All or None

by Tara Sue Me

  He stepped inside, prepared to give whoever it was a big thank you. Surprisingly, only one person was visible. And of fucking course it was Eric the Great.

  He didn’t let the man’s presence deter him from his coffee goal. Last night, while Lillian was in the bathroom before going to bed, Ty had sent all the information he had on Eric to Isaac. Isaac told him he’d lost it, but didn’t push his point when Ty replied that yes, he had lost it, but he was doing everything in his power to get it back.

  With the confidence that he’d soon know all of Eric’s secrets, he put on a big smile, and when the other guy looked his way, Ty nodded.

  “Good morning,” Ty said. Coffee smells good.”

  “I made plenty. Go grab a cup.”

  Minutes later, coffee in hand, Ty went over his options. Go back to the cabin and risk waking Lillian. Sit outside in the heat and drink hot coffee. Or suck it up and make small talk.

  He and Eric the Great were going to be spending a lot of time together in the next few weeks. It’d be in everyone’s best interest for that time to go by as smoothly as possible.

  Ty walked over to the table where Eric was. “Mind if I sit here?”

  Eric looked up from his phone. “Not at all.”

  “Are you always an early riser?” Ty asked. Not because he cared or wanted to know, but because someone had to say something, and it was only five-thirty.

  “I suppose I am,” Eric said. “I’ve never had to set an alarm, which is good in some ways, but it also means I rarely sleep past six. Are you usually up this early?”

  “I have been since my move back to the States a few weeks ago.” He smiled. “I can’t decide if it’s the world’s worst case of jet lag or if I’m just getting old.”

  “We’ll go with jet lag. You and I can’t be that far apart in age, and I’m not ready for my body to start falling apart yet.”

  “Agreed.”

  They both sipped their coffee. Only a moment had passed before Eric asked, “You said you’ve only been back in the States for a few weeks. Where were you living before?”

  “I was in London for nearly three years.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you picked up an accent,” Eric said with a grin.

  Ty chuckled. “No, I didn’t get that ingrained into the culture. My sister moved with me, so that might have also helped.”

  “Your sister?” Eric asked. “Lillian didn’t go with you?”

  Fucking hell, how had they found their way to this topic? “No, Lillian and I were divorced when I moved.”

  “Ah,” Eric said, as if solving a great mystery. “So you actually are her ex-husband.”

  “Yes,” was the only reply he gave.

  “I wasn’t sure if I should believe what Lillian told me at the club or if I should go with what Tom said.”

  “Lillian doesn’t lie. Ever,” Ty said, making sure Eric understood. “Anything she tells you, you can take to the bank.”

  Eric said nothing for several long seconds.

  “I’m the one who told Tom we were married,” Ty added. No reason not tell him, it was the truth. One Eric could have discovered with a single question to Tom. “I guess I still see her as mine.”

  But she’s not.

  Eric didn’t say it. He didn’t have to. The three words were clear in his expression when he took a sip of coffee.

  Chapter 9

  Lillian

  It didn't surprise her when Ty asked if they could take her rental to the site rather than riding the bus. He’d told her earlier a hired car service brought him in from the airport.

  “Have you seen my rental?” she asked. “I’m not sure it can accommodate you, much less both of us.”

  He rolled his eyes, suggesting she assumed, he thought she was exaggerating about the car’s size. Instead of arguing, she decided to let him find out for himself. They ate a quick breakfast and headed to where she’d parked the day before. The other couple in the group also had a rental. The recent college grads and the small business group rode the van Eric drove.

  “I ran into Eric when I went out looking for coffee earlier, while you were still sleeping,” Ty said. “I asked him for directions.”

  “So you know how to get to where we’re going, but do you know what we’re going to do once we arrive there?” She couldn’t help but ask.

  Ty hesitated just a second too long, and she knew her thoughts concerning the night before were correct.

  She came to a stop we they reached the car. “You don’t have a clue what we’re doing today, do you?”

  But his attention wasn't on their conversation. He stared in horror at the vehicle before him. “Please, God, tell me this is not your rental.”

  She couldn’t fault him for changing the subject since the car was so shockingly small, but she made a note to return to the previous topic later.

  “The guy at the rental counter said it’d get good gas mileage,” she said.

  “Only because you have to pedal it with your feet.” He walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her to get in. “We’ll have to make it work. The van’s already left, and it looks like the empty nesters are pulling out now.”

  Ty managed to get himself seated. “I just sent you a text with the directions. Can you navigate?”

  It was so similar to what they used to do when they were younger. Going off for the weekend with only a change of clothes and a map. Lillian would always be the navigator because even though he was brilliant, Ty couldn’t read a map to save his life.

  One summer, while still in college, they attended a wedding in Florence, South Carolina. Neither of them had been there before, and even though Florence was in the northern part of the state, they decided to rent a car after the festivities were over and drive south to spend a few days in Charleston.

  The weekend of the wedding came, and Ty had a few drinks at the reception. Though he appeared fine, they both agreed it would be best for Lillian to drive. She turned the navigation over to Ty. Everything was fine until they hit a major back up on the interstate. Ty grabbed the map the rental agency gave them and, after several minutes of studying it, announced he’d found a shortcut.

  Something didn’t seem right about Ty's shortcut. They drove through several small towns where the speed limit dropped so low, Lillian couldn’t help but think the interstate would have been faster. Traffic back up and all.

  Of course, Ty disagreed and told her to trust him because he knew what he was doing. She hadn't replied, but he told her he could see the doubt in her eyes. At that point she told him to shut up and focus on the map.

  It wasn’t until they saw the Welcome to North Carolina signs that Lillian told Ty he was never to touch a map again. They’d ended up in a crap hotel on the border. Lillian swore she’d never forgive him if she didn’t end up getting to eat some of Charleston’s famous she-crab soup.

  Her heart ached to remember that carefree couple, laughing at life and arguing over radio stations. Content with the world and each other. How had that couple turned into who they were today?

  “Lillian?” Ty asked, and she realized she hadn’t answered. “Can you navigate?”

  “Yes,” she replied, reaching for her phone and scrolling through her texts. “Got it.”

  But they’d been together for far more years than they’d been apart, and he knew her too well.

  He placed his hand on the top of her knee. “Are you okay?”

  His touch wasn’t sexual at all. Instead, it felt comforting. She’d forgotten that part of him. Either that or she’d purposely set it aside any time it came to mind in order to force herself to forget. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of memories flooding her mind. How safe she’d been in his arms. How strong they’d felt around her, and how being surrounded by that strength always made her feel strong.

  “I was just thinking about the time you navigated us to Charleston from Florence via North Carolina,” she told him. Between the story of their past and how his touch made he
r feel, the story was the safest confession.

  “God, you were so mad,” he said with a laugh. “I felt like the world’s biggest idiot, and you didn’t talk to me until we finally made it to Charleston the next day.”

  He didn’t have to remind her what happened next. She’d taken a long shower once they were in their hotel room. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she discovered he’d had the room’s private deck transformed into a romantic table for two, complete with twinkling lights and crisp linens. He then served her the best she-crab soup she’d ever had.

  Lillian tried to keep her mind from thinking about what happened after dinner, but the traitorous organ remembered all to well how lovingly and passionately he’d made love to her that night.

  “Why did we never go back to Charleston?” she asked him. It seemed odd now that she thought about it. There had been so many things they’d wanted to do and see, but weren’t able to fit into that one weekend. While exploring the area, they’d often talked about adding something to the list for when they returned, but they’d never made it back.

  “Maybe because subconsciously we knew it’d never be the same,” he said. “Or wouldn’t measure up to what we remembered, and we didn’t want to tarnish what we had or to replace those memories with something inferior.”

  “I suppose so,” she said. On some level it made sense, but not on others. You didn’t refuse a second experience because the first one was so fantastic. She didn’t stop going to her favorite restaurant because she feared the chef was having an off day.

  “Okay, you were right,” Ty said, dragging her away from her thoughts.

  “Trying to sweet talk me?” She lowered her head and peered at him over the top of her sunglasses. “Are you after something?”

  “Me?” he asked as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “Trust me, if I was after something from you, one, there would be no doubt what I was after, and two, you’d be willing to give it to me.” Before she could take a breath to tell him to get over himself, he continued, “All I’m doing is admitting you were correct with your assumption earlier that I have no idea what we’re doing today.”

  His admission shocked her so much, she couldn’t come back a sassy reply. “Oh?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I was too caught up how much of a stalker I thought Eric was to listen to what he was talking about.”

  She bit back her remark that between the two men, Ty was the one who acted more like a stalker. They’d had that argument the night before and she didn’t want to relive it. “We’re going to repair a home the last hurricane damaged. It’s not enough to condemn the house, but enough to make it inhabitable. It’s owned by a widow with three young kids.”

  “Insurance isn’t covering it?”

  “Her late husband had let the policy lapse, and she didn’t know. The home was previously owned by his parents and was paid off.” Lillian shook her head. “From what I heard, it’s only been seven months or so since the husband passed away. Hard to image going from the relief of not having a mortgage to the horror at realizing it didn’t matter because you didn’t have insurance and now you can’t live in your home. They’re basically homeless.”

  “How old are the kids?”

  “One, three, and five if CEO is right,” she said.

  “CEO?”

  She nodded. “That’s what I’m calling the lady who owns the small business. We chatted this morning on the way to breakfast.”

  He nodded, and she knew him well enough to guess he was probably thinking of the now single mother of three. Her and her children and making their home into something habitable. Lillian hoped his relationship with her and all the burdens of their shared history could be put aside for now. Maybe he was a big enough person to be around Eric and not act petty and jealous. Or maybe he'd be so busy with the work he was doing, Lillian wouldn’t even cross his mind.

  She swallowed her snort, because she knew he was telling herself a lie.

  * * *

  Chapter 10

  Lillian

  Lillian couldn’t help but notice how quiet Ty became after she gave him the details of their project. It didn't surprise her, he'd always been quick to step in when someone needed help.

  Ty pulled up to the project site where the other volunteers were spilling out of the van. More likely than not, based on what Eric had said the night before, this would be the only location the group worked at for most, if not all, of her stay. Eric looked up and waved the two of them over, along with the retired couple who arrived moments after they did.

  “How’d we beat them?” Ty asked Lillian in a whisper. “They left before we did.”

  “He must have known a shortcut,” was her reply. “I would say at least they didn’t wind up in another state, but I don’t think it’d be possible for anyone to navigate so poorly they’d be able to leave Florida and not know. Even you.”

  He shot her a smile. “Don’t give me too much credit. I might surprise you with just how poor my navigational skills are.”

  They had reached the rest of their group by then and everyone circled around Eric. They weren’t in a neighborhood. In fact, there weren’t any other houses nearby. Based on the way the ground sank and made squishing sounds wherever she stepped, it wasn’t hard to see why no one else had built in this area.

  Eric began by going through the many things that need to be done and the order in which they should do them. Initially, he was sending half the group to work on the home’s foundation, while the other half started inside on the carpeting and flooring.

  Ty went with the foundation group and Lillian joined those working inside. It would be hotter than hell no matter which group she went with, but at least inside she wouldn’t have the sun beating down on her or have to worry about getting sunburn. She stopped herself from asking Ty if he put any sunscreen on and if so, what SPF had he used. He was a grown ass man. He had known there was a good chance of having to work outside and should have prepared accordingly. It wasn’t her concern or worry.

  Eric spoke to the lady she’d dubbed CEO and then headed over to the other group. Lillian supposed it’d be a good idea to call CEO by her actual name, Liza, in her head. If not, there was the potential of her calling her CEO out loud.

  Liza pulled them over to the side of the house.

  “As you can see,” she said, waving her hand toward the house behind her. “This is a one-story ranch. The floors have substantial water damage and most of what’s in there is carpet. First thing we have to do is to rip it all out to see what exactly we’re dealing with. The hope is we’ll be able to put in hardwood flooring throughout most of the house.”

  She spoke briefly about safety. “It’s the mom in me. Sorry,” she said with a grin. “I know we’re all adults here. Grab a pair of gloves and let’s get busy.”

  * * *

  When Tom pulled up to the worksite four and a half hours later with boxed lunches donated by a local deli, Lillian had never been more ready for a break. She hadn’t expected the work to be easy, but from the way her back and muscles already ached, she’d vastly overestimated her body’s ability.

  She took her lunch and walked to an empty makeshift table someone created from plywood and sawhorses. The table looked sturdy enough, but the chair? Not so much. She looked around to see what Ty was up to and was pleasantly surprised to find him eating and chatting with one of the recent college grads. Grant, she thought his name was.

  Apparently, Ty wouldn't insist on sticking to her like glue. She should be happy he didn’t want to be her shadow. Why wasn’t she?

  “If you’re worried over the stability of the chairs,” a deep voice said from beside her. “Tom brought them from his place and I can vouch for them.”

  She turned to find Eric standing and holding one of the lunches. “Hi Eric and thanks. I was a little leery about sitting down.”

  “Mind if I join you?”

  She really didn’t want company for lunch, she’d much rather hav
e enjoyed a few quiet moments with her own thoughts. Though many viewed her as a people person, mostly it was all an act. And an exhausting act at that. But her earlier glance had shown her that this was the only table with empty chairs. It wouldn’t be right to send him off to sit on a dead tree stump to balance his lunch on his knees while attempting to eat.

  “Not at all,” she said with what she hoped was a convincing smile. “Have a seat.”

  “Thanks.” He sat down and unpacked the sandwich, chips, and apple from the box. “How’s your first day going?”

  “Very humbling.” She picked up her sandwich and took the tomato out. “I learned I’m nowhere near as fit as I thought I was.”

  He chuckled. “Typical for the first day. It’s not that you aren’t in shape, it’s that you’re using muscles you typically don’t. Take it easy this afternoon and make sure you take something if you need to when we get back. Did you bring anything?”

  “Yes, I’m good.” She always traveled with a small bottle of over-the-counter pain relief, and she’d double checked her bag before leaving New York to make sure they were there. “How long did it take for your muscles to stop hurting?”

  “Who said they have?” His eyes danced with mischief.

  They both laughed, and he told her about his first time as a volunteer and all the things he did wrong. He was naturally funny, and she hadn’t realized how much time had passed until he checked his watch and indicated it was time to get back to work.

  “Lillian,” he said, as she gathered her trash to throw away. “I’d really like to get to know you better, and I know it’s a bit awkward with you sharing a cabin with your ex-husband and everything , but will you go out to dinner with me? No pressure, it’s just we have many of the same interests, and I’ll admit it, you intrigue me.”

  By many of the same interests, she assumed he meant since she was a sub and he was a Dom. She probably should turn him down.