Chapter 9
Sid watched that biker. He moved past the Garage then slowly back again. When he kept going, a growing unease in his stomach had him watching. Sure enough, he could hear him down Sunset Beach Road, then stop.
The day prior, Sid found a foot path that ran through the alley across the street from the Garage, then across a private road, through a thicket of palm trees and between Grace”s places. No need to go past the biker. Sid knocked on her door and heard her yelp inside.
”Grace.” Knock, knock. ”Open up, it”s Sid.”
His relief was immediate when he heard her twisting the locks. Her eyes were wide in fear when the door swung open. ”Sid, you scared me.” She stepped back to allow him room to come in.
Chiefy ran to him, her tail wildly swaying. Her excitement at seeing him made his heart warm.
”I”m sorry to do that to you, Grace.” He leaned down and patted Chiefy. ”I heard the biker drive down here and figured he was trying to scare you. I”m afraid he”s focused on you because of me.”
”How would I have anything to do with it?”
”He saw you come to the Garage after his group left. We chatted, he saw us talking. After I started the bike, you came back. So, he”s likely thinking we”re a couple. Which, unfortunately for you, caught his focus.”
Grace nodded. She twisted the locks on the door and moved toward the kitchen area in the little open concept bungalow.
”The fact that you were scared tells me he”s making you nervous.”
”He is. Not gonna lie.” She pulled a glass from a cupboard. ”Would you like some iced tea?”
”That would be great.”
He moved into the house a bit further. It was evident that construction projects were underway as there were tools, supplies, and other things laying around.
”What”s the project of the day?” He asked.
She picked up the two freshly poured iced teas and handed him one. ”The bathroom. I just finished tiling the walls. You wanna see?”
He chuckled. ”I sure would.”
Grace moved past him and turned right into the first room. She flipped on the light. ”I”m letting the grout dry. I was going to caulk around the sink and trim boards, but ...” She bushed her hands on her hips, ”my hands were shaking so I took a break.”
He swallowed. He hated that she was scared. She didn”t deserve this at all.
Taking in the room and what she”d completed, he smiled. The room looked nice. She was good at color choice and tiling. ”You did this all yourself?”
Her smile was adorable. ”I did.”
”You”ve done a good job, Grace. Wow. Nice work.”
Her cheeks tinted a nice bright pink. She twisted her fingers together in front of her. ”Thank you.”
He saw the paint can sitting on the floor. ”What color are you going to paint this room?”
”Oh, it”s a light blue. The same hue of the tile, but a lighter shade. I was going to caulk first, let it dry overnight, and paint tomorrow.”
”That”s a great idea. I don”t mind caulking if you have something else to do.”
She tilted her head up so their eyes met. ”You don”t have to come here and work.”
”Didn”t you say the sooner you get this place done the sooner you can make money with it?”
She chuckled. ”I did.”
”Well, I”m finished at the Garage for tonight, so let me help you. At the same time, I”ll be here if the biker starts any trouble.”
She visibly swallowed. ”Okay.”
”Good.” He picked up the caulk gun and the utility knife on the bathroom counter. He snipped the end of the caulk tube off, then poked a hole into the tube. Turning the pin down on the caulk gun, he knelt on the floor and began caulking along the baseboards. He enjoyed this kind of work and he especially enjoyed doing it for someone who was so nice.
Grace stepped out of the bathroom, but Chiefy came in and licked his cheek once, then walked away. He chuckled and considered that her way of saying thank you.
He worked quietly until he”d finished the caulking around the baseboards and the door trim. Then he caulked around the new granite top on the sink.
He finished and moved into the living room, which was also open to the kitchen, to see Grace removing the cabinet doors from the cupboards.
”What are you doing in here?”
”I”m going to paint these a nice creamy white. I think it”ll brighten the whole place up a bit.”
He nodded. ”I think you”re right.”
He picked up a screwdriver laying on the counter and started helping to remove the doors. ”What are you going to do with the hardware?”
”I”m not sure. I was hoping to save it, but it looks old and dated.”
”I”ll bet if you soak it in vinegar, you”ll see how clean it will get, and can decide then if you want to keep this hardware or not.”
”Really? That”s a great idea.”
She pulled a glass bowl from the cupboard and poured vinegar into it while he removed the handles from the cabinet doors.
Chiefy began whining and Grace smiled at her. ”Is it time to go clean the beach?”
Chiefy”s tale wagged furiously and she jumped around. Grace giggled and he stopped what he was doing and prepared to leave. ”How about, while Chiefy is cleaning up the beach, I go into Sarge”s and order us some food. We can eat on the beach and relax a bit.”
”That sounds really nice, Sid. But, I don”t want to take you away from your fun.”
Sid laughed out loud. ”I don”t have any fun, sweetheart. I”ve just been working and trying to figure out what I”m going to do with my life.”
”You don”t have a place to go home to?”
”No. Not really. I have a small condo I’m renting, back in Minnesota, but nothing really holding me there. It”s where I grew up. My parents were there when I left the military, so I found a little place to be close to them. But they”re both gone now, and I”m there alone.”
”I”m sorry for your loss. Do you have siblings?”
Sid grinned. ”One sister who lives in Montana.”
”You don”t think you”ll go there and live, to be near her?”
He watched her eyes as she spoke. They were clear and incredibly pretty. Her lashes were thick without globs of mascara coating them.
”No. I”ve visited out there a few times, but it isn”t for me. No reason in particular other than I don”t get that sense of feeling comfortable there.”
Grace nodded and pulled Chiefy”s leash from the hook on the wall. She clipped it on Chiefy”s collar and giggled as her pup jumped around. ”Do you feel comfortable here?”
Nodding, he grinned. ”Just today I was thinking how nice this town is and how I”ve come to enjoy it in the short three weeks I”ve been here. So, I guess, yes, I feel comfortable here.”
The smile she bestowed on him was incredible. Her lips weren”t shiny like they”d been earlier today, but they looked soft.
He licked his lips then bent down and kissed hers once more. Her hand wrapped around the back of his neck and he snaked his left arm around her waist and pulled her close. Her body fit his wonderfully. She was soft, like pulling a pillow close and hugging it.
He tested her lips with his tongue and when her lips parted to let him in, he didn”t hesitate. The feel of his tongue sliding against hers sent electric waves through his body. The current sizzled through him at lightning speed.
Grace”s right arm wrapped around his waist and her fingers splayed on his back. His body roared to life like a hungry bear waking from its winter sleep.
Then two things happened to break the spell. The roar of several motorcycles outside broke the relative silence of the house and Chiefy began barking loudly.