One of These Days (Prairie Town Book 4)

by T. E. Ridener

  And why? Because of him? Because of what they could have together?

  “I don’t care about any of that, Aggie. It doesn’t matter,” he’d promised. “Like I said, now is what’s important to me. Today is important; not yesterday.”

  “You are way beyond anything I could have dreamed of,” she’d whispered, pressing a kiss against his shoulder. “I’m lucky to have you in my life, Jeb. All of you.”

  But he was the lucky one. It wouldn’t do a bit of good to argue with her about that though.

  I could make her happy. We could be happy, just like Lydia and Callum, and Laney and Benji.

  The thought made him grin to himself as he shifted to lie on his back. Groaning in her sleep, Aggie instantly moved closer to him and stilled once more.

  He hated to wake her up, but they had a busy day ahead of them.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he whispered, nudging her gently. “Time to rise and shine.”

  “Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

  “I wish I could give you five more minutes, but we really need to get up now. I’ve got to meet Mr. Reynolds at nine about my house, remember?”

  “But it’s your house. Why do I have to get up?” She asked, opening one eye to peer up at him.

  “I know that, but I thought maybe you’d want to come supervise or something. I’ll buy you food.”

  “Mm. Food.” Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she released a yawn. Her legs stretched beneath the blankets, warm toes caressing the side of his foot.

  He could get used to waking up like this every morning.

  “Yes, food. Anything you want,” he promised. Seeing his opportune moment, he wiggled free and sat up, moving his head from side-to-side in an effort to pop his neck. “And then we’ll stop by to see how things are going with the apartment complex.”

  “Ah, that.” Sitting up behind him, she scooted closer and let her forehead rest against his upper back. Another soft yawn escaped her as she dragged her nails down his arm gently. “Are you positive we have to get out of bed?”

  Oh, the things he could have said.

  He wouldn’t have minded staying in bed with her all day, doing anything but sleeping. However, his house really did need his attention; Lydia and Callum wouldn’t let him stay at their place forever.

  Well, maybe they would.

  Reaching his hand back to pat her knee, he sighed. “Maybe another time. I’m going to go back to my room and get dressed.”

  “Aw, do you have to?” Her lips touched the back of his neck and he froze instantly. “I’m enjoying this view.”

  They hadn’t had sex yet. They had done everything except for that, and if she kept kissing his neck like that, they definitely wouldn’t make it to his house anytime soon.

  Yet, he was tempted...

  “It’s going to be pretty hot today. There’s a ninety-percent chance I’ll take my shirt off at some point,” he teased. Standing up, he stretched his arms above his head and groaned. “Up and at ‘em before I change my mind.”

  “Fine.” Pouting, she swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and followed in suit. “I’ll get some coffee going.”

  It only took a few minutes to get changed into fresh clothes, and by the time he made it downstairs, the coffee was ready. He wasn’t really big on drinking coffee, actually, but damn if he didn’t want to share a cup with her every morning for the rest of his life.

  They sat on the back deck and listened to the birds chirping, sipping at their caffeine. It was the single most peaceful thing he’d ever experienced, and he sort of hated Mr. Reynolds for needing him.

  Hell, he hated the tornados for ripping through their town, too, but they wouldn’t be here, having this moment, had it not happened in the first place.

  So off they went, heading back to his side of town. Taking his truck made the most sense, so Aggie rode beside him with the windows down, a glorious cool breeze tossing her hair every which way as an old song came on the radio.

  “This is great,” she said, her eyes scanning the scenery of the back road he’d taken. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this part of Prairie Town before.”

  “Probably not.” Keeping one hand on the wheel, his other one found its way to one of hers. “This road is really curvy so a lot of people don’t like it.”

  “Have a lot of people died on it, because of that?”

  “Just a couple of people. Like I said, it’s not a very popular road unless you live out this way.”

  “But you live out this way, right?” Tilting her head to the side, she frowned. “Why have I never been to your house before?”

  “Because I never volunteer to host parties.” He chuckled and eased his foot off the gas pedal. “Besides, it ain’t much to look at anyway. My place isn’t exciting.”

  “But it’s yours.”

  Just when he thought she couldn’t get any cuter...

  They pulled up to his house, which was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, to find three other trucks had already arrived. Mr. Reynolds obviously didn’t joke around when it came to renovations. He hadn’t, however, expected the guy to get to his house so soon. There were tons of places in Prairie Town that needed the help more than he did.

  “This is your place?” Aggie asked as she hopped out of the truck.

  “Yep. This is it,” he replied, shutting the driver’s side door and staring at the small one-bedroom house.

  He’d gotten it off of old Man Miller, as everyone called him, right before Lydia had moved back home. Had he known things were going to play out the way they had, he wouldn’t have been so eager to move out of his parents’ house. But it was probably for the best; no grown man wanted to live at home forever, and Lydia and Laney had made great roommates for one another anyway.

  It was smaller than what most people had, but he loved it just the same. He had a big yard and lots of space to piddle about if he so desired—and he did. There were some days when he’d go outside just for the sake of walking around his yard. He always felt at home when it came to nature, so being surrounded by miles and miles of woods made him pretty happy.

  But he also knew he could be happier.

  Heading towards the front porch, he stuck his hands into his pockets and listened to Aggie’s excited chatter.

  “This place has so much potential, Jeb. Oh my god.” She lifted her hand and pointed towards the front door. “It’s red! You have a red door!”

  “Not by choice,” he said, chuckling. “That thing was there when I moved in. I’ve never really thought about changing it though.”

  “Are you kidding? You shouldn’t change it. It’s perfect.”

  He’d never really gotten excited about a door before, but maybe she had a point. The house itself was built in the early 1940’s, and for the most part, the old soul of the place was still very visible—especially in that door.

  He knew it was nothing spectacular to look at. Lydia’s home was extravagant and huge; Tula’s place was ridiculously ginormous with every modern appliance a person could want. Even the house he grew up in was a thousand times fancier than this old hunk of wood.

  But it was still his.

  Plus, the damn thing had survived the tornados.

  For the most part.

  “Hey, Jebson. Good to see you,” Mr. Reynolds said as he rounded the corner of the house. “Miss Reed, nice to see you as well.”

  “Hi, Mr. Reynolds,” Aggie said sweetly, draping her arm through his as she waved to Callum’s father.

  Warmth enveloped him from that simple action, and he grinned like an idiot. Nodding to his best friend’s father in greeting, he tugged out his house key. “Morning, sir.”

  “Ah, hog wash. Quit calling me that,” Mr. Reynolds said, rolling his eyes. “You and Cal have been friends for ages now. You can call me Rupert.”

  “Sorry,” he replied, chuckling. “It’s a habit. Anyway, here’s the key. I’m not sure what you plan to do with it today, but—”

  “Eve
rything.”

  “Beg your pardon?”

  “We’re going to do everything today. I’ve had so many volunteers helping with all the houses and stores, I’ve got plenty of time to do what needs to be done here, today. I can have you moved back in by tomorrow night.”

  “Really?” Aggie sounded as surprised as he felt. “That fast?”

  “Yes, ma’am. That fast.” He smiled and looked so much like Callum as he grabbed the key and passed them, stepping onto the porch. “And good news, Miss Reed: your new apartment should be ready in a few days. I’ve got some guys rewiring the new building as we speak. It won’t be long now.”

  Damn.

  He knew he should have been excited about coming back home, and Aggie should have been excited about getting a new apartment, but judging by the look on her face, she didn’t feel very thrilled about it either.

  Maybe she isn’t ready to say goodbye either.

  Moving back home meant he wouldn’t get to see her as much, and he’d gotten really used to that. Falling asleep with her had spoiled him. How the hell would he ever fall asleep now?

  There had to be something he could to prolong the process.

  “Come on in, you two,” Mr. Reynolds called from inside the house. “We’ve got work to do.”

  Yes, he thought as he grabbed Aggie’s hand and headed inside. We do.

  Chapter 14

  Ags

  Helping with renovations to ‘the old Miller mansion’, as Jeb had jokingly called it, had been more fun than she originally anticipated. But she’d also hyped herself up for the task because she knew it meant she could spend more time with him.

  And judging by the sound of things, their time together was running out.

  It was stupid, she knew it, but she’d gotten used to being around him nearly 24/7. Moving back into her apartment and being so far away from him just didn’t sound like her idea of a good time.

  She was going to miss him, and maybe she’d even go through withdrawals—one couldn’t be too careful with this type of thing. What would she do if another storm came through? She couldn’t exactly drive over to his house and ask to sleep in his bed.

  Or could she?

  Don’t be ridiculous.

  Rolling her eyes, she picked up another small piece of wood and headed towards the back of the house where Jeb, Mr. Reynolds, and a few other volunteers were attempting to fix what had been blown away during the storm.

  Lucky for her, Jeb’s prediction of being shirtless before the day was done had come true, and watching his muscles dance beneath sun-kissed skin was definitely worth the labor she was putting in.

  “Thank you, Aggie,” Mr. Reynolds said, reaching a gloved hand out. “Would you mind hammering this into place for me?”

  “You want me to use a hammer?” Staring down at the one on the bottom step, she bit her lip. Tools didn’t like her any more than she liked them. What if she accidentally whacked his thumb?

  “Sure I do,” he said, giving her a smile. “Just keep your eyes on the nail and you’ll do fine.”

  “All right.” Hesitantly, she bent down to retrieve the hammer and then glanced in Jeb’s direction. He was standing on a ladder nearby, sweat glistening on his skin as he hammered another board into place.

  Holy shit. Being here for the show was definitely worth it, and it was making her tingle—in such a good way.

  “All right, Agatha.” Mr. Reynolds’ chuckle pulled her from her temporary fantasy, one she wouldn’t go into detail about. Blinking rapidly, she turned her attention back to him and felt her face heat up.

  She could blame the sun, right?

  “Sorry, Mr. R.”

  “Nothing to be sorry for unless you smash my fingers,”—her eyes widened and he laughed—“I’m just kidding. Here. Let’s get this one on and then we’ll take a lunch break. Deal?”

  Lunch? Oh, she couldn’t wait. Coffee just didn’t suffice as a nutritious breakfast these days.

  Stepping up to the plate, so to speak, she lifted the hammer and grinned. “Let’s do this.”

  Amazingly, everyone walked away unscathed, and she found herself in Jeb’s truck about twenty minutes later. With the air conditioner on full blast, they made their way back into the main part of town, in search of sustenance.

  And he was still totally shirtless.

  “What are you in the mood for?” He asked, his eyes moving to her when the stoplight caught them.

  “Food.”

  “Obviously, beautiful. But what kind of food?”

  “The kind you eat.”

  “Well, you’re just a regular smart ass today, huh?” Laughter rumbled deep in his chest as he grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing over her knuckles.

  “What’s the day without a little smart-assery?” She smiled from the kisses against her knuckles and leaned over so her lips could participate, too.

  They didn’t pull apart until someone honked from behind.

  “Anyway,” Jeb said, clearing his throat. “Where to, little lady?”

  “How about chicken sandwiches?” Honestly, she didn’t care what they ate. In fact, the hunger in her belly had been taken over by a different type of hunger—one only he could satisfy.

  However, taking care of such a hunger would be considered indecent exposure, or something along those lines. So she’d just have to settle for chicken.

  “Chicken sandwiches,” he echoed, nodding. “I could eat one or two.”

  “Then let’s go to whichever place sells those.”

  “Lots of places sell those, Aggie. It’s one of the easiest things to make.”

  “You speak as if this town has a lot of options, Jeb. This is Prairie Town, remember?”

  “Who says we’re staying in Prairie Town?” Turning to look at her, he lifted a brow.

  “We’re...not?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Sure enough, they bypassed every restaurant in town, which was only three little places, and headed straight for the freeway. She couldn’t help but feel a little excited to leave town with him.

  That was an adventure she was willing to have any time, any day.

  They ended up in Aero City. The only downside to going inside to eat involved him putting his shirt back on, but she was fairly certain she could convince him to take it back off once they returned to his house. Well, if any convincing would be needed at all; it was freaking hotter than the pits of hell.

  They picked a small diner on the outskirts of town. Everyone inside was pretty nice and the food was delicious, but she kept glancing out the windows, expecting to see Noah walk by at any time.

  Even though Jeb knew the truth about the situation, it would still be awkward for her, for some reason. She felt like she was letting the poor kid down, and she hated the thought of what life was like for him now that they were no longer together.

  Was his father being mean to him?

  Had he finally found his courage to just be himself?

  Ha! I’m one to talk, she thought, lifting her drink to her lips. I’m afraid to be myself all the time.

  ‘You told Jeb the truth about meeting Gran,’ Agnes said in her mind. ‘That’s not my definition of hiding.’

  That much was true. Jeb knew about it all now—well, almost all of it. The only thing she hadn’t told him about was when her mom’s...

  ‘Don’t think about that,’ Agnes warned. ‘Your mind gets bad when you think about it.’

  Also true.

  She didn’t want to slip back into that darkness, not when she was so close to having the happiness she’d always wanted.

  Gazing at Jeb as he finished off the last of his food, she felt butterflies go crazy in her stomach when his eyes found hers and he smiled.

  Gods, she was so in love.

  “Are you finished?” He asked, reaching across the table to grab her hand.

  “Yeah, I’m done.” Her heart skipped a beat when he squeezed her hand. It was always the sma
ll things, wasn’t it?

  “I suppose we should start heading back that way. Mr. Reynolds is probably already working on it again.”

  “At least we’re almost finished. You’ll be moved back in before you know it,” she said, forcing a smile.

  But it made her so incredibly sad on the inside. Did it make him sad, too?

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He began clearing their table and there was a glimpse of something in his eyes she couldn’t explain, but she was pretty sure he wasn’t too thrilled with their impending separation either.

  At least she hoped that was the case.

  ‘You could always move in together,’ Agnes suggested.

  Move in together? We’re not even official yet.

  ‘Then change that. Ask him out.’

  Gods, Agnes had dangerous ideas.

  They had only just begun testing the waters of their relationship...whatever it actually was. Who was to say Jeb wanted a girlfriend—that he wanted her as his girlfriend?

  The drive back to his house was pretty quiet for the most part. She was lost in her thoughts, daydreaming of the possibilities. Becoming his girlfriend and officially going ‘steady’ thrilled her beyond explanation, but her heart was still cautious.

  Just because she’d revealed most of the truth to him, didn’t mean he’d accept the rest of it when the time came—if the time came. She hadn’t exactly worked up the courage to tell him what she’d done for a living before meeting his grandmother.

  Oh, boo. Sighing softly, she rested her forehead against the glass of the window and closed her eyes. This is hopeless.

  —————

  Jeb

  He noticed the shift in Aggie’s mood and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done or said something wrong. That was typical though, always being paranoid about screwing things up. A man didn’t date a girl like Mia and not suffer some sort of consequences afterwards.

  Not that he thought Ags was anything like Mia, because she definitely wasn’t, and maybe it was dumb to even think such a thing because that bitch was just crazy, but still, he wondered. He worried. Something had stole the smile he loved seeing, and the perfect day they’d been having had taken a turn for the worst.