by t. h. snyder
I look up to see Etty’s smile fall from her face. She looks to be deep in thought, staring down to the floor.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask, hopping down off the counter.
She looks up at me and lets out a sigh.
“I’m good. It’s inspiring to see how passionate you are about the shop. I want to have something like that to look forward to—something to call my own and be proud of.”
“You can do anything you put your mind to; you just have to want it bad enough.”
“Easy for you to say, you knew what you wanted and you got it. I have no clue what I want yet.”
“Give yourself time, Etty. You just moved to a new place. Once you travel around and get a sense for what’s important to you, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Daulton walks into the kitchen and lets out a loud burp.
“Nice, man,” I say, slapping him on the back.
He pushes me out of the way and moves toward Etty.
“Good game tonight, pretty lady. Who knew you’d school us all in a few hands of poker.”
“Yeah, that’s one thing I’m good at I guess,” she says as her cheeks turn red.
Is she blushing?
There’s no way she could be affected by Daulton. God, the guy really can get anyone he wants. He needs to stay the hell away from Etty. I can’t, no I won’t, let him hurt her.
I watch as he moves in closer to her and she begins to squirm against the counter top.
“Oh, I’m sure there are a lot of other things you’re good at. How about I show you the real magic of the Cursed team?”
“Hell no, Dault, Etty is off limits!” I shout, causing both of them to turn my way.
“She’s a big girl, Linc, back off.”
I’m not in the mood to battle him over our new neighbor, but I sure as hell know I don’t want his hands anywhere near her. She’s not a possession he can just fuck and toss to the side.
I don’t know why, but I feel very protective of her. It’s as though I need to keep her safe. Even though I’ve only known her less than twenty-four hours, there’s just something about her that clings to me.
No matter what happens, this girl is in my life and I need to make sure she’s safe. She wants something to call her own and to be passionate about, and I’m going to help her find it. It’s now my personal mission to watch over her and make sure she finds exactly what it is that she needs to make a life here in Birmingham.
Chapter 17
Throughout the entire night, I watch as the four guys interact. The conversations and banter amongst the group is both entertaining and refreshing.
They make me feel as though I’m a part of them and it truly makes me happy.
I can see that Linc is the ring leader of the Fantastic Four; even though it’s evident Daulton tries his hardest to claim control. Between the two of them, there’s so much more than a friendship; they have a solid bond that doesn’t seem to have a fault. No matter how much shit they give one another, I can see that they’ll always have one another’s back.
My eyes cross paths with a certain someone a few more times than I’d like to admit. There’s something about him that intrigues me, but I can tell Linc wants to keep me as far away from him as possible.
I don’t know either one of them enough to understand why, but in time I’m certain I’ll find out.
Linc is insistent that Daulton stay away from me. I’m in no position to look into a hook-up, or anything else for that matter, but if the opportunity presents itself I may have a hard time saying no.
After Linc voices his opinion of Daulton’s flirtatious ways with me, he heads outside for a smoke.
Daulton takes this as a cue to back off, at least for now, and I’m left alone to ponder my thoughts in the kitchen.
As I sit in the kitchen, I stare at the wall for a few minutes before deciding to head outside and go back over to my place.
Opening the front door, I see Linc pacing up and down the sidewalk. I’m not sure what’s gotten into him all of a sudden, but something doesn’t feel right.
I walk down the porch steps toward him and stop.
“Hey,” I say, trying to grab his attention.
“Hey, yourself,” he replies.
“You okay?”
He stops in his tracks for a second and looks down at me.
“Yeah, I’m good. I just got a lot on my mind tonight.”
I give him a smirk and rest my hands on my hips.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
He takes step toward me and reaches his arm to touch my shoulder.
“Look, Etty, I’m not the one to tell you what to do with your life, but as a friend I want you to be careful with Daulton. I love the guy like a brother, but he’s not good enough for you.”
His words slap me in the face. I’m taken aback by his rude remark and slightly offended.
I step away from him as his hand falls to his side.
“How do you know who or what is good for me, Linc? You’ve known me for less than a day and you’re already deciding things for me.”
The anger in my voice is apparent to him. He removes his ball cap and runs his fingers through his hair.
“I’m just looking out for you, Etty. I don’t know you, you’re right. But for some reason I feel like it’s my job to make sure you’re taken care of now that you’re living here.”
Where the hell does he get off deciding who I can be with, or better yet, that he’s my new protector?
“Look, Linc, I think it’s time you step off your high horse and take a good look at reality. I’m a big girl. I don’t need you or anyone else telling me who I can hook up with. Plus, no one granted you the title of my security entourage,” I reply with a bitter tone.
I turn my back to him and start walking toward my side of the house. He grabs my arm and swings me around to face him.
“I have nothing more to say to you, Linc,” I say with anger in my voice.
“Etty, I’m not the dick here. I’m trying to be your friend and keep you safe.”
“Why? You don’t even know me.”
He lets go of my arm and shoves his hands in his pockets.
“I know that, but for some unknown fucking reason I feel the need to be here for you. I’ve dealt with a lot of shit in my life, Etty. It’s just been me and Dault for a long time.”
I take a moment to digest his words. He’s only trying to be a friend. What gives me the right to take that away from him? At this point in my life, I could use all the friends I can make. I get it, I really do. It’s just not something I’m used to; no one has ever wanted to watch out for me before.
“I’m sorry for being a bitch just now. I appreciate you wanting to be here for me, but you have to let me make my own choices. If Daulton is bad for me, then let me find that out for myself.”
“Fine,” he says, walking up onto the porch.
I follow him and pull the two chairs together so that we can sit and talk.
“Sit,” I say in a commanding tone.
I watch as he takes a seat in one of the rocking chairs before I sit down beside him.
“You’re not going to lecture me now, are you?” he says with a subtle laugh.
“Nope!” I reply. “But I am going to get to the bottom of this.”
He looks to me and pouts his lips.
“This doesn’t sound good.”
“You know, from the moment I fell into you on this porch, I knew there was something about you that I’d need to uncover. You have this darkness hiding behind your eyes. I don’t know your past, and it’s not really my place to ask, but I’m sensing that it has a lot to do with the reason you want to protect me.”
“Maybe,” he says.
“You don’t have to bare your soul to me tonight, Linc, but I have a feeling that the two of us are more alike than we think.”
“I’m sure of it.”
“I’m not going to deny that I feel a strong connection to you. It seems like I�
��ve known you my whole life. Now, it may just be the beers talking, but I honestly trust you and appreciate all that you’ve done for me today.”
“You’re not alone in this, Etty. I feel it, too. I’ve never been close to a female. Well, with the exception of one, and she’s walked out of my life for good.”
“It seems as though we have a lot more in common than we know. I haven’t been close to anyone since I left home and moved to Oregon. The past few years of my life have been a complete shit show.”
“I hear that,” he says, raising his hand for a fist bump.
I tap his fist with my own and lean back into the rocking chair. We both stare out at the street for a few minutes.
Collecting my thoughts, I try to decide how deep to go with this conversation. If it were up to me, I’d bare my soul to him. I feel one hundred percent comfortable with Linc—more than I’ve ever been with another human being.
Is it possible to have such a tight bond in only a short amount of time?
“You feel like staying up for a while longer?” he asks.
“Yeah sure, what do you have in mind?
“Stay put, I’ll be right back.”
Linc gets up from his chair and walks back into the house. A few minutes later he comes out with two opened beer bottles and hands one to me.
“We’re going to play a little game.”
“Okay?” I reply as a question more than a statement.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun. It’s Truth or Pass. The object of the game is to get to know each other better. I’ll start by asking a question. Once you answer then I’ll answer the same question. If you choose to pass, then you have to answer the next question I ask without being able to pass on it. Sound fair?”
I swallow hard, scared that the questions he may ask could be too difficult for me to answer.
I nod my head and signal for him to start by raising my hand in his direction.
“Cool. Now, for every question you answer you get to take a sip of beer. Think of it as your reward.”
“Great,” I reply with a smirk.
He nestles himself back against the rocking chair and extends both arms, rubbing his hands together.
Rolling my eyes at him, I laugh at how corny he’s making this whole game.
“First question, Etty, you ready?”
“Yep, fire away.”
“What’s your middle name?”
I raise my beer to my mouth to take a sip and he stops me by pushing down on my arm.
“Not yet, sweet cheeks, you have to answer the question first.”
“You’re insane.”
“Yes, we know this. Now either answer the question or pass.”
“Ugh, fine, it’s Helen.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard. Mine is David.”
I smile at him as I raise my beer to my lips.
Allowing the amber liquid to flow past my lips, I swallow hard. The first question may have been easy, but I’m sure there are more difficult ones to come.
“Now it’s your turn to ask a question.”
“Okay, hmm, let me think.”
I drum my fingers on the arm of the chair.
“What happened to the girl that used to work at the shop?”
“Shit, Etty, I gave you an easy one to start off with.”
“Answer or pass, pal.”
He lets out a heavy sigh and brings his beer to his mouth. I reach my arm out to stop him and give him a cocky smirk.
“First you have to answer, then you take a drink.
“Well, shit, who the hell made up these stupid rules?”
I start to laugh and remove my hand from his arm.
“Fine. Her name is Jo. She told me she loved me. I didn’t say it back. She left town without saying goodbye. No wait, she said goodbye in a fucking letter. There…you happy?”
An uneasy feeling hits my heart and I instantly feel bad for him. I turn in my chair to face him. He’s staring out at the street as he takes a long swig of his beer.
“I’m so sorry, Linc. Do you love her? Do you miss her?”
“So I take it the game’s over; you just completely broke the rules, Etty.”
“I know, but this game is way better.”
“To be honest, I don’t know how to love. She meant a lot to me, more than I thought at first. Now that she’s gone, I miss her like crazy.”
“Then why don’t you tell her to come back?”
“I would if could, she left without telling me where she was going.”
Standing from the rocking chair, I move to face him.
“You have to find her, go get her.”
“Nah, I don’t think so. I broke her heart and she needs time to think things through.”
“But if you love her you have to tell her.”
“Etty, like I just told you, I don’t know how to love. I’m broken from years of shit that I’ve dealt with. She’s better off finding someone else that will love her, support her, and make her happy.”
The tone of Linc’s voice is sincere. He’s hurting and I don’t know how to help him.
“If she were to come back, hypothetically, what would you say to her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ahh, Linc, I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you. Maybe she’ll find her way back and the two of you will talk things through. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Okay, now it’s your turn. Ask me a question.”
“Well, since you just killed my fucking buzz, I’m going to hit you with a hard one.”
“Go ahead, I deserve it.”
He takes his cap off of his head and runs his fingers through his dark hair. Looking up at me with his dark eyes, he starts to say something and then stops. I can’t imagine what he’s about to ask me, but I know it will be a tough question for me to answer.
Chapter 18
One Week Later
The buzz of customers at the shop has kept us all busy this week. I’m exhausted and still have another client coming within the next hour.
The rest of the guys are wrapping up their last sessions for the day and should be heading out soon.
Lucky for me, it’s my night to close up.
I see Etty walk past my room and grab her attention with a whistle. She takes a few steps back and swings her cute little blue-haired head into the room.
“Did you just whistle at me?” she asks, leaning up against the door frame and crossing her arms in front of her chest.
I laugh at her and shake my head.
“No, Etty, I wasn’t whistling at you. I was just trying to get your attention.”
She rolls her eyes at me and smiles.
“Well, the last time a guy whistled at me he wanted more than to just grab my attention.”
“You have issues, Etty.”
“Yes, this we already know. What’s up?”
“How long are you planning to stick around?” I ask while pulling out the ink for Tommy’s tattoo.
She bites down on her bottom lip and the look on her face tells me she’s thinking hard.
“I don’t know. As soon as Tommy is in your chair we’re done for the night.”
“Okay cool, why don’t you catch a ride home with Dault tonight? We’ve all had a long week and you deserve an early night.”
“Aww, thanks, Linc. You’re the best landlord-boss-friend that I’ve ever had.”
“Yeah, now get out before I change my mind.”
“Thanks, babe, I’ll see you when you get home later. I was thinking of Chinese and a movie tonight.”
“Sounds good. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
“See ya,” she says as she walks away from the room.
I reach into my drawer and start pulling out the equipment I’ll need for Tommy’s session. His appointment shouldn’t last too long—it’s just some final touches on a piece I did on his right leg.
Glancing down at my watch, I see that I still
have ten minutes before he gets here.
I decide to head out back for a quick smoke and a breath of fresh air. I’ve been so busy today that I haven’t had a chance to step out of my room for more than five minutes.
Before turning the corner, I look down the hall and see that the guys have already left for the night.
Fuckers could’ve at least said ‘deuces’ before heading out of the shop.
I shake my head as I make my way out the back door. The sun is about to set and it’s been a long-ass day. Resting myself against the brick wall, I lean my head back and close my eyes.
A lot has happened this past Week—Jo walked out on me, Etty moved in, and Daulton has amped up his game with the ladies.
I know that Etty is drawn to him and it scares the hell out of me. The last thing I want is for her to get hurt. I know Dault better than anyone and he sure as hell does not deal with the chicks he bangs after one night.
If it’s up to me, I’ll keep Etty as far away from him and his roaming hands as possible. Too much could go wrong for all of us if those two decide to hook up. It’s just not going to happen if I have anything to say about it.
Etty has become such a big part of my life in a really short amount of time. We’ve spent every day together since she’s moved in. There have even been nights where she’s fallen asleep next to me on the couch. Our bond has grown more every day, and to be real, I don’t know what I’d do without her.
The best part about being with Etty is that we don’t have to worry about where this is going. Right now we need one another to get over the shit we’ve just been through. That’s it—no more and no less. She’s the little sister I never had and the best friend I never knew was missing until she fell into me on my porch.
I’ve gotten to know the pain she’s been through and the suffering she’s had to deal with for three long years.
That night on the porch, we revealed a lot to one another—more than I’ve ever shared with anyone.
Fucking hell.
Etty knows my fears, the terrors that haunt me. She hasn’t run from me, instead she’s stayed right by my side.
