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“Yeah,” Newt said. “Mad can promise to keep you safe and you can promise him something and then you spit on it and it’s forever.”
Ford actually smiled briefly. “Good to know,” he said softly to my brother. To me he said, “I’m sorry about,” –his eyes fell on Newt and then came back to me– “that thing that happened in town. I wish there was something else I could have done.”
I sent him a nod because I believed him.
“What are you doing here?” Maddox asked. He still sounded suspicious and I couldn’t really blame him.
“Um, I came to see you, actually,” Ford said as he focused on Maddox. “This is, uh, for you. I… I got it done sooner than expected so I thought I’d hand-deliver it.” Ford stepped forward enough to hand Maddox the large paper shopping bag he’d been holding.
Maddox glanced in the bag and then pulled out what appeared to be some kind of receipt. He looked at Ford in surprise. “You’re Chaotic Creations?”
Ford nodded. “Yeah.”
I had no clue what either man was talking about. Maddox must have seen my confusion because he said, “I was looking for someone to design a special art project for me. I wasn’t expecting to find someone local, though.”
“That site you used,” Ford cut in. “It’s like that Fiverr site but for artists. I get notified for certain kinds of jobs. Yours stood out not only because of what you wanted, but because you were from here. I, um, recognized your name so I bid on it.”
“Why?” Maddox asked, clearly suspicious.
Ford shifted nervously back and forth on his feet. “I just, I… I know what my brother did to your brother, and I knew I couldn’t just come out here and tell him how sorry I was but I wanted to do something and then I saw your name on the design job and I just… I don’t know,” Ford said awkwardly. Then he was rooting around in his pocket and pulling out some money. “I, um, can’t give it all back to you because I needed to use some of it to buy the” –his eyes shifted to me, then Newt, then back to Maddox– “the, um, it and the art supplies because I didn’t have enough money to pay for that myself, but the rest of it is here, I swear.”
Ford thrust the money at Maddox.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for how rattled Ford was. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when Maddox didn’t take the money. He studied Ford for the longest time and the younger man began to shift even more uncomfortably. I guessed Ford to be in his mid-twenties at the most. He was a really good-looking guy, the bruises notwithstanding. Unlike his brother, he was fit with short black hair that was neatly styled and a carefully trimmed beard that was just a little bit long to be considered scruff. His eyes were a really bright blue and his body looked muscular beneath his snug jeans and beige long-sleeved shirt. He was on the shorter side and his clothes, while clean, had a threadbare look to them.
Maddox suddenly handed the bag back to Ford, whose face fell as he had no choice but to take it. My stomach dropped out, but I held my tongue.
“It’s not for me,” Maddox said. Then he motioned to Newt. “It’s for Newt, here.”
I felt my brother shift next to me. “You got me a present?” he asked excitedly and then he was hurrying toward Ford. He suddenly remembered the kitten in his hands and did an about-face. But instead of handing Snotrod to me, he handed him to Maddox, then threw his arms around Maddox’s lower body as he hugged him. Before Maddox could even respond, Newt was rushing to Ford who knelt down and set the bag on the floor.
I felt like I was going to cry as I watched Newt’s excitement as Ford pulled out a large box and carefully opened it enough so Newt wouldn’t have to struggle with it. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone besides me had thought to give my brother a gift.
Ford held the box as Newt carefully opened it. I moved enough so I could see his reaction to whatever was in the box.
“Lightning!” Newt yelled as he clapped his hands together. Ford eased the item from the box and when I realized what it was, I did start to cry.
It was a soft-padded helmet, but it was painted to match the colors of Lightning, the race car from the Cars movies. Even the car’s number was painted onto it.
Newt let out a cry of delight as Ford turned the helmet so Newt could see all of it. “Here, look,” Ford said as he showed Newt the front of the helmet. “It’s like what all the race car drivers wear. It’s even got a microphone so you can talk to your pit crew.”
