“Okay, yeah. It was nice to see you again, Allie. It was nice to meet you, Garrett. I hope I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll be here.” Garrett's eyes lock on me again.
Jaycee grabs the measuring tape and puts it in her purse. She pulls out a paper and pen. “What are his measurements?” she asks.
I groan and push the door open. “I have no idea,” I admit.
Jaycee drops me off at my parents’ shop, and I inform them Allie doesn’t have any measurements just yet. After closing, I ride with my parents to their house. I’m going to borrow my mom’s car for a couple of days while she and my dad share his SUV. Pulling into my driveway, I smile. I love my home, the largest home on the street. Still shaken from the mess with Tad, I glance around before getting out of the car. I make sure I have my door keys and my tiny can of mace off my key ring ready to go if need be.
This house belonged to my grandparents. At one time they lived in Beaumont, Texas but moved to San Antonio when I was around six years old. They said it was to be near us but something happened on our last trip there when my Uncle Frank came to visit. All I really remember was being terrified. There was a loud commotion outside and my grandpa came in and grabbed my dad and they ran outside with their guns. Later that night, after Victoria and I went to bed, and they thought we were asleep, we both heard both my mom and grandma crying.
The next morning we stayed at home all day. My dad was shaken and angry. He wouldn’t even let us go outside to play. My grandma tried keeping Victoria and I busy in the kitchen showing us different recipes while my mom, grandpa and dad were on the phone. The very next month my grandma and grandpa moved into this house. Victoria and I never met my mom’s parents. My mom had a falling out with them when she was younger and other than being told that, we didn’t speak of them.
After my dad’s parents passed, my grandpa three years ago, and my grandma a few months ago, my mom offered the house to my sister, Victoria. At first she was going to move in, but when she was offered a position at a hospital on the other side of town, she decided to live closer to that area and the house was offered to me. They were concerned it might be too much for me to handle, but I proved them wrong. I’m so happy they did because I love it. It’s beautiful. My grandparents kept it in immaculate shape and my mom and dad has helped me keep it up since I moved in.
It’s an old, large; two story grey Victorian home with white trim. It has four bedrooms with three and a half bathrooms and a lovely covered front porch with the most beautiful wooden Victorian screen door. Four pillars run along the front of the porch with steps that lead to the front walk. It has a simple old concrete driveway that leads to the back of the property where a detached garage sits. The front walk is lined with shrubs that have been neatly manicured along with the lawn. Oak trees stand tall on each side of the yard. The house came fully furnished. Other than switching out the master bedroom’s furniture, it is as it was when my grandparents were alive. My grandpa also served in our military. He retired from the Marines as a three star general. He took great pride in placing the flag out each morning. In his memory, I’ve continued to fly it.
I walk upstairs to my bedroom and flop down on my bed; my thoughts switching from Tad to Garrett. My stomach does a happy flip as I think back to our meeting.
How can I have only spoken maybe ten words to him, and yet I can’t stop thinking about him? This is ridiculous. And as ridiculous as it sounds, it’s still happening.
I flip over on my belly trying to think of any reason to see Garrett again without coming across as desperate, and come up empty. I contemplate excuses to go back to Holloway’s and let out groan. I’ve gone crazy, plain and simple. I’ve never felt this way and as much as I like it, I don’t like it. I’ve dated and been in a semi-serious relationship, and I’ve never felt like this. Not ever. My heart flutters at the mere thought of Garrett and I can’t stop from smiling. My thoughts simmer only slightly when my phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Hey, so I have to go back out to Holloway’s next week. Do you want to go?”
“YES!”
Jaycee’s laughter rings loudly through the phone so I know it’s too late to hide my desperation, so I decide to embrace it.
“Can’t we go sooner?”
“Absolutely. I’ll call Allie and find out when Garrett will be there. You’re welcome.” Jaycee’s laughter still sounding through the phone line as she hangs.
“Thank you,” I whisper to her or God or both. I hop up and walk downstairs and out on the front porch, pull the flag from the bracket and bring it in for the night.
It’s been three very long days since I saw Garrett. But today, Jaycee and I are going back and I can hardly keep calm. Since she called, I’ve been going back and forth with what to wear and how to fix my hair. I feel like I’ve gone mad with my scattered thoughts. They dance between deciding on what clothes to wear to maybe I should study myself while eating to make sure I don’t come across as a pig so if Garrett ever asks me out I won’t gross him out. I look in the mirror and point at my reflection.
“Stop it, you nut. He’s never going to ask you out if you don’t get it together.” I sigh and nod at myself. “You’re right. I’m going to push the crazy down as much as possible.” I promise myself. I drop my head and scream a little. “That little talk was crazy in itself.” I mumble and go back to looking for an outfit.
My skin has a touch of olive but even more so now because I’ve been spending a lot of time lounging around my parent’s backyard pool. I go there to swim and relax; to try and get my mind off of all the problems going on with Tad. Laps are pretty much the extent of any exercise I do. Sometimes I just hang my feet off the side of the pool while I read. It soothes me. As I go over my choices again, I decide on a baby blue flowy strapless top and white pair of shorts. The top compliments my skin but it also reminds me of Garrett’s eyes. I’ve paired it with some pretty silver, beaded toe sandals and some silver hoops for my ears. Last night, I gave myself a pedicure and manicure. I now have a light shimmer of pink on my fingernails and a darker pink on my toes. I didn’t do much as way of makeup. I just splashed on some mascara, lip gloss and added a little blush to my cheeks. I brushed out my long dark hair and let it fall loose down my back. In the next few months, when the Texas heat is at its worst, I’ll have to fight myself from cutting it all off, but today the weather is perfect. It’s a beautiful eighty-five degrees outside. The sun is shining bright and we’re blessed with a steady breeze. It’s amazing.
Last night, my mom came and got her car so she could make some early morning deliveries out to Blanco County. She stayed for a while and we talked. I knew she was trying to gauge how I’m doing after my car got smashed. I don’t know what to do other than go on. I refuse to let Tad get to me.
Since I don’t have a car, Jaycee offered to swing by and pick me up. She, Blue and her grandma don’t live that far from me and she said she didn’t mind. She should be here any minute so I grab my bag and head for the door, when a silver pickup with KC running lights across the roof, huge chrome grill and shining rims pulls into my driveway. I scurry back into the house and lock myself behind the screen door. My heartbeat turns rapid, not knowing who's behind the wheel or why they’re here, but when the door opens and I see who it is, my heartbeat is still rapid, but for completely different reasons. It’s Garrett.
I take in a deep breath, push open the door and walk onto my front porch as Garrett steps out of the huge truck. He doesn’t step down, no, he steps out. He’s almost as big as the truck. He hasn’t seen me yet. He looks around and at my house, taking it in before finally noticing me. Both of us are silent as he starts up the sidewalk never taking our eyes off one another. He’s dressed similar to the last time I saw him and God, he looks amazing.
“Hi, Bella. Jaycee asked me to come get you. You sure do look pretty.” His eyes travel across my body. I shiver because his stare is so strong it actually feels like a caress.
&nbs
p; “Thank you. I wanted to look pretty for you.” I inwardly gasp at my confession and slowly close my eyes. Why I just said that, I have no idea. I need a verbal filter or something.
“That’s for me?”
“Yes.” I open my eyes and let out a long sigh, feeling the heat rise across my skin. I’ve just turned red in embarrassment, and I look down trying to hide it. I sneak a peek when Garrett hasn’t responded. To my revelation, a huge smile spreads across his face. I can’t help but laugh softly and nervously as my heart and stomach do a flip. Both our phones go off at the same time, and the trance is broken. Garrett pulls his from his pocket and I glance down at mine. Jaycee’s calling. She’s probably wondering where we are.
“Hi, Jaycee, Garrett just got here. I’ll be there soon,” I rush to explain.
“Oh yeah, about that. You and Garrett go on and do something together. I had something come up,” she informs me while trying to hold back the elation I can hear clearly in her voice. I let out a soft sigh, I know what’s she trying to do, and I’m thrilled, but I don’t know if Garrett wants to spend time with me.
“What if he doesn’t want to?” I whisper, worried.
“Yeah, okay.” she counters like I’m crazy. “Just take him to the river walk. Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up and it’s so green down there. Show him that. Just, you know, hang out and show him the town.”
“Show him the town?” I raise my eyebrows at the phone.
“Literally, not figuratively.” Jaycee gasps then giggles.
“Ummm.” I mutter, still unsure. I glance back at Garrett. He’s sticking his phone in back in his pocket of his jeans but then his eyes find mine and he smiles.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll ask him,” I mumble.
There's laughter in the background, and I recognize it as Allie's. “Operation GarrBella is officially commenced,” Jaycee informs me before hanging up, cutting off any protest I might have had.
I laugh softly and point at my phone. “That wasn’t obvious at all.”
“Nope. Not at all. Apparently Allie doesn't need me anymore. You?” he inquires.
“Apparently not.” I respond and blush. “But, really, if you have other plans, I understand.”
“Bella, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you. I only had one plan today and that was to try and find a reason to see you. I’d like to spend time with you if you’re up for it,” he confesses.
I quickly lock up and grab my purse. As I step off my front porch and approach him, his smile grows. “I’m totally up for it, Garrett.”
“So, this home is amazing,” he compliments in awe.
“It was my grandparents. After they passed I moved in.”
“So just you live here?” he inquires, astonished.
“Yes, just me.”
“Wow. Okay.”
When he reaches out for my hand, my heart does another flip. I take it, and when we touch I feel like I’ve been struck by lightning. His hand is so huge it engulfs mine. He pulls me to his truck’s passenger side and opens the door for me, helping me hop up before walking around to the driver’s side and sliding in.
“So where to, Bella?”
I honestly don’t know what to say. We could sit here in the driveway for all I care. Instead, I suggest the river walk, in case he'd like to see the town. He starts his truck and we make our way to the expressway and head towards town. As Shinedown’s, Miracle plays on the stereo, I ask him about himself. He tells me he's from southeast Texas, and joined the military just after he turned eighteen. He admits he only planned on staying for one tour, but he got really close to some of his army buddies and couldn’t walk away. In the end, he stayed in over eight years. He goes on to share he’s now out of the military and working for Allie at Holloway’s as a bartender.
“And what about your parents? Are they still in the southeast?”
“Yeah, and a sister but we don’t talk,” he mumbles.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I offer softly.
“No, don’t be. They’re not good people, Bella. I’m better off without them in my life.”
“Oh. Still, I’m sorry.” Something about him saying that makes me angry for him.
“Thanks. Now tell me some things about you. Try not to be as depressing as I just was.” He laughs.
“Okay, let see. I have an older sister, Victoria, and she’s a nurse. My parents, Case and Skye are awesome. My dad, was or is, a Marine. He’s retired now but he says once a Marine, always a Marine. Now he works full-time with my mom at our shop. Um, I graduated….” I stop speaking when my phone goes off. I smile and start to answer but stop because it’s an unknown number. It goes off again and again. My smile falls from my face and I turn my head and stare out the window. Great. It could be anyone but I know it’s not. For a moment, I forgot I had this nutcase after me because I was so wrapped up in Garrett.
“What? What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to answer?” Garrett probes as his gaze darts between my phone and me.
“No. Nothing. It’s ju...just...” I stammer, embarrassed.
“It’s not nothing. You just turned white as a sheet. Is everything okay? Your family?”
“Yes. It’s not that, it’s…” My phone goes off again and now it's text messages. I read the words, whore, slut, die bitch. I’m so embarrassed that this is happening now, in front of Garrett. So much so that I drop my head back on the truck seat’s headrest and close my eyes, trying to pull myself together.
“Hey, what is it?” Garrett demands.
I don’t respond. I just need a few moments. I take deep breath and try to relax. The truck stops, but other than that, nothing really registers as I keep taking calming breaths. When Garrett gently but forcefully pulls my phone from my hands, I almost fight him but decide it’s probably better he knows the truth. I come with baggage.
“Bella, what the hell?” he snarls.
I lift my head from the headrest only to lower it because I’m too embarrassed to meet his eyes. I glance at him through my lashes as he scrolls through text after text. I keep my head down and finally just close my eyes and give up. Garrett isn’t going to want any part of this drama. I wipe away a stray tear before I look up at him. He’s still holding my phone but he’s staring out the front window in thought.
“I’m sorry. Just go ahead and take me home.” My voice is a humiliated whisper.
“Are these from an ex?” he demands his low voice holding a threat of danger.
“No. They’re not.” I snap, offended and angry, but I quickly calm knowing he isn’t aware of my situation. “Sorry.”
“Mean girls? What’s going on?” Garrett’s voice is softer as he hands me back my phone.
I hesitate only a moment before deciding just to confess to him what’s going on. I mean, he’s probably not going to come back around anyway so I might as well seal the deal by going out in a drama-filled blaze of glory explanation.
“Short story; popular, very rich, cute guy comes on to girl. Girl turns him down. He doesn’t like getting turned down so he hurts her. She reports it and voila, he begins tormenting her. Her being me.”
“He hurt you.” He taps his thumb against the steering wheel and seems distracted, but I know he really is listening.
“My arms. He left bruises. My lips were swollen too and busted up. And my throat…” I begin to confess it all.
“Your throat?” he growls low.
“Yes. Ripped my dress too.” I sigh.
“Bella, you need to tell me right now that the police locked this asshole up.” Glancing back over at him, I notice his jaw ticking.
“No. I didn’t tell right away. He threatened to hurt my family. By the time I did report it, any evidence was gone. The school took action but it wasn’t much. Again, that was my fault. Tad was just required to take some anger management classes and such. Still, he’s hell bent on making me pay.”
“Making you pay.” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“I yelled for help, Garrett. Than
k God some people heard me and started over to us, so he backed off, but I didn’t see who they were because I jumped in the car. I couldn’t ask them to make a statement as witnesses. Tad promised if I told he’d make me pay. I didn’t tell for a long time but after what happened to Jaycee and talking to some friends about things that happened to them as well, we all decided to go to the school’s president and confess. The guys we named had to take a few classes and that was it. We had waited too long to tell for the police to do more than take a report but it was all enough to get Tad to retaliate. The reason I needed a ride today is because the police found my car vandalized in a vacant lot just outside the city limits after it had been stolen. Whoever took it tore it up. Smashed all the windows and dented it in everywhere."
“Fuck, Bella. I’m sorry.” Garrett hisses. “What happened with Jaycee?”
“That’s another long story so I’ll grace you with the short version of that too. Jaycee’s ex-boyfriend was actually a madman. When she broke it off, he kidnapped her, and almost killed her, but she survived. With help from Blue, her fiancé, and their families, she fully recovered. Story takes a crazy turn when everyone finds out the madman is actually a victim of horrible abuse too. At this point, I’m honestly not sure if he’s dead or alive.” I fill him in.
“What?” Garrett replies in shock. He shakes his head, his eyes huge. Before I can say more, Garrett puts his hand up and stops me. “So, this asshole’s name is Tad? Like just Tad? What the fuck kind of name is that? Tad.” Anger is clear in his tone as he shakes his head.
I can’t help but sadly laugh. “I don’t know.”
“Tad is going to get his ass kicked.” Garrett snarls under his breath before he turns back to me. “All right, you up for hanging out or do you want me to take you home? I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”
Just like with Noah, after sharing I feel a little better. “Nope, I definitely want to hang out. Let’s go.”
Salvation At Sunset (A McGinty's Of San Antonio Series Novel Book 5) Page 3