Me? In between. “Hey guys, how about we just—”
“Oh man, look at your face! It’s getting really red! Come on, Clark, let me help Viv with this—it weighs a ton,” Hank needled, tugging at the knight. Clark tugged back just as hard, the movement jostling his glasses crooked on his face.
Me? Still in the middle. “Seriously guys, this is silly. How about we—”
“I. Got. This.” Clark grabbed once more for the knight and just like that, Hank let go. Tumbling Clark into the backseat.
Tumbling me into Hank. Who caught me tight around the waist. After weeks and weeks, I was finally, blessedly, pressed up against his naked chest.
Hank laughed, clutching me even tighter.
“I got this, Clark,” he said, his hands now splayed across my lower back.
We were all frozen in a sick, twisted tableau. Except for Hank’s hands, which continued to rove.
I pulled away, something I never thought I’d do in a million years. But he was being a total jerk.
Oh, Christ. Clark.
White-faced, he scrambled up and out of the car, grabbed the other half of the knight, and disappeared into the house without a word.
Hank looked at the other half in the backseat, then at me. “You want some help with that?” he said, his face already losing the intensity that had been on display a moment before.
“No. I’m going to wait for Clark.”
He nodded, and was in his truck before I even had a chance to wonder what the hell had just happened.
I heard the porch door bang open and looked up to see Clark barreling down the steps. Still not meeting my eyes, he grabbed the other half and started to head back in. “Hey, wait, let me get the door for you,” I said, trying to get there before he did.
But that’s not how Clark rolled. Holding the bottom half under his left arm, he held the door open for me. Still looking at the ground, but holding the door open. For me.
I was no fool. I let him. He followed me inside, and when I went left to the living room, he again headed upstairs. It was stuffy inside from being closed up while I was away, and I busied myself opening windows and shoving aside curtains. When I heard him coming down the steps, I turned to face him.
His tie was tied neatly, hair once more parted and neatly combed. The color had come back to his cheeks, and as he pushed his glasses up on his nose I smiled at him, relieved to see that he was okay.
“Vivian, my understanding is that the contractor will be here to begin reviewing the work orders on Friday. Is that still correct?”
My smile fell. “Um, yes. As far as I know, but—”
“And your friend Caroline is also due back this weekend, yes?”
“Yes,” I answered frowning at him slightly.
“Very good. I left a few notes for you on some of the changes you want to make; please review them before Friday so we can discuss.”
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Friday. It comes after Thursday, which comes after Wednesday, which is preceded by—”
“Clark, stop,” I interrupted. “Are we back to this? Listen, I know what happened back there wasn’t—”
“Please review the notes before I come back on Friday,” he said curtly, and started for the back door.
“Wait, just wait a minute,” I said, hurrying to keep up with him. He paused before the door, silhouetted by the setting sun. “I’m not going to see you until Friday?”
“I’m very busy, Vivian, and I’ve spent enough time on this project already. Please make sure you’ve gone through those notes.” He headed out through the door, stopping when he was at the bottom of the steps. Turning back just slightly, but still not meeting my eyes, he said, “It’s going to rain later this week. I noticed while you were gone that the tarp had come loose on the southwest corner, so I took care of it. You shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
He finally turned back and met my eyes, and I was crushed by the coldness in them. He acknowledged me with a nod, then left.
That night I slept with the knight on guard once more. The chilly ocean wind buffeted the house on all sides, but inside, it was warm.
Well, the house was.
I wasn’t.
chapter thirteen
I looked at the calendar that week more than I did my senior year of high school counting down to the last day of school. I was planning Caroline’s visit and getting things ready for the contractor to arrive, making sure I had as much done as I could before the real work started.