“To bed,” I call over my shoulder. “Even monsters have to sleep.”
And she joins me, because angels do too.
24
I WAKE UP to an empty bed. Stretching, I look over to find that it’s after three in the afternoon. “Diem?” I call, but only silence answers me back. In the bathroom, I find a message written in lipstick on the mirror.
Duty calls. –D.
“Duty calls,” I mock, in my best Diem voice.
After a shower and shave, I call Rookie to see where he is, and I’m not surprised to learn that he is still at the bar. Everyone else is either still partying or sleeping it off, so I decide to take the day and finally clean the house back to its original glory.
Memories come flooding back as I fold the covers in the living room. Saylor’s scent still hangs heavy in the air and I swear I can feel her presence. I always thought she was some kind of angel. I start to ask for a sign from her, but then realize how ridiculous that sounds.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m bored, feeling lonely, or just reminiscing a little too hard, but I open Saylor’s diary and scan the names on the front page until I find Jeffery’s. He, along with his partner Donnawayne, were two of Saylor’s best friends. I figure they’d like to know that they had a sister-in-law. But of the two, Jeffery is the least dramatic so it’s his number I dial.
“Hello?” He answers on the second ring.
“Jeffery?” I ask, just to be sure it’s him, although there is no mistaking his voice.
“You’ve got ’im. What can I do ya for, sugar?” At one time, his words would have weirded me out. Now I just smile.
“It’s Shady.”
“Shady! Ohmigod! Donnawayne! It’s Shady!” I hold the phone away from my ear to prevent my eardrum from busting. So much for believing he wasn’t the dramatic one.
“Put him on speaker right now,” I hear Donnawayne command. He sounds excited and pissed at the same time—if that’s even possible. “Did we or did we not promise to keep in touch?” he asks, and I visualize him standing with his hand on his hip and pointing his finger at the phone.
“I’ve been busy,” I reply, thinking that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“We totally understand,” Jeffery tells me, and I visualize him silencing Donnawayne with a look.
I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the overly dramatic cries I’m fixing to endure. Surely, it couldn’t be worse than the time I’d told them Saylor had lost her mobility. I was still recovering from that one. “I have some good news,” I start, but they’re guessing it before I can finish.
“You’re getting married!”
“Having a baby!”
“You’re gay!”
“What?” I bark. “No! I’m not getting married or having a baby or . . . gay. Dirk has a sister,” I spit out. A long silence. “Hello?”
“A sister?” Okay . . . not the answer I was expecting.
“Yes. A sister. I just thought y’all would like to know. And maybe we could arrange to get together sometime and I can introduce y’all.” I hold my breath, listening to them whisper on the other end.
“Did he say sister? Yes he did! Ohmigod a sister! We have to meet her.”
“We would love that, Shady.”
I let out a sigh of relief and thank the ear gods for allowing me to keep my hearing. “Okay. Good. I’ll be calling soon.”
It takes them another five minutes just to say good-bye and by the time I hang up, I’m exhausted and need a drink.
I arrive at the bar just as Jimbo is walking out. He instructs me to pack a bag and tells me Rookie will be filling me in on where I’m going. I’m a little relieved to find out I’m flying back to Hillsborough. Our flight leaves within the hour and by dark I’m back in my cabin, feeling lonelier than ever. I hate that Diem isn’t here and that she hasn’t returned my texts or my calls.
Rookie grills us a burger and we watch reruns of westerns that just aren’t the same without her sitting in my lap. My recliner feels too big. My house is too quiet. And I start to ask Rookie to initiate an argument just so I can pretend it’s her.
At midnight my phone rings and Jimbo orders me and Rookie to go to Concord and shut down a Death Mob clubhouse that is still up and running. More than excited about the opportunity to do something to get my mind off Diem, my adrenaline is pumping before I even make it to my bike.
It’s the first time we’ve ever been able to fly our colors on the East Coast. Even though the ride only lasts an hour, it feels fucking phenomenal as we pull into the clubhouse that will soon belong to us.