Falling for Trouble (8 page)

When
she’d gotten off work last night, she was surprised to get a call as soon as
she stepped through the door. Despite the late hour she felt like a silly
schoolgirl when she saw that it was Hunter.

 
“No, I didn’t think you came off pushy at all.
In fact, I was excited you called.”

“Yeah?”
His grin was positively blinding, and she felt her own smile widen as well.
Hunter made her feel comfortable. She had always felt that way around him, but
now that she looked at him as more than just her boss, that comfort bloomed
inside of her.

The
waitress came by and eyed Hunter with clear attraction, but Sophia didn’t let
that bother her. For one thing, he was very good-looking and any woman could
see that. They ordered their meals, and after the waitress left Sophia couldn’t
help but laugh softly.

“What?”
There was laughter in his voice.

“Nothing.”
At his raised brow, she caved. “I just think it’s funny that the poor girl was
flustered. You really made an impression on her.” It was cute that the young
girl had to ask him twice what he wanted. His chuckle was rich and deep and she
let herself admit she liked it, a lot.

For
the next two hours they ate and talked about anything and everything. She found
out he’d purchased the bar when he was twenty-nine, just ten years prior. Yes,
he was seventeen years older than she was, but she didn’t feel like she was so
much younger. He had started out with nothing, but the bar had prospered. It
wasn’t the only drinking establishment in Northon, but it was the cleanest and
most popular by far.

“So,
I guess ‘no fraternizing with the employees’ doesn’t apply here?” She was only
teasing and was thankful he grinned at her comment.

“Well,
I’ll be honest, I have never asked one of my employees out. Ever. I do take
that policy to heart, but I won’t lie. I’ve always
seen
you, Sophia.” His voice had dropped an octave on the last part
and she felt a tingly sensation travel through her body. The way he said it
seemed to mean so much more. “I’m willing to break the rules for you.”

The
fact that someone was willing to break anything for her sent a giddy, girly
feeling through her. It was stupid, but whatever. She always thought of herself
as just another girl, a plain Jane, but the knowledge that someone noticed her,
even if it wasn’t Abe, made her feel really good, like she was worth something.

 
“So if you’ve noticed me, why wait until now
to ask me on a date?” Was she so desperate for praise that she’d fish for more
from Hunter?

He
glanced down and for a moment he looked a little uncomfortable. “To be honest,
I always thought there was something going on with you and Abe. I mean, the two
of you are inseparable. I’ve seen you carry his drunken ass out of the bar too
many times, and it’s hard not to wonder what happens after that.”

Sophia
averted her gaze and started messing with the hem of her shirt. She really
didn’t want to talk about Abe, especially after their conversation that
morning, but if she was going to move on, then she would have to get used to
it.

“Yeah,
well, he has been my friend for a long time.” Hunter nodded and brought his
iced tea to his lips to take a drink. He didn’t prod her for answers, just let
her explain at her own pace. “For a long time there wasn’t anyone else but Abe
in my life. He helped me get through a lot growing up.” She shifted in her
seat, a lot of emotions swarming through her. “He’s my best friend.” She lifted
her eyes and stared at Hunter. “But that’s all we are, just friends. You see
how he is, know how many women he picks up in your bar. There are absolutely no
feelings for me when it comes to him, aside from friendship.” Hunter didn’t say
anything for a long while, and she wondered if he caught the way she didn’t
admit that
she
didn’t have feelings
for him. If he did catch it, he was kind enough not to call her out on it.

“That
doesn’t freak you out, does it?”

His
smile was soft, not like the blinding one he had graced her with earlier. “No,
it doesn’t freak me out, but you’d have to be blind not to see the attraction
Abe has for you.” His words stopped her heart.

“What
are you talking about?” Her voice was unsteady, and she wondered if Hunter
heard it.

The
way he watched her was a little unnerving. It was like he could see everything
about her. “When you’re not looking, he stares at you, Sophia. It’s the look a
man has for a woman he longs for.” She was shaking her head before he even
finished.

“No,
you have it wrong.”

“Do
I?” There was a challenge in his voice.

Her
spine straightened. “Does a man sleep around when he longs for another woman?”

Hunter’s
whole posture was relaxed, like their conversation wasn’t affecting him the way
it affected her. She supposed it didn’t, though.

“Sometimes
a man doesn’t know the prize he has, even when it is right in front of him.”

Sophia
didn’t respond to that, didn’t know how to. “It doesn’t matter in the end,
Hunter. I need to start my life. I can’t wait for something that may or may not
happen. Abe has a lot of problems that he needs to work out, and all I’ve been
doing is going through the motions and essentially being his enabler.” Hunter
cocked his eyebrow at that, but she chose to ignore it and continued. “I sit
back and watch him drink himself into a stupor. I carry him home and have to
put him to bed. I can’t count the number of times I’ve walked into his house
and seen naked women strewn all over the damn place. I’ve never said anything,
never told him how much he’s hurting himself. Maybe if I did, things would be
different, but I think it might be too late for that now.” Why she even told
him any of this was beyond her, but it felt good to finally tell someone. She
took a deep breath.

“Look
at me, Sophia.” She lifted her head. Hunter was leaning forward, his hands
outstretched and reaching for hers. She placed her hands in his and waited for
him to speak. “I think you’ve been a really good friend to him. I have no
doubts that he’s noticed that as well, but he is too blinded by his own grief
and selfishness to see it. You’re beautiful and smart, funny and caring. You’ve
looked out for him for years. I’ve seen it. Hell, everyone has seen it. I care
about you, Soph, a lot, but I don’t want to start something if you aren’t sure
about how you feel regarding Abe.” He gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

The
dark depths of his eyes pierced the shell she’d erected around herself, and she
felt a little bit of herself slip away. She wanted to try this with Hunter,
wanted to see where it led. Too many of her years had been wasted on longing
for something that might never happen. She would still be there for Abe, still
help him out, and hoped he did the same for her. Sophia just wouldn’t let her
life be consumed by Abe Rochester any longer.

Returning
the pressure on his hands, she said, “I’d like to move forward. I’d like to
give us a try, Hunter.” He graced her with one of his blinding smiles and she
felt her heart melt just a little bit.

“That’s
good, Soph. That is
so
good.”

Chapter
Eight

“Mother
fucking shit!” Abe threw the wrench he had been using across the garage and
rubbed his bruised thumb.

“Hey,
man, you know there is a law against abusing tools, don’t ya?” Red’s laughter
was evident in his voice, but Abe wasn’t in the mood for this shit. He scowled
at the older man and picked up the screwdriver. He had been working on the
engine for the last four fucking hours, and he hadn’t gotten anything
accomplished.

He
had come straight to the shop to work through what he was feeling after Kid’s
call. All he could think about was where she was right now and who the fuck she
was on a date with. He’d checked his phone about fifty fucking times, hoping
that maybe she’d called or texted, but always he saw a blank screen. There had
been plenty of times that he had thought of calling her, ruining her fucking
date so all she could think about was him, but he wasn’t
that
big of a bastard. When he really reflected back on his time
with her, really thought about all the fucked-up things he had done, he knew he
was the biggest bastard of all.

“You
wanna talk, man?” Red got down on his haunches beside Abe, but his focus was on
the motor Abe was working on. Abe was no one’s fool. He knew that Red was
trying to help him out, trying to be the person he was able to unload his shit
on, all the while looking unconcerned. He was a good man, a real good friend,
but Abe just didn’t think he could handle dishing out all his feelings.

“Nah.”

Red
nodded once and stood.

“Well,
I’m here if you want to talk about your girl.”

Abe
looked up at him, unsurprised Red had known what bothered him.

“You
know, I used to have a friend, a girl that took care of me and didn’t ask any
questions. She was gorgeous and kindhearted, but I didn’t see what was right in
front of me until it was too late.” Red looked out the bay doors, as if he was
lost in thought, and despite his better judgment, Abe found himself asking the
question that plagued his mind.

“What
happened to her?” He knew Seth Red wasn’t married, and as far as he knew, he
didn’t have a girlfriend either. For a long while Red didn’t move, didn’t say a
damn thing, but then he turned to Abe with an almost lost look on his face.

“Not
sure. Last I heard she married some guy and moved to Montana. She is no doubt a
mama by now and has that little house and white picket fence she was always
talkin’ ’bout.”

Abe
didn’t ask any other questions, because the hard look in Red’s eyes told him it
probably wasn’t safe, but Red surprised him yet again by continuing.

 
“What I do know is that if I could change it
all, I would, in a fuckin’ heartbeat. I would take her in my arms, tell her
that I loved her from the moment I first set eyes on her, and kiss her
senseless. I would do everything in my power to be with her, to make her stay
beside me. I wouldn’t let anyone take her away, that’s for damn sure. I’ll tell
you one more thing, boy, and then I’ll let you get back to takin’ your
aggression out on my tools.” He grinned and Abe heard the teasing note in his
voice. “When you got something good, you don’t let it slip between your fingers
because once it does, that’s it.” He snapped his fingers to emphasize his
point. He gave one more nod and headed back into his office.

Abe
sat there for a good long while, contemplating what Red said. It sounded good,
but was Red the kind of prick Abe was? Is that why he’d lost the girl he loved?
He turned his attention back to the motor and tried to get his mind off Kid,
which was impossible.

****

It
was seven in the morning, way too damn early for Abe to be conscious, but he
was trying to make a point. Since speaking with Sophia and hearing Red’s story
yesterday, all he had been able to think about was how to show Kid that he
wasn’t a douche bag anymore. He didn’t want to go through life wondering “what
if.” He wanted her in his life, wanted to be by her side and not let her down.
He had spent far too many years trying to cover up his past with random women
and bottomless bottles of liquor. It was definitely time for a change.

He
knocked on her front door even though he had a key. Kid was the type of woman
that deserved respect. It took her only a few minutes to answer, and when she
did, the surprise on her face was evident. It made him feel like shit. She shouldn’t
be surprised to see him on her doorstep.

“Abe?
Hey.” She wore a tiny white tank top that showed her nipples right through the
thin material and a pair of boy shorts. She actually wore that shit to answer
the door, so any douche could see her? Well, fuck him.

 
Her dark hair was mussed from sleep and fell
around her face. She was sexy as fuck, especially with the little reading
glasses she wore. His damn dick started to harden. Gritting his teeth, he
forced a smile and held up the box of doughnuts and the drink tray with two
cups of coffee in it.

“Hey,
Kid. I know you said you couldn’t come over today for breakfast, so I thought
I’d bring it to you.” She stared at him for a moment and then glanced at her
watch.

“It’s
like seven in the morning. I didn’t even know you could get up this early.”

He
chuckled but didn’t tell her that he had hardly slept last night. All he could
think about was how her date had gone and if she planned on going on another
one. “Can I come in?”

“Oh,
yeah. Sorry.” A pretty pink hue touched her cheeks and he bent down and kissed
her temple as he passed through the door.

“I…”

He
set the stuff on her table and looked over at her. “Can you maybe put some
clothes on?” He didn’t stop his eyes from traveling up and down her body. For a
moment she just stared at him, like she had no clue what he was talking about,
but then realization set in and her face got red.

“Gawd…”
She disappeared immediately, and when she was back in the kitchen he sent up a
silent thanks that she had opted for a pair of sweats and a tee.