Sloppy Seconds

by Laney Kay

  Bella nodded and Daisy jumped up to hug her, just as Jack came through the door with their coffees. He looked at Daisy and Bella and saw that they both had tears in their eyes. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Luke, confused. “What the hell happened while I was gone?” Bella and Daisy laughed at his confusion and sat back in their chairs.

  Luke shrugged. “Welcome to my world. You’ll learn that with these women, it’s usually better not to ask too many questions. Anyway, good to have another guy on board.” He put his arm around Daisy and kissed the top of her head.

  Jack handed Bella her coffee and sat down. Bella looked over to him and reached over to pat his arm and offered in a low voice. “Thanks for the coffee. And sorry, I was acting like a jerk.”

  He saw the sincerity in her face and relaxed. “No problem.”

  “And I don’t want you to use Melvin as a chick magnet.”

  Jack laughed. “Well, I’m afraid Melvin can’t help the fact he’s so appealing to women, but I have no interest in anyone’s phone number but yours.”

  Bella agreed that Melvin was too adorable to ignore. “Fair enough.”

  As they finished their drinks, Daisy peppered Jack with questions about his new job. “I write a weekly column for the paper, but I also do human interest pieces for the Atlanta paper. Would you be interested in letting me interview you about your new program?”

  Jack grinned at her. “Absolutely. I’d love an opportunity to tell everyone what we’re trying to accomplish. Within a few years, our goal is to be the premier destination in the country for people who have suffered amputations.

  Daisy listened intently. “You know, Jack, I used to work for the local news station, and I still know some people that work there. I’ll be happy to make a few calls to see if they’d like to do a story on your new center. With all the bad stuff people have heard about the VA the past few years, it would be great to show that we’ve got new innovative programs designed to help both veterans and civilians.

  Jack was excited at the idea. “Daisy, that would be amazing. The more people that hear about it, the more people we can help. Just give me a few months to finish getting all our people in place, and our facility up and running. We’ve reconfigured some areas and changed out all of the computer systems, so I want a little time to work all the bugs out before we start showing it off.”

  “You’ve got it. I’ll check with my editor and once I get the go-ahead, I’ll call you and we’ll figure out the timing.”

  “Sounds perfect.” He and Daisy grinned at each other, and then she turned to Luke. “Ready to head out?” He nodded yes, and she patted his leg as they stood up. “I’ve got to do some cooking for us and Lola. Also, my mom,” she rolled her eyes, “…is having some fancy get-together on Tuesday night and she wants me to cook.”

  Bella tried not to laugh at Daisy’s distress. “From the uncomfortable look on your face I take it she also wants to you attend? And probably wear something fancy?”

  Daisy sighed. “Yes, and yes, unfortunately.” Bella knew firsthand that there were few things in life that Daisy hated worse than getting dressed up. “It’s some political thing for my dad and my mom has gotten the idiotic idea that I would be an asset at her political gathering. I told her I would be happy to make the food, and I arranged for a couple of our college-aged cousins who used to work for a caterer to serve the food, but I refused to attend. So now, she’s pissed at me, for a change.”

  “Is it for your Dad’s re-election campaign?” Bella explained to Jack that Daisy’s dad was the long-time sheriff of Fulton County and the election was in November.

  “Yep. And, of course, I offered to help my dad with whatever he needs. Besides cooking for any small events they personally host, I also handle all of his written materials. I wrote the info for his re-election website and did some press releases and some copy for a couple of ads to help him out, but let’s be honest. That’s the kind of stuff I’m good at. My damn mom should know by now that dressing me up and parading me around isn’t helpful to anyone.”

  Bella was very fond of Daisy’s parents, but she knew Daisy’s mom often drove her nuts. “Please tell them to call me if they need any fundraising help. I’ll be happy to brainstorm some ideas or handle anything if they need me.”

  Daisy thanked her and they untangled the pooches so she and Luke could head out. Daisy smiled at Jack. “Jack, it was great to have a chance to get to know you a little. I’m really glad you’ve moved to Atlanta and I’ll let you know what my editor says about the story.”

  He stood up and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Thanks, Daisy.” He offered his hand to Luke. “Great to meet you, Luke.” They shook hands and promised to get together soon.

  Jack and Bella took a few more minutes to finish up their coffees, then headed back out with Melvin. Jack asked how long Daisy and Luke had been together. “Well, they’re a lot like us. They knew each other in college and they each ended up with someone else and then got back together when Luke moved to Atlanta. I guess now they’ve been together three years, or so.”

  “I like them both a lot. Very nice people.”

  Bella agreed. “Yep. I’m sure you’ll meet that whole group eventually. They’re all a bunch of nice people.”

  They continued walking, just enjoying the day, laughing as Melvin greeted everyone they encountered with his sweet smile and full body wag. By the time they reached her house, the temperature was starting to climb and Melvin was panting. “Why don’t y’all come in and we’ll get something to drink and cool off. Poor Melvin’s tongue is about to drag the ground.”

  Jack was relieved at the invitation. “Sounds great to me. I’d like a tour of your house anyway. From what I can see, the pictures you sent me from the tour of homes doesn’t do it justice.”

  They went inside and Jack let Melvin off his leash. Bella told Jack she’d be right back and returned with a bowl of water. They laughed as Melvin lapped some of it up then immediately flopped down on top of the air conditioning vent in the floor. “While Melvin is enjoying the air vent, can I get you some tea?”

  Jack nodded and followed her down the hall and into the kitchen. As they walked, he looked around, taking in the details in her beautiful home. “Your place is gorgeous, Bella.” She handed him a glass of tea and he thanked her and chugged half of it. She did the same, then refilled both of their glasses.

  “Thanks. I like it too.” They stood there in the kitchen staring at each other. Jack wanted to reach over and take her hand, but he didn’t want to mess up the fragile truce they had formed. He drained his glass, rinsed it, and placed it in the sink. “So, what are you doing the rest of the day?”

  She shrugged as they walked back to the living room. “Nothing exciting. I have a little work to do this afternoon on some advertising for a big spring benefit, and I was going to do some work in the yard, but I think it’s getting too hot. I guess I’ll just hang out and read for a while. What about you?”

  “I’m going on a manly hunt for two big screen TVs for my living room and bedroom. And then I’ve got to find someone to hang them for me. I broke one last year trying to hang it myself, so I swore that was the last time I’d do it. I’m usually pretty handy, so I do most repair stuff myself, but I learned the hard way that hanging a huge TV is not a one person job.”

  Bella laughed. “That’s an expensive lesson.” She took out her phone and started typing. “Let me ask Luke who he uses for that stuff. He’s does a lot of high end renovations, so he knows who’ll do a good job for you.” She sent the text, and Luke answered almost immediately. Bella forwarded the contact information to Jack and shoved her phone back in her pocket. “There you go, Jack. Mike Krzyzewski. Like Coach K. Luke says he’s a little hard to understand unless you speak Polish, but he does a great job, so give him a call.”

  Jack smiled when he heard the little chime on his phone. “Thanks, Bella.” He leaned forward, and saw Bella tense as he got close. He kissed her quickly on the cheek, thanked
her for the tea, and took Melvin’s leash out of his back pocket. “Come on Melvin, we’ve got stuff to do.” Melvin opened one eye and then closed it again, not moving a muscle.

  Bella laughed. “I think he’s comfortable.”

  Jack shook his head. “I think he’s a brat.” He leaned over, connected the leash to Melvin’s harness and stood up. “Come on Melvin, we need to go.” He gently tugged for Melvin to get up, but Melvin went boneless and refused to move or open his eyes. Jack started laughing. “I don’t think he wants to leave.” Melvin opened one eye, thumped his tail once, and then went limp again, ignoring Jack.

  Bella grinned at Jack. “Does this mean I get to keep him?” Melvin’s tail started wagging, and he lifted his head up and woofed at Bella.

  “No, you little brat, I’m not leaving you here with Bella. Come on.” He bent over to pick up Melvin off the floor and slung him over his shoulder. Bella walked them out, with Melvin now upright and smiling at her over Jack’s shoulder and wagging his tail.

  She petted him one last time as they turned to go down the steps. “Bye, Melvin.”

  Jack turned half way around and smiled. “Bye Bella. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Bye Jack. Have fun buying your TVs.”

  He thanked her and he and Melvin walked around the corner, got in his car and headed toward his house. As they drove, Jack petted Melvin. “Good job, buddy. Even if she’s still not sure about us, she’s already fallen in love with you.” Melvin did his full body wag and flopped over so Jack could reach his belly. “Thanks to you, I don’t think she’ll be able to stay away from us.” Melvin smiled his goofy doggy smile and he and Jack went back home.

  While Jack shopped for TVs, Bella decided to read a book on her screened porch. She poured some tea in an insulated pitcher, grabbed some cheese straws that Daisy had made for her, and went outside to stretch out on her favorite glider under the fan. After a few minutes, it was obvious she couldn’t concentrate, so she put the book aside and dropped one foot on the floor so she could gently rock herself as she sipped her tea and munched on cheese straws.

  As she moved back and forth, Bella thought about Jack. The past month had been awful for her, but at the time, she really hadn’t been able to see an alternative. She knew she and Jack couldn’t go back to just being friends, not after the night they’d spent together, and she was still so terrified at the idea of them having a real relationship that she really didn’t see any options besides breaking up completely.

  But Daisy and Luke had made her start to rethink her position. Daisy was right. She wasn’t happy with the current situation, and even after a month, she missed him constantly. And Luke was right when he said that she was making a mistake by overthinking everything. Maybe it didn’t have to be all or nothing. Maybe it did make sense just to spend time together and see what happened. Hell, maybe they’d drive each other crazy after a few weeks and they’d walk away from each other with no regrets. Maybe it was time for her to make a decision.

  As Jack headed toward his little house with two huge TVs and mounts in the back of his truck, and an enormous leather recliner on his new, small landscape trailer, he found himself doing what he usually did when he wasn’t busy. Thinking about Bella. Going through this past month had convinced him of two things. He knew he loved Bella, and he knew that he wanted her every minute of every day. It was like being fifteen again. He spent most of his time in a low level of constant arousal, and spent most of his nights tossing and turning restlessly, dreaming of her.

  But, his feelings weren’t the problem. The problem was convincing Bella to trust her feelings and take a chance on them. Maybe they could go back to just being friends, although he winced at the idea. He’d hated that, when they were walking this morning, he couldn’t hold her hand or put his arm around her. But, at least, if they were friends, they could spend time together.

  By the time Jack reached his house, Mike, Luke’s TV guy, was waiting out front. Jack had called him that morning to schedule an appointment as soon as he’d left Bella’s house and it turns out that Mike had to cancel a scheduled installation because his assistant was home sick and he needed two people for the job. Jack offered to double his normal fee and told him he’d assist him if he could do it today, and the guy had agreed immediately.

  By two o’clock, Mike was gone and Jack was sitting happily in front of his new TV. He took a picture of it and texted it to Bella, along with a selfie of him and Melvin sitting in his new recliner, and a quick message. “Check it out. Melvin and I are enjoying our new TV in our new chair. This place is going to be the ultimate man cave.”

  He didn’t have long to wait. Bella typed back. “Nice. What did you have to do to get Luke’s guy out there today?”

  “Cost a small fortune and I’m not sure what else because of his extreme Polish accent. I may have accepted a job as his indentured servant for life, but totally worth it.” He hesitated for a second, and then figured what the hell and texted, “Hey Melvin and I are going to find a dog-friendly restaurant for an early dinner. Want to join?”

  The response was nearly instantaneous. “Sure. Why don’t we meet at your place so I can check out your new man cave?”

  Jack pumped his fist and grabbed Melvin to roughhouse with him. “Yes! Melvin, check it out. Bella’s coming to see us, voluntarily.” He kissed Melvin on the head. “I knew she couldn’t resist you. Way to go, buddy.” Melvin woofed as Jack answered Bella, making sure to keep his reply casual. “Sounds great. Melvin and I are watching a Braves game, so we’ll be here any time you want to come by. See you soon.” He texted her the address and tossed his phone on the table. “Come on, Melvin. I need a shower and some of that cologne she likes. I need all the help I can get.”

  9

  By the time Bella got there, the Braves had just lost by ten runs and Jack looked irritated. As Jack took her arm and welcomed her inside, he waved at the TV. “Okay, I’ve just learned that the disadvantage of having a TV that big is that you see every stupid-ass error in extreme detail.”

  She smiled. “You seem remarkably calm.”

  He snorted. “You should’ve seen me ten minutes ago. I was cussing so loud, Melvin left and went to hang out in the back yard.” As he was speaking, they heard the slap of a doggy door and the sound of little feet tearing through the house. Bella leaned over to catch Melvin as he came around the corner and launched himself into her arms.

  “Hey, Melvin.” He was so excited and was wiggling so much that Bella could barely hold onto him. Jack quickly steered her to the big recliner, which was strategically placed in the middle of the room, directly in front of the TV, so she could sit down until Melvin calmed down. As soon as she started scratching his chin, he stretched across her lap and relaxed. She snuggled down into the leather as she petted Melvin and smiled at Jack. “Oooh, Jack, this chair is the perfect chair for a man cave. It’s huge and the padding is awesome.”

  He crossed his arms and looked very pleased with himself. “Baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Check this out.” Jack poked her arm and she lifted it from the armrest, then he hit a button and the entire top opened. It was a built-in cooler big enough for a six back of beer. Bella started laughing, and he continued. “It’s electric so it doesn’t need ice. You just turn it on and the beer stays cold.” He pointed to the other arm. “See, the other armrest has a cup holder and a place to keep your remote.”

  She leaned forward to look at several buttons on a panel in front of the cup holder. “What is this for?”

  Jack grinned. “It also has heat and massage functions. Bella, I admit it, it’s kind of tacky, but it’s totally awesome. I’m telling you, this is the mack daddy of all man cave recliners.”

  Bella tried to stop laughing, but failed every time she looked at his proud face. When her belly laughs had finally been reduced to giggles, she smiled up at him. “Wow. Jack, you’re right, this is an awesome chair. All it needs now is a built-in toilet and you’d never have to get up again.”
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  “Right?! At least not till I ran out of beer.” He smiled and put Melvin on the floor and grabbed Bella’s hand to pull her up. “Come on and check out the rest of the place.”

  He showed her around, and Melvin followed them from room to room. When they reached his bedroom, she started laughing again when she saw his huge, Mission style bed, which took up most of the room. He shrugged. “I’m tall and I like a king-sized bed, and when I measured it, I saw it would fit.” He wrinkled his nose. “I guess I didn’t take into consideration that’s pretty much all that would fit.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I figured I’d move the dressers into the two little guest rooms and I’ll just put my clothes in the walk in closet, so it’s not a big deal.”

  She looked in the closet and saw stacks of scrubs, shorts and t-shirts on shelves, and some shirts and jeans hanging on the racks. She smiled at the television on the bedroom wall that was at least as big as the one in the living room. “So you made sure you had a big enough TV and a big enough bed?”

  “Of course. What kind of man cave would this be with some wimpy little TV and a little double bed? Bella, in case you didn’t notice, I’m a guy, and you know we all think that size is pretty much all that matters.”

  She laughed. “So they say.” He showed her his bathroom, which had a fairly roomy shower considering the size of the bathroom, the other two bedrooms, and the kitchen, which included a tiny screened porch attached to the eating area. They walked back to the living room and Bella sat on the small loveseat while Jack flopped into his recliner. Melvin immediately joined Bella on the loveseat and draped himself across her lap so she’d have maximum access to his belly.

  Bella smiled at Jack as she scratched Melvin’s belly. “This is a nice little house, Jack.”

  He shrugged. “It’s great for now. I had no idea what I wanted to do long term as far as a condo or a house, so a tiny furnished house close to work seemed like a great solution. All I’ve bought are the TVs, my bed, and my overly macho recliner, and I can use that little bit of furniture, no matter what I eventually buy.”