Oklahoma Sunshine

by Maggie Shayne

  It was easy to avoid looking at him. She just focused on driving and tried to pretend he wasn’t there.

  “And you said your paradise is a little place in New Mexico, in a village outside Taos, near one of those old churches where miracles happened. Our Lady of something or other.”

  She closed her eyes briefly. “I did tell you that, didn’t I?”

  “You did.”

  “And you remembered. All this time.”

  “I’ve got a good memory.”

  She nodded, looked at the mirror, frowned.

  “What?” Jack turned in his seat to look behind them. There was a jacked-up pickup back there. “Is that one of them?”

  “I don’t know. Came from that last on-ramp. How the hell would he know where we were? He didn’t follow us.”

  “He didn’t follow us.” Jack said. “Let’s just see if it’s him first, before we freak out.”

  “I’ll get off the next—”

  “No,” Jack said, shaking a wrinkle out of his map and holding it over the dash. “There’s nothing there. And no re-entry. Take the next exit after that. Connects to three possible escape routes.”

  She gave him a nod. “Nice.”

  “Yeah. Old stuff can still work pretty damn well. Keep that in mind.”

  “Jason, this is your mother’s place.”

  “Yeah.” Jason hit the button on his keyring, and the elegant gates that looked like antique white iron moved as if weightless. He drove through, and hit the button again, closing the gates behind them.

  “Eve is expecting us to join her at Jack's hunting cabin. My God, she’s heading to some isolated shack to lead a killer away from me, and her only backup is Jack Kellogg.”

  “Call her.” He handed her his phone, since she hadn’t brought her own. "Tell her to come here instead. It's safer."

  "Then why didn't you tell her where you were really going to begin with?"

  "Because I didn't plan this. It was...spontaneous. And because this way, we get a few hours alone. And maybe you can relax a little, and give yourself time to catch up with what's happening to you."

  "I'm not gonna relax."

  "Yes, you are. Call Eve."

  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have her number.”

  “Call Jack, then.”

  She got out of the truck, scrolled to the listing for Jack, tapped it and waited. “Why did you bring us here?”

  “It felt like the right move. Mom is on a cruise, and—”

  Eve picked up. “Jack’s phone. Talk to me.”

  “It’s me,” Sunny said. “Jason pulled a fast one, drove us to his mother’s place. He says you should come, too. Says it’s safer here.”

  “He’s trying to hold on," Eve said.

  “To his family home?”

  “To you, Einstein.”

  “Oh.”

  Jason was keying in a code and opening the front door. The place was opulent. It had a foyer like a hotel lobby, split staircases curving off in opposite directions, crystal chandelier the focal point.

  “I don’t think that’s it,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, we can’t come right now. Your brother is tracking us and we need to figure out how.”

  “What? Eve, no. You’re not safe.”

  “We’re fine. We’ve got a plan and I've got the whole FBI to back me up. I'm safe. Stay in touch.”

  “I’ll text you the address here.”

  “Okay.”

  She hung up the phone and turned to Jason. “Braxton’s guys are following them. They think they’re tracking them somehow. They have a plan, but didn’t say what. God, I hope Eve’s okay.”

  “She seems extremely competent.”

  “Yeah. She’s kickass. Saved my life once. More than once, but once in true kickass fashion.”

  “I would love to hear that story.”

  She tensed. He saw it. “I didn't mean now."

  "Sorry. I just...I've been in the past enough for one day. I can't–"

  "I get it. Tell you what, I’m going to see what I can find us to eat."

  “Okay if I take a shower while you do that?”

  “Entirely okay. You can relax, Sunny. You’re safe here. And if I have my way on this, you’ll be safe back home in Big Falls, too.”

  “You gonna fix my life for me, Jason?”

  “You fixed it for yourself. I want to help keep your brother from wrecking it. If you don’t mind.”

  “I don't mind." She paused, then said, "But you and me—”

  “You’re family, Sunny, regardless of you and me. It's not even about you and me right now. You're part of my family. You're a part of Big Falls. I don't think you even know how much. Let me help.”

  She took a breath, lowered her head. “I’ll let you know.”

  She headed upstairs. Jason's mother kept one guestroom just for her, so she'd have her own space when they came to visit together. She’d been to three Thanksgivings here, and three with the Big Falls branch of Jason's family. Same with Christmases. They took turns.

  But that was before. That was when she’d been sweet Sunny Cantrell.

  The guest room had gradually transformed into a reflection of her. Jason’s mother, Judith, had it re-painted pale sky blue with white curtains that billowed when the windows were open. Whenever Sunny came to visit, she’d find dresses and nightgowns in her size hanging in her closets. Or sometimes a drawer full of fluffy socks, or a new robe with matching plush slippers. Every time Judith discovered a beauty product she loved, she bought an extra one for Sunny, and left it for her to find in the attached bathroom.

  She wanted Sunny for a daughter-in-law. What would she think of her when she knew the truth?

  Sighing, she sat down at the vanity and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look like sweet Sunny Cantrell tonight. Her eyes were haunted, her hair as wild as her emotions, and you could see the bandage and dark edges of the tattoo even though she’d combed her blond hair over it. She was dressed for fight or flight. There was a bruise on her cheek. She’d banged it while diving out of the path of her brother’s knife.

  He wanted her dead. He’d have killed her if it hadn’t been for Jason.

  She looked into the mirror. She was not the angry, rebellious, terrified kid she’d been before. She was scared now in a grown-up way. It wasn’t hidden. She could show it. She felt no shame in it. When someone’s chasing you with a knife, intent on driving it into your heart, you’re scared. It makes sense. So yes, she was scared. But she wasn’t going to let it rule her.

  She wasn’t the Sunny she’d been pretending to be for the past six years either. She’d locked up her dark feelings so thoroughly it had been easy to forget their existence. She’d been happy, upbeat, friendly, kind, generous for six years. She’d rarely used a cuss word or lost her temper with anyone in all that time. She hadn’t had a bad dream. She hadn’t entertained a single hateful or murderous thought.

  But that had been a lie, too. She’d grown up with hate. She’d witnessed murder. She’d hated, and she’d wished death on others. She’d lied, and she’d broken the law, and she’d supported and enabled an evil man. Her father.

  Her entire time in Big Falls, she'd felt like the devil’s daughter, posing as an angel on Heaven's country Main Street.

  Honestly, she didn’t know who she was now. Not Jillian, who Eve wanted her to become, that was for sure. She was pretty sure she never would be. Jillian and New Mexico were for someone else. Not her.

  But was she Sunny Cantrell? Or was she Mary Sunlight Hayes?

  She didn’t feel like either one of them. She felt untethered from either identity, adrift in a sea of danger and potential.

  “That smells like Del Vecchio's." She'd come downstairs at last, all pretty in pink pajama bottoms with a matching tank, a lightweight lilac robe that looked like satin hanging loose and short. She wore pink ballet slippers made of fleece.

  He was staring. She saw him staring. He saw her see it. The lights were
all off, the big TV screen blue and blank. "It is Del Vecchio's. Sausage and mushrooms, your favorite. And Miller beer in Mom's frosted mugs."

  "I love your mother's frosted mugs."

  "Everybody loves my mother's frosted mugs." He waved a hand, and she followed it to the sofa. A soft blanket was draped over the back. He sat down beside her, aimed the remote and tapped a button. The movie started.

  "Young Frankenstein," she said. "My favorite pizza, beer and movie. It's a trifecta."

  "See? You're still you, Sunny. All the crap going on in your head is gonna take some sorting out, I know that, but you are still Sunny. I know you."

  She sank onto the sofa beside him. They did this sometimes, when they were here visiting his mom, crept up in the middle of the night to commandeer the biggest screen in the place, always accompanied by junk food and beer.

  He leaned forward to pull out a cheesy slice, and handed it to her with a napkin. "Let it go for a little while. Focus on the movie. You're safe here. Mom's got a great security system and the cops response time is only six minutes. You're safe."

  He watched her try to do that, and after a while, he thought she'd succeeded. She was even laughing, after a while, and they did a good job depleting the pizza and the beer. By the time Madeline Kahn was belting out "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," she seemed much more like herself again. He put his arm around her. She didn't pull away. Instead she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I kept so much from you," she said.

  "I'm sorry I let you."

  "You didn't know–"

  "Yeah, I did. I've been thinking about this, and yes. I knew there was something. And I know now why you kept it from me. The last guy you were involved with died because of your family. I wish you'd told me, but I understand why you didn't. And I think I know how hard it must've been to keep this to yourself all this time."

  He tipped her chin up, looked into her eyes. "I want to take you back home in the morning. Back to Big Falls. We'll figure out the rest from there."

  "If I go back, he'll come, too. It will put everyone at risk, Jason. Even Matilda Louise and Diana. All of them.

  "We have support there. We have family there."

  "You have family there."

  "You still don't get how valued you are, do you?" He heaved a big sigh. "Just think about it, okay? He sets foot in Big Falls, Jimmy will arrest him. Don't give up your life for this jerk, Sunny. Stand and fight for what you care about. And for God's sake, for our sake, let me stand and fight beside you."

  When she didn't say anything for a long time. He said, "Think about it while I teach you some moves."

  She blinked at him.

  "Come on, get up."

  She got up slow. "You think I don't have moves?"

  "You didn't have any back at the motel."

  "I was freaked out. I have moves. I've been to the self-defense classes at the dojo."

  "Well, then, let's see 'em."

  "After three beers? I might hurt you." They moved into the expanse of carpet between the coffee table and the TV. "I might hurt myself."

  He smiled as he watched Sunny take up a crouching stance. She said, "Bring it on, big guy."

  He lunged at her, and she dodged him. He grabbed her from behind, and she flipped him. He lay on his back on the floor, looking up at her. She put her foot on his chest and raised her fists in victory, so he grabbed her ankle and swept it right out from under her. She landed flat on top of him, face to face, and they were both laughing, until they weren't.

  Her hair was hanging down like a curtain. He wanted to kiss her. But it had to be her idea. So he just held her eyes, and pushed her hair behind her ear on one side.

  "I wish none of this had happened."

  "I'm not so sure I agree," he said.

  "How can you say that?"

  "Because I never would've got to know all of you, the way I'm doing now."

  "The parts I kept from you are parts I'm ashamed of."

  "I don't mean the events. Most of which weren't in your control anyway. No, I mean you. Mary Sunlight Hayes Cantrell."

  She seemed to just take that in for a second.

  "Never say I don't know you again. I do know you. You've been trying to figure out who you are. Sunny or Mary."

  "I have."

  "Has it hit you yet that you're both? And you're kind of kick-ass under all that sparkle."

  She flopped off him, onto her back, a forearm landing across her brow. "How can I be both? They're opposites."

  "They're you," he said. "No one's all light, Sunny. Our dark corners are what give us depth. Our shadows make us 3D. I feel like I'm seeing the whole you for the first time."

  "Yet, you're still here," she said, heavy on the sarcasm.

  "Yeah. I'm still here. It’s good you noticed that."

  She lowered her forearm and rolled up onto one side. "Are you...trying to say we might not be over?"

  "I'm trying to say you never had to hide yourself from me, and you don't have to now, Sunny. So, if there are any more secrets, any more lies–"

  "Stories. Pieces of the past. But no more secrets. You know everything now."

  He shrugged. "And again, I'm still here."

  She stared into his eyes and hers grew shiny. And then she leaned closer, and pressed her mouth to his. He wrapped her up in his arms, snugged her body tight, kissed her like his life depended on it. He got up slowly, gathering her with him, up to his knees and then onto his feet, and he carried her across the room, and up the stairs, still kissing her.

  “How is a night in a fancy hotel going to shake off those creeps who've been following us?” Eve asked.

  “Just keep the coat over the cat carrier, and smile.” Jack sauntered up to the front desk like he was the king of Siam. “I phoned ahead,” he told the clerk, though he hadn't. “My beloved needs to get to our room immediately, please. She’s exhausted.”

  “Of course, of course! Mister, er—”

  He slapped a black card onto the desk, and said, “Please, hurry.”

  The clerk hit a bell and said, “Take this guest to the Coltry Suite."

  A bellman rushed to Eve, reaching for the coat-covered cat carrier. She dodged and said, “I carry my own bag. Just give me the key and point me in the right direction.” She did not even try to sound like the Queen of Sheba.

  He handed her the key. “Take the elevator to three, then go left. It’s the corner suite.”

  “Nice. I wonder who’s paying for it.” She glared at Jack and took the elevator up, then went down the hall and let herself in.

  The room was nice.

  She did a trust fall onto the bed let her bones relax for a few minutes. And then a few more. She didn't even move. She started to nod off, even, but then Jack popped into the room.

  “Okay, perfect, perfect. We left everything in the car…”

  “Except the cat.”

  “The concierge is filling our list as we speak. New clothes right to the skivvies, two dispose-a-phones. New cat carrier. Something chi-chi. That cat’s unhappy in there.”

  “She has to get out,” Eve said, looking at the cat carrier beside her on the bed. Griselda was curled up and napping.

  “There’s a potted plant on the balcony," Jack suggested.

  “She’ll get away. Sunny’ll kill us both.”

  “Well, she can't stay in the carrier much longer." He opened the carrier door. Griz lifted her head, then came out deliberately, not hurrying, jumped off the bed, and proceeded to inspect the premises.

  “There’s a bag of litter and a small box in the car," Eve said.

  "You brought kitty litter while running for your life?"

  "I knew we might be running for our lives when I got to Big Falls. I also knew she had a cat. I like to be ready for anything."

  "I remember that about you.”

  “I’ll go get it,” she said.

  "No, no. Let me. You're wiped out. But let's not get anything else from the car. We’ll order up a rental, h
ave it delivered. Then in the wee hours, we get in it with our new cat carrier, our new clothes, our new phones, and not one damn thing that was in the other car.”

  “Track that, jack-asses,” Eve said.

  Jack left the room to get the things for Griselda. Griz was exploring the room, probably looking for the facilities. "Hey, kitty. You must be hungry, huh. Good thing for you I thought to grab a can of cat food from the crateful your human made me put in the back of my car when we packed up the place."

  Griz sent her a hateful look, turned around and walked under the bed.

  Eve took the can from her small bag and popped the top.

  The cat shot out from under the bed as if something in there had bitten her, stopping right at Eve's feet. She reached up with a paw, swiping at the can as Eve set it on the floor. "Sorry there's no pretty dish."

  Jack returned in record time. He'd carried the litter and litter box up in a suitcase he must've emptied in the car. "Where do you think? Bathroom?"

  "That's what it's for."

  So, he carried it in, and she heard him open the bag and pour the litter. Then he turned on the fan to get rid of the dust, and came back out. "Problem solved."

  They watched the cat eat every molecule of cat food. She licked the can for a full minute after the food was all gone, then walked right into the bathroom. Eve picked up the can and followed to rinse it, and fill it with water. She set the water on the floor. Griz sniffed it then drank her fill, before going to check out the new box.

  "Now what?" she asked. "I mean, I should update my boss, but other than that–"

  "Update your boss without mentioning my name. Other than that, there's nothing else we need to do right now. We can enjoy the room. Watch a movie, order some room service, hit that mini bar.”

  “Whose black card are you using, Jack?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I saw the card. Jet black. Only movie stars and billionaires have those. Not two-bit grandpa con-artists.”

  “I was never a two-bit con artist, and you know it. I was an amazing con-artist. And I'll have you know I'm also a top-notch grandpa.”

  “No shit,” she said, looking at him.

  He pulled out his phone, scrolled to baby pictures. Him-holding-a-baby pictures. Him hugging his daughters, one in each arm, and another one with all of them, and the baby, too.