We walked out of the Credit Union, I threw myself into Eddie’s truck and snatched my travel mug out of the drink holder, taking my first sip of caffeine for the day. I needed it.
I actual y needed it laced with Jack Daniels but I’d take it as it came.
Eddie got in and turned to me.
“So, you used to work there.”
I avoided his eyes, looked out the windscreen and sipped more coffee.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“You’l have to teach me the tuck and rol . Maybe I can use it during a shoot out.”
Where were freak flashes of lightening when you needed them? At that point, I didn’t care if it took out me, or Eddie, or both of us.
I turned to him. “Do you get in shoot outs often?”
“Not real y.”
“Then you’l be safe.”
He grinned.
“How’s the kid?” he asked.
I stared at him, confused.
“What kid?”
“The one you had the shoot out with in the hospital,” he answered.
Out of nowhere, I felt the tears hit the backs of my eyes and I sucked in a breath to try and control them.
It was Eddie’s turn to stare at me.
“Shit,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
Devin was a good kid and Donna was a good friend.
She and her husband moved to Montana after he died, couldn’t face the memories and wanted a fresh start. If her last letter was anything to go by, the tactic wasn’t working.
I got myself under control and said, “You can take me home now.”
“I thought we were going to the grocery store.” I looked away and sipped coffee.
“If Lavonne’s stil at home, I’l ask her to take me.
Lavonne may be smal and she can be nice but mostly she’s mean as a snake, no one wil mess with her. You can go and do… whatever it is you do on a Saturday.” He started the car.
“This Saturday, I’m taking you to the grocery store.” Wonderful.
* * * * *
He took me to the giganto King Soopers on Colorado Boulevard. I grabbed a cart and hit the store at my usual pace, which was otherwise known as the I-don’t-have-time-for-this-I-had-to-be-out-of-here-twenty-minutes-ago pace.
I threw things in the cart on the trot and Eddie wandered.