Page 37 of Pretty Heartache

I’m not certain his words bring me comfort, though.

He claps me on the shoulder and walks over to gather up a few of his tools by the back door, then Jude and Cain head out.

They’ve already made their way to the gate on the side of the house leading to the front yard when Adeline stands in front of me, grinning.

“What is it?” I ask, laughing under my breath.

She looks down at her feet, dragging her toe along the grass. When she looks back up, she squints against the bright sun. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?”

“For agreeing to go through this stuff.” She points to the shed. “I just think it would be a shame to throw it all away instead of giving it a second chance at life.”

Warmth spreads in my cheeks. It could be the heat from outside or it could be the sight of Adeline standing this close to me. My body vibrates with the memory of her behind me on the bike. A twenty-minute ride home I’ll never forget.

“You’re welcome.” Seeing her happy sparks a light in me. A piece of my soul that’s been dead for the longest time is suddenly revived, and she’s the one holding the paddles.

I’m terrified of what it means.

Her smile fades when she reaches out and swipes her thumb across my jaw. The small soft pad of it grates against my stubble-lined chin.

“Dirt,” she says, pulling her thumb away.

I lift my hand and wipe the same place she just touched.

Leaving me, she spins on her heel and heads into the shed. I walk over to the patio and grab my work gloves.

When I step into the shed, the crew is already hard at work getting everything done before evening hits. Two of the men are lifting an old, dark blue, velvet upholstered sofa. The fabric is torn and weathered across all three cushions. It isn’t salvageable. I tell them it’s trash before turning my attention elsewhere.

They carry it outside but place it in a separate area from where the other items will go.

I spin around to get a view of what I’m in for when I find Adeline on the opposite side of the shed. She’s climbing a ricketyold ladder propped against the wall. I don’t know how old it is, but I can see the weathered, fragile rungs from here. Every other one is crooked, barely hanging on to the supports. She looks up at a framed picture of a beach, with a lighthouse in the distance hanging on the wall, keeping her eyes on it as she steps onto the next unsteady rung.

A member of Cain’s crew drops the large clock he was working on carrying out, weaving in and out of the furniture to get closer to Adeline.

He slinks his way through, all the while keeping his attention on her. I step closer, too, and with my hands fisted, I walk around a large dresser, bumping my hip into it. I groan, the pain shooting across the right side of my body.

The crew member asks Adeline if she needs help, his attention dropping to her legs. She glances over her shoulder long enough to give him a smile, telling him that she has it.

He’s now standing less than a foot away from her, in front of the ladder, offering to spot her in case she falls. He has a perfect view of her from where he is. Her ass cheeks peek out from the hem of her shorts. The man shifts on his feet, tilting his head to the side as he examines her like a piece of meat.

Again, my body is telling me to do something. I don’t know what, but it needs an outlet. The way he’s admiring her isn’t sitting right with me. Fury rages inside me.

“Hey!” I yell, my vision turning red.

Adeline reaches up, trying to reach the frame, not hearing my booming voice. Her tank rises up the length of her stomach, exposing the small of her back. The man shifts on his feet again and leans forward, placing his hands on either side of the ladder. They slowly slide up the sides, growing closer to the backs of her legs.

“Addy!” I say, blood draining from my face. My pulse races, watching as he slips his hand low, between him and the ladder, adjusting the hard on I’m certain he has.

What in the actual fuck?

My feet move, and before I know it, I’m standing directly behind him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I yell, seething with anger.

He spins around, lifting his hands up like he’s innocent. “Nothing. I was just keeping the ladder steady for her… in case she fell.”

Fucker stands in front of me, panicked and wide-eyed.

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