I need,” I said with a smile that faded quickly with the bickering in the distance.
“Hey! I’m talkin’ to you!”
“I said, leave me alone. That’s all I want you to do.”
“And I said I need to talk with you. You ain’t duckin’ me anymore. Got it?”
The growling voice set me on edge as I slammed out of my truck. I followed the sound of the yelling and arguing until both parties came into view. I didn’t recognize the man, but I recognized her instantly. And when I saw a man with Luna pinned against her car, every ounce of me dripped with fury.
“I wanna know why the hell you keep shooting me to voicemail,” the man said.
Luna’s voice trembled with fear. “Because you wouldn’t stop calling and texting. So, I blocked you.”
The man gnashed his teeth. “You ever think about just picking up the fucking phone?”
She snickered. “And talk to someone I don’t wish to speak with? No, thanks.”
I watched the man knock her to-go order out of her hands, and I lunged at him. I wrapped my fist in his shirt and swung him around, placing myself between him and Luna. I heard her gasp as I brought the man close to my face, almost lifting him off his fucking feet. And it took everything inside of me not to whoop that man’s ass right where I stood. “I believe the lady said she doesn’t want to speak with you. So, I suggest you leave.”
The man smiled at me. “All we were doin’ was talkin’.”
“Before you yelled at her, pinned her against her car, and knocked her food out of her hands?”
“Maybe she should pick up her phone, then.”
I shoved the man away. “Or, maybe you should take the hint.”
I felt Luna’s trembling hand against my back, and I peered over my shoulder. “You okay, Luna?”
She nodded, but her tears told me a different story.
“You know her?” the man asked.
I turned my attention back to him. “Does that matter?”
The man chuckled. “Got your guard dogs on me now? You’d rather go through all of this than just pick up your fucking phone, El?”
I pointed in the man’s face. “You got one last shot before I rid you of your teeth. Take it, or suck on milkshakes for the rest of your life.”
And as the man shook his head, I watched him back up to a car that could only be described as a rusty tin can on wheels. But, once he made his way out of the parking lot and disappeared down the street, I turned to face Luna.
“What the hell was that?” I asked.
2
Luna
I couldn't think straight. It was even hard to see clearly. The only thing I seemed to be able to focus on was Bart and his voice.
His presence.
His scent…
“Luna.”
I jumped. “Sorry. Sorry. I just—” I looked down at the spilled food all over my shoes, and I groaned. “I have to go back inside and reorder. Dad’s starving.”
Bart gripped my arm. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. Just give yourself a second to breathe.”
I pulled away from him. “I don’t need a second to breathe. I need to get home. Dad’s hungry, and this is all he wants right now.”
His voice softened. “Luna…”
I slowly turned to face Bart. “I was here getting takeout for myself and my father because his new housekeeper-slash-cook has the day off. Why he gave her the day off after only four days on the job, I still don’t know. But, I need to get this food home, and soon.”
He gripped my shoulders. “After you take some breaths. With me, okay? In through the nose and out through the mouth.”
As I breathed with Bart, I felt the trembling in my knees dissipate. My back grew stronger, and my head was rising higher as I held it upright. I rolled my shoulders back and popped my neck, getting rid of the last of the tension that had risen in my body. Then, I puffed out my cheeks with a sigh. “Thank you. I needed that.”
He chuckled. “I could see that.”
I groaned. “I really know how to pick the winners, don’t I?”
He furrowed his brow. “Pick the winners? You mean—?”
I rolled my eyes. “Unfortunately, I went on a date with that guy. He’s not very happy that I wasn’t returning his phone calls.”
“May I ask why you weren’t?”
I scoffed. “He was just as aggressive with me on our date as he was then. And he didn’t like the knee I placed right into his stomach.”