by Pj Fiala
“She said I’d be second to know if she leaves here. Danny there…” Gerry pointed to Danny, “would be first.”
“What are you talking about, Gerry?”
“Tammy. She told me if Mr. Bigshot steals her away, I’d be the second to know and you’d be the first.”
Danny swallowed. “Have you heard that he’s trying to steal her away?” His heart began thumping away in his chest.
“Oh sure, the rumors are all over the place lately.” Harry waved his wrinkled old hand wide as he said it.
Lex watched Danny’s face grow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed to calm himself. Giving Danny the time to recover from this shock, Lex stepped forward and shook the hands of the men sitting around the table. Coop and Dirks followed, making their introductions.
Turning around Dirks whistled, “Is this what you were talking about? Tammy paint this?”
Danny slowly turned and mentally shook himself out of his shock. “Yeah.” Clearing the frog from his throat he tried again. “Yes. She painted that. It’s not finished yet.”
They all looked at the far right of the wall where the background was roughed in, but no scenes appeared.
Gerry wheeled forward. “She needs someone to help her with this war. We’ve each spent time in here with her while she paints, explaining what it looked like, what we went through, how we felt.” He wheeled closer to the wall and pointed to the face of one of the men in the mural. “This is Hank’s brother.” Lifting his hand he pointed across the room at a tall lanky man, who was too thin for his size, sitting at the table.
“Yep. That’s Johnny. He died at the beginning of Vietnam. I brought a picture of Johnny in here and Tammy painted his picture into the mural. Now, when I have something to say to Johnny, I come in here and talk to his picture. Every time I come in this room, I feel like he’s here.” Hank’s look was far away, his thin lips formed a faint smile.
The guys stepped closer to the picture and looked at Johnny, staring back at them. Gerry continued, “This here is my Uncle Joe. He died at the end of World War II. I never knew him, but I have the pictures from my dad; I love that Tammy painted him there.”
Wheeling forward a bit more, he swept his hand upward. “This is Phnom Pehn, where I was stationed. It was a beautiful place at one time, I hear it is again. When I was there, it was war-ravaged, but I told Tammy I remembered sitting in those swamps and being quiet and looking around for any movement and I remembered a day I saw those pink flowers peeking up over the swampland. It brought a tear to my eyes to see something pretty in such an ugly world. She painted these for me.”
***
“Hey girl, how are you? I miss you.” Tammy spoke into her phone. She was reclining in Danny’s chair, taking a few moments to call Molly before the guys came back from Stateside.
“Oh, Tam, I miss you, too. How are you?”
Tammy closed her eyes, “I’m good.” Sighing softly she opened her eyes and looked out the window across the fresh snow on the front yard.
“That isn't the sound of someone who's fine. I need to know what’s going on.”
Tammy proceeded to tell Molly about the video. Danny. Danny’s friends, and everything that'd happened recently. Molly shared her life with Ryder and that they were moving in together.
“Oh, Molly, that’s fantastic. We need to get together; maybe we can go pick out a Christmas Tree next Saturday. We'd like to get one put up right after Thanksgiving and that’s next week already.”
“Wait. We?” Molly smiled as she watched a movie play on the television, the sound turned down.
“Danny and I are moving in together. Actually, I’m moving in with him.”
The two friends shared their lives as they were now. Talking to Molly had always soothed Tammy’s nerves. No one was more levelheaded than Molly.
***
The guys rolled in around four-thirty. They were laughing and talking excitedly about the afternoon at Stateside. Charles sat back, a smile on his face as he watched his son talk animatedly for the first time since he'd come back from Afghanistan. Lex laughed and shared with everyone the conversations with the guys. Charles asked questions, they all raced to answer. All except Danny, he was more subdued. He smiled when he was supposed to, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Tammy asked him if he was okay and he just nodded and kissed the side of her head. She went to the kitchen and grabbed the dishes and silverware to set the dining room table. She'd brought some of her dishes from her place and used the cloth napkins she'd purchased at an estate sale a couple of years ago. She'd made a beautiful roast beef, baked potatoes, and candied carrots for dinner. Homemade buns were in the oven and for dessert she'd made an Oreo Lasagna. It was fun cooking in Danny’s kitchen. It was the first time she had carte blanche to cook and make herself feel at home, wanting this dinner to be special since it was also the first time she'd cooked for Danny.
The men sauntered into the dining room and took their places around the table. “Schaefer, you're a lucky son-of-a-bitch. You have a house, that crazy ass bike, a smoking-hot mama, who paints and cooks. Shit, some guys have all the luck.”
“That’s right.” Danny exclaimed. But, he didn’t smile. Tammy watched his face as his eyes flicked over to hers and then down to his plate. The guys all dug in as the lively conversation continued. Apparently the visit to Stateside had been successful. At least for Dirks, Coop, and Lex. Tammy fought the butterflies that began to take flight in her tummy. Danny was disturbed about something.
“Oh, dad, you’ve got to see the mural Tammy painted at Stateside. It’s fucking amazing.” Lex’s smile stretched across his face, his blue eyes sparkling with a life Tammy hadn't seen since he'd been there.
Charles set his fork down on his plate and used a napkin to wipe his lips. “I’d love to see it. Before we leave you can take me there.”
“I’m going back tomorrow. Hank is going to show me some pictures from World War II. And then Gerry said he’d show me some of the pictures he has from Vietnam. Then…”
“Whoa, boy. You sure are excited about all of this.” Charles leaned forward on his forearms and smiled at Lex’s exuberance.
“Sorry.” Lex’s pale cheeks reddened as his eyes caught the looks of each person around the table.
“We’re all excited. It was great talking to those guys today,” Dirks chimed in with a mouth full of potatoes.
Tammy smiled; she'd seen it over and over at the home. Soldiers helping soldiers; it was one of her favorite things about working there. She glanced at Danny and saw him watching her. He gently shook his head and scooped up a succulent bite of roast beef.
CHAPTER 36
STEPPING OUT OF THE SHOWER. Tammy froze as she saw Danny leaning against the counter waiting for her. His eyes showed the heat of a man looking at the nude body of the woman he loved, but his actions were cool and distant. His arms were crossed over his massive chest, the bulge of muscle in his biceps pronounced by the stance. Her lips quivered into a soft smile as she held the towel tighter around her. Neither moved for long moments and Tammy’s stomach knotted as her fingers tightened in the towel until he softly spoke, though the gruffness in his voice belied the casualness he was fighting for.
“So, has Mr. Moneybags been trying to steal you away?”
Tammy’s brows rose as she allowed her brain a moment to grasp this comment. Taking a deep breath, she began drying her arms. “He offered me a position in Seattle. I told him ‘no’. That’s it.”
“That right? When was this?”
Tammy watched his jaw clench and his lips thin. “Thursday morning, I received an email. He called Thursday afternoon. I told him I wasn’t interested in leaving Stateside, my family or you.”
Danny raised his arms and scraped them along either side of his head. He locked his fingers behind his head and looked directly into Tammy’s eyes. “He gonna leave it at that?”
Tammy’s lips thinned and her stomach lurched. “He’s coming
to town next week sometime. So, I believe he'll try to persuade me.”
At Danny’s jerk forward off the counter and toward the bedroom, Tammy raised her voice just a bit. “I’m not interested. Before he gets here, I need to figure out what he’s up to.” Following him into the bedroom, she quickly grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from the top drawer. Pulling on the knit pink shorts and throwing the white t-shirt over her head and pulling her long wet hair from under it, she sighed. “Maybe I need to go back to my place for a while. I think these guys are great, but while they’re here I feel like I need to spend time with them and when I’m doing that, I’m not researching.”
As a groan escaped Danny’s throat, she quickly continued. “I don’t want to be rude, but I’m a nervous wreck; that time is slipping by and I’m not doing a damn thing.” She walked over to him and sat beside him on the bed. Cupping his face between her hands, she whispered, “The video's been getting a lot of action this past two to three days, Dan. My stomach is in knots. My job is falling apart, my crazy-ass world is caving in on me. I’m drowning here. I don’t seem to be able to do anything about that frigging video, I don’t know why it’s been so active lately, and Zeke is going to steal Stateside away and tear it down or something.”
As a tear trekked its way down her cheek she swallowed and said, “The only thing I can possibly change, possibly, is Stateside. I might be able to figure out what the Hamiltons want with it and do something to stop it.”
Danny huffed out a breath as he gently laid his forehead against Tammy’s. His voice hoarse, his heart beating wildly he whispered, “I don’t want you to go.”
Danny wrapped his arms around her and pulled her over him as he lay back on the bed. Her dark hair still wet from her shower dropped forward and onto his shoulder. Her dark eyes looked almost black in the darkening room, but she softly smiled at him and her perfect smile, well, there were no words. Danny’s cock throbbed to life at lightning speed. He could feel her heat settled just over his length and that made him harden more. He lifted his hips as he pulled her down on him and rotated just enough to make her groan. He smiled up at her and she quickly claimed his mouth with an urgency growing quickly between them.
He swiftly rolled them over and scooted up on the bed. Balancing on his good leg and one arm, he leaned back just enough to unsnap his jeans. Tammy’s hands quickly helped him shimmy them down past his firm ass, which she quickly cupped in her hands. Pulling him down on her, she raised her hips to add pressure. With his free hand he slipped his fingers up the inside of her right shorts leg and pulled the stretchy material wide enough to slip his cock inside of her. Her eyes first registered surprise then closed and her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ as he pulled out and slammed back in. She raised her knees and wrapped her legs around his waist as he rocked into her feverishly. His rhythm increased as he watched her breasts sway and circle under her t-shirt, which had become wet from her hair.
“Shit, babe, that’s fucking hot,” he ground out between thrusts, enjoying the wiggling with each hard pulse into her.
Tammy’s eyes opened as she watched Danny’s face bead with perspiration. The man could work her up in an instant. She whispered, “Do it. Cum in me, Dan. I want to see it.”
He shook his head once. “You. First.”
He rocked a few more times, watching Tammy’s face contort with exquisite pleasure. Too much. He grunted once and spilled into her, groaning loudly as the pleasure washed over him. He dropped down on to her and cradled her head in his arms.
***
Tammy stood for long moments, as if memorizing each face, each scene, each piece of the lives she'd grown to love here. She silently slid her hands into the pockets of her soft gray dress slacks as she focused on the end of the mural where the painting had only begun. As soft footfalls sounded behind her, she looked down at the floor and sighed, waiting for whoever it was to announce their presence.
“It’s beautiful work, Tammy. You clearly have a gift.”
Surprised, Tammy spun around to see Charles standing behind her looking over the mural and Danny standing next to him, his dark eyes searching her face.
“Hello.” Swallowing but not moving her eyes from Danny’s she said, “I wasn’t expecting you two to visit today.”
Charles stepped forward. “Lex was so excited last night after coming here I needed to see it for myself. I woke early this morning and hoped to catch you before you left, but Dan said you needed to get here early this morning. I'd love to spend a few moments speaking to you and Dan if you can spare the time.”
Tammy’s eyes quickly darted between the two men as she nodded. “Of course. We can go to my office if you like.”
Charles smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yes, but first, can you explain your mural and offer me a tour of Stateside?”
Her forehead slightly furrowed, she hesitated. “Sure.”
Charles chuckled as Danny walked forward and put his arm around Tammy’s shoulders.
“I think you’ll find this visit a good one, babe.”
Tammy proceeded to explain the mural softly detailing the little nuances of each scene depicted. They toured Stateside as she explained the different areas and introduced Danny and Charles to the men and women who lived there. Charles asked questions about therapy, activities, the issues the building had, and the repairs that were needed. As they walked into her office, what they found was Zeke standing at the window over-looking the parking lot. Tammy froze as Zeke turned from the window and scanned her guests.
Danny’s back grew rigid, his breathing stilted as he immediately realized who was standing in Tammy’s office, as if he had the absolute right to be there. His usually full supple lips thinned and lightened in color. Then Zeke’s gaze landed on Charles. Recognition registered almost immediately.
“Well, Mr. Page, fancy meeting you here.”
Zeke slowly walked forward, offering his hand to Charles, which propriety dictated but which clearly was detestable to each man. Charles shook Zeke’s hand as his blue eyes collided with the steel gray of Zeke’s. Each man’s posture immediately growing as rigid as the unpleasant atmosphere in the room. Charles quickly introduced Danny.
“Mr. Hamilton, may I introduce Daniel Schaefer.”
Zeke’s left brow raised as who Danny was dawned on him. Shaking Danny’s hand, which was much larger than his own, Zeke quickly pulled away as he looked down at Tammy.
“I didn’t realize you had guests this morning, Tammy. I came into town today for a couple of meetings and wanted to further discuss the position we have for you at Hamilton Enterprises. Perhaps later this afternoon would be better.”
Quickly flicking his eyes to Danny’s and smirking, he added, “Perhaps dinner would be better so as not to interfere with your work here, which must be ever-growing now that Sally is happily ensconced in Seattle.”
Danny’s lip curled as he started to retort, but Tammy quickly interrupted. “Dinner isn't better. I’ve told you I'm not interested in the job you have in Seattle and my mind won’t change.”
“Well, you may change your mind when you find out that we'll be submitting our formal proposal to purchase Stateside Friday morning. If we decide to go ahead and close it down, you’ll be in need of a position. I can’t think of a position that would suit you more or pay you better than anything I can offer you.” He said the last with his eyes firmly fixed on Danny’s.
CHAPTER 37
AFTER THE ENCOUNTER with Zeke, Tammy, Danny and Charles closed themselves up in her office, with the door locked. Not wanting to seem as though she was talking down to them, they moved the chairs in front of her desk over and Tammy pushed her chair around the desk, causing them to form a tight circle. Charles sat back in his chair as Danny leaned forward and grabbed Tammy’s hand.
“After you left this morning Charles and I had a long conversation. He’s been busy while he’s been here. After our conversation earlier this week, he had some friends dig up any information they could find on
Hamilton. While the guys and I were here yesterday, he did a bit more work. All the research you wanted to do is done, babe, just listen to what Charles has to say.”
“Tammy?” The faceless voice chimed in over the intercom.
“Yes.” Tammy looked at Danny and Charles, her lips forming a frown.
“Mr. Isaiah Hamilton is on line two for you.”
Letting out an irritated huff, Tammy said, “Put him in my voicemail please and hold the rest of my calls.”
Leaning forward and pressing her ‘Do Not Disturb’ button on her phone, Tammy sat back down. Crossing her legs she nodded to Charles and tried not to fidget as he spoke in his usual calm, leisurely manner.
“When the Hamiltons came to Lexington, myself and the other ranchers formed an alliance to, basically, run them out of town. We were successful and after they left, we formed a corporation. This corporation has since been used for many things. We’ve purchased local businesses in decline and run them. We’ve even ventured out of our town and state and purchased businesses and turned them around. We have a manager who oversees our business ventures and reports back to us on all business activities.”
He paused and smiled as he watched Tammy’s eyes begin to register where this may lead.
Leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees, he continued. “Zeke Hamilton wants to raze this building and build a mall. As you suspected, he has no intention of keeping Stateside open. We found plans he submitted for approval to the mayor, who just happens to be college friends with Matthew Hamilton, Zeke’s father. They plan to push this all through the next City Council meeting. Council members are being contacted on the side and suddenly, their bank accounts are growing. We assume, of course, that the Hamiltons are buying the Council members off.”
Tammy sat forward. “But they don’t own Stateside yet. Why would they be buying off Council members when they don’t even know they own Stateside?”
