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~Dixon~
AFTER WORK MONDAY NIGHT, I hefted the granite onto a set of sawhorses in the construction warehouse. I’d kept the legs we’d found at the Trunk in the truck’s bed, and I was ready to figure out which set would look best. I didn’t have much to occupy my mind or my time until Thursday night rolled around, so I figured I could start on this little project of mine. And I’d convinced Ryan to stick around after work to give me a hand. After all, if I couldn’t get free labor out of my best buddy, who else was gonna help?
I lifted one of each set of legs and propped it against the granite slab. They both looked good, but the black metal ones caught my eye more. The V-shaped ones I’d save for another project. The curves reminded me of Cora—all shapely lines and contours. And I liked the contrast of the square lines in the margin mirror compared to the legs of the vanity. I more or less had my vision in front of me—minus the lovely Cora staring back at me.
I still needed a chair for her, though. And her love of chairs at the Trunk made the choice a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. I knew for sure it couldn’t be the Jeweled Gem Throne of Horror, but it needed to fit in with the Arts and Crafts mirror and the curves on the base. I had snagged a card from the vendor who’d had several chairs Cora had gushed over. I didn’t think any of those had fit what I was looking for, but maybe he’d be a good place to start.
I sent a quick email from my phone to Guy, the owner of Jefferson Furniture. I explained what I was searching for and gave him my contact information. That little detail taken care of, I turned back to the project. I put the V-shaped legs back in the truck bed and got out the tools I’d borrowed from work. Ryan had said it’d be fine to borrow them nights as long as they were back before the crews left for jobs.
“Lookin’ good, buddy.” Ryan leaned back, a beer in his hand. “I guess I can see what you were thinking of, using that granite for a personal table.”
“Vanity table, dumbass.”
“Whatever. You know what I mean. I’m just dying to know who it’s for.” Ryan smirked and took a drag from his bottle.
I looked at him. “You can just keep wondering, I guess. Until I need you to help me deliver it, anyway. This sucker is gonna be heavy—too heavy for one person to move around.” A ding sounded from my phone, and I checked the email app. The furniture guy had responded; he had a chair he thought would work and included a picture.
I showed Ryan. “What do you think of this chair? It’s got some straight lines like the mirror, but the front legs have a curve to them, like the table legs. Looks like a comfortable leather seat.”
Ryan leaned in to look. “Yeah. Cool. Is that the same coloring as the mirror, though? Would it look better if they matched or if they were different?”
I compared the stain shade on the mirror propped up against the wall to the picture of the chair. They seemed similar, but who could tell for sure from a photo. I replied to the email, letting him know I was interested as long as it went well with another piece I had. I offered to meet up with him to see it in person.
That done, I turned back to the legs and granite, waiting to become Cora’s vanity set. The cutout was a bit too deep, so I’d need to cut some of the granite back to make it look right. It’d be a straight cut, but I was going to need a wet saw to do it, and then I’d need to polish it to get that smooth surface. Then adhesive to attach the legs, and it’d be good to go.
“You gonna stand there and watch me work? Or are you gonna help out?” I set up the wet saw and got out my face mask protection. “Either way, you’re gonna want to wear one of these.” I held up a spare mask.
Ryan set his beer down and grabbed the mask. “I can’t believe you’re doing this for someone you just met. I mean, do you even know her last name?”
“You might be surprised what I know about Cora—and yes, that includes her last name. More than just details about her life, I know how she makes me feel. I can be me, you know? But the best me I’ve ever been. At least, she makes me want to be more than I am right now. I’ve never really had that.” I looked at the floor, not sure what I was trying to say.
“Man, I know we don’t talk about it, but none of that stuff from when you were a kid was your fault. You got dealt a shitty hand, and you and Jake did the best you could. I know Jake tried his best, but there’s nothing like a parent to give a kid stability and give them a way to dream—and work toward those dreams. It just sucks that—”
“I know.” I stopped Ryan before he could continue. “I’m not looking for a pity party, or a rehash of ancient history I can’t change. I’m just saying Cora is more—I don’t know—real than anyone I’ve ever met before. I’ve never really had real before. And I like it.”
Ryan dangled the mask in his hands. “You deserve some real happiness, man. If this Cora is the one who can bring you some of that, then I’m all for it... It’s been forever since anyone has shown you any kind of affection. Not just a roll in the hay, but someone who is truly interested in you as a person.”
“Well, Cora seems interested, for some reason. All I can do is make sure I don’t fuck it up by saying something stupid or acting like a jerk. I mean, I’ve never had a steady girlfriend. I don’t know the first thing about being someone’s boyfriend.”
Ryan laughed. “Dude, just be yourself. You aren’t the jerk you keep calling yourself. Let her know you care. Show her. If it’s meant to be, everything will work out.”
––––––––
OVER THE NEXT FEW NIGHTS, my dreams were filled with images of midnight-black hair and green eyes—and a killer set of lips. That quick taste in my truck on Sunday did nothing but whet my appetite for Cora. She was all I thought about during the day, too, causing some good-natured ribbing from Ryan on the job.
Once everything passed George’s end-of-day inspection, we were let loose, and I hightailed it back to Jake’s. I had plenty of time before Cora would be at the bar at seven, but I had wild hopes she’d show up early, as eager to see me as I was to see her.
We’d been texting all week. She’d tell me a bit about her day; I’d tell her about what parts of the remodel job we were doing that day. I sent her a link to some of my favorite boy band videos, and she tried to convince me that the version of “God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You” by Alabama was better than NSYNC’s. She was wrong, of course, but it was something I could overlook. Or at least work on changing her mind about it.
I walked into the bar at six: showered, clean jeans and shirt, and ready for my next fix of Cora Stetson. Grabbing a seat at the bar, I ordered a beer from Shayla, who was covering the bar while she had Jake off doing something.
“Here you go. So, how’d you like the Trunk? Jake told me you ended up going on Sunday.” Shayla pushed the longneck on the cocktail napkin across the bar. “You want to order something to eat, too?”
“Nah, not right now. I’ll wait till Cora gets here, I think. Yeah, I took her to the Trunk. Cool place—lots of vendors. I ended up finding pretty much everything I wanted there.” A picture of Cora in the Jeweled Gem Throne of Horror flashed in my head. I definitely saw things there I wanted...
“Shayla, I’ve got the bar. We’re all stocked up for bottles, so you should be all set for the night.” Jake came up behind Shayla and leaned over her, practically talking right into her ear to be heard over the jukebox.
“Thanks, Jake. See ya later, Dixon.” Shayla moved out of Jake’s reach and back out to the floor.
Jake looked back at me. “Now, are you behaving yourself with Cora, or am I going to have to knock some sense into you?”
There was a bit of a warning in his tone, but I could hear him busting my chops over my date with Cora. I wasn’t surprised by that; he’d always been protective of women in general.
“Quit worrying about me. Maybe you need to worry more about yourself. Admit it—Shayla’s kinda cute.” I grinned as I grabbed the longneck and took a swallow.
“Doesn’t matter how cute she is. Not interested. Not now, not ever.” A steel wall slammed down over his eyes.
It was no secret to me why he shut down. Hell, I had my own issues, but he had it ten times worse. As bad as my childhood had been, it was pixie dust compared to Jake’s. But now I had a glimmer of hope that not every relationship would be as fucked up as what he and I had front-row seats to when we were kids. Maybe not every person you counted on would leave. Or, more accurately, be ripped away.
“Hey. Lighten up.” I spoke softly, but the message was loud.
Jake shook his head, as if trying to clear the muck out of it. “Yeah. I guess I got to get my head in the game if I’m gonna keep you in line with Cora.” A small smile snuck onto his face and the cold steel in his eyes seemed to dim, letting his usual good nature come through.
“You kept me on the straight and narrow enough when we were kids. I still remember you at my back at the store, making me return that pack of gum. Damn store manager banned me for life, I think.” I laughed at the memory. The old man’s face had turned as red as a tomato—and had the same squished, round shape—when Jake made me fess up that I’d stolen a pack of gum from the checkout counter when we were there buying what passed for groceries: a pack of saltines, peanut butter, and Yoo-hoo. The laughter died as the rest of the memory started to creep in. I shook it off. Tonight wasn’t about the past; it was about the here and now. It was about Cora.
And the next forty-five minutes were going to crawl by as I waited for her. But some higher power must have taken pity on me because the energy in the room changed; she was there. Jake’s grin kind of gave it away too, but I swear I felt her heat, practically heard her heartbeat, behind me before my brother’s grin finished forming on his face.
“Finally. Put this boy out of his misery, Cora. If I had to spend any more time this week looking at his sad puppy-dog face...” Jake whipped the bar towel at my arm.
I turned to see the most beautiful sight...Cora. She was all smiles, looking between me and my brother. If I was a more jealous kind of guy, I might have objected to her sending her sunshine his way, but right now, I wanted to bask in the glow myself. I could only stare at her and try to keep the drool from running down my face and my jaw from dropping. Somehow, my memories and dreams of her were nothing compared to being with her again.
“Hey.” Okay, not the most original or intelligent thing to say, but my brain was getting muddled and losing its ability to work effectively.
“Hey.” She sidled onto the barstool next to me and swung one leg—a long, lanky, luscious leg—over the other to settle in. Her smile was now directed straight at me, and my breath caught.
“Hey.”
“You already said that, lover boy. I swear, Cora, he’s only had the one drink. Must be some other reason his brain’s not engaged.” Jake grabbed my bottle and shook what remained in it.
His shit-eating grin grew, and I wanted to smack it off his face. I was enough of an idiot without any of his help. “Whatever happened to having your brother’s back, huh? Couldn’t just offer a few drinks on the house to start our date off right and then go about your business?”
“All right, you freeloader. Go grab a booth, and I’ll have Shayla over there in a few. First round’s on the house. Cora—nice to see you.” Jake wandered to the other end of the bar to check on customers there.
“Sorry about that. Let’s go grab that booth in the back corner. You look amazing, by the way.” Her jeans hugged all her curves and the flowy white blouse had a V-neck collar that provided hints of her cleavage. I stood and guided her by the elbow across the room to the table I had in mind. It was out of the main area of high-top tables and you couldn’t quite see all the TVs, so it was quieter and less distracting. Perfect for conversation and paying attention to your companion. Not that there’d be much that could get me to stop looking at Cora or listening to her voice.
“Sounds good. I’ve been looking forward to this all week. But I was sure to wear some more sensible shoes and I’m happy to report no injuries...so far.” She laughed and showed off her low-heeled shoes.
Of course, I couldn’t help but look again at those legs...and imagine them wrapped around me as I plunged into... Crap. Not the time to be thinking about sex, but it always seemed as if my brain short-circuited around Cora, and I ended up in the same daydream.
We found our way to the table and sat across from each other.
“Glad to hear you’re not going to need medical attention. But now I’ll have to figure out a different way to get you in my arms.”
The cutest blush turned her face pink. “I’m sure we can figure out how to make that happen. I mean—”
“Hi, Dixon. What can I get for you and this pretty lady?” Shayla interrupted Cora, and damn if I didn’t want Cora to finish her thought.
“Hey, Shayla. I’ll have another beer. Cora, what do you want?”
Cora’s blush deepened before she turned to Shayla. “I’ll have the same. Thanks.” She cleared her throat and looked back at me. “So, rescue any more damsels in distress this week? Conquer any other battlefields?” Her blush faded away and a smirky grin replaced it, complete with twinkling eyes.
“No, ma’am. I’m still focused on the most recent damsel. She seems to be holding all my attention. Hardly had time to do anything but think about her. And her beautiful face. Her amazing smile. Trying to figure out how I could spend some more time with her without looking like a deranged stalker.” I reached my hand across the table and grasped hers, caressing the soft skin. “Remembering how soft and warm she felt in my arms when I carried her off to my secret lair.”
“Secret lair, huh? Sounds kinda sinister. Not exactly knight-rescuing kind of talk.” She stopped my fingers from moving and intertwined with them. “Not that I mind a little excitement with my knights in shining armor. Although, I guess there’s bound to be some excitement in an adventure that lands you in a spot you need rescuing from.”
“Depends on what kind of excitement you’re looking for. Is it a death-defying, swash-buckling adventure you’re after, or something a bit more personal?”
“Here you go.”
Shayla had come back with the beers, disrupting the little world Cora and I had been weaving ourselves into. Cora released my hand and leaned back. Never had my hand felt so cold.
“Thanks.” Cora glanced at Shayla, who had a funny smile on her face.
She looked between the two of us and then stared at me. “You better be good, Dixon. This one’s a keeper.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked back to the bar and Jake, who was watching our table.
Or was it Shayla, as she walked back toward him?
Before I could think more on that, Cora spoke up. “Why on earth would she tell you to ‘be good’? Are you not the shining knight you’ve been showing me?” The amusement in her eyes told me she was still in a teasing mood, but there was a serious note in her tone.
Here was my chance. Confess all. Except I did not know what I could say...would say...that wouldn’t guarantee she’d leave me in the dust. Who wants to hear that the person interested in them hasn’t ever had a real relationship, just hookups? That they’d never had a steady girlfriend and had no idea how to be a good boyfriend. And how weird was it that I wanted to not only say I was her boyfriend, but that I couldn’t get it out of my head—and some other parts of my anatomy—that we’d be good...so right...together. Not exactly third date material, right?
“I can be whatever you need me to be. Shining knight...biker bad boy...” A worshiper at the altar of your body. The words left unsaid pulsed in the surrounding air.
Her breath hitched and then whooshed out. “Wow...well then...” She glanced down, denying me the chance to see into the depths of her eyes.
I willed her to look back up so I could drown in her gaze. But I memorized the color and texture of her hair as it swung down, partly obstructing her face. The rise and fall of her chest, the way the fabric of her blouse stretched and the buttons strained had my heartbeat striking its own drum in response. My thoughts wandered to how she would look under me, the buttons freed as the shirt parted to tantalize me with her heaving breasts contained behind lacy walls. How sweet the sound would be when I nuzzled against her, bringing the nipple to a taut bud. I shifted in my chair, trying to adjust the sudden hardness trapped behind the zipper.
Cora looked back up. “We should order some food. Otherwise this beer’s going to go to my head, and God only knows what could happen then.” She brushed the hair back behind her ear. “Not that that would be the worst thing in the world.” A shy smile slipped onto her lips. “So, seriously, I need some food. It’s been a long day and a long week, and I’d love to forget all about it and have a nice meal with you.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let me grab some menus from the bar.” I stood and put my hand on her shoulder, unable to not touch her before I left. “Be right back.”