by Sam Crescent
Pushing all of those thoughts aside, she focused on James. She wasn’t going to get her hopes up. The guy had just mowed her down with a bike.
Chapter Two
He ran her down!
He ran her fucking down because he’d been so preoccupied with trying to see her.
As he drove Aunt Betty’s car, he could tell it needed some work. Nibbling his lip, he tried not to think. To keep his mind completely blank.
James couldn’t believe he’d hurt her. Out of all the people he could have run down, it had to be Eliza.
She was stretched out in the back seat, resting her head against the window.
“You can’t go to sleep. You may have a concussion if you’ve hit your head.”
“I don’t know what I hit. When did you start riding a motorcycle?”
“Some time ago. Not long after you left town.”
“You don’t like cars?”
He chuckled. “I like cars just fine. I just happen to like my bike a lot more. Maybe one day I’ll take you out for a ride on it.”
“I’d like that. We’re not going near any florist shops, though. I don’t think my body could handle it. You know, if I was a kid, I’m sure I’d have just jumped right back up and not had a problem. Today, my body isn’t playing with me.”
“Bodies have a way of doing that. You know, telling us what they want.”
“I hear you. It hurts. Big time.” She rubbed at her temples. “I think I’ve got a headache.”
“I’ll have you at the doctor’s soon.”
“I know. Is it still David?”
“Yep. David is still the main doctor.”
“Can he still see? I remember his glasses were huge and thick when I was a kid. I’m sure he didn’t put the right Band-Aid on me once. He put the sticky bit across the boo-boo.”
James smiled. “I can’t believe you’re thirty years old and still say boo-boo.”
“It is what it is. How about you? How are you?” she asked.
He glanced in the rearview mirror, taking a good long look at her. “How am I?” he asked. “I’m good, you know. I’m coping. Handling everything. Doing what I must do. That kind of thing.” He shrugged. “You?”
“I meant, do you have a wife? A couple of kids? Do you work on your motorcycle? Any of the good stuff, James.”
“Ah, we’re doing the whole catching-up routine. We really are grown-ups now.”
Eliza laughed and he loved the sound. “It’s been a long time. I don’t know how all this goes. I think it’s polite to ask people about their life, right?”
“I’ve heard it helps.”
“Please tell me to fuck off if you really don’t want to know any more,” she said.
“Look at you using all the curse words now.”
“Don’t tell Aunt Betty. She’ll have me dusting her plants back at home for the next week.” She winced. “I think I’ve got a good enough reason to not be, you know, eloquent. She always told me a lady holds herself in high standards. This coming from a woman I heard curse out one of the known asses in town.”
James laughed. “I’m not married. No kids. My brother is the mechanic. I own the DIY store near the library. I’m also the resident plumber and electrician. I’ve been known to help with building projects as well.”
“Ah, okay. Which brother is the mechanic?”
“Caleb.”
“The rebel.”
He burst out laughing. “Yeah, the rebel. I do like that.”
She snorted. “What about Rome, is it? Isn’t he the youngest of you Hard boys?”
“He’s doing good. He’s an accountant.”
“I’m not going to lie. That sounds so boring.”
“It is, but whenever we’re around, he doesn’t start talking about numbers so dinners aren’t sleepy.” He looked back in the rearview mirror. Her hair seemed more blonde than he recalled, almost as if she’d put a dye on it, but he knew that wasn’t the case. She’d always had the lightest and softest-looking hair.
Every time he looked at her, he just wanted to run his hands through the locks.
Of course, he never had. That had stalker and all kinds of weirdo attached to it, and he wasn’t about to make her uncomfortable.
“I hate my leg.”
“I’m sorry about your leg.”
“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have stopped to check my lunch. Force of habit.”
“So, tell me about yourself,” he said. “We’ve talked about me, what about you?”
“Ah, yes, the whole sharing thing. Let’s see, college didn’t stick. I stayed for two years, and I just couldn’t hack it. I tried, I really, really did. So, I worked in loads of different jobs. Waitressing, bartending, I even took up a position as a legal secretary for a couple of months. No boyfriend or husband waiting for me. No kids either. For the past ten, no, twelve years, I’ve done nothing. I’ve accomplished nothing.”
He heard the sadness in her voice. All he wanted to do was hold her and let her know it was going to be okay.
“Now, I’m back home. Living with Aunt Betty, and I’m sure she has a boyfriend but she won’t tell me because she doesn’t want me to feel like a complete and total chain around her neck.” She ran her hands down her face and groaned. “I really shouldn’t have unloaded all of that crap on you, should I?”
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
“Do you live with your parents?”
“No. I don’t live with them, but I do have to enjoy breakfast with them every weekend. Both days. They won’t accept that I’m a grown man and can make my own breakfast.”
“I eat with Aunt Betty. She makes the best pancakes ever. I love them so much. She has even perfected my scrambled tofu.”
“Scrambled tofu?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, it’s a thing.”
“I’ll believe you.”
She smiled. “This is nice, James.”
He pulled up outside of the doctor’s office. The one and only nurse was waiting. “I know.”
“It looks like my aunt got them prepared.”
“Nothing can happen to her girl. You should know that by now.”
“I’m starting to get it.”
James parked the car and helped her out and into the wheelchair.
“I don’t think it’s broken.”
“You’re not the doctor,” the nurse said. “You’ll know what has happened when we tell you. Can you wheel her in?”
Before James had even said he would love to, the nurse was gone.
“I don’t recognize her, but she’s got a stick up her ass,” Eliza said. “You don’t have to stay.”
“I ran you down. The least I can do is make sure you’re taken care of.” He pushed her into the building, using the wheelchair access to help. He noticed Eliza had a cut on her forehead. Part of her face also had a bruise, but the cut on her leg was the worst.
The doctor was already waiting. “I’d hoped to see you under better circumstances,” David said.
“Not my fault this time. James ran me down,” she said, looking back. “I’ve got to get myself some street cred.”
He laughed. “It was an accident.”
“I know that. Come on. Let’s have a look.” He pulled out a little light and shone it in Eliza’s face.
She winced. “Ouch! Seriously.”
“I see you still don’t like doctors.”
“I like doctors just fine. You like to test the limits of what’s nice and what’s not.”
Another chuckle. “Come on. It’s good to see you, Eliza.”
James heard the affection in David’s voice. He and his brothers had been stitched up and repaired many times over the years by this man. He was one hell of a doctor.
James stayed out in the waiting room and he had to wait for a good hour.
The doctor’s door opened and they were both laughing as they came out.
“Damn it, Eliza, you really are something.” He was crying from laughter. “The puppy, th
e tofu, wow, okay, business. She has a concussion so she’ll need to be monitored over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I’ve already called Betty, and she’s heading out of town. James, will you be able to take care of Eliza for the next forty-eight hours?”
“He doesn’t have to.”
“I would love to,” James said. “It’s the least I could do.”
“But don’t you have a life?”
“I have no life. Believe me. This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a long time. Not that running people down is a hobby.”
She snorted.
“What about her leg?” he asked.
“I’ve bandaged her knee. A sprain. Nothing too severe. She will be more than fine as long as she rests it and doesn’t try to do anything too strenuous. I’ve got to head out on a house call. As always, Eliza, it’s a pleasure. And it’s good to see you back.” David hugged her. “You can take the wheelchair, and I expect it back as soon as you’re able to walk around without needing assistance.”
“I know you’re going to need this.” Eliza stood up. “I can use crutches or something.”
****
“You could drop me off at home, you know. I don’t mind.” Eliza watched as he ran down his inventory list. Aunt Betty had checked on her and even offered not to go to the conference and wholesale she’d set up last year.
She wouldn’t hear of it. There was no way she was stopping her aunt from going to the conference. She’d organized everything when she thought she wasn’t coming back. Her life in the big city keeping her from coming home.
Her fear of failing was what kept her in the city all those years. She had nothing to hold her there. Nothing of any importance, anyway.
Humming to herself, she looked out at James’s DIY store. It wasn’t large, but it was neat, thorough, organized. He had the basics, the most-used tools, supplies, but for anything specialized, he had a whole load of catalogs to order from.
It looked … good. She wasn’t a DIY specialist or anything, but he made it work.
Also, there was no denying he made DIY look … sexy.
Again, she wasn’t supposed to notice these kinds of things. They were strictly forbidden to her.
“I promised to take care of you and I’m going to keep my word. It’s what I do.”
“I know, but you don’t have to. That’s the point.”
David had gotten some crutches for her. The wheelchair was a little extreme, since she hadn’t broken her leg. The last thing she wanted to do was feel like she was receiving care from someone else. She was perfectly able.
Grabbing said crutches, she stood. “So, what do you need me to do? There are a lot of empty shelves. I can help stock them.”
“I have a specific order.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” He grabbed a bag. “I’ll show you.”
They walked over to the area for screws, bolts, and nails. There were little empty holes for products to go in. He opened up the bag, and only used half of it, filling up one section. He pointed at the label. The codes matched from the label to the bag.
“I can help. Please. I know how to read labels and put them in the appropriate place.”
“I have to do it this way. I’m not being a pain in the ass.”
“You are.”
“If I don’t, they try to pretend I marked it down at a cheaper price.”
“I know. Everyone is always trying to save money.”
He laughed. “I’m not paying you.”
“I’m a damn good worker. You’ll be hiring me by the end of the day.” She moved toward his supplies, picked up multiple bags, stuffed them in her pockets, and walked back to the shelves, holding the crutches. Checking each label, she began to fill the screws, nails, and bolts. Once the entire shelf was filled, she bagged them up and carried them right back. “Is this how you stock the rest of the shop?”
“Yes.”
“Then I don’t see a problem at all. I’ll get to work.”
He couldn’t complain as the bell rang, signaling a customer. As she started to fill the shelves, a little shocked by how empty they were, she came to realize his customers all wanted to know what happened this morning. How he ran her down? Why did he? If she’d cheated on him or something?
She rolled her eyes.
Why was she the one cheating?
Right, her mother, the crackhead whore. It didn’t matter that Eliza had never touched a drug in her life. She even hated the thought of taking a painkiller, but because she was the daughter of a druggie, that stain wouldn’t let up. She hated it.
One of the many reasons she’d left town was because of it, and she had wanted to go find herself. A part of her had hoped to never return because of success in the city. Only, she had to come back. Besides, being homesick, she couldn’t make it work. The city wasn’t for her.
The hours passed. The crutches slowed her down but before long, the shelves were neatly filled, and James put the closed sign over his door.
“We done?” she asked, hiding a yawn.
“We are done. I’ve just got to ring up the till, and then we’re good to go.”
She’d heard one of the customers advising him not to let her near the till. Again, she’d never stolen anything. James intervened by telling the customer to stop being rude or he’d have to go find his hardware elsewhere.
Shaking the negativity from her mind, she sat in the chair beside the door, staring out into the night. It was already dark. What time did he close? She glanced over at the clock and her eyes went wide.
“Nine-thirty. You close at nine-thirty?”
James appeared from out of the back. “Yeah, why?”
“Why do you stay open so late?”
“You do realize a lot of people do home improvements when they get home from work and it’s late.”
“Yeah, but, why are you open?”
“They will order from me, and not online. They come to the store, if I don’t have what is in, I can get it here tomorrow. They don’t go online and I get the business.”
“Oh, that’s actually kind of clever.”
He nodded. “And here is our ride.”
She looked out the window to see Caleb Hard pulling up in a tow truck.
“A tow truck?”
“For my bike. He’s going to tow it back to my place and we’ll ride up front with him.” James opened the door as Caleb came barreling in. He was just as big as his older brother but where James’s arms seemed to be completely bare of ink, Caleb’s were covered.
“Is it true? Did you really knock her down?”
“I’m right here,” Eliza said.
“Are you going to press charges?”
“I’m right here,” James said.
“I’m not going to press charges. I think his lack of sleep will be punishment enough, don’t you?”
“Lack of sleep?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah, he’s got to wake me up and make sure I don’t fall asleep for too long or something. First, he has to feed me. Your brother has to babysit me for the next two days.”
“I’m sure he’s more than happy about that.”
She heard a grunt and turned toward the two men. James looked fine while Caleb was rubbing a spot on his stomach.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but Mom is already at his house, making lasagna,” Caleb said.
James groaned. “Fuck, I forgot to take the key from her.”
“What’s wrong with her making lasagna? If I remember, hers is the best in town and she wins at the summer fair every single year.” No one could beat it.
“Very true, but you see, my mom, she’s a messy cook. Like the worst, which means I’m in for one hell of a cleanup when I get home.” He shook his head.
“It’ll be worth it, I’m sure.” She was starving. After the doctor visit, James went to the diner, but it had been closed due to delivery and cleanup, so they ended up with some horrible sandwiches that tasted like cardboard.
Aunt Betty had already gotten to her hotel room. She’d sent a text earlier. Eliza would call later, but she didn’t want her aunt to worry. Even though she’d left her in the very capable hands of James Hard, her aunt still worried. She loved her so much.
With James and Caleb’s help, she was able to climb up into the truck. She moved her ankle in circles, trying to get used to some movement.
Aware of James so close to her, she tried to focus on Caleb.
The drive was short and sweet. The men told her to wait in the truck while they unloaded the bike. As she watched James, it brought back a yearning she’d hoped to ignore.
He’d been the only guy in high school she had a crush on. The one she’d hoped would ask her to prom.
Now, he was the guy who was supposed to be taking care of her, and well, those old feelings hadn’t disappeared. No, they were right there. Only now, they weren’t the feelings of an eighteen-year-old schoolgirl. She wasn’t a sweet, innocent virgin.
She’d had a couple of boyfriends back in the city. Neither of them had stuck, but she had learned a lot about herself and her desires.
There was no way she was going to make a fool of herself. She wouldn’t allow it. She was the one in control, and James, nothing was ever going to come of it.
Chapter Three
“Are you going to be able to handle her being so close?” Caleb asked.
“Shut the fuck up, Caleb.”
“Did you do it on purpose?”
He was going to throttle his brother if he kept asking all the same stupid questions. He glared at his brother, who held his hands up in surrender.
“What? You can’t deny it is a little odd. We were talking about her this morning. You run her down.”
“I was busy staring at the damn florist shop. Trying to catch sight of her, okay? I didn’t … it wasn’t supposed— Oh, fuck it. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t exactly fucking plan it.” He was tired of having to defend himself.
His mother chose that moment to come out of the house. The apron she wore made him want to whimper. She wiped her hands on a towel that looked equally dirty.