Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Cade
I look out the window and sigh. I hate rainy days.
I’d much rather be working. But I do admit, having a rare day off during the week, after working six days a week, is a welcome reprieve.
Unfortunately, because of the rain, I can’t do anything outside, like I’d prefer.
Instead, I spend a little time cleaning up my place before heading out to my two-car garage and turning on the radio.
I keep my work truck parked outside, and my personal one in the garage.
That leaves space for my four-wheeler and whatever project I want to tinker with.
This particular time, it’s an old dirt bike I picked up from a friend for a steal.
It wasn’t running right, but I knew I could get the engine tuned up with a little work.
I’ve spent the last few weeks cleaning it up and replacing a few parts, including the carburetor.
It fires right up now and runs smoothly, ready to hit the trails.
Now, I need to decide if I want to keep it or sell it.
Just as I start to clean up what little mess I have, my phone chimes with a text notification.
Collin
Rained out?
Me
Yep. You working?
Collin
At The Lizard today.
I glance at my watch and notice it’s near lunch.
Me
Want some company? I could bring food.
Collin
Yes to both.
Me
See you shortly.
I slip my phone into my pocket without reading his reply and go looking for my truck keys and wallet.
Once I have everything, I return to the garage, climb into my truck, and back out of the driveway.
It only takes a few minutes to get to town, and when I turn onto the main artery through Cooper Town, I find it alive with people.
Even on a rainy, crappy September day, there’s still people out and about over the lunch hour.
I park near the bar and walk a few doors down to the pizza joint.
“Hey, Cade,” the owner, Mario, greets when I enter. “Dining in?”
“Nope, taking it to go. Collin’s at the bar, so I’m gonna eat with him,” I tell him, pulling out my wallet.
“Sounds good. Want me to run it down when it’s ready?”
“You don’t have to do that,” I reply.
He waves off my comment. “It’ll take two minutes, tops. What can I getcha?”
“Let’s do a large mega meat pie with breadsticks.”
“Marinara?”
“You know it,” I reply, grabbing my credit card.
“Salad?”
“Let’s skip it this time,” I reply. Sometimes it’s just easier to not deal with plates and forks when eating at the bar.
Mario taps on the computer screen. “Thirty-one sixteen.”
Handing over my card, I sign the slip when it’s given to me. Since he doesn’t add a delivery fee, I make sure to add a ten-dollar tip.
“Give me twenty, and I’ll have it over to you.”
“Sounds good, Mario. Appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he replies, ripping off the order slip and handing it off to the kitchen staff. “See you soon.”
I step outside, grateful the rain has let up to a light drizzle.
Just as I approach the bar, I catch movement down the street.
I don’t know what grabs my attention exactly, but I instantly realize it’s Allison and Oaklee.
They exited the clinic and are hurrying down the block to the diner.
Even though Oaklee has her head down, I’d recognize that long hair and curvy body anywhere.
She’s in shapeless scrubs, but she might as well be wearing lingerie, because even in her daily medical outfit, she looks sexy as fuck.
Unfortunately, she disappears inside the diner. A wave of sadness washes over me, and I’m tempted to run over and cancel the pizza order and replace it with something from the diner. Or maybe I’ll go down and order a second option for us to have. You know, leftovers for later?
Realizing I’ve completely lost my mind over a woman I’ve seen exactly two times, I finish walking to the entrance of the bar and pull open the heavy door.
The room is dimly lit, though it’s significantly brighter than it was before.
Lizzie has done a number on this old place and transformed it without completely changing the vibe.
It still has the old, classic feel, and I know a lot of people appreciate that.
“Hey,” Collin says when I step inside.
“Hi. Pizza will be here in twenty.”
“Mario’s delivering?” he asks, wiping down the bar top.
“Yep.”
“He’s been doing that for Lizzie and me any time we order. Pepsi?”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I state, taking a seat at the end I usually gravitate toward. Of course, I have the pick of the bar, considering no one is here. Not that I expected the place to be packed or anything. He did just open it at noon.
“Where’s Lizard?” I ask once he sets my drink down in front of me.
“At lunch with the women. I was supposed to work this evening, and she this afternoon, but we switched so she could go meet Charli, Allison, and Oaklee at the diner. Then, I guess she and Charli are running to the bookstore.”
I snort and shake my head. “You say you’ve switched shifts, but I know you’ll be here all evening. You’ll leave when she leaves.”
He flashes a rare, easy smile. “That’s what you do when you’re in love.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I mumble.
“One day, brother,” he practically sings, but to me, his comment doesn’t warrant a reply.
“So…Oaklee,” I start, knowing it’ll catch his attention. I’d love for him to share what he knows about her, which is probably less than what I do, but a guy can hope. I mean, his girlfriend has befriended her since she relocated to town, so maybe he’s heard some talk or something.
He levels me with a pointed, somewhat annoyed look. “Ask what you want to know.”
“Lizzie talk about her much?”
“Nope,” he replies right away. “As far as I know, today is the first time they’ve met up.”
I nod.
“Listen, this woman clearly got your attention. Ask her out,” my brother says, as if I hadn’t already thought of that.
“I did.”
He grins from ear to ear. “She turned you down?”
“Yes, because she’s seeing someone.”
“Oh.” He leans on the bar. “That sucks.”
“Yeah,” I reply, taking a quick sip of my Pepsi. “I did give her my number though. Told her to give me a call when she’s single.”
He chuckles as he reaches for my glass and refills it with the soda wand. “Of course you did.”
I shrug and point to the remote. “Hand it over. Anyway, she took my number. Who knows if she’ll use it.”
“I remember her that night,” he starts, setting the remote down in front of me. “You watched her until the moment she left.”
I turn on the TVs and start looking for something interesting to watch. “Your point?”
“She grabbed your attention and hasn’t let go.”
“It’s probably because I saw her Sunday buying a mower.”
“Or it’s because you can’t have her and that bothers you.”
I snort.
“You’ve never had anyone turn you down like that,” he reasons. “And it’s bothering you.”
Is it? Is that really the issue?
I don’t think so. I don’t see Oaklee as a challenge. I am genuinely drawn to her, and I can’t figure out why. She’s attractive, yes. But it’s more than that. There’s this light about her, a glow that seems to cast a bit of her goodness my way.
Fuck, what am I talking about? I have no idea what kind of person she really is. However, something tells me she must be good if she’s a nurse. She’s devoted her life to helping people, so that has to count for something.
Well, hell, what do I know? Maybe that’s exactly it.
From the time I was sixteen, girls just sort of…
flocked to me. I’ve had plenty of casual girlfriends over the years, and even a couple who I dated a bit longer and exclusively.
Finding a woman to warm my bed hasn’t ever really been hard, if I’m being honest. Maybe that makes me sound douchey, but it is what it is.
I like women. They like me. The fact I would have taken Oaklee home with me—no questions asked—and she turned me down because she was dating someone is probably what’s causing my thoughts to constantly turn her way.
She’s different than the rest because she didn’t jump into bed with me.
And because of that, I’m attracted to her more.
I’ve always liked a challenge, and maybe that’s exactly where this infatuation stems from.
She said no.
Fortunately, I’m saved from having to continue this deep dive into my inner soul by the arrival of our pizza. “Lunch is served,” Mario announces as he heads toward me, two boxes in his hands that smell delicious.
“Thanks, man. Appreciate you bringing it over,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome. I like coming over and seeing what updates Lizzie’s made. She’s really transformed this old place, hasn’t she?” he asks, glancing around the empty bar.
“She sure has,” I confirm.
“Thanks for delivering, as always,” Collin states as he opens the smaller box on top and sets it to the side.
“You’re welcome. I better get back over there. Have a good one, guys,” he says, turning and heading for the door.
My twin and I both holler our goodbyes before immediately stuffing our faces with food.
One of the hardest habits to break when you come home from the military is not shoveling in the food when it’s in front of you.
At times, you never knew when your next meal might be or how long you’d get, so you quickly form a habit of eating fast, especially when you’re on the go.
“You know, you should just ask Lizzie to move in with you,” I say as I swirl a breadstick in some marinara.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” he asks, not looking up from his pizza. The fact he asked that question and didn’t argue about the fact it’s too soon tells me he’s thought about it.
“No, I don’t think so. I mean, I know it’s only been a few months, but you two are solid. And I can see you’re happy.”