“Yeah. A neighbor down the street got it for him.” Margot purses her lips. “He moved in about a month ago. Benji has already figured out how to read him like a book, so he told him the whole sob story about how I ran over his last one, and all of a sudden — new scooter!” She clucks her tongue. “I didn’t have the heart to send it back with John and be rude about it.”
“Hmmm… John, eh?” I scrutinize her face for clues. “How old a guy is he? Is he single?”
“Oh, maybe forty or so. And divorced.”
“Is he attractive?”
“Attractive enough…” Margot narrows her eyes at me. “What?”
“You know what they say,” I tease. “The best way to a mother’s heart is through her child.”
“Who says that?” she argues.
“They do. Also, me,” I grin.
Margot waves a hand at me. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“We’ll see,” I retort with a giggle. “Call me and apologize when he asks you out.”
“Whatever.” Margot shakes her head, but now she’s smiling, too. “Come on, let’s go watch Benji show off.”
By the time we get out to the driveway, Benji’s already opened the garage door and got his knee pads and helmet on. I go over and make admiring noises about his scooter, and he proudly tells me how fast he can go on it. “It’s a stunt scooter. John and me are gonna build a half-pipe. Watch, Auntie Em!”
Benji kicks off, zipping past Margot and me, then bends down, jumps, and does a bunny hop.
“Wow!” I shout. “That’s so cool!”
“Watch this!” Traveling down the driveway, he hops up again, and changes his stance from right foot forward to left foot forward. “That’s called a sex change!” he yells.
“Benji!” Margot cries in shock. I start to crack up, hand covering my mouth.
“What?” Benji hops off the scooter and turns to us, confused.
“Er… nothing!” Margot stammers. “Just… let’s think of a different name for that later!”
“Oh my God!” I giggle. “Classic!”
“Unbelievable.” Margot shakes her head. “I wonder where the hell he got that? YouTube videos, probably.”
I’m still chuckling to myself as Benji gets back on the scooter and kicks off again, flying down the driveway. He banks left, turning toward the sidewalk, then disappears from view.
A second later, Benji lets out a yell, followed by a thump I can’t identify.
“Ben!” Margot shouts in alarm.
Both of us break into a run toward the sound. We sprint down the driveway toward the front of the house, but when the sidewalk comes into view, what we see is the last thing I expect.
Benji’s scooter is on the ground. But Benji isn’t. Instead, he’s being set back onto his feet by the man he just accidentally ran into.
Striker.
15
Striker
The kid stares up at me with wide eyes. I can’t tell if he’s scared or not. He just rammed into me full force with that fuckin’ scooter, got me right in the goddamn shin, too. Hurts like a motherfucker, but at least I have the control not to unleash all the words I want to.
“I... I…” he stutters.
“Benji!” A woman’s cry makes me look up. A short chick with dark hair the same color as the kid’s is running toward us. Jogging next to her is Ember.
Glancing back down at the boy, I realize I’m holding him by the shoulders about a foot off the ground. I set him down.
“You okay, kid?” I rumble. Eyes still round as saucers, he nods without a word.
“Benji, what have you done?” The woman who must be his mom and Ember’s assistant, demands, sounding mortified.
“It’s okay,” I tell her, trying not to wince about my fucking leg. “I kinda came out of nowhere. He didn’t have time to see me.”
“Benjamin, you apologize right now,” she scolds.
“I’m sorry,” the kid squeaks, sounding like he might cry.
“It’s fine, kid. Really.” I reach over, tousle his hair. “Sh-… mistakes happen. Thanks for the apology, though.”
Next to the woman, Ember is looking unhappy. Her eyes meet mine for a second, then glance away at the woman, who’s staring at my cut.
“Um, Striker,” she begins, “this is Margot. And this little monster is Benji.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, offering my hand. Margot blinks, then takes it.
“Margot, this is Striker Rossi. He’s… my ride,” she mumbles.
“Your ride?”
I have to stop myself from sayin’ the dirty joke that springs to mind at her words.
“Yes. He drove me here. He, uh, came back to pick me up.” The lie doesn’t exactly trip off Ember’s tongue, but maybe it’s good enough.
Margot cocks her head. “Is your car in the shop?”
Ember grabs the question like a lifeline. “Yes!” she blurts, then pulls back a little. “I mean, it will be. You know how touchy my car is. It wouldn’t start this morning, so…” She glances at me hopefully.
“Yeah,” I confirm. “So Ember called me to drive her here. I’m one of the owners of an auto and motorcycle repair shop, Twisted Pipes.”
“Oh! Yes, I’ve heard of that place.” Margot says. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ember’s shoulders relax a little.
I figure maybe Ember would like it if I changed the subject. “So, Speed Demon,” I say to the kid. “Nice wheels you got there.”
Benji lights up like a Christmas tree. “Thanks! Wanna see me do a trick?”
“For sure. Whaddaya got for me?”
Benji pushes off down the sidewalk, and once he gets speed, he starts to hop up and down, switching stances from right foot forward to left foot forward, over and over. I whistle through my teeth and clap. “Nice job!”
“Thanks!” Benji calls back. “That’s called — “
“Benji! That’s enough!” his mom shouts.
I cock a brow at Ember, who’s stifling giggles.
“I’ll tell you later,” she chokes.
We watch the kid do a couple more tricks, and then Ember tells Margot we should probably get going. Benji comes back and we tell him goodbye.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Ember smiles at her. “Thanks so much for brunch — it was delicious!”
“Anytime. And I mean that,” Margot replies. She looks at me. “Nice meeting you.”
“You, too.” I lift my chin at her.
We head down the driveway together, Ember and I. For some reason, my arm involuntarily raises, as if to go to the small of her back. At the last minute, I catch myself.
“I gather from Margot’s surprise you didn’t tell her about me at brunch, huh?” I say instead.
Ember angles her face away. I notice her cheeks are turning rosy.
“No,” she says, lifting a shoulder. “I mean, it’s silly, right? I don’t really need protection, after all. And I don’t want her to worry, so… It would just make things weird.”