Lonely Heart (11 page)

“First of all, I’m not a handy man. I decide when something is going out of my way. Second, I’m happy to help, anytime.” He cocked his head as if a new thought occurred. “But, if you insist on paying me, dinner will work. Why don’t you order something? We can hang out…watch TV.”

“Oh…um…okay…I can do that...”

“Good,” he stood, grabbed his shirt, tossed it over his shoulder. He pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. “Let me make a call. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Flabbergasted, I watched him leave my bedroom with a spring in his step.

What the heck just happened?

“Gina, something’s come up.” A momentary twinge of guilt hit me, but the moment I looked back towards Kaitlyn’s bedroom, it disappeared.

Kaitlyn walked down the hall. Her tank top bore the phrase, ‘Hott Momma’. Where did she find those shirts? Her witty personality showed through every time.

Unable to hide my smile, I faced the sliding glass door again to accept the verbal assault Gina threw at me. After all, I deserved it.

My intention was not to hurt her. I planned on keeping my word when I agreed to see her tonight. Stopping by Kaitlyn’s apartment was a matter of courtesy because I was across the hall. After all, she’d gone out of her way to call and check on me.

Then I found myself on her couch sharing what had bothered me all week.

Kaitlyn listened. Really listened. She didn’t try and understand or offer advice. She let me rant and work through my feelings. She was the epitome of the proverbial shoulder to cry on.

That’s more than what Gina did the entire week. She was by my side at the funeral, held my hand, and cried with me. Yet in the days after, when I needed her support with what bothered me, she half listened, then found a way to make things be about her, us, marriage, and kids. I couldn’t take it anymore. Tonight would be no different. In fact, she’d be more determined to get me in bed thinking it would cure the ache in my heart, especially since I turned her down a few weeks ago.

While I was in serious need of physical intimacy, my heart was no longer in our relationship. Sex would be a meaningless physical release for me while she would expect more. I wouldn’t use Gina that way.

It was time to move on. To whom, I had no clue.

My attention went to Kaitlyn as she lowered herself on the couch and sorted through takeout menus.

“What’s going on, Antonio?”

I forced myself back into the conversation. “Nothing is going on, Gina. Something’s come up. I’ll call─”

“When you have time,” she completed my statement. “You keep saying that, but it seems like you’re turning away from me.”

I keep my sigh internal. “Gina, we have to talk, but this isn’t the time.”

“Whatever. You do whatever it is that’s more important than me and our future. I’ll find someone else to keep me company tonight. Call me when you’re ready to be the man you used to be. ”

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone. Did she just break up with me? More than likely, she was baiting me to call back. Not this time.

If she wanted to break up, fine. No need to turn this into a knockdown, drag out fight. I didn’t have the patience.

I sat next to Kaitlyn on the sofa.

“Is everythin’ alright?” She watched me as if trying to read my mood. Those big, round mesmerizing green eyes pulled me in.

What the hell was I doing?

“Everything’s fine.”

Kaitlyn smirked. “Not that I was bein’ nosey, it was just impossible to ignore the screamin’ from the phone.”

I ran a hand over my temple. “You heard her?”

“Uh…yeah. Did you just blow off a date?”

Unable to keep eye contact, I reached for the menu on top of the stack sitting between us. “Yes.”

A risked glance revealed Kaitlyn’s bewildered gaze. “Why?”

I met her stare full on. “Honestly? We don’t have anything in common anymore.”

“So you got dressed up for nothin’.”

“I’m not dressed up. Besides, I was doing my grandmother a favor.”

She cocked a blond eyebrow. “I’m not your grandmother.”

I laughed. “But...we are friends, aren’t we? That’s what you said last week.”

Kaitlyn studied me with those luminous eyes. I held her gaze.

“Remind me…when exactly did this happen?”

“Good question. Have you changed your mind?”

“No, it’s just...,” she bit her pale pink lip, looked away.

“What?” I prompted.

“Nothin’.” She sifted through several menus, refusing to glance my way again.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, let me know and I’ll leave.”

“No, it’s just… this whole conversation has thrown me off. But that’s beside the fact. If you hadn’t stopped by, the crib would be in a million pieces right now.”

For the first time in days I let loose and laughed hard, giving in to the happy emotion. There was something about Kaitlyn’s personality that was refreshing. I never felt weighted down or pressured when I was around her.

“How? You’re what, five-foot-two and pregnant?” I teased. “What could you do? Stare at it to death?”

Her eyebrows knitted together while her lips twisted in a smirk. “Okay, more jokes, ha, ha, ha.” She crossed her arms over her belly. “For your information, I’m five-four and it wouldn’t take much to swing a hammer.”

I howled. “While sitting down!”

She rolled her eyes, then laughed. “If it works.”

I studied her profile when her attention went back to the menu in her hand. Large eyes, button nose, full cheeks, the perfect girl next door innocence.

“What are our dinner options?” I forced my attention back to meal planning.

“Pizza, Chinese, Italian, wings. I could go for a Philly Steak myself.” She looked up at me.

I was momentarily mesmerized as she lifted her long, thick braid of blond hair and haphazardly toyed with the end.

Kaitlyn was beyond girl next door cute. The pregnancy seemed to enhance her natural beauty. Without makeup, her skin glowed.

I cleared my throat before saying something stupid. “A Philly sounds good.”

Kaitlyn attempted to scoot to the edge of the sofa to reach her phone sitting on the coffee table. I retrieved it, saving her the movement.

A few minutes later, our order placed, she reached for the remote control. The moment the TV came on, the image of a woman screaming in the middle of giving birth, filled the screen. Her legs were spread and the room filled with grunts, panting, and yelling. Her spouse stood next to her, one hand behind her head, the other holding her hand as he shouted encouragement.

“Oh my God, that was worse than porn.” She quickly changed the channel. “Sorry.”

“That was an eye opener.” I laughed at her now rosy cheeks. “But worse than porn? Porn activities are what led to the pregnancy.”

“You can say that again,” she muttered. “Okay, what will it be? You’re the guest, so do you want to watch sports, a movie, or a TV show?”

“Believe it or not, that was interesting. I wasn’t there when my nephew was born, but I’ve always wondered how it happened.” Her laugh made me look in her direction. “I know how it happens, I mean─”

“You have to admit, you put your foot in that one.”

I grinned. “Yes, I did.”

Kaitlyn changed the channel back. The scene changed. The mother now held her newborn in her arms; tears were in her eyes. The next shot showed the father leaning over to kiss his wife.

Beside me, Kaitlyn sighed.

“Are you okay?”

“I keep torturin’ myself. This is supposed to be research, but all I end up doin’ is hatin’ my ex.”

Curiosity peaked; I waited for her to continue. She didn’t.

“Is he going to be there?”

She huffed. “If Luke had any intention on bein’ there when this baby is born, I wouldn’t be livin’ alone or sittin’ here with you.” She put a hand on her brow. “Dang, I’m sorry, Antonio. Just blame it on the hormones.”

I put my hand up. “None taken.” Especially since she was talking. “So, he left you,” I surmised.

“No, I left him.”

I didn’t see that one coming.

“You know how my father didn’t want me or my sister?”

I nodded.

“Luke doesn’t want the baby, period.” She laid a hand on her belly. “It was all a mistake. The relationship, movin’ in together, and expectin’ things to change…” her voice faded.

“You changed. You’ve moved on with your life. Raising a child by yourself is not going to be easy.” I looked around the apartment, thinking back to what little I learned about her. “I think you’ll be able to handle it.”

Kaitlyn tilted her head. “You don’t even know me.” She smiled a little. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.”

She was right, I didn’t know her.

Maybe it was time I did.

“Mr. Michaels, I’ll be there at eleven o’clock.”

I typed the address into my phone’s GPS the minute the call ended.

My customer
. I didn’t have to own a shop or work for someone full-time in order to make a living. The skills of an auto mechanic could be taken anywhere. Websites such as Craigslist, advertisements in the local newspaper, and word of mouth were worth their weight in gold.

Offering my services as a mobile mechanic led to ten paying customers. Not bad for three weeks’ worth of free advertising.

Alvarez and Sons closed indefinitely while my uncle’s business and other assets were handled by Probate Court. Tio Alejandro’s will named Titi Carmelita as the majority owner of the shop. Her sons received a portion; so did I. While Ramon and Javier continued to make their desire to sell the business known, Fernando and I refused. The deciding factor came down to their mother, who was too grief stricken to make a decision.

So far she had filed the Spousal Property Petition in order to transfer ownership of the property to her. Doing so made the reality of her husband’s death final, but the clock was ticking. According to the law, she had thirty days to present the will and death certificate to the courts in order to remain in charge of what happened in Probate.

Because this was a business, the assets needed to be calculated and outstanding debts satisfied. Numerous other responsibilities needed to be handled before the judge could schedule the Probate hearing and determine the settlement.

Ramon and Javier’s determination to sell the shop only complicated matters. They secured a lawyer and filed a petition to contest the will. They believed the amount dispersed between the brothers had been drastically reduced because of me. Ramon claimed to have been present when the original version had been drafted a few years ago. He swore at that time my name wasn’t in it. It was his belief I coerced their father to make the change once I started working for him. Because they had a valid claim, it was now up to the court to investigate and find out what was true.

Though Titi Carmelita knew the accusation was untrue, we had to play the legal game. Our lawyer informed us the entire process, including their countersuit, could take up to a year.

While the fate of the business hung in limbo, there were still bills to pay.

My schedule set for the day, my attention turned back to job hunting. As any self-employed person knew, finding paying customers could be hit and miss from time to time. While there was a decent living to be made from doing mobile jobs, my tools were limited. I needed to work from a fully stocked shop where I could do bigger jobs. The money came from the labor fees.

I checked the time; one hour left, then it would be time to head to my customer.

Instead of sitting at home searching the internet, I sat in the parking lot of an auto parts store, making use of free Wi-Fi in the area. It made sense to use my time wisely instead of playing games on my iPhone or hanging out on Facebook.

Halfway through my search, my cell rang. It was Titi Carmelita.

“Hola, Titi, how are you?”

“I’ve been better, Antonio. Do you have a moment?”

“Como no, Titi,” I shut down my laptop. “Is there something you need me to do?”

There was hesitation before she responded. “Yes. You know your uncle’s death has been hard on all of us. My sons…they have taken it better than I expected.”

She meant Ramon and Javier. The bitterness in her voice was audible. Better was an understatement.

“What happens next with the shop remains to be seen. I feel as if it’s my fault what’s happened to those good men. Out of work and─”

“Titi, there’s nothing you or anyone else can do. It’s the law.”

“Sí, sí, pero,” she sighed, “that’s why I’m calling.” She paused, sniffed. “I hate the way my sons are acting. Their attitude is probably all my fault. They expect me to change my mind and side with them in contesting the will. Everything is not about money. There’s pride and hard work in those walls. I was there the day my husband opened the business. It is my intention to see his dream stay in the family as long as there is someone available to run it.

“Antonio, you may not be my son, but I have always viewed you as one. Alejandro felt the same way. There were many times he came home and talked about how well the shop ran since you started helping out.” She chuckled. “He even shared your ideas with me. My husband may have been pig headed, but he respected your opinions, even if he didn’t say so. I have no doubt he wished for you to take over when he retired.”

There were no words to explain how her revelation made me feel. “Really? He made it seem as though I bothered him with nonsense.” My voice got heavy in my throat. “I don’t─”

“Wait, let me finish, mi’jo.” She cleared her throat. “Fernando told me his desire to keep the shop open was about more than keeping it out of his brothers’ hands. He said you promised to teach him everything. Is this true?”

“Sí, that’s what we planned. We didn’t have the chance to tell Tio before he died.”

“Bueno. Even though I filed a petition to accept ownership of the shop, decisions on where to go from here need to be made. I’ve prayed over this for the last few days. My sons are wrong if they think they have a leg to stand on in court. Their father was never coerced into changing his will. He did so because he knew what would be fair. So, here’s what I want to do. I will give you forty percent of my share for the next two years, which will give you the majority rights. During that time, you can make any improvements you feel are necessary except sell the shop in order to change locations. That location means too much to me. A lot of family history has taken place there. You will also train Fernando in everything, ¿entiendes? Car repair to business management. After two years, we will reevaluate where things stand. If all goes well, we will redistribute the shares so you are both equal partners. If he changes his mind and no longer wants to be a part, you will continue to have the majority ownership rights. Those are my terms. ¿Entiendes?”