One Day at a Time (Starting Over Series Book 4) (5 page)

“Don’t be. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” He stood there while she got into her Jeep. As she backed out he waved to her before he got on his bike.

Chapter Three

Cash pulled up in front of Master’s Ink, his best friend Jared’s tattoo shop. He got off his bike, but before he made his way inside he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took the smoke into his lungs and then blew it out. He couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. It was chaste compared to how he wanted to kiss her, but the feel of her lips against his was a shock to his system. Even now he was fighting the erection that was beginning in his jeans.

“What’s up?” He started and turned to see Jared stepping outside, lighting up a cigarette of his own. “I haven’t seen you all week. Work keeping you busy?”

“I’m busier than I ever thought I’d be, but you know me. I’m always up for the challenge. So I wanted to stop by and tell you I had a date today—well, maybe not a date-date—but I’ve met someone I really want to get to know better.” He wasn’t surprised at the shocked expression on his best friend’s face. He was the one who had been pushing and pushing him to date.

“Well, holy shit! Who is she? Do we know her? Where’d you meet her?”

“Okay, enough with the twenty questions. No, you don’t know her. Her name’s Tessa, and I met her at Java Drama, that bookstore and café down off Harrison. She’s the manager there.” He snuffed his cigarette out and followed Jared into the shop.

“Well, that’s fuckin’ great, man. When do we all get to meet her?”

“Dude, hold up. I want to get to know her better myself before I bring her around everyone.”

They walked toward Jared’s office. “I get it. So, what has you interested in this girl? We’ve all tried the last couple of years to get you to meet women, and none have caught your interest.”

“She’s beautiful. She’s got the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen and the most gorgeous brown eyes. When she laughs it’s so soft and so sweet, and fuck, if her lips aren’t the most pleasing lips I’ve ever touched. Listen to me, I sound like a pussy.” He sat down on the arm of the couch in the office.

Jared pulled up a chair and sat across from him. “Dude, seriously. I’m fucking thrilled some girl’s got your attention because, brother, you fucking deserve it.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Seriously, Cash, I meant what I said. Look at what you’ve accomplished in the last four years. It’s about damn time you get your reward,” Cash opened his mouth to interrupt him, but Jared waved him off. “I just mean you deserve the happiness that goes along with being in the company of a woman. You think you’re broken, but damn if you’re not the strongest motherfucker I know.”

Cash pulled Jared up into a tight hug. Slapping his back a few times, he followed him out to the studio.

He hung around for a little while longer, talking to the other artists and to Betsy, Jared’s right-hand girl. She made the appointments, ordered the supplies, and called Cash when repairs were needed. She showed him pictures of her two little girls. Stella, who was four and Margot, who was eighteen months, were both adorable and looked like their daddy. Betsy was a different kind of chick. She wore her platinum blonde hair in pigtails or like Marilyn Monroe, and she had peaches and cream skin and ice blue eyes. She dressed in a funky retro style, which was like a glammed up, tattooed version of a pin-up girl from the 50’s.

Betsy’s husband Dario had dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, and on first look people would assume he was a punk with his baggy jeans and oversized shirts, and tattoos covering most of his body, but he was the gentlest soul Cash had ever met. Dario met Betsy eight years ago when she was brought into the hospital where he worked as an x-ray technician. Betsy had some bad smack and tried to kill herself. Dario ended up sitting with her all night long until they could get her a bed. They started off as friends, and after she celebrated two years of sobriety they had their first date and got married right after.

“They’re getting so big, Bets. How’s Dario? I haven’t seen him around much.”

“He’s great! He’s been working a lot of overtime lately. We love the extra money, but I miss him. Luckily Rosa’s been able to help with the kids.”

Dario’s family embraced Betsy from day one. Especially since her family disowned her when she was just eighteen years old, so the Ruiz family unofficially adopted her.

He shouted out a goodbye to Jared, gave Betsy a hug and took off for home.

Back at his place, Cash threw a load of laundry in the washer, grabbed his guitar, and sat down on the couch. Strumming away at the strings was therapy to him. He was able to forget everything but the music. Sometimes he’d write his own songs or play some of his favorites. It wasn’t unheard of for him to lose track of time and find he lost hours.

Every now and then it brought back memories that were too painful to bear. When Abby was a baby and before heroin took over his life, he’d play guitar and sing her to bed every night. With her he had turned everything into a song. From what his sister told him, Abby was doing that for her brothers. God, it hurt knowing he’d fucked up so royally with his daughter. Would she ever call him Dad again? He could only hope and pray that in time she would.

Shaking off those thoughts, he picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the number he wanted.

***

When Tessa got home she was full of nervous energy, so she started to clean the apartment, or at least the main rooms, her bedroom, and Josie’s. She didn’t dare enter her brother’s bedroom. For one, it was a freaking mess. Second, it was a painful reminder of Alex and their love for each other. Lastly, her brother’s guns were in there. He tried to teach her how to take care of a gun and how to use it, but she flat-out refused. She wasn’t afraid to admit that they petrified her. One tiny little bullet could end someone’s life. She shuddered just thinking about it. She was getting ready to make herself a small dinner when her phone rang. Assuming it was Jonathon checking in, she answered without even looking at who it was.

“Hello.” She was expecting to hear Josie or Jonathon’s voice. It was a pleasant surprise when Cash’s voice greeted her.

“Tessa?” he asked.

“Hey, Cash. What’s up?” she asked.

“Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that I had a nice time today.”

She wanted to squeal into the phone like a schoolgirl, but with limited restraint she stopped herself from doing it. “I-I did too. What are you doing?”

“Nothing, I was just playing my guitar and got this sudden urge to call you. Was that okay?” He almost sounded unsure of himself. It warmed something deep inside her that he got the urge to call her.

“Totally,” she whispered. “So you play guitar? That’s really cool.”

They talked for over an hour. She talked about her job, her family, while he talked about his business. She thought that was so cool, owning his own business. He even told her about his crazy neighbor, who she could tell he was very fond of. She sounded like a firecracker, and she found it hilarious the older woman hit on all of his male friends.

“When do your brother and niece get home?” he asked.

Tessa sat on her bed. “They should be home around dinner time tomorrow. They always have the best time. I go sometimes, but with Jonathon’s crazy work schedule I want them to have their daddy-daughter time.”

Silence greeted her on the other end. Did she say something wrong? She pulled the phone away to make sure she hadn’t lost him. “Cash?” She hated that her voice sounded almost needy.

“Shit, I’m sorry. Someone just pulled in my driveway, but they backed out. Well, it’s great they have that. Listen, I think I’m going to go. What do you have planned tomorrow?”

She didn’t entirely believe his reason for going. Call it women’s intuition, but his voice didn’t sound as carefree as earlier. “I don’t really have anything planned. Why?” Biting her lip, she waited for what he was going to say.

“Well, I wanted to see if you wanted to have breakfast with me tomorrow.”

“Of course, I’d love to. Where should we meet?”

“You could give me your address and I could pick you up.” She liked the sound of that.

“Okay, sure.”

She gave it to him, and he told her he’d come get her at nine. When she hung up, she flung herself back on her bed. A big smile graced her lips as she picked up her book and snuggled into her bed.

***

It had been a week since Tessa’s first date with Cash. When she had gone out with him Sunday for breakfast, they went to his favorite waffle house, ordered their breakfasts, and decided to go to the park and eat. She had been on cloud nine. He was fun, attentive, and always touching her. Whether it was holding her hand, his arm around her shoulders, or his hand at the small of her back, there was always some part of him touching her, and she loved it.

After they finished eating he spread a blanket down on the ground. They snuggled together as the warmth of the sun enveloped her body. Sometimes they talked and other times simply enjoyed the companionable silence. By the time he brought her home she already couldn’t wait to see him again.

Every other day this week he’d either come to her work to have lunch with her, or he’d at least call her and they’d talk for a few minutes until they both had to get back to work. At night when she was ready for bed they talked until one or both was yawning loudly into the phone. She loved that they actually talked and didn’t text each other. They did text, but it was only to see if the other was able to talk. Texting was so impersonal, plus she loved the sound of his voice.

She still hadn’t told Jonathon about Cash, or at least that he was the guy she’d been having lunch with, but she knew when she did he’d go all protective big brother on her. Things were still new between them, and she was afraid her brother would try to scare him off. It was bad that she’d never dated in her twenty-seven years. It didn’t help that Jonathon was super protective of her, but she had a hard time being around men too. She met Cash and there was something about him that made her feel cherished and safe.

Tonight she was going to Cash’s house for dinner. She was extremely nervous, unsure if he was going to want to have sex. She hadn’t found the courage to tell him she was a virgin. Of course all they’d shared were a few heated kisses. She got tingles now just thinking about that thing he did with his tongue. She shook her head and started going through her closet looking for something to wear.

“Skirt, skirt, dress, skirt, dress, dress.” Was that all she had? She’d always worn skirts or dresses since they seemed to hide her boyish figure, but she wanted to try something different. She went to her dresser, digging through until she reached the bottom. Last year she’d bought a cute pair of white jean shorts, she’d just never gotten the nerve to wear them. Taking a deep breath, she pulled them out, along with a purple, flowy tank top. She pulled out a black cami with a built in bra to wear under it.

Piling her hair on top of her head, Tessa jumped in the shower. She buffed and shaved and then shaved again. The scent of her honeysuckle body wash wrapped around her and helped calm her fraying nerves. She hopped out of the shower and dried herself off. Throwing on her robe she made her way back across the hall to her room. She was just about to shut the door when her brother came out of his room.

“What’s up, Tess? You have any plans tonight?”

She couldn’t lie to him, so she answered him vaguely. “I’m going to a friend’s for dinner. You didn’t need me to watch Josie, did you?” She should’ve made sure he didn’t have plans before telling Cash she could come over.

“No, not at all. So who’s the friend? Someone from the store?”

“Uh-huh. Well, maybe, sort of.”

He gave her what she assumed was his cop look. His eyes got all intense and he seemed taller. “Are you meeting a man?”

“Maybe, why, is it wrong?”

“Honey, it’s not. But I know you have issues. I just want you to be careful. Who is he? Have I met him?”

“No, you haven’t. His name is Cash. We met a couple of weeks ago at the store. He’s the one who met me for lunch there. He’s very sweet and he treats me real nice.” She took a deep breath. “When I’m around him I don’t feel anxious or nervous. He makes me feel safe.”

“Wow, okay. I think that’s great. If you’re comfortable with it, I’d like to meet him sometime. You know, make sure he passes my big brother inspection.” His upper lip tilted up in a smirk, but she knew he was serious as a heart attack. “I’ll let you, uh, get ready then.” She watched him walk out to the living room and then went into her room.

Tessa pulled down the street a while later and found the address Cash had given her. Pulling into the driveway, she placed a hand to her stomach to quell the butterflies that took up residence in there. She checked herself in the mirror. She had decided to leave her hair down in wild waves and kept her makeup light. She grabbed her purse and hopped out of her Jeep and made her way up to Cash’s front door. Before she could knock, the door flew open and there he was.

***

Cash tried very hard not to drool when he opened the door. He’d never seen her in shorts before, but he was going to highly recommend she continue to wear them. Her legs were never-ending, smooth and toned, and he was immediately assailed with images of them wrapped around his hips. His dick twitched in his shorts, and he cursed the damn thing for finally waking up, and doing it all the damn time, especially when he thought of her.

The top she wore hugged her small but perky breasts. Her hair framed her beautiful face, and he was growing fond of her wearing it down.

“Hi!” she said, pulling him out of his worship of her body.

“Hey, babe.” He pulled her to him and attacked her lips. She whimpered against him, and he felt her hands move up into his hair. As much as he didn’t want to, he eased back from her. He rubbed his thumb across her lower lip, removing the smudged lip gloss. “Did you have trouble finding the place?”