Scattered Pieces

by Allie Able

  “Oh, thank God,” I say, letting out a sigh of relief, “I was so worried Grant would get into some sort of trouble.”

  “I knew you would be worried. I know he is doing those renovations on your house, so if you see him or talk to him, before I do, would you tell him that everything is okay? I'm sure he isn't worried about it, but I just wanted him to know.”

  “Um, he's here so I will tell him, whenever I go back into the kitchen.”

  The silence that follows is so long, that I have to look at my phone, to make sure I didn't drop the call.

  “Lexie? You still there?”

  “He is still at your house?” she shouts into the phone, with far too much enthusiasm.

  I hold the phone away from my ear, until I know my eardrums are safe again. “Um, yes? He is making breakfast.”

  “Holy shit,” she whispers into the phone, “So, he stayed the night?”

  “Yes. Why are we whispering?” I ask in a low voice.

  “Hang up this phone and get your ass back into that kitchen right now,” she demands.

  “Okay?”

  “We'll talk about this later, when there isn't a fine ass man making you breakfast. I'll see you in a bit.” I hear a click, signaling she hung up the phone.

  I set my cellphone back on the bedside table and shake my head. I'm more than a little confused about Lexie's reaction. Brushing it off as Lexie just being weird, I make my way back to the kitchen.

  Grant has our plates made and is pouring himself another cup of coffee. When he sees me walk in, he holds the coffee pot up to me in a silent question and I nod my head, watching him pour more into my cup. He adds creamer and sugar and hands it to me.

  “Thank you,” I mutter, caught off guard by his sweet gesture. He payed attention to how I take my coffee?

  “Want to eat out on the patio?” he asks,inclining his head towards the french doors, while handing my plate to me.

  I take the plate from him and look at it. Oh my God, he even cut up fruit to go along with the bacon, eggs and toast he made.

  I smile and nod my head in answer, as I turn and lead the way outside.

  Once we are seated, we both eat quietly for a few minutes, simply enjoying watching the waves crash against the shore.

  “Thank you for making breakfast. It's delicious,” I say, breaking the silence.

  “You're welcome. I'm a terrible cook. This is all I know how to make. We're lucky I didn't burn the toast,” he says, smiling that dimpled smile I'm beginning to like so much.

  “I'm not the best cook either. My mom tried to teach me, but I was always more interested in baking. She finally just gave up. She was the one that taught me to bake though,” I confess.

  Thinking of my mom always makes me a little sad, but baking was something we loved to do together. I just wish I would have paid more attention to her cooking lessons.

  “Tell me about your parents?” Grant asks quietly.

  I don't know if he can see the pain in my eyes or if Lexie told him. I gently push my now empty plate away and notice he is finished eating as well. I sit back in my chair and ponder his question for moment. I haven't talked about my parents in so long. Ryan was never really interested and there hasn't really been any need for me to bring up that part of my life, until now. Lexie asked about them and I shared about their accident, but I didn't go into detail about what wonderful people they were.

  “Well my dad was a Doctor and my mom was a Librarian. They met when dad was doing his residency, in the Emergency room. My mom was brought in because she fell, while redecorating a bookcase. My mother could be quite clumsy at times,” I laugh softly, “They always said that it was love at first sight. I don't usually believe in that sort of thing, but with my parents, I could believe it. I have never witnessed a love like theirs.”

  I look over at Grant, leaning back in his chair and drinking his coffee. He seems to be absorbing every word I tell him, like a sponge. It makes me feel like he is actually interested in everything I say, so I continue.

  “They were the best parents any little girl could ask for. I was their only child. Mom said they tried to have another baby after me, but it just wasn't in God's plan for them.” I let out a sigh, not wanting to say this part of the story out loud, but knowing I have to. “I was a sophomore at Vanderbilt, when they died. I talked to both of them earlier that evening. They had just gotten home from work and they were getting ready to go out to dinner. I remember listening to my dad tease my mom, probably about something she was wearing, since she always had eccentric taste in clothes and jewelry, but I couldn't make out the words he was saying. I could just hear my mom giggling. They were so happy.” I close my eyes for a minute, gathering strength. I can feel the tears starting to leak out of my eyes. I miss them so much sometimes.

  I hear Grant move his chair back and then I feel his hand on top of mine where they are resting in my lap. “Sweetheart, look at me,” he demands softly.

  I open my eyes and see him crouched down beside my chair, so that he is eye level with me.

  “They sound like such amazing people. They would have to be, to raise such an amazing woman,” he says, wiping away a stray tear ,that escaped my eye, “You don't have to talk about them anymore right now, if this is hurting you too much.”

  “No, I want to tell you about them. They were such wonderful people. I should talk about them more often, but I just miss them so much, it's hard.” I look into his beautiful eyes and see that they are more blue today. They are also filled with tenderness.

  He nods his head, indicating for me to finish.

  I take a deep breathe, “It was raining really hard that night. The responding officer said that the car in front of them lost control, on the slick road. My dad must have tried to avoid hitting her and he lost control of his car as well. They hit the railing on the bridge head on. Although they were wearing seat belts, they both died instantly. My Aunt Lila was their emergency contact. The hospital called her and she came to my dorm to get me. That was the worst day of my life, and it was probably her's too. My dad was an only child and both sets of my grandparents passed away while I was still young. Aunt Lila is all I have left, and I am all she has, as well.” I feel Grant's thumb rubbing across the back of my hand. I look back up at him and see that his eyes are filled with warmth and concern. It has been so long since I've told anyone about my parents and, even though it hurt to talk about them, it feels good to have shared that part of me with Grant.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Grant

  I WANT TO HOLD HER so badly right now. I am so thankful she shared that with me, because I have feeling she doesn't share things easily, but at the same time I hate seeing her in pain and talking about her parents obviously causes her a great deal of it. She is so strong and so brave. I wish she could see that. She has been through so much in her life and I want nothing more than to shield her and protect her from anything that could hurt her, but that's crazy right? I have never felt this way about a woman, especially one I hardly know.

  “I can not imagine the pain of you went through, when you lost your parents. I have lost friends, while oversees, but that is a completely different situation. We were fighting a war and understood the risks we took every day. Thank you for sharing that with me, Summer,” I pause, letting my hand trail down her cheek, “I am so sorry you lost your parents, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you for listening,” she whispers quietly, “Why am I always such a mess around you?”

  I chuckle and stand up, removing my hand from her face, “Oh, but you're such a beautiful mess.”

  Her cheeks turn pink at my backhanded compliment and she lets out a small laugh, “Thanks, I think?”

  I pick up my plate from the table. “Are you finished eating?” I ask, gesturing towards her half eaten plate.

  “Yeah, thank you again for cooking me breakfast,” she smiles at me, while standing to gather our coffee cups.

  “Anytime sweetheart,” I reply, making my way t
owards the kitchen.

  We work in compatible silence, while cleaning up the kitchen. That is one of the things I like so much about, Summer, she doesn't mind comfortable silence. So many of the women that I have been around, always fill the silence with useless chit-chat. I never noticed how much that bothered me, until Summer.

  “What time do you need to leave to go to the bakery?” I ask while drying the last pan.

  She looks over at the clock and chews her bottom lip and I have to stifle a groan. “Um, I need to be there by 11:30 am to get everything ready, before we open at 1:00 pm.”

  I look at the clock and see that it's almost 10:00 am. I'm not ready to leave her yet, but I know she needs to get ready for work and I need to go home so I can get ready to go to my parents, for Sunday lunch.

  “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. That was Lexie on the phone earlier. She said she tried to call you, but your phone was going straight to voice mail.”

  I nod my head, “Yeah, it's probably dead. I left it in my truck last night.”

  “That's what I told her. Anyway, she said that after we left, the owner of The Sand Bar kicked Tim out and basically threatened him. She said you didn't have anything to worry about.”

  “I wasn't worried, Summer. I have known Roger, the guy that owns the bar, for years. I know that doesn't give me a free pass to do whatever the hell I want, but that guy was an asshole and had it coming. You don't ever lay your hands on a woman, drunk or not. Did you want to go make a police report against him?” I suspect I already know my answer, but I want to ask anyway.

  She shakes her head quickly, just like I thought she would. “No. I don't think that is necessary. I was more afraid of you getting into trouble for defending me the way you did.”

  Of course she was. I sigh and walk towards her, “Summer, don't worry about me. Even if I did get in trouble for doing what I did, it would have been worth it. Like I said before, he had no business laying his hands on you. He just had to learn his lesson the hard way. I am not the type of man to use my fists, but I will if the situation calls for it.” I pull her into a hug. Her body fits so well against mine, like she was meant to be there.

  Her arms come around my waist and rest on my bare back. She puts her chin on my chest and looks up at me. Her beautiful blue eyes fulls of appreciation. “Thank you for taking care of me last night and not just saving me from that guy, but for everything you did afterwards too.”

  I want to question her about the way the she responded last night. I want to ask her how long she has been having panic attacks and why, when that guy grabbed her, did it trigger one. I know it probably has something to do with her ex-husband, but I just don't know the details. We have already talked about some heavy shit today and she has shared so much with me, that I don't want to push my luck. Besides she has to leave for work soon. So, I reluctantly let it go for now.

  “I didn't mind at all,” I respond, while tucking a piece of hair that has fallen in her face behind her ear. I want to kiss her so badly, I can almost taste it. I search her eyes, for a moment, looking for any lingering sadness or fear. The last thing I want to do is to push myself on her, but when I look at her, all I see is my own lust reflected back at me. She looks down at my lips and that is my undoing.

  I lean in, letting the roughness of my cheek scrap against hers, as I whisper in her ear, “I want nothing more than to pick you up, set you down on that counter behind you, and devour your beautiful lips right now, Summer, but I want to take this slow. So, I'm going to allow myself a little taste and then I'm going to go so you can get ready for work, but one day soon, I'm going to take my time exploring every inch of you,” I pause, allowing her a second to let my words sink in, “Okay?”

  I hear her breathing hitch at my words, before she nods her head. Thank Christ! I pull back and look down at her eyes one more time, before leaning back down and capturing her lips with mine. I leave one arm wrapped tightly around her back, while my other hand slides up her back and I tangle it into her hair. I gently explore her soft lips with mine, before tracing her them with my tongue. I hum low in my throat, at the first taste of her. She taste so damn sweet, just like I knew she would. After only a moment hesitation, she opens allowing me to explore the inside of her mouth. Tentatively her tongue meets mine in a slow, mesmerizing dance and I can't help the groan that escapes me. I pull her closer against me, pressing my hardness into her belly, while her hands explore the bare skin on my back. Her hands feel so damn good against my skin, but before I can take the kiss deeper than I intended, I slowly pull back, nibbling on her bottom lip.

  “Fuck. You taste so damn good,” I mumble harshly, against her lips.

  I pull back a little more and I see that her lips are glistening and are slightly swollen from our kiss. Her eyes flutter open and lock onto mine. They are glazed over with lust. I place one more gentle kiss on her lips, dragging my nose against the side of hers. My dick is pushing against my zipper and I know I need to leave, before I change my mind about taking this slow.

  “I need to go sweetheart,” I whisper against her cheek.

  “Okay,” she whispers in response.

  I smile and kiss her forehead, breathing in her sent one more time. “I will call you later. You close at 6:00 pm today right?”

  She nods her head, “Yeah.”

  I finally find the strength to pull myself away from her. Taking in her flushed face and swollen lips, I smile and make my way to her bedroom to grab my t-shirt.

  When I come back into the kitchen, she is still standing in the same place I left her, and is looking dazed.

  I chuckle quietly and kiss her on the cheek, “Don't be late for work, sweetheart.”

  She gives me shy smile and nods her head, “I will walk you out.”

  She walks me to the door and gives me a small wave. “I'll see you later Grant.”

  I smile. She is so damn cute. “See you soon, Summer,” I say, as I walk down the steps to my truck.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Summer

  I'M MIXING A BOWL OF frosting, for the new cupcakes I'm making, when I hear a knock on the door. Setting the frosting aside, I make my way to the front of the shop. Lexie is standing at the door waving with a huge smile on her face.

  “I really need to get a key made for you,” I say, as she enters the bakery.

  She turns the lock behind her before facing me. “Details. Now,” she demands.

  “Well, hello to you too Lexie. Did you have a good morning?” I mutter, making my way back towards the kitchen.

  “Oh, cut the crap. This is the most interesting thing that has happen to me since I moved back home. I need details!”

  I raise my eyebrows at her as I go back to stirring the frosting, “If my boring life is all you have to look forward to Lexie, you need to get out more. Maybe I should give you more time off?”

  “Oh, but your life wasn't boring last night or this morning was it? Come on, what gives? I have known Grant since I was a little girl and I have never seen him act like he did last night. He has always been so laid back and calm.”

  I smile and blush thinking about this morning. Good Lord, that man can kiss! I have never been kissed like that and I wanted nothing more than for him to pick me up onto that counter and devour me like he said he wanted to.

  Lexie lets a little squeal and points her finger at me. “You're blushing and you look all dreamy! What is that?”

  I smile and shake my head. “You are way to excited about this.”

  She just keeps staring at me with that silly grin on her face. I get the cupcakes out of the oven and put them on the cooling rack. I turn around to face her and let out a sigh, knowing that she won't let up until she knows every detail of last night and this morning. “He took me home and I made a complete ass out of myself because I had a panic attack. He was so sweet about it though. He held me until the panic subsided and afterwards I just felt really tired, but I wasn't ready for him to go. For some crazy reason, he makes me feel s
afe, you know?”

  She nods her head, “Yeah, he really is a nice guy. One of the best. Go on.”

  I smile and laugh, “Anyway, I think he could tell I didn't want to be alone and he asked me if I wanted him to stay. I said yes, but the only place for him to sleep was in my bed. My couch is just too small for someone as big as him.”

  She raises her eyebrows at me, “Uh-huh, couch is too small. Gotcha.” She smirks and gives me a wink.

  I shake my head at her, again. “This morning, when I woke up, he was in the kitchen making breakfast. That's when you called.” I say hoping to stop there. She is way to thrilled about the thought of me and Grant together. If I tell her about that amazing kiss, her head may explode.

  She eyes me speculatively, “You're holding back on me. I know there is more too it.”

  I look away and start frosting the now cooled cupcakes. “Fine, but please don't make a big deal out of this.” I pause to look up at her with my best stern look. She quickly nods her head and I go back to frosting. “After breakfast, he may have kissed me. He left shortly after that, saying that he would see me soon.”

  She is so quiet I have to turn around and make sure she is still standing there. Her smile is so wide, I'm afraid her face may be permanently stuck like that.

  “You said you wouldn't make a big deal out of this,” I groan.

  “I'm not. I'm not,” she quickly reassures me, trying to arrange her face into something that looks more casual. She fails miserably and I can't help but laugh.

  “Just let me ask one question and I swear I will leave you alone about it, for now. Do you like him?”