CHAPTER ELEVEN

-:- MACKENZIE -:-

Being given the rest of the week off, following the Dr. Edwards incident, is all well and good, but what am I supposed to do? I’m not the sort to dwell on past events, but not having something to occupy my mind, such as my job, is leaving me in a state of limbo.

The Jeep has gone in for a paint job. That should be ready for me to pick up today. I love my Jeep, and I’m going to get a full service done on her. I’m hoping I have no potential problems looming with her in the near future. I might call the garage that was on the card that the guy gave me when my Golf had broken down.

That old lady he had with him, his mother maybe. Now she packed quite a punch. I have to smile at the memory, but I cringe when I think of my initial reaction to him offering to help. He must think I’m a horrendous bitch.

Well, what the hell. I’ll book the Jeep in and see what their service is like. It can’t hurt to try them. Reaching for my phone, it rings with an incoming call. Recognizing the ringtone, I answer it quickly.

“Hi, Flynn. How’s things in the Sunshine State?”

“Hello, sis. Oh my God, it’s fantastic down here and the kids love it. They’ve settled straight into their schools, they have new friends and we hardly see them, as they’re out all the time. They used to be on their phones or tablets huddled in their rooms, now they’re out and about with these new friends. It seems to have done them the world of good. Kayla took a new job in her first week here as a stock assistant at a local store, and within that week they promoted her to assistant manager. She’s loving the move now with all these significant changes taking place. At weekends we have to ourselves and if we’re not working, we take the kids to the beach and enjoy all sorts of watersports and stuff. The weather is just fantastic and the beaches are awesome. It’s the best move I could’ve made.”

“Wow! Sounds like you’re all doing great, then.”

“The job has turned out to be a good move, too. They’re already talking about making changes that I have suggested and improving the business model. It’s so satisfying when your ideas are taken seriously. Before, they were giving lip service but never followed through with any suggestions I made. Here, I genuinely feel my opinion matters and I’m valued. I can’t tell you how fantastic it feels.”

“Well, I’m happy for you guys. Sounds like none of you have any regrets about the move, then?”

“Hell no, sis. I wish I’d done it years ago instead of wasting those years hanging around up there. There was nothing for me there, and I can see that now. Right, I have to go, just wanted to catch up. Talk again soon.”

Before I get to say a word, Flynn’s gone, and the call is ended. Sitting and staring at the phone, I don’t know what to think. I get that he’s excited, but that call hurt me deeply, not a single thought for me, whatsoever. No ‘How are you?’, ‘Everything okay?’, ‘How’s the condo?’ Christ Almighty. He doesn’t even know where I live or if I have a job. He didn’t give me a moment's thought. There was nothing to keep him here all those years?

I don’t know when I started to cry, but when I realized I was, I got angry. How dare my brother make me cry! I haven’t cried in years and the first time I do, it’s because of my brother, although I am happy his life is so fucking fantastic .

Stomping around the condo, I do all my chores in record time. The only thing left to do is laundry, it will have to wait as I’m not in the mood to mix with people at the laundromat.

Snatching my phone up, I ring for a cab because I’m going to collect my Jeep and take her for a drive, that should improve my mood. Waiting for the cab does nothing to help my temper, it’s damn late, for Christ’s sake.

When it finally arrives the driver is very apologetic, he hit every bit of traffic and every light was red, apparently. The journey to Hot Hogs is just as bad, and I have a certain empathy for the poor driver if this is how his day is going to be. Paying the cab driver, I give him a decent tip, it was the least I could do.

Going into the office to announce my arrival and settle the invoice, I come face to face with a pirate statue. What the hell? I think to myself. Just as I turn to leave, the freaking thing moves and speaks. I almost pee my pants.

“Hi there. Come to collect your Jeep?” The pirate is the manager and I won’t be coming back here in a hurry because he’s a lunatic.

“What the hell are you playing at? You scared me half to death. I could have had a heart condition or something,” I snap at him. Can my day get any worse?

“I’m sorry, I was just trying on my costume for Saturday night. I wasn’t expecting you until later, you said it would be near closing time before you’d pick it up.”

“Anyone could have walked in, for God’s sake. Let me settle the invoice and I can get out of here. It’s a lunatic asylum and the inmates are running it.”

“What’s going on, Fist? And why the fuck are you dressed as a pirate?” The voice comes from over my shoulder and I see it’s the manager from the bike side of the business.

“Oh hell, Rock. I was trying my costume on for theme night at TJs when she walked in and I made her jump. That’s all.”

“ She? She? Who the hell is she?” I’m losing my shit big time now. Today has not been seeing me in the best light, and my temper needs to cool down, but to not say my name is disrespectful.

“Fist, get the hell out of here and get that crap off, you’re at work, man. That can wait till you’re off for the day.” The guy, Rock, is pissed at the guy, Fist. Where do they get these names from?

“I just want to get my Jeep and get out of here. Where do I pay?”

“Kenzie, wasn’t it? I’m sorry about that. Let’s check out the Jeep before you pay for it. You need to be happy with the work we have done first.” Stepping out of the office, Rock walks me over to where the Jeep is parked in one of the bays. Taking a slow walk around her, she looks gorgeous, and any spots of rust have been removed. There was a rough patch over one of the rear wheels, that’s gone now. She’s all shiny, and now she could sit in a Jeep showroom.

Seeing me smile must give him some confidence as he smiles back. Climbing into the driver's seat, he starts her up and reverses out of the shop. When the sunlight hits her, the color pops.

“Like it?” Rock asks me.

“I love it. She stands out like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“Fist added some pearl to the standard paint because he wanted to be sure that when you told people where you’d had it sprayed, they could see the quality of our work. There were no extra fees either, Fist did it for the ‘word of mouth’ advertising.”

“I take it all back, you’re not lunatics, you’re just geniuses. I wish her previous owner could see how gorgeous she is now.”

“Bring her over to TJs on Saturday night and you can show Lily. She’ll be at the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ theme night. We’ll all be there.”

“Who are ‘we all’?” I ask, wondering whether a night out would kill me. I’d have the Jeep, so wouldn’t be drinking. Could it hurt to have some fun?

“Raging Barons Motorcycle Club. We are part owners of TJs. There’ll be plenty of good company for you if you come.”

“What makes you think I need male company?” My hackles are rising again. I need to get a grip on this temper of mine.

“Male company? Oh, no! Our Ol’ Ladies will be there. That’s what I meant by company for you. Although I’m sure there would be a brother or two that would be interested in a spirited woman like yourself.”

“Spirited? That’s polite talk for ‘bitch’, is it?” Laughing at his shocked look, I shake my head.

“Seriously. You should come. I’ll make sure Fist pays for your evening, so you can enjoy it even more. He’ll be on door duty, so he won’t be standing on your toes if he tries to dance with you.”

“You make him pay and I’ll come. I haven’t had a free night out in years, but I’m not sure I’ll be fit company for old ladies, though.”

“I’m not explaining things very well, am I? They are our ‘Ol’ Ladies’ as in wives and fiancées. Not old ladies, as in old, like our mothers.”

“I think I met one of your brothers’ mothers the other night,” I explain what happened and showed him the business card I’d been given. He frowns as he reads the name ‘Jig’.

“You met Jig’s mother? I don’t think any of us have ever met his mother. I’ll be asking him about this later, when I see him. I didn’t even know he had a mother. No… I meant living around here. Of course, he has a mother. We’ve all got a mother. Even you.”

“Even me? Spirited? Are you always this complimentary around women, or do I just draw it out of you naturally?” said with a touch of amusement to my voice.

“How about you pay the bill and I stop talking? You can take your Jeep and drive off into the sunset, where she will be her own sunbeam and outglow the sun itself.”

“Very poetic. Where do I pay?” Following Rock to their reception, I get everything paid and head out to the Jeep. As I approach, Fist is polishing the paintwork.

“Fist, thank you. She is beautiful and also thanks in advance for Saturday, I’ll see you at the door.”

“No problem, it is my pleasure. Oh, wait, what do you mean thank you for Saturday?”

“Speak to Rock, because he’ll explain everything.” Driving away from a confused-looking Fist I head out of town. Checking the gas, I see I have almost a full tank. I’m off into the sunset and enjoying every minute.

Feeling chilled and relaxed as I enjoy the ride home, an unbidden thought comes to mind… Why wouldn’t he introduce his mother to his friends?