The Middle of Nowhere

by Piper Phoenix

  The garage was a mess. It would have been nice if the previous owner would have cleaned it out a little better. It was as if they took their belongings but didn’t bother to pick up broken things or sweep. There were broken pieces of rotting wood scattered everywhere, dirty pails and random gardening tools which I had no idea how to use. Maybe I could buy myself a fishing pole from the general store. Well not tomorrow but sometime.

  Before I went back inside my house I turned to take one last look at Rex, but he was already motoring away. I couldn’t tell if he had caught some fish or if he was just looking for another location. But at least he didn’t see me watching him drive off. I’m sure he already thought I was, um, eccentric enough and standing there staring at him would freak him out for sure.

  . . .

  I was boiling some noodles I had found in the back of the cabinet when I caught myself thinking about him again. I drained the noodles and tossed them in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. I tossed my novel next to my plate. Reading my novel would help me take my mind off of Rex. Before I sat down, I cut myself a slice of banana bread.

  The bread that Rex had baked and delivered. He brought me the bread, checked my car and was going to drive me into town, the kindness he was showing me seemed to be too much. And he was so hot on top of it all. I had never in all my 25 years met a guy like this one.

  There hadn’t ever even been a guy that could stop me in my tracks like Rex did. He threw me so far off my game, if I had a game, I didn’t even know who I was. The words I spoke around him felt foreign. And still all I wanted was for him to wrap me into his arms and kiss me. So I could feel his lips against mine. I could feel his skin against mine.

  And there I was thinking about Rex again. I put my plate on the table and started to eat my nearly plain noodles. I opened my book and started reading, but before I knew it I was picturing Rex as the love interest in my book.

  I dropped my fork and stood up abruptly. I walked around as if I was trying to catch my breath. Perhaps I needed a cool shower to get my thinking back on track. I needed to stop thinking about him. Nothing would ever come of that. I wasn’t in the right place to start something like that and he probably wasn’t either. I mean he was just being neighborly, that’s where his thoughts were and I was just overwhelmed by his looks… kindness…. For God-sakes he could bake.

  I forced myself to sit down and finish my meal without thinking about him. The food was surprisingly satisfying. I finished my chapter and closed my book.

  Instead of cleaning up dinner I stomped into the bathroom and got ready for bed. After I had brushed my teeth, I grabbed my book and crawled into bed wearing my flannel pajamas. Just one more chapter before sleep. Maybe it would help stop any lingering thoughts and I could get a good night’s sleep.

  But my plan failed. It hadn’t taken very long at all before I was just staring at the words on the page and thinking about Rex. About his hair, his solid body and those eyes. I tossed the book on the night stand, turned the light off and pinched my eyes closed.

  When the thought of doubled checking the locks bounced in to my head I almost welcomed it. It took my mind off of Rex. I got up and checked them. Of course they were locked. But the second my head hit the pillow he floated back into my mind.

  It had been awhile since I’d been with anyone. Perhaps that had something to do with my obsessive thoughts. Almost as if I was annoyed with myself, I let my thoughts go wherever they wanted. I imagined Rex was in bed with me. I closed my eyes and imagined the hands that were touching my breasts weren’t mine, they were Rex’s. My imagination was so good, that it almost felt as though I could actually feel his mouth dusting kisses on my neck.

  He whispered in my ear that I was turning him on and he pinched my nipple which caused my lips to part. I squeezed my legs together tightly just before I spread them open for him. I moaned with anticipation.

  Rex slid his hand down my stomach and traced a lined around the waistband of my panties. I writhed under his touch and he grinned that sexy half-grin at me. He slipped his hand inside my panties where he found me more than ready for him. His finger dipped inside my slit where I was aching for his touch. He rubbed and flicked until he asked me to whisper his name. Saying his name out-loud in the darkness was enough to send me off the edge, I came so hard I wanted to scream.

  I gripped the bed as I rode the waves of my orgasm. When I finished I knew that when I opened my eyes he wouldn’t be there. But dear God I wished he would have been. Because now, I think I wanted him even more.

  5

  The next day I was up with the sun. I spent far too long deciding on what to wear to a trip to a general store. And even longer to put on my makeup. I was trying my damnedest to make it look like I wasn’t wear any. For all he knows, maybe I just wake up looking this way. I raised my eyebrow at myself in the mirror.

  I picked at the remaining hunk of banana bread hoping it would be enough to sustain me until I got back with my groceries. Rex knocked at the front door just as I stepped into the bathroom to brush my teeth. No time. I hastily swished mouthwash before dashing to answer the door as if I was worried he might leave without me.

  “Good morning,” he said barely smiling. He seemed to be in a bad mood about something. It was probably because he had offered to drive me into town. I worried that I was putting him out of his way more than he had made it seem.

  “For some of us,” I said tilting my head ready to back out. I didn’t want him to have to drive the long way to town just for me. But then if I declined now, he’d just be pissed off he drove the ten miles to get me only to have me change my mind. If he didn’t want to go, he shouldn’t have offered. But more importantly, I really needed food.

  “Sorry, I’m not a morning person,” he said running his hand through his hair. “And had some work stuff come up this morning.”

  “If you need to get back to your work stuff I can probably manage until they can fix my car,” I said lying. Well, I’d survive but I’d be hungry. I wondered what kind of ‘work stuff’ he had out here in the middle of nowhere, but I didn’t want to ask since whatever it was already seemed to be bothering him enough.

  He forced a smile, “It’s no trouble.” Rex gestured towards his beat-up pickup truck. “The ride will be a welcomed break.”

  “Just a sec,” I said as I turned to lock my door. I could feel his eyes on me as I twisted each of the locks into place. It was hard, but I forced myself not to vigorously jiggle the knob to make sure it was indeed locked up tight. “Ready,” I said meeting his eyes. I could tell he had questions but he didn’t ask them. He probably would have told me that there is no one out here and bears typically don’t break into houses.

  We walked to the truck side-by-side and I was more than surprised when he opened the passenger door of his truck for me. There wasn’t a single guy I had ever met that had bothered to open a car door for me. I almost didn’t know what to do. But thankfully I managed a smile and a nod. Once I swung my legs inside he closed the door with a bit of a shove. Maybe he wasn’t being gentlemanly, maybe he just wanted to make sure the door had been closed tightly.

  His beater truck was old and rusty, but apparently it was more reliable than my ten-year-old car had been. After he slammed his door shut he put the key in the ignition and started it up with a loud rumble. After a few seconds it quieted down and he shifted into reverse.

  “I really appreciate this,” I said clicking my seatbelt into place.

  “No problem,” he said as drove out of my driveway onto the narrow road that would take us to the general store. It would take a little over an hour before we’d get there. Considering his mood, it was probably going to be a long hour.

  I tried to force myself to look straight ahead, or out my side window so I wouldn’t just sit there gawking at him. But I couldn’t help myself. Every now and then I found myself taking a quick glance in his direction. All I could do is hope he didn’t notice.

  Rex looked so freaking hot in his
blue jeans and steel-toed work boots. He wore a leather jacket that looked like it had been very expensive. But maybe it was just new, or something he wore on special occasions. It made me wonder what kind of work he did where he could afford such a nice coat, and to live out in the wilderness. For all I knew he too had come into some inheritance.

  Against my will I glanced again. He turned towards me at the exact same moment and caught me looking at him. I didn’t look away, instead, I quickly blurted, “I like your jacket.”

  Rex chuckled and flashed his sexy grin. He looked me up and down as if he was looking for something to compliment in return, but he shifted his eyes back on the road instead. Which I was glad he did because he had started veering off towards the ditch.

  “You from around here?” he asked. The tone of his voice seemed to be improving. Perhaps he was feeling a bit more awake, or maybe he was just giving into the fact that he’d be stuck with me for a while. He looked over at me for a split second and then back at the road.

  “Six hours away,” I said putting my hands on my knees.

  “City girl,” he said leaning back slightly, and relaxing his left arm on the door armrest. “What brings you out here?”

  I should have been more prepared to answer this. It wasn’t like I was going to tell him why I really moved here. He’d think I was crazy if I told him I wanted to get away from all the evil in the world. And people in general. “I guess I was just sick of city life. Have you lived out here long?”

  “Had this place for… five years now,” he said with a pause as if he was counting up the time in his head.

  “You like it out here?”

  “I do,” he said glancing at me quickly before turning back towards the road. A small grin appeared on his face as he looked out of the window. The scenery and the peacefulness of everything out here was beyond beautiful. I didn’t think there was a soul out there that wouldn’t enjoy being out here.

  “I do too,” I said and my cheeks felt warm as if I was blushing. I liked it out here because of how calm it made me feel, not because of him. Although my cheeks might not have agreed.

  There were like a hundred questions I would have liked to ask him but none of them felt appropriate. This wasn’t a date. I didn’t want him to think I was nosy. But I wanted to know how old he was, what he did for a living, and what his favorite color was. For some reason I wanted to know everything about him.

  He looked at me again, this time his eyes were narrow as if he was trying to figure me out. “You don’t look like a city girl,” he said locking eyes with me for a brief second before shifting his gaze back to the road. I could tell by the thinning of trees that we were getting closer to the little town we’d find the general store. Houses, although still few and far between were getting closer together. I felt the hum of life.

  “Oh?” I said not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  “Well, not the city girls I’ve seen,” he said as he clicked his blinker. But I still had no idea if it was a compliment to not look like a city girl or not. Especially since I had been a city girl my whole life.

  When we turned off the main road I spotted the general store not far down the side road. It was marked by a medium sized sign on a tall pole. If someone was driving around out here looking for a store, they wouldn’t miss it. For a brief second I thought that I had forgotten my shopping list on my kitchen table. I started shoving my hands into my pockets. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the folded up piece of paper in my back pocket. That would have just been my luck if I had forgotten the list since I always forget something if I don’t have a list. I hoped they carried everything I would need since it didn’t seem as large as the grocery chains I was used to.

  He pulled the truck into one of the many open spots and shifted into park. I started to open my door but before I could even move it more than an inch Rex was on the other side opening the door for me. I stepped out slowly and he barely moved his body to allow me much space. We were so close I could feel the warmth radiating from him. It sent a little shiver down my spine and my breath caught in my throat. He grinned almost as if he knew what he was doing to me, which of course he couldn’t have.

  We walked side-by-side into the general store. I felt small walking next to him. It was his height and the fact that he was pure, solid muscle that made me look puny.

  “Hey Rex,” the old man behind the counter said with a huge toothy smile. He stood up straighter as if he had suddenly just noticed me. The man adjusted his invisible tie and tipped his invisible hat before he laughed at himself. “Who’s the little lady?”

  Apparently people in these parts were allowed to be nosy. Rex chuckled and put his hand lightly on my back as he guided me towards the man behind the counter.

  “This is Heather…,” he paused waiting for me to provide my last name.

  “Lacy.”

  “Heather Lacy, she’s living in the Donner’s old place,” he said sounding so formal with his introduction. But then when he abandoned me to go look at something hanging on the nearby wall it shifted right back to being casual. And a bit annoying.

  “Hi,” I said feeling a bit awkward. I smiled at the man not really knowing what to say.

  He reached out his wrinkled, boney hand, “Doug McDougal, owner of this fine establishment. Family owned since 1922 he said pointing at a picture on the wall behind him. I reckon I’ll see you from time to time?”

  “I’m sure you will,” I said glancing at Rex. He was off in his own world flipping some item over and reading the information on the backside of the packaging.

  “My wife, Rosalie works the counter too. She’s at the house now, or I’d have you meet her,” he said pulling his shaking hand away. I just smiled politely as I tried not to think about food. There were things stacked all around and I was so hungry I worried my noisy stomach would break the silence between us. I just hoped if it did the rumble wouldn’t be heard by everyone in the place. Although, everyone in here was just me, Rex and Doug McDougal.

  I took a small step back waiting to see if he’d say anything else. Rex had completely abandoned me and walked off to another area of the store. The pause between us was getting awkward. Right when I was about to excuse myself he spoke.

  “Well go on, have a look around. If you need something let me know. And if I don’t have it in stock, I can usually order it,” he said resting on a metal chair and crossing his arms.

  I pulled my shopping list out of my pocket and grabbed a shopping cart. It was an old, rickety metal cart near the front door. The wheels spun wildly as I rolled it around the store searching for the items on my list. It was going to take forever since I didn’t know where anything was located.

  When I was finally finished I had found ninety percent of everything that was on my list. Luckily it wasn’t a huge deal since the remaining ten percent were things I could do without. I wasn’t even going to bother Doug McDougal with ordering them. A month from now when I came back, I wouldn’t even remember I had needed them.

  After I paid for my huge load of groceries, Doug McDougal rang up Rex’s items. He had only picked out a few things, which kind of surprised me. I had thought he needed more and that was why he offered to drive me here.

  I tried not to be nosy about what Rex was buying. That was something I always found to be somewhat annoying. When the customer behind you looks to see what you are buying, but here I was doing it to Rex. Doug McDougal rang up a new fishing lure, bread and what was either sour cream or a tub of bait. Or maybe it was salsa. I think it was bait.

  I wheeled the wobbly cart out to Rex’s truck and he helped me load the bags inside the cab. They were lined up on the seat between us and on the floor by my feet. I probably should have been a little more conscious of what I was buying and how much space his truck had. Although things probably could have been put in the back, anything that wouldn’t be likely to blow away on the highway.

  “Oh I forgot something. I’ll be right back,” he said
as he held up his palm to me. Rex ran back into the general store and a moment later came back out with another paper bag and stuffed it in the cab with the rest of them.

  “Sorry,” I said, looking at how crowded he was going to be for the drive back.

  He chuckled, “I’ve packed it tighter than this before.” I still felt bad I was taking up all the space. It was a good thing he hadn’t bought much. Although that kind of made me feel worse because that meant he made the trip to the general store mainly just for me. I had put him out of his way when I could have just waited for the mechanic. It wasn’t like salt and pepper noodles drizzled in oil were the worst thing I’d ever eaten. There had probably even been a noodle or two left at the bottom of the bag. It’s not like I would have starved to death.

  We drove back to the house exchanging random small talk. He told me about the McDougals and a couple other people I might run into when I was out and about. It seemed as though everyone in the area new everyone else. Nothing was a secret out here. If someone wanted to know your business they’d come right out and ask you. And apparently they’d expect you to be honest about whatever it was. It seemed a lot different from how things worked in the city. Where everyone went about their business and didn’t bother to talk to one another. And those that did probably embellished or outright lied about it anyway.

  I was surprised how much time had gone by just running what used to be a simple errand. He pulled into my driveway and parked close to the house. Rex turned off his truck and gabbed a couple bags, “Here, let me help.”

  “OK,” I said as I opened my own door before he could run around to do it while carrying my bags. I grabbed two of the paper bags while he waited for me patiently. He followed me up to my front door. My fingers fumbled the keys as I tried to unlock the door. The bag shifted to the side and I knew there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it from falling to the ground. If I had tried to stop it, I would have just dropped the other bag instead. I pushed open the door with a groan as I kneeled down to start picking up the spilled contents.