Just Breathe Again

by C. A. Harms

  She went on to tell me that Rae had only stopped in to check me out, which made me roll my eyes. Check me out for what? It wasn’t like she needed to know anything about me. Of course, that comment only got my mind racing, though, once Deanna disappeared from the doorway. Was she? And if she was, what made her feel she had to? Had Aaron mentioned me?

  Shifting in my chair, I grabbed the bottle of water that sat only a few feet away, and suddenly, I felt a little lightheaded. Placing my palm on the desktop next to my keyboard, I closed my eyes and took in one slow calming breath after another. It should have helped, yet it only left a nauseated feeling in my stomach.

  “Faith?” I heard Deanna’s voice of concern, yet I remained perfectly still. Frankly, I was terrified to move for fear of losing my late lunch all over my newly furnished office. “Are you okay?”

  Slowly, I raised my hand and placed it over my mouth as I jumped up and began to run. My movements were anything but smooth as my hip bounced off the corner of my desk, and my shoulder hit the doorframe while rounding the corner toward the bathroom.

  I barely made it as I fell to the floor and emptied the contents of my stomach. Heaving, unable to catch my breath, my back arched with each unpleasant gag.

  “Oh my God.” Again, Deanna’s concerned voice filled the space around me just before I felt something cool press against the back of my neck. “What the hell did you eat? Because whatever it was, it did not agree with you.”

  “Turkey sandwich,” I whispered, my eyes tightly squeezed together. “Mayo and water. That’s it.”

  She rubbed my back soothingly, and I allowed her to. I needed something else to focus on besides the continuous tightening in my stomach. She seemed to understand that I needed silence because she said nothing further, only remained at my side.

  Unsure of how much time had passed, I hesitantly opened my eyes and grabbed for the wall at my side. Deanna took that as her cue to help and took my opposite hand in hers. “If you retch on me, I’m not sure I’ll be able to continue on as your friend.” The humor in her tone was obvious, and I tried my best to enjoy it, but suddenly, I was woozy all over again, and the weight of my body leaned into hers.

  “Wow.” She did her best to support me because I was little to no help. It was almost like my legs had given out as I slouched against her. “Let’s get you somewhere you can sit down for a few minutes.”

  I nodded and allowed her to lead me toward the bench just outside the bathroom. She guided me down slowly, and when she knew it was safe, she sat on the floor in front of me and kept one hand on each of my knees, looking up at me. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m not sure.” It had hit me so fast. I felt better now, but I was still not completely one hundred percent.

  “You’ve been working too hard.” Deanna began to lecture me, and I closed my eyes again so she didn’t see me rolling them at her. “Between here and the house, you are overdoing it. I’ve told you to hire someone to paint and fix things. You cannot do everything and still expect to have time to take care of yourself.”

  “Are you done yet?”

  “No.” The weight of her hands left my knees, and I assumed she sat back and was still staring at me. Rather, glaring at me. That was until I heard her talk.

  “I’m sitting here with your daughter.” My eyes shot open, and my mouth gaped. “She almost passed out, threw up like the exorcist, then—” She paused. “Oh my.” I watched as Deanna shook her head. “It’s a movie about a girl possessed by a demon. So not the point.”

  I smiled, imagining my mother getting confused by the way that Deanna was rambling on and on a mile a minute.

  “Anyway,” she waved her hand like my mom could actually see her from the other end of the line, “she threw up, like a lot, then when she went to stand, she would have fallen flat on her face had I not been there to catch her.” Another pause and I could hear my mother’s voice yet could not understand her words.

  “Exactly. I told her she was overdoing it too.” Another pause. “What I said too, which means we just need to take matters into our own hands.”

  Oh, no they don’t.

  “Mamma, you are good. It’s almost like we share the same mind.” I was positive my mother snickered at that one. “Okay. I will tell her.” She said a quick goodbye before lowering her phone to her lap and arching her brow, daring me to give her shit about the call she’d just made. There was no point, and I still felt like hell, so I let her win this one.

  “Your mother is on her way. She and I will get you home, then I will be sleeping over to keep an eye on you.” I hoped she was looking forward to sleeping on an air mattress in the middle of my living room. I would leave that detail out until she saw it. Maybe that would help her change her mind. I didn’t need a babysitter. I did, however, need to lay down.

  “Your father will be hiring someone to get your house painted and organized.” It was then I started to argue, and she placed her hand before my face to shush me. “It’s done, and you have no say in the matter. My hell, Faith, you are not Wonder Woman, though you do have an ass like hers.”

  With that, she got up and sashayed down the hall toward the lobby like she’d conquered the world. Damn overbearing best friend.

  I’d handle my father tomorrow. Tonight, I needed to go to bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Aaron

  Pulling into the driveway of Faith’s house, I turned the key and leaned back in the seat of my truck. Looking at the house before me, I took a few minutes to admire its charm. Everything about it, from the small porch with the country-style railings to the wooden shutters aside each window, screamed Faith. I could almost picture her sitting on the porch each morning drinking her coffee with a smile on her face.

  The house needed work, but it had great bones. With some dedication and long hours, it would make a gorgeous home.

  I gathered my bag of tools from the passenger seat and climbed out of my truck. I wasn’t moving fast because I wasn’t really sure what type of greeting I would receive once she realized I was here. I imagined it to be one of disappointment and irritation. After all, I wasn’t her favorite person, and I completely understood why.

  As I began walking up the gravel driveway, the sound of my boots against the rocks almost echoed in the early morning silence. I paused, wondering if eight was entirely too early to be showing up, but her father was the one who had insisted I be here and get an early start.

  Again, I was sure she would have a few choice words for her father once she found out he’d hired me to handle a long list of things at her home.

  Pausing just outside her front door, I leaned my ear closer and listened for any sign of movement. No television playing, no talking or laughter inside, which only made me feel even more uneasy.

  Lifting my hand to knock on the door, it came open before I had the chance to connect. There, in the doorway, stood Deanna, Faith’s friend, with a surprised look on her face. But it wasn’t her who had my attention. It was the dark-haired beauty who stood a few feet behind her.

  Faith had her hair piled high on her head—a mess, really. Lopsided, hanging more over her left ear, and blackness from yesterday’s makeup was smeared beneath her eyes. She wore an oversized t-shirt, one that hung off the left shoulder and barely hit mid-thigh. Bare legs peeked out from beneath, and on her feet were atrocious fuzzy socks, bright rainbow-colored, and going halfway up her calves.

  She looked beautiful.

  “Well, hello,” Deanna spoke, and suddenly, I realized I had been staring. Shifting my gaze, I looked back to the other woman who was smiling knowingly, and my heart raced in my chest. “It was awful nice of you to stop by and check on Faith, but she’s better now.”

  I shifted my attention back to Faith and looked her over, wondering what her friend could have been referring to.

  “It was probably because she was overworked and had barely eaten,” Deanna added.

  Faith interrupted her friend and crossed her arms over her ch
est. “What are you doing here, Aaron?” A displeased look fell upon her face.

  I held up my tool bag as an explanation, and she continued to wait for an explanation. My chest felt tight, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt like taking a woman in my arms and apologizing for every single wrong I had ever done. I was a mess of emotions, and I would have liked to blame it all on Lynn being in town, but the truth was, I was a wreck long before that.

  “Just here to help.” I finally got the words out.

  “I’m fine.” Her friend snickered at her words, which got the attention of both of us.

  She shrugged and shook her head, wearing a sarcastic smile. “Faith, you and this place are anything but fine. You’ve been overdoing it, and let’s admit it now, you know absolutely nothing about remodeling a home. So why don’t you let go of the irritation you feel for this gorgeous man?” When saying the word “gorgeous,” she managed to scan over me from head to toe, and I held my laughter. I didn’t want to laugh. It’d feed the fire that was already brewing inside of Faith. “He’s here to help. You need help. Get over it and move on.” Deanna waved her hand between us. Instantly, I liked her. “I’m going out to grab coffee and donuts.” She stepped past me, looking back over her shoulder as she walked down the steps. “Play nice, and don’t kill each other while I’m gone.”

  I watched her climb into her Jeep, and the minute she sped off, I pivoted to face Faith once again.

  “Honestly, everything is good here.” The stubborn, determined look on her face didn’t falter for a second. “I just got a little lightheaded and felt faint last night. Deanna overreacted, but I’m good now. I just hadn’t eaten much, and I worked more than ten hours on edits and such.”

  I held her gaze, and for a split second, she looked away, unable to remain in control. That could have been a good thing. It meant she wasn’t completely closed off and damaged by my past events and dismissive attitude.

  “Well, I’m here, so why don’t you let me see if I can at least put a small dent in what you have going on?”

  Again, she stared at me, her arms still crossed, and I knew she was going for something completely different than appealing, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Painting walls and moving furniture is not part of your job, Aaron. My father never should have called you.”

  “Contracting and remodeling is actually something I’m damn good at.” I smiled when she arched her brow. “Back in Texas, it was what I did.” A surprised look covered her face, and I realized it was the first real piece of my past life I had given her. I was sure she knew more about me because Gillette was a small town, and everyone knew everyone’s business, but this was a part of me, given to her by me. “I and a buddy of mine started it up together. We did it all, so I know how to do a little more than sanding and staining woodwork.”

  “I’m sure you have plenty of things to do other than be here.”

  Funny thing was, I didn’t want to come here, but now that I had faced her, the last thing I wanted to do was leave. “I can’t think of one.”

  Remaining exactly where we were, watching one another closely, I fought the urge to apologize for the tension I had caused between us. I didn’t regret our nights together. Being with Faith made me feel alive for the first time in years. That was the part that scared me the most. It was like a jolt to my system—something I wasn’t prepared to feel. What I did regret was the way I had acted and the shit things I had said that made her feel as she did toward me.

  Without saying another word, she stepped aside and motioned for me to enter. Her face still devoid of emotion, I moved past her and began to look around.

  Boxes, I assumed filled with her things, sat around the room. Large, white tarps were thrown over what appeared to be furniture, and sheets were hung over her windows. In the center of the living room, there was a large blow-up mattress with blankets and pillows astray around it. The idea of her sleeping on it instead of a bed irritated me.

  “The first item on my list is to get your bedroom set up.” I lowered my bag of tools to the floor.

  “It’s already painted.” Glancing over my shoulder, I found her standing near the door, tugging on the lower half of her shirt. I did my best not to look toward her legs, but in my mind, I was reminiscing about them, bare and wrapped around my waist.

  “Carpet gets put in on Friday, then I can assemble the bed and set up the rest of the furniture.”

  “Can I see it?” She arched her eyebrow, and I smiled. “Okay, pervert. I just want to make sure it’s ready for carpet.”

  When I saw a trace of a smile just before she quickly recovered, I felt a little less stressed about being here. Being around Faith was something I enjoyed, and I knew that if I truly let go of all the shit inside my heart and mind, I could be myself again. I just had no idea where to start, and I was afraid I had already ruined any chance she and I ever had.

  “It’s the second door on the right.” She pointed toward the hallway. “I’ll put on some coffee.”

  “I thought Deanna was getting coffee?”

  “She’s getting garbage coffee. I’ll stick to what I have here.”

  “Hazelnut?”

  She shrugged, and the movement lifted her shirt a little higher on her legs, instantly gaining my attention and triggering my heart rate to quicken. “Possibly.” Brushing past me, I inhaled and closed my eyes, remembering the few times I had buried my face in the crook of her neck. I wasn’t sure what the scent was, but it was one I would never forget.

  As she disappeared around the corner, I let out a slow, calming breath, then I picked up my tool belt once more.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Faith

  I stood at my sink, my hands braced on the countertop before me, taking in one slow breath after another. Staring out into my backyard, I tried to hold on to my emotions before they spiraled out of control.

  I was angry with my father for bringing Aaron back into my life. I had a plan, and it was working great. I had managed to avoid him, and hell, I even bought a house sooner than I had originally planned, just so I didn’t take a chance of seeing him each day when leaving my parents’ house.

  Now, here he was.

  In my house. In my bedroom, of all places.

  My head was spinning.

  “Um, I said I was getting coffee.” I didn’t even turn around to face Deanna. Honestly, I felt lightheaded from the fact that my heart was racing so fast and the last thing I needed was to face plant in front of her. She was the one who had started this whole mess. Come to think of it, she was the one responsible for Aaron being here.

  Shifting around, I closed my eyes when the room began to spin, and I leaned my hip against the countertop in an attempt to hide my wobble. “This is your fault.” I slowly opened my eyes after regaining my balance and found her staring back at me with knowing eyes. I chose to ignore her look of concern, hoping that my words would distract her. “He wouldn’t be here if you didn’t call my mother. Who does that, anyway? We are grown-ass women. Call my mom and tattle? That is ridiculous.”

  Stepping further into the kitchen, she placed the box of donuts on the counter and the tray holding three coffees next to it. “First off, you need to put some pants on because I can totally see your ass hanging out from beneath that t-shirt. Unless, of course, it’s your plan to lure him in. If so, I would maybe put on a shorter shirt.” She is a menace. “Second, you should know that I have absolutely no regrets for calling your mother. In fact, I should call her right now and tell her that you almost passed out on me again.”

  I started to argue, and she held up her hand to stop me. I wanted to toss her ass out.

  “Third, I think we both know that your father asking him to help you is not the only reason that man is here. He had every right to refuse, but instead, he showed up here, knowing it wouldn’t be easy. He knew he’d get sass and resistance from you, but here he is, in your home, willing and ready to help you. So stop being an asshole. Accept th
at you have people around you wanting to help and call the doctor already. You have anemia or low blood sugar or something. I am gonna strap your ass to a chair or borrow your father’s wheelchair if I have to because one of these times, you are gonna fall flat on your face before anyone has time to catch you.”

  I’m not the asshole. She is the asshole.

  I watched as she pulled one cup after the other from the tray and set them aside before tossing the drink holder aside. Then she grabbed three paper plates and opened the box of donuts. “Hazelnut coffee.” She pointed to not one but two cups. “I pay attention and know you both like the nasty stuff. As I said, when I left, I was getting coffee.”

  I tried to hold my smile at bay, but when she did a smartass little wobble with her head, I was done.

  “You’re the asshole,” I mumbled, stepping forward and grabbing my coffee.

  “Are you taking him the coffee, or am I?”

  “You are.” I stared at my hands wrapped around the cup and ignored her watching me.

  “Afraid you’ll jump him again?”

  I looked up, and my mouth gaped open, making her laugh. “What?”

  “I did not jump him.” I so jumped him, but that was beside the point.

  “I don’t blame you. I mean, come on. The guy is dreamy. Those hands.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip as if imagining something in her mind. I had never been jealous of anyone’s fantasies until now. “Yeah, I’ll take him his coffee.” She opened her eyes and started to reach for the cup, but I beat her to it. “Or you can.” Her grin was annoying the hell out of me. She’d just played me well, and she knew it.

  I didn’t look back at her as I exited the kitchen. Stopping to grab a pair of shorts out of the box near the fireplace, I walked quietly down the hallway toward my room. As I stepped into the doorway, I paused and took in the sight before me. Aaron was kneeling down on the floor, along the edge near the closet, as he pulled back the existing carpet, looking beneath. Using a hammer or some type of prier, he popped it free and pulled it back even more. I had the perfect view of his ass—the way his jeans formed to it—and his shirt had risen just enough to show off the muscles at his side when he flexed. Jesus, the man was perfect. It would be even better if he wasn’t such a jerk.