by Wendy Smith
Stop it.
“You’re right. She said it’d have to be early as she had to get to school. I’ll send her a message.”
I smile. “Sounds good.”
Fishing out my keys from my pocket, I press the alarm to unlock the doors.
Shit.
It’s always when I offer someone a lift that I forget what a mess my car is.
“Hang on. I’ll just clear the front seat.”
Tom watches me, bemusement all over his face as I pick up a hammer and drop it over the back. It’s a mess of receipts and shopping bags mixed with the odd tool.
It doesn’t take too long, and I take a step back so he can get into the car. “Sorry.”
He shrugs. “It’s fine. I really appreciate you giving me a ride.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll go the long way. It’s getting dark, but it’s a nice drive.”
With him in the car, I jump into the driver’s side and start the car.
“I sent Molly a text about tomorrow. She hasn’t replied, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. She’s never far away from either her phone or her computer,” he says.
“I’ll swing by about eight. That should give us more than enough time to get in.”
As I pull into the street, he laughs. “I guess you don’t have crazy traffic to worry about.”
“There’s no such thing around here.” I shoot him a wistful smile. “It’s one of the things I love about Nettle Downs. It’s so peaceful.”
“Seems like a good place to raise a family. I guess that’s another reason Molly loves it so much.”
My stomach drops at the thought of Molly and Brad having babies. The engagement is hard enough to swallow, but marriage and children? And living in the same town, working with Brad—I’ll see it all. “I guess so.”
“I’m looking forward to getting settled. And having more room for all my stuff.”
“You said you had a lot, didn’t you?”
He nods. “At my old place, I had one bedroom for me—one for all the collectables I’ve gathered over the years.”
I grin. “Let me guess. Star Wars?”
“Star Trek.” He gives me such a stern expression, it makes me laugh. “My friend Mark is the Star Wars nerd.”
“Ahh. So that makes you the Star Trek nerd.”
He laughs. “As well as a few other things. What are you into?”
“I read a lot. And I love watching movies. I have a ton of DVDs. And my taste is all over the place.”
The car falls silent for a moment, and I turn onto the road that leads to the lake. It loops past the motel and back into town again, but it’ll do for Tom to see a bit of the countryside.
He clears his throat. “I like watching movies. And I game too. Obviously.”
We travel past a couple of farms before we reach the lake. I’ll have to bring him this way during the day, and he can see the rolling pastures with cattle and sheep.
It’s dark, but the moon is out and it’s so beautiful out here when the light falls over it. This is one of my favorite places.
“I have an Xbox that I’ve got one game for.” I laugh. “And a laptop that mostly gathers dust. I use my phone for social media.”
Tom nods. “Me too. If you’re on Facebook, maybe I can friend request you.”
“I am. That’s probably what I use the most.”
“Cool.” He grins. “It’s lovely out here. Maybe I’ll learn to drive since it’s quiet.”
“You never learned?”
Shrugging, he looks out the window. “I never really had to. And traffic makes me nervous.”
“I’ll teach you if you want.” I pull up to the side of the road. This is the closest spot to the lake from the street, and we can get a good view of it.
It’s like the sky has put on a performance to welcome him as it sparkles down on us. There are no street lights, but the moon bathes us in its glow.
“There are so many stars out here,” Tom says. “I mean, I guess they’re in San Jose too, but we don’t see them. Not like this. It’s beautiful.”
There’s so much about Nettle Downs I take for granted. This is like looking at it through a fresh pair of eyes.
And it’s not the only thing I’m looking at differently as Tom reacts to the scenery.
I’ve spent so much time longing for something that was never going to happen. I wasted so much time.
“Bridget? Are you okay?”
I turn my head. Tom’s got concern written all over his face. “Sorry. What?”
“I just asked if it’s always this beautiful. You seem distracted. Is everything okay?”
I nod. “Just thinking. And yes, it’s always this beautiful. It’s a great place to swim as well.”
“Guess I’ve got a lot to look forward to.” He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“I think you’ll like living here.” I smile, put the car into gear, and pull back onto the road.
It’s a quiet trip back to the motel. Just being out here has given me food for thought, and I’m sure Tom’s taking in what he can, considering the lack of light.
We turn into the car park, and he motions toward his motel room. The lot is otherwise empty, and while I’m still really not sure why Molly put him all the way out here, it is peaceful.
“Thanks so much for the ride. I had a great night,” Tom says.
I smile. “Me too. If you need anything, or just want to have a look around town, just let me know.”
His face lights up. “I’d really appreciate that. I’ll send that Facebook request.”
“Do that.” I can’t help the silly grin on my face.
He opens the door and gets out. After closing it behind him, he walks around the car and stops at my window. “Before you go, can I ask you something?”
I hesitate for a moment. What’s he going to ask? “Sure.”
“You don’t think I should shave the beard do you? I did think about it, seeing as I’m making a fresh start.” He’s fighting a laugh, and I’d be angry, but he’s just so cute.
“No. Don’t shave the beard. It suits you.”
It’s not until I’m out the car park and on the way home that I burst out laughing.
I think I like this guy.
4
Tom
One millisecond is a thousandth of a second.
In gaming, it’s a measurement of the latency of your connection. That is, how long it takes for the data you’re sending and receiving to get between you and the gaming server. The lower the latency, the better.
It took approximately one millisecond for me to fall for Bridget.
Maybe fall is a strong word. But the fire in her eyes that matched her red hair stopped me dead in my tracks.
I like her.
And given my history with women, there’s a good chance she’ll like me too.
As a friend.
It’s the story of my life, and I can’t see that changing just because I’ve moved from one location to another.
She was being kind tonight.
I walk into my room and slide my laptop from my bag. I hate that all my things are in storage. Until I find a place to live, all I’ve got to use is my laptop, and while I can game on it, it has limitations my desktop doesn’t have.
The sooner I can find a home and set it up the way I want it, the better.
For now, I content myself with sitting on the bed and opening up my computer to see what’s going on online.
Emails flow as the laptop connects to the Internet, but there’s nothing that I haven’t seen. It all sits on my phone anyway.
I get up to close the curtains, and take a look out the window. The lake is behind the motel, and for a moment, I take in the sights again.
I’m glad Molly picked this motel.
Apart from the Internet being decent, it’s in a lovely location. If I was back in San Jose, I’d be holed up in my apartment. Going for a walk today was peaceful.
Tomorrow, I might walk toward the lake, but now I
know how to get into town and the scenery’s nice. I can see why Molly loves it here.
A message window pops up.
Mark: Dude. Are you settled in? Where have you been? I thought we were playing Tribute tonight.
I chew on my bottom lip. Mark’s probably the closest friend I have at Mollab after Molly. He and I usually game online most nights, though that’s going to be hit and miss for a while. His boyfriend games too, and I’ve always envied their easy relationship.
I’m not stupid. Being with me would be hard.
Me: I had dinner in town before coming back to the motel.
Mark: What’s the town like? How was your first day?
I grin. Everyone back home will be full of questions. None of them have ever been to Nettle Downs. Of course they’re curious.
Me: It’ll be better when I have my own place and don’t have to walk so far to get anywhere. Today was good.
I pause.
Me: I met a goddess.
The Pacman theme coming from my phone makes me laugh. Of course he wants to know the gossip. Not that there’s anything to tell.
As soon as I answer the call, Mark’s voice comes down the line. “You did what?”
“Molly introduced me to the site foreman for the build. Or site foreperson. What do you call it when she’s a woman?”
“This is the one you’ll be working with, right?” he asks.
I take a breath.
Bridget leaning over the blueprints, and shoving a lock of her hair back behind her ear. It escaped the messy bun she had her red hair piled into a few minutes before, but she didn’t notice.
“Yes.” I lie back on the bed. “She’s gorgeous. And we had dinner together.”
“Really?” I swear I can hear his eyebrows jumping up off his face. “You had dinner with a woman?”
“Stop it.” I laugh. “We just happened to be in the same place at the same time, and she offered me a ride back to the motel afterward.”
My nostrils are still full of the scent she wears. It’s a fresh, citrus smell. I like it.
“True love, then.”
I shake my head. “I just met her. And you know my life.”
“Yeah. You’ll be only friends before you know it. Stop being so nice.”
“What do you suggest I do?” This’ll be good.
He sighs. “Just don’t offer to do everything for her. You let yourself be such a doormat. I’m not saying be mean, but just … don’t be so nice.”
“I’m sorry if you think being nice is such a bad thing.” I chuckle.
“It’s not, Tom, but you want her to know you’re interested in more than friendship. Otherwise, you’ll be ’round at her place sharing a tub of ice cream while she cries over some other guy.”
He’s talking about Cait. “That only happened once.”
Mark laughs. “Once is too many times. If you like this woman, then go for it. Let her know. She’ll soon let you know if she’s only interested in being a friend”
I take a deep breath. He’s right. I usually take forever to admit my feelings even to myself, and I’m not very forward when it comes to women. When I met Bridget this morning, it was easy with Molly there, and I could talk with her.
But then, talking over dinner wasn’t difficult. I even teased her about the whole beard thing.
I can’t wait to see her tomorrow.
My stomach twists when I spot Bridget’s car in the morning.
She’s a little later than we’d planned, but not enough to worry about. Molly’s not huge on punctuality anyway. I could work from the motel if I really wanted to. But I like the idea of getting into a new routine, which means going into the office every day.
“Morning,” Bridget calls as she pulls up. “Sorry I’m a bit late. Mornings and I don’t agree.”
“We have plenty of time.”
It’s not a long drive, and we’re quiet for most of it. We talked a lot last night, and I’m a bit unsure what to talk about today. Maybe she is too.
When we pull up to the building, I feel a twinge of regret for not speaking up.
“Here we are,” she says.
“Thank you again. I really do appreciate it. I’ll give you some gas money.”
She shakes her head. “No, you won’t. It’s not that far out of my way and I don’t mind.”
“Seriously. I’ll add it to my expenses and Molly will pay it.”
Bridget smiles. “Well, you know, in that case.” She shakes her head again. “It’s fine, Tom. You’ll be settled in a new place soon and you won’t need me.”
But I like you. I want to spend time with you.
“Let’s get inside and make some coffee. I could do with one,” I say.
She nods. “Me too. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take you to Madison’s diner for breakfast. They do good food and great coffee.”
“Sounds great. And I am going to pay for that.”
Shrugging, she unlatches her seatbelt. “If you sweet talk Janie, she’ll probably feed you for free the first time.”
“Like Jackson?”
“He’s the best. And he’s not dumb. You’ll be back for more now.”
A spark of jealousy shoots through me at the way her expression softens talking about Jackson. I know she said they weren’t together, but maybe there’s something there?
“I’d be back for more anyway. That was a good burger. Wait until the Mollab staff descend on that place. He won’t know what hit him.”
She laughs. “I’ve known Jackson since I arrived in town and I’ve never seen him stress about anything. He’ll love it.”
We exit the car and she locks it before we walk up the ramp and into the office.
Claire and Belle smile at me warmly. I guess it’s good for them to have another Mollab person here. I’m looking forward to more joining us.
“Hey, Tom,” Claire smiles.
“Hey.”
“How’re you settling in?” Claire asks.
I grin. “Good. The motel’s nice and I discovered Jackson’s Bar last night.”
Claire exchanges a glance with Belle. “That place is so cute. And Jackson is gorgeous.”
“He’s also single,” Bridget says from behind me.
“Is he?” Claire asks. “I wondered about that, but I didn’t want to just ask him.”
She nods. “Yeah. He’s a great guy too. Good friend of mine.”
“Got any more info about him? For research purposes of course.”
I hold my hands up. “I’m going to make some coffee, and I’ll leave you ladies to talk.”
“You’re only going over to that side of the room,” Belle says. “Stop being so dramatic.” She laughs, and I grin.
“Man’s prerogative.” I shrug, dropping my laptop bag on my desk and walking toward the coffee machine. “Hmmm caffeine. Want one, Bridget?”
“Yes, please. Black, no sugar.”
“Coming right up.”
From the coffee machine, I watch Bridget chatting with my co-workers. I’m not sure why, but I like seeing her get along with them. Maybe because we’ll all be spending time together over the next few months.
Before I came here, I wanted the building project completed as quickly as possible. I like order in my life, and this project will make things chaotic for a while. It’s not like the jobs I usually work on. I can cope with coding and change control.
Now I’ve met Bridget, I’m not as anxious to get the headquarters finished. The longer it takes, the better, if it means I get to hang out with her.
The door opens, and Molly walks in.
There’s an immediate shift in Bridget’s demeanor and it’s puzzling. She pauses with the others to greet Molly, but her body language droops, and she’s not as vivacious as she was before. I’m not usually one to spot that kind of thing, but it’s so obvious.
If Claire and Belle notice, there’s no indication. They simply include Molly in the conversation too.
“I’m making coffee if you want one,” I call
to Molly.
She looks up and smiles. “That’d be great, thanks. I’m running a bit late this morning. Grace forgot to give us some permission slip, and I had to sort that out before I left the school.”
With three coffees made, I walk across the room and hand Bridget and Molly theirs. Bridget seems to be trying to take part in the conversation, but she’s quiet compared to before.
“What are you doing today?” I ask her.
The relief on her face is obvious as she turns away from the others and smiles at me. “Marking out the site, and organizing the ground breaking. The equipment for it will be here in the next couple of days, and I’ll be ready by the date we discussed.”
I grin. “Sounds good. Do you have to bring it in from out of town?”
She nods. “We’ll get a crew who will come in and do the main dig. Brad’s talked about buying equipment before, but it’s more cost-effective to just hire it. There’s a smaller digger over at the retirement home site that we do own that we’ll bring over for any minor work we need done.”
“Sounds good.”
“Might even let you drive the digger if you want to try it.” Her grin is infectious.
“I’d love to.”
“Tom, do you have the list of guests for the groundbreaking?” Molly says.
I nod. “We’ll have to time it around flights into and out of Nettle Downs. That’s going to be the biggest pain in the ass.”
Molly sighs. “Agreed. Maybe we also look at the costs of plane lease so we can come and go as we need to.”
Bridget arches an eyebrow, and I suck in a smile. From the start of Mollab to now, it’s hard even for me to wrap my head around the finances involved, but there’s no issue with us affording Molly’s suggestion.
“I’ll get onto that as well. Bet you didn’t think of all of this when you promoted Miranda.” I grin.
Molly laughs. “I’m not going to start treating you like my PA. I should probably get onto hiring someone new for that role too.”
“Let Miranda do it. She knows best what characteristics the person will need.”
“You’re probably right. If they’re in San Jose, they’ll have to move here, though.”
Claire nods. “There’s likely to be someone in the admin team interested and who’s happy to move. I can put out some feelers too.”
