“Pick you up at nine.”
“Gotcha.”
“Out.”
He disconnected.
* * * * *
I had a morning from hell, phone ringing off the hook, kids all over me wanting dirt on my now famous takedown of the furry pimp and his whores, word as usual travelling fast, the two skanks obviously had been talking; appointments stacked up, I didn’t have a chance to breathe.
May had been busy in the kitchen and I didn’t have the opportunity to corner her to ask her opinion about Nick’s “teasing and jacking Vance around” concerns.
I escaped at lunch, doing a run at Chipotle for Andy and me. I stormed through the doors at King’s carrying a bag full of two fat, foil-wrapped burritos.
“Hey Sugar!” Daisy called.
My head swung toward the couches and I saw Daisy sitting with Clarice. They both were wearing identical, fluffy, ice-blue, angora, v-neck sweaters, black (Clarice) and white (Daisy) cleavage bursting forth in abundance.
“Please tell me you paid for those,” I said, walking up to Daisy and Clarice.
“I quit shop-liftin’ when I was thirteen. It lost its allure after a three month stint in juvie. Gettin’ Clarice here to turn over a new leaf. That right Clarice?” Daisy turned to Clarice.
“Unh-hunh,” Clarice answered.
I wondered about Daisy’s ability to be a mentor to a sixteen year old runaway. I didn’t know that much about Daisy but with what I did know, I decided she’d probably be a kickass mentor.
I looked at Daisy. “I need a powwow,” I told her.
Daisy and Clarice stared at me.
“What kind of powwow?” Daisy asked.
“Apparently Vance and I aren’t broken up. There was a misunderstanding. He was giving me space. He’s sleeping at my house right now.”
Daisy’s eyes got huge. Then they got bright. Then she jumped up from the couch and grabbed onto my forearms with both of her hands and jumped up and down, her enormous head of teased-out platinum blonde hair bouncing with every jump (I didn’t look at her cleavage and luckily she didn’t either or there might have been blackened eyes).
“Yee-ha!” she screamed.
I didn’t jump with her as I was a head crackin’ mamma jamma and as such didn’t jump around like a girlie-freak. Daisy didn’t seem to mind.
Still, I couldn’t help but smile.
“This is so great,” she shouted then let me go and turned to Clarice. “Isn’t this great?”
“Fuck yeah,” Clarice said, smiling broadly at me. All the kids knew Vance and I were together and also likely knew Vance and I’d split up. Sniff had been in the building.
“Don’t say fuck,” I said to Clarice and turned to Daisy. “I need a powwow. Can you get the girls together after work?”
“What’s the subject?”
I kept my eyes trained on Daisy not wanting Clarice in on the Is Jules A Slut or A Tease? If So, Discuss, Powwow.
“Long story. I’ll explain at the powwow. Tell me where, I’ll tell May.”
“You betcha, Sugar,” Daisy said and pulled out her cell phone and started stabbing at the buttons with her long, lethally-pointed fingernail.
Okay, one down, one to go.
I gave Andy his burrito and took mine into the empty yellow room with my cell. I sat down at the table and peeled back the paper and foil on my burrito. Then I scrolled down to Vance’s number and hit the green button.
It rang five times (I counted) then he answered, “Yeah?”
“Hey, it’s Jules.”
He was quiet for a second then he said softly, sounding like it was through a smile, “You know, Princess, I have your number programmed in my phone.”
This made me freak out but again in a good way.
“It’s rude just to launch in and talk,” I told him, not letting on to my good freak out. “You should always identify yourself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Did I wake you?” I asked this even though he sounded awake and alert. Then again he always sounded awake and alert.
“You caught me in the shower.”
Oh my God.
Major Good Freak Out.
I cleared visions of Vance naked in my shower out of my mind. I was so good at doing this I completely blanked my mind and forgot why I was calling.
“Jules?”
“Um… yeah.”
Pull yourself together, Jules.
“I’m meeting the girls after work,” I told him.
“When are you gonna be done? I’ll make dinner.”
This was too much. I could barely process Vance sleeping in my bed and he’d done it before. I’d even slept in his bed. The shower, dinner, I couldn’t hack it.
“Jules?”
“What?”
“Are we done talkin’?”
“No.”
“Then maybe you should talk.”
God, I was such an idiot.
“You cook?” I asked.
“No,” Vance answered.
I blinked at my burrito. “Didn’t you just say you were making dinner?”
“There’s a tray of what looks like incinerated brownies on your stove. I’m guessin’ we’d do better to take our chances with me.”
He was probably right. Still, it was slightly embarrassing.
I made a mental note to throw out the brownie tray. “Nick normally cooks. Maybe we should bum a meal off him.”
“I like Nick, Princess, but I been away for three days, you just let your guard down and told me you’re off with the girls for part of the night. That’s about all I’m willin’ to share.”
Uh-oh.
“Um…”
“That doesn’t sound like a good ‘um’.”
Throughout our conversation he’d sounded mellow, relaxed, in a good mood, amused. Now, he did not.
“I kinda promised to go ride-along with Luke tonight.”
Silence.
“Vance?”
“How ‘kinda’?”
“Kind of, definitely, kinda.”
The phone came away from his mouth but I still heard him swear. Then his voice was back in my ear. “I thought we agreed you’d call him.”
“We did.”
“You need to call him.”
“I did.”
Silence for a beat then, “Did you actually speak to him?”
“Yes.”
“So tell me how did your tellin’ him to back off translate into a ride-along?”
Yes, I was right. Vance had definitely lost his mellow, relaxed, amused, good mood.
“He understands about Yoko Ono,” I explained, “it’ll be all right.”
More silence then, “Maybe you should explain to me about Yoko Ono.”
The words were a suggestion, the way he said them was not.
“Do you know who Yoko Ono is?”
He didn’t answer.
I figured everyone knew who Yoko Ono was so I just forged ahead. “Well, see, The Beatles had this thing, no women in the –”
“I know about The Beatles,” Vance cut in.
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“You like them? Their music, that is.”
I asked because I was curious. Everything with Vance had been so intense, it felt like it had been years and it’d only been a week. I had a lot to learn and I figured no better time than the present.
And anyway, I loved The Beatles. If he didn’t like them that would suck. If he was in the house what would I do when I was in a Sgt. Pepper’s mood?
“For Christ’s sake, Jules, get to the point.”
Yikes.
Maybe now was not the time for a “getting-to-know-you” conversation.
“Well, if you know about The Beatles and Yoko Ono then you get it.”
“No.”
“I don’t want to be the woman who breaks up the band.”
Again silence.
“Luke gets it. I think he’ll be cool,” I went on.
/>
He still didn’t speak.
“I really want to do a ride-along. I think I could learn a lot.”
More silence.
“Vance, you have to trust me,” I said quietly.
A beat more of silence then I heard a sigh. “Come back for dinner. When you’re done with Luke, I’ll be at the cabin.”
For a second I didn’t breathe. Then my mind shouted, Yay!
He trusted me.
And I was getting a ride-along. And I was getting to go back to the cabin.
“You have to leave the door open,” I told him.
“I always leave the door open. Do you know how to get there?”
Hell yes, I’d memorized it even though I thought we were breaking up.
I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Maybe you should write out directions.”
* * * * *
The Powwow was at Fortnum’s at five thirty. I got there late and the crowd had already assembled. It included May, Daisy, Roxie, Jet, Indy, Ally, Tod, Stevie and for some bizarre reason Tex.
Tod and Stevie I could understand. Tex seemed like curry powder sprinkled on an ice cream sundae.
Whatever.
I sat down while everyone watched me all of them grinning but no one saying a word.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding,” I started.
Lots of nods.
“I thought we were breaking up. Vance thought we were making up. Then he decided to give me some space because things were too intense.”
More nods, grins turning into smiles.
“Seems you don’t have sex four times while breaking up and saying good-bye,” I went on.
Mouths dropped open except Daisy who emitted a tinkly bell laugh.
“Vance tells me that’s more of a making-up kind of thing to do,” I informed them.
Everyone looked at each other and I thought I heard Ally give a snort of amusement.
“This morning, my Rottweiler took a hike,” I went on.
The smiles disappeared and faces turned confused.
I took in a deep breath and told them about my emotional Rottweiler and his disappearance and even told them about my cute, new, cuddly, squirmy pug puppy.
The smiles came back.
“Last night, I made out with Luke,” I continued.
The smiles vanished again.
“And, kind of, the night before.”
Eyes bugged out.
“Holy crap,” Indy finally spoke.
“What’s he like?” Roxie asked.
I just looked at her. She took one look at my face which obviously said a thousand (good) words and when her hand went up to her throat it was shaking.
I carried on. “Vance wired my house, put cameras in to keep an eye on me and protect me. He was working the surveillance room last night. He saw the whole thing.”
“Jesus, sweet Lord in heaven,” May whispered.
“I’d just taken down a furry pimp, some guy who skipped bond and two of his girls, taser and hand-to-hand. Luke and Ike didn’t need to lift a finger. After it was over, I was kind of… jazzed and I’m guessing so was Luke,” I explained, “and anyway, I thought Vance and I were over.”
More nods.
“The time before, well… it just happened. Still, I thought Vance and I were over or no way.”
“I hear you, sister,” Ally said.
“Luke wouldn’t move in if he thought you were Vance’s woman,” Roxie threw in. “He doesn’t do that.”
“How do you know?” Tod asked.
“He told me,” Roxie answered.
“That seems an odd thing to share,” Jet entered the discussion, “especially for Luke.”
“It’s a long story,” Roxie said.
Everyone stared at her. With everyone’s gaze on her, she told us about how Luke told her he was interested if it didn’t work out with Hank and something about “Denver men being men”.
When she was done, everyone kept staring at her.
“That Luke sure gets around,” Stevie muttered.
“Boy needs to find his own woman,” May declared.
“You got that right, sister,” Jet said.
“Mm,” Ally murmured, her eyes had gone glazed.
“People, fuckin’ focus. I’m thinkin’ The Law ain’t here to talk girlie bullshit. What’s this about a furry pimp?” Tex barked.
“That’s over. Ike took him in. It took like thirty seconds for me to drop all three of them,” I said.
“Righteous,” Ally remarked.
“So what d’you need from us?” Tex asked. “Need a partner when you go out? Want to double up on maneuvers; you get seen harassin’ one dealer while someone else douses another’s car with vegetable oil? Get them all freaked out that The Law can be two places at once? That kind of thing?”
That wasn’t a bad idea.
I looked around the room and was surprised to see everyone’s face was eager (except Stevie who was staring at the ceiling looking like he was praying). “Well, actually, I did come here to talk girlie bullshit. See, I’m worried I’m a tease.”
I saw a couple of blinks but mostly blank stares.
“Excuse me?” Jet asked.
“Misunderstanding the whole make-up, break-up scenario with Vance. Kissing Luke,” I explained. “I don’t want them to think I’m jacking them around. I don’t want to be a tease.”
Everyone looked at me.
“Jay-sus,” Tex boomed then he got up, stalked behind the coffee counter and started banging on the espresso machine.
“How did you leave it with Vance?” Indy asked, ignoring Tex.
“He’s making me dinner after the powwow and after the ride-along with Luke I’m going to meet him at his cabin.”
“Ride-along with Luke?” Stevie asked.
“Yeah.”
“Vance know about the ride-along with Luke?” Stevie went on.
“Yeah, I explained Yoko Ono to him and to Luke, they understood.”
Indy, Ally, Jet and Roxie all nodded sagely, totally getting it. Daisy giggled again. Tod, Stevie and May gave me blank stares.
“It’s a long story,” I told them.
“Girl,” I heard from behind me and I turned around, my eyes hit a faded black t-shirt and the edges of a black leather vest. I looked up and saw Duke standing behind me.
Uh-oh.
I didn’t know that Duke was even there much less that he was listening in.
“Hi,” I said.
He didn’t return my greeting.
Instead he said, “You were a virgin right?”
Shit!
Why did everyone know I was a virgin?
I didn’t answer, I just stared.
“Those boys aren’t stupid. They know who you are, what you are and a lot more of how a woman’s mind works than you’d like them to know.”
This gave me pause for reflection because I had more than a small suspicion that Vance had my number.
My reflecting didn’t last long, Duke kept talking. “They don’t fuck around because they see a lot of shit in their line of business. They know the risks they take and they know the danger. They don’t have time to pussyfoot around and process emotions. They see what they want, they get it. The end.”
Oh my God.
I kept silent and kept staring, I couldn’t help myself.
Duke went on. “He knows you were a virgin. It’s impossible to be a clueless virgin one day and a tease the next or at least what I seen of you, it’s impossible for you.”
I hadn’t agreed that I was a clueless virgin.
I didn’t have time to squabble, Duke was on a roll. “Vance knows that. If he’s havin’ dinner with you and he wants you in his bed, you got nothin’ to worry about. And if Luke knows you’re with Vance and he wants you ride-along, you got nothin’ to worry about with him either. Yoko Ono my ass.”
Well, there you go.
Duke’s eyes turned to May. “When Luke’s ready, mark my words, he’ll get h
is own fuckin’ woman and God save us all.”
Then he stomped away. Everyone watched him go.
Finally Stevie said, “Guess the powwow is over.”
“Yeah, well, Duke has a way,” Roxie mumbled.
“I’ll say,” May put in.
“Anyone want coffee?” Tex boomed. “If not, I’m shuttin’ her down for the night.”
“I have to get home. Lee’s taking me to Barolo Grill tonight,” Indy said, standing.
“Oh, sorry. I forgot to tell you, Eddie called. Lee and him have something on tonight. I told him to tell Lee I’d tell you,” Jet explained.
“You’re shitting me.” For some reason, Indy looked ready to blow. I suspected she really (really) liked Barolo Grill.
Ally laughed.
“You and Lee and Barolo Grill… not… gonna… happen,” Ally told Indy.
“Hank and I were supposed to go to a movie, he’s sucked into whatever-this-is too,” Roxie said.
Indy sighed. “Such is the life of the Woman of a Badass.”
“You got that right, sister,” Jet said.
Everyone laughed.
I didn’t. I was reflecting and kept reflecting while they all decided to go to Brother’s for burgers.
I headed home.
To Vance.
* * * * *
We were lying in my bed.
Vance was wearing jeans, a heathered, dark-gray henley with a cool, heavy-buckled black belt. His feet were bare and I had to admit, they were still sexy.
I was wearing low-rider, midnight blue cords; a cool, heavy-buckled black belt of my own; and dark, gray-blue, fitted long-sleeved tee (I didn’t figure Luke would have issues with blue cords). My feet were bare too and my toenails were painted a dark, electric-blue. It had seemed a good idea at the time; I was feeling in a funky-girl mood. I decided I needed a pedicure.
Vance had made quesadillas and they were good. He’d even put jalapeños and bits of sautéed chicken breast in them. When we were done eating I did the dishes while he made some calls (it was only fair, he cooked). He was off that night, back at work tomorrow. He was going to the cabin after Luke picked me up.
When he was done with the phone and I was done with the dishes, he guided me to the steps to the bed and we climbed up.
Luke was due at my house in just over an hour. I figured Vance would go straight for the hanky panky. We had time.
He didn’t.
He lay down on his back and tucked me in his side, my cheek on his shoulder. Then his hand went up the back of my shirt but only to draw mindless patterns on the skin of my lower back. Other than that, he was silent and he didn’t touch me or try to kiss me.