Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Aggie

I can’t get that guy out of my head. Of course, I have to wonder if Deborah knew what she was talking about, him checking out my ass and all that. It’s so damn big that he wouldn’t have to look hard to find it, that’s for sure.

I’m walking down the hallway before my planning period when I hear someone say, “Aggie?”

One glance tells me it’s the principal, MichaelPowell. “Yessir.”

“Have you been out there to that place where the Fowler guy lives?”

“No, but I hear it’s nice.”

“But it’s all convicts? Except for their leader?”

“That’s what Darius said, but I don’t know. I mean, I think some of the guys have wives and maybe kids, so it’s not just grown men.”

“Oh. Got it,” Michael says. “So it would be okay as a field trip for our vo-tech students?”

That’s kind of a surprising question. “I’m sure. I mean, none of them were sex offenders. He said the founder wouldn’t allow that because of the women and children there, so I would think it would be perfectly safe.”

“Okay. Sounds good. DonCasper, the principal over there, knew Mr.Fowler had been over here and started asking me about it, but I knew you were the one who originally contacted them and got him out here. Oh, and if they do go, they’re going to need more staff to go with them. Would you be interested in going out there?”

It’s a little shocking that he would ask a middle school teacher to go with a group of vo-tech students. But this could be my chance to go out there, look around, find out what they’re doing, and see Darius again. “Uh, yeah. If you can work it out, I think I’d enjoy that.”

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I’ll let you know.”

“Sure. Thanks.” As he walks away, my mind is racing.

I need to get Deborah to help me pick out a new outfit, something cute but not racy. Business casual cute. And some new jewelry. And new shoes. And maybe I should do something new with my hair. I want to look nice. Then it hits me. “Michael?”

He spins to face me. “Yeah?”

I hustle toward him as fast as I can, then stop right in front of him. “Um, need to ask you something. If I were… If he was to…”

Michael laughs, his grin huge. “If he were to ask you out, that would be fine. He may be a felon, but he served his time and he wasn’t a sex offender or up on narcotics charges. Violent offender, yes, but not a sex offender. There’s a huge difference there as far as the school board goes. So yes. You could go, and if anybody were to give you grief, I’d take care of it.”

“Thank you. I mean, he probably won’t, but just in case―”

“He was checking you out when he was here, Aggie. I think he’s thinking what you’re thinking. Go have some fun. You’ve earned it.” With that, he spins again and strolls off down the hallway.

I got the green light from the principal, and he’ll go to bat for me with anybody else who might try to cause a problem. Now to get some shopping done and a trip to the salon. I gotta look good.

I ain’t had none in over three years, and it’s high damn time I did. And I know just the guy I want it from.

Priest

This is one of my favorite dinners that Audrey makes. I love cabbage casserole. It’s so good, with the cabbage and sauce and meat and rice. I could eat a whole pan by myself.

I’m still eating as everybody else is leaving, and then the door opens. A bedraggled-looking Tinsley drags herself in and sits down at the other end of the table. She looks so pitiful that I can almost feel her pain. “Hey, honey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m so tired I can’t think. I almost fell asleep drivin’ home.” I can tell she’s not kidding.

“Where were you?”

“Workin’.”

“You don’t work on Mondays.”

“I do if I’m tryin’ to get everbody in.” As I watch, she looks at the stove forlornly, then drops her head to the table.

I don’t know where Bulldog is, but I just get up, get a plate, fill it, and set it in front of her with a fork. It takes a few seconds but she finally looks up, and when she does, she smiles. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Anything to help. Need a drink?”

“Yeah. Water would be fine. Thank you.” I grab a glass, put some ice in it, run it full of filtered water, and set it down in front of her. It’s gone in a few seconds, so I take it to refill it. “Whooo-boy, I was thirsty.”

“I see that! You just eat and rest.” This is my chance to ask. “Hey, by the way, do you know AggieHenry?”

“Augustina Henry? Sure. I’ve known her most-a my life. Ain’t that many black folk livin’ ’round here, but you already know that.”

“So what do you know about her?”

“That’s she’s got pretty damn good hair. Shit. I’ve gotta quit cussin’. This baby’ll come out yellin’ ‘fuck y’all’ and I’ll have to explain that.” She takes a bite, chews, and swallows before she starts again. “Nice lady. Teacher. Been a teacher all her life.”

“Been married?”

“Yeah. Married a guy who moved here from Atlanta, but I heard she found out he was already married and had him arrested for bigamy. Had a couple-a boyfriends, but that’s ’bout it. One of ’em beat her. I heard she rounded on him with a baseball bat and laid his ass, er, butt out.” Another bite disappears into her mouth, and when she’s chewed and swallowed, she stares up at me, her eyes like daggers. “Why you askin’ all these questions ’bout Aggie?”

“I met her at the school the other day when I went over there to speak and I just wondered about her. Seems nice.”

“She is. Salt o’ the earth. Give ya anything she could if ya needed it. Her granny was like that too. Aggie and her folks lived with Ms.Honey after her grandpa died.”

“Honey?”

“Yeah. Her name was HoneyWilliams. Her mama’s mama. Was the best beekeeper in the land. They lived out there past the old packin’ house near that abandoned roadhouse. Ms.Honey’s great-granddaddy ran moonshine outta the hills back durin’ Prohibition. Been in these parts a long, long time.”

“Sounds like it. Think she’d be interested in going out with me?”

“Lawd, honey, I dunno. I mean, she comes to the shop, but she don’t never talk about men. She’s always talkin’ ’bout them kids in her classes. She loves them kids. I mean, she really does. You can tell from listenin’ to her that she adores them children. They’re everthin’ to her. She’s a real sweet person. Worst she can say is no, but if you could get her to, you’d have a good time. She’s funny and interestin’.”

“Do you know why she has the limp?”

“She was in a bus accident a long time back. I think in high school. Some kinda trip they was takin’, and the bus run off the road and rolled down a hill. One of the kids died. A bunch were hurt. She was one of ’em. Had to have a surgery and was on crutches forever. They didn’t know for sure if she’d ever be able to walk on it again, but I reckon she does okay.”

“Looked like she was doing okay to me.”

“Yeah, but I know from experience that sometimes we make things look easier than they really are. I could see her likin’ a man who’d rub her feet at the end of the day, let her put ’em up and relax.”

“Uh-huh.” I could see me doing that.

“So ask her out. Worst thing she can say is no.” Now she’s really digging into the plate, and I’m glad. The door opens and she doesn’t even look before she says, “Please, tell me it’s you.”

Bulldog grins from ear to ear. “Yep. It’s me, baby. Wondered where you were.”

“Starvin’. And too tired to even get my own food. If it wudn’t for Priest here, I prolly woulda starved to death.”

“I wasn’t going to let you starve. I would’ve fed you myself before I’d let that happen,” I say, laughing.

Bulldog grins at me. “And I’d appreciate it! Finish up, babe, and let’s get you into bed.”

She looks up at him like he’s got two heads. “Bed? You thinkin’ ’bout bed?”

He’s laughing and shaking his head. “No, babe, just for sleeping! You’re worn out. You need to get some rest. And I got you a surprise today.”

“What is it? Is it fuzzy slippers? I need ’em. My dogs is barkin’,” she says and makes a face.

“No. I got a TV for the bedroom.”

“Oh my god! A TV for the bedroom! I can lay in bed and watch TV! That’s perfect. You really know how to love a girl, baby. I can lay there in that big bed with my little bitty baby and watch TV.”

“We’re gonna have to start calling him by his name, Tins.”

“He don’t got a name. We can’t agree on one. Priest, whaddya think his name oughter be?”

“Don’t put me on the hot seat,” I answer at lightning speed.

“I think his name oughter be Kevin Junior,” she announces.

Bulldog shakes his head. “No. Nuh-uh. Nope.”

“Name him Deep. No―Knee Deep,” I offer and wait.

“Knee Deep Wa… Shut the fuck up,” Bulldog snaps at me, frowning.

I shrug. “Well, you asked! Don’t want my opinion, don’t ask for it.”

Tinsley is laughing so hard that she’s snorting. “Knee Deep Wade! I like it!”

“You’re delirious with fatigue. You need to get to bed. And you,” he says, pointing at me, “have a hideous sense of humor.”

“Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not funny,” I reply.

“Yeah, yeah. Tinsley, come on. We need to get you to bed. Grab a couple of rolls to eat later.” He reaches for her hand, and she lets him help her stand.

“Yeah. Them’s some good rolls. Don’t wanna waste those,” she announces as she tucks two into her purse, looking more like SophiaPetrillo than TinsleyHancock.

“See ya later, brother,” Bulldog calls out as they step out the door.

“Later, guys.” It’s quiet. I’m the only one left, and it gives me time to think.

The next time I see AggieHenry, I’m going to ask her out.

“Before we get started this morning, I need to talk to everybody. Tomorrow we’re going to have visitors.” The minute the words are out of his mouth on Tuesday at breakfast, Patch has everybody’s undivided attention. “The KnottCounty vocational school principal asked if they could bring a group out to look around, watch us work, and have us talk to them. Of course, I said yes, so I want everybody to make sure they have a project tomorrow that will make a good presentation.”

“How many of them are coming?” Ghost asks.

“I have no idea. Can’t be too many. I told him I thought we could only accommodate maybe twenty-five at the most, so no more than that.”

“That’ll be a tight squeeze,” Paddy points out.

“Yeah. Which is why I think I’m going to ask them to break them down in halves. Half can go out to Bear’s shop while the other half stay in the main shop. Then they can swap. He did say they’d have plenty of staff with them, so I think it’ll be fine. They’re staying to have lunch, so you’ll have plenty of time to interact with them.”

Is it wrong that I was wishing it would be the middle school students? Guess that was too much to hope for.

The rest of the day is wholly uneventful, and I keep a knife out to work on the next day. It’s going to need a very skillfully-woven handle, and I hope that will catch the students’ attention and hold it.

By bedtime, I’m trying to figure out how to see Aggie to ask her out. I’m not sure why I’m even making the effort. She’s going to shoot me down, I’m sure. Why would she go out with a former inmate? She’s a fine, upstanding woman in the community. She’s not going to be interested in going anywhere with me. Would her school fire her if they found out she was seeing an ex-con? I’m afraid they might. I’d never forgive myself for that.

I guess the only thing I can do is ask. If she says no, she says no. But if she says yes… Wouldn’t that be amazing?

The next morning is a little overcast, but we’re all up and ready to go. It’s about nine o’clock before we hear voices outside and Patch goes to the door, then steps out. I’m pretty sure he’ll offer them a bathroom break in the lodge, then bring them over to the shops. Our little bathroom in the shop is not ideal for that many people.

Sure enough, in about fifteen minutes, the big door opens and students start filing in, so I do my own little internal survey of them. A couple of them are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed go-getters. Most of them look like they’re half asleep. Then there are three over at the side who don’t really seem interested. At least one of them looks like he hasn’t showered or changed clothes in a month, and the other two look like they’d rather be anywhere but here. But for the most part, they look like a pretty good group.

I’m working on weaving the handle of the knife Hollywood forged the day before. “How’d you learn to do that?” one of the guys asks.

“The truth? I bought about six of these and started taking the leather wrappings off. I paid attention to how they were put on, then tried to put it back myself. And in the process, I figured it out. I’d already been working with leather, so this just kind of came naturally to me.”

“So nobody taught you?” a young woman asks.

“Nope. After I’d done that a few times, I watched some videos online of people doing that.”

“Do you watch Hollywood Forging ?” one of the other guys asks.

“I do. We all do. I’ve gotten some ideas from them. Paddy over there makes scabbards,” I say, tipping my head toward him since my hands are busy, “and he’s learned a bit from it too, but most of his was from other leatherworkers. We have a few around here, but I’m picking up a lot of work repairing tack too.”

“Tack?” another young woman asks.

“Yeah. Saddles, bridles, halters, things like that. Horse stuff.”

“Oh. You fix them?”

“Yes. Paddy helps me with that too, but I’m seriously thinking of learning to make saddles. The things I’d need might be hard to get, but I could probably find it, and Paddy could do a great job with the embellishments.”

Paddy’s head whips for him to face me. “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome. You do excellent work.” That gets a big smile out of him.

“How many of these do you do in a week?” the first kid asks.

“As many as the guys give me. This part is our priority, mine and his,” I say, motioning toward Paddy again. “Our other work, the tack and such, is secondary income, so it has to wait while we do this.”

They mill around, but honestly, the guys working at the forge are the big draw. Ghost and Hollywood are both working on longswords. Patch has a couple of Bowie knives he’s working on. And Reboot’s got a set of five dirks he’s working on, four just alike and one a bit different. They’re for the groom and groomsmen in a Scottish wedding over in Corbin, so he’s doing quite a bit of tedious work, and they’re enjoying watching him. Honestly, I think a couple of the female students are enjoying it a little too much, but of course, Reboot would never notice that. He loves Penny, Audrey, Izzy, Natalie, and Tinsley, but typically he doesn’t notice a woman in the room unless she’s Mavis.

They stay for about an hour, and then I see the staff members leading them out of the building. There were about twelve of them, so I’m guessing the next group will be about the same size. Sure enough, in a few minutes, the door opens and in wander another twelve kids, followed by a couple of men and…

Aggie! How in the world did she pull this off? Who cares? She’s here! From my spot up in the loft, I can see them all wander in, and I watch Patch point out the stairs to them and encourage half of them to come on up. That’s when she looks up, and when she does…

She smiles.

Something inside me torques, and I recognize it. It’s pure fear. I finally let myself admit that I really like her, and I’m terrified that she doesn’t feel the same way. Will she come upstairs? As I steal glances, I notice her walking around with the kids downstairs, and I’m struck by how she’s engaging with them. The other staff members with the first group just kind of stood back and watched, but not Aggie. She’s talking to them, pointing things out, asking questions of our bladesmiths, and generally making the trip worthwhile. The kids upstairs with us are asking a few questions, basically the same things the others asked, so there are no surprises.

In a while, they start down the stairs, and in seconds, the group that’s been downstairs starts to drift up. At first, I think Aggie isn’t coming, and I start to wonder if the stairs are too much for her after what Tinsley told me. But pretty soon, I see her bringing up the rear.

As they all start to watch and mill around, they ask the same questions as before, but Aggie jumps in. “So how long does it take you to do one of those handles?”

“About five hours. I work very slowly because I want them to be perfect when I finish.”

“And how do you make those strips? That looks hard.”

I point to Paddy. “He has a tool, and he cuts them for me. He’s already tanned the leather, and―”

“Tanned the leather?” a girl asks.

“Yeah. So…” I go into the whole explanation about tanning the leather, and I finish by saying, “The tanning gives it that rich suppleness, but after a while, the leather takes on a patina from the oils on the hands of the owner and it becomes all theirs. It’s a very personal thing, the leather on the handle of a blade.”

“This is beautiful work,” Aggie says as she fingers a strip of leather.

“Thanks. We try to buy good quality. The better the quality we can buy, the better the finished product we can offer.”

“Would you guys like to see the tanning process?” Paddy asks, and I watch the whole group turn toward him.

Except for Aggie. When she steps up beside me, I feel hopeful. “You enjoy doing this?”

I chuckle. “The work, or the students?”

“Both.”

“I enjoy the work, and I enjoy talking to the students too.”

“That’s good. Both, I mean.”

“Yeah. If I hated the work, I’d be in trouble, because it’s never-ending. But I’d rather work than sit around and do nothing. It makes the days so long.”

“That’s so true.”

“So… How did you pull this detail?”

There’s an odd look on her face, like she doesn’t understand, until her eyebrows pop up and she answers, “Oh! You mean coming out here? My principal approached me and said the principal at the vo-tech school needed some people to come out here with them, so he asked if I’d be interested.”

“And apparently you said yes,” I say with a little laugh.

“I did! I knew I’d get to see you again, so that kind of helped make my decision easier,” she answers with the appropriate amount of snark.

Play dumb, I hear my brain whisper. “Oh, is that right? And why on earth would you want to see me?”

“I dunno. I thought maybe you had something you’d like to ask me.”

Now I’m grinning so widely that my cheeks hurt. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with food, would it?”

“It might. And if it doesn’t, I’ll ask for myself.”

“Ask what?” I can’t help playing with her like this. It’s making her smile, and I love that.

“Ask if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

The leather strips sway gently as I take my hands from them and turn to face her. “I’d love to have dinner with you.”

“Well, I work until four thirty every weekday, and then I’m off on the weekends. That’s pretty much my whole schedule.”

“No family stuff?”

“Sometimes I go to my mom’s house, but that’s about it. And I don’t always do that. I mean, if I have other plans, I wouldn’t go, which means it depends on what my plans are.”

“So would Friday night be okay?”

Her eyes close for a few seconds, then pop open again. “Friday night would be perfect.”

The box of business cards is right under the top of the workbench on a shelf, and I pull it toward me, take one out, and hand it to her. “Here’s my card. Text me and give me your address, and I’ll pick you up at… six thirty? Would that be good?”

“That would be perfect. Thanks.”

An awkward pause stretches between us, and I feel the need to fill it. Unfortunately, there’s something I need to fill it with. “Um, what will the school board, the principal, all those people think about you going out with―”

“I asked my principal, and he was quick to tell me that whatever I decided to do, he would one hundred and fifty percent back me.”

That’s a bit of a shock. “You already asked your principal?”

“Yes.”

“So you’d already decided―”

“Yes,” she says with a grin. “I’d already decided.”

“Well, okay then. Guess I’ll see you Friday night, but I bet you’ll hear from me before then. Of course, that’s only if you want to.”

She’s grinning so hard that her eyes are squeezed shut. “I definitely want to.”

“Then I’ll give you a call or a text.”

“Thank you, Darius.”

That strikes me as odd. “For what?”

“For agreeing to go to dinner with me.”

Something about that comment makes me sad. “Agreeing? I’m just happy you’d even want to go out with me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Most women wouldn’t want to go out with me.”

“I’m not most women.” Her smile is sad. “You’re a good guy. A gentleman. I’m looking forward to Friday night.”

“Me too. I’ll talk to you between now and then.” Everything about her makes me want to take her somewhere special and treat her right. I get the feeling she hasn’t always been treated the best.

That won’t happen as long as she’s with me.

Aggie

He said yes. I can’t believe it. I don’t know why he’d say yes, but I’m happy that he did.

Now I’m worried. Somehow I have to look somewhat presentable before Friday night. I don’t know how to make that happen.

We’re all in the dining hall here―they call it the kitchen―having a nice lunch. I’ve known Audrey since she was a little girl, and she’s made probably the best lunch I’ve had in a while. We have chicken salad or tuna salad on what tastes and feels like homemade bread with a slice of cheese. There’s a huge pot of French onion soup, and nice little cups of cut-up fruit. We have a whole list of things to choose from for drinks, and I opt for the sweet tea. But the thing that strikes me the most is how happy Audrey seems. She’s beaming, flitting from table to table to see if anyone needs anything, and all of the men who work here are helping out, getting things we need or refilling our glasses.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a voice asks, “This seat taken?” and I turn to find Darius standing there, a plate in one hand and a glass in the other.

“Nope. Please. Have a seat. Unless you’re doing this in place of dinner Friday night,” I quip.

“No way. A pretty lady has decided she’ll have dinner with me. No way am I backing out of that.”

“Good to know!” I feel foolish with the way I’m grinning, but I can’t help it. He’s so handsome, and I’m so… unlikely to attract handsome men. Guess that’s one way to put it.

Spoon in hand, he dips into the soup, takes a mouthful, and smiles. As soon as he’s swallowed, he says, “Oh, lawd, our Audrey is a good cook.” I don’t get a chance to say anything before he asks, “So what do you think?”

“I think she’s a great cook.”

“No. Well, yeah. But I meant about this place. The farm.”

“Oh! It’s really nice. You guys are all so talented, and I’m really impressed. And I’m glad the principal asked me to come out here today. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

“Good. You’re welcome out here anytime, you know.”

“But I’m a little confused. You guys live over in the big building? What did your boss say it was? The lodge?”

“It’s got a lot of guest rooms, but we don’t live in there. We have our own cottages.”

“Oh! Those little houses out there?” That’s a surprise to me. I figured they lived in a dorm-type situation.

“Yeah. There are eight of them finished, and they’re all in use now. Hollywood and Audrey live in the apartment back there,” he says and points to a door near the entrance, “so Patch’s daughter took what was Hollywood’s cottage.”

“What’s going on with the construction?”

“There are four more of them, and Patch and the Walters guys―they’re the construction guys―decided they should be renovated and doubled in size. Seems like we’ve got a lot of team members having kids or finding kids or getting visitation with kids, and they need bigger places.”

“That makes sense. So you got kids?”

He shakes his head. “No, ma’am. I went to prison when I was seventeen. No chance for that for me.”

“You were just a kid!”

“Yeah, a kid who should’ve known better but ran the streets all his life. I didn’t know anything other than violence. That was my life.”

“When you don’t know anything else, that seems normal.”

“Yeah. It did seem normal. Until it wasn’t.” There’s a lot of commotion, and he glances around. “Guess it’s time to get back to work. Thanks for coming out and I’ll see you Friday evening.”

“Unless you change your mind,” I toss out as he gets up from the table.

The look he gives me is seriously hot. “I won’t.”

“Then I’ll see you Friday.”

“Yes, you will.” I watch as he cleans up his lunch stuff, and when he reaches the door to leave, he turns and gives me a little wave.

We’re all finishing up when the door opens and TinsleyHancock walks in. I use the term “walks” loosely; it’s more like she drags in and throws herself into a chair. One of the men, I think they call him Bulldog, makes a beeline to her, gives her a kiss, and sets about making a plate for her, only to be shooed away by Audrey, who takes over and points toward the door. So that little bun she has in her oven must be his. He waves to her as he steps outside, and she’s grinning all over.

Patch offers to take anybody who wants to go out to see the helicopter. I take that opportunity to wander over to Tinsley. “Hey, girl.”

“Oh! Hey, Aggie! What are you doin’ out here?”

“I came as a chaperone for the vocational students.”

“Oh. That’s nice. Have a seat. Whatcha been up to?”

“Just wonderin’ if you’d have some time for me between now and Friday.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll make time for you. Somethin’ big happenin’ on Friday?”

“Yeah. I’ve… I’ve got a date.”

“Oh yeah? Let me guess. Priest.”

“With Dar… Yeah. Priest. I forgot. I call him Darius.”

Tinsley laughs loudly. “Yeah, well, that is his name! Don’t none-a us call him that, but yeah. Darius. So you got a date! That’s awesome. He’s a sweet guy.”

“Seems kind too.”

“Oh, yeah. He really is.”

“Can I ask… How many women has he dated since he’s been out here?”

Tinsley shrugs. “I dunno. I mean, far as I know, none.”

“Seriously?”

“Who’s he gonna date ’round here? I mean, I’m not sure how he’d feel about a white woman, but there ain’t many of us who’s available and decent, and even fewer black women. You’re about it, I reckon. So I figure that’s why he ain’t been out with nobody.”

“So he’s going out with me because I’m the only black woman he’s found?”

She gives me this look that could wilt stainless steel. “I did not say that. Did I say that? I did not say that at all, Aggie. I think he likes you. Priest don’t waste time with folks he don’t like. He’s pretty straightforward. If he asked you to spend time with him, it’s ’cause he thinks you’re worth his time. He ain’t one to pussyfoot around. So let’s get you a new do, you find something sweet and sexy to wear, and you’ll have a good time. And the one thing I can guarantee you is that he’s gonna be kind to you, be a gentleman, make you happy that you went out with him. You might even get lucky!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. He probably just wants to make a friend.”

“I saw the two-a ya over here talkin’ when I come in. That weren’t no friend look he was givin’ ya.”

“You don’t think so?”

“Nope. He weren’t thinkin’, ‘Hey, I’ll take her out Friday night and make a new friend.’” She lets out a little giggle. “Nope. That was not what he was thinkin’.”

“You think I got a chance with this guy?”

Tinsley laughs. “I think if you want him, he’s all yours!”

Until somebody else charms him away from me , I hear my mind whisper. I hope he’s not that kind of guy.

If he is, he’ll be my last.