them over his shoulder. One final time. “Hand it over, Myrt. I got it.” He reached for the food bag, surprised when she danced backwards, swaying the object out of his reach. “What?”
“I can carry it, Bane.”
“Yeah, she can carry it, Willy.” Sharon slipped into the room with Josh on her hip, grinning widely. “Let the girl have it. She’s more than capable.”
“Oh, Lord,” Vanna muttered, to Truck’s chuckled, “Here we go.”
“I’m only saying Myrtle isn’t helpless here.” Sharon pursed her lips, looking Bane up and down. “Willy needs to listen to her.”
“I do listen to her.” Bane locked in place, hearing the subtext loud and clear. “I listen hardest when she doesn’t say anything at all. Like right now, when she’s wishing you hadn’t made her the center of attention.” He turned his gaze to Myrt, seeing how her cheeks were flaming scarlet instead of the quiet pink he liked so much. “I’m sorry, honey.” Her tiny smile was directed at the floor, but it was there. Still, not quite the reaction I wanted. He decided to pull out all the stops, going with her favorite. “Sweetie, you don’t want me doing anything, you tell me and I’ll listen.” Aiming his glare at Sharon, he finished, “Just like I was about to do with the snacks, once I understood what you meant. And my name’s not Willy. It’s Will or William, or just fuckin’ Bane.”
Sharon stuck her tongue out at him, followed by a gasp from Josh. “Mommy, that’s not nice.”
“Yeah, Sharon, that’s not nice.” Truck got in on the act, his tongue poking out in Sharon’s direction until Vanna’s palm landed over his mouth.
Bane decided their leave-taking had developed too large an audience already; he wasn’t going to wait for the girls to show up. He backed into the screen door and swept it to the side, moving out onto the first step. “I’ll text when we get there and get the lay of the land. Appreciate the information, Truck. I don’t envy you, man. Got your hands full with these two.” Jerking his head towards the parked vehicle, he waited for Myrt to step past him before he released the door. She opened the side door of the van for him, then got into the front, placing the heavy plastic bag between her feet.
Bane leaned into the van and dropped their bags on the floor, then pushed the button to close the side door. He paused next to Myrt’s open door and asked, “You ready, sweetie?” Thank God he was close enough to hear her quick intake of breath, because her tiniest reaction was reward all in itself. Her nod gave him permission, and he dragged her seat belt down from the recessed holder, stretching across her to slot it into place. “Nope, you weren't. But now you are.” He backed out of the van and closed her door with a soft thunk. A glance towards the house showed him Truck shaking his head, Vanna leaning against her ole man with a swoony look on her face, and Sharon ignoring them leaving by fussing with the dogs, holding them back by their collars.
Van running, he buckled himself in and then reversed out of the drive, lifting a hand at the last moment to wave goodbye to the crew still standing in the yard.
“And away we go.” He gave the phrase a tiny bit of singsong and looked over in time to catch Myrt smiling her tiny smile. Huffing with satisfaction, Bane put the van into drive and left the country house in the dust.
Chapter Nine
Myrtle
The gentle rocking of the van ended, and Myrt lifted her head from where she’d leaned it against the metal window frame, blinking as she looked out through the glass. They were parked near a familiar church that took up half a block around the county square, and she twisted in her seat to verify her instincts were right, seeing the old pharmacy and five-and-dime still where they’d always been.
How strange. On the one hand, it felt as if she’d fled the mountains forever ago. Her tiny set of experiences had changed, curtains pulling back wide and showing her the open world beyond. Myrt felt transformed, deep inside, as she’d come to understand her family and Sallabrook didn’t fit into how most of the world acted. But, on the other hand, it seemed she’d closed her eyes for a mere moment and been teleported back to her past. Heart racing, she turned to