Page 5 of Finding Isaac (Foggy Basin Season Two)

Isaac

“Isaac—” Tig started, but he stopped when I turned away. “I really want to work things out.” His voice was full of hurt and heartache, and I knew it was because of me.

“What happened? I thought things were going great between us. We went to the Christmas party together and all I could think of was how much fun it was to go there with someone I was interested in.”

“I felt the same way, I really like you, Isaac.” He turned to face me and brushed his fingers over my hand.

“Then why—” The words were like sand in my mouth, and I couldn’t force myself to say it.

“Because I don’t want it to just be about sex. We could have fucked and been done with it, but that’s not what I want,” Tig said, and when I was finally brave enough to meet his eyes, I could see how serious he was.

“But why? It’s just sex,” I said. Jack and I had been hooking up for years, and even when he got with Hudson and told me he wouldn’t be doing that anymore, I understood.

Mostly because I knew we would never be boyfriends, but we’d always be best friends.

There’d been more than a few through the years that Jack didn’t know about, and more since we had stopped.

“Not for me,” Tig murmured. “I want to know you, and date you. I want us to spend so much time together that you’re sick to death of me, but you still don’t want me to leave.

I want you, Isaac. I want you so fucking bad it’s all I think about, you’re all I think about.

But I don’t want to just hook up with you.

You’re too special to me for that.” He reached for my face and cupped my jaw the way he’d done a few times.

No one ever touched me the way he did. So much care, and—more.

“I don’t know how to do any of that,” I admitted and expected him to laugh at me. But that wasn’t Tig. He was a good man.

“Then we’ll learn together. I’m thirty-eight years old and I’ve never been in one lasting relationship.

Not one person has ignited the feelings in me that you have.

That spark you have draws me to you. The way you don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks and your confidence in that decision—I love that about you.

” He looked at me like no one had ever looked at me in my life, and my heart did some weird flippy thing that I wasn’t sure if I loved or hated.

“We’re going to be working together,” I said.

“Yeah, about that, I didn’t realize you worked there. If it’s going to be an issue, I can cancel the contract and tell them no thanks.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course. I don’t need the job. I just got bored working at home all the time and wanted something to get me out a few days a week. The dryer was looking for someone and contacted me.”

“What if I wanted to go to lunch with you one day?” I asked and that made him smile and weave his fingers with mine.

“Then I’d ask you where you wanted to go. I really like you.”

“Can we ever have sex?” I asked. He laughed but I was serious because he got to me too and I wasn’t used to all the other stuff before we just got to it.

“God yes. I swear,” he said and leaned in to press his lips against mine. “I just want it to be more than that.”

“Okay, I guess we can do that then.”

“And you’ll stop ignoring me?” Tig asked but didn’t move away.

“If I have to,” I said.

“I have missed you so much,” he said before pulling me in for a hug and kissing the side of my head. “We’ll make it work. We’ll work.”

“That sounds weird,” I said because it did, but it made me happy to hear it.

“I know,” Tig said just as the door opened, and Jack stuck his head outside.

“Now that you’ve made up do you mind helping me with the rest of this shit. I’d like to get it all put away by tonight.” He looked between the two of us before rolling his eyes. “You too, Tig.”

“Come on. Let’s get this done then you can buy me some dinner,” I said and Tig kissed the palm of my hand before pulling me up out of my chair.

“I can do that,” he said.

“Yeah, you can. What do you want us to work on?” I asked Jack who led us to the backroom and another stack of boxes. Because I swear there were always more damn boxes to unpack.

“Those there.” Jack pointed to a big stack of motor oil and filters.

“Are you expecting the whole town to need an oil change?” I asked.

“Well, it is that time of year, and yes I do expect some of them to need an oil change.” Jack pushed a dolly over to Tig just as the door chime sounded. Hudson looked up from where he was working on who knew what at the desk that was now his, but it was Jack who hurried out to help.

“Let’s take one of each different weight then we’ll see what else we need.” I’d helped with this before and knew the routine, but I didn’t mind Tig doing most of the lifting. Nope I didn’t mind one little bit.