Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

“Expecting a lot of visitors?” I ask and internally slap myself for crossing my boundaries.

She snorts. “Not really.”

Quickly, I change the subject. “Most people take showers anyway.”

“Speak for yourself. There's nothing like a tub full of scorching hot water and a bath bomb paired with a glass of wine after a long-ass day.”

I imagine her naked body but quickly push it away. “Can’t argue with that.”

Katie pulls out a few wrenches and sizes them against the bolts holding the toilet to the floor. I turn off the water valve and flush down the remaining. After she finds the correct size, she uses all her strength to loosen it but fails, nearly hitting her knuckles against the porcelain.

“Let me try,” I say in a near whisper, not wanting her to hurt herself. She gladly moves out of my way. I kneel and position the wrench over the rusted bolt.

“Shit,” I grunt.

“I didn’t think it’d be that hard,” she admits.

“Me either. Do you have any WD-40?”

“Hmm, maybe. I’ll go check.” She walks out, and I keep trying to loosen it, but it won’t budge. Moments later, she returns with a can, and I spray each one. I work them the best I can, using both hands until I finally get one off. Thankfully, the others aren’t nearly as hard. Once that’s done, I remove the tank and set it to the side. Then I wiggle the toilet until it’s off the wax ring.

“This thing has been here for so long it’s basically glued to the floor.”

“I think it was installed in the sixties. So yeah, definitely older than either of us. Probably would’ve had to hire someone.”

I give her a smirk, glad that I was able to help, so she didn’t.

I carry the toilet and tank and place them next to the front door. It's heavy, so I’ll bring it outside once it’s dark. The last thing I want is for anyone to know I’m here and to put Katie in a dangerous situation.

Gemma promised to let me know if anything else happens, but so far, everything’s been quiet. It makes me think whoever was trying to attack me has been watching and knows I’m no longer at home.

Katie gets a paint scraper and removes the gunk from the floor, then we clean the area.

“That’s one thing off our list,” Katie says, then looks at the counter. “What will be the easiest way to remove that?”

“I think just by diving in.” I open the cabinet and turn off the water valve. I twist the knob, then gently pull the cabinet door toward me. It nearly crumbles in my hand.

Katie gets a crowbar and pries out the rotten wood. She hands it to me, and I wedge it under the sink and easily pop it out. I grab a small hand saw and cut the piping. With a swing of a hammer, Katie crushes the counter to pieces. We laugh as she puts all her strength into it, and it brings up a memory.

“Do you remember that time we snuck into my mom's paint studio and decided to create masterpieces on canvases?” I ask, and she glances at me with a smile.

“Of course I do,” she says as we clean up our mess. “We were covered in paint by the end.”

“Yeah, my dad wasn’t happy about trying to get it out of my jeans. But ya know, that was the summer I realized I had a super mad crush on you. I remember it clear as day.”

Katie stops, and her eyes glue to mine. “What are you talkin’ about?”

I swallow hard, somewhat shocked by her reaction. “Yeah. Katie, I mean, I thought it was obvious how I felt.”

Clearly not.

She blinks, and I watch as she opens and closes her mouth. “How you felt? Wait...what do you mean you realized you had a crush on me?”

“Well, I mean, I always knew but hadn’t acknowledged it. That was the summer I almost crossed the line and kissed you.”

She shakes her head. “Are you messin’ with me? You wanted to...kiss me?”

I snort and shake my head. “You must be the only person in Lawton Ridge who didn’t know.”

We sit in silence as my heart races in anticipation of her next words.

Eventually, she speaks up. “Noah, I just… I don't know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything,” I say honestly. “It was a million years ago.”

Her arms drop to her side, and her brow furrows. “You never said anything.”

“I know,” I say somberly.

She eventually snorts. “You're kidding. You didn’t like me that way.”

Shock washes over me as I study her reaction. I was certain it was painfully obvious how much I liked her. I went out of my way to make sure she was happy. All I ever wanted to do was spend time with her. Even though I was only thirteen, I knew deep in my heart she was the woman for me.