Scattered Pieces

by Allie Able

  “What?” I ask, as I quickly wipe my mouth with my napkin.

  He shakes his head, seeming to come out of the daze he was in. “How old are you, Summer?” he asks, while taking a bite of his food.

  “I'll be 29 this year,” I respond.

  He nods his head. “When is your birthday?” he asks, after he takes a drink of his water.

  “July 20th. When is yours?”

  “June 15th.”

  I nod my head, making a mental note of that. If for no other reason then to wish him a happy birthday. He will probably still be working on my house when his birthday comes and everyone needs a cake on their birthday.

  We both finish eating in compatible silence. When I'm done, I wipe my mouth a sit back in my chair. Now that the sun has set, it's getting cool outside.

  “Do you want me to grab your glass of wine?” Grant asks, as he gets up and clears both of our plates, off of the table to take inside.

  I look at him curiously.

  “I saw it in the living room when I came in,” he mummers, answering my silent question. Damn he's observant. “You want me to pour you a new glass? That one is probably warm by now.”

  I smile up at him, “That would be great. Thank you. There should be a beer in the refrigerator for you.”

  He nods his head in acknowledgment and I watch him as he walks into the house. I turn and look out at the ocean, thinking about Ms. Clara's words from earlier, 'Don't let one bad egg ruin the bunch', and I let out a sigh of frustration. Well, that's easier said than done.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Grant

  After I've poured Summer a new glass of wine and gotten my beer, I make my way towards her living room and grab one of her fluffy blankets off of the couch. Her house is such a mess from the construction. We are still working on the guest bedroom and bathroom and it's only going to get worse next week, when we start working on the living room and kitchen. Living in a house while it is being renovated is not fun. I have a guest bedroom she could use, but I know to not even ask. There is no way she would be comfortable with that, yet. Maybe by the time we start on the kitchen and her bathroom, I can convince her to come stay with me. She is so independent and sometimes she can be skittish. I know I need to take things slow, so that I don't scare her off, but if it was up to me, I would already have her over at my place, in my bed.

  I continue to walk outside, but stop to watch her, as she looks out at the ocean, deep in thought. I wonder what she is this thinking about. I'm selfish enough to hope she is thinking about me. Looking at her, it strikes me again just how damn beautiful she is. How she found her way to this small town, I still don't know, but I am so thankful she did. I watch her rub her arms trying to ward of the chill and I make my way over to her.

  “Want to sit in the swing?” I ask, gesturing towards the porch swing, as I hand her the glass of wine.

  She smiles up at me as she takes the glass and nods her head, as she stands up. Once we sit down, I cover her up with the blanket and put my arm around her, moving her closer to me. After only a moment of hesitation, she tucks her legs under herself and curls up next to me and I rest my hand on her hip. This feels so right. We are both quiet for few minuets, as we look out over the dark water.

  I rub my hand up her side and I feel her tremble. “Are you still cold?”, I ask looking down at her.

  I see a blush stain her cheeks and she shakes her head no. Could she be affected by my touch as much as I am by hers?

  She clears her throat. “No, I'm fine now. Thank you for bringing me a blanket and for dinner. As much as I hate to admit it, I probably would have forgotten to eat,” She jokes.

  I chuckle and kiss the top of her head, “Anytime, sweetheart. What days are you interviewing people this week?”

  “I have two tomorrow and two more on Tuesday. I am praying one of them works out. I can't keep working Lexie so hard. We hardly had time to breathe today. From the time we opened, until we closed, we were packed. Don't get me wrong, I love that my bakery is doing so well, I guess it's just unexpected,” she shrugs.

  “Don't underestimate yourself, Summer. My mom is great in the kitchen, but I have never tasted anything as good as the sweets you bake. Matter of fact, my Dad told me today that he has to go up to your shop all of the time for my mom.”

  “Thank you. I'm glad your parents like them. I don't get to meet very many of the customers, because I'm always in the kitchen, so it's great to hear that people actually like what I make.”

  “You should get out of the kitchen more,” I say quietly, giving her a little squeeze.

  She takes a sip of her wine and looks up at me, “Maybe.”

  I kiss her forehead and pull back to take a drink of my beer. I lean forward to set the empty bottle on the ground, as I look at my watch and see that it's getting late. I should get going, so she can get some sleep, but being so close to her is just too tempting. I look at her wine glass and see that it's empty too. “Do you want another?” I ask, taking the glass from her. She shakes her head no and, after I have set it down next to my empty bottle, I settle back on the swing and pull her closer to me. I look down at her and see that she is still looking up at me. I run my finger down her cheek. She looks as pretty as ever, but she looks tired and I can see dark circles, forming under her eyes. “You look so tired, sweetheart. I hope you get someone hired soon.”

  “Me too,” she responds.

  “I'm about to go home, so that you can get some rest,” I say, cupping her face in my hand.

  She nods her head and leans into my touch. I turn towards her and with the arm, that is wrapped around her back, I pull her up to me. I softly kiss her lips and her mouth instantly opens under mine, allowing me access. I tilt her head, taking the kiss deeper, as she moans into my mouth and her hands find their way into my hair, pulling me closer. Without breaking the kiss, I pull her across my lap, so that she is sitting astride me. My hand slides down her back and I cup her ass in my hand, pulling her closer to my erection. I groan when she starts wiggling on top of me. I move my hand to her hip and stop her involuntary movements, but I can still feel her heat through the fabric of my jeans. We are both panting heavily, when I break away from her lips, and kiss my way down her throat.

  “Jesus Christ, Summer,” I growl, against her neck, “You've got to stop doing that, sweetheart.”

  She nods her head and scoots back to a safe distance, on my lap. As soon as our breathing slows down, I pull back and look at her. Her lips are swollen and wet from our kiss and her eyes are glazed over. I lightly skim my lips over hers, before pulling back, again.

  “Can I take you out to dinner Friday night?” I ask, looking into her eyes.

  “I don't close the bakery until 7:00 pm,” she responds, while running her hands through my hair. It feels so good I almost loose my concentration.

  “I know. I could pick you up here at around 8:30 pm. Would that give you enough time?”

  She searches my face before she finally nods her head. “Okay,” she whispers.

  I breath out a sigh of relief, “Thank you.” I rub my nose against hers and hug her close to me. I pull back and kiss her forehead. “As much as I hate to say this, I need to go, sweetheart. You need to get some rest.”

  I help her stand up, and then I bend down picking up our empty drinks, before I take her hand and lead her inside.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Summer

  IT'S THURSDAY NIGHT AND I just closed the bakery for the day. Instead of going home, I am once again meeting Lexie at the mall. When she found out Grant had asked me on an actual date, I thought she was going to have a heart attack. She tried to play it down, because I warned her not to make a big deal out of it, but I could see the hope in her eyes. To be completely honest, I am beginning to hope too. I can finally admit to myself that I am starting to have real feelings for Grant. Every time I am around him, I can feel myself starting to open up and trust him a little more. I'm trying so hard not to let the fear of gett
ing hurt again stop me from pursuing something that has the potential to make me happy. Ryan took so much from me, but he also taught me how to be strong. I had to be strong to survive being married to him. He may have broken me down and taken away my choices, while doing that he took away pieces of me, but I am finally starting to pick those pieces back up and move on with my life.

  Yesterday I finally hired help at the bakery. After so many failed interviews, I honestly didn't think I would ever find what I was looking for. Jenna Hudson was my last interview and she could not have been a more perfect fit. She graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking program just 6 months ago. Her family is from Georgia, but her grandmother lives here and she decided to move closer to her. Not only can she bake like a dream, but she is great with customers as well.

  I make my way through the front doors of the mall and see Lexie finishing up ordering our coffee, at the stand we agreed to meet at before leaving work.

  “One Vanilla Latte, for you,” she says, while handing me my drink.

  “Thank you, Lexie.”

  “You're welcome. Okay, so did Grant tell you where you are going tomorrow night?” she asks, as we walk towards the department store.

  “Just going to dinner, I think. I'm not sure what restaurant though.”

  Grant has text and called me a couple of times since Sunday night, but we usually just talk about the renovations or mundane things. I know I need to tell him about Ryan eventually, but now definitely is not the time for that, especially not over the phone. So, our conversations have mostly been revolved around how our day was or him telling me more about his family.

  We enter the store and we start flipping through the racks. “Hmm.. Okay. What color are you thinking and do you want a dress or skirt and top?” Lexie asks.

  “Definitely a dress and I'm thinking either silver or cream.”

  “Gotcha.”

  We both fall silent, as we go through the racks, trying to find the perfect date night dress. I am so thankful for Lexie. I have never really had any girl friends that I was close with, even in college, so I haven't ever been shopping with anyone, besides my mom. To me, shopping for clothes has always been a necessity, not something that was fun. I buy most of my clothes online, so I can avoid the overcrowded malls, but Lexie has shown me shopping for something specific, like a date, can be exciting.

  Once we both have an arm full of clothes each, we make our way towards the dressing room. Lexie sits down on the bench, by the mirrors, while I go into the room to start trying everything on.

  “Don't forget to come out and show me all of them. Even if you think something looks bad on you.”

  “Okay Lexie, I will let you share in my humiliation, when something looks awful on me,” I laugh, while shutting the dressing room door.

  “Summer, you could wear a burlap sack and still look drop dead gorgeous. Hurry your ass up, we still have to find shoes,” she demands, jokingly.

  I laugh again and start putting on one of the dresses. I can tell instantly that this is not the one, but I still walk out to show her. We are both shaking our heads, before I've even made it out of the room. I go through six more dresses, before I finally find it. The top of the dress is a sheer silver, made up of thousands of glittery sequins. It gathers at the waste and the bottom is a cream chiffon material, that hits me about mid thigh. It fits like it was made for me. I know as soon as I put it on that this is the one. When I step out of the dressing room, Lexie smiles wide and nods her head enthusiastically.

  “Oh my God. That dress is stunning!” she gushes, “Grant is going to die when he sees you in it. Go take it off and lets go pick out some silver shoes.”

  “It's not too dressy, is it? What if he is just taking me to the pub or something casual like that?”

  She gives me a look and shakes her head, “No, it is not too dressy,” she says firmly, “and Grant Hamilton is not going to take you to the pub on your first actual date together! I am sure it has not escaped his attention that you are a beautiful, intelligent woman. I am also sure that he knows you are a catch and he is a lucky son of a bitch to be taking you out. He is not going to screw that up by taking you somewhere cheap and casual. He is going to want to take you somewhere romantic that you will enjoy, but while also showing every other man that he is the one with you.”

  I look at her baffled, “How in the heck would you know all of that, Lexie?”

  She shrugs her shoulders, “I can read people. I have also known Grant most of my life and never, not once, has he dated. This is a big deal for him too.”

  Her words cause the butterflies in my stomach to dance around like crazy. “Why has he never dated? You can't tell me he has never had the opportunity. He is every woman's fantasy come to life.”

  She gives me a look of disgust, “Yuck. He is like a brother to me, so I don't see him like that, however, I am not blind, so I can see how attractive he is. As far as I know, he doesn't date because he hasn't found anyone that held his interest.” When I look at her confused, she continues, “Women have always thrown themselves at him, even when we were in school, and I can imagine that it has only increased, while he has been in the military. Summer, the way he acts with you is completely different than I have ever seen him act with anyone else,” she pauses and looks at me for a moment, “You are the kind of woman he wants to spend his life with,” she finishes quietly.

  I look at her completely stunned. “This is only our first date,” I whisper.

  “I know sweetie and you can deny it all you want, but that man is already in deep with you. I love you, Summer, and I don't want either of you to get hurt. I know this is hard for you and I know you don't want to hear this, but sweetie you need to start letting go of the past. You don't need to have it all figured out to move forward.”

  I suck in a sharp breathe, completely stunned by her words. “That is easier said than done, Lexie.”

  She walks over to me and grabs my hand. “I know. I'm not trying to hurt you by saying that, Summer. I just want you to be happy and I know you and Grant could be happy together, but you can't do that if you're always living in the past. I just want to make sure you open up and give him a chance.”

  I can feel tears gathering in my eyes and I blink quickly, trying to keep them from falling. “I'll try,” I respond quietly.

  She nods her head and squeezes my hand. “Okay, enough of that. Lets go find you a pair of fabulous shoes to go with that beautiful dress,” she says with a smile.

  I give her a small smile in return, as I let go of her hand and go back into the dressing room. Before I change back into my clothes, I look at myself in the mirror. I still look like the broken woman who left Winston, Tennessee all of those months ago, but recently I'm starting to notice little changes. My eyes look a little brighter. My shoulder aren't slumped in defeat, quite as much, and my smile looks genuine instead of forced. I think back on Lexie's words. It is time for me to start to move forward. Grant is nothing like Ryan. He is a good man. The second he proves otherwise I will break it off with him, but for now I'm going to give him a chance. It's time for me to take back my life.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Grant

  AT 8:25 PM FRIDAY NIGHT, I'm pulling into Summer's driveway. I was in some extremely stressful situations, while I was in the military, but I don't think I have ever been this nervous. I have never felt this way about a woman before and it's scary to think that I could do something wrong and mess it all up. After I cut my truck off, I take a deep breathe and try to shake off my nervousness. I am a 30 year old man for Christ sake! What is it about this woman that makes me act so insane, I wonder? She is absolutely gorgeous, with her long brown hair and her light eyes, but it's more than that. It's how she blushes at the simplest things and how she wrinkles her nose in concentration. Every time I kiss her she melts under me, completely surrendering herself and for a woman like Summer, who does not trust easily, that is huge. I just need to remember to take things slow.

>   I grab the bundle of flowers, that I picked up on my way here, off of the passenger seat and make my way towards her front door. I ring the doorbell and I can hear her heels clinking on the hardwood floor. She opens the door with a big smile on her face and I am speechless.

  “Hey, Grant.”

  Wow. She is so fucking stunning. Her hair is down and falling across her shoulders. She has make-up on, but it's not as dramatic as it was, when I saw her at the bar. The dress she is wearing looks beautiful and fits each of her curves to perfection. Her shoes make her long legs look even longer and I have to suppress a groan, when I think about picking her up and seeing how they would feel wrapped around my waist. Shit. Taking this slow just got much more difficult. I suddenly realize that I have just been staring at her and I haven't even told her hello yet.

  I clear my throat and bend down to kiss her check. “You look absolutely gorgeous,” I say, as I lean back and hand her the flowers.

  I watch as a pretty blush creeps onto her face. “Thank you. You look nice, too. I was afraid I would be too dressy.”

  I smile and shake my head, “No, sweetheart, you look perfect.”

  “Thank you so much for the flowers. Sunflowers are my favorite. Come on inside, while I put these in water right quick, and then I will be ready to go. Is that okay?”

  I nod my head and she opens the door wider so I can come in. I follow her back towards the kitchen and absently note that the crew has started working on the living room.

  Once we reach the kitchen, I watch Summer fill a vase with water and cut off the ends of the flowers, before arranging them. When she is satisfied with the way they look, she cocks her head to the side to study them, before giving a small smile. I could watch her forever, she is so damn cute.

  I walk up to where she is standing, at the island, and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “I'm new to this dating thing. Is it okay for me to kiss you before the date really even starts?” I ask.