Color of Loneliness (24 page)

“Good. It’s starting to itch, which is driving me crazy, but it doesn’t hurt,” Myra says as she touches the back of her head.

“That’s good. So is the scruffy Greek god there yet?”

“Well…”

“What?”

Myra sighs. “He showed up on my doorstep last night drunk.”

The phone goes quiet.

“Eh?” Susie finally squawks in a funny voice sounding like an old grandma. “For a minute there I thought you said the gorgeous ass showed up for a shitfaced no-call booty call.”

“Stop it. This is serious.”

“I am serious. Did you sex up that delicious piece of asshole? You did, didn’t you?
Please
tell me you got to polish his tools.”

“Of course not,” Myra shouts. “He has a pregnant girlfriend, remember? I told you that yesterday?”

“So? What did he want?”

“Uh…”

“What?”

“He wanted to say hello to my… lips.”

Susie busts out laughing. “Holy shit, that’s so awesome. Did you suck face? Did you tongue the meanness?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. He was a mess. It was obvious he got in a fight with his girlfriend or something because he called me Sabrina before he passed on my couch.”

“Let me get this straight. That yummy piece of sexified manliness passed out on your couch? Did you take a peek at his jackhammer?”

“No,” Myra shouts.

“If that had been me, I would have happily stripped him naked and took a ride on his tool,” Susie says before laughing.

Myra shuts her eyes tight and clenches her free hand in anger, wishing that Susie would just shut her mouth for once.

“Myra, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know I shouldn’t have said that. Forgive me, okay? After I cash your check, I’m going to go buy a muzzle for my mouth. Saint Bernard size because my mouth is completely huge and out of control today.”

“You need one.”

“I so want to hear more about this story, but I have a meeting in five minutes so I gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay, hon?”

They quickly say their goodbyes and Myra slips her phone into her back pocket just as she hears a knock at the door.

She opens it to find Ray grinning at her. She cringes inwardly. “I wanted to deeply apologize for my rude behavior this morning so I come with a peace offering. Would you please have lunch with me? I lay my humble meal before you and offer you half of it.” Ray winks as he holds up a bag.

“Oh, no, thank you, I’m really busy right now. I’m sorry.”

“Well, that just won’t do because I won’t take no for an answer.” He just continues to stand there, not moving an inch and smiling broadly at her.

“I really can’t. I have…”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you,” he interrupts in a sing-song voice.

Her shoulders sag. “Fine. Come in.”

Just as Ray starts to step through the door, Dylan shows up on the porch.

“What the hell are you doing?” he calls out to Ray.

Ray turns to face him, holding the door open. “I’m having lunch with Myra,” he says with a smirk.

Dylan’s face turns hostile. “No, you’re not.”

Myra steps out onto the porch. “Would you care to join us?” she asks, looking at Dylan. “Please?”

Dylan stares at her, then Ray, then back to Myra. “Uh, I don’t…”

“That’s right. You don’t,” Ray says to him.

When Myra turns to look at Ray, he says, “Come on,” to her with a tilt of his head.

Myra ignores him and turns back to Dylan. “Please?” she asks again, hoping she doesn’t sound as desperate as she feels.

He stares at her for a moment before he finally nods.

She lets out a breath and gives him a quick smile.

“Jesus Christ,” Ray mumbles as she steps past him through the door.

“I’m gonna wash up,” she hears Dylan say behind her. She busies herself by pulling some lunch meat out of the fridge.

“You sure look beautiful today,” Ray says, making her stomach roll with nausea.

“Uh, thanks,” she mumbles.

A few minutes later, Dylan walks into the kitchen. Turning towards him, she quickly asks, “Do you want a sandwich?”

“Sure,” he says with a nod.

“And some leftover soup?” she asks, watching his face break out into a crooked grin. His eyes light up as he nods. She can’t help the happy smile that appears on her face in return.

Ray clears his throat loudly. “So, Myra, how long have you lived in Nyssa?”

Her smile disappears as she looks down at her shoes. “Um, I lived here as a child but moved to Philly for college. I stayed there after I graduated but just moved back after my grandfather died.”

She turns back to the counter and grabs the bread.

“Hm,” Ray says. “Are you dating anyone?”

Dylan mumbles something angrily, but she can’t quite make it out.

She clears her throat. “Um, no,” she answers, still not turning around.

“Awesome,” Ray says. “I’m not dating anyone either so this just works out perfectly, huh?”

She frowns when she hears Dylan make a loud growling sound.

Myra swallows hard and stays silent as she puts a bowl of soup in the microwave. Picking up the plate with Dylan’s sandwich on it, she walks it over to him, keeping her gaze averted as she quickly sets it in front of him. She can feel his eyes on her so she glances up. The corner of his mouth tugs up. “Thanks,” he mumbles quietly.

She gives him a small smile back. After bringing the rest of the food and drinks to the table, she sits and they start eating.

“Will you go out with me?” Ray asks, causing Myra to choke on her food.

“Jesus Christ,” Dylan shouts. “What the fuck is the matter with you?”

Myra coughs as Dylan and Ray both watch her. Finally, she gets her choking under control and takes a drink of water.

Ray doesn’t give her a second to rest. “Well?” he asks as he continues staring at her.

“You need to shut your damn mouth right now,” Dylan says in a low voice, his eyes looking fierce.

“If I remember correctly, this is a free country, and I happen to think Myra is hot. So if I want to ask her out, I can damn well ask her out whenever and however I feel like it,” Ray says.

“You know what? You’re right. But I sure as hell don’t have to sit here and listen to your fucking mouth,” Dylan says as he stands, angrily pushing his chair back, and stomping out of the kitchen.

“I’m not feeling well,” Myra mumbles to Ray as she immediately jumps from her chair.

“Hang on a sec,” Ray shouts. Ignoring him, she runs up the staircase to her bedroom, quickly closing the door and locking it behind her.

* * *

Dylan stomps all the way out to his truck. Dropping the tailgate, he slumps onto it, and pulls out a cigarette. His hands shake as he tries to light his cigarette. Ray’s mouth pissed him off so much that he was barely able to control the urge to jump up from the table and punch him straight in the chops.

Blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth, his gaze drifts back towards the house as he wonders how she answered him. He hopes like hell she doesn’t go out with that shithead. She deserves better. After finishing his cigarette, he climbs back up on the roof, and starts tearing off shingles.

Within minutes, Ray moseys up with his ear buds in. Dylan stares at him long and hard, waiting for him to say something, but Ray only gives Dylan a hateful glare before he starts working.

They spend the rest of the afternoon tearing the roof off and tossing the pieces into Dylan’s trailer, not saying a single word to each other. Finally, Dylan decides to call it a day and motions to Ray.

“Eight in the morning. Sharp,” he says as they make their way down the ladder.

“So I won’t find your hungover ass on her couch again, will I?” Ray asks, his face breaking into a grin.

Dylan has that urge again. To sink his fist into Ray’s front teeth. He ignores him but can feel a vein popping out in his forehead.

“Eight sharp,” Ray repeats. “Can’t wait to see you tomorrow, Sunshine.”

Dylan grits his teeth and starts loading his tools into the back of his truck, throwing them with a little more force than necessary. He feels a little better when he hears Ray’s truck exiting the driveway. Once he has everything secured, he walks back towards Myra’s porch. She steps out of the door just as he starts walking up the steps.

She stares at him with a small smile on her lips. He runs his hand through his hair and tries not to look at them. Her lips, that is. “I’m gonna leave my trailer here until we get the roof torn off, if that’s okay?” he asks.

She tucks her hair behind her ear and nods. “That’s fine.”

Dylan clears his throat. “Sorry about what happened at lunch. Ray embarrasses the hell outta me. I hope he didn’t offend you, or if, I mean, if you wanna go out with him, I, uh…” Dylan stumbles over his words having no fucking clue what to say. He just doesn’t want her going out with that dick. Ever.

Myra takes a small step towards him. “It’s okay. I went upstairs as soon as you left,” she says with a smile.

“You did?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to go out with him.”

Dylan takes in a deep breath. “You don’t?”

He steps closer to her.

Smiling, she shakes her head.

His gaze drops to her lips. He shouldn’t be looking at them but fuck it, he can’t help it. He has an overwhelming urge to smash his mouth against hers and kiss her until she can’t fucking breath. Swallowing, he takes another step closer until their bodies are merely inches from each other. His eyes search her face, taking in her beautiful skin, her pink cheeks and her eyes that look so warm and inviting.

He stares at her lips and runs his tongue over his, wetting them, his mouth gaping open slightly. He needs to feel those lips. Touch them. He desperately wants to know what they feel like. What they taste like. Leaning in closer, just a little closer, his breathing starts to increase. His eyes feel heavy and close… and…

“Myra, Myra! Oops, am I interrupting something?”

Dylan’s head snaps back quickly, as he takes a step aside just as Jackie runs up onto the porch. He blinks, dazed, as Myra’s neighbor grabs her in a tight hug.

“Hey,” Myra says. Her eyes catch his over Jackie’s shoulder.

Dylan looks down at the ground. “I gotta go,” he mumbles as he races off the porch to his truck.

He blows out a quick breath and runs his hand through his hair before he backs out of the driveway. He knows that if that damn Jackie hadn’t shown up, he would have most definitely kissed the shit out of those goddamn delicious-looking lips and maybe dragged her into her house to do some other things to her that he would’ve regretted. Good thing that annoying woman showed up like she did.

He needs to get some damn control over himself and keep his distance from Myra in the future because she doesn’t need to deal with someone like him and his shitload of problems.

Distance.

Dylan nods to himself because he most definitely knows how to do distance.

CHAPTER 13

BEIGE, ALOOFNESS

“I thought you weren’t going to be back for another week or so?” Myra says to Jackie, but her eyes follow Dylan’s truck down the road.

“I know, I know. Isn’t it just so exciting? Mom and dad helped me out, and we got everything done way faster than I originally thought we would. I brought a few boxes of stuff with me, and the moving truck is supposed to be here in a couple of days. I just absolutely
couldn’t wait to get back here. Of course because I missed you, but I’m just so ready to, like, start over. Do you know what I mean?” Jackie’s eyes shine as she stares inquisitively at Myra.

“Yeah, I do,” Myra says quietly as she holds open the door for Jackie. Her head turns slyly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dylan’s tail lights. Her shoulders dip slightly when she only sees a deserted road.

“So, what’s going on between you and Dylan, huh? It was looking all hot and heavy there for a minute before I came along and rudely interrupted. I can’t believe I did that. I feel so bad.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything. He was just, uh, telling me something about the roof.”

“Sure,” Jackie says with a snicker. “That’s exactly what a conversation about a roof looks like.”

“It’s the truth…” Myra mumbles.

“I’m so sorry I interrupted. I’m always doing stupid things like that. I just feel terrible about it. I didn’t realize what was going on until I was practically on the porch. I’ll try to be extra careful next time. Can you forgive me? Please?”

Myra internally rolls her eyes. “There’s nothing to forgive because you interrupted nothing.
”

Freezing from standing out on the porch with no coat on, Myra walks to the couch, grabs a blanket and drapes it around her shoulders. “Want something to drink?” she asks.

Jackie shakes her head as Myra sits down. “I just drank one of those energy drinks,” she says, as she starts rocking back and forth onto her tiptoes. “I needed something to keep me awake on the boring drive over here plus I wanted to have some extra energy to get a lot of stuff done today, but it’s got me so revved up right now, I’m about to explode. I wish I had a trampoline to jump on. Or I might need to go jogging or something to burn off all of this excess energy,” she says before giggling hysterically.