High Maintenance (8 page)

Lexy impatiently pounded on the door of apartment 100. Ray answered just when she was about to give up. A weary face greeted her, held up by a thin body wearing a gray sweat suit. “Is Tate here?” she blurted out before he could speak.

He ran a hand through his unruly hair.
This man’s appearance had more ups and downs than a yo-yo.
“He’ll be right back. Just went to 125 to pick up a late check.” He opened the door wider. “Come in.” When she passed through, his hand weakly pushed the door, so it didn’t come to a complete close.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” Lexy said, her selfishness stabbing at her already conflicted heart.

“I just nodded off. Been doing that a lot lately.”

“Oh…not feeling well?”

“Just a bit…but I’ll be back to my old self in no time. These things tend to go in cycles.”

Lexy nodded, looking to the door, considering her options.

“I’m guessing you didn’t come here to talk about my health.”

“No…I didn’t.” The persistent knot in her stomach had her stalling. She inhaled deeply, watching his eyes, wishing he could read her mind. “Why don’t we sit?”

“You know, don’t you?” Ray eased himself on to the couch.

Another nod from Lexy came with a compassionate smile as she sat across from him.

“You don’t look very angry,” he said, shaking his head. “You should be.” Jittery hands ran over his face and through his hair as he sighed. “Is it because I’m a pathetic old man.”

In his eyes, Lexy found a mix of emotions. She couldn’t help but think of her father when she looked at him. She rose and went to sit next to him. She put an arm around his shoulder. “It’s not that at all. I want to understand why more than anything.”

“Why what?” Tate said, standing in the doorway.

They both looked up, startled and fearful.

Tate eyed her, confused.

“Hey, son. There’s something we need to talk about.” Ray’s pitiful tone lingered on Lexy’s ears and heart, causing her to spring from the couch.

“Why…you didn’t defend yourself more. Why you didn’t come to me and convince me.” Lexy took his hands in hers when he started to protest. She captured his gaze, willing him to trust in what she was saying. “I realize now that it’s because you wanted me to have faith in you. I should have. I’m sorry.” She pulled her eyes from him to look down at their joined hands. She slipped one of them away, raised it slowly to her chest, and laid it flat against her heart. She let a smile spread wide across her face as she flipped her wrist over, palm facing Tate.

Tate reached out and traced a finger around the heart drawn in ink on her hand. He read the name in the middle “
Tate
” as his mouth pulled up at the corners.

“Will you forgive me?” she said.

Strong hands reached out to her face, pulling it up toward his. Lexy assisted by reaching up on her tiptoes. “I already have,” he said before bending to kiss her softly.

She clasped her hands onto his wrists, while he held her face. They smiled with lips grazing each other. Then, Lexy grew serious. “I had no reason to doubt you. You’re not Julian.”

“You don’t have to say anything else, Kitten. I understand…really.” Tate’s arms moved to encircle her, pulled her snug against his warm body. Over her shoulder he said, “You’re probably wondering what’s going on, Dad.”

Lexy quickly broke from his embrace to look him in the eye. “You know what? I just want to put this all behind me. Can we please forget it?” She glanced over at Ray, narrowing her eyes at him with certain determination. He shrugged, appearing uncertain. “Please?” she added.

“Sounds good to me,” Tate said. “I think a fresh start is just what we need. And maybe a beer. This fucking heat is never going to let up.” His face brightened. “Why don’t the three of us go out and grab some food?”

When Ray hesitated, saying he was tired, Lexy suggested Tate go get everything and bring it back to the apartment. He happily agreed and then grabbed his keys and wallet before heading out the door with the most satisfied grin glued to his face. Once they were alone, Ray turned to Lexy. “You should have told him.”

“There was no point,” Lexy said. Her father had always told her things happen for a reason and though she didn’t share that with Ray, she knew this was the perfect example.

His eyes grew angry. “The point is that he should know his dad is a selfish bastard.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You know, he talks about you all the time.”

“He does?”

“Of course. You’re his hero.”

Ray shook his head, walked over to the window, gazing out. “Some hero.”

Lexy let him stand there a moment before she wandered over, collecting her thoughts. “Hey, we all make mistakes. What you did was wrong, but I know you’re a good man. You raised a good man, and I’m thankful for that. Just look how easily Tate forgave me.”

“Maybe so, but that’s different. I should have to pay for what I’ve done.”

“Sometimes repentance is enough. And in this case I believe that to be so. There’s no reason for us to tell Tate. He loves you so much, and you two have grown close.” Desperation crept into her voice.

“And, you don’t want to take that from him.”

“No, I don’t. My father is gone. All I have are memories. You two have each other now. It’s important that you take advantage of every minute of that.”

“Do you still want to know why?” He glanced back over his shoulder.

“Well, I’m sure it had to do with money.” She briefly thought of Julian. How convincing he could be. How he must have played on every weakness Ray had. “I saw from the text that you made the decision to stop. That brings me some comfort.”

“I know it’s no excuse, but my health insurance was canceled. I couldn’t afford all these damn pills I’m taking. I couldn’t ask Tate. I just couldn’t.” He turned to her. “I’m so sorry, Lexy.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I really do.” It may have been pity driving her next statement, but it was also her feelings for Tate. “If you want to make it up to me, never speak of this again.”

Surprised, he shook his head, let out a short, breathy laugh. “No wonder my boy’s crazy about you. Your dad would be proud of you, Lexy.”

She went to his outstretched arms, accepting the embrace he offered, feeling hopeful about new beginnings.

Six Months Later…

The arrival of the sign brought Tate and Lexy some much needed relief. Murphy had decided to lay off already, even though the damn thing was four days late. Things had finally settled down after several mishaps had delayed their opening by three weeks. They watched, arm in arm, as the final brackets were being secured. “Flower to Flour,” Lexy said reading it with pride. She rubbed Tate’s back, reached up, and planted a peck on his rough cheek. “Great name.”

“Brilliant name,” he said with a wink and a smile.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. You do have some brilliant ideas.”

“This I also know.”

Lexy bumped him with a quick elbow, but she didn’t correct him. The look on his face told her he wasn’t just referring to business ideas which reinforced her agreement to his comment. The passion. The spontaneity. The inspiration. Everything she’d longed for and didn’t get from Julian had been showered upon her from Tate. She’d definitely had her needs satiated over the last few months. More than that, she’d finally felt a sense of acceptance and unconditional love. That, to Lexy, was a winning combination.

The shop wasn’t a loss of her independence, but evidence of her keen business sense and the strength to make the right decision. It had also been the perfect solution when Lexy was turned down for her loan, and given that Tate’s business had been struggling. The catering side of it had come as a pleasant surprise, when Lexy began marketing to the local community. Jobs came trickling in for showers and parties, saving the customers time and money by getting flowers and baked goods from the same vendor.

The money from Julian’s engagement ring helped them through most of the initial costs. Tate took out an additional small loan to cover the rest. Ray became a regular fixture there once his health improved and even assisted with some of the upgrades.

Just before the opening, Tate and Lexy went to Mexico to visit her mother and aunt. She’d brought a whole file of papers, brochures, and articles printed from Mr. Woodward on ways the two women could work toward gaining citizenship. He’d given her no guarantees, but hope was a starting point.

“Isn’t it exciting?” Lexy snapped a shot of the sign with her phone and sent it to her mother. “It’s official now.”

“Wait,” Tate said. He took Lexy’s phone, gripped her from the waist and whirled her around sending a high-pitched squeal out into the air. He snapped a selfie of them in front of the shop, then tickled her as soon as he clicked the camera.

“Tate!”

“Now it’s official.”

A hand landed on her backside, giving it a slight squeeze. “And now, I know I’m excited.”

She nudged him in the ribs. “C’mon.”

He didn’t remove his hand, which was fine with her, but he said, “Seriously, I couldn’t be happier. I get to spend every day looking at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on and every night proving to her that it’s true.”

Lexy melted from his words, glowed from the bright, sexy smile that accompanied them. “So…how should we celebrate?”

Tate ran his fingers up her back and whispered his answer in her ear.

“I mean something other than what we’ve been doing every night,” she said, giggling.

He kissed her neck, her cheek, her lips. Then, he grabbed her by the waist, lifting her into his arms. “I don’t care what we do, as long as we are no farther apart than this.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

THE END

Thank you so much for reading
High Maintenance
. I hope you enjoyed it and will help spread the word to new readers, and/or consider posting a review. Positive feedback from readers is a joy and so inspirational for authors. If you would like to try other books by me, please visit my website at
www.liafairchild.com
, or see my listings on Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/Lia-Fairchild/e/B004OUENSW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Now, for something different!

A look at my new dark romance,
Compulsive

Lies hurt.

Lies destroy.

But some lies protect…and heal. At least that’s what Gray Donovan had hoped for. She’s a compulsive liar using it as a defense mechanism to survive life and her shattered past.

When she starts seeing therapist Daniel Harrison, she can no longer deny the truths that have haunted her for so many years. She must now stand and face them.

Opening up to Daniel leaves her exposed and vulnerable. When her soul is bared to him, she can’t contain the attraction or the feelings he elicits.

Daniel feels drawn to his new patient, but he knows he will have to fight it in order to resurrect Gray from her demons. His will and his judgment are tested when he must overcome his own doubts and face his own secrets.

Preoder now until May 12 when it’s live!

Enjoy a sneak peek here!

Chapter 1

The ridges on the stark white ceiling blurred from my intense stare as I listened to the steady even breaths coming from the body next to me. He wasn’t a bad guy. Just an idiot. Maybe even married for all I knew. The clock read four twenty-three. That wouldn’t work for me. I waited for a nice round even number. Something that felt right. I held my phone with the message typed out:
I need you
. I keyed in the address, and when the clock hit four thirty, I hit
Send
.

At ten before five AM, I eased my body out of the bed the way a mother slips from her sleeping child, hoping not to rouse her angel. He stirred a moment and turned on his side, his arm involuntarily reaching for me.

“Sky,” he murmured with his eyes closed. His dark buzz cut hair was sprinkled with gray flecks, and a small rectangular scar bordered the hairline on the right side of his face. I hadn’t noticed that the night before, or I would have asked him. Now my curiosity had me pausing, conjuring up various scenarios for its origin. Whatever the cause would forever remain a mystery. With a gentle hold around his wrist, I lifted his hand and rested it on the comforter. His eyes flitted open and closed. Frozen, I waited to see if he’d wake. I didn’t worry about coming up with a story. It always came.

Still sitting on the edge of the bed, I reached over to an adjacent chair to snag my black silk shirt. When I pulled it over my head and then glanced down, two light blue eyes met mine.

“Hey, you,” he whispered. His soft, sweet smile almost made a dent, but I pulled my hand away.

“I’ve got to run.”

Surprise and confusion colored his face. “What time is it?”

“Around five. I’ve got early rounds.”

He seemed satisfied with my excuse and looked thoughtful. “Ah, yes, Dr. Phillips. Time to save lives.”

I gave him a nod and a tight smile just before a knock at the door sounded. I rose from the bed to pull on my skirt and slip my feet into my heels.

He sat up watching me closely like a cat that’d dart out of an open door. “Who could that be at this time?” he said.

“My ride,” I threw over my shoulder. I scooped up my purse from the dresser on the way out, catching his face in the mirror. They always had that same look the next day. Or perhaps I was the one who saw things differently.

I heard him jump out of bed and scramble for his pants as I made my way to the living room, picking up my pace. “Sky, wait.”

When I reached the door, he came in and leaned against the couch, folding his arms. “I could have driven you home.”

“It’s okay,” I said, pulling the door open.

Nathan stood in the doorway, hands stretched out to the jams on each side, his brown hair ragged from being dragged from the comfort of his bed. He shot me that look that said,
you owe me
and then let one hand fall and sweep to the side as if making a path for royalty.

“Wait,” a voice came from behind me. “Who’s this guy?”

Nathan took a step into the doorway. “Oh, hey, man.”

“John, this is my cousin, Nathan,” I said.

Unfortunately, Nathan had spoken at the same time I did and said, “I’m her neighbor.”

John walked over to the two of us, eyes darting between me and my partner in crime. “Well, which is it?”

Nathan and I exchanged looks, and I opened my mouth to speak.

John held up his hand. “No. Let me guess,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “He’s your cousin who lives next door.”

I half-shrugged while looking him dead in the eye. “I really should get going.” A split second later, I plastered on a smile. “I’ll call you.”

“You haven’t given me much choice,” he said to my back as I sidled past Nathan. “I don’t even have your number.”

I’d be willing to bet John wouldn’t be holding his breath.

In the car, we drove in easy silence with the windows down. The sky was still a hazy blue melding to light. My shoulder length, dark brown hair fought and tangled around my face as I stared out the window. I watched the dawn covered streets half-filled with commuters and the deprived waiting for jobs or wandering about. I sucked the crisp, clean air into my lungs, feeling cleansed and thankful our mutual agreement didn’t require explanation. That didn’t mean we never gave them.

At the stoplight, I gazed through a glass window at a father and son sitting at a table in a diner. The boy, possibly six or seven with soulful eyes, stared back at me. He smiled and brought a hand slowly to his lips as if kissing it. Then, he reached up two fingers and looked toward the sky. I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, he was gone; the booth was empty. The way my heart felt as it sank inside my chest pounding with immense force. Nathan stroked the back of my head. I turned and met his smile as his hand ran down my shoulder to my hand, interlacing our fingers. He and I didn’t need words to comfort each other.

My phone sounded in my purse as we pulled into a gas station. I released his hand to retrieve a text from Dr. Wallace that I’d missed our appointment yesterday. Strike three. Only if she documented it. I contemplated whether it would be worth giving her a story, considering she knew my history. I started typing:
Sorry, Alyssa was stranded again. Had to
… Backspace all the way
. I had an urgent appointment with
… Backspace. Close application.
Fuck
! She wouldn’t believe me, and lies annoyed her. I had no choice. A personal visit accompanied with begging and bribery was the best solution. I thought about her reaction if I told her I’d given John my middle name, Sky, instead of making one up. Was I losing my edge? I had enjoyed being the privileged doctor for a night.

Back at my apartment, Nathan followed me up the walkway. At the top of the stairs, Alyssa sat outside her door feeding a stray cat.

“Don’t let Cruella see you doing that in here,” I said, bending over to scratch the top of the cat’s head.

“No shit,” Alyssa said. Her ingenuous eyes stayed glued to the little tabby. “She won’t be up for hours.”

“Where’s your mom?” Nathan asked.

“Like I know that.” She stood and yanked up her tight skinny jeans. “Got any cash? I could go grab us some donuts.” She smiled and held out her hand like it was a done deal. I wasn’t the only damsel Nathan would rescue on occasion.

He dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out two crumpled bills. “Sorry, I only have six bucks.” He rolled coffee-colored eyes in my direction. “I left in such a hurry I forgot my wallet.”

Alyssa snatched the cash from his hand. “No biggie.” She shoved the money into her back pocket and then picked up the kitten, caressing her cheek against its fur. “Thanks. What do you guys want?”

“We’re good,” I said, pulling my keys from my purse. “Nathan’s on a diet.” I gave her a squinty smile.

Alyssa shrugged and headed down the stairs.

I tossed my things onto the couch and then collapsed next to them. My feet pushed at each heel until they thumped onto the carpet. Had I slept at all last night? Distinguishing between sleep and awake was not always easy for me, especially in a strange bed. Nathan fell in place next to me, and I noted we still hadn’t said a word to each other. He put his arm around me and I leaned into him, resting my head on his comforting shoulder. I played with the buttons on his shirt for a second and then said, “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” he said.

* * *

I must have dozed off, because my eyes popped open at sounds and smells coming from the kitchen. I turned to find Nathan at the stove, his back to me. I stared at his broad shoulders and examined how his back muscles pressed tightly inside his white T-shirt and his half-sleeve tattoo showed on his left arm. For a moment, an image flashed in my mind of me grasping that shirt in my eager fists and pulling it over his head. I sighed, closed my eyes, and then took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of bacon. Yes, better to focus on food.

When I opened my eyes, he turned toward the sink, grabbing my gaze with his. “Hey, gorgeous. You hungry?” he asked with an innocent grin.

“Always.”

“Then you better get your ass over here and make something. This is all mine.”

I grinned and scoffed. “So, you can cook for hundreds of people every day, but not me?”

He kept his head down as he rinsed a glass bowl in the sink. “Well, they do pay me and…I think I’ve done enough for you today.” Those dark eyes peeked up at me, testing my reaction.

I reached for my phone, aimlessly scrolling without paying attention to him. I reread the last text I got from Evyn, asking me how things were going with Dr. Wallace. Another person in my life who amazingly hadn’t given up on me…yet. I went to my pictures and clicked on camera roll. I thought of the boy in the window and started scrolling to the top of the list until I found what I was looking for. I brushed my finger across Noah’s smiling face before clicking it off. When nothing but silence came from Nathan, I rose from the couch and went to sit at the bar. “I’m really getting off that easy?”

“What would be the point of asking?” he said as he pulled plates from the cupboard.

He knew I couldn’t stand when he turned things around on me like that. “Last night wasn’t a plan, you know? Let’s call it…a setback.”

He grabbed the pan from the stove and gracefully shifted a piled of eggs onto each plate. “Yep.”

I’d always found watching his cooking to be sexy and artistic, but today my irritation took over. “You’re an ass,” I said, taking the plate from his hand and adding a couple of strips of bacon.

Nathan ran a hand through his wavy dark hair in frustration. “Fine…Did you even like the guy?”

“Sure.” I smiled. “He’s highly intelligent. A corporate lawyer or something.”

Nathan’s head fell to his chest. He shook it a couple of times and then sighed. I wasn’t trying to annoy him; it was just how things worked out for us sometimes.

“Fine,” I said before picking up my fork. “I couldn’t hear a damn word he said over that annoying music they were playing, but I did like how he kept staring at my legs.” I scooped a bit of eggs into my mouth and chewed while Nathan regarded whether or not this answer was the truth. If anyone could tell that from me it was him. And sometimes I wanted someone to know about me.

“Jeez, Gray. You’re the only woman I know who gets off on pervs ogling her body.”

“He wasn’t a perv.” I stared straight ahead, avoiding the angry eyes that seared into my skin. His reactions seemed to be getting worse. It wasn’t like I never had to deal with this crap from him.

He came around to sit next to me, but kept his head forward. “Why didn’t you have your car?”

“Lost it in a poker game,” I said, but his sigh pushed another attempt from me. “I…uh…went out with Becca and Barb.” I flinched before I finished the sentence. Nathan couldn’t stand my twin aunts. They took the matching thing to a whole new level when they each left their cheating husbands, filed for divorce, and moved in together. Becca is still going through hers.

“Wow, you must have been desperate. Seriously?” He turned his body and gave me a disgusted look. “Those two are like Mary Kate and Ashley after they came back from pet cemetery.”

“God, that’s dead-on.” I managed a grin. “But they’re not that bad. Besides, they helped me out, and I couldn’t say no. I was broke, and Barb had someone from her work fix my laptop.” Of course, when I went to pick it up, they had to drag me out with them. A classic case of bait and switch. They used me to lure the men over, hoping to snag another husband, and I got free apps and drinks. But ultimately those two have watched over me, helped me when I was in need, even if they were like Cinderella’s step-sisters and the fairy godmother all rolled into one.