Hello! This chapter is a little shorter so sorry about that. Hope you enjoy it anyway and thanks for reading!
Chapter Three
Carol smiled as she tossed a couple of steaks into her cart. For months now she had been living off of Hamburger Helper and canned peas. Sophia's lunch usually consisted of Ramen Noodles or off brand Spaghetti-O's. Today, however, was a new day. A better day and she was determined to celebrate. Of course, she would be celebrating alone, but she would have a fine time anyway.
She made her rounds, tossing the ingredients for a fantastic dinner into the cart. She even splurged on the ingredients for a homemade pecan pie. Things were finally starting to turn around for her and, in a way, she owed it all to her shy, quiet, gorgeous, multi talented neighbor. Well, inadvertently, anyway.
She had left the house earlier this afternoon, determined to take a long walk and get to know the town a little better. The storm from a few days ago had seemed to scrub everything clean. It had rained for two whole days and now the grass was turning green again and the trees were standing taller and the sky wasn't that washed out haze that she had grown accustomed to. Everything had seemed to glow and she had wanted to enjoy it.
The temperature had been hovering somewhere in the low eighties but the humidity was low, making the heat pleasant instead of oppressive. She had walked slowly, gazing into the windows of the shops, enjoying the feel of the sun on her shoulders, when she had found herself standing in front of a boutique. She knew she shouldn't go in because her savings were quickly dwindling and she hadn't been able to find a job since moving here. But the clothes, clothes Ed would have never allowed her to even look twice at, seemed to call for closer inspection.
For a long time now she hadn't felt attractive. She had been reminded over and over than she was just one step up from being completely repulsive. For a while she had ignored Ed's cruelty but once a person was forced to hear something over and over, they started to believe it.
And then Daryl came along and in just two encounters had changed things up a bit. The way he looked at her made her feel sexy, desirable. She knew that it was stupid, but it was true, and she couldn't help but think of his reaction if she wore something from this place.
She had felt a rush of guilt when she thought of him. She was using him and she knew it. She was using him to feel better about herself. She was using him like a salve on the wounds Ed had left on her ego. And she was using him for sex.
Her! Carol Peletier. Quiet, unassuming, doting mother of one, was using a man for physical pleasure like a regular... harlot! But she shook the thought. She didn't want to think of it that way because it made her feel bad about herself. Like she wasn't who she had always thought she was. It was dirty and wrong, what she was doing with this man.
So inside she went and instantly fell in love with everything her eyes landed on. If she had been allowed to have a style, it would be something like what she was staring at now. Colorful bohemian dresses, peasant blouses, lacy camisoles with plunging necklines, open back sweaters, tunic dresses... there were jeans, jumpsuits, boots, moccasins, sandals, jewelry...
She had been startled by a hurried looking woman who seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Can I help you, honey?"
Carol had declined any help and continued to explore. The woman went back to a couple of customers that didn't seem very happy.
"I'm really sorry, I wish I could help you but my girl quit on me two days ago and I've gotten behind," the woman said quickly, glancing over a sheet of paper.
A woman that looked to be a little older than Carol was standing there with her teenaged daughter, looking just as upset as the clerk. "You gave me your word that the dress would be finished this week! How can we have this party if the dress won't be ready?"
Carol had slipped through the racks of clothes, frowning at the drama unfolding. The clerk had sat the paper down on the counter and Carol realized then that it was a sketch. An elaborate sketch at that. She picked it up, studied the design and then smiled.
"I can make this dress," she had blurted, cutting into the conversation.
The clerk looked up sharply, snatched the paper from Carol's hand and looked it over before meeting her eyes again. "You can make this?"
Carol nodded. "When I was a teenager, I made most of my own clothes. I make dresses for my daughter all the time."
"Can you show me what you can do? Because if you can make this dress then I absolutely have to have you. I'll double whatever your salary is now." The woman shoved the paper into Carol's hands, turned her around, and shoved her towards the back of the store.
Before she left the store, two hours later, she had a bag full of sample items. Which were not sample items but brand new clothes and a job that paid more than she had ever made in her life.
And now here she was, shopping for real food. Looking forward to a night without the stress of the future hanging over her head. It felt incredible.
~H~
Daryl had managed to avoid his brother for the last couple of days. He worked and he slept and he was able to dodge Merle for the most part but today the man had basically trapped him in their kitchen. Daryl had actually thought that he had left for the day since the house was so quiet when he had woken up, but as soon as he padded into the kitchen, still wiping sleep from his eyes, Merle was there, waiting like the nosy bastard that he was.
"You off tonight?" Merle asked, nodding towards the coffee pot.
Daryl was surprised to find the coffee already made, even though it was 3 in the afternoon. "Yep. Next three nights actually. Why?"
Merle shrugged. "Just wonderin'. I was plannin' on headin' outta town. You wanna come along?"
Daryl eyed him and then shook his head. "Better stick around here. I might get called in."
"You gonna bring the neighbor girl over?" Merle grinned and tipped the chair back on two legs.
"No," Daryl grumbled, glancing around the kitchen. Her house wasn't any fancier than his own but it was a hell of a lot cleaner.
"You gonna go over to her house?" Merle pressed.
Daryl looked up, narrowing his eyes. "Come out with it, goddamn it. Stop beating around the bush."
"When the hell did you meet her? Every time I've seen the woman she's got her nose stuck up in the air."
Daryl shook his head. "She ain't like that."
"Come on," Merle laughed. "You've even mentioned it yourself!"
"I was wrong." He shrugged.
"How long you two been... hangin' out?" Merle asked, choosing his words wisely.
Daryl shrugged.
"What's her name?"
"Carol."
"What's her last name?" Merle asked.
Daryl chewed his lip and then shrugged. He didn't know her last name.
"Okay," Merle grinned, leaning back in his chair. "You're using that woman for pussy." He chuckled.
Daryl balked. "No I ain't! Fuck off Merle. You don't know shit."
"I know that the first time you talked to her was the other day when I caught you at her house. When you came to the door you were sweaty, barely able to catch your breath. I thought you musta jogged over there but you were fuckin' her. You met her and then you fucked her. You fucked her again in the truck. You don't even know her last name."
"Go to hell."
"What's her kid's name?"
"I don't know."
"How old is she?"
"I don't know."
"Where did she move here from?"
"I don't know. Goddamn, why the hell don't you go on over there and ask her yourself you fuckin' nag! Jesus!"
Merle grinned. "She left out earlier but trust me, I plan on trying to get to know her a little better now. You don't bother chasin' after tail, boy. If you're dippin' into that piece every time you see her, it must be quality unlike any I've ever tasted."
Daryl glared, anger causing his pulse to rush behind his ears. "What you're gonna do is stay the fuck away from her. She ain't like that." The last thing she needed was someone like Merle trying to get in her pants.
"Ain't like what? Ain't the type to fuck a man she don't even know just cause he stopped by to use her phone? Or not the type to climb into a pick up truck to fuck the same stranger again? Tell me, little brother. What's she like then?"
Daryl shook his head, refusing to answer. He got it. He understood why Merle thought what he thought about her, but Daryl didn't believe it. He didn't know why things had happened the way they had happened between them but he knew she wasn't the type of woman to make a habit of doing what she was doing with him, with other men. Maybe he was being naive. He wasn't really knowledgeable when it came to the fairer sex because he'd never really bothered getting to know women.
"Face it, little brother. Even if that woman ain't the type to mess around with a lot of men, she sure as shit ain't hesitatin' to mess around with you." Merle laughed. "She's usin' you to scratch an itch."
"Shut up," Daryl muttered, taking his coffee to the front porch and sitting down heavily. But Merle was right. Daryl Dixon, the socially awkward, fumbling tag along to Merle Dixon, was being objectified. He laughed at the absurdity of it, shaking his head. Daryl Dixon, regular redneck romeo. He nearly snorted coffee up his nose as he laughed into his cup.
He looked up then, the sound of her car familiar now because his ears seemed to single the sound out every time she left her house. She wasn't leaving now, though. She was pulling into her driveway and hadn't even glanced his way. Then again, why should she? It wasn't like she was going to make her way over here to see if he wanted to screw around. And that was the only thing they did. They saw one another, said hello, and then they fucked.
She got out of her car, carrying quite a few bags. She was halfway to her porch when she noticed him and since her hands were full she gave him a smile. He waved and then looked away because he didn't want her to think that he was out there just so he could stare at her. He sat the coffee down and leaned back on his elbows, enjoying the relief from the heat.
He let his mind wonder for a while. Maybe he would go do a little hunting later, just to get his mind off things for a bit. It had always worked before.
"Hi," a familiar voice said from a few feet away.
He sat up quickly and then blinked in surprise. It was Carol but she'd changed clothes since he'd seen her heading into her house. She was wearing a strapless dress that hugged her around the waist and then flowed out at the hips. It wasn't short, but the way it fit her had his eyes widening. "Hey," he managed.
"Are you doing anything tonight?" she asked, wringing her hands in front of her looking extremely unsure of herself.
He shook his head, all thoughts of hunting completely slipping his mind. He heard the front screen door open, watched as her eyes moved over his head, regarding his brother quickly with a disapproving look.
When she met Daryl's eyes again she cleared her throat. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over later and eat."
He raised a brow and then unconsciously licked his lips. That wasn't something that he'd gotten around to doing yet but he sure as fuck wouldn't mind a-
"I bought too much food and it's just me and I thought that-"
"You thought that since the two of you like to fuck a lot that you might as well feed him for his efforts?"
Daryl looked over his shoulder, glaring. "Merle!"
Merle shrugged and then went back inside, winking conspiratorially.
Daryl shook his head, his brows pulled down in a frown. "He's an ass."
She staring at the door, her face flushed. "You told him?"
"No! He saw us get outta the damn truck. Managed to avoid him for the most part but he caught me today."
"Oh, well... so, you want to come over at seven?" she asked, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"Hell yeah. I live off frozen corn dogs and fruity pebbles in here. You offer to feed me and I'll be there."
She finally smiled at that and then nodded before turning around and heading back to her own house. Daryl didn't want to go inside because he knew he was going to have to listen to Merle and Merle was such a son of a bitch. Instead he stayed right there on the porch and watched her make her way back to her place. He felt a little bad that he'd never bothered asking her if she wanted to do anything. Other than what they had already done, anyway.
With a sigh he headed inside and sure enough, Merle was waiting to pounce.
"Hot date?" he asked, leaning into the door frame.
"Shut up." He headed for his bedroom but Merle's words stuck in his mind, even as he tried to push them away. This wasn't a fucking date. He didn't date people. He didn't have time for that kind of stupid shit. He wasn't the type of guy that could just jump into a situation like that. Fuck, what if she was a fucking nag or what if she tried to boss him around or tell him that he shouldn't do this or that? What if...
He shook his head. She'd admitted that she'd bought to much food and she wanted to know if he would come over and eat some of it for fucks sake. That didn't mean he had to fucking marry her. He needed to calm down because it was just the other day that he had been thinking that maybe it would be cool to get to know her. This was just that. An opportunity to get to know someone that he had a connection with. Sure, the connection was strictly physical, but still there nonetheless.
He had four hours to kill before he went over there. That was four whole hours to over think everything.
