CHAPTER FOUR

Garret

“Nice to meet you. I’m Nacole.” Her soft voice fills my ears and I smile, gently shaking her hand. Brody asked me the other day if I would mind helping them move her into her new place, and I immediately agreed—anything to finally get to meet this beauty in front of me.

Nacole doesn’t have on a stitch of makeup, and her eyes have a slight rim of pink around them, almost as if she’d been crying. That idea bothers me. This woman should never have any reason to be upset.

Whoa. Slow down, Walker. You don’t even know her.

“Ready to get going?” I ask, and she nods, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Turning back to the counter, she grabs the sheet of paper and points to the front of the store. “All of those are mine. I don’t know what will fit, so we may have to take two trips.”

A large worn sofa, along with a coffee table, a few lamps, and various other pieces sit marked by the front window. Pretty sure it’ll all fit in Brody’s truck in one go without a problem.

“Do we need to get your bed from the apartment?” Lindsey asks.

Nacole shakes her head. “No, I ordered it from a store at the mall. They delivered it last night, so it’s already there. I didn’t get too much stuff, just enough to start making the place mine.”

Lindsey claps her hands together and we all start moving everything out to Brody’s truck. He and I each grab an end of the couch and haul it out. It doesn’t take too long to get everything loaded up, and then Brody closes the tailgate.

“So, you guys can just follow me over, I guess?”

“Absolutely,” I say, heading for my Jeep.

As we wait for Nacole to lead the way, I can’t stop thinking about her. I’ve spent all of thirty minutes with her, but I like her already. She doesn’t talk very much, but she’s very aware. I caught her looking at me almost the entire time, and every time I smiled or winked, she blushed to the roots of her hair. I definitely have an effect on her too.

So lost in my thoughts, I barely notice that everyone is starting to leave. Throwing my Jeep in gear, I take off behind them, rolling my windows down as I go. It’s a nice enough day that I wish I’d remembered to put the top down on it. The sun is shining and the breeze is incredible.

The drive to Nacole’s place only takes fifteen minutes, and soon we’re all turning into her driveway. A tiny ranch hidden by some overgrown bushes, it’s not quite what I had pictured.

Parking my Jeep next to Brody’s truck, I hop down and stride over to her.

“So this is the place, huh?” I say, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

“Yeah. It needs a little work, but I really like it.”

“Will you show me?” I ask, giving her a warm smile.

“Yeah, okay.” I follow her up the short walkway and wait for her to unlock the door. Pushing it open, I step inside and find us in a small living room, but not as small as I would’ve thought. She takes me through the house, and I watch her eyes light up when we hit the kitchen.

The small window over the sink has a view into the backyard, and it’s actually cozy inside. It’s small, but surprisingly it doesn’t feel that way. Maybe it’s the open floor plan, or maybe it’s just the light that Nacole brings into each room. She’s beautiful.

“I like it,” I tell her, my smile widening when she rewards me with a large one of her own. “It definitely has potential. It’s homier than my place, that’s for sure.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Years ago, Brody and I were left plots of land by our late uncle, way out on the outskirts of town. Brody’s was already cleared, but mine still had trees as far as you could see. I cleared the lot for a house and moved in a couple years ago, but it’s pretty empty. I need to paint, and my mom has been itching to get her hands on the decorating, but with work I hardly have the time.”

Nacole leans her back against the kitchen counter. “What do you do?”

“I’m a cop.”

“That sounds… exciting?”

Laughing, I step closer to her. “Yeah, it can be. Most of the time, it’s idiots drinking and driving, or kids playing music too loud. Occasionally we get a call because some tourist is trying to find their way into some musician’s property. The usual.”

She laughs and the sound is music to my ears.

“So, Brody said you moved here from Santa Barbara. What brings a Cali girl like yourself down here to the city of good ole country music?”

I don’t miss the tears that fill her eyes before she turns away from me. With a slight shake of her head, she turns back to me. “A fresh start, I guess. I wanted to start over.”

“I can understand that.”

We’re interrupted by a knock on the front door. Brody steps inside a second later with a smirk. “You kids decent, or can we come in?”

“Shut the fuck up, jackass,” I grumble. Striding outside, I avoid eye contact with my stupid brother and pull the tailgate down.

“Just yanking your chain, bro.”

“Yank your own chain, Brody.”

Climbing up into the truck, I start moving stuff down so he can grab it. After carrying the coffee table inside, he comes jogging out a second later.

“Nah. You guys were in there awhile. You talk about anything special?”

“No, just work and such. And even then she barely talked.”

“Yeah.” Brody scrubs a hand down his face and reaches out for the couch. “She’s quiet. Didn’t say too much to me when I interviewed her, but I could tell she was good people. Just needed a chance to get her feet on the ground. And she’s turned out to be a great hire. Lindsey really likes her.”

“She’s not the only one,” I mumble, and I don’t miss the knowing look Brody throws my way.

Grabbing the other end of the couch, I start walking it off the truck and lean the end against the tailgate so I can hop down. Picking it up together, we carry it inside the house, Lindsey’s and Nacole’s voices coming from the bedroom.

“Nacole, where do you want this?” Brody yells, and she pokes her head into the room.

“In front of the window is great.”

Nodding, we slide it under the window, then head out for the remaining lamp and end table. Brody takes the lamp into the living room while I carry the end table into the bedroom. Setting it by the side of the bed, I hear Brody curse from the living room.

“What’s up, man?”

“Fucking hell. Beer vendor is at the bar, and according to Nate, the entire order is fucked up. Linds? We gotta go to the bar and get this figured out.”

Lindsey looks at Nacole with a sad smile, but Nacole just shakes her head. “Go ahead, it’s okay. I need to make a trip to get groceries and some other stuff. Thank you for the help today though. Means the world.”

Lindsey reaches out and hugs Nacole, who seems surprised and only pats her on the back.

Huh. Weird. She just seemed to clam up right before our eyes.

Brody and Linds say their goodbyes and head out, leaving me alone with Nacole in her bedroom. She was clearly in the middle of unpacking a few boxes sitting on her bed, and I’m unsure of what to do. I want to stay and spend more time with her, but I also don’t want to make her uncomfortable. She’s so timid and shy with me; I don’t want to scare her or push her away before I even get a chance to make friends with her.

“I’m gonna get going too. Unless you need any help unpacking or anything.”

“No, thank you, Garret. I really don’t have much, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Of course.”

Standing on opposite sides of the room, we just look at each other, her brown eyes dancing around, avoiding any direct contact with mine. Nodding, I hold a hand up in a wave and smile at her.

“It was great meeting you. I’ll see you around, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you for today.”

“Anytime, Nacole.”

Turning, I walk out of the room and make my way out of the house. I’m climbing into my Jeep when I see the flowers I brought. Shit. Would probably help if I gave her the welcome present. Grabbing them, I head back toward her house and knock quietly on the front door, but she doesn’t answer. Weird.

Pushing the door open, I decide to just leave them in her kitchen, but I’m stopped in my tracks when I’m setting them down. Carefully, I walk down the short hallway and poke my head around the corner into her bedroom. Sitting in the center of the bed, knees drawn to her chest, she has her face buried in her arms, body shaking with broken sobs.

“Nacole?”

Her head lifts at the sound of my voice and she brushes tears off her cheeks, her eyes red and swollen. Trying to compose herself, she moves to the edge of the bed.

“Sorry, I thought you left.”

“Yeah, I did, but I forgot the flowers I brought you as a welcoming present. They’re in the kitchen. Are you okay?” Stupid question, but I don’t really know what to do. Crying women aren’t exactly my forte, and it usually brings me to my knees.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, just a little overwhelmed is all.”

“You’re sure?” I keep my voice gentle, running a hand through my hair.

She nods and puts on a brave smile, but I don’t miss the tremble in her bottom lip.

“Okay. Can I get you anything before I leave?”

“Uh… no. No, I don’t think so.”

With a nod, I turn to leave once more, but the sound of her sniffling has me turning back to her with a sigh.

“Nacole?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something else I wanted to give you.”

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she stands up, and I close the space between us in just a couple strides. Placing my hands on her shoulders, I look at her puffy eyes and give her a small smile. Moving slowly so I don’t freak her out, I pull her against my chest, hugging her carefully. She only hesitates for a second, and then her arms are banding around my waist as she buries her face in my chest. Keeping her tight to me, I rock her back and forth, whispering soothing words to her.

My shirt is soaked from her tears as her small frame trembles in my arms. Smoothing a hand up and down her back, I just hang on tight, letting her cry. Gently, I cup her head against my chest, placing a soft kiss against her hair, lips lingering while I cradle her to me.

I have no idea what’s upset her so much, but I’m not sorry that she’s in my arms. I’m a selfish bastard, but holding her feels right. Nacole fits against me perfectly, and I vow to myself that if she’s ever in my arms again, no tears will be falling from her beautiful eyes.

§

“No, I swear. I’ve never been.”

We’re sharing a plate of French fries at a local diner, a chocolate milkshake in front of each of us. After she calmed down earlier, I offered to take her out and get her mind off whatever had upset her.

“How have you never been to a country music concert? This is Tennessee, woman.”

“I just moved here. It’s not exactly on my to-do list.”

“Well, I’m changing that.”

“Garret….”

“I’m serious,” I state, crossing my arms over my chest.

She sighs and fiddles with her straw before taking a sip of her milkshake. After a beat, she trains her eyes on me.

“Listen, I really appreciate everything you’ve done. Brody and Lindsey too. But I’m not at a place right now where I’m looking for friends. I know I’m being a total bitch, but I have to be honest.”

“Hey, you aren’t a bitch. Don’t talk about yourself that way, all right?”

“Garret—”

“No, I’m serious. Clearly you’re dealing with something. I’m not blind. And I’m not gonna push you into talking to me or forcing your hand, but please don’t insult yourself for being honest, okay?”

Nacole’s eyes widen briefly, but after a second she nods. “Okay.”

“Now, you may not be looking for friends, and I can’t speak for the others, but I’m always up for a new friend. You can never have too many of them.”

“I don’t have any,” she says quietly with a shrug.

“Well now you have one.”

Nacole smiles and nods at me. “Fine. We’re friends,” she concedes, then, in a surprising move, throws a french fry at my forehead, giggling when I throw it back at her.

“Now, back to the real issue,” I begin, leaning my elbows onto the table.

“Issue?”

“Yeah. It’s decided. I’m taking you to your first country concert. And I know just who to bring you to see. He’s playing at a festival next month.”

“We’ll see,” she says, but a small smile plays at her lips. She’s already sold.