Chapter 14 – Neon Heart Signs

The attic was already warm at 7:00 am when Carol woke. She basked in it, the memories of Michigan's cold weather in the back of her mind, an unwelcome interruption. June in Georgia sure had her wishing for air conditioning sometimes, but Daryl said that the house would eventually have it added. She smiled to herself as the image of her and Daryl's painting antics last night filled her with more warmth than the incoming sunshine in the attic. Last night, she had found herself wishing for there to be more between them than friendship. For a split second she had thought that he wanted the same thing. But then he had left for the night just as he had done every other night. She had tried not to be too disappointed, but she had been.

She mentally had to slap herself for that notion. She was less than two weeks gone from Ed. She was married to an abusive asshole, but married, nonetheless. She felt herself tear up at the memories of her marriage. If she was honest with herself, she had not been in love with Ed since the first time he laid hands on her. What that beating had done to her killed more than her feelings for him. It had been the beating that caused the loss of her baby. That violence had torn the last bit of hope of a future as a mother out of her heart.

She had been ten weeks pregnant. She had been so excited since she had told Ed the week before. His reaction had been tempered with agitation since he was worried about the money having a child would cost them. Sure, they had talked about kids, but that was way in the future. He had gone to bed that night glowering, but Carol had thought that he would be over it by morning and be just as excited as she was. The next day he had stayed home from work, then didn't go back every day after that for a week. He just sat around smoking, drinking, and playing video games. On the sixth day he was home, her patience finally snapped. She had asked him if he was planning on going back to work. If he wasn't then she was going to try to pick up more hours at her part time job.

He had risen from his chair, and she swore she saw the devil dancing in his eyes. The next ten minutes worth of blows were the scariest moments of her life up to then. She'd had so many bruises on her torso and chest. While he'd been kicking and punching her, she'd tried to protect her stomach as much as possible. She'd tried to hang on to that little life as hard as she could. The next day proved she had failed. She had failed her child. Ed had made sure she knew that. He also made sure she quit working outside the home. She had never told Ed, but she had started the Depo Provera shot soon after. She wouldn't bring a child into that life. Her heart still ached to be a mother. Ed hadn't killed that.

She rose for the day and was just going downstairs when she heard knocking at the door. She knew it was Daryl coming to work on the house. It was a Saturday, and she was excited about spending most of the weekend with him. He had been true to his earlier explanations; he worked a large chunk of the weekends there. She had been looking forward to this all week.

She let Daryl in, still wishing he knew she trusted him enough to claim his own key. He had never requested one after the locksmith handed the only copy to her. Sighing, she began whipping up a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. They were sitting down to eat when Glenn showed up. He had already eaten, so he went to work straight away on the staircase.

The plan for the weekend was completing all woodwork on the second floor and staircase. It was going to be a lot of work for the two men, but they wanted Carol to focus on painting the main level. She readied the drop cloths and began to edge in the 'silvery moonlight' color on the three main walls. She knew she would need to grab more paint, but she didn't mind. She smiled as she worked, her memories again pulled to last night's paint fight. She sighed deeply. She really liked Glenn, but she would give anything to have Daryl to herself this weekend. She wanted an opportunity to gauge if perhaps he felt the same about her as she felt about him. Daryl was a great friend, and she was blessed to have him. She felt guilty about being greedy, but she wanted more.

Daryl was having a hard time concentrating on his work. He hated being up on the second floor while Carol worked downstairs. He couldn't see her, but he occasionally would hear her humming. He wished they could work on the same level, but wet paint and sanding did not mix. He sighed, returning his focus to the task at hand. Glenn had been saying something, but he hadn't really heard him. He turned to find the man grinning at him.

"What's with the shit-eating grin Rhee?"

"Could you possibly be any more obvious? You might as well have a neon heart sign with Carol's name flashing above your head."

Daryl panicked. "Shhhhhh! Keep your damn voice down. You don't know what you're talking about anyways, so stay outta my business."

"Oh, I think I absolutely know what I am talking about. If you want more with Carol, you've got to just tell her."

"How the fuck do ya figure I should do that ass hat? Huh? Should I remind you she's married?"

"To an abusive asshole a Greyhound trip away. Did she ever tell you where she lived, by the way?"

"Michigan, and don't change the subject."

"Hey, I have family in Michigan. That's a long drive. But fine … fine, I won't say anything more about it. He paused. I'm going to only say one more thing about it. I'm just saying that she might be married, but she's fast tracking the divorce. She won't be married much longer. Do you think she feels the same for you?"

"No …. Well, I don't know. Last night …. I thought there was somethin' going on, but I am probably imagining it."

"Oh, you mean those heart eyes you were leveling each other with? No, you weren't imagining it.

"You mean … What do you mean?"

"That neon sign? Well, there's one above Carol's head too. It's a big heart with Daryl written inside it."

"Ya think?"

Glenn nodded and grinned again.

"But how …. Why would she want me … Want that with me?"

"Dude, seriously? You are twenty-three, single, muscled out, have a house, a truck, a great job and personality. Add to that fact that you basically rescued her, and it's a romance novel right there."

"Pffft. My life ain't never been no damn romance novel."

"Well, I hate to break it to you dude, but it is now. You just have to accept that. Embrace it. Embrace Carol."

Daryl turned to shove Glenn at that 'embrace Carol' bullshit, but the man weaved away from it. Daryl went back to focusing on work, the whole time he worked he couldn't keep the words Glenn had spoken from replaying on repeat in his head.

Carol showed up at the top of the stairs. After noticing her, Daryl turned off the sander. Both men smiled at the woman.

"I think I have to go back to Ace Hardware Daryl. We need more tape, and we will definitely need at least one more can of 'silvery moonlight'. Did you need anything while I am there for up here?"

"Can you pick up some more wood filler? I'm doing the doors next. He showed her the can so she could get the same kind. She nodded, took the cash he thrust at her with an eye-roll, and headed out. It would be a quick walk for her. She was grateful she wasn't going to have to lug back more than one can of paint.

The clerk was quick about mixing up the paint. She found the rest of the items and paid. As Carol walked back outside, she didn't see the set of eyes following her.

Ed got into Kennesaw on Saturday morning after driving all night. He wasn't sure where to start but thought that the government center would be a good place. He pulled in at the curb and sat a moment. What the fuck was he even looking for there? It's not like he could walk into the court clerk and ask if his wife had filed her divorce papers here. He could try the cops, but he wanted to save that as a last resort. If he was going to ask for help, he had to have time to come up with a good sob story first. Why else would they help him?

He was sitting in the car in the town square, debating on things when his luck finally, inexplicably paid off. There she was, practically right in front of him. He couldn't believe his luck. He ducked down a bit in the car, but she hadn't seen him. She was coming out of an Ace Hardware with some purchases. Why the fuck would she be doing that?

Ed's temper flared at the very sight of her. The long mousey gray hair was gone. So were her usual clothes. She was wearing a tight graphic tee, jeans, and those damn boots. With the auburn pixie cut, she looked ten years younger, much closer to her actual age than she did before.

He waited for her to pass by, then he silently got out of the car and went to follow her. This was his chance. He was getting her ass back to Michigan right now!