Killing Me Softly(A Broken Souls Series)

Pam breaks out into a smile. She’s probably thinking about the shoes she’ll buy when she gets her cut of the sale. “That’s perfect, we’ll just go back to the office and get you set up for financing.”

“That isn’t necessary, I’ll pay cash,” Tate admits.

“Oh, okay. You realize for this house it is two-hundred-twenty-two thousand dollars.”

“Of course. The one I’ll buy will be more since I’ll have a larger lot to put a pool in the backyard.” He reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together.

“Yes sir, well I guess we’ll go pick out your lot.”

We drive around the neighborhood and find the lot Tate wants to call home.

***

Tate drives me back to my car after the picnic on base. It was interesting to meet the other guys that Tate works with. Most everyone said they never see him and were surprised by his singing career. I had a total misconception about hanging around military people. I expected everyone to be serious and angry. From what I see, everyone is having a good time. Tate had warned me that sometimes the officers will snub the enlisted in the other units. He said that since he works with the pilots, they’re cool to the air traffic controllers. For someone who doesn’t hang around a lot of military guys, everyone likes him.

I did notice a couple of girls flirting with him when he was singing. They didn’t bother me anymore. Who doesn’t flirt with a guy who can sing like Tate? His roommate never showed up. I figured since there was a keg, he would be there. Tate said he was having girl troubles. Last night she came banging on their door. Instead of caring that he was trying to sleep, they bickered until Tate told him to take it outside.

“Do you hate the military now?” Tate asks.

“No, actually, I was thinking about how cool everyone was. All I know of the military is what’s on the news and the movies. You guys act more like family than co-workers. In the news it’s always about the bad things that happen. It was fun. Thank you for letting me go with you.”

“You’re welcome. You’re right, the news never tells you about the guys behind the job. We are family. We’re all here alone. Some of the guys get married young and start their own families to fill the void of being away from home. Yeah, we have some guys who party non-stop but they were partying before they got in the military. It isn’t glamorous, but it isn’t always hell.”

We pull up to Waffle Shack where I left my car earlier today. “I wish I could hang out more, but I have to go to the store. I’ll see you Tuesday. We can Skype though.”

“Okay beautiful, don’t forget to text me and let me know you made it to work okay.” He pulls me to him. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the outdoors makes me wish I could call in sick and stay with him. He kisses my forehead and tilts my chin up so he can kiss my lips.

My mouth obeys his tongue as it sweeps across mine. The smooth silkiness and the lingering taste of his cinnamon gum brings my heart to life. With every pounding in my chest, I melt a little more. I’ve fallen captive to his touch.

I’m reluctant to pull away, but I do. “Bye, see you online!” I say and give him another quick kiss.

“Holland?”

“Yes,” I reply.

“You’ll let me know when I don’t have to go slow anymore, won’t you?” We make eye contact and I wait a second before answering him.

“You’ll be the first to know,” I say and blow him a kiss as I climb into my car. That just happened. I say to myself.

***



Chapter Fifteen. Evening Drive

“Dad, I’m going to work. I’ll be home to make you dinner, I get off at four-thirty,” I say as I lean in to kiss his head.

“It’s that boy isn’t it?”

There’s the ugly head of living with a man who’s bi-polar. No medicine can take away his fixation with me dating Tate. “He’s a man, not a boy,” I snarl at him.

“I knew you’d get mixed up with some military guy and leave me,” he whines.

“I told you, I’m going to work. I realize I don’t usually work on Tuesdays, but everyone is off having a family vacation. One of those things that families do together.” I hold my palm to my forehead in aggravation. I hate lying to him, but he can’t handle it when I say I’m going on a date. “I’m not going anywhere, come on Dad, don’t do this right now. I’ll be home for dinner and maybe we’ll go out for some ice cream when I get home.” Trying to reason with him when he’s in one of his moods is harder than shoving your mouth full of Warheads candy.

“Promise me not to fall in love with him.” His face is filled with despair as he looks up at me from his place on the couch.

I’m not promising anything to him right now. “Daddy, I’ll see you later.” I didn’t wait for him to respond before walking out the front door. His dramatic reaction is another reason, Tate, won’t be invited over to the house.

As I start the Charger the roar of the motor reminds me of the power beneath the hood at my fingertips. I click the stereo on and one of my favorite songs is playing, “Goodbye Gone” by Lucy Hale. I’m not into her show, but I love her singing. I haven’t seen Tate since the Omniplex so I’m excited to have a date with him in the flesh. We’re going to lunch in Bricktown, then we’re going on a gondola ride to the movie theater. He convinced me to see Flesh Back, a Zombie thriller.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been together for two months. Andy would have found it funny that I celebrate something so girly. It was Tate who started it when he showed up at work with thirty red roses for every day we’ve been together on our first month anniversary. He counts the night at the bookstore as our first date. I told him it doesn’t count, but he said in his book it does.

***

For the first time in over a year, when I walked through the door the house smells like food. My dad is in the kitchen and the table is set with two plates and take-out from our favorite Mexican place. They recently started a delivery service so he must have had it delivered.

“There’s my beautiful little princess. How was work?” He hands me the two glasses he just filled with ice. “Will you pour us a Coke?”

He hasn’t been this happy in a long time. It’s almost like walking into someone else’s home with someone else’s father in the kitchen. “Yeah, sure.” I walk over to the table and slowly pour the soda in the glasses, making sure not to have them overflow. “It was busy.” I couldn’t tell him about the movie I saw. One he would have liked. It was so gross I had to cover my eyes a couple of times.

“Back in the day, people would flock to the mall because they had air conditioning.”

“You never told me about lunch the other day, how was it?” We both sit down at the small pub-table set for two. We pour the tortilla chips into a bowl and open the container of fresh made salsa. For a moment, everything is normal. It has been years since we’ve carried on a conversation that wasn’t filled with woe is me and drama. This is how real families talk to each other. Me not having to dole out medicine for his crazy, at least I don’t have to until after dinner.

He fills his plate with Spanish rice and builds his fajita with the peppers and meat. “I did very well. We had Mexican food and it was easier than I thought it would be. Tell me about this boy you’re seeing.”