Bmb Version 4 1

Disclaimer

: This is a work of fiction, and it was created solely by me as the author. Any similarities to characters, businesses, places, or things are all happenstance, though my appreciation to those who have

inspired

my works is immense.

Author's Note

: This entire series is based on the same characters, places, and general situations, but will be shared in the form of five different versions. I'm hoping you'll appreciate the various approaches as they are posted. And be aware: some versions go into certain details more than others, so remaining calm and awaiting the next installment may be necessary, but I assure you, it'll be worth it. Questions and comments are welcome. I hope everyone will be kind. Rating these stories is very helpful also... please consider giving me your stars! (You don't realize it until you begin to post how important those little buggers are!)

Your Support is Immeasurable. Followers, I cannot thank you enough. Be blessed, everybody. Peace.

BMB: Version 4-1

As she stood at the front door on that November day, Trin marveled at the Christmas decorations. She'd been told to go to this address where her new boss wanted her to find food and lodging rather than staying at a hotel. He'd insisted.

When the door opened, a lovely older woman answered and smiled heartily when she saw Trinity Powers standing there. "Are you Trinity?" the older lady asked her.

"Yes, I am," Trin told her and extended her hand to shake the woman's hand.

"Oh, dear," the lady said to her and waved her hand away. "We hug in this house, my new friend. And I can tell that we will be good friends very soon. My name is Bernadette Parker, but all the kids call me Gram. You go right on ahead and plan to call me that. Now, come on in, and bring your stuff. It'll be so nice to have some company for a little while anyway."

"Thank you so much for opening your house to me while I'm out here," Trin told her and smiled as she took in her surroundings. "Your house is lovely. I do enjoy Christmas, so this is quite inviting. Are you sure I won't be in your way?"

"Oh, come now," Gram told her and waved off her concerns. "I'm all alone here. It'll be wonderful to get to know you and to have some company. What have you got going today?"

"I'm free until 5PM when I have to go meet the realtor," Trin told her. "Um, where should I put my bags?"

"Oh, right through here," Gram explained and led her into a nice little room which had a bathroom attached to it. "Now, just go on ahead and get settled. If you need anything, you just ask me, alright? And whatever is in the kitchen is free for the taking. Feel free to get yourself some things or write down what you want, and I'll have it picked up the next time I get some food delivered."

"Oh, that's very nice," Trin told her and nodded. "Do you have a delivery service? How often do they come? And I think I'll be heading out at least once a day, so never hesitate to have me pick something up, Gram. I'd be most happy to help."

"Oh, how thoughtful," Gram shared and smiled as she watched Trin opening her bag to unpack it. "Did you wish to be left alone to unpack, or did you want some company?"

"Oh, your company will always be welcomed, I think, Gram," Trin told her honestly. "I think I'm seeing the doubts I had about moving her dissipating with each part of this conversation. If things don't work out, I sure hope I can keep in touch with you. I can already tell you're a lot of fun."

"Oh, well, aren't you just a dear? As I was saying," Gram continued, "my delivery service is either my son or one of my grandchildren, but mostly just the one. In fact, I believe we should be getting a visit from Tommy anytime."

"Oh, Tom told me about Tommy. I believe we'll be working together at the shop," Trin told her thoughtfully. "This is a big change from anything I've ever done. I believe my marketing skills will come into play well at the shop, but I've never worked among motorcycles and a bunch of mechanics. My parents ride, though. I've been around bikes all my life."

"Where are your parents?"

"Back in Illinois," Trin answered. "Once I'm settled, they promised to take a trip out here to visit. They don't fly, and while they'd be willing to drive anytime, I'm sure they'd prefer to ride their bikes out here when it's warmer. By the time they come to visit, I'll be more situated in my own living conditions with a job and a life."

"Now, I don't mean to be blunt, but as a widow myself, I feel we can talk freely," Gram offered. "Do you prefer to keep that part of your life private, or are you comfortable with talking about it?"

"I don't generally talk about that part of my life, but I would like to do so, especially with someone else who understands. When did your husband pass away?"

"Oh, well, it would be about 52 years ago," Gram told Trin and sat on the bed.

Trin turned from what she'd be working on and looked at Gram. "Gram. Oh, Gram, you lost a husband

before

Tom's dad?"

"Yes, dear, I did," Gram told her and patted the bed next to her. "Bob and I had only been married three years when there was an accident."

"Um, would you be OK if I talked to you about this sometime?" Trin asked her and touched Gram's hand. "I don't meet many people who can relate with me. And, maybe we can meet to talk more about this occasionally?"

"That would be lovely," Gram told her and opened her arms. "I think it was meant to be, us meeting like this." Trin gave her a hug and sniffed. "I know Tom insisted, but I think the Holy Spirit gave him the idea to have you stay with me. He knew you were widowed, but I doubt he knew much more than that."

"I can unpack the rest later," Trin told her as she wiped her eyes. "Would you like to sit and get to know one another?"

"I would like nothing more," Gram said enthusiastically and took Trin's arm to walk out of the room.

About an hour later, they were laughing and drinking tea. "Yep, right out there for everyone to see," Gram was saying when the front door was suddenly opened, and a handsome guy walked in. Trin couldn't help noticing how her stomach did a little flip when she got a good look at him. He had walked into the house and was carrying two paper grocery bags in his arms, so he hadn't seen Trin.

"Oh, thank you, Tommy," Gram told him and set her teacup down on the plate on the table. "When you get a chance, dear, could you come here for a moment?"

"Sure, Gram," Tommy yelled from the kitchen. "I'm just going to put these groceries away first."

"Thank you," Gram told him and went back talking to Trin. "So, there we were, sitting at his kindergarten recital, and sure enough, here comes my grandson in all his glory. He really thought that his birthday suit

was

a suit, and since he was going to be out on stage, he figured it would pass as a costume."

"Gram! You don't have to tell that story to everyone! By now, I can't imagine who hasn't heard it..." Tommy was yelling from the kitchen, and when he came out to see who Gram was talking to, he trailed off. "Oh, uh, hi," Tommy said suddenly and offered his hand to Trin. She gave him her hand willingly and let him shake it. As he let go, he told her, "If she brings out the pictures, I want to apologize now." He laughed when she did.

"Hi, I'm Trin," she told him as she sat back in her seat. She couldn't get over the flutters in her stomach. Wow, he was

not

bad looking. At all. This was Gram's grandson? Her new co-worker? Tom's son?

Whoa

. "Oh, um, Trinity Powers. I hear we'll be working together soon."

"Oh, you're the one Dad's been talking about," Tommy answered and nodded. "He mentioned that we, you know, the guys and I, that

we

are all going to have to start acting like gentlemen now that there will be a girl around."

"Well, I won't mind some general

decent

behavior," Trin replied, "but I doubt much would shock me. I have six brothers."

"Whoa, well, I've already been working on my best bow for when you enter the room,' he teased. "I think those Jane Austen movies my sister seems to always be watching are starting to grow on me." Trin burst out laughing when she'd heard this. "I'm still going to wear jeans and t-shirts though. Coattails and top hats just aren't my thing." Trin continued to laugh. She thought he was hilarious.

"The bowing won't be necessary unless I can get assigned a personal assistant," Trin told him playfully. "If I can get someone to walk ahead of me and announce my grand entrance,

then

maybe I'll require such etiquette. Otherwise, a simple 'hi' or 'hello' would be great."

"Hi, Trin," he told her and nodded.

"Hi, Tommy," she said back and blushed.

"Well, um, Gram, is there anything else you need from me?" Tommy asked her and stood where he could continue to look at them. Trin could feel his eyes on her, but she figured it was simply because he didn't know her yet.

"No, but you are most welcome to stay," Gram offered. "Trin has to leave to meet someone at 5PM. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"No, thanks, Gram," Tommy told her.

"He always says that," Gram informed Trin and patted her knee.

"Oh, what time is it?" Trin asked and looked at the clock. "Oh, gosh, I should probably get ready to go," Trin told them and stood up. "Um, Tommy, it was nice meeting you," she stated and held out her hand to shake his again. "Gram, will you still be up when I get back? Should I get a key?"

"Oh, here," Tommy offered and walked to the dish in the front hall. "We keep spare keys for the house in here," he stated and held a key out for her to take. "Just put it back when you're not staying here any longer," Tommy instructed. When he put the key in her hand, their fingers brushed and those little flutters in her belly came back. What was

that

about?

"Well, thanks for this, Gram, and I guess I'll see you at work," Trin told Tommy and waved as she walked back to her new bedroom. She closed the door quietly and sat on the bed.

What was that? She put her hand on her stomach. She hadn't felt that sort of reaction since... "oh," she thought sadly. She hadn't even thought about another man in that way since Mark. Was this what some of the ladies were mentioning at her widow's group? "When the time is right to move on, your body will tell you," one woman had told the group. At the time, she'd thought it to be ridiculous.

That night, she managed to find her perfect house with the realtor. The price was right, and the size was ideal. She even got to have her fireplace and a three-car garage. These were additional items she'd put on her list almost as a joke, but she figured she had time to wait, so until then, she would have fun looking at some of the houses. Well, that was short-lived.

Trin was able to move in two weeks after she'd made the offer as it had already been vacated. By then, she had worked for a week at her new job. She had met all the guys who worked there, so when she told Tom in passing that she was going to be moving in, and before she could make arrangements, Tom had all but two of the guys from work set up to help her move into her new place.

Tommy helped the longest that day as he felt it was his duty to help his newest partner. "Since Dad assigned us to Thursday nights, that also means we have each other's backs with pretty much anything else. I have your personal info, and you've got mine. If you get locked out of your hotel room, we always have each other's key. If you forget something, I can always stop at your house since I'll have your key. You won't get mine since I'm back living at Dad's at the moment. But you know, I can get you a key to something else if you want."

"No, it makes sense, as long as we have an understanding," Trin clarified. "Emergency only, of course, and that goes for both the information in our phones and with the keys."

"Here," Tommy told her as he set down a box in the kitchen on her table. He spat in his hand and offered it to her. "We can shake on it."

"Ew, no!" Trin told him and laughed. "Tommy, I trust you," she assured him and waved his hand away. "I'm not touching that."

"Why do people act like spit is so gross?" Tommy asked as he wiped his hand on his jeans. "Couples kiss and swap spit all the time. And all that other stuff people do with their personal fluids. No one goes, 'Ew! I can't have sex with you! There are fluids involved!'"

"Tommy!" Trin exclaimed and put her hand to her stomach. "Stop it! You're making my stomach hurt from laughing. Ouch. Um, I just don't want to spit shake on anything. I'd much rather kiss than spit in my hand and slather that around our hands. Besides, we'd just end up washing away the promise since we'd have to wash our hands right after anyway."

"So, if ever a spit shake would be required, you'd prefer to kiss on it?" Tommy asked and gave her a wicked smile.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Trin told him and put her hands on her hips. "Now, if you're done wasting time, there were just a few more boxes out there to bring in," she teased. They had a whole day ahead of them of bringing in boxes and unpacking things.

"OK, you owe me one, then," he told her with a smirk and wiped his brow before heading back out to the moving truck.

That night, it was just the two of them left working on one final box. Trin was ready to call it quits an hour prior, but Tommy had insisted on seeing it through. When the final box had been broken down, they both sat on the couch exhausted.

"Thank you so much for everything, Tommy," Trin told him and patted his hand which was next to hers. "You are the best partner."

"Walk me out?" Tommy requested and got up noisily emphasizing his pain in, well, everything.

"Sure," she told him and grabbed the key from the rack she'd intended to give him. "Here," she said as she handed him the spare key to her house. "I appreciate that you'll be my person. I feel safer already."

"Well, it's not official, you know," he told her as he took out his keys from his pocket. "And I have something for you." He took a key from his wallet. "It's the spare key to my truck," he explained and handed it to her. "I really love that truck, and no one else has keys, so it's kinda like the keys to my heart." Trin gave him a surprised look. "I mean, well, there's that... and the responsibility that should I lock my keys in it or lose mine, you'll have to bring it to me to deal with it."

"Lucky me," she told him and sniffed a laugh. "But wait. Can I drive it?"

"Now you're just pushing it," he told her and shook his head.

"I thought so," she answered and laughed again.

"So, really? No spit-shake?" Tommy asked as he stood by her front door. Trin gave him an apologetic "sorry, not sorry" look and shrugged.

"So, what about that kiss then?" Tommy asked and watched her reaction. "I mean,

you

said it, so I was just following up. I wasn't raised to be a fool. Take a good thing when it's offered."

"Oh, um, I did offer that as an alternative," Trin admitted and smiled up at him. "I guess, I mean, you know, as long as no one from work sees it," she told him and shrugged.

"All this for a key, right?" Tommy whispered as he leaned down to kiss her.

"All for a key," she whispered back and allowed him to put his lips on hers. It was like a magnet had been set up for them. She knew she should stop this, but she couldn't. When her phone rang, she jumped and pulled away suddenly as if they'd been caught.

"Oh, um," she began to say awkwardly and laughed at how thrown off she was. Just before she answered, he touched her hand.

"I'll see ya," he said and cleared his throat. "Bye," he whispered and opened the front door to leave.

"Bye," she told him and closed the door behind him. "Hello?" she said almost dreamily.

"Hi, Tippie!" her mom said joyfully and laughed. "Oh, I miss you so much!"

"Hi, Mom," Trin responded and touched her lip. She couldn't just ignore the way that kiss felt. What did this mean? They were partners at work! They couldn't get mixed up in something! It was just because she didn't want to spit on her hand. That was it.

Let it go

, she urged herself.

"Honey, did you hear me? How'd the move go?" Mom was asking.

"Oh, sorry, Mom," Trin told her and went into enough details to make her mom happy to hear that she was all moved in and safe.

"Now! Tell me about your work, and have you met anyone famous yet? You

are

in New York!"

"Mom, I lived outside Chicago for 25 years and never met anyone famous," Trin told her and rolled her eyes. After another 20 minutes, she finally got to hang up the phone. She was exhausted.

On the following Monday, Tommy didn't say anything about the kiss, so Trin didn't act like it had happened either. It was for the best. That Thursday was going to be their first night working together in the empty shop. She hoped it would go well. She guessed she'd just wait to see how the first one went and learn from there.

"Earth to Trinity," Dougie called as he rocked back and forth on his chair at his desk. Dougie was Tommy's youngest brother and in charge of the art gallery and gift shop down in the main retail store.

"What? Sorry, Dougie. I was busy worrying about how Thursdays are going to go. I feel like I'll either be under a microscope or left alone to handle work I haven't learned yet."

"You are quite the overthinker," Dougie told her and shook his head. "Tommy's going to help you out, Trin. Stop worrying! Everything will be fine. Now, can you listen to my problem?"

"Yes, Dougie," Trin answered and laughed. "I'm glad you're so understanding. Any other officemate might have kicked me out by now."

"The jury is still out on that one," he told her and winked. "Anyway, I have this friend to whom I'd like to introduce you. His name is Jeremy, and I think you two would get along."

"Dougie, I'm not interested in a relationship. I'm just getting my feet wet with the gym!"

"That's not what this would be," Dougie offered. "I can promise that's not really an option."

"Why, is he already in a relationship?"

"No, but just say you'll come with me tonight to meet him," Dougie pleaded and laughed when Trin shook her head as she laughed. When she did that, it was a sure thing she'd already been talked into it.

"Fine, but if he makes a move on me, I'm kicking your ass, Dougie."

"I'll take my chances," Dougie told her and laughed again.

That night after work, Dougie had her follow him to meet his friend. Imagine her surprise when they pulled into a hospital. She had at least ten questions by the time she got out of her car, but he put up his hand.

"All in due time," he told her before she could speak. "Quit overthinking and come with me," he instructed and grabbed her hand.

"Knock, knock!" Dougie said as he stood at the door waiting to be called in.

"If you're the strippers I ordered, I hope you're just the driver!" Jeremy said as Dougie walked in the room and laughed. He stopped laughing when he saw Trin. "Oh, um, hi," Jeremy said and shook his head. "That was probably not the best first impression to give," he told her and covered his face. "I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't offend you. I'm Jeremy. Doug and I have been friends since we were in kindergarten."

"Well, it's really nice to meet you, Jeremy," Trin told him and extended her hand to shake his outstretched one. "I'm Trinity Powers, but everyone calls me Trin," she clarified and let go of his hand. "I'm sorry. Had I known strippers were requested, I totally would have worn a different outfit. This just doesn't have the appeal that a good bodysuit and stilettos would have been. Dang it, Dougie! Why didn't you tell me? Talking about bad first impressions!"

Jeremy burst out laughing, and even Dougie shared a few laughs. "You're alright, Trin," Jeremy told her and suggested that she take a seat on the chair next to his bed. "Dougie, why don't you go on ahead? We can catch up later."