Fourteen

 

Cruz hit snooze. Again. Usually, he just got up when he needed to, but he'd had such a hard time falling asleep, though he'd tried everything. He'd put on earbuds to block out his family and listened to a rainforest sounds app that had always helped before. He'd covered his eyes. Pulled on more covers. Removed them. Nothing helped.

His mind replayed every moment he'd spent with Talia since they'd met. The more he thought about it, the more he adored her feisty argumentativeness. She knew how she felt, and she didn't care what anyone thought. Too many others he'd met just said what they thought he wanted to hear.

Not Talia. The woman who wasn't afraid to wear heels in the snow. She was tough as nails despite her church talk and upbringing.

Cruz let out another long, slow breath and sat up. Despite his heavy eyelids, he was still eager to get back to work. Not only would he likely see Talia again, but Zachary had promised to help him out in the afternoon. Cruz wanted to get as much done as he could before that. He could handle the heavy lifting of moving junk out to the dumpster that smelled worse than death. What he wanted Zachary's help with was in setting things up. Starting the process of making things look nice.

He swung his feet to the floor and stood. His alarm went off again and he turned it off. Instinctively, he reached for his pack of cigarettes on his desk. Instead, he pushed it under some papers. He would have coffee in its place—and soon.

Cruz stumbled out into the hallway. The house was quiet, which meant everyone else was sleeping. If he wanted caffeine when he got out of the shower, he'd need to make it himself. He went to the kitchen and started getting the coffee pot ready, but when he got to the bag of grounds, there wasn't even enough for one cup.

He went into the garage and searched for a fresh bag along the shelf of nonperishables. Not seeing anything, he backed up for a better view. He went too far and bumped into another shelf. A couple posters fell, hitting him on the head and then bouncing and rolling on the cement floor.

Out of curiosity, he unraveled the first one. A Nirvana poster. That brought back memories. He and Jake had gone through a grunge phase in junior high, even to the point of starting up a really bad band.

Cruz put the poster back and unrolled the other one. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That also brought back memories, but it also gave him in idea. He rolled it back up and went inside, sneaking into Zachary's room.

Zachary was twisted up in his covers, snoring away. Cruz pulled some tacks from his cork board and displayed the poster where his brother couldn't miss it. He chuckled, enjoying the childish pranks. It was fun to have brothers.

He yawned, reminding himself that he still needed to find the coffee. This time, he found the bag easily enough. It was partially hidden behind a bag of organic sweet potato chips.

By the time he got out of the shower, he could smell the roasted beans. He took a deep breath and rushed to get ready. When he opened the bathroom door, the smell of bacon hit him. His mouth watered. He threw his pajamas into his room and went to the kitchen, where his mom was cooking breakfast.

"Did you make the coffee?" she asked.

He yawned as if to prove his point and nodded.

"Might need to water it down," she teased. "It's so strong, it could bench press a Buick."

Cruz snickered. "Exactly as I intended. I need the extra kick today."

"You'll get it and then some. Hungry?"

"You know it. Thanks, Mom."

"Mind setting the table?"

He got the table ready, and before long, a full spread awaited. His mom loved having her kids home, so she always fixed big meals. It reminded Cruz of when he was growing up. There was always a full table of food surrounded by their large family and lots of laughter.

His dad joined them and asked Cruz a bunch of questions about his new place. Just as Cruz was finishing, Zachary came in, his hair sticking out in a million directions. His eyes narrowed at Cruz. "Turtle power, huh?"

Cruz burst out laughing. "Yeah, well, had to get you back for the sheets." Which were still on his bed, but he wasn't going to let his brother know that.

Zachary smiled and held out his fist. "Nice one."

Cruz bumped it with his own before getting up and rinsing off his plate. He glanced back at Zachary. "You still helping this afternoon?"

"Yeah. I was going to bring some posters to help you decorate. Kind of ironic." He laughed.

"Awesome, dude."

When Cruz rode up to his normal parking spot, he paused. The road leading to his parlor had been plowed. He could actually park right in front. Who had convinced the town to do that? Not that he was going to question a good thing. He went the rest of the distance and stopped, cutting the engine.

He pulled off his helmet and set it down. Glancing over at the church, he noticed no cars in front of it. He must be early if he'd beaten them. And that disappointed him, but he knew he'd get more done.

"Nice place," came a male voice behind him.

Cruz turned around. "Julian. Where'd you come from?"

"Just out for a stroll." He raised his nose. Everything about him radiated superiority.

"All the way over here? It's pretty far from your neighborhood."

Julian plucked a piece of fuzz from the arm of his jacket. "I like to stay in shape, so I walk all around Kittle Falls."

"And you just happened to end up by Talia's church."

"Do you have a problem with me?" Julian adjusted a large, gold watch.

"Yeah. Always have. You know why."

He smirked. "But I have a lot more to offer Talia than you do. Money, looks… morals."

"You forgot charm."

"That goes without saying." Julian gave an arrogant laugh.

"Well, Allen and Talia aren't there today, so you wasted a trip." Cruz turned to go inside his shop.

"Don't think you have a chance with her."

He whipped around and glared at Julian. "Why? Because you know her so well?"

Julian jutted his chin. "I know her type. Good girls like her prefer a clean-cut guy who can provide nice things."

"You have her all wrong."

"We'll see." Julian thrust out his chest and walked past Cruz, bumping into him without apology.

Cruz cracked his knuckles. He'd never wanted to punch anyone more, but that rat wasn't worth it. Never had been. The two of them had always run in different circles. Julian, with the goody-two-shoes crowd and Cruz with kids who spent more time in detention than playing rugby—or whatever it was that Julian had been into.

During their teen years, angry glances had been exchanged but for the most part, the two groups had left each other alone. Until the day Rachel Fuller moved to town. The tall brunette with sparkling emerald eyes had caught the attention of both Cruz and Julian. She'd arrived just before a big school dance and Cruz had asked her to go with him.

She said yes, but then changed her mind. Julian had been behind it. He'd not only asked her to go with him, but he'd told her a bunch of exaggerated half-truths, making Cruz look like a criminal. Cruz had been so furious, he and his friends egged Julian's house. But that wasn't enough. Cruz was ready to give him two black eyes and a bloody lip, too. Jake had talked him down, and then went and told Rachel the truth.

Rachel broke her date with Julian, apologized to Cruz, and then went to the dance with him instead. Julian had been humiliated, and had sworn he would get back at Cruz one day. Now it appeared he had his opportunity.

Cruz took a deep breath, went inside the shop, and peered around, his body tense. He'd gotten a lot done on the shop already, but there was so much more to do. With any luck, he'd have all the garbage cleared out before Zachary arrived after finishing his daily writing.

He stuck his earbuds in, put on an indie rock station, and sang along loudly to release the stress. He opened all the doors and windows, hoping the cross-breeze would help clear the air. He'd opened the front door the day before, but that hadn't been enough. As with everything else, it was going to take his full-blown effort. He couldn't go halfway with anything if he wanted to open the doors anytime soon.

Cruz went through the back door to get to the trash this time, not wanting to allow himself to be distracted if he saw Talia. Hopefully she'd stay away from Julian. He didn't trust him further than he could throw his motorcycle.

After a couple hours, he looked around. He'd thrown out everything—finally. Now the question was whether he wanted to clean first or move things around. Reorganizing would only kick up dust, and he'd been sneezing despite the mask, so the answer was obvious.

He went to the corner where he'd thrown all the cleaning supplies. His stomach rumbled. Glancing outside, he guessed it to be lunchtime. He'd better take care of that before taking on a new task. He went outside and debated whether to eat out or at home. It would be wise to save money where he could.

"Cruz!" came a familiar female voice.

He turned toward the church. Talia waved and smiled at him. She actually wore pants instead of a dress. She had on skinny jeans and bright pink boots. He waved back and walked toward her.

It had been a few days since he'd seen her. After nearly kissing her in the classroom, he needed space to clear his head. And he still couldn't get her out of his mind.

He went over and met her in the middle of his shop and the church.

"Thanks so much for all your help the other day." Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she had on less makeup than usual.

Cruz really liked the casual version of Talia. He brought his attention back to her eyes. Those aquamarine beauties. He cleared his throat. "Oh, it was nothin'."

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't. Hey, are you hungry? I just brought lunch for Dad, and I made enough for an army. I guess I expected the other church to be here, but they're coming after lunch."

"I don't want to impose."

Talia laughed. It was such a captivating sound. "Not a chance. Consider it a thank you for all your help."

"Sure. Oh, and I like the new look."

She glanced down, her cheeks turning pink. "This? I've just been organizing the last of our boxes at home. I don't usually dress down so much when I leave the house. I guess I forgot."

"You should let it slip your mind more often."

Talia turned away. "Come on. Dad will be glad for the company."

Cruz smiled. It was fun to fluster her. They went inside, finding Allen eating at the same counter where they'd all had cookies and hot cocoa before.

"Hey, Dad," Talia said. "I found someone to help us with the smorgasbord."

He gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, good. And here I was worried you were trying to fatten me up." He held a hand out to Cruz. "Good to see you again."

Cruz shook Allen's hand. "You, too, sir."

"Allen."

"Right. Sorry, man."

The pastor chuckled and pushed the over-sized picnic basket toward Cruz. "Help yourself. I think my daughter is trying to end world hunger."

"Dad," Talia said, adding a syllable to the word. "I thought the other church would be here."

"I know. Just joshing you, honey."

Cruz picked a sandwich and unwrapped it. It smelled like roast beef and made his mouth water. His stomach growled—loudly. He bit into the sandwich, hoping neither of them noticed, but both Talia and her dad had smiles on their faces. Well, at least he hadn't passed gas.

Talia saved the day by discussing her ideas for Christmas decorations. If she had her way, the church would be worthy of being featured in a magazine. He imagined the bulbs lighting up all of Kittle Falls.

She would definitely need help getting all the ornaments and lights up high on the roof.

"Do you guys have a long enough ladder?" he asked.

Talia turned to her dad. "Do we?"

"To reach the roof? I don't think so, but Paul from the other church is supposed to bring more supplies today. Maybe a ladder is one of them. If so, we'll have to ask to borrow it."

"Are they going to help with the lights?" Cruz asked. He pictured Julian offering to hold a ladder for Talia and ogling her from a different view.

Talia shook her head. "That's my area. I've always wanted to do that."

"You didn't at your old church?" asked Cruz.

"No. The lead pastor had other ideas."

"He didn't know what he was missing," Allen said.

By the time Cruz had finished the sandwich, some chips, and veggies, he was full. After his lack of sleep from working on his shop and helping Jake with his—and not picking up a mocha on the way to work—he was ready for a nap instead of more work.

"Thanks for the food," he said. "I hate to eat and bail, but…"

Allen collected the leftovers and walked them over to the trash. "No problem. I've got to get back to the sanctuary myself. We appreciate your help with the classroom the other day. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Cruz shrugged. "It was nothin'."

Talia smiled. "You keep saying that. We've got to teach you how to say 'you're welcome.'"

He stood taller. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure. Happy to be of service." He bowed toward Talia. "How was that?"

She curtsied. "Perfect, fine sir."

Allen chuckled. He seemed pleased that they were getting along.

They said their goodbyes and then Cruz headed back to his shop. He froze before he even reached it. Something was wrong with his yin-yang. It wasn't supposed to be green. His nostrils flared as he walked closer. Someone had painted a green 'x' across the whole thing.

His arms shook and his hands turned cold as he stared at his ruined artwork. He hadn't even had a chance to take a picture of it yet.

Cruz looked over to the door. He'd left everything open, having been distracted, and forgotten to close up the shop. He ran inside, and sure enough, two of his cans of paint and a brush were missing.

Julian. It had to be him. Not that there was any proof. He'd probably walked in and taken what he'd wanted without touching anything. No one would have seen anything, either, given how few people made it to this street.

Instead of punching the coward, Cruz would just take down the painting and put up a new one. He wouldn't even mention it to Julian. That would be the best form of payback.