Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
brOCK
“Y ou lost the privilege to do that ever again,” she snaps right before she storms out of my office. The sound of bells ringing as she leaves, my eyes go to the window to watch her walk to the bakery with her head down.
I clench my fist at my side, breathing in deeply, forcing myself not to do something stupid like chase her. Wanting nothing but to chase her, but knowing it would be a big mistake. For the past week, I’ve watched her walk past the shop with her head down, and even when I left late at night, she was still inside the bakery cleaning.
The number of times I wanted to go over there and see if she was okay was not normal. Especially since I knew I was the last person she wanted to see. “Hey.” Ryan pokes his head in the office. “You okay? I saw blood out there.”
“Yeah,” I confirm, tearing my eyes off the window and turning to look at Ryan. “Part slipped and fell on my finger, sliced it open. I’ll be fine.”
“Shit, okay.” He nods before turning and walking away. My head turns to the side as I watch her shadow move in the bakery. Anger creeps up in me as I hear her voice in my head again. “You lost the privilege to do that ever again.”
She couldn’t be more fucking right as I think back on the day I ruined everything.
“We’re going to get you help,” the paramedic said, and I shook my head ready to jump off the gurney.
“You need to get your ass back there and make sure Everleigh is okay,” I told him. If my arm wasn’t broken, I would have gripped the front of his shirt. “Forget about me, I’m fine.”
“We have the fire department getting her out,” he tried to reassure me, “but we need to get you to the hospital and check out the leg and your arm.”
“Fuck my leg,” I hissed at him as I heard Charlie yelling from the side of the truck, and I looked back when I saw a police officer coming my way.
“How many of you were in the truck?” he asked, and I looked at him, then over at the truck that was turned upside fucking down. One of the wheels looked like it flew off, and the other one was lying beside the truck. The back of the bed of it was slammed against a tree. “Just so we know.”
“We were four in the back and two in the front,” I answered him as they picked me up and put me in the ambulance. “Get my girl,” I pleaded with him as the doors were closed, and I roared out.
“I’m not going fucking anywhere without her,” I said, but I was powerless to them. My arm was dangling on the side, and my left pant leg was stuck to me from the blood that was seeping out.
I tried to grab my phone from my back pocket but had to give up halfway through when I about passed out from the pain.
When we got to the hospital, they were pushing me toward the swinging doors. Five people were all over me as I felt scissors move up my leg, cutting off my jeans.
“We have a laceration,” the doctor said, “on the left side, right to the bone.”
“His shoulder is also dislocated.” I looked up and saw the nurse doing something on top of me.
“We’re going to get an MRI and a CT scan,” the doctor explained. “Make sure everything is good inside,” he added before looking at me. “You’re one of the lucky ones,” he said before they all walked out of the room.
I lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling when I heard someone walking in. I thought it was a nurse to tell me how Everleigh was doing, but instead it was Winston Cartwright.
“Hey, man,” he said as he looked over his shoulder and came to the side of the bed.
“Have you seen Everleigh?” I asked him, and he shook his head.
“No,” he whispered, “but listen, we have to talk to you.” I lay there, not able to do anything. “Do you know what happened?”
“Not really,” I admitted. “You know Waylon, he was on something about going out.”
“Yeah.” He pretended he was listening. “We are going to need you to help us out,” he said, and I should have told him to go fuck himself right then and there. I should have known I was making a deal with the devil. But when they had your whole life in their hands, they were the ones who held the strings, and I was just another puppet to them.
I hang my head, shaking away the memory I’ve long since wanted to erase from my mind. Before I get back to work, I try to forget about the kiss that made me feel like I was alive again. The way I held the side of her neck like I used to all the time, the way it was just natural for me to do it. Like I was born to do it, but I had to remind myself that it wasn’t my place anymore.
I bury myself in my work, forcing myself not to look over at the bakery when I leave. When I get to work the next day, I’m opening the door and walking in when I see her walking down the street. Looking at my phone, I see she’s a bit earlier than normal, or maybe I’m here a bit later than normal since I spent the morning making sure everything was ready for Saige tonight.
I’m already working when the guys start coming in, mumbling hello before they start to work.
I’m about to walk into the office when the bells sound, and I turn around to see her walking into the front area. I turn to watch her, wondering if maybe she was mistaken in coming in here. “Can I help you?” I ask as she looks around, and I’m shocked she’s here.
“Yes or, I’m not sure,” she says before she looks back at me, and like yesterday, she’s wearing another pair of black leggings that mold her fucking body. “Do you have any trucks for sale?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, what? You want to buy a truck?”
“Or a van,” she corrects me. “Basically, I want to make a food truck.” I walk back into the area where she is standing but not so close I can smell her perfume. It’s enough my cock was hard all day long just thinking about the fucking kiss and smelling her on my hands. So much so I only washed them when I stepped into the shower. “Something that is basically gutted already, so it’s easier to add what I need to put in.” I look at her with confusion on my face. “The bakery is going to be shut down longer than we thought, so I would like to set up a mobile shop. Something I can serve coffee and cake out of.”
“I have a couple of old mail trucks that have been sitting in the back,” I mention, telling myself I’m not doing this for her. I’m doing this for Ms. Maddie. “If you want, we can take a walk in the back, and you can take a look at them.”
“Oh, yeah.” Her eyes light up, and she must forget for one moment that she hates me.
“Let me grab the keys to the gate,” I say, walking back to my office and snatching the keys off the hook on the wall. “Follow me.” I walk out of the shop and toward the side where the fenced-in area is. We have cars that have been abandoned over the years. We bought a couple of them at an auction for parts, and they just sat here. I unlock the gate and swing it open as she walks side by side with me to the back of the lot, where I have the white vans all lined up one next to each other. I spot a couple of the guys looking out of the open back garage doors, and they earn a glare from me. I’m hoping I’m telling them with my look to get back to fucking work.
Ryan and Tony stand side by side, watching with avid interest. “These are the trucks I have.” I point at the five of them. “You can go and check them out if you want.”
“Are they unlocked?” she asks, and I nod, turning and walking. More of the boys come out and stand with Tony and Ryan.
She walks up to the first one and slides open the door and steps in, then does the same with the four other ones. “The second one is the cleanest,” she mentions and slides her hands against each other to clean them off.
“If you want, Ryan can cut out the side of it and get some hinges on there so you can open her up,” I say. I know he has work he is going to have to double up on doing. Worst case, I can come in with Saige and help him. “Are you going to be driving it around like an ice cream truck or just leaving it parked?” I ask, trying to remember if they can actually run. They might have to be boosted to life, but other than that, I think they run.
“Haven’t really thought about that,” she admits, “but it might be easier to just park it in the parking lot of the bakery. Then I can still keep the customers and then even the construction workers.” She talks to me as if we are having a normal discussion as if we’re long-lost friends and not like we hate each other.
“When do you need it?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
“When do you think it can be ready?” she asks. “Realistically.”
“If we take it in today and start the work…” I think about maybe even getting a couple of the guys to help work on it tomorrow. “Maybe by Monday.”
“That soon?” she asks shocked, and she’s not the only one who is in shock. I hear whispering coming from the garage as Ryan glares at me.
“It’s for the community,” I answer her and Ryan at the same time. “It’s what we do.”
“Okay,” she decides, “let’s get the contract going, and if I can speak to your guy who is going to do all the things to it, so we can maybe discuss things.”
“Ryan!” I shout over my shoulder for him and see him coming toward me. “Everleigh wants to make a food truck out of that.” I point at the truck. “Can you help her out?”
“Yeah, what were you thinking?” he asks, and she starts telling him about what she wants to do with it. There is no reason for me to be out here with them, so I turn to walk away and stop when she calls my name.
“Brock, are you going to do the contract?” she asks, and I just stare at her.
“You’ll be doing me a favor by taking that off my lot. Ryan can discuss what he charges.” I turn back and walk toward the fence, knowing Ryan is going to ask me questions. I also know the only answer he is going to get is I’m doing it for Ms. Maddie. Who cares if I’m lying to everyone around me? It’s not anyone else’s business but mine.