Truth Meets Love (8 page)

She lived with her mother Patty in Canada when she was young. She is 10 years older than me, so we didn't know her growing up. My dad never talked about Maggie and would get angry at Mom for bringing her up or suggesting we invite her to visit in the summer. That never happened. I decided to look her up about five years ago, when I moved to Chicago with Cody and his bandmates had started playing at Seedy's Place, a trendy bar that hosts some of the hottest names in business on their way to the top. That is exactly where Cody and DarkWater are heading: all the way up. Cody seems to have mixed feelings about all the attention and popularity they are starting to receive. He loves his music and playing his guitar but all the bullshit that goes along with it starts to take its toll.

I am so proud of him, and all the sacrifices I've made seem small when compared to the feeling in my chest when he plays his strings. The first time he thundered out his songs in front of a full crowd at Seedy's Place, I knew it had all been worth it. He took the stage and began to play like he was alone back in the barn in the dark with the doors swung open toward the reservoir below. The moonlight would reflect off the shine of the water, and he literally taught himself to play and write music by the moonlight reflecting from the "dark water."

Bill can kiss my ass. He never deserved Cody
.

Now Mags, Cody and I spend every Thanksgiving together, and Mags and Shilo spend Christmas with Archie and his family. They are the only family I have left after Mom died. I pull myself from the depths before I start to think about "him" and decide to check my phone, remembering the message alert sounding earlier.

I read the message and wonder what "meetings" strippers actually get caught up in during the morning hours. I also wonder how many "viewings" she gives from home. I don't want to be living next to an escort, because you never know what shit she might drag in every night. She didn't ask me for money. Was our dance in the hallway just a sample of the kinds of entertainment she offers?

That can't be her; she's too "together" to be a prostitute or a call girl. She doesn't look desperate or needy or the slightest submissive. She is in control and fiercely guards her expressions behind her changing faces what a contradiction of emotions she stirs in me. My memories flash back to the curve of her breast as her nipple peeked out from beneath her splayed fingers. It was a rich pink and the slickness of the sweat on her skin… STOP, ENOUGH!

D: No apology necessary I will see you at 8PM. Thanks again
.

I flop onto the guest bed in my towel. I feel like I am in a luxury hotel suite staying at my sister's house. However, I still feel like I am imposing, even though she said I would be more than welcome to just move in altogether. The down comforter sucks the rest of the water rivulets still scattering across my wet back. I try to gather my thoughts and focus on work and my to-do list to keep her memories from invading me as I drift off. Oh no, it is no use; here they come… they always assault me in my dreams. It is the good kind of assault, but it about kills me every time! I fall into a deep sleep…she's back and I am on the stairs anticipating black lace. SHIT!

Chapter SEVEN

Keep Calm And Dream On

Hadley-

Tyler lucked out by having a 12-hour shift at the hospital, so I am on my own for my little DIY project today. As I am leaving, I see Emily outside on Tyler's front step, smoking a Marlboro Light and talking into her phone at 6AM. She must have a bad case of jet lag. I almost don't recognize her. This month her hair is black and slightly longer than it was last time I saw her. When she was here for Shelby's wedding she had it tinted a dark brown with auburn highlights, and I fell in love with style of the cut. I told her I was ready for more career-short than the shoulder-length style I had worn for about two years too long. I needed a change and something with more professional appeal. I asked her to make mine look like hers when she cut and added highlights blond highlights to add interest to my auburn base.

Emily came back to visit and help Tyler take care of Macey while he continues his residency shifts and Pugs is on a cruise with her sister for 10 days. Pugs & Petals leave this weekend for the venture through the Panama Canal.

When Emily sees me outside she starts to walk across the lawn between us toward my driveway, waving with a big smile as she finishes her call and hangs up. I meet her on the walk and give her a big squeeze. "Hey Lil' Sister glad you could come back and visit so soon. I hope you recovered alright from your last visit!"

Emily's cheeks burn red at my statement. I didn't mean to embarrass her; I was just giving her some shit about our condition when we left Shelby's wedding reception together. I try to change the subject quickly and tell her about my plans to work on the vacant unit today. Emily states, "I can help you, if you don't mind Macey and me hanging out over there with you all day while Tyler works his shift. I need to find us something to do today anyway, or I know I will be more than tempted to break down and buy Mace a puppy for her birthday myself."

I let her know I am going to go pick up the rest of the cleaning supplies and stop and get us breakfast, coffee and chocolate milk for Mace before we start. Emily said she would get Macey up and dressed. They are going to meet me over there when I get back so we can start painting and cleaning the unit.

Emily and I visited about her classes and her plans to move closer to Tyler and Macey once she is finished. She wants to be closer to family but she has no desire to go back to their hometown in Northern Idaho, where her parents and other sister Kendra still live. She had a bad experience there after her high school boyfriend drove drunk and killed three other kids in a car accident while taking them home from a party. It was the summer before her junior year. It is a smaller rural community and it caused some tension when she had to testify against Jeremy. She did the right thing but the verdict delivered in the trial convicted him to prison to serve six years for vehicular manslaughter. Jeremy was up for early release next month and would most likely be going back home when he got out. If he hadn't been tried as a minor and convicted, he would have had to serve 15 years instead. She came and stayed with Tyler and Dez just after the ordeal and finished her senior year at a high school near here instead. Once Mace was born she decided they needed some space and had plenty of assistance between Shelby, Pugs and me living so close. It was also taking an emotional toll on her to watch Dez's health fade and the pain Tyler was facing. She enrolled in college and entered into the nursing program and then dropped out after only two semesters. Emily worked in a coffee shop for a few years before deciding on cosmetology as her career choice--for now, anyway. She is a bit of a free spirit and doesn't feel like she has any real skills or even interests to pursue any more real career aspirations. She has a great sense of style and is very sociable. I personally think Interior Design would be a good fit for her. She assisted in picking out the tile, paint color scheme and plumbing fixtures for Tyler and Dez's place while she stayed with them after I bought it and they moved in. She did such a good job with such ease I made her help me redecorate and remodel my whole place.

We worked all day on the vacant townhouse, and I am desperately in need of a shower before the prospective tenant arrives. Tyler showed up to check out what Emily and I were able to get accomplished today, so I asked him to be on the lookout for our visitor in case he shows up to take a look at the place before I return. I still feel bad for missing him yesterday after I screwed up the appointment with him. I informed Tyler that the property management company called with his clean bill of health from the background check and said his name is Tralen Creed. That name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't think of where I may have heard it before.

I hear the sound of an engine coming to a stop in the space directly in front of the vacant unit. I glance down at my new watch, which looks slightly off with my worn jeans and t-shirt and brown scuffed cowboy boots I used to wear when I bartended in college… one word… COMFORTABLE. But that's me of course--a 5'8" bundle of contradictions.

I go strolling down the walk to the unit at the far end of the complex. I see Macey running in circles, screaming and laughing as an adorable black lab puppy yaps and chases her across the little front yard and up and down the porch steps repeatedly. Pugs is watching them outside with a huge grin and letting out, "Oh my" about every other breath as she chuckles, watching them play. I assume Tyler has taken the prospective tenant into the unit to show him around.

The prospective tenant has a puppy? Did the ad mention that? I knew I should never let Shelby go on vacation… ever… Honeymoon or not! If she were here she would be showing the unit and ensuring all was in order before presenting it. I catch myself and scold the selfish attitude. She deserves some happiness, and am I really too busy or "incapable" of managing my own affairs without assistance? Humph… I am sure the prospective tenant is nice and he is obviously a keeper, according to Macey. That is, assuming this dog is part of the package.

Tyler will not allow her to get a dog but maybe this is just Dez's way of sending us all what we need… in that way she always does.

Tralen-

I am checking out the place with Tyler and I am wondering how well he knows Harley and how does Hadley Masters fit into the picture? I hate to admit it, but so far Tyler seems like a pretty cool dude. Wait, why wouldn't I want him to be cool? It is not like I have to worry about him being competition or anything, because I could never seriously date a stripper. With the exception of that one time with her, I am not a one-night stand kind of guy. I broke so many rules with her already that I hope it is out of my system. If my lower brain would stop interfering and trying to make his presence known, this would be a lot easier.

Tyler lives here; I just heard him say "with all my girls." What does that mean, exactly? It's the way he smiled when the words "my girls" rolled off his tongue. He loves them; you can see it all over his face. I am starting to wonder if Hadley is not a dude after all, but then how does Harley fit in to the mix? Could Harley actually be Hadley? Maybe I didn't hear the pronunciation of her name correctly in the hallway.

I think I am supposed to be focused more on the place, but since the moment I caught site of the action going down in that loft I haven't been able to get that vision out of my head. I am not normally a dude that gets led around by my cock. Not after Nicole. I should never have dated the same girl all throughout high school. It was almost like we were married by our junior year, and then she followed me to college. However, when Jenna died I dropped my basketball scholarship to get a job and focus on getting Cody the rest of the way through high school. Once my chance at the NBA and my scholarship was gone, so was she. I found out she had been fucking the university quarterback, who was pledged to sign with the NFL in the spring. He ended up getting caught with drugs and an underage female companion in a cheap hotel room before he was signed. Karma's a bitch.

Just then Tyler is telling me about the backyard and we stroll that way. I snap out of my daydream and decide that it is a perfect location for Loosey and me. I am certain this little girl will eventually break Tyler down and I can pawn Loosey off on them. I even volunteer to build the fence in the backyard without charge if they will not require me to put down a deposit and give me the first month's rent free.

Tyler responds, "That makes sense to me, but you'll have to run it by the boss lady. Hadley is the one you'll want to discuss that with. Macey and I just live here."

Hmmm, Hadley is a woman, and he does live here with his daughter Macey. There was that smile in his eyes again when he said her name. He definitely has feelings for her. Shit.

Why does that thought bother me? The place is great--better than I expected. The price is good--much better and more convenient to work and the gym than my old place… so why I am all tore up about Harley or Hadley or whatever the fuck her name is? THE STRIPPER, for God's sake! Maybe I've got this all wrong. Let me get some clarification. I ask a seemingly innocent question and one that sounds completely within my rights to ask, considering I may be living under the same roof.

"Who owns the place?" I lead as we walk back up the back porch steps.

The backyard is huge and it is obvious these tenants are close by the way they cluster and seem to have created a "commune" feel in their backyard. It has a large patio with an outdoor grill and fireplace. There are wrought iron chairs and a large table with rust-colored cushions. There are trees lining the outer edge of the property and a gravel road stretching across the back of the yard. It would be perfect for Loosey. I hope Hadley wouldn't mind me putting up a nice six-foot wooden fence. I did my college capstone project on the concept in my urban planning class years ago. I like the feel of the closeness; these people make you feel welcome. I could get used to that. I miss having someone around since Cody has been out of the nest for the past two years, after the touring started. I am comfortable after following his ass around and dropping in unannounced. I needed to ensure and retain peace of mind that after everything we'd been through, he was not falling to the pitfalls that lifestyle and the newly rising fame can offer.

I had worked construction in high school during the summer between basketball camps and tournaments. I got a job with a construction contractor at one of his plumbing service companies once I dropped my scholarship so I could focus on getting through school and earning some money along the way. Todd and Molly Dawson had hooked me up with a job with Molly's cousin Dennis when Cody and I left for Chicago. Todd was my basketball coach since my freshman year. Dennis was a large contractor and I got to learn all sides of the trades. That is where my intrigue started and the skills I developed steered me to engineering. I worked through college and earned a mechanical engineering degree. I was hired by Mathis Engineering just out of college and I have worked there for seven years. They invested in my skills in designing programs to more efficiently scale and optimize materials and time on large commercial and government contracts. My work is renowned for being accurate, scaled to cost and more efficient and effectively executed. Waterworks are my specialty: plumbing and piping for water, gas and ventilation are like building a maze or puzzle for the laborers and construction-skilled tradesmen to solve. There was nothing more rewarding and satisfying than seeing your visions on the grid and in the models I build come to life. The first engineering project I led at Mathis was a hospital. It took me three years from draft to build. I will say the feeling of accomplishment and self-worth was like nothing I had ever experienced in life. It was awesome.