Six
Unloading all this meat in the slushy parking lot was a pain in the neck. Or in the lower back, to be precise.
Sully hauled another side of beef from the trunk. He’d driven the Jeep to Reno for his monthly stocking up, and he supposed he should be thankful he could still do this at his age. There were plenty of men who couldn’t. Look at Bear, shuffling around with his bum leg after that stroke.
Still, sometimes he wanted to get back on his bike and ride off. It felt like he’d wandered for years, searching for something, but he could spend his whole life waiting and that mysterious something would never appear.
Damien breezed out the door, with Edith on his heels. They spotted him at the same time, calling out their hellos.
Edith stopped short and faced Damien. “I didn’t know Sully was back. I’m sure he can give me a jump. I don’t want to trouble you. ”
Sully had plenty on his plate already but kept his mouth shut. He knew as well as Edith that her offer had been merely a formality. Lately, Damien seemed to take every opportunity he could to help anyone even remotely related to Sorrow. The kid was worse than a rent collector, coming around like he did. The thing of it was, Sully had begun to wonder just how much the girl even wanted his help.
Sure enough Damien told her, “Edith, you know helping you is never any trouble. ”
He certainly was a smooth operator. But Sully was happy enough to be left out of it all. He hid his amusement as he pulled a pallet of bread and buns from the back and carried it to the tavern.
Granted, Sully appreciated the fact that someone was looking out for Sorrow, giving her a hand. But there was something that wasn’t perfect about the fling those two were having. And by the way some of the women acted around Damien, you’d have thought things would be perfect.
He supposed a girl wouldn’t exactly be overwhelmed with dating options in a small town like Sierra Falls. Especially someone like Sorrow, who was too busy to get to nearby Silver City to experience any sort of nightlife.
His eyes cut back to Damien. He liked the kid well enough, but he was a smidge too suave. Maybe that was why, when Sully saw the two of them together, he just didn’t get it.
Damien popped Edith’s hood. “Did you leave the lights on? That’ll burn out the battery in no time. ”
“I never do. It beeps if I try. ”
“Even the interior lights,” he said. “That’ll burn through the juice, too, if they’re left on all night. ”
Sully heard Bear’s heavy step and turned to find him staring at Damien and Edith.
Bear’s cheek jumped, just a little tic. “That boy’s got the town charmed. ”
“And your women seem to be at the top of the list,” Sully said, but his comment made Bear scowl, so he added, “Hey, Sorrow could do worse. It’s nice for a woman to have a man around. Buy her dinner, tell her she’s pretty. ”
Bear’s expression didn’t change. “My fool daughter seems to want to cook her own dinner. ”
“You know what I mean. A girl likes to feel appreciated. ” Sully grew serious, thinking how appreciation should start at home. “She’s a special girl. Good on Damien that he noticed. ”
“That damned sheriff seemed to be doing some noticing earlier. He’s been coming around more than usual. ”
Sully pondered that. “Yeah, I suppose I have seen his eyes on her once or twice. ”
“Don’t know if I should encourage it or punch the man,” Bear said.
He laughed. “It’s never wise to hit a lawman. ”
Edith’s car engine roared to life, and Damien hit the gas a few times to rev it.
“Looks like Superman saved the day. ” Bear said it with a bitterness that sounded like he still wanted to be Edith’s Superman. At least to Sully’s ears.
“No surprise there,” Sully said. Whatever he thought about Damien Simmons, the guy was capable.
Bear turned his attention to the Jeep, peering in the back. “Hey, Sergeant, these groceries ain’t going to unload themselves. ”
“That’s Major to you. ” Shouldering past Bear, he hauled a couple of beef tenderloins from the back. When Bear bent to help him, he saw the man’s hands tremble and gave him a sharp look. “And I’m ordering you to get your hands off my ground round. ”
A cloud darkened Bear’s features. “Seems to me, I paid for it, and I’m perfectly able to carry it, too. ”