“Yeah. Straight out of high school. I knew college wasn’t really for me, much to my parents’ disappointment. But hey, I think I did alright.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s… I think they’d be proud. Starting from the ground up, that’s really impressive. Not everybody can pull that off.”
Joe smiled down at me, sweet and tender. I had a hard time believing what Frederick said was true. Joe wasn’t a player; he wasn’t some sleaze. He seemed genuine and kind, if a little gruff on the outside. He looked down at the container I’d been holding in the crook of my arm.
“What have you got there?” he asked, tone teasing.
I handed the container to him, which he immediately opened to peer inside. “A thank you gift,” I stated. “For helping me with… Well, with everything.”
“Thanks, Terri. You really didn’t have to.”
“It was the least I could do,” I managed weakly. “You’ve been really kind to me. I didn’t know how much I needed that.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning. He no doubt sensed that something was off.
“Y-yeah,” I stammered. “There’s just a lot on my mind.”
“Do you have any plans this evening?”
“Um, no. I don’t think so. Why?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to grab dinner with me. Again. If you want.”
You can be a one-night stand and a neighbor, sweetheart.
I took a deep breath in through the nose and held it, focusing on the burn in my lungs. Doubt surged through me. Joe seemed like a good guy. But then again, so did Chris, and look where that got me –pregnant and alone. I wanted to trust him, I really did, but I couldn’t deny that I was exhausted. I didn’t want to play these kinds of games, didn’t want to end up getting hurt again. This wasn’t the time to think about relationships or dating. Besides, Joe probably wouldn’t want to be involved with someone like me, someone who was expecting a child that wasn’t his. Any future that we’d have together would be complicated, and that was the last thing I wanted. Right now, I needed to focus on myself. I was the only one I could truly rely on.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Joe.”
I turned on my heels to leave.
5
Joe
I don’t know what the hell happened. To be perfectly honest, I thought we were having a great time. I thought we got along great. All the signs were there, too, so that only left me more confused. When I saw Terri at the garage the other day, she’d left me breathless. With the sun shining upon her back, she practically glowed in that beautiful white dress of hers. She looked like an angel, touching down on the ground to bless me with her presence. There was no denying that I’d been with my fair share of women, but Terri was different. When it came to Terri, I was drawn to her by an inexplicable need to be close. I had no idea what Frederick said to her, but it clearly shook her up enough to leave in a red-faced hurry.
The pastries she’d delivered me were all gone, devoured within mere hours. The muffins were wonderfully sweet, and the brownies were incredibly rich and delicate at the same time. I had no idea that Terri knew how to bake. Whenever I was over visiting Max, Terri would –on more than one occasion– set fire to whatever she was cooking. She’d actually managed to reduce an Easy Bake Oven her parents had gifted her into nothing more than a molten, black mess. I didn’t think it was possible, but it was one hundred percent the truth. It blew me away at how much she’d improved, how much she’d grown into a beautiful, intelligent young woman. I knew she was literally in the next building, but a part of me missed her a great deal. I itched to hear her voice, found myself craving her attention. We hadn’t spoken in a couple of days, but she was the only thing on my mind.
It was an uneventful Tuesday evening. After I’d returned home from the garage around five in the afternoon, I immediately hopped into the shower. A long day’s work always left me grimy, one of the only downsides to my job. I stood under the showerhead and let the rush of hot water drown out my thoughts, pouring over onto my shoulders and down my back to pool around my feet as the tub struggled to drain the murky water. After washing my hair with soap and scrubbing down my aching body with body wash, I rinsed off quickly and stepped out of the shower, immediately wrapping a towel around my waist. I stepped out of the bathroom just in time to hear my phone going off on the nightstand next to my bed.