by Pj Fiala
“Okay, let’s roll,” Jeremiah yelled over all the talking. He walked over to Joci and gave her a hug and kiss. “Ride safe, baby.”
“Same to you.”
The rumble of a bike caused them both to turn. Chase pulled in with LuAnn on back. Another weekend with LuAnn. Joci looked over at her sister, and Jackie shook her head. Okay, at least she felt she had support. With her lips pulled into a thin line, Joci climbed on her bike. Jeremiah looked back at her and winked.
He mouthed, “I love you” and started his bike. Everyone else followed suit. Jeremiah nodded at JT and Gunnar to lead them out. He made sure she was riding alongside him the whole way down.
The weather was fantastic, high eighties and no wind. The scent of fresh cut hay from farms along the highway caused her to smile. Flowers along the road and in yards they passed brightly decorated their respective homes. Her heart felt happy and light. They met so many bikes as they rode. Thousands of people were headed their way to the rally and the excited butterflies in her stomach took flight each time they met a new group of riders. She’d been excited about the rally for months now.
Their group behaved and stayed together on the ride, something she appreciated and knew made Jeremiah very happy. They stopped for gas in Fond du Lac, which left them only around an hour to go before they reached their hotel. They gassed up, talked a little, and got back on the road. Surprisingly, LuAnn was quiet. Fine by Joci; she was sick of the drama.
They checked into their hotel rooms around seven p.m., the sun still high in the sky. When their bikes were unpacked, they checked into their rooms, then headed back down to the parking lot to discuss what they would do from here.
“So, listen up. Joci and I, and anyone who wants to join us are heading down to the Summerfest grounds. We’ll grab a bite to eat there and listen to music. There are several bands around the grounds, with many different types of music, something for everyone. If you want to go a different direction, just be careful, please. There are thousands of people pulling in that aren’t from around here and may not be looking at where they’re going.” He probably didn’t have to sound like everyone’s dad, but if something happened he’d feel guilty. So, better safe than sorry.
Walking from the parking lot to the grounds, he looked back at Joci and smiled as he pointed to an old truck parked in the lot. As soon as she saw it, her smile grew wide.
He walked back to where she stood. “Do you want to go and take a closer look?”
“Oh, I really would if no one else minds. Do you mind?”
“Of course, I don’t.” He chuckled.
They headed in that direction and continued looking at bikes along the way.
He watched her eyes as she looked at the truck. Her face was so expressive; her smile lit up his whole world. He would do anything in his power to make sure she was happy. “Hey, maybe we should find the owner of the orange truck from the Veterans Ride and see if we can use it for the wedding. Would you like that, Joci?”
She looked at him and squealed, her eyes bright. “I would love that! Really?” She clapped her hands together, her smile bigger than the sun.
He chuckled. “Of course. I’d love that, too.”
Chatter turned to the wedding. Nothing had been decided, except the date—September twenty-eighth—which was only five weeks away. He was happy to stay out of most of the planning. His head began to spin when the women started talking about all of the meals, drinks, flowers, location. It was more than he cared about. He just wanted to get married. All that other stuff could sit for all he cared.
Staci’s voice rose in a gasp, and he looked over at her. Her eyes were wide when they turned on him. “You don’t have anything planned? Are you kidding?”
“We’ve been so busy with everything else we haven’t had time for wedding planning,” he said a bit defensively.
“When we get back home, we’ll get everyone together to make plans,” Joci said, trying to soothe ruffled feathers.
Jackie asked, “Do you think you should wait until next year, so we have time to pull everything together?”
“No,” he said, emphatically.
He leaned down and kissed Joci’s forehead. She smiled, looked at Jackie and shrugged. He grinned; she was coming around to the idea of a fall wedding. She had worried out loud to him at first.
The next morning, the Rolling Thunder group met for breakfast at the hotel. The local dealerships all had bands, vendors, food, and events going on. The whole gang decided to check out the action. At the first dealership, they pulled some picnic tables together to sit and listen to music for a couple of hours.
Later in the afternoon, the group headed to another dealership. The band played fabulous rock and roll, despite the heat. The crowd shifted as people came and went. He was proud of his group for sticking together and acting responsibly.
By seven that night, he was tired. “Okay, listen up.” He looked around to see who they were missing: Frog, Chase, LuAnn, and Ryder. “I’d like to head back to the hotel. If you want to stay, that’s great, but Joci and I…” he locked eyes with hers. She smiled and nodded. “…are taking off. Not sure what we’ll do this evening, but I think the hotel has a band playing.”
JT looked around, then addressed his dad. “We have a few missing right now. Can you hang around until they come back? I’ll text Ryder now.”
“Yeah. No problem.” He leaned down close to Joci’s ear, breathed in the scent of her perfume and closed his eyes; even now, it stirred him. “You okay with waiting a few more minutes?”
“Of course. The music is good, and I’m with my fiancé.” She giggled, “Honestly at my age you’d think that word wouldn’t send a thrill through me, but it does. Every time.”
He kissed her lips softly. “I know exactly what you mean. But the word wife is so much better.”
She giggled again; he could listen to that sound over and over.
Half an hour later, Frog and Ryder came walking back, practically carrying LuAnn. Ryder walked over to Jeremiah, Dayton, JT, Gunnar, and Joci. His brows were furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line. “LuAnn’s wasted and Chase left.”
“What the fuck happened?” Jeremiah asked.
Ryder looked a little sheepishly at Joci. “She kept on whining and whining about how much she loves you and can’t stand the fact that you and Joci are getting married. She continued to drink, and Chase got pissed and left. He has feelings for her.”
Jeremiah pulled Joci close and squeezed her shoulders as everyone else floated over. He looked over at LuAnn. She could barely stand up, let alone hang on to anyone on the back of a bike. His jaw tightened, and his body grew rigid. Too good to be true.
“Let’s go,” he barked out. He grabbed Joci’s hand and started toward the bikes.
Frog grew tired of trying to get LuAnn to walk, so he threw her over his shoulder and carried her back to the bikes like a sack of potatoes. When they reached the bikes, he set LuAnn down, and she promptly slumped to the ground. Janice leaned down and tried talking to her to see if she was even conscious. With darkness starting to set in, they needed to figure out what to do with a very inebriated LuAnn.
Jeremiah’s voice was tight. “She’ll have to ride on back with me. I’m the only one who has a seat she won’t fall out of.”
Joci sucked in a breath. “Wait! LuAnn just spent the afternoon whining about how much she loves you and doesn’t want us to get married, and now you want to put her on the back of your bike and take her back to the hotel? Jeremiah, you’d better be joking.” She planted her hands on her hips and widened her stance.
He turned to look at her. “I don’t know what else to do, Joci.”
Joci stepped back. “Don’t do it, Jeremiah. I mean it. Don’t.”
“Joci, what else am I supposed to do? We have to do the right thing here.”
“Fuck the right thing. Why do I always have to do the right thing? Do the right thing for Keith. Do the right thing for LuAnn. They both have done n
othing but shit on me. Now, after a whole afternoon of her professing her love for you, I’m the one who has to do the right thing?”
He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “I don’t know what else to do, honey.”
She backed up and walked toward her bike. She threw her hands up. “I have nothing else to say.”
“Joci, baby, please talk to me about this.”
“No fucking way, Jeremiah. I’ve had enough of this bitch and your catering to her. Enjoy your fucking ride back.”
Joci jumped on her bike. Jackie came over and stood next to Joci. “Joci, please don’t take off like this. Ride with the group. We need to be safe out there.”
“Fuck,” Jeremiah swore. “Get that piece of shit on my bike.” He looked at Frog and Ryder.
Joci nodded slightly but refused to watch the guys load a wasted LuAnn onto the back of Jeremiah’s bike. There was something sacred about allowing someone on the back of your bike. Thinking about LuAnn getting her way and riding with Jeremiah stuck in Joci’s throat like a dry rag.
Jeremiah took a deep breath. “Someone stay alongside and behind me and make sure it doesn’t look like she’s going to fall off. When we get back to the hotel, Frog, you take her upstairs to your room and tell Chase to get his ass downstairs, immediately.”
Frog nodded and got on his bike. Everyone else saddled up, and they were off.
Jeremiah’s gut was in turmoil. He was so frustrated by this mess. They had been having a fantastic weekend. Now, once again, because of LuAnn, here they were. Joci was right—why did she constantly have to be the one to do right by everyone else? How was he going to fix this? The first thing he was going to do is kick Chase’s ass for leaving LuAnn. The new motto at the shop is going to be: You bring her, you take care of her.
On the ride back to the hotel, LuAnn stirred a couple of times. Jeremiah could feel her moving around on the back. He looked over at Gunnar, who was riding alongside him and Gunnar shook his head. When they were within two miles from the hotel, LuAnn woke up and slid her arms around Jeremiah’s waist.
“I knew you would take care of me. I think you love me.” She rested her head on his shoulder.
He stiffened. He didn’t want this bitch touching him, let alone hanging on to him like she was. She started moving her hands down to his crotch, and he grabbed her hand and squeezed hard.
“Don’t!” was all he would say.
“Oh Dog, don’t be mad at me. I love you so much,” she slurred.
He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to have this conversation with her when she was drunk, but they were going to have a serious talk. He had already told her that he was with Joci and that he wouldn’t tolerate LuAnn making snide comments, jumping at him and kissing him, and trying to pull the little shenanigans she had been. Apparently, he needed to be clearer. He didn’t tell her not to get wasted and expect everyone else to take care of her.
Pulling into the parking lot at the hotel, she moved off her bike and started pulling her things out of her bags. Jackie and Sandi walked over to her and waited patiently for her to be ready to talk to them.
“There’s a swing out back nestled in the landscaping. Would you like to come and swing with us?” Jackie asked hopefully.
She turned and saw them standing there, and her shoulders slumped. The tears started flowing like crazy. Jackie walked forward and hugged her little sister. Then she whispered softly in Joci’s ear, “It’s okay, baby. It’ll all be fine. Come and sit with us, please.”
Joci nodded, and they all walked toward the swing at the back of the hotel. Jackie looked back at David, who nodded at her and started walking upstairs to their room.
As soon as the girls reached the swing, Joci turned and flopped down in the middle. Jackie and Sandi each took a seat next to her. They sat for a long time, slowly rocking back and forth. The silence and rocking were a balm to her frazzled nerves. This past few weeks, just when it seemed things are going well, another bomb dropped in her lap. She took a deep breath and scraped her hands through her hair.
“I’m so tired of all of this. I’m tired of LuAnn and her bullshit. I’m tired of Jeremiah letting her pull it. I’m tired of worrying about Deborah, and I’m just plain tired.”
“Honey, you’ve handled all this bullshit like a champion. What LuAnn’s been pulling and keeps pulling is absolute bullshit. Jeremiah is going to have to deal with it and her, finally. I think you got your point across by telling him off today. You wouldn’t have hit him harder if you had kicked him in the balls.” Jackie smiled.
Joci giggled and rubbed under her eyes.
Sandi chuckled. “You should have seen the look on his face, Joci. It was a look I’ve never seen on anyone before. Like he was pissed and hurt and confused at the same time… It was kind of funny.”
Jackie laughed, and then Joci couldn’t help herself; she started laughing, too.
She laid her head back against the swing and closed her eyes. She was exhausted.
31
Enough
As soon as Jeremiah pulled into the parking lot, he dropped the kickstand down. Frog immediately hopped off his bike and reached over to grab LuAnn. She pushed him away, but he pulled again. She wrapped her arms around Jeremiah tighter.
“Get your fucking hands off me this minute.” His jaw was so tight he had a hard time getting the words out.
“But, Dog. I love you,” LuAnn whined.
He pried her hands away from his waist and jumped off his bike. He looked at Frog and Frog nodded. Jeremiah turned and saw Joci walking to the back of the hotel with Jackie and Sandi.
He started walking toward Joci and her girls. Gunnar took a breath. “Dad, let them talk a little while. It’ll help her.”
He stopped and looked at him. His eyes welled with unshed tears. He took the few steps forward and hugged Gunnar tight. They held each other for a long time. Jeremiah swallowed around the lump in his throat several times.
“That is the best thing you could ever call me, son.”
Gunnar squeezed tighter. When Gunnar pulled away from Jeremiah, he reached forward and opened his arms for all the boys.
“Thanks, I needed this right now. I’m scared shitless if you know what I mean. Joci’s a little thing, but she scares the shit out of me.”
The boys’ laughter succeeded in alleviating some of his anxiety. He wasn’t kidding; he was scared shitless. He had no idea what he would say or how he would make this better, but he was going to try.
“Um, Dog. You wanted to see me?” Chase’s voice was soft.
Jeremiah turned around and looked at him. Jabbing a finger into his chest, he clipped, “From this point forward, if you bring her, you take care of her. I’m not going to ever, ever do that again; you got it?”
Chase stammered, but Jeremiah put his hand up to stop him.
“Tomorrow morning, you and LuAnn are leaving. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the weekend. Next week at work, I don’t want to see you. If you see me, you better turn and walk the other way. If you ever pull a bullshit stunt like this again, you will be out on your ass, got it?”
Chase nodded but didn’t say anything. Smart boy. He waited for a beat, then backed up a few steps, turned and walked back to the hotel.
Watching Chase leave, he took a deep breath. Now, he needed to talk to Joci. He nodded at the boys and turned to walk to the back of the hotel. When he got back there, the swing was empty, but still moving slightly, so they must have just left.
He turned and walked back to the hotel. He took the stairs to give himself a bit more time. He knew he was stalling slightly, but he still didn’t have the words. He unlocked the door to their room and heard the shower. Thank God she was in here. He tried the bathroom door, but it was locked. She never locked the door, so he was still in trouble. Shit. He kicked his boots off and pulled a beer from the refrigerator. He sat in the armchair by the window and waited for her to finish.
He had swallowed his whole beer before the bathroo
m door opened. She stepped out in yoga pants and a t-shirt. When she rounded the corner, she stopped in her tracks and stared at him. She took a deep breath and continued walking to the dresser, where she set her toiletry bag down.
He watched her, trying to gauge her mood.
“Can we talk?” he whispered.
She shook her head no. She didn’t look at him, just turned and walked over to the bed and climbed in. She pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes.
He stood and padded to the bed, leaned over her, softly crooning in her ear. “Honey, I don’t want to go to bed mad at each other. Please, let’s talk.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him. She waited.
He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. You were right about you always having to suck it up and do the right thing. I hadn’t thought about it before, but you’re right. I’ve asked an awful lot of you these past few months. I can see how tired you’ve been lately, and I realize how all of this is affecting you. The fact that I own Rolling Thunder makes me responsible for my employees. Even though this isn’t an employee event, I still always feel responsible.” He took another breath while raking his hands through his hair. “But that being said, I could have done things differently. I should have had Frog or someone take my bike with LuAnn, and I could have taken his. I was pissed and not thinking clearly. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t say anything. He waited for a little while and then lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not leaving you, and I’m not letting you leave me. You may as well talk to me.”
She sighed. “I just can’t do it anymore, Jeremiah. I just can’t. I thought I could, knowing why she’s around. But…”
He slid an arm behind her head and pulled her tightly to his body. He kissed her temple and the top of her head.
“You won’t have to, baby. I told Chase to leave with LuAnn in the morning. The new rule at the shop is ‘if you bring her, you take care of her.’”
Joci snorted and tried to pull away. He held on to her. His brows furrowed. “Hey, what?”
