Burn in Hail

by Lani Lynn Vale

  So that was the girl’s name.

  My eyes went to Baylor to see his eyes fixated on the waitress’s backside. He’d also taken notice of her name, because his eyebrows went up.

  “I’d like some, too,” Hennessy’s date smiled at the server. “Like hers, only vegan, please.”

  Could vegans eat cheese?

  I pulled out my phone and Googled: what do vegans eat?

  The first thing that popped up was ‘a type of vegetarianism that excludes meat and all animal products.’

  My immediate thought was ‘what a miserable existence.’

  My second was that Hennessy’s date had no fucking clue what was going on.

  I’d witnessed him eat not one, not two, but four tacos. Each of those tacos had cheese on it. Cheese was a byproduct of milk, which was derived from a cow.

  Did he know what being a vegan entailed, or was he just playing her?

  My curiosity was caught, and seeing as Baylor was looking behind my head at the mirror that I knew to be there, which had a prime view of the woman he’d been staring at for the majority of the night when she wasn’t looking, I didn’t feel bad.

  Instead, I turned my eyes to the two people at the next table over, and studied them.

  ***

  Hennessy

  This was a disaster.

  I couldn’t focus on the man in front of me, because of the man beside me.

  I was so hyper aware of everything the man did, that I wasn’t giving the man next to me the attention he apparently needed.

  Which was, I realized, a lot.

  “Do you like avocados?”

  I was in the process of putting a slice of an avocado in my mouth, so I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

  “Uh, yes?” I said in confusion.

  “You look like you do,” he grinned. “Did you know that an avocado is what they consider a super food?”

  I shook my head, enjoying the creamy slide of the ‘superfood’ down my throat.

  God, I loved avocados!

  “It’s fattening, sure, but it has the good kind of fat in it, too. Good thing you don’t care about your weight.”

  I paused with the next slice of avocado halfway to my mouth.

  My eyes flicked to the side to see if the man at the next table over had caught the admission from my date, Tad. I winced when I saw that he had, in fact, caught it.

  I sent him a ‘don’t do anything stupid’ look and turned my eyes back to my date.

  “Tad,” I said to him. “I’m not really sure that you should tell someone that it’s good they don’t care about their weight.”

  Tad had the grace to blush. “Sorry, sometimes I get nervous and say stuff I wouldn’t normally say, only think.”

  I wasn’t sure that was better.

  But I chose to let it go; otherwise, I might brain him with the fork I was using to shovel the avocado into my mouth with.

  “Do you still live at home?”

  I shook my head. “No, I haven’t lived at home in years. I moved out when I was eighteen to go to college, and never went back.”

  “Interesting,” he said. “I would think since your father is the pastor and all, that you’d want to help him.”

  I wanted to argue with him, but I knew that doing that would only prolong this date further than it needed to be.

  I wasn’t sure if he was crazy or not, and I honestly didn’t want to know any more about him.

  What I wanted to do was finish my tacos, and then find a quiet place to nap. Preferably on my big sofa that liked to suck me in each time I sat on it.

  But then Lark showed up with the second serving of tacos, saving the day, but also prolonging it.

  The date wasn’t going to be saved.

  I wasn’t rude, though, so I sat there, ate my tacos, and wondered why they tasted different.

  It wasn’t until I was halfway through my second taco that I realized why it tasted different.

  There wasn’t any meat on it.

  My mouth fell open as I flicked the corn tortilla to the side, revealing its contents.

  My eyes went up to the man who was now staring at me with dawning horror.

  “No.”

  I winced.

  “THERE’S COW IN ME!”

  My hand covered my mouth to hide the laugh that wanted to escape.

  The asshole, Tate Casey, did nothing to hide his enjoyment of it, however.

  He laughed. He guffawed. He chuckled. He wiped the tears that were streaming from his eyes as he got a basic understanding of the horror two tables over. Then, he bent over double and bellowed with utter glee.

  “THERE IS COW IN ME!” Tad screamed again. “OH, MY GOD!”

  I bit my lip, trying so hard to not laugh.

  And I failed.

  I couldn’t help it.

  I should really be more considerate. Really, I should.

  I had nothing against those members of society that wanted to be vegan for personal reasons. To each their own. But with the way Tad was now crying, and literally dry heaving, I couldn’t help it.

  I laughed.

  I kept laughing longer than I probably should have due to the man that was hunkered over his table now, beating on it with a big meaty fist.

  Even the man that was eating with him, Baylor Hail, looked like he was trying hard not to die of laughter.

  But my date saw me laughing, and got mad.

  To show his anger, he picked up his plate and threw it at me.

  The contents of his plate landed on my shirt. The plate itself knocked me in the head where I’d run into a ladder not even twelve hours before.

  And the feeling of blood running down my forehead was almost immediate.

  That’s when Tate Casey stopped laughing.

  I placed my hand to my forehead, brought my fingers away, and saw the blood there.

  Wincing, I reached for the stack of napkins and pressed it to my forehead while also standing.

  Tate drug my date out by his collar, opened the front door of the best taco shop in Hostel, and threw the little punk outside. Immediately he closed the door, turned around, and surveyed the room.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “You had a trash problem.”

  I bit my lip to keep the snort from escaping.

  Tate saw and walked toward me.

  His large fist came to my chin, lifted it up and to the side, and stared at my face.

  “Move the napkins.”

  I did.

  “I think you’ll live.”

  I nodded.

  My entire body felt like it was floating with his nearness.

  He smelled like mint, tacos, and beer.

  Three of my favorite things in the world, all rolled into one.

  “I will,” I agreed, looking up into his eyes.

  His gaze met mine, and everything seemed to stand still.

  The room around us went silent. Despite being in the middle of a tiny, hole in the wall taco shop, it felt like we were the only two people on the planet.

  I wanted him to drop his mouth to mine and kiss me. I wanted him to wrap me up in his big, muscular arms. I wanted to smell his scent around me as we made love. I wanted…

  “Go home, girl,” he said, dropping his fist, as well as the connection that we’d formed.

  My entire heart fell.

  “I am.” I paused to pick up my purse and pull out my wallet at the same time keeping the napkins on my forehead.

  I didn’t accomplish this, mostly because the man that was at my side pulled me away before I could accomplish my task.

  “I got it.”

  “But…”

  He dropped two twenties down onto the table. It was more than enough to cover the two meals, as well as my sweet tea.

  Generous and hot.

  I liked it.

  “Go. Home.”

  I bit my lip and walked away, trying not to notice how
everyone stared at me.

  Because if I had paid attention, I might’ve seen Tate making sure that I was okay, and watching every single movement…of my ass.

  Chapter 10

  I may not be everyone’s cup o’ tea, but I’m too busy enjoying my beer to give a shit.

  -Text from Tate to Hennessy

  Hennessy

  That morning, I had no idea that I was about to be a bad, bad girl.

  All I knew was that I was dressing up, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was doing it only for him.

  “Are you sure that you want to do this?”

  I was Facetiming with my best friend, and she was shaking her head.

  “I’m sure,” I said, fastening the corset. “I’m sure that I need to wear this.”

  I wasn’t sure why.

  Maybe just the need to don body armor, to make myself feel pretty despite the fact that I’d never cross that line between patient and medical professional.

  One could daydream, though.

  “At least wear a shirt over it that makes it to where you can’t see it,” she said. “And for God’s sake, if you’re going to wear stockings, make sure the skirt is long enough to hide them.”

  I grinned and held up my long pencil skirt that I’d just bought yesterday on the way home from work.

  “I’m so proud that you’re growing up,” she admitted, smiling at my first purchase without her. “But you need to be careful, here. I don’t think your judgement can be trusted when it comes to Tate Casey.”

  I wasn’t sure it could either.

  He’d always been my weakness.

  “It’ll be okay,” I told her. “He has exactly eight more weeks of time left with me. That’s sixteen more visits. I can do it.”

  I hoped.

  “All right.” She sighed. “If you need anything today, call me. I know you have a full schedule.”

  I did.

  Tate was my first appointment at eight thirty. Then I had a full patient load until four that afternoon, when I had a doctor’s appointment for my yearly vagina check.

  I literally wouldn’t have time to eat until I got home at six or so tonight.

  I’d overbooked myself, but honestly, I was okay with that.

  At first, I hadn’t thought that Hostel would benefit from having a psychologist in town. I’d been surprised, though, when on my first day of being open, the judge had declared that any referrals needed from the county jail would now be on my plate.

  From there, it’d just spiraled, and I now had a full patient load.

  I was making money, and paying off stuff that I thought would take years to pay off.

  “Will do, friend,” I said, smiling at Krisney. “What are you doing today?”

  She grimaced. “I have to call a tow. My car broke down.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but she interrupted me. “No, I don’t need a ride. I’m at home today, and have no plans to go anywhere. I just need it fixed, and the easiest way to do that is by having someone come get it and take it to the mechanic.”

  I shut it just as fast.

  Before she hung up she yelled, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

  Then there was nothing but dead air in my ear.

  Sighing, I yanked the corset off, reached for a simple white V-neck camisole, paired it with the new skirt I’d bought yesterday, and settled with simple flats, and a soft, baby blue cardigan.

  Once I was as dressed as I was going to get, I went to the bathroom and started on the makeup.

  I didn’t know how to do makeup—that was Krisney’s forte.

  However, I gave it my best shot, and ended up with lip gloss, mascara, and a light gray color of eyeshadow that had glitter in it shading my eyelids.

  It was very simple, but it helped my pale white skin look less ghost-like, and more presentable.

  I’d just stepped out of my house and locked the door when I looked over at the house across the street and the breath stalled in my lungs.

  Tate was there, standing beside his bike, staring at something. Something that I couldn’t see, but he was definitely interested in.

  My brows furrowed as I took the steps down the walk, and then I tripped over a large book that was on the ground.

  “You Need Jesus,” I read aloud. “I need Jesus?”

  “You got one, too?”

  My eyes went from the book lying on the ground, to the man that was now straddling his motorcycle.

  “You mean the ‘You Need Jesus’ book that was on my front walk?”

  He nodded.

  “Then yes, I got one, too.” I smiled, trying not to seem too overly eager to talk to him.

  I wanted to lay my head against his chest and listen to the rumble of it while he spoke, but that would probably be one of those patient/doctor boundaries that I probably shouldn’t cross.

  “See you there,” he muttered, then started his bike.

  I bit my lip as I watched him ride away, and wondered if I could take a picture of him the next time I saw him get on his bike.

  I was in this ‘Beard Watch’ group on Facebook, and each time someone from the group saw an exceptional beard that they loved, they snapped a picture and posted it.

  See, I wasn’t all that great at it like some people were.

  The group admin’s mother was good. She’d walk right up to a bearded man and take a photo. Me? I’d be willing to take them through the blinds of a restaurant, but if it required me to actually interact with said bearded man, then I’d freeze.

  I got embarrassed easily, and when I got embarrassed, I forgot how to use my tongue.

  Hence why I sucked at doing anything outside of work.

  I was a social pariah.

  Annoying, but true. I got into the car and started it up, making the drive to the office in ten minutes, and still beat Tate there.

  Deciding that he’d gone to grab a coffee or something, I pulled my office keys out of my purse and started walking, head down, to the front door.

  That’s why I never saw him coming until it was too late.

  “Bitch.”

  I looked up to find my date, Tad, standing there with a look of pure fury in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Tad.” I hesitated. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you.”

  “You knew I didn’t want to eat tacos,” he hissed. “But you said, ‘this is my favorite place. You have to try it,’ and I caved. It’s all because of your stupid, stupid eyes.”

  My eyes? What?

  “I don’t know what you’re speaking of,” I admitted. “But I have an appointment in less than five minutes, so I’ll have to finish this discussion later.”

  “You’ll finish it now, bitch.”

  He wrapped his hands around my arm and squeezed.

  For a little dude, he was surprisingly strong!

  I yanked my arm away from his grip and took a step back.

  Then he lunged.

  I stepped back, but it proved unnecessary when a hand wrapped itself around Tad’s shirt and yanked him back before he could take even one threatening step in my direction.

  Tad squealed. Literally, squealed. Like a tiny little pig picked up when he didn’t want to be.

  “I know that you weren’t about to do anything to the good doctor here,” came Tate’s chilling admonishment. “Because if you were, I might very well have to defend her.”

  Tate let Tad go, and the way he was straining to get away caused him to fall away with the resistance he was no longer being provided.

  He hit the ground with a dull thud, but caught himself on his hands and knees.

  “Fucking worthless cunt,” Tad growled, making his way back to his feet. “You made me throw up all night long!”

  “Why?”

  “Because you made me eat cow!”

  My brows furrowed, and I couldn’t quite grasp the link of him eating cow to me making him eat cow.

 
“She didn’t make you eat cow, you dumbshit,” Tate said. “That was an honest screw up on the waitress’s part. You can’t honestly be dumb enough to think that Hennessy would’ve done that to you on purpose, can you?”

  Tad’s face went mottled with rage.

  “I’ll have you know that I was a perfect vegan until yesterday. You can’t begin to understand the cruelty to animals that goes into making the products that you heathens consume on a daily basis.”

  Tate frowned at him.

  “I assure you that I don’t like the way that animals are treated, either. However, you’re not a perfect vegan. I read on Google last night that cheese used to be made using cow intestines,” Tate drawled. “And let’s not forget that it’s made out of milk. You know, the thing that comes from cows? You were eating cheese tacos all last night before you ever ate the ‘cow.’ If you were a true vegan, you’d know what your cheese was made of, and why you ‘can’t’ eat it.”

  Tad turned his angry eyes on Tate and started to sputter out a dispute.

  “What are you talking about?” Tad hissed, pointing at me. “You’re a fucking cunt liar, and you’re just a big cunt douchebag.”

  I wanted to beat my head against the wall.

  I was glad that I only suffered through one and only one date with the man. There was no way, with that attitude, that anything would ever have worked out between us.

  “I hate the word cunt.”

  Tad bared his teeth at me.

  “You’ll hear from my lawyer.”

  I frowned, but before I could ask him ‘for what?’ he was already gone.

  “Well, that was fun,” I muttered, brushing invisible lint off my shirt.

  Tate snorted.

  “You’re lucky I was here.”

  I thought so, too.

  “I didn’t think you were, to be honest. I didn’t see your bike.”

  He pointed to the tow truck that was sitting beside the building, barely visible but for the back bumper. “Went to get the truck so I can leave for a job after this.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, making my way to the front door, and opening it.

  I felt his heat at my back, but I didn’t turn. Didn’t do anything.

  Didn’t dare.

  Not with the way my hormones were practically urging me to do naughty things with the man, and screw anyone or anything that tried to stop me.

  “You want me to get those blinds?”