I opened my front door, and Caden looked at me with a relieved expression. “Finally, man. I feel like I haven’t seen you outside of work for decades.”
I rolled my eyes and stepped aside from the doorway. “It’s been a week since we got our last beer together.”
He stepped inside. “So, seven years. One for each day. Anyway, how you been? How’s the wife? Kids? Dog?”
I shut the door and followed him into the kitchen. “I don’t know why I tolerate you, Caden.”
“Because I’m the only one that tolerates you,” Caden said. “Speaking of, I think there’s someone else tolerating you as well, isn’t there?”
I grinned as I pulled two beers out of my fridge.
Caden noticed. “I knew it. Is it the same woman? What gives?”
“I don’t know. I was just seeing how things went before I talked about it.”
“Wait a second. Have you been on dates with this woman?”
I nodded. “A couple.”
“What’s her name? What’s she like? Have you slept with her yet?”
“Damn, dude, relax,” I said. “Her name’s Paige, she’s unlike any other girl I’ve ever been with, and yes.”
“Awesome. I knew you had something going on. You don’t ever turn down beers with me.”
“Yes, I do,” I said.
“Not when I’m paying.”
“When have you ever paid?” I asked.
He waved my comment away. “Semantics. So, are you still seeing her?”
“I think so, yeah. She had to go back home for a bit, but she said she would be back.”
“So, she doesn’t live around here?” he asked.
“Nope. Seattle.”
Caden gave me a tentative look before he drew in a deep breath through his nose. “How do you feel about that?”
“Not as shitty as you’d think. She grew up in Spokane. In the foster care system.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yeah. She went to college in Seattle and just stayed. So, she’s not technically from there. Just calls it home now.”
“You think she knows—”
“Don’t,” I said sternly. “Just don’t.”
“Well, what else is there about her? Other than she’s already got you whipped.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked.
“One question. When you slept with her, did you kick her out?”
I tipped my beer back and took a long pull from it. My silence was answer enough.
Caden laughed. “You got it bad, Zach. Admit it.”
“We’re just having some fun,” I said.
“Tell me, did she cook you breakfast?”
I shrugged. “Only because I cooked her dinner the night before.”
“You cooked her fucking dinner, man?”
“I know how it sounds, but it’s not like that,” I said.
“I’ve never known you to do anything other than a one-night stand, Zach. How many times have you seen her?”
“Three.”
“Did you sleep with her all of those times?” he asked.
“No.”
“So, you willingly saw a woman again without the prospect of sex?”
“What’s so wrong with that?” I asked. “I like a girl with standards.”
I fell back into the kitchen chair, frowning.
Caden threw his head back and laughed at me. “You scout out women who don’t have standards. You can lie to yourself about this if you want, but you can’t hide this shit from me. You got it bad, and if this girl’s traveling from Seattle just to see you, then she’s got it bad, too.”
“You think?” I asked.
“Oh, dude,” he said as he shook his head. “This is too perfect. I’d much rather talk about this.”
“What the hell were you here to talk about?”
“Our restaurant,” he said, grinning.
“We don’t have a restaurant, and I should’ve known one of your schemes is what brought you into my neck of Brookings.”
He held up his bottle. “That and the free beer.”
“Are you still stuck on the hopping food restaurant or whatever?” I asked.
“You might hate it, but I think it’s unique. That type of unique shit is popping up everywhere. Hell, Brookings has an entire food store dedicated to spicy foods. Spicy foods, Zach. It’s that simple. The interior of the restaurant could be muted and down to earth, but our food could punch them in the gut. And with your cooking—”
“Who the hell said I was cooking?” I asked.
“I know how well you can cook. You don’t wanna admit it, but you’re a fucking stud in the kitchen.”
“You just want this dick,” I said, grinning.
“Nope, I’ll leave that job for Paige. What does she do, by the way?”
“She wants to paint, but right now, she’s an information collector for a debt collection agency.”
He frowned. “An information collector? The fuck is that?”
“She gathers basic information on people they need to call about debt and bills that have been sent to collections. Addresses, phone numbers, previous places of employment.”
“Oh, shit. She’s like a fucking Sherlock Holmes.”
“Nowhere near it,” I said, grinning. “And if you want a restaurant that specializes in meats that hop, or some shit, to stand out, then the interior has to stand out, too.”
“See? You’ve got valuable insight into this world of business.”
“No. I’ve just got a bit of common sense. Look. If you really want to start your own business and build a restaurant or whatever, then I’ll help.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. Look, I’ve known you since I was fourteen. You were the first friend I made in this town when my mom and I moved here. You were lazy in high school because you were bored. You slept in the back of class, never cracked a book, and you still fucking graduated valedictorian. For as long as I can remember, you’ve always had these idiotic ways of making money.”
“Hey, the strawberry-lemonade slushie stand was a hit,” he said.
“After we fried two blenders with the faulty extension cord we were using,” I said.
“It’s a learning curve.”
“And you’ve had plenty of practice. But in all the years I’ve listened to you ramble on about shit like this, this is the only moment you’ve come back to me with the same idea twice.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s a different one every single time. Always. But this restaurant is the only idea you’ve approached me with twice.”
Caden seemed to consider what I’d just said before a smile crossed his face. “I guess so.”
“So, if you’re serious about it, then draw up a business plan. Price out what you need. Get serious about it, Caden. And if you are, and if you’re ready, I’ll help you fund it.”
“Will you cook? In the restaurant?”
“One step at a time, tiger,” I said, grinning.
“On a serious note, I really appreciate that,” he said. “I’ll think on it and get back to you.”
“I’m sure you will,” I said.
“So, tell me more about this Paige girl. You think she’s really gonna come back into town to see you?”
“I’m not holding my breath.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Uh huh. You can be real with me, you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re secretly hoping she comes knocking on your door tonight, begging for your cock,” he said.
“Doesn’t every man want that?”
“Hell yeah. But something tells me that even if she wasn’t, you’d be just as happy letting her in.”
“If she drove all the way from Seattle to see me, then yeah, I’d let her in,” I said.
“Whatever. It’s just nice to see you sticking with one girl for a change. Maybe she’ll convince you that you’re not a terrible person.”
“I know I’m not terrible. I’m just broken. And as long as she doesn’t wanna fucking fix me, things will be just fine.”
“Or maybe she’s the only one that can,” Caden said.
“Maybe you watch too many romantic comedies.” Before he could protest, I cut him off. “I’m ordering pizza.”
Caden and I spent the rest of the evening shooting the shit over a pizza piled high with vegetables. He bitched and moaned about there being no meat the entire time, which led to a lot of inappropriate jokes at his expense. By the time he left, I think he was genuinely annoyed, which was fine, because he didn’t fucking leave until one in the morning.
I went and checked my phone to see if Paige had messaged me. I didn’t have anything from her, but I figured a call could wait until the morning. She was probably exhausted from the drive and busy with work. Maybe she was just sleeping to prepare for the drive back.
Either way, I didn’t want to wake her.
I hopped into the shower, but a knock at my door interrupted me. I stepped out of the bathroom as steam poured into my living room, and the knock came again. It was light, but frantic. Like someone was upset or afraid.
I wrapped a towel loosely around my waist and strode for the door. “Caden. Is everything okay?”
Paige stood in my doorway, and I could hardly believe my eyes.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
I stepped off to the side, and she barreled into my house. Her shoulders were rolled back and she staggered. Her chest rose and fell quickly with her breathing, and her eyes fumed with fury. Something had pissed her off.
“Paige, are you all right?”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve called.”
She walked back toward the door, but my hand caught her around her wrist. I yanked her toward me, and she turned around, her eyes wild and her hair fluttering around her shoulders. It was then her eyes connected with my nearly-naked body, roaming along my tattoos and taking in the loose towel around my waist.
She swallowed thickly as my hand fell from her wrist.
“Talk to me,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t really know.”
“Did everything go all right with your boss?” I watched her tense, her eyes setting into stone as she looked away from my body. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No, nothing like that,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t really wanna talk about it.”
I could get behind something like that because I was a shit person when it came to advice.
“I’m sorry for bothering you,” Paige said. “I know it’s late.”
I stepped toward her. “You’re not a bother, but you are flustered. How long have you been on the road?”
Her eyes welled with tears, and she turned back toward the door. “I should go get a hotel.”
“You can worry about that tomorrow. You’re exhausted, Paige. It’s not safe for you to be driving.”
“I can’t just barge in on you like this,” she said. “Not when everything is so…”
It was right there on the tip of her tongue. She was milliseconds away from spilling it all. The only problem was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. I didn’t know what was about to fly out of her mouth, but I had a feeling it was going to destroy this picture we’d been painting together.
I grabbed her wrist again and pulled her into me. Our lips collided before she could speak any further.
She sighed at my touch, and her hands trailed over my naked skin, caressing my twitching muscles. The shower continued to pour steam into my cabin, and I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up off her feet.
Our tongues danced together as I took her into the bathroom, and just as we crossed the threshold, my towel fell to the floor. It was the only piece of fabric separating my skin from hers, and now, it was time to remove her barriers.
If only so I could help her forget.