Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Weatherman had to turn away as the soft wig slipped over his mom’s hairless scalp.

The leftovers were still on the table—a simple meal of baked ziti and cheese with garlic bread and salad. Pearl had crammed fistfuls of the stuff in her messy mouth and smeared sauce all over her face. No one minded. In fact, his mom had watched the little girl with complete fascination and remarked on how smart she was. A smile stayed on her face for the entire meal.

He sat on the couch with the freshly cleaned toddler and played with her as Opal worked with his mom. It took a few days for the woman to bounce back from the bout of flu, but luckily Pearl didn’t catch it. Opal hadn’t remembered anything from the few fever dream hours, or at least she hadn’t asked about it. He was curious about the name Camo but decided not to bring it up unless she did.

“There we are,” Opal said as she adjusted the snug netting. “How does that feel?”

“It’s a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be. It’s like I’m wearing a really nice stocking cap.” Natalie shifted to sit straighter in her recliner, currently in its upright position. It was awkward, but Opal worked around the cumbersome chair.

He bit his lip to keep it still.

“Let me style it around your face a little.” Opal’s voice held a tender note to it that burned into his memory. “You can do this yourself on the form I brought you before you put it on. With a little care, you’ll get about a year out of it before you’ll want a new one.”

God willing, Mom will be here in a year, he thought as he swiveled back to see Opal lift part of the wig in a fat curling iron. Her face was soft, and his breath caught.

He turned away to keep the knot in his throat from getting any bigger. Betsey wanted to come and see the results, but then she got the call that Katrina was now in labor and went to the hospital to welcome the next Dragon Runners addition. Weatherman sent out a few prayers for a successful and safe delivery, as well as a thanks that Opal was okay enough to be here.

“Your little girl is cute as a button. Two years old, right?” Natalie asked with shining eyes.

“Yes, and thank you. It’s hard to keep up with her now.”

“Did your husband move with you?”

Opal’s hand jumped. “Um… he died.”

That had Weatherman’s attention. He hadn’t really thought about Opal’s past much, as many other problems occupied his mind. Because of her young age, he’d assumed she was either divorced or had Pearl out of wedlock. Burying a husband and then moving across the country to a new place? That took a lot of guts. Was that the reason she had the panic attack at the Lair? The mystery behind those blue eyes was deep and made him even more curious about her.

“I remember when Bryce started crawlin’. Seems it weren’t too long before he was walkin’ and runnin’. I read to him every night.” Natalie reached up to touch the ends of her new hair as she reminisced.

“I read to Pearl too. It’ll be interesting to hear what accent she learns.” Opal flicked the iron off the hair piece and picked up another section.

“You said before that you’re from Minnesota. Gets real cold there, don’t it?”

Another flick. “Winter can be pretty bad some years, but I guess we’re used to it. This will be my first winter anywhere else.”

“You got people up there?”

“Just the friend I told you about already, Mama J.”

Natalie gave a short laugh. “Yeah, the one with the six children. Lord ha’ mercy, that’s a lot of work.”

Opal laughed as she picked up a brush. “I can’t even keep up with one some days. Janice is her name, but everyone up there calls her Mama J. I’m so grateful that she took me and Pearl in when she did. It was a rough time in my life. I don’t think I could have handled it without her.”

Weatherman digested that information and filed it away. Was that when she’d lost her husband? Pearl’s father, he assumed. No family? Pregnant and alone? He leaned closer for more. Pearl blew a wet raspberry and pulled open the pocket of his shirt to peer inside.

“Sounds like you had quite the life. So, what do you think of our little town?” Natalie sat still as Opal moved around and brushed out the wig.

“It’s a lot at times. The accent is different, and there are some words I don’t quite understand, but I’m learning.” The plastic bristles glided through the locks, and Opal smoothed her hand over them. “I’ve never had a lot of people around me like this before. I had some friends in Minnesota, but nothing like it is here. I used to… hang out with a motorcycle club up there that was very different from this one.”

Another piece of the puzzle fit in place, and Weatherman acknowledged it with a small nod. It made sense. She’d had a bad experience with bikers that left her scarred. One bad enough to relocate to a strange town in a state vastly different from the life she once had. Not every club resembled the Dragon Runners MC. At one time, they were heavily into illegal businesses, but Brick had reinvented the club into what it was today. There were still some questionable activities, but for the most part, they stayed on the right side of the law. Anything else was kept under wraps by Brick alone.

His instincts ramped up. What did Opal go through?

“There we go. How’s this?” Opal held up a hand mirror.

“Well, now, ain’t that something. I look twenty years younger. What do you think, Bryce?”

Weatherman gazed at his mom, distracted for the moment. For the first time in weeks, she had a healthy color to her skin. Her genuine grin was framed by a pretty bob reminiscent of his teenage years. Yes, she did resemble an earlier version of herself, a pretty woman before the cancer and the poisonous treatments that dripped into her veins every week. “It’s beautiful, Mom. Just like you.”

Opal packed up her kit. “Let me know when you need me again. I’ll be glad to make a house call anytime.”

“Oh, you’re so sweet. I’d love for you to meet Emma. Come by tomorrow when you can, and I’ll introduce you.” Natalie’s thin hand patted Opal’s leg, and Weatherman noticed the prominent blue veins on the back.

His voice was thick when he spoke. “I’ll walk you out.”

Pearl put her head onto his shoulder and cuddled close. Whatever Opal’s life had been like in the northern state didn’t seem to touch the happy, content child. It was a testament to a mother’s love and dedication. There were good parents who devoted their lives to raising their children and protecting them from all the harm the world possessed. And there were bad ones who barely acknowledged that they had kids. He’d been blessed with the former and wondered about Opal’s upbringing.

Night fell quickly this time of year, and with clear mountain skies, the stars shone like glitter across a sea of midnight blue. He gazed up and pointed at a trio of lights. “Look there, Pearl. See that? That’s Orion’s belt. The hunter.”

She gazed up for a few moments but lost interest quickly and flopped back into her resting position.

“It’s getting close to bedtime.” Opal smiled gently as she loaded her bag of tools into the car. “I bet she’ll be out before we get home. Let me take her from you.”

“I got it. Just open the door for me, and I’ll get her settled.”

Pearl made a slight mew of protest as he buckled her into the heavy car seat, but she settled when he handed her the well-loved alligator toy. A pink blanket lay on the seat next to her, so he tucked it around the little girl as her eyes blinked slowly up and down. “I don’t think you’ll make it out of the driveway.” He turned to Opal and took a deep breath, the cooler air stinging his nostrils and bringing him a bit of focus. “I admit that this is not the Sunday afternoon I wanted to have with you, but I thank you for taking care of my mom.”

She smiled and waved off his words. “Oh no, Betsey bought it for her.”

“But you picked it out. Styled it. Made it look really nice. She loves it, and I expect she’ll be wearing it all the time. It means a lot to her and?—”

He stopped talking as emotions threatened to overwhelm him, swallowing the lump in his throat before he continued. The simple change in Natalie’s appearance was such a confidence booster, and he hadn’t seen his mother smile with genuine happiness in quite some time. It killed him a little. “When I was growing up, she always took pride in her hair. I remember people’s compliments on her style, the shine, the lack of grays. Mom considered her hair to be her best feature. It’s gone now, and the doctor said it might be different when it comes back. If it comes back.”

He nearly broke as he paused again. Steamy air sliced in and out of his nostrils as he fought to keep it together. “Opal, you have no clue what that wig means to her. The happiness in her eyes… I can’t?—”

Her arms came around him, and he was pulled into a soft, warm body.

“It’s okay. I got you.”

It wasn’t a light half hug. This was full contact and solid. Her head rested on his shoulder as Pearl loved to do, and she fit to his body perfectly.

Like she was meant to be there.

He didn’t think about it. If he did, his logical mind might have caught up with his emotions.

He didn’t hesitate. If he paused, it wouldn’t have happened.

He didn’t stop. Not this time.

His hand slid up to her neck, tilting her head back so he could cover her mouth with his.

There were no fiery sparks, no flash of lightning, no roar of heated flames. This was a kiss of comfort. Not sexual, but one that allowed him to lean on someone else for a moment and let go of some of the pain in his heart. She opened to him and allowed him access. He took it.

The kiss lasted longer than he expected and shorter than he wanted. He lifted his head but kept his mouth close enough to feel her trembling lips under his. It wasn’t hard to tell that she hadn’t been kissed in a long time.

It had also been a long time since his body had reacted this way. Even though this was not a prelude for sex, there was a shared intimacy between them that transcended the physical action.

His gaze met hers, and he noticed the wetness at the corners of her eyes.

“I’m not apologizing for kissing you,” he whispered. “I’ve been having a really rough time with life lately. Not as rough as my mom, but it’s still taking a toll on me. Work is stressful as hell. Home is too. I’ll consider this to be between friends, yeah? We can talk about it later or not, but right now, I can’t. I’m gonna let you go home. Thank you again for taking care of my mom.”

Every instinct he possessed drove him to kiss her again and take the soothing relief she offered, but he forced himself to let her go and step away. She was shaky but silent as she got in the car, and he held himself back not to go to her. The shell-shocked look on her face made him want to know what was in her head and heart.

Was this the beginning of something, or was it doomed before it started? He had no clue, but one thing for certain stood out: the future had changed.

He waited for the taillights to fade before entering the house. His mother sat in her lift chair. “I like your girl.”

He groaned and ran a hand over his face. “I don’t think you can call her ‘my girl,’ Mom. We don’t know each other very well, and if the truth be known, we started off pretty bad.”

The amused curl of Natalie’s mouth told him he was in trouble. It was the same look she got when she’d caught him making out with his high school girlfriend. “It didn’t look too bad to me from that kiss y’all were sharing. Reckon you’re almost done with the gettin’-to-know-you stage.”

Weatherman felt his cheeks flare up. It had been years since his mom managed to embarrass him. She used to make a point of it when he’d acted out as a teenager. “Don’t think I won’t make a scene in front of your friends if I need to!”

That fiery statement came from a strong woman in her prime, not from someone fighting for their life. That didn’t stop his cheeks from reddening, though. “I didn’t know you could see us through the window.”

She chuckled. “Don’t you remember? I got eyes in the back of my head. Even when I’m not here anymore, I still plan to watch over you, so be careful what you say and do.”

Pain brushed over his chest. “Mom, I can’t.”

Natalie sighed, and the corners of her mouth turned down. “I realize you don’t want to talk about it, but the whole of it is, I may not be here much longer. It’s not up to you or me to make that call, but we still gotta deal with it. I done told you where all the papers are, and I called down to the funeral home to make sure all the plans are in order just in case.”

“Mom—”

She raised a bony hand. “Now hush, sweetheart. Ain’t no sense denying it. I’ve always been a practical person, and I raised a practical boy. I hope I can be here a long time, but I might not. I’ve given you the best gift I can now in that all my arrangements are decided and paid for. That’s one less thing you gotta deal with when the time comes, whether it be next month or twenty years from now.”

She coughed lightly before continuing, her voice growing raspier as she spoke. “Ain’t nothing more to say ’bout that. Only part I got left is what happens to you. I don’t want you to be lonely or by yourself. That’s why I like your girl. I think she’d be a good one to keep after.”

“She’s older than me and has a child.”

“If you think that matters, you ain’t the boy I raised up.”

No, it didn’t matter to him. Not the small age difference, nor the fact that she had a little girl. Motherhood had never been a turnoff to him, perhaps because of his own experience growing up. If anything, he found her more attractive because of her dedication to Pearl. Still, a relationship was not in the cards between him and Opal. “It’s not good timing, Mom.”

“If you’re waitin’ on a sign or for the right time, you might miss out on somethin’ real good. Sometimes you gotta adapt. You hear me?”

“I’m listening.”

“I know that, but do you hear me?”

He inhaled sharply. “I’m trying, Mom. I really am.”

Pearl stayed asleep as I moved her from the car to her crib. Kimmie was out wherever she went these days, and for once, I was grateful that she was gone. I needed to sort my head in a bad way. It was hard, and as I lay back in my bed, I was full to the brim with thoughts of Weatherman.

I’d learned from the talk at the salon that he’d given up his career to come home and take care of his mother. Natalie had confirmed it when I met her the first time. How many children would do that for their parents? Even if I knew where my mother was, I doubt I would consider making that kind of sacrifice for her.

I still didn’t know what possessed me. Some weird demon who liked to play practical jokes, maybe? What drove me to wrap my arms around the man and hug him to me?

“It’s okay,” I’d whispered to him. “I got you.”

I got you. Those words were spoken to me once when I struggled at rock bottom. Someone offered me a hand to lift me out of the quagmire my life had become. I’d grabbed it with desperation and found more joy than I’d ever deserved.

That hand had paid the ultimate price for me.

“I got you,” I repeated with tears filling my eyes. “I got you. I got you.”

He’d leaned his head down to my shoulder and pressed his forehead to the side of my neck. I’d stroked over the planes of his back, repeating the same three words. We were pressed tight as we shared our mutual sorrows. Weatherman was strong and smart, but even he became helpless when facing insurmountable odds.

Life didn’t guarantee happy endings to everyone. Some of us had to work and bleed for the chance.

Then he kissed me.

And I let him!

I tried to find my anger and hate.

It was gone. Like smoke from a fire, all the negatives I’d strained to keep had dissipated under his kiss. I wanted to burrow into him as I’d seen my daughter do, have those strong arms around me again, and surround myself in his heat.

That unrelenting desire terrified me beyond any fear I’d ever experienced.

I stared at the cracked ceiling and asked out loud, “What’s happening to me?”

“I keep telling you, there are good people in this world, sweetness. All you have to do is let them in.”

I wanted to ignore the annoying voice, but it was impossible. This time I talked back.

“I don’t know what to do, Camo. I’m so confused.”

“I get that, baby. I can’t tell you why or how, and I can’t tell you that it’s gonna be easy, but please trust me. It’ll be okay.”

My throat had closed up after speaking the name I hadn’t uttered in so long. Tears flowed down my cheeks, and I let them go unchecked.

“I miss you so much.”

“You’re stronger than you think, baby.”