My body.
My heart.
My soul.
I’m tired of pretending I’m happy. Even when he makes it seem easy. But my heart is incapable of loving again.
________________________
She thinks she can’t love.
That there is nothing left in her to give to anyone.
Especially me.
But I would give anything to love her. If only my demons can stay in the past.
I roll over on to my stomach with my feet in the air and look out the window. “Oh, I didn’t tell you? I am supposed to help with the bed and breakfast and bake treats for the guests.”
“When did you start baking again?”
“I was helping Ivy out at the diner.”
“I’m so happy for you Rae! You loved baking when you were younger and now…”
I start to tune her out as I stare off into the distance outside. I see a very half-naked man a few hundred feet away hosing himself off. The sun glistens off the water on his chest as it drips down from his hair. He starts to take his boots off which are covered in mud and then realize his pants are also muddied up. His hands go for the button of his jeans and there is no way he is just stripping down outside where anyone could see him?
Sure enough, he turns around and strips his jeans off. And oh god he is completely naked now. I thought he was attractive before with those abs, but those legs and that ass, I almost want to go outside and grab it. Who cares about Easton’s no boys rule, right? What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
“Earth to Raelynn!” I snap out of my daze when I hear Tacoma scream into the phone.
“Oh, ugh, sorry. I got distracted.”
“By what?”
“Ughh, nothing. Yeah, just a bird outside.”
“Really? A bird? I said your name five times before you answered,” she says.
“Well, it was a really big bird, oh my god!” I squeal as I see Brooks turn around and I get a full frontal. Definitely big but not a bird.
“What the hell, Rae?”
“Holy shit!” I still am at a loss for words as I stare at the perfectly sculpted specimen of a man showering off outside. He suddenly looks up toward my window and smirks at me as he lets his hand travel down his body.
I squeal again and fall off the bed with a thunk onto the floor.
“Rae, what is wrong with you?” Tacoma shouts into the phone.
I am at a loss for words but manage to get out big and naked.
“A big, naked bird? Well, that’s a first. Maybe you should take a picture.”
“Oh my god, Tacoma he saw me staring,” I mutter into the phone embarrassed.
“Oh, so this big naked bird was really a man, huh? He get your feathers in a twist?”
“Shut up! He saw me watching him. He was hosing himself off. Outside. Naked!”
“Well, that is infinitely better than hosing off with clothes on.”
“But he saw me and then he started touching himself.”
“Please don’t tell me it was an old man. That is just wrong.”
I crawl toward the window trying to see if he is still there. “No. Not old.”
“Well, who was it then? I am dying over here, Rae. I am literally looking out the window at a brick wall and you are seeing young, attractive men getting dirty with a watering hose.”
“It’s one guy Tacoma. Not a whole slew of them.”
“Well it should be. I’m gonna pretend that it is. Now fess up, who is it?”
“Brooks Anderson.”
“When did you start baking again?”
“I was helping Ivy out at the diner.”
“I’m so happy for you Rae! You loved baking when you were younger and now…”
I start to tune her out as I stare off into the distance outside. I see a very half-naked man a few hundred feet away hosing himself off. The sun glistens off the water on his chest as it drips down from his hair. He starts to take his boots off which are covered in mud and then realize his pants are also muddied up. His hands go for the button of his jeans and there is no way he is just stripping down outside where anyone could see him?
Sure enough, he turns around and strips his jeans off. And oh god he is completely naked now. I thought he was attractive before with those abs, but those legs and that ass, I almost want to go outside and grab it. Who cares about Easton’s no boys rule, right? What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
“Earth to Raelynn!” I snap out of my daze when I hear Tacoma scream into the phone.
“Oh, ugh, sorry. I got distracted.”
“By what?”
“Ughh, nothing. Yeah, just a bird outside.”
“Really? A bird? I said your name five times before you answered,” she says.
“Well, it was a really big bird, oh my god!” I squeal as I see Brooks turn around and I get a full frontal. Definitely big but not a bird.
“What the hell, Rae?”
“Holy shit!” I still am at a loss for words as I stare at the perfectly sculpted specimen of a man showering off outside. He suddenly looks up toward my window and smirks at me as he lets his hand travel down his body.
I squeal again and fall off the bed with a thunk onto the floor.
“Rae, what is wrong with you?” Tacoma shouts into the phone.
I am at a loss for words but manage to get out big and naked.
“A big, naked bird? Well, that’s a first. Maybe you should take a picture.”
“Oh my god, Tacoma he saw me staring,” I mutter into the phone embarrassed.
“Oh, so this big naked bird was really a man, huh? He get your feathers in a twist?”
“Shut up! He saw me watching him. He was hosing himself off. Outside. Naked!”
“Well, that is infinitely better than hosing off with clothes on.”
“But he saw me and then he started touching himself.”
“Please don’t tell me it was an old man. That is just wrong.”
I crawl toward the window trying to see if he is still there. “No. Not old.”
“Well, who was it then? I am dying over here, Rae. I am literally looking out the window at a brick wall and you are seeing young, attractive men getting dirty with a watering hose.”
“It’s one guy Tacoma. Not a whole slew of them.”
“Well it should be. I’m gonna pretend that it is. Now fess up, who is it?”
“Brooks Anderson.”
From debut author Tori Fox, comes a story about starting over, taking chances, and breaking down the barriers around a hardened heart to find love.
I WAS READY TO START OVER. At least that's what I keep telling myself. Divorced at 26 and driving to Florida to move back in with my parents. Until my car breaks down in Smalltown USA. Not the place meant for a city girl. Until I meet the cocky asshole that is fixing my car. I should probably stay away but the pull is too strong. He was just meant to fix my car but I think he might fix my heart. |
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Broken Pieces sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeletesounds so good.
ReplyDeletemissing pieces and broken pieces sound like they are describing myself.
ReplyDelete