PART OF HER WORLD

CHAPTER 4

He spotted her sitting down at the same table outside under the big maple tree as she did yesterday. The wind gently stirred her hair around her face. He had another fifteen minutes before lunch. He grew more anxious that she might go back inside before he got a chance to go talk to her again. He watched her from the corner of his eye as his foreman was telling them that the roofing had to come off today. The tarp needed to be laid down this evening because it was supposed to rain and he wanted volunteers for men to work late.

“I will," Asher said without hesitation.

“Good anyone else?” several of the other men did as well, and then they all talked about going out for a drink after.

“Asher, you coming?” Mike Walaski asked as they started ripping up the old roofing materials.

“Yeah sure, you need a drive, do you?" he asked, knowing Mike had no car.

“Hey thanks for offering, sure do. They have a great steak there too, the joints down by the docks. You know where that’s at don’t you?" he asked him.

“Yeah I do," he told him as someone walked up to where Sophia was sitting.

A cop sat down across from Sophia, just as the horn sounded for lunch and Asher knew he couldn’t go over there now. He found a place to sit where he could wait until the cop left. As he watched, the two of them seemed to be arguing, their voices were becoming a little loud and the cop was the one that was angry.

“For Christ's sake Sophia!” the cop yelled with a slam of his hand on the table. Sophia jumped; her cane tumbled to the ground out of easy reach, and Asher got up to intervene. However, the cop got up and stormed off a few moments before Asher made the table.

He stood there not saying anything as the tears line her eyes. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled around for her fallen cane. Not wanting to scare her, he stood in the way of the sun on her and she froze. He had noticed that when someone blocked the sun, she stopped to listen.

“Sophia are you ok?" he asked and moved to pick her cane up for her.

“Yes ... I’m ... I,” she was trying to act calm but in trying to talk her voice cracked, and the tears streamed down her cheek.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok," he said, trying to sound soothing, and sat beside her and touched her arm.

“Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her as he could see how tense she was.

“No, it's nothing really. I think I need to go home, will you excuse me, I need to call a cab," she said, her voice a whispered sound, and he was sure she was trying to mask the sob that sounded close to breaking past her lips.

“I can take you, there’s no need to call a cab Sophia.”

“But you’re working."

“I have forty-five minutes before my lunch is over so I have lots of time to drive you home,” he wanted to know why the cop was hollering at her.

He watched her face, she seemed to be considering his offer and then she nodded her head and stood up.

“Thank you, Asher looks as if you’re my hero again," she said, she reached for his arm and he helped her to find it.

“It’s nothing Sophia," he told her silently wanting to be so much more than just her hero.

“I just need to tell Bentley that I’m leaving early," she said, and he walked with her to the main building. Several of his coworkers were eyeing them curiously and Mike gave him the thumbs up. Their foreman had a look of approval on his face and he grinned wider as Asher took Sophia by the arm. She didn’t take long telling her Doctor she was leaving early and as they left Asher caught the hard glare Bentley was giving him as he walked with Sophia to his truck. It was easy to see the man had an interest in her and wasn’t pleased that she was leaving with the likes of him.

Once on the road, he noticed she was still upset, and he thought about asking his foreman for the rest of the day off so she wouldn’t be alone.

“Sophia, if you want I can stay with you for a while," he told her as he kept glancing at her as he drove.

“It’s alright Asher, I’ll be fine once I get home and lay down for a bit," she told him her voice sounding strained and tired.

“You should make a complaint," he said, knowing cops shouldn’t treat people like that.

“A complaint about what?”

“The cop giving you a hard time and cursing at you," he said and as she tensed more he regretted saying anything to her about it.

“It’s nothing, just some old drama is all," she told him and even though her words sounded truthful, there was a hint of something more to the statement than just old drama he thought.

* * *~~~* * *

Sophia enjoyed having Asher to talk to but wasn’t comfortable telling him her brother-in-law was giving her a hard time about the divorce she wanted. She didn’t want Asher to know any part of that life. That part of her life was a nightmare she was trying to move past and it seemed every time she made any headway something brought it back in her face.

“Asher how about I bring you lunch tomorrow? I insist you let me,” she said as he walked her to her front door.

There was a long pause. His hand rested on her arm and she enjoyed the warmth of his touch on her naked flesh. The rough-textured hand on her gave her a sense of being safe. The man worked hard with his hands, she could tell, they were big and strong yet gentle as he stopped her from walking any further. A slight movement of air around her face made her think he might kiss her and her heart raced wildly in her chest. It was as if she were sixteen all over again. A soft caress of his fingers on her face sent sparks of glee fluttering up inside her as he pushed a stray lock of her hair off her face and behind her ear.

Then the touch was gone and the heat rushed to her cheeks at her own thoughts having misled her into believing he would want to kiss her.

“I can’t let you make me lunch. I was just doing the right thing, Sophia, I’m not looking for anything because of it,” he told her. She began to think she had been too bold to ask.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you,” she told him as she moved to go inside.

“Wait, I’m sorry I should be grateful for someone else’s cooking…mine is horrible,” he said with a light chuckle that made her things a little better.

“Alright I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow,” she said her mood so much higher than it had been ten minutes ago.

After he left Sophia took a pill and stretched out on the couch to rest. Jimmy had upset her when he told her that Jason wouldn’t give her a divorce and that he wanted her back. The thoughts of getting the security system suddenly didn’t seem as if it would be adequate protection as Jason was due to be released next week. Sophia rested her eyes for only a few minutes before she drifted off. Her mind fell into a dream-filled world were Asher and her made love in the sand and she could see his face and everything else again.

Waking up with a sensation of being watched caused her heart to race, she strained to listen. A soft creaking came from the back door. She wished she’d told Asher he could stay and keep her company suddenly. Her heart pounded in her chest as her hand crept along on the coffee table for her phone and as her hand grabbed it, someone gripped her by the hair.

“Hey baby, you remember us don’t you,” a man’s husky voice said as she screamed.

Sophia sat up in a full panic at the nightmare, it seemed so real. Her body was sticky and wet from a cold sweat. Her heart beat thunderously inside her and she tried to calm herself down. The panic still filled her from hearing the mugger’s voice in her dreams. If Asher hadn't of been there, then no one would have stopped them and that left a cold grip on her. The horrible dream was almost enough for her to want to postpone calling Dave for her annual yard chores. This was something she’d done for years, hiring men from The Milferd House. The money went to support the efforts Dave’s organization made in helping reformed prisoners integrate back into society.

 She reached down to her left wrist and flipped the face open on her tactile watch and her finger traced over the time. Five o’clock already. She was surprised she’d slept that long, she’d planned to call Dave at four. Picking up her phone, she let her finger glide over the raised Braille dots and dialed Dave’s cell number.

“Good afternoon Milford House, Dave speaking,” He said. As always, David sounded chipper and pleasant.

“Hi Dave it’s me, Sophia," she said.

“Oh hey, what can I do for you?”

“I need someone to paint my fence and deck, also the old shed by the pond,” she told him.

“Ok well I can give you two guys that can have it painted in about three days, but I need to tell you that the cost has gone up just like everything else these days.”

“Oh, by how much?”

“Its fifteen dollars an hour is that ok?" he asked her.

“Yup that’s not a problem. When can they be here?”

“How about I bring them around now and you can tell them what it is you want them to do."

“Sounds good I will see you in a little while then,” she said and hung up, that was quick, she thought.

Headed for the kitchen, her right hand glided along the wall. She made her way to the freezer on the fridge and opened it. There was a TV dinner in there and she wasn’t in the mood to fix a meal, so the frozen entree would be ideal for a quick supper. As she waited the six minutes for her food to heat up, she let her mind drift back to spending time tomorrow with Asher. She had weird dreams about him and then the nightmare. Now, for some reason, she couldn’t shake the sensation of being watched. 

Sophia would be able to relax more when she’d both the alarm system installed and Charlie there. The low rumble of a car pulling into her driveway told her Dave was most likely here and she headed for the door to greet them. Making for her doorway, she bumped her shin on a stool as she was trying to leave the kitchen  ...  that was not where she’d left it.

Sophia’s furnishings were laid out in a specific way so she would not trip over anything and their placement never changed. When she’d company, they knew to put chairs and other things back to where they had gotten them. It was for her safety. She didn't have company in a few days and her heart raced, someone had been in her house and might still be there.

* * *~~~* * *

Asher was sinking back his beer as the waitress Natalie flirted with him again, it’s something she’d been doing for the past few weeks that he had been coming here. She was kind of cute and built nicely with all the right curves in all the right places, but he wasn’t overly interested in a one night stand, well at least his mind wasn’t anyway. The place was pretty crowded for nine at night and as his buddies from work laughed and carried on, his mind was on Sophia. He had thought about calling her but when he looked for her number in his wallet, he couldn’t find it. He knew he couldn’t just waltz on over and ask her either that would be just rude.

Tomorrow he’d ask her out, he told himself, even if Doctor fancy pants were sitting right there. The thought of competing for Sophia with the wealthy good looking Doctor made his stomach knot as self-doubt crept over him. Setting his beer on the counter he looked at his buddies telling them he was grabbing a cab and heading home. He stepped outside and the soft click of heels from behind him caught his attention. Asher turned around , surprised to find the waitress standing there.

“Hey there, why don’t you wait for my shift to end? We can go somewhere and have a few drinks together,” she said as she got up close to him.

“No I can’t, I really need to get home,” he told her not wanting to hurt her feelings. His lower half though was nodding its head in agreement with the idea.

“You sure about that,” she asked as she slid right up to him, her breast nearly pushing up against him.

“I.,” Asher needed to get laid, and his mind argued with his d**k.

Natalie was hot, ready and most likely willing to do just about anything with him; he assumed by the way her hand was slipping up under his shirt. One second he was looking down at her ready to say goodnight the next she kissed him. Oh boy, he thought, and the pressure in his pants was most likely visible.

“Come home with me, I promise you won’t sleep tonight,” she whispered against his lips.

“Hey Buddy did you call a cab,” a man spoke up from behind him. Thank god, Asher thought.

“I’m sorry, Natalie but I got to go,” he said and left her standing there with a pissed expression on her face.

By the time he got home, ate, showered, and crawled into bed it was ten at night. His mind kept painting images of Sophia and him entwined in a fevered tangle of sweat as they brought each other to a climax. He had a raging erection but had promised himself he would save his desire for her when he won her over. First, he had to get the courage to ask her out. Hours passed before he finally drifted off to sleep.

The screaming of his alarm clock brought Asher out of a dead sleep and he realized he was late as he looked at the clock. The radio had to have been blaring for nearly half an hour. Rushing to get ready, he nearly forgot the medical forms for his foreman. He was trying to get his niece covered as well but wasn’t holding his breath on having any luck. As he grabbed his keys to his truck, he remembered he left his rig at the bar, damn it, he thought and dialed a cab. Wasting money going out drinking and paying for cab fare was not in his budget.

Having barely made the punch clock for eight, Asher found the morning had dragged by. Several of the guys had given him a hard time about not taking Natalie home. Apparently, Mike overheard what happened between them out front and Mike was the one whose shoulder she’d cried on. The idea that his buddy might be able to make a go with her didn’t bother Asher as his interest lay in Sophia, who he hadn’t talked to all morning.

Now he was worried about her. He decided if she didn’t show up by lunch, he would ask if anyone in the center had seen her during the day. It was the longest hour in his life as he kept looking at his watch and then around the yard. Ten minutes before lunch he spotted a bright yellow cab pulling up and to his relief, Sophia got out carrying a large basket. He had nearly forgotten she was bringing him lunch today, and a smile played on his lips.

When lunch finally arrived, he nearly ran to Sophia’s table and stood in the sunlight, so she’d know he was there.

“Hello?" she said a little mousey and it made him grin.

“Hey, how you feeling today?" he said as he sat down across from her.

“Oh not too bad, I had a very busy morning though, quite hectic for a Tuesday actually,” she said and started to pull food from the large basket. A few of the guys were smiling at him as they went by and Mike stopped and looked right at them.

“So that’s an impressive lunch you have being hand-delivered Asher!” Mike said eyeing the spread.

“Oh Mike, this is Sophia. Mike works with me,” he told her.  As he shot his hand out to shake hers, Asher gave Mike a shove, gesturing to her eyes and then to Mike’s hand. Mike mouthed the word ’damn it sorry.’

“Nice to meet you, Sophia,” he said as he drew his hand away with a stupid look on his face.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mike, do you want to join us? I think there is plenty,” she offered. Mike looked at Asher, he gave his friend a hard stare and shook his head ‘no’

“Naw, I’m good with my tuna fish sandwich,” he said pathetically.

The table had containers of pasta salad, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a plateful of thinly sliced cold cuts. And for dessert, there were two slices of cherry pie.

“So did you cook all this? It looks great.” Asher asked, trying to draw her attention away from Mike’s tuna plight.

“Sort of, I had help,” she said with a big smile that went to her eyes and they shone brightly.

“Lucky guy Asher, lucky guy,” Mike said as he was making gestures between his tuna sandwich and the meal Sophia had brought. A pathetic look of anguish spread over his face.

Sophia was turning red at Mike's comment and it made him smile. She was so beautiful, he thought, but when she was blushing, she was angelic.

“Well, I got to go. It really was a pleasure to meet you, Sophia." Mike said, his voice sincere as he said it.

“Nice to have met you too Mike,” she said, and he watched Mike stroll off to sit with the foreman.

“So who helped you with the cooking?” Asher asked.

“My best friend Margaret, cooking is one skill I haven’t quite mastered as a blind person, the other is driving a car,” she said.

“You drive a car," he exclaimed as he stared at her dumbfounded.

“I’m kidding,” she told him with a grin.

“I take it painting is another one of those skills you haven’t mastered,” he said noticing a small blob of white paint in her hair.

“Painting?”

“Yeah, you got paint in your hair."

“Oh that’s not me that was one of the men I hired to do some painting around my place, actually that was why I wasn’t here all day too."

“Oh? Well, if I had of known I could have done that for you."

“Asher you’re too kind you know that. This is something I do every other year to help out an organization I believe in. Actually, you know one of the guys that's working at my house."

“I do,” Asher’s hands shook in his panic. Thinking it was someone from his past before he went to jail.

“Yeah Richard Cassie, the man who started working at the park the same day I dropped off your shirt,” she said, and his jaw clenched. He froze in his spot as she continued to talk about the Milford House. How she’d always tried to help support the good work Dave did there.

Sophia had no idea she’d let the man who had tried to mug her into her house and if he told her then he would have to tell her everything. He decided he would pay Rick a visit and make sure he understood what he meant by when he told him to stay away from Sophia.

“So what do you think?" she asked. Asher had no idea what she’d said he was so upset with himself that he had totally zoned out.

“I’m sorry I was kind of lost in thought Sophia,” Asher told her feeling stupid.

“Oh, that’s ok. I asked if you knew of any good security companies."

“No can’t say as I do, what do you need a security company for?”

“I was trying to get an alarm system put into my house, but the one I did call is taking forever to just come out and look my house over."

“There’s Knight Guardian I saw their Ad on TV, whether they're any good or not I don’t know. That’s a really good idea having an in-home security system,” he said.

They continue to talk and eat, the food was good and he was enjoying his time with her. However, all too soon he had to go back to work and that’s when he told his boss he needed to leave early for an appointment. He didn't have any intentions of letting Rick hurt Sophia, and he was going to ensure he got the message this time.