"Might need to water it down," she teased. "It's so strong, it could bench press a Buick."
Cruz snickered. "Exactly as I intended. I need the extra kick today."
"You'll get it and then some. Hungry?"
"You know it. Thanks, Mom."
"Mind setting the table?"
He got the table ready, and before long, a full spread awaited. His mom loved having her kids home, so she always fixed big meals. It reminded Cruz of when he was growing up. There was always a full table of food surrounded by their large family and lots of laughter.
His dad joined them and asked Cruz a bunch of questions about his new place. Just as Cruz was finishing, Zachary came in, his hair sticking out in a million directions. His eyes narrowed at Cruz. "Turtle power, huh?"
Cruz burst out laughing. "Yeah, well, had to get you back for the sheets." Which were still on his bed, but he wasn't going to let his brother know that.
Zachary smiled and held out his fist. "Nice one."
Cruz bumped it with his own before getting up and rinsing off his plate. He glanced back at Zachary. "You still helping this afternoon?"
"Yeah. I was going to bring some posters to help you decorate. Kind of ironic." He laughed.
"Awesome, dude."
When Cruz rode up to his normal parking spot, he paused. The road leading to his parlor had been plowed. He could actually park right in front. Who had convinced the town to do that? Not that he was going to question a good thing. He went the rest of the distance and stopped, cutting the engine.
He pulled off his helmet and set it down. Glancing over at the church, he noticed no cars in front of it. He must be early if he'd beaten them. And that disappointed him, but he knew he'd get more done.
"Nice place," came a male voice behind him.
Cruz turned around. "Julian. Where'd you come from?"
"Just out for a stroll." He raised his nose. Everything about him radiated superiority.
"All the way over here? It's pretty far from your neighborhood."
Julian plucked a piece of fuzz from the arm of his jacket. "I like to stay in shape, so I walk all around Kittle Falls."
"And you just happened to end up by Talia's church."
"Do you have a problem with me?" Julian adjusted a large, gold watch.
"Yeah. Always have. You know why."
He smirked. "But I have a lot more to offer Talia than you do. Money, looks… morals."
"You forgot charm."
"That goes without saying." Julian gave an arrogant laugh.
"Well, Allen and Talia aren't there today, so you wasted a trip." Cruz turned to go inside his shop.
"Don't think you have a chance with her."
He whipped around and glared at Julian. "Why? Because you know her so well?"
Julian jutted his chin. "I know her type. Good girls like her prefer a clean-cut guy who can provide nice things."
"You have her all wrong."
"We'll see." Julian thrust out his chest and walked past Cruz, bumping into him without apology.
Cruz cracked his knuckles. He'd never wanted to punch anyone more, but that rat wasn't worth it. Never had been. The two of them had always run in different circles. Julian, with the goody-two-shoes crowd and Cruz with kids who spent more time in detention than playing rugby—or whatever it was that Julian had been into.
During their teen years, angry glances had been exchanged but for the most part, the two groups had left each other alone. Until the day Rachel Fuller moved to town. The tall brunette with sparkling emerald eyes had caught the attention of both Cruz and Julian. She'd arrived just before a big school dance and Cruz had asked her to go with him.
She said yes, but then changed her mind. Julian had been behind it. He'd not only asked her to go with him, but he'd told her a bunch of exaggerated half-truths, making Cruz look like a criminal. Cruz had been so furious, he and his friends egged Julian's house. But that wasn't enough. Cruz was ready to give him two black eyes and a bloody lip, too. Jake had talked him down, and then went and told Rachel the truth.
Rachel broke her date with Julian, apologized to Cruz, and then went to the dance with him instead. Julian had been humiliated, and had sworn he would get back at Cruz one day. Now it appeared he had his opportunity.
Cruz took a deep breath, went inside the shop, and peered around, his body tense. He'd gotten a lot done on the shop already, but there was so much more to do. With any luck, he'd have all the garbage cleared out before Zachary arrived after finishing his daily writing.
He stuck his earbuds in, put on an indie rock station, and sang along loudly to release the stress. He opened all the doors and windows, hoping the cross-breeze would help clear the air. He'd opened the front door the day before, but that hadn't been enough. As with everything else, it was going to take his full-blown effort. He couldn't go halfway with anything if he wanted to open the doors anytime soon.
Cruz went through the back door to get to the trash this time, not wanting to allow himself to be distracted if he saw Talia. Hopefully she'd stay away from Julian. He didn't trust him further than he could throw his motorcycle.
After a couple hours, he looked around. He'd thrown out everything—finally. Now the question was whether he wanted to clean first or move things around. Reorganizing would only kick up dust, and he'd been sneezing despite the mask, so the answer was obvious.
He went to the corner where he'd thrown all the cleaning supplies. His stomach rumbled. Glancing outside, he guessed it to be lunchtime. He'd better take care of that before taking on a new task. He went outside and debated whether to eat out or at home. It would be wise to save money where he could.
"Cruz!" came a familiar female voice.
He turned toward the church. Talia waved and smiled at him. She actually wore pants instead of a dress. She had on skinny jeans and bright pink boots. He waved back and walked toward her.
It had been a few days since he'd seen her. After nearly kissing her in the classroom, he needed space to clear his head. And he still couldn't get her out of his mind.
He went over and met her in the middle of his shop and the church.
"Thanks so much for all your help the other day." Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she had on less makeup than usual.
Cruz really liked the casual version of Talia. He brought his attention back to her eyes. Those aquamarine beauties. He cleared his throat. "Oh, it was nothin'."
She shook her head. "No, it wasn't. Hey, are you hungry? I just brought lunch for Dad, and I made enough for an army. I guess I expected the other church to be here, but they're coming after lunch."
"I don't want to impose."
Talia laughed. It was such a captivating sound. "Not a chance. Consider it a thank you for all your help."
"Sure. Oh, and I like the new look."
She glanced down, her cheeks turning pink. "This? I've just been organizing the last of our boxes at home. I don't usually dress down so much when I leave the house. I guess I forgot."
"You should let it slip your mind more often."
Talia turned away. "Come on. Dad will be glad for the company."
Cruz smiled. It was fun to fluster her. They went inside, finding Allen eating at the same counter where they'd all had cookies and hot cocoa before.
"Hey, Dad," Talia said. "I found someone to help us with the smorgasbord."
He gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, good. And here I was worried you were trying to fatten me up." He held a hand out to Cruz. "Good to see you again."
Cruz shook Allen's hand. "You, too, sir."
"Allen."
"Right. Sorry, man."
The pastor chuckled and pushed the over-sized picnic basket toward Cruz. "Help yourself. I think my daughter is trying to end world hunger."
"Dad," Talia said, adding a syllable to the word. "I thought the other church would be here."
"I know. Just joshing you, honey."
Cruz picked a sandwich and unwrapped it. It smelled like
roast beef and made his mouth water. His stomach growled—loudly. He bit into the sandwich, hoping neither of them noticed, but both Talia and her dad had smiles on their faces. Well, at least he hadn't passed gas.
Talia saved the day by discussing her ideas for Christmas decorations. If she had her way, the church would be worthy of being featured in a magazine. He imagined the bulbs lighting up all of Kittle Falls.
She would definitely need help getting all the ornaments and lights up high on the roof.
"Do you guys have a long enough ladder?" he asked.
Talia turned to her dad. "Do we?"
"To reach the roof? I don't think so, but Paul from the other church is supposed to bring more supplies today. Maybe a ladder is one of them. If so, we'll have to ask to borrow it."
"Are they going to help with the lights?" Cruz asked. He pictured Julian offering to hold a ladder for Talia and ogling her from a different view.
Talia shook her head. "That's my area. I've always wanted to do that."
"You didn't at your old church?" asked Cruz.
"No. The lead pastor had other ideas."
"He didn't know what he was missing," Allen said.
By the time Cruz had finished the sandwich, some chips, and veggies, he was full. After his lack of sleep from working on his shop and helping Jake with his—and not picking up a mocha on the way to work—he was ready for a nap instead of more work.
"Thanks for the food," he said. "I hate to eat and bail, but…"
Allen collected the leftovers and walked them over to the trash. "No problem. I've got to get back to the sanctuary myself. We appreciate your help with the classroom the other day. I don't know what we'd do without you."
Cruz shrugged. "It was nothin'."
Talia smiled. "You keep saying that. We've got to teach you how to say 'you're welcome.'"
He stood taller. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure. Happy to be of service." He bowed toward Talia. "How was that?"
She curtsied. "Perfect, fine sir."
Allen chuckled. He seemed pleased that they were getting along.
They said their goodbyes and then Cruz headed back to his shop. He froze before he even reached it. Something was wrong with his yin-yang. It wasn't supposed to be green. His nostrils flared as he walked closer. Someone had painted a green 'x' across the whole thing.
His arms shook and his hands turned cold as he stared at his ruined artwork. He hadn't even had a chance to take a picture of it yet.
Cruz looked over to the door. He'd left everything open, having been distracted, and forgotten to close up the shop. He ran inside, and sure enough, two of his cans of paint and a brush were missing.
Julian. It had to be him. Not that there was any proof. He'd probably walked in and taken what he'd wanted without touching anything. No one would have seen anything, either, given how few people made it to this street.
Instead of punching the coward, Cruz would just take down the painting and put up a new one. He wouldn't even mention it to Julian. That would be the best form of payback.
Fifteen
Talia pulled up to the empty church and parked in front as always. She stared at the structure, impressed with how well it had been cleaned. If she didn't know better, she wouldn't have had any clue how rundown it had looked before. Once she got inside, the sanctuary would be even better.
While she'd spent the last few days at the house and visiting with Tiffany, her dad and the volunteers from the other church had been working even harder from the looks of it. Being that she was home, she'd taken more breaks than she had when working here, at the building. She'd caught up on some shows and reading, and as a result, felt better than she had since arriving in Kittle Falls.
She glanced over at Cruz's shop. Had he made just as much progress? She'd missed seeing him, but that was actually part of the reason she'd stayed back at home. Her feelings for him were so strong, and when he was around… it was hard to think straight. And he probably would have thought she was crazy.
They had nothing—nothing—in common. Well, not once they didn't have businesses to clean in long-abandoned buildings. That was where any similarities ended. They couldn't have been more of a mismatched set. And not only that, there was no way someone as worldly as him would ever have any interest in someone as sheltered as her.
She shook her head. She hadn't come here early on a Saturday to think about their wild neighbor. It was time to get the rest of the classrooms cleaned up and ready. From what her dad had told her, the other rooms had mostly been cleared out, and only needed cleaning. Some of them had had broken desks and chairs that would need replacing—but at least she wouldn't have to clean or move them.
Talia studied the structure again, this time envisioning all the Christmas decorations. Maybe that's what she should do instead of working on more classrooms. She imagined the look of surprise on her dad's face when he came back and saw that. He was a couple towns over buying supplies they hadn't been able to find in Kittle Falls.
She paused, trying to think if they had moved the decorations to the church yet. It was so hard to keep everything straight. She thought they were downstairs in the reception hall. That had turned into a temporary catch-all room. As soon as the main level was ready, the downstairs would finally get the attention it deserved.
Talia sipped her coffee and turned the car off—her car. She smiled, glad they had two vehicles again. It had definitely been a productive few days. It wasn't pretty, but it ran, and though used, came with a warranty.
It was cold out, and she found herself not wanting to step into the frigid air. Every day seemed to get cooler, and she was already tired of the snow. At least it was only on the ground today. Nothing falling from the sky.
She locked up the car and studied the building, trying to imagine where their Christmas decorations would fit. There was a perfect spot near the front where the life-sized manger scene could go. Their icicle lights should fit around the front, assuming the tall ladder was still in the back where the other church had left it.
Snow crunched as a car drove along the road, but Talia didn't pay any attention. She was trying to figure out if they had enough lights to decorate the trees in front. An eight foot, bushy pine would be the perfect choice, and it might just work.
"Talia," came a familiar male voice from behind.
She spun around. Julian stood behind her. He wore such finely-pressed slacks and coat that she expected to see a store tag sticking out. He held her eye contact.
Her pulse raced. "What are you doing here?"
"That's a fine how-do-you-do."
"We don't need any help today."
Julian looked all around. "Are you sure? I don't see anyone else."
"If we need you, we'll call your pastor."
He stepped closer. Talia stepped back. He moved closer. "There's so much work to do. Surely, I can help with something."
Talia glanced to the building. She wouldn't have enough time to run away and get inside. It was locked, and the locks tended to be tricky.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"I'd feel better if you left."
"Why?" He took another step toward her.
She took a deep breath. "Because I'm asking you to leave."
Julian cocked his head. "You don't want me here?"
"No. Please leave."
He huffed. "Yet you don't mind that uneducated tattoo artist?"
"Cruz has a college degree."
Julian snorted. "In art. I'm sure a monkey could do that."
Talia's heart felt like it would burst through her chest. She took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. "I'm calling my dad."
"Oh? To see if he wants my help?" He arched a brow.
She narrowed her eyes. "No. To tell him you won't leave."
"If you wanted me to go, you just had to ask." Julian waved a hand in dismissal, spun around, and went to his car.
Talia stared as he drove away, spraying snow behind. She went around the
back of the building, shaking, and took three tries to unlock the door leading to the reception hall. She saw the familiar boxes of Christmas decorations right away.
Talia took deep breaths to calm herself and then went over to them, trying to decide which to open first. The manger scene or lights? She glanced around and saw the ladder that belonged to one of the volunteers. That was how they'd gotten the outside of the building clean, and now it would help her to get the lights up. Who knew when they would return for it? She should take advantage of it and get the lights up.
Talia went over to the box that held their lights and froze when she saw her mom's handwriting on the side. Her breath caught and she felt a lump form in her throat. It was so painful to deal with her mom's absence, and times like this, it hit hard.
"I'm going to do this for you, Mom," she whispered. She pulled out a string of icicle lights and laid them on the ground, finding a plug to test them. A quick survey showed they were all still good. Repeating the same process, she checked all the others. Only one strand had any burned out, so she decided to start with that one, putting it on the side where no one would see the burned out ones.
She took that string and went out to the side opposite Cruz's shop, laying them on the snow. Then she went back inside and brought out the ladder, balancing it with care. She had to pull out a section before leaning it against the building. Staring up, she saw it reached almost to the eaves. It would be perfect for hanging the lights.
Talia grabbed the string of lights and climbed up. She was still a little unsteady—thanks to Julian—but she wasn't going to let that stop her. It was a good thing she had no fear. She got that from her mom—but look where that had gotten her. She promised her mom silently that she would stay safe.
Once at the top, Talia noticed tiny hooks installed along the bottom edge of the eaves. Someone had obviously already made a habit of putting the holiday decorations. Had it been when the building had been a church or the restaurant? It didn't matter. She just needed to get them up.
She held up the string, trying to figure out the best way to hang them. She tried several times until she finally found a way she liked. It took a while to get the string up, needing to climb up and down every time she had to move the ladder a few feet.
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