by L. Wilder
He tipped his hat as he put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the lot. It was cumbersome with the sheet of drywall and all my tools, but I managed to get everything up the stairs in one trip. My hands were full, so I used the tip of my boot to knock on the door.
Moments later, David poked his head out of the door. When he saw all the stuff in my hands, he asked, “You really gonna fix that piece of crap shower?”
“That’s the plan,” I answered as I stepped into the apartment. “Your sister still at work?”
“Yeah. She won’t be home for another hour or so.”
I started down the hallway, feeling relieved that I could get a good start on fixing everything before she got back. “Good. I should have most of it done before then.”
“You need a hand?” he offered as he reached for the sheet of drywall.
“Thanks, bud.”
Once we had everything laid out in the bathroom, he looked over to me and said, “You know, I don’t even know your name.”
Thinking back, I realized he was right. I smiled and said, “You can call me Clutch.”
His eyes skirted to the ground for a brief second, like he was mulling over what he was about to say next. Then he looked back over to me and said, “I guess you can call me David. My sister’s name is Cindy.”
“David, it is. Can you pass me the wrench?”
As he reached into the toolbox, he asked, “You’re in a motorcycle club, right? So, Clutch is like your road name or something?”
“Yeah, I picked it up when I was working at our garage back home. My real name is Thomas, but no one really calls me that anymore.”
“I think it’d be cool to be in a club like that,” he told me as he handed me the wrench.
“It has its moments.”
We continued to talk back and forth as I disassembled the broken faucet and all the broken plumbing. In no time, we had the new showerhead installed and a new nozzle on the faucet. There was still a hole in the drywall, but I was running out of time. They’d still be able to take a shower, so I decided to leave that for the following day.
Once I had my mess cleaned up and all my tools back in my bag, David asked, “You want a drink or something? I think we’ve got some sweet tea made up.”
Knowing Hazel would be home any minute, I told him, “Nah, I gotta get going. I’ll be back tomorrow to finish up the drywall and paint.”
“You’re gonna paint it, too?”
“Yeah, it could use a fresh coat … maybe two.” Honestly, the entire apartment could use a coat of paint and some other basic updates to make it more like mine. As I was walking out into the hall, the little sister popped out of her room, blocking my path. I smiled and said, “Hey there, beautiful.”
A light blush crossed her face when she said, “Hi… I … just wanted to say thanks for fixing our shower.”
“No problem, sweetheart. Glad to do it.”
She was twirling a long strand of her hair around her finger as she took a step closer to me and softly said, “Just so you know … I think you hurt Sis’s feelings last night when you called her a dying hyena.”
“Whoa … wait a minute. I never actually called her a hyena. I just said she sounded like one when she was doing all that screaming last night.”
“It wasn’t very nice.”
“No … I guess it wasn’t,” I admitted. For a kid her age, she was doing a pretty good job of busting my balls for being an ass. “I guess I should probably apologize for that.”
“Maybe, but don’t do it because of me. You should do it because you want to, not because I said something about it.”
Damn. She sounded just like my mother—and even looked like her as she stood there with her hand on her hip and a stern look on her face.
I nodded and cleared my throat. “Got it.”
“Thanks again for fixing our shower,” she told me as she stepped back into her room and shut the door.
“Check you later, dude,” I told David before walking out of the apartment. It was getting late and I still hadn’t had anything to eat. I figured I had just enough time to make it down to the diner for one of those famous cheeseburgers and maybe, if the mood strikes, a good old-fashioned apology.
“I was enlisted for over twenty years. Would’ve stayed longer if I hadn’t blown out my knee. It was the best time of my life, but I tell ya … lots of things changed since the day I first joined,” Sam told me as he took another bite of his fries. He’d started talking as soon as I sat down in the booth in front of him to wrap napkins around the silverware. Even from several feet away, I could see a glint of happiness when he talked about that particular time in his life.
Hoping he’d keep talking, I asked, “What kind of changes?”
“Ah, nothing that really mattered. Back when I first enlisted, the boys could wear beards, long and burly. No one cared much,” he answered. After taking another bite of his burger, he said, “And back then it took months for us to get mail. It was well past Easter before we got our Christmas cards, but satellites and computers changed all that.”
“That had to be hard. I’m too impatient for that.” I smiled.
“I don’t know. I think we appreciated it a lot more back then. Now everything comes too easy, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“You remember when the Challenger went down in ‘86?”
“The Space Shuttle? The one with the teacher onboard?”
“Yeah. I was there when it happened. We were called out to help recover the debris. They had helicopters and our guys out in boats searching for days, but we never found much. We all knew we wouldn’t, but we kept at it.”
“It was a bit before my time, but I remember my teacher getting really upset whenever she showed us the video. It was so sad.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day … how the cloud of smoke just hung in the air for hours.”
Once I’d finished working on the silverware, I looked over at the clock and was relieved to see that I only had fifteen more minutes left of my shift. I got up and said, “I hate to cut you short, but I have to finish up a few things before I leave. Can I get you anything else?”
“No, dear. I’m fine. You go do what you gotta do.”
I grabbed the box of silverware and headed to the back to put them away, but when I turned the corner, I noticed that my mysterious, too-hot-for-his-own-good new neighbor was sitting in my section. I had no idea how long he’d been sitting there, so with my hands still full, I walked over to him. “Hey. Can I get you something?”
With a coy smile, he looked up at me. “I’ll take a sweet tea and a burger with onion rings.”
That smile caught me off-guard. Those lips curled into a sexy smirk, the scruff of his day-old beard, the hint of mischief that lurked behind those beautiful green eyes … it all had me going into sensory overload. I needed to respond. I needed to say something, but I just stood there, locked in my own prison of thoughts as I stared at his mouth. What was it about this man that had me acting like such a fool? And why did those damn lips make me want to bite my own? I finally pulled myself out of my lust-induced fog and said, “I’ll be right back with your sweet tea.”
“Thanks, Hazel,” he purred, making the hairs on the back of my neck prickle against my skin, which made me want to kick myself. He hadn’t even called me by my real name and I was getting all worked up. As much as I hated to admit it, the man had an effect on me, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore. I wanted to think that my attraction towards him was just because he was hot. I wanted to believe that it would pass, but the more I was around him, I realized that it was so much more than his looks that drew me to him. Confidence radiated off of him, shining like a new dime, and I felt like a moth being pulled into the light.
I took a minute to shake off the effects of his charms, and when I returned with his glass of iced tea, I said, “Thanks for the help last night … and letting me use your shower this morn
ing. I really appreciated it.”
“No problem. And about last night, I wanted to apologize for that hyena comment. You didn’t actually sound like a dying hyena,” he said with a chuckle. He paused for a brief moment. There was a little spark of mischief that crossed his eyes before he added, “It was more like the sound you get when you stomp on a cat’s tail.”
“Really? And that’s supposed to be better? I did not sound like a dying hyena or a cat!” I growled.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be so uptight,” he teased. The corners of his mouth curled into a sexy grin, making his criticism sting even more. “I was just messin’ around.”
As soon as the word uptight rolled from his lips, my blood began to boil. I had to swallow all of the profanities that came rushing through my head and instead forced the words, “Do me a favor. Save your ‘messin’ around’ for someone else.” Like an idiot, I brought my hands up and used my fingers to make imaginary quotation marks when I said “messin’ around”.
I immediately regretted my little hand gesture, when he did the same to me as he teased, “I don’t know, Hazel. I think a little ‘messin’ around’ might be just what you need to loosen you up.”
I didn’t miss the sexual undertone of his little comment, so I snapped, “And I bet you think you’re just the guy for this messin’ around.”
An intensity I hadn’t expected crossed his face when he replied, “No doubt about that.”
“Whatever.”
Before he had a chance to make another smart-ass comment, I quickly turned and headed back into the kitchen before I said something I would regret. He had ties with Louise, and the last thing I needed to do was piss him off and risk losing my job.
I decided right then and there that I was done dealing with him. I could not afford to care that just the sight of him turned me into a horny teenager. I was over it. A man like that just wasn’t worth the frustration or the risk. When Cyrus placed his order in the window, I decided to save myself the hassle of trying to deal with Mr. Obnoxious and asked Ashton, one of the other waitresses, to deliver the plate to him. Then I clocked out and headed upstairs.
When I walked into the apartment, Charlie and Hadley were piled up on the sofa eating chips and watching some cop show on the TV. I took a step closer and was surprised to see that they both had wet heads. I sat down next to Hadley and, after inhaling the scent of soap, I knew they’d just taken a shower.
Noticing the surprised look on my face, Charlie said, “Clutch came and fixed the shower today.”
“Clutch?”
“Yeah. You know, the guy from next door,” he clarified. “He came after school and brought all this stuff to fix the shower. He didn’t finish, so he’s coming back tomorrow to fix that big old hole in the wall and to paint.”
Guilt washed over me, hitting me in waves, as I thought about all the trouble he must have gone through to fix that stupid shower. Even though he’d told me that he’d fix it, I never believed that he’d actually do it. Why did he have to go and do something so freaking nice? It was so much easier to just think he was a complete asshole.
“Well, crap,” I mumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Hadley asked.
“I think I messed up,” I admitted. “I may have been wrong about this Clutch guy.” I’d made a real mess of things. I’d let my attraction towards him cloud my thinking, and instead of realizing that he was just joking around, I took his silly comments as an insult, letting it hurt my feelings and making me act like a complete jerk. Thinking back, he’d been nothing but nice all along, and I’d been hateful and rude. He had to think I was a complete bitch.
“He seems really nice, Livie. He did all that work in the bathroom, then cleaned up his mess and everything. And before he left, he said he was going to apologize for calling you a hyena. I think he felt a little bad about that. Did he apologize to you?”
“Yeah, sweetie. He did, but his apology needed a little work.” I laughed. “I didn’t know he’d fixed the shower, and I might have acted a bit rude to him. I guess I’m the one that needs to do some apologizing now. And I’ll have to do something to thank him for fixing the shower.”
Hadley perked up and squealed, “Oh, I know! We could make him one of mom’s chocolate cakes!”
I thought about it for a second, then answered, “Yeah, I think that would be perfect.”
It was time for a little redemption, and even though I wasn’t exactly trying to win Clutch’s heart—at least not yet—I’d always heard that the way to win a man over was through his stomach. I had no doubt Mom’s chocolate cake would be impossible for him to resist, and hopefully just what I needed to get him to accept my apology … if I wasn’t too late.
Whatever pull I felt towards the hot little brunette who lived next door was gone. I was over it. Not that it had ever really even begun. She’d been nothing but a pain in the ass since the first day I’d laid eyes on her, and I’d given up all hope that she’d ever show me that softer side of herself that she showed everyone else. I’d seen how good she was with the kids and how she was always so friendly to her customers—even the homeless guy that she’d fed out of her own tips … twice. I had no idea why she’d chosen to spit nothing but venom out at me, but I was done. I no longer gave a flying fuck how she looked at me with those gorgeous eyes, or the way her fingers trembled ever so slightly whenever she noticed that I was close to her. I didn’t care that she was all I’d thought about since the moment I’d first laid eyes on her, that she’d completely captivated me with just one look. None of it mattered. Besides, the girl reeked of trouble. I had no idea what was going on with her, but I had no doubt she was hiding something. Something scared her enough to lie about who she was and give up the fancy-free life she used to have. It was plain to see, from the way that she talked to the way that she carried herself, that she’d come from good people—people with money and connections. She had no business working at Daisy Mae’s diner much less living in that piece of shit apartment next door. All of it was fucking irrelevant. I was over it.
I was just about to call it a night when my burner started ringing. When I answered, Smokey shouted, “What’s up, brother?”
His words were a little slurred, and I could hear the jukebox blaring in the background, letting me know that he was somewhere partying, so I asked him, “Where you at, Smoke?”
“At the clubhouse. A few of us are taking a break. Blowing off some steam after a long ass fucking day. Thought I’d call and check in on you.”
“I’m good, Smoke.”
“Good, good, good,” he mumbled. “Maybe you will get your ass back home soon.”
“It won’t be much longer. Got a few things to finish up here and then I’ll be on my way back,” I assured him.
“Hey, Cass … I need another beer,” he shouted. For the first time in months, I didn’t feel the punch in my gut from the sound of her name or the thought of her standing behind that bar … or imagining the curves of her lips when she smiled. Nothing. The time away had done me good, but I knew the real reason for my change when Smoke asked, “You breaking any hearts down there?”
She was the first thing that came to my mind—my beautiful, fire-mouthed neighbor who had haunted my every thought since the moment I laid eyes on her. With her on my mind, I replied, “Only thing breaking around here is my fucking balls. This chick next door is giving me all kinds of hell.”
“Ah, man. What are you complaining about?” He laughed. “There’s nothing better than a hot little piece living next door.”
“It’s not like that, Smoke. This girl is a piece of work, and she has her brother and sister living with her. I’ve got a feeling that they’re hiding from something, but she’s keeping her shit guarded, brother. No way she’s going to let me in.”
“Sounds like you’ve got yourself a challenge there, Clutch. I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle,” he heckled.
When I heard a woman’s voice in the background saying “Come on, Smokey. It�
�s time to play.” I said, “Look man, I gotta run. Need to be at the garage early tomorrow.”
“Don’t work too hard, man. You gotta have a little fun, too. You know? I’ll be in touch, soon,” he told me as he hung up the phone.
I tossed my phone onto the table next to the bed and fell back, resting my head on my pillow. The room was dark and completely quiet except for the low muffled sounds of Hazel’s voice coming through the walls. When I eased myself a little closer, I could barely make out the melody of a familiar song. It was one of those that my mother used to sing to me when I was having trouble sleeping. I closed my eyes, and with the calming sound of Hazel’s voice floating in the air, I couldn’t help but fall asleep.
The sun was barely streaming through the window blinds when I heard a loud bang against the wall of my bedroom. I was still rubbing the sleep from my eyes when I heard David shout, “Damn! Louise is going to leave us! We’re already ten minutes late!”
“Maybe she waited,” Hazel shouted back. “Just hurry up. Maybe we can still catch her. I’ll go downstairs and tell her that you’re coming.”
Seconds later, I heard her front door slam followed by her footsteps clomping down the steps. David continued to slam things around his room. I got up and threw some clothes on, deciding that I might as well get up and going. I was about to leave when I heard the kids rush out of the apartment and slam the door behind them. While I was locking my door, I could hear David talking to Hazel at the end of the stairs.
“Your shift already started. Louise will crawl all over you if you take off just to take us to school. We’ll just walk or take the stupid bus. It isn’t a big deal.”
Hazel’s voice was strained with worry when she said, “No. It’s just too risky. I’ll just take you. It won’t take long. Maybe Louise won’t notice …”
I’d had about all of the fussing back and forth that I could take, so as I started down the steps, I announced, “I’ll take them.”
