Colton
Hallie was gorgeous. I could see why Cora was being bitchy towards her because Hallie was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. She had caramel curls that were pulled back into a loose ponytail and these light, bright green eyes. Her skin was pale and flawless, and my eyes slid down her body slowly. She was a bit on the thin side, but I could still see her curves.
I tuned into what she was saying as I blinked. She was feisty, and I watched as she clenched her keys in her hands. She was saying something about the door being locked and I explained myself to her. I knew how to run a damn business. I was doing it with the one next door. I realized that she was just here to introduce herself and I was surprised that she offered any help.
I walked forward and took her in closer. Hallie was a few inches shorter than I was and looked to be a couple of years younger. She blushed as I got closer and took her in.
“Help, huh?” I asked as she nodded.
“Of course. I’m here to help Dad but he worries about this place.” She smiled gently. “It’s his life.”
“I know. I can tell that about him. I’ll bet he’s glad to have you home.” I took her in for another moment. “I open at nine and close at five Monday through Saturday. Feel free to drop in anytime. I’m not great at the paperwork with the lumber yard in the back of my head.” Our eyes locked, and she widened hers for a moment.
“Yeah. Of course. I’ll be here when I can, depending on how Dad is doing at that time. He’s my focus more than anything.” Her smile was bright, but I saw the emotions swirling in her gorgeous eyes. They displayed everything. Hallie told me that she needed to pick up some groceries for him and reminded me to text Brian if anything serious came up. We’d already had that set in place, but I nodded with the crooked smile that usually melted the panties off women. It hadn’t for a while, looking back and I held it in place as Hallie looked down at the ground. “I’ll be here when I can.” She promised with a quick glance to my face before turning away.
“See you then,” I called out as she slipped into the sleek car, starting the engine, and pulling away. I watched her walk the entire time, taking in her juicy ass. Hallie was hot but more than that, I could see how much she cared for her father.
I returned to the car to finish the transmission as soon as I could before tackling the brakes on another. I thought about my life back in Denver compared to the one here as I worked. I was always working, always out. Before my wasted relationship, I was dating women and sleeping with them regularly. Mindy consumed me when I first met her, and the year long relationship moved quickly. I knew that she was sleeping with other men immediately once I caught her with the bartender from her favorite dive bar in our bed. It was obvious that she was skilled at what she was doing in the second that I had to watch. There was an intimacy to the sex. Mindy filled me in after that and I knew that I had to get the fuck out of there.
I believed that we had something.
Here, I had only slept with a few women outside of town. I went to a bar several towns away when the itch was bad, lying about my name and where I lived. I didn’t want them to find me and I sure as hell wasn’t doing it in Chester. I hadn’t wanted to with everything else in my head, but Hallie was a game changer.
I finished the cars in the time that I had that day, closing with time to walk over to the yard and make sure that everything went well. It was nearly seven before I was in my car, driving to Gramps to eat something and get some sleep. I knew that Gram would reheat dinner for me and sit with me as long as she could stay awake. She always did even though she went to bed early with Gramps.
I walked in to her watching a game show on TV. Gram smiled as she greeted me, and I decided I needed to get my own place. She deserved to enjoy his retirement without worrying about me. I cooked a bit, and I’d get by. I could visit for Sunday dinners. Tonight, I ate the leftover roasted chicken and vegetables that she’d made before showering and dropping into bed.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d be helping with the shop but even after that, I owned the yard. I was busy with that and I’d be tired. I had an excellent staff to handle things, but I was a hands-on kind of man. I always had been and now, I had Hallie in my head as I imagined my hands all over her.
She was Brian’s daughter. I had to keep that in mind even if she was his adult daughter that could make her own decisions. I could still see those eyes in my mind and the way they took me in. She didn’t even know that she was checking me out for that time, but she was. If she did know, she was caught red-handed, and I’d see if she came back. She was still his daughter and would remain nothing but a fantasy. I was just wondering if she’d be by.
I woke up the following morning to the alarm and started all over again. This morning, I checked the paper for places available for rent as Gram cooked, playing it off when she brought the plate over. I wasn’t going to tell her of my plans until we were sitting down for a real meal. Gram wasn’t the casual type as loving as she was. She deserved to hear it from me when we could talk about it. I ate, and we chatted about some plans they had that evening with friends. She asked if I could handle dinner since that was part of their night. I chuckled as I nodded, reminding her that I was a grown up. Gram flushed and told me that she knew that. She just had years to make up for, reminding me of Mom. I needed to call her to see how everything was in Chicago. I needed to try to convince her to come here for a visit again.
I dressed for the shop, skipping the trip to the yard. I was there late last night, and things were great. I’d send a text to Cora checking in when I had a minute. I unlocked the front door this time, laughing to myself at the memory of Hallie asking me why it wasn’t opened yesterday. She had sass, and I liked that in a woman. Mindy was sweet and submissive when we first met. I knew that Hallie had spirit from the beginning.
I brewed the coffee as I turned on the lights, checking to make sure the small room was presentable. I had three more days of this before I’d have a break from the shop as well as the yard. Some Sundays I went in to check on things, but the lumberyard ran like a well-oiled machine. Gramps did a great job with it.