Happily Never Forever

by Sarah Peis

  “Are you hungry?” I called over my shoulder once we reached our porch. I was trying to leave as much sand as possible outside but Josie was covered. There wasn’t much else I could do short of hosing her off in the backyard. “There’s plenty of food. No need for you to creep everyone out by sitting in your car. Might as well come in.”

  “I’m supposed to keep my distance to stop you from freaking out.”

  “Well, I’ll be more freaked out if you continue to lurk around in dark corners.”

  He seemed to debate the merits of a hot meal versus a cold car. I guess the meal won when he walked up to us and opened the door. “After you.”

  I picked Josie up and walked inside. “Oma, this is Gunner. I’m just going to give Josie a bath.”

  “Okay, Schatz.” She smiled at me and turned to our guest. “Hi Gunner. Take a seat. Do you like cheese?”

  Josie took her time playing with her bath toys and after she was squeaky clean and sand free, I spent the required ten minutes talking her into getting out of the tub. The promise of food eventually got her up and dressed, and there was only a short wrestling match involved to get her into her clothes. When we came back out, Oma was busy chatting to Gunner and he was chuckling at something she’d said.

  “Hey, sorry to interrupt. Have you seen Freddie?”

  Since her last missed curfew, Freddie and I had had a few more disagreements. Mainly about her trip in a police car. Luckily for her, they didn’t press charges, but she was still delivered to our door in a squad car. Apparently she and her dumbass friends decided to have a few drinks at the old water tower. Not only were they trespassing but they were also all underage.

  She knew how I felt about the tower and especially drinking. We knew better than most how much damage alcohol could do to someone’s life. We were still dealing with the consequences of our mother’s carelessness. So I might have overreacted a tad when I yelled at her and told her she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere for at least a week.

  “She’s in her room. Refuses to come out. She’s a Sturkopf, that one,” Oma said.

  I decided to be the bigger person and went to talk to her. First, I knocked on the door to the room we shared. A shouted, “Go away,” greeted me.

  I tried opening the door, but it was locked. Little did she know that I had a key. Same room and all.

  “Get out,” Freddie yelled as soon as my head popped through the opening. “I’m not hungry.”

  “You’ve gotta come out eventually. At least to go to the bathroom. I doubt you’d want to piss in a bucket.”

  “You are so gross. I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “Believe it. Now get up.”

  “Stop telling me what to do.”

  “Never. And Oma made your favorite.”

  “Meatballs?” she asked, slightly less annoyed at my presence.

  “With alphabet soup.”

  “I guess I could eat.”

  I stifled my smile. If only everything was as easily solved. “I guess you’re still mad at me then,” I said as we walked out of the room.

  “You grounded me.”

  “You deserved it.”

  “I was just trying to spend time with my friends.”

  “While hanging out at a condemned, old clunker and doing some underage drinking. I can see how you thought that was a good idea.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Only if you admit what you did was wrong and promise never to do it again.”

  She slapped my arm and huffed. “Fine. It was wrong and I’ll never do it again.” She walked faster, and I was left staring at her retreating back. “Happy now?” she called out from the kitchen, but all I could do is wonder about her quick apology. She never apologized.

  I sat down at one of the barstools and even gave out napkins that we never used. But we had a guest after all. “Who’s hungry?” Oma asked and dished out the food.

  Gunner fitted into our little group seamlessly. If I was honest with myself, I missed having someone else to talk to besides my family. He stayed around after dinner, which might have something to do with the fact that I guilt-tripped him into it. But he didn’t seem all that put out about it.

  Why sit in his car when he could be more comfortable in our lounge? He didn’t seem to mind the surly teenager or the screaming toddler and visibly enjoyed the food Oma pushed at him.

  “Any idea how long you gonna be around for this time?” I asked, curious as to how long I’d have to put up with him following me around.

  “However long it takes to sort things out.”

  “Which could be months.”

  He nodded and continued shoveling granola into his mouth. There seemed to be some sort of sugar ban on hulky bad asses and granola was like a treat for him. Weirdo.

  “Can’t you just tell Rhett that I don’t need you? As you can see, we’re fine on our own.”

  He put his fork down and laughed. “As if you could stop Rhett once he’s made up his mind. Just accept it, Emmerson, I’m here until Rhett decides otherwise. And judging by how things are going at the moment, he might keep me here for a while. Not that I mind. Easiest assignment I’ve ever been on.”

  “Well, you said it yourself, nothing is happening. Just tell him to stop wasting his money and you can get on with more interesting jobs.”

  Still amused by my arguments, he put the plate on the coffee table. “I’ve known Rhett for a long time. He’s a good man. And he doesn’t care about many people. But you’ve always been one of the few he would give his life for. Why don’t you give him some peace of mind and let me hang around? Besides, I’ve looked into your mom and she should be taken seriously. Don’t ignore her because you don’t think she is capable of doing some serious harm. She’s gotten in with a bad crowd. My best guess is they are the ones who want the money. And they have some serious pull. But with Rhett on your side, you have a good chance.”

  “Rhett cares about me?”

  “That’s all you got from this?” He shook his head, still amused. “Talk to him. You might be surprised what you’ll find.”

  Huh, maybe I should have another chat to him. I could be rational.

  “So he’d give his life for me?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “Without a doubt.”

  Interesting. “So you knew about me before you took this assignment?”

  He rolled his eyes or got close enough and shook his head. “He talked about you.”

  “Aaaaaand?” I made sure to draw the first syllable out so he would elaborate.

  “And that’s all you need to know. We’re friends. He saved me. And I’ll never be able to repay him for what he did for me. You dating and acting like he doesn’t mean anything to you affects him.” I opened my mouth to deny the accusation that I had feelings for him but he didn’t let me get out even a squeak. “Stop denying it. I’ve seen the way you look at him. Now can we get back to the movie or was there something else?”

  He was quite the little chatter box tonight. Granola must be his weakness. I’d store that bit of information away for later. Instead of probing further like I wanted to, I fell back into the couch with a huff. “Fine.”

  Gunner hung around until we all went to bed. Turned out, he was great company and enjoyed chick flicks. Who would have thought muscled macho man was a closet romantic?

  “Give him a chance,” he said just before he closed the front door. “And lock up,” he called from outside. Maybe things weren’t what they seemed with Rhett. Time to put on my big girl panties and talk about this like the grown up that I was.

  “I can do it myself.”

  “Why are you so stubborn? Just let me help. I’m here anyway.”

  I wrestled my suitcase away from Gunner. “I doubt this is in your job description. Now leave me in peace. I need to get on the road if I want to make it on time.”

  It was Thursday morning, 5am, and I was standing outside my house, arguing. Only because he had dinner with us every night, he now thought he’d
have to do the nice thing and help me pack my car. But it was early, I was grumpy and the last thing I wanted to be doing was driving all the way to Denver. I was secretly looking forward to seeing Rhett, but there was no way I would ever admit that out loud.

  The fact that I was thinking about Rhett made me angry, and since Gunner was the only person awake at the moment he had to bear the brunt of my displeasure. I would feel terrible about it later, but for now I just wanted to be a bitch and be left in peace. I didn’t need anyone to help. I was a strong, independent woman. And I was repeating that to myself every time I felt like breaking down into a sobbing mess at the thought of what Anna was going to do. Her radio silence was eerie, making me extra touchy, much to Gunner’s detriment.

  I almost felt bad for him. He was standing next to me, arms crossed, giving me his best displeased look. His muscles bunched from the movement, distracting me momentarily, and I dropped the suitcase on my toe.

  “Motherload, that was your fault. Go away already,” I yelled, immediately regretting my outburst.

  “How is it my fault you dropped the suitcase? I offered to help, and you turned me down. If anything, I could have prevented this.”

  I let go of the handle and the heavy bag dropped on its side. Grabbing it, Gunner loaded it into the car in one smooth motion. “How do you need this much stuff for two days?”

  “I’m prepared for every possible scenario. And then packed two extra outfits. That’s how.”

  He shook his head and packed the rest of the bags in the car. I graciously let him do his thing and went back inside to get Josie. Oma was awake, sitting up in bed, reading a book.

  “We’re all packed. I’ll see you on Saturday, Oma,” I said and lifted up a sleeping Josie. The trick to not waking her up was to support her head. Every other body part could flap around, but as soon as her head moved too much, she’d wake up.

  Oma startled and dropped her book. “Dear, I didn’t hear you come back inside.”

  I eyed the book cover and grinned. “I bet you didn’t.”

  She ignored my comment but put the Mills and Boon novel aside and motioned me over. “Say goodbye to your Oma.” She kissed my cheek and brushed her hand over Josie’s hair. “I’ll miss you girls.”

  “We’ll miss you too, Oma. It’s two nights at most. I’ll try and drive back Friday night if I can. I have to help Cassie on Saturday anyway, so the earlier I can get back the better.”

  “All right, you drive safely and call me tonight.”

  “Okay, love you.”

  “Love you too, Schatz.”

  I carried a still sleeping Josie outside and put her in her car seat. She didn’t even stir. Not when I put her seatbelt on nor when I covered her with a blanket.

  Gunner would follow us until I got to the apartment and then he was off for two days, probably doing some Rambo relaxation like skydiving, free climbing or defusing bombs.

  Josie woke up just before we reached Denver, demanding to be fed. So I stopped at a roadside diner and bought us a big breakfast to share. She only liked to eat the eggs and hash browns, which meant the bacon, baked beans and mushrooms were all mine. I kept trying to get her to eat something else, but she was a stubborn one and refused to open her mouth every time my fork got near.

  Gunner sat with us, enjoying a cup of coffee, black of course, refusing to eat the disgusting, grease-infused, artery-blocking cholesterol bombs we were inhaling with gusto. His eyes were alert, his posture stiff. He was constantly scanning the small dining room, tensing every time the door opened. You’d think I had death threats against me and not just a loony bin mom.

  “Don’t you think you can relax a little bit? I doubt Anna would follow us to Denver.”

  His passive face turned toward me. “I’m the best in the business.”

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I gathered that when Rhett hired you.”

  “Then let me do my job. I’ve met people like your mom. She has no morals and when it comes to money, she’ll do anything to get it.”

  I gulped at how accurate his description was. The lump in my throat grew to the size of a tennis ball, threatening to choke me. Gunner sensed my fragile mental state and gave me one of his rare smiles.

  “You’re safe. Rhett is cautious. And I’m the best there is.” He winked at me and the tennis ball shrunk to a golf ball.

  I finished my food in three big bites, eager to get back on the road, suddenly worried Anna might have followed us after all. “You finished, Schnucki?” I asked and grinned at a messy Josie, who was waving her messy hands in the air, spraying bits of hash brown across the table. “Done. Done. Done,” she sang but stopped immediately when food landed on Gunner’s brow. Both Josie and I held our breaths, getting ready to bolt.

  But instead of the rebuke we were expecting, all he did was take a napkin off the table and clean his face. Then he stood up and nodded to the door. “Let’s go before one of you sets the place on fire, and Rhett will have to pay for the damage.” He didn’t even blink.

  “We would never do that,” I said, defending myself while trying to wipe some of the food off Josie’s hands. She was distracted, too busy mimicking me, her eyes squinting up at Gunner, her mouth smiling. “Come on, we’ll get some muffins we can eat in the car.” I helped Josie out of the booth and carried her over to the counter.

  Gunner followed us patiently and once we made up our mind what we wanted, he carried the bag of muffins I’d purchased and placed it on the passenger seat. He even helped Josie into her seat and buckled her seatbelt. Then he turned to me with his best bad-ass Rambo look. “Don’t speed.”

  “I never speed,” I said and got in the driver’s side. We both knew I was lying.

  Denver was as busy and suffocating as always. I was relieved to park the car in the garage of the apartment. Gunner stuck to my tail like glue the entire way, his headlights a comforting companion on the monotonous drive.

  I helped a wiggling Josie out of the car, her tiny body humming with energy ready to be released. She was never good at sitting down, a drive to Denver almost her limit. The walk would be just the right thing for her.

  Gunner took the bag as soon as he saw me wrestle it out of the trunk. “Thanks, Gunner. I’ll get the other bags later.” We were running late and needed to get to the office. He grunted his response and followed us out of the parking garage and down the sidewalk. Josie was skipping next to me, then stopping, then going back to skipping.

  I was holding her hand even though she wanted to walk on her own like the big girl she thought she was. The walk took double the time it normally did, but I didn’t mind, despite us being late. Josie’s joy at strolling through the city was infectious. Not even Gunner complained, happy to continue doing his broody, tough guy thing behind us.

  I made it to my desk only ten minutes late. Gunner was carrying Josie who decided she was too tired to walk any further about halfway to the office. He put her on his shoulders, continuing on effortlessly while carrying our bag. I offered to take the bag or the child many times, but he refused.

  I guess he must have relaxed as well, not insisting on shadowing us but rather keep next to us while entertaining a shrieking Josie.

  Gunner lowered Josie down on the floor and dropped the bag. She immediately dove in and started to pull out her toys.

  “Thanks, Gunner, we’ll be okay from here.”

  He nodded at me and disappeared towards Rhett’s office. Lexie watched him with wide eyes and jumped up when he was two steps away from the closed door. “You can’t go in there. He might be on a call.”

  Gunner did his Gunner thing and ignored her. He did knock before he entered, leaving a red-faced Lexie behind.

  “Who the hell does he think he is? Nobody can just walk in there. That’s the rules. He needs to follow the rules.”

  She kept mumbling under her breath, but I tuned her out and started my computer. It came to life in seconds, the new machine more efficient than I ever was.

  The ph
one on my desk rang, and I knew who it would be before picking up. There was only one person who called this line.

  “Hello Rhett.”

  “Emmi. My office. Now.”

  He hung up, and I slammed the phone back down. “No problem, since you said please, I’d be delighted to join you in your office,” I said to the silent phone.

  I looked at Lexie, who held up her hands. “No way. I’m not a babysitter.”

  “Please?” I asked, batting my eyes.

  “Take her with you. He seems to let you do whatever the hell you like anyway.”

  “Fine. But if he blows a gasket, don’t blame me since it was you who refused to keep an eye on a very well-behaved child.”

  She scoffed and got back to her to-do list that from the looks of it was a mile long. I almost felt sorry I’d tried to add to it. Almost.

  “Josie, let’s go visit Rhett,” I said in my most enthusiastic voice, hoping she’d think it was the best idea ever.

  “Rhett,” she exclaimed and crawled out from her spot under my desk. “Go slide?”

  I lifted her up and carried her to Rhett’s office. “You can go on the slide. But only if I’m there with you.”

  The door was open, so I went inside without knocking. Rhett was pacing in front of the windows while Gunner frowned at his phone.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, setting Josie down next to the giant pile of toys, that yes, still included the small slide.

  “When was the last time you heard from Anna?” Rhett asked.

  “A few days ago. Why?” I didn’t elaborate, not wanting to go into details.

  “She’s disappeared. Gunner’s people can’t find her.”

  “How is that possible? She’s not the smartest person. Wouldn’t it take some kind of skill to get away from your special commando guys?”

  Gunner turned his attention away from his phone and to me. “She spent the last week boozed up and mostly incoherent. Whoever made her disappear also kept her in plenty of liquid supply.” He looked at his screen when it lit up, his brows creased. “Do you know anything about a new boyfriend?”