5

 

The huge showerhead hung over the center of the fancy tiled stall and the hot water felt like it fell from heaven. It looked like smaller ports in the wall would shoot out water, but she was afraid to mess with the buttons. She wondered if Jarek was fixing the place up to flip, or this was his reward at the end of a hard day. Either way, he had good taste. Tilting her head back she scrubbed away the remnants of makeup and tear tracks. Slitting open her eyes, she checked the door. She wasn’t going to trust a cheap lock. At least with the clear glass doors on Jarek’s shower, he couldn’t sneak up on her.

Maybe she wasn’t being fair to the guy, but she didn’t trust easily. Scratch that. She couldn’t think of anyone that she completely trusted. It could be that said more about her than them. She soaped up. From Jarek’s colorful description of his ex, she’d done a number on him. She’d read enough between the lines to know the bitch had taken advantage of him. Why would he tell her, a stranger, that? Was he playing a game, trying to get her guard down? Or was he one of those people that were just too nice for their own good? Rinsing off, she reached for the shampoo. As amazing as the shower felt, she didn’t want to give the man reason to come looking for her.  

Toweling off, her thoughts drifted. It was still early. She wasn’t scheduled to work today. She’d give Nat time to get some sleep before calling again. Hopefully, the Romanos would be home so they could pick up her graduation hamper. She would chalk up the few things left at the Johnsons as a loss. The important stuff was already at Nat’s. A week sharing a one bedroom apartment with a newborn, a toddler, and two other adults, and she’d be ready to move into her new, temporary place. She grimaced at the description. Even the next step after that was renting an apartment. Would anything in this life ever really be hers?

Fried eggs, toast and sausage was waiting for her in the kitchen. Jarek was already seated at the island. She noticed he had changed into dry jeans and another sweatshirt. Tightening the drawstring on her sweats, she slid onto an empty stool.

“Feel a little better?” he asked, washing a bite down with a swallow of coffee.

“Much. Thank you.” She broke the yolk with the point of her toast and savored the taste. “So, what’s up with the James Bond shower?”

Jarek looked a little embarrassed but shrugged. “It’s hardly that high-tech. Besides, why is it okay for women to have their big spa tubs, but if a guy wants a rain head and a few body jets his man card is in jeopardy?”

Cali waved her fork between them and leaned in to whisper, “Calm down, cupcake. My lips are sealed. I won’t even mention your loofah.”

He blinked. It was just long enough to let her mistake start to sink in. A laugh burst from his lips and she let out a breath. She joined him in relief. Thank God, the man had a sense of humor. She was going to blame her stupidity on stress.

“Thanks for covering for me. I appreciate it,” he said giving her a grin before turning back to his breakfast.

True to his word, after they ate they set to sanding. It was a mindless, repetitive job that left plenty of time for your mind to drift. She stole glances at Jarek from time to time, but he seemed relaxed and focused on the task at hand. Other than the ex-girlfriend from hell, what was his story? He didn’t look that old. Twenty-one, twenty-two maybe? People she knew, most of them couples older than him, were juggling eating and paying bills. Jarek was renovating a house, eating, and keeping the lights on. She frowned. Maybe it had been his parents’ house.

“Did you inherit this place?” she asked.

He didn’t look up from the drywall seam. “Nope. Why?”

Cali bit her lip, not sure what to say. “It just seems a lot to take on for one person.”

“Maybe, but the mortgage, taxes, and insurance actually work out to less than I was paying for an apartment. I got a deal. Besides the damage I was talking about earlier, vandals had stripped most of the fixtures. The previous owners don’t live around here and just wanted to unload the liability. When you’re talking about a fixer-upper, labor is a big part of the expense. I’ve worked in construction since I was fifteen so there isn’t much I can’t do.”

“What about the supplies and time?”

“It was rough at first, trying to get it back to habitable. I had to replace windows and doors to secure the place. Then I roughed it for a while bringing the wiring, plumbing, and HVAC up to date. Now it’s cake. I can live semi-comfortably and I’m not under the gun.”

“HVAC?” she asked frowning at the unfamiliar initials.

“Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning,” he clarified with a smile. “I had to install a whole new furnace and duct work. Anyway, now that the bones of the house are solid and I have a roof over my head, when I get my check I pay my bills and then pick up what materials I can. That might be twenty sheets of drywall or a faucet. It depends on the week.”

Cali shook her head. It sounded like a lot of work, but after seeing the finished rooms she couldn’t argue the man’s skill or system. “That’s smart.”

He smiled. “Thanks. It works.”

“Don’t you ever get burned out, working all day and then coming home and doing the same thing?”

“Sometimes. But with no deadline or nagging, I can take a night off when I want to,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“Or start with the mudroom and sleep on the floor,” she teased.

“Exactly. A woman would’ve wanted a real bedroom, and been more worried about a place to entertain.”

“It’s all about priorities,” she agreed with a sage nod. “So, did you lose the bitch before or during the roughing it period?” 

“Before. Alyssa wouldn’t have survived generator power, cold showers or space heaters. I decided to buy this place after she disappeared. On a positive note, she relieved me of the burden of moving anything but my clothes,” he said with a lop-sided smile.

“I guess sometimes shit happens for a reason.”

“I guess so,” Jarek said, turning back to his sanding. “What about you? What’s your story?”

Cali chewed her lip, concentrating on the drywall seam in front of her.  She shrugged. There was no reason to sugar coat it. 

“I grew up in the system and aged out with graduation this week.”

“That sucks. I’ve been there.”  

She hadn’t expected understanding—pity or derision maybe. “You were in foster care?”

“From the time I was ten.”

“I was eight when I moved in with the Johnsons”

“Just one place?”

She nodded, knowing in that she’d gotten lucky. “What about you?”

“Nine altogether, counting the Murphy’s.”

“They were the last ones?”

“Yeah. I moved in with them when I was thirteen and stuck. They even talked about adopting me, but shit always came up.”

“I’m glad the Johnsons never offered. That would’ve been creepy,” she said with a shudder. “Do the Murphys live around here?”

“They used to. Two blocks south,” he said waving his hand. “The old man had a massive heart attack two years ago. With him gone, she moved to Florida to be closer to her sister.”

“I’m sorry,” she offered awkwardly. She wasn’t sure how close they’d been, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

Jarek nodded. “Thanks. So was I. He was a hard-nosed bastard, but they were very good to me.”

She liked his matter-of-fact way. He hadn’t pitied her. He wasn’t asking anyone to feel sorry for him. It was what it was. They were alike in that. For a while, only the scratch of sandpaper and the fury of the storm broke into their thoughts. Strangely, it didn’t feel uncomfortable. It seemed Jarek was one that could take or leave conversation. She stole another glance at him, puzzled by her comfort with the man. Lanky, an inch or two over six-foot, he still had wide shoulders and natural muscles from his job. Hulk or not, he’d have no problem subduing her if he chose. She shook her head. If he’d wanted to, he would’ve by now. Maybe there were a few decent guys left in the world after all.

Sanding the open dining, living room areas and the foyer took them into the afternoon. Thick sandwiches and some killer deli chips had made a great lunch. She’d tried calling Nat again, but it had gone to voicemail. Either her friend had forgotten to turn her phone back on or she had no desire to venture out in the hurricane type wind and rain. Cali couldn’t blame her. Instead of clearing up as the day went on, the sky had darkened and the wind gusts grew stronger. A trio of twisters had touched down in neighboring Indiana, including one near Gary. The radio reports weren’t good. In their area, severe thunderstorms had upgraded to tornado watches and in the last hour, those had intensified to warnings.

The lights flickered making Jarek pause in cleaning up some of the dust. He tilted his head back, looking up. When the lights dimmed again, he moved to the front windows to look out. Cali moved up beside him. The sky was black.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Look at those trees bending.”

Mature trees bowed at frightening angles. They both jumped when something smacked against the glass. The shingle hung there in front of them, pinned by the wind.

“I think we might want to make sure we have things ready to head to the basement in case this gets any worse,” Jarek said seriously.

Cali zipped her hoodie up against a sudden chill. Basements creeped her out. Trailing after Jarek she found him in the mudroom checking a couple of flashlights. He tucked them and spare batteries in a small laundry basket and added half a dozen bottles of water.

“Were you a Boy Scout?”

His face colored a bit. “No. I tend to be a little obsessive though.”

The first aid kit he’d used earlier joined the basket along with a hand can opener and a hodgepodge of foods that included cans of tuna, crackers, salami, cheese and peanut butter. She bit her lip. 

“I guess that’s only a bad thing until you need it,” she said, not sure what else to say.

“Blizzard, tornado, zombie apocalypse, I’m your guy,” he said with a sheepish grin.

It was her turn to laugh. The blankets and pillows from his air mattress and the radio were the next things to join the pile next to what she assumed was the basement door. She opened her mouth, but the radio squawked. Instructions to take shelter were reinforced by the eerie wail of tornado sirens outside and the pounding of hail. Accepting the armload of bedding, she followed him down the stairs.

Well lit and clean, the basement was not the dungeon she’d been expecting. Tile that closely resembled the hardwood upstairs covered the floor. The walls were sprayed with some sort of purple foam in-between the studs.

Jarek cleared his throat. “Like the rest of the house it’s not finished or furnished, but it’s safe and dry.”

“Worlds better than what I was picturing,” she admitted, trying to swallow her fear.

The comment drew a smile from him. “If the lights—”

They were cast into darkness before he could finish the thought. Clutching the comforter, Cali tried not to panic. She nearly cried when the flashlight came on.

“Just drop the blankets and take the flashlight.”

Her fingers trembled as they closed around the hard plastic.

“You stay right here. I’m going to grab the sleeping bags for padding and light the space heater. It will shed a little light and take any chill away.”

She listened to him move around in the dark. Sniffing the air, just the same faint scent of lumber she’d noticed upstairs met her. A little of the tension seeped out of her shoulders. Within a couple of minutes Jarek had lit a kerosene heater and arranged two camping bags and the bedding they’d brought down into a small nest.

“Come on and sit down,” he coaxed.

Sinking down beside him, she let out a slow breath. “Sorry.”

She felt him shrug rather than saw him.

“We’ve all got those things that freak us out.”

Pulling her knees up, she rested her chin on them and listened to the hail hammer on the roof. The wind was howling, but so far, she didn’t hear the clichéd freight train sound. A chill walked up her spine and she thought about crawling under the blankets to hide. Instead, she blurted, “What’s yours?”

Seconds ticked away. Had he heard her? She closed her eyes. Part of her really hoped he hadn’t heard. What had possessed her to ask such a personal question? Growing up in the system sucked. Jarek had been through nine different nightmares. That was bound to leave a mark.

“Small, tight places,” he said softly.

His tone was reluctant, like he thought she’d make fun of him.

“That’s not nearly as crazy as being afraid of the dark or of a smell,” she whispered, pulling the rolled-up sweats down over her sock covered feet. “Anyplace damp and musty makes me crazy. Basements, old buildings, moldy bathrooms.” She shivered and looked into the beam of her flashlight.

“Are you okay down here?”

“Yeah. It feels and smells like a part of the house instead of a hole, if that makes sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. That was the plan. Eventually, I envision a family or rec room down here. I expanded a couple of the windows, insulated, and put radiant heating in the floors so it wouldn’t feel like a basement.”

She liked the passion in his voice when he talked about the renovations.

“It doesn’t freak you out being underground?”

“Nah, It has to be a confined space that I don’t feel like I can get out of. Like, uh, a crawl space under a house or have you seen the movie Zero Dark Thirty? I’d have spilled my guts before I let them stuff me in that wooden box.”

Cali frowned trying to remember the movie. “Was that the one where the interrogator shared his ice-cream with the monkeys?”

“Yeah, and one of his torture techniques was stuffing the terrorist in this box about the size of a child’s coffin.”

She heard him swallow and his laugh was a little shaky.

“I guess I won’t be playing Dracula anytime soon.”

“With my love of damp, musty places I don’t think I’m going to be crawling into any crypts either.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “It makes cremation look pretty good, doesn’t it?”

The laughter died in their throats as something heavy slammed against the side of the house. She leaned closer and Jarek wrapped an arm around her. The wind screamed. The sound raised goose bumps on her skin. Hail bombarded the house sounding like baseballs striking the roof and brick walls. A terrifying roar rose around them, blocking everything else out. The house shuddered under the storm's awesome power. Her chest ached, breath coming in desperate pants. Screwing her eyes closed she did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She prayed.

When she could think again she found herself half in Jarek’s lap, her fingers curled in his sweatshirt. He was stroking her hair, his lips against her temple. She pulled back, embarrassment flooding through her.

“Sorry.”

Her fingers felt stiff as they unfurled from the thick material. She flexed them.

“It’s okay,” Jarek said, his arm falling away.

The rain and wind still whipped against the house, but the thunderstorm seemed tame after the roar. The voice on the radio startled her. A tornado had touched down. Damage reports were already pouring in. It sounded bad. The disk jockey somberly supplied emergency phone numbers and the locations of temporary shelters while warning that the severe weather wasn’t over.

Jarek interrupted the report.

“It sounds like we should stay down here for now, but I want to go up for a minute just to make sure I don’t need to board any windows up.”

“I didn’t hear any glass break.”

“Neither did I, but there was a while there where I couldn’t hear much of anything.”

“Good point,” she muttered and then tugged on her top lip, pulling it between her teeth. Call it cowardly, but she didn’t want to be left down here alone. “I’ll come with you. If there’s anything broken you might need an extra hand, or at least someone to hold the flashlight.” 

He pulled her to her feet in answer. Although it was only five or five-thirty it wasn’t any brighter upstairs. The sky was black and turbulent. Clutching her flashlight, she followed Jarek on a quick tour of the main floor and then up the stairs. Like the basement, there were signs of his work on the top floor. The dark hardwood flooring continued from the ground floor and most of the drywall had been hung waiting for mud and trim. Pausing in the last room at the end of the hall, she swung her flashlight in an arc. Size and the two doors leading off it made her lean toward it being the master bedroom. Jarek stepped back through one of those doors.

“Why don’t you sleep up here?”

“I have both bathrooms on this floor roughed in, but haven’t bought the fixtures for them,” he said, his flashlight darting back toward the room he’d just exited. “The plan is to get the main floor the way I want it, buy some furniture, and then move my focus up here. The basement comes last.”

“Three bathrooms. You’re going to make some woman really happy,” she said with a smirk.

“What is it with you and bathroom envy?” he teased back.

“Sharing a bathroom with six to eight other people sucks. Besides you have amazing water pressure.”

He laughed and motioned her to proceed him out the door.

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, lightly bumping her shoulder as they walked down the hall. “And it will be three and a half bathrooms. There’s one in the basement too.”