Just One Reason

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  I pulled the keys out of my purse and nervously twisted them around in my hands while I stood staring at my car. I don’t know how long I had been standing there just staring at my car like an idiot when I heard a familiar voice behind me say, “Do you need some help, Miss?”

  Smiling I turned around to see old Mrs. Wilson, Lana’s neighbor on the other side, standing there. She recognized me immediately. “Lindsay? Is that you, dear?”

  I nodded, “Yes, Mrs. Wilson.”

  She waved her hand dismissively, “Call me Betty, you know that. Are you here for a visit? Lana didn’t mention you were coming.”

  “Yes. No. I mean, yes, I’m here but not for a visit. I’m here for a while,” I tried to explain, which was difficult when even I didn’t know what I was really doing here.

  Betty smiled at me, “Well, it’s good to have you back. Does Grady know you’re here?”

  I was sure she didn’t miss the panic that flashed through my eyes. “Um, no. I haven’t seen him.”

  Betty raised her eyebrows, “Well, you might want to make sure you let him know you’re here. It might not be best if he hears it from someone else. Small town, you know, word travels fast.” She tilted her head and walked back to her house next door.

  I stood by my car a while longer pondering what Betty had meant. Why would it matter how Grady found out I was here? Did that mean he would care that I’m back? This was not helping my anxiety level, and I decided it would be very unsafe for the residents of Penn Yan if I was driving through their streets right now. So, I walked the four blocks to the quaint downtown where Lana’s real estate office was located. I had my sunglasses on, but I knew my ice blonde hair would be recognizable to Grady immediately if he happened to drive by. So, I walked quickly.

  I exhaled a huge sigh of relief when I reached the door to Lana’s office and welcomed the air conditioning that smacked me in the face when I walked inside. Lana had been a real estate agent since she graduated college, and she pretty much had the market cornered on lake properties. I was immediately greeted by a petite, bubbly, very pregnant brunette, who moved with surprising ease considering the size of her stomach.

  “Hi! I’m Leah. And you have to be Lindsay - you look just like Lana - only younger! No offense, Lana,” she called in the direction of Lana’s office.

  I laughed and shook her outstretched hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Leah. I understand I’m filling in for you while you’re on maternity leave.”

  Leah nodded and led me over to her desk, motioning for me to pull up a chair next to her. “Yeah, I’m about ready to pop. I’m counting down the days until I can see my feet again,” she said rubbing her hands over her belly. I felt a twinge of sadness deep inside as I listened to her talk about her baby, but I pushed it aside and focused on what I was here to learn. It was the least I could do for Lana for taking me in - again. And it gave me something more productive to do than wallowing in self pity.

  After two hours of watching Leah answer the phone and input data into the computer for a new listing, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. When I returned Lana was talking quietly to Leah, and I got the distinct impression they were talking about me. Especially since Leah snapped her head around when I walked in and smiled guiltily at me. She clearly wasn’t a good liar. Lana, on the other hand, was much better.

  “Lindsay, I’m going out to preview a few new listings for a buyer, so I won’t be back in the office this afternoon. You and Leah can hold down the fort until 4:00, then go ahead and go. It’s Saturday, so find something fun to do,” she said before she breezed out the door. Yeah, right - find something fun? The only person I knew in town would probably run the other way if he saw me.

  It was pretty easy to catch on, and Saturday was a slow time in the office, so I answered the phone the rest of the time and made Leah lay down on the couch in the reception area. She might not be able to see her feet, but I could, and her ankles had become cankles. I was typing a phone message into the system when Leah sat up and peered at my toes. “That’s a pretty color on your toes. I can’t even reach my toes, and there’s no way I’ll let my husband paint them. That would be a mess.”

  I frowned at her and glanced at the clock - 3:45. I’m sure Lana wouldn’t mind if we closed up shop a little early today. I grabbed my purse and handed Leah’s to her. “Come on, Leah. We’re going to get you a pedicure.”

  She blinked at me in surprise. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m trying to save any extra money for when I’m off work with the baby.”

  I dragged her out the door and locked up behind us. “My treat,“ I said. “And I insist. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  She smiled sweetly and clapped her hands. “Well, okay. If you insist.” I had passed a small nail salon on my walk here, so I asked Leah if that place would be good.

  She laughed, “Well, it will have to be. It’s the only place in town.”

  Oh, right. I would have to get used to small town living. Fortunately, Nancy’s New Nails took walk-ins, and the place was empty when we walked in. Not sure if that was a good sign or not. Manicures and pedicures were my go to activity whenever Taryn or I were feeling down, so I decided to get my nails done too. I convinced Leah to get the gel polish even if it was more expensive, because it would last longer. It was fun, and I hoped that Leah and I could become friends. With Taryn several hours away I would need to make friends here.

  We sat side by side in the pedicure chairs, and I could tell Leah was enjoying the hot bubbling foot bath. I asked her, “So, Leah, did you grow up here?”

  She turned her head to face me but kept it relaxed back against the head rest. “Yup, I’ve lived here all my life. My husband, Josh, and I were high school sweethearts. Though he was a senior when I was a freshman, so he had to wait for me a while before my parents would let me date him.”

  “How old are you?” I asked.

  “Twenty-one,” she replied, “You?”

  I nodded and answered, “Same. Twenty-one.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek and did the math in my head. Leah and I are the same age, and her husband is three years older, just like Grady. I remember Grady talking about a friend named Josh, though I had never met him. Surely it wasn’t the same Josh. Even in a town this size there had to be a lot of guys named Josh…who were twenty-four. Shit. I really hoped the one potential friend I had here wasn’t married to the best friend of the guy whose heart I broke five years ago.

  “Lindsay, are you okay? You look kind of freaked out,” Leah said.

  I snapped out of my daze and put on a fake smile. “Sure, I’m fine. What color did you decide on?” I successfully changed the subject as Leah showed me the pretty lavender color she chose for her fingers and toes. I thumbed through the available colors and settled on a bright blue to match my eyes. It was a color of confidence, and for the first time in my life I needed a dose of confidence.

  When our nails and toes were pretty and perfect, we walked out into the warm August evening. “Thank you so much, Lindsay. This was so fun! I’m meeting Josh for dinner at The Last Call. Come with me. I’ll buy you a drink.” Leah linked her arm through mine and started to guide me to a pub across the street.

  I dug in my heels and tried to gently refuse her offer. “Oh, no thanks, Leah. I should be getting home. And you don’t need to spend your money on me. Save it for the baby.”

  She laughed and pulled at me again. “I won’t be spending any money. I know the bartender. And I know you don’t need to be getting home. Lana said you needed to get out more.”

  Great. Thanks, Lana.

  “I’m not taking no for an answer, Lindsay. I insist.” She pulled me across the street and into The Last Call.

  Chapter Three

  Grady

  By the time Saturday rolled around I had to call Josh to handle a repair that came in, while I continued to work on the speedboat. The shop was usually closed on the weekends, but today I needed the distraction and we had the business to keep us busy. Leah was worki
ng today as well, so Josh didn’t mind coming in.

  I had avoided going by my dad’s house all week and hadn’t seen or heard from Lindsay. At least two nights a week I stopped by Lana’s for a good home cooked meal with her and my dad, but not this week. I relied on take out instead of risking a run-in with Lindsay. Just her presence in town was fucking with my routine, and I resented that. I resented her for leaving me broken and then just waltzing back onto my turf.

  Maybe she was already gone. That thought brought a sense of both relief and despair. I just had to make it through another day of work and then hang with Josh, Leah and Ford at the pub tonight. With enough shots of whiskey I would able to go to bed tonight and not dream about her. It had been a while since I had needed to take my life one day at a time.

  We worked steadily through the day, barely even talking or breaking to eat lunch. My dad came in to help Josh out with the repairs, and they were able to make good progress. I had been working with my dad ever since I could remember. My grandfather had started the shop when he was young and passed it on to my dad. The plan had always been for me to take over eventually as well. That plan had been threatened by my own actions.

  The first two years after Lindsay left I was a mess and didn’t do much besides work and drink, and not always separately. And I use the term “work” loosely. At least half the time I was working I was drunk or hungover. Three years ago my dad had a Come to Jesus talk with me and basically told me to get it together or get out. He said he would be more than happy to sell the shop to Josh if I didn’t snap out of it and start applying myself.

  That was the kick in the ass I needed. For a while before my descent into post-Lindsay hell, I had been thinking about ways to grow the business. The repair work was steady, being on a lake, and paid the bills. But I had always dreamed big, and I knew the way to bring in the big bucks was to get into specialty customization. Sort of like Pimp My Ride for boats.

  Turns out this was an untapped market, and in less than a year I had completed my first big project. Word of mouth turned my idea into booming business. My dad and Josh handled the standard repair business so I could focus solely on the customization piece. I knew that before next summer we would need to hire more help, for them and for me. And either expand the shop or buy another building to house my part of the business.

  The increase in revenue gave me the go ahead to build my dream house on my grandfather’s lot on the lake. Prime real estate on the lake went for a shit load of money these days, but fortunately my grandfather gave me the land free and clear. All I had to worry about was the cash for the house. I worked with a local architect to put my vision on paper and then in the ground. To keep costs down, I did a lot of the work myself. Six months ago I moved in, but hadn’t furnished anything other than my bedroom and the living room, which were sparse at best. I just couldn’t bring myself to fully settle in. Not when the person I built the house for wasn’t living there with me…and never would.

  My cell phone rang then and I answered when I saw it was my current client, Camden Holt.

  “Hey, man. What’s up?” I answered. For being a celebrity, the guy was actually pretty cool. He had contacted me a couple of months ago, and we had worked out all the details of the project over the phone and e-mail. I had no idea what movies he’d been in, but Josh said Leah drooled all over herself anytime he came on TV.

  “Hey, Grady. Just checking to see if my boat will be ready on schedule.”

  I pulled a bandana out of the back pocket of my jeans and wiped my hands off. “Yeah, it should be ready to go by the weekend before Labor Day.”

  “Awesome. I’m bringing my family for a week of R&R over Labor Day. I’ll be in the area next Saturday to check out a vacation rental. Mind if I stop by the shop to check it out?”

  I periodically sent pics of the work, but I knew it was nothing like seeing it in person. “Sure, no problem. I’ll be in the shop all day. Stop by whenever.”

  We went over a few details of the design and hung up. Cam was by far my biggest client to date, and I knew if I did a good job it would pay off well into the future.

  There were still a couple good hours of work left before I could quit for the day. I didn’t look forward to leaving the shop like I normally would after a long Saturday. Sure, I could kill a few hours at the pub, but eventually I would have to go home. Home to my too big for a single guy, empty house. Maybe I should get a dog. Shit, I could barely take care of myself.

  My dad left shortly before dinner, and Josh and I decided to call it a day too.

  “You still up for meeting Leah at the pub for dinner?” Josh asked me.

  I nodded, “Sure thing, dude. I’m starving.” I locked up the shop and we decided to walk since it was only a few blocks into downtown Penn Yan.

  We were still a good three blocks away, but up ahead I saw something that stopped me in my tracks and took me back.

  June 2006

  Parking my bike in front of the house I jogged up the walk, waving at Lana, who was knee deep in potting soil and flats of flowers next door.

  “Yo, Dad!” I called in the direction of the kitchen. “I finished the McHale job, so I’m going to head over to Josh’s to hang tonight.”

  My dad grumbled something in response but I didn’t wait to catch it and ran up the stairs to my room. Josh was having a bonfire at his place tonight and his girlfriend, Leah, was bringing some friends. A few beers and an easy lay was the perfect way to wrap up the long work week.

  I did a quick inspection of my clothes and ran my fingers through my short hair. I should probably take a shower, but a clean shirt and a ball cap would have to do. Halfway back down the stairs I caught a glimpse of Lana’s front yard through the window. Well, well, what do we have here?

  She was turned away from me, but the rear view was nothing to complain about. Long, very light blonde hair hung halfway down her back. A tiny pair of shorts barely covered a sweet ass and gave me an excellent view of her slim legs.

  My dad was in his recliner, so I cocked my head towards Lana’s house and asked, “Who’s the chick with Lana?”

  “That’s probably her niece. She’s visiting from the city for the summer.”

  That hot piece of ass was living next door to me for the whole summer? I was practically salivating at the possibilities. My dad saw the wicked gleam in my eyes and warned me, “Grady. Behave yourself.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said giving him a half ass salute as I walked outside. Time to meet the new neighbor. I walked through the grass stopping a few feet away from Lana and her niece. Now that I was closer I could see that she was barefoot with bright pink polish on her toes, and her skin was very pale, like her hair. She was short, maybe 5’3” at the most and thin but rocking some serious curves and her face was very pretty with delicate features.

  But those eyes. When she noticed I was standing there she turned those big blue eyes on me, and I swear my heart skipped a beat. At the risk of sounding like a pussy, I knew the second she looked at me with those beautiful eyes that, good or bad, my life would never be the same.

  It wasn’t until Lana stood up and cleared her throat that I realized I was staring like the village idiot. “Grady, this is my niece, Lindsay Ross. Lindsay, this is Grady Hawke. He lives next door.”

  Lindsay gave me a sweet smile and held out her hand. I looked at her dainty pale hand for a moment before grasping it in mine. The sparks that shot up my arm from her touch were like nothing else I had felt before. From the way her blue eyes widened in surprise, I could tell the feeling was mutual.

  “Lindsay, I think I can handle it from here,” Lana said, wiping her hands on a towel and looking at me. “Grady, Lindsay just arrived today and I haven’t had a chance to show her around much.”

  She didn’t have to ask me twice. “Oh, sure. We could grab some dinner and then take a ride around the lake.” Lindsay smiled again and started to agree, but then her eyes landed on my motorcycle.

  “Oh, hell no. I’m not g
etting anywhere near that thing,” she said planting her hands on her hips. She was hot and feisty, and I think I just fell in love.

  Lana and I laughed, and I ran inside to get the keys to my dad’s truck instead. But I vowed to get her on my bike one day soon. I almost forgot my plans with Josh, so I sent a quick text and headed back outside. Who would have thought I would give up a sure thing with one of Leah’s friends for an actual date?

  Lindsay was smokin’ hot, but it was clear that she wasn’t the type to put out on the first date. But surprisingly I didn’t care. I just really wanted to get to know the beautiful girl with big blue eyes that reminded me of a baby deer. Lindsay was waiting for me with her purse over her arm and flip flops on her feet.

  “You ready to go, Bambi?”

  She raised her eyebrows at my nickname for her. When I opened the passenger door of the truck for her, she flipped her long hair over her shoulder and said, “Much better.” I enjoyed the view of her climbing up onto the seat in those tiny shorts and chuckled to myself. This girl was going to be trouble.

  And was I ever right about that. We were too far away to see her eyes, but I could never miss that light blonde hair, even from three blocks away. I stood still in the middle of the sidewalk, and Josh walked a few more steps before realizing I wasn’t next to him.

  “What the fuck, dude? You look like you just saw a ghost,” he said walking back to me. I had just seen a ghost from my past, and she was walking across the street with Leah.

  “Uh, I forgot something at the shop. You go ahead. I’ll catch up,” I said turning around and walking in the opposite direction. Josh went on without me and I turned the corner and leaned against the side of the building with my hands on my knees.