Carnal was a hotspot for Harleys and even Ned and Betty’s business picked up. There were four or more bikes in the parking lot every night. Come Friday and Saturday, there’d be far more and SUVs and mini-vans besides.

Unless there were kids, though, the pool was all mine. And I used it to swim and lounge nearly every day but only in the day. It wouldn’t be December until Tonia’s madman struck again but I wasn’t taking any chances.

* * * * *

Tyler was trying out a new boot camp schedule, doing his seven o’clock one but he started a one o’clock one that I thought he started just so Wendy could go to it. It wasn’t easy for her to crawl into bed at three thirty in the morning and be ready for high intensity interval training three and a half hours later.

I went with her three times a week mainly because I liked spending time with her and Tyler was a great trainer, very positive and upbeat and he made the whole thing seem like we were all a team getting prepared to compete in the Olympics, but we had to do it together. United we’d stand, divided we’d fall, so we all gave it all for Tyler and each other.

I kept going to the camps mainly because in two weeks I felt my muscles make themselves known under my flesh and not only because they ached.

And in two more weeks they made themselves known visibly and I no longer had back fat.

Tyler had started his one o’clock classes with five of us. With me and Wendy talking them up, and Wendy saying I was Tyler’s success story, in a month there were twenty of us.

I still thought all of us were nuts because it was still torture.

* * * * *

On the Monday after Tate left, I went into town to hang with Sunny and Shambles and then I wandered town just because I had time on my hands.

I walked by the florist, then walked back, went in and ordered some flowers for Betty. I waited while the florist made them up, paid for them and walked out.

I stopped on the sidewalk and walked back in.

“Everything all right?” she asked.

“Could you make up a bouquet every Monday morning? Thirty dollars worth. I’ll be in late morning to get them. If I’m not in by noon, could you deliver them to Betty at the hotel? I’ll set up an account.”

“Standing order?” she asked, her brows going up.

“Yes,” I answered, smiling.

“Sure thing, precious.”

I stuck out my hand to her. “I’m Lauren.”

She shook it. “Holly.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said and left the shop.

From then on, Betty got a thirty dollar bouquet for her reception desk every Monday.

Every Monday I walked up carrying the flowers, she’d watch me through the windows and I’d watch her face light up.

Sometimes, payback wasn’t a bitch.

* * * * *

On the second Monday, after La-La Land and before picking up the flowers from Holly, I walked the length of Carnal.

I’d been careful getting ready that morning, a bit more makeup, a few more pieces of jewelry, a nice skirt (that hung nicer when I had more meat on my bones but was clinging on my h*ps now). Nice sandals, flats but not flip flips. And I went all out on my hair.

I turned the corner at the end of Carnal and walked into the forecourt of the mechanics.

The gray-haired man was standing in the forecourt talking to a man in coveralls. He looked at me, said something to the guy he was talking to, the man walked away and the gray-haired man walked to me.

“Hi,” I said and stopped at him.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said back.

“We never met,” I stuck out my hand and saw it was kind of shaking so I was relieved when his fingers wrapped around it. “I’m Lauren.”

“Pop,” he replied and gave my fingers a squeeze before he let them go.

“Pop?” I asked and he grinned.

“Pop, Wood and Neeta’s Dad. They called me Pop and since every kid and then every kid who had kids raced through my house, wreckin’ it in one way or another, I got to be known as Pop. It stuck.”

Neeta’s Dad. Also Wood’s.

“Is Wood here?” I asked and I thought it sounded like my voice was trembling, I just hoped he didn’t think so too.

He examined me a minute, his eyes kind but his face blank then he grinned and shouted, “Wood!”

I looked beyond him to see that Wood was already halfway to us. I forced my feet to stay planted and not turn and take flight.

Pop turned and announced, “Lauren’s here to see you.”

Wood hit us, his eyes didn’t leave me as he replied, “Take a hike, Pop.”

“No respect,” Pop muttered good-naturedly but walked away.

I was too busy freaking out to react to their exchange.

“Hey,” Wood said.

“Um…” I replied.

His eyes narrowed. “You okay?”

“Um…” I repeated.

His eyes stayed narrowed. Then they un-narrowed and he grinned at me. He did it slow and I watched his mouth while he did it.

My heart started racing and I bit my lip.

“You work tonight?” he asked.

I found my voice. “These days it seems I work every night.”

He got close, wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and then he pulled me close. I put a hand on his chest.

“Then Bubba’s just got itself a new regular.”

I smiled up at him.

* * * * *

Wood didn’t lie.

For the next week he was a regular and he always sat in my station. I took my breaks with him and we walked to the diner to have a quick bite during my dinner break.

I didn’t know he worked so early because at three o’clock at night I was on his bike and he took me home.

He kissed me the first night, right outside my hotel room door. It wasn’t a Tate kiss but it was a great kiss, far better than any of Brad’s so I felt I was still coming out on top.

He also kissed me the next night.

And the next.

I was off the night after that, Wood took me for a ride where he took me for a steak dinner at a nowhere joint which was a nowhere joint because it was in the middle of nowhere.

The steaks were fabulous.

I told him why I was in Carnal which meant I told him about Brad.

He told me about Maggie who got custody of their two kids and moved to Gnaw Bone. He had them every other weekend, alternating Christmas and Spring Breaks and four weeks in the summer. He also told me it sucked his kids were growing up essentially without him. But he said it sucked more, living with Maggie, because she was a bitch. Further, he told me she was a shit wife but a good Mom and his kids needed her to be a full-time good Mom and not see her being a most-of-the time shit wife and all-of-the-time bitch.