I was off in one hour. I could pick Beau up from school, go home, and deal with the mess of a situation I had waiting at home in one hour.
I had cashed several dozen checks, made deposits and withdraws, and given fake smiles all day. I was exhausted.
"Here ya go, Miss Darla." I smiled at the older woman standing in front of me. I handed her the deposit slip for the large deposit she'd just made and turned from her, closing the drawer of money to my left.
Another customer stepped up to the counter as I cleared myself from the file open on the computer.
"One moment please, and I'll be right with you."
"Take yer time."
My head snapped up.
Cash was standing on the other side of the counter, his elbows resting on the wood of the counter top, and a lopsided grin on his face. His shoulder length dark hair fell forward as he rested his hands on opposite elbows.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
He stood up and held his hands up, in a surrendering position. "I didn't mean to freak ya out. I got paid today, I just needed to cash my check." He said simply.
Of course. He was there on business.
Something panged inside me knowing that he didn't really come there for me, although another part was relieved he wasn't following me.
"I didn't even know you worked here." He assured me. I did my best to wipe the bewildered look from my face. I watched as he pulled an envelope from his pocket, sliding it across the counter.
I took it from him, opening it and pulling the paper check out.
"So, Gunner mentioned this morning you were havin' some problems with your water."
I looked up at him. Why would Gunner tell him that?
I waved a hand at him. "I've got it handled." I assured him.
I pulled the check apart and looked at the amount.
"You sure? I have some experience with plumbing." He offered.
Gabby had said that Gunner didn't know much about pipes earlier when I'd spoken to her. If Cash did then that was why he had mentioned it to him. Of course.
I began counting out bills.
Beau would need a bath tonight. I would need a shower. I'd need water to cook dinner.
And I couldn't afford a plumber. I'd have to pay him something, but probably not as much as a plumber.
I couldn't afford a plumber.
I put the money in an envelope and handed it to him, filing the check in the drawer.
He raised his eye brows.
"What?" I asked.
"I can look at the pipes, Sadie."
I sighed. I was out of options.
I gave him a half smile. "Come over around 4." I said.
I was home by 3:45. I left Beau to change into play clothes while I changed out of the dress pants and blouse I had worn to worn.
I slipped on a big seat shirt and a pair of bike shorts and headed back into the kitchen, in search of a snack I could give him that wouldn't require water.
I didn't make it to the kitchen before the door bell rang.
He was there.
My heart rate sped up at the thought of being around him again, and my palms became sweaty. I wanted to smack myself out of the daze. I was being ridiculous, acting like a high school girl with a crush.
I turned and walked towards the door.
Opening it, I was net with Cash, but he wasn't empty handed.
A pizza box balanced on one arm, and a 6 pack is beer in the other he stood in the porch.
I furrowed my brow.
He shrugged his shoulders at me. "I, uh. I figured you'd be hungry and wouldn't be able to cook with no water." He explained.
I looked him over. I felt relief wash over me. I didn't have to worry about what to feed Beau now. I knew there wasn't much in the kitchen anyway, I hadn't been grocery shopping in a while, but I would have found something. But I didn't have to now. He'd taken care of it.
Suddenly, I stiffened. Was he going to expect something in return? Surely not.
I prayed not. I wouldn't be able to offer much.
I moved out of his way, having left him on the porch long enough, and ushered him inside.
I pointed towards the kitchen and led the way.
We didn't make it past the couch before Beau bolted from the hallway. "Cash!"
He smacked into Cash's muscled leg and latched on.
"Hey buddy!" He greeted the little boy.
I got the feeling he would have patted his head or even scooped him up had his hands not been full.
"What are you here for?" Beau asked, still hugging his leg tight.
Cash grinned at him.
"I heard you liked cheese pizza and banana peppers, and that just so happens to be my favorite too, so I thought I'd bring you over some, and help yer Mama with your water problem." Cash explained to him.
How had he known Beaus favorite pizza? Gunner. I wanted to roll my eyes.
"Pizza?! Really?!" Beau let go of Cash and bounced in place.
Cash nodded. "Yeah. A whole box."
Beau led the way to the table now, and I grabbed plates and napkins.
I watched as Cash sat down, under Beaus instruction, and Beau climbed up in his lap.
I felt a pang inside me. He was so desperate for a relationship with a man. Micheal was never around, and Gunner was just a kid. He loved Beau, but he and Gabby were in a new relationship and it wasn't the same.
Trevor had never been very present in his life. Even when he was still living there and we were married he chose other things over Beau. It didn't bother me much. I was just glad that his beatings only came to me, not Beau too, although his treatment of him wasn't great either way.
I took the plates and napkins to the kitchen and sat down across from them.
"Why do you have all these pictures?" Beau asked, tracing his finger over the top of a tattoo, that was sticking out of the collar of his shirt.
"Beau!" I scolded.
Cash shook his head at me and grinned. "It's okay, Sadie."
I loved the way my name sounded when he said it. I watched him. I had half expected him to shove Beau off of his lap and leave. But he didn't. The small boy continued to search all the dark ink covering his skin, and I watched as Cash began to explain.
"Some of 'em I have because of somethin' special or important." He began. "This one right here, it's for my Mama." He showed him a rose tattoo on his bicep just above his elbow. "Some of 'em just because I liked 'em. Like this one." He pointed to a lightning bolt on one of his knuckles.
Beau thought about that answer. "Does your Mama know you drew on yourself? My Mama would take all my markers away."
We both chuckled, and our eyes met. He was good with Beau, and his company was easy. That made me feel something I couldn't quite identify.
"My Mama does know. She ain't took my markers away yet." He winked at Beau.
The small boy continued to examine tattoos on his skin as they talked.
"Yer Mama is cool then. Can I meet her?" He asked.
I didn't have a chance to scold him again before Cash spoke. "Yeah! Anytime. Maybe Gunner will take you to meet her." He said. There it was. People typically did that. Shoved us off on someone else.
I looked down at the plates in front of me. I realized then that I had begun to wonder if Cash was different than other people. Especially other men. But that comment had just shown me that he wasn't.
"I want YOU to take me, Cash." Beau said. I could hear the disappointment in his voice.
I waited for him to let the boy down more.
"Okay, sure buddy. How about tomorrow? After school?" My eyes snapped up.
Beau turned to me, excitement all over his face. "Can I Mama?!"
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I looked at Cash. He was waiting for an answer.
He examined my face for a moment before speaking. "Well, of course, yer Mama would come too." He said, as if explaining to me better through his words to Beau.
He wasn't brushing him off. He was doing what Beau asked.
I nodded, but didn't say anything more on the subject. "Let's eat."
Beau sat in Cash's lap through the meal, and led a broken prayer. Cash bowed his head and grinned and repeated a quiet "amen" when Beau gave his own.
He asked about tattoo after tattoo while we ate, and Cash answered everytime without hesitation.
When we were finished eating Beau went to play in his room after a promise from Cash that he would follow when he was finished working on the water "only if Mama says I can", and then he excused himself to get tools from outside.
I watched him from the window. He didn't have his motorcycle, he was driving a big blue truck. I wondered if it was his or not.
I hurried to the kitchen before he saw me watching him, pretending to be busy with something.
He came back inside the house with a tool box in his hand and a tool belt around his waist.
I wasn't sure why, but that sight had my stomach turning with excitement.
Flush welled up my cheeks as I watched him.
"So it's all the faucets?" He asked.
I nodded.
"Cold and hot?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Just hot." I said quietly.
Our eyes met. I was sure I saw a smolder in his eyes.
"Uh. Where's the hot water tank?"
"In my closet." I whispered.
I walked around the counter and led the way down the hallway and into my room. Into my closet, where clothes only filled half of the area. The other half was empty. I had moved into this house after Trevor had made me move from the house we'd lived in together on the other side of town. The closet wasn't big, but I had almost hoped he would decide he wanted his family and come back. So I'd left it empty. Now I was regretting that as Cash looked at the empty space a little too long before he began removing the plaster panel from the hot water tanks home behind the dry wall.
He'd had a beer with his pizza, and I'd had lemonade, but I was suddenly thirsty, and clammy.
"Want another beer?" I offered.
He didn't glance at me, he kept his eyes on his work. "Sure."
I stepped out, leaving him alone in my bedroom.
I stepped in to check on Beau, who was playing with a puzzle in the floor of his little room.
Seeing that he was okay and occupied I stepped out, going into the kitchen and retrieving a beer for him, and one for myself.
I went back into the bedroom and handed him the bottle.
"Thanks." He thanked me before turning back to his work.
I went to sit on the bed, but then stopped myself. Standing still half way between the door and the bed.
Trevor had gotten upset when I would try to talk to him while he worked, or when I watched him. He said i was only spying because I didn't trust his skills, or think he could fix things.
I didn't want to make Cash feel that way.
"What's wrong?"
I turned to look at him, realizing that I had been in my own thoughts for longer than I had thought.
I was going through memories of busted coffee tables, bloody lips and broken hangers.
I felt like I was stuttering more than normal as I spoke to him. "Uh. I was just wondering if I could sit with you, but I should probably go check on Beau instead." My voice was low. I was mumbling again, but once again, he had no trouble hearing me.
He furrowed his brow. "You can sit, you won't bother me. I'd enjoy the company." I could tell he was telling the truth, but I could also tell that he was curious why I said what I said.
I sat on the bed quietly and watched him.
The muscles in his back stretched and flexed as he worked.
He paused for a moment and looked back at me, curiosity and confusion on his face. "You can talk, Sadie. You won't bother me." He assured.
I looked down at my hands around the bottle of beer.
"I'm sorry." I wasn't sure why I said it. But it was all I could think to say at that moment.
I wasn't expecting what happened next. Not one little bit.
Cash out the wrench he'd been working with in his hand, and stepped towards me. He crouched on one knee in front of me, and took my chin in between his finger and thumb.
His hand was rough, and felt good on my skin. His touch sparked across me.
"You don't ever have to say you're sorry to me. You didn't do anything wrong." He assured me.
I swallowed, meeting his eyes. He was wide open. Hiding nothing. Least of all his attraction to me.
I'd never seen that before. Attraction on someone's face when they looked at me. I enjoyed it.
I thought for a moment he may kiss me. He was so close I could smell him, and feel him breathing. But he didn't. He pulled away, and stood up again.
"The problem was the pressure. It was up too high." His voice was low. "I adjusted it. Should be fixed now." He promised.
"Thank you." I said, standing up.
He gathered his tools and we stepped out. I went to the kitchen to try the faucet. Sure enough, when I turned it on, there was no forceful spewing.
Relief and thankfulness washed over me.
"Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" I turned, and without thought, threw my arms around him.
He chuckled and patted my back with one hand, holding his tool box in the other.
"Anytime."
I pulled back and swallowed. He would want payment.
I stood up straight and stepped back. "What do I owe you?" I asked, opening the drawer beside the sink, and pulling my check book out.
He put up a hand. "No ma'am." He denied.
I shook my head. "I have to give you something. Nothing in life is free." I said, looking down at the check book. "And I can't leave standing debt anymore than I have already."
I looked up at him under hooded brows. He was looking at me like I had 3 heads.
"Plenty of things in life are free. Helping out a friend is one. And you have no debt with me." He turned and walked out of the kitchen.
I followed him. "Wait."
He turned slowly and looked at me, shoving a hand in his pocket.
I looked down at my hands nervously fidgeting with the end of my sweatshirt.
"You promised Beau you'd play with him." I said quietly.
"Yes, I did. Am I allowed in his room?"
I looked up at him and nodded.
He grinned at me and set the toolbox down by the door, slipping off the tool belt and putting it with it.
I watched as he walked down the hall way, into Beaus room.
I followed, and sat on his twin sized bed, cross legged, watching as they played.
Cash played with Beau for a long time, playing cars on the rug that had roads and a town on it. I watched until I couldn't put off bath time any longer.
While Beau picked out bath toys I walked Cash out.
Stepping out onto the porch with bare feet, I stopped beside the steps.
He stood a few feet from me and turned to me.
"If you have anymore problems with that pressure give me a call." He said, putting one hand in his pocket, carrying the tool box with the other.
I nodded and thanked him.
He stood for another minute, looking down at his feet and then back up at me.
"I told Beau he could meet my mom tomorrow." He said.
"You did." I said.
He kicked at something on the porch with his boot.
"I can pick you guys up at 4, if that's okay?" He questioned.
I thought for a moment. "I don't really know." I trailed off.
We didn't even know eachother. We weren't even friends.
He gave me a look, one I couldn't identify. "It doesn't have to be anything. My mom loves to entertain. She loves kids. You're sister is there all the time. She'd be beside herself with Beau."
I laughed once. "He's beside himself with you." I said quietly.
He grinned. "He's a cool kid, Sadie. Don't deny him more people who would see that."
He was right.
I nodded.
He acknowledged it and then stepped off the porch before turning back to me again. He looked like he had something else to say, but I wasn't sure what it would be.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He shook his head and scratched his brow with his thumb. "I just wanted to ask ya somethin', but not sure how." He said.
I furrowed my brow.
He shrugged. "Does Beau go with his Dad a lot?" He questioned.
Why was he asking that?
I shook my head. "Saturday morning to Sunday morning is all."
He nodded and looked around for a moment.
"Well, I was thinkin', I wanted to go do some thin' fun Saturday, but everybody's busy. Thought maybe you'd like a distraction."
My heart stopped.
My mouth went dry.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" I questioned.
He examined me before answering, looking at me like I was Bambi in his headlights about to bolt.
"If you want it to be a date it can be. If not, it don't have to be." He said calmly.
I breathed relief.
But I didn't answer.
"Alright, I'm gonna go." He said, taking a step back.
"I'll go." I spat out quickly.
He looked at me. Again, like a deer about to bolt.
I sighed. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for a date yet." I explained. "But, I would love a distraction."
He grinned at me again.
"Well. I'll gladly distract ya anytime. But, you let me know when you are ready for a date, Darlin'." He winked at me, sending sparks right through my heart.
