Nate
I was beyond exhausted. After seven hours on my bike, my legs felt like jelly and my ass was numb. Don’t get me wrong, I loved taking off on my bike, winding my way through the country roads, but today hadn’t been about riding for the sake of riding. I had a deadline I had to meet, which meant I had to stick to the main highways, which basically meant a boring as bat shit ride, but I was here. And I was not impressed.
Hanging my helmet on the handle bars, I couldn’t let it touch the ground…who knew what the fuck was down there? I stepped onto the gravel drive and looked over the mistake I’d brought. Grabbing my backpack, I stomped over the grass, thankful for my heavy boots and leather pants. At least nothing could bite me through them.
If I thought the yard was bad, then the moment I pushed open the unlocked back door, my worst fears were realized. The stench hit me like a tsunami. The air was stale, a thick coating of dust touched everything, and I couldn’t be sure, but I’d bet my bike on it, that in the middle of the family room, on the threadbare carpet, were rat droppings.
“Just fucking perfect!” I groaned, dropping my bag.
The pictures on the website, the ones the real estate agent had emailed me, led me to believe that while it needed work, it wasn’t a complete dump. That’s why I’d stupidly purchased it sight unseen. I had the cash and I needed somewhere to live, so it seemed like a good match. One I was now regretting.
Taking a shallow breath, trying not to ingest any of the putrid air, I wandered through the house, making a mental list of all the things that needed to be done. It was a long list, but first and most important was cleaning. A thorough cleaning with a hazmat team. All of that would have to wait until tomorrow. First I needed food and an icy cold beer. Something to make this whole situation less painful, and hopefully just a little blurry. After changing into jeans and a shirt, I pulled my leather jacket over the top, checked my phone for the nearest club, and fired up the bike.
After taking possibly the longest route available, I came to a halt in the dirty, dimly lit car park, sending a cloud of dust high into the sky. From the looks of the cars either side of me, no one would notice. Some were already sporting at least a month’s worth of grime, and the really bad cases had interesting suggestions inscribed along the back windows. Hearing my stomach gurgle, I dropped the kickstand and headed in side.
Small town life was definitely going to take some adjustment.
The moment I stepped inside, it felt like I was in a time warp. Nothing had been updated since before I’d been born. The walls were covered in old cricket posters, complete with the cigarette advertising splashed across the bottom. The lights were dim. The once green felt covering the pool table was barely there, and the selection of spirits lined up behind the bar was limited, to say the least. Thank god I had simple tastes and they stocked rum. By the looks of this place, I was destined to ingest more than my fair share. So far this country hick town was not making a good first impression.
Burying my hands in my pockets, I strode towards the bar, conscious of the eyes tracking my every move. As unsettling as it was, it was inevitable. I was the new guy. A stranger in their midst. No denying it. No escaping it. I was the new guy and I was on their turf.
Slipping onto the stool in the middle of the dinged wooden bar that had definitely seen better days, the waitress, a small lady old enough to be my mother, signalled in my direction and I nodded with a smile. A moment later, she was standing before me.
“Hey there. What can I get you, love?”
She was everything I’d ever imagined a small town barmaid to be. Polite. Friendly. Approachable. Plain. She wore her dark hair pulled back in a vicious ponytail, the end flirting with the collar of her black polo shirt. Her jeans were tight but not indecently so, and she finished her outfit with a pair of sensible black boots. With very little makeup, the fluorescent lighting did nothing to enhance her features.
“I’ll just take a rum and Coke, thanks. Extra ice.”
A moment later a glass was set down in front of me and I took a long swig. As it went down, I finally relaxed. It had been one long ass day, and from the state of that dump I was now the not-so-proud owner of, tomorrow would be even longer.
“Anything else?”
“You got a menu I can take a look at?”
“Sure.”
She slid the menu towards me but I was afraid to touch it. It looked like too much handling could result in it falling to pieces. Flipping open the once black cover, I wasn’t surprised by my choices. Filled with the standard deep fried entrée options, steaks served with chips and salad, battered fish, and chicken schnitzel.
“Can I please grab a rump steak, medium rare, with chips, salad, and mushroom sauce?”
“Sure thing.”
After ordering another drink, I handed over some cash, took the plastic table number she handed me, and headed towards the booth in the corner. Although I’d expected people to look at me, even though I was used to it, it didn’t mean I liked it. Not one bit. Especially not when I was about to stuff my face like a pig who hadn’t seen food in the past six months.
Feeling self-conscious, I grabbed my phone from my pocket and started scrolling. My old life, my old friends suddenly felt like they were a million miles away. It wasn’t their doing though, it was mine. When life fell to shit, I’d done everything I could to cut them out, and now I’d moved away, leaving them behind. I didn’t really have a choice though. I needed a fresh start. Now if I could just make that happen. After losing ten minutes checking through the latest news, the decision was easy. This wasn’t a life I wanted to be a part of anymore. Without pausing to reconsider, I deactivated my account and buried my phone in my pocket.
As I sighed with relief, I looked up and came face to face with the most captivating sapphire eyes I’d ever seen. They were so deep and dark I knew staring at them for any length of time would most definitely result in me drowning. Shaking the thought away, I took in the rest of the woman in front of me. She was pretty in an ordinary way. She wore barely any makeup, a black polo shirt which pulled across her impressive rack, her dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and her jeans fit her perfectly. They weren’t those skinny jeans which often left the top of their panties showing, but the way they hugged her legs was definitely working for me. Before I had a chance to redirect my errant thoughts, my own jeans were beginning to feel uncomfortably tight.
“Medium rare with chips and salad?” she asked, her voice raspy and sexy as hell. I couldn’t help but wonder what she’d sound like with my name dripping from her tongue as she fell over the edge with pleasure.
“Thanks.”
She set the plate in front of me and my stomach growled. Thankfully the massive plate was piled high with steaming hot chips and a thick, juicy steak. It was exactly what I needed.
“Can I get you anything else?”
“Tomato sauce, if you have it?” I didn’t actually want sauce. In fact, I hated it. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want her to go just yet.
“Back in a second.”
She spun on her heel and stomped away, her delectable ass swaying as she went. I could tell by the way she moved that she wasn’t playing games. She wasn’t one to exaggerate the sway of her hips that my fingers were itching to dig into, it was just who she was. It was a good thing I was already sitting. Finding a sexy woman who wasn’t playing games, a woman who was real, was like spotting Big Foot playing poker with the Loch Ness monster.
Taking the opportunity, I adjusted myself before stuffing a chip in my mouth. It was hot and crunchy and delicious, even if it did burn my tongue.
“Here you go,” she said, dropping a bottle on my table.
“Thanks.”
Before I had a chance to say anything more, she was gone again, winding her way through the maze of tables back towards the bar. Tucking into my meal, I kept tabs on her from the corner of my eye, I don’t know why. I didn’t come here to get caught up in drama, and women were inevitably drama. Drama I didn’t have time for. Drama I didn’t need.
Soon enough I was completely stuffed, yet my plate was barely half empty. They definitely didn’t skimp on the servings here. I knew I’d be back. And not just for the food.
A shadow loomed over me, “Can I take your plate?”
It wasn’t the young one with the ass to die for. Disappointment flooded me and floored me in the same moment. It was scary as hell. “Thanks.”
“Was everything okay?” her voice wavered as she eyed off the pile of food still on my plate.
“Yeah, it was great.” My voice was unenthusiastic. Maybe I was just tired.
“Can I get you anything else?”
As tempting as it was to get her sidekick’s name, I reminded myself I wasn’t here for that. Besides, I had a big day tomorrow and I still had to find somewhere to crash tonight. “I’m good, thanks. But do you know of a half decent motel around here?”
“You just passing through?”
“Just need a room for the night.”
“Depends what you’re after. There’s a B&B about ten minutes from here. Or there’s rooms above the pub.”
I didn’t have to think on that one. B&B’s were for cosy, romantic weekends away, not for me. “The pub’s fine. Can you give me directions?”
Without a word, she pulled out a tattered notepad and drew me a crude map before tearing the page off and handing it over. “Just tell them Jenna sent you. You’ll be fine.”
“Thanks, Jenna. It was good to meet you,” I replied honestly, surprising even myself. As I shrugged my jacket back on, I figured I might as well tell her my name. She’d find out soon enough anyway. “I’m Nathan.”
Sticking her hand out between us, I took it and shook it. She shocked me with her tight grip. Jenna gave me the impression she was not a woman who tolerated idiots. “Good to meet you, Nathan. Have a nice night.”
“You too, Jenna. You too.”
Dropping her hand, I headed for the door, unable to stop myself from turning back and catching the gaze of the girl with the soulful eyes while she absentmindedly polished glasses. With a slight nod, I fished the keys from my pocket and made my out the door into the night.
Forty minutes later, I clicked off the ugliest lamp ever seen by man and flopped back on what I was sure was a bug infested bed and closed my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a long ass day. The truck was due at ten and I had to have somewhere clean to put my crap when they arrived. Right now, there wasn’t an inch of that house I wanted to be in, let alone put my crap in.
The stupid alarm blasted me awake before the sun was even up. I needed coffee. Stat. In massive quantities, if possible. The thought flickered through my mind of coffee in an IV bag. Now that would be a million dollar invention. After a scalding hot shower, I grabbed my stuff and headed out. The sooner I got started the sooner it would be over. At least that was what I was praying for. Climbing on my bike, the engine roared and it was music to my ears. The noise alone had a strange way of calming me. Tearing down the deserted main street, there was no sign of life. Not a single person was visible. Which also meant there was nowhere open to fuel my caffeine addiction. Grumbling into my helmet, I bit my tongue and headed to my rat-infested dump.
Turning the corner, as soon as I saw it I knew why I’d bought it. Even despite the peeling white paint, the overgrown hedges, the tumbledown fence, and the knee high grass, it was still beautiful. It was one of those old houses, probably almost eighty years old, and looked every day of those long, hard years, but it had character. An abundance of it. As much as I wanted to get in and restore the outside to its former glory, first things first. First I had to make it inhabitable.
Pulling into the driveway, I killed the ignition and pushed the bike towards the house. The wooden deck that ran the entire length of the back of the house had seen better days, so I had no hesitation of pushing the bike up under the cover. At least there I knew she’d be safe from the removalists when they eventually arrived. No one, and I mean no one, touched my baby. Not ever.
Opening the back door that I hadn’t even bothered to lock, the odour was worse than the day before. I don’t know how that was even possible, but it made me want to gag. Taking a breath, I got busy.
Time escaped me. When my phone rang in my pocket, I was staggered to see it was already quarter to ten.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Mitchell?”
“Yep. This is Nathan.”
“Hi. It’s Robert from Star Removals.”
“What can I do for you, Robert?” I could sense the bad news coming. They wouldn’t be ringing if they were on schedule.
“There’s been a bit of a delay. There was an accident on the highway and it’s been closed. Pretty bad, from what I understand.”
Frustrated, I didn’t even bother to hide it. “How long, Robert?”
“We’re running about four hours behind.”
“So I’m not expecting you any minute, but…” I looked at my watch and groaned. “You’ll be here around two?”
“At this stage.”
“What do you mean, at this stage? I paid the additional fees for guaranteed delivery. I expect my furniture here. Today.”
I heard him huff down the phone. His customer service was bullshit. “I understand that, Mr. Mitchell. We anticipate between two and three this afternoon, unless any other unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances arise.”
“Just get here,” I pretty much growled as I disconnected the call. “Fuck it all!” I threw the phone across the room, only satisfied by the crunching sound as it crashed to the tiles.
Without pausing, I was back on my bike and headed to the store. I needed cleaning supplies. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.