Scarlett, now beginning to shake violently, told me how not ready she was for sex.
Sal saw it, too. Worry all over his face, he ran around the bar island and rushed to us. “No, Scarlett. I wouldn’t tie him up like—” He stopped running and stood there, blinking in dismay. “Scarlett, he’s right. Too soon.”
Soft cheeks, still in my palms that only wanted to love this woman, were wet with tears. “Shh,” I told her as Sal joined us. I kept my voice gentle yet firm. I would carry her heart until she was ready to carry it herself. “Shh, it’s okay. I swear it.” That adorable bottom lip trembled again. “You told me you trusted me. Was that not true?”
Her mouth parted. “True.”
“Thank you for that.” I continued, “Star, Sal and I once had a very special friend. Her name was Noemi.”
Sal’s stare darted to mine. I waited for permission to speak of the only other girl we had ever loved. Sal’s face relaxed with resolve, then he nodded.
Staring at Scarlett again, I explained, “She taught us many things, but the one I treasure the most is learning that a woman’s body is connected to her heart.” I tapped her chest in the rhythm I taught her. “There is a gap between your body and heart still. When they connect, you and I will,” I swallowed, practically drooling for the day, “help that connection grow.”
Taking a bullet for Scarlett was going to be a small price to pay.
Trusting eyes may have stared up at me, but they were reading down deep into my soul… then she finally nodded. “That is a fair trade.”
She looked at Sal, and he grabbed his chest in awe. “I agree, my brave woman.”
Surprising us both, Scarlett grinned, then tapped her lips while looking at me. “May I have a taste to help me be patient?”
Howling laughter, Sal stumbled backward. “Damn, she’s quick!”
Holding her stunning face, I smiled. This smile was proud. Scarlett was so courageous and willing to learn, and she was patient when needed. “That, too, is a fair trade.”
Gently, and only gently, I pressed my lips to hers.
Sitting at the bar, I beamed. Sal cringed. Scarlett was making us omelets, which may or may not have had a concerning number of eggshells in the mixing bowl. When Scarlett reached for the little salt bowl, Sal warned, “Just a pinch—”
Concentrating, she nodded, “Or get the Grinch.”
Accusingly, I looked to Sal at my right.
“What?” He defended himself, “I get crabby. Not all fear tactics are bad, Angelo.” His eyes darted toward the front door. “Mae is here.” He got up from his stool and headed to the entrance. “What is my name, Scarlett?”
She sprinkled pepper in the mixing bowl. “Richard Jackmeoff.”
“Good girl.”
Scarlett had already called me Angel in front of Mae. Since I was preoccupied flashing the poor woman, Sal was sure to explain that was a nickname, since it didn’t match the fake identity I had used—the one Sal created.
He opened the door. “Good morning, Mae. Look, no guns!”
She came up the steps with grocery bags in hand. “Just what an old woman likes to hear!” She handed him some of her bags. “Is Mr. Softanuts around?”
I rolled my eyes at Sal’s terrible choices of last names.
He chuckled. “He is, Mae. But not naked, I’m afraid.”
“Damnit,” she grumbled as she headed back to her car to retrieve more bags from the trunk. “That was a rare highlight I rather enjoyed.”
Focused on mixing her raw eggs, Scarlett casually mentioned, “You are quite handsome when naked.”
With many showers ending with screams, I guess she’d had several opportunities to get a gander. “Thank you, Scarlett.”
“Hey!” complained Sal as he set bags on the large counter. “What about me?”
Scarlett poured eggs into a hot pan. “I have never seen you nude.”
I smiled. She was adding words to her vocabulary every day. She had just used ‘quite’ and ‘nude’.
“Oh,” celebrated Mae, “another treat coming?” She also set bags on the counter.
“Mae!” Scarlett sounded so happy. “I’m making omelets! Would you like one?”
Mae put groceries in the refrigerator. “No, sweet girl. I need to get back home during the bike convention.”
My gut tightened. “Bike convention?”
Mae kept casually dealing with groceries, but her eyes said much. They held my stare as she said, “More like unwanted visitors that pass through once in a while.” Then she looked at Sal. She was trying to tell us something, which was shocking because she never had before. “Haven’t seen them in a bit.”
Sal turned his attention to a grocery bag and unloaded, but asked, “They don’t, uh, pass through often?”
She, too, emptied another bag but wasn’t paying attention to anything in her hands. She stared at me. “No, they don’t. The Hell Furies are not exactly welcomed in these parts.”
I asked, “Think they plan on staying long?”
“No, but they sure are nosey.” From a bag that didn’t look like the rest, she pulled out a car cover and set it in front of me.
My heart thundered as Scarlett asked, “What’s that, Angel?” With a spatula, she flipped an omelet that fell half out of the pan.
Sal went to help her, but I know he was feeling the need to be close to her.
Staring at the cover, I explained, “This, uh—It, uh—”
“Keeps all the leaves off pretty cars,” explained Mae. “Winter is coming, so the leaves are dropping.”
Scarlett gasped in a manner that told me she was about to ask a question that would seem odd, so I quickly interrupted her, “Yes. Thank you very much, Mae.”
“No problem.” She grabbed her car keys. “I’ll text when the town isn’t so busy with visitors.” She walked toward the door.
Gasp! “Town? Sal—”
“Salami?” quickly covered Sal. “No, that would taste terrible in an omelet.”
Slipping the car cover under my arm, I rushed to follow Mae. Outside, I pulled out my wallet, but Mae held up a hand to stop me. “No. No tip needed.” I closed the door after she gestured for me to. Quietly, she said, “Not even the owner knows three people are here. You guys never come into town, so no locals know you’re here. Nor did they see two ‘Italian men and a pretty girl in a blue fancy car pass through town.’ Understand?”
They’re trying to track us. I nodded, thankful this woman was trying to help.
She grabbed the cover from under my arm and opened the package, her eyes focused on me. “This cover is only a precaution in case someone drives by.”
Not one car had since we’d been there.
She went to the car. “The Furies won’t. These bikers aren’t fond of miles and miles of dirt roads up a mountainside if not needed to be traveled. Understand?”
I nodded while helping her cover the car.
“You have money for another car?”
“Yes.” And I had plenty to run with Scarlett and hide elsewhere if needed.
“If you want one, let me know.”