by London Casey
But I stood there, leaning against my truck, listening.
“I’m supposed to speak at a memorial for Abigail,” she said. “My father told me his plan for this town. Made it clear that if I don’t play his game he won’t let me be at Abigail’s memorial.”
“Sounds like a nice guy,” I said.
“He’s not.”
“That was sarcasm, darling.”
“I know. But I’m telling you, my father is not a good person. And the whole princess thing was not my doing. I lost my mother so young, Gavin. I knew nothing but what I was told and shown. This is not who I am.”
“Then who are you?” I asked.
“The person telling you the truth. Of why I was here. What my father wants to do. And I’m here again…”
“Why?”
“To help.”
“Help. You’re going to keep your father from destroying this town?”
“I’ll try my hardest.”
I laughed. I pushed away from the truck. I shook my head. “Why should I believe a word you say?”
Olivia grabbed my arm with both hands. I turned my head and saw the look in her eyes. She was damn near in tears.
“I’ll lose everything,” she whispered. “My father, the all powerful Sterling, doesn’t care about family. He’s got a guy picked out for me to marry. He wants me to have a baby with this guy. Then he wants me to divorce the guy. All to build the name. The business. The brand. The empire. It’s all at my feet. Millions of dollars. But I’m standing here, looking at you.”
“How cute,” I said. “The rich girl wants the poor guy, huh? What is this, some fucking kid’s fairy tale?”
“No, Gavin, it’s not.”
“So you came the second time so you could get your memorial for that girl? So what do I do now? Huh? Sell my garage and the land so you can ease your heart? Sorry, darling, that’s not my fucking job.”
“You don’t have to be a total asshole to me right now.”
“Go get in your car and tell your driver to take you home. Where you belong.”
“I drove myself.”
“Yeah?”
“I kicked the driver out and stole the car. To come see you.”
She stared at me. I saw honesty in her eyes and that pissed me off even more.
“I know what it’s like to lose someone,” she said. “And I’m not afraid of your life, Gavin. You don’t deserve to be alone either. You make me feel like I’m a real person. You didn’t see me as The Princess. And I don’t see you however you see yourself in the mirror. That has to mean something.”
I had a decision to make.
I looked across the lot. Then back at my truck.
“Hope you have a change of shoes.”
“Why?”
“It rained here today. Things are a little muddy.”
“So?”
“Get in the truck,” I said.
“Gavin…”
“Don’t make me regret this because I know I will.”
I grabbed my beer and put the mug down next to the dumpster. I watched Olivia open the door and climb into the truck.
What the fuck was I doing?
It felt like I was stupidly falling for a woman that was way out of my reach.
Then again, she was sitting in the passenger seat of my truck, right?
She wasn’t that far out of reach at all…
The first step she took she sank right into the wet ground. She let out a yell and grabbed for my hand. Next thing I knew, we were holding hands. Her other hand clutching my arm, using me for balance.
Now, I figured some rich woman like her would be grossed out by mud. Would do anything to get out of it.
Not Olivia.
She walked and laughed each time she sank into the ground.
Again, the mystery of this woman…
I stopped right where I wanted to stop.
A massive oak tree.
I pointed to the initials that were carved into the tree way too fucking long ago.
I had to use my cellphone as a flashlight.
“That’s me,” I said.
There was a N and a G with a heart around it.
“Who is N?” Olivia asked.
“Natasha,” I said. “Old flame.”
“Something bad happen?”
“No. We just weren’t meant to be,” I said. “She left town and has a new life. Look under that.”
There was another heart with letters in it. L. N. A slash at the N. A S above that. A slash through that.
Olivia looked at me.
“Luke, Nikki, Stacey,” I said. “But the reason I brought you here, Liv, was this was where Luke was laid to rest. His ashes. Right here.”
“Oh…”
“This was the spot for us. Me and him together, growing up, hanging at this tree. You can’t see it, but there’s a creek right down there. We’d dam it up and go swimming. Or we’d walk the creek for hours. We’d sleep out here. We had the greatest talks of our life out here. When everything went wrong at home, we at least had each other. I was two years older than Luke. I took care of him. He was my little sidekick, Liv. Sometimes a pain in the ass.”
“I’m sorry you lost him.”
“Our old man left us when we were young. Luke took it really hard. I didn’t though. Maybe being older I saw things differently than he did.” I backed up and leaned against a tree. I grabbed for a smoke. I couldn’t believe I was telling her this shit. “My mother worked as hard as she could. I was fifteen when she fell asleep at the wheel of her car coming home from work. She luckily didn’t hurt anyone but herself. In the blink of an eye me and Luke were alone. We were going to get thrown into the system but a guy named Gus fudged some papers to keep things level. He pretended to be our father. He gave me a job at the garage. I own that garage now, darling.”
Olivia gasped. “Wow. I didn’t know…”
“Of course you didn’t. I don’t tell anyone this shit. I take care of what’s important around me to keep it close so it doesn’t get away. I didn’t do that with Luke. He wanted to fly out of this town, and I let him.”
I hung my head. I dropped the smoke and stepped on it.
A second later I felt Olivia touch my face. She forced me to lift my head. I looked down at her.
“Gavin, I promise I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Then why are you really here?”
“I care about you. It’s crazy, I know. And I want you to… show me what it’s like, Gavin. To have a normal life.”
“Nothing about me is normal, Liv.”
Her nails scratched at my face. “I know that. But that’s what I want. I like messy. I’ve lived in messy. But I want… you…”
My hands slowly grabbed for her hips.
I pulled her close.
She felt good.
She felt like comfort. Real comfort.
“I’m sorry, Gavin. For everything. But I’m not lying to you. You have to know if I wanted to hurt you I could.”
“So what’s it like?”
“What?”
“Being rich? Powerful? Being a princess?” I asked.
Olivia shook her head. “Right now it’s terrifying.”
“Why?”
“Because when I look at you, Gavin, I feel… powerless. Like you’re the one in control of everything. I’m not used to that.”
“Well, darling. Here’s the truth. You’re in my town. You’re in my arms. You’re in my eyes. So right now, that makes you mine…”
Twelve
A Little Bit More Mud
(Gavin)
I took her to get her car. And she followed me home. I honestly didn’t know what the hell I was doing other than chasing something that resembled a pulse inside my chest. Rich girl, princess girl, whatever she was, I didn’t see that in Olivia. Maybe I’d come to regret that, but she found a way to twist that rusted key that opened my heart and when that happened, there was no turning back.
When I pulled into the drivew
ay, her car pulled right up next to my truck. I looked over and Olivia looked at me. There was this quick reflection in her eyes that just shook me. Part of me wanted to believe she was nothing but a liar but part of me saw something so real inside her.
So I took a fucking chance because I had nothing to lose. Her old man wanted to come through town and rip it apart? Have at it. There was nothing in town. There was nothing he could do to revive anything. The way I saw things, the town itself would slowly die on its own.
I got out of the truck as she got out of the car.
We met at the front of her car just as it started to rain again. I put my hand out and she took it. We ran to the porch but she kept pulling at me, wanting me to slow down.
“What are you doing?” I finally called out to her as we stood at the bottom of the porch steps.
Olivia broke away from me and put her arms out. She stepped back, smiling.
“I never stood in the rain before.”
“What?” I asked.
“Ever. I never stood in the rain. I never put my head back and tasted it. I never jumped in a puddle of mud.”
She put her head back and started to spin.
The cool rain pelted my head and my neck as I shook my head.
“You going to stay out here all night?” I asked her.
“I just might! Come on, Gavin! Dance in the rain!”
I shook my head again.
She could play the free card all she wanted. She could come to this shithole of a town, drink in our shitty bar, play in the rain, feel like she was one of us… but she was far from that. Tomorrow she’d wake up as the rich girl she was. She could get into the car and drive back to her million dollar lifestyle. And yet I had fell enough to let her into my heart a little and talk about Luke.
I turned and went up the steps and opened the door. I gave a whistle and Jesse slowly trotted through the house and out the front door. He hesitated at the top of the porch but I gave him a little nudge with my boot. He growled and then moved into the yard.
I stood at the top step and watched as Olivia finally hurried forward and up the porch. She was wet but not soaked. There was a small sting of disappointment in me though. If she had been soaked… those clothes would have been hugging her body tighter. She would have needed to get out of those soaking wet clothes too.
“Hey,” she said. Her hand touched my face, her pointer finger running across my jaw. “Thank you for telling me about your brother.”
I only told you a little, darling. Not the entire thing yet.
“If you’re being as honest as you say, then I should thank you.”
“I am, Gavin. I am.”
“So let me ask you something. What your father has planned now, here, with me, that’s probably not the first time. So did you warn people the other times?”
Olivia hung her head.
I caught the smell of whatever expensive shampoo she used. It was a smell so unique I’d never forget it.
“Damn,” I whispered. “So why me?”
Olivia looked up at me again. Her hands then touched my chest. I felt her fingers slightly spread. She was exploring. I didn’t mind. Then she moved to her toes so she could reach my chin.
Her lips grazed my scruff. “I don’t know, Gavin. He’s never done something like this. Going into a town. He’s had other real estate deals but I was never involved. But everything with him is about his wealth and his image. And I’ve been stuck in that world for so many years. I told you, I came here to just get away. And when I look at you and when I’m with you, I feel like I’m away from it all. I feel like I can breathe.”
A small crack of thunder echoed in the distance followed by a slow rumble.
I reached up and touched her cheek. My callused, dirty hand against her soft, sweet cheek. I was a mechanic. She was a princess. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t going to work, ever.
But at least we had tonight… again.
She huddled up at the dining room table with her hands around a coffee mug. I couldn’t remember the last time I had coffee so late. She sat in my chair at the head of the table, which was fine. As much as I couldn’t figure out what was happening, there was a calming sense to it all. So calming.
“So where do Nikki and Ava live?” Olivia asked.
“An apartment about ten minutes from here. There’s only two apartment buildings in town. I’m sure your father would like to triple that, huh?”
“I don’t want to talk about that right now, Gavin.”
“I don’t think I can just forget about it. Because it’s a losing situation either way.”
“How so?”
“I can sell. I probably should. The garage is underwater. You see what I do. So if some rich guy shows up and wants to throw cash at me, how can I not take it? Toss the money into an account, live here, find something else to do. I’m sure I could wrestle your father into paying a lot more than what I should get. If he wants it that bad. Basic economics, darling.”
“That’s sexy when you talk so smart.”
I laughed. “Meaning I’m dumb?”
“No. Gavin. I didn’t…”
“Dirty hands, dirty clothes, I get it,” I said. “But I’m smarter than you think. So is everyone else in this town. So if I get rid of my shit, I get some cash. But I lose everything in this town. Or I stand my ground and live this life of balance. Do I pay the electric bill or do I pay the taxes on the building? You know?”
“You give a lot, Gavin.”
“It’s what I do. Nikki and Ava deserve better. I can’t give what they really want. So I give what they need.”
“What do they want?”
“Luke,” I said.
Olivia swallowed hard and nodded. “Damn.”
“There was a flicker of a moment when I thought maybe me and Nikki could… but there’s no way. She’s a sister to me and always will be. And every time I watch her fall and hurt herself I just feel more empty inside. She can’t help it. What would you do? She shows up at the garage and has no money to pay her rent. Is behind on daycare payments for Ava. Trying to work extra shifts at the diner to keep things going. And I have a bag of cash in the drawer.”
“That cash is to pay your bills for your business,” Olivia said.
“I know. But that cash could ease Nikki’s burdens. Which eases Ava’s. Which lets me keep my promise to my brother. To always take care of him. And I fucked up with him so I won’t fuck up with his family.”
Olivia reached across the table and touched my hand. She squeezed at it. She had a glistening in her eyes.
“You’re a really good person, Gavin. You deserve more. I want to help you.”
I took my hand away. “No. I don’t want anyone’s help, darling. Now tell me about your speech and whatever else is going on.”
I stood up and had to get away from the table for a second. I had to stop talking about Luke. The thing was… I had nobody to talk to Luke about. When I stood there and had to face the news, all eyes were on me. I was the one in front of it all. Not a single person was able to share that burden with me and for me. Until now. And that was a scary situation to be thrown into.
I walked to the backdoor in the kitchen and opened it.
Olivia stood up and took the thick blanket off her shoulders and draped it over the chair.
“I honestly don’t know…”
Jesse came barging into the house. Now that dog had a really nice doghouse, which he always used in the rain. I would never leave him outside to suffer in bad weather. Remember that. And at his age, Jesse would trot around in the rain, go to the bathroom, and then curl up in his doghouse until I let him back inside.
Tonight he had a sudden burst of energy.
As I turned, I saw Olivia step into the kitchen. Jesse was right there. His eyes went wide when he saw Olivia. His tail wagged like he was a puppy. And for the first time in a long time, Jesse jumped at someone. For a second I thought it was to protect the house. Or maybe he was finally losing his damn m
ind for good. But he barked - a happy bark - as his muddy paws slid along the front of Olivia’s shirt.
“Jesse!” I growled.
Olivia put her hands to the dog’s head and smiled. “It’s okay.”
Jesse barked again, tail going faster. He started to give her his paw, smacking her over and over, so excited.
It had been years since I’d seen him that excited about life.
In a matter of seconds, Olivia had gone from finally being dry from the rain to now being covered in wet mud.
I snapped my fingers. “Jesse, lay down.”
The dog flattened out on the kitchen floor. His tail kept wagging. His big eyes stared up at Olivia.
“I’m sorry, Liv.”
“No. I don’t care. I’ve never seen him active like that.”
“Me neither,” I said. “At least not for years.”
Jesse looked back at me.
Moving in on my woman, huh? Damn dog.
Jesse made a sighing growl and put his head down again.
Oliva crouched and petted his head. “That’s okay, Jesse. It’s just mud. It washes off.” She looked up at me. “Right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Right.”
When Olivia stood up, I realized just how good Jesse had gotten her. Streaks of mud down the front of her shirt to her pants. I didn’t even want to know how much the outfit cost.
“I can give you a change of clothes,” I said. “Nikki has stuff here. Or one of my shirts. Uh… if you want to get changed. Laundry is in the basement.”
“Sure,” Olivia said.
“If you go upstairs, take a right. First door on your right is a spare bedroom. I’ll put some clothes at the door. Sorry about Jesse.”
“Gavin, seriously, I don’t care. I don’t want you to think of me any different, okay? What you’re seeing is the real me. Right here.”
“Covered in mud?” I asked.
“Life is dirty, Gavin. We both know that.”
Olivia then walked away from me.
I looked down at Jesse. He looked up at me without moving his head. His tail started to wag.
