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Aurora flicked paint at me again. “Yes, Klutz, I am sure of those colours, and they look amazing on you!”
I leapt to my feet, and she squealed and darted away as I chased her with my paintbrush.
Aurora
Klutz had gone to fetch lunch while I continued painting the shop. I smiled as I took a minute to marvel at how we came together so easily. No doubt, we were soul mates. And I liked Klutz wasn’t pressuring me for sex. Yes, I was attracted to Klutz, but men who pushed for sex put me off completely. Because that shit was all they were interested in. I seriously enjoyed the build-up of a relationship and learning about each other.
I’d had three relationships before, where each time, the man decided because we hadn’t fucked by the end of the month, I wasn’t worth investing time in. Klutz didn’t do that. He showed respect and allowed me time to adjust to being in a relationship. He was funny, kind, and generous with his time. Klutz hadn’t returned to the bar where he’d had a job with Rage. Like him, I believed he would have been fired, so we spent ample time together.
He had thrown himself into helping get the shop straight. What scared and then alarmed me was how clumsy he was! Klutz was so graceful behind the bar, but OMG, he was a natural walking disaster. He’d hit his thumb with the hammer three times and had finally given up. A plank fell and knocked him on his ass. Klutz tripped over nothing, literally nothing, and bruised his nose. I was terrified at what he might do next. I’d tried getting him to sit down and observe, but bless his magnificent heart, Klutz wanted to help.
Together we’d ripped old panelling down from the walls and removed nasty ceiling tiles, which had revealed a beautiful, plastered ceiling. When Klutz had painted over it in white, the stunning designs carved into it stood out. Chains of ivy and berries, holly leaves, and in the middle of the ceiling was a huge oak tree. Damn, I needed to know what this shop was in its past because someone had really cared about it.
When we’d removed the cheap wooden panelling, we’d also discovered some beautiful murals on two walls that I’d promptly restored. Now we were painting the other two walls to freshen everything up. I’d picked a pale-yellow which Klutz seemed to disagree with. But it went beautifully with the cream walls the murals were painted on.
Klutz had tried to lay the new wooden floor, but after two planks, he threw his hands in the air and said he was no carpenter. I ultimately agreed and hired a local man to finish it. I had shelving and standing baskets for stock. Two reinforced glass counter cabinets were on order, while one wall would have glass doors fitted that locked for expensive and rare items. I’d already ordered lots of stock, plus I had items in storage from my previous shop that was being delivered here.
The one thing I liked about this shop was the basement underneath. It was a large empty area, and I’d ordered stacking shelves to keep excess items in. The stairs were also large enough for me to have a fridge moved down there for components that needed to be kept chilled. And large enough for Klutz to fall down, as we’d discovered the other day when he went headfirst down them. Honestly, I was considering taking out accident insurance on him. Meanwhile, a cold display cabinet was due to arrive any day now for the shop.
I was daydreaming happily about how the store would look when a screech of brakes hit me, followed by several loud bangs. Worried, I leapt to my feet, dashed outside, and saw a large trailer carrying heavy pipes had tipped over, and the pipes had broken free. Several cars lay trapped within the debris, and I gazed as I saw carnage everywhere. Other vehicles had been speared by the tubes or buried beneath them. The entire scene was red to me, and I shuddered before closing my inner sight. There was death but also life.
A flash shot towards the accident and headed straight for a car where a woman was screaming. I gaped as Klutz yanked open the vehicle door and began checking her over. She kept frantically pointing at the rear, and Klutz spoke calmly, soothing her.
“Aurora, come here,” Klutz yelled, seeing me outside. I hurried over without a pause.
“This is Claire. Can you stay with her while I check her son in the back?” Klutz asked, and I nodded.
I could smell the fear rising from Claire that her child was seriously injured, and when I glanced at the backseat, all I could see was blood. Klutz yanked open the rear door. There was no sign of his usual clumsiness. No, this Klutz was all business and expertise. Several moments passed, broken by whimpers from Claire.
“It’s a head wound, bleeding profusely, but he’s stable,” Klutz announced, and the air left Claire’s lungs in a wheeze. I patted her hand as Klutz rose to his feet. “Aurora, stay with her. She’s in more danger than the boy at the moment. He’s unconscious, and the bleeding is slowing. Should he wake up, yell. Honey, I need to move on.”
I nodded, amazed at how calm and collected Klutz was.
He jogged to the next truck, which had several pipes rammed through the window. Moments later, he shook his head and moved onto the next. My heart sank. The truck’s occupants were dead, or Klutz would have helped them. The following vehicle he stopped at, Klutz got busy with the male driver. A woman screamed inside as Klutz worked on stabilising the man. In the faint distance, I heard sirens and thanked God that help wasn’t far away.
The fire engine arrived first, and I recognised Javier Hawthorne, who hurried towards me. I explained what Klutz had done, and Javier took over. I sat back on my haunches, relieved as paramedics scrambled across the accident scene. Klutz remained working on the guy in the car and had been joined by a woman in uniform. Klutz was talking at speed, and the paramedic was nodding. After determining I wasn’t part of the accident, a policeman approached me and moved me to one side.
A crowd was gathering as uniformed officers began putting up police tape so the rescue workers could aid those injured. Paramedics raced victims to ambulances, and I realised Klutz was accessing people and the paramedic was listening to his opinion. She pointed the rescuers where to go, and they rushed to obey.
A flash caught the corner of my eye, and I sneered as I saw a reporter taking photos and speaking to people. My lip curled in revulsion as he focused in on Klutz, and I wondered what to do. I whistled sharply at Klutz, and he lifted his head, and I tilted mine towards the reporter. Klutz’s eyes slid to where I motioned, and disgust crossed his face. He waved and then continued helping where he could.
The reporter clocked me and sidled closer to my side of the street, still taking photos. I smoothed my face into a blank expression and ignored him. A cough broke my attention, and I scowled as I saw the guy by my side.
“Do you know him? The Samaritan?” he asked.
“Yup,” I said shortly.
“Who is he?” he inquired, excitement in his voice at getting an exclusive.
“My boyfriend.”
I saw his face fall a little.
“Does the boyfriend have a name?” he asked in a mock teasing tone.
“Yup. Excuse me, I’ve got work to do,” I replied and moved back to my shop.
The reporter let out a startled snort and began following. I locked the door in his face and disappeared behind the counter. If Klutz wanted to talk to the press, his choice. I would not speak on his behalf!
