by J. E. Sawyer
I have officially been in Taylorton, Texas for a month. So far, it’s been the best month of my life. No disrespect to Grams, I loved her with my whole heart, but I feel like I wasn’t living. She was hiding from who knows what and we were just getting by. I’m working in the shop office on the phone scheduling an appointment with a customer when the door chimes and in comes a walking sex ad. I kid you not, this chic is Jessica Rabbit in the flesh. Long thick red hair, curves galore, long legs, pouty mouth and mini dress about two sizes too small. She has at least six inches on my five feet. Not that I have anything against red heads, but I can already tell this chic is trouble.
I almost forget about the customer on the phone, “Sounds good, see you then Mr. Wellington. Take care.” I end the call and address Mrs. Rabbit, “Hi, can I help you?” I ask her in my most professional manner. Professional is the on verge of going out the window. I don’t miss the cold look in her eyes, the slight snarl of her upper lip, and no one can notice the jut of her hip where her hand rests. In other words, in female talk, she just basically said I’m the gum beneath her shoe. She just better reel it back or it’s about to get sticky.
“I need Weston, my car won’t start.” She says in a sultry voice. Really lady? I know that’s not really how you talk, it’s not like you’re trying to seduce me. Geez.
“Let me see which one of the guys is available, I’ll be right back.” I get up to head into the shop, but she speaks up.
“No, I just need Weston.” She says and my hackles go up.
“Can I tell him who’s here? He’s currently working on a large project that’s on a deadline. I’m sure one of the guys will be willing to look at it for you.” I tell her honestly.
“You don’t understand. I only need Weston.” She says as she puts her hand on my desk and leans towards me like she thinks she’s going to intimidate me. Ha
“And you are?” I ask her losing my patience.
“Chandra. Chandra Marshall,” she says extending the pronunciation of the ‘ll’s a little more than necessary. Geez, who does this chic think she is?
“I own ‘The Charming Chandra Boutique’, “she says, ok so she’s apparently a mind reader. Wait. Chandra? Then it dawns on me. She must see that I just put the pieces together from the smug look on her face as she stands back up to her full height. Chandra, as in Weston’s ex-girlfriend Chandra. Great.
“Wait here, let me see if he has a minute.” I tell her, still trying to remind myself I’m on the job.
“I’ll just go back there and get him myself. I’m sure I could give him a nice break.” She says as she starts to sash shay to the shop door.
Work place be damned. I’ll take it up with Garret later. “Oh no you won’t. Wait here, or you can go elsewhere. Customers are not permitted in the shop.” I tell her sternly.
“Well, I don’t know who you are,” she starts and I give her a don’t push me look. “Fine, just hurry,” she huffs.
Reluctantly I go to the shop. I pass Jake’s bay first. When he sees my face he asks, “Uh oh what’s the matter short stuff?”
“Jessica Rabbit is here looking for some lettuce. I’m about ready to shove a carrot up her ass.” I tell him and keep walking. I hear him bust a gut behind me.
No one else stops me as I make my way to Weston’s work station. I almost stumble when I see him in all his glory. His full biceps fill out the sleeves of his shirt as he strains to break a bolt loose. My mouth goes dry for a second.
Noticing my presence, he looks up, “Hey baby, what ya’ doin’ out here?” He asks with a big smile and crinkle at the corners of his eyes. Then he takes notice of my tense shoulders and balled fists.
“Everything ok?” He asks concerned as he wipes of his hands.
“It would be better if there wasn’t a fire to put out up front” I tell him. He looks at me confused. I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Red is here to see you. Says her car won’t start and refuses to let anyone else look at it.” I exhale. His jaw tenses as he looks over top of my head towards the shop door. He just gives me a silent nod and heads that way. I follow behind him. This can go one of two ways, one of us is going to be upset.
As soon as he opens the door, I hear “Hey Baby,” but Weston holds his hand up halting her from saying anything else. I go to step around him but he grabs me by the wrist and pulls me to his side. This doesn’t go unnoticed by her. She tries to hide her scowl. It what little bit of time I was back there her dresses somehow got a littler shorter and the top a little lower. I wonder how that happened.
I mentally slap a hand to my forehead, aye yay ae.
Glancing at me and back to Weston she tries again, “Weston,” she starts in a whiney voice. You know the one the whole male population just looovess – not. “My car won’t start honey.” She continues and sticks out her bottom lip in a pout and gives some lame attempt at ‘doe eyes’. Ok, so I might be a bit crabby about it.
“Chandra,” Weston addresses her in a cold voice that I hope I never hear directed towards me. He steps up to her, and she thinks he’s giving in, but she’s wrong. Or at least I hope. “I will go outside and look at your car, even though I don’t have time for this. If you are playing games, you will regret it.” He barks at her. “You got it?”
I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. He walks out with her and I can see them from the large windows out front, thank goodness. He sits in the drivers seat and tries to turn it over. She’s right it won’t start, apparently, she had it towed in. He pops the hood and looks around. Awe gee look, is the face he makes. The battery cable was disconnected. I can see the red creep up from under the collar of Weston’s shirt, up his throat and to his face. He is not happy. I can’t hear what he’s saying but there is no doubt he’s letting her have it.
I about jump out of my skin when someone starts talking next to me, “It’s about time he tells her.” Jake chuckles at my near heart attack. “I would have done it a long time ago. He’s been too easy on her. She tries pulling this crap all the time. Like he’s ever going to take her back. It’s because of you, you know.” He continues at glances at me.
“Me?” I’m confused.
“Yeah you, she’s acting out towards you and he’s not going to tolerate it. She made a big mistake. Can’t say I’m sorry though. Good riddance.” He says while watching them out the window. Weston hooks the battery cable back up and walks back to the office. Me and Jake both scramble to look busy instead of two nosey creepers.
“Gemma?” Weston says and I look up from my desk. He gives me a half smile. The twinkle in his eye lets me know we are busted. Well, that and he points out the paper I’m supposed to writing on is upside down. Crap. Guess I’m not stealthy. “Gemma, I’m sorry about her. She has no business here.” He says.
“Did she finally get the hint this time?” Jake asks, clearly frustrated with her.
“She better,” I hear from the doorway to the shop. Jason is standing there with his arms across his chest.
“I’m just glad we don’t have a salad bar or Jessica Rabbit might not ever left.” I interject. The chuckles all around confirm my teasing helped relieve some of the tension. Weston walks over and gives me a kiss on the temple and goes back to work. Jake follows him out.
Jason looks at me contemplating if he should say anything. “She really did a number on him. She’s the reason he has a hard time trusting. It’s not my place to go into detail, but he’s different with you. He was in a rough place for a while and I don’t want to see him back there.” He says in a somber tone.
“Jason, I know you care about him. I do too, trust me when I say I’ll do my best to make him happy.” I reply truthfully.
“You already do,” is all he said before he went back to work.
The rest of the week creeps by without incident, until Friday. I love Fridays. I decide to start my day off right with coffee and cinnamon rolls for everyone from Bea’s Beans. I’ve been trying to hold them to a minimum, but man they are to die for. I sit at the counte
r and wait for my order. I hear someone place an order at the register, vanilla latte fat free milk no whipped cream. Said person decides to take a seat beside me to wait. Out of all the open seats at the counter they decide to sit directly beside me. When I look over the ginger nut next to me tells me everything I need to know. Chandra.
She doesn’t look at me when she says, “He was mine you know.”
“Was being the key word, and I didn’t take him from you, you know.” I retort
She chooses that moment to look at me. I take on her stare directly. Two can play this game as I see the hatred for me in her eyes. Little Red Riding Hood…meet the big bad wolf.
“I know, he’ll get tired of you little girl. Wait and see. And when he does, guess who he will come running to? Ummm? That’s right…me. I can give him what he needs.” She stands and snarls in my direction. She takes her latte from Bea without so much as a ‘thank you’.
“Now you listen here fire crotch, you lost him. That’s on you. You had him and you lost him. I don’t plan on giving him up.” I stand and step closer to her, not really a good idea since it puts my face too close to her boobs, “Now he’s MINE. Mine to love, mine to take care of.” With a finger pointed to her sternum, “Back off. I’m not stupid enough to screw it up.” Bea hands me my tray of coffee, and I look around for the to-go box of cinnamon rolls. She points to the door where Jason is standing with said box in hand and a cat caught the canary smile. He must have heard. “Thanks Bea”
“You’re very welcome dear. You tell your Daddy and those boys I said hello.” She replies extra chipper. I’m getting the impression not many people care for the ginger snap. I ignore Chandra and meet Jason at the door.
As soon as we clear the door Jason busts out laughing nearly dropping the box with all the cinnamon gooey goodness.
He looks down to me as we walk to the shop side by side, “Made my day”. I have to admit, it kind of made mine too.
Weston
It’s been two months since Chandra tried her little stunt at the shop. In her attempt to lure me out she faked her car being messed up, typical. I still see her around from time to time, not by choice though. If I decide to have a drink with the guys in the next town over she just magically appears. I make it a point to brush all of her advances, a brush up against me here, a hand on my arm there. She needs to get it through her head that I’m not interested. I only have eyes for a petite girl with storm grey eyes. At least Chandra has left Gemma alone for the time being. Gemma can hold her own, but I don’t want her to have to deal with it, it’s not fair to her. Chandra and I have a history that I have to desire repeating, good riddance. I don’t need anyone that toxic in my life. Gemma is like a breath of fresh air. Speaking of whom, she walks into my room.
“Knock, knock,” she says as she walks in. I meet her halfway and grab her around the hips and bury my nose in her soft hair and breathe in. It’s as if my lungs can finally fully expand when she’s near, a weight lifted off my chest.
“Baby, I told you, you don’t need to knock.” I tell her teasingly. We’ve been over this several times and I know she’s going to knock anyway. She just chuckles and sways slightly as if she feels lighter in my presence. I know the feeling. I can’t get enough.
I lean back slightly to catch her gaze, “Do you have any plans for today?” I ask. All we seem to do is go to work, come home, eat, clean up, sleep and repeat. Sure, we go to one of the local restaurants in town occasionally. She doesn’t complain, but I’d like to give her more. Who am I kidding I want to give her everything.
“No plans, why do you have something in mind?” She asks shyly.
“There’s somewhere I’d like for you to see if you’re up for it.” I all of the sudden feel a little nervous. “Nothing fancy, but you might want to wear something cool and comfortable,” I suggest.
“Not going to tell me where we’re going?” She teases.
“No, it’s not far, but I think you’ll like it.” I tell her softly. I need to be close to her, alone. We hardly ever have a moment to ourselves. I’m not complaining, I love the guys, but we are still learning about each other and it’s hard to do under the watchful eye. I know they will give us our space, but it’s not the same as actually being alone. Just us. “Twenty minutes?” She nods in confirmation. With a swat to the butt I send her out to get ready. I meet Garret in the kitchen, he’s the only one aware of my plans. He was nice enough to put together a little lunch to take with us. We pack the chicken salad sandwiches on croissant rolls, Caesar salad, and a jug of strawberry lemonade into a basket with utensils. I grab a blanket and a couple of big towels from the linen closet and pack it all in the back of my Hummer. Gemma is coming down the stairs when I come back inside. Just in time. I think to myself. I meet her at the bottom of the steps, she’s still standing on the last one bringing our faces close together.
“Ready?” I ask. I don’t miss the look she shoots to Garret who is still standing in the kitchen not trying to be discreet about watching our encounter. I take it she is still wary about any PDA in front of pops. I just shake my head, kiss her on the nose, grab her hand and say, “come on let’s go,” I pull her towards the door before she has a chance to protest. I look back over my shoulder and Garret is still there leaned up against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, silently chuckling. He gets it. I look down to Gemma and she’s looking at me with the wide eyes, as if she’s not sure what to do. I give her a sincere smile asking her to trust me.
We don’t have far to go, Lake Tuckaseegee is just about 5 miles south, the opposite direction of town down Muskatee Hwy. Gemma still hasn’t said anything. When she sees the sign up ahead, her eyes light up. Lake Tuckaseegee, also known as ‘Lake Tuck’, is beautiful, serene, quiet and for the most part, private. We exit the Hummer and she follows me to the hatch, I grab the basket and she automatically grabs the blanket. I really like that about her, she doesn’t mind pitching in without prompting. We make our way to a grassy spot under a huge oak tree just by the water. We spread out the blanket, casting glances back and forth. I set the basket on top of the blanket and spread out the food.
“Wes, this looks great. You really didn’t have to go through the trouble. I would have helped you know.” She says without much conviction. I think she enjoys someone looking after her even if it’s an alien concept.
“I know sweetie, it was not big deal, besides Garret helped,” I inform her, letting her chew on that for a minute. I see almost see her wheels turning, the idea Garret was more than willing to help with a date for his daughter. Then I see the upturn at the corner of her mouth. She’s pleased. We eat in companionable silence, looking over the glistening water, just enjoying each other’s presence. That’s hard to find, someone who doesn’t need to fill the silence with chatter, it’s refreshing, just like everything about her. She watches the water seemingly deep in thought and I watch her. She’s so beautiful and it’s all her. She doesn’t need to spend hours getting ready to make herself look like someone she’s not. She’s perfect just as she is. She must feel my gaze on her as she looks over and when she does the heat in her eyes matches my own. What was she so deep in thought about? I think I might have an idea. I lean over and wrap my fingers around the edge of her delicate jaw just beneath her ear. The tips of my fingers dig into her soft hair as I pull her the rest of the way to me. With hooded eyes she doesn’t offer any resistance. I shift our positions to where she gently lays under me on the blanket. I prop my weight on my forearm, the other not letting her go. Her breathes are becoming more rapid in our closeness. Finally, my lips touch hers and I feel it hijacking my veins, like grabbing an electric fence. Our lips become more frenzied and a small moan escapes her between us enlisting a growl of my own. My hand travels down her throat, my fingertips graze her collar bone. My hand slides down brushing the side of her breast and her breath catches. I smile against her lips. I love how affected she is by my touch. I follow her ribs with my fingers as I grasp her sides. Her back arches o
f the ground and I wedge a knee between her legs. Hers fall to the side in an invitation. I settle on the ground between them. The heat between us in the hot Texas sun is almost too much. My hand touches the soft skin of her stomach and follows the generous curve of her hips. I open my eyes and pull back to catch my breath. Her eyes are squeezed shut, painfully so. Concerned, I watch her until she relaxes. Her eyes meet mine, both of us breathing heavy. My fingers dip in the waist band of her shorts while I continue to watch her. A quick look of panic crosses her face.
“Wes, I…I’ve…. I’ve never done this before,” she stammers as her cheeks turn pink. I figured as much from her sheltered childhood.
“It’s ok baby, we’ll take it slow. Tell me to stop if you’re uncomfortable and I will. No questions asked, I promise.” I swear to her. I would never hurt her or push her too far. She nods in acceptance and pushes off the ground, her mouth finding my neck. I’m in Heaven. The woman I love beneath me, trusting me to shield her from the heat of world and her heart in my hands. We discover and re-discover each other until we doze off in the still shade with her head on my chest. I’ve never been happier.
Gemma
Weston and I have been spending more and more time together and I love it. I’ve never felt so in tune with another person. It scares me how much he has come to mean to me so fast. I’m falling, who am I kidding I’ve already fell, busted my ass, cleaned up the scrapes and bruises and owned it. I don’t know if I should tell him exactly how I feel or not. I know he cares about me, but is it too soon for those three little words? I’m not sure. This is all new to me. I replay our picnic by the lake the other day. When we’re together the rest of the world just fades away.