Daryl peeled his shirt away from his skin starting to think he needed to invest in something cooler. He wondered if that damn angel was coming back with more tea. She seemed to come straight to him each time. She was fanning herself over in her chair while she pantimimed reading in favor of watching them.
Hell he'd never get women, but he sure didn't mind her keeping out where he could see her. She looked like the type that had no idea how beautiful she was. He needed to stop looking his own self, she was miles out of his league and then some.
He packed it up and went towards his truck, but that little old lady met him in the middle not far from where Carol was sitting. He tried to just walk past her, but she stopped him.
"Here ya are son." Sophie said holding out a hundred dollars in twenties, he looked down at it, he needed it, but he couldn't rightly take it. He reached out and took one twenty for gas and just walked away. Sophie smiled, yep he was a good man.
He tucked the bill into his jeans and climbed into his truck. When he got to his shitty apartment there was a paper taped to his door. **EVICTION: FINAL NOTICE** he read before crumpling it up and tossed it on the floor. He grabbed a trash bag and started stuffing his shit into it instead of getting some much needed sleep.
He couldn't make a comment on how little Carol had when all he stuffed into his truck bed was a bag of clothes, his crossbow, and a stick of deoderant packed in a box with his knives and phone charger. He fell back onto his bed when he was done and dropped into unconciousness.
His alarm blared on his phone, and he groaned forcing himself up. He showered thuroghly and grabbed the last of his shit before heading out. He got there first this time leaning back in his seat.
He was nearly asleep when Trick pulled up, he grumbled getting out to get to work. This was going to be one hell of a long day.
))))========)
Carol came back not long after the men started work, she'd officially filed for devorce using her grandma's money, she would need a job soon so she could pay her back. Not that Sophie wasn't well off, that woman had a bank acount of old family money that would make a CEO blush.
Carol had never been one to take the easy way though, she didn't want hand outs, even though she usually needed them. She went into the camper and made some sweet tea for the workers before Sophie woke up.
Things seemed good until about two, the workers were just finishing up their lunches when that silver SUV whipped in the drive. She cringed, she'd thought she might get off scott free, but she should have known better.
Daryl looked up as a swollen red faced man scurried out of the SUV. He emptied his glass of tea and started slowly in that direction. Carol wanted to run, but there was no where to go, Sophie came out standing beside her reaching out to hold her hand.
"Be strong." She whispered as Ed stormed right up to her his face purple with rage.
"What the fuck do you think you're doin, ya was supposed to be back last night, but here ya fuckin are lazin about with yer crippled fuckin grama! Yer fuckin shit's gone too, ya got somethin to fuckin say?" Ed yelled so close that his spittle flicked over her face making her cringe. She took a step back feeling the camper press behind her.
"E-Ed I... I want a... a devorce." She choked out, he looked like he might explode.
"The fuck ya just say to me bitch?!" He asked low and dangerous, Carol was shaking now ready to cave. Sophie pushed up in front of him.
"She said she wants to devorce you, ya piece a shit, now get off my land!" She told him firmly, his hand snapped out backhanding her. She cried out stumbling back, Daryl shoved past him putting himself firmly between this shit head and the women.
"Ya best fuckin leave!" Daryl snarled right up in his face, Ed took a step back seeming to realize for the first time that they weren't alone. Carol hurried over to Sophie to make sure she was okay.
"I ain't leavin, that's my fuckin wife, just cause the whore is spreadin her legs for all a ya don't make that no different!" Ed spat, Daryl lost it, he fucking hated men like this, like Buck. He pulled back popping him once in the face sending him in a heap to the dirt.
"Ya best fuckin leave... now!" He punctuated his wrods by jerking towards him, Ed scrambled to his feet bleeding over his hand. Daryl turned around, he could feel everyone here watching him including Carol. He watched Ed leave then turned holding his glass out. Carol took it and he went back to work.
Carol watched him go still too shocked to thank him, she would have gone back with Ed, she knew it. She was weak, and he'd just saved her. He hadn't expected a thing in return, he'd walked away without a word.
"Told you." Sophie whispered, Carol let the tears welling in her eyes spill over at the words. She had told her Ed would hurt her, though that hadn't been what she meant, that's what Carol heard.
*~鈥爚**~鈥爚*
Daryl didn't know why he'd hit that prick, he didn't have any buissness stepping in for those women. He couldn't have stopped himself if he'd tried though. Nothing wound him up like seeing some big man beating on a little woman just to try and proove he ain't shit.
Daryl got into his truck the thought still plaugeing him, hell how had a sweet thing like her ended up with a shit head like that? Hell it wasn't none a his buissness. He started up his truck, and turned to pull out of the driveway.
Where the hell was he headed though, he sighed turning down towards the dead end. He parked his truck down in the boat entrance by the lake that was probably still on Mrs. Mason's land. He sighed laying back on the bench and folding his coat for a pillow.
The next morning he went down to the lake trying to clean himself off. He plugged in his car charger and dug through what little food he had left. A bag of stale cereal, a can of chicken and a loaf of bread. Fuck it was gonna get to be a long ass week before he got paid.
))))========)
Carol spent the better part of the day crying, she wanted to say it was for what had happened to her grama and it was true that anytime she saw that black mark on her grama's frail skin she felt like shit, but that wasn't it. She was just so scared, sure Ed hurt her, but he took care of her too. How was she supposed to take care of herself?
She brought out tea since her grama kept them well stocked on it. She noticed Daryl on his lunch when she finally pulled herself together. He sat in his truck with the door cracked open picking at a piece of bread. It was hardly a lunch.
She looked over at the little grill, she had hot dogs and hamburger in her fridge. She looked over at Sophie who was sitting just outside knitting. She went out to her as quietly as she could.
"How ya feelin sweatheart?" She asked, she sighed wiping her face again.
"Better, I'm so sorry about what happened." She whispered, Sophie waved her hand dissmissively.
"No need, now I know ya didn't come out here for my company. So what is it?" She asked, Carol blushed looking over at the five men working on the house, most specifically Daryl.
"I was thinking that I could grill something for everyone." Carol said, she liked cooking ecpecially when people apreciated it.
"That sounds wonderful, I do miss a good barbeque. Here go into town and pick up some beer, I'm sure these men would apreciate it, and I could use a drink myself." She told her, Carol missed their family barbeques too, it had been so long since they'd had enough family to do it.
*~†~*
Daryl's stomach was snarling in protest by the time they were getting towards the end of the day. He kept dropping shit too, cause Carol was flitting around in a thin little sun dress with fucking beer, water mellon, potatoes in tin foil and a huge tray of burgers and brauts.
He was starving and she was the damn devil of temptation over there looking good enough to eat even without the food. He was cursing at his latest object dropped on his damn toes.
"Do you have a lighter?" Carol asked from right behind him, he damn near dropped the board again.
"What?" He asked tossing it in the wheelbarrow so he wouldn't look the fool.
"I asked if you had a lighter." She told him, he dug into his pocket pulling out a worn old zippo. She took it happily her fingers brushing against his. He kept his eyes locked on his boots.
"Thanks." She said walking off a little pep in her step, for a woman who'd been crying most the day she was aweful cheerful. She went over to a little grill set out on their picknick table.
"Ow, shit." She cursed quietly, shaking her hand, she'd obviously burnt herself. He sighed dropping his wheelbarrow and going over to her. He stepped up behind her snatching his lighter from the charcoal. She jumped at how close he was moving out of his way. He flicked his lighter lighting the grill and just flicked it shut walking away.
Damn woman, no wonder the fucking house burned down. He went back towards his work. Carol seemed to be following him. He stopped walking, but she stepped past him.
"Who wants burgers, and who wants brauts?" Carol asked, and Sophie walked up beside her grinning.
"No, the real question is who wants beer?" Sophie asked, every one of them looked up at that.
"Hell ya, come on Trick it's damn near that time right?" T-dog asked, Trick sighed waving his hands.
"Damn right, how can I deny a pretty woman, with good food." Trick called out, all five of them Daryl included filed over to grab a beer from the tub of ice. Daryl took a slow swig from his beer trying not to moan.
They were damn fine long neck botttles, and he fucking needed it. Carol laughed walking away from the small group of men.
"Braut or burger?" Carol asked him, he looked up from his beer at that damn angel.
"Burger, ya know ya ain't gotta keep doin this shit right, we're gettin payed." He told her despite the rumble of his empty stomach. She smiled with this far off look on her soft features.
"I like to cook for people, it helps." She admitted, he nodded, so that's why she was doing this. So she could forget herself for a moment, he got that.
"Well we sure ain't gonna turn it away." He said sipping at his beer, she smiled taking her own beer.
"I used to have such a big family, and we'd have these barbeques every other weekend. These days... well I miss those stupid barbeques." She told him, he nodded even though he'd never had that.
"Ain't got much of a family myself." He admitted not sure what else he could say, and she clearly wasn't leaving. Trick had planted himself at the barbeque, so she was just taking orders at this point.
"Sometimes I think that might have been better, we were all so close, then when Grampa Howe died, we just fell apart. Me and Grama are the only ones still in Georgia. I can't imagine not having any family though, I guess I won't have to soon." Carol said looking over at where Sophie was chatting away with the men by the barbeque.
"Got a brother, Merle." Daryl tried to steer away from tragic topics.
"That must be nice, I never had any siblings. I'm not sure my parents actually even wanted to have me. Oh God, I have to go keep her away from the beer." Carol said hurrying off after Sophie, since she couldn't have more then one with her medication if she was taking them.
He leaned back nursing his beer watching the scene unfold around him. He'd never really been a part of something like this. He was just thinking he needed to go get his damn food when Carol came back.
"I didn't know what you liked on it, there are toppings on the table." Carol told him holding out a plate with a burger a slice of watermellon and a grilled potato on it. He piled the lettuce onto the burger and scooted down the tree to sit and eat.
"Thanks." He said setting the plate on his lap, she smiled holding out another beer and taking a seat next to him without a word. He tried not to shovle his food like a pig, but damn it was good.
"This was always my favorite part seeing everyone look so happy because of something I did." She said without really directing it at him. He looked up from his food washing it down with a swig of beer.
"Guess this is the first time I been at one a these." Daryl said as T-dog covered his heart throwing his head back faking devistation, and the rest laughed.
"Well, I'm glad I could pop your cherry then." She teased, he had to blink a few times to decide if he'd even heard her right. He decided not to respond at all since he didn't know what the hell to say. He was sure he was blushing, and if he'd looked over he'd have seen her blushing too.
They sat together quietly and it was nice, he'd never met someone he was comfortable in silence with. After a while Sophie turned on some country and someone pulled her into the conversation, leaving Daryl alone.
After it got dark they all started drifting off, Daryl sighed and went to his truck wishing he could stay where he was. He'd rather not have to face the fact that he had no where to go. He pulled off looking back at Carol, fuck he had to stop that shit.