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She also showed him more sign language. He asked her to correct his shaping of letters and gestures, so she had plenty of excuses to touch him, putting her hands on his free one to help him adjust his fingers. Like she had for the RR for restroom.
“I have that one down,” he said, when the gesture came up. “Figured it was important for traveling with a female passenger.”
He had an endless amount of travel anecdotes he was willing to share, like riding the “Tail of the Dragon,” a two lane, eleven-mile stretch of road in western North Carolina. “It’s about an hour from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood.” He shot her a grin. “Over three hundred curves in those eleven miles. I have the ‘Done the Dragon’ shirt. Riding it with other experienced riders is a hell of a rush.”
He’d done scavenger hunt poker runs, where riders picked up playing cards on the way to the sponsoring rally. “One of them was at this roadside tourist trap in the middle of fucking nowhere, a huge metal bull standing by the road. When you picked up your card, the husband and wife who ran the place gave every biker the best loaf of banana bread you’ve ever tasted. They were retired bikers, because he’d cracked his spine from a crash a few years back.”
He also told her more about the rallies he’d attended, and the events she could expect at this one. Races, as well as games like he’d shown her, and backroad rides to local attractions. Lots of vendor goods and bikes to look at.
When they pulled into the RV park, the few hours of travel almost seemed too short. She recognized the desire to keep him to herself, not to have to deal with communicating with anyone else. A thought she immediately pushed away. She had left that kind of thinking behind a long time ago, and it certainly wouldn’t help Tiger, either.
Another important reason for staying at the campsite was wanting him to experience the rally as normally as possible. Heneeded to navigate the challenges in that environment, rather than having the choice of retreating to a hotel room offsite.
If he could get through this one, and she could help him make it a good experience, it would be another way for him to see that he wasn’t being denied the life he had before; he was developing skills to reclaim his enjoyment of it.
The RV park was as he’d described it on the way down. It had a large bathhouse, a big pool and amenity center. There were power and water hookups, an outdoor grill and a concrete patio at each of the sites.
“Geek girl will be able to charge all her devices and keep running the world,” he’d told her. “Plus do her gaming dailies to keep up with her online crew.” He gave her a hopeful look. “Do you dress up at any of those cons? Blue-skinned alien princess in a tiny outfit?”
“I shouldn’t have shown you those YouTube videos,” she’d typed. “Keep it up, and you’ll experience my Red Sonja topping Conan role-playing fantasies.”
He’d chuckled. She liked hearing him laugh. Now, as he went into the main office to check in, she watched a bunch of kids playing on the slide at the pool. The park seemed to have a decent crowd of campers, most appearing to be here for the motorcycle rally, but it wasn’t at full capacity. Tiger confirmed it when he returned to the driver’s seat.
“I think you’ll like the spot I picked. But if you don’t, they’ve got a few left.”
The site he’d picked was on the border of the property, beneath a pair of large old oaks. It offered shade and privacy and a concrete pad long enough to accommodate truck and trailer. A seasoned camper, he started setting up with a relaxed expertise. He attached an awning to the side of the trailer, and placed two camping chairs beneath it, adding a pillow to the seat of hers. He’d also brought a collapsible table in case she needed to dosome work on her laptop, though Paula had things well in hand for the next few days. She’d keep Skye informed via text and email.
She hadn’t requested any of those comforts, and so was touched that he’d thought of them. After she helped him put up a roomy tent, something he did with impressive efficiency, he unloaded and carried two cots into it. She untied the straps on the two foam mattresses for them.
“No double wide cot?” she typed.
He nudged the long sides of the cots against one another, and sent her a significant look that had her smiling. He’d put a cooler between the chairs under the awning, a convenient table, and went there to pull a beer out and offer her her preference. When she chose a hard cider, he twisted off the cap for her.
He reached for the cigarettes and lighter he’d left in a chair seat, but she was faster, grabbing and holding the pack away from him—as if she had a chance against those long arms. He grinned, recapturing it, but dropped the cigarettes back on the chair, choosing to put his hands on her instead, leaning down to kiss her. They were being playful, like a couple of kids.
She eased back at the sound of Tiger’s name being called. She tapped his hip, drawing his attention to it.
“Hey, boy! Good to see you.” The sixtyish year old man who’d called out was in a white Ford 150 pickup. His T-shirt was printed with Old Glory and a Live Free motto. A bandanna held back his hair, which fell to his shoulders and tangled with his brown and gray beard. The familiarity with which the thick-waisted woman in the passenger seat leaned over him suggested husband and wife. She had freckles and a thick red braid that lay along her ample bosom.
“We’re heading out for a backroad ride in an hour to see the falls,” the man continued. “You and your lady friend want to go?”
The woman gave Skye a friendly wave. Skye answered it, even as she typed swiftly on her phone and showed the screen to Tiger. “Backroads ride, waterfalls. One hour.”
He gave them a thumbs up and a smile. “Sounds good, Brian. Hey, Greta. Great to see you both here.”
“We’re running out to the food mart to get some things for grilling out,” Greta said. “You’re welcome to join us for dinner. I know you like Brian’s burgers. Need anything?”
When Skye showed him that, Greta and Brian exchanged a look, but this time she waited on Tiger to explain. She wouldn’t take the lead away from him here on his turf. Things could get awkward and frustrating, or not. It all depended on how he chose to react.
Tiger stepped closer to their window, drawing Skye with him. “I had an injury a while back. Can’t hear a damn thing. She uses her phone to tell me what you’re saying if I can’t pick up on it.”
“Oh, heavens, son.” Greta put a hand on Brian’s shoulder.
Responding to her sympathetic but kind expression, Tiger shook his head. “I’m alive and here. Hey, yeah, I could use something. Grab me some of that McCormick’s seasoning. I’m about out, and I packed steaks for a romantic dinner with my ‘lady friend,’ one of the nights we’re here. This is Skye, by the way. Don’t tell her any bad stories about me.”
“Like when you dumped your bike because of Harvey?”
“Harvey,” Skye typed.
