JC

"Where the fuck are you? I've been calling you for hours. It's just rolling to voicemail."

I settled into the couch, cradling the phone between my ear and shoulder, using my thumb and middle finger to rub my dry, tired eyes. I had to make a couple of phone calls to get Eric's number and when I finally got him, his voice was a high pitched combination of panic and relief and ‘what the fuck are you doing'.

"Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Or that's where they tell me I am."

"So, how far are you from Taos?"

"About six hours," I answered, yawning.

"So you'll roll in about what time? And what's wrong with your phone?"

"I won't be rolling into Taos tomorrow, Eric. I uh... listen, I don't want any shit about this-"

"I told you that piece of shit would break down. It's so old-"

"It didn't break down. I had an accident. I slipped on some ice and skidded out. The Triumph can possibly be repaired, we'll see. But check it out...the hot shit bike mechanic in this town? It's a woman named Tori."

"A woman. Is this a joke?"

I filled him in on my ordeal, from the accident to showing up at this house.  "Anyway, her sister was my nurse in the ER. The Sheriff came to tell me where to pick up my bike and suggested that the ER Nurse just... take me home with her. The Sheriff, who's also a woman, although... anyway, the Sheriff is their Aunt or something so they pretty much do what she tells them to do. So I'm here until Tori can look at the bike and tell me what's up."

Eric cackled so loudly, I covered the mouthpiece for fear the whole house could hear him. "Are you serious? Are you for real?"

"For real. Crazy."

"What a weird ass town. So you need someone to come get you?"

"No, not yet. I'm okay, really. They fed me, I just drank a couple of beers and I'm sacked out on the couch. I'll know more tomorrow. I think my phone is gone, in a ditch somewhere. Can I get another one sent to me?"

"What am I, your personal assistant, now? Call Autumn, have her do that shit."

"Uh, I can't. I have no phone. Can you call her? Have her ship it to-" I picked up a piece of mail from the table and read the address on the upper left hand corner. "Overnight. I can't be without a phone."

"Sure. Anything else I can do for you?"

I grinned. "Yeah. Have fun on the slopes tomorrow. Let me know how it goes. I'll be in touch."

"Hey, you be careful out there in Cloud.... whatever. Those women sound nutty. Can I call you at this number?"

"I think so. Just be nice to them. They're kinda sweet. In their own way."

"Are they hot?"

I frowned. "Eric."

"Strange small town, two hot chicks. Silver linings. Gotta look for ‘em. Okay, I'll be in touch."

I hung up the phone and set the handset on the coffee table, then grabbed the mound of blankets that Kaya had left for me and began to cover myself up. The couch was surprisingly comfortable and soon I was in a soft, warm cocoon, drifting off to sleep.

But not before I considered Eric's question. Are they hot?

Kaya was... spicy. I could tell we would get along well as soon as I stopped hating her for torturing me. Katori, or Tori as she said she liked to be called, was... well, hot.

There's a certain quality of woman that I enjoy spending time with and she hit every button on the register. 

Not that I was really looking, while she glared at me. But later, while we were talking at the table, there was a lot about her, that if the situation were different, I'd call hot. Thick, silky dark hair. Deep, dark eyes, long lashes, a dash of pink to her cheeks and fair skin. Thin fingers, short nails, slim build. Graceful in her movements and... eventually... gentle in her tone of voice.

The way she softened up when she was warming up dinner and offering beer felt like she was taking care of her kid's friend. Not maternal, just a natural knack for taking care of people. Something that Kaya did not possess.

I yawned, tucking an arm under my head. Too bad the situation wasn't different.  I had places to be. As soon as I found out what was up with my bike, I'd be on the first train smoking out of Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

&

"Hey!"

I felt something light flap against my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open and I blinked a few times before Tori came into focus. The room was dimly lit- the sun wasn't even really up yet.

Tori was bent over me glaring...  and maybe snarling a little. She waved an envelope in my face. "Not gonna go rifling through my drawers, huh? What's this? Why is it here? Were you reading my mail?"

 "Reading your..." I sat up halfway, balanced on one arm. "No, I wasn't reading your mail. What are you talking about?"

"This envelope. It was on the table, under the phone." She waved it at me again. I recognized it as the piece of mail I'd grabbed so I could give Eric the address. I noticed now that it had SECOND NOTICE stamped in red across the front of it.

"I didn't... I mean, I didn't open it. I called my manager last night, to see if he could get me a new phone. I gave him this address to ship it. I absolutely did not open and read your mail."

She frowned at my wide eyed, bewildered, half asleep stare, then glanced at the envelope again, and then back to me and back to the envelope. Then she tossed it back down on the table.

"I'm leaving for the shop in about an hour. My son will be up any minute. It would be great if he didn't wake up to a strange man on the couch."  

Then she grabbed a stack of clothing that I hadn't noticed had been piled up on the chair and handed them to me. "These should fit you. It didn't snow again but it's really cold out. I can't, in good conscience, let you keep wearing those scrubs."

I sat up, pushing the blankets back. I could have used another few hours of sleep, but I was at the mercy of the lady of the house and she wanted me up. So I got up, folded the blankets and piled the pillow at the end of the couch, then snatched up the pile of clothing and disappeared into the bathroom.

 The clothes- a pair of jeans, a long sleeved thermal shirt and a hoodie- fit surprisingly well. I hadn't realized how cold I was until I put on warm clothes. I'd seen myself, bruises and all, in the mirror the night before. My goatee was a disheveled salt and pepper mess that looked terrible since I hadn't shaved in a few days; without a comb, my hair was a dull, wild mop and my skin was dry and tight. I couldn't wait to get to my bag and restore some kind of order to my appearance.

I looked like the kind of guy two single women and a teenage boy shouldn't let into their home.

And I would definitely need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

That reminded me to call my Mom. If she heard that I was in a motorcycle accident on the news she would thank God that I was alive and then fly to New Mexico to kill me herself.

I came out of the bathroom to a mix of voices. I recognized Tori's voice but the other was younger, higher pitched but with the growl of a maturing boy who'd just awakened. I moved slowly, so as not to startle anyone, and stopped at the opening separating the kitchen from the living room.

"It can't live on top of the refrigerator anymore, Nasaan. Put it in your room. Or in the garage, or-"  She stopped talking once I came into view. A young man, taller than Tori but almost a replica of her, thin with a pile of dark curls atop his head and smooth brown toned skin turned in my direction.

"Hey," he said, tipping his head up in greeting.  

"Hey," I answered, nodding. I stepped into the kitchen and stretched a hand out. "I'm JC. You must be Nasaan. Your mom told me about you."

"Yeah." He grabbed my hand and gave me two polite pumps before letting go. Nice, strong grip.  "So Aunt Eloise dumped you here, huh? She's like that."

I laughed. "That's what I hear. Yeah, I crashed my bike about five miles out-"

"That was you?" His eyebrows shot up about a foot. "I heard about that. Friend of mine's step dad runs the ambulance. Amos?" I nodded. "Said it was a sick bike, and too bad about the crash. But..."

He returned his attention to Tori. "You're gonna fix it, right mom?"

She gave us both a tight lipped smile. "We will see what we're looking at when we get to the shop."

Nasaan sucked his teeth, folding his arms across his chest. "Man, I wish I could go see it."

"Mmmm, but you can't. You have to go to school. So sit, eat your breakfast, then get going." She gestured toward the table. He loped the few steps and dropped into the chair. "You too, JC. I don't want you telling El I didn't feed you."

I welcomed the invitation and took a seat next to Nasaan, following his lead. He piled his plate high with bacon, eggs and toast, so I did the same. Tori poured a glass of orange juice for Nasaan.

"JC, do you drink coffee? I made a pot of the fancy stuff."

I nodded. "Smells good. Yeah, just black."

"I want some coffee," Nasaan mumbled through a mouth full of food.

"No," Tori quickly answered, handing me a steaming mug.

"It'll stunt my growth and then I won't be taller than you anymore."

She snorted, taking a seat at the head of the table. "That's a great argument, but no. Hey, go wake up Kaya for me. She'll be mad she missed breakfast."

Without a word, he scooted his chair back and jumped up the stairs, bellowing, "Kayaaaaa!  Auntie Kayaaa,  breakfaaaaast..."

Tori smiled at me, loading up her plate. "I wanted to apologize for yelling at you this morning. Waking you up like that. I know better; I should never disturb sleep so violently. My dad was all about gentle awakenings." She rolled her eyes and moved food around on her plate.

"You don't believe in that?"

"All I'm saying is that I would gently awaken at one o'clock in the afternoon without an alarm to disturb my sleep. Anyway, sorry about that. I uh... thought you read something very sensitive."

"I didn't."

She smiled, then said, "I know," before biting down on a piece of bacon.

Nasaan lumbered down the stairs again and resumed his seat. "She said to save her a plate and if I wake her up again she'll shove my motorbike up my ass."

Tori's eyes slid closed and she shook her head, pressing her lips together. "Kaya Nez, everyone. She's a delight in the morning."

I couldn't help it. I let out a gut level laugh, pushed away my empty plate and picked up my coffee cup. These people were hilarious.

"Nasaan, hurry up. I'll give you a ride to school on the way to the shop."

"You sure I can't be late? I want to see the Triumph."

"It's not going anywhere today."

He shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth and stood, carting his plate to the open dishwasher.

"Good kid," I muttered, as he walked out of the kitchen. "It's gotta be hard. By yourself, mostly."

"It is," she responded quietly. "It helps that he is a good kid. It doesn't help when my fairy Godmother insists that he needs a man in his life and keep sending handsome strangers my way."

I guessed she meant me. I felt my skin turning beet red. "That's what that's about?"

"Well, probably not all. I do have your bike. And... it doesn't seem like it but she's actually a really nice lady. She didn't want you to have to stay at Starlight. It's gross. There are other options but... again... I have your bike."

Tori shrugged, then pushed up from the table. "I'm going to go get dressed and then we'll see about your Triumph."