“I had one just like it, but I lost it somewhere,” she said. “You need to keep it dry when you’re not using it.”
“Yeah, I’ll see if I can find you one for your own,” he said and yawned.
He got a mouthful of water and squished it around in his mouth before spitting it out. Riley had already begun soaping him up, and vigorously soaped up his genitals. He felt himself reacting but stopped her.
“Nooo,” he drawled. “I have too much work ahead of me today. I need my strength.”
Riley gave him a light slap on the chest. “You’re no fun. You know I went too long without sex in my life and I need to catch up.”
He chuckled. “When did you lose your virginity?”
“When I was nineteen. How come you’re not worried about me getting pregnant?”
“I had a vasectomy years ago, so if you want a kid, you’re going to have to find yourself another man.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to get to work on that.”
Johnny G grunted. “What are you going to do today?”
“I’m going with dad back out to the soccer stadium. He wanted to take a closer look at it in the daylight, and then he wants to make a day trip to Atlantic City. Is that okay?”
“I’m not sure about the roads. You guys might want to wait until there’s better weather.”
“Yeah, but dad thinks we might not have better weather until March, but they still want to go. Is it okay if I go with them?”
Johnny G paused in washing his face to stare at Riley. She stared back with her beautiful eyes and he realized she was seeking his approval.
“Sure, it’s okay, but if you’d rather hang out with me today, I can sure use the help.”
She stared a moment longer before stepping out of the shower and began toweling off. Johnny G turned the water off and joined her. When he finished brushing his teeth, he turned to see her staring at him yet again. She’d put on a pair of jeans but was topless. It made him wonder how she’d look if she had bigger breasts and then realized he was being too picky. Her breasts were perky enough for any man.
“I think I’m going to tell dad I have to work with you today, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” he said.
She pulled a sweatshirt over her head that had the VMI logo on it and hurried out the door. Johnny G combed his hair and stared at himself in the mirror. He needed a haircut and it seemed to be a little grayer than last time he gave himself a close inspection. His face was a little more drawn too. It caused him to wonder about Riley. If he didn’t know better, he thought she may be starting to have feelings for him, which was surprising.
The question that immediately popped into his head, was that a good thing?
He got dressed thinking about her, her father and brother, and the possible reasons why she killed Rochelle. She’d most likely give him a truthful answer if he asked. But he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.
He hurriedly dressed and headed to breakfast. His days were full of work and today was going to be no different. First, he needed to meet with the scavenging team. They were waiting for him in the cafeteria.
“Good morning,” he greeted as he sat with a plate of eggs and biscuits. He smiled to himself. They’d found an older woman, Bea, who was roughing it on her own. She was an Amish woman who knew how to raise chickens. Roscoe and Johnny G had convinced her to relocate closer to Marcus Hook and they’d help her. They seldom went without eggs now. He looked up to see the three men grinning.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Jimbo said, still grinning. “How are you JG? You been sleeping good?”
Jimbo was the only person who called him JG. It didn’t matter to Johnny G, what mattered was the shit-eating grin the man had plastered on his face. Obviously, they knew about his budding romance with Riley. There were few secrets around here.
“Is the truck ready?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Gassed up and checked out,” Ringo answered. Ringo looked like a young Ringo Starr, hence the nickname. He and his buddy, Bandy, showed up one day a couple of years ago in a leaky boat that was close to sinking.
“We’re leaving after breakfast, unless something’s changed,” he said.
“Nope, we’re good to go. So, let’s go over some things so I know we’re on the same sheet of music.”
Jimbo held up a hand and swallowed some food before speaking while Ringo unrolled a map and weighted it down with a couple of coffee cups.
“We conduct surveillance for a minimum of thirty minutes before going through the
Ridley Park gate.” Jimbo tapped on a grid space that had not been colored in. “Once through, we’ll travel into the Spruce Hill area and start house-to-house.”
“Good,” Johnny G said. “The only worry I have is the condition of the roads. The snow is going to hide the bad spots.”
“No worries, boss. I’m driving,” Ringo replied with a grin.
“Well, that’s a load off my mind,” Johnny G said with a grin. The four of them laughed. “I’ll make sure we have someone on radio duty.” He instantly thought of Riley.
“Alright, one other thing. Remind me again how many zeds you three encountered last time you went out.” He tapped on the map on a colored in grid next to the open grid
