by Nikki Bloom
“Yeah, okay, if you give me an email address, I can send you a proposal.”
My jaw dropped as I repeated what I’d just heard. The Lost Boys had proposals now? “Yeah, uhh, of course. I’ll text you.”
I texted him my personal email as soon as I hung up and it was barely ten minutes later that my phone dinged.
Might as well get it over with.
I opened the attachment with a sigh and began to read.
The next day, the buzzer went off and I clicked on the app on my phone that connected to the cameras outside the door of the building. To my surprise, I saw Leyland waiting to be let in. After pressing the admit button, I sat back with a frown. If Leyland was coming all the way and not calling, it was probably not good news.
I took a deep breath as I waited. Nico wandered into the room. “Who’s on the way up?”
“My lawyer.”
She gasped. “Is this it then?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“I’ll get drinks.” She crossed to the bar and poured out some whisky. She brought me a glass directly and I downed it, realizing that I was kind of nervous. The doorbell rang and I went to open the door. Leyland stood on the other side, looking solemn.
“Domenic,” he said with a nod.
“Leyland, come in.” I stepped back, letting him in. “What’s the news?”
He turned around. “Well, the board has apparently heard some very disturbing things about both candidates this week. They heard about Roman’s…shenanigans, but also, the implication that you’re associated with biker culture. They’re questioning whether either of you would be qualified to run Tech Dyne.”
“Goddamnit!” I turned away in annoyance.
“It’s not over yet. We have options.”
I whirled around to glare incredulously at him. “What options?”
Leyland sighed. “You have to understand; these people are skittish. But we can turn this around.”
I sighed tiredly. “I don’t know if I want to, Leyland, if I’m being honest.”
“Come on, man, you can’t give up now.”
“No. I mean, of course I would have wanted this, but there are more important things. I shouldn’t have to contort myself into strange shapes to get a job I can do with one hand tied behind my back. These people need to realize that it’s their loss, not mine.”
“Well, that’s all very well and good, Domenic. But the truth is, they hold all the power.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Do they?”
Leyland took a step closer. “Yes, Dom, they do,” he said irritably. “You know it and so do I.”
I just shook my head slowly. I could not convince Leyland and I had no intention of trying. He came from the same world as these people. He thought the same way they did. He had the same expectations, the same attitude, the same biases.
“In any case, I might be focusing on something different in the near future.”
“Oh?” He pursed his lips and tilted his head. “What is that?”
“A proposal has run across my desk for a non-profit. It’s piqued my interest.”
“Oh, I wasn’t aware that was an area you were interested in. That is actually quite clever. Whatever the board might think of you now, getting involved in that sphere is an excellent PR move.”
“Well, that’s nice and all, but that’s not why I’m doing it.”
“All the better. Nothing sells better than sincerity.”
My mouth twisted. Leyland always and forever would be a lawyer. “Well…you’ll let me know what the board’s final decision will be, won’t you?”
“Of course I will.” Instead of turning back towards the door, he went deeper into the apartment. “Now where is that lovely bride of yours? I’d like to say hello.”
He entered the living room as I rolled my eyes, calling to Nico. Since she was waiting to hear the news, she greeted him with enthusiasm and soon they were deep in conversation. It fascinated me to watch her in animated discussion with Leyland. I realized I hadn’t really seen her in any social setting, and I soon understood that she wasn’t automatically hostile to everyone.
I felt a bit jealous if I was being honest.
I marched into the living room and settled myself against her. Her hand landed against my thigh even as she continued to listen to Leyland explain the need to hold charitable benefits no matter how tiresome they were.
“Of course, they’d also help your husband immensely. Perception is everything you know.”
“So I’m coming to understand.”
“I should connect you to my wife. She knows all the right causes to support.”
“That would be very kind of you. Thank you.”
“What did you mean about a non-profit?” Nico asked me as soon as Leyland left. I shook my head in wonder because the proposal I spoke of was the one Tank had sent me. He actually had a very good concept he wanted to implement. He just didn’t have the tools to do it. I had all the tools; the know-how, the financing, everything. It would be a way for me to give back to the club that raised me, without having to go back to that life.
It was certainly more than I’d ever expected from Tank. Maybe I’d underestimated him. The proposal he had was an education program for young probies and the children of bikers. To connect them with mentors in various fields that would enable them to diversify their skills and education. Then they could come back and pay it forward. Kind of like the Rotary club for bikers. What he was proposing was basically to bring biker culture into the 21st century and give future bikers a chance to succeed at more than gun running and drug dealing.
It was a way out.
I picked up the phone to call him. “Hey, Tank.”
“Dom. Did you have a chance to read my proposal?”
“I did. I must say, I wasn’t expecting that.”
He huffed a laugh. “I can imagine.” There was a small silence on the phone. “I should tell you that I’m not the same man you left behind, Dom. Things happened.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me.”
“I had a son.”
“What? That’s…awesome. So you finally found an ol’ lady?”
He chuckled. “Nah. It was kind of an accident.”
“Of course.” My voice was dry. I knew Tank very well. He was not a one-woman man.
“My son was great. Precocious, smart – he saw things I couldn’t. You know?”
I swallowed, my heart sinking. “Past tense?”
“It was an exchange gone bad. Stray bullet got him.”
“Oh man…Tank, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well…anyway, telling these guys that there’s a better way would fall on deaf ears. I have to show them. And nobody is a better example of that than you.”
“It’s a huge undertaking.”
“I know, man.”
“So many aspects to think about. It’s pretty involved.”
“Hey, man, I know it’s a lot to ask. If you can’t do it, I get it.”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “Nah, man, it’s not too much. I think we can work something out.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, you know we don’t have the know-how, but we have boots on the ground. Whatever you need. We got your back. You should know that the Satanists got your back too. They understand that they overstepped. Rooster’s been demoted. Sunny and I been talking. He wants in on this program if possible.”
“Hey, why not go nationwide while we’re at it,” I joked.
“Yeah, why not?” He sounded completely serious.
I rolled my eyes. “Actually, I’m not really sure about working with the Satanists, Tank. Whatever amends they made, the fact remains that they kidnapped my wife.”
“Nah, I get it.”
“It’s a trust thing.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“So anyway, I gotta draw up a business plan and set up some legal shit and then I’ll get back to you.”
�
��Thanks, man. I really appreciate your help on this.”
“Like you said, we’re family right?”
“Exactly right, brother.” I could hear the smile in Tank’s voice and allowed myself, for the first time, to relax. That old Tank that had made me feel like I literally had to run away from New Orleans to find a better life seemed to have disappeared. This new Tank was giving me a chance to build a new kind of empire. One populated by people like me.
Instead of enriching people who already had more than they could spend in three lifetimes, I’d be creating new wealth, new potential, new opportunities. Honestly, the thought excited me more than any other business venture I’d ever participated in.
“Life is weird, huh?” Nico snuggled against me as I read through the proposal once more, after I’d explained it to her.
“How so?”
“Well, we got married to achieve these goals, to get our toes into these rooms, and now both of us are like, nah.”
I turned to peer down at her. “Do you regret it?”
She grinned at me, hand burrowing under my shirt. “Does it look like I regret it?”
“Mmm.” I wiggled a bit because she was tickling me. “I’m gonna go with no.”
She laughed. “Now there’s an understatement if I ever heard one.” She looked up at me, her eyes suddenly serious. “This just might be the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I shook my head, leaning in to plant a kiss on her lips. “Don’t jinx it like that.”
“I didn’t know you were superstitious.”
I reached for her hand. “I’m not superstitious. I’m scared. I’ve never been so happy. Not in all thirty-five years of my life. I’m scared that even acknowledging that fact will cause me to lose you.”
She ran a hand through my hair. “We’ve both seen our share of bullshit, but if we lose each other, then it’ll be because we were stupid enough to let this go. When my brother ran away from home, I had no idea if I’d see him again. But I kept that faith. I knew he wouldn’t just abandon me.” She paused, looking me in the eye. “I want to tell you the same, Dom. I won’t let you go. If you hold on to me, I’ll hold on to you.”
I was too choked up to speak, but I nodded vigorously before leaning in to kiss her.
Epilogue
Nicolette
“So what the device does is it harnesses the kinetic energy you expend while walking, and stores it in the battery. This can then be used to power your laptop or your phone if you live in an area with spotty power or are caught in a situation where power is out.”
One of the girls I was teaching, Genevieve, raised her hand. “Like if there’s a hurricane?”
“Yes. Or even just a storm, or maybe your parents haven’t paid the bill on your electricity.”
Genevieve nodded as if she knew exactly how that went. “But what if you’re too tired to run, or your legs don’t work?”
“That’s a good question, Gen. The kinetic energy is generated by movement. Any kind of movement. Now the thing you have to know is that this isn’t a pioneer in its field. There are a lot of devices that function with this kind of energy. The difference is that I managed to recalibrate it so that each revolution generates enough energy to run a laptop for twenty minutes. A phone for half an hour.”
“But if it’s such a good idea, how come you didn’t get the money to pursue it?” Magda asked from the back of the room.
“Well, there’s more to funding than a good idea, and clearly, other people’s ideas were thought to bring better returns for investment than mine.”
“That sucks,” Candy said around her lollipop. I grinned at her.
“That’s true. But this is just as good. Teaching you guys, giving you the tools to develop your own projects – it’s reward enough.”
Magda raised her hand. “But…there are so many people who need your battery.”
My mouth twisted. “Yeah, but it’s probably the wrong kind of people.”
“That is such bullshit,” Genevieve piped in.
“Yes. It is.” I nodded because it was true.
Candy raised her hand. “Maybe we can do a GoFundMe for you.”
I smiled. “That’s very nice of you, but-”
“It’s not GoFundMe, it’s Kickstarter. That’s where we need to be,” Genevieve cut in.
I opened my mouth again to refute this and tell them that I was fine with being a mentor, and that maybe one day, I could sell the project to someone else, but they were already debating amongst themselves on the best site to use and how to set up a page.
I stared helplessly at them; my three students who continually challenged me, pushed me to be better, and drove me to achieve more than I ever could have dreamed.
Dom’s non-profit was still very much in pilot stage, but two years in, we were already seeing results. I’d stepped forward to mentor anyone interested in research and science and was surprised to have ten students apply. I had to do a bit of recruiting of my own. Jacinda now mentored three students and two other scientists in my department had a student as well. I had four students, one of whom was absent today.
Magda came forward to sit on my desk as I looked over their project proposals for senior year. It was work above and beyond their schoolwork, yet they didn’t complain, not once.
“Why this project though? If you knew that they wouldn’t take it, why didn’t you do something else?”
I smiled a little, shaking my head. “I don’t know where I read it, but there’s this saying about if you find something that you need or want and it hasn’t been made yet, then you should make it.” I shrugged because I knew my explanation was inelegant. “So when I was growing up, my…stepfather wasn’t too good about paying bills. We were in the dark a lot. Sometimes, I had to break into the school library to do my homework on the computer there.”
Magda laughed. “I think you’re the only person I know who broke into school for something.”
“Yeah, even when she’s being a badass, she’s a goody two shoes.” I jumped at his voice as Dom slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against him. Magda’s eyes gleamed with interest as they landed on Dom. I was used to girls looking at him like that. He never seemed to notice.
He turned his face into my neck. “Are you ready to go?”
Genevieve and Candy were still deep in discussion and Magda was watching Dom like a hawk. “Yeah, sure I am.”
“Great.” He let me go and then took my hand, leading me out of the class. He turned to smile at me, hand automatically going to my belly. ‘How are you feeling today?”
“You know it’s not like I’m sick, right? I’m just pregnant.”
He gaped at me incredulously. “Just pregnant? Take that back right now.”
“Fine.” I grinned at him. “I’m only carrying around your spawn. No biggie.”
He pulled me to him. “If you weren’t pregnant, I would so kick your ass right now.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” If my voice was a bit smug, I really couldn’t help that.
“No, I wouldn’t.” He dug into his pocket and extracted a Twinkie. “Got something for you.”
“Aww, Dom, you shouldn’t have.” I snatched it from his hand and unwrapped it, taking a big bite.
He smiled at me a bit smugly as he handed me into the car. “Careful.” He held the top of my head so I would not bang it. He went round to the other side, as the driver put the bags in the trunk.
“Did you pack everything we need?”
“Yes, my love. I did. Or rather, your assistant did. It’s going to be great, don’t worry.”
We were driving to Connecticut where Domenic was scheduled to receive a prestigious award for his work with disadvantaged youth. The Chadwick Thurgood Prize for Excellence would be presented to him by the current CEO of Tech Dyne, who’d approached us last year to look into ways that our two entities might collaborate.
“Oh, I’m not worried,” I told him, reaching out to kiss his cheek. “I’m just
so proud of you.”
He turned and smiled at me. “You make me who I am, my love. I’m so glad we decided to do this marriage of convenience thing. Thank you for thinking of it.”
I reached forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips, feeling just a little bit smug. “Yeah, it kind of worked out, didn’t it?”
— THE END —
Mechanic’s Home Run SNEAK PEEK
Hazel came right out of left field,
and so did her unexpected pregnancy…
All I did was fill up for gas and there she was.
Grease smudge across her cheek.
Overalls and an old band tee.
Hair in a messy bun.
But, oh, that smile. It got me the second I saw it.
If I wasn’t so much of a gentleman, I would have pushed her onto the hood of the nearest car and well…
I’ll let you fill in the blanks.
Just know that I was thinking about it, too.
For a whole season.
The next thing I know it’s off-season and I’m riding in her pickup truck.
She starts telling me all about her dad and then, all of a sudden, she’s proposing.
Talk about a curveball.
But hey, that’s why they call me an MVP.
I can hit those curveballs right out of the park.
So, yes, I agreed to fake a marriage.
Every great actor knows he has to make his part believable.
Oh, there’d be flowers – rose petals even.
Late nights.
By the seventh-inning stretch, it was a totally different ball game.
Rejection. Fireworks. Tragedy. Pregnancy.
We had it all.
But most of all, I had caught feelings.
It wasn’t a game of pretend anymore.
This wasn’t some throwaway game in Spring Training.
This was game seven of the World Series.
It was time to get that diamond ring on her finger – to walk her down the aisle – for real.
