Dumpster Diving

And so the lesson went. "Okay, okay. I yield. Too much turkey. Way too much turkey! Willow you are extremely graceful and beautiful, as I knew you would be. What a dancer! And you caught on so quickly. I on the other hand danced like a drunken oxen even after watching videos for a week."

More laughter. "But I prefer a slow dance to the jig." He reached out and put his arms around Willow's waist and pulled her close. Without thinking or hesitation she put her hands around his neck and pulled in closer and looked into his eyes. Molly and Ayla smiled at each other.

Suddenly Willow stopped and broke free. She grabbed his hand, "Come with me," and dragged him down the hall and back to her old bedroom. "What the hell is going on, Liam? My family already treats you like one of the family. We've never been on a date, or, hell, we've never even talked. What the hell do you want from me? Why are you causing such chaos on Thanksgiving?

He looked contrite and a sorrowful look filled his face. "I'm sorry if I ruined your Thanksgiving, Willow. Really. It wasn't my intent and I never want to make you feel uncomfortable. I guess things got out of hand, but you won't even talk to me."

"Damn, you are so exasperating, Liam. What? What do you want?"

"I want to know why you always seem angry. I want to know why you always seem so sad underneath. I want to know what it takes to make a girl like you love me, or at least like me?"

"Are you on the level with all this crap or is it all just one big scam, a hustle? If it's a hustle just to get me into bed, then let's go to my place. You can screw me or whatever the hell you want, pat yourself on the back, put a notch on your belt or whatever and then leave. If that's it, we'll do it tonight. Be done with it."

"It's not a hustle, Willow. Sure, I want to go to bed with you, you're beautiful, wonderful. But it doesn't mean anything if I don't have this." He tapped the center of her chest.

"But, Liam, it makes no sense. I've been so mean to you, told you to leave a hundred times, shown you the door, but no matter what I do you keep hanging around. Why? Why the hell are you hanging around? I'm just not that great a catch."

"Why? Because I think you ARE worth it and as I look into the future, if I erase you from it, there's a big hole filled with what might have beens. Look, I know it might not work out. That once we get to know each other and do things together we'll or more likely you'll realize that we should be friends or nothing at all, but right now, I can't imagine a future without you.

"I don't want to pressure you, coax you into a relationship you don't want. If you really want nothing to do with me, if you want me to go, then I will disappear and you'll never see me again. I'll go out and thank your folks for a lovely day and leave. I hope you don't want that, it's the last thing in the world I want, but I'll do it if that's your wish."

"Liam. I don't know what I want. I dread looking up from my work and seeing you there, that you'll show up, but then I'm so sad if you don't. It's all messed up. It's only been a week or so and I know nothing about you. We've never really had a conversation. Today is the first day I've learned anything about you other than you are a handsome, arrogant, pompous, big word using man who's pressuring me into a relationship and torments the hell out of me."

"I apologize for making you uncomfortable and teasing you. I am really more of an introvert by nature, Willow. When I'm in your presence, I am way out of my comfort zone, I mean I would like to just tuck my tail between my legs and run away. But I couldn't do that. I...the only way I could get you to even speak to me was to act in a way completely alien to me."

He smiled, "Well, not completely alien. I mean I am handsome, but when I brought you flowers and candy and tried to do it the usual way, it didn't work. I would like to change that, Willow. We can start at any level you want, acquaintances, friends, casual dating...whatever terms you're most comfortable, or should I say least uncomfortable, with."

"I'm scared to death, Liam. And I have issues. And I am a handful to deal with and act all crazy sometimes."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"I should have added ass to my list. But I think about you all the time, day and night. I can't eat or sleep. I just don't know what to do. You're driving me crazy. And yet... I've never felt this before way about anyone. I'm so afraid...afraid that if I let myself go, give in to my feelings, that you'll leave or something. I'm just not sure I could make it through going all in and then being left alone again. Not after what I went through last time."

"I'm scared too, Willow. I've never felt like this either. So we'll go slow and make sure you're comfortable. Whatever it takes. But I assure you I will never leave, unless you tell me to go or we decide together that it's not working. I promise you, though, that I will never intentionally hurt you. I'm not wired that way. One girl at a time. That's it."

He took her hand and smiled at her, "So what if we get coffee at that place down the street from your bakery, I guess it would have to be after work. Just two acquaintances. No strings. No pressure and see how you feel. I'll give you my number and you can text me when it's a good time. Give me a little warning because I live a few blocks away. Sound like a plan?"

She looked at her hand in his, it felt...'right' and nodded. "Liam...Please don't hurt me. If you do I swear I will hunt you down and cut your nuts off."

"Fair enough. Let's go rejoin your family before the rumors start. And I need to help your mom clean up" She smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving and happy Liam."

She laughed. "So I will see you tomorrow."

He nodded. "Before we go, what's with all this crap you were peddling to my father?"

"All true. Every word of it. Although I'll confess, I learned the jig just before I came over by watching a bunch of videos. You know, just in case."

She laughed. "You are a devious son of a gun. I'll have to stay on my toes, won't I? Let's go."

"This was likely the best Thanksgiving I've had, probably ever, Molly. Thank you for the wonderful meal," he hugged her close, "and, Henry, it's been a pleasure meeting and discussing things with you." He winked and shook his hand.

"And, Ayla, thank for inviting me and making me feel at home. And lastly, thank you, Willow for not tossing me out on my ear. I look forward to our coffee date tomorrow." He went to hug her, but she shied away and he patted her shoulder and shook his head."

"Liam what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Well, Henry, plenty of odds and ends until your daughter gets off work, but all of it can be moved around."

"What do you know about plumbing?"

"Indoor? Like in a house?" Henry nodded. "I can hold my own. PEX, copper, or something else?"

"PEX."

"Yup. I've worked with it before. I don't have a crimper or cutter, but I know how to run it and make connections."

"Great! I'm working on a house I'm flipping, Molly's idea of course, meet me at this address at eight tomorrow and we'll see how you do. Too early for you?"

"Not at all, I will have already been up a good while and done my run and exercises. Oh, and I'll be sure to shower before I come."

"I would appreciate it. See you then, Liam. Better brush up on those videos." Both laughed and the three girls simply watched.

At 7:45 he walked up to the porch with two coffees. Jeans, tee shirt, and a big carpenter's bag of tools and decided to take a look around the outside while he waited. Nice, looks like about 1700 square feet or so, he mused, needs a landscaping upgrade. He surveyed the outside of the house and finished his inventory and got to the porch just as Henry walked up with some coffee.

"So what do you think, Liam?"

"Looks solid. No landscaping. Need to do some and jazz it up for buyers. Nice yard that needs some over-seeding. Back gutter needs to be rehung, some loose shingles, could use some paint on the trim. Recaulk the windows, although depending on the price point you're shooting for, it might be better to replace them. They look single paned and leaky. Adding shutters and some planters would dress it up some."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Well, it was just a quick look."

'Here step inside, I'll show you around." The inside of the house had been gutted. Down to the studs. Liam walked around and looked at everything. "Henry, this is a great house. Three bedrooms. Bath and a half. Nice kitchen, although we need to do something with the cabinets and I'd open it up into this dining area. Make it feel roomier. And the wall is likely non weight bearing so shouldn't be too expensive. Close to downtown, a nice street. Very nice. Lots of potential."

"Liam, how the hell do you know all that? Baking, computers and now construction. Shit, boy."

"My foster dad was a builder. When his son died, he sort of lost his drive, so I helped out a lot to coordinate the subs and get things done. Keep the business going. I'm not sure he ever really noticed, but it was the right thing to do. In return, I learned a lot. So what are we working on today?"

"Well, I've removed all the old pipe and I want to run PEX to all the fixtures. Not sure which ones I'm keeping yet, but they'll stay in the same spots.The water comes into the garage here and splits to the water heater. I thought we could run some three quarter out and the split it to the different fixtures."

"Henry, I have a suggestion. Instead of that, what if we put a manifold right here on the interior wall. That way we can have a direct run of half inch to each fixture. No splitters behind the walls and all the shutoffs are right here on the manifold. Very convenient for the homeowner.

"Half inch all the way, so no reducing fittings, splitters...still need shutoffs for the sinks and toilets because of code, but still simpler and so convenient for the owner. Price and time are about the same, in a house this size. but major selling upgrade?"

Henry looked at Liam and shook his head. "Dammit, Liam, if she messes this up I'm gonna spank her ass. I don't care how old she is."

"She is making things a little tough. Tell you what. Why don't you go pick up a manifold and I'll start running lines. I brought a drill and a hole saw, but likely we can use the old holes. All one floor. We should be able to knock this out in a day or two. Especially if we're not hooking up to the sinks and stuff.

They finished by early afternoon. "Let's call it a day, Liam. I can't believe all we got done."

"Are you working tomorrow?"

"No, Sunday is kind of my day of rest. Watch football or take Molly somewhere. Since I work full time at the building supply, we need some together time, you know."

"Absolutely. I have a proposal for Willow. A business proposal. If she turns me down, then I'll be able to help out most days. I have a bunch of my own work, computer stuff, but I can do that in my evenings."

"Liam, you don't need to..."

"It's fun, I want to. This is a great house. I'll keep you posted and you let me know how I can help."

At 5:30 he met Willow."What, no flowers?"

"Nope. They haven't worked so well in the past and it's just coffee right?"

Coffee turned into dinner, turned into a long walk around the neighborhood. The conversation was easy, natural. Their upbringings were entirely different, he had a computer engineering degree from State, she had a business degree from the Community College. Yet, the beliefs, desires, goals were similar.

They sat on a bench by the minipark and talked. "So you and your mom worked in the bakery?"

"Yeah, since high school and college. The owner was getting ready to retire and sell it, so my mom and I talked to him and bought it. She quit and Ayla joined me. When I pay my mortgage, the split with my mom, and pay Ayla, there's not a lot left over for me. The business is not exactly a gold mine."

"I suspected as much. I have an idea. What if I start at the bakery and add pastries and cakes to the menu? And help you out some. I can set up a website and a presence on Facebook, instagram, and the rest. People could order ahead..."

"But, Liam, I can't pay you for all that."

"I know. We can work it several ways, which I can outline for you." He laughed, "But don't worry, I won't bankrupt the bakery. Promise."

"Why? Why would you do this?"

"Because I get to work with you, do something I enjoy, and watch a business grow."

"How can you afford to just do this?"

"My last business was very, very successful so i have the luxury of time. I still have my online business and consulting. And my evenings are pretty free, at least for now."

She looked down and then raised her head, took a deep breath, "Okay, let's do it. See you there tomorrow and we can work out the details. I need to get home." He walked her to her door and hoped to kiss her, but walked away with a hug. He sighed as he walked away, shaking his head.

They started working side by side. She made bread and cookies, he made desserts and breakfast pastries. The bread had to be done early. The other things could be done during the day. Sharing the ovens was an issue. Just not enough oven space, but they worked it out and worked well together.

She still declined his overtures for a date although they spent endless hours talking as they worked. Worry. Her mind was filled with worry. She knew that one step, one kiss, a night together and she would be at his mercy. She'd be his, even if he left her. And she couldn't let that happen. Not again. So she kept him and arms length. Friends without benefits.

She longed to give in and she remembered her mother's words, "Ayla says you're still jerking Liam around. You're going to lose him if you're not careful. Guys like him don't come around very often and he's just going to throw up his arms and walk away one day. What then?'

What then, indeed. She'd be devastated. Half of her wanted to grab him and drag him up the stairs to her bedroom, but the other half was scared of the pain, loss, emptiness if she loved and lost. She got an idea, a test. "Hey, Kari. I need your help. Here's what I was thinking...."

He stood at the table and threw a little more flour on the surface, then resumed kneading his dough, thoroughly, but gently. He wanted it light and fluffy. Not dense. He looked over to see a tall, raven haired woman in a low cut, skin tight dress looking in the window at him. He'd seen her in the bakery before. She and Willow seemed to know each other.

He smiled to himself. Uh, oh, here comes trouble, he thought. She opened the door and walked up to him, standing close. Very close. He could feel the heat coming from her body. She looked him up and down, slowly and focused on his package for a moment and smiled.

"Hi, Pastry Boy, I'm Kari."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Liam."

"Oh, I know who you are. I've been keeping an eye on you. You may have noticed me in here before."

Looking only at her face, "Oh, yes, Kari, I have. A woman of your remarkable beauty who is also so beautifully put together is hard to miss." She smiled.

Moving closer, "Exactly, Liam. And I'm used to getting exactly what I want."

"Makes sense."

Moving closer so her breasts were against his arm, "And right now, I. Want. You. I've been watching you knead that dough with those long fingers and strong hands of yours and...well, Liam, I have some very special areas that need some kneading. Know what I mean? They're just waiting to make you happy."

He forced himself to keep a straight face, "So you're saying that under that outfit you have on, very nice by the way and superbly accentuates your physical assets, you're kind of all soft and doughy?"

She froze, a confused look on her face. "What? No! That's not...I am NOT all doughy!" Not knowing what to say next she put her arms around his neck and pulled him so he faced her and shoved her breasts against his chest. Without hesitation she kissed him and thrust her tongue between his lips and ran into his closed teeth. She attempted to get them apart with her tongue, but no luck.

She released him, and he returned to kneading his dough. She stared at him for a moment, spun on her spiked heels and hurried towards the door. She yanked it open and looked him in the eye, "Willow was right. You. Are. An. Ass. But very cute by the way."

Liam laughed. "Goodbye, Carly."

"Kari!"

"My mistake, Sorry."

She laughed and left, then pulled out her phone, still laughing. "Willow. I strut in there with the looks that always get me what I want. Most guys get all hot and bothered and stuff, but he sits there cool as a cucumber. His eyes on my face. I know... what and ass."

"He's working on his dough and I tell him I have special places that need some kneading, I know, cheesy, right? I tell him I need some kneading and the asshole asks me if I'm all soft and doughy under my clothes. Yea! Can you believe it? Me? In that outfit I wore to New Years'.

"He caught me so off guard I wasn't sure how to respond. I felt like punching him, but instead I plant this big old kiss on him, chest to chest, you know, the killer kind, and he stands there like a friggin' granite statue or something. I shove my tongue in and he has his teeth locked shut." Willow was stabbed with a knife of jealousy and regrets that it hadn't been her kissing him, but also felt some relief.

She laughed again. "I know, right? Hurt my feelings. No guy has ever done something like that to me before. Ever! Got me very excited. So, if you decide you don't want this guy, let me know immediately. I mean like immediately! Oh, and then he calls me the wrong name when I'm leaving. I swear he was just yanking my chain," and laughed again.

"Anyway, I guess he passed the test. I like him. Yup, see you around, Willow. Bye." Then to herself, "Yeah, like I'm all doughy. Can't believe he said that. To me! He must have known it was a setup," and shook her head and laughed some more. But he may be just the guy to handle Willow when she goes off on one of her Looney Tunes moments.

The next morning, no mention of Kari was made by either one, but around 4:30 an averaged sized, dark hair man walked in the bakery and directly past Ayla and into the back. Ayla groaned to herself. Don't do it, Willow.

"Hi, beautiful! How's my favorite girl? I've missed you."

"Hi, Brad, so very good to see you again. I've missed you as well." She paused and then stepped around the counter and gave Brad a kiss and held him tight. He hugged her in return and almost immediately his hand moved to the side of her breast. Instinctively she brought her elbow done and blocked it. Finally the kiss ended. She sighed loudly enough for Liam to hear.

"Gotta go, Willow. Maybe we can get together sometime." She didn't answer. As she turned towards Liam, she saw he was removing his apron and packing up.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving for a while. I think I'll go snowboarding in Aspen for a week. Pastry shop is closed. Sorry."

'What? Why?"

"Because this is getting very old, Willow, very fucking old. First Kari, and now an ex boyfriend whose obviously bedded you many times? Really?"

"He wasn't my boyfriend."

"Liar. No one just kisses and grabs a breast if he hasn't been there before, many times before. I've about fucking had it. I have some thinking to do and this time it's me that has to think about our future. Not you. What would you do if you were me, Willow? I know exactly what you'd do and so do you. See you. I'd like to say that it's been nice." He turned and walked out the door.

She was paralyzed. Flooded with guilt, doubts, loss. A growing sense of emptiness. She couldn't breathe as fear filled her. She ran out the door, "Liam! Liam, wait!" But she didn't see him. He was already out of sight. She stumbled to a stop, put her hands to her mouth and sobbed. What had she done? Why had she treated him like that? A broken heart at the end couldn't hurt more than the pain she felt now.