“Good.”
She waited for him to say more but he didn’t. “About this afternoon…”
“Whatever you decide will be perfect, fluff. I love you. Oh, and enjoy your shopping. Buy something sexy.”
“Okay.”
She ended the call and sat there with her hands on the steering wheel, looking at the aged brick on the outside of the department store. It was beautiful. Aged by time and the elements. The old-timey transom windows were sealed shut because the store was air-conditioned nowadays. The gilt lettering spelling out the store name on the old glass and wood door shimmered in the sunlight as an employee entered through it and she smiled as she started her car.
Find the missing piece, fluff.
* * * *
James wiped his greasy hands on a rag as the old Chevy Blazer rolled to a stop in the driveway. There were two occupants. Vincent looked at him from under the shade of the hood on Patterson’s old pickup and James saw the hint of a smile. They’d been on pins and needles for days, anticipating Kendry McCulloch’s arrival, wondering what kind of man Patterson’s heart had gone into…and whether or not Patterson would approve.
“’78?” he asked as the driver, a guy in his midthirties with dark brown hair, jumped down from the vehicle and smiled at them.
The answer to both of his internal questions came when the guy grinned, nodded, and eyed Patterson’s truck. “’86?”
The tension seemed to bleed out of Vincent as he put down his wrench and the two of them approached the man with hands outstretched.
“Kendry McCulloch,” he said, returning the firm handshake, and nodding as James and Vincent introduced themselves.
Kendry was lean and tall, a little taller than them at probably six feet even or maybe six feet one. His hair was a little on the long side, reaching past his collar but otherwise he was neat in appearance. He seemed physically fit which told James he’d take good care of the gift he’d been given.
Kendry shoved his hands in his pockets as the other Blazer door shut and they were joined by a slightly taller man who bore a subtle resemblance to Kendry. The main differences were in the couple of inches of height he had on him and his clean-cut blond hair.
“This is my older brother, Jared McCulloch.”
Greetings and introductions were passed along a second time and then Kendry grinned and said, “I was worried that this would be weird. That I’d somehow roped both of you into an entire afternoon and evening of discovering we have nothing in common.”
“Something tells me that won’t be a problem,” James replied, gesturing to the two vehicles.
“The coordinator who handled everything back a few months ago offered to come, too, to ease the introductions but I told her I didn’t think it was necessary.”
Vincent stared at Kendry’s chest as he said, “Sure seems that way.”
Kendry gestured with his chin toward the ’86 and said, “What’s the story here?”
“This was a project Patterson started on…right before the accident,” James said, swallowing back the knot of emotion in his throat. “He wanted to restore it. It’s been sitting ever since and we decided we’d finish it for him.”
Kendry grinned and rested the heels of his hands on the radiator as he looked at the 350 small block in the engine compartment. “Does it run?”
“Yeah.”
Kendry grinned. “Start ’er up.”
While Vincent climbed into the truck to key the ignition, James turned to Kendry and Jared and said, “Want a beer?”
“Sure!”
James went into the garage and pulled four cold ones from the old refrigerator they kept stocked and then rejoined them as they talked about the truck.
“Patterson got it at an auction. It’s just like one he had when he was in high school that he managed to wrap around a tree. What’s the story with the Blazer?”
Because there had to be a story there, too. The parallels weren’t lost on James.
“It belonged to my dad. It was the first vehicle he ever bought new and it’s stayed in the family. He’s gone now and we both have our own vehicles but somehow it seemed right to drive it out here today.”
Vincent asked about what was under the hood and for the next hour or so the four of them talked trucks, drank a few beers, and got to know each another. It turned out that both Kendry and Jared were firefighters from Abilene, Texas.
“Abilene,” Vincent growled.
Jared raised an eyebrow but grinned. “You got something against Abilene?”
Vincent shook his head. “The town? No. It’s just a reminder of an issue we’re dealing with right now. Our lady may be moving there soon.”