Damaged Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 1) (7 page)

Everyone I pass waves hello, which is something you don’t find in the city. I find myself smiling and waving like a loon at the older gentleman that is next to me at the stop light. The light turns green and I continue my journey. About a mile past the light, my navigation tells me to turn left to a drive that looks to be about a mile long. I turn into the drive and it is lined on either side with trees. I am in awe at how beautiful this place is. The lawn is expertly cut with every type of flower you can imagine outlining the yard.

I finally arrive at the end and am even more shocked at the house that sits in front of me. The two story old farm house is white with green shutters and a long wrap-around porch. I take in the breath taking view of the house, while getting out of the car. I faintly hear barking and within seconds a chocolate lab comes barreling toward me. Once he has reached me, I bend over and give him some love.

“What a good boy you are!” I pet the top of his head and he licks my cheek.

“See? Even Andy is glad you’re here.” I hear that gravelly voice that always gives me chills. I look up and I am sure my jaw drops open. He half smirks.

“Hey. Looks like you found your way ok.” I stand mute as I watch Andy walk back to his owner and sit next to the khaki short clad leg. My eyes travel up his beautifully shaped leg and stop on the phoenix that flows up the side and around to his calf. I stop myself from drooling but continue to his freshly trimmed stubble on his chin.

“You have a beautiful home, Fenton. I never thought…”

“...never thought I would live in this house? Is that right?” he laughs.

“I didn’t mean…”

“It’s ok, Piper. That is everyone’s reaction. Would you like a tour?”

“Of course!” I exclaim, as excitement begins flowing through me. As beautiful as the outside of this house is the inside must be out of this world. From the impeccably sculpted lawn, to the porch swing on the seemingly never ending porch, this place is gorgeous.

We walk up the three steps that lead to the porch and I get an overwhelming whiff of lilac.

“Do you have lilacs somewhere?” He looks back at me confused for a moment.

“Yes, I have a few bushes in the back, why?”

“They are my favorite. Since moving to Indiana, I have always wanted to grow them but have always lived in an apartment, so I haven’t.”

“Oh, I see. Yeah, we can look at them when we get to the back.” We walk inside the house and I gasp. Fent looks back at me like I am nuts.

“Are you ok?”

“Y-yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Right in the entry-way of the house is the most beautiful chandelier I have ever seen. I laugh to myself, if only my sister were here.

“So this is the living room.” We walk in and I almost trip over the dog bone that is in the middle of the floor. Fenton grabs me so I don’t fall.

“These things are everywhere. They are the only thing that is allowed on the floor and only when I am home.” I have to admit, this place could definitely pass the white glove test. You definitely couldn’t tell a construction worker and a giant lab live here.

He has a giant flat screen mounted to the wall with the usual gaming system that accompanies most guys. Leather love seat, sofa and chaise lounge.

“Can I sit on your chaise?”

“Of course, make yourself at home.” I take my shoes off and climb into the lounge and it is as heavenly as it looked.

“I want one of these.” I open my eyes to find him taking in my bare legs and all of sudden feel self conscious.

“Come on,” he laughs and holds out his hand for me to take. Reluctantly I take it, and then he leads me through the rest of the house. The kitchen is pretty standard with black appliances and slate steel color counter tops and gray flooring. There is a heavenly smell coming from the oven.

“What are you baking?”

“You’ll find out later. Do you want something to drink while we are in here?”

“Tea if you have it, please.” I watch as he moves stealthily from cabinet to fridge and back to me with a drink.

“So driving the dozer isn’t the only thing you do well, I see.” His brows shoot up.

“Is that so? I am sure I can find quite a few things that I do well.” His smile grows wide.

“Tsk, tsk. You said you were going to behave.”

“Why do I have to behave if you aren’t?”

“I simply made an observation, nothing more.”

“Oh, I see how this is going to go. Shall we continue?” He waves his hand in front of us, signaling me to continue. I walk ahead of him and head towards the hallway that leads to the stairs.

“We will check out the upstairs later, our food is getting cold.” A smile is playing on his lips after that last part. He thinks he is funny.

“Oh. I forgot about the food,” I say sheepishly and he winks.

When we walk out the back door to the patio, I am surprised to see Liam sitting there with a woman, who must be his wife. I look back at Fenton and he is grinning from ear to ear. Liam stands as I begin walking toward them.

“Piper, it is nice to see you. This is my wife Samantha.” The beautiful blonde stands. I stick out my hand for her to shake but instead she pulls me in for a hug. She is about the same height as me but her hair and make-up are flawlessly put together. I kind of wish I had put more effort into my appearance.

“So nice to meet you, Piper,” she exclaims, warmly.

“Hi to both of you. I’m sorry I didn’t know you would be here or I would have gotten here sooner.”

“What am I chopped liver?” Fent says, putting his hand over his heart. I shake my head at him and sit down next to Samantha while the guys walk back in the house to get the food.

“I hear you just started working with the guys. How do you like it?” She seems genuinely interested in my answer.

“Well I haven’t accomplished much so far but I love it.”

“Liam told me you designed an entire school. That is so exciting!”

“Yes it is. Once it is completed and I see my creation, it will be more real to me. Right now I just feel like I am playing in the dirt.” I stifle a laugh. I wish Fenton were out here to hear that.

“Dinner is served, ladies.” The guys have both their hands full with plates. My mouth begins to water when they sit them down and I see the massive amount of kabobs.

“Were you expecting an army, Fent?” Samantha asks, as she takes a kabob before Liam can sit them on the table. They share a glance and I can see the unconditional love flow between them. My heart flutters, I have never experienced that kind of love before, so I envy them.

“Do you need anything before I sit down?” Fenton asks.

“No, I think I am good. Thank you so much for everything.”

“This food is amazing, Fenton.” Samantha says between bites. Liam laughs and winks at her.

“Is that you or the baby talking?”

“What? You guys are expecting again?” Fenton asks, clearly excited for them.

Liam’s smile grows wide on his face and he pulls Samantha to his side.

“Yes, we just found out a few days ago. We haven’t told anyone else, yet.”

I knew Fenton and Liam were friends but I didn’t realize how close they were.

“That is so exciting! How old is your child?” I see the sparkle in Liam’s eyes as he begins telling us about his three-year-old daughter and all of her shenanigans. He glances lovingly at his wife every so often, with pride in his eyes. It warms my heart to see that he loves his family so much. I sneak a glance at Fenton and he is listening intently but isn’t saying much. I briefly wonder what his family is like, how he grew up and what made him what he is today. I am willing to bet he will have to begin that conversation, though. I’m sure that isn’t information he is going to offer up in random conversation.

“That girl has him wrapped around her finger.” He is shaking his head in agreement as Samantha tells us how he gives their daughter everything she wants.

After we finish the amazing dinner, Samantha and I offer to clean up and the guys don’t argue. I gather the plates as Samantha clears the table of the condiments. She and I agree that Fent’s kitchen would be a dream. It isn’t as big as most kitchens but it is very efficient, and very beautiful.

Samantha is talking about her daughter, Abby, while I am rinsing the dished to pile them in the dishwasher. I glance outside just in time to see Fenton pulling back the string of a bow and shoot at a target he has set up about thirty yards away.

“He is a pretty amazing guy, Piper,” Samantha says from beside me.

“He seems to be.”

“I know a lot of people have the wrong impression of him, because that is what he wants them to see. But he has a heart of gold that he is going to give to someone one day. I hope that is sooner rather than later, for his sake.” I can’t help but think she is asking me about our relationship.

              “I hope he finds that. And I agree, someone will be lucky to have that with him.”

              “Yes, someone will.” I glance back at him. The late afternoon sun is getting very warm, so he has taken his shirt off and is gearing up to shoot at the target. The same intensity he has when he is driving his dozer returns with the concentration of shooting perfectly.

He pulls back and aims then lets the arrow fly. Surprisingly to me, his shot lands in the bottom left section of the circled target. He talks to Liam briefly before he takes his shot. Liam’s shot lands in just about the same area. They begin discussing their shots when Samantha walks up and stands next to them. Instinctively, I look behind me. I hadn’t even realized she left.

I know that I am going to have to join them soon but I am going to have to regain my composure first. I almost can’t handle watching him in this capacity. His ruggedness along with his clear love of the outdoors really makes it hard to stay away from him. There has to be something that I am missing. He seems to be perfect in every way.

I quickly grab my phone and send Phoebe a smiley face to let her know that I am ok. I really want to tell her more but I will leave it for now. I refill my drink and grab a bottle of the beer Fent was drinking with dinner, just in case he needs something. Taking a deep breath, I walk back out to join them again.

Chapter Seven

Fenton

I look around wondering what happened to Piper, when I see her walking out of the backdoor. I know I promised her I would behave but damn did she have to wear that skirt? Those legs just seem to never end and I want to feel the soft skin that covers them. I almost couldn’t contain myself when she was lying on my chaise.

“I brought you another beer since it is so hot out here. I hope you don’t mind.” I suddenly have the need to readjust myself as hearing those words from her mouth was really fucking hot. I find my beer and chug the rest of it.

“I do now,” I say, holding up the bottle. She smiles and in that moment, I want to pull those beautiful lips to mine. I close my eyes as I imagine this but that ends quickly because if I let it continue too long, I won’t be able to control myself. I know that she wouldn’t want that, especially in front of Liam, so I thank her and take the beer.

I start to take another shot with my bow when Liam walks back over from taking a phone call.

“Fenton, I am sorry but we are going to have to head out. Abby’s sitter just called and she is sick.”

“Family is first, brother. Glad you could make it.” We shake and I hug Samantha. Piper does the same and we walk them back to the front of the house. Andy has decided he needs to tell them goodbye as well. He runs up to Liam before he shuts the door and hops on his lap.

“Hey buddy, as much as I love you, you can’t go home with me,” he says to him while giving him one last pat on the head before I call for him to come back to me. He runs back and sits next to Piper. Absent mindedly she reaches down and pets him on the head. I am not the only one who notices this, Liam laughs and shakes his head.  I wave to them as they pull away.

“Well, what now?” I say to Piper, while calling for Andy to come back over to me. She looks at me with those big green eyes and shrugs.

“This is your party. What did you have planned?” Well I can tell her what I didn’t have planned but now want…

“How much land do you have?”

“Sixteen acres, would you like to see it?” She looks beyond my shoulders toward the backyard and I see excitement in her eyes. She acts as though she has never been in the country before. I guess I don’t know much about her, maybe she hasn’t.

“Of course, I want to see it.”

“Andy, you ready to go boy?” I pick up a stick and fling it in the direction I want to take her and he hauls ass after it.

“Andy leads the way.” I move my hands in the direction we are to go but she looks at me like I am out of my mind.

“Andy won’t get us lost?”

“Andy probably knows this land better than I do. So, we better keep up or we will be lost.” I wink and we begin walking. We pick up our drinks as we pass my shooting range.

“How long have you lived here?” I think a minute about how I am going to answer that so she doesn’t get all sappy on me.

“I have been here about three years.” I decide that the simple answer is the best.

“How did you get a place like this? I mean I know you probably make great money working at James but you said you own a bar. I don’t want to be nosey but this place is beautiful and I am sure it is very expensive.”

Well, I thought the simple answer was going to work.

“I inherited the house when my grandfather passed away a few years back.” Her eyes fly to mine, as I knew they would.

“I am so sorry, Fenton. Were you close?”

“Yes. We were very close. He wasn’t an easy man to be around but he was there for me when no one else was.”  She quietly absorbs my words. I hope she leaves it at that because trying to mask the pain that is ripping through me is very difficult.

I hear Andy barking as we approach the tree lined woods that begin about an acre and a half in.

“He always asks for permission before he goes in the woods,” I explain to her. “Go ahead Andy but don’t get too far ahead.”

“That is pretty amazing, Fent.”

“Did you have animals growing up?”

“We had cats. I loved them dearly but they are completely different than dogs. We lived in the city and my dad told us that he wouldn’t get us a dog unless we had enough land for it to run without being on a leash. I agree with him now but I didn’t then, I just thought he was being mean.”

“He sounds like a good man.”

“He is. I have never disappointed him in my life. When I told him I was going to school here, it broke my heart to see that look in his eyes. I told myself I would never do anything to warrant that look again. So, when I had to tell him I took the job with James, I was glad we were on the phone. It was bad enough I had to hear it in his voice. I couldn’t handle seeing it, as well.”

“I understand but you have made a good life for yourself. I bet he isn’t as disappointed as you think.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t just tell me that I picked the wrong company. You seem to hate James.”

“I may hate working at James but to any other person, it is a great company.”

We walk up on the pond and her smile grows.

“You didn’t tell me you had a pond, Fenton. This is absolutely gorgeous!”

“You didn’t ask me if I had a pond and yes it is beautiful. It is one of my favorite places to be.” She follows Andy down to the dock. When they make it to the end, Andy sits next to her feet and they both look out over the acre long pond. I can’t look away from them. In fact, I take my phone out and take a photo, so I won’t have to.

I walk down to join them, take my shoes off and dip my feet in the water. Piper looks down at me and I pat the seat next to me. She is hesitant but she finally takes her shoes off and follows my lead.

“What happened between you and Frank?” She reclines back on her elbows as she waits for my answer. I know I promised to be good but…

I lean back next to her. When she turns to face me, the moment surreptitiously becomes mine when I pull her face to me and taste the sweetness that is her lips. She quickly pulls away.

“Fenton, what the hell? You promised you were going to be good!”

“Darlin’, when you are lying on my dock, sunning with my dog lying next to you, I can’t help myself.” She lies completely back and is quiet. I don’t push her further as I don’t want to press my luck.

“Why did you invite me, Fent?”

“I told you I was having people over and wanted you to feel welcome by getting to know the people you work with.”

“Bullshit! What is the real reason?”

I smile a little. I didn’t think she would buy that, but it was worth a shot.

“Calm down. Maybe I just wanted you to come over.”

“I am not sleeping with you, Fent.”

I link my fingers behind my head and lie all the way back pulling my sunglasses down from the top of my head. I know what I look like and I know she does, too. It is going to be hard for her to continue to tell me no.

“I didn’t say anything about sleeping with you,” I say, playfully.

“No but I know how your mind works.”

Let’s see if she knows how my mind works.

“Piper?”

“Yeah?” she answers while still sunning with her eyes closed.

“Piper?”

“What?” she asks, with irritation in her voice, as she lifts up to look at me. I quickly sit up and put my arms around her. Before she knows what is going on, I pull her close to me and jump, catapulting both of us into the water.

The water and her squeals are all around me and I hear the splash as we both begin to submerge. She tries to free herself while we plunge deeper into the water but I keep her close to me. The water finally pulls her away once we reach the bottom. I try to keep her close but she manages to squirm out of my grasp. Once I make it back to the top, I catch my breath. When I spot Piper, a couple feet to my left, she is doing the same.

“I have no dry clothes, Fenton. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking its hot and its fun. You can always take your clothes off and let them sun-dry while we are swimming.”

She  laughs and to my surprise has already taken off her shirt and is throwing it on the dock before I even finish my sentence.

“I thought you weren’t going to strip on my command?”

“You haven’t given me much choice, have you?”

“That’s how I roll babe.”

“Your turn.” She grins.

Game on, babe.

I remove my shorts and boxers and swim over to the dock. I hoist myself up and stand on the dock proudly displaying everything I have.

“Here throw me the rest of your clothes. I will arrange them so they dry,” I say nonchalantly. She doesn’t answer as her eyes are devouring me.

“Earth to Piper, did you hear me?” I ask with a chuckle. After a few seconds she comes back to me; I can literally tell when she snaps out of the trance she was in.

“Y-yes. Here let me bring them to you.”

“That isn’t necessary. I can handle it.”

“No, no. You went to all the trouble to make sure we are having so much fun, the least I can do is dry my own clothes.”

Shit, that backfired. She swims over and lifts herself out. She takes off her skirt and hands it to me. I try my best not to look affected but holy hell is she gorgeous standing here in bra and panties.

“Are you going take the rest off?”

“No, I can drive home without them. But I need my other clothes.” She blows me a kiss and dives back in the water. This woman is going to be the death of me. I dive in and feel the cool water flow around me. I surface and rub the water from my eyes. Once they refocus, I search for Piper but she swims up behind me. I begin to turn but she stops me and I feel her fingers trace the ink on my back and it makes me quiver.

“What is this about?” My eyes close, involuntarily. Even they don’t want to hear the story.

“It represents a time in my life that I can’t forget. Please Piper, I can’t talk about it.” I hope she leaves it at that.

She doesn’t. Her fingers begin outlining the ink. I am sure she can feel my heart pounding when she reaches the rail ties. Each tie merged together, strong enough to take the massive piece of steel that glides seamlessly over it each day. I hear her gasp when she reaches the heart that is tied to it. A heart that wasn’t as strong and couldn’t take the force it was blown. I have to fight the anxiety that always accompanies the thoughts that infiltrate my mind from that horrible day

“I want you to tell me what happened, someday when you are ready.”

“I want to tell you but I just can’t talk about it.”

“I understand, Fent. I have no right to ask you to relive a time in your life that was obviously very tough for you.” She has no idea how much relief it would give me to just tell her, anyone really. I just don’t feel that I have the strength.

“Fenton, look at me.” I can’t look at her in this moment. Just the thought of letting someone in brings me to my knees but I hear her swimming around to face me, anyway.

“Fenton if you can’t tell me now, its fine. Just know that I will not think anything less of you when you do. Listen, I think I am going to go for the night. Will you be ok?”

“Are you worried about me?” I feel the corner of my mouth sneak up.

“Things kind of took a nose dive quick, so yeah.”

I pull her close to me so I can whisper in her ear. “You can always stay and make sure I am ok.” I nip at her ear lobe just to make my point. She pulls slightly away but then whispers in mine.

“I am not sleeping with you Fenton.” Her lips lightly make their way across my cheek. “Have a good night.”

I watch her swim away from me. It takes everything that I have not to swim after her and show her what she is missing.

Once she makes it to the dock and pulls herself up, I groan to myself. I fucking forgot she didn’t have any clothes on.

“You’re going to have to take those panties off, darlin’. I got them wet, remember?” I vow to myself in that moment that the next time her panties are wet, it will not be from the fucking pond.

“I can change by the house, I am sure Andy won’t mind.” She waves and walks away. And just like that, she is gone.

I decide I need to swim off some of this tension. It is a warm night and this cool water feels great. I take off, arms in rowing motion while the water laps around me. This girl is getting to me. I have never wanted to confess my sins as much as I want to tell her. I can’t, though. She will get that judgmental gleam in her eyes that everyone gets when they find out about my past. It would be best if I keep her at arm’s length, I don’t want to hurt her and I know I will. I always do.

I feel the burn in my shoulder muscles as I swim harder against the current of the pond. I want to take one last lap before leaving. I still feel it, right there, just out of my grasp. It will never go away but the workout always helps ease the pain. I hear his screams, see his face and watch the tears fall down his cheeks. I fight it; I try to push it away but it is always in the forefront of my mind.

My grandfather always said mind over matter and I have always been able to abide by that. But this…I just can’t, especially having a reminder everyday. I make it back to the dock and hear Andy. I pull myself up and look for my trunks but can’t find them. I check in the water to make sure Andy didn’t drag them back in, but I don’t see them floating anywhere.