Chapter 2
Leo! How’s it hanging, old man?” I call out to my old friend Leo Swinton.
“Watch it with that old man shit, Clark Edgar. I ain’t dead yet,” he says, but he’s laughing along with me as he gets out of his truck and approaches Betty’s door. She’s at work, so I’m showing Leo in to look at the storm damage.
I’ve known Leo since I mustered out of the Army and came to Jefferson and bought this place. His construction company has built half the houses in the Heartland region, or it sure seems that way with how they’ve grown since I’ve known him. He doesn’t usually do contractor work, but he helps me out if I’m in a pinch – and a roof leak in this weather is definitely a pinch.
“How the hell you been, Leo? Sorry that the first time I call in a while is because I need a favor.”
“Nah, man. Don’t worry. Everyone’s busy these days. Besides, who wants to go out in this weather we’ve been having?”
I nod as I lead him through to Betty’s bedroom, which is now as spotless as a hotel room. It wasn’t messy yesterday, but it looked more like a regular bedroom, with a drawer cracked open and the blankets on her bed rumpled.
“Betty – my tenant – found the water stain in her closet yesterday.”
I watch as Leo pulls back the plastic sheeting I put up earlier and pokes around, using a water meter to check the moisture from the damage.
He sighs and shakes his head when he turns back to me. “Bad news. You need some roof repair, or maybe a full new roof come spring, but I won’t know ‘til I get up top and have a look. There’s also a worrying amount of moisture in that wall. I’ll need to take it apart to see how much water damage is inside the wall.”
“Fuck, man.” I rub my hand over my face. “It’s always something with these older houses, isn’t it?”
Leo chuckles as he steps out of the closet. “To some degree, yeah. But you can’t predict these damn storms we’ve been having. When did you last replace the roof on this place?”
“Um.” I think and count the years. “Maybe eight years ago? Not that long.”
Leo shakes his head. “Sorry, man, but that roof should’ve lasted twice that long. Tell you what. I’ll patch you up for now and take care of this wall, then let’s talk in the spring about redoing the whole roof. I’ll give you as much of a deal as I can.”
“Appreciate it, Leo. I do.” I reach out, and we shake on the deal. “When can you or one of your guys come and take care of the closet? I want to avoid mold if at all possible.”
“I’ll come out in a few days. I’m slammed with projects, plus triaging damage from these damn storms. You’re right about being worried about mold developing. In the meantime, turn up the heat for a couple of days to help it dry out, and then re-hang that heavy-duty plastic sheeting to seal the closet. Your tenant might not want to sleep in here until we have this all done. If there is mold, that can fuck with someone’s health.”
“Right. I’ll see you later this week,” I say, making a mental note to stop by the hardware store and rent an industrial heater before heading back to the garage.
“I’ll get you squared away. I’ll call you when I know when I can get out here for the wall. Until then, I’ll head outside and check out your roof. I’ll patch up the shingles in this corner of the duplex to prevent further water damage.”
We walk out into the whipping rain, and I steady the ladder as he climbs to the corner of the house. Part of me wonders if I’ll need to spring for a hotel for Betty.
She can sleep with me.
I try to bite back the thought of her in my bed, but even standing out in the cold rain, the thought of her plump lips and hips lights a fire in me, and I don’t feel the cold from the storm.
* * *
“Goddamn motherfucking son of a BITCH!”I swerve to avoid a truck as an idiot hydroplanes through a huge puddle and nearly slams into me as they speed out of a parking lot. Thankfully, there’s no one else next to me, or tonight could have ended in the ER or worse.
I catch my breath at the stop light, glad the other driver is long gone. Anyone with a lick of sense knows better than to speed in rain like this, especially in a parking lot. They’ll end up killing someone if they keep driving like that.
What if the worst had happened? What would I have left behind? My parents have passed on and I don’t have a family. I served in the Army for years, but now I’m a civilian and it doesn’t feel like I’m making the difference I did when I was enlisted. Shit. That’s not great to think about. Maybe I’m too quick to talk myself out of a relationship with a woman.
Still high on the adrenaline of the near-accident, it’s suddenly clear that I want more than a comfortable life with work I enjoy. I’ve been happy managing the duplex and working on cars at Rebel Autos, but now I realize it’s not enough. What’s missing from my life is the companionship of a serious relationship and a family. I want to build a legacy.
An image of Betty immediately fills my head. Someone like her. I shake my head. She’s my tenant. I barely know her. She may be a good tenant, but it’s beyond foolish to think about asking her out on a date. What if she said no? Fuck. There might be laws against that kind of thing. Yet I remember her sweet smile and thick hips, and my cock twitches and strains in my jeans. Get it together, man. Just get home, order some dinner, and have a beer. Chill the fuck out.
Only when I finally get home, everything gets worse.
I stand in front of my fridge, staring at the vast wasteland inside. Damn thing is empty, which is no one’s fault but mine. Not sure why I even opened it because I know damn well that fresh groceries didn’t suddenly appear. Hell, there’s not even beer waiting for me. And I’m not much of a cook. Following an easy recipe is all I can manage, but I don’t cook as often as I should. I need a woman in my life.
A woman like Betty. Whatever Betty was cooking last night smelled fantastic. Coming home to meals that smell like that would be an improvement on this barren fridge.
I lean back against my counter and pull out my phone, figuring delivery is what’s going to save me tonight. The rain slams into the window behind me and I curse the weather for the umpteenth time this week. It’s just plain miserable outside.
“Sorry, sir. We’re not taking any more orders tonight.”
I grit my teeth as I hang up my phone and restrain myself from throwing it across the room in frustration. The wait for pizza delivery is at least three hours. The sub sandwich place isn’t taking more orders because they’re so backed up. Same with the Chinese restaurant.
My stomach rumbles and clenches with hunger, making it clear that any hope I had of skipping dinner tonight is not an option. Fuck. I don’t want to go back out in the storm. I’m not even sure I could get to the grocery store before it closes, and I sure as hell don’t want to get on the freeway to go out to the megastore the next town over.
Betty. She said the offer of dinner was open.
With the idea of dinner with Betty in my head, seeing her sweet smile and soft curves is more than I can resist. I’ve had an eye on her since she moved in, but she’s so young and sweet. It’s foolish to think she’d be interested in an old grump like me. Not for the first time tonight, I tell myself that daydreaming about my tenant is a surefire way to a bad situation, but I can’t help myself.
But she did offer me a standing invitation for dinner. I’d be a fool to sit here stewing all night, with hunger gnawing at my gut and not even beer to take the edge off.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I pull a flannel shirt over my t-shirt and head outside. Despite the wind whipping through the rain and threatening to soak me if I stay out too long, I pause. Is this really what I want?
It sure the hell is. I need to talk to her about the repairs, anyway. Sure, Clark. Tell yourself this is just business.
I knock on Betty’s door and step back, even though it means standing in the rain. I make a mental note to talk to Leo about extending the door overhangs when I have him do the roof in spring.
“Clark! This is a surprise.” Betty’s blue eyes sparkle as she smiles at me, and it’s the best fucking thing I’ve seen all day. “Come in out of that rain.”
“Hi, Betty. I need to update you about the repairs,” I say as I step into her home, wondering if I’m about to make a damn fool of myself.
The scent of lasagna makes my stomach grumble so hard that Betty cocks her head as she hears the sound.
“Oh, I was wondering about that, but I didn’t want to bother you.” She turns to head back into the kitchen, then looks over her shoulder at me. “Have you eaten? I was just finishing up, but I’m happy to make a plate for you. There’s still plenty in the pan.”
I pause, but my stomach rumbles again, and I know there’s no way I can refuse her offer. “If it’s no trouble, I’d appreciate that. My fridge is empty, and delivery is impossible right now.”
If I thought Betty looked happy to see me when she opened her door, that’s nothing compared to how her smile grows and her blue eyes light up with joy, as if feeding me is the best thing that’s happened to her all day.
Fuck. Roman and Leo are right. When you find the right woman, everything falls into place, and you just know she’s it for you. Every atom of my body screams that eating dinner with her is what I should be doing. It’s what I want to be doing. Coming home to her like this, even if she doesn’t have dinner cooking? I’d be a happy man if that’s what I had to look forward to every day. I barely know her, but I’m about to remedy that because I know she’s the woman for me.
“Of course, Clark. I’ll set a place for you.”