Whiskey and Country

The man twisted Amanda’s arm, and she winced, trying to jerk it away. In vain.

“Oh, Mandy. You’ve got yourself a boy toy. Real nice. How long have you two been fucking under my roof?”

Tears glinted in Amanda’s eyes. “This isn’t your home anymore. I bought your share of the mortgage way over the market value. You have no right to come here anymore.”

“We’ll see about that.” With his free hand, Dickhead clamped Amanda’s jaw, pushing her backward. “I can do whatever I want, Mandy. Why should I even listen to ya? I’m tired of you calling my phone any time of the day to whine about your problems.”

Enough. The wires in my head short-circuited, and liquid rage ran through my bloodstream.

A split second later, I had Dickhead’s hands off the woman, who wrapped her arms around herself.

“Don’t you ever touch her again.”

Dickhead took a step back and charged at me. I dodged the fist about to connect with my face, and it ended up hitting the wall behind me.

Born and raised in Chicago, I’d seen and been in my share of fights growing up. Tucker got himself into many of them, always stealing other guys’ girlfriends. A dumb habit of his. One I often ended up jumping into fist rumbles to save his ass. If Dickhead thought he could scare me, he should do a better job.

A train of curses left his mouth, and he nursed the probably broken fist with his other hand. “You jerk,” he spewed venom in his words. “You did this.”

For safe measures, I pushed him back and stood between him and Amanda.

“You did this to yourself. You should get your hand checked. By the way, I’m nobody’s boy toy. I’m just helping your ex-wife out because there was a roof leak to be repaired. And since you’re too selfish to help her and your sweet daughter out, I did because I happened to be around. Now leave. And don’t bother coming back if you have no intention of saying you’re sorry.”

Dickhead mumbled something I didn’t bother to catch and drove away in his red sports car, tires screeching.

I spun on my heels, and Amanda buried herself in my chest, her shoulders heaving.

“Thank you, Nick. You didn’t have to but—thank you.”

I wound an arm around her. “You shouldn’t have to deal with him on your own. Did he ever hurt you before?”

She shook her head. “He has a temper. A bad one. But he usually breaks stuff or screams. This is the first time he’s put his hands on me. I swear. Sorry you had to witness that.”

I swept her hair away from her forehead. “I’m just glad I was here this time.”

I perused her face, making sure he hadn’t hurt her in any way.

We stood like that for a while, the sweet scent of Amanda’s perfume penetrating my nose.

Without a word, she leaned back, and lifting herself on the tips of her toes, she brought her mouth up, her lips soft and warm against mine. Our mouths fused gently, and we took our time tasting each other. She was apple and cinnamon and something exclusively her. With one hand entangled in her hair, I deepened the kiss, relishing all the sensations swirling inside me. It’d been a while since I kissed a woman. And now, I felt alive.

Amanda’s hands slid under my shirt, tracing the planes of my abs. My pulse kicked up. Goosebumps blossomed the length of my spine. My hands held her hips, but when our tongues tangled, I stepped away. Amanda watched me, panting, her lips red, a light flush covering her cheeks. “We shouldn’t,” I said. And hated myself for saying it out loud.

“Sorry, it’s my fault,” she said, spinning to walk away. I grabbed her wrist before she could leave, the pad of my thumb resting on her racing pulse point.

Her heart rate matched mine. Strong and bounding.

I inhaled through my mouth to even my breathing. “It’s not you. I’m not good at keeping it casual.”

Amanda avoided my eyes when she spoke. “You know you don’t have to move out. You could stay longer. From what you told me, you have nowhere to be. For now. Medora Beach is kinda nice.”

I tipped her chin up and locked my eyes on her glistening ones.

“No, I can’t. I’m starting a new job soon. Just agreed earlier this week. They’re expecting me by the end of the month. Medora Beach is not where I should be. I can’t explain it, but deep inside me, I’m certain.” I paused. “Amanda, you’re an amazing woman. You deserve better than a quick romp between the sheets. You need to be wooed, treated like a queen.” I paused. “I can't be that guy for you. And a short-term relationship…a fling…it’s not good enough for you. You deserve forever.”

She nodded, and I let go of her as she pivoted on her heels and went back inside. Before closing the door, she turned around to watch me. Understanding and regret passed through her eyes.

“Good night, Nick. I hope one day you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

I rubbed the nape of my neck and offered her a lopsided smile, waiting until I heard the locks, then returned to my apartment.

The next morning, I woke up early and went for my daily run, desperate to relieve the angst bubbling inside me. My dreams had been filled with images of my hostess. Sometimes, I wished I could be like Tuck and abandon myself to pleasure without overthinking everything.

Armed with my tools and building materials bought from the hardwood store, I worked on the roof for hours. The sun rested high in the sky. The gentle breeze from the sea swept my skin. At that moment, a thousand miles away from home, I could say, in all honesty, I was at peace. That every day, every new experience, made me feel more alive than the previous one. Sitting on the shingle, my legs stretched before me, I watched the horizon, sipping water. The sunrays reflected on the ocean, turning it into an infinite mirror.

The view burned itself into my memory.

I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture. To remember what freedom, optimism, and happiness looked like. Nature was healing the breaches of my heart, its vastness and constancy dampening the sharpest of my pain.

Without Derek’s bucket list, I wouldn’t be here enjoying this moment.

“Thank you, bro. I’m grateful.” I kissed two fingers and saluted the sky.

At the end of the day, I met Amanda and Kelly in the backyard for a barbecue.

“Let me,” I said, exchanging the flipper in the woman’s hand for a glass of wine.

Amanda studied me. “Nick. You don’t have to. You’ve already done enough. I can’t believe you patched the roof.” She returned my smile.

“It was nothing. I told you I’d take a look at it. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. You should really trust me with dinner. You never know, perhaps I’m Chicago’s Grill Master. Are you ready to take a chance and miss out on great food if you don’t let me work the grill?”

Amanda’s smooth laughter warmed my heart. “Oh, you could be.” She arched a brow. “I’m not a risk-taker. The grill is yours, Grill Master.”

I nudged her shoulder with mine. “Now that’s the spirit. Sit and relax. I know how hard single parenting is. Enjoy yourself for once.”

We stared at each other for a long minute, my eyes traveling to her pink lips. Neither of us said anything, our eyes perusing our faces.

Amanda’s chest rose and fell quickly.

The images of last night’s kiss played back in my head. My lower body tensed. Right now, I wished I’d never stopped our make-out session. Amanda possessed everything I loved in a woman. A sense of humor, natural inner beauty, enticing lips, intelligence, and a caring soul. I relished the desire simmering between us. But somehow, it lacked the heat of lust I craved so badly.

Her lips parted.

With a hand around her nape, I pulled her to my chest and kissed the top of her head.

“You deserve a great man. I’m sorry he can’t be me.”

Amanda tipped her head to gaze at me. “I’m sorry too. You deserve to find your love.”

Unable to resist her, I kissed her, taking delight in the feel of her warmth one last time.

Amanda fisted my shirt with both hands.

I lost myself in the comfort of her. Until Kelly exited the house, her contagious cheerfulness reaching us. Amanda and I moved apart. And I wondered if my cheeks resembled her blushing ones. With one hand, I pushed her hair away from her face and drew the length of her lower lip with my thumb, erasing all traces of the kiss as I righted her lipstick.

“I’ll go set the table,” she whispered, breathless.

I pointed to the grill. “I better start on those patties, or I’ll lose my Grill Master title.”

Amanda giggled, the sound packing my heart with newfound joy.

“Impress me, Nick,” she said with a wink as she joined her enthusiastic daughter.