CHAPTER 8
Tessa looked over the massive, clean slice through the main power line that led from the solar panels on top of the house to the generator. Sure enough, it was cut clean through. And judging from how it was done, there was no way that an animal could’ve been responsible for it.
It was the next morning and when Tessa awoke her first act of the day was to run to the living room window to see if the bears were still there. But they had left, no sign of their presence remaining.
Returning inside to take a shower, she was in for another surprise, however. When she turned the water on, nothing but a weak dribble resulted. She moved through the house, checking every source of water, only to encounter the same result. She realized that not only had the men cut the power, they’d cut the water as well.
And her trip outside to look things over only confirmed this.
She headed back inside, and looked through her phone for the nearest electrician, paying close attention to the ever-draining battery display in the upper right-hand corner. Flipping through the results for “electrician,” she found that there was only one place within a fifty-mile radius. She pulled the listing up and looked it over.
“Atticus Swift – Brenlan’s #1 Electrician – Available For Emergencies”
This was followed by the number.
Tessa figured that if anything was an emergency, having the electricity cut by an angry, drug-dealing ex was it. She tapped the number and waited for an answer.
“Atticus Swift, electrician,” came the voice on the other end, a low, purring male voice.
“Oh, hi,” said Tessa, a little startled by the voice; she was expecting a kindly old man to answer, not what she had heard. “My name is Tessa Henderson. I live up a-ways up Bear Mountain.”
“Of course, Miss Henderson,” said Atticus. “How can I help you?”
“I had a little bit of an issue with my electricity last night,” she said.
She felt somewhat hesitant to tell him that someone cut the power, but she figured she might as well tell him the truth, figuring that lying to an electrician about something like that was probably just as pointless as lying to a dentist about how much candy you’re eating.
“Someone cut it,” she finished.
“Sorry to hear that,” said Atticus. “Well, the good news is that if it’s cut, it can be pretty easily fixed; not like the wiring went bust or anything. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you want this fixed as soon as possible?”
“Yes, please,” said Tessa.
“Well, lucky for you I just had a cancellation for around eleven. That work for you?”
Tessa looked at the time, seeing that she would only have to wait a couple of hours.
“That’s perfect,” she said.
“OK. Well, sit tight, don’t touch the wires, don’t open your fridge unless you need to, all that good stuff. I’ll be by around then.”
“Great, thank you so much.”
“Of course.
With that, Tessa hung up. And as she stood with the phone cradled in her hands, she couldn’t shake just how attractive the voice of the man on the other end was. She set the phone down and shook her head, deciding to kill the time until he got there by taking a look at the water main.
Slipping on her sandals, she walked towards the massive, circular water pump in the backyard. Taking a look at the pipe, she saw that just like the electricity, it had been cut through cleanly. Fortunately, it was simply a matter of replacing the section of PVC pipe and turning the water back on, which she was able to do in ten or so minutes. She headed back to the house and flipped the water on, and after a few groans and strains from the pipes, water sprayed from the sink, cool and fresh.
Tessa nodded at her handiness, happy that Lucas had taught her how to deal with a broken pipe. But thinking of Lucas, aside from the distress that the subject brought her, she now chastised herself for realizing that it was almost definitely him who cut the power and water last night, likely him and a couple of his meth-dealing buddies.
She felt her cheeks grow hot with anger. Tessa understood now that not only was Lucas essentially living a double life, but now that she didn’t take him back, he was determined to make her life as difficult as possible. Stepping into the shower for a quick rinse, she wondered what she would do if he continued to harass her. She knew that there was no chance that she’d take him back, not after what he’d done to her. Tessa didn’t know what Lucas was capable of; he had always channeled his passionate emotions into his art. She realized now that she was going to learn what it would be like to be on the receiving end of the hostile shades of those sentiments.
Frustration running through her, she stepped out of the shower. After drying herself off and throwing on some simple, light clothes, Tessa walked into her studio, put on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, turned up her music up as loud as she could take it, the classic rock feeling as though it might shatter her eardrums. She set to work with her paints, knowing that working on her art was the only possible thing that could even begin to soothe her rattled nerves.
Tessa lost herself, painting with intensity and wild abandon, her brush strokes slashing across the canvas, yet leaving on the most precise and minute details. Stepping away from the canvas, she looked at the painting approvingly; it was nearly done and ready to sell.
But before she could get back into her work, she spotted a figure out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw a man standing just outside of one of the large windows. Tessa took in a sharp gasp, her paint dropping to the floor and splattering everywhere. Her first instinct was to call the police, but as soon as she came to her senses, she remembered that the electrician was due to come by. Checking her phone, she saw that it was fifteen after eleven already- the time had flown by.
She gestured for the electrician to meet her at the front door, and though she couldn’t make out his features through the window, she saw that he gave her a thumbs-up of acknowledgment.
Her face hot with embarrassment, Tessa walked with short, quick steps to the front door. Throwing it open, she gasped at what she revealed.
It was the electrician, alright, but this man was far from the skinny, small-town handyman she was expecting. The first trait Tessa noticed was his height: he was tall, a good few inches over Lucas, who was himself a taller-than-average man. His face was strikingly handsome, with soulful, sensual hazel eyes, a nose with a straight, strong bridge, sandy-blond hair that was tousled and wet-looking, and a wide, red mouth turned upwards in a roguish smile. His jaw was wide, and his face was slim, his bone structure more what she’d expect from a New York model than an upstate electrician. He was dressed in a simple, white shirt that hung from his square-shouldered, strapping torso, with a pair of loose blue jeans on below, and a stylish pair of brown Red Wings on his feet. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost guess he was one of those hipster guys she’d seen all the time in Brooklyn who liked to dress in blue-collar styles, but she could tell right away he was the real deal- a man who actually knew how to use his hands.
“Afternoon, miss,” he said, his low, melodic voice the same one she’d heard on the phone a couple of hours ago.
“Oh my God,” she stammered. “I’m so sorry if you were waiting a while. I just lose track of time when I’m painting sometimes. Please, come in.”
“Not a problem at all,” he said, stepping over the threshold.
Tessa noted that if he was upset, he didn’t show it in the slightest.
“I’m Tessa Henderson,” Tessa said, still coming to grips with how handsome this man was. “Can I, um, get you something to drink?”
“Atticus Swift,” he said. “And a glass of water would be just fine, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, not at all,” said Tessa, rushing towards the kitchen.
“Are you a ‘shoes-on’ or ‘shoes-off’ kind of home?” he asked as Tessa filled a glass of water.
“Oh, on is fine. I’m not too fancy here.”
She returned to the living room and handed Atticus the glass of water.
“Thank you much,” he said, before taking a long, slow drink, his Adam’s Apple bobbing as he swallowed.
Tessa took the glass from Atticus, her eyes on his thick, ropy arms.
“Now, let me take a look at things, if you don’t mind,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, sure,” said Tessa. “Well, like I said, I think someone cut the electricity.”
Atticus’s brow furrowed.
“Well, that’s no good,” he said. “I don’t want to overstep my bounds, miss, but have you spoken to the police about this?”
“No, I haven’t gotten a chance yet.”
Atticus’s face flashed an expression of mild skepticism as he walked to the nearest light switch and flicked it a few times.
“You weren’t lying,” he said. “Totally out.”
He turned his expression back to Tessa, who felt like she might melt under his gaze. And as she looked into his eyes, she sensed something strange, something...familiar. It was almost as if she’d met him before, somewhere.
“Why don’t you take me out to where the line was cut? That’d be the best way to get to the bottom of this, I think,” he said.
“Sure, right this way,” said Tessa. “Just right outside.”
Atticus gave a smile and a nod, and headed back out the front door. Tessa’s eyes went straight to his ass as he walked, paying special attention to the way it flexed and tensed as he walked. She couldn’t understand what had come over her, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. And as she walked at his side, she felt a strange crackling of heat between them, as though the space between their bodies were charged with energy.
She led him in the direction of the electrical main.
“Sorry,” said Tessa, feeling the wet slickness of dew on her bare feet as she walked. “But I have to ask- have we met before?”
“Hm,” said Atticus, giving the matter some thought. “I don’t believe so.”
“You ever go to Hannigan’s?” asked Tessa.
“Yeah, I’ve been. Probably recognize me from there. The town isn’t all that big, you know? Bound to run into the same people.”
“Yeah,” said Tessa, not entirely convinced.
They approached the main, and Atticus let out a slow whistle as he looked over the clean slash through the main line.
“Yep, that definitely wasn’t an accident.”
“Oh, I know.”
“Well, I like I said on the phone- it’s a clean cut, and shouldn’t be too hard to fix.”
He turned back towards Tessa.
“You can go ahead and get back inside. I’m going to get my tools and get to work.”
“Sure,” said Tessa.
She started to walk off, but stopped and turned back around.
“I’m going to be in my studio again with my headphones on, so if you need me just come on in.”
“Will do,” he said, flashing another smile of pearl-colored teeth.
Tessa walked back into the house with quick steps, her eyes fixed forward. She couldn’t shake the strange mixture of feelings that was going through her mind. First, was her immediate attraction to this man. It was intense, gripping her like a massive hand; she couldn’t take her eyes off of Atticus’s lean, muscular body, his simple workman’s clothes hanging off of him in just the right way. And his face was so gorgeous and striking that it was almost difficult to look at.
And on top of everything, she just knew that she’d seen him before, that she’d met him somewhere, sometime. He hinted otherwise, but there was something familiar about him, and what’s more, the familiarity seemed recent, as though she’d met him within the last week. But the only place she’d been was that horrible party where she’d found Lucas and Atticus didn’t strike her as the type to be doing meth with dozens of teenagers.
She headed back into her studio, knowing that she needed to put all of this out of her mind- he was just the electrician, she thought. He’d fix the line and be out of here in an hour or so, and she’d never see him again. Tessa figured there was no sense in trying to puzzle out this particular mystery.
But still, his smile, and those arms.
She shook her head, flipped her music back on, cranked the volume, and snapped her headphones back onto her head. Taking her paint supplies back into her hand, she went to work, but not before flipping the room’s light switch so she’d know when the power as back on.
Turning towards the canvas, she started to paint.
After a time, the canvas in front of her was set aglow, and looking up, she saw that the overhead light was alight with a soft, orange warmth. Surprised that Atticus could be done so quickly, she looked at her phone. Just as before, time had flown by.
“That’s a hell of a pineapple,” said the voice from the door.
Spinning around on her feet, Tessa saw that Atticus was standing in the entryway to the studio, his sweat-glistened body leaned against the doorframe.
“Oh, thanks,” she said, taken aback by the way the slick moisture on his body highlighted every dip and curve of his arms, the muscles of his chest visible through his t-shirt.
“You’re a painter, I take it?”
“Yeah, still-lives, mostly.”
“Well,” he said, looking around the room. “They’re pretty damn impressive.”
“Thanks,” Tessa said, her face growing hot and red, feeling as though she were a schoolgirl who’d somehow gained the attention of the most handsome boy in class.
“As you can see, the main’s fixed; you shouldn’t have any more problems with the line, assuming it doesn’t get cut again, that is.”
“Thanks again,” said Tessa, taking off her headphones and setting down her equipment, her arms and shirt stained with paint. “Let me get you something to drink. It must be hot out there.”
“That’d be great,” he said.
Tessa led him back into the kitchen, the whirring of the refrigerator’s motor filling what was previously dead silence.
“I think I’ve got some ice tea, and I didn’t open the freezer…” she said, opening the freezer, a small gust of cool air rushing out. “There! Cubes are still kind of OK.”
Atticus let out a small laugh.
“Anything’s fine.”
Tessa poured them two glasses of ice tea, topping the drinks with freshly sliced lemon wedges. Handing the drink to Atticus, he held the glass up to his forehead, letting the cool drink cool his skin, a drop of condensation from the glass darting down the side and along his thick, tanned wrist.
Tessa walked over to the counter by the window, glass in hand.
“Listen,” said Atticus. “Like I said, it’s none of my business, but can I ask what happened to your electrical main?”
Tessa would’ve normally made something up, and not shared personal details with a stranger. But something about Atticus made her feel comfortable opening up, and telling him the truth.
“It’s…an ex. I mean, I think it’s an ex. I mean, I think I have an ex.”
Tessa’s face scrunched up as struggled to explain her situation.
“Sounds complicated,” Atticus said, leaning against the fridge.
“It is. I mean, I’m married. Technically.”
Atticus’s thick, sandy-blond eyebrows raised.
“It’s…a long story. But the relevant part is that my husband cut the main. At least, I’m pretty sure. I don’t know what’s going on, really.”
She crossed the arm holding the glass in front of her and brought the free one to her mouth, covering it, as she looked down. Saying the words out loud filled her with a helpless, scared feeling, as she realized that she was in the middle of a situation that she had no idea how to navigate.
Atticus walked over to her, seeing that Tessa was clearly in distress. Standing next to her against the counter, he placed a hand on her shoulder. As soon as his skin touched hers, a feeling of safety and calm washed over her, as though simply being near this man was enough to let her feel that everything was fine, and that she didn’t have anything to fear.
“Sounds like you’re in a tough spot,” he said, setting his drink down on the counter.
“Yeah, you could say that,” said Tessa.
As Tessa stood near Atticus, the feeling of warmth and safety only grew, mixing with the attraction that she already felt for him. She was confused by her feelings, but what she wanted was growing clearer by the moment.
She turned and faced Atticus, looking up into his beautiful hazel eyes as he looked down at her, his brow knitted in concern. Then, giving in to the nearly overwhelming sense of attraction that had been building in her since she first lay eyes on him, she reached up, pulled Atticus towards her, and kissed him deeply and slowly. She could tell by the way his body tightened and tensed that he was somewhat surprised by what Tessa was doing, but he soon loosened, and kissed her back, wrapping his strong arms around her slim, small body.