Following along behind her, he decided to remain quiet, give her time to process everything. Marti wasn’t shy. If she wanted to know something, she would ask. Taking a deep breath, he followed her, ready to help her reach the top shelves her tiny frame wouldn’t be able to reach. It had always been nice working together. Suddenly, he found himself thinking out loud. “I really enjoy our projects,” he commented as he started unloading the first bag and setting the contents on the counter.
Finally he’d earned a reaction from her. Marti let out a mirthless laughed. “No you don’t.” Her back was to him as she put items away in refrigerator.
Pausing, Joey looked at her completely confused. “How can you say that? I love spending time with you, doing stuff together.” He watched her for a reaction.
Slowly she turned, a smirk on her face and leaned against the counter. “Do I have to remind you about the porch? Or maybe we should talk about the bathroom remodel? And if you enjoyed having me around so much, why was I banned from my own house?” She crossed her arms over her chest while she waited for his response.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he completely saw her point. “Oh, you mean all of that.” He cleared his throat to buy himself some time for an explanation. He was coming up completely empty. Finally, in frustration he merely added, “That doesn’t count.”
“How’s that again?” Her face was scrunched up in disbelief.
“Well, you’re taking it out of context,” he spluttered.
“How else was I supposed to take ‘don’t come back until I say so’?” Marti’s head tilted while she waited for his answer.
“I was saving you! Remember?” He walked over to her and held her upper arms. “You were a danger to yourself and everyone around you. It was you versus the house. And quite frankly, the house was winning! The porch nearly consumed you. The flying tiles might as well have been throwing stars, the way the shards sliced you up.” Joey chuckled at the memory of her wielding the sledgehammer and watched as her face softened and her cheeks went pink.
Sighing, she bowed her head. “I just wanted to help,” she murmured.
“Oh, you’re very helpful. For a while, I thought you were going to help me into an early grave. If anything happened to you…” he paused, suddenly stricken with the realization of how deep his feelings ran. When had this happened? Why was he so scared? It didn’t take much introspection for him to figure out the answer to the last question. Finn, the root of all evil, the reason for lingering doubts and his belief happy endings were the stuff of fairy tales. In real life, he had never experienced such an anomaly. Afraid he had suddenly left himself exposed, his mind raced to change the subject, but already Marti had caught on and held tight like a snapping turtle. She never missed a thing. Usually it made him so proud of her, but this time it was highly inconvenient.
“If anything happened to me what?” She stared up at him hopefully. There was an absolute glimmer in her eyes.
Torn between wanting to build a bridge and self-preservation, Joey studied her. Would it be so bad to let her know how he felt? Then he imagined her response, how quickly she would shut him down after the horrible mistake he had made with Finn. The risk was too great. Forcing a grin, he finally completed the sentence. “If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t get paid.”
Pulling away, Marti began swatting at him, laughing as she did. This time his smile was genuine. To avoid being hit, Joey pulled her against him. Caught up in the moment, enjoying the playfulness between them once more, without thinking he ducked his head and grazed Marti’s lips. The sparks between them flew, or maybe he was the only one feeling them. When he quickly peeked, he realized Marti had inhaled sharply, but still tilted her face for his easy access. Never wanting to disappoint her again, Joey brushed his lips against hers, tentatively at first. His fear of rejection made each movement slightly awkward and stilted. Gradually, his confidence grew, the longer she allowed him to kiss her. His decision made, Joey finally truly captured her lips. With little coaxing, her lips parted allowing him to deepen their connection. After a few moments of their tongues dancing, he reluctantly pulled back. Afraid she would escape too quickly, his hands gripped the sides of her face, his forehead remained pressed against hers.
Emboldened, Joey released her head, his hands finding her shoulders and rubbing their way down her back. Holding back was killing him. He longed to pick her up, carry her to bed and make her his once more. As his hands drew her impossibly close and he pursed his lips, ready to connect, her fingers covered his mouth.
“Wait,” she murmured.
Inwardly, he groaned. Knowing her as he did, he sensed the moment had already passed. He could storm off, as was so often his way before she came into his life, or he could make light of it. If he wanted things to be different between them, he needed to be different too. Opening his eyes, he mumbled, “Too soon?”
Without speaking, she nodded against his forehead. Studying her, he recognized a pained look on her face. Frowning he pulled back, alarms going off in his head, his heart thumping, and his urge to run strong. Over the years he had cultivated an ability to avoid anything too heavy. What was he doing with this woman? If he wanted light, he should have gone off with Finn. It was time for real, which was infinitely heavier. Still, with Marti, no matter how real the struggle, he was in it come what may.
Her mood was changing. He could feel it. As she pulled back, Joey could see her eyes were filling once more with tears, which threatened to spill over.
“What’s going on with you? What can I do to make it better?” His eyes darted back and forth across her face.
Straightening, she inhaled deeply a few times as though she needed to steady her nerves. Wiping at her eyes, she sighed. Finally, looking at him in a serious way that chilled him, she murmured, “I need at least two weeks.”
“What? I don’t know what that means.” Panic rose in his chest. Swallowing hard, he struggled to remain calm. Scanning her once more, he waited for Marti to explain.
“Just give me a couple of weeks of peace and quiet. No drama. No questions. No pushing me. I need to be able to breathe again before I start making decisions. I need space. Can you do that for me?” There was a pleading look in her eyes. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest. A frown seemed to have taken residence on her face.
His eyes closed. He didn’t have to leave, he just had to not push...which meant he should probably leave while realizing he had no choice but to stay. She was asking the impossible. Somehow, he had to give her what she needed. Nodding, he finally replied. “Sure. Anything. I just want to see you smile again.” Marti seemed to relax some, her shoulders loosened up and her hands fell to her sides. “Anything else?”
Smiling more easily now, she shrugged. “Maybe one?”
“Of course.” Joey about kicked himself. He didn’t even know what she was about to ask.
“Help me put the groceries away?” she asked weakly. Then she giggled and it was as though the sun had come out all over again.
Those two weeks passed painfully slowly. Joey could have sworn he felt every moment of them. He worked on the house during the day, pushing his crew to complete the project within the time constraints. There were often strained dinners with Marti. She had seemed so pre-occupied whenever they were together. Per her request¸ he left her alone, didn’t ask, didn’t initiate intimacy, didn’t urge her to forgive him. Every single night, he had laid on the couch, wishing he were in her bed, holding her. The distance between them hurt. There was an ache in his heart, an emptiness he hadn’t felt before. Scowling, he realized it wasn’t entirely true. Through the years, Joey had done a fine job of avoiding the emptiness by filling it with meaningless sex and lots of alcohol.
Brantley was due to move in today. Since he wanted no part of it, Joey had left bright and early, just as soon as he finished getting ready. Sharing a bathroom with Marti had proven to be nothing short of one of the circles of hell. He had snuck outside and
peed off the back porch more than once during the last couple of weeks. Finally, he had given up, started showering at night, and running off to Keely’s on the weekends for breakfast. The move was making him especially restless. The other two bedrooms still weren’t ready yet, nor was the bathroom. As was often the case with old houses, they had run into more than one snafu and now the vanity, which fit the space, was on backorder. It could be another two weeks of couch camping before he had any privacy, any space to himself.
“So, what brings you here?” Keely asked. There was a special twinkle in her eyes at the moment. He could only imagine what she had heard.
Leaning back and stretching in his seat, Joey studied her a moment before he responded. “Brunch. What else?” A frown settled on his lips.
Laughing, she shook her head. “Oh, I thought you might be feeling a bit put out because a new man is moving in on your territory.” She stared at him pointedly.
“Is that what you think? You couldn’t be more wrong. I happen to love your red velvet pancakes. After all, you only make them in February. I wait all year for them.” Joey cringed at all the words coming out of his mouth. Still, he couldn’t seem to stop.
Keely glanced about. The dining room was effectively empty since it was so early. He sensed she was either going to speak her mind, something she did far too often, or she was going to sit and try to have a heart-to-heart with him. When she pulled out the chair, he groaned inwardly and dropped his head in his hands.
“Is there a problem, Joseph?” she asked sternly, settling in despite him.
Shaking his head, Joey tried to dig deep and perk up. “I’m fine. Really.”
“You have circles under your eyes. Your clothes are all wrinkled. And you need to go use the restroom because you have this crazy bedhead thing going on in the back.” She pointed to the offending hairs before continuing.
Laying a hand on his head, he grumbled. “I can’t have bedhead. I sleep on the sofa.”
“Right. Whatever. My point, Joseph, is that you look like you’re falling apart. Worse, you are making it impossible for me to gloat. You have robbed me of my moment!” A smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was teasing him, but there was more than a hint of truth to her words.
“Seriously, I’m great. If there’s anyone you should be worried about, it’s Marti. I mean, she’s moving a stranger into her home.” Joey paused, hoping that was enough, and when Keely looked unconcerned, he continued. “And the couponing! You need to stage an intervention. She has spent almost every day of the last two weeks out grocery shopping. She doesn’t even have room for it all. She’s asked me to build her more storage in the mudroom.” He sighed heavily. “Actually she’s already created a long list of projects for me on the wipe board over the desk in the kitchen. At the rate she’s going I’ll never be done.”
Slapping the table, she laughed. “Please. You never want to be done with that woman. Too bad you figured it out too late.” She frowned at him.
“How long do you plan to keep rubbing it in?” Joey grumbled.
Keely shrugged. “I’m thinking...forever.”
“Oh, is that all.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling.
“As for the shopping, let her be. Marti is both fiercely independent and the kind of person who needs a sense of purpose. She has been telling everyone she never wants to depend on anyone again. I’m sure you’re at least in part to blame for that.” She studied him a moment. “Are you sure you aren’t just bothered because she’s more interested in groceries than succumbing to your charms? It must be rather hard for your ego to take.”
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he pondered whether her theory held water. “I miss her,” Joey admitted. Then he leaned on the table. “I don’t know how to fix things between us.”
“Yeah. You really blew it. Worse, you have no one to blame but yourself.” Still, as she spoke she grinned. “Make me understand. How could you run off to be with Finn the first chance you had after the way she treated you? How could you hurt Marti who would never hurt you even if her life depended on it? It just doesn’t make sense.”
Raking his fingers through his strawberry blonde hair, he concentrated on explaining his point of view, which really amounted to nothing more than making excuses in a simple attempt to justify his actions. “You know how you hear all the time about repeat offenders, these felons who just can’t seem to turn their lives around? Most of them can’t get jobs because everywhere there are background checks. Then they get desperate to survive so they return to earning money the only way they know, which is naturally...illegal. They get caught and the cycle continues. It’s like that.” Joey exhaled, confident he had clarified things.
Without speaking, she stuck a finger in her ear and wiggled it around while scrunching up her face. “Come again? Sorry, I just had to clean out my ears from all that bullshit you were spouting.” Keely gave him a pointed look. Once again, he shriveled under her gaze. “You had options. You had tons of options. You could have stayed with one of your employees. You could have slept in your truck. Heck, you could have driven to Charlotte and stayed in some cheap hotel.” She leaned closer as she spoke, eyes glinting with barely contained fury. “Instead, you decided to take the easy route and stayed with Finn. What I gave you was a test. You failed miserably. Losing Marti was the consequence.”
Looking about the room, Keely discovered the dining room was beginning to fill up. Her little kitchen helper was peeking out in a desperate attempt to get her attention and thereby her help. Sighing, and seeming slightly winded after reaming Joey out, she stood. “Well, it looks like I have to go. Enjoy your pancakes on me.” Scowling, she returned to work.
Enjoy your pancakes. Not likely. His stomach was churning as he struggled to digest their conversation. This time, he really may have lost his appetite. Joey considered just leaving a tip on the table and walking out, but then the red velvet pancakes he’d been waiting eleven months for appeared on the table. Picking up a fork, he wondered why...why do I have to lose her? Can’t I get another chance?
The more he thought about it, the more he considered talking to her about his feelings. Marti was reasonable. If he just reminded her how his positive qualities outweighed the bad ones, how he had done far more good than harm, she’d probably see it just made sense to give him a second chance. After all, hadn’t he done as she requested and left her alone for the past two weeks? Yes, he deserved it, he’d earned it. Suddenly he looked at his pancakes anew. His stomach settled and his hunger returned. Cutting through the stack, he stabbed a forkful and brought it to his mouth. Funny, they tasted like chocolate hope.
As soon as he had devoured the rest of his meal, he drove home, a smile on his face. So what if Brantley moved in. It didn’t change things between them. The new guy was a stranger, whereas he and Marti had history. Smiling, he remembered how long it had taken for them to get comfortable with each other.
There was a spring in his step as he exited his truck, all but jogged to the back entrance, and bounded up the porch steps. Joey flung open the door and headed into the kitchen. He’d had a few minutes during the drive to practice what he wanted to say. Still those words were lost the when he found them in the kitchen.
What struck him first was Brantley wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was sitting hunched over on a stool at the counter making strange noises, part groan, part moan. When the door finally slammed shut, Marti peeked over his shoulder and looked at Joey questioningly. It seemed she was massaging Brantley’s shoulders after the move.
He had to hand it to the new guy. They sure had connected fast. The realization hit him like a punch in the gut and all but knocked with wind out of him. Instantly, he was gasping for air while his meal threatened to make a return trip. He could taste the bile in the back of his throat. It was all he could do to gesture he was heading back out, not that either of them seemed to notice.
When he had exited the house and sealed the door behind him, Joey sat down hard on the back por
ch. His heart was absolutely racing. Laying a hand on his chest, he hoped to slow it. Somehow, he never expected to react like that. After all, how many times through the years had he seen Finn with other guys, trying to make him jealous? It never worked. Mostly, it just made him angry. There was never any actual physical pain like he was experiencing at the moment. Of course, it could be because he held Marti to much higher standards. Joey refused to believe it had anything to do with how he felt about her. There was no way Marti had managed to get under his skin and burrow into his heart in such a short amount of time. Impossible.
Closing her eyes, Marti clenched her fists and imagined what it looked like from Joey’s perspective. Who knows how long she would have stayed like that, trying to hold her temper had Brantley not interrupted her thoughts.
“Do you see anything? It felt like something bit me near my shoulder blade. It was a pinch. It hurt like hell.” He reached over his shoulder to show the impacted area. “I’ve heard horror stories about black widows,” he explained.
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