The First Time I Saw You

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  “Good, now I’ll help you with this window—and one more thing.”

  He waited for it.

  “We’ll expect you to show up at the ranch for dinner tomorrow. I’ll tell your mother you’re coming, and then she can see for herself that you’re okay.”

  Instead of answering, Gabriel pulled the window out. His dad grabbed the other end, and they lifted it off and out of the back of the truck.

  Chapter 13

  She never cried.

  Ever.

  Not since she was eight, when her best friend at school had traded her up for the popular girls and proceeded to make her feel as if she was inadequate and unworthy of friendship. That had been the last time she’d ever shed a tear, until today. She was nestled in a corner of the comfy brown sofa, stuffing her face with potato chips, crumbs everywhere.

  After MM’s humiliating display at Moto Auto Parts, Barry had told her to take the rest of the day off—for her dignity or his, she wasn’t sure. Nevertheless, after MM left, so had she, grabbing her purse, tucking it under her arm, and fleeing the store red-faced. She’d stopped at the corner store and grabbed a jumbo bag of salt and vinegar potato chips on sale, then walked home to eat her heart out and try to regain her dignity before she had to get up and go pick up Shaunty at preschool.

  She sniffed and shoved another handful in her mouth, reliving the horror of her morning, her cheeks puffed out and the skin on her face feeling raw from the tears that had streamed down for what felt like hours. Wads of toilet paper were all around her from blowing her nose. Crumbs covered her light T-shirt and jeans.

  Just then, the front door opened, and there was Gabriel, carrying something long and heavy with a tall dark-haired man who was older and damn attractive. She didn’t know what to do as she froze mid-chew and sat up straight, and they both took her in, shock on their faces.

  It was in that moment, where no one said anything, that she wished the floor would open and swallow her up and put her out of her misery.

  “Hey, I didn’t know you were home,” Gabriel, always the gentleman, said as she watched him put what she now saw was a window down. The other guy kicked the door closed with his foot and helped Gabriel lean the window against the wall.

  She tried to chew faster and swallow the mouthful of chips without choking, and, with all the dignity she could muster, she brushed off the crumbs that covered her shirt front and piled up the wads of toilet paper on the sofa. Then she wiped her hand over her face to wipe off all the crumbs she knew had to be plastered there. This was worse than anything, she thought as she continued to sweep her hand over herself. She folded the bag of chips and put her bare feet on the floor, wanting to race down the hall to her room and hide, but she couldn’t, because then she’d have to go past Gabriel and the very intense handsome man standing with him, who oozed a kind of power and confidence she didn’t remember ever experiencing before. The expression on the man’s face had her wishing this nightmare could end.

  She looked over to Gabriel and had to sniff again, and she could see the moment they realized she’d been sitting there bawling like a baby. “Is everything okay?” Gabriel said and stepped closer to her even though he was still an arm’s length away. She could hear the other man drag his hand over his face, the whiskers scraping. Obviously, he didn’t have a clue what to say to a woman who had been sobbing, drowning herself in potato chips. She most likely appeared a train wreck.

  “Oh, sorry, I’m so sorry,” she said, not knowing what else to say. “I didn’t know you’d be home so soon. I just was…” She couldn’t figure out how to piece together a coherent sentence.

  “Yeah, I, uh…I picked up the new window and was going to put it in. This is my dad, Andy.” He gestured behind him, and she took in the man, who stepped in closer. “Dad, this is Elizabeth, who I was telling you about.”

  He actually held his hand out to her, and she turned hers over to see whether it was clean and then quickly gave it a wipe on her jeans, seeing the salt and chip bits still there. “So sorry about this mess.” She stuck her hand in his large warm grip and took in his icy blue eyes. She wished she could find a way to excuse herself and leave the room. “It’s nice to meet you.” She pulled her hand away.

  He nodded in silence and stepped in closer, taking in the room, the kitchen, and then her again. It was fricking unnerving.

  “Sorry,” she said again. By his face, his expression, Gabriel had definitely realized she’d been crying.

  “You okay? You don’t look okay.” He gestured to her, and she wished he wouldn’t. In fact, she wished he’d ignore it, because that was the right thing to do.

  “Elizabeth, is it?” Andy said. “My son was telling me you have a daughter.”

  Thank God his dad got it and changed the subject, but then, as she stared at the man, she struggled to come up with something intelligent to say. “Yes, sorry, I didn’t mean for…” She had to take a breath, because the way they were staring at her, they had to believe she was losing it. “I had a bad day. Doesn’t happen often, and it just got the best of me, I’m babbling again, sorry. I do that when I’m nervous.” She lifted the bag of chips she clutched in her hand and then folded it over, trying to pull herself together.

  “Elizabeth has a sweet little girl, Shaunty. She’s four,” Gabriel said to his dad as he looked around and frowned. “Where is she?”

  “Preschool until three. I should start walking down there to pick her up.” She tapped her wrist out of habit where a watch would be if she actually owned a working one, wanting to find a way to make a polite exit, but neither Gabriel nor his father were moving or looking away.

  “No, you don’t have to walk,” Gabriel said. “Seriously, I’ll drive you. You don’t need to rush and run out.” He took a breath and crossed his arms, doing that gentlemanly thing again, except this was exactly the wrong time to be pulling that. “So was there a problem at work, something happen?” Why was he still asking her about it? He was supposed to pretend everything was fine.

  “It was just MM showing up and causing a scene,” she said. He had embarrassed the shit out of her. How could he have lied the way he did? That was why she’d cried and tucked herself onto the sofa in a ball, stuffing her face, trying to eat her way out of her misery. She took in the exchange between father and son.

  “Damn him already,” Gabriel said. “The sheriff said he was going to have a talk with him.”

  Elizabeth groaned, reaching down and grabbing the pile of toilet paper wads, and she walked over to the kitchen and put the bag of chips on the island, then dumped the used toilet paper into the garbage and wiped her hands on her jeans, again brushing off more of the salty crumbs. “He did, but look what happened,” she said. “Should teach me that falling in love is for fools.”

  She hadn’t meant to sound so jaded, but she was so tired of MM’s shenanigans and feeling as if she couldn’t get anything in her life to go right. “It’s like I’ll never be rid of him. Did you know he showed up today under the delusion that he could buy an engagement ring and propose and show me that he’d tattooed my name across his stomach, and I would love it and come back to him? When I saw what he’d done and was doing, I knew he wasn’t getting the message I very clearly laid out, or so I thought. It’s been almost two years since I left and walked out, and he won’t take no for an answer. So today I was very, very clear that I won’t…” She stopped talking, realizing she was venting at two men, Gabriel and his father, who she didn’t know, giving them her heavy drama and personal history, and that was something she never did. Even her family didn’t know all her escapades with MM and what she’d put up with, because she didn’t want anyone to tell her what a stupid, idiotic fool she was.

  “So this MM is the man who tried to take a round out of my son?” Andy said. “It’s starting to sound like he’s a little unstable. This is likely something you should get taken care of, see a lawyer and get a restraining order.”

  She wondered whether his father understood what
he was saying. Likely not, by the looks of him. Some just never understood the obstacles others faced. Her priority was feeding and keeping a roof over her and her daughter’s heads. Could she go back to her parents, Ruby and whatever guy she was hooked up with, for a period of time? Sure, if she wanted to lose her mind.

  “Before I forget, Marty stopped by,” Gabriel said. “We didn’t realize you were home, and he asked me to give this to you.” He handed her an envelope, and she took it and looked at the cash in it, mostly fives, tens, ones, but it was a lot to her. “He did say he planned on having a talk with MM, right before he also said how MM has put someone in the hospital.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say about that. Yeah, that was one of the reasons she’d left him. Whatever it was that had gone on between him and some guy he worked with at the shipping yard, MM had beaten him pretty bad, broken his ribs, his nose, his jaw, and his eyes had been so swollen that he couldn’t see. The guy hadn’t pressed charges. “That was really kind of Marty,” she said. “He shouldn’t have, though.” She rested the envelope on the counter with the chips and pulled in another breath. “Marty shouldn’t be involving himself in this. He could get hurt.”

  All of a sudden, Gabriel’s face took on an expression that almost bordered on annoyance, she thought, or maybe it was disbelief. His dad walked around the island and leaned against the sink behind her as if he needed to take this in from a distance. It was really unnerving, the way he kept watching her as if he could read her and knew everything she was thinking and feeling.

  “You know what, Elizabeth?” Gabriel said. “Yes, your brother should say something to this guy. Somebody has to. Somebody needs to help MM figure out clearly that what he’s doing isn’t healthy for him, and maybe your brother is exactly the kind of guy to do it, bring in some of his biker friends and really teach him a lesson, lean on him and scare the ever-living crap out of him, because sometimes that’s the only thing someone like MM will understand.”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  “Maybe having a gang of some badass bikers putting the fear of God into him is exactly what he needs to walk away and leave you alone forever,” Gabriel actually snapped.

  She had to look over to his father, who wasn’t saying a word, and she couldn’t help wondering what he had to be thinking. “I’m not sure what you think Marty can do,” she started, “but I can honestly tell you that if he goes over to MM’s, he’s likely to end up hurt. You seem to be under some impression that my brother is…” She crossed her arms and took a step to Gabriel, seeing the confusion on his face.

  “A biker, part of a gang,” he said and gestured as if she needed help understanding.

  She wanted to laugh. People assumed a lot of things that weren’t true. “Marty is one of the sweetest guys you’ll ever know,” she said. “He’s not part of a bike gang and never has been. Yes, he loves his Harley, which is his baby, but that’s it. What would have given you the impression he’s some badass biker? I guess I’m dying to know!” She had to fight the urge to laugh.

  The look on Gabriel’s face was priceless. “Oh, the tattoos that cover his entire arm, the way he dresses as if he’s part of a gang, the whole biker outfit, the way he stares you down and carries himself, the chain in his pocket that’s attached to…what? So I just assumed—”

  “Well, you assumed wrong, and tattoos have nothing to do with being a biker. I guarantee you more than half the population of the world, if not more, has at least one tattoo. It’s art to Marty and a way for him to express himself. When he was fourteen, he got the crap beaten out of him by a couple of thugs in school and went down a dark path, with smoking, drinking, drugs, but he’s cleaned it up except for the cigarettes, which he’s never shaken. The chain in his pocket is linked to a watch from my grandfather. He wears what he does because it gives him confidence, but make no mistake, Marty is a sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly and is the most dependable person I know.” She pressed both her hands to her face before pulling them away. “I should call him, and I need to go and get Shaunty.”

  Gabriel was now frowning and looking over to his dad. “Really, he’s not a biker, part of a gang?” It was as if he didn’t believe her, and he lifted his hands.

  She shook her head. “No and no.”

  “Well, then…my bad. I’m sorry, really, I am. I don’t even know what to say.”

  She stepped over to Gabriel and rested her hand on his shoulder to stop him. “It’s fine. Now, you know, I really need to go and get Shaunty. You stay here and put that window in.” She let her hand fall away and gave her shirt another sweep.

  “Yeah, son,” Andy said. “Put the window in, and I’ll give Elizabeth here a ride.”

  She took in his father, who was striding her way and past her to the door, which he pulled open. “Ready?” he said to her as if it was decided, as if he had no intention of taking no for an answer, so she slipped her sandals on, having to look up at what a big man he was, trying to see the resemblance to Gabriel. She couldn’t.

  “And don’t forget you’re coming for dinner tomorrow,” Andy said to Gabriel as they stepped past him out the door.

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, but when he glanced her way, his expression was filled with something that left her completely unsettled. This wasn’t good, because that look was one of a man whose interest was crossing the line, not keeping everything on an impersonal level.

  Been there, done that—and that was something she couldn’t have.

  Chapter 14

  Andy actually opened the door for her, just like his son had. Now she knew where the gentlemanly gestures that seemed to be a part of Gabriel came from, except, unlike Gabriel, Andy said very little. At the same time, everything about him was unnerving. Did he like her? Did he hate her? She was uncomfortable with the man whose extremely nice truck she was sitting in.

  Andy shoved a key in the ignition, and she rested her hands on the leather of the passenger seat. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever been in a vehicle this nice. He glanced her way only after he’d slid on sunglasses and started the truck, and she didn’t miss how he took in her seatbelt without saying a word, she assumed to make sure she had it on.

  “Well, thank you for driving me, but you didn’t have to. I could have walked. It’s a nice walk.”

  He made a face, and she thought it was amusement, but he said nothing as he pulled out and looked to her. “Which way?” he asked, and she just lifted her hand and pointed.

  “It’s over by the mall, actually just before it.” She pursed her lips and glanced out the passenger window, at a loss for how to make small talk, considering he wasn’t responding to her ridiculous babble anyway. How long would it take to get there? Five to ten minutes—no, maybe eight, depending on how fast he drove. She glanced to the clock and realized he was staring straight ahead, chewing gum, and he seemed so focused and intent on what he was doing. A deep thinker, nothing like Gabriel.

  “So where exactly do you work?” He didn’t look her way.

  “Moto Auto Parts.” She gestured out the window as if he could see the direction she was pointing, another nervous habit of hers. She finally fisted her hands and pulled them into her lap. She was sitting ramrod straight, feeling gritty and salty and wanting nothing more than to go home and have a bath. Later, after Shaunty was in bed.

  “That’s Barry Ogilvie’s place, right?”

  Oh no! She wanted to crawl in a hole and bury her head, because knowing Barry would mean Andy would likely hear everything about her, everything about her humiliating scene that day.

  “Yeah, one and the same,” she said, feeling the pinch in her jaw as she ground down on it harder than normal. She willed the light they stopped at to turn and get her to the preschool faster, where he could drop her off and hopefully never see her again.

  “He’s in kind of a financial bind right now,” Andy said. “I heard he’s barely making it and is only one step from shutting his doors.” The way he said it, she wasn’t sure
if it was a question or a statement, and then he glanced her way. “That’s a pretty unstable position for a single mom like you.”

  She didn’t have a clue what she was supposed to say to that. “Well, not a lot of options.” The only type of work she was qualified for was entry level, and most places hiring offered barely above minimum wage. This was just a long line of things she’d never figured out, including what she really wanted to do.

  “I suppose that’s true,” he said, and she just stared over at him as he drove, not sure what to add. He glanced her way again. “Ever thought about waitressing? Heard tips can be pretty good.”

  She wondered what he meant by that, and she had to stop herself from jumping straight to taking it the wrong way, which she was starting to do. “Like a bar, a nightclub?” She could feel the way he looked at her as she spotted the corner house before the mall. “Right there is the daycare. You can just pull up and drop me off…” She lifted her hand, ready to jump up and down with relief over the fact that she could get out of the truck and out from the scrutiny she felt herself pinned under.

  He drove right past the building to the small parking lot at the side and pulled into a stall before putting the truck in park, turning off the ignition, and opening his door. What was he doing?

  “You know what? Thank you, Mister Friessen, for the ride, but I can walk back with Shaunty.”

  After he’d stepped out of the vehicle, he leaned in and lifted his shades, taking her in as if he’d decided something. “No, I’ll drive you back, you and your girl.” Then he glanced away for a second before turning his gaze back on her, and she could feel the way her stomach bottomed out at the way he looked at her. “And just to be clear, I certainly am not talking about a nightclub. I’m talking about a restaurant, a place where you can get some good tips. It was just a suggestion.”

  He gestured for her to get out, and she felt like an idiot. She walked around the front of the truck, where he was standing, waiting for her, and she pulled in a breath to say something but couldn’t think of anything, so she walked past him to the front door. He fell in beside her, and she had to glance over and up to him, and she still didn’t have a clue what to say. He seemed to be taking in everything in a way that was so unnerving. At the same time, she was sure he wasn’t accompanying her out of the goodness of his heart.