The magic moment was shattered when the band started up with a frantic polka and Ray Gorman loomed up beside him to sweep Lilah away. “My turn, Hendricks,” he yelled. “She needs a real dancer.”
Blind fury swelled up into Nick’s throat, but he swallowed it, alarmed at the sheer force of emotion. Time for another drink he thought, to take the edge off.
Some of the high school kids were trying to help themselves to booze, but Ike spotted them and chased them off towards the soft drinks. “Little runts,” he hissed. “No damned discipline these days. That’s what happens when parents try to be buddies.”
Nursing his third gin, Nick spotted the two kids from last night’s highway incident, huddled together on a hay bale in the corner, like two stray puppies.
Nick made a beeline for them “Hey, glad you guys are okay,” he said, hoping they’d remember last night’s incident.
“What the fuck’s he talking about,” said the guy to the girl. They both had the same stringy, brown hair and glazed eyes.
“No clue,” said the girl.
“Last night you ran right in front of my girlfriend’s car,” said Nick. “Out on the highway near Lakeside Narrows.”
“What kind of drug are you on?” said the guy. “Never been out there.”
“I was gonna ask you the same thing because you ran into the road out of nowhere then disappeared into thin air.”
“Why don’t you go fuck yourself, mister, before I tell everyone you’re trying to pick up some underage ass.”
“Yeah – go fuck yourself,” said the girl.
“You guys need to learn some fucking manners,” Nick said, backing up, incredulous at their bullshit attitude.
Nick was just about to help himself to another gin, when a hand grasped his wrist. “I prefer my dates fully conscious,” said Lilah, whisking him back onto the dance floor. He buried his face in her soft hair, smelled her scent of winter flowers and willed himself to calm down. He was acting like an impulsive jerk. Jealousy and outrage were not part of Nick Hendricks’ vocabulary. He had to pull himself together.
Luckily it was time to get on with the actual hayride and, as he pulled on his scarf and gloves, the old thrill came back. It was a clear night. The navy sky lit by a silver sliver of moon ringed with stars. He and Lilah climbed up onto the back of the first wagon, alongside Tracy and Art Ross, Cole Schuler, his wife Jenny, their kids Katie and Jay and a couple of friends, and at the last minute, Ray Gorman and his date, a redheaded girl with blue, heavy-lidded eyes, pale skin and a face like something out of a medieval painting.
“Guys, meet Cari Evans,” he said. “She’s visiting from Minneapolis.”
Nick extended a hand. “Are you in the real estate business?”
“Property development,” said Cari.
“She’s a dynamo,” said Ray. “Worked for some of the biggest resort developers on the West Coast.”
There was a sudden commotion at the barn door. The horses jostled the wagon at the sound of Ike and Madge Dewar arguing about whether she should come on the ride.
“It’s too cold, Ike. I want to stay back here. Clean up a bit.”
“Dammit,” he said, grabbing at her arm and talking through gritted teeth. “Why d’you have to be such a sad sack of bones.” Even though he tried to lower his voice, the words drifted over to the wagon.
“Asshole,” said Ray. He cupped his hands over his mouth. “Hey, Ike, let’s get going before these horses take off and drag us round the trail.”
“Bitch,” hissed Ike and dropped her arm. She scurried back into the barn, shoulders hunched as if she’d been whipped.
“How does she put up with that shit?” said Cari, pulling her hood up.
“She probably feels she doesn’t have a choice,” said Lilah so promptly Nick wondered if she’d had similar trouble in her past.
“Still there’s no call for him to act like such a bully,” said Ray. “Women were meant to be treasured and adored.”
Gorman was so fake, Nick had to turn away. Everyone in town probably knew the only way Ray wanted to adore Cari was in her pushup bra and lace panties.
Finally the wagons pulled out onto the trail. Nick and Lilah sat at the back, resting against a hay bale. Bundled under a blanket, they were warm and toasty. Only Nick’s face tingled in the cold air, and the easy rhythm of the horses loping along the track lulled him into a state of total calm.
“I can’t imagine anything more perfect than this, Nick,” Lilah whispered. “I feel so content.” When she nuzzled her face into the side of his neck and tightened her arms around him, his heart swelled like it would burst out of his chest. The sudden force of feeling hit him with such an impact, he was afraid. Afraid of not seeing her, afraid she didn’t feel the same as he did, afraid of losing her, afraid he knew almost nothing about her. With a trembling hand he stroked her silky smooth cheek and felt a longing so fierce, his whole body burned. All he could think of was Lilah.
A loud thump interrupted his dream as Katie and Jay and their friends took turns pushing each other off the side of the cart, then running alongside it trying to get back on again. All part of the great hayride tradition. Everyone was chatting and laughing until Ray groped Cari’s ass and lunged towards her for a kiss. With the force of a construction worker, she shoved him right off the side of the cart and he landed flat on his back. Instead of scrambling to his feet, he lay there moaning and cursing.
The high school kids were hooting with laughter and so was everyone else at the sight of his hairpiece which fell slightly over one eye when he tried to sit up. But Ray wasn’t laughing.
“Bitch – you put my fucking back out,” he hissed, and the laughing stopped. The grin disappeared from Cari’s face and her cheeks reddened.
Nick leaned over the side of the cart. “Hey, lighten up, man. Get back up here.”
Lilah had already sat up and was watching the proceedings unfold, her eyes wide and scared. Her hand tightened on Nick’s, the nails almost digging into his palm.
By now, Ty Gunnorson, had scrambled down from the driver’s seat and was helping Ray to his feet.
“I ought to sue your fancy ass,” Ray said, spitting venom in Cari’s direction.
“Take it easy, man,” said Ty. “No need for that kind of talk. We got families here.”
“Bullshit,” said Ray. “I’m walking back to the barn.”
“Hey, I’m sorry,” said Cari, in a small voice. “It was just a bit of fun.”
“Fuck you,” he said and stomped off along the trail.
“Good riddance,” said Nick, watching the stocky figure disappear into the trees.
Cole and his wife nodded in agreement. “So much for treasuring and adoring women.”
“What was his major problem?” said Jay Schuler.
“He’s an arrogant, abusive bastard,” said Cole.
Lilah scrambled across the bales and sat next to Cari who was completely silent. She put an arm around the redhead. “Guys like that aren’t worth a second thought,” she said. “We’ll give you a ride home. Won’t we Nick?” She turned to him, her eyes bright under the moonlight.
“For sure,” he said, loving her even more.
Ray’s car was gone from the parking lot when they got back from the hayride, but Cari was still shaken. Lilah took her off to the ladies room while Nick stood around realizing the magical evening had turned sour. Madge Dewar was slumped in a drunken stupor next to the drinks table, while Ike cozied up to Betsy Thorson, voluptuous widowed owner of the Silver Narrows Motel. Most of the older guests had filtered away and the teens took over the dance floor, bumping and grinding as if they were screwing upright and fully clothed. The two wasted kids were gone. Probably disappeared into the forest again to get high. He turned away from the chaos, cursing Gorman, the creep for killing the evening.
When Lilah and Cari reappeared, Cari’s eyes were heavy, her cheeks freshly scrubbed as if she’d had a good cry and washed her face.
“Cari�
�s gonna stay with me,” said Lilah, and Nick’s heart dropped a mile.
“Ray can be a vindictive bastard,” said Cari. “I wouldn’t put it past him to pay a surprise visit to my motel room to play some stupid trick on me.”
“That’s fine,” said Nick, trying not to betray the flicker of irritation throbbing at his temple. “Let’s get going.”
The car was quiet at first until Lilah said she wanted to show Cari her new place. “Please, Nick,” she begged, and he was powerless to do anything but turn down the narrow track leading to the house. Cari had perked up by the time they reached the driveway. The house sat there in darkness, smoke from the furnace curling out from the chimney.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” said Lilah, gazing in open adoration.
“I’ve looked at this place before,” said Cari. “A few years back, Dr. Castle, the previous owner, had this idea he could develop some kind of hunting and fishing resort. With guest cabins, swimming pool – a real vacation spot. He had all the architectural drawings done. Said it would be his retirement dream.”
“How come I never heard anything about that?” Nick said, amazed that such a huge development could have escaped his newspaper.
“It was kept under wraps,” said Cari. “There was a motion to block it almost as soon as the idea was floated.”
“Who didn’t want it?” said Lilah.
“A couple of neighbors. Said digging it up would destroy the natural beauty of the lakeside.”
“They were right,” said Lilah. “I wouldn’t want some mega-hotel here.”
Nick couldn’t shake the flat feeling of disappointment when he dropped them off at Lilah’s store. They were already like two old girlfriends and he was the sulky third wheel, pouting like the kid brother shut out of the girls’ clubhouse. Worse still he was wide awake and couldn’t face the lonely thought of jerking off to some sad internet porn, so he kept on driving. He’d intended to go to Rusty’s, but ended up heading towards the Silver Narrows Motel, curious to see if Ray, the pathetic creep, really would’ve paid Cari a visit.
The motel was on the west side of town. They’d passed it on the way in, but basically flown by it at Cari’s urging. It was one of those ugly, low cinder-block buildings dressed up with timber siding and a stone-covered chimney to make it look more rustic. Since it was the only place to stay in town, besides a couple of small bed and breakfasts, Betsy Thorson did a booming business. He drove into the parking lot in time to see Betsy pulling the curtains across her bedroom window. In the shadows beyond, Ike towered over her shoulder, his arms around her waist. The light snapped off. Ike was looking for comfort, while Madge slept off the two or three bottles of wine she’d sucked back tonight.
Nick turned off the headlights and waited a while. Maybe Cari had over reacted. Then just as he eased the car around to head eastwards back to his place, Gorman’s black Escalade pulled up. Nick backed into an alleyway so he was hidden.
Ray wasn’t alone. He got out of the car, checked to see if anyone was around, then opened the passenger side. Nick felt sick to his stomach when he saw who was with Gorman. One of the wasted kids who’d run in front of Lilah’s car. Her boyfriend was slumped in the back seat of the car in a drugged-up stupor. She followed the older man, her shoulders hunched and head bowed, as he felt around in his pocket for a key. Word was that the guy rented a room permanently at the motel, for special emergencies. Nick opened his door and spat onto the snow. Shit, he hadn’t believed it until now, as Gorman clutched her shoulder and steered her inside.
8
Nick rolled into The Beanery the next day at three in the afternoon, so beat he felt like he’d just finished a sixteen hour flight. Tossing and turning the previous night, had left his eyes dry and sore as his mind flitted from painful longing for Lilah to a crawling sense of disgust at the creep who preyed on vulnerable kids. The girl was probably eighteen, but Gorman was almost three times her age and had no business taking advantage of a kid too high to know better.
Today Main Street looked like a seedy dive. Nowhere town. The snow brownish with sand, the sky colorless as a slab of granite. Lilah’s store was shut. The windows like blank eyes. Nick threw the coffee shop door open so hard it smashed against the wall.
“Hey jerk,” yelled Danny. “Take it easy with the hardware.”
Nick slouched at the counter and propped his head on his hands. “I need a triple shot espresso. Pronto.”
“Someone’s not getting enough loving,” Danny said, flipping the switch on the espresso machine.
“Fuck you.” Nick sprinkled sugar onto the counter and traced a stir stick through it.
“What’s up Nicky, you’re usually a ray of sunshine?”
“I need a good, relaxing game of golf on a hot, green course.”
“Good luck. How about ice golf?”
“Frozen balls.”
“Cold shaft.”
But even Danny’s stupid banter couldn’t get a smile out of him, and when Lilah’s front door opened up he leapt up. “See ya, Danny,” he said, grabbing the coffee and making a beeline for the door.
“Yeah – and don’t come back until you’re smiling.”
Lilah was carrying a couple of suitcases to her car. He almost slid into her in an effort to grab a handle.
“Hey sleepy,” she said, flashing that radiant smile, until all his crustiness melted away.
He lifted the suitcase into the trunk. “Where’s Cari?”
“She headed out first thing. Didn’t want to run into Ray again.”
“Can’t blame her. Hey – you’re not leaving town already?”
She held up some keys and jingled them in her hand. “No chance – I’m moving some of my stuff to the house. I have possession now.”
“Let’s celebrate,” he said. “I’ll swing by my place and pick up some wine. Then I’ll come over – if that’s okay.”
“Sounds great,” she said, and his heart started pumping fast again. “I’ll throw some food together.”
After loading a few more boxes, she shut the trunk. “Thanks for the help.”
“See you in an hour,” Nick said, his throat heavy with emotion.
“Looking forward to it.” She climbed into the driver’s seat and sped off.
Nick flew home at warp speed, anxious to shower and wash away all last night’s grime. He threw a couple of bottles of Pinot Grigio into the fridge, turned the shower on full blast and sang at the top of his voice as he scrubbed himself from head to toe. A generous spray of Hugo Boss into his boxers and behind his ears, a swipe of gel through his hair and his best socks without a hole in the toe completed the preparations. He vowed they wouldn’t be interrupted tonight. No way.
Zipping up his black hoodie, he took a last look at himself. Plenty of girls had found him attractive. Why would this one be any different? But somehow he knew she was. The difference was that she didn’t need him like the others. Instead he was longing for her. Keep a grip and don’t act desperate he told himself. Nothing stinks more than a desperate man. Parka, scarf, no hat to mess up the hair and soon he was back on the road again. Too bad he had to double back for the Pinot Grigio. Last time he’d left wine in the freezer it was a Shiraz and he was cleaning up wine coloured ice mixed with glass shards for days.
Back on the road he calculated it’d been forty five minutes since leaving her, and though he was in good time, he was wound up tight like the springs of a clock. Main Street was deserted as he passed through from the east side to the west. Everyone was probably home, slumped on the sofa, watching Sunday night movies or eating family dinner. Not him. Food was the last thing on his mind.
The sky was already darkening when he pulled onto the lakeshore road. It was colder than it had been in weeks. Trees silvered with hoar frost, rose like ghosts in the glare of the headlights. Gold squares of light from Ike Dewar’s barn of a farmhouse glowed in the inky blackness. He could only imagine what was going on in there. Maybe Madge had passed out again and Ike was back
at the motel, keeping Betsy warm.
He turned away onto the trail leading to Lilah’s and almost swerved into the ditch when he spotted a plume of smoke curling upwards from among the trees. He glided to a quiet stop and shut the car off. Pulling his hood over his ears, he set off through the trees in the direction of the smoke, picking his way across drifts of soft snow and making sure not to step on any twigs or branches. Finally he reached the edges of a clearing and the sound of muffled voices above the music from someone’s phone. He flattened his body against a tree, then with just the slightest movement, slipped his head around the trunk to see, hear and smell what was going on.
The sharp tang of wood smoke mingled with the sweet, skunky stink of dope. Five or six kids sat huddled around the fire. A long haired guy in a hat with animal ears passed a joint to the girl next to him who sucked back a huge drag and held her breath until she collapsed into a coughing fit. But there was something else happening at the other corner of the group. Someone flicked on a lighter and there was a sudden stench like burning plastic and cat piss. Crystal meth. In the flare of light he saw Ray’s girl from last night and her loser boyfriend from the dance. He’d read about meth and how it had this rotten chemical smell, but never thought it had reached Silver Narrows.
The other kids looked over at them then shrugged, turning back to their dope smoking. Nick felt a wave of nausea at the sight of those scrawny, frozen kids burning their brains out with meth, but he’d seen enough and, turning to go back to the car, stepped on a frozen twig causing an ear-splitting crack that pierced the silence. The talking stopped and somebody hissed cops.
That was his signal. He legged it back to the car, tripping over tree trunks and snowdrifts. So much for his freshly showered body. He reached the car, ripped open the door and started it up just as the kids burst out from the trees. Jamming the car into gear, he took off and when he glanced in the rearview mirror some kid in a checkered hunter’s hat was giving him the finger.
Lilah Page 6
