Nate took the offered paper and, as he scrutinized it, said, “I understand you had other things on your mind. What the hell?” He glared at Bob. “You're charging me twice the agreed on amount."
"The job took longer than I thought, and the supplier went up on the roofing price."
"I'll write you a check but you should have consulted me first."
Bob grinned and walked to the edge of the porch. He remembered the heft of Jodi's breasts and the vision of her perfect body. He closed his eyes and could almost feel Jodi's long tongue filling his mouth. He slowly licked his lips as he visualized enjoying Pam and Jodi at the same time and his mind drifted through various scenarios in which he could entice Jodi into participation. Maybe blackmail would work. There must be a few skeletons in her closet.
"Here's your damn check, Bob."
Nate's return surprised Bob and he tried to hide his erection as he turned to receive the payment.
"If you ever do any work for me again, make sure you check with me before upping the price."
Bob grinned as he folded the check and tucked it in his jeans. “How's Miss Jodi this morning?"
Nate's eyes narrowed. “She's fine."
"She is that—a fine piece of ass. Man, if I were you I'd do whatever was necessary to make sure she hangs around."
"You!” Nate said through clenched teeth. “It was you who screwed her."
"Juiciest twat I ever ate,” Bob bragged. “Jodi was hot to trot, man. Rubbed them titties all over me and practically raped me. Now I'm humping your wife. Man, I admire your taste in women."
Blood splattered as Nate's fist crashed into the handyman's nose. Bob ducked the next punch and sank his fist into Nate's stomach. As Nate crouched, another blow landed on his jaw and a right uppercut slammed him into the wall. Stunned, Nate slumped to the floor. Bob was on him in a flash, straddling his chest and, grabbing Nate by the hair, Bob banged his head repeatedly against the wooden floor.
Nate struggled against the onslaught but his strength was gone and his vision blurred. He felt Bob's left hand gripping his hair, felt his head lifted from the floor, saw Bob's right fist heading straight for his mouth, but was powerless to avoid the blow. Blood from his split lip spurted, mixing with Bob's on the porch, and Nate struggled unsuccessfully to remain conscious.
Jodi slammed into Bob with a flying tackle any professional football coach would admire. He rolled off Nate and protected his face from her clawing fingernails.
"Wanna play rough, do you?” Bob sneered, grabbing her wrists with his powerful hands and then pinning them together with only his left. He savagely clutched her breast. “Hot damn, no bra. You must have known I was coming."
He released the breast, but before he could rip off her shirt her knee found its mark. As he lay gasping she propped on her hands, lifted the remainder of her body and again landed her knee between his legs with the full force of her weight behind the blow.
Jodi jumped to her feet as Nate began to stir. She lifted her right foot, but Bob grabbed his testicles and rolled to his side.
"Please,” he begged. “Enough. Nate started it."
"Asshole,” she screeched. “Get off our property and don't ever show your face around here again."
"I'm going,” he muttered as he literally crawled to the steps. He pulled himself erect on the porch column and lurched like a movie monster as he descended the steps.
"If I ever hear that you've mistreated Pam in any way, I'll tear your damn balls off,” Jodi shouted.
She turned to Nate, who was now sitting up, knelt beside him and tenderly pulled his head to her chest. “You okay, Buckshot?"
"Yeah,” he mumbled, “but I learned something this morning."
"What's that?"
"I can't outrun a flying fist."
Jodi chuckled and kissed him on top of his head. “I love you anyway, Buckshot."
"I feel so damn foolish."
"You look a little foolish too,” she kidded. “You're going to have one hell of a shiner and your upper lip is already twice its normal size. Let's get you inside and see if we can stop the bleeding."
Gingerly she dabbed away the blood with a wet cloth. “It's worse that I thought, Nate. I think you need a stitch or two. You know the way to the hospital?"
"Yeah,” he said as he examined the oozing wound in the bathroom mirror. “It does look nasty.” He took the cloth from her, rinsed it out in cold water and pressed it against his lip as tightly as the pain would allow. “I'm feeling better, nurse Jodi. Let me rest a minute or two and I'll drive myself to the emergency room."
"No way, Big Guy. I'll drive you."
"Jodi, I'm embarrassed enough as it is. Let me do this. When I get back I want to see your completed manual."
"You sure?"
He nodded as he eased onto the bed. “Just let me rest a few minutes."
Nate waited five minutes after hearing Jodi's study door close, slipped off the mattress, quietly shut the bedroom door, crept across the room like a thief in the night and slid open Jodi's top dresser drawer. He removed her small jewelry box, feeling very much like a criminal. He didn't know why she kept it or how it survived the loss of her van, but he had seen her old wedding band one night while she was dressing for dinner. He glanced around, as if some unseen spirit were watching, slipped the band of gold into his pocket and carefully replaced the box.
"I may be gone a while,” he explained, standing behind her as she worked on the manuscript. “It depends on how many emergencies they have."
She looked up and the expression of love on her face weakened his knees. “You sure you don't want me to drive you?"
He massaged her shoulders and felt her sag into his kneading fingers. “Mother, please! I'd rather do it myself."
She snickered. “Whatever,” she said and then added, “I love you, Nathan Watson."
"I love you too, Jodi Swanson. I wish I could kiss you."
"Better not,” she said as she craned her neck and kissed the swollen knuckles on his right hand.
She turned back to her computer, reread the half of the final chapter already written, rubbed her hands together and began a new paragraph. When the final period was typed, she leaned back in the chair and smiled at the flickering screen. Nate's going to like it, she promised herself. I just know he will.
She glanced at her watch. Damn, he's been gone nearly four hours. She checked his study but he was not there. She rushed to the kitchen and looked out the window. Her convertible was the only vehicle in the parking area. Oh, God. Maybe he had a wreck. He may be hurt badly. They may have admitted him. He ... he may be dead.
She rushed back to Nate's study, pulled the heavy telephone book from the drawer, looked up the number and dialed. After three transfers, she learned that Nate was treated and released approximately two hours earlier.
She sat back in his chair. Where the hell is he? He said Mariah is still in Atlanta. Maybe she came home early and somehow he found out about it. That's it, damn it. They gave him a prescription for pain at the hospital, he took it to the Kmart Pharmacy and now he's again in her arms.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. No, she scolded herself. He says he loves me and I believe it. If a relationship is going to work there has to be trust. I must not go jumping to conclusions.
She returned to her desk and began to read the manual from the beginning. Although he was obviously trying to be quiet, she heard Nate arrive and creep down the hallway.
"You okay?” she called out.
"Yeah.” His voice seemed to come from the master bedroom. “I'll be right there. I need to see a man about a dog first.” The fat lip made his voice sound weird.
Jodi typed the control and home keys simultaneously, jumping the document back to the beginning. “How many stitches?” she shouted.
"Keep your britches on,” he replied. His voice was closer and she turned as he entered her study.
"It's not as bad as it looks. They cleaned it out but said I didn't
need stitches if I could keep myself from smiling."
She grinned. “If you're not allowed to smile, avoid mirrors. You look like a Panda bear. Did they give you anything for pain?"
He shook his head and grimaced. “I guess I'm not supposed to allow much head movement either. They just recommended aspirin."
"The place must have been crowded. You've been gone over four hours."
"Not really. I don't think I waited more than an hour or so."
"Then what took you so long? Traffic?"
"I stopped at the Kroger store and bought some beer. I also made a trip to the bank. I was running low on cash. I, uh, did something else too. Maybe I should have talked with you about it first."
She looked up into his eyes. “I thought we agreed last night there would be no more secrets."
He nodded and grimaced. “It's not a secret since I'm about to tell you. It's just that, well, if you don't think I did the right thing there's no way I can correct it."
Jodi felt her heart racing. “You've been with Mariah?"
"Come off it, Jodi. Mariah is history and I trust that Bob is too. It's Pam. I swear to God that I don't love her, Jodi, but I do still care about her. Now that I know what a creep Bob Renegar is, I don't feel good about Pam being with him."
"Isn't that her decision?"
"Yeah, of course it is, but I don't want her to be trapped in that relationship. I went to Bob's trailer while I was out. He was off on a job somewhere and she was trying to clean the place up. We talked a little and I wound up taking her to the bank. I, uh, gave her some money that she used to open a checking account in her name only and she also bought a CD. Jodi, I gave her a hundred grand. With the exception of property, that's half of my net worth."
"You provided her with a nice safety net."
"You're not angry?"
"Why would I be angry?"
"It's a lot of money."
"It's your money, Nate. I don't care how you spend it. You're a good man, Nathan Watson. You look after those who are important to you."
"I just don't want you to think that I don't intend to look after you too."
"I know, Nate. I have a secret I need to confess also. When I thought you might have died in the plane crash, I searched through your desk looking for names and telephone numbers of your relatives. I found the codicil to your will."
Nate sighed audibly and groaned when his lips involuntarily crept towards a smile. “I'm glad you did, Jodi."
Jodi grinned and gestured towards her computer. “If you go broke, we can live off the proceeds from my computer manual. I finished the thing, Nate. You've only read the first chapter. Take your time and tear it apart. I can take it."
"If you'll get that pretty little butt of yours out of the chair, I'll read it right now."
She jumped up and made a sweeping gesture with both hands, as if inviting the king to his throne. As he began to read, Jodi wandered to the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of coffee. It took me weeks to write the dang thing and it will take him less than an hour to read it. It doesn't seem fair.
She wanted to look over his shoulder and read his mind as he read her work. Instead, she got a broom from the utility room, swept the kitchen and then the front porch. She straightened up magazines in the great room and carried yesterday's newspaper to the recycle bin.
She eased down the hallway and peeked in her study. He was hunched over the computer, obviously concentrating. Please like it, she begged internally. There was a legal pad and pen on the computer desk, but she couldn't tell if he'd made any notes.
She went to the bathroom and, as she wandered back towards the kitchen, she again peeked into her study. Nate was still concentrating on the computer screen. What's taking him so long? She went to the bedroom and absentmindedly began to straighten the rumpled bed. She pulled back the spread, fluffed his pillow and then picked up her own. Under it was a small black box.
She held the box in her hands several seconds before opening it. Tears burst from her eyes as if a geyser had suddenly erupted. She focused on a huge, glittering solitaire set in a simple white gold band. She slipped it on her finger. It fit! How did he know the size to buy? she wondered.
"Hey, you!"
She spun towards the bedroom door, her heart pounding as if she were a child about to be caught smoking a cigarette behind the barn. “I'm in the bedroom,” she called out.
"I've finished reading your manuscript."
"Be right there.” She wrestled with the ring but could not get it past her knuckle.
"Are you coming or what?"
She stuffed the box back under the pillow, pulled up the spread and rushed to her study, carefully clasping her hands behind her back.
"What's the verdict?” she asked nervously.
Nate stood beside the computer chair, his fingers on his cheeks to prevent an inevitable smile. “Doesn't seem fair that it takes weeks to write these things and less than an hour to read them."
Jodi smiled nervously. We're beginning to think alike.
He approached and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Oh, how I wish I could kiss you,” he said. Instead, he gently touched his forehead to hers. “It's good, Jodi. I mean it. It's far better than anything I've written."
"You're not just saying that?"
Nate started to smile and thought better of it. “I see only one problem."
"I'll change anything you don't like."
"Sit down at the computer, honey,” he said, stepping aside.
God, he's going to make me type. He'll see the ring. She glanced at the monitor. He had reset the document to the first page.
"You list dual authors—Jodi Swanson and Nathan Watson. You wrote the thing, Jodi. You should take full credit."
"No,” she replied, clasping her hands together in her lap, right hand covering the left. “We wrote it together. You virtually wrote the entire outline, showed me how to use the program and edited the first chapter to get me started. I insist both of our names should be listed as authors."
"Well,” he said, leaning over her with fingers poised above the keyboard, “how about this?” He highlighted the author line and overtyped “Jodi and Nate Watson."
Jodi shrugged her shoulders, lifted her left hand so he could see the ring and said, “Whatever."
Finis
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