AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The thought of being alone with Tyler again causes goose bumps to erupt all over my skin and I pray he doesn’t notice.
“All right, but I have got to go put on some clothes first,” I say.
“You don’t have to. I mean . . . um . . . I think you look fine,” he replies, looking a little red in the face.
“Fine?” I mock, raising an eyebrow after the compliment he just gave me moments ago.
I like making him squirm a little. That’s the price he has to pay for ogling my boobs. I know he’s checking me out. He is part of the male species, after all, and with a set like mine, they’re hard for any guy to ignore.
I peer at him through my shades and wait for his recovery.
“Come on, you know what I meant,” he says.
I laugh as I get up and sashay into the house to grab a different shirt, knowing that he’s watching as I walk away. Even when I’m inside, I still feel his eyes on me.
“So where are we going?” I ask in a singsong voice as we get into Tyler’s rusted pickup truck.
“Well, we’ve got to get some string to lay out the foundation,” he answers. “The lines we painted today give a good visual, but now we need to measure how high up we need to lay the blocks for the footer. The string is a guide to make sure we come up high enough and stay level. It doesn’t really matter what kind we use or where we get it.”
“Ah.” I say it like I understand what he’s talking about, but in reality I don’t have the first clue as to what he’s talking about. Maybe he and Dad know a little more about construction than I’ve been giving them credit for.
“Anywhere you want to stop?” he adds.
I shrug, nowhere comes to mind. I’d only been to town once with Dad, but I would bet money they don’t have any stores that I like to frequent. Besides, even if there were a place I’d like to shop, it’s not like I have any extra money to spend.
Money wasn’t an issue before, not when Dad still had his job. I miss those days. You never realize the privileges that you have until you suddenly lose them.
I’m completely lost in thought about our money plight when Tyler cranks up some strange music. It takes me a couple of seconds to place it, but then I realize it’s country music—a kind of music that I never listen to. This shocks me a bit, seeing as how Tyler has more of the rocker bad-boy vibe going, not to mention he plays in a pop-rock cover band.
“Do you mind if I change the station?” I ask and then reach over and spin the dial vigorously, searching for anything with a tech beat.
“Hey, hey, hey . . . what are you doing?” Tyler harps, while swatting my hand away from the buttons.
“I don’t really do country,” I answer with a grimace, hoping that I haven’t offended him too much.
“What? Who doesn’t do country?” he says with a laugh, pushing the button to start replaying his CD. “This is the best song ever.”
I lift both of my eyebrows. “This song?”
“Yes. The meaning. God, just listen to it. It gets you right here.” He points to the spot on his chest that’s directly over his heart. “This is real music.” He steals a glance at me. “Just give it a try. It’s awesome.”
It’s hard not to want to love the song after listening to the conviction in his voice. He’s so passionate about it. How can I not give it a chance like he’s asked, even if it’s not necessarily the music that I typically enjoy listening to?
It’s a song about a father losing his son. The song is about love and how even when you’ve gotten over losing someone, you never really move on—that you still hold that person close in your heart every minute of every day.
I don’t consider myself an overly emotional person, but this song could make even the hardest man in the world shed a tear or two.
I bat away a couple tears that have fallen from my eyes, and Tyler reaches over and takes my hand in his and gives it a little squeeze. “Told ya. Right in the heart. Even tough ones like yours.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not that tough.”
Tyler glances over at me and winks. “Sure you’re not, crowbar.”
We both laugh, remembering the first night we met, but it only momentarily distracts me from the fact that Tyler is now holding my hand. His palm is a little rough and I assume that’s from working in the lumberyard. I’ve never had a guy reach over and take my hand like this before while driving and I have to admit that I like it a lot. The butterflies in my stomach are going crazy right now.
Tyler pulls into the parking lot of Walmart, parks, and then runs around to my side of the truck to open the door for me. Instantly he reconnects our hands and leads me inside.
After we get everything that Dad and Tyler need, we head back to Granny’s place. For the ride home Tyler turns the radio station to a pop music channel and we jam to songs we both know all the way. Tyler and I sing most of the choruses together, but I have to admit, his voice puts mine to shame. He doesn’t complain about my singing though. Well, not much, anyway. He does laugh and shake his head a few times when I try to go all Alicia Keys on him. Tyler is extra cute when he smiles, and I even notice when he full-on laughs, two little dimples love to make an appearance. Dimples are so sexy on a guy and they send my hormones into overdrive.
