Pieces of You (4 page)

"You got it, Turtle." She teases.

"Jesus. You are never going to let me live that down are you?"

"Nope! Go cook me some steak."

I smile and tap my fingers on the banister.

"You got it! See you in a couple of hours."

Turning I walk out the front door and to my truck waiting on the other side of the fence. Climbing in, I turn the key but watch the kitchen window for Riley to appear. The reflection of the tree on the glass makes it difficult to see, but I'm sure she got my note by now. I throw the truck into drive and pull onto the quiet street.

As I turn the corner, I pull out my cell phone and call Tim and ask for Princess' number. Tim doesn't pick up, but that doesn't really surprise me. He screens all of his calls because of all the one night stands he has. If I were him, I would too.

"Hey, Tim. It's Ty. Listen. I need Princess' phone number. Text his contact info to me would ya? Bye."

Turning up the radio, I find myself singing along to the pop song that's playing. This is definitely not ordinary for me, but I'm actually in a really good mood. I pull into the butcher shop parking lot and turn off the vehicle. Still whistling the tune of the song that I was just singing, I bounce into the shop and head to the meat counter. I ask for the two thickest cuts of beef that I can get and wait while they are cut fresh for me. Once done, I grab some mushrooms and beer to go along with dinner. While waiting in line behind an old woman who is insisting on counting out exact change from her coin purse, my phone beeps with an incoming text. Hoping to see a message from Riley, I am slightly disappointed when I see its a message from Tim with the information I asked for.

"That'll be $36.23 please, Ty." The woman behind the counter snapping her gum tells me. "How has your mother been lately?"

"She's great! Loving the city life," I answer with a smile and toss a couple of twenties down on the counter. "I'll be sure to tell her you say hi."

"Please do, Ty. I sure miss her around here. Will you let me know when she's due for a visit?" Sue passes me my change and places the items in a brown paper bag.

"Sure thing, Sue." She offers me a broad smile and tilts her head off to the side. "Have a great day!"

"I sure will, Ty. Take care."

Picking up my bag, I carry it to the truck and place it on the passenger seat before rounding the vehicle, climbing behind the wheel and starting the engine. As the engine rumbles, I call the number that Tim provided and I smile when Princess answers the phone.

"Hey, Princess."

"Turtle! How are you? Hey, who was that woman you were with last night? She had legs that didn't quit!" He whistles into the phone.

"She wants to see you again. She was actually hoping the three of us could get together tomorrow." I tease into the phone.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Man ... what do you mean exactly because my mind is traveling to places that I don't know it should be traveling to."

I start laughing. "Not that way, you perv. Actually, I'm doing some renos over at Widow Crawley's house, and Riley is the new owner. I need help moving the old clawfoot tub into the hall tomorrow and Riley just ain't big enough to help with that."

"Man! You can't do that to me. I had no clue what was really going on there. You freaked me out, yet I found myself slightly excited at the possibility."

"So does that mean you're going to help me?"

"Yeah. I'll be there at eight."

"Thanks, Princess. See you in the morning."

"No worries, Turtle."

I start my truck and head toward home. I have to clean up before Riley comes over. I have no clue what I have left out.

Chapter 4

At 5:55, I'm outside setting up the grill when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Wiping my hand on my jeans, I raise the lid of the grill with one hand and raise my phone to eye level with the other. It's a number I'm not familiar with.

"Ty Lorey speaking," I answer into the microphone, hissing when I burn my finger on the rack as I try to move it.

"I'm hungry, let me in." Riley demands playfully.

I smile into the phone and look back at the house behind me. It's my parents'parents old house, they gave it to me when they built a new one. I've lived here my whole life, except briefly when I moved in with Mel.

"Come around back, I just turned the grill on."

"Alright."

I disconnect the call and slide the phone back into my pocket. Smiling the entire time. I close the lid on the grill and pick up my beer from the table. Riley appears from the side of the house, wearing short pants and a t-shirt. Really casual. It's a cleaner version of this morning, and I think I really like this side of her.

I rush over to take the bags from her hands.

"Hey, let me take those."

"Thank you." She smiles and gladly passes the bags over.

"What's in these bags?" I inquire when I get a handle on the weight.

"Salad and dessert."

"For how many?" I ask her accusingly. "I only have steak for the two of us.

"Shush." She rolls her eyes and follows me into the back of the house. We enter the kitchen, and I place the bags on the table. I take a beer out of the fridge for her as she removes the items from the bags.

Taking a big swig from the bottle, she places it on the table and sits in a chair, making herself comfortable. Sitting across from her, I pick at the label on my bottle while I watch her watch me. "So what made you decide to flip houses?" I ask while studying her fingers around the bottle.

She sighs and shifts her position on the seat. "Well, I knew I wanted home ownership. It was HUGE for me, since my family didn't have much while I was growing up. Evictions and your home being sold from under you is not ideal when you are an impressionable youth." She chuckles.

"So anyways, I graduated and bought my first house when I was eighteen years old. It was a piece of crap. Everything was circa 1960, and the colors were hideous." She takes a drink from the bottle and puts it back on the tabletop. "So I renovated and it turned out amazing. A friend told me about house flipping, and so I thought why not? I have nothing to lose. So I put it on the market and had it sold within a month. I had some extra padding in my pocket and decided to do it again. And again and here I am." She brings the bottle back to her lips

"So you can say you've been successful."

"I do okay."

I contemplate her answer for a moment before standing and picking up the platter of steaks on the counter. "How do you like your steak?"

"Rare is great. Please. I'll get the salad and dessert ready."

"Sounds good. I'll go throw these on and be back in a few." I step out onto the porch and throw the beef on the grill. The smell when the beef first gets licked by flames, and the sizzle causes my stomach to growl loudly. Looking back into the house I watch as Riley moves comfortably around my small kitchen. Finding the plates with ease and setting the table. I'm staring when she looks up at me and smiles brightly. I have to admit, her charisma has gained my attention.

It doesn't take long for the steaks to be cooked, so I turn off the grill and promptly remove them from the fire, carrying the tray into the house. "Thanks for setting the table."

"No problem. Thanks for giving me your meat." She stops and instantly turns a light shade of red. "I mean. Thanks for the steak."

In an attempt not to embarrass her, I overlook her blunder and place the meat on her plate. "I hope that you can eat all of that. It's a big chunk of meat."

"I like meat." Her face reddens some more. "I'm going to stop talking now."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist when I saw you blush. I had to see more. You have some adorable dimples when you're embarrassed."

"My thing," she whispers into her hands as she covers her face.

"Excuse me?"

"You found my thing." She shakes her head and dishes up the salad on both of our plates. "You have turtle and I have dimples. My thing," she finishes as I look at her puzzled but intrigued.

"Oh that thing." I smirk. "Your secret is safe with me." I wink at her and start cutting my steak. "Or maybe now I have a secret weapon." I raise both my eyebrows and raise my fork to my mouth.

Watching Riley cut her steak and place it into her mouth has got to be my new favorite thing. She's a serious carnivore. Tearing through the meat and bringing it to rest on her tongue before closing her eyes and savoring the flavor. My mouth drops open, and I shift slightly in my seat as I listen to her quiet moan.

When she moans a second time, I drop my fork and clear my throat. "Sorry." I offer. She smiles and continues to chew quietly while I try not to stare.

"So, you lost your fiancée. May I ask how?"

I don't know how to answer this without losing my cool, so I take a deep breath and hope the man upstairs can give me peace as I try to tell her. I rest the tines of my fork on my plate and braid my fingers in front of my chin while searching for the easiest way to tell her.

"We were in a car accident. Got blindsided by a semi on our way to Vegas. It was the worst day of my life." I rest my forehead on my folded hands and close my eyes. Flashes of Mel run through my mind. I try to chase them away.

"How long had you been together?" she asks and I open my eyes and tilt my head so I can look up at her.

"I'm sorry. Just tell me to mind my own business." She apologizes.

"It's okay. I just haven't talked about this with anyone in a long time." I chew the inside of my cheek and tug on my facial hair.

"You don't have to." She reassures me leaning back in her chair and drinking from the water glass in front of her. Regret covers her face. She didn't know. How could she?

"It felt like we were together forever. We finished each other's sentences. We just... "

"She was the one, huh?" Riley asks softly, her chin resting on her folded hands.

"Yeah. She was." I agree and take a drink from my beer bottle. "But she's gone and I'm still here so I have to remember that."

"Were you hurt too?"

"Yeah. My leg was broken in four places. Took a while for it to heal. Have a few nice titanium pins in it now. I'm almost a superhero." I chuckle and the room grows silent at my awkward attempt to lighten the conversation.

"For what it's worth. I'm glad you're here." Riley reaches out and takes my hand in both of hers. The shiver that travels up my spine from her touch is new. It's something I think both of us feel as she shudders when my hand accepts hers.

"Thanks."

We sit awkwardly holding hands across the table. Our eyes meet and we just kind of watch each other for a few minutes. Offering one last squeeze, she takes her hands back and pushes her plate to the side. I follow her lead. I don't think either of us wants to finish our dinner at this point.

Clearing my throat, I turn my glass in my fingers. "So I got a guy to help tomorrow, I warn you though ... he's kind of a mama's boy."

"Is that so?" She smirks and when she does she gets a little wrinkle in her nose and blinks her eyes.

"Yes, and he's deathly afraid of spiders. So if you hear any squealing it may be followed by constant ribbing from me for the rest of the day."

"Princess?" She raises her eyebrow and laughs when she watches me try to lift my own.

"Shush." I push out from my chair and clear the table of our plates. "Yes, I called Princess because honestly he's the biggest guy I know, and he wouldn't be trying to hit on you all day."

Turning in her chair to face me, she cocks her head to the side. "You're worried about your friends hitting on me all day?"

Rinsing the plates off, I place them beside the sink and turn to lean on the tiny island between us. "Riley, if Tim were to come and help us, I would be doing the whole thing by myself and would lose my job because I would be guilty by association. He can be very ... colorful with his words. And well, I really don't want to subject you to that, and I definitely don't want to be painted with the same brush as him."

"I don't think you would have to worry about that. Ty Lorey. I can already see what kind of man you are." Her voice trails off as if she were teasing me, and she turns to cut and serve the cheesecake she brought.

"And what kind of man is that?"

"You're a good man, Ty. And a fantastic chaperone." She winks at me and places a slice of cake in front of my chair at the table. She sits again and this time, brings her legs up and crosses them on the chair, leaning into the table. "Now get over here and eat your dessert."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

"Well, thank you for the steak, Ty. You are a grill master, just as you said." Her sincere compliment makes me smile.

I walk her out the front door and to her car parked beside my truck. "Thanks for coming over, it's not often I have company that isn't trying to talk me into going to a strip club or sleeping with Sasha." I wrinkle my nose and shake my head.

"How do you know I wasn't going to ask you to go to a strip club?" she asks as she fastens her seatbelt and leans on the rolled down window.

"I would never go to a strip club with you, Riley."

"Why's that, Ty?"

"You don't belong in a place like that. I don't know what they have to offer in the city, but the clubs here are definitely not classy enough for you to go to." I inform her as I lean one hand on the roof of her car and tuck my right hand in my front pocket. My fingers drum on the roof and I clear my throat. It's true though.

She blushes and looks down at her lap when those tiny dimples appear again. Nodding a couple of times she blinks. "That so, Mr. Lorey?"

Stepping back. I cross my arms over my chest. "Most definitely, Ms. Jensen."

Taking a deep breath, she turns the key in the ignition and licks her lips. "See you in the morning, Ty."

Shifting the car in gear she reverses and waves to me before pulling into traffic. I watch as her taillights get smaller and smaller the further away she drives. Walking by my truck, I drop my hand on the hood and continue into my home.

Before she left, Riley insisted on cleaning the dishes so that's one less thing I need to do tonight. I grab a cold beer from the fridge and drop down on my sofa, turning on the television as I do. I kick off my boots and lift my feet up on the table as I untwist the cap and take in a mouthful of the cold bitter liquid.

Closing my eyes, I tip my head and rest it on the back of the sofa. Placing my bottle on the table beside me, I take my phone out of my pocket and open my gallery. The first picture that pops up is Mel and me in the car moments before we were hit by the semi. She's kissing my cheek and my eyes are glued to the road, but my smile tells it all. It's my eyes that show just how much in love with her I was. I touch the screen and the image changes to her face with puckered lips and closed eyes. I stare at the image so long the screen goes dark and once again I am left alone with my thoughts. Instead of sad thoughts about Mel, I see Riley and her dimples as she pulls away from me on the street tonight. And I smile.

Tonight I sleep soundly. I don't wake up at 3:22. I wake with my alarm at 7:15 finally refreshed and feeling more alive than I have in months, if not for at least a year.

***

Swinging by the coffee shop, I grab a cup for Riley, Princess and myself. It's going to be a crazy morning of lifting and working in a small space with such a big boy. I really hope there are no spiders. I don't think anyone could mentally prepare themselves for the high pitched shriek that he produces in the face of fear.

Pulling up to Widow Crawley's house, I'm the first one here. I really shouldn't be surprised but I kind of am. I should have gotten a key from Riley, but I'm just her employee, not her partner.

Climbing out of my truck, I drop the gate on the bed and hop up to sit and wait for the rest to arrive. Drinking my coffee, I look over and the crabapple tree is calling my name. Dropping to the ground I walk over and pluck an apple from the branch. I breathe on the apple and polish it on my shirt before taking a bite. Sour and amazing like always. Slowly walking back to my truck, Riley arrives and shakes her head when I wave the half eaten fruit at her.

"What did I tell you about garden raiding?" She climbs out of her car and shakes her head.

"I don't recall." I joke as I take another bite. Holding it out I tuck the apple into my cheek and smile. "Want some? It's really good!" I'm not expecting her to do what she does next. She reaches out and holds my hand still while taking a bite of my apple. Crunching the fruit she smiles and nods.

"You're right. I might have to make a pie." She starts walking toward the house, pulling the keys out of her pocket. I watch her walk away and once again begin chewing the fruit tucked in my cheek. "When's Princess arriving?"