What You See (8 page)

“I can tell. You’re strong, yet a little insecure, which
usually comes from a long line of letdowns and disappointments. You need a man
to make you happy... one who will give you the fulfillment you’re missing. It
will happen,” he announced. “As for me, I date sometimes.”

“It will happen,” I joked.

Changing the subject, he continued, “What’s this about your
car? You’re going to need a car. Is there something I can do? I’m pretty good
with fixing cars, and I’m great with motorcycles. I have a 1955, K-Model,
Harley Sportster parked in my garage. I used to ride it all the time, but now I
just take it out on cruises when the weather’s nice. I’m getting too old to
ride it in the dead of winter, and I wouldn’t want to around here. I want to
keep the bike’s body in good shape. The harsh winter snow and muddy rains are
killers on metal.”

“Maybe some time you’ll drive it to work, so I can check it
out. I can ride bikes. I went through a phase at one time when I actually owned
one. It was a 360cc Honda. I forget the year, but it had roll bars and a king
and queen seat, with a sissy stick.

That was a long time ago and the phase didn’t last long.
Every time I got out onto
Denbigh
Boulevard
, everybody
on the road wanted to see if that was a girl or a guy, with all that long hair,
riding a motorcycle. I had too many close calls. I said forget it, and sold the
bike to a friend. As far as my car goes, my dad said it was a goner. He said
something about a rod knocking. It’s an old car—real old. It’s about time
for...”

I was interrupted by the beep-beep of the front door. I stood
and walked out of Billy’s office to greet our visitor. “May I help you?”

“I’m here to talk to Billy Blackhawk. I’m Mrs. Miller.”

Billy came out of his office. “Hello, I’m Billy Blackhawk and
this is my assistant, Miss Watson. Please come in and have a seat,” he said as
he gestured toward his office. “Miss Watson, hold my calls, please.’’

The digital clock on my desk read
4:45
.
Good, I’m ready to call it a day.

At ten minutes after five, Billy led Mrs. Miller out of his
office and to the front door, assuring her the whole time he would do what she
wanted and be in touch. Then he came over to me and handed me a file and a key.

“This is the key to the front door. All the doors are keyed
to this one key. If, at anytime, that far door over there on the left is
locked, don’t go in. It’s the entrance stairway to my place. I live upstairs.
The garage out back is where I normally keep my car, my truck, and my Harley.
If you want to see my bike sometime, all you have to do is go through the
second door on the left, down the main hallway. Here’s the file on the
Carrolton girl. Make a copy and look it over this weekend, please. Keep it to
yourself. Don’t let anyone see it. When you’re finished, you can leave, and
I’ll see you at eight, Monday morning.” He handed me a business card. “This
card has my home phone number in case you need to talk to me after work hours.
Write down your phone number on a piece of paper and leave it on your desk for
me before you leave, please.”

Once I finished the last few things I had to do, I dug out my
purse and headed for the door. The rain was coming down harder than it had been
all day. It figures. I had to stop somewhere and pick up dog food for Athena,
and I wanted to shop for some new clothes.

I yelled good-bye to Billy and made a run for the van. I made
a stop at Wal-Mart and purchased dog food, two skirts and two blouses, a pair
of navy heels, and a black leather shoulder bag. Luckily, by the time I left
the store the rain had stopped.

The drive home was pleasant, although my mind kept drifting
off to Cole, my new job, and Billy.

When I made the left turn onto Rt.33 at Ruckersville and
drove up the road a bit, I noticed a sight to behold. “Wow,” I said out loud. I
couldn’t believe what I saw. How could I have missed this? Where was my mind?

There on the top of a hill to my left, sat a brown and yellow
police car with a sign on top that read, Law Enforcement-Out of Control. I
almost ran off the road. Never in my wildest imagination could I believe
someone would have the courage to do something so bold.

Back in Tidewater, you’d never get away with a form of
expression such as this. At best, they’re probably put you in jail. Whoever was
responsible has more guts than I do.
America
!
Land of the free. Home of the brave! I love this country!

I dragged my old, tired butt into the house, along with the
stuff I had purchased at Wal-Mart. The house was empty, but, true to form, Mom
had left a note saying they had taken Athena for a walk. When I took the bag of
Purina Dog Chow to the utility room, I noticed someone had already bought her a
bag. It brought a smile to my lips. What wonderful parents I have. I made my
way upstairs and after hanging up my new clothes, I flopped down on the bed.

I must have dozed off, because the next sounds I heard were
Athena barking, and voices downstairs. After washing my face, I went down to
talk to my folks. I couldn’t wait to tell them about Billy and my new job, and
about that police car. I wondered if they had seen it.

I stopped when I noticed Cole sitting at the kitchen table
with Dad.

“H-hello,” I stammered.

“Hi, honey,” said Dad. “Come tell us about your new job.
We’re dying to hear about it.”

Mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“I got a job working for a private investigator named Billy
Blackhawk,” I answered, waiting for Cole to make some kind of comment,
considering he was a cop and probably had some contact with men in this line of
work. But he said nothing. “I like him. He seems to be honest and he knows what
he’s doing.”

“Good,” Mom offered. “We want you to be happy.”

Her comment embarrassed me. I felt as though she was implying
I wasn’t happy, which might have been true in the past, but I didn’t want Cole
to hear about my distress. I didn’t want him to think I was some poor, old,
lonely woman with a rotten life. Things were different now. For the first time
in a long time, I felt happy. I liked my new life.

Cole
had stopped by on his way home from work to tell us he couldn’t make dinner
tomorrow night. He was scheduled to work the fair that was in town, and
suggested we go check it out.

“It’s something the whole community looks forward to every
year. There’re going to be games, food, animals, and live entertainment. I
think you folks would enjoy it.”

He was so good-looking; it was all I could do to keep from
staring. I hoped I wasn’t drooling when I replied, “I’d love to check it out.
What do you think, Mom and Dad? Shall we go?”

“We said we would probably go, remember?” Dad replied.

Parents can be so blunt sometimes, and being candid is not
always their strong suit. Sticking my tail between my legs like a dog, I
decided I’d keep my mouth shut. This is getting all fouled up. I wanted Cole to
see me as a lady, and not some dumb bimbo trying to grab onto the first person
that came along. I felt like a child being admonished for acting silly. It must
have been the guilt I was feeling for wanting to climb all over him. I had to
put those thoughts out of my head.

“You say you were on your way home? Why don’t you stay and
eat with us. There’s plenty of food,” Mom offered Cole.

“Actually, I need to go let my dog outside. River gets kind
of crazy after being shut up for so long.”

“You have a dog named River? That’s a strange name for a
dog,” Mom questioned him.

“Yeah, I guess it is. I named him River because I found him
when he was just a puppy, wet and all beat up, down by the river. It was
raining hard just like it’s been doing today, and I heard a whimpering, sad
bark coming from that direction. So I went over to the river, and there he was
all curled up. I brought him home and we’ve been together ever since. That was
three years ago.”

“Why don’t you go home and let River out and then come back
for dinner? It should be ready by then,” Mom suggested as she continued to take
food out of the refrigerator.

Cole smiled as he got up to leave. “Do you think I might have
time to grab a quick shower? I’ve been chasing bad guys all day, and a shower
would hit the spot.”

Was he kidding? I let out a giggle; quickly becoming the
idiot teenager I had reverted back to. Maybe I should just be sent to my room.
Isn’t that what a parent does when a kid gets out of control?

After Cole left, I ran upstairs to take a shower. I needed to
get gussied up, and then try not to make an idiot out of myself later.

Cole returned at
7:31
,
on the dot. I remember because I was already dressed and watching the clock. I would
never admit it, but the truth was, I couldn’t stand the anticipation. I had
fantasies of what the evening would be like. After dinner, Mom and Dad would
retire for the evening, and Cole and I would have an intimate conversation,
sitting in the swing on the porch. It didn’t turn out quite like that, but the
evening was interesting.

After a dinner of Mom’s wonderful fried chicken, Cole got up
and started to help clear away the dishes. That surprised me. From my
experience, most men usually get up from the table and then hit the couch. As
far as loading the dishwasher is concerned, forget it. I think men believe
there’s a monster living in there, because they won’t go near one. I wiped down
the table while Cole continued to help Mom. Dad retreated to the couch and
turned on the television set.

“Mrs. Watson, that was the best fried chicken I’ve had since
I had dinner at my mom’s house,” Cole admitted.

It was obvious Mom was charmed by him. “Thank you,” she
giggled. “Why don’t you just call me, Minnie? All my friends do.”

A few minutes later, we managed to pull Dad away from the TV.
We had our after-dinner coffee on the front porch. Mom and Dad conveniently sat
in the chairs, which left the swing for Cole and me. I’m sure Mom planned it
that way. She knew I was interested in Cole, and she was going to do everything
she could to help the relationship along. Cole must’ve sensed what she was up
to. He stretched his arm out behind me and laid it on top of the swing. I
looked around in time to catch him wink at her. Those rats, something was going
on here that I didn’t know about.

Shortly, Mom jumped up and proclaimed, “Mack, I almost
forgot. We were supposed to call Claire tonight. Remember, I told you she said
to call her Friday night before we went to bed? Let’s do it before it gets too
late. I want to be able to talk to the grandkids.”

Dad was taken by surprise. “What? Oh, yeah, now I remember.”

“Would you excuse us for a minute, Cole? We need to call
Claire. She’s our other daughter, and we promised we’d call her tonight.”

In a flash, they were gone, and I was left with egg on my
face.

“I’m sorry, Cole. Mom’s always trying to fix me up with
someone.”

“Don’t worry about it. I understand how mothers can be. My
mom does the same thing to me. She’ll invite me over for dinner, and when I get
there, I find out that she’s also invited a friend’s daughter. I’ve had my
share of dinner dates, thanks to her.”

“That’s bad. I’d die if my mom did something like that. It
makes you appear so needy. Mom wants me to be happy like my sister Claire, and
I think she would do anything she could to help it along. I bet the first thing
she asked was if you were married. At least, she didn’t flag you down and force
you to come to dinner. Did she?”

He laughed.

“Oh, God,” I murmured as my head dropped down. I wanted to
throw up. Please don’t let this be happening. Here’s a man I’m truly attracted
to, and Mom goes and does this. It was embarrassing.

“No, she didn’t do anything like that. She did, however, tell
me it was such a shame that a girl as pretty and sweet as you are, couldn’t
find a man. You deserve to be happy. She’s right, except for the part about not
being able to find a man. I told her one day the right man would come along and
you’d find the happiness you deserve.”

This was getting worse by the minute. Did she also tell him
that I dyed my hair? I know she must have mentioned something about the size of
my breasts. What else? I had to get out of here. The tone of his voice felt
patronizing—something I couldn’t handle.

I stood and was about to excuse myself, when he gently
reached out his hand, touched my arm and said, “Please, don’t go. I wouldn’t be
here if I didn’t want to be. Don’t worry about your mom. She’s like every
mother who loves her child. She wants to help.”

“Promise me you won’t let her manipulate you,” I begged as I
sat back down in the swing. “She has a way of getting people to do things they
might not otherwise want to do.”

“Hey, I’m a cop, remember? I’m used to dealing with people.
I’ve met up with some pretty bad guys in the line of duty, and you think some
little old, sweet mother is going to strong-arm me? No way. Why, I think I’ll
just go inside and slap the cuffs on her. I’ll put her in jail for feeding me a
good dinner. She’ll probably get five to ten for such a heinous crime.”

I laughed. “Bull, you like my mother. I can tell.”

“Now that we’ve come to the conclusion that mothers always
have the upper hand, tell me about your new job. How did you come to meet Billy
Blackhawk?”

“I read his ad in the paper for an office assistant. I knew I
could do the job. I can’t tell you how many office jobs I’ve had. However, this
was different. The job seemed interesting. Working for a private investigator
sounded like fun. I can learn something new, and perhaps have a little bit of
excitement at the same time. Billy’s a nice guy. He’s intelligent, and he seems
to really have it together. I’ve been with him for one day and already I feel
like we’re old friends.”

“Billy’s a good man, but this is serious business. Do you
realize what you’re getting into? He comes in contact with some pretty rough
people. Promise me you’ll be careful. Watch your back, and don’t take any
unnecessary chances. It’s a hard world out there.”

“Billy and I had a long talk. The only thing I’ll be doing is
the usual office stuff. Things like answering the phone, filing, making coffee,
and spying on clients.”

“I caught that remark,” he said. “Detective work is serious
business. It’s dangerous, and you could get hurt.”

“Why, Rhett, I do think thou dost protest too much.”

Cole turned to me and looked deep into my eyes. “I like you,
Jesse. I don’t want anything to happen to you. This isn’t a joke. I meant it
when I said things could get dangerous. Did Billy tell you about the time he
got shot?”

“What? Billy got shot? When? What happened?”

“Five years ago, Billy was on a stakeout tailing a cheating
husband. The guy came out of the motel and caught Billy with a camera. The guy
went crazy and shot Billy in the gut with a .22 pistol. Good thing it was only
a .22. If it had been a 9MM or a .38, Billy would be dead. It broke him up when
Ruth left, and I don’t think he had his mind on his job. He was lucky, and I
told him so. Billy and I are old friends. We go back a long way. After the
shooting, I made him promise he’d start wearing a vest.”

“You’re starting to scare me,” I whispered.

“Good, you need to have a bit of fear in you. Besides, if
something happens to you, who will I marry and have a house full of kids with?
Besides, it would break your mother’s heart.”

He was joking, but the way he said it with such a warm smile
on his face, touched my heart. I sat there with my eyes glued to his,
mesmerized. I actually thought he was going to kiss me, and he might have, if
Mom hadn’t appeared at the front door. Talk about bad timing.

“I’m sorry to bother you kids. You look like you’re having
such a good time, but we didn’t want to go to bed without saying good-night.
Claire says to tell you hi, Jesse.” She turned to Cole. “I hope you’ll come
have dinner with us again real soon. Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow at the fair.
I’m sure Jesse would like that. Wouldn’t you, honey?”

“I live for the moment,” I replied, causing Cole to chuckle.

She looked at the two of us as if we’d lost our minds.
“Good-night.” She was shaking her head as she went back inside.

Cole looked at his watch and exclaimed, “I had no idea it was
so late! It’s almost
10:30
. Where did the time go? I need to
get home. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I hope you’ll come out to the
fair, but if you don’t, how about I take you sightseeing Sunday? We could go up
on the
Skyline Drive
. It’s beautiful this time of year.”

“Oh, you can bet I’ll be at the fair. Mom will see to it. I
would still like to take you up on the offer to go sightseeing.”

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, and then he was
gone.

I was smitten.

I stood on the porch and listened to the sounds of the night,
taking in the clean fresh smell of the air. Crickets made their funny sounds
and birds chirped in the background. Somewhere in the distance, the lone cry of
a bobcat echoed, or maybe it was the cry of somebody’s house cat. I didn’t
know, and it didn’t matter.

I went to bed with one thought on my mind. Tomorrow I would
see Cole. I felt like a teenager again. This was getting crazy. I knew I had to
get myself together, or I’d be heading for a full-blown crash. Things were
moving way too fast, and I knew it. I lay in bed and reminisced about the past
men in my life. I decided I’d take a step backwards. The few times I had
overwhelming feelings for someone, it usually resulted in heartbreak. I’ve
learned that when a man comes into your life with a big bang, he usually goes
out like a fizzled-out sparkler on the fourth of July. I was determined I
wouldn’t let that happen this time.

Saturday morning, I awoke at the crack of dawn. While Mom and
Dad were still sleeping, I showered, got dressed, made a pot of coffee, and
then took Athena for a walk. The morning air was cool and crisp, yet the sun
was bright and warm. Off in the distance, dark, puffy clouds appeared on the
horizon. Was it going to rain today and ruin our plans of going to the fair? I
prayed not.

Athena and I scouted the area, ending up at the stream. The
water was cold, but that didn’t stop her from jumping in and digging for rocks.
She stuck her head under the water and didn’t come up until she had a rock in
her mouth, which she promptly brought over and laid at my feet.

“Athena, get out of there, girl. It’s too cold.”

She climbed out, ran to me, and then shook the water from her
coat.

“Whoa, girl,” I said, trying to dodge the spray. “Let’s get
back on the road, away from this cold water.”

We walked until we came upon a house set back behind a row of
tall Pines. Two dogs were sunning themselves in the front yard. The minute they
saw us, they jumped up, started barking, and then ran toward us.

“It’s time to go home, Athena,” I whispered, and in one quick
step, we turned and headed back home.

When the dogs finally caught up with us, I thought there was
going to be a terrible fight, but oddly enough, all three of them sniffed each
other a few times, and then began a playful romp before settling down.