Ch. 17: stay
Vic drummed her fingers restlessly on the table.
She hated this. She knew it needed to be done, but she hated it all the same. She turned the glass of water on the table around, revealing the circle of condensation beneath it. Vic set the glass back down and shifted in her chair for what was probably the tenth time since she sat down a little over ten minutes ago.
This seemed like the safest option, meeting him in the Red Pony. It was early in the lunch hour and the bar wasn't crowded yet. She wanted to be done with this and back of work before too many people filtered in. Walt offered her the morning off, but she would have driven herself crazy sitting at home and waiting.
She sucked at waiting.
She also felt better dressed for work and not wearing her everyday clothes. Her uniform shirt and the weight of her belt acted as a grounding agent. It kept her focused and that was what she needed. She was still going over in her mind what she planned to say when the saloon doors swung open and Travis walked in.
He was dressed the same way he always was in jeans and a t-shirt. He located her quickly and walked over.
"Hey, Vic."
"Travis."
He sat down across from her and a waitress appeared. He ordered a beer and glanced at Vic.
"Want something stronger than that?"
Vic shook her head.
"No. I'm on duty."
It was convenient and even necessary in some ways.
His beer arrived and he took a long drink from it.
"You want some lunch?"
"No. Thanks."
He eyed her.
"Can't eat on duty either?"
Truth was that her stomach felt too knotted up to eat. If she got hungry later, she would pick up something in town.
"I'm not hungry."
His head bobbed a little. He moved his beer out of the way and leaned on the table.
"Okay. You called me. So…what's up?"
There was something microscopically hopeful in him that created a spark of anger in her. Why in the hell couldn't men like him take no for an answer. There was a difference between persistent and pushy. Travis was well over the line in her mind.
"Travis…."
Vic paused and took a breath. Her fingers were still cold from her glass of ice water.
"…you have to stop…hoping that something is gonna happen between me and you. Because…it isn't. It never was."
He opened his mouth to interrupt, but she plowed on, one hand coming up to stop him.
"Let me finish. I don't…I don't have any feelings for you. Not like that. I told you that before we ever…"
Her voice trailed off.
"That hasn't changed."
The words hung between them. His jaw tightened and a familiar wounded look crossed his face.
"What I told you…was the truth, Vic."
She swallowed.
"I'm sorry. I just don't return the feelings. I'm sorry if you haven't been able to move past what happened. But…you have to. You can't keep doing this."
"This?"
He tossed out the word.
"Yeah, showing up at my place every single time you see me there. It's…it's creepy, Travis. You might not mean it to be. But, it is. And…"
She took a breath.
"…going to my job and talking to Walt. That was way out of line."
"I know you're seeing him, Vic."
"No, Travis, you don't know anything. You're making guesses based on what you think is the truth. Whether or not it is true isn't any of your business. You gotta stop. My personal life is just that. It's mine. I don't owe you any explanation. You need to move on from all of this."
He was quiet and took a swallow of his beer before thumping it on the table.
Is that what you're doing? Moving on?"
He sounded bitter.
"I'm trying."
He considered her for a long moment.
"You never told me if the baby was mine."
Her hand tightened on her glass.
"I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway. You believe what you want. Either way, that's over."
She hoped it sounded as final as she wanted it to.
Travis bobbed his head a couple of times before he drained the last of his beer, stood up, pulled out his wallet, and tossed some money on the table.
"Well, I'm glad it's so easy for you."
Vic sighed.
"Don't be like this."
He waved his hand at her.
"No, no. It's fine. I get it."
With that, he left her sitting and slammed through the doors. Vic sighed and drank some of her water.
"Are you okay?"
Henry appeared in front of her with a worried look. She tilted her head back, wondering how long he would be able to split his time between the casino and the bar.
"Uh…"
Vic shook her head and looked away.
"I don't know anymore. What do you do when someone can't let go?"
"There is nothing you can do. That is up to him."
She turned her eyes back to Henry.
"Yeah."
She pushed out a breath.
"I should get back to work."
"Walt knows that you are here?"
It was an odd question, but she nodded in response.
"Yes, he does."
She paused.
"No matter what you think of me, Henry, I'm not out to hurt him."
A smile small worked its way across his face.
"I can see that. It has been a long time since I have seen him like this."
He didn't say how long. He really didn't need to. She knew Walt's track record with women. Since his wife, there had only been Lizzie Ambrose and Donna Monaghan. Two very different women that ended with the same result, albeit with vastly different routes. It was in the past, though.
She reminded herself of that.
Vic returned his smile as she planted her hands on the table and stood up slowly. She automatically adjusted the cuffs on her belt.
"I'll see you, Henry."
With that, she left the table and pushed through the saloon doors.
xxx
He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was nervous for her. That's what it was. Not for himself. He knew what it took for her to call Travis and ask him to meet her at the Red Pony. It was neutral territory and somewhere she felt comfortable. Walt toyed with the idea of calling ahead and letting Henry know what was going.
He didn't.
If she found out, she would be mad. Pissed. That was the word that Vic would use.
She didn't tell him when she left. But, he saw her get up from her desk and leave, saying something to Ruby on her way out. Walt stayed in his office, not really working. Just thinking.
Overthinking.
That's what Vic would say. That was what she always told him.
Walt tapped his fingers idly on the desk and looked at his watch. She had only been gone for half an hour. It felt a lot longer than that. It felt like an hour or more. Walt sighed and chastised himself. He was being ridiculous.
Vic could take care of herself.
That was what he told himself. It was true. Mostly.
Still, he worried about her and her frame of mind. Travis Murphy seemed one of the things that were able to rattle her lately. He knew why. It was the connection to her pregnancy. She still struggled mightily with the loss of her baby as much as she tried not to let it show.
It was only natural.
Walt heard the door open and thought that was too quick. He was right. It wasn't Vic. It was Cady. His daughter came in with a smile on her face. She greeted Ruby and appeared in his office door in a matter of seconds.
"Hey."
Walt leaned back in his chair.
"Hey, Punk."
She gave him a look.
"You shouldn't call me that here."
He smiled lightly.
"Sorry. Habit. Soon, I'll have to get used to calling you Sheriff."
She laughed a little.
"Maybe."
She glanced over her shoulder.
"Where's Vic?"
"She had something to do. Should be back soon."
Cady studied him with her clear, blue eyes.
"Okay. Can I talk to you then?"
"Sure."
She walked all the way into his office and closed the door behind him. Taking a seat in one of his guest chairs, she settled in and leaned forward.
"I'm going to announce my candidacy for Sheriff day after tomorrow."
She said with a determination that nearly brought another smile to his face. It was nice to see her feeling certain about something with so much uncertainty plaguing all of them. It was a glimpse of the woman he knew his daughter really was. She had been through a lot. She was starting to find her footing again, thought.
It did him good to see her this way.
Sometimes, she reminded him so much of Martha.
"What?"
He realized he hadn't answered her.
"That's good to hear."
Cady's eyes narrowed.
"What were you thinking about so hard?"
Walt studied her, unmoving.
"You remind me of your mother. She would be proud of the woman you've become."
He saw some moisture in her eyes and smiled.
"Don't cry."
Cady swiped at her eyes, laughing.
"She would be proud of you too, dad."
He doubted that. His daughter didn't know half the things he had done. She also didn't know what kind of thoughts crossed his mind at times. He knew that Martha wouldn't have approved of his determination to get vengeance on the men responsible for her death. She wouldn't have approved of his holding onto her ashes for as long as he did. She certainly wouldn't have liked the way he pushed Cady away and relegated himself to an existence of loneliness.
Martha wasn't that kind of person.
She believed in forgiveness. She was a better person that him. Always had been.
There was no good reason to bring all of that up. Cady seemed to sense some hesitance in him and her expression grew more serious.
"She would, dad."
He swallowed and accepted her words.
"You'll be a good Sheriff, Cady."
The heavy moment passed them by. Cady drew in a breath.
"Let's see if the rest of town agrees with you."
"You'll do fine. Better than me, I'm sure."
She huffed out a breath.
"Not likely. But, thank you anyway."
Cady stood up, clearly done with the conversation and pulled the office door back open. As it opened, Vic stepped back, obviously surprised.
"Hey."
Cady smiled at her.
"Hey, yourself."
Vic looked by Cady to Walt, who stood up when he saw her in his doorway.
"You're back."
"Yeah."
Vic shifted on her feet and he could see the unease in her. Cady seemed to sense it as well.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
She didn't sound convincing at all.
"I'm done if you needed him."
Vic tossed Cady an odd look at her word usage. Walt came around his desk as Cady started to maneuver around Vic in order to remove herself.
"I…was just gonna let you know that I'm back."
Cady looked between the two of them again.
"I'll just…be over here."
With that, she hurried off. Walt studied her, trying to read what he knew she would be attempting to keep buried.
"You okay?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Do you…wanna talk?"
Vic stared at him for a minute before she shook her head.
"No. No need."
She took a step back from his door.
"I should…get back to work."
She turned away from him and walked over to her desk, keeping her back to him. She started talking to Cady, effectively ending anything he might have said before he got started. Walt returned to his desk and sat down, feeling a bit deflated. He wanted to talk to her. She was back in cop mode, though. Not that he blamed her. This wasn't necessarily the time or the place for that particular conversation.
Walt looked at her back for a handful of seconds before he lowered his eyes to the work that he wasn't really doing and tried his best to concentrate.
xxx
The rest of the day went by mercifully quick. With Cady back, there was more to occupy her. When her brain was like this, she preferred to be busy. Training Cady allowed her to do exactly that. Stay busy.
Cady knew there was something going on with her. She could tell. To her credit, Cady didn't ask her about that or the odd moment between her and Walt when Cady opened the door unexpectedly. She hadn't even noticed Cady's Jeep parked outside when she came in. She needed to clear her mind of all Travis related thoughts and get her head in the game.
She knew that Walt wanted to talk. In some ways, she wanted to talk to him as well. He was the only person in her life who knew the unfiltered truth about what had happened to her and what was going on now. There was some comfort to be found in their conversations. But, this wasn't something to get into with other people around.
He would just have to wait.
So, she kept herself occupied with going over what Cady picked up from her classes. Then, they scoured the internet looking for more that were relevant to sign her up for. Cady seemed to be fully investing herself now that her final decision was made. The energy was contagious and it felt good to be involved in something that was positive and didn't have anything to do with the mess that her life was.
They went out for a while and patrolled around town. Walt was right about one thing. Cady's mind was sharp and her legal knowledge wasn't something to be questioned. Her biggest hurdle would be to cross the line between lawyering and enforcing the law. It shouldn't be much of a barrier as far as Vic could see.
When they returned to the office, it was getting late and she could sense something in Cady. She was growing somewhat restless and that wasn't a trait Vic associated with Cady.
"Do you have somewhere to be?"
Cady looked at her before glancing at Walt's closed door.
"Uh…yeah."
"Do I want to know?"
"No."
Vic nodded and sighed.
"You may as well go. You obviously want to."
Cady gave her a smile.
"That obvious."
"Yeah, I would advise against playing too much poker."
"Good to know."
Cady stood up and looked at Walt's door again.
"Everything okay?"
"Yep."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Vic?"
Vic leaned back in her chair, her head tilting back.
"Cady."
Cady frowned.
"You know…sometimes…you're more stubborn than he is. I didn't think that was possible."
Vic shrugged.
"That's not the worst thing I've ever been told. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You working late?"
"Don't plan to."
She didn't elaborate and Cady didn't ask her to. They were learning where the lines were. Cady gathered up her things, waved, and left the office. Vic listened until the echo of her boots was gone before she started to straighten up her messy desk before she left. She was tucking her laptop into her bag when Walt's door opened and she heard him approaching.
"Cady gone."
"Yeah, a few minutes ago."
Vic closed her bag and turned towards him.
"You still working?"
Walt shook his head.
"No."
Vic inhaled.
"I'm going home."
There was a slight pause before she spoke again.
"You can come if you want."
Walt tilted his head.
"Probably not a good idea."
Vic bit her lip.
"Right."
She shouldered her bag, but paused.
"You know…it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if people were to find out. You're…retirement is public knowledge. So…it's not like I'll be working for you much longer."
He scuffled one boot over the floor.
"People will talk."
"They're gonna talk anyway, Walt. You know that."
"I know."
"So…what's the deal?"
"I thought you were okay with this."
She sighed. He was too good at arguing in circles. It gave her a headache.
"I was. I am. But…sometimes…it's tiring."
He didn't seem to have an answer. Vic pulled out her keys.
"Okay."
She started to turn, but he sidestepped.
"Vic…you're welcome to come over."
"I haven't been home. At all. The offer stands."
She moved by him towards the door.
"Night."
She was down the stairs with her hand on the doorknob before he opened the door upstairs. He took the stairs down her to her quickly, his hat in his hand. Vic stopped and faced him.
"Change your mind."
Walt set his hat on his head.
"We need to talk."
He sounded somewhat resigned, which she chose to ignore in that moment. Talking to Travis wasn't just about clearing the air. It was about taking back some measure of control over her life. Part of her problem lately was that she felt untethered, simply blowing wherever life seemed to bump her. That had to stop.
She couldn't take much more of it. It went against her natural character. Making some firm decisions in this relationship with Walt was another measure of control she felt the need to exercise.
This couldn't be on his terms.
Or her terms.
It needed to be theirs.
He was right. They needed to talk. Not just about her talk with Travis. She knew that was what he was thinking. Not that she blamed him. Were their roles reversed, she would feel the same way.
"Yeah, we do."
Vic opened the door and stepped out onto the street. With the sun setting, it was getting cooler and a breeze rustled the loose hair around her face. Vic looked up and down the street. There were a few people walking around, lingering outside the fronts of businesses.
"Hungry?"
Walt looked up and down the sidewalk much the way she had.
"Sure. Want me to pick something up."
Vic shook her head.
"Let's go get something to eat."
He was quiet for a stretch, watching her. For what? Who knew. His head dropped slightly.
"Okay."
Something in her loosened then. It was a small step, but a step.
"Red Pony?"
"Sure."
Vic flashed him a smile as she slid behind the wheel of her truck.
xxx
She didn't seem upset, or mad. As a matter of fact, her mood was hard for him to pinpoint. It had been since she got back to the office after talking to Travis. For once, he didn't have any idea what was on her mind. She was eating. That was good. Her appetite came and went these days. He noticed that she had lost some weight and didn't really have any to lose.
The past few months had taken a toll on them all. No one really escaped unscathed. Least of all Vic. There were dark circles under her eyes. Even if they didn't spend the majority of their time in the same bed, he would've known she wasn't sleeping well. It was to be expected.
"You haven't asked how my talk with Travis went."
He lifted his eyes from his food to find her watching him while she chewed a bite of hamburger.
"That what you wanted to talk about?"
He glanced around. Under the table she slid her foot forward until it bumped his.
"Walt."
He turned his eyes back to hers.
"Stop being paranoid. God, we're dressed for work. This isn't anything we haven't done a hundred times."
He took a drink from his can of Ranier.
"Sorry."
Vic pressed her lips together and watched him across the small table.
"How did it go?"
It seemed like an awfully personal topic for public discussion. Not that anyone was paying them any attention. She was right about that.
Her shoulders rose and fell.
"Okay, I guess."
"Is he mad?"
Vic picked up her beer bottle and considered it.
"He's not real happy with me."
He could imagine. Travis seemed genuine in his feelings. Or, convinced that he was at the very least.
"Did it help you?"
"Sure, I just love crushing people."
Walt sighed.
"That's not what I meant."
She gave him an apologetic look.
"I know. It didn't feel all that good. But…it's over. That's something."
"Let's see if he listens."
She took a long swallow of her beer and lowered the bottle.
"I think he will. Now."
Walt nodded.
"I hope so."
Her head tilted to the side.
"Why? Is the next step you kicking his ass?"
Her foot nudged his again and his face went hot at the oddly intimate moment.
"I'll only let this go so far. You told him that you're not interested. He should accept that."
Something in her face faded a bit.
"Yeah."
"What?"
"You told me that once upon a time."
"I never said that."
"You did."
Vic seemed to shake it off. She cleared her throat.
"Sorry."
She pushed her plate away even though it still held half the food it arrived with. She leaned her arms on the table.
"We need to move forward, not back."
"We are moving forward."
A trace of a smile flitted across her face.
"No, we've been treading water lately. Not really moving in any direction. And…I'm tired of it. I'm tired of existing. This talk with Travis was supposed to help. It doesn't really feel like it did much. But…I don't want to be stationary. I don't want to feel stuck."
I can't get stuck like this. I won't make it.
Her words echoed through his head. He had been so worried for her then. So scared that he wouldn't be able to pull her through the fog that she seemed to be lost in. There were times, she still seemed stuck. She was aware of it, though. That was a good thing.
"Me either."
His voice sounded almost hoarse when he said it. Vic kept her eyes on him.
"Good. That's…that's good. I want you…to come home with me tonight."
She said the words slowly and with a tone that sounded as certain as anything she'd said lately. Walt could feel the doubt rise up in him. Vic must have seen it. She cut him off before he could even form a thought.
"If someone sees your truck…let them draw their own conclusions. Walt, I'm tired of this. We don't…have to make out in public or anything. But…I'm tired of feeling like we have to sneak around. I'm tired of…acting like we're doing something wrong. We're not. We're adults."
Her argument was a good one. But, there was still some hesitance in him.
"This is something we should talk about."
She rolled her eyes and released a breath.
"Walt, you can't control everything. Stop trying. You know…there's nothing wrong with just…letting things happen."
She leaned back in her chair. Lifting her beer, she drained the rest of it and set the bottle down decisively. Her eyes dropped to his mostly empty plate.
"Are you done?"
Walt looked at his plate. He had almost forgotten about it.
"Yeah."
"Good."
Vic stood up and stretched. The bill was already paid. She looked around the bar. Henry wasn't here this evening. He was most likely at the casino. Walt knew Henry was still trying to figure out how to navigating the bar as well as the casino.
Walt followed her outside to the parking lot, where Vic stopped and looked up.
"Nice tonight."
He wasn't watching the sky. He was watching her stand there with her head tilted back and her eyes aimed upwards.
"Yep."
She turned her head in his direction and smiled at him. Walt felt everything inside of him go warm in a way that was hard to put into words. He thought for a split second, she might kiss him. She simply reached out and touched his shirt, taking the material between her fingers. He felt the lightest tug and she released it.
He knew, at that point, the time for conversation had passed.
xxx
"Will you tell me something honestly?"
Vic let her head roll in his direction. Her bed was smaller than his, leaving them little extra space. Walt was on his side with his head propped up in his hand, looking down at her. Vic lay on her back.
She knew he wanted to talk some more.
"Is this about us or…Travis?"
Vic narrowed her eyes. That was unexpected.
"What?"
The word came out sharp.
"Are you trying to send him a message."
"I already did that. You do know that not everyone has an ulterior motive all the time."
"I wasn't suggesting that."
"Sounded like it."
"No, Vic. It's just that…this is a big shift from earlier. You seemed on board with keeping this quiet."
"For how long, Walt? Your retirement isn't exactly tomorrow. I don't mind keeping a low profile. But, I don't like feeling like we need to sneak around."
He looked at her for a long, quiet, unsettling minute before he spoke again.
"Does that mean you're going to tell your parents?"
Her eyes went wide.
"That's…um…no."
"Why?"
"Because…I don't feel like dealing with them right now. Can we just tackle one thing at a time? You know…my dad is likely to fly back out here when he finds out."
The thought didn't appeal to him. His one and only run in with Victor Moretti didn't leave him wanting to repeat the experience.
"You think he'll be that upset?"
"He's going to freak the fuck out."
Walt sighed and Vic offered him a conciliatory look.
"Don't worry about it."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Because, he can't do anything about it. He can rage all he wants. It won't change anything."
"I don't want to create tension."
"There's already tension there, Walt. What's he gonna do? Disown me? He would have done that already. Trust me. He might not like it, but he'll live with it. Eventually. It's not like he lives nearby."
He didn't look convinced.
"Right."
Vic smiled up at him.
"My parents have never approved of anything or anyone, Walt. Why change that now?"
"You say that. But, you also seem scared of his reaction."
Her smile widened.
"I am not scared of his reaction. I already know how he's gonna react. I just don't want to battle on two fronts. Here and there."
"Battle?"
"That's what it feels like sometimes. I'll tell them. I will. But…in my own time. Don't push me into it."
"I'm not trying to."
She gave him a dubious look.
"I really don't want to talk about my parents while I'm in bed with you anyway. It's weird."
He smiled.
"Weird?"
"Yes."
He smiled down at her.
"So…when you say you want to move forward, what exactly do you mean?"
"Um…isn't it self-explanatory?"
"Not really. What…exactly…do you want from all this?"
She seemed lost.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about the future."
Vic felt slightly deflated.
"The future."
"Yeah, generally when you move forward, it's into the future."
"I didn't really think about it in those terms. I just…um…"
She stalled out. The future wasn't an entity that she was truly comfortable with. Planning too far ahead created expectations and ideas that she wasn't sure about. It led to uncertainty. Right now, she didn't want to face that.
"…I just want us to…you know…"
He was still watching her.
"You haven't thought about it."
Vic sighed.
"I don't want to."
"How can we move forward without thinking about the future."
"Moving forward doesn't mean you need a plan. It just means you're…progressing."
He grew quiet again and she could feel that he was on the cusp of something. Deciding if he wanted to give it a voice or not.
"Do you want a future?"
"Do I want a future? Everyone does."
"That's not an answer."
"Yes, I want a future."
"Am I in it?"
There, he said it. She blinked.
"Why would you even ask me that?"
"Because you talk about moving forward, but you don't want to talk about the future. You can understand how that might seem."
Vic felt her stomach roll and she also felt a twinge of anger.
"Would I be going through all of this if I didn't want you here? It would sure as hell be easier not to. What is it about the future do you want to know so damn bad?"
She sat up, causing him to lean back to avoid a collision.
"Nothing in particular."
"Bullshit, Walt. You wouldn't have brought it up otherwise."
Walt sat up.
"It's not just one thing, Vic. It's…things we need to consider. What do you want? What do I want? What do we want? How does it all fit together."
Vic bit her bottom lip and turned so that she was facing him.
"What do you want?"
She was almost sure that she could hear him grit his teeth.
"I want to know things, Vic. Do you want to stay in Wyoming permanently? Do you want to get married? Do you…do you want…"
His voice faded out when she visibly flinched. She looked down at the sheet.
"I'm sorry."
Vic swallowed.
"I don't know."
She said it low. So low that he must not have heard her.
"What?"
Vic lifted her face to meet his.
"I don't know."
"You don't know what?"
She shrugged.
"Any of it. I don't know. I don't see myself moving any time soon. I don't want to move. I thought I made that clear to you. Will that change at some point? I don't know. I don't want to make you promises that I can't keep, Walt. And marriage…"
She made a face.
"…I have no idea. Is it important to you?"
He didn't answer.
Vic rubbed a hand over her face.
"This is why I don't want to get into this. I don't have the answers you want. It doesn't mean that I don't love you. Or…that I'm not committed to this. We don't…necessarily need to have a map do we?"
"No, we don't. I'm sorry."
He repeated the apology that she hadn't commented on.
"I'm not trying to pressure you."
"I know."
Slowly, she lay back down. Walt remained sitting up and looked down at her.
"It's…hard. It's been a long time since I've done this. Really done this."
"I know."
He smiled a little.
"Suddenly you know everything."
She vibrated on the bed with a laugh.
"Well, I'm not entirely clueless. I do know some things."
Walt lowered himself back down and resumed his prior position.
"Okay. So…tell me what you know."
"I know…that your intentions are good. I know that we need to focus on the here and now. We sure as hell need to let go of the past. I didn't mean to…earlier…"
He leaned forward and kissed her, cutting her off midsentence. Vic's hands came up to his chest. When he pulled back, her hands stayed in place.
"What was that for?"
He shrugged one shoulder.
"You said we should live in the here and now."
He kissed her again and she smiled against his mouth.
"Smart ass."
Vic murmured the word against his lips as he rolled over on top of her and pressed her into the mattress.
xxx
"I don't want to hear anymore comments about what my refrigerator looks like."
Vic handed him a cup of instant coffee and rolled her eyes.
"Sorry."
He could tell by her tone that she really wasn't. He sipped the coffee before sitting it down on the counter and surveying the living space of her RV.
"It's so small."
"Mmm…more like…you're not."
"No, I'm not. And, for the record, my bed is more comfortable."
"It is."
She conceded his point with no argument. Walt looked down at her. She stood in front of him half dressed for work in her jeans, tank top, and unbuttoned uniform shirt. She wore socks, but no boots. He wore his boots, which made the difference in their heights more pronounced than usual.
"Then, why did you want to come here so badly?"
The mood between them was light now, much lighter than the night before. She reached up and fingered one of the snaps on his shirt.
"I like to push you out of your comfort zone."
"I've noticed."
"I haven't heard any complaints. Unless this is a complaint."
He shook his head.
"It's not."
Vic's fingers wrapped around his shirt and she pulled him down into a kiss. Walt's hands lifted to her hips. He tugged her all the way to him, but Vic squirmed out of his grasp.
"Uh-uh. Too much more and we'll be in trouble."
"How's that?"
"We'll both be late. You don't want people talking, do you?"
"Something tells me there'll be enough of that."
She patted his chest as he reached over to pick up his coffee.
"My point exactly."
He drank from the cup and replaced it on the counter.
"I should go."
Vic reached over and grabbed his hat. She considered it for a moment before pushing up on her toes and sitting it on his head.
"You should."
When her hands fell away, Walt straightened the hat.
"You free tonight?"
She gave him an amused look and shifted on her feet.
"I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule. Why?"
He smiled at the retort.
"We have reservations. For dinner."
She cocked her head.
"That was presumptuous of you. It's like you're just assuming that I don't have a life."
"More like…hopeful."
She snorted.
"Reservations? That sounds…fancy?"
"Not really."
"So…where are we going?"
"Sheridan?"
Her brow went up.
"Again?"
Walt shrugged.
"For this? Yes."
"Okay, but where in Sheridan?"
"You'll find out tonight."
She huffed out a breath of impatience.
"Walt."
"It's a surprise."
"I don't like surprises."
"Yeah, you do."
"Not really. How am I supposed to know how to dress if I don't know where we're going?"
"Dress…nice. But, not too nice."
"That makes no sense."
He shrugged. Bringing his wrist up, he looked at his watch.
"You'll look good either way. I gotta run."
He stepped back.
"Try driving. You'll get there faster."
"Ha."
She was in a good mood this morning. She woke up like that, which was unusual in and of itself. Vic wasn't a morning person. Walt didn't know if it was the long talk they had the night before or if it was the fact that he stayed like she asked him to.
He still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of their relationship being public knowledge. But, he was trying. She seemed to be giving him credit for that. The fact was that he was on the verge of walking outside and getting into his Bronco before seven in the morning. If someone saw him, there would be no question as to why he was here. There was no way around that now.
He was determined to take it as it came.
Vic looked pleased at her own joke and kissed him one more time before pushing him away.
"Go. I'll see you at work. I'll pick up breakfast on the way in since my kitchen was such a disappointment for you."
He nodded.
"Sounds good."
Walt turned away from her, unlatched the door, and opened it. He clanged down the metal steps and walked to his Bronco. Slipping behind the wheel, he pulled the door closed and started the engine. It was a cool morning, but not cold.
As he pulled out, his eyes scanned the road that wound through the trailer park. There were a few people out. An old man collecting a newspaper, a woman walking a small mutt with a cigarette in her free hand. No one paid him very much attention.
He came around a curve and his foot nearly hit the brakes. There, near a trailer, stood Travis Murphy. He was talking to another man with a smile on his face. His eyes shifted as Walt drove by and their eyes met for a second out the window before Walt moved on by.