I couldn’t wait to see her.
Straight from the airport, I drove to Bridget’s house. She’d be leaving to pick up Brendan from school in less than a half-hour, but there was no way I could wait. Which reminded me, I needed to have more sympathy for the addicts that came into the ER. Having never experienced being hooked on anything my entire life, I was generally not empathetic when they came in seeking something to hold them over until their next fix. But I sure as shit could use a Valium myself right now. I had all the signs of addiction—craving and compulsion, loss of appetite, disrupted sleep patterns, spending an inordinate amount of time planning the next fix in my head, and lying to myself that I didn’t need my drug. When I pulled up in front of her house, my hands even began to shake. Totally fucking addicted.
There was a black pick-up truck parked in front of her house. I hoped she didn’t have company. Even though I still had my key and would have liked to sneak up on her, I knocked and waited.
She answered wearing the most gorgeous smile. “Simon! What are you doing here? I thought you were in London for a few more days?”
I responded by pulling her to me for the biggest hug. Although my heart was beating out of my chest still, a strange calm came over me while I held her. I imagined it was a lot like a junkie who took a hit after a long period of going cold turkey. A physical sigh rolled through my body. And God, she smelled incredible—like lilies and orchids. Oddly, until that moment, I wasn’t even sure I knew what those flowers smelled like. I took a long, deep breath in and out and then lifted her off of her feet before swinging her around in a circle. She giggled and it cemented my decision. This. This is the sign I needed.
“God, I missed you, Bridget.”
“I could tell. I think you might’ve broken a rib—you’re squeezing me so hard.”
“Oh. Shit. Sorry.” I reluctantly set her back down on her feet.
“It’s fine. I’m teasing. But what are you doing back so soon?”
“I have some pressing things I need to do.” You.
We were still standing in the doorway when something caught my eye over her shoulder—a man had walked into the kitchen. He was coming from the hall that leads to Bridget’s bedroom. My blood pressure shot up. I pointed with my chin. “Who’s that?”
Bridget turned. “Oh, that’s Nolan.”
“Did he just come from your bedroom?”
“Yes. I’ve had him locked up in there for two days. He’s doing some work for me.”
“Let’s go inside.” I wrapped my fingers around Bridget’s hip and guided her into the kitchen.
Nolan was probably a few years older than me—Bridget’s age, I’d guess. He was also pretty damn good looking—for an asshole.
“Nolan, this is Simon, my…” she hesitated. “…Simon was my tenant. He used to live here in the converted garage.”
Nolan’s eyes zoned in on the hand I had possessively holding her hip and then they lifted to meet mine. He extended his hand, which forced me to let go of Bridget. “Was? So you don’t rent it anymore?”
I ignored his question and gripped his hand in a shake that was so firm it bordered on assault. “What kind of work are you doing here?”
Bridget answered. “A pipe burst in the bathroom while I was at work a few days ago. It flooded through the wall of my bedroom. Nolan repaired the pipes and now he’s fixing up the wall that needs to be replaced. He was just finishing up for the day.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Umm. Because you were in London, Simon?”
“Well I’m back. So I can take care of whatever’s not done.”
Bridget stared at me for a long time. She knew exactly what I was not-so-politely trying to say. After our unspoken exchange, she turned back to Nolan with a full smile. “So, tomorrow morning, then?”
The asshat smirked. He looked at me and back at Bridget with a grin that I wanted to punch from his face. “Looking forward to it.”
While Bridget walked the predator out, I went to check out her bedroom. Sure enough, the entire wall that abuts her bathroom had been ripped out and new sheet rock was hung. There was dust all over the place, and the top of the Spackle bucket wasn’t even closed properly.
“What are you doing, Simon?” Returning to the bedroom, Bridget folded her arms across her chest in the doorway.
“Shutting the Spackle bucket so Asshat’s mud doesn’t dry up and you aren’t sniffing chemicals all night.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She looked annoyed for some reason. “I didn’t mean what are you doing at this moment. Clearly, I can see you’re shutting a bucket that was fine the way it was. I meant, what are you doing showing up here and acting like some sort of a jealous boyfriend?”
“Did you see the way that dick was looking at you?”
“That dick came highly recommended by your friend, Calliope, and he wasn’t looking at me inappropriately. He’s also charging me half the price that the other guy wanted.”
I scoffed. “That’s because he wants in your pants.”
“So what if he does, Simon? Why is that your concern, anyway? I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
This was nothing like I’d imagined our reunion going down. I was acting like a dick, but it was only because the thought of any man taking care of Bridget other than me made me insane. “I’m sorry. I’m protective of you. I was being a jerk.”
“Yes, you were.” Her face softened. “How was your trip?”
“It was…good. Exactly what I needed, actually.”
“So, you got the job then?”
“Yes. I did.”
Bridget frowned and turned to walk out of the bedroom. She went directly into the bathroom before I could stop her and say more. I waited outside in the hallway. When she didn’t come out after a few minutes, I leaned my head against the door and gently knocked. “Bridget?”
“What, Simon?”
“We need to talk.”
A few minutes later, she opened the door, and I could tell she’d been crying. I’d royally fucked this homecoming up. I had visions of showing up and her falling into my arms. We’d make mad, passionate love, and I’d tell her I was in love with her. Instead, her face was red, eyes were puffy, and I’d acted like a big dick.
I stood in front of the doorway when she tried to walk out of the bathroom. “I need to go pick up Brendan, Simon.”
“Okay. But we need to talk. Can I wait for you?”
“I’m taking Brendan to exchange his birthday present after I pick him up.”
“What did you get him?”
“A bike.”
“Black with flames?”
Bridget gave me a sad smile. “Blue with a white racing stripe. How did you know what he wanted?”
“He showed me a picture of it. It’s a really cool bike. Think they make it for six-foot-two dicks?”
That earned me a real smile. I put two fingers under Bridget’s chin and lifted so she looked into my eyes. “I’m sorry about how I acted. I didn’t mean to be a jerk. Let’s start this day over. I really did miss you. Can I take you to dinner later?”
“I promised Brendan I’d take him and a friend to Dave & Buster’s after the bike shop. My mom sent him a gift card for his birthday.”
“Can I tag along? I have a gift for him anyway.”
Bridget contemplated it for a minute. “Sure. He’d love that. Why don’t you meet us there at seven.”
Calliope wasn’t home when I arrived at her house, but she was in the kitchen when I walked out of the bathroom after my shower wearing only a towel wrapped around my waist. She shook her head when she saw me.
“What? I didn’t even say anything yet?”
“Your abs. I teach twenty yoga classes a week and you, what, bend over to tie your shoes as your workout? Such bullshit.”
“I exercise.”
“Not like me, you don’t. Men have it so easy.”
I shrugged. “A woman without a little body fat and curves looks like a boy anyway.”
She smiled. “What are you doing home? Did I mix the days up, or were you supposed to come back on Monday?”
“I came home early.”
“Everything okay?”
I nodded. “Got a few minutes to talk?”
“Sure. But go put some clothes on first. I don’t want your balls slipping out and accidentally touching my kitchen chairs.”
“Okay. But now you’ve just invited me to sit on your chair naked when you’re not home. I like to air out my balls after a long day of being cooped up in trousers anyway.”
My friend pointed to my room and barked. “Go!”
Calliope made tea while I dressed. After, I sat at the table with my balls safely tucked into my pants and sipped as I looked at my friend over the brim. “I got the job in Leeds.”
“That’s great. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I’m not taking it.”
“What? Why?”
I set down my tea and looked directly into her eyes. “I can’t leave her.”
Calliope smiled from ear to ear. “It’s about damn time. I thought I was going to have to stand on a chair and smack you in the head with a two-by-four to knock some sense into that thick skull.”
“That’s a little harsh.”
“You’re pretty damn thick headed. You would’ve barely felt it.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you tell Bridget yet?”
“No. Not yet.”
Her smiling face grew cautious. “Are you sure about this, Simon? It would kill Bridget if you told her you were staying and then changed your mind six months down the road.”
“I’m…” I’d never said the words out loud. I took a deep breath and let ‘em rip. “I’m in love with her.”
Calliope jumped from her chair and practically knocked over mine as she swamped me in a hug. “I’m so damn happy for you two.”
After she calmed down, I told her about my trip. “I went to the lake.”
“You did? Jesus, Simon. You’re full of surprises today.”
“It was a long time coming. I needed to do it.”
“Yeah. I think you did.” Calliope reached over and took my hand on top of the table. “You’ve dedicated so much of your life to his memory. But it’s time. You can’t write a new story for your life when you won’t let new characters in.”
We sat in silence for a minute, and I knew we were both thinking of Blake.
“I better get going. I’m supposed to meet Bridget in a half-hour.”
“Are you going to tell her tonight?”
“I plan to. And then I’m going to spackle her bedroom wall.”
Calliope scrunched up her nose. “I don’t even want to know what that means.”
“It means I’m a jealous prick, but what’s mine is mine. And no more handyman referrals from you.”