“Who cares? We took a rickshaw back here last night, and it was fucking hilarious. The guy sang to us the entire time, peddling in like gear two.”
“You are so bizarre. But you realize with him being president of a frat, he has hundreds of followers. He never has just one girl in his stories.”
“Once again, Maya, the point? It’s seven fucking o’clock in the morning!”
“He’s into you. Girls are going to be after you hardcore.”
“Psh, I doubt it. One, Aiden doesn’t do relationships at all. He wanted a fuck buddy, which I declined because I have dignity. Two, we’re just friends. Three, I may be small, but I’m scrappy as hell.”
Chuckling, she shook her head. “You are so weird. How are you not such a girl? I would be freaking out right now if I were you. Aiden Chad. Into me. Ah…sure is a fantasy for another day.”
“I was raised by my grandpa and uncle. Both blue-collar, manly men who still mutter the phrase ‘women drivers.’ So from the important age of seven until sixteen, I was not doing normal girl things.”
“I know, J. I don’t know where you’d be without me.” She sighed dramatically.
As much as Maya was teasing, I felt an overwhelming wave of emotion because she was right. I didn’t know where I’d be without her. She saved me from drowning in sorrow and forgetting to live. “I love you, Maya. I’m so glad you’re doing this. You’re staying here and fighting for your future.”
Her eyes widened, and she had an expression of shock on her face, which made me feel like an asshole.
“Am I seriously such a bitch all the time so me expressing emotion is earth-shattering news?”
“No, no, it’s just you normally don’t do feelings. It gave me the feels. Aw. I’m hugging you now. Deal with it.”
“Ahh!” I squealed as she wrapped her arms around me and spooned me.
Not one to be left out, Kennedy poked her head in the doorway after hearing the commotion. “Cuddle sesh without me? What the hell?”
It was how I found myself early Thursday morning—my two best friends spooning me in my bed. And I realized once again I was incredibly lucky to have them in my life. “You guys are nuts. But you’re my nuts.”
“Deep, Jenna, really deep,” Kennedy said, her face smooshed into the pillow.
“Yeah, Jenna’s feeling all feely today, so watch out. It must be a full moon.”
“Oh, fuck off!”
As if on cue, my phone went off, and I was thankful for the distraction. I pulled my limbs away from my friends to search for it.
“Oh, who is it? Is it Aiden?”
“Calm your tits. It’s Uncle Rich. Only he would call this damn early.”
I took the call and caught up with him for a few minutes. My grandpa and he were both laborers and wanted me to meet them for lunch at one of the buildings they were working at. I hadn’t seen my uncle in two weeks. We rarely went so long between visits.
Jenna: Hey, sorry to cancel breakfast today, but my family needs to see me. Reschedule for tomorrow?
Aiden: No prob. I’ll go see Mike instead.
Jenna: Tell him hi for me.
A couple hours later, after pulling on a tank, my Yankees hat, and jeans, I hopped on my moped and took off toward the address.
The building was huge for Phoenix because the city was still up and coming, so it stood out. I hoped the owners weren’t abusing their rights with the laborers, as many had in the past. I shuddered at the memories of working with them as a teenager. Asbestos, injuries, long hours in the heat. I didn’t want that life, despite being trained on multiple machines and understanding the appeal of it. My grandpa and uncle swore by it, but I wasn’t interested.
I entered the tall, sleek doors and headed toward the sixteenth floor with some sandwiches I’d packed up for them. I smiled as I heard their laughter coming from the farthest room.
“Hey, assholes, I can hear you from the elevator!”
“J.J.! Give me a hug, darlin’. You enjoying yourself back at school?” My grandpa’s cigar smell overtook my senses, and I instantly felt at home.
“Yeah, same ol’ same ol’. Life’s good!” I gave my uncle a hug as well, along with the other guys on their project. Gus, Thom, and Larry were like the Three Stooges, Southwest version. “What are you guys working on here? This building looks insane from the outside.”
“Just renovating the whole sixteenth floor for some hotshot law offices. Shouldn’t be more than another month or two,” my uncle answered.
“Nice. Here are your sandwiches.”
“Darlin’, you didn’t have to do anything for us. You’re a poor college kid. You need to save your money, hun. How many times do I got to tell ya?”
“Pa, stop. You didn’t have to take the responsibility of raising some hell-raisin’ child either. This is no big deal, so shut up and eat, old man.”
“Yeah, she’s sure as hell yours. Got a mouth on her.”
“Hell yeah, I do. I learned from the best.” I winked at Gus.
These were the some of the best men I knew. All honest-to-God hard workers just trying to give their families a better life. They were kind to others, showed up to work every day, and didn’t complain or bitch when their boss suddenly started showing up to work with a little girl. They just took me in as one of their own, and I couldn’t imagine life any other way. They taught me hard work and how life’s too short.
I was plopped down on a lawn chair, eating an apple, when the elevator doors opened and an extremely tall, dark handsome man stepped out. He was on the phone, but I thought he looked familiar for some reason. I just couldn’t place it.
“Oh shit, it’s the boss man. Let’s wrap it up, gentlemen. You can stick around for a moment if you want, baby doll, but we shouldn’t be sittin’ around talking when he shows up.” My grandpa stood and wiped his hands on his pants.
“Is he the contractor?” I continued to try and get a peek of the guy.
“No, he’s one of the hotshots of the office.”
“All right, well, I have an hour before I need to leave for class, so I’ll help you guys for a bit.”
“Still remember how to use a nail gun?” He turned to me with a half-smile.
“Damn straight, Grandpa.”
I grabbed the nail gun. It wasn’t too hard, and I’d rather work than sit around. An hour went by, and all the while I let my mind roam as the sounds of music and laughter filled the room.
I was covered in drywall dust and sneezed so loud a face poked out of the room at the end of the hall. I burst out laughing because I was sure they were confused as to why there was such a girly sneeze coming from a room full of men. I set down the gun and cleaned up as best I could. My uncle rolled his eyes and threw me a towel. It didn’t help much, but hell, I really wasn’t into fashion.
“It was nice seeing you guys! I’ll stop by again next week when I’m free, all right? I have to go wash this shit off before class.”
“Make us proud, Jenna! Love you, baby doll!” My grandpa beamed at me.
I rolled my eyes as they all gave me hugs.
I was dusting my jeans off by the elevator when Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome came up behind me.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think your name came up when they signed the contract.”
I turned around and was met with the sharpest eyes I’d ever seen. It made me want to take a step back, but I held my ground. “I’m sure it didn’t.”
He chuckled softly before replying, “Seeing as I own this floor, may I ask what you’re doing here?”
“Sure. I was just helping out.” I shrugged, not making it easy on the stranger. I knew the type. The strong alphas who wanted those beneath them to give in. I was a hellion and would never give in to the man.
“Once again, sorry to be rude, but why?” A smile formed on his lips.
“Jim is my grandfather, and Rich is my uncle. The rest of those hardworking men helpe
d raised me. I brought them lunch and helped out for a while.” I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the elevator while this intimidating stranger continued to ask me questions.
“Is it safe? You have to have permits to use some of the machinery, and I won’t have someone breaking contract.”
“Of course it’s safe. I would never go near it without knowing how to use it. I was raised with them. Instead of playing with dolls, I was using a nail gun. I knew how to hang drywall at twelve and use a jackhammer at fifteen. My name is actually on his list of employees. During my time off school, I sometimes pick up extra hours.”
My response surprised him. His eyes widened, and he scratched his chin in such a familiar manner.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. I’m sure I would remember you if we’d met. You make quite an impression.”
The elevator finally arrived after what seemed like years. It wasn’t like the man was being unfriendly, but rather, I felt as if I were missing something. The doors pinged, and when they opened, Aiden stood there dressed in a suit and tie. An attractive redheaded girl held onto his hand.
His mouth dropped, and he jerked his hand out of the girl’s grasp before saying, “Jenna, what are you doing here? Why are you with my brother and covered in dust? What the hell?”
“This is your brother? Ah, now it makes sense.” I sighed in relief. This man felt familiar because of his mannerisms. I put my hand on his arm and said, “Now I know why you seemed so familiar.”
I ignored the knot in my stomach at the sight of Aiden holding hands with the redhead, who was shooting daggers at me. The differences between the two of us were comical. Me covered in drywall, hair hanging from under my hat, in loose-fitting jeans and boots. Her in her little black dress which was way too short and her perfect makeup. Clearly, she didn’t like his attention on me, but I didn’t give a shit.
“You know Aiden?” his brother asked with a bemused look on his face.
“Yeah, we’re friends.” I shrugged and glanced back at Aiden to see his eyes narrow in concern.
His brother laughed condescendingly. “Aiden has a friend who is a girl? Not likely.”
Aiden began to interrupt, but I held up a hand. “First, it’s rude to assume your brother doesn’t make friends. Two, you’re also assuming I’m one of his little harem.” I heard the redhead suck in a breath at my insult, but damn…she needed to have a bigger backbone to survive Aiden.
His brother looked down at me and smirked. “Okay, my apologies. I get it now. Friends it is.”
Aiden kept looking between his brother and me as if he wanted an explanation of what just happened. His date was glaring even more, so I sneered at her.
“As fun and awkward as this is, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again. Have a good afternoon.” I stepped into the elevator and waved at Aiden, but before the doors closed, he hopped in.
“Oh, hey,” I blurted. “Smooth, Jenna. Way to keep it real casual.” Aiden’s lips quirked up, and I realized I’d said it out loud. “Kill me now. Please. Thank you.”
“Nah, it would take the fun out of my day. But it’s quite a shock to run into you here. How do you know my brother?”
His eyes were narrowed, his jaw tense, and confusion spread across his face. Two responses ran through my head: make him work for it or just tell him. Option A felt more fun, but option B was more mature. Fuck being mature.
“Why don’t you ask your brother? I’m sure he’ll tell you how we met. It was kind of funny and very different from how you and I met.”
“What do you mean? How long have you known him?” Worry etched his face, and I hated to admit I was enjoying his little act of jealousy. At the thought, my mouth felt sour because he was here with another girl. I shouldn’t have been playing a game with him. I made it clear I wasn’t interested.
“I met him today. I was visiting family, and he was waiting for the elevator at the same time as me. That’s all.”
“Oh, he had this look…I just assumed…Anyway, doesn’t matter.” He pulled something out of my hair, and I saw it was a chunk of dried plaster. “Care to explain the mess?”
His fingers lightly traced my face until his thumb ran over my lip. I shivered from his touch and took a step back. The elevator felt smaller, and I suddenly needed some air.
“That is a story for another day, my friend. It’s a good one, though. I promise.”
“Well, I guess I better get back up there. I’ll see you later, Jenna.” He ran his hand over his jawline and looked at war with himself. “Listen, this isn’t what it looks like.”
I smiled the best smile I could muster and put my hand on his forearm. “You don’t have to explain yourself at all. Just because I don’t often see your hook-ups doesn’t mean I don’t know about them. It doesn’t change anything between us. Don’t worry. I’ll see you later.”
Putting my headphones in, I began to head back to campus and did my best to ignore the unwelcomed visions of Aiden and the redhead holding hands, kissing, probably ending up back in his room. Thank God I had an afternoon class.
My phone went off.
Aiden: I want to hear this story. My brother’s not saying a word. He keeps smirking at me with this dumbass look on his face.
Jenna: Another time. I’m just a mystery.
Aiden: Damn it, Jenna.
I had no idea what his response meant, but I didn’t care. I had to sit in class for two hours and welcomed the idea of not thinking about him the entire time.
Chapter 22
She’s Like an Onion: Layers Upon Layers-Aiden
“ALL right, class, we’re all on the last stretch. A part of this class is to encourage self-exploration of topics of your choice. Instead of a final, you will turn in a research project with these guidelines I’ll pass out. This is worth half your grade. Get started today, and let me know what topic you pick,” Professor Jackson announced. My stomach sank because I knew what I wished I could do.
“Shorty, what are you going to choose?” I asked Jenna.
She frowned, and her eyes got clouded for a second before she answered in a somber voice. “Cancer causes and how changing one chromosome could potentially prevent the disease.” She pulled out her laptop and started it up.
I stared at her, trying to figure out her distress.
“What about you?” she asked.
I sighed and shook my head. “What else would I chose besides politics and policies affected by sciences?”
“I don’t even know what that means. Choose something interesting to you. This topic is basically our grade,” she scoffed, not having any of my pouting.
I scooted my chair closer and waited until she looked up at me. “I want to go into forensic science. I think it would be the coolest job, and I’d love every second of it.”
She gave me a smile that reached her eyes, instantly putting me in a better mood. “I agree. It would be pretty damn cool. Why don’t you pick something in that direction? I think he said these topics can be used for a thesis next year and as a catalyst toward our—well, your senior project.”
“Trust me. I want to.” I sighed in frustration.
A look of sympathy shot across her face, and a realization struck me. She felt bad for me.
“You can’t because your dad won’t let you.” She didn’t say it as a question, more of a statement. “God, I couldn’t imagine my grandpa forcing me into labor for the rest of my life.”
“Labor? Am I finally going to get an explanation of why the hell you had plaster and dust all over you when I ran into you at my dad’s office?”
“Oh. Yeah. Ha!” She laughed and rolled her eyes. “My sweet, sheltered Aiden. You know enough about me. Figure it out.”
I was confused but appreciated the distraction of thinking about her instead of my issues with Dad. “Okay, let’s see. Your grandpa was probably one of the guys working with the construction crew. Am I right so far
?”
“Yeah. Keep going.” She grinned, enjoying our little game.
“You mention him and your Uncle Rich a lot. Did they raise you?” Now that I asked, I realized I’d never once heard her mention her parents. I mentioned my dad way too damn often.
“Yes.” She glanced down at the table, and I felt bad for intruding.
“Am I upsetting you? I’m just trying to figure you out.”
She gave me a sad smile. “You aren’t upsetting me. It’s hard for me to completely open myself up to people. You know more than most. But yes, my grandpa and uncle raised me because my parents died when I was young. A drug overdose.”
My heart dropped. “Jenna. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m over it, I guess. I never knew them, so it wasn’t like I missed them specifically. It was more the idea of a normal family I mourned. But as I got older, I accepted the hand I was dealt.”
I put my hand on her knee and squeezed. She gave me a small smile, effectively conveying this topic was closed.
She took a breath and blurted, “I think it’s good you know what you want to do, so I say fuck what your dad wants and just do it. It’s your education and your future.”
I chuckled. “Oh, sweet Jenna, if only it were that easy.”
“Why isn’t it? Stand up for yourself. It’s your future, not his. What could he do? Cut you off financially? You can get a job.” Her eyes widened, trying to communicate something, but I was simply not getting it.
“I wish I had your courage. I really do,” I admitted, knowing I sounded pathetic.
“Then find it. I’ll support your decision and help you.”
Her support meant more than she knew, but I let the topic drop. For the rest of class, we worked on our individual projects, and I researched all about biological sciences and politics—aka bullshit and boring.
“You walking back to your place, or did you bring the scooter?” I asked as we walked out.
“It’s not a scooter! You’re just jealous.” She threw me a mean look, but I laughed.
“You didn’t answer the question, punk.”
“No, I walked today. It was nice out.”
Let Life Happen Page 15
