With my car parked, I jump out and yell at Dakota. As I gain his attention, I wave him over. If he plans to look at Izzie like he wants to devour her, I’ve got to figure this guy out. I have to make sure he’s not about to break her even more. She really can’t take any more heartache, and it’s up to us to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We all should’ve seen what Peter was planning, but we thought he was pulling away and acting strangely because Izzie wouldn’t set a date for the wedding. She was occupied with her students, her dad, Leah, me, and, of course, all the crap Peter would throw at her. Hell, I don’t know how she always hosted those dinner parties for his firm, but she did it with a smile every time.
Mr. I-am-too-handsome-for-my-own-good has made it over to my car, finally.
“You need some help with all that stuff? Where’s Izzie?” he questions while looking for her.
“She’ll be here soon, lover boy, and yes your help is needed.”
“Lover boy?”
“Yeah, lover boy. You look at her like a love-sick puppy.”
“No, I look at her like she’s an angel.”
“Wow Dakota, do you describe all beautiful girls that way?”
Dakota doesn’t bother to answer that question and points for me to pop the trunk of my car.
“Look, before we unload all this and she gets here, we need to talk. Well, I need to talk and you need to—”
He cuts me off before I can finish my statement. “Oh, am I going to get the best friend speech?”
“Yes, you are, Dakota. The real quick version and lowdown. Better listen and hear well.”
“I am. Proceed,” he says while he crosses his massive arms across his chest. At this moment, I understand why Izzie doesn’t want to talk about him and gets all flushed glaring at his body. Hell, I think I’m doing the same thing right now.
Snapping back, I know she’ll be here any moment, and if I’m seen talking to him, she’s going to be livid. “Look, I don’t know your intentions with my friend, but I need you to be careful with her. Izzie can’t take any more heartache—her heart’s broken. We aren’t even sure if it’s repairable. I’ve tried—hell, we all have—to get her back to the way she was before. It’s been a little over a year and she’s not right, yet. She’s trying though. I know she’ll never be the same, especially when it comes to love.” I explain this quickly, and then glance down the driveway. I have to look away; the tears are swelling into my eyes as I think back over this last year.
“What happened to her?”
“Not my story to tell. That’ll have to come from her.”
“Not even going to give me a hint?”
“No. I just need you to know that she’s broken; she’ll fight you tooth and nail. Be prepared for her to push you away. Izzie vowed back then to never open up again. She takes that seriously. I just want you to know this. I’m not going to bother asking if you like her, I’ve been watching you. You’re definitely interested in our sweet girl. You, of course, realize this, but she doesn’t.”
“If it makes you feel better, I do. Never felt it before, but she’s different. Crazy, if you ask me. I overheard you ladies last night, and saw her face when you were talking about some guy named Peter. I don’t know if she told you or not, but I was out last night walking the beach, clearing my head. I ran into her as she was sitting there crying. She wouldn’t say why, but God, her eyes when she looked into mine, they were so full of hurt. I want to be the man who takes the pain away. Don’t ask me why, I just know it’ll be me.”
Giving him a nod of understanding, I point to the items in the trunk. “Now, help me get this stuff in the house before she gets back. She’s going to flip out that I have you helping. Oh, by the way, she’s not going to do it, but you’re invited to the Fourth of July party. You just confirmed, so end of this discussion.”
“I’m attending the party and my lips are sealed. Just let me know what to bring. Let’s get this stuff inside. It seems that I’ll be helping today.”
“Yes you are, just watch your back. And while you’re watching yours, watch mine. Izzie is going to kill me.”
Izzie
As I pull into my driveway, I notice Kelsey’s vehicle and Leah’s. The whole crew’s arrived and the excitement to start this new change is overwhelming. The day has turned into another beautiful hot summer day, which means we’re able to paint.
With lunch in tow for later, I head inside. As I’m almost to the kitchen, I take in the extra bodies that weren’t invited. Well, Joseph is welcome anytime, but not Dakota. Who allowed him inside, I’ve got no clue. I do suspect one person had a hand in this.
Why’s he even here? It’s strange that he would want to be hanging out while I’m not even around. Is he trying to scope out the place? Joseph most likely arrived with Leah; I didn’t notice his truck in the driveway.
Securing the food away, I yell out for Kelsey to join me in the other room. We round the corner into my bedroom and I close the door abruptly.
“What the hell! Why’s he here?”
“Who, Joseph? You know he wants to help. He was on the phone with Leah and decided to tag along. We could use the muscles.”
“Oh, don’t play coy with me, lady, you know who the heck I’m talking about and it’s not Joseph. He could live here if he wanted, and I wouldn’t care one bit. Why is Dakota here?”
“I had him help me carry the things inside before everyone got here. Joseph showed up, so now they’re doing the male bonding thing. Don’t stress about it, Izzie. We’ll get this knocked out quicker than you thought now.”
“Ugh … I know what you’re up too, and it’s not going to work. Stop right now! I told you not to do this and I mean it, Kelsey. Please, I don’t want to deal with him,” I say in my defeated voice.
“Well, I can’t kick him out, Izzie, that’s just rude. You need to figure out a way to be neighborly.”
If he crosses me, I’ll just kick his ass out. The hell with what Kelsey says, I'm not nice, I repeat over and over in my head as we find our way back out to a room full of people.
The guys move the furniture onto the back deck and we tape up the areas that need it. Drop cloths are positioned around the room, allowing me to take in the empty space lined with blue tape. After taking a deep breath, I release it and welcome the rush of excitement.
“Dakota and Joseph, you are in charge of rolling. Us girls will trim and work on accents and decorations,” I instruct to move this party along. The girls and I have decided the blue would work best for the trim, and I’ll save the red, maybe for the front door. It seems that we have enough red accents in the room to pull it all together. Too much red will take away from the peaceful vibe I’m trying to set into place here.
In need of a water break, I head back to the kitchen for my glass. It’s nowhere to be found, so I reach for a new one in the cupboard. I step back without looking and slam into a rock-hard body behind me, which startles me and sends my glass crashing to the floor. The glass shatters around my feet and a few pieces actually cut my skin.
“Shit. Shit. Shit!” I yell.
“Don’t move; you’ll cut yourself even more.”
In a flash, I’m lifted from the floor and placed onto the counter. Dakota raised me like it was nothing, and is now looking around for the broom and dustpan.
“Pantry,” I say and point to the door.
“I’m sorry for startling you; I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you always this jumpy?” he asks as he stops what he’s doing to glance at me.
“Yes, when I have a strange man in my kitchen that I don’t know is behind me, I tend to be a little jumpy,” I say with a hint of sarcasm.
“I’m not a stranger, you know. Just a guy that moved in next door and is trying to get to know the neighbor.”
“Are you done yet? I’ve got work to do.”
“Almost, but you need to let me clean the cuts on your foot first, then you can go back to work.”
“I’ll clean them. I don’t need a
nyone to take care of me. Got it?”
“Oh, I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but I think you should let me take care of you. You know, it’s not a bad thing to let people in.”
God, that smirk he always gives me … it’s about to drive me nuts. Jumping down from the counter, I decide to do this myself. This is a conversation that needs to be avoided. In the bathroom, I lock the door behind me and locate the peroxide and a bandage. I hike my foot up on the side of the tub and dab the cotton ball onto the small cut. My breath hitches from the sting. Satisfied that they’re clean enough, everything goes back up and I head back out.
When I enter the kitchen, everything is cleaned up and a brand new glass of water is on the counter waiting for me.
Dakota’s out in the sunroom with the others, and I use this moment to regroup. The sliding door opens and it’s Dakota again, causing me to let out a sigh of defeat. Not understanding how he doesn’t get the picture that I’m not interested, I decide to kick it up a notch. Do I choose bitch mode, or the whole reverse psychology on him? He’s inspecting the bandage like he’s prepared to whisk me off to a hospital for some minor cuts.
“You all right?”
“I am, thanks.”
“Wow, she says thanks.”
“Hilarious. You’re a regular comedian today, huh?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you this way with everyone you meet or is it just with me?” I ask.
“Just with you, Izzie,” he says as he steps closer to me. Dakota’s so close that I can actually feel his breath on my neck. “Izzie, why are you fighting me so hard? Can’t you feel the attraction and the spark? I do, and I know you do.”
With my heart in my throat, I’m not able to respond. He looks at me a little while longer, then backs away and takes the glass of water from my hands and places it on the counter.
“Go to dinner with me tonight; allow me the chance to know you.”
I push him back a little in order to think. “Sorry, I’ve got plans with the girls and the house is a wreck. Thanks, though.”
“We’ll have dinner soon, Izzie. Come, we’ve got work to do. And stop ogling my chest, will ya? You’re making me feel cheap,” he says as he walks to the sunroom, laughing.
What a complete ass he is. Who does he think he is, telling me what to do and invading my space like that? I’ve never met someone as blunt as him, all demanding and in your space. God, it drives me nuts; he’s going to make me crazy.
There has to be a way to keep him at a distance. Now I just have to figure out how. Just as soon as I do, this summer will go as planned.
CHAPTER FIVE
WITH THE SUNROOM PAINTED and the furniture back in its place, I spend a moment taking it all in. The new rug is positioned in the center with the wicker coffee table sitting on top of it. Red cushions are thrown on the love seat and chairs. We’ve even placed some odds and ends that I’ve collected over the last few months around the room: candles, plants, and some pictures. Joseph’s hanging the pallet flag I made two years ago for my dad. It needed to go back in the original spot on the wall, over the loveseat. The red, white, and blue pallet is perfect up there, as it pulls the color scheme together. Standing here looking at it in the newly done area makes me remember the day that I’d made it.
We had just finished lunch that day; I was spending the weekend with Dad while Peter was out of town. I knew he’d not been feeling well, but I was not prepared for the discussion we had that afternoon.
“Isabel, we need to talk. Come sit in the sunroom with me, okay?”
We sat on the love seat so we were both facing the beach. I knew something was up. He never wanted to just sit in the afternoon, and I was ready to get on with whatever he had to tell me.
“Isabel, you know that I’ve been feeling a little under the weather and I went to see my doctor?”
“Yeah, I know. Is everything all right?”
“No Isabel, I don’t know how to tell you this. Hell, I don’t even know how to process it myself yet, either. They ran some blood work and my cell counts were real low.”
“Oh, Daddy!”
He grabbed my hand and turned to look at me, face to face. I knew that what he had to say next wasn’t going to be good. “Isabel, I’ve got liver cancer. It’s not good; they’re not sure what they can do yet. I go see a specialist next week to figure it out.”
Speechless, all I had were tears for what my father had just told me. My chest felt like a ton of bricks were sitting on it, I couldn’t breathe. All I was able to do was reach over to him and hold him while we both cried. Pulling back to look at him, I don’t know, he looked aged and sorry for what he had to tell me. His expression broke me more than the words he spoke.
“Dad, we’ll fight it. I’ll get you what you need and find every doctor who can make it go away. No worries, okay? You’re going to be fine, I know it. Remember, you’re strong. We will beat it.” I stood up as I finished and felt the need for a stroll down the beach. I needed to clear my head and he knew the meaning of my abrupt absence. After walking the beach for a little while, and on the way back, I saw a lone pallet lying on the side of the house. I brought it to the deck and started to make the flag. He’d requested it a few months back, so I chose that day to complete it for him. After it had dried, I placed it on the back wall where he’d pointed. That simple act had kept me busy and him happy.
Now, Kelsey, Leah, and Joseph are watching me as I stare at the wall. They all understand why such a simple repurposed project means the world to me. Who would’ve known that an eight dollar project would later bring a smile to my face? It wasn’t a piece of fine art, but to Dad, it was priceless.
Feeling a hand touch my shoulder, I cock my head in that direction and notice Dakota.
“You all right, Izzie?”
“I am perfect, just taking it in. We did an excellent job today.” I smile at my friends as I finish the sentence, bound and determined to keep my emotions in check. No one needs to worry about me, especially with Dakota still here. He doesn’t have a clue about anything going on, or why it’s so hard to change the little things around here. For now, I’d like to keep it that way.
“I think we’re done for the day. I’m going to find my phone and call for a pizza.”
“Izzie, I’ve got to go. I’ve got to meet someone,” Leah says quickly, looking toward Joseph.
“Same here, babe. Plus, she’s my ride.”
“Kelsey, you staying for pizza?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Nope, I’m tired and going home. Call you later.”
“Fine you are all dismissed; thanks for the help. I’ll make a sandwich then,” I say with a pout.
After brief hugs and thanks for all the hard work, I show my friends out. It’s been a long, tiring day, but with everyone’s help the work got completed and I can’t wait to enjoy the new space. Turning, I take in Dakota’s back as he’s looking out at the shore. Now all I have to figure out is how to get him to leave.
As I enter the sunroom, Dakota asks, his back still turned to me, “Want me to order a pizza or make us sandwiches?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to clean up around here, and then I’ll make something a little later. You go ahead and head home. Thanks again for helping today. You didn’t have to.”
“I told you we were going to have dinner, and tonight we’ll have it. Order the pizza, get cleaned up, and I’ll be back in about thirty minutes,” he instructs as he heads out the screen door, never stopping to look back at me, or to make sure that I’d accepted his offer.
“What the heck just happened?” I ask myself. I don’t remember agreeing to dinner. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” I say while going inside. Suck it up, Izzie, and just get it over with. All you have to do is make sure he doesn’t want a repeat date.
After a quick shower, I throw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, allowing my hair to air dry. I call the local pizza delivery joint and glance to the clock, making a mental note for the time of arrival. Th
irty minutes until it arrives and I have to make due with small talk.
I pour myself a glass of wine and go out back as I wait for his return. As I tuck my feet underneath me, I wonder which door he’ll go to. He’s been using the back, and if I don’t hear him at the front, he should know to come here. It’s such a beautiful evening; we’ll eat out here as we enjoy the work we accomplished.
In my peripheral vision, I notice the unavoidable Dakota strolling in my direction. When I turn to get a better view, my breath quickens as I take him in. I have to admit, he’s gorgeous, and this laid back look is quite becoming for him. “Please let the pizza get here,” I say to myself. The sensations that run through my body when he’s in the same room are off the charts. Using all my energy to fight him, I only end up exhausted from it all. Yes, dinner needs to be quick. No chit chat, Izzie. Remember, in and out, you have only known him for a day.
“Evening, I brought wine,” he says as he holds up the bottle in his hand to show me.
“Pizza’s on the way, and I already opened one. Would you care for a glass?
“Yes, please. Need some help?”
“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back. Dinner out here okay with you?”
“It’ll be perfect. We can watch the sunset as we enjoy the pizza and wine.”
That brings me to a halt pretty quickly, and I just glare at him. It’s like another hour or two before the sun will ultimately set and nightfall will take over.
“Look, I’m exhausted. We’ll have dinner and a glass of wine, but after that you need to leave. I’m not trying to be rude, but I just met you yesterday.”
“I know we just met, that’s why we’re having dinner. Think of it as us getting to know each other. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like that glass of wine, and then come back and we can chat like normal people.”
Fading Memories Page 4