by Rye Hart
And she was dressing herself as if it had never been an issue.
“How about this one, Mommy?”
I looked up and saw Lillian walk into the room wearing my favorite dress of hers. It had a ribbon around her waist tied off into a bow, and the fabric was a beautiful blue and pink and yellow floral print. She had on some blue flats with yellow socks, and she was holding a pink bow in her hand for me to put in her hair.
“Did you pick this out all by yourself?” I asked.
“Do you like it? Daddy taught me that if I wear a color on my body, I can also wear it other places too.”
I swallowed down some of my tears as I held my hand out for the bow.
She looked spectacular for her first day of school. I watched her grab her backpack and stand by the door, bouncing from foot to foot. I took one last look at her before I grabbed my purse and had her hold still for a few pictures for Aunt Nikki.
Then, we loaded ourselves up in the car.
I drove her to school and dropped her off, trying to ignore the humming of the back tires. As much as I hated my nosey neighbor, she was right. There was a humming noise, and it kept growing in volume every time I drove. Of course, something like this would happen at a point where I couldn’t afford much more than what was already on my plate. I distracted myself by dropping Lily off at school, giving her a big hug and an even bigger kiss.
Then, I headed to Nicole’s shop. Nicole’s Novelties. She’d opened her shop a couple of years ago and sold anything anyone could think of. If it was loud, weird, and colorful, Nicole had it in her store. She had become the go-to spot for any crafter or restoration specialist in town, and she was very proud of that.
And I was thankful for the part-time work she had hired me for.
“The pictures you texted me this morning were adorable!” Nicole said.
“I’m glad you liked them,” I said with a grin.
“How did it go? Was it completely painful?” she asked.
“It had its moments, but I think Lily’s very excited to be starting her ‘big girl class.’”
“Oh. That girl is too precious. I love her so much.”
“So do I,” I said. “She’s a good kid.”
“No tears when you left her at school?”
“Only from me,” I said.
“Well, duh. I meant from her.”
“Nope. She took it like a champ. If anything, she was too eager to get rid of me.”
“Every girl always is at some point in time, but she’ll miss you before her lunch break comes around. And speaking of getting rid of things, you’ll never guess how my night went.”
“If this is a segue into another Tinder date, I don’t want to hear this story,” I said.
“Trust me. It’s worth it. This guy I met off there took me across town to that cottage restaurant.”
“The one with the tables and lawn chairs on the front lawn? I like that place.”
“It’s got great food, but I don’t do eating outside,” she said. “But he was insistent. With the bugs. And the grass.”
“Damn those bugs and grass.”
“A beetle landed on my food, Cindy. A beetle. I didn’t even know those things could fly!”
“You didn’t know beetles have wings?” I asked. “Even Lily knows that.”
“Hey now, that girl knows a lot of things.”
“She’s like her dad that way,” I said.
“Freaky shit. Anyway. After I was done freaking out over the bugs, he wanted to take me back to his place. But I wasn’t down for it so he offered to take me back to mine.”
“Which you said ‘yes’ to because you always make sure you’re on your home turf,” I said.
“I’m teaching you well. Anyway, we get back to my place, and his hands are all over me. And I’m over here still freaked out by the beetle like it’s in my clothes and shit. Guess what the fuck happens next.”
“What?” I asked.
“A damn beetle comes flying through the cracked window of my living room and lands right on his fucking forehead.”
I bit back my laughter as utter disgust rolled over Nicole’s features.
“Oh my word. This is perfect,” I said.
“I couldn't make this shit up if I tried. Right on his damn forehead. While he was coming in for a kiss. I smacked the thing right off him, and he thought I hit him intentionally.”
“Technically, you did.”
“He got all pissy at me, telling me how he wasn’t into that freaky shit, and I told him that was a deal breaker anyway because I fucking love that freaky shit.”
“I can’t handle you,” I said, giggling.
“Beetles and no freaky shit? I kicked his ass to the curb.”
“I take it back. That story was totally worth it.”
“Told you it would be. Now, I don’t have much work for you to do today. There are some new things that got dropped off yesterday that need to be unpacked and cleaned. That alone should take you up until Lily’s out of school. I’ll get them on the shelves before I leave, and tomorrow, you can run inventory. Sound good my dear?”
“Sounds good. I’ll get to work.”
The hours flew by much quicker than I thought they would, and I was ready to go get Lily. I wanted to hear all about her teacher and her first day of school. I hoped she made friends and wasn’t too abrasive for them. She had an attitude on her sometimes and could get really sassy if she wanted. I wanted her to have a good time in school, to enjoy herself and make memories and forge friendships she’d have for a lifetime.
Like the friendship I had with Nicole.
“Mommy! Mommy! Look at what I did!”
Lily came running into my arms with a painting clutched in her tiny little hand.
“Oh, did you paint something? Let me see,” I said.
“It’s a turtle,” she said. “We have a turtle in class.”
“That’s so awesome. But why’s the turtle red?”
“Because he should be red. Green’s boring. Red’s funner.”
“More fun,” I corrected. “Well, let’s go celebrate your first day of school.”
“With ice cream?” she asked.
“All the toppings.”
“Yay!”
I piled us both into the car, and Lily kept kicking the back of my seat from excitement. I tried to get her to stop as I put the car in reverse, but the more I asked, the harder she kicked. I checked all my mirrors before I started backing out the car, making sure no one was in my way.
But a strong kick to the middle of the seat startled me, forcing my foot down on the gas.
“Lily!”
I heard a deafening crunch as Lily began to whimper. I was shaking I whipped my head around. Lily seemed to be okay, but I had plowed into someone’s truck behind me.
Did they not see me pulling out?
I got out of my car and pulled Lily’s door open. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, and I leaned in to kiss them away. I wiped away her tears and checked her body, making sure there really was nothing wrong with her.
But not before I heard a rumbling voice behind me.
“Really?” he asked.
I stood up from my car and studied the man in front of me. I recognized him from the brief times I’d seen him outside of his place. It was my neighbor that the town couldn’t shut up about.
I watched his eyes study his truck. His hand ran lightly over the dent I’d created with my taillight. I saw his jaw clenching with anger, but he wasn’t turning his anger on me.
What was with this guy?
His eyes were filled with a familiar sense of emotion, a type of hurt mixed with anger I’d seen in my own eyes every time I looked in the mirror. His fingers drifted over his truck, almost like he was comforting it during its time of need.
The truck must’ve meant something to him, and it made me feel even more like crap for hitting it.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
Even if he could hear me, he did
n’t acknowledge that he could.
“I’ll pay for it. Whatever it takes. If you want me to call someone, I know a guy downtown who can come and—”
“No thanks. It’s fine,” the man said.
He raised up from his truck, and I got to take in just how tall he was. He was massive. And stacked. Strong underneath his clothing and stern behind his gaze. I felt like I was shrinking in front of him, reduced to nothing but the size of an ant as he gazed down at me.
He was an incredibly handsome guy with thick shoulders and a well-trimmed beard. His dark hair was cut casually, and his eyes were a deep, probing blue. He had an air of confidence about him that I found both intriguing and also a little intimidating.
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “My daughter was kicking the back of my seat and I thought I checked properly before I pulled out.”
“Came out quick,” he said.
“I’m … sorry.”
“You said that already.”
“Because I am,” I said.
He nodded, casting his gaze off into the distance before his eyes came down to my car.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I can fix it.”
“Are you a mechanic?” I asked.
“No. Your car’s worse off anyway. You’ll need your own money to fix it.”
My eyes fell to the damage done to my car. The taillight was busted, and the fender was bent. Very bent. Almost popping away from the body of the car kind of bent. Just what I needed on top of everything else.
“Looks like it,” I said.
“Your girl. Is she okay?”
I looked up at him before my eyes fell to Lily. She was turned around in her car seat, her eyes looking at the massive man I was talking to. Her eyes darted to me, and she grinned, sat down in her seat, and started wiggling around.
“Looks like it,” I said.
“Good. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Shouldn’t we exchange information or something?” I asked.
“Do you want to be held at fault for the accident with your insurance company?” he asked.
He had a point.
“Have a good day,” I said. “And I’m really sorry about your truck.”
“Tell your daughter to keep her feet off your seat. You could kill someone with your driving.”
I watched the man drive away in his truck. Gruff wasn’t the right word to describe him. More like brutish asshole. I shook my head, got back into the car, and buckled myself in. I looked back at Lily who had an apologetic look on her face.
“Let’s go get some ice-cream.”
CHAPTER 4
GRAHAM
What a fucking mess.
I pulled my truck into my garage and got to work. That accident made me late for my interview at the mechanic’s shop downtown. I’d been cutting through the school parking lot to avoid the pick-up traffic at the front door. Then her car came careening out of nowhere, like some bat out of hell.
I was almost surprised to see that it was my neighbor, but I wasn’t about to bring it up, and risk small talk.
I fucking hated small talk.
I shouldn’t have been such an ass hole, but it was better than trying to make friends.
Making friends was dangerous. People in my life got hurt when they associated themselves with me. Being the quiet asshole of the town and keeping my head down was a better bet than making friends and getting them killed like I had my family.
If I couldn’t protect my own family, then there was no way I could take care of anyone else.
But, I felt bad for how I reacted. I was harsh with her. Maybe a bit too hard.
She was clearly shaken, but I had already been late for my interview. Talking to her would’ve made me even later, and if someone was watching me, the last thing they needed to think was that I was making nice with someone.
The CIA was still looking for me, and the people who had taken my family were still out there.
The CIA didn’t enjoy it when their top-secret operatives dropped off the face of the planet. They didn’t like it when they couldn't control the future lives of people like me, people who held secrets that could overturn powerful people in office.
There were things I knew about this country and its darkest secrets that the Agency would stop at nothing to keep quiet.
They didn’t simply allow people to quit without repercussions, without the proper debriefing and mind-wiping tactics. They didn’t allow people to walk away like I had, disappearing without a trace and staying on the run. I was their best special agent, the one they went to when operations were going south.
I had been good at everything.
Combat. Psychological warfare.
Weapons and bomb-making.
I could fuse and defuse with the best of them before fighting my way out with my bare hands. I could take on ten men at once and leave them all unconscious without breaking a sweat.
Men like me didn’t walk away without consequences.
But I had.
I wasn’t going to sell out my country, but I was a man who could no longer be trusted. In their eyes, I was as good as AWOL despite the fact that I’d quit. Coupling that with the criminal group whose operation I hadn’t wrapped up yet meant association with me was deadly.
No matter what form it came in.
I ran my hand over the dent in my truck again and sighed. I’d worked on this truck with Kason all the time, taught him all the parts of a car and how they worked and came apart. This was our personal project, our restoration, and I hadn’t touched it since he died.
My cell phone woke me from my trance, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was the mechanic shop calling, informing me that I’d gotten the job. I knew I should’ve been happy, but I wasn’t. They paid under the table, which meant no official paperwork, but it also meant having to interact with people. At least, my interactions would be limited to co-workers and I’d never have to speak to a customer.
My mind rushed to my neighbor and our encounter yesterday, and I remembered how damaged her car was. All I had to do was pop out a dent and smooth over the small scratches, but hers was a completely different job. And with her having to drive a child around in that thing, it wasn't nearly the safest option for them.
I wondered if she’d let me fix it, at least get it back to the condition it was in before she’d ran into me.
It wasn’t my damn problem.
But she had a daughter.
The last thing I needed was more kids dying because of me.
I got to work on the dent in the truck before I heard footsteps. I looked up from underneath the hood of the car and saw the mailman walking away. I furrowed my brow and walked out of the garage, wondering why the hell he had walked all the way up to my porch.
There was a package on my doorstep, and I froze.
I was long and rectangular, and it could’ve been anything. A bomb. Tear gas. A box rigged to blow something in my face once I opened it. I mindlessly reached for the gun on my hip as I moved toward the package slowly and steadily, in case something inside could be triggered by motion.
But when my eyes landed on the delivery sticker, I groaned with frustration.
It was a package meant for my damn neighbor.
Picking it up, I hauled it across the lawn. I walked up the porch, knocked on the door, and set the package down. I turned to walk away but the door flung open, and I bit back a groan.
Shit.
“Hello?”
I turned around at the soft voice of my neighbor and I tried to bury my shock.
I was too outraged to see clearly the day she ran into my car, but today I saw her features unmistakably. She was absolutely gorgeous.
She starred at me with her dark green eyes. Her auburn hair was piled on top of her head, and her cheeks were flushed with a healthy glow. I could hear her little girl giggling behind her, calling out breathlessly for her mother to come back and play.
I didn’t know where her husband was, but I
buried the thought before it could permeate any further.
“Mailman left that on my doorstep,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said as she stooped down.
She grunted trying to pick up the package, and I thought about helping her. But I swallowed the sentiment and kept my hard demeanor.
No one liked an asshole.
That’s how it had to be.
“Sorry for the mix-up. I’ll talk to the mailman tomorrow when he comes by,” she said.
“No need. I’ll leave a sign on my door pointing to your home. I don’t get packages.”
She bit down on the inside of her cheek. She certainly wasn’t thrilled to see me, and I was ready to end this awkward interaction. I turned to walk off her porch when my eyes hit her car, and that desire to ask her to fix it was still there.
I walked off her porch and strode back across the lawn. I resisted the urge to look back as I made my way back to my garage. I heard her door shut, muffling the laughter of her daughter as I got back to work on my truck.
God, I hope she’s married.
CHAPTER 5
CINDY
“Mommy! Watch!”
I looked after my daughter as she rode her bike up and down the street in front of the house. Her hair was blowing in the wind, and there was a bright smile on her face. Every day that passed by, she looked more and more like her father with his broad smile, his twinkling eyes and his strong jawline. She even had his build, strong shoulders and long legs. She was going to be a tall one, beautiful and strong.
Two of the many things that drew me to her father when we’d first met.
The day was beautiful. The sun was out, and the birds were chirping. I was trying to enjoy it as Lily giggled on her bike but pushing thoughts of my late husband away was hard sometimes. Every day brought a new experience with Lily that I wished he was there to see. Her first day of kindergarten, riding her bike, learning how to read, and writing her name for the first time by herself.
“Mommy! Are you watching?”
“I’m watching, booger. You look awesome,” I said.
I heard a door open, and I whipped my head around. Lily stopped on her bike as the two of us watched my neighbor come out of his home. His hard demeanor kept his shoulders taut and his stance rigid. His entire body emanated tension. His hands were in fists at his sides, and his face was sunken with displeasure.