by Mari Brown
“Mom don’t be stupid. Find a way to talk to him make sure it’s over before you say it’s over.”
“Noah,” I sigh. My kids are ganging up on me and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. The fact they are willing to entertain seeing me happy with Tate is heartwarming but I wasn’t sure I deserved that happiness anymore.
“Think about it mom before it really is too late it’s been six months already.”
“I am aware of how long it’s been.”
Not that my children would know it but Lelo, the king of vibrators, was getting used more and more at night after I went to bed. Often times with memories of what Tate could do to my body fueling my orgasms. I mentally shake myself from those thoughts they do me no good.
My kids never letting it go that I should try to find my happiness where it lies. They didn’t bring up Tate’s name again for which I was very thankful.
Chapter Two
Monday morning, I open my email to find my new first grade class list waiting for me. I scan the list of names excited that in just over a month I would be working with another group of bright eager learners. I loved my job. I loved getting to know each child and helping them grow throughout the school year.
Each school year I used a different theme for the whole year. Last year it was Space. This year I planned on using a jungle theme and especially monkeys because my classroom was usually full of little monkeys. I began making a list of things I would need as I had not used this theme before in my classroom. It meant a run to the teacher supply store in town. I was excited for something for the first time since losing Steve. I was looking forward to getting back in the classroom.
Driving toward Teacher’s Tools I was singing along with Flo Rida on the radio damn my teenagers for making me like this song. I was going on forty and rapping like I was fifteen.
“I know what you came here to see if you’re a freak then ya coming home with me”
I belt this out before finding myself laughing. I’m sure if someone was looking in my car they would think I had gone crazy. Hell I am crazy if the parents of my students only knew what it was like living in my brain or what I have done behind closed doors they would be horrified. I snicker one more time before sobering up. It’s good that I can laugh at myself. To be comfortable with myself again. It’s been far too long since I was genuinely happy.
I smile as the sun beats through the windshield. I am driving along peace encompassing me. It doesn’t hurt any less that Steve is gone but each day step by step I’m moving forward. I still can’t believe my kids encouraged me to call Tate what were they thinking? I swear I wondered if Haley had been talking to them. My friend was always encouraging me to call Tate it didn’t help that she was still seeing his coworker and friend Jake. So even though I had not seen or talked to the man in over six months I still knew what was going on with him.
As I move into the right lane to turn on to Main Street I notice there is a little play in my steering wheel. It doesn’t feel right but I shake it off as a little glitch. I pull to a stop at the red light flipping my turn signal and as I make the turn on Main Street I can tell this is no glitch. My power steering is completely out, this is not good. It’s weird because my car worked just fine when I ran up to the grocery store yesterday. No one had driven it since. I begin scanning the area around me for a place to pull over.
Panic hits me when I see that just five hundred feet ahead is Busted Nuts Auto Repair. The smart thing would be to pull in there and have them look at my car. My heart begins beating an upbeat or was it an uptight rhythm. Maybe I would luck out and Tate would be off today. Who the fuck am I kidding it’s a fucking Monday he isn’t off. As the owner he was never off but especially not on Monday the busiest morning of the week. It really sucks I remember everything about him.
I turn into the lot of the shop ignoring the memories it brings rushing back in. Mike is standing close to the open bay door instant recognition dawns in his eyes at seeing my car. I take a few calming breaths before pulling to a stop and turning my car off. I get out of the car, my stomach has jumping jelly beans in it as I walk toward Mike pretending I’m calm.
“Lori, what can we do for you?” His easy greeting makes me smile. I am as familiar with these guys as I am the teachers at school. It’s like returning to a place of comfort.
“Mike long time, it seems that I’m having some kind of issue with my power steering.”
“We can take a look it’ll be about fifteen minutes before we can get to you.”
The other guys have stopped what they are doing and are watching Mike and I talk. I keep the smile plastered on my face as Tate rounds the corner from his office.
He hasn’t changed in the time since I saw him last. His 6’ frame is lean and fit. His brown hair spiked as sexy as ever on top of his head. I glimpse those tattoos I’m intimately familiar with peeking from the sleeve of his work shirt and my body heats up.
I shouldn’t have pulled in here; this was a mistake. Did I really think I could see Tate and not feel the pull like always? The connection we had from the beginning was electrifying. We were drawn together like magnets.
When we first hooked up I remember we were both just looking for a little release. I had Steve at home dying and I needed something that would help me forget. He was engaged to a crazy chick. I mean literally crazy she was bi polar, a narcissist, and I wasn’t too sure schizo all rolled into one. I was in love with Steve and had no plans to leave him. He stayed with LuAnn for reasons only he understood. We needed something stress free with no strings attached. I struggle to keep myself from snorting out loud. No strings? Right! That’s why I am standing here a hot mess.
Tate has frozen in his spot. His eyes are boring into me. I stand tall though. I’m determined Tate will not figure out how much of an affect he still has on me. Mike is moving his head slightly left and right as he watches the interaction between Tate and me.
“This is going to be interesting! I’ll go start a ticket for you Lori.” Mike walks toward the counter and begins typing into the computer.
Tate moves next to Jake. His eyes are still on me. Jake glances in my direction and waves. I wave back. Jake often attends Sunday dinners at my house with Haley. It’s not unusual for us to be friendly with one another. Tate speaks to Jake, who nods his head at whatever Tate says to him. Jake gives me a smile before turning back to work on the car in front of him.
Tate moves away from Jake my eyes follow him closely. I can’t help myself. The urge to wrap myself up in Tate is strong. Yet I made the right decision when I ended things between us. It hadn’t been easy. There was no denying that after a year of being with my so called stunt cock, I was falling in love fast and hard. You know that saying shit happens? Yea well shit happened with Tate and I. The more time we spent together the more we wanted to be together. However when Steve took that turn at the end I knew my place was by my husband’s side.
He begins walking toward me. His trademark smirk on his face. What an asshole! Yet I still love him. I won’t lie to myself time apart has not diminished what I feel for the man currently making his way toward me.
“Lori…” His voice still has that charming lilt that I love hearing. I swallow. Reply brain.
“Tate how are you?” Whew I manage to speak to him and sound normal. I mentally high five myself.
“I’m good and you?”
Why is this conversation suddenly awkward? We were never awkward with one another. It was one of the things about him that drew me in. From the moment we met we were at ease with one another. Comfortable and laid back. We laughed and talked like old friends. It wasn’t like we had just met it was like we had known each other our whole lives.
“I was doing great until I turned on Main Street.” He looks at me quizzically. I find myself laughing at his arched eyebrows and twisted lips. “My power steering suddenly stopped working.”
“Let’s take a look at it.” Tate walks over to my car with me and reaches in and pops the hood. T
he familiarity of everything with us is too much. Tate begins looking under my hood and I hear him make a few undistinguishable sounds. I don’t know if they were words or grunts. “You piss someone off lately?”
“What?”
“Your line was cut, and I’d say on purpose.”
I stare at Tate in disbelief. I can’t imagine why anyone would do something like that to my car then it hits me.
“That little motherfucker!”
It’s Tate’s turn to stare at me in disbelief before laughing.
“I take it you have an idea who did it?”
Oh yea I had an idea. I was going to kill Noah! I’m pretty sure that it’s frowned upon in all fifty states, but I had no doubt in my mind that he was the responsible party.
“Noah!”
One word is all it takes before Tate is laughing harder than he was earlier. I love how his eyes shine while he laughs and crinkle up in the corners. I’m trying really hard to hang on to my anger but watching Tate laugh makes it hard.
“It’s not fucking funny. I’m going to beat him when I get home.”
“It’s an easy fix babe. I’ll call and get the part sent over and we should have it done in about an hour.”
“Not the point. The little shit did this on purpose.”
Tate’s easy grin meets my eyes.
“Why would he do that?”
The whole situation is frustrating. I have a pretty good idea why Noah did it but there is no way in hell I’m admitting it to Tate. He would gloat even more than he already seems to be. In fact it’s almost like the asshole knows what happened.
“You weren’t in on it were you?”
I put nothing past Tate. When he wants something he goes after it.
“No, why would I have Noah cut your power steering line?”
It’s like a light bulb goes off over his head. His lips curve up in the biggest smile.
“I think I’m going to have to send Noah a big thank you.”
“Don’t fucking encourage him!”
“Mrs. Madison I think you need your mouth washed out with soap. What would the kids in your class think of their teacher’s dirty mouth?”
I stomp my foot like a two year old. I huff.
“Shut up asshole. You love my dirty mouth!” I gasp as my hand flies to cover my mouth. I didn’t plan to say that it just slipped out.
Tate moves in close to me his breath fanning across my face. He leans into my ear and whispers to me softly but still full of strength.
“I miss that dirty mouth wrapped around my cock.”
I resist the urge to kick him. I resist the urge to kiss him. I want to do both simultaneously. Instead I push him back from me and I stomp off toward the waiting room of Busted Nuts.
Mike is watching my entrance into the shop. He starts laughing. “He still gets your engine revving doesn’t he?”
“Shut up asshat!”
That’s my brilliant reply. I slump into a cold plastic chair. I’m pouting and I don’t even care right now. I’m so lost in my own thoughts I don’t even realize there is a guy sitting in the waiting room until I hear a subtle cough and clearing of a throat.
My head comes up to face a man around my age smiling. I want to stick my tongue out at him. Instead I just give him a small smile and pull out my phone and furiously begin texting Haley. This was turning out to be a disaster. Maybe she could come pick me up and take me shopping and come back for my car. I don’t think I can handle sitting in the shop for an hour or more with Tate.
Haley: you’re where??!!
Lori: COME GET ME!!!
Haley: I would but I’m over in Destin
Lori: wtf? Why?
Haley: Shopping
Lori: I hate you
Haley: no you don’t
I toss my phone back in my purse. I could call Noah or even Olivia to come get me but they are both at the high school practicing. I don’t want to disrupt their normal lives even if Noah deserves it right now.
Noah was in for a big surprise when he gets home tonight as I would be presenting this repair bill to him. We will see if he was as pleased with his little plan once he had to pay for it. That puts a smile on my face.
Chapter Three
Fifteen minutes pass before my car is pulled into the fourth bay of the shop. Pete, the head mechanic begins dismantling things under my hood. You would think that after I dated Tate for a year I would have more working knowledge of what parts were properly called but I didn’t care enough to learn the proper names. It’s not like I had to know the names. Steve took care of car maintenance when he was able and Tate took over when Steve no longer could. I trusted both men when it came to making sure my car was running safely. I still trust Tate.
The guy sitting across from me is starting to bother me. He keeps looking at me knowingly. He doesn’t know shit about me. He can keep whatever strange thoughts he’s having to himself. I jump out of my seat and walk out of the waiting room into the shop. I make my way over to my car where Pete is working.
“Hey Pete.”
“Lori.”
Yep Pete is a talker. Talking to him sometimes is like prying a bottle from a baby’s mouth.
“Been doing okay?”
I can’t stop myself from asking him. He grunts in reply and I give up turning around to see Mike working on a car in the bay next to us. I stand there for a full ten seconds with my mouth hanging open. The balding pot belly guy is twerking as he tightens a bolt on the engine of the car he is working on.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Tate and Jake’s laughter echoes in my ears at my question.
“Mike’s been like this all morning.” Tate’s voice replies to my question.
“Did he forget his medication this morning?”
Tate and I fall back into a natural rhythm.
“Hey!” Mike shouts bringing my attention back to him. “I resemble that remark.”
Then as if he didn’t miss a beat he starts dancing around the car as he does his post inspection. I find myself laughing at his antics. It’s hard not to. Mike has always been the clown of the group. No matter how shitty things are this man will make you laugh whether you want to or not.
By this time I give up all pretenses and just enjoy the show Mike is putting on. It sets my mind at ease watching him. I’m not worried about Tate or what to say to Tate. Comfort envelops me.
“How do y’all work with him?” My words are not directed at anyone in particular.
“We all have our quirks.” My eyes cut to Jake as he speaks.
“Yea I guess we do.”
I find myself looking at Tate as I speak. His head is bent down over a car but as if sensing me staring he glances up and his eyes twinkle as he smirks at me. Smug bastard! He goes back to what he is doing as if I am just another customer standing in the shop.
By now Mike is back to twerking around the shop. He holds a clipboard in his hand as he dances his way to the waiting room. He dances a little too close to me causing me to back up. I hit something hard and firm. Looking over my shoulder, Tate is standing behind me. My knees grow weak. I shouldn’t be melting over him, I gave him up but can’t help I still love him. I walked away and there is no way my pride would let me crawl back.
“Careful Princess don’t want you to get hurt.”
I stomp away from him like a bratty kid instead of the grown ass adult I am. Tate’s always had that ability over me though. I’ll never forget when we had our first talk about sex together. My cheeks heat a little at the memories.
“I’m always in control in the bedroom. I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do but let’s be clear I’m in charge.”
“You’re in charge?”
“Yes Princess.”
My mind reels in that moment. I wonder what I have gotten myself into with him. Steve had never been like that in the bedroom. It would be safe to say that I was the one in charge with Steve. In a split moment I decide it may not be so bad to let
someone else be in charge.
“So do I need a safe word?” I have read one too many romance novels.
“It might not hurt…”
Tate has a giant grin on his face. He’s so damn cocky and smooth. I want him touching me right now. I’m not too sure my panties aren’t already drenched just thinking about the possibilities.
“Um so… my safe word is… Eagle.”
“Eagle?”
“Yes Eagle! It’s not something I normally cry out while having sex.”
We share a laugh over my choice of safe word but we agree to it. And all the while I am asking myself what the hell am I doing with this man?
Mike hollering out next to me startles me back into the present.
“Look at the ass on that one!”
I can’t stop myself from following the direction he is looking as do the other guys in the shop. On the trail that runs along the front street of the shop a woman is jogging. I commend her for trying to be healthy but she is a bigger woman and I have to agree with Mike she has an ass for days. But surprisingly it’s a shapely ass and I almost want to run out there and tell her not to lose it in her quest to be healthy. An ass can be an asset with men.
“That’s too much ass for me.” Jake’s lighthearted reply is the first.
“Yea I like ass but even for me that’s too much.”
I twirl around and face Tate with shock on my face because that was another thing I learned over my year with Tate. He loved woman no matter their shape or size. The one thing he found most attractive in them was confidence. The more confident they were the more attracted he was to them.
“Did you really just say that?” Surprise fills my voice. I feel like I’m missing something.
“Yea I did. I find my taste run a little smaller these days.”
“Oh…”
I don’t ask anything else. I really don’t want to hear about his current lover. It would be like a stake through my heart. I turn away from him and focus on Mike who is now talking to a customer at their car. It’s not long before he is moving an orange safety cone out of the way and directing the owner into the bay. Once he has them parked he runs them through a standard pre inspection before beginning an oil change something I am very familiar with after the time I’ve spent here. I spent the better part of a year hanging out at Busted Nuts just to have more time with Tate.