T-shirt pocket.
“You can’t blame him for being upset.” Bob’s gaze swerved back to Marisa. “He has a family. This is a serious problem for them. Every penny he has is tied up in his service station.”
“But I’ll bet that ain’t true of you and that hodgepodge you call a motel, is it, Bob?” Ben’s mouth flattened into another evil grin. “It ain’t the money that bothers you, is it?”
Marisa’s attention shot from Ben to Bob, her curiosity renewed as she awaited Bob’s reply.
The motel owner’s shoulders squared, his chin lifted. “It’s true, money isn’t what interests me. I’m on the brink of profound discovery. I don’t want to see all of my work destroyed.”
“Jesus Christ, I knew it,” Ben growled. “You’ve been talking to little green men again.”
The front door opened again and Tanya came in. She sauntered toward them, six feet tall in high-heeled sandals. She was wearing low-rider khaki pants and a knit shirt, it’s V-neck cut low enough to show the upper half of a blue lizard tattoo and the bottom cropped short enough to show several inches of midriff. A diamond-studded navel ring was the center of attention.
An image flew into Marisa’s mind again of those long legs astraddle Woody’s lap in the front seat of his pickup. She couldn’t let it go, even knowing the encounter was ten years back. She was struck in a way she hadn’t been before by the hairdresser’s blatant sexuality and how she moved with an assurance that was almost feline.
Tanya braced a hip against the counter edge, planted a hand on her hip and ordered coffee. Her breast shifted in a way that made the lizard tattoo’s long head seem to crawl out of her neckline. Marisa had seen the whole tattoo, roughly eight inches long. It slithered down the slope of Tanya’s right breast, with the tail curling around her nipple. Today, that part was hidden, but barely.
Tanya had several tattoos, including one on her innter thigh where it joined her torso that said HARD AND FAST. Marisa couldn’t let herself be judgmental about them or the navel ring. She had a navel ring herself and two tattoos—a tiny yellow rose on one ankle and a quarter-sized happy face at the edge of her pubic hair.
Tanya took the mug of coffee from Marisa and plopped down on a stool beside Ben. “Jeez, Ben, you smell like hell. How long you been drinking?”
“Not long enough,” Ben said and belched. He leaned back and looked at Tanya’s back. Marisa knew he was looking at the long tramp stamp that spanned Tanya’s back a couple of inches below her waist.
She also knew Tanya didn’t mind if he looked. The woman seemed to have no inhibition about exposing her body.
“I had the weirdest phone call from Raylene,” the hairdresser said. “The phone rang, I picked up and said hello and she said, ‘I was going to call you, but I can’t find the phone.’ I said, ‘Why, Raylene, you’re talking on it, aren’t you?’ Then she said, ‘I don’t know where I put it.’”
Tanya shook her head as Marisa set a mug of Cowboy Breakfast Blend in front of her. “I’ll tell you, Marisa, you’re not gonna be able to leave her all by herself much longer.”
Such remarks about Mama had ceased to bring pain. Still, Marisa, along with Bob and Ben, stared at Tanya as if they couldn’t believe her callousness. Oh, well, Marisa thought at last. No harm done. At least she now knew who her mother was on the phone with earlier.
Bob finished his cup, set it on the counter and stood. “You won’t forget us,” he said, looking into Marisa’s eyes as he dug money from his wallet.
Marisa let out an audible breath. “If I get an opportunity to say anything, I will.”
“What was that all about?” Tanya said after Bob disappeared.
“Nothing. Just worry.”
“They probably want you to fix everything for them. Like Raylene used to do.”
Marisa didn’t answer. Instead she picked up the empty cups and carried them to the kitchen. Ben
“You can’t blame him for being upset.” Bob’s gaze swerved back to Marisa. “He has a family. This is a serious problem for them. Every penny he has is tied up in his service station.”
“But I’ll bet that ain’t true of you and that hodgepodge you call a motel, is it, Bob?” Ben’s mouth flattened into another evil grin. “It ain’t the money that bothers you, is it?”
Marisa’s attention shot from Ben to Bob, her curiosity renewed as she awaited Bob’s reply.
The motel owner’s shoulders squared, his chin lifted. “It’s true, money isn’t what interests me. I’m on the brink of profound discovery. I don’t want to see all of my work destroyed.”
“Jesus Christ, I knew it,” Ben growled. “You’ve been talking to little green men again.”
The front door opened again and Tanya came in. She sauntered toward them, six feet tall in high-heeled sandals. She was wearing low-rider khaki pants and a knit shirt, it’s V-neck cut low enough to show the upper half of a blue lizard tattoo and the bottom cropped short enough to show several inches of midriff. A diamond-studded navel ring was the center of attention.
An image flew into Marisa’s mind again of those long legs astraddle Woody’s lap in the front seat of his pickup. She couldn’t let it go, even knowing the encounter was ten years back. She was struck in a way she hadn’t been before by the hairdresser’s blatant sexuality and how she moved with an assurance that was almost feline.
Tanya braced a hip against the counter edge, planted a hand on her hip and ordered coffee. Her breast shifted in a way that made the lizard tattoo’s long head seem to crawl out of her neckline. Marisa had seen the whole tattoo, roughly eight inches long. It slithered down the slope of Tanya’s right breast, with the tail curling around her nipple. Today, that part was hidden, but barely.
Tanya had several tattoos, including one on her innter thigh where it joined her torso that said HARD AND FAST. Marisa couldn’t let herself be judgmental about them or the navel ring. She had a navel ring herself and two tattoos—a tiny yellow rose on one ankle and a quarter-sized happy face at the edge of her pubic hair.
Tanya took the mug of coffee from Marisa and plopped down on a stool beside Ben. “Jeez, Ben, you smell like hell. How long you been drinking?”
“Not long enough,” Ben said and belched. He leaned back and looked at Tanya’s back. Marisa knew he was looking at the long tramp stamp that spanned Tanya’s back a couple of inches below her waist.
She also knew Tanya didn’t mind if he looked. The woman seemed to have no inhibition about exposing her body.
“I had the weirdest phone call from Raylene,” the hairdresser said. “The phone rang, I picked up and said hello and she said, ‘I was going to call you, but I can’t find the phone.’ I said, ‘Why, Raylene, you’re talking on it, aren’t you?’ Then she said, ‘I don’t know where I put it.’”
Tanya shook her head as Marisa set a mug of Cowboy Breakfast Blend in front of her. “I’ll tell you, Marisa, you’re not gonna be able to leave her all by herself much longer.”
Such remarks about Mama had ceased to bring pain. Still, Marisa, along with Bob and Ben, stared at Tanya as if they couldn’t believe her callousness. Oh, well, Marisa thought at last. No harm done. At least she now knew who her mother was on the phone with earlier.
Bob finished his cup, set it on the counter and stood. “You won’t forget us,” he said, looking into Marisa’s eyes as he dug money from his wallet.
Marisa let out an audible breath. “If I get an opportunity to say anything, I will.”
“What was that all about?” Tanya said after Bob disappeared.
“Nothing. Just worry.”
“They probably want you to fix everything for them. Like Raylene used to do.”
Marisa didn’t answer. Instead she picked up the empty cups and carried them to the kitchen. Ben
Similar Books
