Something Tattered (Joel Bishop Book 1)

by Sabrina Stark

  I pointed to a nearby flower bed. "I weeded the flower beds. You noticed that, right?"

  Derek didn't even look. "We're not talking about the flower beds. We're talking about the lawn."

  Hoping to end this before it turned into a major issue, I swallowed my irritation and forced myself to say, "Sorry, I'll get it tomorrow, okay?"

  He crossed his arms. "What's wrong with today?"

  Joel was on his way to pick me up, that's what. But I'd be stupid to say so. And besides, it wasn't exactly the lawn-mowing part of the day. I said, "I can't. It's almost dark."

  Derek consulted his watch. "Not for two more hours."

  "Oh come on," I said, "be reasonable. It takes at least five hours to mow it."

  This wasn't even an exaggeration. My lawn was three full acres, and all I had was a run-down push-mower. Even if I started now, and kept mowing after sunset, I still wouldn't be done until midnight.

  Derek frowned. "It should've been done Monday."

  I hated this. And yet, I'd asked for it, hadn't I? "Yeah, well, I was working Monday."

  "Not all day, you weren't."

  "How would you know?" I asked.

  "Because the cookie shop closes at six. I do my homework, remember?"

  Like I could forget.

  Derek continued, "And what's your excuse for the other days?"

  I didn't have an excuse, or at least, none I was willing to share. It was true that I'd been working my regular shifts at Cassie's, but mostly, I'd been spending every waking moment with Joel.

  He'd made no mention of ending his camping trip, and I'd been living vicariously, enjoying the first thing that felt like a vacation in years.

  When I made no response, Derek said, "You do know Monday was four days ago, right?"

  As if I couldn’t count. I gave him a look of mock confusion. "Really? I had no idea."

  Derek crossed his arms. "Do you still want the job or not?"

  I did. Damn it.

  I gave my driveway a nervous glance. Joel would be here any minute. I could only imagine how delighted he'd be to find Derek standing here, giving me a hard time.

  Eager to end this, I said, "I'll have it done tomorrow. I promise, okay?"

  Derek shook his head. "Sorry, not good enough."

  I made a sound of frustration. "Why not? I did weed the flower beds. You noticed that, right?"

  "Because if my dad stops by and sees the sorry shape of this place, I won't hear the end of it. You know how he is."

  Unfortunately, I did know. Until recently, it was Derek's dad who'd been handling all of the estate details. I knew exactly how he was. As bad as things were under Derek, they'd actually been worse under his dad.

  It wasn't that the guy was unpleasant exactly. It's just that he micromanaged everything to the point of ridiculousness. And, unlike Derek, he wasn't someone I felt comfortable arguing with.

  No doubt, if he were still handling things, I'd have already been docked for not mowing according to the set schedule. My stomach sank. The way it looked, Derek was going to take the same approach.

  I couldn’t afford to be docked. I needed the money.

  I bit my lip. But Joel was literally on his way. We'd made plans, and I hated the thought of breaking them, especially last-minute. My own disappointment aside, it was so incredibly rude.

  In front of me, Derek said, "So I'd get mowing if I were you."

  "Oh come on," I said. "Just give me another day, okay?"

  "Hey," Derek snapped, "this was your idea. Remember?"

  What could I say? He was right. I'd practically begged him for the job. And, in my own defense, I was usually really prompt about it. But last week, things had been really crazy with all of those endowment meetings. And then, more recently, things had been crazy with Joel – crazy good, that is.

  But if I wanted things to stay good – as in remotely peaceful – I needed to get rid of Derek, pronto.

  "Fine," I said. "I'll mow tonight. There. Are you happy now?"

  His lips pursed. "I'd be happier if I didn't have to micromanage everything."

  Oh, for crying out loud. Like father, like son. I wanted to argue, but I didn't have the time. So what I said was, "I'll try to do better, okay?"

  "Don't try. Do." And then, he turned away, stalked to his car, and sped off.

  Gazing at the empty driveway, I tried to look on the bright side. At least, there wouldn't be a fistfight on the front lawn.

  That was something, right?

  Still, I'd have to cancel with Joel. I hated that.

  I hated it even more a minute later, when he pulled up just as I was trudging toward the shed to get the mower.

  Chapter 36

  At the sight of Joel's car, I stopped and changed direction, heading toward him now instead of the shed. When he got out of his car to greet me, I said, "I'm really sorry, but I have to cancel."

  He glanced toward my house. "Why? Is something wrong?"

  "No. Not at all." I gave him an apologetic smile. "It's just a yard thing. You're not going to believe this, but I've got to mow tonight."

  He said nothing as he studied my face, and I felt color rise to my cheeks. Cripes, next I'd be telling him that I had to wash my hair or something equally stupid.

  I tried to explain. "It's like a job, actually. And it's got to be done on a certain schedule. Unfortunately, I'm already late." I rolled my eyes. "As I was just reminded."

  "Yeah? By who?"

  Damn it. I probably shouldn't have said that. I gave a dismissive wave of my hand. "You know, the estate people."

  Joel's gaze hardened. "You mean Derek?"

  I hesitated. "Him and his dad, actually."

  "Your lawyers."

  Funny, he hadn't phrased it as a question. Still, I nodded. "Right. But with this, it's more of an estate thing."

  "Is that so?"

  "Yeah." I tried to act like this was no big deal. "And Derek just reminded me that I'd better get it done, or–" I shrugged. "–you know."

  Joel gave me another long look. "Or what?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Let's say you don't follow the schedule. What then?"

  I won't get paid. That's what.

  And heaven help me, I needed the money. The nagging, I could deal with. But the lack of funds, now that was a serious problem, and it was getting more serious every week.

  But Joel didn't need to hear about my problems, so in the most casual voice I could muster, I said, "Maybe it won't take too long."

  I considered the best-case scenario. Maybe the mower would work just fine, and maybe if I walked really fast, I could get it done before midnight. After all, back when there'd been an actual lawn service, it didn't take them five hours to do it.

  Of course, they didn't have a finicky mower that stalled all the time.

  Joel's voice, quieter now, pulled me to the present. "There's something you're not saying. What is it?"

  "Nothing." I glanced around the yard. Derek was right. It did look overgrown. If his dad happened to drive by, we'd both be in trouble. I gave a resigned sigh. "I just need to get it done. That's all."

  Joel's eyebrows furrowed. "You're serious."

  Obviously, he didn't get it, and no doubt, he was irritated, not that I could blame him. "I'm really sorry," I said. "If I'd realized sooner, I would've called."

  "That's not the issue."

  There was an issue? I knew it. Reluctantly, I said, "So what is?"

  "You look worried, and I don't like it."

  "Oh." His words warmed my heart. But I didn't want my worries to become his worries. So I said, "Yeah, well, I'm only worried because I hate to cancel last-minute. It's kind of rude, you know?"

  Joel gave me a look. "Nice try."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, it's more than that. I can tell."

  Under his penetrating gaze, I started to squirm. If I didn't leave in like two seconds, I'd end up telling him everything. Hoping for a quick escape, I said, "I just need
to get it done, alright? And the longer we talk about it, the longer I'll be mowing in the dark."

  His jaw tightened. "You're gonna mow in the dark?"

  "Not for sure. I mean, if I hurry, maybe I won't have to." I gave him a hopeful smile. "If you're not busy, maybe we can catch up tomorrow?"

  "No. I've got a better idea."

  "What?"

  "I'll mow your lawn, and after, you'll tell me what kind of shit Derek's pulling on you."

  I stared up at him. "I couldn't let you do that."

  "Oh yeah?" He smiled. "Just try and stop me."

  Suddenly, I almost wanted to smile, too. The offer was so sweet and unexpected. And yet, what I should tell him was that I didn't need any help, because everything was just hunky-dory.

  But that wouldn’t be true. And, I had to accept reality. I liked him. I really liked him. And I hated the thought of pretending to be something I wasn't.

  I bit my lip. Against all logic, I wanted to say yes. But it wasn't the only thing I wanted. Over the past few days, I'd come to realize that I wasn't the only one who was hiding something.

  Suddenly inspired, I said, "Okay. On one condition. There's something I want to know, too."

  "Yeah? What's that?"

  I met his gaze head-on. "I want to know about the fights."

  Chapter 37

  From inside the house, I heard the lawn mower running somewhere out back. To my relief, Joel had actually agreed to my terms, even if he didn't look too happy about it.

  But I had a good reason for pushing the issue. We'd been spending a lot of time together, and in spite of my best intentions, I was falling for him in the scariest way.

  How he felt, I couldn’t be sure. But I did know that both of us had been dodging our share of questions – me when it came to Derek, the estate, and everything associated with it.

  As for Joel, he'd been dodging questions about two primary things – the fights and how he made his money. This led me to an ominous realization. Those two things were probably related.

  In spite of my earlier assumptions, he didn't seem to be hurting for money. And yet, he didn't seem to have a regular job waiting for him anywhere.

  True, I could say the same for myself. Over the past few months, I'd been living in limbo-land, with a seasonal part-time job – two jobs if I counted the lawn thing – and a college career that I'd been forced to put on hold.

  When Joel had asked me about college, I'd given him the same vague answer that I always gave. "Oh that? I'm taking a year off."

  Like I had a choice.

  But if anything, Joel's answers had been even more vague than mine. When I'd asked him point-blank what Mike had meant about seeing Joel "slaughter" someone at State, he'd replied with something along the lines of, "Eh, the guy didn't know what he was talking about."

  What did that even mean? That Mike had mistaken Joel for someone else? That it wasn't a slaughter, so much as a maiming? Or that the altercation didn't qualify as a real fight?

  I had no idea. But soon, I'd be finding out.

  While he mowed the yard, I ran through the house, dusting the furniture and running a mop over the floors. It wasn't only that it gave me something to do. It was the fact that I didn't want added trouble if Derek's dad popped in for a spot inspection.

  The way Derek had talked, that was a distinct possibility, and there was no way on Earth I wanted to get caught in any kind of violation.

  The cleaning itself wasn't a hardship. I mean, I didn’t mind cleaning my own place. But I hated the thought of doing it just because it was a condition of me living here – like some kind of temporary tenant, squatting in the guestroom until the real owner showed up.

  I was the real owner – or at least, I would be, in four more years, assuming I could hold on that long.

  I was just finishing the kitchen floors when I heard that dreaded sound, the doorbell echoing through the house. Fearing the worst – that it might be Derek's dad, coming to check up on me – I set the mop aside and rushed to the front door.

  But when I flung it open, it wasn't Derek's dad. It was Derek himself. With barely a hello, he demanded, "What the hell is he doing here?"

  Oh, crap. Maybe I'd been dreading the wrong person. But in my defense, I hadn't considered that Derek might stop by twice within such a short timeframe.

  From the open doorway, I scanned the front yard. I didn't see Joel, but I could hear the lawnmower running smoothly out back.

  Stalling for time, I said, "What do you mean?"

  "As if you don't know." Derek made a sound of disgust. "What? You're farming out your work now?"

  God, what an ass. I was so tired of being on defense all the time. "It's getting mowed. What do you care?"

  "That wasn't the agreement."

  I gave him an irritated look. "So that's why you came back? To make sure I was mowing the lawn myself?"

  "No. I came with news about your car, not that you seem to appreciate it."

  Obviously, he meant my mom's car, which was still being repaired.

  "Fine," I said. "Is it done?"

  "Hardly. You're looking at some major repairs."

  I felt my eyebrows furrow. That couldn’t be right. At the campground, Joel had said it was nothing big. I tried to recall what, specifically, the car needed. A new distributor cap or something?

  My stomach churned with dread. "How major?"

  "Worst-case scenario? A new engine."

  I stared at him. That couldn't be right. Could it? My gaze narrowed. "Where's the car now?"

  "What does it matter? It's not like you can drive it."

  "I don't care. I want to know."

  He stared at me for a long, tense moment before saying, "What’s up with you, anyway?"

  Well, that was rich. "What's up with me?" I gave a bark of laughter. "You're the one who's been a total jackass all summer."

  Derek's mouth tightened. "What?"

  This time, I wasn't going to back down. "You heard me."

  "Alright. You really wanna know?" Derek took a slow, deliberate look around. "I show up here, to do you a favor, and I see that asshole out back, wearing no fucking shirt, like he owns the place."

  I glanced toward the driveway. I couldn’t help but notice that Derek's car was parked out front, right behind Joel's. And I also couldn’t help but notice that Joel was out of sight, unless Derek had gone looking for him.

  I crossed my arms. "Oh yeah? And how, exactly, did you see him?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean he's not out front. So what'd you do? Skulk around the yard until you found him?"

  "I don't need to skulk. This is part of my job."

  "Sure it is."

  "So, what is it?" Derek said. "Is he living here now?"

  Right. Because I'd always been the kind of girl who invited random guys to shack up with me after knowing them for only a few days.

  But I was in no mood to reassure him. "If he is, so what?"

  "So, you'd be in violation of the terms."

  "Of what? The estate?" I made a scoffing sound. "You're so full of it."

  "You sure about that?"

  Actually, I wasn't. But lately, I wasn't sure about a lot of things, especially when it came to the estate. Until a few months ago, I hadn't realized there were problems. Now, everything was a problem.

  And Derek wasn't helping. I lifted my chin. "If you want to stop me, get a lawyer."

  His jaw tightened. "As I keep reminding you, I am your lawyer."

  "Yeah? Then why don't you act like it?"

  "I am. Right now, in fact."

  "Oh come on, Derek. You're not working for me. You're working against me."

  "Is that so?" He shook his head. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, we're trying to look out for you?"

  I gave a bitter laugh. "Or maybe you're looking out for yourself."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  I wasn't sure what I meant. But something was definitely off. I needed the chance to t
hink. And besides, this wasn't the time to be discussing it.

  Within the last minute or so, it had slowly dawned on me that I no longer heard the mower running, which meant that our argument could be interrupted at any moment.

  Looking to end this now, I said, "Next time, save yourself a trip. Just give me the bad news over the phone." And with that, I took a long step backward, reached for the side of the door, and gave it a good strong swing.

  It was supposed to slam shut. It didn't, thanks to Derek's foot, which stopped the door in mid-motion. He demanded, "What the hell is your problem?"

  "At the moment? You're my problem. Now, get your foot out of my doorway."

  "Your doorway, huh?"

  "Yes. My doorway. I live here. Not you." I glanced at his foot. "So are you gonna move that or not?"

  "Oh, I'll move it. But first, I've got a question."

  I made a sound of annoyance. "What?"

  "What are you gonna pay him with?"

  "Who?"

  "The asshole mowing your lawn." Derek gave me a smug smile. "Because I can tell you one thing. We're not paying you for that."

  My stomach clenched. Stupidly, I said, "For what?"

  "For this week's lawn care. Do I need to remind you? The maintenance contract is non-transferrable, which means that if you hire it out, you don't get paid."

  I wanted to scream in frustration. But I didn't. Instead, hoping to call his bluff, I gave him a smug smile right back. "Nice try. But I didn't 'hire' him to do it. He's doing it as a favor."

  "A favor, huh? So what are you paying him with?" His lips formed a smirk. "Pussy?"

  My skin flashed hot, and then just as quickly, turned ice-cold. The comment was so wrong – and so completely unlike the guy I'd grown up with – that I didn't know how to respond, unless I wanted to slap him silly, which was seriously tempting.

  But then, a new voice – Joel's voice – sounded from somewhere nearby. "Speaking of pussy…"

  Derek gave a little jump and turned toward the sound. A moment later, I spotted Joel, walking from around the side of the house. He wore no shirt, and was covered in a thin sheen of perspiration.

  If this whole scene weren't so awful, I might've spent more time dwelling on the fact that he looked like every girl's fantasy – or maybe just my fantasy, last night, in fact.