Page 38 of Let Me Keep You

“Maybe you are, but at least you have sprinkles. If a man offered to tie you up or handcuff you to the headboard, you wouldn’t say no. Amiright?”

I smirk. Probably not.

“Regardless, it’s not that I’m some relationship expert or anything because you know how many men are knocking on my door.” She holds up her hand showing a big fat zero with her fingers. “But if the work lunches and dinners are too much, you should tell him, along with the other concerns you have. Honesty is the best policy. Unless it’s about dick size. You don’t want to inflate their ego.”

I snort. “You’re right, but I feel guilty telling him I don’t want to go to these client outings. Like I’m not being supportive, especially when he calls me his lucky charm. He gets so excited when he closes a deal with me there.”

Everleigh finishes her wine. “Welp, seems like you’ve got some decisions to make, my friend.” Her words are sincere, and there’s so much truth in them that it nearly slices me to the bone.

“I know.”

For the next hour, we go through the rest of the pictures, and Everleigh’s list to post nearly doubles. But at least we narrowed it down to the top fifty.

“Looks like I have enough for the next couple of months too.” I’m so proud of her for making her dreams come true. When we were teenagers, there were no local clothing stores for women under sixty, so she made it her mission to have a store for women of all ages and sizes.

After my buzz has worn off and the yawning begins, I decide to go home. I’m going to be exhausted at work tomorrow, but it’ll be totally worth it. Tonight was just what I needed.

On the way back to the cottage, I can’t stop thinking about our conversation. She made so many valid points. Robert and I do need to talk, but where do I even start? I hate confrontation, and the last thing I want is to hurt his feelings. Things have always been simple between us, and I thought I was okay with that, but I’m starting to realize I may have just accepted that without considering what I truly want.

I want a person who’s as obsessed with me as I am him.

Someone who craves alone time together.

A man who listens and understands my needs just the way I do for them.

As I walk through the door, I kick off my shoes, strip out of my clothes, and take a quick shower. After I’m clean, I slip on a T-shirt and panties, then climb into bed.

When I close my eyes, I expect to see Robert, but I don’t.

I see a shirtless Tyler and fall asleep with him on my mind.

CHAPTER NINE

TYLER

Though I’d like to say working around Gemma is getting easier, it would be a lie straight from the pits of hell.

I’ve tried my best to keep our conversations short and stay out of the lobby as much as possible. Sometimes when I’m grabbing water or in the break room, I hear her humming with the radio. In the past, I’d tease her about it, but after I left, it was one thing I missed the most. I should wear earbuds before it completely fucks with my head how much I enjoy hearing it again.

Helping Jerry in the shop the past week has been enjoyable. He works his ass off to make an honest living, and at times, he runs circles around me. More than once, he’s shown his gratitude for my help, but it’s nothing compared to how grateful I am for the chance he’s given me.

We’re no longer on a trial basis because I’ve arrived before Gemma each day and haven’t fucked off on my phone once. It’s a steady, secure income—something I never had in Vegas. Sure, I’d trained people, but sometimes, my clients would quit or move.

I lived that hustle life, doing what I could to make ends meet. I loved living in the city, enjoyed the desert air, and had no intention of ever coming back. But here I am.

People live a simpler life here. The biggest gamble they take here is buying out of season fruit at the grocery store. Not that I’m complaining about my new simple life, but I wonder how long I’ll last before craving my old reckless lifestyle.

Though I’ve been at work for eight hours already, it feels like I just walked in. There’s always something more to do and no time to be idle, so the days pass by quickly.

My mind stays busy with tasks instead of thoughts. Too often when I’m alone, I replay everything that happened with Victoria. That’s when the urge for revenge runs through me like poison, and I want her to pay for what she did. I want her to know what it was like to spend five years in prison. Drugs and weapons are not my forte. I didn’t have a record, but money can buy anything when the court system is corrupt.

After I clock out, my gaze drifts to Gemma. She notices, and her lips fall open to say something, but then her dad walks in. Instead of sticking around for a potentially awkward conversation, I head out.

Needing to blow off some pent-up aggression, I quickly walk home, change into workout clothes, and then go to the gym. It still smells the same as it did when I was a teen, back when getting buff to impress the ladies at school was the thing to do. Now, as I look around at the kids in here, I laugh at the memory.

Old carpet covers the floors, and the walls have wood paneling. It’s looked this way over the past few decades. Sam, the owner, is getting older and moving a lot slower. He’s here every morning at five to open the doors, and then his granddaughter closes at nine p.m. I wonder what he’ll do with the place when he decides to retire. I’d love to eventually be in a position to buy it, but that might be a pipe dream.

Grabbing a set of gloves, I put them on, then pound my fists together. I feel alive the moment I start swinging, taking my frustrations out on the bags in fifteen-minute sprints. I punch and swing as hard as I can, then switch positions to stay light on my feet. It’s a relief to let it out of my system and burn off the extra energy after working.