“Why so tough?” Vincent asked.
“My boss just told me this past week that either my job or Mike Ventura’s job is going to be eliminated and one of us will be let go. He’ll base his decision on who gets the most sales in the next three months. Mike and I were hired about the same time, and we’re low on the seniority list.”
“Boy, that’s gotta be tough,” Vincent said as he took another bite of his vegetable and a sip of his drink.
“It is. I get sexually harassed almost every day by the men in the office. I’m the only female agent in the group. And then of course, there’s Mike. He thinks I had something to do with getting some papers of his all mucked up. I don’t know when he thinks I had the time to do anything to his papers. I’m hardly ever in the office. I do a lot of work at home. I think he just wants to get me fired so he’ll have his job.”
“Have you talked to your boss about all this?” Vincent asked.
“Yeah, a few times, but he just thinks I’m trying to cause trouble. I really need this job right now, and I’m trying to hang on to it.”
“No matter how bad you need the job, you have the right to not be sexually harassed,” Vincent replied.
Char and Vincent moved on to other subjects, and she looked up and saw the sheriff walk in with a woman on his arm. Her mouth dropped opened at the sight of him.
He came up to where she and Vincent were and started talking to Vincent. “So you guys are off for a week, huh?” he asked Vincent.
“Yes, it will be a nice vacation actually. How is the sheriff life going with you?”
“It’s going okay. Kind of nice to attend a happy occasion after having to deal with the negativity that comes day in and day out at the department.” The sheriff looked right at Char as he commented. “Ms. Johnson, correct?” he asked.
“Yes, fancy meeting you here at a wedding party, Sheriff,” Char said.
“You two met already?” Vincent asked.
“Yeah, we met a few days ago,” Char answered.
The attractive woman that was on the sheriff’s arm said, “Come on, honey. Let’s go grab some food. I’m hungry.”
The sheriff said his goodbyes, then he and the woman went off in search of food.
The rest of the band members came in and sat down next to them. Calvin brought his wife over and introduced her to Char.
“Char, this is my wife. Elizabeth, this is Char, Vincent’s date today.”
“Nice to meet you, Elizabeth,” Char said, holding out her hand to shake hers.
“Nice to meet you too,” Elizabeth answered and shook her hand.
She sat down next to Char. At each table was a disposable camera, and Elizabeth grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures. When another couple came and sat down she took a picture. Soon, not only was she taking pictures, but people all around them at other tables started snapping pictures. Another couple came and sat down on the other side of Vincent, and Elizabeth took a picture of them as Vincent introduced them to Char.
“Char, this is Rosie and Jonathan Mueller. Rosie is my sister, and Jon is her husband. Rosie, Jon, this is Char.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rosie said.
“Nice to meet you too,” Char said.
Bruce Spinner and Debbie walked up and sat down next to Char. Elizabeth went to the other side of the table and took a picture of Bruce and Debbie.
“Do you have any family here?” Rosie asked Char. Even though Char could see some family resemblance between Debbie and Vincent, she could see more resemblance between Rosie and Vincent.
“No, my family lives in Michigan,” Char answered. “Do you have other family members here?”
“Yeah, there are five of us. William is the oldest, but he’s not here tonight. Then there’s Vincent, then me, then Patrick, who’s also not here tonight, and Debbie.”
“What about your parents?” Char asked.
“Our parents are dead,” Vincent replied with a grimace.
“So what about your family? Do you have brothers and sisters, parents?” Rosie asked.
“My parents are divorced, and my mom remarried. I have an older sister named Kathy and a half-sister named Joannie. My dad never remarried.”
“Our family seems to have a lot of drama in it. I thought that with both our parents gone, our lives would settle down and we’d just be brothers and sisters, but it’s not like that at all, we still argue and bicker, and someone is always not talking to someone else. Vincent is the only one who doesn’t argue and bicker. He gets along with everyone.” Rosie looked over at Vincent.
“That’s what you need to do. Just don’t argue and don’t bicker,” Vincent said to Rosie.
“My older sister and I used to argue a lot when we were younger. Especially when I used to get into her makeup and sneak in to wear some of her clothes,” Char said, and Rosie laughed.
The man that gave Jennifer away came in, and then the bride and groom came through the door. Everyone stood up and clapped and cameras flashed. People banged on the tables, insisting that Jake give Jennifer a kiss, which he had no objection to doing. As the bride and groom made their way toward their table, they were stopped by numerous people, wishing them well and giving them hugs. People continued to snap pictures of the bride and groom with different folks.
“Vincent, is the man who gave Jennifer away, her father?” Char asked.
“No. He’s Earl Ackerson, Jake’s grandfather. Jenn’s parents both died a few years ago.”
Bruce turned to Vincent and asked, “Do you think we should get together and practice, even though Jennifer and Jake will be on their honeymoon?”
“I don’t know. Actually, I’ve been kind of looking forward to not having to go to practice every night. Maybe we could just not worry about it and take the week off.”
“Yeah, that sounds good to me,” Calvin said.
“Who is the maid of honor?” Char asked Debbie.
“That’s Anna, Jake’s sister. I see that she has really slimmed down since she had her baby,” Debbie remarked as she rubbed her stomach.
“Yeah, they had a beautiful baby boy. They named him Rocky Earl, after her husband and her grandfather,” Rosie said quietly.
“Is Anna going to go back to singing with the band now that she’s had the baby?” Debbie asked Vincent and Bruce.
Vincent looked over at his sister. “My understanding is that she’ll fill in for Jennifer when needed. Jenn has several houses that her parents left her with that she has to get ready to sell.”
“She’s got to be a millionaire, why would they choose to stay here in Jarillo?” Debbie mused.
“I think Jennifer found out that money isn’t everything,” Bruce replied. “She really was lonesome most of the time, and I think Jake gives her a sense of purpose in her life. I think all she really wanted was Jake and a family.”
Rosie said, “It makes me feel like there is hope for us as a family, to be able to get along now that our parents are gone. Jake and Anna didn’t suffer from abuse like we did, but their parents were abusive to each other, and their dad killed their mom and then himself. That alone has emotional scars. Earl had to take over and raise them. I think that’s why Jake was so reluctant to marry Jenn to begin with.”
“That may have been part of the reason, but the other reason was that Jennifer got that recording contract and Jake didn’t want to stand in her way,” Vincent clarified.
The bride and the groom headed to the buffet. The best man and the maid of honor went after the bride and groom, and then Earl followed behind. The caterers then went to the first table and guided them to the buffet. When one table got done, the next table went up. The caterers came to their table and everyone got up and walked over to the food line.
Vincent stood behind Char as they slowly walked through the buffet, putting food on their plates. Vincent asked Char, “Would you like another drink?”
“I would like some water.”
“Okay.”
After they got
their food and went to their table, Vincent went to the bar and got himself another drink and Char a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” Char said when he returned.
The wedding party continued as the bride and groom cut the cake, then it was time for the DJ to start the music. Vincent danced with Char. While dancing, there was a flash from a camera, and they looked over to see that Elizabeth had taken a picture of them.
After a few dances, they sat down, and Char asked Vincent, “Would you be offended if I asked if you are Apache?”
“No, I’m not offended, and yes, I’m Apache.”
“Do you get a percentage of money from the casino, aside from working and earning an income at the bar?”
“You mean does the casino pay out to the Native Americans that run it?”
Char nodded.
“Yes, I get a set amount every month from the casino. We all do, except Bruce Spinner, since he’s only half Apache.”
“And I think I should get at least half of what all you guys get,” Bruce replied crisply.
Bruce asked Char for a dance, and she got up and went to the dance floor with him. “Do you live around here?” he asked.
“I live just outside Jarillo, going into Hobbs,” she answered.
“So you met Vincent when you had a flat tire that he changed for you?”
“Yes. Is Vincent always quiet?” Char asked as she looked over at him. He was engaged in a conversation with his sister Rosie.
“Yeah, he’s pretty quiet. He says what he has to say and then shuts up.”
“Kind of hard getting to know someone who doesn’t talk much,” Char said as Bruce guided her around the dance floor.
“It takes a lot to get him to open up. When they were growing up, everyone in that family was abused by their father. William, the oldest of the family, has a violent temper, but I’ve never seen Vincent lose his temper, I think he just holds it all in. Rosie seems well-adjusted, in spite of everything. Patrick is kind of a cross between Vincent and William, and Debbie...well, she keeps falling into abusive relationships, one after another. One thing I do know, when Vincent was about twelve years old, he was into body building. When he had been doing it for about a year, he began to grow to be as tall and strong as his father, and he learned to stand up to him, especially when the old man went after Rosie and Debbie.”
“How did his parents die?” Char asked.
“They were driving home during a rare ice storm in northern Texas when they lost control of the vehicle and ran into a cement bridge. They were killed immediately. Vincent thinks they were arguing when it happened.”
After the dance, Bruce took Char back to the table and they sat down.
* * * *
Vincent got up and went over to Jennifer and asked her for a dance.
“You look lovely, Jennifer,” he said as he guided her around the dance floor.
“Thank you. When I came back to Jarillo, I had no idea I would be coming back to the man I love and marrying him. I’m so grateful for everything.”
“How come you chose a place that’s hotter than here for a honeymoon?”
“It’s by the ocean, and I love the ocean.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Vincent, are you dating the beautiful girl you brought to the wedding?”
“Not exactly.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” Jennifer moved back slightly and looked into Vincent’s eyes.
“I just met her. She had a flat tire and I changed it, and she agreed to come to the wedding as my date in return.”
“Well, she seems really nice.”
Vincent smiled as Jennifer moved closer and laid her head on his shoulder.
After they finished dancing, Vincent took Jennifer back to Jake. As he wandered back to the table, he wondered what Char’s relationship to the sheriff was and what was going on. When he reached the table he asked her, “How do you know the sheriff, Char?”
* * * *
Char smiled slightly. “I went to look at a house that was foreclosed on to see what needed to be done to make it sellable for the bank. When I got there, I found a dead body inside. The sheriff answered the call and asked me some questions about it.”
“Eek, a dead body?” Rosie asked with a horrified look on her face.
“Yes, and it was not a fresh one either,” Char added, shivering as she remembered the sight.
“Do they know who it was?” Vincent asked.
“Not at the scene. I don’t know if they’ve been able to identify the body since then or not. I couldn’t even tell if it was a male or female.”
Rosie made a face. “How awful.”
As the evening wore on, the DJ played more and more slow, intimate music. People continued to take pictures as the crystal ball was lowered and the lights were turned down. Vincent danced with Char several times. She felt a tingling, heady sensation go through her body each time they danced. At one point, she felt such a sensation that her nipples got hard through the fabric of her dress, and she hoped that Vincent didn’t feel them when he held her so tightly that her breasts were pressed against his chest. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind getting laid tonight by him. He’s so masculine.
She was amazed at her body’s reaction to him. She had just met him, and they’d only gone out this one time, but she was so hot for him that she wished she could find a broom closet where they could go and have at it, hot and heavy. She sensed that, emotionally, his feelings were kept in a private part of his heart, but that didn’t stop her attraction to him.
As the evening wore on, Char continued asking Vincent questions about himself, his family, his work, and so on. He would reply with basic, simple answers, but Rosie always expanded on what he said.
The only down side of this situation that bothered Char was that he worked at the casino and he played in a band at the casino. Her father was a gambler and alcoholic who spent all his time at casinos and gambling his paycheck away.
* * * *
When they danced together Vincent liked the feel of her in his arms, and he especially liked the feeling of her breasts against his chest. He knew that her nipples were hard, he could feel them even through all the fabrics of her clothing and his breastplate. He would love to slip that dress off her shoulders so he could see and fondle them. He loved the smell of her faint perfume. He couldn’t understand how she could walk, much less dance, in her stilettos, but she seem to handle it well. She felt graceful and elegant in his arms.
He held Char against him as they danced, and slowly led her over to a corner. Taking half a step back, he stared down at her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He bent down slightly, and kissed her. His kiss was slow and thoughtful.
As his kisses became more insistent, she kissed him back.
Vincent brought his hands up from her waist to her sides, and then around to gently cup her breasts. He felt her nipples harden beneath his touch, and Char let out a soft moan.
Suddenly the crystal ball was raised, the lights became brighter, and the DJ blasted out an announcement that the final dance of the night was going to be the dollar dance. Startled, Vincent quickly brought his head up to look around, and then he looked down into Char’s eyes. He slowly stepped away from her and put his hand at the small of her back to guide her back to their table.
* * * *
Char was reeling from the shock of the disruption of the kiss they’d just shared, and she wondered if Vincent felt something too. Her lips were still moist and warm from his kiss, and the pit of her stomach had gone into a wild swirl.
She knew she was falling for him, and wondered if that was wise. She was unsure what she would do about the situation. Her body was telling her one thing, but her head was telling her something different.
After the bride and groom had their last dance, they were ready to leave for their honeymoon. The guests formed two lines so the happy couple could walk between them as they headed out the door. Everyone had rice to throw at them as they walked by.
After the rice throwing and sending the newlywed couple on their way, Vincent asked Char, “Are you ready to leave?”
Char noted that some of the others were leaving, including Vincent’s family, and she said, “If you want to leave.”
“Hmm, if we don’t make our exit, we may end up getting drafted into helping clean this place up, and I don’t want to do that,” Vincent said.
“Okay, let’s go then.” Char smiled.
Vincent put his hand on Char’s back as they walked out into the evening toward his SUV. Char felt another light sensation go through her body at his touch. He walked her to the passenger side of the vehicle and shut the door when she got in, and then he went around and got in the driver’s side.
“Thank you for bringing me to the wedding. It was beautiful.” Char looked over at Vincent in the dark.
“Thank you for agreeing to come with me. Are we even now?” Vincent asked quietly as he backed out of the parking spot.
“I’m sorry, even?” Char was confused.
“I changed your flat tire and you went to the wedding with me. Does that even everything out for you?”
“Yeah, I think so. Do you?” Char asked.
Vincent nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
Char chuckled. “I wonder how many pictures Elizabeth got of us.”
“Never give that woman a camera. She goes nuts with it.”
“I notice Rosie quietly grabbed it when Elizabeth was getting something to eat, but Elizabeth managed to get it back.” Char smiled.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. She would have gotten a camera off another table.”
They rode in silence for the ten minutes it took to get from downtown Jarillo to her apartment. Vincent got out and walked inside the building with Char. When they reached her apartment door, she turned toward him. .
“Would you like to come in?” she asked, looking up at Vincent, looking for that desire in his eyes that she’d seen earlier.
* * * *
Vincent knew he would never get out of that apartment tonight if he accepted her invitation. He wasn’t ready to deal with that, or the new feelings that he’d felt with Char earlier. Her kiss had given him a startled, pleasant feeling, and at the time, he wanted to pursue it. But now that his senses had come back to him, he knew he shouldn’t accept her invitation to come inside.
Jarillo Sunset Page 6
