him, but in a way that seemed
completely foreign. Like an evil twin.
Gwen sat like that for a long time. Looking at the man
staring out from her computer, waiting for all the feelings she was struggling
with to begin to change and fade at this new, less than exciting information.
She expected her opinions of him to flip. He was a
criminal after all. But it never happened. The man she knew was not
the same man whose life was laid out digitally before her.
Never once had she felt threatened or unsafe around
him. Quite the opposite actually.
She had basically thrown herself at him and he walked away,
not even taking a glimpse before he went. Then, in spite of her bad
behavior, he came back, saving her from the watery mess he found her ankle deep
in. And he had yet to charge her for any of it.
Who was Joe, really? Was he the same guy he was eight
years ago? Was he the guy she believed him to be? Was he someone
else entirely?
Gwen leaned her head back against the chair, closing her
eyes. What happened? How did he end up where he did? How did
he get where he was now?
She, better than anyone knew a past could change you.
Sometimes for worse. Sometimes for the better. Maybe Joe wasn’t
like her. Maybe he was one of the lucky ones it changed for the better.
****
Joe packed up his van and pulled away from the large house
just around the corner from Gwen. The man who hired him said he found a
review of Parker’s Plumbing on the neighborhood’s Facebook page. Surprising considering he'd only been to one other house in the
area.
He pulled up in front of her house and put the van in
park. He had just gotten to the back doors when her sleek black BMW
coasted past him and turned into the driveway.
He walked behind it as Gwen pulled into the garage.
A couple of tires sticking out from beneath a cover on one side of the
garage caught his attention. The discovery would have been a little more
surprising if he hadn't already found a room full of motorcycle parts and tools
when he shut her water off over the weekend.
He looked as he got closer, thinking maybe he’d be able to
figure out what she had under there, but the sight of a pair of long legs
swinging out the open door of her car made the bike seem much less interesting.
As she stood, the hem of her dress scooted down, exposing
much less skin than he’d been able to see just a second ago.
He shouldn’t be looking at her like this. He took a
deep breath as he tried to remind himself he had to be careful. Very
careful.
“Sorry. I got stuck in a meeting. I meant to
beat you here.” She reached back in her car to grab her purse off the
passenger seat, giving him the opportunity to check out her ass. He was a
little proud of himself when he chose not to take it.
“I just got here myself.”
She straightened up, stepping towards him as she closed the
car door. Back in the tall heels she seemed to always wear to work, they
were almost eye to eye. For just a second, he caught uncertainty in the
depths of her pale green irises before she quickly turned from him and walked
to the entry door leading into the house, those shoes making her sway in a way
that would set off all the things a man likes to focus on.
Instead, he chose to look at her car as they stepped around
it. It was immaculate. Not a speck of dirt anywhere he could
see. One thing was for sure, the woman took care of what she had.
He followed her through the door as she pushed a button on
the wall, closing the garage behind them. They entered a small room off
the kitchen. Custom benches and cabinets lined the walls designating it a
mudroom. He imagined it had never seen any of its namesake. She slid her purse into one of the cubbies on the wall before
continuing on to the kitchen.
“Want something to drink? A coffee or
something?” She stood at the counter chewing on her lip as her eyes
slowly came up to
completely foreign. Like an evil twin.
Gwen sat like that for a long time. Looking at the man
staring out from her computer, waiting for all the feelings she was struggling
with to begin to change and fade at this new, less than exciting information.
She expected her opinions of him to flip. He was a
criminal after all. But it never happened. The man she knew was not
the same man whose life was laid out digitally before her.
Never once had she felt threatened or unsafe around
him. Quite the opposite actually.
She had basically thrown herself at him and he walked away,
not even taking a glimpse before he went. Then, in spite of her bad
behavior, he came back, saving her from the watery mess he found her ankle deep
in. And he had yet to charge her for any of it.
Who was Joe, really? Was he the same guy he was eight
years ago? Was he the guy she believed him to be? Was he someone
else entirely?
Gwen leaned her head back against the chair, closing her
eyes. What happened? How did he end up where he did? How did
he get where he was now?
She, better than anyone knew a past could change you.
Sometimes for worse. Sometimes for the better. Maybe Joe wasn’t
like her. Maybe he was one of the lucky ones it changed for the better.
****
Joe packed up his van and pulled away from the large house
just around the corner from Gwen. The man who hired him said he found a
review of Parker’s Plumbing on the neighborhood’s Facebook page. Surprising considering he'd only been to one other house in the
area.
He pulled up in front of her house and put the van in
park. He had just gotten to the back doors when her sleek black BMW
coasted past him and turned into the driveway.
He walked behind it as Gwen pulled into the garage.
A couple of tires sticking out from beneath a cover on one side of the
garage caught his attention. The discovery would have been a little more
surprising if he hadn't already found a room full of motorcycle parts and tools
when he shut her water off over the weekend.
He looked as he got closer, thinking maybe he’d be able to
figure out what she had under there, but the sight of a pair of long legs
swinging out the open door of her car made the bike seem much less interesting.
As she stood, the hem of her dress scooted down, exposing
much less skin than he’d been able to see just a second ago.
He shouldn’t be looking at her like this. He took a
deep breath as he tried to remind himself he had to be careful. Very
careful.
“Sorry. I got stuck in a meeting. I meant to
beat you here.” She reached back in her car to grab her purse off the
passenger seat, giving him the opportunity to check out her ass. He was a
little proud of himself when he chose not to take it.
“I just got here myself.”
She straightened up, stepping towards him as she closed the
car door. Back in the tall heels she seemed to always wear to work, they
were almost eye to eye. For just a second, he caught uncertainty in the
depths of her pale green irises before she quickly turned from him and walked
to the entry door leading into the house, those shoes making her sway in a way
that would set off all the things a man likes to focus on.
Instead, he chose to look at her car as they stepped around
it. It was immaculate. Not a speck of dirt anywhere he could
see. One thing was for sure, the woman took care of what she had.
He followed her through the door as she pushed a button on
the wall, closing the garage behind them. They entered a small room off
the kitchen. Custom benches and cabinets lined the walls designating it a
mudroom. He imagined it had never seen any of its namesake. She slid her purse into one of the cubbies on the wall before
continuing on to the kitchen.
“Want something to drink? A coffee or
something?” She stood at the counter chewing on her lip as her eyes
slowly came up to
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