The Hard Way

by Jill Sanders

  They walked inside the big store, and he grabbed a cart and followed her around. It was the first time in her entire life that she’d ever felt normal shopping with a man.

  Ethan had never allowed her to shop for anything, let alone have a good time with her in a store. Instead, she’d followed him around and cringed at the items he’d thrown in their cart.

  Since Ethan had only allowed her to pick items such as toothbrushes and hair combs, she hadn’t gotten to just pick things for herself until after the divorce. Even now, it felt foreign to her. She kept expecting Ethan to walk around the corner and yell at her for picking items that were stupid or not up to his standards, something he’d said often when he didn’t like whatever she’d picked out.

  Instead, Brent joked with her and even threw in a couple items of his own—a package of boxer briefs, some socks. When she went to the shampoo aisle, he disappeared and came back with a box of condoms. He gave her a sly sexy look that had her smiling when he tossed them into the cart.

  After checking out, they started the drive back to Haven. She couldn’t believe how tired she was and felt herself nodding off several times. It was nice being with someone and not feeling the pressure to talk all of the time.

  She allowed herself to drift off to sleep and woke only when the truck turned off. Blinking a few times, she turned and saw Brent looking off into the field behind the bar and grill.

  “I’ll have to meet with the lawyer to see just how far the land stretches, but I think all that is mine.” He glanced at her. “Plenty of room to grow.”

  She stretched slightly and asked. “What would you do with the rooms?” She glanced behind them at the main building.

  “Like I said, rent them out.” He shrugged. “Or revamp the entire building and somehow turn them into more space for the dining room.” He turned and looked behind them. “Someone who knows more about construction could possibly figure out how to do that.”

  She glanced over at him and noticed that his swollen eye was almost completely back to normal, except for the color. He’d gotten a couple looks in the store when they’d been walking around together, and when she suggested he put on some sunglasses, he’d shrugged and told her that it didn’t really matter.

  It was another example of how different Brent was from her ex. Ethan had cared so much what others thought that he had gone out of his way to not argue in public.

  He’d found plenty of other ways of controlling her in and out of the public’s eye. The main one had been the hand squeeze, which had usually meant that, when they were finally alone, she would have to sit through at least an hour of listening to him explain just how she’d embarrassed him.

  Having him tear her down until she was raw emotionally and mentally was somehow worse in her opinion than the times that he’d physically hurt her. The physical pain disappeared more quickly. It was the emotional pain that clung to her and was much harder to get over.

  “You’ve disappeared again,” Brent said softly as he took her hand in his. “I notice you do that a lot. Part of me wants to ask you why, but I know better than to ask until you’re ready to tell me more.”

  “There isn’t much more to tell,” she said, feeling too drained to go into any further details at the moment.

  His eyes scanned hers, and she knew he could see through the lie.

  “How about we take all this inside and see what we can scrounge up for dinner?” he suggested.

  She helped him carry in all their purchases. While she carried the few bags of their personal items upstairs, he put the televisions in the office until he could hang them up behind the bar. Then they decided on a spot for the trash cans behind the bar together. It was nice having a man listen to her opinions. They found a large pan of lasagna in the fridge and heated up a couple plates to take outside under the stars.

  They sat at one of the tables with candlelight and hanging lights overhead and ate dinner and drank some really good red wine while he talked about the possibility of doing something more with his land.

  She doubted that she could think of a better day than what she’d just spent with Brent. She’d felt so carefree. But the real joy of it was just knowing that he had enjoyed being with her in return.

  The more she thought about how wonderful her time with Brent was, the more she wanted to be around him. But the truth was, she’d felt that way about Ethan at first as well.

  Just reminding herself of that kept her from exposing too much of her heart, which she was finding more and more difficult as the days rolled by.

  “You’re quiet again,” he said as they sat by the firepit after finishing their dinner.

  “It’s a quiet sort of spot,” she replied as his arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

  “That it is,” he said with a sigh. “My sister called when you were upstairs. Bella is back to one hundred percent. They actually let them go home already.”

  “That’s good news.” She glanced up at him. “I know you were worried all day.”

  He nodded. “Dylan and I were texting one another more today than normal.”

  “It must be nice, being so close.”

  “It is now.” He brushed a hand up her arm until he cupped her face. “Thank you for today.”

  She smiled and melted against his chest. “I should be the one thanking you. You’ve done so much for me since I came into town. I’m lucky you came along when you did. I would have hated to have to hurt that old man.”

  “Jimmy,” he supplied. “In case I haven’t mentioned it, that move you did on him was sexy as hell.”

  “Jiujitsu,” she said with a slight shrug.

  “No kidding?” He sat up slightly. “Did you take classes?”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “Krav Maga too.”

  “Hell.” He ran his green eyes over her, and she watched something close to pride flood the green pools. “You could always show me some of your moves,” he offered.

  “Think you can take me?” she teased, and he laughed.

  “Hell no, but it would be fun trying.” His smile was back as he reached to pull her close.

  She easily dodged his hands, pinning them above his head as she climbed onto his lap, holding him back against the bench.

  “Like I said, sexy as hell,” he said in a soft whisper. “What are you going to do with me now?” His eyes darted down to her lips. The smile was instant on her lips as she felt her entire body heat against his.

  She started rubbing her jean clad body against the hardness of him that pressed against her core.

  Then her eyes met his, and she lessened her hold on him.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” she admitted just before she kissed him.

  Chapter 19

  Days turned into weeks. The only major thing that changed was the fact that Mel had hired Darla to wait tables and help Jamie behind the bar. Since he wanted to trust her opinions, he stayed out of the way and tried to avoid Darla as much as he could.

  Which wasn’t as hard as he’d thought. Actually, it wasn’t until her second week working there that he’d realized the big change in her. For one, she didn’t smoke or drink anymore.

  She was actually friendly and showed up to work on time and stayed until after closing time to help clean up. Mel had commented on several occasions how well Darla was doing and even hinted that he should have that sit-down talk with her that she’d asked him for.

  Still, he continued to avoid it, wondering if it was all a ruse. He didn’t doubt that people could change, but Darla? He would need more proof than this.

  Mel had a little more freedom since they’d gone and picked up her truck from the shop. She often ran on supply runs and was more confident now that her truck was, according to her, purring like a kitten.

  This freed his time up, and he used it to start building the awnings over the decking area. Since he didn’t want to interrupt the customers enjoying their meals, he was stuck having to work early in the mornings.

  The bes
t part of the last few weeks had been that the joint seemed to always be packed. From the time they opened the doors to the time they locked them again, people packed in and enjoyed TK’s cooking or drank beers while watching sports on the new TV sets he’d hung.

  Game days were always fun, and, since he wasn’t really needed to run the place, he spent most of it behind the bar, helping Jamie. He, of course, left the fancy drink orders to her while he stuck to opening bottles of beer or pouring drafts. Mel often helped out with delivering meals or clearing tables.

  The day after Bella had been released from the hospital, he’d gone to visit her and Dylan. He must have sat for more than an hour, holding his sleeping niece. Never had he expected to fall in love with her so quickly. She was so tiny, so perfect. He knew there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect her or Dylan.

  He made his visits more frequent over time and ended up having a lunch with them at least twice a week.

  Since Mel and TK had taken over the running of the Hard Way, he figured the less he was in their hair the better.

  Nights, after everyone left and the place sat dark, were his favorite times. He and Mel usually sat out around the firepit and watched the stars. He’d purchased more patio furniture, including a large sofa where they spent most of their time.

  He honestly couldn’t believe he’d gotten so lucky as to have her in his life. He doubted he would have enjoyed sticking in Haven as much if it wasn’t for her.

  She still struggled opening up to him and, as time passed, he could tell she was hiding something deeper from him. But every time he tried to bring up her past, she would shut down completely and, for hours after, she’d sulk around the place. So he avoided bringing up the subject.

  The only time he’d gotten a hint at what she’d been through was the day she’d opened up to him about her ex in the kitchen. Still, she’d confessed enough that he understood the hell she’d gone through.

  He wanted to do some research on her ex and her parents but was beginning to doubt that she’d given him her real name. The biggest sign of that fact was that she requested he pay her in cash. When he suggested she open a checking account at the local bank, she had paled slightly. He’d agreed to pay her however she wanted, but told her that, to keep the books on the up and up, he’d have to keep track of the payments for tax purposes.

  He’d talked to Don, his lawyer, about expanding the bar and grill or building his own home on the back of the land. The man had immediately had his land surveyed. He had just gotten back from the lawyer’s small office on the other side of town and had the survey in his hands. He parked beside Mel’s truck.

  She was out on the patio, clearing a table, when he walked over to her. She’d gained a soft glow to her skin from the sun from working outside, and he’d noticed that she’d stopped jumping at shadows. At this point, she probably knew more people’s names in town than he did.

  “So?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the sun. He stepped around her so that she didn’t have to squint. “What did he say?”

  “Our counter injunction against the Phillips’s initial injunction has won out. The judge ruled out any ownership the Phillipses had on this place,” he answered with a smile.

  “So, it’s yours once again?” she asked with a smile.

  “It is.”

  “Did you get the survey then?”

  “Yes.” He held up the folder and motioned with his head. “I thought you’d want to take a break and walk around my land with me.”

  She set the tray of dirty dishes down and wiped her hands. “Let’s do it. Ed can finish this.”

  They stepped off the porch, and he pulled out the survey and tilted his head as he tried to figure out which way it went. In the lawyer’s office, he’d stopped himself from looking at it. He wanted Mel to be there with him when he did.

  “Here is the road.” Mel pointed to the map. “Let’s start there.” She pointed to the corner of the lot.

  They walked towards the front of the property and he frowned down at the map when he realized part of the parking area wasn’t on his land.

  “Looks like we’ll need to move some of the parking area,” he said.

  “No, see.” Mel took the map from him. “We aren’t even at the corner yet.” She started walking towards a fence line that was half fallen down. He’d believed the fence had been his property line, which is why he’d kept the parking area inside it. When Mel climbed over the wood fence and kept going, he followed her. “This is it,” she said, stopping by a small orange flag on the end of a wood stick. “See, the survey crew left the stakes here to show the corners of your land.” She held up her hands and shielded her eyes. “There’s the other one.” She motioned across the parking area along the road. Sure enough, on the far end of his building sat another stake. “This is the front northeastern corner. That’s the southeast one, and we’ll find the western markers out along the tree line.” She pointed towards the field.

  “It’s wider than I thought.” He looked between the two front markers. “We could expand the parking area. People won’t have to park on the grass.”

  She smiled. “You could even put up a free-standing sign. Something to draw people in,” she suggested.

  “Let’s check the back markers,” he suggested, and they started walking together through the field. “The old hotel rooms used to be in the shape of a U,” he said as they walked along.

  “The foundations are still here.” She stepped over the old cement. “Wiring, plumbing. It all probably needs to be updated, but if you wanted to rebuild…” She dropped off and stopped as they stood in the middle of the U shape. “You could do a nice B&B or…” She shrugged and tilted her head. “Maybe an RV park. You know, like the campsite kind. Put a swimming pool in the middle, some swing sets for the kids. People are starting to love camping again.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” he admitted, and in his mind, he already saw the idea clearly. “When I was eight, my parents bought a travel trailer. You know, the old silver kind that looks like something out of an old family movie.”

  “Airstream?”

  “Yeah, that’s the kind. Anyway, we spent a whole summer going from state park to state park.” He smiled, remembering the fun they’d had.

  “What happened?”

  “Dad grew bored. After he found out that he had to pay several hundred dollars to store the thing, since we couldn’t park it in our driveway, he sold it,” he said with a sigh.

  “The state park isn’t far from here,” she said, looking towards the hills. He’d taken her hiking there on their last day off. They’d spent an entire day walking the trails and enjoying a picnic TK had made for them while they looked out over the town from above.

  “The campgrounds are always full this time of year. I bet we could have this place packed out quickly. We’d just need to have some minimal work done. Electric, plumbing.” He started thinking about what would need to be done to the place. “A pool would be a nice touch,” he admitted. “Maybe a hot tub?”

  “Ah, I haven’t sat in a hot tub in years.” She rolled her shoulders. “I bet most people coming back from a full day’s hike would love to soak in a hot tub.”

  “Okay, you’ve sold me on the idea,” he said, taking her hand. “Now, let’s finish seeing just how much land we have.”

  He hadn’t realized his slip, until he felt her tense next to him. Glancing over, he replayed his words and held in a wince. Trying to be casual about it, he tugged her until they started walking again.

  “If there’s enough, I’d still like to build a place back here,” he said, chatting on about how he’d like a home away from work. As they continued to walk, he felt her relax more and figured she’d forgotten about his slip. He hadn’t meant anything by it, but whenever he thought of this place, he thought of it as theirs. After all, she’d done just about as much work to make it happen as he had.

  Actually, now that the doors were open, she was probably doing more work than he
was. Sure, he pulled out his hammer and repaired things or made whatever they needed, but she was the one doing all of the ordering, bill paying, and dealing with employees while he just did stupid manual labor.

  “It’s bigger than you thought,” Mel said, breaking into his thoughts.

  “Hm?” he asked, returning to the now in his mind. They had walked to the edge of the trees, and she was frowning down at the survey. “See the markers?” She motioned to the trees. “They’re on the other side of the hill.”

  He glanced through the trees and saw the orange flags through the thick brush about halfway up the hillside.

  They were standing on the edge of the tree line. There was a small dip that rolled down towards a creek that separated them from the other side of a larger hill. The side of the hill that held his markers.

  “You probably have enough land on the other side of the creek to build yourself a place over there,” she suggested.

  He glanced down at her work clothes and his good jeans and knew that they couldn’t cross the creek dressed like this.

  “We could go change and take a look at it now?” she offered.

  “No, we’ll do it later. For now, we know there’s more land over there. Besides, I skipped lunch.” He took her hand again, and they started walking back. “We can start coming up with a plan for the RV park.”

  “Sure, I can come up with a budget. We’ll need to get some quotes for electric and plumbing,” she said and continued to talk about what would have to be done as they walked back.

  They took a lunch break together, sitting out on the crowded patio while eating chicken sandwiches. He enjoyed the way Mel made lists of items that would have to be looked into to make their next project come true.

  Since he figured his sister knew about permits and dealing with the town’s regulations more than he did, he sent her a text message and asked her to look into that portion of the business.

  He shot a text message to Don and asked him which part of the land was still zoned for commercial use. He’d forgotten to ask the man if the back portion could be used for a private residence, and asked him in the text message now, after Mel reminded him to.