The Touch (Healer Series)

by Allison Rios

  Securing a room for a few nights from an overly-excited Helen, he walked out back to check out the property after dropping his bags off in his temporary bedroom, which had a clear view of the street. He figured a walk might do him good. The other half of the two owners – Matthew - was out in the barn, working on an old truck as AJ sauntered in.

  “Hi.”

  He walked up to Matthew who was bent over the hood of the truck. AJ had spent so many years keeping to himself that it was almost freeing to walk up to someone just to say hello. No one did that in the city. Everyone walked, face down, their minds engrossed in the game or text they were composing on their cell phone.

  “Well hello,” Matthew replied, walking over towards AJ with a handful of tools. “I’d shake your hand, except I’m covered in grease. You must be AJ. Helen said we had a good-looking young man staying with us for a few days.”

  “I appreciate the compliment, embarrassed as it makes me. Word travels fast around here. I was only away from her long enough to take some bags to my room.”

  “You’ll be amazed how fast word travels around here son. With Helen describing you as a handsome young man, I expect we’ll have more visitors than we’ve had in months over this way.”

  Matthew laughed. While his words may have come across as jokes they were quite serious. He had no doubt the single ladies would be lining up to meet this new stranger in town as word spread.

  “Things to look forward to.”

  AJ covered the wince he felt with a smile. The last thing he wanted was attention, especially of the female kind. His life was complicated enough without having to add in the drama he’d seen come from dating. He watched as Matthew returned to tinkering under the hood, his frustration evident in the deep sighs and grunts.

  “Need any help?”

  “You a mechanic?”

  “I dabble. Learned a lot in shop classes in high school. I’m pretty good with some of these older models.”

  “Well then, grab a tool and start pokin’ around! I have no idea what the problem is. I’m great at fixing things in the house or around this property, but the mechanics is something I never quite picked up. If Helen saw me out here tinkering with this she’d be screaming at me to call Bob before I make the problem worse.”

  Everyone was so happy here, amusing to be around.

  “I’ll take a peek, see what we can find.”

  Tinkering around under the hood, AJ felt better. It was something to occupy his focus and keep his mind from thinking about all the reasons he had left the city to begin with. He had gotten pretty good at controlling his thoughts except when he got tired. When those moments arose his mind would run like a motor, faster and faster.

  “Here’s your problem,” AJ said, lifting his head out from under the rusted hood. “The oil delivery line has a hole, but I should be able to fix it myself with a few things from the store. Is there one around here?”

  “I can drive you up there if you have some time. Bob probably has something we can use. He’s the local mechanic, owns the only shop in town. I can’t believe in two minutes you figured this out. I’ve been working on this thing for days and I hadn’t found a thing!”

  “It’s easy to miss; I just knew to look because it was a common problem back when these were made.”

  “Well son, looks like you’ve earned yourself a free dinner!”

  “Nah, I can pay. I just like doing this stuff. Keeps my mind working.”

  “You planning on staying awhile?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Figured I’d feel it out, take it a day at a time.”

  “You have family close-by?”

  “No,” AJ replied, his head falling before he lifted his eyes back up to Matthew. “I’m pretty much alone, lost my mom awhile back. The city wasn’t a fit for me, a bit too fast. I wanted something a little quieter.”

  “Do you need work?”

  The men walked towards AJ’s car, Helen watching from the window.

  “I’m okay for now. Probably have to find something soon though.”

  He hadn’t really thought about work. What would he do in a small town like this?

  “You’re in luck because Bob is looking for a mechanic. Our other mechanic left town a couple months back. If you’d be interested, I could talk to him for ya.”

  “The lady at the diner said no one leaves this place. Should I be worried?”

  AJ smiled at Matthew, glad the older man had a similar sense of humor. Comedy was AJ’s shield against the world.

  “He wasn’t a good fit,” Matthew winked.

  “Then actually Matthew, that would be great.”

  AJ glanced at his hands, quickly noting it would be a good job. With all the grease, his hands would be constantly dirty, and he wouldn’t have to touch as many people with all the hand-shaking people do down here. He could be normal for awhile.

  Bob wasn’t at the store although his wife was. They found what they needed and returned to the barn. After fixing the problem the truck started right up, purring like a kitten. Matthew was beyond happy at the aspect of not having to purchase another one, and AJ felt happy finding something he could do. It felt good to use his hands again in a different way than he had been.

  After a dinner fit for a king AJ settled into his room, ready for his first night in his new home. From first impressions, Lee seemed to be a good fit. It was quiet, peaceful, and the people were kind. He only worried that he would have difficulty keeping a low profile.

  The town ached of silence at night he noticed. Crickets chirped and the occasional frog croaked a lullaby. The occasional moo escaped from the many cows that roamed the pastures behind nearly every home he had seen. Mostly though, it was just silence. He rested in his bed, eyes wide open, thinking about how he would shape his own future. The guilt was settling in, knowing that he was picking a place with very few people. He had been taught to believe in helping others, and Lee was a town with very few opportunities to make a difference.

  As he settled in and the silence began to take on a normalcy his serenity was interrupted by brash arguing. He rolled out of bed and walked over to the window. If he were back in the city this type of event would be ordinary. He most likely would never have even noticed it. However in Lee, the way it cut through the silence of the night was eerie.

  The voices were a bit young to be Matthew and Helen’s so he carefully pulled back the curtain for a closer look. Across the street and under the glow of the streetlight, a man and woman were quarrelling loudly. Upon better inspection he noted that the girl was the feisty brunette from earlier in the day. She stood awkwardly on her front porch telling some stumbling, obviously drunk fool that he wasn’t stepping foot in her house. AJ stifled a laugh since it was almost comical that of the entire town, the place he had picked to stay was the place that would afford him all of the comforts he was attempting to leave behind when he left the city.

  The stumbling, drunk fool wasn’t taking no for an answer. He stepped up and pushed Addie off the bottom stair, right into the grass. Without a thought AJ’s body reacted, sending him running into the hallway and out onto the front porch. He was only halted by the sight of Matthew in the rocking chair near the stairs.

  “Let it go, son,” he heard Matthew say. “It’s not your fight.”

  AJ stood on the freshly-stained wooden porch with the white railing standing between him and the girl, not even sure what he had intended on doing. It was a completely uncontrolled reaction that had brought him down here. His fists clenched tightly, the breeze blew at his white tank and green cargo shorts. He just knew what he had seen wasn’t right and as his heart raced and his chest moved quickly up and down, he felt as though he couldn’t just stand there and let her be treated like that.

  “Doesn’t anybody step in and say something to him?”

  His jaw locked tight, fists still firmly at his sides. His body almost shook with the anger he felt towards the man across the battered pavement.

  “What they do is t
heir business. Believe me; we’ve stepped in before, to no avail. That there is Addie and her fiancé, Joseph. She’s a hot tempered one, tough as nails. She stands up for herself and she knows when to back down. Joseph’s a bully and one of the worst. She won’t take kindly to you butting into her business; I’ll tell you that from personal experience.”

  AJ took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Addie as she stood up and dusted herself off. She didn’t see them or perhaps she didn’t want to. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and her flowing pajama pants and loose tank pushed behind her with the breeze. In the moonlight, AJ thought she looked more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.

  “I met her earlier today. She didn’t seem like the type to put up with that type of abuse.”

  AJ backed up towards the second rocker, gripping its arms firmly and lowering himself down. The silence surrounding every part of his movement was intentional – he didn’t want her to notice him staring.

  “Sounds like you’ve already fallen in love on your first night in town,” Matthew said with a laugh. “Something you might want to fall out of right quick. She’s a handful, and they’ve been together quite awhile.”

  “Not at all! I just don’t like to see bullies of any sort, especially ones that hurt women. Monsters that hurt mothers.”

  AJ couldn’t say with complete honesty that Matthew wasn’t right. He was sure love was an incorrect word. Intrigued would be better. He was definitely intrigued by her.

  “Neither do I. Those two have minds of their own and the last thing you want to do is get in the middle. They’ll always pick each other. It’s a pointless battle.”

  The silence was only interrupted then by the creaking of the chairs as the men rocked, absorbing the warm, southern night air.

  Matthew broke the silence.

  “What did you move here for anyway, son?”

  AJ looked over at the old man and felt at ease for a moment, like he was rocking on the porch with his own father - if he’d had one. Matthew looked much older than his age, his white hair and wrinkles making it seem as if he couldn’t truly do the work he did every day. AJ imagined that he was a man with more strength and integrity than he knew what to do with.

  “Find a more peaceful place to live than the city.”

  AJ grinned. Both men chuckled as they rocked in their oversize chairs, finding comfort in the company of another human being.

  So much for a more peaceful town, AJ thought. His first instinct was to pack up and leave in the morning, yet the thought was fleeting. He felt at ease around the people he’d met and he was longing for something more permanent and safe than he’d had in the city. If he ran from everything that bothered him, he knew he’d never stay anywhere long.

  Plus, he wanted to know more about this girl. If he left he never would.

  2 THE TOWN

  He shot up in bed, his wavy hair soaked in sweat. In New York when this happened, he would have worked out to ease the anxiety and get back to sleep. His apartment had a gym, and he would wander down there in the wee hours of the morning to work out his irritation on the heavy weights. He didn’t have that here in Lee, at least not yet, and so he went with his only other viable option: a run.

  Tying his shoes and pulling a sweatshirt over the muscles and abs he’d managed to accumulate thanks to his many sleepless nights, he headed out into the dark. He started off slowly, one foot after the other, pounding on the dirt ground as he followed the road back out of town from which he came. It was beautiful at night. The darkness shrouded the town and the arc of trees that covered the road into this tiny city was like something seen only in movies; dark and foreboding visually, yet somehow welcoming and safe overall.

  Exercise was one of the few times his mind could be blank and he could forget all of his troubles. His focus was squarely on the road before him as the darkness and trees stretched out into what seemed like eternity.

  The sweat dripped down his face and he wiped it away with his sleeve. Still a bit chilly, he was thankful he had thrown on the sweatshirt before heading out. The air had been so warm during the day and even as he rocked late into the evening with Matthew that he was shocked at the temperature change just a few hours later.

  Mile after mile, he nearly sprinted down the road. His heart beat faster with each passing minute until he was nearly back to town again. He stopped near the entrance and looked up into the pre-dawn sky.

  Stars and moon were disappearing as the sun began to rise on the horizon. Barely a glimmer of light, it still seemed like a new world to AJ. The fields surrounding town were already growing crops that would sustain the incomes of so many who lived here. They were obviously good at what they did if the town was still up and running.

  He stretched a bit, flexing and soothing his muscles. His legs felt sore as he bent to retie his shoe. His run had been longer and harder than he’d pushed himself in a long time. Getting back into a routine again would feel good. He noticed the residents starting to stir as houses awakened and lights flickered on. Turning around, he headed back towards the little bed and breakfast.

  Just as he came upon the B&B, he noticed Addie was outside loading her truck with various sized bags. She looked different to him this morning, almost as if her shoulders were hunched in a sad resolution. He’d seen so many people from the city act the same way; so strong on the outside and painfully broken inside. The smile plastered on their faces was a farce and no one cared enough to look behind it. He didn’t want that to be the case for Addie.

  Addie’s sullenness didn’t last long, changing to the plaster smile AJ was so used to as her little girl came bounding out the door and over to her mother.

  It was the first time AJ had seen the child, and she was a spitting image of her mother. Brown hair, only in ringlets, and the brightest eyes he had seen next to Addie’s. She was all smiles, a bundle of energy, and looked at her mother as if the sun rose and set with her.

  He watched as Addie picked the girl up and wrapped her arms around her, her hand delicately cradling the back of the little one’s curly head as if she were a newborn. They pressed their noses together, a huge grin spreading across both faces. The whole scene forced a smile from AJ as he was reminded of fond memories with his own mother.

  He slowed to a walk, taking in the sight before realizing he best not be so obvious. He started to stretch again, convincing himself it was because he needed it and not because he wanted to watch them. However, he basked in the time it gave him to analyze the woman before him.

  As Addie lowered her daughter to the ground, she turned her head and brushed the hair back behind her ear to see AJ stretching. She couldn’t help except smile a little; he was handsome. He was different than the people around here and she liked that. He didn’t know her past and she didn’t know his, and the mystery was just shy of fascinating. Not having a person who was exactly like everyone else might spice up the town a bit. She loved her home greatly; however, she could use a little change of pace she thought.

  He caught her glance and smiled back, standing up straight to give a little wave.

  “Morning, Addie.”

  “Morning stranger.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her body to keep an appearance of toughness. Her smile couldn’t hide the fact that she was protecting herself from something. AJ went jogging over.

  “And you must be…”

  “Rose!” said the little one, hiding herself behind her mother.

  “She’s a little shy until she gets to know you.”

  “You look just like your mama,” AJ told her, crouching down to her level. “That’s a good thing, because your mama is beautiful.”

  AJ hadn’t meant it to make Addie uncomfortable, or for that matter to make himself uncomfortable. He was only trying to make conversation with Rose. When he looked up he saw Addie blushing.

  Addie thought the stranger was awfully blatant. AJ felt the same. While he meant what he said he would have gone back in time
to word it differently and not come off so brash. He smiled, feeling the hotness of his cheeks as embarrassment set in.

  “Well, I guess smooth talking is something you pick up in New York. Or is that something you’ve always had?”

  She picked up another bag to throw in the truck, her arms easily lifting it from the ground. She’d evidently been doing this for a long time as it seemed to take no effort on her part.

  AJ reached down to help, picking up a bag and tossing it in the back.

  “I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I just call ‘em like I see ‘em.” Now he merely clung to any shards of dignity he had left.

  “Not at all. It’s sort of nice to hear someone being so honest. Now I sound pretty conceited.”

  She laughed, mostly to herself. No one had called her beautiful in as long as she could remember, with the exception of her grandmother. Rose called her a princess once in awhile. It was usually just to be funny.

  “Nope, everyone should recognize their good qualities. Anything else you need loaded? I’d be happy to help. I’ve got a lot of plans starting around, well, never, so I have a bit of free time.”

  “Addie!”

  A new voice protruded from the house. Not entirely new, but somewhat familiar after last night’s arguments. It barked again.

  “Isn’t it about time you get going?”

  It was Joseph, and AJ looked up at him with squinted eyes and an angry, hard-lined jaw. His hands on his hips, he wanted to look as foreboding as possible to this man. AJ had nothing except complete disdain for.

  Addie looked at the ground, her hands tucked into her jean pockets, and back up at AJ with a look of reservation. She brushed her hair back again behind her ear.