Page 17 of Pinch of Love
Oh, no. She was crying.
My mind raced to the guy she called Rob, and I suddenly wanted to meet the ex so I could take care of business. There was never a reason to make a woman cry.
Ever.
When I got to the base of the stairs, she blew her nose harder than the last time, and I let out a grunt. I wasn’t exactly the best at dealing with crying women, but the thought of pretending I didn’t hear her wasn’t something I was willing to do.
Plus, I needed to let her know the problem had been fixed.
I set my toolbox by the front door and made my way down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I saw Maya turn toward the kitchen window that faced the lake.
It was a beautiful view, and seeing Maya enjoying it between tears gave me some sort of weird comfort. At least she had a nice place to recover from her breakup.
I tapped the counter lightly with my knuckles. “Hey, Maya. It’s all fixed. I’ll be getting out of your hair now.”
She turned and smiled with sticky tears staining her cheeks, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter Five
Maya
I swore I’d never shed another tear over Rob, and here I was, snotting all over the place in front of one of the sexiest men alive who’d just dropped everything to help me with a plumbing issue. It didn’t help that Cash’s T-shirt tugged just right across his broad shoulders, and for some reason, his khaki shorts gripped his waist just enough to make every step interesting in the front.
Reaching for a paper towel, I tore a chunk off and wiped my nose.
“I’m so sorry.” I swallowed down a mixture of mortification and grief. Or maybe it was torment. I felt tormented by Rob.
“Uh, hey. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m more than happy to lend an ear.” Cash’s normal gruff tone had a sensitive touch to it. “Or a shoulder. I have really broad shoulders.”
I snickered and nodded. “Yes, you do. They’re something to be proud of.”
Cash smiled and nodded. “You doing okay? Dumb question. Obviously not.”
I smiled and folded my arms over my chest. “I’m doing okay. Just not used to standing up for myself, I suppose.”
Cash bit his bottom lip and glanced out the window toward the lake. “You shouldn’t have to stand up for yourself, Maya. No one should put you in that kind of situation.”
His words hit home and made me question all my years of schooling and professional career.
Cash was right, more so than he could ever know.
Ever since I was a kid, I had felt an overwhelming need to stand up for either myself or my sisters. It was what happened when you had addicts for parents. It was probably why I became a therapist and why I’d made it my mission to make therapy easier to obtain.
Yet, here I stood, thoroughly screwed up.
I frowned and shrugged. “Thank you, and now if I could get my inner child to hear that, I’d be set.” I drew a deep breath and turned around to stare at the lake. “I’ve spent more money than you can imagine on therapy and degrees to still put myself in situations where I need to stand up for myself.”
A few seconds of silence hung in the air, but I felt him listening, even if it was to nothing.
“What is it you do for a living?” he asked as I turned around slowly to face him.
“Believe it or not, I’m a therapist.” I chuckled, suddenly feeling like my secret had been revealed. I was a failure as a therapist because I couldn’t even get my own life together.
He smiled, and it nearly melted me. “I believe it. You’re kind and perceptive. You’re smart, and you have amazing observation skills.”
“Yeah? You think so?”
“Absolutely. Within minutes of walking into this house, you knew I had issues.”