Keeping You Away (Ex-Con Duet 1)

“I do,” I agree softly.

For the next hour, we go through the rest of the pictures, and Everleigh’s list to post nearly doubles. But at least we narrowed it down to the top fifty.

“Looks like I have enough for the next couple of months, too.” I’m so proud of her for making her dreams come true. When we were teenagers, there were no local clothing stores for women under sixty, so she made it her mission to have a store for women of all ages and sizes.

After my buzz has worn off and the yawning begins, I decide to go home. I’m going to be exhausted at work tomorrow, but it’ll be totally worth it. Tonight was just what I needed.

On the way back to the cottage, I can’t stop thinking about our conversation. She made so many valid points. Robert and I do need to talk, but where do I even start? I hate confrontation, and the last thing I want is to hurt his feelings. Things have always been simple between us, and I thought I was okay with that, but I’m starting to realize I may have just accepted that without considering what I truly want.

I want a person who’s as obsessed with me as I am him.

Someone who craves alone time together.

A man who listens and understands my needs just the way I do for them.

As I walk through the door, I kick off my shoes, strip out of my clothes, and take a quick shower. After I’m clean, I slip on a T-shirt and panties, then climb into bed.

When I close my eyes, I expect to see Robert, but I don’t.

I see a shirtless Tyler and fall asleep with him on my mind.

Chapter Nine

TYLER

Though I’d like to say working around Gemma is getting easier, it would be a lie straight from the pits of hell. I’ve tried my best to keep our conversations short and stay out of the lobby as much as possible. Sometimes when I’m grabbing water or in the break room, I hear her humming with the radio. In the past, I’d tease her about it, but after I left, it was one thing I missed the most. Perhaps I should wear earbuds to drown it out before it completely fucks with my head how much I enjoy hearing it again.

Helping Jerry in the shop the past week has been enjoyable. He works his ass off to make an honest living, and at times, he runs circles around me. More than once, he’s shown his gratitude for my help, but it’s nothing compared to how I feel for him giving me this chance. We’re no longer on a trial basis because I’ve arrived before Gemma each day and haven’t fucked off on my phone once. It’s a steady, secure income—something I never had in Vegas. Sure, I’d trained people, but sometimes, my clients would quit or move. I lived that hustle life, doing what I could to make ends meet. I loved living in the city, enjoyed the desert air, and had no intention of ever coming back. But here I am.

People have a simpler way of living here. There aren’t bars on every corner, gangs that run the streets, or robberies happening every day. The biggest gamble people take here is buying out of season fruit at the grocery store. Not that I’m complaining about my new simple life, but I wonder how long I’ll last before craving my old reckless lifestyle.

Though I’ve been at work for eight hours already, it feels like I just walked in. There’s always something more to do and no time to be idle, so the days pass by quickly. My mind stays busy with tasks instead of thoughts. Too often when I’m alone, I replay everything that happened with Victoria. It’s at those times when the urge for revenge runs through me like poison, and I want her to pay for what she did. I want her to know what it was like to spend five years in prison. Drugs and weapons are not my forte. Even though I didn’t have a record, money can buy anything when the court system is corrupt as fuck. I admit, I have a chip on my shoulder, and I’m not sure anything can repair it.

After I clock out, my gaze drifts to Gemma. She notices, and her lips fall open to say something, but then her dad walks in. Instead of sticking around for a potentially awkward conversation, I head out.

Needing to blow off some pent-up aggression, I quickly walk home, change into workout clothes, and then go to the gym. It still smells the same as it did when I was a teen because getting buff to impress the ladies at school was the thing to do. Now, as I look around at all the kids in here, I laugh at the memory.