Hopping directly into the bathroom, Greg washed the aches and pains and sawdust again in a long, hot shower. Then donning his sweats he ventured back to the kitchen, curious and a little disappointed that Helene had not returned from her errands. He stopped as his stomach flipped; there on the counter was a plate of cupcakes with a note propped beside them.
Greg,
I dropped by the house after I’d finished my errands to see if you needed anything. You were completely engrossed in your work and I didn’t want to disturb you (I know how I get when that happens). So when you come up for air, you deserve a treat. Plus I’m sure you’ll be pretty stiff and sore by now so your meds are here too. Dinner is in the microwave as promised. Enjoy, sleep well and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Helene
He’d missed her, he couldn’t believe it! She was right though, he was still sore from not elevating his leg all day. Downing a pain pill he munched on the first cupcake as he heated his dinner. Frowning slightly Greg was strangely disturbed by the disappointed feeling that niggled at him as he ate the warm bowl of chilli she’d left for him. He wouldn’t see Helene again today after all. This was a good thing, he had his home to himself for most of the day and all night, this was the way he liked it. After so many years of not having a place to call his own all he’d ever wanted was a quiet place all to himself, but for some reason he found himself wishing Helene was here after all.
Imagining her in her camper, wherever it was; his creative drive surged again and after balancing a shopping bag over his shoulder containing the cupcakes in a Tupperware container he hobbled back towards his workshop. There was still one more creation to work on before the day was done.
At 3 am when Greg’s hands could no longer hold the file he called it a night, taking another quick shower he winced as his stiff fingers curled loosely around the lint roller and he gave the couch and bed a quick going over before collapsing into an exhausted slumber.
CHAPTER 12
Helene was surprised to find Greg’s bedroom door still firmly shut and the house quiet when she arrived, shrugging she prepared a coffee then set up her computer and started unsticking her post-its. Might as well get a bit of work done while she waited. She’d gotten a great deal of writing done the previous day and her creative juices were flowing, she’d even dreamt a whole new scene that she wanted to try to combine into the storyline she already had plotted.
Head down, deep in her book world it took Helene a moment to register the shuffling of a tired, just awake Greg moving up the hallway. Standing Helene’s mouth dropped as butterflies too off in her stomach.
“Holy sweet lickable ab’s batman!” Helene’s eyes flew wide as she slapped her hand over her mouth and her face heated with embarrassment.
Greg froze, still half asleep not fully registering what he’d just heard. As his brain caught up he broke out in riotous laughter. “Holy what now?” he spluttered.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I have trouble maintaining a filter sometimes, I mean most of the time I’m able to stop the worse of what goes through my brain from coming out my mouth but when I’m distracted……..” Helene waved her hands up and down in front of him before burying her face behind them.
Greg stopped laughing a moment his mouth still open in surprise at her words. Looking from the hiding Helene down to his shirtless torso and back again a light bulb suddenly went off in his mind.
“I guess I’ll just remove the distraction, sorry be back in a sec.” His quiet laughter drifted up the hallway as he reversed direction.
Helene slouched back into her chair, who knew he’d been hiding that toned 6 pack? Greg was tall and intense and definitely classed as eye candy but those abs were a whole other level. There was just something about him that made her insides sit up and take notice.
”Ok it’s safe to look at me now” Greg joked hobbling into the kitchen, his top half now t-shirt clad. “Late night, I didn’t realise I’d slept so late. Sorry.”
“It’s all good” Helene nervously reassured, “In fact please feel free to attend any meal shirtless, or you could just go shirtless all the time to save on laundry…..oh my god shut up Helene!” Her mind kept drifting back to his abs and her mouth just took over.
Greg snorted and gulped the coffee she passed him.
“So how did the writing go yesterday? Lots of heated glances and heaving chests?”
Helene slapped him across the back of the head en route to the pantry, “Not Fabio’s bodice rippers remember. And yes, I was inspired and got a fair bit done. What’s the plan for today? Physio, errands for you or more relaxation?”
“God please no more relaxation. I’m not used to having this much free time on my hands, usually, I work 4 or 5 shifts a week and then on my days off I’m busy with other stuff. Not that I don’t appreciate having you around but even after only a few days I’m going stir crazy not being able to come and go solo. And to answer your question, yes I have physio early this afternoon. Actually, it’ll be Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the foreseeable future it that works ok for you? You can drop me and do stuff if you want, you don’t need to hang about.”
Setting a bowl of cereal in front of each of them Helene re-joined Greg at the table. “No worries, I’m sure I’ll find something to amuse myself.” She replied. “So why the late start this morning, late-night drunken house party?”
Sniggering around his spoon Greg shrugged, “I was working late, had some ideas for making fish and other animal toys out of some scrap wood. Figure the kids at the shelter might like them.”
Helene noticed him gently fisting and releasing his hand resting on his knee, working the stiffness out of his fingers.
“That’s so nice, I’m sure they’ll appreciate them.” She stated as he shrugged, obviously not inclined to elaborate any further as they continued breakfast in silence.
“Um, I brought some laundry today if you’re sure it’s ok.” Helene broke the uncomfortable quiet.
“Of course it’s ok, we washed my ‘delicates’ yesterday so today I get to wash yours” Greg waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Ok well, my laundry is by the machine, have fun sorting my G-strings from my granny panties and keep in mind, I like my laces and satins separated.”
This time Greg’s jaw dropped as his mind created images of Helene’s curves clad in satin and lace.
# # # # #
Hopping into the house after his physio Greg’s knee ached for the first time all day. Time to rest and add some frozen pea’s he decided. He’d not needed any meds yet and hoped to get through the day without since they made him more tired than anything. Collapsing on the couch and easing his leg straight along the cushions Greg relaxed back a moment and then groaned……dammit he had to get up to get the peas!
Huffing out a breath in frustration he decided to call on his friendly neighbourhood nurse.
“Hey, Helene? Can you bring me a bag of frozen peas, please? I just can’t make myself get up again.”
Helene laughed good-naturedly as she gently wrapped the cold bag around his knee after loosening the brace.
“It’s good that they gave you the soft brace for when you’re not upright. It should make the whole relaxing thing a little easier or at least slightly more comfortable.” She was right, just having the Velcro straps across his leg loosened had eased the discomfort around his swollen knee.
“So I’m going to veg out this afternoon, watch a movie, get Chinese take out for dinner? Wanna join me?” Greg didn’t even know what prompted the invitation, he’d never asked a woman to just hang out before.
“Aren’t we too old for a ‘Netflix and chill’ day?” Helene teased as Greg’s cheeks flamed.
“You are so easy to ruffle” she laughed. “Sure I’d like to hang out but you don’t need to get take out, I can cook, it’s what I’m here for.”
“Not today cupcake, today we are not getting up unless it’s to answer the door to the delivery guy. So how about you pick a movie�
�…but not girly stuff. Nothing starring Colin Firth or based on a Bronte novel.”
Helene snorted as she nuked a bowl of microwave popcorn, girly stuff indeed! If only he knew her favourite movie was The Fast and The Furious……The Rock really floated her boat. With that in mind, she queued the movie up and settled onto the floor below Greg’s position on the couch, the popcorn in easy reach for them both. Wiggling on her cushion to get comfortable her eye was drawn to an enlarged photograph on the wall above the television. An emerald green forest of giant trees surrounded a small clearing that ended at a magical waterfall.
“Hey, that’s my waterfall” she blurted standing for a closer inspection of the framed picture. “I mean it’s not mine mine but I went hiking recently and stumbled across it. It was a hot day for hiking and I spent ages just playing around in the water, I’ve never been anywhere so beautiful and I had the place to myself.”
Settling back on her cushions she rested her head back on the couch and was soon engrossed in her movie choice; completely oblivious to Greg’s racing heart and the increasing constriction of his jeans, caused by the realisation that the curvy waterfall beauty who’d featured in his fantasies, was none other than Helene. The peek of cleavage he was greeted with each time he reached for the popcorn did nothing to ease his discomfort.
CHAPTER 13
The sight of the paint-splattered RV on the road outside his house took Greg by surprise, Helene usually rode her scooter to his house and then drove him around in his truck. He had to admit that the garish eyesore made him smile, for no other reason than it was just such a strange sight.
Limping slowly to the kerbside mailbox he watched Helene’s head disappeared behind the bulky camper as she hopped from the driver’s seat, how on earth did she manage to get the monster around the town?
“Your limp is a bit better today, how does it feel to be crutch free? “ Helene queried as she joined him on the footpath.
It had taken a few weeks but as of yesterday’s physio session, his knee had been declared improved enough for crutch less walking, if the few steps from the house to the road could be counted as walking. His knee was no longer painful unless he went too hard at physio and he’d been freed from the calf to thigh brace for a week, wearing only his thick neoprene knee support brace. It felt so strangely exciting to be able to move about so easily despite being considerably slower than he was on crutches.
Greg shrugged, “Don’t think I’m ready for Olympic try-outs but hands-free sure is nice.”
Helene laughed at his admission and joined his slow movement back to the house. “You keep this up you won’t need me anymore. As soon as you can use that leg enough to drive I’ll be out of a day job.” She joked.
“So why the giant wheels today?” Greg gestured towards the street as he poured them each a coffee.
“I need to take her for a run at least once a week or she’ll get in a sulk and refuse to start…..plus I need to refill the water and gas tanks, it was a cold, short shower this morning.”
It was decidedly chilly in the mornings these days, however, even a lack of warm water didn’t dampen Helene natural cheeriness. It really seemed that nothing could bring her mood down, in all these weeks Greg had never seen her with anything other than a smile on her face. Well except for a few times when she’d opened her mouth and something feisty came out, then she’d laughed her way through her embarrassment.
“So it’s a no physio day, wanna help me wash my baby? She could do with a bit of a spruce up.”
“Sure, why not. I’ve almost finished all the scrap animals, I’d be better off stretching that project out a bit until I’m roadworthy and can deliver them. It’d be good to get outside a bit on both legs too.” Greg collected Helene’s cereal bowl and stacked it in the dishwasher. “But first I’m celebrating the liberation of my hands by carrying my own laundry down. If your delicate bits want to get in together with my manly ones I can make that happen.”
In response to Greg’s suggestive smirk, Helene reached behind her back, shimmied a moment and then SMACK! Her green lace bra flew across the room and landed in a direct hit in Greg’s shocked face. It seemed he’d never learn she thought heading out to collect her laundry.
# # # # #
Greg circled the RV with the hose in hand, rinsing off the grey suds Helene had created with her sponge. As his leg wasn’t stable enough to lug a bucket full of water he’d been designated hose man, and as such, according to Helene’s rules, he was required to be shirtless. He could feel her gaze from here as she crouched soaping the driver’s door and wheel over and over, it was good to know that the weeks out of the gym hadn’t had too much of an effect on his physique…seems he still looked pretty good. On the upside, being hose man also meant he could ‘accidentally’ hose Helene down every now and then, like now, and he appreciated the fact she’d replaced the green bra with a hot pink lace – that was now clearly visible under her damp t-shirt, and the thin cotton harem pants certainly clung to her curves nicely when wet too. He felt like such a perv but the dreams those curves featured in at night left him distracted and horny.
Aiming the hose Helene’s way, Greg moved to rinse the cabin and wheels she’d abandoned to escape the shower. While the whole camper was painted with random colour splotches, appearing as if it had been shot by a giant paintball gun, the driver’s door featured a floral garden behind a small white picket fence. Greg shook his head with a grin, this woman was so strange and after all this time he didn’t feel like he knew anymore about her than the day he tripped over her.
“So cupcake, what’s with the RV anyway? I mean I get you live in it, but why not a house? You run away from home? Shitty husband? Rebelling against your overbearing, rich parents who expect you to play the perfect trust fund princess?”
Helene dropped the sponge in her almost empty bucket and stood to lean against the fence running her bare feet over the grass as she quietly withdrew for a moment.
“I guess it was just easier you know?”
Hmm, not the explanation he was looking for, not really an explanation at all.
“This is actually Camper No.2. When I got the first around 15 years ago it was both cheaper and a whole lot easier to buy a camper and live in it than it was to qualify for and rent an apartment. I upsized to this baby around 5 years ago, figured if I was going to keep living and working from the road I could use the extra space.”
Greg shook his head with a laugh, although he’d not seen the inside he knew that it wasn’t exactly spacious.
Returning the hose to its hanger, Greg carried Helene’s bucket back up the drive as she followed lost in thought.
“Oh hey, I’ve gotta get those boxes I picked up from the post office out of your truck, I can stick them in the camper.” Helene declared as she disappeared head and shoulders into the back seat of his truck, treating Greg to a superb view of her gorgeous curvy butt.
“W, why not just dump them in the entry and you can take them out later when you head off for the night?” Greg stammered not taking his eyes off the prize that was reversing from the truck.
Distracted and not meeting his gaze Helene simply nodded her head and continued past him, a large box in her arms, and then returned to the truck for the other.
# # # # #
“So other than physio this week, we both seem to have gotten all our errands done already. What are you going to do to keep yourself busy if you aren’t going to be making animals?”
Helene handed Greg the steak to grill while she chopped salad vegetables. They’d gotten the whole joint food prep thing down pat since his hands had freed up she thought. ‘Oh, what those free hands could do if only…..
Greg shrugged as the steak sizzled on the grill. “I’m sure I’ll find something to fill my idle hours.”
“I can think of some mischief for those idle hands” Helene murmured rolling her eyes to herself. It was the abs, they dragged her mind into the gutter every time but she just couldn’t help demandin
g a peek now and then.
“The kids will love the toys when they’re done. I’m sure they’ve missed you not seeing you all these weeks.” She struggled to keep her voice even despite feeling somewhat breathless at the thought of his idle hands.
“Ha! Some of them will have been celebrating my absence; I tend to nag and/or threaten them to get their school work done. I also bribe with ice-cream so they don’t really mind too much.”
“Why not try taking the truck out for a short spin this weekend? I mean if you think you’re up to it. You could see how you go and then if you are up to it you could drive to the bonfire next week….. It’d almost be like you’re fully functional.” Helene’s suggestion was a good one, he was itching to get behind the wheel again, Greg thought. He was also itching to show her how ‘functional’ he was.
CHAPTER 14
Staggering through the house, his arm wrapped around Helene’s shoulder for balance, Greg felt that warm happy feeling spreading through his veins. The night had been a roaring success and they’d had a great time in each other’s company, without the pressure of ‘dating’ or the expectations generally involved with a night out in female company. The autumn bonfire had been well attended, with most of Greg’s off duty workmates there enjoying a night off and a good portion of those on duty were also wandering the area to keep an eye on things. Despite being crutch free for the past few days, the rapid temperature drop once the sun went down caused his knee to ache and balance was harder to come by. The huge bonfire had kept them toasty warm however as he caught up with friends, dined from the food trucks and sat enjoying the cover band belting out 90’s music.
They were both laughing as they stumbled through the door their faces still ruddy from standing too close to the fire. As Helene attempted to lower Greg to the mattress his weight, the stiffness in his leg and their combined distraction caused a sudden overbalance and they both came crashing down, bouncing against each other on the bed. Greg’s arm shot out catching Helene as she came close to bouncing clear off the side, pulling her firmly against his chest.
It's Complicated (Bigelow Bay Book 2) Page 7
