Loving Again: The Broken Hearts Club

by Michele Barlow

  Glancing up she was able to check off a few things mentally immediately. One, he was very tall. That hadn’t been a hallucination. Two, he was devastatingly handsome. And three, he still had that look in his eye like he was very, very glad to see her.

  “Evie.”

  There was something about the way he said her name. Another thing she could compare to last night. She would never get used to him saying her name that way. There was too much behind it to ever dismiss it as casual.

  “Leo, you’re here bright and early.” She was trying to sound nonchalant, although she wasn’t exactly sure what that would have sounded like if she’d heard it from someone else.

  “I figured the longer I waited the more damage might be caused. Getting this taken care of early would save you some worry.”

  “That’s great, thank you. By the way, we never discussed how much you are going to charge me for these repairs.”

  “I can tell you right now, I’m cheaper than any of the plumbers in town.”

  That wasn’t really an answer, but she felt awkward pushing the issue again.

  “There’s no one upstairs right now, you can head on up. Do you need any help from me?”

  “No, ma’am, pretty sure I can handle one little pipe.”

  Evie was sure he could, even though her naughty mind immediately thought she really hoped it wasn’t a little pipe. Totally not appropriate for a mom to be thinking.

  She pretended to look at the items on the counter as he walked by carrying his toolbox. She might have glanced to the side as he walked by to check out his ass in his tight jeans. Luckily, she hadn’t installed video cameras yet so there was no documented footage of the event to prove she was being pervy.

  Chapter 8

  Leo kept putting one foot in front of the other as he went up the back steps. He’d arrived at the shop earlier and saw the two women walk into the store. He didn’t want Evie’s attention divided between him and her customers, so he waited. Leaning against his beat up truck, he sipped a mug of coffee he had brought with him. After he had gotten home last night, he stuck to his usual routine of sitting in front of his fireplace with his dog Bud at his feet. Normally they just appreciated the crackling of the fire along with the peace and solitude they had become accustomed too. At least Leo thought his dog liked it. Last night was different. Last night his thoughts were full of Evie.

  She was beautiful. There was also a sense of fragility about her that seemed to be about more than just a single mom starting a new business. Her beauty looked a little frayed, as if she’d just patched up a tear in her favorite piece of clothing. It was still perfectly good, just not the same as it had been. She wasn’t from Friday Harbor, she’d moved there from somewhere else. Mabe hadn’t given him any information beyond the fact that she’d had a friend that needed some help.

  He would do anything for Mabe just as she would do anything for him.

  So who was Evie?

  Leo was a solitary man. He’d grown up in Friday Harbor until his parents moved to the mainland when he was in junior high. As soon as he graduated, he started making plans to move back home. He missed island life and wanted to be back where the salt air was the first thing to greet you every morning. Friday Harbor was just the right mix of tourist business and privacy for those that wanted it. Leo wasn’t exactly a handyman by trade, but he did it to earn money in between jobs. What he really did was restore wooden boats. He never sought out the work; it usually came to him by word-of-mouth. When it did, it would often take years to restore the antiques, and he demanded a good fee for his work. He enjoyed the refurbishment, so he wasn’t doing it for money. He lived quiet, small, and didn’t see the need to surround himself with the extra trappings in life that so many worked so hard for. His happiness came from going out on the water with his dog, reading books, and working on his own wooden boat. He was also good at minding his own business.

  After moving back to Friday Harbor he made the mistake of dating a few local women. He realized quickly that small town girls came with way too many strings. He might make an exception for Evie, but he had never dated someone with a child before and he didn’t know if there were rules. He went to bed thinking about her.

  Embarrassingly he was up early and had to putter around the house waiting until it was a reasonable time to show up. Then he had to wait until the women left the shop before he could go in. They had been in Evie’s shop an agonizing amount of time. He had come up with a plan the night before on how he was going to spend more time with her. He just hoped that it worked.

  Leo could hear her downstairs. Items clinking as she moved around. The bells rang when someone came and he’d listen intently to hear the sound of them ringing as someone left. He hoped they left anyway. He was taking way too long to replace a simple pipe, but hopefully she didn’t know how long a repair like this should take, or if she did, maybe she would just assume that he was lacking in skill. Deciding that he’d delayed long enough, he was putting his tools away and debating whether he should go back downstairs and talk to her or wait until she came up to talk to him. She may not want to leave her store unattended, so he double-checked that his work would hold and turned the water valve back on.

  Moving slowly back down the stairs, he strained to hear if there was anyone else in the shop he might have missed. His eyes scanned through the room searching for her. He found her sitting next to the wood stove in the corner in a rocking chair with a mug in her hands.

  “Would you like something to drink? she asked brightly.

  “Depends what you’re drinking?” he replied.

  “Just tea, I’m afraid. I do have coffee if you’d like some?”

  Leo reached down into his toolbox and pulled out the stainless steel travel mug he been using earlier. He handed it to her with a smile and said, “Just sugar please.”

  She returned his smile while getting up. She put her mug on the small table beside the chairs and made him a coffee.

  “Have a seat.” She gestured towards the other chair. “That’s why I put them here. I figured I’d probably have a lot of downtime, so I wanted somewhere comfortable to hang out.”

  “Smart thinking,” he said then took a sip of his coffee. “Although, this chair seems a bit wobbly. Be happy to take care of that for you,” he offered. He was trying to find any reason possible to stay in her presence. Hell, he’d sell ceramic marine life in her shop if she’d hire him. He was starting to feel a little obsessed with Evie Ward. The more time he spent near her, the more he wanted to be with her. She smelled different this morning, as though she had used vanilla-scented body products when she showered. Very subtle, but it still had the effect of making her smell like a cookie.

  “Hmm. You know you still haven’t told me what you’re going to charge me for the pipe maybe now you’re just trying to pad the bill.”

  She said this with a smile so he knew she wasn’t being serious. He didn’t want her to pay anything. In fact, he felt like he needed to pay Mabe for giving him a chance with this woman.

  “Seeing as you’re new member of our community, and I hope that you’ll give me a call if you need anything else done around here, I’ve decided to pay you.”

  “I’m sorry, did you say you’re going to pay me for working on my pipes? You know, in the real world, outside of tiny towns floating in the Puget Sound, that’s not how it works. ”

  Leo knew the next thing he said was going to take balls. Luckily for him he had a pair.” I’m going to buy you dinner.”

  The look she had on her face as he said that went from absolute confusion to comical confusion, then slightly embarrassed confusion. It was a bold move sure, but Leo was a bold man.

  “I’m not joking, Evie. I’d like to get to know you, and traditionally, dinner is a good way to have a conversation. That way if either of you are incredibly boring, you can at least fill the space with chewing.”

  He saw her eyebrows raise and her mouth open and close a few times. He’d clearly caught he
r off guard. “I’m sorry, you hadn’t mentioned a husband or boyfriend, so I thought it was safe to ask. If it isn’t, just tell me.”

  “No. No boyfriend, no husband.” Leo heard the catch in her voice she said those words. So that was where the fragility that cloaked her was coming from.

  “You know, Mabe would have never let me come over here if she didn’t think I was a good guy. I would say that is the highest praise you can get in this town. I can assure you, I’m single. My longest relationship has been with my dog Bud. He’s eleven, so I’d say we’re pretty committed.”

  He watched as she laughed, color pinking her cheeks, and a sparkle coming to her eye, which had held a note of sadness earlier.

  “Hailey loves dogs. She’s always asking me for a puppy. But I explained to her that it wouldn’t be her dog. It would be mine. I’d walk it, I’d clean up after it, and I’d feed it. She’d just get the good bits where he or she snuggles up with her as they sleep.”

  “I have to say that I’m on Hailey’s side,” Leo said. “I think every kid should have a dog. They need someone to tell their secrets too.”

  He saw that sadness come back into her eyes as he said those words. Evie must have secrets, but it sounded like little Hailey did to.

  “When you’re ready, I’d be happy to help you find the perfect one for Hailey.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t think that is going to be on my list anytime soon. I have too much to get settled. I’m starting to feel like I’ve made some headway here. I’ve never lived on my own. It sounds funny, even though I have Hailey, but I’ve never been the main provider. I’m really proud of this little shop. I used to work in sales. I was pretty good at it. Now I’m selling something that I’ve actually made.”

  “Your pottery is beautiful. It’s rustic and practical while still being something you’d be proud to leave out on a table. I like useful things that look nice.”

  “I used to not really care about the things in my home. They were just things to fill the space. Now I ask myself if I really like something before I bring it into my space. Working with the clay has made me see past the perfect and appreciate things with little imperfections.” She pointed towards one of the carefully arranged shelves. “Like that teal glazed bowl over there. If you flip it over, there’s a funny bubble that formed on the glaze that popped during its final firing. It made a pretty design, so I decided to keep it and see if someone else finds that blemish interesting.”

  Leo followed her pointed finger and rose from his chair. He walked over to the shelf and picked up a shallow, oblong bowl that was heavy on the bottom but flared out to a thin lip at the top. Carefully, he turned it over and saw the mark that she had spoken of. The glaze had broken and left part of the clay underneath exposed. The blue and brown glazes were brighter in that spot. It made an interesting celestial swirl.

  “I think you should leave this bowl upside down so people can see the mark. Better yet, just start making all of your pottery that way. I think people spend way too much time trying to hide their flaws. I don’t think I know a human being alive that doesn’t have something wrong with them. I found over the years that perfect not only takes a lot of effort, but it’s rarely ever true.”

  Leo looked over and saw Evie sitting in her chair holding her cup of tea, rocking slowly. She probably didn’t even realizing that she was doing it. Her motions could be either nervousness, or something that she just did without thought. But she looked at home in her little shop, like she belonged here. He could see she had some flaws. No worse than his, of course. Like the bowl, the blemishes that she carried inside just made her all the more interesting and beautiful.

  “So… what time should I pick you up tonight?” He said it to break the tension, but he worried if he’d been too bold.

  “Oh, tonight? You want to go out tonight?” she stammered.

  “I figure if I don’t lock you down now, you’re just gonna make up excuses about why you can’t go. Don’t worry; I already have Mabe on standby for babysitting duty”

  “I don’t know; Hailey’s only met Mabe a few times. I don’t want her to think that I’m just dumping her with a new babysitter, even if it is Mabe. What if she gets upset and I’m not here?”

  He could see that she was hedging, but her efforts weren’t out of panic, just an unease. He needed to make her trust him; he wanted to protect her, even from the worry she was feeling.

  “Mabe has her stack of Candyland and Chutes and Ladders games ready to go. Although, she has been known to be pretty cutthroat at Uno. If it makes you feel any better, she used to babysit me. And, as you can see, I’m still alive... so I can guarantee at least your child’s safety for the evening.”

  Leo watched as her fingers drummed against the sides of her cup. He could tell that she was thinking. He wasn’t so cocky to think that she’d be head over heels for him just because he asked her out. But he also could tell when someone liked him but was holding back.

  “Don’t worry, it’ll be casual, we’ll have some fun, and a little conversation.”

  Her eyes narrowed in his direction, as if she was finally making a decision, before she said, “Okay, how about after Hailey eats her dinner, around six.”

  “I can do that. Wear warm clothes and rain boots if you’ve got ‘em.”

  “Rain boots?”

  “Evie, it’s Washington.” His tone implied that this was something she was going to have to get used to. Didn’t matter if it was the middle of summer, you probably needed your rain boots.

  “Rain boots, check.” she said

  “It’s a date. I’d better head out. I’m sure a stream of customers will be coming through that door any minute now, and I’ve got some work to do. I’ll see you tonight. I’ll pick you up here.”

  “Sure, I mean... yes, that would be fine.”

  Leo wasn’t going to leave without the chance to touch her again so he walked toward her, stopping in front of her chair he held out his hand and waited for her to reach for it. When she did, her hand was soft and warm as he enclosed it into his.

  “Tonight, Evie.”

  He wasn’t sure why he said it that way. They’d already agreed on a time, they’d already agreed on going out together. But it was almost like he wanted her to realize that tonight was the start of something. Leo wasn’t a man to ignore something beautiful right in front of him. Like the boats he worked on, Evie was like a rare piece of wood that you had to scrape away the layers of damage from the sea to find the beauty beneath the surface. Evie was clearly something rare and unique, hidden under layers of pain and heartache.

  He held her hand for a moment longer and nodded before turning and leaving her little shop, the bells tinkling behind him as the door closed.

  Chapter 9

  How did that happen? He’d fixed the pipe, mentioned going out with her, then she’d lost track of what was happening. She didn’t remember ever agreeing to a meal. He’d said he wanted to take her out, but did she ever say yes to that?

  Evie wasn’t sure, and honestly couldn’t recall all of the conversation to be able to analyze it. Her brain got fuzzy around Leo Carr. It was like a hotness mind blanking machine. If he did have such a machine, he probably kept it in his pants.

  Cambry had suggested just using him for sex. Leo seemed the type to be up for it. Could she have a quick fling and then go back to casual acquaintance mode? It wasn’t something she had ever done before so she didn’t know the rules.

  Nobody wanted to date a single mom, right? It had to be because she was new in town and he was giving her a roll. What’s one night? She couldn’t deny that she had been more wound up lately. It wasn’t easy to take care of your personal business with a four-year-old always around. When she did have a moment of peace, she always had something else that needed to be done and would feel guilty for even thinking about indulging.

  An orgasm, or two if she was lucky, might just get her through the next year.

  Leo didn’t offer sex straight out, but
the way her body reacted to him couldn’t be ignored.

  Evie wanted to call Cambry back, but a customer came in so she had to settle for a text. The text was an all hands on deck call to her girls.

  Paisley: Why don’t we have pictures?

  Cambry: I know that’s what I said.

  Elena: Must we be so tacky?

  Gianna: Yes, we must.

  Waverly: I say have a nice date.

  Dawn: Make him pay!

  Adalyn: Wear a rubber! Not you, him.

  Claire: Like she’d sleep with him on the first date.

  Waverly: Of course she would, why not? Two consenting adults. I say make with the boom boom.

  Luna: You did not just say boom boom. Can’t you tell she’s nervous? Sweetie just go eat some food with the man. Maybe in five or twelve dates, give him a little nip.

  Elena: Just to confirm Luna, do you mean nip like a taste or full on nipple?

  Paisley: She meant nipple (.)(.)

  Evie: For fucks sakes you guys. I think he wants some. Do I give it to him or not?

  Elena: He sounds hot, give him the nip.

  Cambry: Hell I’d take a little over the clothes action right about now.

  Gianna: Dry humping? Eh, better than nothing.

  Evie: So is it too soon?

  Cambry: For you or him?

  Evie: Me? Hailey? Family?

  Waverly: Okay, hold on right there. Nobody would be in that bed/car/yurt but you and him. Nobody else gets a vote.

  Luna: What’s a yurt?

  Paisley: Google it.

  Cambry: Wave is right. You and him. Nobody else gets a vote, not even us. Do only what feels right and then be aware of your choices. Be smart, don’t put yourself in a bad situation, keep control.

  Evie: Keep control. I’m not that good at that. He seems like the type that likes to take charge.

  Gianna: Bossy in bed is okay, bossy outside of bed, no way.