“You better!” Daisy shouted and Hector kept going.
Without a word, Hector led me out to an old model, brown Bronco. We were both buckled up and heading to my place when he spoke.
“Do you women always talk like that?” he asked, referring, I knew, to the sex chat.
“Um…” I hedged, because, wel , we did.
“I don’t wanna know,” he cut in.
“Good choice,” I whispered.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
* * * * *
The apartment was dark, it was late and Juno and I were in bed when we heard the key in the lock. Juno was sleeping. I was not.
I was planning.
I rol ed when I heard the door open and the alarm start beeping. Juno lifted up and then jumped off the bed. Then I heard the code being entered and Juno’s tags jingled as she walked across the room.
I got up on an elbow, pul ed my hair out of my face and cal ed, “Mace?”
“Yeah, babe,” Mace cal ed back quietly.
I felt my heart flutter then settle. Not that I thought anyone was breaking in, just that I was glad he was home. I was glad to hear his voice say “yeah, babe” like he came home and said that to me every night. I was glad because I thought there was a possibility that he could be coming home and saying that to me every night.
“Just checking,” I told him. “Everything okay?”
“As okay as it can be.”
That wasn’t a great answer but at least no one had been shot at.
“Are you coming to bed?” I asked.
“In a minute,” he replied.
I listened to Juno’s tags jingle louder than normal knowing Mace was giving her a rubdown. Then I listened to Mace move around in the dark, listened to him taking off his clothes, listened to the soft rustle as his clothes hit furniture.
He walked into the bathroom, the light went on a second before he shut the door.
I lay back in bed and Juno jumped up and started to settle at the foot.
Then I took a deep breath, quit planning my upcoming War with Mace’s Demons Strategy and thought about my night.
Hector had walked me up to my apartment and he’d given me a cel phone to use, saying my cel and land line may be being monitored by Mace’s Dad.
I found this creepy as al get out but then again, Mace’s dad was a creep so that wasn’t a surprise.
Then, to my shock, Hector stayed. I thought this was a nice thing to do. I wasn’t a person who couldn’t be alone but at that moment I didn’t want to be alone. Normal y, I would choose a Rock Chick to be with me during this, my first, important maneuver in my War with the Demons but since I didn’t have that luxury, Hector would work.
I looked at the piece of paper Hector had given me and saw that Mace’s Mom’s name was Lana. I thought that was a beautiful name. She’d kept the last name Mason so I was guessing she never remarried. I supposed if you were screwed over by the Supreme Asshole of Al Time, you wouldn’t be keen to jump back into the game.
I dialed her number, got cold feet and hoped she wasn’t home.
I had absolutely no idea what to say.
Then I got worried she wouldn’t be home and I had absolutely no idea how to leave a message.