Tough as Nails

Now if you're talking body

~Blake~

It's just after 6am and I'm awake on a Saturday. A day that I don't work. I have been struggling to sleep for weeks. I was lucky to get 4 hours a night. I was always the first up, the last to bed.  Well until I got with Travis.  He's always owned a bar.  Always been the ladies man.  I never really thought about how late he was out until things just flipped when had Gracie.  

I knew I shouldn't dwell on the things Travis said to me, but I was really wondering if some of those things were true. I mean, maybe I have changed and gotten lazy with him.  Who the hell has time to be super mom? I think about it... you work 9 hours a day, work for a promotion because your job is beneath you, cook, clean up after everyone and then good lawrd if there is any energy after walking the dog and messing with the yard, try to pay attention to your man and then find energy to go for a run or even buy a gym membership?? I think I need to find the kind of coffee that woman's sipping cause it'd gotta be fire to keep up with life.

 I look up to the ceiling for answer.  Maybe it's all in my head and I start s**t with him just to get him out of my hair.  Maybe I like taking his time from the girls... No - That's not it.  

I wanted him around so I could take a moment away from the girls every now and then.  Just a few moments for myself. Maybe to go to the gym or actually talk to Kris or Savanna after 6am?   Seriously the only time I had to have adult conversations outside of work was on my way to work.  UGH! I was just so afraid he'd tell them they were unattractive, or stupid or useless or whatever vile s**t he could spew to upset them like he did me.

Glancing over to his side of the bed, he's snoring. I decided I would surprise him and the girls with a yummy breakfast before we ran errands for the day. I wanted to have plenty of time to do yard work before Travis opened the bar today. 

He'd started to pick up more shifts since he let someone go. The bar sales weren't that great or that bad, but having that extra person off payroll was apparently was worth his long hours doing all the manager then bartender stuff.  I honestly understood. Over the years, I'd see several layoffs with my employers. I was lucky I was not one of them.  Doesn't mean I was okay with the extra work stressing him out or taking it out on me.  I mean do I have a  sign on my forehead with "verbally punch me as nasty as you can, I dare you!"

As quietly as I could, I start my coffee, start to pan the bacon, scramble eggs the way the girls liked, make the rue for gravy and gather the things for the homemade biscuits I usually made for dinner since they took almost as little time as the main course.

Covering the dough out on the floured counter to rise, I look out the window above the counter, to the left of my sink that looks out the the neighbors drive. I heard commotion around dinner time yesterday, but I took Dax out front thinking he's bark at the noise, so I didn't see what was happening. Looking at the clock, I have about 8 minutes left before I need to roll these out and toss on the baking pan. It was decided. I would be that nosy neighbor and use taking the dog out to snoop.

Righting my shorts and tank that could be at least one size bigger, I straightened my wild dirty blonde hair under my headband. I grabbed the lead just in case, Dax and my sandals by the back door and out we went.

As quietly as I could, hoping I didn't wake Travis or the girls, I walked sir pees-a-lot around the back yard. "Holly Cow, they'll been busy, haven't they Dax?"

"Yeah Chase has, not so much for Jake."

Startled, I turn to see which sister I'm dealing with. Luckily, it was the younger one. Sherry and I were just odd trying to talk to each other. I guess she didn't like me and her condescending jabs at me were just too annoying for me to pretend. Hell, most of the population these days didn't care for me.

Lindsey was sweet and sassy- very sassy.  Every bit of the stereotypical red head.  She reminded me of me when I was her age, less the red hair of course. I think she was a grade younger than Chase. Gosh I'm so old. "Morning Lindsey. You scared me. What kind of building are you guys doing?"

"Sherry wants this shed constructed to put the yard stuff and mowers in so we don't keep pushing her car out in the elements, so she says. I think she just wants to push Jake and Chase to choking each other.  I'll just hang back and wait to spray them with the hose."

Oh gosh, that poor guy. I know Jake is just an ass to him. He's mean to everyone. He won't say hello to anyone. He will tear that poor kid down to his bones with his insults. Ha I wonder if Jake and Travis compare notes. "That sucks they don't get along better."

"Yeah, but it will make Sherry happy. Both will do anything for her or baby Bailey. So suffer on, boys!" She cackles like she's been possessed on Halloween.

I lift an eyebrow when she goes from vengeful  diva to a sad sobbing girly mess.    "Boy trouble?"  

She nods no, then yes and sobs more.  Oh this just hurts my heart.  I want to throttle whoever made her cry.  "Need me to get sharp objects and a shovel? You point me in that brat's direction. I got you."

My cocker spaniel, Dax starts to whine at lord knows what. I look down with the Mom side eye telepathically scolding him.  Little devil, you wake up those babies, you won't get any treats for a week! 

Lindsey laughs and cries at the same time. "Ha, I guess I'm easy to read, like Chase says.  Yeah. Apparently being exclusive is a silly idea when you're barely 16.  Even if you've been together for a few months, right?"

"Oh hun, boys are so stupid. Even men." I pull her in a hug think back to how I wished someone would have told me the same thing back then. I push her back so she can see my firm expression. I have this sudden urge to make her understand she can be powerful and beautiful. "Now, I know it hurts right now, so have a good cry over it- the situation. Don't you dare cry over that boy. Mark, Marcus, whoever.  Then, take a good deep breath and get over that s**t.  Make his sorry ass a thing of the past. You're gonna grown up confident and make yourself tough as nails. Ya know why, Lindsey?"

 She looks up in awe, like I'm a speaking gospel- ha if you only knew how true these words were in my life, hun. "You're gonna be tough as nails so you don't need a man to make you happy.  You will want a man and he'll make you happy, but you won't need him to make you feel good. You are going to focus on you and your sports, your girlfriends, your school. And you're gonna do it with so much confidence, all those little boys will come running. But don't give in to any of them until you'll have then all begging for your time.  Then pick who you want because you won't need any of them! You won't settle, hun. Don't you dare settle for anything less than everything."

Lindsey sniffles one last time and smiles like I just told her how to solve the mystery of the single socks.  "Thank you. Thank you so much Blake."

She hugs me tightly and walks up the stairs to their deck. "Oh, Blake?" I glance up. "You might want to take a peek out that kitchen window in about 15 min. I know he'll be showing off for you." 

She smiles and runs inside. I stair at their deck for a few seconds, not really understanding what she just said...  She can't possible mean Chase? Can she? Jake's walking around no less than 275 and belly proudly all over his belt. Just ewwww! I laugh and walk back inside the kitchen.

I wash my hands and start to roll out the dough. I keep thinking why the hell she would say I need to look and he was gonna show off.  Curiosity got the better of me when I heard voices- male voices. I look out that damn kitchen window. As I'm leaning on the rolling pin, my tank all ridden up, chest pushed up and out like I'm a pin up, I don't look like a baker.  

I see him. I see him without a shirt, just jeans. I see him walking with lumber and metal pieces for that shed.  It's just heavy enough to strain those lean, corded arms and back. Holly s**t, when did Chase grow up? He's put on at least 20 pounds of muscle in the few weeks I've been here?

He turns back from where they are going to build the shed to get more supplies. God, his upper chest is lean and full at the same time. How is that possible? Oh damn, it takes hard work to get abs and I'm seeing at least 6 well defined muscles leading my greedy eyes down deep to that  chiseled vee meeting his waistband of his jeans.  I feel my headband rise like my heart rate, knocking some of my hair loose from my messy bun. I go to swat the stray hair and then it happens.

Chase's eyes just happen to meet mine.

They stay right there, locked on mine as I proudly try to take a photo with my brain.. Right that second I give about anything to have a photographic memory.

I should be mortified. I should cower, hide under the counter, never go outside again. But that's not what the old Blake  would do. Nope, she'd grin and ogle and encourage that boy to come over and see what she's flaunting.

So what do I do? Where the hell did my inner Blake come from? Maybe my chat with Lindsey sparked something in me.

I smile back. No, I smirk a dirty little smirk that tells way too many nasty hints of what I'm wanna do. And that little s**t, oh he's good- he stops walking. He stops, turns to give me the perfect view of those perfect hand size  pecs,  so lean abs, and damn sexy vee I can clearly see leads down to a pretty damn good sized treasure perched atop some very powerful looking legs.  Those legs are definitely strong enough for my big ass. 

And he smirks right back! He smirks knowing I'm approving of what I see.  I don't think about what I'm doing or how I look.  I lick my lips thinking how damn warm it is and how dry my throat is now.

He opens his lips in a gasp when I do that.  Then he smiles. He  smiles back at me happy I am ogling his so nice body..  This is actually happening.  I'm flitting with my cocky, very good looking neighbor.  He winks at me. He's called back in the house and our trance is broken.

One of the girls waking up.  Like a freezing cold bucket of ice water, that jolted me from...  Oh s**t. s**t s**t s**t. What did I just do?

"Blake, don't you know it's too early to be banging around," Travis grumbles walking to the coffee maker sloshing the pot then putting back on the warmer.  He roughly slams the a kCup in the other side of the combo machine.

"I wanted to surprise you and the girls with breakfast," I state as flatly as my pounding heart allows.

"Maybe you could have surprised me with making enough coffee. You know don't like breakfast. You should have just given the girls cereal and let me sleep."

"Mommy! Bacon! eggs!" the girls run in the kitchen squealing in excitement. 

"I'll let you tell them they can't have bacon eggs and homemade biscuits then, Travis." I toss over my shoulder prepared to scoop up my babies for morning hugs.  

And that, is why I don't surprise you, Travis...