Page 1 of Last Chance with the Mountain Man
CHAPTER ONE
4:18 p.m. Friday, July 9
“Naw, man. You’re going to have to play without me this time.” Titan Shephard tossed the empty gas can into the back of his truck and slid in behind the wheel. He revved the engine, causing a few heads in the parking lot to look his way. “If I don’t finish mowing the yard this afternoon, pop’s going to throw a fit. I’m sick and tired of hearing him complain about how tall the grass is getting.”
“You need to tell that old man of yours to fuck off, Titan. You got a life to live too.” Matt Dupree tugged at his work uniform, unfastening the top buttons on his navy blue polo, without meeting his friend’s gaze. “Now we’re a person short for tonight. If we don’t have at least nine players, there’s no point—”
“Look, if I’m not too tired when I get finished, I’ll see about coming over. It’s just that after I take a shower, I’ll probably be ready to—”
“Whatever. I’m not going to hold my breath on you showing up.”
Matt was understandably aggravated. His point was also valid—Titan had a life to live too. Except he hadn’t been doing too much living lately. Outside of his duties at the fire station, Titan seldom did anything for himself anymore. Not since Willie Shephard had come back.
Titan hadn’t had the heart to tell his pop no when he showed up in the middle of the night eight months ago asking if he could sleep on the sofa. One night had turned into two, then three and four. When a week passed, Titan was fairly confident his old man wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Technically, the house was still Willie’s, so even if he’d wanted his father to leave, he didn’t have much say in the matter.
Willie had disappeared following his wife’s death Titan’s senior year in high school and no one had heard from him since. Willie was a binge drinker, never keeping a steady source of income or living as he should, so his disappearance hadn’t come as a huge shock. It had been a tough year for Titan, essentially losing both parents. More than once he’d referred to it as the year of hell. Forced into growing up and taking on responsibilities at such as early age had left him bitter about a lot of things.
Willie had yet to explain his whereabouts and Titan, if he were being honest, wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to know where Willie had been all this time. Some things you’re just better off not knowing.
With a plastic Kroger shopping bag filled with his belongings in one hand and the keys to the dilapidated Crown Vic he’d driven when Marie Steiner was still alive clenched tightly in the other, there wasn’t much else Willie had brought back home. That old saying about ‘not having a pot to piss in’ had never been truer.
Seeing the eyesore in the driveway every time Titan left for work was starting to irritate him. And so was Willie’sdemands about the damn grass. Titan had never let the yard look unkempt in any sort of way, even when he was still in school, so Willie needed to chill the fuck out. If he didn’t like the way it looked, then he could get out there and cut it himself. Better yet, he could get in that damn car of his and leave. He could go back to wherever it was he’d been. Then he wouldn’t have to look at it.
Since the previous gas container was starting to show some age and the spout had a crack in it, Titan had stopped for a new one on his way home. Matt had always claimed he was hooking him up with a discount—what are best friends for, right—but Titan knew that military and first responders always got a ten percent discount off their bill.
Matt was one of those friends that would give you the last nickel he had in his pocket, but he’d also give you grief if he didn’t get his way or if something inconvenienced him. Like being a person short for their Friday night poker game.
Titan knew Matt would get over it—the bottle of Jack Daniels he always brought with him when they played would see to that—but he needed to make sure his friend had a safe way of getting home when they were finished playing. Matt would forever try to argue, saying he was fine to drive the few blocks to his house, but everyone knew better than to let him get behind the wheel.
Drinking and driving wasn’t something Titan took lightly. One drink or ten, it wasn’t worth the risk. He’d responded to too many accidents where innocent people had lost their lives while the drunk driver walked away without so much as a scratch. He knew that if he dozed off, it’d be hard to get back up again, but he’d have his phone close by should an Uber or one of the other guys not be available to give Matt a ride.
When he pulled into the driveway, he was shocked to see Wille’s car was gone. Mind you, Williewasfree to come and go as he pleased, but the oil stains in the driveway could attest tohow long the car had been sitting in the same spot. The same could be said for his sofa. Seemed the only time Willie bothered to get up anymore was when he visited the kitchen or the bathroom.
Things were still strained between the two of them and Titan wasn’t sure he’d ever fully forgive his father for abandoning him during a time when he needed him most. He could tuck it away in the back of his mind but forget it altogether…nope. Wasn’t happening. The scar his old man left was pretty deep.
Titan left the gas can sitting next to the steps then used the entrance from the carport so he could go inside and change out of his uniform.
He kicked his shoes off next to the door and stopped dead in his tracks the moment his gaze landed on the mess in the kitchen. From the overflowing trashcan to the sink full of dirty dishes, it was the biggest mess he’d ever seen. He clenched his fists tightly by his side and muttered a few obscenities under his breath. “God dammit, Willie.”
He snatched open the drawer next to the dish washer, pulled out a new trash bag, and quickly began to shove stuff inside. He was not a messy person and he didn’t appreciate having to clean up behind an irresponsible adult. TV dinner boxes, potato chip bags, a two-liter bottle of soda, a tub of half-eaten butter pecan ice cream. He’d never seen Willie go through so much food in one day’s time.
What pushed him over the edge was the opened carton of milk that he’d just brought home yesterday sitting next to the coffee pot that just so happened to still be on. He chucked the carton into the sink then turned on the water to wash it down the drain. Food wasn’t cheap these days and he didn’t appreciate Willie leaving it out to spoil.
Why? Why did he put up with this bullshit?
When Willie got back from wherever it was he’d gone, they were going to have a serious come to Jesus meeting. Willie could do better or he could get the hell out.
A half hour later, he grabbed two bags of trash and headed out the door so he could finally tend to the yard. From the looks of the sun already dipping behind the mountains, there was no way he was going to get it all cut tonight before it got dark. He did his best, though, practically running behind the lawnmower, but there was still the small patch on the side of the drive that would have to wait. As for the back, he’d get to it eventually. With his rotating work schedule, he wouldn’t have another day off until Tuesday. And by then, it’d be time to cut the front all over again.
When Willie still wasn’t home after he was finished showering, he went ahead and turned off the lights in the living room and kitchen and retreated to his bedroom. If he were being honest, he didn’t care if his father came back or not but there was no way he was going to stay up and wait on him. Hell no! Not when he had to be at work first thing in the morning.
He did several rounds of push-ups on the floor next to his bed, followed by fifty or so sit-ups. Not enough for him to break a sweat, but enough to get his heartrate going.
Using the t-shirt he was wearing, he wiped his brows, then collapsed into bed. The hot shower had certainly done wonders for his tired, aching muscles, and within minutes of closing his eyes, he was softly snoring.
Just shy of midnight, his phone began to vibrate on the night stand. Because it was face down, the room remained dark and the glow along the edges of the screen went unnoticed. Titan lay on his side, his right forearm still tucked underneath his cheek. He hadn’t moved at all since falling asleep.
After two rounds of vibrations, the phone eventually stopped. A few seconds later, it vibrated again, signaling that someone had left him a voice message.