Hammer & Nails

by Large, Andria

“What the hell happened then?” Mr. Hammerstein replies, turning his gaze back to Nolan.

  “I was using a miter saw to cut some wood and slipped. The top of my middle finger got cut off. The doctor at the hospital was able to reattach it, but I’m on pain meds and can’t really function well enough to work right now.”

  “What in God’s name are you doing using a saw?” Nolan’s dad shouts and bangs a fist on his desk. His livid gaze once again lands on me.

  “I’m helping with the renovations at the house…” Nolan starts, but his father cuts him off.

  “Why the fuck would you do that? That’s her job!” he exclaims, pointing at me.

  I grind my teeth together in an effort to keep my mouth shut. This guy is a dickwad. I feel horrible for Nolan having to deal with this. I don’t know what I’d do if my dad didn’t support me in everything I wanted to do.

  “I wanted to get involved! I wanted to be able to say that I put the tile floor down, that I painted the walls, that I helped make my house look incredible,” Nolan barks.

  “Yeah well, look where it got you - with a missing finger!”

  Nolan makes an aggravated noise and releases my hand so that he can shove his through his dark hair.

  “There is nothing to argue about here. It was an accident and it’s done and over with, so stop, Dad,” Nolan says wearily. “I just need two weeks off. I gave Brock everything for the benefit, so he can finish getting it together. I will help him from home.”

  Mr. Hammerstein glares at Nolan for a few tense seconds. “Fine, take your two weeks, but you better believe when you get back, you’re going to be working your ass off to catch up on everything you fall behind on.”

  “Got it,” Nolan grunts and immediately turns. “Let’s go, Harley,” he says and holds his hand out for me.

  I glance at him before turning back to his father, who is shooting daggers at me. As much as I want to stay silent, I can’t, not when I can see the disappointment and hurt in Nolan’s blue eyes. And it kills me. It kills me that his own father is treating him this way because of me. Nolan shakes his head at me, but I ignore him.

  “Mr. Hammerstein, I get that you don’t like me. That you think lesser of me as a person not only because I’m a woman, but because I’m a woman who works and owns her own business. What I don’t get is how it’s possible for a father to treat his son like this? Aren’t you supposed to be supportive? Aren’t you supposed to worry, to be scared, to ask him if he’s okay and if he’ll be alright? Isn’t that what being a father really is? Nolan is not just your employee, dammit! He’s your only son. The only one you have! And you’re going to treat him like shit because you don’t like me? Well, shame on you, Mr. Hammerstein. You’re no father at all; you’re just a fucking asshole who only cares about himself.”

  Mr. Hammerstein’s eyes flash furiously. “Get out of my office,” he hisses.

  “Gladly,” I scoff.

  Nolan shakes his head and sighs as he places his hand on my shoulder to guide me out of the office. We make our way out to my truck in silence. Once we are closed inside the cab, I turn to Nolan.

  “I’m sorry, I lost my temper. He was being such an ass, though.” I sigh.

  “Nolan nods. “I know. I don’t blame you. I would have lost my temper, too, if it were the other way around. Thank you for what you said.”

  I give him a tight smile. “I just hate that you and your father aren’t getting along now because of me.”

  Nolan shrugs. “Can’t be helped. I’m not going to stop seeing you just because he doesn’t like you. He’s going to have to get over it. You know, it was kinda hot, you getting all defensive of me. I may’ve even gotten a semi from it.”

  I laugh and shake my head. “I love you.”

  Nolan returns my smile. “I love you, too.”

  ~ Eleven ~

  ~ Nolan ~

  After the whole debacle with my father, Harley and I go back to her house. Harley goes into the kitchen to grab something to drink. I follow her. As she opens the fridge, I wrap my arms around her waist and drop my chin to her shoulder. A wild idea pops into my head.

  “We should go away,” I murmur.

  She snorts and grabs a Snapple. “Yeah, okay,” she replies like I’ve lost my mind and gives my cheek a pat.

  She shuts the fridge and turns, forcing me to let her go. She gives me a wry look before walking past me into the living room then plops down on her recliner and throws the lever back.

  “I’m serious, let’s get away. I’ve got two weeks off, we can go on a vacation somewhere,” I say, the thought of getting away sounding better and better as the minutes pass.

  “I can’t stop working on your house for two weeks! Do you know how far that would put me back?” she squawks incredulously, flipping the lever of the recliner forward so that she’s sitting upright.

  I take a seat on the couch and rest my forearms on my knees. “I don’t care how long it takes anymore, baby. Come on, come away with me.”

  “Who are you? Nora Jones now?” she says with a laugh.

  I smirk for a moment before it falls. “Harley, please. I want to go away and forget all of this shit with my dad and work and the house,” I say seriously. “I just want to be with you, away from everything and everyone else.”

  “You know this is going to be really expensive booking something last minute, right?”

  “I don’t care,” I respond, shaking my head.

  Harley sighs. “Alright, let’s go somewhere.”

  “Yes! Thank you!” I exclaim, jumping up to give her a kiss before going to get my laptop.

  When I come back to the couch, she is smiling softly. I give her a grin, making her roll her eyes. I sit on the couch and open my laptop. Harley gets up from her chair to climb onto the couch next to me, curling up against my side.

  “So where to, Captain?” she teases.

  “Well, let’s see, where have you been already?” I ask, looking down at her.

  She frowns. “Uh, I’ve never left Boston.”

  “What? Really?”

  She shrugs. “My dad wasn’t the traveling type and he didn’t have the money, anyway, being a single parent and all.”

  I plant a kiss on her forehead. “Okay, well we’ll go somewhere I’ve never been either so we can both experience it for the first time.”

  She agrees. After some deliberation, we settle on San Francisco. I’ve always wanted to go there. There is so much to see and do; plus, the weather is warm unlike here where it’s starting to get down into the 40s and 30s. I book our flights - which almost gives Harley a heart attack with the price - then I book our hotel. We leave in two days. That gives us plenty of time to pack our bags and get the hell out of here.

  ~ Harley ~

  “So, uh, Nolan and I are going away for a week,” I murmur during dinner at my dad’s.

  My dad’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “Oh yeah? Where to?”

  “San Francisco,” Nolan supplies, before taking a bite of his pasta.

  “Oh nice, when are you going?” he asks.

  “Wednesday.” I wince.

  My dad, who was sipping his beer when I answer, spews it out all over Shane, who is sitting across from him. Everyone but Shane erupts into a fit of laughter. Shane, on the other hand, is cursing up a storm as he grabs a bunch of napkins to wipe the beer/spit combo dripping from his face.

  My dad turns to me. “Wednesday?”

  “Yeah, Nolan has two weeks off, so…” I shrug.

  “So you’re putting work on the house on hold while you’re away?” Nate asks.

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  Nate raises a curious eyebrow at Nolan. “And you’re okay with this?”

  “It was my idea,” Nolan replies.

  “Wow, you running from something?” Jason jokes with a small laugh.

  Yeah, they must think Nolan has lost his mind if he is not only okay with not working on the house for a week, but also that it was his idea. I don’t blame them.
Nolan has been adamant from the beginning about getting the house done as soon as possible.

  Nolan shrugs. “I got into another argument with my dad. I just want to go away and forget about it for a while. I don’t want to sit around for two weeks and dwell on it.”

  My dad, who is sitting adjacent to Nolan, places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving it a fatherly squeeze. “Sorry to hear that, son.”

  Nolan sighs. “Nothing is going to change his mind about Harley, and I’m not going to give up being the happiest I’ve been in years just because he doesn’t like her.”

  My dad pats his shoulder and gives him a proud smile. “Good man.”

  I can’t help but smile at Nolan, too. He’s really changed since we first met. The uptight snob has vanished and has been replaced with a loving, sweet, and caring man. Don’t get me wrong, he still likes to dress all snazzy and get his nails done, but his attitude has changed dramatically.

  “So I get a paid week off from work then?” Nate asks, his eyes lighting up with hope and excitement.

  I wince. “If you want to use your vacation time; otherwise, I can’t afford to pay you, you know that. It’s gonna be the same option for the other guys.”

  “Harley,” Nate whines. “You know I use my vacation time to go down to Cancun for spring break every year with my boys. I can’t use it now!”

  “I’m sorry, Nate.”

  “Spring break? Aren’t you a little old to go on spring break?” Nolan asks incredulously.

  Nate grins rakishly. “Dude, do you have any idea how many girls I’ve picked up while down there? Dozens! They’re all young, drunk, and easy,” Nate says.

  “You are a disgrace to this family,” my dad states seriously, but I can see his eyes twinkling with amusement.

  Nate rolls his eyes. “Plus, they love my accent; they basically flock to me and hang off my every word.”

  “You are such a pig,” I groan.

  “I can’t help it if the ladies love this handsome face.” He smirks.

  Nolan looks at me. “Now I know where you get it from.” He smiles.

  I laugh and elbow him in the side. He laughs.

  “Why not just let Nate and the guys keep working on the house? I’m sure they are more than capable,” Jason suggests.

  I look at him like he’s crazy. “What? And leave Nate in charge? I don’t think so.”

  “Hey!” Nate exclaims, pretending to look offended.

  “I can take over for a week, sweetie,” my dad chimes in.

  I glance at him. Before my dad retired, he was the head foreman for the biggest construction biz in Boston, so I know that he’s more than capable of running my company for a week. Plus, this way, Nolan’s house will still get work done to it and we won’t fall behind.

  “Are you sure?” I ask him.

  He gives me a big smile. “Absolutely. You deserve to take some time off. Go have fun and don’t worry about anything.”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” I reply with a loving smile.

  ~ Nolan ~

  Wednesday rolls around pretty quickly. We are at the airport and on the plane by 8:00 am, then in San Fran six hours later. I made sure that we’re staying at a higher end hotel. I want Harley to have a fabulous first experience outside of Boston. We are within walking distance of Fisherman’s Wharf, which I know has a bunch of shops, street performers, and restaurants.

  Both of us are exhausted by the time we get up to our room, so we drop our bags and decide to take a nap. I am also due for more pain meds, which I need to take because my hand is killing me. As I pop a pill in my mouth and chug some water, I watch Harley as she snuggles under the covers of the king sized bed. She looks so tiny on it. Her long blonde hair fans out on the pillow as she turns on her side to face me. She gives me a soft, loving smile.

  I kick off my shoes, yank my socks off, and remove my belt. Then I tug my shirt up over my head and hang it over the back of one of the chairs in the room so it doesn’t get wrinkled. I do the same with my pants.

  “You didn’t tell me we’re getting naked to take a nap.” Harley smirks, making it very obvious that she’s checking me out.

  “I don’t want my clothes getting wrinkled.” I shrug and climb under the covers.

  Harley’s hand snakes over my hip and around to my ass as she pulls me closer to her. I chuckle softly before her lips meet mine. She tangles her legs around mine and grinds her hips against me, stirring my cock to life. We continue to kiss as our hands - well hand for me - explore each other.

  Soon, we’re both completely naked and Harley is riding me. Her hands are on my chest, her short nails biting into my skin. Her hair is bouncing and swaying around her shoulders. Her lips are parted slightly and her eyes are locked on mine. I’m holding her hips, more so with my right hand since I really can’t use my left too well. The sight she presents above me is absolutely glorious.

  Her right hand leaves my chest to rub circles around her clit. My eyes snap down to watch her. I love that she sees to her own pleasure. She knows her body and what it likes. That is so sexy to me. A moan escapes me. Her breathing becomes erratic so I know that she’s getting close. Little whimpering noises escape from between her parted lips. I lift my eyes back up to her face, which is now flushed. Her brow is creased in concentration, as she gets closer to her orgasm.

  “Damn, baby, you feel so good,” I groan, digging my head back into the pillow.

  A strangled cry tears up her throat as she falls apart. I can feel her convulsing around me and it sends me over the edge. I grit my teeth and grunt as my orgasm shoots through me. Harley collapses on top of me, burying her face in my neck while smothering me with her hair. She laughs when I start swiping at it and spitting it out of my mouth. I chuckle when I’m finally free of it’s depths.

  “You’re the one who always wants my hair down,” she mumbles, her voice muffled.

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I want you to choke me with it.” I snicker.

  She laughs again and rolls off me.

  I get up and get rid of the condom then climb back into bed with a satisfied but exhausted sigh. Harley shuts herself in the bathroom for a few minutes before returning and snuggling up against my side.

  ~ Harley ~

  This vacation has been so amazing so far. We’ve been here three days and have seen so much. We’ve eaten delicious food, talked to some interesting people, and have definitely grown closer. I absolutely love this city. Everything about it. The sights, the sounds, the people, I love it all!

  Today, Nolan and I are going on a vineyard and wine tasting tour. I don’t know the first thing about wine, never really liked it, but Nolan really wants to do it. So here we are, riding in a bus with about forty other people, heading to the Sonoma Valley. The tour is taking us to four different wineries.

  The first winery is really nice but I don’t like any of the wines we taste. The second winery is absolutely breathtaking, and I actually enjoy one of their white wines. By the time we get to the third winery, I’m starting to feel a little buzzed. Normally, I’m not a lightweight when it comes to drinking beer, but the wine is hitting me differently. Plus, we haven’t had too much to eat yet today, just breakfast, and that was a few hours ago.

  While sitting at the bar at the fourth and final winery, an older couple comes and sits next to us for the tasting. They look to be in their late sixties, and the woman is wearing a pretty floral scarf around her head. It’s obvious that she’s fighting some kind of cancer.

  “Hi, I’m Harley,” I say with a smile, introducing myself to them.

  The woman smiles warmly and shakes my hand. “Hi, Harley. I’m Lucy and this is my husband, Bert.”

  “Hi, there,” Bert says and shakes my hand.

  “Hi, Bert. This is my boyfriend, Nolan,” I say, placing my hand on Nolan’s arm.

  Nolan smiles and shakes both of their hands.

  “If you hadn’t said ‘boyfriend,’ I would have thought that you were on your honeymoon,” Lucy s
ays sweetly.

  Nolan and I chuckle.

  “I’ve been watching you two during the tour and can’t get over how sweet you guys are,” she goes on to say.

  “Aw, thank you,” I reply.

  “Is this your first time in Sonoma?” Bert asks.

  “Yes. And it’s Harley’s first time ever out of Boston.” Nolan smirks.

  “Oh wow! How wonderful! Are you having a good time?” Lucy chirps.

  “The best!” I gush.

  “What brings you guys out here?” Nolan asks curiously.

  Bert places his hand on Lucy’s shoulder. She gives him a sad smile and covers his hand with her own. My heart drops and I know what Lucy is about to say isn’t going to be pleasant.

  “I have stage four breast cancer. I did a couple rounds of chemo and radiation but it’s spread throughout my whole body. The doctors only give me a few months to live. Bert and I want to make these last few months something to remember. I refuse to lie in a bed and sulk, when I can be out being happy until I can’t do it anymore.”

  My eyes well up all on their own as I place my hand over Lucy’s where it sits on the bar. “I am so sorry to hear that,” I say with a trembling voice.

  “Oh sweetie, don’t cry for me. I’ve lived a good life. I’ve raised my children into beautiful adults and I’ve got to spend time with my gorgeous grandchildren. This is all part of God’s plan for me and I accept that.”

  I brush away the tears that start to roll down my face. “Well, I am honored that I’ve had the chance to meet you,” I tell her.

  “And I you, my dear,” Lucy replies with a smile and pats my knee. “Now, let’s not dwell on my demise. I’m here to taste some delicious wine and make new friends.”

  “Cheers to that,” Bert says and raises his glass.

  We all clink our glasses together then take a sip.

  ~ Nolan ~

  “Hey, are you okay?” Harley asks quietly as we take the elevator up to our room. “You’ve been awfully quiet since we left the winery.”

  My mind has been racing. After hearing Lucy’s story, I was reminded of my mother and my original plans to study the disease and to help find a cure. I feel like I’ve betrayed her in not fighting for the lives of other women and men who end up with this horrible disease.