Mike's Way Back (Finding Perfect) (4 page)

“We’re going to get some muscles on that scrawny ass of yours yet.” Mike teased as he stood at the head of the bench spotting his friend.

Through gritted teeth, Jack huffed. When he had the bar fully extended, he gasped for a breath. “Kiss. My. Ass.
Sterling.”

Mike appreciated the other man’s request to start working out with him. Jack didn’t show up every day, but he tried to fit as many in as he could with his wife and young daughter at home waiting. The skinny genes were in Jack’s family, but he had bulked up a little bit at least. And they had a good time giving each other shit during the sweat sessions. Watching Jack’s face turn redder with each rep, Mike raised his eyebrow. “While I appreciate the offer buddy, you’re still not my type.”

Jack blew out another breath. “Fuck you, Mike.”

“You’re just not pretty enough, dude, and you don’t have boobs.” Mike chuckled out loud.

The familiar retorts relaxed him. A part of him wanted to confide in Jack, both as a friend and a fellow officer. Fear stopped him. Instead, he accepted Jack’s banter. The teasing routine he knew all too well. As soon as Jack left, he’d tape up his wrists again, pound the innocent punching bag until he was barely able to drag himself to bed, and then pray like hell, the nightmares would skip a night.

~~~

Taryn returned to her hotel room, setup her laptop, spread her drawings and notes out over the small dining table meant for two, and scribbled furiously for an hour, praying she didn’t forget any ideas sparked by her tour with Mike.

A sharp
pain in her neck told her she’d been sitting in one position bent over her work for way too long and needed to stretch. Or at the very least, she needed to stand up.

She walked over to the hotel window.  It was a small room, not many amenities, but it was clean and comfortable.  Mike mentioned a bed-n-breakfast that was off the town square in the opposite direction.  She would have to look into that for her trip back to Renlend.

Leaning against the cool glass, Taryn took in the small town then glanced at her watch. She wasn’t ready to sleep, so she grabbed her purse and keys. It was dark, and she wouldn’t see nearly as much as she would in the daylight, but still something about the quaint, homey feel of the town pulled at her. Taryn also wanted to incorporate that feeling into the project she was currently sketching designs for.  At least that way when Andrew was finally able to make it to town, they’d be three steps ahead.

The town wasn’t big enough to get lost in, so she didn’t even bother to plug in her well-traveled GPS. The fact she’d been taught at an early age to navigate by sense of direction came in handy, although, she’d never admit that to her father.

Taryn chuckled to herself remembering, as a child then a teen, those lessons while trapped in a car with her father. It was that or
talk radio
. Kids today had no idea how lucky they were to have iPods with headphones. But then again, she never got lost.

Driving down one of the few main streets in town had her almost drooling.
And thinking. The old homes were astounding with the architecture, size, and the love put into every detail. Judging by the period detailing, some had to be over one hundred years old. History claimed quite a few were given by husbands to their wives as wedding gifts, and some were just a plain ostentatious display of stature in a time long past.

However, thoughts of the man she’d met at Jenny’s kept sneaking in as she slowly crept along the sleepy streets, falling in more and more in love with the peaceful small town.

After Mike and Taryn successfully walked the entire square, drifting in and out of little shops, he walked her to her rental car. The sun retired—the pinks, oranges and purples painting the sky, but it was Mike who made the tour enjoyable.

The time she spent with Mike had been surprisingly relaxed. The easy flowing conversation and joking was something she didn’t run across in very many men. She was used to manicured men in expensive suits with egos as frustrating as their personalities. Occasionally there was one worth moving past the first couple of dates, on to a few more. Even then, their already giant egos inflated more so in bed. So far, not one had lived up to his hype, leaving her to battery operated relief once she
’d walked them to the door, said goodnight and turned the deadbolt. Usually with her forehead pressed against the wood in disappointment before walking straight to her nightstand.

Phillip had been the worst. He was just a void she didn’t like to think about
, so, she didn’t.

One
Victorian house on the corner of Cherry Street suddenly drew her in and totally captivated her. It needed some TLC, but it looked like the owners were in the process of just that. She was in the dark with just the corner street lamp to see by, but Taryn saw many improvements were already completed. The roof looked brand new, and the railing on the wrap-around front porch was in perfect condition. From her experience that was due to good upkeep. A house that old would have settled, maybe even dramatically, taking its porch with it, leaving it to visibly sag.

Easing to a complete stop in front of the beauty, she just wanted to appreciate it a minute longer. She would definitely come back when the sun was up just to get a better peek, but in the meantime, she didn’t want to stay parked out front too much longer. No need to have the police called
and being accused of stalking.

Movement in the detached garage caught her attention. It was built off to the side of the house and farther back, but both doors were open. She watched for a moment as a man took swing after swing at the heavy black bag.
Taryn witnessed her brothers working out now and then when they were growing up, but there was something different in the way this man swung at the bag. There was fury behind each punch. Each contact his fist made was an attack.

He pivoted on his toes, the swings firing fast and hard. It was then she caught a glimpse of the man’s face. The build was right, the hair too. He had traded the jeans for loose shorts that were hanging from his hips, but no shirt. The sweat dripped off him, glinting in the light of the garage.

She forced out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

It was Mike.

The man she’d spent an hour with in easy conversation. Well, almost three hours if one counted the time spent eating in the bar, even though they weren’t technically sitting at the same table for most of it. She was having a hard time reconciling the differences between the man from this afternoon and this one.

Sure, he was tall, broad shouldered, and made of concrete. He could probably snap a man’s neck with barely a flick of his wrists, but Taryn had the impression he was more of a well built, muscled teddy bear.

However, the man in the garage swinging himself into exhaustion, was a man trying to outrun his ghosts.

If she knew him better, she’d approach him. Unfortunately, some of the lessons her father taught her were too ingrained. Her safety was supposed to be her first concern. He was still technically a stranger and that fact kept her in her car.

Taryn watched him for several long minutes before closing her eyes, blowing out a breath, and then turning her focus back to the road ahead. Putting the car in drive, she left Mike in the quiet of the night.

Chapter 4

Gabby kept an eye on the customers as they drifted around her beloved bookstore, but also typed word after word on her laptop. The small gold bell jingled when the heavy door opened yet again. The same bell her grandfather had attached to the wood door frame many decades ago. The familiar sound still brought a smile to her face for the man she adored until he passed just a handful of years prior.

The sophisticated dark blonde that Mike had brought in the night before walked
in slowly. Taking in the clothes that cost more than her budget would even allow, Gabby subtly watched the woman. It wasn’t as if she was afraid she’d shoplift. It was more of a fascination. The woman moved with a grace that Gabby wasn’t used to. Friendly, laidback and casually dressed would be how she’d describe her customers. Mother’s with young children, visitors wanting the charm of a small town bookstore. She had her regulars and she had her old men. Well, not her old men. But she’d claim them just the same. The elderly gentlemen who wandered in, read her daily papers while sitting in one of the leather chairs, and then dropped money on the counter while giving her the read paper back to recycle.

With a grin, Gabby shook her head. The same men she’d grown up with who shared stories galore with her grandparents. Day in and day out, they were there. Four of them and she could set a watch by their arrivals. Frank and Glen came together every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after their morning coffee and donut at the shop next door. Henry arrived on Thursdays at ten sharp, then again on Saturdays at a quarter to noon.

It was John that was her soft spot. He was there every day before Gabby. Six days a week, rain or shine. He had suffered a mild stroke almost a year after she’d lost her grandfather. It was the routine that kept him going, John’s daughter had told her. So every morning at eight, she’d find John waiting, his breakfast eaten at the diner on the south side of the square. He stayed exactly one hour and forty-five minutes. Then with a kiss to her cheek, he’d shuffle his way to the door, ignoring her invitation to lunch the whole way.

He was a proud man and her favorite by far. John was the carpenter who built the bookstore she loved with all her heart some seventy years before. Gabby listened to John and her grandparents tell old stories of how they were all barely more than kids when they carved their paths. Gabby loved her parents, and they had been there through the hard times when she didn’t think she could make it. But it was John and her grandparents who saved her.

They didn’t judge her.

The woman tucked her hair behind her ears and wandered around Gabby’s store. If her confidence was anything to go by, the stranger had it all. She could be extremely jealous, but she never wanted anything in life except the bookstore. That was her world, her safety net,
and her passion all wrapped up in one old building filled with words.

Except, the stranger was looking past the books.

Gabby quietly watched the gal, she vaguely remembered overhearing Mike say her name. Tara, Tana or something. Then suddenly the woman approached. She was definitely from out-of-town. Everyone else knew Gabby only spoke a few words when checking out a patron’s purchases. Except for her old men, Gabby did her best to distance herself. It was for the best. She couldn’t let her past upset her if she never spoke to
them
again. And until now, everyone seemed to abide by her unspoken rules.

However, what’s her name didn’t place anything on the counter for her to ring up. Yet, she stood there waiting for Gabby’s attention to leave the screen of her laptop and look up.

With a raised eyebrow, she did her best to quickly teach Miss Vogue house protocol. “Yes?” She asked, the lack of patience obvious and very much on purpose.

“My name is Taryn Watts, Mike Sterling brought me by yesterday evening before you closed for the night.”

Taryn
. Eh, well she was at least close on the name. However, Taryn didn’t seem to flinch, cower or seem intimidated by Gabby’s somewhat unconventional business manners. “Okay. And?”

“Well, I have fallen in love.”

Gabby rolled her eyes.

Yes, she knew Mike was a decent guy, a hot one at that and he protected the town, blah, blah, blah. Okay, so he was one of the very few she would actually have more than a three word conversation with. He was one of the good guys and there weren’t many of them. He hadn’t acted like the rest. Then again, he was a few years older. Maybe he didn’t know
but she found that hard to believe. It was a small town and gossip was cheap.

Even so, it was extremely weird for the blonde with legs that girls like Gabby would die for, to come in
to her shop and announce that she was in love with Mike. She was a stranger that Gabby couldn’t give a rat’s ass about. She started to tell her just that when Taryn, apparently ignoring the eye roll and attitude Gabby was going for, continued on.

“With your store. The building to be more exact.”

That stopped Gabby cold. Surely she didn’t hear that right. “Excuse me?”

~~~

Mike quietly mentioned after they left the bookstore, that the owner was a very quiet person. He even went so far as to warn her that Gabby James’s personality could be quiet off-putting. That didn’t scare Taryn. As a matter-of-fact she didn’t scare easily. She lived with two big brothers. A quiet, but possibly rude, bookworm wasn’t going to faze her. “I’m sorry, that probably came out sounding bizarre.”

Gabby quirked one eyebrow, “Are you a mental patient?”

Looking down at her attire for a second, then back to Gabby, Taryn smirked. “I’m not wearing a constrictive, and might I add, not very fashionable white coat am I?” Holding her hands up for the other woman to see, she grinned. “And my hands don’t appear to be restrained.” Gabby’s lips pursed and Taryn saw a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

“Touché.” Gabby ran one hand through the bangs of her long dark hair. “What can I help you with?”

Apparently Gabby was used to those who wouldn’t dare to approach her.  Maybe she really was shy and the
bitch thing
worked to keep society at bay.  Today was her unlucky day because Taryn had a million and one questions about the bookstore and no pressing plans until Andrew arrived in two days. She figured the owner probably didn’t offer to help very many people. Taryn tilted her head and continued, but kept the grin to herself. No need to piss of the queen of amazing personalities. “Like I said, this building is beautiful. I fell in love with it the minute I walked in.”

The grin crossed Gabby’s face and quickly disappeared again. This time Taryn smiled back at her over the small victory. “I’m a designer. My partner and I were hired to renovate the vacant building down the block. Unfortunately, it might take some higher force to get me to leave town. It’s amazing here. It’s quaint and charming, but not behind the times. It’s quiet and beautiful, and oh, the architecture alone is enough to—
”

“If you stand there and have an orgasm over an old building, I am seriously going to have Mike haul you to the loony bin where you can see ‘fashion’ up close and personal.”

It was Taryn’s turn to roll her eyes. Although, Gabby wasn’t that far off base, it may have come close to happening once or twice, but that was personal information. Very personal and embarrassing information. That was how desperate her love life was. Damn men. It was a sad day when two-by-fours and cabinetry did more to excite her than her recent past sexual experiences. “I promise. I just…I guess I think you are lucky to call this home.” She waved her hand around her.

Gabby raised an eyebrow.

“Admit it Gabby. You love it here. This bookstore may have been in your family a long time, but you love it and wouldn’t leave.”

“You are on crack, lady. You don’t know me from Adam.”

“No I don’t.” Taryn said matter-of-fact, her professional tone never wavering. “But I’m right. Is there any way I could possibly bribe you into a tour of the building so I can get some ideas? I’d love to keep my designs in line with the buildings already here. The building I’m working on has great bones, but much of the uniqueness was stripped away years ago. What do you say? I’ll bring you a latte from next door, or maybe even buy you lunch if you are able to leave the store at all.”

For several quiet moments Taryn watched Gabby’s face. Her eyebrows went from up high in what looked like astonishment
, then her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Finally, with another roll of the eyes, Taryn watched Gabby resign herself to the fact that Taryn wasn’t going to give up.

“Fine.”

“Thank you very much. I promise not to take too much of your time.”

“Whatever. I have a high school boy who comes in around three after school lets out. Come back then, I’ll take you on a quick tour, and then we can grab a Coke at Jenny’s and you can ask me whatever it is you’re wanting to know.”

Taryn held in the face-splitting smile in favor of a cool nod with a hint of a grin. She had a feeling Gabby was just humoring her and wouldn’t appreciate the happy dance she so badly wanted to do. “I’ll see you then.”

~~~

“Mike.” Jeff said as a greeting. Short and to the point as usual.

Mike let the heavy door close behind him and crossed to the bar where Jeff already had a beer uncapped for him. “How’s it going man?”

“Can’t complain.” Jeff held his water glass up to toast Mike’s bottle. “The boys are looking good in this series. Two more games and they’ll sweep it.”

He met the bartender half way to toast. That was one thing Mike could count on. They would always cheer on the same team, so he knew Jeff would have the television in the corner tuned to the channel their favorite team was on. They were the lone outcasts in town who weren’t diehard Royals fans.

Mike looked over his shoulder to catch the score. His Yanks were on fire. That made their yearly trip to
New York to catch a game even sweeter. They had been making the pilgrimage for so long they considered it tradition. Over the years, they began taking it to an extreme, staying at the same hotel, eating at the same restaurants, even going as far as ordering the same food year after year. In return for their dedication and crazy superstitions, so far the Yanks had never lost a game that Jeff and Mike attended. They gloated over the win for a week after returning home, at the very least. They both received a ration of shit from everyone, but it made the experience just that much more fun. “Hey Jeff, we need to figure out what game we’re going to and get it booked.”

“I’ve got some dates for you. I’ll email
info, and you let me know when you can get away from the station.”

“Will do.” Mike grinned.

The friendly petite waitress walked his way with a round tray full of dirty plates and empty glasses. She was several years younger than Mike’s early thirties. He'd guess maybe twenty-five or so, but what he found endearing was her ever-present smile. Jeff had gotten lucky when he hired Kelly.

“Hey, Mike…” The cat-like grin was a dead giveaway.

He proceeded with caution, drawing out the one word response in more of an
I know you’re up to something
. “Yes?”

Sure enough, Kelly’s grin widened. “Your new friend is over there.” She nodded to the back of the bar.

Mike followed Kelly’s line of sight until his eyes spotted the back of a honey blonde head. He watched for a minute as she ran her hands through her hair, pausing midway through as if she was thinking, then she bent back over her work. She was in another skirt, short, but professional and sexy as all hell. Her legs were crossed and Mike watched what he could see of her bare leg. Tapping her foot in the air, her heel was out of the pump and she was balancing the cherry red stiletto on just her toes.

Damn
.

He tried not to be obvious about the air he was dragging through his nose. It had been a very long time since a woman had taken him from zero to hard with as little as the swing of a shoe on a foot. Turning back to Kelly and Jeff, Mike quirked an eyebrow and asked for his meal to be delivered to her table. He also directed them to add Taryn’s tab to his.

“Oh, and Mike?” Kelly smirked.

“Yeah, Kel?” He answered, not hiding his impatience.

“She’s been here working most of the afternoon, but you’ll never guess who she was here with earlier.”

A quick zap of heat went through his system. If he didn’t know better, it almost felt like jealousy. That couldn’t be true though. Not for a woman he’d met just yesterday. He pinned Kelly with a stare. She set the bait, but he wouldn’t grab it by asking, who. He waited her out instead.

“Gabby.”

H
e never would have expected that answer in one lifetime, maybe even two. He gazed at Kelly, not sure if he had heard right. It couldn’t have been. Gabby was so distant, there was no way she would’ve have met up with a virtual stranger. He’d pointed Gabby out last night on their tour, but he didn’t even bother with an introduction knowing Gabby would prefer it that way.

“I’m serious. Shocking isn’t it?”

With his tongue in his cheek, he nodded to Kelly and turned in Taryn’s direction. Shocking wasn’t the half of it. If she had the kind of magic to bring Gabby into the daylight, and have more than a cut-off or cold conversation, then there was a whole lot more to Taryn than he’d originally thought. That said a lot, because he’d found her fascinating last night.