Page 46 of Rhodes

I laugh before I decide to. It just comes out of me, and she looks pleased with herself, settling back into the seat like she caught something.

The trailer rattles behind us. She goes off about Josette's dog eating a crab, shell and all, how she freaked out and spent all day yesterday at the emergency vet.

I tell her about Deuce trying to bench three-fifteen and getting stapled to the rack. She's laughing so hard she has to wipe her eyes. "That was that guy with you at The Boot that night, right?"

"Yeah. Good memory."

"Hard to forget a guy that big named Deuce."

We both laugh at that.

The city thins out around us. Strip malls turn to pines, then to nothing much, and somewhere in there the talking goes soft and easy, gaps between it that don't need filling. She watches the trees. I watch the road.

It hits me like a freight train with no warning. This is the easiest hour I've had in a long time, longer than I can put a finger on. And it's not the road, or getting clear of the city, or a Sunday with nothing on it. It's her, specifically, Tallulah in the seat next to me, making my own head quieter than it's been in weeks.

I turn that over once and set it down. I've known her since she was born. She's an old friend, and there's nothing under it worth digging at.

We turn onto the gravel, and the property opens up, hundreds of acres of it. The cabin sits alone at the end with its large front porch and the stone chimney I helped Reeves repoint last summer. There are no power lines, no neighbors, nothing out here that wants a single thing from me.

She doesn't steal the quiet I so love about this place, and I don't mind sharing it. I come to a stop by the cabin, and my head shifts to the job.

"You can stay in the truck, or you're welcome to walk around. I need to get the bikes down. Then we have a serious lesson."

"You already know I'm not staying put. I'm helping get them down. I want the full lesson."

We get both bikes down, rolling the small one out into the grass. Once everything's out, I hold out the spare helmet. "On."

She takes it, frowns at the fit, works the strap. It sits a hair loose on her.

She gets the strap under her chin and works the buckle with her head tipped back and her throat bare. Fuck me sideways.

"It's big."

"It's what I've got." I hand her the gloves next. They swallow her fingers. "Those too. You don't ride without them."

"I can barely feel the grips."

"You'll feel them fine. Safety first. If you really like doing this, we can get you better-fitting equipment, but for today, if you want to ride, this is what we have."

She pulls the gloves on and doesn't fight me on it.

I plant a hand on the seat. "Obviously, it's an open field out here, so we have some space to get your feel of it. We start out slowly, understanding the gears and how to shift up and down."

"Okay."

"First gear, second if you earn it. Don't try any jumps, and no wandering off to the trees because you think you're suddenly an expert. You have to wait until you graduate."

"I told you I'm a fast learner."

"No trails. Say it back."

"Field, first and second. No wandering off. Got it." She throws me a look. "I've done this before, you know. Geez. You act like I've never driven any type of vehicle besides my truck."

Swinging my leg over the small bike, I start the engine. "I'm not. I'm being careful. Get on. We ride together first, then you can take it."

She climbs on behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. Her hands settle flat against my stomach, and my body reacts in a way I wish I could control. I push it away.

Pulling the clutch lever in, I hold it so she can see. "Left hand's the clutch. Your four-wheeler didn't have one. It just went. This one, you've got to talk into it. All the way in, the gear's free."