Chapter 1 #2
After walking a few yards, we arrived at her office.
As she shut the door, I flashed back to the day I came here when I heard a woman screaming for help.
I never imagined I would find Haven and a man trying to tear her clothes off.
Picking up a hammer from the work area and smashing him in the head with it had been automatic.
Could I have done something else to stop him?
Hell yeah, but at the time, I’d reacted without thought other than to get him off her.
Rape was a devastating thing to come back from.
If I prevented someone from dealing with it, I would.
I took a seat in front of her desk. Haven didn’t return to her chair behind it.
Instead, she sat in the chair next to mine.
“I can’t believe you’re here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming through? It’s been months since you last visited for the wedding. How is your traveling going?”
She knew enough to know that I’d been a nomad searching for permanence, but not why.
The only reason I gave was that I was trying to figure out where I fit after leaving the Navy.
We’d stayed in contact despite my absence.
She called me after she found out she was pregnant and had told Tinker and his club.
I was very happy for them both. I didn’t know Tinker well, but he seemed like someone who would be a great dad.
“It’s been good.”
“How long are you in town for?”
“That’s one of the things I wanted to speak to you about. I think that I’m done with the constant moving around. No place has felt as good to me as Bristol, even though I’ve only been here a few times. I’m thinking that I might put down roots here,” I confessed.
I had barely finished before she was squealing and clapping her hands.
Her smile was huge. “Oh my God, yes! I’ve been hoping you’d feel that way and end up here.
I’m not sure why, but I feel like this is the right place for you.
And you know I would love you nearby. Plus, I can help you find a place.
I’ll even help you decorate it if you want. ” Her enthusiasm spilled out.
I laughed. “Damn, you’re full of energy. Isn’t this baby supposed to be sucking all the energy out of you, so all you want to do is sleep?”
“Yeah, that was the first trimester. I’m in my second one, and my energy is returning.
It drives Tinker crazy. He thinks I should stay home and rest all day.
I told him it wasn’t going to happen. I’ll do this for as long as I can, and the doctor agrees that it’s okay.
When the baby gets here, I’ll cut back, but not until then. ”
“If you cut back, will Tansy be working with your clients, designing things like you do?” I asked without letting my skepticism show.
Haven sighed. “No, she won’t. Tansy is good at keeping me on task and organized.
She excels in many areas, but she lacks creativity.
She couldn’t design anything. I’m in the process of finding someone who can help with that.
You wouldn’t happen to have artistic abilities and a desire to design, would you?
” She wiggled her eyebrows at me as she grinned.
I held up my hands. “Whoa, don’t go nuts, girl.
I don’t have those mad artistic visions like you do.
I saw that mock-up out there. No way would I have come up with that, yet I loved it.
Sorry, but you’ll have to look elsewhere.
What about posting at a design school and seeing if anyone who’s about to graduate is looking and would fit the bill? ”
Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again.
“Why didn’t I think of that? See, I need you.
That’s a great idea. I’ll follow up with a few close by that I know of.
Now, back to you. Do you have any idea where you’d like to live?
Do you want to be in town or outside? In an apartment or a house? How big?”
“Haven, I have no idea. I decided to do it two days ago and got on the road to here. I probably should’ve called, but I was excited and wanted to surprise you.
You have no idea how meeting you has lifted my loneliness.
When my time in the Navy ended fifteen months ago, I thought I’d lose my mind.
I was so depressed. After meeting you and then us becoming friends, I’ve been much better,” I confessed.
“I’m glad to hear it. And I know you never had an actual, real place to call home, even as a child.
I told you all it took was finding the place that called to you.
I can’t wait to tell Tinker the news. He was asking if I’d talked to you the other night.
You know what we should do? The three of us should go out to dinner to celebrate this. ”
Dinner didn’t sound like a bad idea. “Tonight?”
“Yes, tonight.”
“Will Tinker be alright with that? Maybe we should ask him and see when it works for him, if at all,” I suggested.
“I don’t see why you think he wouldn’t be okay with it. However, to make you feel better, I’ll message and ask him.”
Not wasting a second, Haven grabbed her cell phone off her desk and tapped away. As she did, I filled her in on where I’d last been. By the time I was done, she’d sent off her text. She was telling me about her latest doctor’s visit when her phone chimed with her man’s answer.
“Tinker says he’d love to have dinner tonight. He said to leave it up to him to find us a suitable place. He’d be honored to have two beautiful women on his arm.”
“Your man is a charmer. Tell him it doesn’t have to be anywhere extravagant. Once he picks a place, let me know and I’ll make sure to meet you there.”
“Why would you meet us there?”
“There’s no sense in your picking me up at a hotel. I can drive, and that way, you’ll be able to leave when you get too amorous to be in public,” I teased.
She’d told me about one night when they almost went looking for an empty broom closet at a restaurant due to her pregnancy hormones getting to her and, therefore, to her husband. Haven giggled as her cheeks turned pink.
“That’s sweet of you, but it wouldn’t make sense to have you drive. You’ll be staying with us.”
“No, no, that’s not necessary, Haven. You and Tinker need your privacy, and I can easily come and go if I stay in a hotel. I can keep weird hours, and I sleep crazy hours sometimes,” I protested.
“You don’t think we have odd hours, too? The house is spacious enough to allow all of us our own privacy. Heck, if that worries you so much, I bet the club would allow you to stay in one of the empty rooms in the clubhouse. It can be noisy there, though.”
I knew based on the way she was holding her mouth that she was prepared to argue, so I let it go.
I’d wait until dinner and get Tinker on my side.
Together, we should be able to change her mind.
We sat there chatting for another twenty minutes before I told her I needed to go.
Haven agreed that she should get back to work if we were going out.
Tinker had responded with the time of our reservation.
I convinced Haven to let me meet them at the restaurant, so she gave me the address.
I hadn’t eaten there on my previous trips.
I looked forward to finding out how good it was.
Hugging her and saying goodbye until later, I left Haven to her work.
As I left the building, I knew Tansy was glaring at me.
I chose to ignore her. She either would get over it or she wouldn’t.
With no other place on my agenda, I drove straight to the hotel where I had stayed on my previous trips. It met my needs, and the price was reasonable. I could afford to stay there for a while. However, I wanted to start looking for a place as soon as possible.
Haven’s earlier questions about whether I wanted to be in town or out of it, or if I was interested in an apartment versus a house, had my head spinning.
I wasn’t sure. A part of me wanted a house.
I’d never lived in one, and the idea of owning something that was all mine and I could do anything I wished to it was appealing.
However, it meant all the upkeep and repairs fell to my shoulders.
After checking in and settling in, I started exploring the real estate available in and around Bristol.
There were pros and cons for both locations and types of homes.
I began weighing them. I set an alarm so I wouldn’t get so immersed that I’d forget to get ready and go to the restaurant.
We were to meet there at seven thirty. I had time to conduct a preliminary search, and later, I’d dig deeper into any I liked.
???
I arrived at the restaurant at seven twenty. The place Tinker had gotten us a reservation for was called The Grove. I looked it up online to discover that it was a fine restaurant serving steak and other premium foods. I hadn’t had a fancy dinner in a long time, so I was looking forward to it.
The parking lot was quite crowded, so I had to ride through it slowly until I found a spot. It was at the back of the lot, but that was alright with me. Getting out, I smoothed down the bottom half of my dress and checked myself one last time in my reflection in the driver’s side window.
I wore my hair down rather than up in a bun, which was my usual style.
My makeup was more pronounced than what I wore on a daily basis.
My heels placed me at an inch over six feet.
Sauntering so I wouldn’t turn an ankle in my unfamiliar shoes, I made it to the front door just as a man was leaving.
When he saw me, his eyes widened and he stopped.
“Thank you,” I told him, smiling.
“Y-you’re welcome,” he said hoarsely.
“Have a nice evening,” I added before sweeping past him into the restaurant. When I glanced back as I reached the hostess’ stand, the guy was still there. Seeing me looking, he hastily let go of the door and hurried outside. I took it as a nice boost to my confidence.