowly ticks until it is time to go pick my beautiful teacher up.

Despite my throbbing dick, I will try to respect Meredith’s boundaries. I know that she needs time to trust that I am not the bastard that she witnessed me being. I can’t say that I blame her. I had to pour the asshole attitude on with great thickness to ensure that Amanda got the point. That image of me is probably going to take some work to erase. This is going to be hard. I just want to meld with Meredith. Physically and mentally. Meld. Good word for it.

Alrighty then. I need to divert my thoughts; focus, on the blue mustang with murdering scumbags in it. If they were at Hank’s diner, then they are fishing for information. They may have gotten it by now if they happened to run into the right person. I know Hank well enough that I can run by and have a chat with him to see if he knows or has heard anything. He is tight-lipped when it comes to gossip but I know his ears are always listening. Once those men find out where we live they will do a little re-con for a couple days. They will want to know our habits for comings and goings. They will also try to find out how many people are here and if it will be easier to approach us at home or elsewhere. That’s what I would do.

Before I go see Hank I will fill Ned, Lacey, and Dad in on what’s going on. I don’t think there is any threat of anything happening today while I am gone; but, we all need to be aware of the possibilities. I heard Dad and Nellie talking in the kitchen, so, I’ll go get them and we’ll walk over to Ned and Lacey’s house.

“Good morning, Dad. Nellie.” I say as I enter the kitchen.

They respond in unison, “Morning!”

“Hey, it looks like you two are finished eating. Walk with me over to Ned and Lacey’s. We need to have a quick family pow-wow.” I try to make light of the situation.

“Are things fixing to get crazy, Uncle Derek?” Nellie asks with too much maturity.

I want to be as honest as I can with her, always. “Soon, Nellie. We are ready though, so try not to worry. Remember what I told you about worrying?”

As we begin our short walk, Nellie answers, “Yes. Worrying makes room for mistakes and it makes your head hurt. We have no room for mistakes and don’t like headaches.”

“Exactly!”

“Grandpa has a headache this morning. He said he got it from drinking too much of the wrong kind of coffee. He said you need to go shopping to buy the kind he drinks.” Nellie informs me.

“Is that so? Sorry, Dad. I forgot to get your kind of coffee. I am headed in to town after our talk. I’ll pick you up some so you can have it in the morning.” I know my dad is particular about having his Dunkin Donuts brand coffee.

“It’s okay, Son, you’ve had a lot going on.” Dad smiles.

As we approach, Ned and Lacey come outside and greet us. “We were just headed over to see how the goats are doing this morning. We heard them playing.”

Nellie chimes in, “Isn’t it cool?! They sound like little human babies sometimes. They were running and jumping with each other a little while ago.”

“I think they are just the cutest little things!” Lacey says to Nellie.

“I won’t hold any of you up very long. I have to get to town to do a couple of things before I pick up Meredith for our date.” I let them all know I intend for this conversation to be short.

“Uncle Derek has a date.” Nellie sings the words to tease me.

“You better be nice to me, Short stuff, or I will tell your teacher on you!” I banter back and Nellie laughs. “Speaking of Meredith; she told me that she saw the men in the blue mustang at Hank’s Diner Friday evening. This probably means that they are fishing for information. They may have found out by now where we live. If so, it is highly possible that they will do re-con for a few days. After that, it will be game on.”

“Okay,” says Ned. “How do you want to proceed?”

“I want us to lay low. If you don’t need to leave the property, then don’t. They may, or may not, know that you, Ned and Lacey, live on the property. They may know about you being here during the day. We have to proceed as if they know you live here. I am pretty sure they don’t know Dad is here. He and Nellie have not left the property since we all got home on Friday afternoon. Meredith and I are the only ones to come and go since Friday. One thing that is in our favor is these guys don’t know that we know about them. We know they are close. The cameras haven’t picked up any action yet, on, or close to, the property. I feel confident that nothing will happen today while I am gone. Leo has been notified, so he is on call and ready to move if needed. I want everyone to be on your toes and aware of your surroundings.” I look directly at each of them for confirmation that they are listening.

“We’ve got this, Derek.” Lacey assures me. “Go run your errands and have a great time with Meredith. Like you said, we probably won’t have anything to be concerned about for several days yet. You are just a phone call away. You can use your smart-phone to check in on us via the cameras.”

“You can bet I’ll be doing that. What would we do without all of this modern-day technology?” I say as I turn to leave. “See you later.”

“See you later, Uncle Derek. Have fun with Miss Walker.” Nellie calls in a poking fun kind of way.

On my way to Hank’s Diner I stop and buy Dad’s favorite coffee. I have never found the taste to be all that special but he and many others swear by it being the best coffee there is. Personally, I like their donuts; could care less about the coffee.

I want to arrive at the diner at a slower time of day; between two meal times. I will be less likely to run into the scumbags at a slow time of day. I go in and have a seat at the counter, to the far left of the entrance. This place is arranged like a television show restaurant. The cooking area is separated from the dining area by a wall with a big hole in it to sit or pass the plated food through. This side of the wall has a counter with the drink machines and cups and so forth. Then you have the bar/counter where customers can sit to eat or have a quick drink. Behind this is a long row of booths; and, at the far end of the bar is a small area with about six tables to accommodate larger parties than a booth can hold.

Susie, one of the waitress’s that works the day shift smiles at me and asks, “What can I get you today, Mr. Brandt?”

“Hello, Susie. I’ll have a Pepsi and a piece of pecan pie. And, would you mind asking Hank if he has a moment to speak with me?”

“Sure, Mr. Brandt.” Susie turns to get my soda and pie. She returns quickly and tells me that Hank will be out in a couple of minutes.

Susie is a nice lady but I always feel a bit uncomfortable when she waits on me. She looks at me too much. I always thought that women were better at hiding it when staring at people but this girl missed that class. Sometimes I feel like being childish and yelling, “Take a picture why don’t you!”

I’m saved by Hank; as soon as she sees him she walks the other way. Hank comes out drying his hands on a white towel and says, “Hey Derek. What’s up?”

“Well, I figure if anyone can help with what I need it might be you. There are some men in town that might be looking for me. They are driving a blue mustang with Arizona license tags. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about them, would you?”

Hank looks at me and says, “Funny you should ask. I’ve been wondering all morning if I should call and tell you about them. They have been in here a couple of times over the weekend. The first time they came in, on Friday, they sat at a booth and kept to themselves. They ate dinner and left. They came in again yesterday for lunch. They talked to Thelma, our new waitress. Thelma mentioned that they were passing through town to see an old friend. She probably wouldn’t have said anything about them but they apparently left her a tip that was equal to their bill. That’s a nice tip. Then, they came back in this morning. Susie waited on them this morning at the bar. I could hear everything. They asked about you; if she knows you and where you live. We have rules here about what we can and can’t talk about with the customers. Susie told them that she knows a Mr. Brandt but doesn’t know where you live. Things were going great until that idiot Mr. Curgin butted in.”

Just my luck that asshole would be here. I ask Hank, “Do you know what Curgin told them?”

“Yes. He was quick to tell all he knows. He told them where you live and how to get there. He also told them about your niece and where she goes to school. I’m sorry, Derek. I can control what my employees say but I can’t control the customers. I did enjoy the story he told about your little girl kicking his son in the nuts. Not that I enjoy kids getting hurt. Just thinking it might be good for him to learn some lessons now on how to treat girls and that there are consequences if he doesn’t get it right. Those men, they aren’t your friends, are they?” Hank is perceptive.

“No,” I reply. “They are not. They are trouble.”

“If there is anything I can do to help, just let me know. I’ll keep my eyes and ears on guard and let you know if anything else comes up.”

“Thanks, Hank. Great pie, by the way.”

“Momma makes our pies. She says it gives her pleasure to help out. I tell her it gives the rest of us big guts.” Hank says laughing as he heads back to the kitchen.

I finish my pie and Pepsi and head out. I want to stop at the police department and fill the sheriff in on what I know before it’s time to pick up Meredith. This may be my last chance to impress her for a week or two, depending on how long it takes to get rid of my problem.

As I get in my truck my phone vibrates with an incoming text message. It’s from my buddy Leo; my back-up plan. He texted: “I’m at your place. Want you to feel comfortable to have a good time with this angel you’ve met.” Leo’s been waiting on me to meet a nice girl for quite a while. He met his angel about four years ago and married her. I keep telling him that when I find a girl like his Olivia that I will invite him to our wedding. I’m feeling relieved that he is at the house. I am confident that nothing will happen today since those men just found out this morning where Nellie and I live, but, having Leo around, just in case, makes me feel at ease. Leo and I were at SEAL Training together when we were in our early twenties. We have been the best of friends since. We’ve had each other’s backs on many military missions. Now he has my back again.

I’m a little early so I’ll just sit in my truck for a few minutes. The sheriff was concerned about all that I told him. He said he would send extra patrols to cover the areas around my property. He is also going to beef up coverage at the school since we are confident that a threat is here.

Meredith lives in a cute little patio home not far from the school. It’s kind of like a tri-plex. Each home has its own small patio and fenced in yard. As I approach the door I realize that my hands are sweating. I’m nervous. I don’t remember the last time I was nervous over a girl. I’ve put in some serious effort to make this an unforgettable date. I shouldn’t be nervous. Well, here we go. I knock lightly.