Jake, p.18
Jake, page 18
“Kelly, this is Mason, the handyman. Mason, do you remember Kelly?”
“How could I forget?” Drying his hands off, he looked up, and Kelly stared into eyes she hadn’t seen in twelve years. Mason Cole.
“Wow! How are you? It’s been forever.” Not sure what to do with herself, she leaned awkwardly against the wall, taking in this man who had been a teenager when she saw him last. Instead, here was this man with his dark brown hair and muscles she could see through his blue shirt. And those blue eyes… a woman could get lost in those eyes. He hadn’t changed much other than getting older, like her she supposed. He was still as handsome as ever.
“How’s the set working out?” Mason interrupted Kelly’s assessment of him. Oh, that smile, crooked with one dimple on the right cheek. That smile could make women fall all over themselves to get a glimpse of it. Nope, that hadn’t changed one bit.
“Hunter is already out there.” Mary saved her from having to form an answer. Nothing could have prepared Kelly for seeing this man in her kitchen.
Swallowing down old feelings and trying to move forward, Kelly shifted to look out the window on the back door to see Hunter still outside playing. Taking it in for the first time, she noticed the back deck was only slightly above ground level, just one step up. I need to get a table and chairs for out here, so I can work and watch Hunter play. The yard was a fair size, plenty of room for Hunter to run around, and the start of the tree line had been fenced into the yard, giving him a shaded place to play. The swing set was a good size as well, containing two swings, a slide, and monkey bars on one end. Uncle Bob strolled from the deck to the yard, watching Hunter wear himself out. At least he’ll sleep tonight, even after that long nap in the car.
“What did you need, dear?” Aunt Mary asked.
“Oh, I didn’t pack hangers and was wondering where the closest store was?” She focused on Mary, anything to not stare at this too-hot-to-be-here man in the kitchen.
“That would still be Gersham’s down on Main Street. I have to head there to order the part for your disposal if you’d like a ride?” Of course, it was Mason who answered. And a ride, really? Lord knew she wanted to go for a ride. Wait, where had that thought come from? How unlike her; must be the nerves.
“I don’t want to impose. I can head down there later.”
“No imposing at all. Grab your bag and hop in the truck.” Interesting how the words he chose said he made the decision, but the tone made it clear it was still her call.
Grabbing her bag, she let Hunter know she would be right back. For all he cared though, he was still enthralled with the swings and slide out back. After hugging Aunt Mary, she walked out to the dark blue Dodge Ram sitting in her driveway. Mason was standing by the truck and opened the door for her. He waited until she had settled before closing it. What am I supposed to say now? What do I do? Placing her bag in her lap, she sat still as he climbed in and backed out the driveway. Not much was said on the way to the store.
Staring out the passenger window, she watched the scenery. Everything seemed the same, and yet it all seemed so different at the same time. When they got to the store, they went their separate ways after Mason pointed her in the right direction. She grabbed several packs of hangers and headed toward the checkout. Mason was already standing there putting in an order for whatever part it was he needed.
As she approached, a shiver ran down her spine. Kelly felt like someone was watching her. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone else in the store besides Mason and the clerk. Still, she picked up her pace, unable to shake the creepy feeling. She set the hangers on the counter, continuing to look around while waiting for them to finish. You’re losing it. No one is in here, just the empty store getting you creeped out.
Needing a distraction, she watched the interaction going on at the register. The woman was practically hanging on Mason’s every word like she was super interested in garbage disposals. Kelly rolled her eyes. When she looked up again, Mason winked at her. She had been caught. Completely distracted from the creepy feeling, she now had a new one—full-on embarrassment.
Part ordered and hangers paid for, they walked back to the truck again. Mason took the awkward bags of hangers and opened her door for her. While Kelly buckled in, he put the bags in the back seat, then shut her door and got in.
“Didn’t like her much, did you?”
Kelly felt the heat creep up her face. He wasn’t going to ignore her eye roll. “It wasn’t that. More of a disbelief type of thing.” There, that makes me sound less rude for not liking someone I don’t even know and positively not jealous.
“Nope, it’s been a while, but you still can’t hide anything. It’s all over your face,” he teased.
Kelly put her hand to her heart and leaned toward Mason, doing an exaggerated impersonation of the busty clerk. “Oh, please tell me more about garbage disposals.” She batted her lashes. “I just don’t know what I would do without you having come in today, Mason.” Kelly laughed and sat back right in the seat.
“Pretty good impression actually. Now you know why I didn’t want to go to the store alone.” Mason cut her a sly look but laughed as well. After a moment, they both fell into a companionable silence for the rest of the trip. Pulling up, Mason stopped her from opening the door with a hand on her shoulder. “It’s good to see you and have you home again, even if it’s not under the best of circumstances.”
“Thank you. I’m glad to be home. No love lost in the reason for my coming home, so no worries. I’m glad I got to see you.”
“If you need anything while you’re here, let me give you my number. Your aunt and uncle call when something needs to be done in one of their rentals. Most of your new home has been newly renovated though; they really went all out to make it right for you. Oh, and I’ll let Bob know when the part comes in. She said Tuesday, but when I pick it up will depend on when I can get someone to go to the store with me.” Mason laughed again.
“I noticed. The porch looks great, and the swing set too. If you let me know when the part is ready, I can run in and pick it up, and then you can avoid the store altogether.” Kelly winked at him. “You can just let me know. Let me find a paper, and I’ll give you my number.” She dug through her bag and came up with a crayon and a receipt. Blushing again at how much of a mess she must seem, she wrote her number down and handed it to him. Saying their goodbyes, she hopped out of the truck and went inside with a smile on her face.
#
Kelly Marie Holstead, he didn’t know she would be there today. He could have sworn it was tomorrow that Mary said she would get here. Pulling into his own driveway, he smiled as he remembered Kelly’s reaction to Darlene, the clerk at Gersham’s. Just like the old Kelly would have done, she let loose with that cute little eye roll. Heading inside, he greeted Shep, his aging yellow lab, with a pat on the head. Shep followed him through the house, waiting to be let outside. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, Mason opened the back door and went out to the deck, Shep in tow.
Checking his phone, he texted Nate, his brother and business partner, about the disposal and the part needed. He pulled Kelly’s crayon-written number out of his pocket and plugged it into his phone. Should I text her now, so she has my number? Is it too soon? After deciding to just program the number in and debate it later, his thoughts wandered to the day he had. After a rough morning with two young guys late to work, again, he was frustrated and cranky when he remembered he was supposed to check on Kelly’s disposal today. When he pulled up, he was in no mood for small talk with Mary but had resigned himself to it. Then he noticed another car in the driveway.
Kelly apparently hadn’t been expecting him. He wasn’t entirely expecting her either. He hadn’t seen her in almost twelve years, since they were seventeen and about to graduate high school. That summer was some of the best memories he had though. Kelly was his best friend, but when they went to college in different states, they had slowly lost touch. It was one of his biggest regrets. He and Kelly had shared everything—sometimes too much, but he could always tell her anything, and she, him. He knew Kelly had gotten married right after she graduated college, and that was about it.
She still looked as good as ever, a more mature woman and no longer the body of a teenager, but time had been kind to her. Her blonde hair had been pulled back, but it was more than shoulder length and had some highlights. Her body though, she looked like she took care of herself; he could see her defined leg muscles under her shorts. Her curves were more significant than he remembered. She wore no makeup, probably not something she usually did, but no reason to get dolled up for a road trip to move. He liked the no makeup look though, no pretending, nothing to hide.
Just then his phone went off, pulling him out of his thoughts as they headed in the wrong direction. Texting Nate back, he got up, adjusted his pants, and Shep followed him in the door. Nate was going to give him a hard time about seeing Kelly, and about venturing into Gersham’s when he knew Darlene would be working. He wasn’t kidding; he had taken Kelly as a bit of a buffer. Darlene always shamelessly threw herself at him, but she’d limit it to flirting if there was someone else in the store. The woman never took the hint that he wasn’t interested, even though he had tried to let her down gently many times before. Now he just avoided the place when he knew she was working.
Time to make dinner. Pulling out the chicken, he got started on cooking. Wonder if she still cooks as well as she used to? What the hell was he doing, thinking about her so much? It had only been a few minutes, and nothing had even happened to make him feel so much about her. She hadn’t thrown herself at him like most women, so what was it?
Finishing up dinner, he carried it to the living room. Watching TV would distract his wayward thoughts.
#
He waited in his car with the lights off until Mason had finally left Kelly’s house. He had watched her from the back of the store as she searched hangers. He couldn’t believe she had been home just a few hours and was already back with Mason. How had that happened? Had to be her meddling aunt. He had been watching the house for the past week waiting for her arrival and would meet her again soon. She was supposed to come back after she finished school, and like a fool, he had expected her to, but no, she went and got married and hadn’t come back at all.
He had followed her online for a long time and had made sure she found out about her husband’s cheating. Chuckling to himself, he remembered how easy that had been. He had just pretended to be the secretary’s doctor and called their house phone looking for the father of the baby. Of course, Kelly had answered. Then he “accidentally” spilled the news of the baby to her. He had gotten her home now. She hadn’t been happy in her marriage anyway, so he didn’t feel bad. This time, she would be his, and neither Mason nor anything else was going to stand in his way. He carefully put away his phone, excited to have new photos of her on it, and headed home.
Toni Denise, Jake
