Unexpected Trouble by Lauren Wood
Tracy
It was one of my favorite parts of the weekend, breakfast at the diner. It was a sweet sort of place, had all of the classics, and I found that I was inspired when I was there, so I brought my laptop to work with me most of the time. I liked that there was hustle and bustle all around me, but I could just drown it out with the clattering of the keyboard.
The best part about Sheryl’s diner was that no one bothered me. I was able to sit and work, eat breakfast, do what I wanted in peace. I needed that peace, especially when my thoughts at home were all over the place. I wanted to think that it was because of Steven, but I knew that it was something else. Steven was a work in progress, but it was one that was coming along nicely. I knew that no matter how long it took, I was going to get him eventually.
Today was different though. I didn’t get the peace that I’d grown accustomed to. It all came crashing down, with one impromptu visit. Some woman sat down across from me with a fake smile on her face and intent in her eyes. I didn’t know who she was or what she wanted, but I figured that I would hear about it soon enough.
“Can I help you?”
“Tracy, right?”
I agreed and she scoffed. “I knew that it would be you. He has a type, doesn’t he?”
I wasn’t sure who she was talking about, so I asked her.
“You know, Steven.”
“He’s my landlord.”
“You were at his house last night.”
I stopped looking at the computer that I was trying to get back to. It was obvious that this woman had something to say to me, a reason for her ruining my peace, so I needed to figure out what it was. I didn’t want to have to deal with her any longer than I had to. What did anything have to do with Steven?
“I live there. What is this about? What do you want?”
“Well, I was just coming over to say hi.”
“You don’t want to be friends, so what are you doing here? You have no interest in getting to know me.”
She was taken aback by my words; a lot of women were. Some women liked to play this passive-aggressive battle of words, but I didn’t want to do that. I just wanted to cut to the chase and after she pulled herself back together, I was able to finally get an answer. Ashley wasn’t as original as I would have liked to hope. She was just a jealous woman that was warning me away from her man.
“He doesn’t seem to be with anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. You must not stay over that often. I would see you come and go, you know, considering that I live below him.”
I was being a little bitchy, but the way she responded was strange, and she looked really upset, like I’d hit a nerve, though I didn’t know how I had done it. I wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but she looked livid.
“Just stay away from him! He is mine, and I am not going to have someone come in and take him. I have put too much work into him to let all of that work go to someone else. You are just going to have to find someone else’s man to take. I’m not giving him up.”
What did that even mean? This chick was clearly a bit off and I told her that I had to go. I didn’t, wasn’t planning on it, but she was raising her voice, people were looking at us, and I was embarrassed to no end. I hadn’t even done anything. Not that I hadn’t wanted to, mind you, but I hadn’t done anything to her, before or now. I wanted to say many things, but I was keeping my mouth shut, which was rather hard to do.
She tried to stop me from leaving, a hand on my arm, and I told her to get her hands off of me.
“I don’t know who you are, and I really don’t care. All I know is that you need to stay away from me. I don’t want Steven, but if I did, I would have him. There is no ring on your finger, and he certainly hasn’t mentioned you, so maybe you need to talk to him about it, not me.”
I stalked off, knowing that I had just made an enemy, though I didn’t know why I had taken such a stance. He wasn’t mine. Wasn’t hers. I didn’t think Steven was ever going to be anyone’s again. If he was giving me that look though, I would figure it out. Steven was a keeper, even if he was broody and rude half the time. It was becoming less, and I didn’t know why, but being told I couldn’t have Steven just made me want him even more.
* * *
When I got backto the cabin, Steven was outside chopping wood and he looked really good. He had his shirt off and he was sweating. The muscles in his arms and body were ripped, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. He caught me finally and I was a bit embarrassed, but I moved forward. This was what I wanted. I wanted Steven, and I wanted to know that he wasn’t any different from all the rest of the men I’d met. I knew that he was different, but I wanted there to be some fundamental similarities, like the one that made him want me as badly as I wanted him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Yet here you are.”
I scoffed. “You’re really rude. Why is that? Do you not want me living here or something?”
“What, why would you think that? If you get to know me at all, you will know that I am rude to everyone.”
“Do you send your girlfriend over to warn everyone else too? I mean, you could have just said something to me about it. I would have rather she not gotten in my face, ruining my breakfast.”
He looked at me deadpan for a moment before he answered. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
I didn’t argue with him, but he wanted to know what I was talking about. I knew what Ashley’s name was, but I acted like I didn’t, so that he could figure it out and work on it himself. I didn’t know what was going to be said or done, but I wanted to know that she wasn’t right. He wasn’t hers. I liked to hear that he wasn’t dating anyone. That made me think that maybe we could.
“Oh, well, this woman was sure that you were her man, so are you sure that you’re not? I mean, it’s nothing to keep secret. I knew you weren’t going to be single. I guess, I just would have wanted a warning of her. Maybe you could tell her to chill out and leave me alone?”’
“I don’t know who you are talking about. Describe her to me.”
“Do you really have that many women that want to claim you?”
That got me another dirty look.
I told him what Ashley looked like. I'm pretty sure he knew who I was talking about. There was no realization that came to his face when he figured it out. Instead, his lips just got tight, pressed together, and he nodded his head. Steven was mad and I wondered why he looked that way. There had to be a reason she thought that way. Was he leading her on?
“I know who you are talking about. She is not my woman, though I know she wants me to be with her. She has no reason to think that we are an item.”
“Then, why would she come to me like that?”
“I really don't understand. There's nothing going on between us. Hasn’t been in a long time.”
“Well, it still sucks, because she threatened me, telling me that bad things were going to happen if I didn’t stay away from you. I think she even called me a homewrecker.”
He gasped. “I am sorry about that. I think that Ashley wants something more to happen, so she is trying to force it. She should know better than to think that it would actually work though. I can’t believe that she would threaten you. That doesn’t sound like her at all.”
“So, I don't have to worry about her, right?”
“No, I will speak to her and make sure that you have nothing to worry about. I really am sorry that my personal life affected you. This is part of the reason that I try to stay away from those types of relationships. They are just complicated more than anything else. Very rarely are they worth it.”
“So, you aren't together?”
“No.”
“But you said your personal life... Never mind.”
I just started to walk away because it was not quite the conversation that I wanted to have. I'd been spending all this time trying to get to know Steven, but I never thought about the fact that he might not be available. I wanted him to be available, so I just imagined that he was. What if he wasn't though? What if this Ashley woman was his girlfriend or something like that, and he just didn't want people to know about it? I can't imagine a woman doing what she did without having some kind of ownership feelings towards the man. She either had him, or really wanted him.
To be honest, it made me pause a little bit, because I didn't know if it was worth all the drama. Ashley obviously had no problem with confrontation, and I couldn't say that I was the same way. I didn't want to fight with anybody over a man. Any man. He wasn't even mine to begin with. He wouldn't even give me the time of day really, so why was I even worried about it?
By the time I got downstairs and shut the door, I sat down into the chair and tried to relax. I had a lot on my mind and none of it was good. I was thinking about Steven, thinking about Ashley, and how I had set myself up for failure, liking a man that wasn’t going to want me in the same way.
There was a knock on the door, and I didn't even want to get up to get it. I just looked at it and hollered at whoever it was to come in. I figured it was Steven. Who else would it be? I didn't really even know anybody here, and even though I had met a few women that I was friendly with, they would be the type to call before they came over. To show up unannounced was almost unheard of and considered rude nowadays.
Sounded like Steven to me. Of course, it was Steven, and I just kind of shook my head. What did he want now? Couldn’t he tell that I’d had enough of his drama for one day?
