“When can the psychologist see him?”
“Two weeks,” Jamie sighed. “That’s the earliest appointment we could get him anywhere.”
“Let me make a phone call,” I told Jamie. I looked at Eli, “Kari’s got that doctor at her apartments. Have you ever met her?”
“No,” Eli told me. “Do you think she would see him?”
“It’s worth a try at least,” I told the two of them. “Let me give Kari a call now and see if she’ll talk to her for us. Hell, I don’t even know if she sees kids or if she just works with Kari’s women.”
“Kari’s women?” Jamie asked, confused.
“Kari runs a sort of shelter. It’s an apartment complex where she helps women hide if they need to get away from an abusive relationship. Some of the women aren’t hiding so much as they’re trying to get a fresh start and find a way to raise their family alone. She has a doctor that lives on site and she helps whoever needs it. I bet if she can’t see Adam, she’d be able to talk to someone and get you a quicker appointment at least.”
“I’m sorry about dinner,” Jamie tried to smile.
“Nah, let’s get this settled and I’ll eat all of my diabetic meal like a good patient,” I joked, trying to get her to laugh. She didn’t laugh, but she did at least smile. “What do you say I go out back and make that phone call while the two of you get Adam settled to go with Eli. Might make it better if he doesn’t see my hairy face again tonight.”
“Thank you, Daughtry.”
“Anything for you, Firecracker.”
◆◆◆
“When were you going to tell me about your awards?”
I felt Jamie shrug. I couldn’t see her because we were snuggled up in my room and it was almost two a.m. I was still a little weak, so we hadn’t had sex, but honestly this nearness was enought to satisfy me for now. I had left Jamie’s house and come to my own after I made the call to Kari and Eli left with Adam.
I’d felt like I should let Jamie and Neva help the younger two boys get settled in for the night alone since I had somehow been the one to upset their brother in the first place.
“It’s an important part of you. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I wanted to show you what I could do. I knew from talking to Jenna you didn’t want me here, so I decided to prove you wrong in real time rather than showing you what I’d done before.”
“If you do this photo shoot, they’re going to put it in the television show.”
“I know,” Jamie sat up and leaned across me to turn on the lamp. She stayed draped across me as she spoke, “I want them to. I want it on television and in the magazines now. I want them to know it’s me and that I’m a top notch mechanic who has prizes and awards under her belt and is ready to earn some more.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Because you thought I couldn’t do it, but you saw my work and realized you were wrong. You changed the way you felt about a woman belonging in a garage because I showed you what I could do. I want some other women, girls or whoever else, to look at me on that show of yours or in a magazine and say, ‘Hell yeah, look at her. I can do that, too!’”
“I like that,” I told her honestly. “And I really can’t wait to see all your babies tomorrow.”
“Let me just tell you now, you should wear some loose jeans and be prepared to walk around with your shirt untucked because you’re gonna get a chubbie when you see them all out in a row. I mean, one you might be able to handle, but I’ve done at least one vehicle a year since I was 11 and motorcycles here and there in between.”
“There are 13 custom cars at your dad’s place?”
“Yeah, but my Camaro makes 14. It’s my daily driver. The other ones I take out regularly just to give them some exercise, but my Camaro is my every day for now. I’ll change it up sometimes and bring another one home for a week or so, but I always go back to her.”
“Wait a minute,” I shook my head. “You’ve got 14 - like 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 vehicles?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “And nine bikes.”
“You need a warehouse so you can just walk around and stare at them, drive them around sometimes, let them breathe.”
“Yeah,” Jamie nodded. “I’ve been looking at some land out by where your brother and parents live. I put an offer on it a few days ago and Reagan said he thinks they’re going to take it.”
“Where is it exactly?”
“Across the street from your parents and your brother, but a little farther down the road. Just past that big warehouse out there.”
“That big warehouse is our clubhouse, babe.”
“Oh,” Jamie nodded. “That makes me feel better. At least I know they’ll be safe out there. It’s not a big plot, really, just enough for me to put a big metal building up and with some parking and a driveway up front.”
“You’re buying it from Stencil, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“My dad’s been trying to buy that land for 30 years, but he won’t sell to ‘that filthy biker’.”
“What an asshole,” Jamie snorted. “If that’s the case, I’ll give it to your dad at what I’m paying for it and find somewhere else for my building.”
“You’d do that?”
“I would,” Jamie smiled. “Your dad seems pretty nice. He’s a teddy bear like you.”
I laughed out loud at that one. My father was more of a grizzly than I was and that was on a good day.
“What?” Jamie laughed. “I’m not dumb, Daughtry. I know he’s probably not really a teddy bear, but that’s the vibe I got from him when he talked to me.”
“He likes you,” I told her. “He already told me so. Three times as a matter of fact.”
“He just wants to drive my cars,” Jamie laughed again. “I know the real deal.”
“No, baby,” I told her. “Cars can come and go, but when he likes someone, it’s for who they are - not what they have.”
“Okay,” Jamie smiled. “Well, I like him, too. And your mom. She seems nice.”
I laughed again and Jamie looked at me like I was nuts.
“Mama is just Mama. There’s no describing her. You’ll see over time. In a few years, you’ll look back on this conversation and smile at me and tell me I’m right.”
“A few years, huh?” Jamie asked as she propped her chin on top of the hand that was resting on my chest. “You think you’ll keep me around that long?”
“Don’t plan on ever letting you go, Firecracker,” I said as I leaned up to kiss her softly on the lips. “You’re stuck with me.”
13.
JAMIE
“Holy shit,” I heard Clem whisper from a few feet away. “Is that a ‘53 Bel Air?”
“Fuck me, it is,” Bird said from beside his brother. “Dibs!”