Life Rewired (Aspen Friends, Book 3) Read online

  10

  No one should have as much fun in a Bobcat as Molly was having right now. As soon as Tyler stepped out of the rented mini-loader, Molly swung herself up into it. She’d been taunting Tyler for over an hour while he joined the rest of us planting, raking, and shoveling in the front and backyards. She got to relocate trees, unload materials, and push things around all while sitting down. Tyler looked dejected. I’ll admit to being a little envious, but honestly, she was helping Vivian out and we were getting paid. It was the least we could allow.

  “Ty, stop whining, dude,” Luis scolded him. “Move some of that river rock over here.”

  “Mol can do it.” He shot another longing look at the Bobcat as it whizzed by us.

  “Use your shovel.” Miguel made the motion of digging into the pile of rocks.

  “I shoulda called in sick today,” Tyler griped as he plowed into the pile and scooped out a shovelful for the wheelbarrow.

  I kept my chuckle silent. Six weeks on the job and I hadn’t seen one person call in sick yet. I wondered if they knew how different they were from every other crew I’d ever worked with. They didn’t show up late without first calling Natalie, they didn’t leave early without first telling Natalie, and they didn’t just not show, ever.

  “Be glad Nat is letting us do this in May instead of waiting until August,” Miguel said. “I’ll take 70’s and breezy over 90’s and blazing for landscaping any day.”

  “Yeah, or we could be getting screamed at by Mini-Cal right about now,” Ramón told Tyler.

  “Hell no, man. We barely escaped that nimrod.”

  “Who’s this?” I asked.

  “Our old boss’s son. Dude hadn’t ever picked up a drill, and he becomes project manager the second he clears high school.”

  That would have sucked. I’d worked with some real assholes in Boulder, but at least they all had construction experience. “Must be great to be out of that mess, huh?”

  “You know it, Fos,” Luis confirmed.

  “Thought I’d miss the overtime, but I’d rather have the comp time to coach my kid’s soccer team,” Tyler said.

  “No screaming fits,” Ramón inserted.

  “The boss works the job with us instead of showing up for a half hour and yelling,” Miguel pointed out.

  “No working outside in the middle of winter,” Luis said.

  “A whole week off after every major job,” Cole spoke up.

  “Paid!” Curtis joined in.

  “Paid!” Ramón agreed.

  “Oh, yeah, gotta love that consistent salary!” Luis bumped Cole’s fist.

  Sure did. Even when I was making a lot more doing only electrical work, no scheduled job for the day or week meant no paycheck. Natalie annualized the salary and paid every two weeks whether we worked or not. The guys told me they’d had three paid weeks off in less than a year. She promised another as soon as we were done with this house.

  “Guys, we’ve got one more shipment of materials coming in fifteen minutes,” Natalie said as she approached with an empty wheelbarrow.

  “That means stop yakking and start shoveling,” Miguel interpreted.

  “Samantha needs another set of hands in the backyard.” She switched to the other wheelbarrow we’d been filling with rocks.

  “All me,” Luis jumped forward before anyone else could ditch the shovel duty.

  Ramón slapped Cole’s shoulder as they both watched him dart around the house to the backyard. “He should just ask her out. He’s making a dweeb of himself flitting around her like this.”

  The Bobcat came to a stop beside us. Molly grinned down at everyone. “Damn, this thing is fun.”

  “Yeah,” Tyler muttered.

  “Paid,” Miguel reminded him

  “You tried this yet, Falyn?” She gestured me up. “Nat? Want to get in on this action? It’s your rental.”

  “I’m good. You keep doing what you’re doing.” Natalie hefted the handles in front of her and pushed the wheelbarrow into motion.

  “Was she always a workaholic like that, Fos?” Tyler watched as the shortest and slightest person on the crew maneuvered easily through the native plants we’d already planted.

  “She never liked just sitting around, that’s for sure.”

  “Fos?” Molly looked down at me.

  “My initials,” I supplied.

  “Give it up, sister.” Her eyes twinkled, and I was beginning to realize just how many of her emotions they revealed.

  “Oprah,” Ramón guessed.

  “Opie,” Tyler submitted.

  “Olive Oyl,” Miguel put in.

  “Osiris,” Curtis offered.

  “Oligarchy,” Cole said.

  We were all laughing by the time everyone had a go. I never guessed there were that many “O” options.

  “Well?” Molly asked.

  “Ophelia. Do not quote Hamlet to me, please.”

  “It’s…” she searched for the right word.

  “Cute,” Curtis kidded while Cole said, “Darling.”

  “Sweet,” Tyler added to prolong the torture.

  “Adorable,” Miguel joked.

  “Precious,” Ramón said and got the biggest laugh.

  Molly shook her head at them and shared a look with me. “Distinguishing.”

  “That means ‘freaky,’ right?” Tyler asked.

  “Be nice or you’ll never get on this thing today.” Molly grinned down at him. “You’re probably a Michael or a David.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “I swiped your wallet at the bar last week.”

  His eyes widened as his gloved hand reached around to his back pocket. The panic left his gaze when he felt the bump of his wallet. “Bobcat stealing, fun having killjoy.”

  She held her hands up and hopped down from the machine. “It’s yours till the next truck comes.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He raced up into the controller seat.

  Molly grabbed up his shovel and stood next to me, digging into the diminishing pile of river rock. “You’ve been out here a while. You should see the progress they’ve made in the backyard.”

  “Last wheelbarrow full. I’ll give Nat a break and take a look.” I glanced at her. “It’s really nice of you to help out.”

  “It was this or watch daytime TV and fold laundry.”

  “Daytime TV,” Ramón voted, taking a long swig of water from his thermos.

  “How many times do you really care if the guy turns out to be the baby-daddy?” Molly asked him, attacking the rock pile with vigor.

  “My favorite is when they’ve been fighting all show, calling each other names, and once he finds out he’s the baby-daddy, he’s all loving and kissing and stuff. You can’t script entertainment like that,” Ramón told us.

  I studied him because I couldn’t tell if he was serious. Those kinds of shows were very popular in the community room at prison, mostly because it gave the women a reason to shout at men. This was the first I’d heard of men liking them.

  “He’s just hoping to be invited on one of the shows some day,” Miguel told us.

  “You guys up for an ATV trek Saturday night?” Molly asked. “We had eight people going but six just canceled. They already paid for the rentals.” She got confirms from three of the guys then turned to me. “Falyn?”

  “Sure,” I agreed. It had to be better than the horseback riding last week that made my rump ache for hours. Probably as much as my arms and shoulders would ache tonight after shoveling most of the day.

  “Viv and Nat are taking me to dinner tonight for helping out today. You should come.”

  “Nat never buys me dinner,” Ramón grumbled.

  “She just bought you lunch,” Miguel reminded him of the barbequed chicken Owen had put on today.

  “It’s not dinner,” Ramón said.

  “Who’s whining now,” Curtis joked.

  Molly leaned into me. “You deal with this every day?”

  “These guys are angels compared to some
of the people I’ve worked with,” I told her in a low voice.

  But Ramón managed to hear me. “Got that right. Angels with wings and everything.”

  We all laughed again. Compared to some of the other electricians and everyone I had work detail with in prison, these guys were angels. And I enjoyed every minute of working with them.

  11

  Black curls blew into my face from the breeze on the bar’s patio. The woman who sported the black curls was leaning into me, whispering something in my ear. Whatever she was saying made no sense. The words were slurred and out of order from all the wine she’d consumed. I stared at her friend wondering why she wasn’t doing something to protect her from being taken advantage of, but she was busy flirting with the third basemen on our team.

  Molly caught my stare and turned a knowing smile toward the two women who were trying to get her attention. I shook my head as the woman gripped my neck and brushed her lips against my ear. She must really want to get her point across. Our entire outfield was staring at her draped over me. They were wide-eyed and grinning. Men and their fantasies.

  When Molly suggested we join a Wednesday night co-ed team instead of her usual Sunday night all women’s team, I was a little hesitant. She couldn’t get Sunday nights off this summer, so she wanted to play with a few of her friends on this co-ed team instead of finding a women’s team. I agreed to fill in occasionally, not wanting to commit to something permanent.

  “You’re the hottest wingman Kirk’s ever had.” Peter leaned into my other ear. “He’s going to get lucky with her friend, and she’s climbing all over you.”

  Peter played beside me in left field and seemed decent, but like most men, seeing a woman on another woman made him forget the decency. His eyes kept darting between me and Molly. The two women trying to win her favor were at least standing a few inches away from her. I was practically wearing drunk lady.

  I pushed at the woman leaning onto me, blowing her curls out of the way. “You’ve had enough, hon. Time for you to get a cab home.”

  She whined far longer than any person over the age of five should whine. “You could take me home.”

  I wasn’t sure what planet I was living on, but since moving to Aspen, I’d been hit on by three pretty hot women. My ex-girlfriend hadn’t been anywhere near as hot as Joanna, Brandy, or this woman. She’d been pretty enough but not really hot. Her other qualities were what I’d liked until some of them encouraged me to do things I shouldn’t have done.

  Molly somehow recognized a look she’d never seen in my eyes before because she leaned forward on the table to say, “She’s my ride home, sweetheart.”

  The curls swished around as her head turned to look at Molly. “Oh, are you two together?”

  Flames shot from the eyes of the Molly groupies before she chuckled and said, “No.”

  The rest of the outfield swung their heads back and forth watching the conversation play out. Peter’s brow rose in question toward me, like I’d have a different answer for him. I wouldn’t have let this woman drape herself all over me if Molly and I were together.

  “Next game?” the woman asked me.

  I felt my pulse kick up at the prospect. She was the look I generally went for, but I wouldn’t even consider taking her home if she got sloppy drunk again. I tilted my head and smiled, not wanting to give a promise.

  “I’m going, Francine. You staying?” she was talking to her friend who had her tongue down Kirk’s throat. Francine waved her off. “Walk me out?” she batted her eyes at me.

  I had no doubt she’d try to coax me into the cab with her. If I was sure a sloppy drunk could make her way through the bar and into a cab on her own, I would have declined. A breath pushed out as I kicked my chair back to stand.

  “We’ll both walk you out, sweetheart,” Molly spoke up, receiving startled groans from the two hopefuls at her side. I bit back a smile as Molly gave them each a cheek kiss and slapped the hands of our first baseman and pitcher before joining us.

  “Mmm, lucky me.” Drunk lady slipped her hand through Molly’s elbow and locked her other around my waist, dragging us toward the door. Maybe she thought she’d coax us both into the cab.

  My mind immediately flashed on a threesome with her and Molly. It’s definitely been a while if I’m considering something I’ve never been into and with someone I never would have considered a bed partner. But now the image flittered through my system, sparking nerve endings along the way. My sex drive had died in prison out of necessity. I barely managed to resurrect it after I got out. Now it was flaring so hot I felt perspiration spot my upper lip.

  Molly studied me for a second, curious at my apparent lack of focus. She mouthed, this okay?

  I nodded and let her lead us out of the bar. As wingmen went, Molly was pretty great. If I’d wanted to leave with this woman, she would have backed off and found another ride home. Who could ask for more with a good buddy?

  We loaded the woman into the cab, her clinging to our hands until we could finally shut the door in her face. Since she was able to give directions to the cabbie, I didn’t feel guilty about the chances of her making it home all right.

  “Her breath smelled like an open box of wine,” Molly said as we watched the cab roll away. She swiped a hand through the bangs that normally succumbed to a natural cowlick and stayed off her forehead. The cap she wore for the game ruined her perfectly coiffed wave.

  I chuckled, watching her second more persistent pass through the offending bangs. “You didn’t have her breathing right on you for the good part of an hour.”

  “Hey, I thought you were into it. She’s not going to play mind games like J&B.” She studied my expression. “Guess not. We could come back on Sunday to meet some of my old teammates?”

  Molly the Pimp. Amusing. “Not this week.”

  “Too intense?”

  Intense? No. Too much? Maybe. That word came up often in her speech, almost like she felt it was a complaint about her. I liked Molly’s intensity. I never felt like I didn’t have her attention when she spoke to me. It was a refreshing change from the distraction-filled world I now found myself living in.

  “No, it’s been fun. Just tired.” I glanced at her, realizing that I might have messed with her plans. “You sure stirred up those ladies.”

  “Like I can shut this down.” She gestured to her body with a cocky look that broke into laughter almost immediately.

  I laughed with her. It had been a long time since someone could make me laugh this much. “Must be a hard burden to bear.”

  “It is, but I soldier on.”

  When we reached my car, I offered, “It’s okay if you wanted to finish the night with one or both of those women. I can find my way home.”

  “I’m good right where I am.” She acted as if she’d never dream of ditching her buddy for a woman. The way she attracted women at the softball fields, I found it hard to believe she wouldn’t have gone off with someone in the past. Yet here she was seemingly unbothered by missing out on sex with one of those women.

  “Whatever you say.” After all I’d walked away from sex tonight, too, and I wasn’t bothered by it.

  She watched me unlock her door and step back. “Did you lose your key fob?”

  “Bought it used and the guy didn’t have them.” Six years used with high mileage, one set of keys, and a suspect smell in the backseat. It took two upholstery shampoos before I could bear to take a drive. All of that helped make it affordable for my limited after prison resources.

  “Sucks. Then again you’ll never lock your keys in your car.”

  I slid into my seat and looked over at her. “You like the bright side, don’t you?”

  “What’s not to like?” She smiled, and I wondered why I’d ever thought her face looked angry when I first met her. Even when she was angry, she masked it pretty well. That smile, though, was pure allure, and I was lucky enough to see it often.

  “Buckle up.”

  “Boss me around,” she m
uttered with a huge smile and reached back for her seatbelt as I pulled out of our parking space. “Want to keep the theme going tonight? Watch a little Rockies for some inspiration?”

  “Sure.” I didn’t feel like going home. A few more hours with my friend would be a great way to spend the evening.

  It didn’t seem to take as long to get home as it had to get to the field. Not having a ton of anxiety probably helped that perception, but in almost no time, we were stepping out of the car at Molly’s condo complex.

  “Do you need a shower as much as I do?” Molly read my mind as she let us into her place.

  “Could I?”

  “Be my guest. I’ll order pizza and get the game on.”

  “You can do half veggie this time,” I suggested. Everyone had a favorite pizza, and I was betting that Molly’s wasn’t vegetarian. “What do you like?”

  “For pizza? Almost anything. The veggie tasted good last time. Never thought artichoke hearts would taste good on a pizza or at all for that matter.”

  I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. She was kind enough to embrace my chosen eating habits consciously and without complaint. The boys ate veggie when I made dinner, but they often lamented the loss of whatever meat was missing.

  She went to retrieve a fresh towel out of the hall closet for me. I grabbed clean sweats from my duffle and took the towel. Contentment filled me with how easy I was here in her home.

  “Pizza should be here in twenty minutes,” Molly said when I surfaced from her bathroom, feeling fresh and relaxed. “The game’s already on. I’ll be ten minutes.” She headed to the bathroom for her shower.

  “Take your time.” I sank down onto her couch and fought the urge to fall asleep all cozy and warm.

  The knock on the door woke me up. Molly grinned down at me as she rounded the sofa to answer the door. She shook her head and droplets of water from her wet hair helped wake me from the snooze I’d taken.

  “Hey,” I protested, wiping the drops from my face and sitting up so I didn’t immediately succumb to the comfort of her couch again.