The Reason

by Jen Andrews

  Rob backed away a step. “I already have, mate,” he said, attempting to mock Andy, but it only made him sound like an even bigger ass. What did I ever see in him?

  Andy dropped his arm off my shoulders and took a step toward Rob. Andy was easily five inches taller than Rob was, and outweighed him by at least forty pounds. All muscle, no doubt.

  “She’s all yours,” Rob muttered. “Hope you like my sloppy seconds.”

  Aw shit, why did he have to say something so gross? Anger flickered in Andy’s eyes as he took another step toward Rob.

  I wedged myself in between them and faced Andy. “Please, he’s not worth it, trust me,” I begged, taking hold of his very muscular biceps. Andy didn’t seem to hear me because he was too focused on Rob. Something in his eyes worried me a little bit. It was almost as if he wanted to rip Rob’s head off and chuck it across the store.

  I really needed to stop this before something bad happened. “Hey, Sexy!” I said suddenly and hoped it would get his attention. “Let’s pay for this stuff and go home.”

  It must have worked, because a second later, he snapped out of it and smiled wickedly at me. “Now you’re talking, Beautiful,” he said, focused on me instead of the loser behind me. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He gave Rob one last threatening glare, and we turned to leave. I pushed my cart ahead of me, and as we were walking away, Andy slung his arm over my shoulders and pulled his cart behind him with his other hand.

  Without another word to each other, we paid for our items and loaded everything into his truck. As soon as we were inside the cab with the doors shut, Andy turned to me. The expression on his face was so full of anger I couldn’t make eye contact with him because I was so humiliated. “What in the hell was that all about, Zoey?”

  “I am so sorry,” I blubbered, trying to hold back tears.

  God, I hated that man for turning me in to a crying idiot! It’d been months since I’d seen him, and with one little encounter, I was freaking out.

  “One minute, he acts like he hates me, and then the next minute, he tells me he loves me and wants us to be together. I don’t know why he does that. When I remind him of how things really happened with us, he gets belligerent and insulting.”

  One tear slid down my cheek, but before I could wipe it away myself, Andy brushed his thumb across my cheek to wipe it away for me. I felt the heat rise in my face from his touch.

  “You just told me he’s not worth it, Zoey. Take your own advice.”

  “I know, but I’m still so embarrassed. I barely know you, and here you are, almost getting in a fight with my stupid ex-husband.” I started crying then.

  He moved across the seat closer to me and pulled me in close to him. I slid my arms inside his jacket and wrapped them around his waist. I could feel his warmth and strength through his shirt. It had been too long since I had actually let someone comfort me. I couldn’t help it, so I gave in and rested my cheek against his chest. His heart was still racing from the adrenaline pumping through him.

  Andy made me feel safe and not quite so lonely. I was completely at ease with him, and it scared the hell out of me. This guy was off limits for so many reasons.

  “Zoey, please don’t be upset. You didn’t do anything wrong. That guy is a fuckwit for treating you the way he did and needs to have his ass kicked for it.” He took in a deep, calming breath and let it out. “Let’s go get some lunch and try to unwind for a while. I’ve worked up an appetite, and you shouldn’t be skipping lunch again because of me.”

  “Okay. That sounds nice.” I didn’t dare tell him I skipped breakfast. I let go of him and wiped my tears away with the backs of my hands.

  He slid back to his seat and started his truck. Andy had shifted into reverse to back out of the space, when Rob pulled up behind the truck in my old, black Chevelle.

  “What the fuck does he want now?” Andy growled when he realized it was Rob.

  He stomped his foot down on the gas pedal, and I thought he was going to slam right in to the side of the car as the truck lurched backward.

  “Please don’t hit my car!” I cringed and covered my eyes, so I didn’t have to witness it.

  He hit the brakes, and I uncovered my eyes. “What do you mean your car?” he asked, confused, as Rob gunned the Chevelle and sped away.

  “That’s my car he’s driving,” I admitted. “Well, it’s his car now, but my dad and brothers built it for me, and I don’t want to see it get all smashed.”

  “Why does he have your car?” he asked, still confused.

  Oh God, I want so badly to tell him. I need to tell someone. Only my family knew what happened, and that was only because they were involved.

  I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “He has it because he sued me and my dad around eight months ago. It was the only way he would leave me alone.”

  Andy scowled at me in utter disbelief.

  “He filed a lawsuit against us, saying it was partly his idea to open The Speed Shop,” I clarified. “He said we owed him money from it, since we were still married when I opened the store. The only way he would drop the lawsuit was if I gave him my car as his payment. We contacted a lawyer, and legally, he could have taken half of the profits from when we were married, so it was easier to give him the car and be done with it.”

  When I looked up at Andy, I saw he was dumbfounded by my admission. “Andy, I willingly gave it to him. I opened the business with the help of my dad and could not risk it. He had so much more at stake than I did, especially since his name is attached to my business and his own business. I signed the car over to Rob with no regrets. He signed a contract with the lawyers, saying I had paid him what I owed him. Legally, he cannot get another cent out of us. I have no regrets in my decision to give him the car.”

  “Was that what you were talking about last night when you told me you owned a hot rod until six months ago?” he asked dryly.

  “Yes.” I nodded as another tear rolled down my cheek. “Can we go, please? I’m done talking about this for now.”

  He gave up. “Alright, let’s get some lunch. For the record, I wasn’t going to hit your car. I was only trying to scare him, so he’d back off and leave you alone.”

  We headed toward home, and on the way, Andy pulled into the parking lot of a sandwich shop. We went inside to the counter to place our order. “I’ll just have a Coke. I lost my appetite.” I sighed and pulled a few dollars out of my purse to hand to him.

  He refused my money, so I left him standing at the counter and found a table for us. Andy shook his head and ordered his sandwich.

  After he got his food and filled our cups at the soda machine, he sat across from me at the table. I glanced at his tray and saw he had ordered the biggest sandwich I’d ever seen in my life. They cut it in to four pieces because it was so big.

  He took one section of it and set it on the table in front of me on top of a few napkins. “Eat,” he insisted, pointing to the sandwich in front of me.

  “Yes, sir,” I teased. “You’re kind of bossy, you know?” I took a drink of my Coke, unwrapped the sandwich from the paper, and then took a giant, exaggerated bite to make him happy.

  “So, Zoey,” he said, smirking. “You think I’m sexy, huh?”

  I almost choked on the bite I had taken and remembered I called him “sexy” at the store to divert his attention from Rob. I didn’t know what to say to him, so I smiled and chewed my food…and blatantly ignored his question.

  Thankfully, a minute later, my cell phone rang. Thinking it might be Rob, I checked to see who was calling first, but it wasn’t. It was my friend, Ben, and I hadn’t talked to him in months.

  “Do you mind if I get this?”

  “Nah, go ahead,” he replied and continued to eat while I answered my cell.

  “Hey, Ben, it’s been a while.” I noticed Andy’s eyebrow rose when I said Ben’s name. Dang that was sexy!

  “Zoey, how are you doing?” Ben asked. He sounded somewhat desperate, like
he needed something.

  “Not too bad, you?” I answered back.

  “I’m doing fine, but I have a bit of a crisis and I need you.”

  Interesting… “What’s up?”

  “Can I ask a huge favor from you? Please tell me you don’t have plans next Saturday night.”

  Oh, you know me, loads of plans. “Nope,” I stated bluntly. “I have no plans Saturday night. I’m free, what do you need me to do?”

  Ben let out a long sigh. “Oh, thank you! The band has a gig for a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary party, and Jenna needed to go out of town for a family emergency. She doesn’t know when she’ll be back.” He was referring to his back-up singer, Jenna. “It’s an eighties themed party, and you are the only person I know who can handle it. You’d be saving my ass, and of course, I’ll pay you.”

  I laughed because I would do it for free, just to get away from the confines of my too silent apartment. “Sounds like fun to me,” I told him truthfully. “Can you text the song list to me, so I can make sure I know all of them?”

  He sighed with relief. “I love you, Zoey! I’ll send it to you today,” he said. “Thank you.”

  I ended the call, happy and nervous.

  “What was that all about?” Andy asked curiously.

  He had the longest, thickest eyelashes I had ever seen on a man. Focus, Zoey, the man asked you a question.

  “Looks like I get to sing at a party next weekend.”

  He almost seemed relieved. “I thought you were making a date with someone,” he admitted.

  Why would he care?

  As we finished our lunch, I told him about the party. Ben sent me the song list, and I was good to go with the songs, as I already knew them all. He also let me know to wear a black dress to the party, so I would match what the rest of the band would be wearing.

  I laughed as I visualized the entire band, and myself, wearing matching black dresses, with our hair slicked back like the all-woman band in the Robert Palmer music videos from the eighties. I knew Ben meant the men in the band were going to be wearing black clothing, not black dresses, but the way he worded it in the text really made it sound funny.

  I drifted back from my daydream to find Andy picking up my iPhone from the table. “What are you doing?” I asked suspiciously.

  “Putting my cell number in here,” he replied. “You can ring me anytime if your ex starts giving you shit again.”

  It took him an awful long time to put his number in my phone. A devious look came over his face and he chuckled, then raised my iPhone up and snapped a picture of himself with it.

  He was adorable and amusing, and I swore again that I could watch him all day long.

  Satisfied with the picture he took, his fingers moved quickly over the screen, and his phone rang. He hit the end call button on my phone, set it back on the table, and then picked up his phone and punched in a few commands on it.

  There I sat, grinning like an idiot, completely amused by him, trying to figure out what he was doing. With absolutely no warning, he held up his phone and snapped a picture of me before I could stop him.

  “Hey, no fair!” I protested, with the stupid grin still on my face. “You didn’t give me time to pose and try to look good. Let me see.” I tried unsuccessfully to snatch his phone out of his hand.

  “Don’t worry, you’re beautiful,” he said with a laugh as he stared at his phone, his blue eyes shining with adoration.

  He’s the beautiful one, not me.

  I picked up my phone to see what he did to it, but before I figured it out, he put his phone up to his ear. My phone rang as I held it in my hand. Well, it wasn’t ringing exactly. It was playing the song “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. The picture he snapped of himself also displayed on the screen.

  “Oh my God! You’re an ass!” I was laughing so hard, my eyes filled with tears and I snorted. Embarrassed, I dropped my phone back onto the table, covered my face with my hands, and continued laughing.

  “Are you gonna answer, or leave me hanging, Beautiful?” he grinned devilishly.

  Why did he keep calling me beautiful? Finally, I picked up my phone and hit the button to answer his call, even though he was sitting across the table from me.

  “Hi, Sexy,” I kidded.

  He looked me straight in the eyes, and not putting down his phone, he said, “Thank you for finally answering my question.”

  I knew exactly the question he was referring to, and yes, I thought he was the sexiest man I had ever laid eyes on. I had from the second I saw him standing in the doorway of the bathroom in his apartment.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied and quickly hit the button to end the call.

  His mouth dropped open slightly in shock. “Did you really just hang up on me?” he asked. “That’s messed up.” Then he smiled and hung up his phone. “Let’s finish our lunch and go shopping.”

  Who knew I would have so much excitement helping someone shop?

  Next, we stopped at the grocery store, where I picked out my favorite vegetables and a few other groceries I needed. I noticed Andy was selecting many of the same items I did. We walked around the store, dropping things into his cart.

  “So, Zoey, what’s your favorite food?” he asked, trying to make small talk.

  “Mac and cheese,” I answered without even thinking about it. “In fact, I think I’m gonna make some for dinner. A big salad, too.” Since we were on the pasta aisle, I grabbed a bag of noodles for the macaroni and cheese and tossed it into the cart. “We’ll have to go back for some cheese,” I said, since we already went through the dairy section.

  “You’re not going to make it from a box?” he asked.

  “No. Homemade mac and cheese is the best. Plus, I really don’t like food out of boxes.” Well, except for Pop-Tarts, those were my weakness for food out of boxes. Yet, I felt the need to explain myself to him. “When you live your entire life, well, until the age of twelve or thirteen, where ninety-five percent of your food comes out of a box or a can, you get tired of it.”

  He seemed intrigued.

  “My birth mom and the foster families I lived with weren’t much into fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. I would much rather make everything homemade. Besides, it’s healthier, too.” I shrugged and dropped a block of cheese into the cart.

  “Wow, I sound like a total snob, don’t I?” I questioned when he didn’t say anything right away.

  “No, not at all,” he replied uncomfortably. “It makes sense, actually. You’re right, Zoey. That would suck, and I’m sorry you had to live like that for so long.”

  “It wasn’t that bad, because I had food and people who took care of me better than my birth mom did. It could have been much worse,” I admitted. I might have never been put into foster care, which would have left me stuck eating cheap potpies from the microwave and neglected for the rest of my childhood.

  We finished our shopping at the grocery store and headed home. Stopping at my apartment first, we took my groceries upstairs and put them away. Next, we headed over to Andy’s apartment and hauled an entire truckload of new items and groceries up to his place.

  While Andy was putting away his groceries, I unpacked his dishes and silverware and filled the dishwasher for him. I planned on hand washing the pots and pans, since they wouldn’t fit in the full dishwasher. While the sink was filling, I checked my phone and noticed I missed a call from Ben.

  I shut off the water and called him back. “Hey, Ben, sorry I missed your call.”

  “Thanks for calling me back so quickly,” he said. “I talked to the couple who’s having the eighties themed party next weekend, and they’ve added a few songs to the list. Do you think you can sing the lead on them? Women originally sang them, and I would love it if you would be willing to sing them. What do you think?”

  “Yeah, Ben, that sounds great, actually. Is everyone getting together to rehearse this week? I can come over, and we can run through all the songs.”

  “Great, Z
oey, I really owe you for this. What nights are you available?”

  Ha! More plans for the week. We made plans to rehearse on Wednesday and Friday nights, since I had dance class with Jess and Sasha on Tuesday and Thursday.

  When I was washing the pans, Andy came to help me when he was finished with what he was doing. It felt weird to be standing side by side with him, yet, at the same time, it felt like it was a normal, everyday occurrence. When we were done, and the pots and pans were dried and put away, we collapsed on the couch, both exhausted from our day of shopping. He reached over and picked up something off the end table. He handed me a book.

  It was the book I had in my hand when we saw Rob at Target. “What are you doing with that?” I asked.

  “Don’t you remember me taking it from you at the store?” He wore a sexy grin on his face again.

  Um, no, not really… Right after we saw Rob, Andy’s hands were all over me, and my earlobe was in his mouth. I would have been surprised if I could have remembered my name at that moment. I shook my head.

  “I guess I threw it in my cart and bought it for you,” he said.

  “Um, thanks…I think. Sounds like it’s going to be a really busy week for me now,” I said nervously and stood to leave. “I should probably get home. I have a few chores I need to do before I can cook dinner.”

  “Thanks again for everything, Zoey,” he said as he rose from the couch. He pulled me to him and hugged me. “I don’t know what I would have done without all your help.”

  He was thanking me. All I helped him with was spending his money. He helped me with so much more.

  “It was a good day. Well, except for the whole Rob scene,” I said, suddenly feeling bad about it again.

  Andy must have sensed it, because he gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze and brushed my hair behind my ear. “Hey, remember what you told me. He’s not worth it. Don’t give it another thought. Remember what I said, too, and call me if he gives you shit again.”

  After I went home, I threw a load of laundry into the washer, and then called my mom.