HIM

by J. M. Elliott

  I don't bother to blow dry my hair. I throw that bitch up on the top of my head. I lay on my bed for a few minutes.

  My phone buzzes and I jump up with a few ninja moves as I must have nodded off. I've not had enough sleep, but either way, I check my phone, hoping it's Ris replying to what I sent her last night or even Luke.

  Good morning, beautiful! Have a good day! Miss you.

  It's Troy and his stupid "Good Morning" shit he does every damn day. I need to talk to him about what's going on with us and soon. I used to love his little morning gestures, but now I wish they were coming from Luke instead. Luke hasn't texted or called me once since we exchanged numbers at Mary's when we had lunch after my dad's Will reading.

  I wonder if he texts Bridget. He did say they hang out but are just friends. Does that mean "just friends" like him and I are? Does he bring her, or has he brought her to the places he brings me? I need to stop overthinking things. I've been doing a lot of that since my date with Luke last night already.

  This is what getting involved with men does to me. It makes me an insecure little girl, and I lose focus. I'm not too fond of it, but at the same time, I can't help myself because Luke is so unbelievably infectious.

  I skip grabbing something to eat from the kitchen and head straight to the shop instead. I sit in silence the whole way there, staring off in a blank state, not thinking about anything. I pull into the shop ten minutes after eight. I do not see Luke's truck or his Charger; I wonder where he is. I park my car and walk toward the shop.

  I look around, but I do not see Luke anywhere. The guys are busy working on their tasks for the day. I continue through the shop back to the offices. Maureen's office is right when you come in, past the waiting room area. Ernie's office is shared with Maureen, and my dad's office is a little bit behind it, tucked back in its only area.

  I haven't been to my dad's office yet, but I should go there sometime today. I'm scared to; I don't want to cry in front of all these people. I want to stay strong and be professional. My dad wouldn’t want it any other way.

  Chapter Twenty

  Maureen, Gladys, and I are working together again today. We dive right into more of Maureen's daily routine. We go over daily, weekly, and even monthly tasks. Then, we sit down with Maureen as she goes over how to use Google Calendar to schedule appointments, time off, vacations, etc. We also cover QuickBooks, where all business expenses, invoicing, and other financial information are kept.

  Maureen tells me if I want to take any of this home, it is all programmed to my dad's laptop. I turn and look at the door to my dad's office. I get up and walk towards the door. Now is a better time than any to go inside it. I have a strange feeling that I will sense my dad's presence in it. I stop at the door to my dad's office then turn to Maureen and Gladys.

  "I'm going to work from here today," I say.

  They both look at me, smile, then turn back to what they were doing. I turn the handle and enter my dad's office. It smells like him. He always smelled like swisher sweets and pine needles. He'd smoke those little cigars to keep bugs away from him but mainly because he wanted to have something in his mouth. I close the door and look around. His office is a pigsty. There's paperwork everywhere, clothes, jackets, and boots piled up in every corner. You cannot even make out his couch under all the mess. His dusty trophies are displayed on shelves towards the ceiling from all the contests he's won with his classic car collection. Pictures on the wall from when his shop was built. The first cars he and Ernie worked on, and the first dollar the shop made in a frame from June 7th, 1989.

  The shop looked so different back then. It's incredible how far it's come from these pictures. I make my way to my father's desk and see that it's cluttered as well but has pictures spread across it of me. One from when I was, I'm not sure how old I am here, but I am quite little sitting on the hood of his Cutlass. I look as if I just started sitting up in the picture. There are a few other pictures of me when I was younger too.

  There is one graduation photo of me with his car and another picture of me the day he gave me the Mustang we restored together. I smile looking back at these pictures; my father was so proud of me. I tidy up his desk a bit before I turn his computer on. His backdrop is a photo of him and me on the day of my graduation with the Mustang. It's the same photo in the middle of the frame he has hanging in the hallway at his house.

  I lose it and cry hard, so hard that I cannot see or hear. My father was my rock and my world. I feel so empty and alone without him. I feel numb like the same way I did the first few days I came back home. I grab the picture from his desk of him and me, hugging it tightly as I lay my head down on the desk. I can't control myself; I'm a blubbering mess. I miss my dad so much. How will I continue my life without him?

  I know that the shop management and its staff will always be my family, but no one can replace my dad or what he means to me. It's tough not having him here and being with all his stuff and our old pictures make me miss him even more.

  I am startled by a sudden knock at the door, and I quickly wipe my eyes.

  "Yes," I shout with a hoarse tone to my voice.

  Ernie opens the door, and Gladys is right behind him.

  "It's lunchtime!" Gladys says as she looks at me with sad eyes.

  They could see I am missing my dad a lot, and this entire affair has been exceedingly difficult for me. Ernie walks into my dad's office and straight over to me. He wraps his arms around me, and I sigh loudly into his shirt before I lose it again. Gladys comes around behind me and hugs me from the other side. These two people are the most amazing people I know, they are my family, and I love them. I am so glad they're still around. They make me feel a lot less lonely, and I always pray for their long lives.

  We embrace silently for a while before letting go of our special moment in memoriam of my father. Ernie looks around my dad's office before tears trail down his cheeks, and he excuses himself.

  Gladys grabs my hand gently and says, "Would you like to come with us for lunch?

  I politely decline her offer and look at the ground. I need some time to myself, and I'm not feeling hungry. Gladys lets go of my hand and rubs my back before leaving my dad's office and closing the door behind her. I sit back down in my dad's chair and look around. My eyes fill with water again. I continue to go through the paperwork on my dad's desk and organize it to be correctly entered into the system and filed.

  I hear a light knock at the door. I'm not even sure if I heard a knock, but I walk to the door and open it. It's Luke. I turn away from him and wipe the tears from my face, I'm sure I look real attractive right now. I am glad he is here. He can lighten my mood and make my day a little brighter. Luke hugs me from behind tightly, and I turn around in his arms, wrapping mine around his hips.

  "Shhh," Luke whispers as he rocks us side to side and kisses me on my head.

  Why is he so perfect? He knows exactly what to do every time we are together. He knows how to make me laugh and when to hold me when I'm sad, and when to show lust at the appropriate times. I'm a mess when it comes to my emotions. Right now, I am an even bigger mess, but he makes me feel so relaxed and comfortable.

  "Are you hungry, Turtle?" Luke says in the most adorable way possible.

  I giggle, almost choking from the built-up spit and snot in my mouth from crying. I look up at him and smile.

  "Yes!" I reply.

  He hands me a tissue, and we walk out of my dad's office, through the shop, and out the door.

  "Mary's okay today?" he asks as he grabs hold of my hand.

  I nod, and we make our way across the street towards Mary's.

  We reach the entrance to Mary's, Luke, lets go of my hand, puts his arm around me giving me a side hug before opening the door. We head in and walk over to a booth by the window. Luke grabs my waist before I sit down and pulls me towards him. He presses his warm, soft lips against mine. Instant warmth and tingles grow throughout my body as I kiss him back. I immediately start to feel better than I h
ave since I stepped into my father's office. I've been in a haze for most of the morning. But Luke always makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I fall for him more every time we are together.

  We are abruptly broken apart. I watch as Luke is slammed into the booth by Jason, who appears out of nowhere.

  "What the fuck are you doing, you fucking piece of shit. Don't ever fucking touch her again!" Jason screams at Luke as he points his finger at him.

  Luke is half sitting, half lying in the booth from Jason pushing him away from me. His face is red with anger, but he calmly keeps his composure. I'm unable to open my mouth to tell Jason to stop. Luke stands up and gets in Jason's face. Luke is a tad taller than Jason, but they are practically nose to nose right now. I'm frozen.

  "It's none of your fucking business, Jason," Luke spits as he growls back at him.

  The groups of guys Jason came with, rush over to our side and separate them from each other. I am shaking by what I just witnessed. What the hell is Jason's damn problem? I'm pissed.

  "Come on, guys, let's not do this right now," Austin says as he pulls Jason away from Luke, then looks over at me.

  "What the fuck are you thinking, Ali? I told you to stay away from this trash," Jason yells at me as he looks Luke up and down.

  Things are about to get very ugly: I can sense it. I look at Jason, ready to speak just as Luke grabs my hand, and we head for the door. Jason reaches toward me, but the guys pull him back. He screams out at me, but I ignore him and keep walking.

  "You're a fucking dead man. You hear me. A dead man!" Jason spews.

  I never would have thought going to Mary's may have been a bad idea. I was in my own little world filled by Luke that I did not take into consideration Jason may be here, and that an issue would most definitely arise. I know Jason thinks that Luke is bad news because of what happened between him and Bridget. I forgot I also promised him I would stay away from Luke. Shit!

  We get outside of Mary's, and I stop Luke. I look up at him, and he's looking forward.

  "I'm so sorry that just happened," I say as water fills my eyes.

  "It's fine, Ali. Let's go!" he replies.

  His face is still red, his breathing is heavy, and his hands are in fists. We walk back to the shop. I can see the anger on Luke's face more prominent now and the pain behind his eyes. I'm sure he's hurt because he doesn't want to fight with Jason, especially not over me. Luke stops and looks at me, and I give him a pleading gaze. His blue-green eyes are so vivid and sharp. He's so fucking hot when he's mad, it's unbelievable.

  "I'm taking the rest of the day off. Will you come with me?" he asks.

  I smile at him then head into the shop to grab my purse as he walks to his truck. I let Maureen know what's going on and make my way to Luke's truck. We leave the shop and head out of town. Luke stays silent. I feel awful as I look at him. He's tense, his jaw clenched, and is white-knuckling his steering wheel. What do I say right now? What can I say not to make matters worse? I want to calm him down. I grab my phone and skim through my apps. I sync my phone to Luke's truck then turn up the volume. I search for the perfect song to ease the current mood. I press play and look over at Luke.

  Eastbound and Down from Smokey and the Bandit begins to play.

  Luke smiles while looking forward, watching the road. The tension in his jaw and hands lessens. He looks over at me, smiles again, then places his hand on my thigh. I set my hand on his. He is calming down, and everything is becoming less tense. I let out a sigh of relief.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  We head down the same road that Luke brought me down yesterday when we had lunch at the lake. He parks his truck, smiles at me, then gets out. He takes off down the trail without grabbing anything from his truck. I get out and jog to catch up with him. It's hot out, and the bugs are being exceptionally annoying right now as they buzz by and crash right into my face. I swat at a few before I fall over into the grass. I roll around for a little bit before sitting up.

  "What are you doing?" Luke laughs while extending his hand out to me.

  "I got hungry and stopped for a bite to eat," I reply sarcastically while grabbing Luke's hand as he helps me to my feet.

  Luke laughs more as he pulls grass, dirt, and leaves from the mess up top on my head; I like to call my hair. I brush the dirt and grass stains off my pants. I guess that is a way to break the awkward silence and tension lingering since we left Mary's.

  "Were you late for work this morning?" I question.

  "Yea, about an hour. I had a dentist's appointment at eight," he replies.

  Now, I know why his smile is so gorgeous, and his teeth are so perfect. He takes good care of them. But I wonder why he didn't tell me last night or at least a quick text this morning. I am technically his boss. Oh shit, having any relationship with him now would technically be unprofessional. Wouldn't it? But do I care? Not one bit!

  Luke starts walking down the trail again but holding my hand this time. I'm sure he's worried I might get hungry again. I like walking behind him as it gives me a straight shot to check out his ass. Although his work pants are a little on the baggy side, they still sit nicely off his hips and make his rump look amazing. I don't think there is anything he could wear that doesn't look sexy on him. I want to kiss him so badly right now. I could give him the perfect distraction to take his mind of the heated dispute with Jason earlier.

  We get to the grassy opening where we had lunch yesterday, but we keep walking and head over to another trail just past the picnic area. Where the hell is he taking me this time? We keep walking, and I keep getting dive-bombed by bugs. Those fuckers are going to be the death of me today. Man, they're so annoying.

  It's so hot out, and I can feel the sweat drip down between my boobs. I can feel the part of my shirt where my underboob area has started to become soaked, real sexy. Luke stops and reaches his hand up over his head, grabbing hold of his shirt. He slips it over his head and tucks it in his back pocket, then grabs my hand again, and we continue walking. Oh. My. God. Luke's upper body is glistening in the sun. Major eye candy.

  I can see his tattoos more closely now than when I saw them the first time we met. His tattoos run down from his rib cage, over his pec and shoulder, then down his arm giving him a sleeve. The tattoo is almost like a mural. It's beautiful and without any color. The grayscale ink is amazingly done. His body is molded perfectly in all the right places. He stops as we arrive at another opening. He turns to me, and I see the front of his tattoo. Underneath his pec not connected to the sizeable themed tattoo, it says Ma Mere, Mon Amie in cursive writing right over his heart. I run my fingers over it then look up at him.

  "What does this say?" I ask.

  I patiently wait for him to tell me. He looks deeply into my eyes then bends down a little and gives me a gentle kiss on my lips. I close my eyes, taking in his kiss and ignoring the ferocious bugs trying eagerly to ruin this moment.

  "Ma Mere, Mon Amie. It says My Mother, My Friend in French. I got this and the rest of the tattoos while I was in prison," he replies, looking at me then walking away.

  Luke and his mother are incredibly close, just like my father and me. He pulls me into his body and grabs my waist then leans down to kiss me again. My mouth opens almost instinctively as I know this is an intimate moment we are sharing. He gently slides his tongue into my mouth and massages my tongue with his. I gently massage his tongue back with mine. We break from a short but meaningful kiss. I really like kissing him.

  "Damn, you're short!" Luke laughs as he pats me on the head.

  "You're an ass," I grumble.

  I go to smack him, but he takes off running. I chase after him but am unable to catch him. While he runs away from me, he starts to unbuckle his belt, then unbutton and unzips his pants. I stop dead and watch him strip before me. Luke lets his pants drop around his ankles then steps out of them. He stands before me wearing only his sexy as fuck, light blue and white striped boxer briefs, which don't hide his large bulge but hug it nicely.


  "Too tired to come and get me, shorty pants!" Luke laughs while he crouches down to my height.

  I take off like a bat out of hell after him, and he takes off running. I almost reach him before he jumps. I freeze in place as I watch him drop down a cliff and right into the water. A few seconds later, he pops back up. I almost shit myself.

  "Jump! The water is perfect," he shouts.

  I inch closer to the edge and look down. I've cliff jumped before when I was a kid, but it seems high. I don't know if I can get myself to do it. I'm scared to jump.

  "Come on, Turtle, jump!" he yells in a girly voice as he laughs.

  "Come jump with me," I yell down to him.

  I think I can do it with him by my side. Maybe. Luke dips under the water and swims to the side. He begins the climb up the cliff. I take a few steps back and take a deep breath. I take my shirt off, my tank top, and my pants. When Luke reaches the top, I am standing there in my bra and panties. He stands up and stares at me. Shy. I cover myself with my arms and look at the ground while digging one of my toes into the ground.

  "Ali, you have a beautiful body," Luke says.

  He walks over to me and removes my arms from covering my chest. He grabs hold of my hand.

  "Are you ready?" he asks.

  I am scared out of my mind but as ready as I will ever be, I think. I nod, yes, and we take off running. We jump, and I close my eyes. I feel lifeless for a while before hitting the water. He doesn't let go of my hand until we are under the water. Luke was right. It feels amazing against my hot, sweaty skin. I pop my head up from under the water and wipe under my eyes. Luke splashes me immediately, and I splash him back. We swim around a while before we climb back up and jump a couple more times. Each time we jump is more fun than the last—a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon under the blaze of the hot sun.

  Chapter Twenty-Two