Bulletproof, p.12
Bulletproof, page 12
Dad tilted his head, his lips pursed as he answered, “Few beers last night.”
Maggie scoffed.
The good doctor faced Dad with a condescending smile. Dad was full of shit; blood tests would not lie for you.
“Well, it is elevated but not over the legal limit. As I said, you’re a lucky man.”
Relief spread through me. At least he wouldn’t be ending up in jail. I would have to go down and talk to Mr. Miller to deal with the fence, but that was tomorrow’s problem.
“We done?” Dad groused, swinging his legs down from the gurney.
Maggie, Dr. Gregson, and I all stepped forward to stop him. “You step one foot off this bed, Earl Hicks, and so help me God…” Maggie growled through clenched teeth.
Gregson frowned. “I’d prefer you to finish the IV fluids, then we’ll get you home. It would be a good idea to take it easy for the next couple of days.” I bit my lip. When didn’t the old man take it easy?
“Okay, Doc.”
I gave Gregson a tight-lipped smile which he returned, and with a nod to Maggie, he disappeared behind the cushion.
I exhaled a long breath and dropped my head in my hands. It could have been a hell of a lot worse, but I still had to deal with the cost of Frank Miller’s fence and the repairs to the car, which would probably cost more than the damn thing was worth. Plus, there will be hospital bills on top of the mortgage.
The weight of everything pressed down on my chest, and I sat back in my chair, leaning my head against the cool wall behind me. They said that God only gave you what He thought you could handle, well, He had things piled pretty high for me lately. Something had to give.
Jake’s words came back to me. It’s not all on you. You don’t have to be everything for everyone. Part of me wished that being even a little bit selfish wasn’t so goddamn expensive, but last night had been the perfect example.
“Hey,” Dad said, his voice gravelly but soft. “It’ll be okay, kid. I’m fine.”
He gave me a small smile. White-hot anger tore through me. “It’s not okay, Dad,” I spat. “What if you’d killed someone?”
Maggie’s eyes went wide at my outburst, but something resembling pride shone from them.
Dad frowned, his eyes stony and cold. “Don’t you start, Ashlynn Rae. I’ve had a long fucking night.”
A growl rumbled low in my chest. Mother Fucker. Sara laid a hand on my arm. I looked to her, but she shut me down with the subtle shake of her head. She was right. As much as I wanted to lash out at him, to spill out all the years of rage and frustration right into his smug wrinkled face, it wouldn’t have helped.
He would’ve found a way to turn it on me. I should have been there last night. I should’ve picked up the phone when he called for a ride, and none of this would’ve happened. No, I fucked up. I was the reason we were in the emergency room, losing an entire day’s business because I hadn’t been around to pick up the lousy drunk like I always did.
Maggie gave me a sad smile. “Ashlynn, honey, why don’t we go grab some coffee?”
I nodded, pushing past the curtain and down the hall. I had to get as far away from him as possible before I strangled him myself.
Maggie and I walked the halls in silence, following the signs leading us toward the cafeteria. We took our seats at a small café table, sipping our lukewarm drinks.
“So, Jake was here?” she asked, finally breaking through the silence.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start.”
She held up her hands in defense. “I’m just sayin’ that it was real sweet of that boy to come all the way up here.”
“I guess.”
Maggie frowned. “You know, if you keep showin’ him the door, eventually, he’s gonna use it.”
I didn’t reply. To be honest, I didn’t really know how to.
“Lord knows you’ve got more problems than a math book, but don’t you think it would be nice to have someone to help you shoulder some of the burden every once in a while?”
“Right, because guys are lining up to take the job.” I snorted.
She smiled and rested her hand over mine. “I don’t know about a line, but there’s at least one willing to apply for the position”
“So, I should open my legs to the first guy who shows interest in me?”
“Oh no. You can’t fool me, little girl. I’ve seen the way you look at him. You are just as smitten as he is.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” I said, trying to laugh off her comment. The chaos I lived on a daily basis had been impossible for me to handle, bringing someone else in, would only make it worse. Jake was sweet and funny and gorgeous and...in another life how easy it would’ve been to fall for him, but in this one, it wouldn’t work.
Maggie grinned. “You deserve someone willing to take care of you.”
* * *
When we got home, I managed to get Dad upstairs and into bed with minimal help from Sara, who disappeared into her room and slammed the door. The musty smell of mold and cigarettes clung to the walls, turning my stomach as I stood in the hallway of our dingy little apartment. I had to get out of there.
Grabbing my keys, I took the stairs two at a time and pushed through the back door, headed straight for my car. The empty parking spot beside my Jeep mocked me. I had to get Dad’s car towed back here, only I didn’t know how the hell I was going to pay for it.
I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot with no real destination in mind. I turned right and headed into town, passing shop after shop, ignoring the judgmental stares of everyone I passed. That was the trouble with small towns, mistakes spread faster than wildfire around here.
The sun set in the distance, and I flipped my visor down to ward off the glare. I rolled to a stop at the light in front of the hardware store and movement caught my eye. I squinted against the light. Someone was painting my wall. Anger coursed through me, and I whipped the Jeep over to the side, throwing it into park.
I marched up the sidewalk ready to lay into the asshole crazy enough to fuck with my artwork and froze.
I would recognize that dark chocolate-colored hair anywhere. Jake stood there, his thick arms flecked with white paint as he worked the extended roller back and forth over the brick. His back was to me, the muscles pulling and stretching beneath his white cotton t-shirt with every stroke.
The fading sunlight caught the highlights in his hair, and I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I wanted to paint this moment, capture it forever with paint on canvas. A dark silhouette with arms stretched high above his head. Bright pinks and blues and purples radiating from him as he worked; colors that filled you with joy and hope and love.
I’d said some really awful things to him. I pushed him away, and still, there he was, working in the late afternoon heat, covered in paint and sweat for me.
A car honked behind me, and Jake twisted at the sound, his eyes landing on me as he slowly lowered the roller.
“Ash,” he said. The sound of my name sliding from his lips sent a mist of tingles down my spine. “You’ve had a lot going on. I figured I would finish the prep, so it was ready for you.”
I didn’t say a word. My heart swelled inside my chest as he nervously shifted his weight and wiped his hands on his jeans, leaving behind a trail of paint.
Maggie’s words filled my ears. You deserve someone willing to take care of you.
I took a step forward, closing the distance between us quickly.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped. I…”
He stopped talking as I launched myself into his arms. He caught me easily, his large hands gripping my thighs as I wrapped my legs around his hips and crashed my lips against his.
He groaned into my mouth as I tightened my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, my tongue slipping past his full, perfect lips.
I craved the taste of him. The feel of his hands on my skin, and the bruising press of his lips against mine. I wanted this, wanted him.
Without breaking the kiss, he slid his hand down my thigh to my knee urging me to release my hold on him. I complied, unwrapping my legs from his hips and slid down his hard, toned stomach. Once my feet hit the ground, his hands came up, framing my face as the kiss became something more. Soft and sweet, just as intense as before, but what had started off as raw and primal, became something passionate and overwhelming. Every brush of his tongue against mine stirred something deep within me.
His lips began to slow to soft kisses before it broke. His hold on my face remained, and I slid my hands up to grip his wrists. With a final brush of his lips, his eyes, so full of heat and desire that my knees nearly buckled, met mine.
“Hi,” I said.
He smiled. “Hi.”
“I’m sorry.” A tear slipped from my eye, and he quickly brushed it away with the pad of his thumb.
“Don’t be.”
I turned my head and pressed a kiss to the center of his palm.
“You painted my wall.”
His smile widened, and he wrapped a stray curl that had fallen loose from my ponytail around his thick fingers. “I thought it was time someone took care of you for a change.”
I buried my face against the curve of his neck as the tears flowed down my cheeks. I was undeserving of his warmth, his kindness...of him.
He held me close, and we stood there wrapped in each other’s arms as the sun set behind the mountain, and the overgrown lot filled with shadows.
When we finally broke apart, he gently kissed my lips and handed me the roller. As the light began to fade and the street lamps flickered on, we finished the rest of the wall together, side by side in silence. Falling was no longer an option. I was already gone.
Progress on the house had been incredibly slow. It’d been well over a month, and I’d managed to fix the showerhead in the guest bathroom and the soffit on the east side of the porch. For every problem crossed off my to-do list, three more appeared in its place. Sometimes, I wondered if it wouldn’t be easier to tear the son of a bitch down and rebuild it from scratch, but despite the cracks in the ceiling and the water damage in the attic, the old place was home.
Things with Ash had taken a wild turn. We were all business at the bar, but the second we closed the doors, she climbed me like a tree.
The really crazy part was, we hadn‘t even had sex, and yet, I’d developed a Pavlovian response to her scent. One whiff of that sweet honeysuckle fragrance made my mouth water and my cock lengthen. I lost myself in the depths of her eyes and craved the taste of her sweetness on my tongue.
Since the hospital, we were in a good place. Not moving forward per se, but she’d been coming around to the idea of us slowly. Still, progress.
The garbage disposal had seized up again, so I spent the better part of the morning under the sink trying to figure it out while streaming a YouTube tutorial on my phone.
The guy in the video yammered on about things to avoid while reconnecting the motor when there was a knock on the screen door.
“Yoo-hoo,” called a familiar voice.
I crawled out from under the sink, wiping my greasy hand on a rag as I got to my feet.
I smiled as Peg wiggled her fingers at me from the other side of the screen. The hinges squealed as I pushed open the door and stepped out onto the porch.
“Morning,” I said.
“Mornin’,” she replied. Her smile was as bright as her strawberry curls.
The scent of cinnamon filled my nose, drawing my eyes to the tray of frosted rolls in her hands.
“I wanted to bring you some of my famous sticky buns.”
“They smell amazing. Thank you.” I took the tray from her hands and grinned.
She stared back at me, her smile tight, waiting for something.
“Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry. Do you want to come in?”
“Well, maybe for a minute,” she agreed, hurrying into the house.
I set the tray of buns on the table and pulled open a cabinet for a plate. If I’d learned anything about southern women, it was that when they brought you food, you ate it or suffered the consequences.
Peg inspected the kitchen, running a finger along the windowsill, disappointment flashing across her face when she found it clean as a whistle.
“Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” she said with a dismissive wave.
I dished a gooey bun onto my plate and tore off a corner popping it into my mouth. The intense sweetness mixed with cinnamon and a touch of orange zest filled my mouth. I hummed my approval, and her eyes glistened with pride. Mission accomplished.
She pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table, leaning forward with her purse in her lap. “Now that your good and sugared up, I need a favor.”
Ah, I knew that pastry tasted of bribery.
I licked the icing from my fingers and nodded. “Name it.”
“The Fourth of July Festival is coming up, and we are in desperate need of a grill man. Ashlynn usually sends Frankie to help out since the whole town shuts down for the party, but well, you know what happened there.”
“Sure. If it’s cool with Ash, you can count me in.”
Her face lit up, and she clapped excitedly. “Yay!”
Peg began rattling off details for the party and what would be provided for me, but I was barely listening. Why hadn’t Ash asked me? The question lingered in my mind as Peg rambled on and on about paper plates and condiment stations.
“If you have any questions, talk to Ashlynn. She’s an old pro.”
I gave her a polite smile, but it stung that Ash hadn’t discussed this with me already.
“Speaking of Ashlynn, how’s that going?”
I frowned. “What?”
Peg wiggled her brows. “You and Ashlynn. Word around town is that you two’ve been stuck together like love bugs for a while now.”
My lips twitched as a grin threatened to break across my face. “It’s complicated.”
Her smile faltered. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Get off that cute little tuchus of yours and make that girl yours.”
I laughed at her candor, but the truth in her words hit me hard. I had to talk to Ashlynn, make sure we were on the same page.
Twenty minutes later, Peg said goodbye with an empty tray and a promise for me to be there bright and early on the Fourth to help set up.
Behind me, the clock in the hall chimed. I needed to get a move on; the bar and my girl were waiting for me. My girl—it had a nice ring to it.
* * *
Freshly showered, I headed to town, tapping out the rhythm to an upbeat Chris Stapleton song on the radio. I waved at the locals as I passed, making my way down Main Street. People were beginning to finally accept me. It helped when you fed them on a regular basis.
I turned left on Sycamore by the fire station a few blocks up from the bar and caught a flash of blonde hair in my peripheral. Sara was arguing with a rough-looking older guy, tears flowing down her face. He grabbed her arm, and I slammed on my brakes, pulling over to the side as anger spread through my veins.
I threw open the door and shut it hard behind me as I made my way across the street, more than ready to fuck up this dude’s day. Sara’s pleading voice came at me like a freight train, the fear in that sound fueled my fury as I closed in on them.
“Please, Justin, don’t do this. I love you,” she begged, grabbing at his collar as he tried to fight her off.
“Let go, you crazy bitch.” He pulled her off and gave her a small shove. She stumbled back and collapsed to the pavement. Asshole didn’t even stop to help her up, stepping over her and kept right on walking.
Sara slumped on the ground, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs as I reached her. “You okay?” I asked, dropping to my knees beside her, searching for injuries before going after the son of a bitch.
She flinched away. “I’m fine.”
I searched the street, but the douche bag had vanished. “Who was that guy?”
Sara folded her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “No one.” The rage that swallowed me when that guy put his hands on her dissipated as fresh tears welled within her eyes.
I frowned, scanning the empty street. “Come on, kid, talk to me, cause I’m about three seconds away from hunting his ass down.”
Her eyes went wide, and she reached for my arm. “No! Please don’t. It will only make things worse.”
“What’s going on?”
Her bottom lip trembled as tears fell from her eyes, leaving long wet trails on her pink cheeks. “We broke up.”
I tried to keep a cool head, but fuck, that guy had to be in his early twenties, way too old for her.
“I thought he loved me. I gave him everything,” she blubbered.
Pieces were beginning to fall into place. Poor kid was played, and I had a feeling it may have cost her more than her pride.
“Hey,” I said, dipping my head to meet her eyes. “It’s his loss. You are beautiful and sweet. If that asshole can’t see that, fuck him.”
She sniffled. “I love him.”
I gave her a sad smile and wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head as the sobbing continued. “Yeah, first loves are a real bitch.”
She sniffled.
I pulled back and stared down at her red-rimmed eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
“It’s summer school. Not like it counts”
I chuckled and got to my feet, reaching for her arm to help her up. “You’re a real piece of work, kid. Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“I can’t. Ash is gonna lose it,” she said, wiping the last of her tears on her sleeve.
“Leave her to me, okay? But you can’t keep doing this shit.”
She pulled her arm from my grip and scowled. “I know, but she doesn’t have to be such a bitch all the time.”
“She’s doing everything she can to make sure you have the chance at a better life.”
