Revved: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by A. M. Mahler

  Chuckling, I dropped my legs to the shower floor.

  “I make no promises when it’s your turn.”

  “I like the sound of that.” He wiggled his brows at me before turning around in circles to hunt for the soap.

  I pushed the tub stopper down with my foot and adjusted the water faucet. “How about a warm bath instead?” Simon’s eyes darkened in response to my invitation, and it was hot. He was so expressive, and there was no missing his signals. A man I didn’t have to guess around? Yes, please!

  His soapy hands rose up to my cheeks as he kissed the tip of my nose. “Wine or beer?”

  Ah, we’re settling in. I wished I had one of my bath bombs from home. I was going to need to start keeping one in my bag. “Whatever you feel like.”

  Simon stepped over the side of the tub and quickly toweled off.

  “I’m feeling wine. We’re having a romantic evening so far and beer belching might kill the mood.”

  “I’d put us more firmly in the romantic comedy lane.” I settled down into the rising water.

  “Another time.” Simon walked out the bathroom door but called out from the hallway, “I think there’s some bubble bath under the sink.”

  Seriously? What luck! I vaulted myself over the tub and shivered when the cold air touched my skin. Simon’s bathroom was as pin neat as the rest of his place, and I had no trouble finding the Sponge Bob Square Pants bubble bath. Chuckling, I dumped a healthy amount into the water and rested the bottle on the floor for easy reach in case we needed more.

  Simon entered the room with a bottle of white wine and two glasses woven through his fingers. I caught sight in the mirror of an arrow tattoo upon his shoulder blade. “You’ve got ink?”

  “Just the one.” He said, pouring wine into each glass and setting it all out of the way before he climbed back into the tub. He turned so I could see it better. Three boy names were inside of the arrows. A simple design with a simple script.

  “Gavin, Travis, and Marcus. Your nephews.”

  “Yup.” Simon sat down against the end of the tub without the faucet, and I settled myself between his legs. One of his arms reached over the side of the tub and retrieved our glasses one-by-one. “Thus, the bubble bath. I grabbed it when I was home. They’re coming to visit with my brother in a few weeks, and I wanted to make sure I had it on hand for them. It’s the kind of thing I’d forget when I go shopping.”

  “That’s nice that they’re coming to see you.” I loved kids. I used to babysit the other kids on the circuit when the adults would stick around drinking in the garage after a race. There weren’t that many, so they were generally pretty easy to contain. All the kids were usually in bed by the time the race ended, but if they weren’t, we’d settle down in our RV and watch a movie with snacks until everyone fell asleep and their parents came to retrieve them. There really wasn’t anything to it.

  “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Ryan’s brother offered to lead us out on horseback to a campsite they made on the property,” he said.

  I nodded my head and took a sip from my glass. “I’ve seen pictures of it. There’s a couple of picnic tables, a fire pit, and enough room for three or four tents. It’s right by a little pond so you can fish. They wanted there to be enough room if their kids wanted to all go up there at once.”

  “Ryan said we can drive up there, but I think the boys would get a kick out of the horses.”

  “Ethan’s great. Kids love him. He’ll make sure everything is taken care of.” I snuggled down a little more. The wine was much better than the cheap champagne we had before, and the warmth felt heavenly.

  “Would you want to come with us?” Insecurity laced his words. Despite growing up in an RV, I wasn’t a very big camper. He rushed on. “I just wanted to introduce you to my brother, but it’s okay. Maybe we could just hang out at the brewery or something instead. I don’t want to rush you.”

  In my experience, it was usually the guy that was apprehensive about meeting the girls’ family. But Simon already knew my brother, and I didn’t really think it was “too soon” to meet the family of the person you were crazy about.

  “Well,” I said. “I don’t have much for camping. But I’d love meeting your brother and his kids.”

  “Really?” He seemed surprised.

  “Sure.” I said. “They’re important to you. I think it would be fun. I’d have to track down a sleeping bag or something. Maybe an air mattress. I don’t know how much I’d want to rough it.”

  Chuckling, Simon pressed his lips to my forehead. “We can get you an air mattress if you want. But if you don’t want to camp, it’s okay. I won’t be upset. We can just go for dinner or something. I don’t want to pressure you.”

  “I don’t feel pressured.” I said. “And it’s not like we’re going far. We are having a tent though, right? I don’t want to be another bug buffet.”

  “Absolutely.” He trailed a finger up my arm to my shoulder. “Your poor skin. I thought the lanterns would do a better job of keeping the bugs away, but I guess you just smelled too sweet.”

  I shivered from his touch and turned around to face him. Sliding forward, he helped me position myself in his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. “Can we have s’mores?”

  “Of course, s’mores are a must. You can’t camp without them. It’s un-American.”

  “Will I have my own tent, or will we bunk together?” I didn’t want to sleep by myself in a tent, but I was also respectful of the fact that three kids were coming and maybe Simon’s brother would think it was inappropriate around the boys.

  “You’re staying with me in my tent is also a must,” he answered with complete conviction.

  “Your brother won’t mind?”

  “My brother has three kids. He’s had sex before.”

  “I mean, we’re not married. Would he think it’s a bad influence around the boys?”

  “I highly doubt it,” he said. “Devon isn’t that conservative. I mean, the boys don’t watch movies that aren’t appropriate, but they watch Star Wars. They know people kiss. They’re too young to know about anything else.”

  “So, they won’t think it’s weird we’re sharing a tent together?”

  “They’ll think it’s gross.”

  Impulsively, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. “It sounds fun then.” I mean, how bad could it be? If things didn’t work out, I could just hike back to the farm and go home, right? Or Ethan would come out and get me. I was excited to meet Simon’s family. I’d never gotten to this stage of a relationship before. I supposed some people would find it too early to meet the family of someone you just started seeing, but the opportunity was presenting itself. I wanted to grab on.

  I may have been a workaholic, clueless, hot mess, but I wasn’t so obtuse that I couldn’t see that my life was about to change. And it wasn’t like Simon had kids. This was a weekend with little boys who were going back home. I could handle being eased into a relationship with them. What could go wrong, right?

  Simon

  I

  closed the door on my new home. Ryan’s sister’s place turned out to be perfect. A little small, but roomy enough for visits from my family. I had furniture on order that would be arriving later in the week. I needed everything, and I spent so much money that my bank called to make sure my card hadn’t been stolen.

  Touring the house had been ... strange. I was only renting now, but I had the option to buy it, and as I walked through the house with Ryan, I just couldn’t fight the odd sense of being home. How could a house speak to you? How could a house tell you that you that you belonged there? Somehow, I knew I was going to buy this house. I saw myself here watching television, cooking in the kitchen. I saw Maggie here with me and my mother and the boys. I would have a life here.

  The bedrooms weren’t huge but getting creative with space saving furniture would be fine. For the guest room, I ordered a bed with drawers underneath, eliminating the need
for a dresser. Instead of a king-sized bed for the master, I got a queen. That just meant Maggie and I would sleep closer when we were at my place—and there was really nothing wrong with that.

  Creaky, blonde-colored hardwood floors ran throughout the single-floor, cabin-style house. They were scuffed but not overly so. They had character and told the story of people who had lived here before me. The knotty pine walls of the living room were painted a soft sage and a large stone fireplace took up most of a wall. I wasn’t a fan of putting a television over a fireplace, so I would need to get creative on its placement. There was a galley kitchen, but it had a nice-sized eating area that would be roomy enough for five more people should my mother decided to visit the same time as Dev and the boys.

  The backyard was perfect. Flat and fenced in. It didn’t have much in the way of a lawn, but it had a few good-looking trees for climbing and maybe that treehouse. There was already a beautiful fieldstone patio big enough for a table and grill with a pergola over top that I knew I could order a cover for to provide some shade.

  The house was cozy and had character. I already had ideas for how to add on two other rooms. I would need an office and another guest room. The living room set I had coming had pull out beds, so the boys would be fine there for now. Overall, I was feeling good about the place. If all went well, the furniture would be here in time for the boys’ visit.

  I thought signing a more permanent lease and buying my own furniture and dishes and all that would make me feel sad or like I was betraying my family by committing to settling in here and giving Grayson Falls a real chance. But all I felt was contentment and anticipation. I was looking forward to building a life here now and a relationship with Maggie. If she broke my heart, well, I could always quit my job and run back to Cape Brandon to lick my wounds. Though I was beginning to suspect losing Maggie wouldn’t be something I could recover from. How did Devon do it? How did he get up every day and breathe in and out after losing Lindsey?

  I sat on my new patio in a camp chair with a camp table by my side, drinking a beer. Maggie would be here soon with dinner. All I had was another camp chair and an air mattress with some cheap sheets and blankets. I bought it all from the general store. As I looked out at the back yard and the ample amount of space it had, I realized I needed a dog. This was a yard for a dog, and I knew I would be less lonely with one. Maggie and I were taking turns staying over each other’s places, but not every night. I may be able to admit to myself that she was the only one for me, but I wasn’t about to rush her to the same conclusion. She needed to catch up to me on her own timeline without me pressuring her.

  “Honey, I’m home!” I heard her voice from inside the house echoing off the empty walls and reverberating in my heart. If only ...

  “Out here, buttercup!” I called back to her.

  “This is great!” She was somewhere off in the house checking it out. Was she just surveying it as a good space for her boyfriend, or dare I hope she might be wondering if she could fit too? “This is really cute.” She finally emerged out of the open back slider carrying a pizza box and a six-pack of beer. I hopped up from my chair and offered it to her, taking the second chair out of its bag and setting it up. “I really love what you’ve done with the place.”

  “Right? Who knew decorating was this easy?”

  She dropped down into the camp chair—among the only furniture inside or outside the entire house—with a contented sigh and surveyed the yard. “I bet your nephews will love running around back here.”

  I pointed to a tree in the corner of the property. “And that tree there is perfect for a treehouse.”

  Her face lit up at my words.

  “A treehouse would be awesome! Jesse and I always wanted one, but obviously it wasn’t an option for us growing up. I want to help you make it. Look, you could even make a rope bridge going to that closer tree and put a platform or something on that one.”

  I surveyed the two trees in question, and dammit, she was right. Now it had to be done. I envisioned a tire swing from one tree and maybe a big rope net. I could really make this a fun place for them. Of course, it wasn’t like they’d be spending every weekend here to get a lot of use out of it, just a handful of visits a year. Then again, I could also drive down on a Thursday after work and bring them up for a weekend then drive them back Sunday afternoon. That would give my brother and my mom a break. Ideas and plans were beginning to take shape in my head. This could be really fun.

  “We could really make this back yard into, like, an adventure land,” Maggie continued. “Stumps for jumping from one to another, a Tarzan swing from tree to tree.”

  “That last one sounds like it comes with broken bones and possibly death,” I nixed.

  “No, no,” she said, smacking at my arm. “You put a net underneath to catch them.” I arched a brow at her. She was really getting into this. “Hey, I didn’t have a backyard growing up. Jesse and I used to talk about what we would put in it if we ever had one. I’m going to live vicariously through your nephews.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I dug it out and saw my mother’s face on the screen. Odd. This wasn’t usually when she called. An odd feeling of déjà vu settled over me as I stared at the screen. Paralyzed, I unintentionally let the call roll to voicemail. It disconnected and started immediately ringing again. Something was wrong, and I didn’t want to answer.

  “Simon?” Maggie asked quietly next to me.

  Standing up, I swiped my thumb over the green button and connected.

  “Hey, Mom.” My voice was hollow to my own ears. I wasn’t a religious person, but I prayed anyway that my intuition was wrong.

  “Simon?” Her voice caught on my name, and I knew she was crying. She said my name again, and god help me, I considered hanging up on her. I was desperate to postpone whatever bomb she was about to drop on me that was about to change my life. “Baby?”

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” I whispered. “What happened?”

  “Oh, honey.” She sobbed into the phone. Terror settled in my chest. My lungs felt tight, and I was ready to scream. Scream and scream so the sound of her next words would be drowned out. If I couldn’t hear it, it wouldn’t be true. “Do you know that campground just outside town? The police, they found out someone was dealing drugs there.”

  “Is Devon okay?” She didn’t have to answer. I already knew he wasn’t. I knew I needed to hear the words but at the same time hated her for turning my life upside down. My mind began to take me on a rollercoaster of possibilities. Devon wouldn’t die. He had the boys to take care of. He must just be injured.

  “No.” Two little letters, three millimeters of space that carried with them the power of true devastation. I tried to imagine them in a happy font in my mind—a Lucinda or a Bradley Hand, but it didn’t matter.

  I nodded my head and drew in a shaky breath. Okay. I needed to get it together. Devon was just hurt on the job, and I was needed at home. I did my best to compose myself. “What hospital is he in?”

  “They couldn’t save him, honey. He wasn’t wearing Kevlar when he was shot. He’s gone.”

  The oxygen drained from my heart. I heard a fuzzy echo of my name somewhere in the distance. Dropping my phone onto the patio, I fell to my knees, clutching my head and willing myself to wake up from this nightmare. I could always do that, you know. If I didn’t like the dream I was having, I could wake myself up from it. It had gotten me out of a lot of restless nights in my life. As long as I could acknowledge it was a dream, I could stop it. Nightmares would disappear. Their terror wouldn’t stay with me. Surround me. Consume me. My mother called my name, but I couldn’t talk to her. I couldn’t accept that my world now existed without my brother. It was an impossibility.

  Maggie fumbled with my phone, and my mother’s voice got louder. “Mrs. Webster? This is Maggie.” She paused. “I work with Simon.”

  Worked with Simon? No, no that wasn’t right. She wasn’t my coworker. She was my Maggie.

  “Oh, than
k goodness you’re there with him, honey. I need him to come home. His brother ... oh, god ... he was shot and killed. The boys, they don’t know yet. Devon’s in-laws are coming over soon, and we’re going to tell them together.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Webster, I’m so sorry.” I held onto the sound of Maggie’s voice. She pressed a kiss to my temple, rubbing my back with her free hand. “I’ll get him there as soon as possible. We just need to pack.”

  “You are a blessing, dear.”

  Those were the last words I heard from my mother as Maggie disconnected the call. What were the last words I heard from Devon? What was the last thing I said to him? Why didn’t I know that it would be the last time I saw him? I could have held him longer or locked him in the basement to keep him safe. Who was this fucking bottom dweller who decided my brother didn’t get to live anymore? Give me two minutes alone in a room with that fucker. Just two minutes. It was all I needed to snap his neck. Five minutes and I’d beat the shit out of him first.

  “Simon,” Maggie said next to me. I looked up at her angelic face. “I’m so sorry, honey. We need to pack, okay, and then we need to go. I’ll tell Ryan. Your mom needs you.”

  There were a lot of words there, but all I really heard were the “we” parts. Nodding, I allowed her to pull me to a standing position and lead me into the house to my bedroom. I was already living out of duffel bags and suitcases, so packing for me was easy. The question was for how long did I need to pack for?

  “Do you have a suit?” Maggie asked next to me in the bare bones of my new bedroom. I shook my head. I did, of course, I had a few. I looked around the room. Didn’t I? Did I even bring them from Maine? What difference did it make? I wasn’t going on any job interviews or to fancy events.

  I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my head. “I think they’re at my mom’s.”

  “Okay, that’s good. One less thing to worry about.” Maggie took my hand and led me out of the room and through the empty house. Our footsteps echoed off the walls, reminding me the house was empty. I didn’t miss the parallels between my house and how I currently felt. Both of us were vacant.