“Hey Jerry”
“Hey little Beckett”
The older man approached the front desk as Jax walked in to hand Aubrey the keys to a car he’d just finished working on. He placed the keys on the counter, labeling them with the person’s last name before turning his attention to Jerry.
“What’s going on Jerry?”
“Ay boy, just need maintenance done..”
“Jax’ll be happy to take care of that for you.”
Aubrey pitched in, nodding her head over at Jax as he held his hand out for the keys. Jerry handed them over, giving Jax a grateful head nod as he walked towards the garage before calling him back.
“Oh, Jax. Norma’s got lunch for you in the passengers side.”
Jax turned his attention back towards the two. His face breaking out into a smile at their generosity. He nodded at Jerry, yelling a thank you before continuing. The old man looked over at Aubrey again, nodding her head towards Jax.
“How’s he doin’?”
She shrugged her shoulders, heaving a heavy sigh before leaning forward onto her elbows across the counter top. Her worry for him mirrored in Jerry’s face.
“I don’t know. He’s good while on the clock, it’s everything else that worries me.”
“Yeah, I getcha. He ain’t much of a talker neither. Gets outta work and starts working on his new house. Won’t come in till 3 in the mornin’ and buries himself in liquor till he knocks himself out.”
“That bad huh?”
“Something’s killin’ that boy from the inside out.”
She leaned forward to peek through the window facing the garage where he was working on Jerry’s tire. His face worn down and tired, his blue eyes more dim than usual. She nodded her head before turning her attention back towards Jerry’s voice.
“You know who he reminds me of?”
“Who?”
“Your father.”
“Andy? How?”
“You know how. That man would’ve ended his life years ago if it wasn’t for you pulling him through. You think you can do the same for him?”
“Jackson, ain’t my problem, Jerry.”
“You might wanna make it your problem.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a good girl Aubrey. You’re there for all your friends and family – Jax may be new, but he’s part of that circle.”
Sighing, she looked through the glass again to see his bright blonde hair peeking through the cars. She couldn’t deny the look in his eyes reminded her of Andy’s but Jax’s were much much darker. There was more in there than just a love that left him. Biting the inside of her cheek, she laced her fingers, wringing them restlessly as she watched him work.
“Jax.”
He heard Aubrey’s voice from behind him. He turned to see her approaching, her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as he leaned against his truck smoking a cigarette. He blew out the smoke as he nodded his head towards her. His body ached, he was far from any mood to deal with her shit but the look in her eyes wasn’t one of confrontation.
“Where you heading?”
“Stopping by the new place for a little before heading to the Inn.”
“I’ll uh – follow you there.”
His eyebrow lifted, tilting his head slightly as his confused eyes focused on hers. “Why?”
“I want to see what’s been keeping my employee to tired to get here on time.”
She watched his eyes roll at her tone before catching herself. This wasn’t about starting a fight. The two of them could go at it for hours, both holding a mean grudge, but this was about peace. This man had come into their town and melted the hearts of everyone he came in contact with, there had to be something good about him. Aubrey took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders lightly before returning her eyes to meet his.
“No, uhm, Andy said he’d been helping out. Said it was coming out great.”
Jax watched her, you could almost see her thought process through her face. He watched as her eyes searched for the right words to say before finally speaking up. He smirked at the hint of nervousness coming off of her. There was an end game here that he couldn’t quite place his finger on. Whatever it was, maybe he’d get a more laid back version of her tonight than he was used to.
“You wanna follow me there?”
“Lead the way, Teller.”
The road to the house was dark, minimal street lights and almost no cars to light to way. His eyes locked on the rear view for most of the ride, making sure she behind him, but then again she probably knew the way better than he did. Maple Hill was in no way a dangerous place, but his life in Charming had him accustomed to watching his back at any given time. With Aubrey behind him, his senses were heightened. He felt the need to protect her. Though being Andy’s daughter, he had no doubt she could handle herself.
Not long after, the two pulled into his driveway. Jax stepped out, making his way over to Aubrey’s car so he could open the door for her. She smiled gratefully at him as she grabbed her purse and headed inside. The vibe was different between them. Not hostile like it was at work – no – this was calming – like the few times he’d gotten to see her outside of the shop. This was the side of her he envied others for.
Inside was a wreak. Drywall pieces laid onto the floor from walls broken down. Tools and equipment in various places, scattered throughout the room. Her eyes moved slowly, taking in the mess surrounding them. She didn’t see a mess though, she saw the dedication in his work. The raw desire to burn everything from his thoughts and focus solely on this one thing. There were marks on walls where he’d started working and changed his mind midway she could see why he’d been spending so much time with Andy. He was patient. He was understanding. Andy would stand by countless hours doing and redoing something because he understood it was more therapeutic than anything else.
Jax watched her eyes, her thoughts shining through them. He watched as they would fixate on the mishaps before softening and turning to another place. It was the same look as her father’s. His nights spent working late with Andy had been ones he treasured. Andy didn’t expect him to talk. In fact, he would do the talking for him. Telling him about his wife, his hurt, how he overcame it all. It was soothing and distracting. Though it seemed the older man might have thought they were on the same page with losing a loved one. They weren’t. Having your wife murdered and killing your mother for revenge wasn’t remotely the same as a wife who’d abandoned her family, but nonetheless his talks were appreciated. He could see the understanding in Aubrey’s eyes as well, but she usually covered it up quickly.
“It’s a mess right now but -”
“No,” she cut him off, turning her body to face him. “It’s looking great.”
Her smile put him at ease. He cleared his throat before motioning his head towards the kitchen.
“You want a beer?”
“Of course you two would keep a stocked fridge.”
She smiled again as he returned the gesture, heading towards the kitchen. She made her way down the hallway to the bedroom, completely untouched, just used for storage so far. The room was small, much like the house, but she couldn’t see him seriously happy here. It was secluded and lonely. This would only dig him into a deeper depression than he was already in.
“Yeah, I haven’t made my way down here yet.”
His voice slightly startled her while she focused on taking in the room. She felt the comforting warmth that radiated off his body and turned around, with a small smile on her face accepting the bottle from him before taking a sip. The smell of his cologne coming through the oil and musk from working in the garage. She found herself liking the feeling of his body close to her and quickly took a step back.
“Are you doing a lot in here?”
“I might make it bigger, blowout that left wall and move it further into the dining room space.”
“Sounds like a plan. What’s Andy been working on?”
“Oh he’s doing the kitchen.”
Jax nodded his head towards the other end of the hallway, leading her down the way. The kitchen was white, walls full of scratches and scuff marks. The tile floor had been pulled off leaving the wood below exposed, the sets of cabinets they had bought were still in boxes in the corner outside the door. He watched her face take in the room before taking a pull from her bottle.
“What are you going to do to the floor?”
“New tile, I haven’t decided what I want yet.”
“How long is all of this going to take? Seems like a lot of work.”
“Might take a few months. Should be done by December.”
She raised her eyebrow, looking around the place again at all the unfinished projects. There was more to this. There had to be. Someone who really wanted to get this done would’ve finished it a while ago. Biting her lip, her fingers picked at the loose logo paper on the bottle.
“You got any plans for the holidays?”
His eyes grew dark momentarily before he turned his head away, taking a large breath in before exhaling.
“Uh, no. Just going to get settled into this place.”
“Oh come on, I bet your family will want to see you. Don’t you want to invite them over?”
“I don’t have a family, Aubrey. They’re all.. uh… ”
“Shit! I’m- I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine.. I thought Andy had told you.”
She smiled softly, her cheeks already red from embarrassment as she looked at the ground.
“Nah, he’s pretty good about employer – employee confidentiality.”
“Good to know.”
She could sense the sadness now coming off of him. Immediately regretting saying anything. Her fingers once again picking at the loose corner of the paper, maintaining the silence, unsure of what was really left to say.
“Come on, you should check out the back yard.”
He placed his hand on the small of her back, motioning her towards the back door leading outside. Grateful of the change in subject, she nodded, walking out the door. His hand on her back felt nice. Stable. The heat from his palm warming her whole body from the inside out. She couldn’t rationalize why she liked it so much.
His fingertips brushed against the soft cotton of her shirt, gripping it slightly before letting go as she walked down the steps to the yard. The area had been fenced with a white picket fence, lights hung from the large tree in the corner lighting the entire yard. He could see her smile, as the twinkle of the lights illuminated her eyes. His lips curved into a small smirk as she looked at him, smiling back softly.
“The lights had to be Andy, right?”
“He may have mentioned you like them.”
Aubrey laughed, lowly but enough for him to know she liked the gesture. He took a pull from his bottle as he watched her walk around, examining the work of the fence before looking up at the tree. She seemed so small next to it, only bringing another rare smile to his face.
“You’re doing a great job here, Jax.”
“I like to think so.”
“I should get going, but I’ll swing by again – maybe I’ll come by with Andy next time he’s helping.”
His eyes lowered to the ground, not wanting her to go but desperately needing some alone time. He nodded, the promise of her coming by more only giving him something to look forward to. His hand returned to her back, walking with her to the front, opening her car door for her as they stood in the driveway.
She leaned her back against the car, her arms crossed over her chest as her eyes wandered the house once more before returning to his. Those beautiful blues focused intently on her. The weight of his stare bringing a blush to her cheeks.
“Listen, Jax…” She placed a hand on his arm, his biceps feeling much harder than she’d imagined. “I want you to know that you’re not alone. Not here. You have a family here. Norma, Jerry, Jim, Andy – ” she took a deep breath, ” and even me. We all care about you. We all worry about you. I just want you to know..whatever it is you need – you always have someone to go to.”
His skin felt on fire under the touch of her silk like fingers. His eyes shifting between hers and the words leaving her lips. He felt a sting in his eyes as they started to fill with tears. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t pull his eyes away from hers. The sincerity in her tone, in her eyes, only breaking him down further.
Unable to stop himself, his hands reached out, cupping her face in them. His thumbs brushed against the soft skin of her cheeks as his lips met hers. They were warm and tasted sweet, like the balm she was always putting on them. He felt her hesitate for a moment before pressing back against him. Her small hands grabbed his shirt, pulling his body closer to hers as he pressed her back against the side of the car. He hadn’t felt comfort like hers in a long time. To long. He needed to hear that he still had someone. Had a family. He needed to feel the words that left her. Needed to believe they were true as undeserving as he was.
Her breath hitched beneath him as he felt a soft push of her hands on his chest. Her fingertips grazing her lips as she stared at the ground, regaining her composure. He bit his lip watching her, she looked so innocent yet undoubtedly sexy. Her eyes met his and he couldn’t breath. Her heavy glare looking right through him. He couldn’t read it if he tried. For the first time in a while he felt nervous. Then she smiled. It was a shy smile, not one he’d ever seen from her, but he liked it and he couldn’t stop his own smile from coming through.
“See you in the morning.”
Aubrey breathed out slowly, her eyes not leaving his as he opened the door to her, helping her to climb in. She cleared her throat, fully aware of his eyes watching her every movement before he finally broke the silence.
“Have a goodnight, Aubrey.”
“Goodnight, Jackson.”
He watched as she pulled out the driveway, her eyes meeting his through her rear view. What had he just done?