ALMOST HEAVEN

Chapter 6

Two days later Jimmy showed up at the bar in the afternoon. He headed straight to Clyde.

"What is this I hear you went after someone with a baseball bar? All because that Laurel danced with some other guy. I told you not to rush things and here you go with a baseball bat. Jesus, Clyde."

"Don't call her 'that Laurel,' Jimmy. You have, as usual, listened to gossip and gotten all the wrong information."

"All right then, what did Laurel do that made you so mad? Pretty woman like that is bound to cause trouble."

"She didn't do anything to make me mad. She didn't cause any trouble. And she wasn't dancing with some other guy. In fact, the fucking cowboy asked her to dance and she said no."

"Well, what the fuck was the baseball bat about?"

"Listen, Jimmy, I was in a mood. I worked myself up imagining that Laurel wasn't that interested in me. Why is just plain stupid. Any way, she came up to the bar on Friday to see me and I sorta gave her the cold shoulder. And then here comes this cowboy hat wearing fucker trying to get her on the dance floor and just flirting away. And I got so jealous I pulled out the bat and told him to move along. We had a few words and he left."

Clyde stopped to pull a Coors Light out of the cooler and put it in front of Jimmy.

"That's it?"

"Well, not quite. By that point, I was beginning to realize I was acting like a jackass and everybody was staring at me. I was still mad as hell so I held up the bat and pretty much said that if anyone tried anything with Laurel, they'd get the same."

Jimmy burst into laughter. "What the hell did Laurel do?"

"I was rude to her and she got up and left the bar. Earl said she left a rooster tail of dirt and gravel when she left the bar."

"So, that's over, huh? Sorry about that, Clyde."

"It's not over, Jimmy. I went to her place that night and apologized. We talked it out and we're fine. Better than fine, to be honest."

"Good for you, Clyde. But still, take it easy, don't rush things."

"Jimmy, I don't need your advice. Laurel and I are together. I don't care that you think it's too fast. We like where we're at and we're happy together. And that's that. I don't need to talk about Laurel and me anymore to you. By the way, grilling some hamburgers this Sunday at my house. Why don't you and Silvia come on by?"

"Mellie coming with the guitar player?"

"Nope, seems Joe Bang will be back in town this weekend."

"Oh lord."

"Yup."

"So, Em, I'm going over to Clyde's house today for a barbecue," Laurel said, trying to tuck her phone under her chin as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, is this the big day?" Emily said with a laugh,

"Not today, but damn, I don't think we can hold out much longer."

"So, why not today?" Laurel could hear that Emily had just walked into a Starbucks.

"First, there's going to be other people there and two, I got my period. Order me a venti caramel macchiato, please. I confess, I do miss those. There's not a Starbucks around for miles here."

Emily laughed. Laurel heard her put in her order and then Em came back on the phone. "How's it been going with the big guy?"

"Great. We went out to some property he owns with his brother and sister last week for a picnic. It's just beautiful and we did a little hiking. There were meteor showers that night so we watched them. We could see the Milky Way. It was just fantastic, Em."