Hotel Key

Chapter 13

5 Years Ago

Daryl looked around the shop. There were a few things that looked like they needed to be updated, but overall the place was nice enough. It had three bay doors and plenty of room to work. The realtor and RickyJo's trust fund lawyer guy were following her around the place, commenting on things they clearly didn't understand. The lawyer looked like he was afraid to let anything touch his suit. He kept his arms very close to his body and looked at RickyJo in disapproval every time she touched something, taking occasional breaks from this to wrinkle his nose up at Daryl. Finally, RickyJo sent the two men outside, telling them that she needed a few minutes to think it over. Then she turned to Daryl.

"What do ya think?," she asked him. He looked around again and nodded his approval. It was a great place. The kind of shop he might like to have someday. What he wasn't sure about was why RickyJo was looking at a car repair shop in the first place. Aside from driving them, she didn't have much interest in cars. She didn't even like changing her own oil. "Lawyer guy said it would be a good investment," she said with a shrug.

"Doesn't that guy say that about everythin'?," Daryl asked.

"No," she said, "...he told me I overpaid for that apartment building I bought downtown." She opened a drawer and found it empty, then closed it.

"So who's gonna run this place once ya buy it," Daryl asked. He was hoping RickyJo wasn't going to say she was going to do it. She could barely remember to collect rent from the tenants in her building. RickyJo gave him a big smile.

"I don't know," she said, moving in and wrapping her arms around him, "Where would I find someone who's good with cars? Someone who doesn't have a job. It would have to be someone I trust. And someone who's willin' to move to Atlanta." Daryl shook his head. He could not believe he didn't catch onto what was happening before now. RickyJo had been pressing him to move to Atlanta with her and he kept telling her he couldn't because he didn't have a job. He knew he could just stay at her place, but that made him feel like a mooch. It was different living out on her farm property. He could pitch in there to earn his keep.

"Yer not buying me this shop, RickyJo," Daryl told her. He wriggled out of her embrace and held her at arm's length. Daryl could tell by the determined look on her face she had something else up her sleeve. And that she was not going to take no for an answer.

"I'm not buyin' it fer you," she argued, "I'm buyin' it fer me. I just want you to run it for me. You'd really be doin' me a favor." Daryl was trying hard not to smile. He had to admit it, she was good.

"Nice try," he said. RickyJo moved back from him a step and dug through her purse until she found her phone. "Who ya callin'?," Daryl asked her.

"Yer brother," she told him, flipping the phone open, "...Merle already said if you didn't want the job he would take it. I want him to come down and look at the place before I sign the papers. Make sure he's happy with it."

Daryl stared at the woman in shock. He really could not believe how good she was at pushing his buttons. RickyJo might be bluffing. But it was equally as likely that she wasn't. Merle spent a lot more time in the city than he did. And Daryl knew he stayed at RickyJo's apartment on and off. Usually whenever the girl he was messing around with wised up and kicked him out. They really might have talked about opening this shop together. Daryl grabbed the phone from her and snapped it closed.

"Alright," he told her. Her whole face lit up in a huge smile.

"Really?," she asked him. He nodded and braced himself as she flung back into his arms. "Did ya really talk to Merle about this?," he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "...he's the one that tole me the place was for sale. He's kind of gonna be workin' here with you." Daryl raised his eyebrows at her. He thought about objecting but there was no point. He knew he was going to give in. "You can stay at my place until you find a place in the city," RickyJo added, trying her best to sound casual. Like she just now thought of that even though she had likely been plotting it for months. Daryl sighed. RickyJo told him the same thing about staying at her Nana's farm property and that was four years ago. If he moved into her apartment here in Atlanta, he knew he was never going to go looking for his own place.

They walked outside where the two men were anxiously waiting. RickyJo let them know what she decided. She told the lawyer guy she would be down to sign the necessary papers tomorrow. It always amazed Daryl the way RickyJo could flip gears and become almost a totally different person. She was just inside, nearly begging him to move in with her. The moment she stepped out of the shop, she immediately switched into business mode and started ordering these people around. She got that from her grandmother. When that woman told you to do something, she made you wish you had already done it yesterday.

The realtor wanted her to sign the papers today, but tonight was her college graduation and she wanted to go home and get ready. Daryl almost forgot about the whole celebration dinner her Nana had planned. That was why he came into the city in the first place, before he got tricked into letting RickyJo buy a car repair business for him. After her grandfather died, RickyJo poured herself into her studies, determined to make it so he would have been proud of her. And now she was graduating, in three years instead of four. She already had some job lined up at the university to do research for them while she earned some other degree. Daryl didn't really understand all of it. And sometimes wondered why RickyJo wasted her time on him at all. She probably had much smarter and more interesting friends from school she could spend her time with.

A few hours later, RickyJo was tossing her cap in the air while her entire family screamed like crazy people. Merle lifted Jessica's younger daughter up and tossed the girl in the air like she was one of the hats, making the little girl squeal and shriek in delight. RickyJo pushed her way back through the throng of students and attached herself firmly to Daryl's side. He did his best to smile and nod at all the people that came to congratulate her. Daryl recognized a few of them. But mostly, it felt like a sea of excited strangers. He was happy when RickyJo's gran started corralling them all out of there so they could make their dinner reservation.

Daryl only expected his brother and RickyJo's family at the dinner. But her Nana invited RickyJo's favorite professor and her two daughters to join them. One of the girls was high school aged. The other one was older, Daryl guessed she was about his age. Having them around was probably for the best, because it was keeping Merle and Jessica on their best behavior in the fancy place despite the amount of alcohol that was being consumed.

RickyJo was planning on working as an assistant to her professor the next year. And they were chatting away about their plans and some sort of college scholarship program they were starting up. The professor's older daughter was a lawyer of some kind and she was giving them her advice on their ideas. Most of what they were saying was over Daryl's head but he was getting a steak dinner out of it so he didn't mind at all. He just kept his opinions to himself and ate his food.

When dinner was over, RickyJo said goodbye to the professor and her daughters. Nana made them all drive back to RickyJo's apartment and leave their cars there. She kept Jessica's daughters with her and called a cab to take them out to the bar, making everyone, and especially Merle, promise that they wouldn't drive anywhere since they were all already half drunk and about to go out and drink more.

Jessica was only twenty. But she had a fake ID, so they had no problem getting into a local club. After the second round of drinks, RickyJo's college roommate Imani and her twin brother showed up. They were just out to dinner too, having a celebration of their own. Not because either of them graduated. Imani still had another year of school. But because Isaiah just got drafted by the NFL.

"Thanks so much for flying my mom in," Isaiah said, pulling RickyJo into his arms and kissing her on the cheek. "That was the best surprise I ever got." RickyJo hugged him back, his much larger body nearly engulfing her slimmer one.

"Didya find out what team yer gonna play for?," she asked. RickyJo knew he would be excited no matter what. Just getting drafted at all, no matter the team, would make it so he could take care of his mother and move her out of the horrible subsidized housing unit she lived in. But Isaiah was hoping to be able to stay close enough to Atlanta that he would be able to see his sister often. Imani couldn't move with him since she still had a year of college left. And then another three years of chiropractic school. Plus however many more it took to specialize in sports medicine.

"You're looking at the newest player for the Atlanta Falcons!," Imani hollered. Not able to wait any longer, she shoved herself in between her brother and RickyJo, hugging the woman tightly. Then they both turned and jumped all over Isaiah, who was laughing at them. Merle raised his hand, signaling to the waitress that they needed another round of drinks.

"I get two tickets to every home game," Isaiah gushed as he smiled down at RickyJo, "...and I better see your butt in a seat!" He knew part of it was a weird superstition, but he felt like always played better if RickyJo was at the game watching him.

"How about my butt," Jessica teased, "...where would ya like ta see it?" Isaiah laughed at her, casting a nervous glance in Merle's direction when Jessica rose from her seat and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Her ass will need its own seat," Merle quipped. RickyJo turned, giving him a dirty look. The last thing they needed was for Merle and Jessica to start up with each other in the middle of the club. Her body tensed a little as she took in the hard set of Merle's jawline and the way his hand was already clenched into a fist. It worried her more that his focus was not on her cousin, but on Isaiah. When she saw Merle start to rise into a standing position, RickyJo slipped past Jessica. She pushed Merle back onto his seat and sat down forcefully onto his lap, smashing his dick into his pelvis in her attempt to keep him from taking a swing at Isaiah.

"What in the fuck!," Merle hollered, trying to shove her off him. RickyJo laughed, hopping up and down on his lap a few more times and refusing to be dislodged so easily. "Get the fuckinhell offa me," Merle hissed, "...yer squashing my damn balls RickyJo!" When his cursing failed to send her packing, Merle lifted his hand and cracked RickyJo a good one in the back of the head with his open palm. Daryl choked on a sip of his drink, liquid nearly squirting out his nose with the force of his laughter. It wasn't really funny that RickyJo got hit. But the sound of it was hilarious. It was a weird thunk, like someone hitting a hollow tree. Like her head was totally empty inside.

RickyJo was rubbing the back of her head, trying to decide between smacking Merle back or standing up and jumping on him again. Then suddenly she was lifted off and away from him. Isaiah set her on her feet and wrapped his arm around her.

"Don't you ever put your hands on her like that!," Isaiah hollered. Daryl stopped laughing. He looked between Isaiah and Merle, knowing the situation was about to get real ugly real fast. And also knowing there wasn't much if anything he could do to stop it. RickyJo was already trying to diffuse the situation, telling Isaiah that it was fine and that her and Merle were only playing around. But it was already too late. Merle rose to his feet. Isaiah was half a foot taller. And outweighed Merle by probably close to a hundred pounds. But Daryl could tell from Isaiah's stance that he wasn't ready for what was about to happen. He didn't even have his hands up.

"Yer the one that needs to get his hands offa her," Merle said, his mouth twisting up into an evil grin before he added, "...BOY."