28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nick
“What’s your deal, man?” Daniel’s voice grabs my attention.
I set the new box of nails onto the shelf and turn to face him, shrugging. “Nothing.”
“Dude, you’ve been MIA now for two weeks, and I know there’s something up. I know you.” Daniel’s tone is telling, and he’s right. I have been distant from everyone.
“Just busy,” I lie, knowing that it’s pointless to do that to my best friend.
And the point is made when he rolls his eyes at me. “Come on, I know it has to do with Eliza. Vanessa says that the two of you aren’ t even really talking. What’s up with that? Was it the fake Thanksgiving thing?”
I nearly drop the second box of nails from the cart. “How the heck do you know about that?”
“Uh, my wife is besties with Eliza these days. I guess she broke the news to her after the fact. Women are like that—everything is a secret except with each other. Who knows what they talk about. She’s usually pretty tightlipped about it all, but she’s thinking it’s time for me to intervene.”
Oh boy.
“Look, it’s not that we’re not friends or whatever,” I say quickly, feeling the need to come to my own defense. “I just needed some space after all that. Because, well … you know how I feel about her.”
Daniel’s upper lip twitches into a smile. “So you still got the hots for her then?”
“You sound like a twelve-year-old,” I mutter, shaking my head. “But yeah, I still care about her. I’m trying to get over that, which is why I need space. It’s too hard for me to be around her all the time after that fa?ade. I always read too far into things.”
“That’s usually what women do.” He bursts into laughter, his head tipping back as he fills the empty store with the sound.
“Shut up,” I snap, not finding any humor at the moment. “I just want to be able to go back to being her friend—or whatever.”
“Why?”
“Because, it’s not fair to her for us not to be friends just because I can’t keep my feelings under wraps. ”
“I think that’s stupid.”
“Well, you’re full of opinions today,” I grumble, continuing to stack the boxes. “Did you come here just to tell me that?”
“No, not at all.” He chuckles. “I came here to invite you to the party we’re throwing this weekend for the twins. I can’t believe they’re about to be two years old. Time flies, man.”
“Yeah,” I say, ignoring that familiar feeling of jealousy. “I’ll be there.”
“Is it okay if we invite Eliza, too?”
I pause, shaking my head. “That’s crazy you even have to ask. Why wouldn’t it be okay? I didn’t say we hated each other or something.”
“You could just tell her how you feel, and then be together.”
“Yeah, I can already tell how much of a freaking catastrophe that would be. She uses the word friend more than people around here say ‘bless your heart.’”
“Maybe she uses it ‘cause she’s in denial.”
“Jeez, you sound like my mom,” I mutter, shaking my head. “What should I get the twins for their birthday?” The subject change feels better than continuing to harp on Eliza and myself. The ball is in her court. Not mine.
“I don’t know,” Daniel says with a shrug. “They’re two. Just get them a little tool set or something. Or nothing. We don’t need any more toys at the house. It’s overrun the way it is. Vanessa buys them everything and anything they want.”
I laugh. “I guess it’s a blessing that you have the means to do that.”
“That’s one way to look at it. I just keep hoping we can put that money toward a boat or something.”
The sound of the door chiming keeps me from making a smart remark about Daniel and his desire for a boat—that I know he won’t even use. I turn to see who walked in and catch my breath.
Eliza is standing there, just inside the entrance in a pair of oversized, slouchy overalls with her blonde hair a mess on top of her head. Her natural face is illuminated under the lights of the shop, making the freckles pop across the bridge of her nose.
Jeez, she’s so beautiful.
I rip my eyes away from her, trying to keep my cool. It’s just like the first time we ever met. My stomach is alight with butterflies, and my mind brings back the kiss the night of Thanksgiving.
Even with space…
I still know I want her more than anything.
“Hey Eliza,” Daniel greets her as I stare at my boots. “What brings you to the hardware store on this miserable, cold day?”
“Um…” Her voice trails off, and I glance up, seeing that her eyes are on me. “I need some help.”
“Ope, sounds like something for Nick, here,” Daniel says, squeezing my shoulder. “I need to get on home and see what Vanessa is up to—well, other than diapers and crazy kiddos. Good to see you.” He nods to her as he passes.
“See ya,” we both say in unison.
I swallow hard as she turns her attention back to me. “What can I help you with?” I choke out, my heart stuttering as she smiles softly .
“Well, you know how you said that I could probably figure out those tools in the workshop?” she begins, blowing out a sharp exhale. “That’s what I’m doing, and it’s working out … okay … But I need some help, and some material? The wood stacked in the back isn’t in great shape.”
“What’re you building?” I ask, both impressed and intrigued.
As she steps closer, I see a layer of sawdust across her face, and it makes me smile. It’s a sight to see, and if I didn’t already know her, I’d be head over heels just for that.
“It doesn’t really matter.” She brushes me off. “But this .” Eliza holds out the list. “This is what I need.”
I raise my brows as I take the notebook paper from her. “This is a long list. Are you sure you’re up to a project of this magnitude?”
“See, here’s the thing…” She smiles sheepishly. “I, um, am buying enough to potentially make two, just in case I mess it up the first time. Not to mention, I’ve been trying to make some, um, practice runs. It’s been rough going.”
I nod. “I could help you if you wanted me to.”
“Oh, no,” she says quickly, brushing me off. “I don’t want—well, I want to do it myself, actually. You could call it like a goal or something.”
I brush off the hurt. “Okay, well, then I guess I’ll help you with your list and send you on your way. Do you have all the tools you need?”
“Huh? ”
“Never mind.” I sigh. “Let’s just focus on this handy dandy list you have here.” I read through it, noting that it seems like she pulled it right off Google. However, it’s detailed, which sends a little ray of pride through my chest. “Is this something for your photography stuff?” I ask as I grab a cart and start setting items in it.
“Um, not really, but kind of, I guess.”
“That makes no sense.” I laugh, glancing over to see her blushing. “Why so secretive? You know I won’t tell anyone.”
“I can’t … I don’t want everyone to get their hopes up that I’ll actually be successful with this,” she finally says. “I’m not exactly Jesus when it comes to carpentry, or you. I’m just doing the best I can.”
“Hey, new skills take time to learn.” I nudge her, her smile widening as I do. “I’m just glad to see you trying something new.”
She giggles. “Well, I had you as my inspiration, so I’m pretty stoked about it.”
“Ah, so does this mean you’ll show me when it’s done?”
Eliza purses her lips. “Well … I might. It just depends on how big of a disaster it is, I guess. If it looks good, I’ll show you—if you want to see. You know what I mean.” I nod, trying to read the expression on her face.
Her eyes drop away from me, and something internally screams for me to tell her how I feel…
“So … are you going to the party this weekend for the twins?” I ask, my heart racing for some reason .
“Um yeah, I think so,” she replies, double-checking everything in the cart. “I just have a lot that I need to get done before then. Are you going?” She then shakes her head before I can answer. “Of course you’re going.”
“Yeah,” I say, giving her a smile. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Her eyes are peering over onto the list as she nods. “Yeah, same. Sort of. I really need to get back out there.”
Right. That’s the cue to stop talking and get moving.
I spend the next twenty minutes fulfilling her order, trying to conjure up what she might be building with all the stuff that she’s buying. Some of the items aren’t things that I would use myself, but I stay quiet, just happy to be in her presence for a while.
No matter how much space I was trying to put between us, the moment she walked through the door, I was happy she was there…
And I’m pretty sure that’s a sign that my feelings may never fade.
“Okay,” she says with a sigh. “I think we’ve got everything.” Eliza bends over, counting the stack of lumber on the cart again. “Yeah, that’s good.” She stands up straight, meeting my gaze. “Thank you, Nick. I really appreciate you helping me with this. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“What?” I question her. “What’s there to make up for? This is my job,” I add with a chuckle. “I help people with their lists almost every day.”
“Ah, yeah, touché.” She giggles as I roll it up to the register.
“I’ll give you my employee discount,” I tease, getting her to laugh again .
“Not on this one,” she says through the laughter, her voice growing serious. “Please don’t.”
“Why?”
“Just don’t,” she quips with a shrug. “I want to pay full price. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Okay…” I say, giving her the discount anyway. I have a good feeling she’ll never know.
“Um,” she says at the end, narrowing her eyes at the total. “I said no discount.”
My eyes widen. Dang, she really did her homework. I chuckle and take the discount away to which she nods with satisfaction.
“That’s much better. This is just something really special,” she adds, her words catching her attention. As much as I want to ask her about it, I stay quiet, wondering if it’s maybe something for Granny or her parents.
“Can I help you load it into the truck? I know the sidewalk might be a little slick.” I glance out the window at the light layer of snow on the ground.
“Um…” Eliza seems to mull it over for a moment. “Yeah, yeah I guess you could help me with that—but that’s it. No more help after.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, walking around the counter and pushing the cart for her.
She stands quietly, her arms wrapped around herself as she follows me out into the cold. Her nose becomes rosy fairly quickly, and I can’t deny the sight is adorable. However, again, I try to push away the thought.
“Thank you,” she says as I shut the tailgate. “You’re the best.”
I chuckle. “Nah, but it was really good to see you today.”
“You too.” She beams, her eyes bright as they meet mine. There’s something there—something that I can’t quite figure out. “I’ll see ya.”
“Yeah, see ya,” I say, watching her walk to the driver’s side door and fire up the truck. She gives me a wave as she pulls down the street and my heart sinks.
Yeah, there’s no way I’ll ever get over her.