One Call Away

by Emily Goodwin

  “What do you mean?”

  I get closer to the edge of the pool and Lisa catches the neck of the flamingo with her foot, pulling me over.

  “Honestly, I’m afraid I’m going to think about Jake when I’m with Chase. And I don’t want that. And then I feel guilty for feeling that way.”

  “Oh.” Lisa’s face softens. “That makes sense. How did Chase handle the news that he wasn’t getting past first base?”

  “He was fine with it. And we did get past first.”

  “You minx,” she teases.

  “I’m very attracted to him. Stopping was hard for me too.”

  “Not as hard as it was for him, right?”

  “It was hard. And big. Like an anaconda in his pants,” I say as seriously as I can.

  Lisa snorts a laugh. “Charm that snake, Si. Charm it real good.”

  Now I’m laughing. “We are going out to dinner tonight. Kind of. At four. Maybe that’s a late lunch?”

  “Why the weird time?”

  “He’s working at The Mill House tonight.”

  “Oh, that stinks.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “But I did tell him to come over after work if he doesn’t get out too late.”

  Lisa wiggles her eyebrows. “His trouser-snake is going to be hungry. Feed it so it doesn’t bite.”

  “Maybe I want it to bite.” I smile and lay back on the floaty. Then my phone rings and I shoot up.

  “Expecting a call from Chase?” Lisa teases and grabs my phone that’s resting on a folded towel behind her. “It’s not. It’s your sister. Want me to decline the call?”

  I make a face but shake my head. “No. I’ll answer. She’ll just keep calling until I do.”

  I hop out of the pool, dry off my hands, and grab the phone.

  “Hey, Sierra,” Sam says before I even say hi. “Are you busy?”

  “Not really. Why?”

  “Lily is having a difficult time with Sundance. He doesn’t want to go over the jumps. Her show is in a few days and she’s freaking out.”

  “Really? She is?” My eight-year-old niece is rather laid back for having two type-A parents.

  “Okay. I am. The damn horse keeps stopping as soon as he gets to the jump. She already fell off once.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, it was as easy as a fall can be. Can you come help us? You’re better with horses than I am.”

  Sam never admits anyone is better at her than anything. I put my phone on speaker and nudge Lisa.

  “I didn’t hear you. Can you repeat that?”

  “Can you come help us? You’re better at this than I am.”

  “You need my help because I’m better?”

  “Yes, Sierra. We all know you’re better with horses than me. Now will you please come help us?”

  Lisa opens her mouth and puts her hand to her chest, faking shock. Silently laughing at her, I tell my sister I’ll meet her at the barn in a few minutes.

  “I like seeing you like this.”

  “Like what?”

  Lisa smiles. “Happy. Whatever Chase is doing to you, make him keep doing it.”

  14

  Chase

  I sit on the rock by the river, with my phone in my hand. The battery is at two percent, but I can’t get myself to get up, go inside, and charge it. If the phone is dead, I can’t listen to Sierra’s messages.

  I should have told her. Come clean. Confessed the truth and have this whole thing be behind us. I had the perfect opportunity when she asked why I didn’t call. I’ve replayed it in my mind a million times, though mostly because of how fucking hot Sierra looked wearing my T-shirt.

  The conversation could have gone a hundred different ways, with the most likely being her running away as fast as she could. Then I’d stay here long enough to help Josh with the bar and be out of here. I haven’t been out west in a while. Texas was always good for business.

  But I’m so damn tired of running. For the first time in my life, I want to stay where I am. And I know the only reason is because of Sierra.

  I exit out of the voicemail and bring up a text instead, writing out a message to send to Sierra.

  Me: I finished Unbroken. That ending came out of nowhere.

  Sierra: You’re a fast reader. And I know!! So crazy, right? I’m glad I have someone to talk to about the book now.

  Me: I think she set it up to write a spin-off.

  Sierra: OMG I thought the same thing!

  Me: I need a new book recommendation, by the way.

  Sierra: I have a few ;-) I’ll bring you something tonight.

  I start typing a reply, but my phone dies. “Dammit,” I mutter and get up. I’m tired, and should probably lie down for a few hours before work tonight. Though I was more comfortable than I’d been in my whole life lying in that hammock next to Sierra, I didn’t sleep much. Laying down like that—comfortable, content, completely at ease—doesn’t happen too often. I wanted to soak up as much as I could, remember every minute I can.

  I’m so fucking lame. I know.

  “Is the voicemail not set up on your phone?” Josh asks. We’re behind the bar, serving drinks.

  Shit. It’s not. Because setting it up will make all the saved messages from Sierra disappear. I think. I’m not sure. But it’s not something I want to risk. “I haven’t gotten around to it yet.” I shrug. “My other phone should be back soon.”

  “Right. I almost forgot about that.” He grabs a glass and goes to the tap, filling it up with beer. “Anyway, I called because Dakota wants you to see her sing in the church choir.”

  I haven’t stepped foot in a church in years. And with all the shit I’ve done, there is a good chance a lightning bolt will come down from the sky, striking me down before I can go inside. But she’s my niece. She’s family.

  “Yeah, I can go. When is it?”

  “Tomorrow morning, at eight.”

  “Fuck, that’s early.”

  “It must be nice having eight be early.”

  “Hey, you don’t open until the afternoon.”

  “True. But I do have a four-year-old who gets up with the fucking sun.” He gives the beer to a patron. “Is it too early for you?”

  “No, not at all. But tomorrow…never mind. I’ll be there.”

  Josh wipes down spilled liquor from the bar. “What’s going on tomorrow?”

  “Nothing.” Most likely nothing, at least. I’m seeing Sierra again tonight. Late. I don’t doubt that I’ll stay over at her place again. That’ll be three nights in a row we’ve been under the same roof. And three nights of not hooking up. I’d never push her, but there’s a good chance I’ll get carpal tunnel from all this.

  “Really, because it seemed like something. Are you going to Sierra’s again?”

  “How do you know?”

  “You can’t take a piss in this town without someone finding out. I knew you were full of shit when you said you two didn’t hook up.”

  I take a drink order and turn my back on the crowd, pulling a bottle of vodka from the shelf. There’s no point trying to convince Josh otherwise. Why disappoint him, anyway? Besides, if I keep going out with Sierra, I’m sure we’ll eventually hook up. Unless I die from fucking blue balls first.

  I make a Dirty Shirley for a college-aged woman and move on to the next customer.

  “You know that chick is eye-fucking you hard, right?” Josh whispers, motioning to the girl who ordered the Dirty Shirley. “If she bends over, her tits are going to spill out of her top. And you didn’t even notice.”

  I look over, and the Dirty Shirley girl catches my eye. She smiles, and then slowly pulls her straw from her mouth.

  “Sierra’s that good in bed, huh?” Josh heckles.

  “Yeah,” I agree. I have no doubt that she is, but it’s so much more than that.

  “You can leave early,” Josh says. “I have it covered tonight.”

  “I can stay. I said I’d be here tonight.”

  “You are meeting Sierra aga
in tonight, right?”

  “I’m going over once I’m done here.”

  Josh smiles. “You’re done. Go.”

  The whole people-doing-favors-for-me thing is still weird. Really fucking weird. “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all. Like I said, I want you to stay. And if Sierra’s got you so wrapped up you didn’t even notice Tits over there, she might be the one to convince you.”

  “She just might be,” I echo. “I’ll do a round clearing tables then take off.”

  “Chase, just go. And have fun,” he adds, raising his eyebrows.

  “I can do that.” I fill one more drink order then head up to the apartment, needing to wash the smell of the bar off me before going to Sierra’s. It’s nine-thirty, and she wasn’t expecting to hear from me until at least after midnight.

  Texting her throughout the day…starting our date hours before we planned…it goes against everything I’ve done. Breaks all the simple rules I’ve set up for myself.

  Being eager to see her, to just spend time with her, is a new feeling for me. I fucking like it, though in the back of my mind, in the small area that I allow to process emotions, I’m terrified.

  I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to be disappointed. Facing my fears comes naturally. I don’t let it hold me back, and I’m not stopping now.

  Pausing in the kitchen, I pull my phone from my pocket and stare down at the screen. I lick my lips, heart thumping in my chest as I unlock the device. My finger hovers over the green phone icon. I shouldn’t do it. I need to stop.

  But I can’t.

  I need to hear her voice. Feel her pain.

  “The therapist asked if I still call you.” Sierra’s voice is thready, void of any emotion. “She says it’s not healthy and that I won’t be able to move on if I keep doing this. I hate when people say that. Moving on isn’t going to make my life good again. Moving on isn’t a magical cure. What am I moving onto? What do I have to look forward to anymore?” She sighs and pauses for a few seconds. I press the phone closer to my ear. I think I hear the river in the background. “I remember being happy. I miss it. But I just don’t see how I can ever feel whole again.”

  The message ends, and I pull the phone away from my face. The next message is from three months later. I guess she took her therapist’s advice for a while at least.

  “I got into grad school. And my first thought was to tell you.”

  The bad feeling is back in my stomach, and I curse myself—again—for listening to these messages. I lock my phone, set it on the table, and strip out of my clothes to shower. I’m about to turn the water on when someone knocks on the door.

  I roll my eyes. I should have known better than to leave Josh tonight. I wrap a white towel around my waist and stride to the door, yanking it open. Josh isn’t standing in the threshold.

  Sierra is.

  Her mouth opens and her eyes widen. She runs her eyes over me then looks away, only to turn right back.

  “Chase. Wow. I mean hi.”

  “Hey. What are you doing here?” I ask. “Not that I’m not happy to see you or anything. I wasn’t expecting it.”

  She blinks a few times in a row, following the line of hair that goes down my stomach to my cock, before looking me in the eye again. It’s turning me on to know she’s enjoying what she’s seeing, and now is not the time to get a hard-on. I’m only wearing a towel.

  “Lisa wanted to go out for drinks, and I thought I’d come see you. Your brother said you just left and thought you were up here.”

  I step back, letting Sierra come inside, and shut the door behind her. “Yeah, I was going to get in the shower then call you and say I got out early.” I hold the towel at my hip with one hand and reach for Sierra with the other. The moment my fingers sweep across the silky fabric of her dress, I’m a goner. My heart speeds up and my lips part. I need to feel her. All of her.

  She hooks her arms around my shoulders, and her finger instantly goes to the scar on my back. I press my lips to hers, softly, knowing that if the kiss turns into anything more, I won’t be able to stop myself.

  “You look beautiful,” I tell her. She’s wearing a red dress with white polka dots, a red bow in her hair, and yellow heels. “Your outfit looks familiar, which is weird to say, I know.”

  She shakes her head, smiling. “It’s not weird, and it should be familiar.” She runs her hand along the dress. “Minnie Mouse.”

  I use it as an excuse to slowly check her out again. Her large breasts are hidden away, which makes her outfit all the more sexy for some reason. I know what’s under there, but I can’t directly see it, like a present waiting to be unwrapped.

  “Right. I see it now. It’s subtle, but I like it.”

  “Thanks. I like to dress like characters but in normal clothing to see if anyone picks up on it. I have fun coming up with the concepts. Most people think it’s strange.”

  I run my fingers through her hair. “I like strange.” I kiss her again. “I like you.”

  She kisses me back, hands running up and down my back. I push my tongue into her mouth knowing I shouldn’t because once I get started, I won’t be able to stop. Sierra’s hands fall down my back, over my hips, and onto the towel. She slips her fingers inside, slowly, just half an inch, teasing me in the best and worst way possible.

  I kiss her harder, dipping her back. Sierra moans when I run my hand down her back and onto her ass, giving it a squeeze.

  The someone calls her name, voice muffled through the closed door.

  “Sierra? Are you up here?”

  I stop kissing her, but I don’t let go.

  “It’s Lisa,” she sighs. “She didn’t like me going up here alone.”

  “She’s smart.”

  “I know,” she agrees but seems annoyed. Hell, I’m annoyed. But if Sierra is going to cut me off again, this is a good stopping point. I won’t push her to do anything she’s not ready for.

  “You should let her know you’re fine.”

  Sierra nods, sliding her hands back up to my shoulders. I stand her upright and look at the door, keeping one hand on Sierra’s waist. I know it’s crazy, but it feels like if I let go, if I stop touching her, she’ll slip away and disappear forever.

  Or maybe I will.

  I re-tuck the towel around my waist the best I can one-handed. Sierra turns, pulling out of my arm. She opens the door a foot and sticks her head out.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “Did you find Chase?” Lisa stops by the door, eyebrows raised as she looks me up and down.

  “Yeah. I found him.”

  Lisa blinks, cocking her head to stare down Sierra. “And you stripped him naked?”

  “I was already naked,” I quip, giving Lisa a smirk.

  “Well then,” she replies. “I guess I’m not needed here. Have fun.”

  Sierra makes a face. “I feel bad not getting a drink with you. That’s why we came, after all.”

  Lisa shakes her head. “I’d feel worse knowing you left that for me. We can get drinks another time. Like tomorrow. When you give me details.”

  “I don’t kiss and tell.” Sierra purses her lips and tries not to smile.

  Lisa turns to me and puts her hand next to her mouth. “Yes, she does,” she whisper-talks. “So give her something to talk about.”

  “Now two people have told you that,” I say to Sierra. “Maybe you’ll take her advice at least.”

  “She better,” Lisa says. “Don’t disappoint me, Si.”

  Sierra rolls her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get a drink with you?”

  Lisa checks the time on her phone. “I’m gonna call Rob. He gets off in twenty minutes so he’ll be here in thirty. I can play a game of pool with Wyatt until then.”

  “Let him win,” Sierra teases.

  Lisa grimaces. “I physically can’t do anything bad on purpose. Wyatt can just grow a pair and deal with it.”

  Sierra laughs, emerald eyes glimmering. “Then don�
�t complain to me when he stomps around work annoying the shit out of you for it.”

  Lisa huffs. “Fine. Call me in the morning.”

  “I will.” Sierra moves away to give Lisa a hug goodbye. Lisa eyes me up and down once more, then whispers, “not fair” to Sierra before leaving.

  “So,” Sierra starts, closing the door.

  “So,” I echo. “Are you hungry? We could get something to eat.”

  “I am, actually. I was going to get something here with Lisa. You?”

  “I’m always hungry.”

  She bites her lip and I notice her eyes keep dropping down to the V-line of muscle above my hips.

  “I’ll take a quick shower,” I go on. “And then you can tell me which of the two sit-down restaurants in this town to take you to.”

  “I like that plan.”

  “Do you want the TV on or something?”

  She reaches into her yellow bag and pulls out her Kindle. “I’m good.”

  “I’m sorry,” the waitress says, coming over to our table, bill in hand. “We’re closing in five minutes.”

  I tear my eyes away from Sierra and look around. The tables around us are empty and cleared. We’re the only ones here.

  “Oh, sorry,” Sierra says, looking just as shocked as I am. “I lost track of the time.”

  The waitress gives her a warm smile. “It’s all right, honey.”

  I take the bill before Sierra has a chance to even consider paying it. After dinner we ordered drinks, and then dessert, and then drinks again.

  I always thought the whole ‘we can talk for hours’ thing was bullshit until today. Because the time went by too fast, and if Sierra and I sat and talked the rest of the night I’d be happy. And saying ‘she gets me’ is even more of a bullshit line, but she does.

  “Every cat I’ve ever met has been an asshole,” I say, going back to our conversation. I pay the bill and leave the waitress a generous tip since we kept her here.

  “Then you haven’t met the right cats. Mine are nice. Well, Tinkerbell is.” Sierra finishes her wine and laughs. “Dolly is an asshole. I’m trying to contradict you and I’m failing.”

  “Dogs, on the other hand, like people. Even people who are shitty to them.”