Stepping from the car, Alyssa got her first good look at him. His head was shaved and he had gray eyes that were hauntingly beautiful. He also had a wicked smile that said he knew what she was thinking. He wiped one hand on the rag that he was holding, then held it for her to shake. “Paul Re’vone,” he said.
Alyssa smiled at his Cajun accent. “Alyssa Gregg,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “Louisiana?” she asked
His wicked smile deepened, showing perfect white teeth and a flash of dimple. “New Orleans,” he answered. “Relocated right after Hurricane Katrina.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Parker had only good things to say about you, and I can’t thank you enough for fixing my car.”
He waved away her thanks. “It’s my pleasure to work for such a beautiful woman, but it’s not quite finished yet.”
Parker jumped in. “That’s my fault. I wasn’t going to stop by until later, but Lucy stopped by with a problem, and now I need to go to work. I hope it’s okay if Alyssa hangs out here while you finish up.” Alyssa spent a moment wondering if Parker was matchmaking but she waved the idea away.
Paul shrugged. “That’s fine with me, darling. Be off with you then,” he told Parker, kissing her lightly on the cheek, then opening her car door for her. Parker said her goodbyes and promised to call later. Once she was gone, Paul turned to Alyssa. “Your car’s in here,” he said, leading the way inside the garage.
“Do you have people who work for you?” she asked when she saw they were alone.
“Yes, but I’m closed on Sunday’s. There are some chairs leaning against the wall over there if you want to grab one.”
Alyssa found a chair and hauled it over to where she could watch him work while staying out of his way. She made some small talk, but mostly she held her silence while enjoying the show. He wasn’t built like a body builder. Instead, he had a fighter’s body, sleek with muscles that flexed with every movement. She was definitely taking Parker’s job offer. Once she made the decision, she felt freer, lighter somehow.
“Do you have a phone I could use?” she asked Paul.
“Sure, darling,” he drawled, sounding more like "dawling," which made her smile. “You can use the one in the house. Just go through that door and down the hall to the last door on the left. There should be a cordless on the table.”
“Thanks,” she told him as she popped up from the chair, following his directions through the house. She found the phone easily. Alyssa called Parker first to tell her she’d take the job, then she called Rosie’s and quit, leaving herself free for the night. Once she was finished with the phone, she checked out Paul’s house. She felt a twinge of guilt for invading his privacy but it was quickly banished by her curiosity. The house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plenty of room for a single man. The kitchen was large and had stainless steel appliances that looked as if they were new. It was nicely decorated in colors she might have chosen for herself. The leather furniture and large screen televisions were obviously chosen by a man, but other things caused an idea to solidify in her mind.
Making her way back out to the garage, she stood watching the muscles in Paul’s back flex as he worked for a few minutes, before her curiosity got the best of her, causing her to ask, “When did your wife die?”
Paul’s reaction might have been comical under any other circumstances. Dropping his wrench, he stood too quickly and bumped his head on the upraised hood. Cursing, he grabbed the top of his head and Alyssa rushed to his side trying to pry his fingers away. He bent, allowing her to inspect the injury. She prodded at the rising bump, and he asked quietly, “How did you know?”
When she didn’t answer right away, he raised his head to look her in the eye, sighing. She answered, “Educated guess. Your house has had a woman’s touch before, but not recently. You wear a woman’s wedding ring on your pinkie finger.”
“I could’ve been divorced,” he said easily.
“No. She would’ve never let you keep the ring, if only for the satisfaction of selling it. The biggest give away though is this pendant,” she said, as she touched the necklace he was wearing. She bent closer to him as she looked at its design. It was still warm from where it had been laying against his skin. “This isn’t very common, but it depicts an old symbol that means 'broken wing.'” He blinked in surprise and she continued. “Most people have never heard the story of Broken Wing. He was a young Indian boy who was left behind in the woods to fend for himself when his family took a path that he could not follow; death. Alone, scared, and against all odds, he survived.”
When she finished, Paul was watching her with some unnamed emotion. “How did you know that?” he asked finally.
Holding up her wrist, she showed him the bracelet she was wearing, a broken wing charm hanging from it. She looked at it closely, stroking it once lovingly. “I was left alone too when life took someone I love down a path on which he would not let me follow.”
Paul took a step back, then bent to retrieve his wrench. “Her name was Kim, and she died four years ago right after we moved here to Tennessee.” Alyssa moved back to her chair, giving him the distance he needed to talk. She could tell it was easier for him if he wasn’t looking at her. “She got the flu. Who dies from the flu anymore? Apparently lots of people. You just don’t ever hear about those kinds of things.”
“I bet she was beautiful,” Alyssa said, trying to picture the type of woman that had caught and held this man’s attention.
“She was,” he answered, “inside and out.”
“Maybe I could come back sometime and you could tell me about her,” she suggested.
Paul stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. “I’d like that. I don’t have that many friends here.”
“Neither do I,” she admitted. Scooting her chair closer, she tried to see what he was doing now. She hated not knowing much about car repair since she didn’t have a man to depend on. Noticing her interest, he asked, “Would you like to know what I did to fix it?”
“If you don’t mind,” she answered. “I don’t like the thought of being stranded again. Also, I was wondering how much you would charge me to fix my air? Now that I’m starting a new job maybe I can afford to finally get it fixed.”
Paul smiled brightly. “How about this? What if we work on it together? You can learn a little about cars and I can get some free labor.”
“Sounds like fun,” she answered.
CHAPTER FOUR
Walt decided to stop by Paul’s to check on Alyssa’s car. He’d been calling all day but no one had answered the phone. He also tried calling Parker, dropping by the club, checking Bryant’s house, calling Parker’s cell phone, even driving by Rosie’s café, but he hadn’t had any luck finding anything out about Alyssa. It was as if the entire world was conspiring to keep him from seeing her again. The only thing he hadn’t tried was driving past her house but that smacked too much of stalking. He tried Paul’s front door first. When no one answered, he circled around back to the garage. He heard the laughter before he reached the door. He almost turned to leave, fearing he would find Paul in a compromising position with one of his many women, when a familiar feminine voice floated out to him, and he picked up speed. When he came through the door, the sight that met him almost floored him. Alyssa was covered in grease and smiling brightly, but that was not what brought him up short. Paul looked like a completely different person. Walt’s feet were frozen to the floor. He realized for the first time that in front of everyone, Paul was always acting, but this was the real him; unguarded. Walt cleared his throat, announcing his arrival, and they both turned in his direction. Right before his eyes Paul transformed back into the Paul he knew. Walt had an epiphany: Paul was unhappy. How was it that he had never realized that before? Alyssa was the first to greet Walt.
“Hey, Walt!” She waved, then pointed to her car. “Come look at what I did,” she chattered happily. “Paul showed me how to change my oil and check my windshield wiper fluid. Oh, and I hav
e air now,” she said proudly.
Walt put on his best smile and tried to hide his jealousy. Walking over, he peered under the hood. “That’s my girl. You always were a fast learner.”
Alyssa looked away at his words, her voice losing some of its cheerfulness. “I need to go get cleaned up.”
Paul looked back and forth between them as if he had just noticed something important. He kept his eyes on Walt as he told Alyssa, “There is some hand cleaner in the bathroom that will help with the grease.”
Walt watched Alyssa as she headed towards the house. Tearing his eyes away, he pasted a fake smile on his face, asking, “How’s it going, man?”
“Fair enough,” Paul answered.
Walt commandeered the chair that Alyssa had vacated. Paul finished putting away his tools while Walt stared at the door through which Alyssa had disappeared.
“You love her,” Paul said, pulling Walt from his thoughts.
It hadn’t been a question but Walt answered just the same. “Yes.” Then, feeling as if that was inadequate, he added, “We were engaged once, but that was before this,” he said, indicating his outstretched leg.
Paul nodded. “Ah. A path she couldn’t follow,” he said, more to himself.
“What?” Walt asked, confused.
“Just thinking out loud. Can I offer you some advice?”
If Paul had asked him that question any time before tonight, the answer would have been an emphatic “no.” However, after seeing Paul in an unguarded moment, he found that he was curious. He heard himself saying, “Sure.”
“Don’t be a dumb ass,” Paul said plainly.
Walt let out a short bark of laughter. “That’s it? Don’t be a dumb ass?”
Paul met his gaze evenly and just for a moment before his mask of indifference fell back into place, Walt saw something in his friend's eyes that caused his chest to tighten.
“Yep, I think that about covers it,” Paul answered.
Honesty moved Walt to admit, “That advice is about four years too late.”
“It’s only too late if you let it be,” Paul told him.
At the sound of the back door closing, they pretended to be busy straightening up.
Alyssa looked back and forth between them suspiciously. Apparently, she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
“Will you follow me over to my new apartment to check it out?” She asked the question as if she were unsure of his reaction. Walt couldn’t help but smile to himself. Little did she know if she hadn’t asked him to join her, he would’ve asked her to do something else just to extend their time together.
“You’re getting a new apartment?” Walt asked.
A wide grin spread across her face. “It comes with my new job.”
Parker had left the keys to the apartment at the front desk of the club so Alyssa could pick them up. Walking through each room, she pictured her own furniture there. It was a small place, but it was perfect for just her.
“We’ll be neighbors,” Walt said, causing her head to snap around in his direction.
At her silence, he clarified, “I live in an apartment above the club.”
“At least I know where to go if I need to borrow a cup of sugar,” she told him.
“When will you move in?”
“As soon as possible,” she answered immediately.
“Will your roommate be mad at you for running out on her?” Walt asked, causing her to let out a dry laugh.
“She’ll probably be dancing for joy. I think she’s been hoping I’d move out so she can move her boyfriend in. She’s just been too nice to ask, since she knew I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Walt nodded his understanding. “I’ve been the third wheel since Bryant and Parker got married.”
Alyssa grimaced in sympathy. “I guess that was hard since you and Parker have always been so close.” When he only shrugged, she asked, “Do you happen to know anyone with a truck who’d be willing to help move some furniture?”
Walt chuckled. “I’m sure I could find someone.”
Even though Alyssa had seen all that she could, she was still reluctant to leave. Walt leaned against the doorjamb, looking for all the world like a man who had nowhere to be. When she made no move towards the door, he asked, “Would you like to walk over and see my apartment? Just so you’ll know where to go when you come looking for that sugar.”
Alyssa was relieved to have an excuse to stay in his company. She still didn’t know how she managed to live the past four years without seeing him every day. He would never know what kind of torture that had been for her. It had been like having half of her soul ripped away.
She locked the apartment back up and followed Walt next door. Smith Brothers Fight Club didn’t look all that impressive from the outside, but it trained some of the country’s best fighters. Instead of going through the front door, they made their way around the side of the building until they came to a metal door. Walt pulled a set of keys out and opened the door to reveal a set of stairs.
“There is also a door to my apartment inside the club that I’ll show you later, but for right now, this is easier.”
Alyssa didn’t know what she had been expecting when they entered his apartment, but this wasn’t it. It was a large open space that covered the entire top floor of the gym, and was decorated more for comfort than appearance with hodgepodge pieces scattered here and there. She walked the floor, running her fingers over furniture as she came to it, recognizing some of it as being the same as he had owned before.
“I like it,” she told him. Spotting another staircase, she asked, “Where does that go?”
“Would you like to see?” Walt asked, sounding hopeful.
“Is it your bedroom?” she asked, letting him wonder if she wanted it to be or not. She wanted to laugh at his expression as he tried to puzzle it out before he answered, “No, and I’m almost sorry it’s not. It’s a deck, I like to go out there at night and relax.”
“I’d love to see it,” she answered immediately.
The view was spectacular. Even though they sat inside the city limits, the stars were bright from this vantage point. Sitting side by side, their arms touching, a breeze carrying away the heat made it a perfect night. This was why he continued to live here when he could have moved away long ago. He had never found another spot that brought him peace the way this place did, and now that he was sharing it with the only woman he had ever loved, it was beyond compare. It wasn’t the stars he watched tonight, but Alyssa. Her face was turned to the sky and her eyes were closed. She had a look upon her face as if she could feel the heat of the burning stars warming her skin. Living without her had been hell. A hell he had chosen in which to be. He’d been so scared when he had woken up in that hospital, and angry, very angry. That’s what he had been the most afraid of: his own anger. Would it turn into a bitterness that would destroy them?
Alyssa’s eyes opened and she blinked as if she’d forgotten where she was. Turning her head, she held his gaze. “I came back, you know? Every day for weeks, but I never did make past the door of your hospital room.”
“I didn’t know,” he said, quietly shocked by her words.
“Sometimes I would just sit outside your door, trying to be closer to you. Some days Parker would sit with me, and others your mom, but mostly it was me. Finally, one morning I woke up and I couldn’t make myself hold on to hope any longer. I had nothing left to fight with, nothing left to fight for.” A tear slid down her cheek and she absently wiped it away. “I should go,” she said, standing.
He knew she was retreating from him but he felt powerless to stop it. She made it to the door before he admitted, “I went to see you a year after I was shipped home, but you had already moved away.”
She froze but she didn’t turn back. “Did you expect me to stay? You told me it was over.” Finally, she turned on her heel, came to stand over him, and repeated, “You told me it was over. You said you didn’t want me anymore. How could I s
leep in the bed we’d shared? Every time I lay in that bed and stared at that ceiling, all that I felt was loss; all that I saw was loss everywhere. You do not understand what you took from me, and the worst damn thing about it is that I still love you every bit as much as I did then, if not more, since it seems to have grown with time, but I can’t…I just can’t...”
This time, when she left, he let her go. He’d been sucker punched in the chest and he didn’t know how to deal with it. How could she love him, how? After all the things that he had done. She said she’d sat with Parker, but Parker had never said another word about Alyssa to him after he’d let her go. At that moment, for some reason, he knew Parker knew something she wasn’t telling him. They had cried when they’d seen each other, and he didn’t remember them being that close before they’d been shipped off. They had been more like acquaintances than friends, so something happened after he’d been injured and he needed to know what that was.
CHAPTER FIVE
Parker didn’t protest the late time. Single men don’t usually think about the schedules of married people, and Walt was no exception. After all, she was his best friend. If he needed anything late at night, he had no doubt that she’d be there for him. “What are you up to tonight?” Parker asked, leading him to the spot where she had spent time with Alyssa.
“Just coming to hang out with you for a little while,” he answered nonchalantly.
“You haven’t wanted to hang out with me for a while now. Is there a certain reason or better yet, a certain person that brought you here?” she asked, teasing.
“Do I need a reason to come see you now?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Parker answered contritely. “Sorry, it was just wishful thinking on my part.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re right. I did come here about a certain someone,” Walt admitted.
Parker pulled a hurt face at his words. “You mean you really didn’t come to see me?” When he started to protest, she laughed. “I was only joking. I knew you‘d be here sooner or later once Alyssa came back into your life.”
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