13
B E A U T I F U L Y O U
Beautifully broken,
Your pieces are mine to mend.
If you will let me.
“YOU KNOW, YOU SURE DO snore a lot.”
My eyes peeled open to find two bright blue orbs blinking at me. “Charlie?”
The second it registered, I jumped back, searching for Andy.
“It must be an adult thing. Momma does it sometimes too. She even drools.” He screwed his face up when he said this.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked, looking for any sign of last night.
The box with her words were gone, along with her pillow and blanket. The thought hit me like a punch to the chest.
She erased last night.
“Momma’s inside making breakfast. She never makes breakfast. I think something might be wrong with her,” Charlie continued, oblivious to my anxiety, sitting crisscross with his back against the trunk of the tree.
The early morning sound of birds sang as if serenading the sun that was just beginning to peek through the trees in soft, glowing beams.
“She told me to come wake you.” His keen eyes watched me.
For a ten-year-old, he had the gaze of a thinker.
I gathered up my stuff, trying not to think the worst. There was no way she would erase it. Not after the night we shared.
“It’s supposed to rain soon, you know,” Charlie continued, filling my silence. “The meteorologist said the weather is normal, but I beg to differ.”
I paused and sat, leaning back to look at him. “You do, do you?” I asked, intrigued.
He nodded. “Everything I’ve read about tornadoes points to this summer being our season back at home.”
“How can you tell?”
“The humidity and rainstorms this summer have been off the charts,” he said intelligently, nodding his head in brief, brisk movements. “Not to mention, there’s been a lot of high pressure up north that’s been slowly pushing its way down. If those two meet at the right time… boom. Let the tornadoes begin.” He swirled his finger around and around to demonstrate.
I raised an eyebrow. “You sure do know a lot about the weather.”
“I watch The Weather Channel religiously,” he responded, still watching his finger spin.
“Do most ten-year-old boys watch the weather?” I asked, unable to recall a kid as fascinating as him.
He stopped spinning his finger and looked at me. “Do most twenty-something-year-old men sleep in tree houses?”
A smirk broke free. “Touché.”
I chuckled, thinking about how he resembled Andy, not only in appearance, but also in the way he thought.
“Do you like sleeping outside?” he asked as he moved to climb down. “Momma never lets me.”
I followed. “I don’t do it often, but I used to love it when I was your age.” I thought back to all the times Josh and I had camped out. If it wasn’t in his woods, then we were up the road in mine, pretending to be The Lost Boys.
“I’m supposed to go camping tonight.” Excitement trilled in the notes of his voice.
“Oh, yeah?”
He nodded. “Yep. Gramps is taking me. And I’m going to go this time without Momma. I think I’m old enough now.”
I crouched a little. Lifted my hand to his head, measuring him up. “Yep. It’s definitely time for you to experience a man’s camping trip.”
He grinned. “Plus, I think it’s good for Momma to have some time to herself. At home, she never gets any. She’s always working.” He stopped as if remembering something. “You know, she smiled a real smile this morning. It’s been a while.”
I thought about last night, a small beam of hope forming.
We strolled in silence for a moment as the grass crunched beneath our feet.
“I know a lot of jokes.”
I smiled at him. I never liked silence either. “Lay one on me.”
He tried to resume a serious face, but only his adorableness showed. “Okay… Why did the book join the police force?”
I thought about it for a minute. “You got me. Why?”
He was already grinning before the answer could reach his lips. “Because he wanted to work undercover.”
“I like that,” I said, chuckling as we neared the porch. “Got any others?”
His head tilted a little to the side as he brought his finger to his lips. “Hmm. How about… What do pigs and ink have in common?”
The answer hit me almost instantly. “Tell me,” I said, smiling.
“They both go in a pen,” he recited, already laughing in short, bubbly bursts.
“Where did you hear those?” I asked, unable to contain my smile.
He looked at me with big, round eyes. “I read a lot. I checked out a few joke books from the library before, and I just remembered a lot of them. The kids like to hear them at school.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how he worded it. “Kids, huh?”
His shoulders lifted slightly, and then fell. “Yeah. You know how it is.”
“I guess I do.”
When we reached the porch, he pulled the door open. “She told me to tell you to be ready to eat. With the smile Momma had this morning, I can bet she’s not going to burn the food this time.”
As soon as the door was pulled open, the savory scent of bacon slipped through, pulling me in. “I think you’re right,” I said to Charlie, setting the pillow and blankets down on the trunk near the window. Charlie scurried past me into the kitchen, nose lifted and hands stretched out, ready to help in any way he could.
Andy had her hair pinned up in messy, chocolate curls. Her tattoo was bright against the paleness of her skin. She wore a long cardigan that hid her small silhouette and socks that rose to her knees.
Beautiful. Breathtaking. Mine.
I was already getting hard thinking about her. Just looking at her.
She turned as if she could read my thoughts, eyes finding mine. The bright contrast of colors stopped me… they always did. I waited, not breathing, searching for any sign of what she was thinking.
“Morning,” she said, a small smile curving her lips. Even from there, I could see the color blooming in her cheeks.
She felt it too.
She was a double-sided coin, and the sun was the hand that flipped her.
“Morning,” I replied, taking my first real breath as I crossed the room. I wanted to touch her. Kiss her. Pull her against me and greet her the way a man should always greet their woman in the morning, but there was hesitation in her eyes.
Not yet.
“I made eggs and bacon,” she said, eyes dodging to the side as she turned to the stove. Charlie picked pieces of bacon off the plate, eating them quicker than Andy could replace them.
I reached for the pot of coffee to keep my hands busy. “It smells amazing.”
“Charlie, why don’t you go see if Grandpa and Grandma are awake,” Andy said as she finished pushing the scrambled eggs around the pan.
“Okay, Momma.” He took one last piece for the road.
When he was out of the room, I moved in, gripping the mug in my hand.
“I wanted to be up before Charlie woke,” she said, her eyes everywhere but on me.
I took a sip. Watched her fidget under the weight of my gaze. I admired every inch of skin I could see. Wondered what she was wearing underneath. Was she dressed for me? Did she crave my touch the way I craved her?
Judging by the electric tension rolling off her in waves, I’d have to say yes.
“He would have freaked out if he woke up and I was nowhere to be found,” she continued, dumping the eggs onto a platter. She moved further from me as I watched, enjoying the way she unraveled in my presence. She was dodging what happened. Probably spent most of the morning going over a checklist of all the reason why what was happening between us was wrong.
I wouldn’t feed into it.
“He’s going camping today. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want me to go. If not, I was thinking about heading into town to pay a visit to the bookstore. How about you?”
I still didn’t say anything. Just sipped from my coffee, drinking her in.
When she couldn’t take the silence any longer, she turned and looked at me, words caught behind her lips. A wrinkle formed between her eyebrows, her heavy thoughts clouding her eyes.
I met her head-on.
She couldn’t run from me anymore.
“Dean, I—”
“Dude,” Josh said from somewhere behind me.
For once, I was grateful for his interruption.
Andy straightened her shirt and headed straight for the coffee pot, reaching for a mug. I scooted over just enough to let her in, but not to keep from brushing elbows. When her muscles tightened, I smiled. When her hands shook while pouring the coffee pot, I moved closer.
“You smell delicious,” I whispered to her, inhaling her sweet, spicy scent.
Her whole body froze. Eyes wide, mouth still. She turned her head just enough to look at me, pleading with her gaze for me not to give Josh any ammo.
I’d never.
Josh was cradling his head with his hands when Andy carried the cup of coffee and a couple of aspirin over to him. “Thanks,” he muttered as he took the mug and tossed the pills back. He winced when he sipped too fast, the liquid scalding him.
Andy grabbed plates and began assembling them. “Rough night?”
Josh groaned at her.
“The blonde still here?” I asked, grabbing the plate of bacon to help her fill the plates. She looked up at me when I was near her again, and I couldn’t help but smile at her.
“I called her a cab, but she wouldn’t wake up,” Josh said, rubbing his temples. “Why do I always pick the crazy ones?”
“Something smells delicious,” Mr. Hale said as he came through the archway, Mrs. Hale trailing his steps. Charlie came running around the corner and hopped onto a stool in between Josh and Mr. Hale.
Mrs. Hale’s eyes widened when she noticed Andy scooping the last of the eggs onto a plate. “You cooked?”
Andy dusted her hands off and then placed them on her hips. “I did,” she said, triumph filling her voice.
Mrs. Hale took a plate. Inspected the bacon. “And you didn’t burn the food?”
“Nope.”
“I told you Momma could cook,” Charlie said as he scooped up his fork and dug into the eggs.
Josh moaned from his spot at the bar. “Burnt or not, the smell is killing me.”
I slid a plate in front of him. Patted him on the back, chuckling when he winced. “Eat anyway. It will help.”
Mr. Hale eyed Josh over. “You boys have a late night?”
I looked to Andy, watching the sun bloom in her cheeks.
“I can’t vouch for Josh, but I took your offer to use the pool,” I said, taking the plate Andy handed me. “Did you guys redo the cabana? It seemed more tranquil than I remembered… a space you could really unwind in.”
Andy nearly choked on a mouthful of bacon.
Mrs. Hale gave her a weird look before turning to me. “No, dear. It’s the same as it has always been.”
I smirked to myself when Andy glared at me to shut up. “Oh, maybe it was the moonlight playing tricks on my mind.”
Andy coughed, trying to clear her throat. “Umm… so… you guys are camping today?”
Mr. Hale looked up from his plate. “Mmhm.
“Is everything all set?” she continued, keeping the subject far from last night. “Charlie told me the weather says there’ll be a higher percentage of storms passing through.”
Mr. Hale looked to Charlie and winked. “To which I’ve already packed and prepared for. Charlie boy is going to help me with the finishing touches after breakfast, and then we’ll be out of your hair for the next few days.”
“Days?” Andy paled, looking between Mr. Hale and Charlie.
Mr. Hale’s face brightened. “Yes, days. We can’t very well get a good man-to-man camping trip in if we’re only gone for one day.” He chuckled. “But don’t worry, we’ll have walkie talkies, and we’ll be back Thursday morning.”
“I’ll be okay, Momma,” Charlie said as he climbed off the stool, not a care in the world. He grabbed his plate and carried it over to the sink, trying to reach for the sponge. “The storms will be low grade. Nothing to worry about.”
I grabbed it and handed it to him.
“I don’t know what that means, but I trust you,” Andy said, pushing her plate away as Charlie rinsed off his dish.
“You can always keep busy with the ladies and me,” Mrs. Hale offered, dropping a spoonful of sugar into her coffee. “With the party a week away, we have so much to do.”
Andy’s face blanched even further. “Sure, Mother. Whatever you need.”
Mrs. Hale held the mug to her lips. “Good. I can expect you to be here this afternoon when the ladies get here?”
Andy nodded, looking as if she were just sentenced to life in prison.
“Andy,” Mr. Hale said after clearing his throat.
She looked up at him, eyes raised in question.
“I’d like to speak with you later, before I head out.”
I didn’t like how her eyes spooked. “Okay,” she said as she pushed her plate further away.
It had to be about Matt, and I hated there was nothing I could do to help.
A bit later, everyone finished and headed their separate ways until it was Andy, Josh, and me left standing around the kitchen. I moved for the sink, cutting Andy off.
“I can get them,” she said, hand on the counter.
I lost myself in her beautiful gaze. “Please. You cooked. Let me.”
The tension was thick. Swollen in the air.
She nodded, and then took a step back, letting me get to work.
It didn’t take long to get everything scrubbed off and loaded in the dishwasher. Josh had just finished his plate by the time I wiped my hands with the towel Andy handed me. He pushed away from the table, disgust curling his lips.
“What are you two weirdoes doing today?” he asked, polishing off his coffee.
“I’m going to town,” Andy said, taking his plate and making quick work of cleaning it.
Josh looked to me.
“The same,” I conceded, keeping my eyes forward when I noticed Andy staring at the side of my face.
“Lame.” Josh stood from the bar.
“Why? What are you doing?”
He grunted. “Sleeping this shit off.”
“Excellent idea,” I said as Andy put the last of the dishes away.
The blonde came around the corner then, looking like she just rolled out of a dumpster.
Josh turned, took one look at her, and then jumped back. “Whoa… who the hell?” He flicked a confused look over his shoulder at me, then to Andy, and then back to the blonde.
“Where am I?” the blonde asked, scratching her neck.
Andy snickered and looked to me. “I’m going to change. If you don’t mind, can I ride with you to town?”
She left the question hanging in the air, knowing damn well she could.
Hell… she could ride me.
Even better.
“Did we…?” the blonde asked me as I shuffled around the bar.
“Me? No,” I answered, following it up with, “But this guy? Yes.” I grabbed Josh by the shoulders and squeezed. Leaning close to his ear, I added, “I’ll leave you to it, champ,” and then headed up to change.