by J. L. Berg
“At least it’s someone!” I yelled.
Lame comeback. Good job, Mia.
“Well, friend, I guess it’s a good thing I have you now, isn’t it?” he said with a wicked grin over his shoulder.
He disappeared behind the door, but he didn’t lock it. That hadn’t gone unnoticed to my very attuned ears.
I stared at the closed bathroom door and shook my head. Oh, Garrett Finnegan, what are you up to?
~Garrett~
I had no idea what I was doing.
I leaned my hands against the tiled sink and stared into the bathroom mirror, shaking my head in disgust.
I’d strutted in here like I had a plan. I had no plan beyond wanting to spend every second with her. As I’d been lying in bed last night, I’d replayed every moment of the weekend, and then I’d come to terms with my new obsession.
I was completely infatuated with Mia Emerson.
The beautiful ghost with the mesmerizing blue eyes who had haunted my dreams for so long had come to life, and I couldn’t stop myself from returning to her doorstep each and every day.
I had no plan, but I knew I couldn’t walk away.
I was a fool to think we could be friends, but I needed to try. I wanted to be everything and anything but friends with Mia, and the fact that she still sent me into a tailspin after all these years pissed me off. Even through all the agony and hurt, I still wanted her. Despite the fact that I blamed her for the hell of my existence, I still craved her like no other.
I was at war with my own emotions, and I had no idea which side would eventually win.
I’d spent so long curled up with anger and betrayal as my only bedmates that I didn’t know if I knew any other way.
Tossing my work clothes into the duffel, I zipped it up and threw the bag over my shoulder. Now dressed in worn jeans and a white T-shirt, I was ready for manual labor. I hated wearing ties and dress shirts. I was the type of man who liked to get his hands dirty. Give me jeans and a T-shirt any day.
I’d spent half my childhood in the garage with my dad helping him fix things around the house. We’d both stroll in around dinner, covered in sawdust or grease, but we’d be grinning from ear to ear after a hard day’s work. Those were some of my favorite memories as a child, and it had been why I went into architecture. I’d wanted to get dirty and create something. I had known I would have to go into an office, but I’d also be able to visit construction sites and wear a hard hat as I watched my designs become a reality.
But I’d deserted my dream and settled.
Being a salesman to uppity doctors is fun—said no one ever.
Opening the bathroom door, I dropped my bag in the living room and made my way to the kitchen. Mia was inspecting the food I’d brought. I figured she hadn’t eaten, and even if she had, I hadn’t. I’d put in twelve hours at the office, and I had barely stopped for lunch. I was starving.
“Burritos today?” she asked.
“Yep. I figured you haven’t eaten, but if you have, I’ll gladly eat both of those,” I said with a grin.
She gave me a doubtful look as she pulled the two monstrous burritos out of the bag. “There is no way you could eat both of these.”
“Oh, I bet I could.”
“That’s gross.”
“I’m a guy. We’re inherently gross,” I said with a shrug.
She laughed, and the sound made me smile. I liked making her laugh. I always had. It had once been my goal to make her laugh at least five times a day. She had the best laugh.
We polished off our burritos. Well, she had eaten half of hers, and I’d eaten the rest. She’d watched in slight horror as I’d downed one-and-a-half burritos without much fuss.
After cleaning up the small mess from dinner, we started in on the floors again. Mia had chosen a hearty oak flooring that went with the historical nature of the home. It was very similar to the original floor, minus the smell and damage.
We began in the living room and put down the underlayment. She watched as I cut and fit the pieces together. She would help when they needed to be taped together.
We did most of this in silence, but we did occasionally strike up a conversation about random things. She asked about my parents and how my sister had met her husband. I asked how she’d ended up in Atlanta, and I got a vague nonanswer that involved something about a job.
“Mia, why won’t you talk about your past?”
“What? I am. I just did.”
I put down the cutting tool I was using and drew my gaze upward until we were eye level. “No, you skirted around the question and gave me a bullshit answer. Did someone hurt you? Are you running from something or someone?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that. There’s just not much to tell.”
I let it go, but I knew she wasn’t telling me everything. She couldn’t have been gone for eight years without some sort of story. Someone doesn’t leave for that long without having a little baggage following behind.
We worked for several more hours, well past midnight, and we managed to get the floor put down in the living room. When the last board was locked into place, she jumped up and clapped.
“Oh my God! It’s freaking gorgeous! It actually looks like a living room!”
“It does,” I said. “We just need to put the trim down, and it will be done. But I’ll wait to do that at the end.”
“Thank you so much, Garrett. I don’t know how I would have done all this without you.”
“You would have ended up hiring someone,” I said with a grin.
“Probably,” she agreed.
We picked up the tools and cleaned up a bit. Both of us needed to get to bed. I was looking at getting only a few hours of sleep. I needed to get home, but that didn’t stop me from dragging my feet as I headed in the direction of the door.
“How many days do you think we have left to finish it all?” she asked.
I picked up my duffel bag and rocked back on my heels, not wanting to leave. “Probably another week to finish the downstairs completely. That reminds me…I have a business trip in two days. I have to fly up to New York for a couple of days to meet with a few clients. I’ll be back after that. I just didn’t want you to wonder why I wasn’t showing up,” I added quickly, not wanting her to think I was expecting her to worry about me.
Would she?
Loser. I am a loser.
“Oh, okay. Have fun, I guess,” she said awkwardly. “Are you going to be in the city for the weekend, too?”
“I hadn’t planned on it. It’s not really fun when you’re alone. I’ve been there tons of times anyway with my family.”
“Right.”
“You’ve been to New York City, haven’t you?” I asked.
“Yes.” She nodded, looking down at her shoes. “When I was younger. My parents always had functions there, so we would stay at these beautiful, fancy hotels. My mom would hire a babysitter to stay with me while they went out to parties and formal events.”
I gave her a hard stare. “You haven’t really been to New York then. You’ve just been on the inside of fancy hotels. It doesn’t count. You missed out on all the fun things.”
She shrugged and gave me a small smile. “Maybe next time.”
“Come with me,” I said without thinking.
“What?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Come with me. I won’t be much good during the day when I’m working, but at night, we can hang out. We’ll spend the weekend there, and I’ll take you to all the places you missed out on as a kid.”
She looked uneasy as her gaze appraised me.
“Just as friends, I promise. We’ll even get separate rooms.”
“Can we go to the Statue of Liberty?” she asked shyly, her eyes taking on a rounder appearance.
It reminded me of the girl I’d met in homeroom so long ago.
“Whatever you want, Mia.”
Her smile spread into a megawatt grin, and my knees almost buckled.
I’d spent years dreaming of that smile and the way it made my heart falter and kick-start into a gallop. Now, she was looking up at me with the same wide-eyed smile.
“Deal,” she said.
I was done for.
Chapter Nine
~Mia~
“Don’t pack those! Ugh, why do you even own underwear like that?” Liv asked in outright disgust as she threw my cute hot-pink-and-lime-green boy shorts on the floor. Then, she started rummaging through my top drawer.
Sam raised his head from his place on the bed and lifted an ear, but he quickly lost interest and relaxed back into the comforter.
“What is wrong with boy shorts?”
“Nothing—if they are covered in lace or crotchless. But these are neon and have words on the butt. Seriously, Mia? Did you shop in the juniors section for these?”
Yes, yes, I did. I chose to ignore that question to save myself the humiliation that would follow.
She continued to ransack my drawer in search of God-only-knows-what until I heard an excited, high-pitched noise escape her throat.
“Yes! These! Pack these!” she said, throwing several lacy thongs in my suitcase.
“Liv! This is not a sexy weekend away with my boyfriend. I will not need thongs.”
“No, it’s a weekend with your ex-boyfriend, who you secretly still have a thing for. Pack the thongs.”
My mouth gaped open as I stared at her blankly. She grinned back and did that annoying thing with her hip that made her look like a teenager from the Valley.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I fumbled.
“Uh-huh. You’re a terrible liar.”
“Why is everyone so hung up on my love life? Why can’t you concentrate on your own?” I huffed.
“Oh, I do—a lot,” she said with a grin.
After coming home, I’d quickly figured out that my best friend had adopted a very casual definition of relationship. She’d said she hadn’t found the right one yet, and she really had no interest in ever doing so, but she loved taste-testing and sampling the variety. She would do this often. The few weeks I’d lived with her, I’d done so with headphones and a pillow over my head. Her samplings would get pretty loud.
“We’re just friends,” I said adamantly.
“Right. About that—I thought he hated you.”
I thought back on the last several weeks with Garrett since I’d arrived back in Richmond. It had been a constant roller coaster of hot and cold. I had no idea what was going on.
“He did. Maybe he still does. I don’t know. But we’re trying to be friends.”
“Friends. Right,” she said with sarcasm.
I threw a pair of boy shorts at her, and she ducked and screamed.
“Come on, would you help me? He’s going to be here in a few minutes, and I’m not done yet!”
Her butt shifted into gear finally, and we managed to have everything packed right as the doorbell chimed, announcing Garrett’s arrival.
“I’ll go get it!” she sang. She hopped down the stairs toward the door with Sam following behind her.
I rolled my eyes as I lugged my suitcase behind me.
By the time I reached the foyer, Liv was already rattling off questions faster than Garrett could comprehend them.
“Where are you guys going? Where are you staying? Have you booked tickets to the Statue of Liberty? I hear it’s hard to get tickets. Have you thought about restaurants?”
His eyes were starting to bug out of his head, and he nervously tugged at the back of his head as he looked around the room for sanctuary. “Oh, look! There’s Mia! Looks like we’ve got to go! Don’t want to miss our flight!” he said in one quick breath.
I giggled a bit under my breath.
“Hmm…okay. Well, you two have fun,” Liv said, giving me a quick wink.
I avoided rolling my eyes, and instead, I gave her directions for Sam, pointing to the bag of food, his leash, and his toys that I’d laid out next to the door.
“Okay, okay, Mom. I’ve got it. Come on, Sammy Boy!”
Sam came wagging his tail, and she hooked him on the leash. Garrett helped her by lugging all of Sam’s stuff out the door and into the car. A few weeks ago, I would have never known dogs required so much stuff. Within a few short minutes, he was back, and we were alone.
Garrett gave me an appreciative once-over and commented, “Nice dress.”
I’d decided to forgo my normal summer ensembles of shorts and a tank top, and I’d gone for something a bit nicer since we were headed for New York City. I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. So, I’d put on a flowery sundress that came about mid-thigh and accented my slim waist. I grabbed a sweater on my way out and threw it over my arm. Airplanes were notoriously cold, and my internal thermostat was permanently broken. I was always freezing.
“Thanks,” I answered shyly.
“You ready?” he asked.
I quickly nodded. Without asking, he grabbed my suitcase, and we made our way out the front door. I locked up as he packed the car, and we both hopped in at the same time.
I smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress and crossed my ankles nervously. I didn’t know why, but every time we had been together in a car, his presence seemed to multiply. His scent filled the small space, and I felt like I was drowning in his woodsy, masculine essence.
“I have to go directly to a client’s office before they close. I’ll drop you off at the hotel and check us in first, if that’s all right?”
“Yes, that’s great!” I said with a little too much enthusiasm. Calm down, Mia.
He chuckled quietly. “Okay.”
We drove in silence during the short distance to the airport, and then we checked in without much fuss. I bit the inside of my cheek when the woman at the front counter recognized Garrett from his many business flights. She flirted with his mercilessly, and she didn’t give me the time of day until I had to hand over my ID. She gave it a passive glance and then handed it back before she continued her deep conversation with Garrett. He was polite and smiled, but I could see the loner in him was uncomfortable from all the attention.
“Nice to see you, too…” he started to say.
He looked at me in a panic. He didn’t know her name.
Darla, I mouthed, catching her name tag out peeking out from under the lapel of her jacket.
“Darla!” he said quickly.
She gave a huge wave, and we exited in a hurry.
“Oh my Gawd, Mr. Finnegan, it’s so good to see you again,” I mocked, adding extra Southern sugar to my voice to mimic Darla’s sweet drawl.
“Shut up,” he said.
“She likes you.”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Not your type?” I joked.
“No.”
“No? So, what is your type, Garrett?” I asked as we passed through security.
What the hell was I doing? I didn’t want to know his type.
He stopped dead, right in the middle of the morning rush of passengers walking in both directions. He turned and gave me a hard stare, one that gave me goose bumps.
“I don’t have one—not anymore.”
~Garrett~
I’d been bringing Mia to this spot for a few months.
It was quiet, and the view was spectacular. The water from the river sparkled under the moonlight, and if we came at the right time, we could watch the fireflies spark and light up the night sky.
I hadn’t planned on it being our go-to make-out spot, but I wasn’t going to complain that it had worked out that way. I’d just turned sixteen, and freedom was now mine in the form of the car my father and I had painstakingly restored over the last year. I used that freedom to my advantage, and right now, I was enjoying that advantage to the fullest.
My hand slid up Mia’s bare leg and slipped under her skirt to grab her shapely ass. She’d been mine for just over a year now. Over three-hundred-and-sixty-five days of this. My buddies had made fun of me for dating the sam
e girl for so long, but they didn’t know. They didn’t have a Mia.
I groaned and steadied my eager hand. “This is where you usually tell me to stop,” I whispered, leaning into the curve of her neck.
She leaned back, letting her long hair fan out beneath her on the blanket I’d spread out on the grass.
“I’m not saying stop tonight,” she replied.
I gulped and tried to reply. It wasn’t a very manly thing to do, but my hands were shaking, and I was trying to give her time to change her mind. We’d never gone past this point, and I didn’t want to push her into doing something she wasn’t comfortable with. I was sixteen and horny as hell, but for her, I’d wait forever.
“Are you sure? You know I’d never pressure you.”
“We’ve been together a year, Garrett. Of course I know that. No more waiting. I love you. I know we’re young, but I’ll never love anyone like I love you.”
Reaching down, she folded her fingers over my trembling hand and brought it up to the buttons of her blouse. “I’m ready, Garrett. I’m ready for you.”
With shaky fingers, I removed her blouse. Slowly, like we were cherishing every moment, we undressed each other with care. As we made love for the first time, she gave me her love and trust, and I knew I’d found my soul mate.
“I love you, too, Mia.”
“Garrett,” someone was saying, breaking through my fogginess of sleep. “We’re about to land.”
Soft fingers brushed my hand, and my eyes fluttered open to find Mia’s piercing blue eyes watching me. Her fingertips were stroking the top of my hand, but she quickly stopped when I took notice of it.
“We’re about to land. I’m not sure if you heard me say that,” she repeated.
I nodded and sat up in my seat. I hadn’t realized I’d fallen asleep. The flight between Richmond and New York City was short, so I couldn’t have been asleep for more than thirty minutes. Still a bit groggy, I watched the plane touch down and taxi in toward our gate.
