Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
D anielle sat on the side of the tub, staring at the water stain next to her. It had only been twenty-four hours since Zach had been here, but it was like he was still here. His presence had cemented in her mind and home.
She closed her eyes and rubbed them with the heel of her hand. What was she thinking? Why was she allowing him back in?
There was too much wrapped up in their history. Too much pain. She shouldn’t let her guard down. It needed to stay up if she was going to keep sane.
There was a loud knock on the door, pulling her from her revere. She straighten as she patted her cheeks, not wanting anyone to know that she was off her game. Sunny was like a blood hound when it came to Danielle’s emotions and Jesse, well, he wasn’t too observant but she didn’t want to worry him incase he decided to change that.
“Come in,” she said, as she stood and caught a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror.
The door opened and Jesse stood in the hallway, nervously looking in. “I couldn’t find you. I’m hungry,” he said as he peered past her as if to see what she’d been doing in the bathroom.
“Sorry, bud. I just needed a minute.” She reached out and pulled him into a hug. Then she planted a kiss on the top of his head—to which he made a face and ducked down so her grasp on him would break.
“Eww,” he said, turning to shoot her a disgruntled look once he was a safe distance away.
“When did you get too old for my kisses?” she asked as she flipped off the bathroom light and shut the door behind her.
Jesse shrugged. “I’m eight,” he said like that was the only answer. Every time she got on his case about wearing wet shoes in the house or not eating broccoli, that would be his reasoning. I’m eight.
“You know, that will only work for so long. Someday you’ll be nine, then what’s your excuse going to be?” She headed toward the kitchen, giving him a pointed look as she passed by him.
“I’m nine,” he said, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Danielle shook her head as she entered the kitchen and pulled out some tortillas and cheese to start some lunch for him. “Boys,” she muttered under her breath.
It didn’t take her long to whip up three cheese quesadillas and set them on the table. Once Jesse heard his name, he came barreling into the room and sat down at the table.
While he ate, she sat on the chair across from him and pulled out her computer. She clicked on her email and a message from Seth flashed on her screen.
Wincing, she clicked on it. Last night, she’d sent him a preliminary video, hoping it would be good enough and this whole exposé on Zach could be over. She was ready to stop following him around and asking him questions. She was ready to get back to her quiet life where she’d forgotten about her past and the pain it brought her. To forget the new Zach and the feelings that stirred when she thought about him.
After skimming the email, frustration boiled up inside of her. Seth was not happy with her offering. His email was short and to the point. Get more information, they are turning it into a few episodes to run on the YouTube channel.
The more Danielle read, the more out of control she felt. There was nothing that she could do or say that would get her released from this assignment. And by the way Zach had shown up at her house today, there was no way he was going to let her go either.
She sighed, letting the pressure inside of her release with the air and shut the computer. She might as well contact Zach and get this over with.
What sour luck she had. Here she was, forced to be around the one person who linked her to her past. The one person who could make her feel things. Things that she wasn’t sure she could feel anymore. Good or bad.
Jesse was preoccupied with a book as he scarfed down the quesadillas. Realizing she was alone in her wallowing, she stood to find her phone. Might as well pull it off like a Band-aid. The sooner she started these episodes, the sooner she could move on from Zach.
She located her phone and swiped it on. Just as she moved to push the talk button under Zach’s number, there was a knock on the door. She set her phone down on the counter and moved to open the door, only to reveal Zach standing in her hallway. He had a tool belt around his waist and a white t-shirt that highlighted his muscles.
She swallowed as her gaze made its way behind him to see—Jonathan, if she remembered right—standing there holding a huge piece of sheetrock.
Confused, she turned back to Zach. “What’s going on?”
Zach gave her a quick smile and moved closer to Danielle. She could feel his presence wash over her as she blinked up at him.
“I told you that I’d come to fix your bathroom and that’s what I’m here to do.” He glanced down at her and his smile deepened. “I mean, if that’s okay with you. I figured you wanted your deposit back.”
Too stunned to speak, Danielle nodded and stepped out of the way as Zach and Jonathan made their way into her apartment. Just as Jonathan walked by, he nodded and smiled at her.
“Good to see you again,” he said.
Danielle returned the smile and then turned to her apartment and shut the door. Jesse had finished with lunch and was staring at Zach. Worry rushed into her mind and she made her way over to him.
“You can play some video games,” she said, pushing her son in the direction of his room.
Jesse whipped around. “But it’s not after seven.”
Zach was watching them with interest. Not wanting to draw more attention, she wrapped her arms around his shoulder. “It’s fine. Just go.”
Jesse sprinted to his room as if he were anticipating her sudden retraction of words. Once his door was shut, she turned back to Zach. He was pulling tools out of the toolbox that she hadn’t notice him carrying. Jonathan had disappeared into her bathroom.
Not sure what to do, she stood there like an idiot. Should she talk to him? Let him work?
Jonathan appeared and clapped Zach on the shoulder. “Well, I did my job. I think you’ve got it covered.”
Zach shot a look in Jonathan’s direction and for a moment, Danielle wondered if she saw a hint of desperation in that look.
“Really? I’m cool with you staying.”
Jonathan glanced over at Danielle and then back to Zach. “Nah, man. You’ve got this covered. Besides, knowing me, I’ll just get in the way.” He gave Zach a smile and then headed toward the front door. When he passed by Danielle, he nodded. “It was nice seeing you again.”
Danielle smiled as he walked out into the hall and shut the door. Glancing over to see Zach surveying her, she suddenly realized how alone they were. Again. How did this keep happening?
Zach shouldn’t be in her apartment. He shouldn’t be wearing a tool belt and getting ready to fix her bathroom wall. They had a strictly business relationship despite the fact that they also had a very torrid history.
“I can get someone else to do that,” stumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. Her cheeks heated as her words touched her ears.
Zach raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a saw from his toolbox. He gave her one last pointed look and disappeared into her bathroom. Frustrated that he wasn’t listening to her, determination rose up in her chest as she marched in after him. There was no way she was going to just stand in her apartment and be ignored. If she wasn’t going to take that from her eight-year-old, she certainly wasn’t going to take it from Zach.
“I said, you don’t have to do it,” she said when he came into view.
He was crouching down and pressing his fingers into the wall as if testing for soft spots. Her gaze immediately made its way down to his jeans that hugged his body quite nicely. The NFL had done amazing things to his form. She felt flushed and agitated all at the same time.
“Zach, you’re not listening to me,” she said with a hint of desperation in her voice. She was rapidly losing her determination to kick him from her apartment. It had been a long time since someone had wanted to help her. She’d been the one carrying the torch for their family and she was lying to herself if she said that having Zach here wasn’t filling a very deep and endless well that had formed inside of her.
“I am listening. I’m just choosing to ignore you.” Zach’s voice was low with hinted sarcasm in it. He pressed in a few more places and then straightened and turned, bringing himself inches from her. “I’m not going to let you live in a house that could get mold. I’ll replace your sheetrock and then be out of here.” He glanced down at her and tingles erupted from her toes and raced up to her heart, causing it to pound so loud, she was sure he could hear it.
“Is that okay with you, Ms. Danaher?” His voice was smooth and sweet. It wrapped itself around her and soothed her in a way she hadn’t been soothed in a long time.
Knowing that it was futile to argue with a Stedman, she chewed her lip and nodded. “I guess. If you promise that’s the only thing you’re here for.” She needed that confirmation. She needed to know that after the fix, he’d be gone. She was rapidly losing all ability to push him away and if he stayed, she was sure her resolve would crumble.
He hesitated and she swore she saw his gaze flick down to her lips. But just as fast as it happened, he returned to meet her gaze. Then he nodded. “I’ll stay until you ask me to go.” He held her gaze as if he wanted her to feel the full weight of his words.
Not sure what she was going to say to that, Danielle just nodded. She didn’t trust her voice not to betray her so she kept her response as basic as possible.
Zach nodded and made his way out into the hall only to return a moment later. “You can help me if you want,” he said as he held the blade of the saw so that the handle was in her reach.
She looked dubiously down at the saw, and then back up to him. “Um, I’d probably ruin everything.” Truth was, she hated how helpless she felt about all this. That she depended on her landlord to get things done.
Zach shrugged. “That’s what I’m here for. I won’t let you fail.”
His words lingered in the air and Danielle couldn’t help the feeling that swelled in her chest. Was that true? Was it bad that she wanted it to be true? That she’d been so alone for so long that finally having someone here to carry the burdens that once plagued her so much was like water to a desert?
Forcing herself to open up her mind, she wrapped her fingers around the handle and held it out. She moved to the drywall and pressed the saw into it.
“Hang on.” Zach’s voice had taken on a playful hint as suddenly, his chest was pressed into her back and his hand wrapped around hers. He was pulling her away from the wall and she could feel the rumble of his laughter in his chest. “We don’t want to do more work than we have to. Let’s just cut out the parts of the wall that are damaged.”
Too stunned by his closeness to speak, Danielle just nodded. The air around them stilled as Zach stood there with his body pressed against her and his skin touching her own. His warmth radiated through her body. If her heart had been pounding before, it was hammering now. So much so that she was pretty sure that he could feel it.
Did he know what he was doing to her? If he did, what did that mean? Did she want to know?
“Let’s start down here,” he said guiding her hand lower and putting pressure on the saw so that it sliced through the drywall. Once he showed her the direction and pace with which to cut, he let go of her and stepped back. Cool air surrounded her from the lack of his presence. She wanted to ask him to come back. Tell him that she hadn’t been held in a very long time. That his touch seemed to open a dam inside of her that she thought she’d boarded up. Or at least had convinced herself that it would never open again.
But, standing next to Zach in this bathroom, she realized, that what had felt like a permanent solution was just a temporary fix. A lame attempt to protect her heart and to protect Jesse’s heart. How could she be so unwound from just one touch? One glance? Was she really that lonely or desperate?
Forcing those thoughts from her mind, Danielle decided to focus on the task at hand. Once the wall was fixed, then she’d face the feelings that were growing in her chest. But obsessing about them right now wasn’t going to help anyone. She didn’t want to do something she might regret. That had happened once when it came to Zach and she wasn’t sure she could walk away a second time. Her heart could only stand so much pain.