Life's Next Chapter

by Sarah Goodman

  My mom walks up to us with bags and bags of clothing and supplies. “Mom, this is crazy. You didn’t have to buy the store. How much do I owe you?” She hands me the bags and tells me not to worry about it.

  “Nonsense, Katie, I wanted to do this, you don’t owe me anything.” She leans in and gives me a hug.

  “Mom, this is Luke. Luke, this is my mother, Mary. Luke is the contractor doing the remodeling. He helped me clean out the clinic this evening.” She gives me her sly smile. I just smile back. I know, Mom, he’s hot!

  “I’ve got to run, cupcake. Thanks for letting me take the girls. Girls, give Gamma kisses.” Luke lets the girls go so they can give my mother hugs and kisses goodbye. My mother waves goodbye as she pulls away from the house.

  “Girls, go upstairs and get into your pjs. I’ll be up in a minute.” The girls hug Luke again, say goodbye, and walk into the house. “I’ll walk you to your truck,” I say to Luke, sitting the bags next to the door.

  Walking to his truck, he starts talking. “Your mom could pass as your sister. She looks so young.” I just laugh, I’ve heard this my whole life.

  “Mom is young, she had me at nineteen. Her college boyfriend knocked her up and left her to raise a baby. I never met my father and he never desired to meet me. So, it’s always been my momma and me. My granddaddy was my father figure, and I couldn’t have asked for a better male role model. It’s because of him I have all this,” I say as I wave my hand to all the land around us.

  Looking at Luke, I see he is pissed again. Shit, what the hell did I say or do? I feel like I’m walking on eggshells around this man. I watch him un-hitch the trailer off the back of the truck. Once the trailer is off, he looks at me. His look is sincere, yet riddled with frustration. “Thanks for dinner, Kate. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that he gets in his truck and leaves. Well, I’ll be damned. What the hell just happened?

  MY WORLD HAS been turned upside down in less than a week. Six days ago, Luke came into my life. Six days of my head being consumed by that man. I have no clue what it is about this man, but I’m drawn to him like a moth drawn to a flame. I know I should walk away. He has shown me he has issues—issues I really don’t need in my life—but I have this irresistible tug towards him. I only hope he’s feeling the same thing for me.

  As I drive up the driveway, the guys are going to town on the clinic. It’s bittersweet to see the old place being reconstructed. On my way back from dropping the girls off at school this morning, I picked up Pebbles at Dr. Pierce’s office for Beth. Still in a heat wave, and with Beth being pregnant, I’m driving Beth’s Suburban, to keep Pebbles as comfortable as possible, and to make sure Beth wouldn’t have to lift her.

  Getting out of the SUV, I pause for a moment and take in everything that’s happening on the property, and notice a bright yellow sports car, which wasn’t there yesterday. Snapping myself back to the moment, I move around to the back of the Suburban and open the rear hatch where Pebbles is laying down on mounds of blankets. “How’s my sweet girl? You thirsty, sweetie?” I say, rubbing behind her ears. My phone vibrates with a text message letting me know Beth is still ten minutes away, so I get a bowl of water for Pebbles from the house and sit on the tailgate to wait and keep her company.

  Wasting time rummaging through my phone looking at emails, deleting messages, and looking at Facebook, I look up in time to see Luke walk out of what’s left of the clinic, wearing jeans, a tight grey company t-shirt, black baseball hat, and black work boots. He is indescribably sexy in anything he wears, but there is something about a man that works with his hands that just sets me tingling. Finally, I notice, a young brunette walking next to him, laughing while Brody trails behind them. She has long, wavy brown hair, sunglasses on her head, and is wearing green tank top with cleavage falling out, short frayed denim shorts, and brown flip-flops. I pull my sunglasses back on, from their perch on my head, trying not to be obvious that I’m gawking at them. To my own shame, I can’t take my eyes off of them.

  Beth drives up in my truck, effectively breaking my trance. She pulls in next to me, eases out of the truck, and waddles over. “Hey there, pretty mama!” I say, hopping out of the back of the SUV.

  “How’s my girl doing? Is she okay, Kate?” Beth rushes over, as fast as an extremely pregnant woman can, to Pebbles and begins crooning to her while she gently runs her hands over the dog. Poor Pebbles is trying so hard to get up, but all she can do is wag her tail.

  “She’s doing well. She just needs lots of rest, and will need help getting up. I have all her paperwork in the front seat.”

  “Kate, thank you so much for helping her out. I was a mess. I think Jacob was more of a mess because of the state I was in; I was a complete basket case.”

  “Not a problem, it’s what I do. I’m glad I could help her with what I had on hand.” Looking over the driveway, I notice Luke, Brody, and bombshell all talking. Luke can’t stop smiling and has his hands resting on her shoulders.

  “What are we looking at?” Beth asks when she notices I’m not looking at her anymore.

  “That’s Luke in the black baseball hat.”

  “Oh, he’s huge! He’s built like The Rock.”

  I look at her in confusion. “The Rock, who?”

  “Kate, the wrestler-slash-actor, ‘The Rock’. You know him, he played the tooth fairy in that movie.”

  I smile, agreeing that Luke is built like him. “Oh, yep, I remember that movie.”

  Beth peeks over her sunglasses down to scope out the trio. She looks at the trucks slightly blocking our view. “Ashton Architecture and Design, why does that name sound so familiar to me?”

  I shrug my shoulders to her and reply, “Maybe because Brody Ashton did my house. He and Luke are cousins.”

  “Maybe? Who knows with pregnancy brain?” Nudging her shoulder with mine. “Is that the girlfriend next to him?” I wince at her remark. Ugh! To think the ass has a girlfriend, and a young one at that, pisses me off.

  “He never brought her up. I really want ‘Little Miss’ to get in her wannabe Transformers car and leave, so these men can get back to work. I’m not paying them to stand around and ogle perky breast.”

  Laughing, Beth points out the fault in my logic, “First off, she has a Ford Mustang, Bumblebee was a Camaro, and she doesn’t have a black stripe going down the hood of her car. Second, I sense someone is jealous,” she teases, bumping my shoulder with hers.

  “Screw you…she has a yellow car. The only other yellow car I know of is the one from Transformers. Sorry, I didn’t get the correct make or model. For your information, I’m not jealous. I’m aggravated girls with Daddy issues come in and swoop up all the fine specimens from us mature women.”

  Beth just looks at me and shakes her head. “Girl, you have it bad! I haven’t seen you this bad since junior year in high school with what’s his name…Toby?”

  “Geez, Beth, how can you even compare now to back then? Toby was a little twit with acne. Do you not see what I’m looking at? Luke is pure heaven, and the hooker has her claws in him. I was testing the waters with him, to see what he thought of me, and then today this skank shows up with her hands on him. Damn it!”

  Beth and I sit, watching the three in conversation while we pretend to be paying attention to Pebbles. Luke still hasn’t dropped his smile, and even Brody has a stupid grin. I should tape this and send it to Brody’s wife. Finally, the young bimbo pulls her keys out of her shorts and walks towards her car. Luke opens the door for her. He leans down, gives her a hug, and then kisses her cheek. Brody steps up, and she gives him a hug, too. Then she gets in her car and drives off. Brody walks back into the clinic with Luke following him. Just before he rounds the building, Luke looks over at me, and waves. Asshole!

  “Kate, I think you are over exaggerating. Maybe she is a family friend, or cousin? But, the way he just looked at you was definitely not one of the looks he was giving that girl.” Still miffed, I hand her the keys to her SUV.

  “May
be.” Looking at my cell phone, I realize I need to get going to get the girls from school. I give Beth a hug goodbye. “Jacob will be home to get Pebbles out of the car, right?”

  “Yes, he’s home.” Beth confirms as she climbs in the front seat.

  Shutting her door, I lean my hands on the window. “Her prescriptions and instructions are in the white bag. Talk to you soon. Love you.”

  After I get in my truck and start it, I look over and see Luke hauling dry wall to the dumpster. He’s wearing safety glasses and a dust mask over his nose and mouth, preventing me from starring at his lovely face. Still, I could just watch his body in motion; it’s a work of art. Seeing his muscles flex and contract is mind-boggling. He turns and looks over at me, catching me looking. Again. He waves at me. Again. Damn it! Shaking my head, I quickly leave the driveway, knowing I’m already late picking up my girls.

  “LUKE, YOU MUST be one happy motherfucker.” Brody says, slapping me on my back.

  “I am, Brody. My girl is getting everything she has worked so damn hard for. She’s going to have everything I never got to have.” Knowing Danika’s visit took up too much time, I take the sledgehammer to the walls to finish this job.

  “Well, I’m happy for you both.”

  I look over at Brody, who is tapping away at his tablet. “Thanks, Bro, I appreciate it. We’ve waited a long time for this.” I say, whacking the dry wall in between words. In no time, I’ve made a huge pile of drywall next to me. Ready for a break, since it’s hot as balls in this place, I grab an armful of drywall and haul it outside. As I make my way to the dumpster, I can’t help noticing Kate sitting in her truck. I want to run up to her and tell her all the sweet things a woman like her deserves, yet my feet are planted to this ground and I can’t move. I can’t find the words to say—how does a man like me tell her those things? I have so many skeletons in my closet. I’ve never had a connection like this with a woman. The closest I’ve been to a woman are random fucks, to scratch away the itch. But I look at this woman, and I want it all with her. But, every time I’m around her it’s like my brain and mouth can’t work together, and I have no idea what to say. I feel like shit for scaring her when I was having one of my PTSD episodes, and I fucking hate such stupid shit stirs it up. I know I’ll carry the scars with me forever, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing it would all just go away.

  Ever since Monday night, I can’t stop thinking about her. And after way too many hours to count, I realize I want to make her as happy as she was in that picture with her douche ex-husband. If I can ever find my balls, maybe I’ll find the courage to talk to her. I want a chance, even though I feel I’m not good enough for her; I carry more baggage than a Boeing 737. Then I meet Kate, who is beyond beautiful, and can have any guy begging on his knees for her, and my insecurities come out. She’s a doctor, for Christ’s sake. She has her own practice, a gorgeous home, and two ridiculously cute daughters. I think the best thing her bastard ex ever did for her was to cheat on her. She’s too damn good for him; hell she is too damn good for any man.

  Walking back into the clinic, Brody’s packing up all his crap. “You’re bailing on us, already?” I taunt.

  “Dude, you know I don’t demo. I draw everything up and tell you what to demo, remember?”

  I snicker, “Yeah, I remember; you can’t chip your nail polish.”

  He slings his man purse over his shoulder and shakes his head. “Fuck you, Luke, I won’t even go there. See you tomorrow.”

  “Later.” I take some more drywall out to the dumpster as Brody drives off. Now that I’m alone, I vent all my bottled up frustrations out on the walls and beams. This is the part of my job I love. This is better than couch therapy. Once the drywall is knocked away, I switch my focus and hack away at the studs. One by one the studs fall, and within a couple hours, I’ve taken out four walls. I can feel the stiffness pulling in my shoulders. Needing a drink, as well as a break, I grab an armful of studs and walk out to the dumpster, on my way to the cooler in my truck for a Gatorade. Kate pulls up as I’m chugging the last of the Gatorade, and I wave at her, again. Finally, she raises her hand to me. Damn, I feel like such a schmuck.

  As I head back into the clinic for another round of debris, Kate’s girls jump from the truck and start running around it, chasing each other, while Kate starts unloading groceries from the bed. Watching her climb into the bed of the truck and grab boxes is so damn intoxicating. Her shorts ride up where I can see the swell of her ass cheek. My dick’s starting to twitch. Before I can lose the little bit of nerve I have, I hurry over to help. “Kate, want some help?” Of course, she bends over just as I open my mouth then she squats and turns to look at me.

  “Hi, Luke. Umm, just groceries, but if you want to help, I’d appreciate it. Here.” She smiles as she hands me the world’s largest box of Fruit Loops, a huge tub of Goldfish, and a lifetime supply box of tampons, which I grab without flinching and head to the house. I pass her on my return trip, and she gives me a smile that just completely melts my heart. I grab a huge tub of laundry soap, two milk jugs, and a box of fruit snacks. She’s already breaking down boxes when I enter her kitchen.

  “Are you planning on feeding an army?”

  She shakes her head. “No, I hate grocery shopping, so when I can, I do my bulk shopping at Costco. It cuts my visits to the neighborhood market down a lot, since frequent trips to the store aren’t feasible with little kids. But, I’m sure you and your girlfriend don’t have to worry about that.”

  What girlfriend? “I’m sorry, did you just say girlfriend?” I ask, utterly confused.

  Realizing what she said, her eyes widen and she bites her upper lip, obviously trying to think of a way to change around what she said. Sighing in defeat, she looks down at the counter and mumbles, “I said, ‘I’m sure you and your girlfriend don’t have to worry about that’.” She turns away, embarrassed.

  “Kate, I can assure you I don’t have a girlfriend…I don’t have many friends who happen to be women.”

  She turns back around, eyes watering, and walks right past me into the family room to check on the girls. For once, they are sitting still, on the couch, watching Brave. A few minutes go by and she walks back to the kitchen, her eyes dry. “I’m sorry, Luke, your personal life is none of my business. I’ve hired you professionally, and we’ll talk professionally. What I said was out of line. Please accept my apology.”

  I give in to the urge and walk over to her, placing my hands lightly on her arms. “Kate, no need to apologize. I’m just confused as to why you would think I have a girlfriend. Especially since I’ve been doing everything I can think of to get you to notice me. I don’t want to keep our conversations professional; I want to get to know you personally.” Her beautiful blue eyes look up at me, completely bewildered.

  “The girl with the yellow car, she’s not your girlfriend?”

  FUCK! The elephant in the room has just taken center stage. Gathering my courage, I gently pull her to the kitchen table and indicate she should sit. Then I pull a chair out and sit down across from her, face-to-face. Taking a deep breath, I memorize the woman in front of me because what I am about to say could be the last time I see her beautiful face this close to me. Here it goes, “Kate, the girl with the yellow car is my…daughter.” I wait for it to sink in; I know it’s a shitload to take in. She’s looking down at her fingers.

  “How old is she?” Kate asks, her voice barely audible.

  “Danika is seventeen, she’ll be eighteen in December.” I whisper.

  “How old are you?” She looks up at me, tears in her eyes again. I knew this would be too much for her.

  “I’m thirty-six, my birthday was in June.” I can see she’s doing the math.

  “Is she the reason you went into the Army?”

  I grab her hands and lace my fingers with hers, just wanting to feel her touch. “Mostly. I was already thinking about it; I wasn’t that academically oriented in high school, so I didn’t have scholarships or colleges li
ned up. Then a month before graduation my high school girlfriend, Danielle, told me she was pregnant. Danielle wanted to keep the baby; she talked about marriage and a home, but I knew I couldn’t provide all that with the part time job I had.”

  Kate looks so torn. I don’t know if she is mad, hurt, embarrassed, or what. “I’m so sorry to throw this out at you. I completely understand if you want me to leave and just continue on a strictly professional level.”

  She raises her head, looks at me with her amazing smile, and places her hand on my cheek. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one that feels like an ass, thinking your daughter was your girlfriend.”

  “Were you jealous thinking I had a young girlfriend, or were you jealous thinking I had a girlfriend at all?” I tease, my freed hand playfully squeezing the place at the top of her knee on a hunch that she’s ticklish there.

  “NO!” She cries in indignation, but I don’t believe her, so I pulse my fingers, tickling her more.

  “Say it…I know you were. I can see it in those beautiful eyes of yours.” I pulse my fingers faster as I tease her, all while she’s desperately trying to escape my grasp.

  “Fine! Fine, I give up! Yes, I was jealous. I thought you had a young girlfriend, which meant I didn’t have a chance with you.” She mumbles the last words, but I heard her clear enough.

  “You want…a…with me?” I stumble over the words in my shock and as I force myself to ignore the insane desire I have to grab her up and spin her around. I tenuously touch her chin with my finger, lifting her eyes to mine; wanting to see the truth in them. When her smile appears, my heart launches into outer space.

  “Maybe” is all she says, in that infuriating way women do, and I feel my heart crash and burn as she gets up and walks to the kitchen island. So much for that ego boost.

  “Did you marry Danielle?” she asks, as she begins putting away the groceries.