He shot to his feet and paced, trembling uncontrollably. He hit the floor doing push-ups trying to block it all. He counted out loud. Doing them until his muscles gave out. Then he switched to sit-ups, still counting, until he cramped.
He lay flat on the floor staring at the ceiling and the image of brown eyes floated into his vision. Could still taste those berries.
Be okay.
He was so not okay.
She should have yelled at him for acting like that at Booseys, even if that asshat did deserve it. She should have dug around trying to figure out what his problem was. She should have never followed him outside.
Someone needed to give her a lesson in staying safe. You didn’t chase some mad, crazed motherfucker when you didn’t have a clue how he would react. For all she knew, he could have hurt her.
He needed to stay away from her.
He jumped up and got in the shower so he could head over to Shelby’s.
She’d hired him, he reasoned. Right.
He stood on her porch and knocked. Good thing home improvement stores opened early. He was able to grab a few things before he showed up. A flash of curtain movement in the window, and the door squeaked open.
Damn.
She wore pajamas. Silky cream-colored shorts with a matching short sleeve buttoned shirt. Not a peek of cleavage in sight, and her shorts were a modest length. Somehow, it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Her hair was messy, her eyes sleepy, but a soft smile greeted him.
“Mornin’. Little early isn’t it?” she asked.
He took off his shades and hung them in the neck of his shirt. “Just wanted to let you know I was here. I’ll be working in the garage.”
She grabbed his hand before he walked off. “Have you even eaten yet?”
He shrugged. He really wasn’t in the talkative mood or hungry.
“Come on. Let’s get you something to eat.”
He ducked as she tugged him into her house. The living room was almost clear of boxes and paper. “It’s not necessary. I’m fine.”
“You need food to work. Sit.” She pointed to the kitchen chair. “I’ll fix you Gran’s favorite egg scramble. Coffee or juice?”
He fell into the chair, feeling out of sorts. It would take too much energy to argue with her, so he let her order him around. She’d asked him a question, but he was eyeing the way her feet arched when she stood on tiptoe to reach for something. He shifted. “Uh, coffee.”
“I swear, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a waitress at Booseys. I seem to be the only one to get into trouble. Lila is smaller than me, but she doesn’t have a problem.” She got the coffee going, put a pan on the stove, and took some stuff out of the fridge.
“Lila is mean.”
“She is not.” Her giggle lingered in the air.
He stared at the floor. His slight hangover combined with lack of sleep and the nightmare made his skin itch. He tapped his finger on his leg in rapid staccato, counting each tap. She placed a steaming cup in front of him.
“Cream or sugar?”
He shook his head.
*
Shelby knew whatever had been bothering Ethan last night still lingered. Not once had he flashed those dimples at her. She’d been wide-awake most of the night worrying about him. Hoping he was okay. Seeing him on her porch had been a relief.
She chattered on about Gran’s scramble while she cooked, so out of character for her, and he said almost nothing. Nervous energy buzzed through, her making her act weird. She placed a bowl of egg mix in front of him, and he looked up at her.
Dark circles hung under his dull black eyes. She barely resisted the urge to hug him. Something deep bothered him, but she had no right to pry.
“Thanks.” His words lay flat.
She mustered a small smile. “You’re welcome. Eat, I’m going to go change.”
He nodded, his gaze following her around the room. She paused to meet his. The way he sat, hunched over, his hands loose in his lap, hurt her heart. Such a big guy looking so defeated, when all she had seen so far was his teasing good-natured humor, wasn’t right.
She was caught in his stare, half-in, half-out of the kitchen, unable to walk away. Silence hung like a weight. Then he cocked his head and looked her up and down. Heat spread up her neck and flamed her face.
“Go on, Brown Eyes.” His words were gruff, and he leaned forward, hands on his knees. Looking ready to pounce, with her his target.
She fled to her room and sat on her bed breathing heavily. She was so far in over her head. So out of her realm. She shoved a shaky hand through her hair and busied herself with getting dressed and brushing her teeth.
All night she had done nothing but think. The kisses that left her reeling and butterflies that rippled in their wake. The pain she saw behind his mask of anger. Her life and how it had been turned upside down. Not just by him, but by this whole experience. They way she’d lived in Houston seemed like a surreal dream. Unreal and out of touch. What she was doing now was real life.
This was right.
Living in Gran’s house, being around people who weren’t so full of themselves and a dollar sign. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and walked back towards the kitchen.
“Ethan—”
He was gone. His empty bowl sat on her counter. She stepped out onto the front porch and saw him moving towards the garage. He wore his usual tee with ripped out sleeves, but today he wore dark cargo shorts. No surprise he had a tattoo on his calf. She sighed, walked back into the house, cleaned up the mess, and poured herself a coffee with cream and sugar. Setting her cup on the table, she padded silently to Gran’s room. At least it had been until she’d claimed it.
She frowned at the crystal ring holder that sat on her dresser, then picked up the gaudy ring. Sitting on the bed, she turned it back and forth, the light caught on the big diamond that sat in its center. She’d taken it off as soon as she left Texas.
Andrew was who her parents had chosen for her. Like she wasn’t smart enough to choose for herself. She knew she should have never been talked into it, but as usual, they ignored her protests. Meek they might have been, but she did protest.
Coming to Nashville had been her biggest revolt yet.
She dropped the offending ring back on its holder and looked up at the ceiling. That reminded her of what she wanted to talk to Ethan about. She slid her feet into sandals and walked to the garage.
She stood in the open doorway looking up at him. He sat atop the ladder, straddling it, while he worked on the metal track for the door. His feet dangled, and he didn’t seem the least bit concerned that he might fall.
“I hate to bother you, but I have a question.”
He glanced at her but didn’t bother to stop what he was doing. “Yeah?”
“I noticed there are some large water stains on the ceiling upstairs, and I’m no expert on roofs, but even I can see it’s bad. I was going to call a roofer, but I didn’t know if you knew how to do it.”
Ethan stopped and stared at her, much like he had last night. Surprise in his dark eyes. He stepped on a rung, swung his leg around, and hopped down in front of her. She still had to almost crane her neck to look at him.
“You’re right. It needs replacing. I’ve done some roof work, but Zak knows a lot about it. I can see if he might be interested in helping out.”
“I’ll pay him.”
He smirked, flashing one dimple at her, and it both relaxed and wound her up at the same time. “Hang on, I’ll call him.”
He pulled out his phone, hit a button, and stepped around her so he stood outside looking at the roof.
“Hey man. You interested in doing Shelby’s roof?” He paused and nodded. “Got it. See ya in a bit.”
He turned back to her. “He said he’d come take a look at it. You might want to think about the garage roof as well.”
She backed up so she could see it and crossed her arms. “Freak, I didn’t even think about that.”
H
e double-dimpled at her, and it sent little flutters of awareness low in her belly.
“We’ll see what Zak has to say about it.”
“Thanks. If you need anything, I’ll be inside. Going through more papers.” She scrunched her nose.
“You’re making progress. I noticed the living room is almost cleared out.”
He was closer now, and the shadows that lingered in his eyes were almost gone. But he studied her, like what, she didn’t really know, but it made her squirm.
“It’s so slow. I don’t know what Gran was thinking with all that mess. She was never like that before.”
“It’s a puzzle you will probably never figure out.” He tapped the end of her nose, winked, and climbed back on the ladder.
She bit her lip and fought a grin as she wandered back to the house with no clue why she suddenly felt lighter. She eyed the last couple of boxes in the living room with renewed vigor.
All she found was more trash. Oh, Gran what were you doing?
With a big sigh, she hauled bags of trash onto the porch and decided to clear out the dust. She took down the drapes and tossed them in the washer. It would be a wonder if they made it out of the cleaning intact. The old seventies style curtains would have to go anyway, but redecorating would have to wait until she got the big things fixed.
She vacuumed the furniture and polished the wood floor then cleaned the big picture window. How she loved this place. The big circle drive with the huge tulip poplar tree in the middle brought a smile to her face. How often had she climbed those branches sniffing the blooms as she went? The flowers were gone now with the onset of summer, but the leaves remained a glossy green.
She inhaled the peace this place brought. Even with Gran gone, she could still feel her love within these walls. So different than the cold ones of Houston and that mausoleum her mother called home.
This was what home was supposed to be. A place you could relax and be yourself. Her life in Texas slipped further and further away with each cobweb she cleared.
A few hours later, there was a knock on her door. She opened it to see Ethan and Zak.
“So glad you could come, Zak.” She smiled and offered her hand. Tall and lean, Zak had a few tattoos on his forearms, but what struck her were his eyes. The most amazing mixture of blue and green. His shaggy hair hid most of his face, but his eyes were too startling to miss.
He hesitated before he reached out and shook. “Show me the stains.”
“Sure. They’re upstairs.” She didn’t comment on his abruptness. His handshake was firm and strong but not rudely so. The stairs were off the living room, just a few steps, a landing and then a hard left leading the rest of the way up. “There’s a spot in the bathroom corner and in both bedrooms.”
She let Zak and Ethan lead the way where he stopped in her old room. She looked up at the water stains and frowned.
“I walked on your roof, and the whole thing needs replacing, including some decking underneath, if these stains are any indication. Won’t know for sure until we pull the roofing material.”
“Because of water damage?”
Zak nodded. “No way to know how bad it is until we uncover it. It might be small or not.”
“Which means it could cost a lot,” Shelby said on a sigh. Gran had left some money in her account, but she hated to spend the bulk on one project when so much needed done. She glanced up at the ceiling.
“This problem will only grow, unfortunately,” Ethan explained, confirming exactly what she thought.
“There is no use fighting it. It has to be fixed. Can you guys do it? If not I can hire a roofer.” She didn’t know how far their expertise went, but she trusted them. More importantly, she trusted Ethan even though it made little sense.
“Yup. The problem is we don’t have all the tools required. Some will have to be rented. And a rollback to toss the old roof in to haul off.”
She groaned and crossed her arms. “Just do it. Whatever you need. I trust you.”
She stomped down the stairs and went into the kitchen. How would she ever pay for all this? The entire place needed to be repainted, inside and out. And let’s not even get into how outdated everything was. The pink bathroom made her flinch every time she went in there. Her mom’s money came to mind, but there was no way was she opening that can of worms. They could wiggle all they wanted, but she’d rather stick her hand in a bee’s nest.
She turned to Ethan and Zak who had followed her.
“Why do you trust us?” Ethan asked, but Zak held a curious expression too.
She started to answer, paused, then looked at them. “You haven’t given me a reason not to.”
Ethan laughed, and Zak stared at her wide-eyed.
“You’re something, Brown Eyes. And you didn’t even ask us how much.”
For the first time, she felt like she was being laughed at. She lifted her chin and curled her hands. “I’ll pay for materials then the hourly we agreed upon for both of you. Fair?”
“Fair.” Zak held out his hand, and she shook it. “I’ll go measure to estimate materials.”
Zak left, and she glared at Ethan who still looked highly amused.
“What?” he asked.
“I don’t like being laughed at.” She turned her back on him and stared out the kitchen window.
He leaned an elbow on the counter, and peered around her so they were eye level. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m fascinated by you.”
Her irritation evaporated, and she gaped. The seriousness of his expression said it all. He reached up and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“You don’t act like anyone I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of people. Granted most of them were assholes but still…” He shrugged one shoulder as his dark eyes bored into hers. “It’s a compliment.”
A tingle lingered where his fingers brushed along her neck.
“Zak is good at roofing. That’s what he does. He just hasn’t got a job here yet. I’ll call you when you need to meet us to get the materials.” He pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s your garage door opener. If you have trouble with it, let me know. See you later, doll.”
He winked and was gone.
Shelby said nothing. Just watched him walk away without replying. What could one say to something like that?
She fascinated him.
She swallowed hard.
If she fascinated him half as much as he fascinated her…flying monkey trumpets.
Chapter 6
A few hours later, she was nose deep in more boxes when her phone rang. Muttering, she went in search of if, finding it buried under a pile of trash.
“Hello?” she answered without even looking at the screen.
“Why haven’t you called me?” Andrew’s accusing voice rang in her ear.
She sighed, leaned her back against the wall, and pulled her glasses off to rub her eyes. He was the last person she wanted to hear from at the moment. Or ever. “Sorry, I’ve been buried in cleaning up Gran’s house.”
“I think it’s time you came home.” He didn’t ask her, he told her. “Hire someone to finish it and come home. We have a wedding to plan.”
She choked. “We don’t even have a date.”
“Didn’t your mom tell you? We set a date. I assumed she said something. In any case it’s in October and you—”
“What? No!” This was wrong on so many levels. She took big gulps of air trying to calm her panic. She couldn’t do this. She had to stop this. “I can’t do this. Andrew, I should have never agreed to this.”
“Now honey, it’s just pre-wedding jitters. Once you get home and start helping plan you will be fine…” Andrew continued to ramble on about the wedding and plans they had made. Without any input from her. Per usual, she was merely an afterthought.
Shell shocked, she let him continue on until she thought her head would explode. “No. NO! I will not marry you. This was a mistake from the start. I should have never a
greed with it.”
“Now Shelby, everyone knows we’re getting married. You are the only one who seems to have a problem, and you didn’t until you went to Nashville.”
“Don’t you think I’m the most important part of the equation? Shouldn’t the bride be the one to set the date? But it doesn’t matter, because I don’t want to marry you. I never wanted to marry you.” She paced into her living room, her heart beating frantically out of her chest. “I only agreed because I was pressured. I’ll send your ring back.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“It’s over. I’ll send your ring back today.”
“Your parents will hear about this.”
“I’m sure they will. I really don’t care.”
She hung up, and dots swam before her eyes as she stared at the tree she loved. Holy hullaboo on a shingle, she’d done it. She sank down in a chair and dropped her head in her shaking hands. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she knew for a fact this wasn’t over. When her phone rang again, she looked and saw her mom’s number.
She muted it.
A few minutes later her phone rang again. This time from John, her stepfather. She turned it off.
She had to get out of here.
She changed her clothes, grabbed the ring, and headed out to the nearest post office. She mailed it and sat in her running car with the AC on high because it was blistering hot outside and because she was the verge of freaking out.
This had nothing to do with Ethan. She knew that. This moment had been coming for years, she’d just never had the guts to do it. Getting away from them had really opened her eyes. They were controlling and manipulating and didn’t care one way or another what she thought. In the end, she wondered if they really cared about her at all. She was just a pawn they moved around the board as they saw fit. Why had she not listened to Skye? Her friend had told her time and again how unfair they treated her. Shelby knew, of course, but kept justifying it in her head.
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