His eyes drifted down my body and his lips twitched as he flipped open the instruction book to the coffee maker. I wasn’t certain what that meant but I was certain I wasn’t going to ask.
I left him to deal with things with cords, went into the living room, sat on the sofa and phoned Mom.
“Hey Mom,” I said when she answered.
“Hey dol face,” she replied
“How are you getting on?” I asked.
Eddie wandered in, sat down and turned on the TV. The remote went into hyperdrive as he flipped through channels.
“Tex and me are drinking hooch,” Mom answered.
I was leaning back but I shot bolt upright when I heard her answer.
“You can’t drink hooch on your meds!” I yel ed.
Eddie’s eyes came to me.
“Just a little drinkie poo,” Mom said.
“Stop drinking,” I ordered.
Her voice came to me, ignoring my order, and she was whispering, “I think Tex kinda likes me.” Then she giggled.
Dear Lord.
“Tex is a nut,” I told her.
“He’s sweet.”
Tex?
Sweet?
“You think Tex is sweet? How much hooch have you had?”
“Oh! Gotta go, Tex found his laser lights and we’re gonna play with the kitties. Love you.” Then she disconnected.
I flipped the phone shut and stared at it.
“I think Tex and Mom are on the weirdest date in the history of the world.”
Eddie put down the remote, took the phone out of my hand, slid it on the coffee table next to the remote and then put his hands under my pits and dragged me across the couch, twisting me so I was pul ed over his lap. He pushed me back and he slid out from under me, to his side and came up on his elbow. He rol ed me to my side at the same time he leaned forward, pressing into me, grabbed the remote, his eyes went back to the TV and, with his arm stil around me, he started flipping through channels again.
It was a complicated maneuver but he pul ed it off effortlessly and completely ignored my comment.
I twisted my head around to look at him.
“Eddie, did you hear me? I think something’s happening between Mom and Tex.”
Eddie’s eyes didn’t move from the TV.
“Good. Gettin’ some would improve Tex’s disposition and I figure it’s been awhile for your Mom too.” Eek!
“You did not just say that,” I said.
Eddie found a basebal game and tossed the remote on the table. He looked down at me. “She’s a woman, she’s pretty. He’s a man, he’s gonna notice.”
“He’s not a man, he’s a crazy person. He’s got a shotgun and I think he has grenades.”
“From what I hear, tear gas too,” Eddie’s eyes went back to the TV.
That was it.
I pushed away and got up.
“That’s it, we’re going over… oof!”
Eddie tagged me around the middle, pul ed me back on the sofa and rol ed over me.
“You got enough to worry about, Chiquita. You don’t have to make shit up.”
My eyes widened.
“I’m not making shit up!”
His eyes got warm, his eyelids lowered, his hands started roaming and I had other things to worry about. His mouth started roaming with his hands and I stopped worrying altogether.
“This works out, Tex’l be your stepdad,” Eddie said against my neck, his hand going under my shirt.
I thought about that. It actual y wasn’t a bad thought. Tex was a nut but he was a good guy.
“He’d be a good stepdad,” I said into Eddie’s ear and I slid my hands in his shirt.
Eddie looked down at me.
“Shit works out in weird ways.” He touched his lips to mine then he lifted his head and said, “Two months ago, I couldn’t get you to look at me, now you’re livin’ with me.”
“Temporarily,” I said.
“Whatever, just as long as I get to make you sweet on a routine basis, I don’t give a fuck.”
My breath caught.
The doorbel rang.
“Pizza time!” I said a little loudly, considering his face was less than an inch away.
Eddie’s eyes lit, he smiled and then he kissed me, the smile stil on his face (I could feel it), making the pizza guy wait. Then he angled up and left me panting on the couch and thinking that, just as long as Eddie kissed me like that on a routine basis, I didn’t want anything to do with temporarily.
*
We both took off our boots and settled in for the night. We ate the pizza, Eddie drank a couple of beers and, as I’d already had over my alcohol quota for the day (and had to be prepared for whatever the evening would bring), I drank Diet Coke. We watched a game for awhile; me up against Eddie’s side with my bare feet tucked under me on the couch, Eddie’s feet were on the table.
It felt good. It felt nice. It felt so good and so nice that I could get used to it. I knew I shouldn’t but I decided just to go with it… for now.
It was when Eddie was clearing away the pizza box that my mobile rang.
It was Indy.
“Don’t talk, just listen,” she said.
Oh no. Here we go.
“Okay,” I replied.
“At around ten, Al y’s gonna come to the door. Eddie’l answer. You be in the bedroom. Leave a note for Eddie and crawl out the bedroom window. You don’t need anything, just your purse and you. We’ve got everything else covered.”