Chapter 6
Nate
I had to get out of there. What the fuck possessed me to follow her into that office, I’ll never know. It was the dumbest thing I’d done in a long time. She was as hot as hell and she had no clue. The fact she was completely oblivious to the way most of the guys watched her delectable derriere move around the bar made her even sexier, if that was at all possible. But even though she looked delicious, she didn’t deserve to be felt up like that. Drunk or not, that was no excuse. It was the one thing about this town I despised. Twice in a month I’d seen women be subjected to drunken idiots who thought they deserved something. Twice in a month I’d had to step in. And I knew myself well enough to know I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was what was right. It was what was going to get me smacked in the head one day. Possibly very soon.
Climbing onto my bike, I felt my stomach churn. I was starving. I’d never gotten my food and now I wasn’t going to. Taking off down the road, I headed for the shops. Maybe a greasy burger from the local takeaway would fill the hole. I really needed to learn to cook. There was only so much toast and baked beans anyone could eat. Going out every night wasn’t an option, either. People were starting to recognise me. The people I didn’t want noticing.
After a month in town, I was now somewhat of a local celebrity. Not only was I the shiny new toy, but I was a very single new toy. In the short time I’d been here I’d already collected eight phone numbers and turned down four invites for dinner. As much as the thought of a home cooked meal appealed, spending the evening with one of the town’s single mothers didn’t. Not at all. The last thing I needed in my life was to become someone’s step-parent. Kids weren’t in my future. Not today. Not ever.
Parking next to the door, I recognised the police wagon there and pulled off my helmet, hanging it on the handle bars. Inside it was deserted except for the guy in the corner, his head buried in the paper. After placing my order, I slumped into the plastic covered chair, recounting the evening. I definitely hadn’t planned on it turning out like that.
“Long day?” The deep voice brought me out of my own head.
Glancing over I saw the officer, dressed casually, fold his paper and put it away. The way he was staring at me was intimidating, but knowing he was the local law enforcement, I assumed he probably looked at everyone like this. It wasn’t just me. “Long life.” I shrugged.
“Been there.”
A silence hung between us and I found myself deep in thought. I had no intention of disclosing my life story to anyone in this town. That was something I left behind. Deliberately. The more distance I put between me and my past, the easier my future would be. Or at least that’s what I wished for.
“How are you settling in? Everyone treating you okay?”
I snorted. I hadn’t had any problems, well, not really. Not unless you call having women throwing themselves at you a problem. The issues I’d encountered weren’t directed at me, I’d just put myself in the middle of them. No, they were local issues.
“Yeah, getting there. It’s been interesting.”
“Interesting?”
“Yeah, let’s go with interesting.”
He nodded his acceptance but there was a wariness in his eyes. I wasn’t sure he quite believed me, but then again he didn’t know me. “You moved into the old Ward place on Campbell Street, didn’t you?”
“The white house?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, it’s all mine.”
“Bet it’s a lot of work?”
“You have no idea.” I sighed wearily. Just talking about it made me tired and ache in places I didn’t know it was possible to ache.
When I’d arrived I had three days to get in and get my shit sorted before I started school. Then life became exhausting. Each day I got up, and went for a run before heading to work. Each day I finished up in my classroom after five, despite the kids bolting for the door just after three each afternoon. I used the time to get sorted. Put together my program, hang artwork, and generally just sort shit out. The teacher I’d replaced had retired, and it appeared as though everything she left was older than I was. Each and every day I was surrounded by twenty-three laughing nine-year-olds. They were keen to learn and even keener to cause mischief. It was never a dull moment, that’s for sure. It was when I got home though, life got even more chaotic.
I’d started rebuilding my house. Half of the rooms, I’d just left empty and closed the doors. For now I’d focused on the rooms I needed. The bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, and my bedroom. It was a bigger project than I’d ever wanted, but now it was my own problem. It was both a blessing and a curse.
“You doing all the work yourself?”
I’d forgotten where I was. Somehow I’d got caught up in my head and lost where I was and what was going on around me. “Pretty much. It’s a lot harder than I thought, but at the same time, I’m really enjoying doing something with my hands. If that makes sense at all.”
“Yeah, it does. If you need a hand, don’t be a stranger.” That caught me off guard. I’d met him twice and here he was offering to help. And manual labour to boot. This definitely wasn’t normal. I must have looked at him with confusion. “It’s just the way things are done around here. What are your plans for the rest of the night?”
“Nothing exciting. Just grabbing dinner and heading home.”
“Why don’t you bring your food to my place? We can kick back and have a beer.”
His offer shocked me. It was the first attempt at a friendship I’d had since arriving here. I’d be an idiot to turn it down.
“Derek!” a voice called out.
