Chapter 32 Hutch
Hutch
It’s still dark out when Ginger kicks me out of her bed. Okay, she didn’t exactly kick me out, more like grumbled at me with her face in the pillow about how she didn’t want Hayley to find out I’d spent the night, and I needed to move my ass before she was awake.
I tried to tell her there was no way in hell Hales hadn’t heard us last night, but she chucked a pillow at my head and told me to move my ass anyway.
I know Hayley’s always been an early riser, so it stands to reason that she’ll be up early, even while on summer break from her teaching job at Timber Forge High.
That’s currently why I’m creeping down the stairs with my shoes in my hand at five-forty-five in the morning, with a half-hard cock and no way to relieve it until I’m back home.
I’m supposed to start demo on the other half of the rental today, but I need to go home and feed Oakley and grab my laptop to get a little admin work done, too.
Thankfully, there aren’t any lights on when I hit the bottom of the stairs in the kitchen, and I let out the breath I’d been holding in. The smell of freshly brewed coffee permeates the air, but the pot looks untouched, so Hales must have set it to brew before she went to bed.
I stop at the kitchen table and quietly pull out a chair, dropping into it to put on my shoes. I get the first one tied when the sound of a throat clearing breaks the silence.
Fuck.
I look up at my baby sister to find her standing at the entrance to the hallway, arms folded across her chest, one hip cocked in silent judgment.
There’s a fresh pillow crease on her cheek and she’s barely got her eyes open, but the unimpressed look on her face is crystal clear.
She blinks slowly at me and then shakes her head.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Captain Can’t-Keep-It-In-His-Pants starring in an episode of Poor Life Choices with the off-limits single mom.”
I huff out a breath, hoping Ginger’s gone back to sleep because this is exactly the reason she wanted me out of here before Hales woke up. I don’t need to add an angry redhead to the mix before I’ve even taken a piss this morning.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” she asks flatly.
I jerk my shoelaces tight and shoot her a glare. “Relax, Hales. We’re both adults.”
She shoots me a cool look before shuffling over to the coffee pot, opening the cupboard to take out a coffee mug.
“I’d offer you a cup, but I’m sure you’re itching to get out of here,” she says, not turning to look at me.
“It’s not like that.”
I want to tell her it was Ginger who insisted on the walk of shame, not me, but I don’t bother.
“Then tell me, brother of mine, what is it like?”
I shrug at her back. “We’re…friends.”
She scoffs, glancing back at me skeptically. “Friends who have sex and then sneak out at dawn? I don’t buy it.”
“You don’t have to,” I tell her, irritation growing in my gut. “It’s really none of your business, anyway.” I stand up, crossing the kitchen to leave.
Her chuckle is dry and brittle. “If I can hear your sex noises through my walls, it kind of is my business.”
I shrug again. “Fine, it won’t happen again.”
There’s that humorless laugh again, and it grates on my nerves. “Yeah, I’m sure it won’t.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I ask. I know I should lower my voice, but I can’t. I’m too irritated by her dismissive tone.
I know I live a life that my siblings disagree with, and yeah, I sleep with a lot of women. But it fucking stings to hear that she—that they all—probably feel this way about me. Having the townies talk is one thing, but it’s another when it’s your own family.
Hayley rolls her eyes. “You’re not one for repeats.”
I shove a hand through my hair, feeling defensive. “This is different. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hayley steps closer to me, flicking a glance at the stairs before she goes on in a loud whisper, her eyes blazing. “You know as well as I do that you’re going to leave this house and never hook up with her again. You’ll ghost her. Just like you do everyone else you sleep with.”
I shake my head, but she holds up a hand. “She’s not some random tourist, Hutch. She’s a friend. And Wren’s best friend, who also happens to be our sister-in-law, which practically makes Ginger family, too.”
“Oh, that’s bullshit,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “And for your information, we’ve already hooked up more than once.”
Hayley’s eyes widen a fraction, and some tension leaves her posture at my words. I probably shouldn’t have said anything, given that Ginger wants to keep whatever this is under wraps, but I’ll be damned if I stand here and let Hayley believe something that isn’t true.
Whether she believes me or not, she is right about one thing. Ginger is different. Yeah, we’re not in a relationship, but I’d never purposely hurt her. I’ve gotten to know her too much to feel right about that, and it’s not like she and I aren’t on the same page with what we’re doing.
Hayley narrows her eyes at me. “So what? You’re friends with benefits or something?”
I shake my head, turning to leave. “You know what, Hales, I’m not doing this.”
“You better not hurt her,” she warns.
I stop, turning back to her, defensiveness bunching my shoulders. “Why would I do that?”
She shakes her head, opening the fridge to pull out the creamer, voice matter-of-fact. “Because you’re you. You avoid relationships like it’s your damn job, Hutch.” She slams the fridge and yanks open a drawer, pulling out a spoon.
I stare at her, her words landing like a punch to the gut. Is she right? Am I incapable of not hurting someone? My gut twists, hot and hollow.
I like hanging out with Ginger, and the sex is incredible but that’s all it is. All it will be. Because maybe on some level, Hales is right. Maybe I am too fucked up to ever have anything lasting.
I open my mouth to speak, but Hayley jabs the spoon in my direction. “I’m just saying, you hurt her, and you’re gonna have every Hayes woman in this county lining up to chop off your dangly bits.”
“Jesus Christ, dramatic much?” I mutter and scrub a hand over my face. It’s too fucking early for a dressing down from my baby sister.
She eyes me for a few beats before she crosses the distance between us to poke me in the chest with a pointy finger.
“God, you really are dense.” She purses her lips. “Just…be a decent guy and don’t fuck her over, Hutch.”
I work to swallow over the lump in my throat.
“Are you hearing me?” Hales asks, glaring up at me.
“Yes, I hear you. How can I not when you’re screeching at me?”
She eyes me for another couple of seconds but seems satisfied, because she goes back to making her coffee. She wrinkles up her nose and casts me a side eye. “Get out of here. Go shower. You smell like sex.”
By the time I get back to my place, it’s after six, and Oakley is whining when I open the door. I’ve got the beginnings of a headache, so I grab some Tylenol and wash it down with a bottle of water, then fill up Oaks’ food and water dish before climbing in the shower.
Once I’m dressed, I throw together a quick breakfast sandwich and eat at my cluttered desk while I return an email or two.
I’ve got a couple of job sites I need to check on before heading back over to Hales’ house, so I throw on my boots, not bothering to tie them, grab the lunch I packed, give a whistle for Oakley, and then climb back into my truck.
I spent the next few hours going from site to site, checking in with my crews. We’ve got sheetrock going up in one of the spec homes on the north side of the valley, painting being completed in another, and Hudson’s four-way later this afternoon.
I eat my lunch on the tailgate of my truck, a lukewarm can of chili from the thermos I packed this morning, and a half a package of stale as fuck saltines I found in a bag on the floor of my truck this morning while I was shooting the shit with Jason and Max, two of my best sheetrock guys.
It’s no gourmet meal, but at least my stomach isn’t growling anymore.
It’s after noon when I pull into the driveway of the vacant side of the duplex. I climb out of the truck, and Oakley jumps out behind me, tennis ball clamped between his teeth. He drops it at my feet.
“I gotta get some work done, Oaks,” I tell him, but I pick up the ball and hurl it across the yard, then watch him tear after it, before heading inside, making sure to leave the door open for him.
An hour or so later, I ripped out the cupboards in the kitchen and started demoing part of the wall separating the living room and kitchen to make it not quite open but a little less closed off.
I take a water break and briefly consider texting Ginger. I wonder if Hales mentioned anything to her about me sneaking out this morning but decide against it. The less Ginger knows about the conversation with my sister, the better.
I wrap up work around six, and when I gather my shit and leave the duplex, there’s no sign of Hayley’s car, and the house looks closed up tight. I whistle for Oakley and decide to head home. I have another long day tomorrow with demo and could use a good night’s sleep.
As I lay in bed later that night, Hayley’s words echo softly in the back of my mind.
“Just don’t hurt her.”
She said it like a quiet truth she needed me to hear.
And I did.