by J. L. McCoy
I took his hand and shook it. “Same here,” I said. I looked around the gym and back to Gavin. “Well, Gavin, I have to split. Thanks again for holding the bag in there,” I said, turning to go.
“Hey, hold up,” I heard him call. I turned around and looked at him. “Can I get your number or something?” he asked, a little shyly. “Maybe we can spar sometime.”
I studied his face for a few seconds and then thought why the hell not. I reached into my bag and pulled out a Drop Kick Dan’s business card and wrote my number on the back. “Here’s my cell phone number,” I said, handing him the card.
He smiled and looked at the front. “Do you work at this bar?” he asked curiously.
I smiled and threw my messenger bag strap over my head, securing it around my body. “Maybe,” I replied cryptically. “Catch you later, Gavin,” I said and turned to leave.
The drive home was much mellower this time around. I had worked out hard and didn’t have any pent up aggravation or frustration left. I stopped by the corner grocery store and grabbed a few things for dinner. I felt like having a fresh spinach salad with pecans, feta cheese, and fresh strawberries. I also picked up some things for Styvi Nix.
When I got home, I pulled my car into the garage and walked in the side door. Styvi came bounding through her doggy door to greet me. I set my bags down and sat down on the floor to play with her. I gave her the new tug rope that I bought and she was ecstatic.
After a few minutes of playing, I got up and put the groceries away. I brought my bag upstairs with me and turned the shower on to heat up. I got undressed and threw my clothes in the hamper. The water was nice and hot. After quickly showering and blow drying my hair, I dressed in a Kelly green tank top and short black boy shorts. I grabbed my clothes hamper and went downstairs to start a load of laundry. I quickly fixed dinner and sat in front of the television to catch up on a few of my shows.
For some reason, I couldn’t really get into them, so I turned the TV off and sat there quietly staring at my ceiling. The past few days kept running through my head. I was seriously questioning some of the decisions that I had made regarding Archer and Jameson. And, I was also thinking about the conversation that I was going to have to have with Dan tomorrow. I didn’t know how he was going to react to my news of finding another job AND starting it in a mere six days. I sighed and covered my eyes with my arms.
I was just starting to drift off to sleep when the doorbell rang. I reluctantly pulled myself off of the sofa and went to answer it. When I opened the door, Jameson was standing there. I quickly hid my lower half behind the door and greeted him.
“Um…hey. Hi. What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, Archer told me that you went home early. I was kind of hoping to hang out with you tonight, so I thought I’d pop over and see if you were free.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to him. “Um…yeah. I’m free. But, I really don’t feel like going out. Would you like to hang out here?” I asked hopefully.
He smiled and nodded his head. “I’d love that.”
I opened the door wider to allow him to enter, but he just stood there looking a little uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
He looked down at his feet for a moment and then into my eyes. “You have to invite me in, Skye. Otherwise I cannot enter your home,” he replied rather embarrassed.
My eyes got wide in understanding. “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. Please, Jameson, won’t you come in?” I asked quickly.
A relieved look crossed his face and he stepped over the threshold and into my living room. He looked around for a few moments, taking in his surroundings.
I sat down Indian style on the couch and patted the cushion next to me. “Come have a seat.”
He slowly walked over and took off his black leather jacket. He was wearing the same clothes from earlier. “Nice place you have here,” he said.
“Thanks, Jameson,” I said with a smile. “I like it.”
He sat down next to me and got comfortable.
“Where’s my manners,” I said, hopping up from the couch. “Can I get you something to drink? I have whiskey, rum, tequila, scotch, and some red wine.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment and said that he’d have the whiskey. I turned around and headed into my kitchen. I selected a bottle of whiskey and took the seal off. I had bought it earlier this year for company and had never drunk any. After I poured him a healthy glass and fixed myself a glass of wine, I went back into the living room and sat down, handing him his drink.
“Here you go,” I said and took a small sip of my wine. He thanked me and took a long sip from his glass. “How did practice go today?” I asked, getting comfortable.
“Practice was good. We’re planning on trying out a new song tomorrow night at Drop Kick Dan’s. Also, our CD is finished. We’re having them made up right now,” he said with a comfortable smile.
I smiled back and patted his knee. “That’s so awesome. I get a copy when you get them back, right?” I asked hopefully.
He chuckled. “Of course you do, Skye. You’ll be the first to get one.”
I smiled and tried to hide my blush by taking a sip of wine. Who would have ever imagined that I would be friends with Jameson Doyle, lead singer of the Manky Langer. Just a few days ago we were complete strangers. When I looked back, I was shocked to see how far our relationship had progressed in just a matter of days. I felt like I had known Jameson and Archer forever.
“So,” I said, setting down my glass of wine on the coffee table. “What would you like to do? I have Scrabble. Or we could play cards.”
Jameson laughed and set his drink down beside mine. “You don’t want to play against me in Scrabble, love. I’ll clean the floor with you.”
My jaw dropped in mocked shock. “I believe that was a challenge, Mr. Doyle. Well, you had better hope you’re right, because I’m about to take you to school, son,” I said with a laugh and wink, getting up and retrieving the game from the coat closet at the base of the stairs. I brought it back to the coffee table and he helped me set it up. We both sat down on the floor on opposite sides of the table and played the first game. He beat me by 32 points.
“I want a rematch!” I said, laughing. “Reset the board, I’ll go get us some more to drink.” I went into the kitchen and brought the two bottles back out and put them on the end of the coffee table. I poured his first and then mine.
The second game went better and I beat him by twelve points. “Ha!” I said with a triumphant smile.
He laughed and admitted defeat. “We need a tie breaker now,” he said, finishing his glass of whiskey. “Winner gets bragging rights.”
I laughed and agreed. “Best two out of three!” I reset the game while he refilled our drinks, and we played one last time. This game was tense. We were neck and neck the entire game. Finally, he beat me by 19 points. I sighed as he jumped up and did a little victory dance. It was cute and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Who got schooled?” he teased, grabbing my hands and pulling me up to dance with him.
I laughed and playfully smacked him in the upper arm. “Yeah, yeah, fang boy. Laugh it up,” I said, shoulder bumping him. “That was a pretty good game.”
“Aye,” he said smiling as he started putting the game back up. “It was. But to be fair, love, you didn’t stand a chance. I was taking it easy on you. And, besides, I’ve got more than two hundred years of experience on you.”
I stopped picking up the tiles and stood up straight. “Two hundred years?” I asked, shocked.
He stopped and looked up at me. “Aye,” he said cautiously. “Is that a problem?”
I swallowed and wrapped my mind around what he just said. “No,” I said a little late. “No, there’s no problem. I’m just surprised is all. How old were you when you became a vampire?” I asked delicately.
He resumed picking up the t
iles and putting them in the box. “Well, I was turned in 1744. I was 27 years old.” He put the top on the box and put it away in the closet. He came back over and sat down on the couch, patting the seat cushion to get me to sit down next to him. I did so automatically and crossed my legs, listening to him continue.
“I was born in 1717 in a little town in northern Ireland. I was a farmer and helped my Da work his fields every day. It was a rough time in Ireland back then. The crops were struggling and everyone was going hungry. Dysentery and sickness were prevalent. One day I went to town to get some supplies and I ran into Archer. He had just arrived from England and was looking into purchasing some land outside of town. He found me outside of the town granary and asked me who he should talk to about it. I could tell he was originally from Ireland, but not which part of the isle. His accent was very different from any I had ever heard. He kindly offered to buy me a pint in exchange for my assistance and I happily agreed.” A small smile started to creep across Jameson’s face as he remembered his past. “We sat in the pub for hours that night, chatting and laughing like old friends.
I told him my life story, how I had never married because the girl I was in love with had decided to marry into a richer family, and how I naively thought I could never love anyone else. He asked about my job and I told him how I helped my father take care of the family and work the fields for a few crops and even fewer Pounds. He seemed sympathetic and asked me if I wanted to travel the world with him and work for him. Times were incredibly hard in Ireland and I was completely exhausted with the hand I had been dealt in life. Archer was a wealthy man and the thought of that lifestyle was exciting. He made me vampire that month, and we’ve been together ever since. That was two hundred and sixty-seven years ago,” he said, pouring himself another drink.
I sat there and stared at him. 267 years was such a long time ago. “Was it hard to leave your family and become a vampire?” I asked, taking a sip of wine.
He was quiet for a few seconds and then he nodded his head. “Aye. It was very hard to leave my family. I wanted to go back to visit and make sure they were alright, but it was forbidden. I once was able to pay a man to bring them a package filled with money and food. Even doing that was forbidden, but I had heard of their sufferings from a fellow vampire who had passed through there and I had to do something.” He looked a little sad, so I reached my hand out and held his.
“I’m sure that deep down, your family knew the package was from you. I’m sure it brought them a lot of joy in many ways,” I said, looking into his eyes. “It was so brave of you to risk your wellbeing to get them the help they needed.”
He smiled sadly and brought my hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it softly. “That is kind of you to say, and I hope you’re right.”
I put my other hand over his and patted it gently. “I know I am right,” I said reassuringly. “Hey,” I said, wanting to change the subject. “Would you like to watch a movie? I have a ton in my movie cabinet by the TV. Why don’t you pick one out while I go check on my dog Styvi Nix. She’s been too quiet tonight and hasn’t made a noise since you got here.”
He agreed and got up to go to the movie cabinet while I looked for Styvi downstairs. I didn’t see her anywhere, so I looked outside. She wasn’t in the backyard either, so I went upstairs and checked my room. She was lying on my bed, curled up in my blanket and sleeping with her new tug rope. I laughed softly and shut the door, leaving it open a crack so she could get out if she wanted. She must have worn herself out playing with her new toy.
I went back downstairs and filled Jameson in on her location. He smiled, amused, and handed me a movie that he had picked out. It was one of my favorites staring David Bowie. I put it into the DVD player and hit play. I turned off all the lights, got the blanket off the back of the couch, snuggled up under it with Jameson and watched the movie.
Halfway through I was starting to nod off, so Jameson kicked off his boots and lay down with me on the couch, spooning me from behind. He softly ran his fingers through my hair and I fell asleep listening to David Bowie sing about magic.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I awoke at nine am to the sound of an oven timer. I stretched and felt behind me. Jameson was no longer there. I took a deep breath in and smelled biscuits cooking. I smiled, hopped off the sofa, and strolled into the kitchen. Jameson was standing at the oven, taking a tray of biscuits out and setting them on a hot pad on the counter. I came up behind him and hugged his back.
“Those smell delicious! But, you didn’t have to cook me breakfast,” I said sweetly.
He turned and wrapped his arms around me. “I wanted to. And, besides, I kind of like cooking. I don’t get to do it very often, so it’s fun when I get a chance to.”
I smiled and stood on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. “You are an absolute sweetheart, Jameson Doyle.”
He let go of me and lead me to the table. “Breakfast is ready, so sit down,” he said and hurried back to the stove. He brought me over a heaping plate full of different breakfast foods. There was bacon, sausage, eggs, potato hash, biscuits and a fruit salad. I looked up at him in awe.
“Where did you get all this food?” I asked, astonished. “I didn’t have half of this stuff in my fridge.”
“Oh,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, I got up early and didn’t want to wake you. So, I ran down to the store and bought a few things to cook for breakfast. I hope that’s okay.”
I grinned and dug into my eggs. “Are you kidding? Keep this up and I’ll have to kidnap you,” I said in between mouthfuls.
For a vampire, Jameson was a very good cook. Everything was done perfectly. The bacon was crispy, the biscuits fluffy, the small sausage links were perfectly browned, and the eggs were light and airy. I was just about to get up to make me some tea when he brought me a steaming cup. I gratefully took it and smiled up at him. “This is incredibly nice, Jameson. Thank you so much for doing this for me.”
He bent down and kissed my forehead. “Anytime, love,” he said, and then stood up to check his watch. “Ah, I’ve got to get going. I’ve got some errands I need to run and practice to get to,” he said with a groan, then sounding hopeful. “Will I see you tonight?”
I put my fork down and stood up to give him a hug. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I looked into his green eyes and gave him a wink. “Besides, the Manky Langer is, like, my favorite band, haven’t you heard? AND, their leader singer happens to be mega hot.”
He laughed and kissed my forehead again. “Finish your breakfast, love, before it gets cold. I’ll let myself out and see you tonight.” I reluctantly obeyed and watched him grab his jacket and walk out the front door.
There was no way that I could eat all of the food he cooked up, so I called Nikki. She answered on the fourth ring. “What,” she said groggily.
I laughed. “Hey, Sunshine! It’s Skye. I’ve got some yummy stuff all cooked up for breakfast. Want me to bring you over a plate?”
She made some grunting sounds and I could tell that she was stretching. “That sounds awesome, cupcake. I’ll meet you at the door.”
“Cool. Be over in a sec,” I said and hung up.
I ran upstairs and grabbed my black silk robe out of the closet and threw it on. I quickly made a big plate and headed out the front door to her half of the duplex. I brought my finger up to ring the bell, but she opened the door before I had a chance. “Wow, you look like shit,” I said, taking in her smeared, day old makeup, wild hair, and rumpled clothes.
She scoffed and put a hand to her forehead. “I got hammered last night with the Disco City Roller Derby Girls. I don’t even remember leaving that bar we went to. Take my advice, cupcake. If a group of bad ass roller derby bitches ever asks you if you want a ‘Corpse Reviver’, just say HELL NO! That shit put me in the ground.”
I laughed and nodded my head. “Anything you say, babe. But, you didn’t drive home last night, did you? I’ll kick your butt if you did. Driving drunk i
s so not cool,” I gently admonished.
“No, no,” Nikki shook her head and then groaned. “Ugh. I shouldn’t have done that. Anyway, I’d never drive drunk, cupcake. Sally Sequins drove me home and Bell Bottom Betty followed in my car.”
She looked like she was getting nauseated from all the standing. I shook my head and tried not to grin. “Here,” I said handing her the covered plate. “Eat. You’ll feel better, honey. You take care of yourself. And call me later. I want to make sure you’re still alive.”
She gave me a miserable looking thumbs up and walked back into her house. I had to shut the door for her because she forgot. I chuckled as I made my way back over to my house.
When I walked inside, Styvi was waiting for me beside her food bowl. “Oh, my poor girl!” I said, bending down to pet her. “I didn’t feed you first thing this morning, did I?”
I went to treat jar and got out a small treat, then I refilled her food bowl with kibble and her water bowl with fresh water. I sat her treat in the food bowl and watched her happily eat for a minute. I felt bad for not feeding her right away, so I got an all-natural rawhide from the cabinet and put it in her dog bed for her to find later.
It was 9:45am by the time I looked at the clock and I raced upstairs to get ready for work. I took care of necessities, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and slapped on some makeup. I went to my closet and picked out a black capped sleeve baby doll t-shirt, a short black skirt and my three inch cage pumps. I quickly got dressed and grabbed my messenger bag, cell phone, Converse Chuck Taylor tennis shoes and headed into the kitchen.
I called out to Styvi Nix to say goodbye, but she was outside chasing her butterflies, so I went out the side door and got into my car. It was already a muggy day, so I blasted the AC and my radio for the ride to work.
I pulled into the employee lot and got out of my car. On my way in I ran into Dan. He was just getting to work, too. He opened the door for me and I followed him into his office. “Hey doll!” he said, giving me a quick hug. “How’s the leg doing?”
