“Sure.” Beth lingered in the doorway, her back braced against the frame, and her mother went into the kitchen to get on making her drink. She folded her arms and looked back towards the shop front window and the street outside. Caleb stood with his back to the bakery, hands raised and palms facing Jason. She couldn’t read lips, but didn’t really need to. Jason looked livid. He was scowling and pacing back and forth, like he wanted to barrage his way past the mayor and into the bakery after her. Is he stalker? Is that it? Does he have some traumatic past that makes him attach to people quickly? His hands on possessive behaviour today scared her. She rubbed her sleeve over her left wrist over each eye in turn, and then swiped at her cheeks to dry her face. Whatever his deal is, they all know. Caleb seemed to want to protect Jason and excuse his behaviour. He’s a good kid and meant well? Don’t rile up Emma by telling her?
Beth pressed herself flush to the doorframe when Jason caught her timid brown eyes. He stared at her so intently it was like the only thing he could see was her. His eyes, so dark they seemed black, held chaos in those depths. Terrifying intent…and yet…he frowned at her. How can he stand there and look forlorn? Who cares if he’s sorry? I-I have the right not to be dragged around and made to feel scared like that. Beth cowered as much as she could into the doorframe, with no other form of shelter, but couldn’t look away either. Caleb seemed to notice the connection between them, jerking back towards the store to confirm Beth was eye-locked with Jason. He groaned again, and then side stepped to block Jason’s trance. Immediately the teen was snapped out of it, and scowled angrily at Caleb. There was more pacing, and then he seemed to shout something (probably profanity) up at the heavens, before storming over to his Harley. The bike bounced with the force that he dropped himself onto it with, but his suspension took it with a spring. The engine roared to life, loud enough to penetrate the bakery, and Beth still couldn’t look away. Jason held her gaze again as he held his black helmet in his hands. Once again Caleb had to move to stand in the way to snap Jason out of it. The mayor flung an arm out to point down the street. Must be ordering him to leave… Beth surmised and watched intently as Jason put on his helmet and walked the Harley back onto the road. He revved the engine like an angry lion, and then took off down the road. Only once he was out of sight did Beth release the breath she was holding and slid down the frame. Ben ran from the front door, no longer feeling the need to guard it, to fuss over her.
“Don’t you worry sweet girl. He won’t defy Caleb. You’ll not be seeing him again. He’s a good kid, but his kind are always temperamental. Aggressive at the drop of a hat and far too short fused to be trusted.” He was ranting as he helped Beth back up to her feet. Joanna arrived with the hot coco just as Ben finished his slur.
“His kind?” Beth looked horrified. Was Ben racist against Hispanic Americans? He’d never said a prejudice word in the two years she’d known him. Jason’s naturally and lovely olive oil skin didn’t have anything to do with his behaviour and her abhorrence. Her conclusion seemed to dawn across Ben’s face and he flustered in a panic.
“No, not because he isn’t white or American, God no.”
“Then what exactly do you mean?” Beth pressed in a very Emma sort of way. For the first time ever, she saw a red flag go up over her would be step father.
“Young men, of course.” Joanna broke the tension with a melodic laugh and tried to distract Beth by moulding her hands around the cup of coco. “All young men are hot blooded, hot headed, and not to be trusted. Not with any of my precious daughters. And not without our approval.” Joanna nodded firmly with a smile. “Which I will not be giving until you’re much older young lady.”
“And not to that little asshole.” Beth blinked at Ben, who was still rather very angry. He was brooding out towards the shop window, at the phantom memory of Jason on his bike, no doubt. Beth decided not to point out that Jason was the tallest man she’d ever seen, and a good head taller than Ben. He was terrifying, sure, but he was also one fine specimen of masculinity. From what she felt pressed to him as they rode his bike, he had quite the physique. If he wasn’t a terrifying psychopath, she would have asked him to model for her.
“I think we should lock up, go home, order pizza, and put today behind us.” Her mother declared and used a finger to lift the bottom of the white ceramic mug up so the rim touched Beth’s lips. “Drink up honey. I used part cold and hot so it’s the perfect temperature. I’ll lock up. Go bring the pickup around the front?”
“Yes mam.” Ben kissed Joanna’s cheek and was elated to have a job to do. He left out the front, and Joanna gave her daughter an affectionate hug, before retreating to the back to lock up. Beth stood, alone, holding a warm up of hot chocolate, and still reeling. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, sure, but she was not fooled by her mother’s cover up. Not only did she warn Caleb and Ben that Beth was listening earlier, but she just glossed over Ben’s ‘their kind’ comment like it was nothing. Another first for Beth. A red flag went up over her mother too. She’s covering for Ben, and Caleb, and Jason too really. She sipped her drink, enjoying the warm velvety sensation as it goes down. The sweetness of it made her think of the other sweet thing she’d tasted today. Beth thought of the Churros and frowned. If he hadn’t been so angry, and possessive, chasing after me, manhandling me and being generally creepy…today would have been a nice date.
He took her for a bike ride, bought her a new camera, fussed over her when she said she felt peaky and bought her churros as a treat. It likely looked to onlookers like the perfect date. But every time his hands held her, moved her around, restrained and controlled her, she felt a chill down her spine. That thing he did with her neck was overly intimate and made her really uncomfortable. Gentling…They all said that’s what he was doing. Beth shuffled over to the counter and put the coffee down. She spotted her mother’s cell on the counter top, and narrowed her eyes on it. Is it a special massage? A fetish thing? Eww…why would he do that to me?…I have to know. She impulsively scooped up the cell and quickly searched in the web browser ‘gentling’.
Gentile - verb
gerund or present participle: gentling
1. make or become gentle.
"Cobb's tone gentled a little"
o touch (a person or animal) gently, typically in order to make them calmer or more docile.
Was he trying to make me calmer? Docile? Beth looked down the search results and saw a reference to horse training.
There's a term in the horse world known as “gentling.” It refers to working with a wild horse until it becomes responsive to a trainer's commands, meaning that it no longer wants to kick you in the face. If handled properly, it even bonds with its trainer.
“…seriously?” Beth furrowed her brows and thought back to when he did this ‘gentling’ to her. Putting aside she was clearly not a horse, or any sort of beast of burden, the way Ben reacted when he saw what Jason was doing to her made her wonder. Was he trying to bond with her? Was it some obscure custom here in Glen valley she hadn’t heard of before? Well if I is? It didn’t work, and it’s creepy as hell.
“You ready?” Joanna returned with her handbag and warm smile.
“Yeah.” Beth handed the cell over after closing the app, and exhaled deeply. “I just want to go home.”
“I know sweetheart. Let’s go.”
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