Brick turned the truck off Main Street and headed out to a quieter part of town. He was right, it wasn’t far, and Jasmine knew she could easily walk it from her apartment.

The house was old and sat back on a slight hill, away from the road. It had steps running up to the front door and it was three stories high, the windows had shutters and it looked well-maintained. It was the complete opposite of what she had been expecting. She had assumed she would be going to some modern monstrosity, or a dilapidated ranch out by the highway. 

When Brick stopped the truck and turned off the engine, Jasmine looked up at the house towering next to her. It was stunning. She had never really been to this area of town before, but she knew it was where a lot of the original Slate Springs families lived. All of the houses were older and grander. It was one of the most coveted streets in the entire town, and just looking at the house gave her goosebumps.

“Nice place,” she said as Brick wandered around to her side of the truck and opened the door for her.

“Thanks,” he said. “It’s been with my family a long time.”

Knew it, she smiled to herself.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked as she hopped out of the truck and held her hand out to help Maddy slide across the seat.

“Years,” Brick said as he started to root around in his jeans pocket for the house keys. “I was here on my own before Maddy came along.”

Jasmine nodded and followed behind them as they started to climb the steps to the front of the house. The veranda all around the outside of the ground floor was whitewashed and there were two little pink bikes with training wheels collapsed on their sides.

“You learning to ride?” she asked Maddy, who replied with a big excited nod of her head.

“Yes,” she said. “But it isn’t going so well.”

She looked up at her dad and Brick smiled down at her.

“You’ll get there,” he rubbed the top of her head. “I don’t think you’re doing too badly.”

“But I want to be able to ride like you,” Maddy moaned as she buried her head into the back of her dad’s legs.

“Well, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen,” he laughed. “I’m never letting you near one of those bikes.”

Maddy crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, and Jasmine laughed.

“She likes the idea of the motorcycles then?” she asked.

“Evidently,” Brick raised his eyebrows as he slid the key into the lock and opened the front door.

He stepped inside and Maddy skipped behind him. Jasmine moved in cautiously, she was very aware that she was about to enter someone else’s home. Someone who was a complete stranger, and of whom she was trying to make a good impression on.

The first thing she noticed was how dark the place was. The shutters were all half closed and the room was stuffy and drab. Jasmine tried not to look alarmed; compared to her own apartment the place felt like a prison. It could almost have been some sort of dark homely cage where people got sucked into a sleepy dream. She looked down at Maddy who grinned and moved over to the TV and turned it on. When the light from it shone around the room, she could see that it was clean and relatively tidy, but it certainly lacked a woman’s touch. It was as if he had lost completely what he was trying to do with the place, and he obviously didn’t know a whole lot about the importance of natural light.

Brick moved around the room and started to turn on all the lamps and the wall sconces.

“So,” he said. “I’ve got a few things to do through there. Will you two be all right if I leave you to it?”

Jasmine was surprised he didn’t want to hang around them, but it also made sense. They had to see if they got on and if it came naturally for them. She didn’t want Maddy to feel uncomfortable around her. She wanted them both to enjoy each other’s company.

“Sure,” Jasmine smiled. “We’ll be fine, won’t we, Maddy?”

“We will!” Maddy began to jump up and down on the couch and clapped her hands. “Jasmine is going to braid my hair just like a princess!”

“Well, I’ll definitely leave you both to it then,” Brick laughed as he turned and headed for a door leading out of the room and into a hallway.

Jasmine looked around and couldn’t help herself, she walked over to the windows and started to open the inside shutters.

“It’s dark in here,” she said to Maddy. “When I do princess’s hair, I like to be able to see what I’m doing.”

Maddy giggled and skipped over to the other side of the room and reached for a pink vanity case. She snapped open the latches and started to look through it.

“I have all sorts of bows and hair ties,” she said with a proud smile. “I’ve been collecting them for ages.”

Jasmine walked over to sit on the floor beside her and watched as her little hands started to pull out various different pink, purple, and blue ribbons and clips from the box.

“Wow, they’re awesome,” Jasmine grinned. “I love them.”

“Me too,” said Maddy. “I try to put them in myself, but it never looks right.”

“And your dad can’t do it,” she half laughed.

“No, he’s terrible at it,” Maddy giggled.

“Well, to be fair to him, I think it is more of a girl’s thing,” she agreed. “Shall I have a go for you?”

“Please!” Maddy jumped to her feet and Jasmine climbed up too. They both moved over to the couch and Maddy sat on it with her legs crossed underneath her and Jasmine went around the back and started to run her long nails through Maddy’s hair in place of a comb.

“Which color would you like?” she asked.

“Ummm…pink!” Maddy grinned.

“I’m going to do two long braids on either side of your head, okay?”

Maddy nodded enthusiastically and Jasmine felt warm inside. There was such an innocence about her, it was lovely to be around. The contrast to awful Arlene and her shitty attitude in the diner, compared to the loveliness of little Maddy was so huge it was almost hard to believe the same people could exist in the same town.

Jasmine began to braid one side of Maddy’s hair; it was long and golden, and when she reached the end, she tied it with a pretty, pink hair tie with a sparkling crystal on it.

“Perfect,” Jasmine told her as Maddy grinned up at her and urged her to continue with the next side.

When she had done the same with the other section of hair, Jasmine walked around and looked at Maddy from the front.

“Wow,” she said. “You do look just like a princess.”

Maddy clapped her hands together and smiled as if she had just won first place in a pageant, and then she got to her feet and ran across the room to the mirror.

“Oh my gosh!” she declared. “I really do! Thank you so much, Jasmine!”

“It’s my pleasure,” Jasmine smiled. “Now, come on, what would you like to do next?”

Maddy looked around and at the open shutters and she crunched up her lip to her nose.

“I want to open the other shutters,” she said quietly. “Dad never opens them because he’s so used to being out all night.”

“Well, then,” Jasmine smiled. “I’ll check with him that he doesn’t mind and then I’m sure we can open them up and get some more light in here.”

“I like seeing the sun,” Maddy said. “Even though it’s always too hot when we’re outside.”

“Yes, it is,” Jasmine agreed. “You’ve got to wear sunscreen.”

“Oh, yes,” Maddy nodded. “Every day. It’s part of our routine.”

It was so endearing to think of this big, burly man, covered in his tattoos, getting this lovely little girl ready for school in the morning. She instantly got an image of them standing in the bathroom together, Brick trying to tie her hair up in a ponytail and struggling with the hair ties. She could see them eating breakfast together, and him walking her to school before he climbed onto his big, dangerous bike and went off to break the law and do God knows what else.

It was all such a juxtaposition, but it was one that intrigued Jasmine more than anything she had ever known.

She made her way toward the door he had disappeared through and stepped into a darkened hallway. She reached up and moved a curtain slightly and sunlight streamed in, showing her a door at the other end of the hall. Maddy followed behind her, humming a little song, and she pointed to a door on the left and said with certainty, “He’ll be in there.”

Jasmine pointed to the door and Maddy nodded. She reached up and knocked quietly with her fist.

“Brick? Sorry to bother you, but do you have a minute?”

“Sure!” he called through from the other side.

Jasmine pushed open the door and stepped into the chilled, oily and raw space of the garage.

“Oh,” she said with surprise as she caught sight of him hunched over a big glistening Harley. He was streaked with motor oil, all down his hands and a smudge along his cheek. A patch was visible on the leg of his jeans and it smelled of cologne, masculinity and danger in there. Jasmine stopped in her tracks and had to force her mouth to stay closed; it seemed desperate to sag open with shock and awe.

“This is Daddy’s workshop,” Maddy said as she skipped past Jasmine and went to twirl next to the motorcycle Brick was working on.

Jasmine let her eyes wander around the room. The garage door had been fully opened and light and warm air streamed in to meet them, but the scent of oil was still thick in the atmosphere and it made it feel kind of claustrophobic. The bike he was working on wasn’t the only one in there, he had tons. And Jasmine instantly counted at least five before she had to tear her eyes away and fix them back on Brick. She didn’t want to appear nosy, but, in truth, she was absolutely fascinated with it all. She couldn’t get enough.

“What can I help you with?” he asked as he rubbed his knuckles affectionately across the top of Maddy’s head.

“We want to open all the shutters,” Maddy said cheekily. “Is it okay if we do that, Daddy? Please?”

Brick scowled and looked over at Jasmine.

“I opened one of them so I could see to do her hair,” Jasmine offered with a bit of embarrassment. “And Maddy just wondered if we could open the others, but I wanted to check with you first.”

“Sure,” he said as if it had been the most ridiculous question he had ever heard.

Then he turned his back on them and continued to tinker with his biker.

“Come on,” Jasmine said. “Let’s go back and you can help me in the front room.”

As she reached the doorway of the garage, she turned and looked back over her shoulder, and she was a little stunned to find Brick looking back at her too. They faltered for a moment, their eyes fixed in on each other’s, and Jasmine went to speak but no words would form and she felt her stammer rise in her throat.

To break the tension, she smiled then turned and ducked out of the garage and back into the back hallway of the house.

“Jeez,” she whispered to herself as she rested her back against the door. “You’re really not making a good impression here, are you…”

 

She and Jasmine spent the next hour opening the shutters and playing with the lights in the front room. It turned out, Maddy and she had quite a lot in common, especially when it came to their hate of overhead lighting.

“I like the table lamps,” Maddy said with a nod of her head. “But I hate the ones on the ceilings.”

“I’m the same at my house,” Jasmine agreed, and she momentarily forgot she was speaking with a five-year-old.

“I like it with the shutters open,” Maddy said as she bounced up and down at the window. “I can see our whole street and the rest of the neighborhood.”

“Well, now you know how to open them,” Jasmine smiled.

“And I will,” Maddy put her hands on her hips and shook her braids from side to side so they slapped against her shoulders.

From out the back, she heard a door slam and the sound of heavy boots coming up the hallway. Her heartrate picked up a little and she turned to stare at the door.

When Brick walked in, Maddy ran over to him and jumped into his arms. She didn’t seem to care that he had a dirty rag thrown over his shoulder and that he was covered in oil, she buried her head into his neck and hugged him tight.

“Daddy, Jasmine is the best!” she beamed as he laughed and twirled her around.

“Is she now?” he asked as he looked back at Jasmine over his shoulder. “Well, it looks as if you’ve certainly got yourself a fan around here.”

Jasmine smiled and tried not to blush. Even though she knew he was right and it was clear she and Maddy had more than a natural rapport, they had gotten on like a house on fire.

“So, would you like it if Jasmine came to play again?” he asked her.

Maddy nodded her head and then went shy for a moment.

“Well, maybe if you ask her nicely, she will…” Brick said teasingly.

“Jasmine….” Maddy drawled.

“Yes, Maddy?” she played along.

“Would you come and play with me again sometime?”

“I would absolutely love to!” Jasmine smiled.

“Yayyyy!” Maddy clapped her hands and jumped down out of her dad’s arms. “Yay, Jasmine is going to come play again!”

“Why don’t you say goodbye and head on up to your room so we can talk for a moment?” Brick said as he patted her softly on the head.

“Bye, Jasmine,” Maddy said as she dashed forward and hugged her tightly. Then she bounded out of the room and started to run up the stairs.

Jasmine felt overwhelmed with emotion. Maddy was a very special little girl, and she felt so lucky to have found her.

“She’s just a dream, you’re right,” she said with a smile.

“I know, she really is,” he said as he scratched the back of his neck.

“You’ve raised her well, she’s a credit to you.”

Brick looked almost embarrassed by the compliment and he shrugged his shoulders and wiped his hands down again on his filthy jeans.

“So, what do you say?” he asked. “I mean, you two obviously get on great, she’s comfortable with you, and you have good availability… I’d happily offer you the job.”

“And I’d happily accept it,” she said.

Brick held out his hand, and even though it was dirty and covered in oil, Jasmine reached out and shook it. His grip was strong and as their skin touched, he held her gaze.

“Now, there we go,” he laughed. “A girl who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty! That’s exactly the kind of person we need around here.”

Now it was Jasmine’s turn to feel embarrassed; she felt the blush roar right through her face and she stared down at the floor and twisted her toe into the carpet.

“So when do you need me?” she asked as she looked back up at him and their eyes locked in on each other’s.

He really did have great eyes. They were deep and soulful, and the little wrinkles at the corners added depth to his features that were both sexy and charming.

“Tomorrow night?” he asked tentatively. “I need to work late.”

“Sure,” she nodded. “What time?”

“If I get her from school, could you make it over here for around four? That way, I can show you where everything is before I have to bail.”

“That’s absolutely fine,” she nodded.

“Oh and pay wise,” he said. “What would your hourly rate be?”

Jasmine felt a wave of panic wash over her, she hadn’t even thought about what she would possibly charge. When she had babysat as a teen, she had only ever said $10 an hour and she had only ever sat with the kids for a couple of hours at a time. She had no idea how long she would be expected to stick around at the house, or what roles she would end up taking on. Surely, if he was out that late, she would have to bathe Maddy and put her to bed, not that it bothered her in the slightest; as things were going, she was enjoying Maddy’s company so much she would have done it for free.

“How about forty bucks an hour?” he asked nonchalantly and Jasmine felt her jaw sag open.

She certainly hadn’t been expecting that.

“Forty?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Sure,” he said. “Maybe even fifty, depending on how late I end up having to make you stay.”

Sweet Jesus, I’m going to be earning a fortune if I do this several nights a week… she thought, trying to keep the look of shock from her face. It was certainly going to beat minimum wage in Lisa’s store with crumby bonuses for bringing in more customers through her online promotions.

“Erm, well, yes, I mean, that sounds very reasonable.”

“Well, like I said, nothing is too much for the right person,” he smiled. “I haven’t seen Maddy that happy in a long time.”

There was a look of sadness in his eyes and Jasmine sensed it was her time to leave.

“Thank you so much, Brick,” she said as she walked toward the front door. “Really, this has been great. I’m looking forward to working with you both.”

“Us too,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest and waited in the doorway as she stepped out of the house and started off down the stairs.

She looked back over her shoulder as she reached the bottom and he waved at her before he disappeared back inside and closed the door.

As soon as she turned and continued to walk out of the neighborhood, she was stunned at how much her heart was racing and at how alive she felt.

She had no idea what had really just happened in that house between them, but she had felt a spark between her and Brick. She had felt something big and powerful, and although he was employing her now, she had the feeling that something important was going to come from it.

Maddy was such a delight to be around, and Jasmine could rejoice that she had found herself another job after the couple weeks of worry and uncertainty.

“No subletting for you,” she grinned as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cellphone.

She could see the list of texts from Cadence and she laughed as she started to work her way through them, reading them all. As she had suspected, half of them were worry and half of them were jealousy.

Pressing dial, she raised the phone to her ear and when Cadence answered on the second ring, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Calm down, will you,” she laughed.

“No, I will not,” Cadence barked. “Tell me everything.”

“Okay,” Jasmine said. “But I hope you’re sitting down, because this may take a while…”

She walked back toward Main Street and to her apartment building while she filled Cadence in on everything that had happened.

What a crazy, unexpected day it had been. But it had also been a day she would never, ever forget.