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And now it was time to pay the piper- especially if he ever wanted to eat again. Tildy invited him over for dinner sometimes, but she’d been raised high-class with a family chef, and he only accepted her invitations out of politeness. Slick’s cooking, on the other hand, was as close to God’s Heaven as you could get on this green Earth. He sighed and put down the fan belt he was holding.
Without a word she slammed a few Tupperware containers into his arms. He took them and followed her into the break room. As he passed by he saw the corner of Shooter’s mouth turn up into a lopsided grin. Easy glared at him, but kept a steady pace toward the chopping block.
“Where’s the nugget?” he asked, lightly setting the containers on the table.
Sarah responded by slamming the door. “With Tildy,” she told him. “I can’t kick your ass with a baby in my arms.”
Easy mashed his lips together. She was pissed, and it wouldn’t do to laugh at her right now. A few months ago, at Shooter’s request, Easy had given her some self-defense lessons, the idea being that she could actually get away from potential danger in the future without having to resort to killing. She wasn’t bad, truthfully, for a female and a civilian, but she couldn’t take down an ex-Army Ranger, no matter how many lessons she had.
She didn’t seem to know it, though, because she marched right up to him and shoved his shoulder. Even with the leg, Easy didn’t budge, but he had the good sense to look appropriately chastised.
“What the hell is going on with you?” she asked.
“I’m sorry,” he told her, skirting the question. “I just didn’t expect to see her there.”
“Oh, no, Jimmy Turnbull,” she snapped. “We’re way past that. You screwed her in the bathroom, and I worked there so I know just how disgusting that it. Daisy is better than that, and so are you, if you somehow woke up with your head up your ass and didn’t realize it. The bathroom? Jesus Christ! And cheating on Brenda- what the hell? She was-”
“She wasn’t my girlfriend,” Easy replied. He was a little irritated that Slick was up in his business, but he was trying hard to keep his cool. “It isn’t cheating if you’re not together.”
Slick crossed her arms in front of her chest. “So, why aren’t you together?”
Easy’s eyes narrowed, and he scowled. “Just didn’t work out.”
“Bullshit! You’d better tell me what happened.”
Easy shook his head, finally having had enough of this conversation and said, “I don’t need lunch.” He started to move past her, but she stepped in front of him.
“Don’t ever,” she warned him. “I know where you work, and I have the key to your place. I will dog you all day every day for the rest of forever until you talk to me.”
Easy was determined not to get angry again. It would only piss off Shooter, who no doubt had one ear cocked, listening for any sounds of trouble.
“This is none of your business, Sarah,” he said quietly. “This is my life.”
He fully expected her to shout, throw something at him, or even throw a punch. Instead her face crumpled, her shoulders sagged. God damn it if that didn’t eat through all his anger.
“You were okay,” she said quietly. “You were getting better. That was the deal!” she said pushing at him again. He let her. “We were going to get better. Both of us. I’m happy. You’re supposed to be happy.” She stopped fighting him and wiped tears from her eyes.
When Easy had discharged from the VA assisted living and settled officially in Rapid City, he and Sarah, despite having survived very different traumas, were the only ones not on the road to… Easy didn’t know if you could exactly recover from the shit they’d been through, but you could move beyond it to a better place. For the most part, Shooter, Hawk, Tex, and Doc had already found their way there. Only Slick and Easy were still stuck, unable to go back yet too damaged to move forward.
Sarah fell in love with Chris and decided there was nothing left to do but start healing, and she’d dragged Easy, kicking and screaming, along with her. She had been determined to save them both from themselves.
“We were better,” she whispered and Easy could see how much it hurt her to think she was losing him.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. She sagged against him, her tears wetting his shirt. “I’m better,” he assured her.
She made a noise of protest, but he squeezed her tighter. “I am,” he insisted. “Brenda wasn’t the one.”
Sarah sniffed. “You liked her,” she argued.
Easy sighed and decided his pride wasn’t worth her tears. She’d been through enough. “She made fun of my leg,” he confessed.
