The One Place

by Laurel Curtis

  He nodded once. “What time?”

  “We’ll see you at seven thirty.”

  He nodded again so I moved on.

  “Now what can I get you to eat for lunch?”

  ********

  I didn’t even tell Tuck that I invited Jace. He found out when he opened the door to Jace standing on the porch. People are less likely to commit murder when there are witnesses. At least, that’s what I was counting on.

  Impressively, he didn’t even miss a beat. “Hey Jace. Glad you could make it. Come on in.” As soon as he finished saying it though, he cut his eyes to me and shook his head slightly. He at least had a mildly amused expression on his face.

  Once Jace was in Tuck closed the door and stepped to me. Jace kept walking headed for the kitchen. He obviously knew his way around.

  Chuckling lightly Tuck murmured, “You know, it’s amazin’ how much this doesn’t even surprise me. Can you give me a reason why this is a good idea?”

  “I asked Ruthie to bring me another pair of shorts.” I knew that wasn’t the answer he was expecting, but thought it would work better than any of the other options.

  Immediately following my promise of good things to come, his eyebrows shot up. Then, surprising me, he reached out one long arm, wrapped it around my waist, and yanked me into his body. He moved his face close, pressed his lips to mine, and talked with them right there. “God, Talie. Never had fuckin’ better, Babe. Lookin’ forward to the show I’m sure you’re gonna be puttin’ on tonight.” As soon as he was finished speaking he pressed his lips in, touched his tongue to mine, and then stepped back and retreated down the hall to catch up to Jace.

  Now, I just had to wait and see how Ruthie would react. This wasn’t actually a set up. Sure, I had surmised that Jace may have a little crush on Ruthie, but that wasn’t what this was about. I just wanted her to gave an honest good time with people who respected her and built her up instead of tearing her down. I knew Jace would add to that dynamic because he did like her, and he was a ton of fun to be around. If Ruthie decided she felt something for Jace that would just be a bonus.

  A knock on the door signaled me that it was showtime. I pulled the door open to find Ruthie standing there in a jean miniskirt and a tight fitting t-shirt. I immediately reached out, pulled her inside, and shut the door behind her to try to minimize her ability to escape.

  I grabbed her upper arms and started talking quickly but quietly. “Okay. So, I have something to tell you. Jace is here too. This is not a setup, I promise. He’s just fun and Tuck’s best friend. Just be yourself, sass me like always and everything will go great.”

  She started shaking her head fervently. “I can’t be like that in front of Jace! Guys don’t like girls with attitude!”

  Hmm. Interesting development. First of all, it seemed as though this crush was at least a little bit of a two way street. A narrow one if you will, but two lanes nonetheless. Second, was she crazy? Of course men liked attitude! Look at me! If Tuck didn’t want someone who could keep up and bust his balls, he certainly wouldn’t have chosen me. Okay, some guys didn’t like attitude from a woman, but they were the shitty ones. They didn’t like attitude because it’s hard to beat down a woman who’s got it. “Um, yeah Babe, they do.”

  I shook my head, looked to the floor, and muttered, “Jesus with the ‘Babe’. I’m turning into Tuck.”

  Right. Not important right now.

  Getting myself back in check and concentrating on the matter at hand, I looked back up at Ruthie. She still had an unsure expression on her face, and she whispered, “Guys really like attitude?”

  I nodded and did a sweep down my body as if presenting myself as evidence. “Yes, at least, the good ones do. I mean, they don’t want you to be a total bitch, but the attitude you usually show me is the good kind.”

  I was worried she was going to overload with this new information and with the effort of trying to exert just the right amount of attitude. “Look, just be yourself. Act like you always act with me. That’s it. Just have a good time and I guarantee everyone else will too.”

  That seemed to ease some of the tension around her eyes and she nodded. Then, remembering something else, she lifted a bag in her hand and said, “I brought a skirt like this so that you and Tuck could continue stealing my clothes and sucking them into your world of disgusting sex.”

  Oh, yeah. Ruthie was going to be fine. And this night was probably going to be hysterical. I put an arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the kitchen adding, “Thanks, but if our sex life is disgusting, I don’t ever want to be clean again.”

  Ruthie snickered and answered, “I bet you don’t!”

  We both dissolved into a fit of giggles, and that’s how we entered the kitchen to find Tuck and Jace standing at the island with drinks.

  Tuck took the lead by asking, “What’s funny ladies?”

  I bit my bottom lip and responded, “Oh, Ruthie brought me a skirt like the one she’s wearing.” That one statement had a profound effect on the room. Tuck’s eyes shot to mine and darkened and Jace’s shot to Ruthie’s legs and back and then darkened.

  Ruthie waded in right away snapping, “Geez, Tuck! I see that look! The skirt is yours Nattie! I definitely do not want it back! Gross!”

  Jace burst out laughing and a small smile crept onto her face. Excellent.

  I had a thought and figured I would use it to keep Ruthie talking. “Can we go to Zumba tomorrow? I think Tuck is trying to plump me up. He’s making barbecue london broil with mashed potatoes and green beans tonight and I know I’m going to eat way to much of it. Not to mention all the other stuff he’s been cooking me.” I turned towards Tuck and finished, “I know you like my ass big, but the rest of me is going to be big too!”

  He just laughed and shook his head muttering, “Well, someone has to cook and usually ain’t you.”

  Ugh. Whatever. “So we should go. Maybe invite Jezzy, too.”

  Ruthie groaned and gave in, but did so grumbling. “Okay, fine. We can go and invite Jezzy too, but only, please God, if she doesn’t wear the top she wore last time! I thought I was going to lose a freakin’ eye!” Tuck and Jace shared a look that they knew exactly what we were talking about.

  I laughed but nodded in whole-hearted agreement. I also turned to Tuck because this brought up something I had forgotten about. “By the way, Sweetheart, I forgot we didn’t talk about that last night when we got home from the Lizard.” He started to smirk, but I charged on. “I saw you-” I paused and turned and pointed at Jace before continuing, “-and you with your eyes locked on those things last night.”

  Tuck chuckled, “Yeah, Babe. And before you looked over at me, your eyes were locked on ‘em too. In fact, so were hers.” He pointed to Ruth to emphasize his point.

  She turned herself in immediately stating, “Shit yeah, I was lookin’ at them! It isn’t possible to look away. They have powers! Powers of hypnotization!”

  “Is that like endolphins?”

  Ruthie shot me a deathly glare. “I will cut you, Bitch. May I remind you, that you are the crazy one who came to my house at the ass crack of dawn and beat on my door until I woke up to ask me to dinner.”

  Jace and Tuck were in a full fit of laughter and Jace turned to me, “Is that true?”

  I shrugged. “Guilty.”

  He burst out laughing even harder and shouted through his chortles, “Oh my God! That is fuckin’ awesome!”

  Ruthie turned her glare on him and attacked. “Awesome? Are you kidding me? I almost peed myself in a panic when I heard the pounding!” Jace continued laughing until Ruthie finished, “I answered my door in nothing but my underwear because I didn’t know what was going on!”

  That sobered him up quickly. He mumbled, “Add to checklist. Pound on Ruth’s door unexpectedly, early in the morning, until she answers.”

  This time, Tuck and I lost it. Ruthie blushed, but Jace had never looked more serious in his life.

  ********

&nbs
p; When dinner finished cooking we sat down and ate way more than the recommended serving size. We also continued the night cackling and smiling and just generally enjoying each other’s company. When dinner was finished and we were cleaning up, we decided we should do this at least once a week.

  We were getting ready to say goodbye for the night when Tuck’s cell phone rang. He went to the island and picked it up, accepted the call, and put it to his ear. “Yeah? Right. On my way out.”

  That was a confusing call and it worried me. “What’s going on?”

  Tuck smiled, which eased my fears that something was wrong. “That was Chuck. Shell’s droppin’ her foal. Gotta get out there.”

  Chuck was the kid that did foal watch for Tuck sometimes so that he didn’t have to be out there all the time, but we would know when a foal was coming.

  Jace instantly caught onto what was going on. “You want some help, Tuck?”

  Tuck shrugged and answered, “Sure, man. You wanna hang around, I can always use the help.” He turned to Ruthie and continued, “In fact, you wanna stay too? I know Talie’s been lookin’ forward to seein’ this. You two can spectate.”

  Ruthie nodded and Tuck and Jace didn’t waste any time headed out the door on the way to the barn. I had met all of the mares awhile ago (Shell, Peanut, Macy, Jasmin, and Twist), and it looked like Shell was going to be the first to have her baby.

  We went out to the barn to the birthing stall that Tuck had set up (it was a little bigger so that there would be more room for the actual birth and then for the mother-baby bonding afterward.

  Ruthie and I looked on as Tuck and Jace went into the stall with Shell. She was laying on her side and working hard to push her baby out. Jace rubbed shell in soothing strokes, pulling her tail out of the way occasionally, while Tuck helped Shell by pulling the foal out while she pushed at the appropriate time. He also pulled the amniotic sac off of the foal’s face as he came out.

  When the foal was all the way out Tuck declared that it was a colt and he was a black and white paint. He was absolutely beautiful and I really hoped Tuck would keep him.

  Ruthie leaned toward me and whispered, “I think that is the most beautiful, absolutely most disgusting thing I have ever seen.”

  I thought her description was completely accurate. I also realized how much I loved this place and the life that I was living here.

  ********

  For three weeks, anytime all four of us were free we did something together.

  Jace and Ruthie were not dating, but they sure as hell had chemistry, and they were an absolute blast to hang out with.

  We went to a fair that was happening a couple towns over a week after Shell had dropped Colt.

  I had requested that we name him that, and Tuck easily gave into my demands. He also agreed to keep him. Of course I made these demands while wearing the skirt Ruthie had brought over with nothing under it and Tuck inside me. There probably wasn’t much that he wouldn’t have agreed to now that I think about it.

  Ruthie was a little quiet and I knew the reason why. She had seen Bobby the night before, and he let her have it for hanging out with the three of us. I could tell she had let him make her feel a little guilty, but not enough to keep her from coming out with us again. This was good. She was obviously getting a little bit stronger.

  Jace came up beside her and gave her a bump with is shoulder. “Hey Ruth, come do the bumper cars with me.”

  The corners of her mouth turned up and she answered, “Okay. The four of should do it!”

  I groaned audibly and she snapped at me, “Oh, shut up Nattie! You are such a damn whiner!”

  Jace and Tuck burst out laughing and I turned to Tuck. “Do I whine all the time?”

  He pretended to ponder it for awhile, and then answered with mock seriousness, “Nah. You’re more of a moaner. And you love to say-”

  I covered his mouth and the three of them laughed at me some more. I couldn’t help but smile. Tuck put his arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear, “Come on, Babe. It’ll give me a chance to ram you hard and fast.”

  “Jesus, Tuck. That’s not even creative! You’ve got to do better than that! I think you’re losing some of your game since you got together with me. I have a town full of women who you managed to nail in the past as evidence, and I’m sure you didn’t do it with a line like that.”

  He threw his head back and I watched his face as it got beautiful with laughter. He brought his blue-green eyes back to mine and said, “Don’t need game anymore, Babe. Already got the woman I want. I passed my legacy onto our good friend Jace, though.”

  Ruthie’s head whipped toward Jace. “What you’re sleeping with the whole town now?”

  Jace glared at Tuck who smirked. “Just returning the favor buddy.” Jace and I both knew he wasn’t referring to the women. He was talking about when I had helped herd Jace’s cattle and Jace had kindly informed me of all of the women in Tuck’s past.

  Jace tried to dig his way out of the hole. “Nah. I’m not sleepin’ with the whole town. I mean I got around in the past, but just doesn’t seem to fit anymore.” He stared directly into Ruth’s eyes when he said it and Ruth immediately adverted hers when he was done.

  At some point the tension between these two was going to break, and I was pretty sure it was going to include a lot of sexual activity but we had to get rid of Bobby first. He was like a tick that you couldn’t get out. It just kept infecting you and sucking your blood.

  Okay. So, I didn’t like Bobby. But he didn’t like me either.

  A week and a half later we were out again (we had gone out or stayed in and cooked several times in between) at the Dizzy Lizard. Ruthie and I were reenacting our “Jessie’s Girl” performance as requested by the men. They had both missed it the first time and only gotten 3rd person accounts. They had steadily kept feeding us more alcohol until we agreed.

  Ruthie had screeched, “Alright, we’ll fuckin’ do it! Get off our backs!” She turned to me and did the familiar yelling whisper of a drunken individual. “Jesus, it’s like their fuckin’ dogs with bones! Or. Or. Or. Cats with catnip!” She thought this was the absolute height of hilarity. I was thinking it was going to be an interesting performance.

  We were just getting to the best part, dancing on the bar, and singing along, albeit off pitch and out of tone, but singing at the top of our lungs all the same.

  Jace’s eyes were locked on Ruthie, and I knew this song had to be hitting a little too close to home for him.

  Before we could finish the verse, Ruthie suddenly wasn’t up on the bar with me anymore. I looked down to see Bobby was there, in her face yelling, and Tuck and Jace were on their way over. Both of them had muscles in their jaws ticking with their anger.

  I jumped down off the bar and tried to wade in before this got out of hand. “Hey this isn’t-”

  Ruthie cut me off, “Nattie, stop. He’s right. Just leave it, I don’t wanna do this here!”

  I shut my mouth and Bobby added, “Yeah, fuckin’ shut your mouth! This is none’a your business!”

  Ruthie grabbed his arm and they left the bar before I could say anything and before Tuck and Jace got to me. It was crowded and it had taken them awhile to make their way through all of the people.

  Tuck was not in the mood for wasting time. “What’d he say to you?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing new. Just to shut my fucking mouth, that it was none of my business.”

  Jace had different objectives. “What about Ruth? Is she alright?”

  I just shrugged my shoulders. “He was yelling, but I didn’t hear exactly what he said. And Ruthie agreed with him. She told me that she didn’t want to do this here and wanted to leave with him.”

  Jace’s face may as well have been made of granite it was so hard with anger. “Why the fuck is she with that guy? What the hell does she see in him?”

  I reached out and put a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture as I spoke. “It’s not what she sees in him. It’
s what she doesn’t see in herself. She doesn’t know how great she is. But she’s getting there.”

  Jace’s face was incredulous. “How is that even possible? She is the most fuckin’ beautiful, funny, amazin’ girl I’ve ever fuckin’ met.” He paused and flashed his eyes at me. “No offense, Nattie. Fuck.”

  Unbelievably, something I didn’t know was possible after an event like that, I beamed and answered. “None fuckin’ taken.”

  Tuck murmured, “I respectfully disagree.”

  We both ignored him, and I smiled at Jace who was still looking at me after my response. I lifted a shoulder and said, “You’re language really escalates when you’re passionate. Tuck’s the same way.”

  Jace’s face started to soften a little and I knew we were out of the woods, so to speak.

  I started to shake my head and then paused for dramatic effect. “I just can’t believe he ruined ‘Jessie’s Girl’. Jesus, at least wait for the end of the performance.”

  We only stayed a few minutes after the drama. Tuck took me home and proved to me that he did, in fact, disagree- three times! And in a different position every time!

  Chapter 19

  Stairs

  Three days later Jace called to ask if we would help herd cattle and suggested we bring Ruthie.

  Okay, he didn’t so much suggest it as demand it. Actually, he had said, “And bring fuckin’ Ruthie. I don’t care if you have to kill Bobby and drag her out of the house to do it.” Someone had run out of patience. Tuck and I ceded to Jace’s demand because quite frankly, he didn’t leave us any other options.

  We got to Ruthie’s townhouse to surprise her and walked to the door tucked into each other with his arm around my shoulders and mine around his waist. We knocked, but there was no response. After a couple of minutes I got tired of waiting and tried the knob. It turned, so I pushed the door open and stepped inside in front of Tuck. I could hear yelling at the top of the stairs.

  “Bobby just go! I don’t wanna talk to you!”