Misery Breeds Company

I must have been pushing it, because I made it back to my store by half-past and when I got there, Jess was waiting in 'her spot.' As I pulled over, Jess came over and hopped in quietly.

"I'm so sorry," I said quickly. I got called away to the meatworks and didn't realize the time."

Jess just sat for a moment and nodded her head. "It's okay. I'm glad you didn't let Sue scare you off."

I hid my frown behind a strained smile. "She seems like she was just looking out for you."

Jess nodded, then shook her head. "She and Mike had a thing in high school. She was always jealous of me and when he... When his parents died, she decided to be my friend instead. I... Don't really know how to feel about her after all these years."

Without thinking, I reached over and took her hand, making her flinch. "Things will get better," I said.

Her smile told me she understood and I pulled out my phone. Now I had a small collection of Jazz to play while we drove and I tried to ignore Jess as she smiled, sang, and occasionally bounced in her seat to the beat. It was nice to see her happy.

And like yesterday, I pulled up at her home, frowning at the lawn. I smiled as she thanked me and I waited until she was safe inside. Then I went home. To... To an empty house with too big a bed and microwave meals. I tell you, after Jess's eggs, I really wasn't feeling 'all-day breakfast' from the frozen section. Honestly, I got half way through it and dumped the rest in the trash.

"I need to learn to cook or something," I grumbled to myself.

The following morning, I made sure to wake up a little earlier. After showering, dressing, and checking downstairs to make sure Jess hadn't walked over. I checked the time and decided it would be appropriate to go pick her up. Either she was waiting, or I was just in time, as she came out the front door as I pulled up. Heading over with a smile, she climbed in as I hit play on 'I'll be seeing you.' Jess paused for a moment as she got in before smiling as she recognized the song.

"I haven't heard this in years," she said.

"Enjoy it," I smiled and started driving.

Being a Friday I didn't expect all that much to be happening. Being a small town, there weren't really any parties. The few young people that wanted to do anything usually went to the next town over that had a cinema. The older folk used the time to prepare for the weekend. Meaning, either fishing, mowing lawns, barbeques, or a few casual drinks at the local pub with friends. Speaking of...

"Do you work tomorrow?" I asked.

Jess seemed to freeze for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Yeah... I can walk if you like."

I just shook my head. "I'll take you in. I have a few things to do anyway. Will you finish at the same time?"

"I'll finish around one," Jess said softly.

I just smiled. "Great, I'll pop in for lunch at twelve and give you a lift back after you're done."

And just like that, she smiled. I swear I don't know how it isn't a crime to keep such a lovely woman beaming in delight. It lit up my world and I had to look away, a dumb smile stuck on my face. I just tried to put her out of my mind. She clearly wasn't ready for another relationship. Hell, she flat out expected me to take advantage of her the other day. But... She needed her space. Who knows, after everything that happened, what if she decided to move away? I wouldn't blame her. But I didn't want to be the crutch that kept her here if she felt obligated.

Before I knew it, I had parked up in my spot and Jess paused as she got out. "Have you eaten today?"

I just grinned. Breakfast today was eggs, sunny side up with bacon and toast. Sue made herself scarce, but I still tracked her down to give her a $20 to give to Jess. I'd have paid Jess directly, but I had the feeling she was making me breakfast as a thank you for the lift. Something that meant next to nothing to me, but made her life considerably easier. But if she was using her tips to feed me... Well... Paying for my meal was the least I could do.

After breakfast, I waved goodbye and got to work. A quick once around my shop told me everything was clean, up to date and there were no messages. So that gave me a little time. Throwing up a sign, I locked up and headed out the front door. The center of town was within walking distance to everything. So it didn't take me long to get to the local hardware store. It was run by a man and his son. Frank and James Newton. Frank being the senior, was in his nineties but refused to accept his son could run the store on his own. After heading in, a quick chat had a small tarp under one arm and a set of spare keys for my store. Then all I had to do was head back. As expected nothing had changed in the time I'd been away. Sheriff Roche was in seeing Jess again, which probably wasn't good, but wasn't much of my business either. I just hoped she was okay.

As that afternoon rolled by, Jess came out from her shift and came into the store. I finished up the news article I was reading and locked up, leading her outside. "Oh, while I remember, here," I said, handing her a key.

Jess just frowned and looked at it. "What's this for?"

"The store," I smiled. "If I'm late like that again, let yourself in. There's no alarm and I'll know you're safe until I can come to get you."

Jess just nodded, "I really need a phone."

I just nodded slowly, "that would also help."

From memory, I could probably do something about that too... But, problem for later. Time to get the two of us home. The drive was comfortable and Jess smiled as she sang in the passenger seat. I dropped her at home and waited until she was inside and... I went home... Fuck, why now of all times do I feel so god damned alone in this place? I've lived here since I was out of college. I've been perfectly happy about eating shitty meals and sitting in my store five days a week for... Wow... Six years... I've been here six years... Without issue, content, functional for six years. And here I am, after eating two breakfasts made by a beautiful woman, hating my independence.

"I'll just go in for a big breakfast," I grumbled and took myself up to the office.

Now I had Sandra's gamer tag, it was easy to track her down. We spent the evening traveling over parts of Europe she'd hoped to visit as a child.

Chapter Seven

This morning, I got up, showered, and dressed in something a little more comfortable. Heading downstairs, I checked the time and saw I was early. I didn't want to impose, so I set myself to making a quick, instant coffee. Like anything I touched in my kitchen, it was half-assed and barely palatable. But by the time it was finished, it was time to pick up Jess.

The drive over was as quick as it always was. I checked the weather and other than some clouds, it should be fine. Which was excellent, because that meant it wouldn't be too hot for what I had planned today. Pulling up outside Jess's home, she was prompt as always. Jumping in, I already had the jazz playing softly and after a quick good morning, we started driving. We chatted idly. We discussed the weather, plans for the weekend. Which... News flash, wasn't much. And I double-checked what time she finished work today. Then we drifted into a comfortable silence until I pulled into the parking lot.

Jess looked confused for a moment as I got out, but smiled as my stomach growled loudly. "Anything, in particular, you want today?"

I just grinned. "I'll need a big breakfast. I'm doing some gardening today."

Jess just nodded and headed inside and I followed behind. The whole while, I couldn't keep glancing at her ass. The natural sway of her hips was mesmerizing this close. Snapping to attention before I followed her into the kitchen, I darted off to find Sue. Unfortunately, another, older lady was on serving the tables, and I didn't want to presume anything. I just figured I'd hold onto the twenty I usually dropped and give double on Monday.

An hour later, I was well-fed, happy, and heading home. I didn't bother parking in the garage when I got back. Heading inside I got changed into some long pants and a work shirt to cover myself from the sun. Even through clouds, you can easily be burned. The last thing I grabbed was my hat as I darted into the far side of my garage. It took a few minutes, but I managed to collapse the handle for the mower. I also manage to separate the line trimmer into two pieces. Popping open the boot, I opened the tarp I bought and lined my boot with it. It took a moment, but I managed to lift the mower in a two-step process. Once it was in, I fit the weed wacker in beside it and still had just enough room for the jerry can. Not bothering to close the boot, I drove slowly down my driveway and back into Jess'.

Once parked, I took a lap around the house. Most of it needed to be slashed first before I could get the mower in. It was just too tall in places. It also meant I probably needed to go back and get a rake from home. I wasn't a specialist or something, I was a computer nerd. But I could mow a lawn and liked to do it right. So I pulled out the line trimmer and got to work.

Half an hour later, the borders had been trimmed and the majority of the yard was down to a manageable height. I also discovered a few garden beds and even an old rake, saving me the trip home. I spent another half hour stacking the loose grass into a pile in the back corner of their yard. I'd probably have to give one of the farmers a call to have it removed later. But for now, I pulled out the mower and got to work. This took far longer. Even with the quick slash job I did with the line trimmer, the yard was still quite thick. By the time I had finally gotten the lawn to a manageable height, I'd just emptied the jerry. And that's when I hit a small hitch.

"How the fuck do I get the mower back in the car without burning myself on it?" I grumbled.

With a sigh, I decided I had to wait. A quick check on my phone told me I was still a couple of hours off picking up Jess. That's when I remembered the garden beds. Heading around the side of the house, I had a decent look at them. The soil was surrounded by brickwork. But the bricks didn't stop the weeds. But that's not all that was in there. I didn't know if they were Jess's and she couldn't get to them any longer, or if they were always there. But the beds contained small rose bushes. They looked like they needed to be trimmed down, badly. They'd gone all leggy and had died in spots. But that was a mission for another day. For now, I spent the next hour on my hands and knees picking out the worst of the weeds.

When I was finally satisfied, I checked the mower was cool enough to touch. Happy with its temperature, I loaded everything back into my car and took it all home again. Taking myself upstairs I showered and changed into something clean. Heading back downstairs, I climbed into my car and took the twenty-minute drive back to town for a twelve-thirty lunch.

When I pulled up, I could see Jess darting around a few tables, I'd get over there soon, I just had something to grab first. Darting across to my store, I didn't see the eyes that watched me as I walked away. Heading inside, I went into the back to my parts rack. Pulling open a few drawers, I found what I was looking for. It was my old phone. It was hard to sell the new models to the young folks if I didn't own them myself. So I constantly had old phones in stock. Most of these went into parts. The older people would buy things eventually and if they broke, my old spares made good emergency parts. It also meant I had a rather modern, if not state of the art phone. Heading back into the front, I grabbed a new sim card from the bundle I had. They were handy too. Farmer drops their phone in the mud and drives away, they sometimes never find it. New sim card, port the number over, everyone's happy. It also meant it took me about fifteen minutes to get the phone set up and working. It was even sitting at sixty percent on the battery. I gave it a once over to make sure I'd factory reset it and grinned.

Checking the time, it was almost one when I entered the diner. Jess almost seemed to be waiting for me at the front door.

"Hey, is everything okay?" She asked.

I just smiled at her, "everything's fine. What time do you finish?" I asked.

Jess just smiled, "I'm actually done now unless you want something to eat?"

"How about you grab something for the both of us? I've worked up an appetite and I'm sure you're hungry."

"Oh," Jess said, looking down a little. "I'm ah... Not real hungry."

"My treat," I said with a smile. "No pressure, but it would be weird to eat something in front of you, so, please. If you're hungry, get something for yourself."

Jess just smiled softly and nodded. "I made a nice beef stew, would you like that?"

My stomach growled to answer and Jess smiled wider. She quickly led me to a table and I took a seat. A few minutes later, she came back out with a jug of orange juice and two large bowls on a platter. Setting the table she darted off to return the platter and returned with cutlery and two glasses. I just inhaled the scent of the stew and groaned.

"You made this?" I asked, plucking a piece of carrot with Jess's offered fork and popping it in my mouth.

"Is it good?" she asked.

I just groaned as the savory flavor exploded in my mouth. It was single-handedly the best stew I'd ever had. "So good," I grumbled.

Jess just smiled and watched as I swapped the fork for a spoon and kept digging. In no time at all, I was leaning back in my chair with a content smile. The orange juice tasted fresh squeezed and I wondered if she'd made that as well.

"Oh, while I remember, here," I said. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the phone and a charging cable and placed it on the table. Jess just looked at it and looked at me.

"What? What's this?"

"It's one of my parts phones. I have to upgrade all the time for work so I always have complete phones just sitting around. I've wiped it to factory and put a sim card in it for you. It's only prepaid and comes with ten dollars credit from the startup."

"Wha... But... Tim... I can't."

"Jess, I'm serious. It's just a spare. One of dozens. They just sit there in case I need it for parts. But I've actually got more than one of those sitting on a shelf. Seriously, six months from now, I bundle them all up and ship them off for recycling."

Of all the things I expected, it wasn't her crying softly.

"Thank you," Jess said, wiping her eyes. "Thank you, Tim."

I spent a few minutes going over the phone. She hadn't had one herself since the old bricks. She'd seen them enough that she knew what they did, but I still showed her how to actually use it. I even saved my number into it, just in case she needed to get a hold of me. With Jess having a play with her new phone, I walked her out to my car. As the music started, Jess put the phone in her small handbag and smiled.

"Thank you, Tim."

I just shrugged. "It's about time you had a win. Besides, I'm charged for the weight of the phones when I mail them. You actually saved me money," I grinned.

Jess smiled when I said that. She fell into an easy silence as she sang softly along to the music. I had it in mind that while she mentioned she danced, I bet she sang beautifully as well. She kept it up all the way home, right until I turned into her driveway.

"Tim?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, Jess?" I asked back.

"Tim, did you mow my lawn?"

I just nodded, "and I started weeding around your rose bushes."

Whatever I was expecting, I wasn't expecting a sniffle. Turning to look at her, she was staring in the direction of the garden beds. "They're still alive?"

I just nodded, "they don't look great. But yeah."

"Oh, Tim..." She said, turning her smile on me, freezing me in place. "You saved my mother's roses. She gave them to me when I... When I saw her last. They're all I have."

I smiled sadly, thinking of my late mother. "I'm glad I saved them. I don't have anything to remember my mother by."

Jess just nodded, before turning back to me. "Tim?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"I... I'd like to make you dinner tonight, as a thank you for everything you've done."

I just smiled and tried to shake off my dark mood. "That would be lovely, what time?"

She paused for a moment to think, "how about six? I should have time to whip something up."

"Would you like me to bring anything>?"

Jess just shook her head. With that sorted, I said goodbye and Jess got out. I waited the standard time for her to go inside, before turning the car around and heading back to town. The obvious thing to bring was a bottle of wine. But honestly, I had no idea how that would go if she saw me with a bottle of alcohol. Chocolates or flowers were my next guess, but I didn't want her thinking this was a date. The idea of her feeling pressured into... giving herself to me... Just didn't sit right. Not that I didn't want that... I mean... Fuck... I'm not dead from the neck down. I knew how I felt about her. She was beautiful, smart, talented and beneath her anxiety, I could see she was a strong, determined young woman.

Who wouldn't be attracted to a woman like that?

I found myself wondering the aisles staring blankly at random items. There was just about everything I could think of to purchase here. Not that I ever bought much more than bread, microwave meals, and milk. I supposed I could have bought fruit here. That... That actually wasn't a bad idea. Heading for the fruit section, I walked around picking things I recognized. Apples, oranges, grapes, a bunch of bananas, watermelon, and even a pineapple. With a basket full of fruit, I headed for the counter where Janice, the owner, smiled.

"This is a change, have you been watching kids shows?" She grinned. I just frowned, wondering what she was talking about until she scoffed and sang, "fruit salad, yummy yummy!"

And like a lightbulb, it clicked. "One moment, I forgot something."

Turning on the spot, I darted back to the kitchenware section and grabbed a small selection of knives. I could probably find something to cut an apple, but the pineapple would have been an issue. Heading back to the counter, Janice eyed me strangely.

"I wasn't serious, Tim."

I just shrugged and smiled, "either way. It's a good idea, I'm meeting a friend tonight for dinner."

"Jess?" Janice asked.

I nodded, "yep. I mowed her lawn today while she was at work. Mike obviously hadn't in a while. So she's making me dinner."

"Be better than those bloody plastic things you eat," Janice grinned.

I nodded along, "definitely. I had her eggs at breakfast. Either way, I wanted to bring a gift and thought wine was out and flowers sent the wrong message. A fruit salad though. That's simple enough an idiot like me can make it!"

Janice grinned and nodded her head. "Just remember to squeeze some orange juice over it or the apple will go brown."

"Thank you, Janice."

Chapter Eight

It was quarter to six when I walked out of my front door. The weather was getting cool so I wore long sleeves. I had a medium-sized container under one arm filled with chopped fruit. I tried to make the pieces all the same size, but somehow I managed to bodgy that up. But that shouldn't affect the taste too much regardless. So, as I locked my front door I started walking. It was nice to be out in the early evening air and I sighed into the sky as I trundled along.

Fifteen minutes later I was coming up to Jess's front door. The smell of what I hoped was roast pork wafted out. Between the well-manicured lawns and the heavenly smell, it was a shock to see the fist-sized indent in the front door as I knocked.

"Tim?" Jess called.

"Hey Jess," I called back.

The door opened revealing her in all her glory. She looked like a fifties housewife. A floral print dress that came to her calves but left her arms exposed. Her hair was up in a bun and she wore a blue and white, frilly apron.