Chubby Chaser

By Sam Crescent

The first time Cole saw Elena was at the tender age of eight. He knew then that she was the love of his life. Cole was always looking out for Elena, and with his obsession came the name that he was teased with, “Chubby Chaser”. It seems like everything is fighting against him, but when Elena loses her job at the library, Cole sees his chance to hire her—and finally make her his.

Cole was the popular guy in school, and now he’s the real handyman who owns the local DIY story. Elena is accident prone, but at least she gets to have sneak peeks at her hot boss.

Elena doesn’t expect Cole to ask her out on a date, but when he does, that date goes from bad, to worse, to the best pleasure she’s ever known. Finding out that Cole was called a chubby chaser is hard for Elena, and all her old insecurities come back.

But now that Cole has her, he’s not letting go. He just has to show her he means it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Jul 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773393582

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2017 Sam Crescent

ISBN: 978-1-77339-358-2

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

FROM THE AUTHOR

Words always hurt. They travel with us everywhere, and there's no fighting it, at least it doesn't feel like it. You always remember the worst of whatever anyone says to you, never the positive.

Words don't have to stop you. They don't control you. The only power they have is what you let them have.

You're in charge of your own life. Don't let anyone make you feel any less, and know you're awesome. You've just got to believe in yourself.

Thank you so much for listening to me.

Sam

CHUBBY CHASER

Sam Crescent

Copyright © 2017

Chapter One

Ouch! Fuck! Damn! I’ve got a boo-boo.

Cole Wimbrush paused in his office and smiled as Elena James’s voice could be heard around the whole of his DIY store. Finishing off the invoice, he placed it in an envelope and handed it to his best friend, Danny.

Are you sure it was wise hiring her? Danny asked. She’s had more accidents, and I’ve seen so many Band-Aids on her, it’s not even funny. You’re going to get sued.

Elena won’t sue. She’s too nice to sue. Besides, she thinks she’s accident prone, and with the way she is, I’m not surprised at all. Cole had watched Elena for several years, actually since they were all kids, and knew without a doubt she was accident prone.

She’s a walking disaster. My grandma always said to never trust her to carry a cake. She’d more than likely drop it, Danny said.

Cole laughed and stood up. I’ll go and check on her. Will you take that to Bob? He needs new pipework at his shop, and I promised I’d get it to him.

Will do.

Ouch, motherffff … ouch.

I’m going to leave you to your cussing sailor out there. Be warned, you’re opening the shop, and some people don’t like Elena as much as you do. Danny winked at him, and left.

Cole watched one of his best friends leave by the front door, and then went in search of his latest employee. When it came to Elena, he was a sucker. No doubt about that.

Rounding one of the aisles, he found her in the saw section, and this time, he didn’t laugh. Blood was dripping down her palm.

Hey, everything is A-okay.

You’re bleeding. Any humor died as he rushed toward her, gripping her hand.

It’s fine. Just a simple flesh wound.

Let’s get it cleaned up. What the hell were you doing touching bare saws? he asked.

The protective stuff fell off, and then I picked it up, and me being me, it just went everywhere, and there’s blood. I bleed a lot, and I don’t even have to do a lot for it. It’s so gross. When I was a kid I was always cutting myself.

He remembered. There were many times he’d seen her with blood on her clothing because of some fall or something. When he found out a bunch of guys in her year were bullying her, he and his friends made sure it was clear that Elena wasn’t to be messed with.

There were only three years between him and Elena. Throughout high school, though, those years had felt more like ten seeing as he was the older one. For the longest time, his friends used to call him chubby chaser. It was a name he didn’t like, nor did he want, even if it was a name that only his closest friends had used, at least to his face.

Danny, Vincent, and a few others that had faded into the background would taunt him over his obsession with Elena, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t an obsession. She … meant something to him. While she didn’t seem to know he existed, he sure as shit knew about her. He knew she wasn’t close to her sister, and even though college was on the cards for her, she never went. Instead, she’d moved into a house with her friend, Juliet.

He’d gone away to college, and when that didn’t stick, he’d become a qualified plumber, and taken over from the crumbling DIY store. At thirty-one, he’d had his fair share of failed relationships. None of them had stuck because in the back of his mind, there had always been Elena. He wanted her so badly, but everything seemed to get in the way. If it wasn’t their differences at high school with the three years, it was him going away to college, and then there was the training as a plumber and electrician. When work didn’t get in the way, she was dating someone, or he was. Each time there had always been an obstacle that prevented him.

I feel like a total loser now. I’m messing everything up, she said.

He opened the bathroom and pointed at the sink.

What? she asked.

Sit. I want to clean that wound, and make sure you’ve not got anything inside it.

I can stand. I’m not squeamish.

He grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the counter by the sink. She released a cute little squeal, and he held her hand out. You’d learn to do as you’re told.

I can’t believe you lifted me. I think you’re the first guy to even try.

Cole didn’t say anything, and like so many times before, he found his silence made her talk. This was his way of finding more out about her.

Of course, there was this one guy that I went to dance with. It was one of those speed date things. Juliet and I organized it after too much wine. We went for a dance, and this guy asked me if someone had tried to lift me up. Just a random question like that. I should have known he was weird. Who asks stuff like that? Anyway, I said no, and he told me it was probably because of my weight. He told me to lose weight and I’d be a lot prettier.

Cole gritted his teeth, wanting to show this guy what it was like to have a run in with his fist.

You know what I did? I slapped his face so hard it made my hand hurt. I mean, seriously, how rude can someone get? She held her hand out, and he examined it. What’s the verdict, doc?

He chuckled. You’re going to live, but don’t hold the saws by the sharp end.

Got it.

He wiped away the excess blood, and made sure the cut was clean. He got a plaster, placing it delicately on so he didn’t hurt her.

You’re really good at this.

I should be. Hiring you was a hazard. How did the library cope? He’d hired her a month ago after the library could no longer afford her with the latest batch of cutbacks. It had been his first opportunity to have her close, and he’d give anything to take a chance with her. He was thirty-one years old, and he’d wasted enough time. The problem he had now was when it came to her, he didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever known. She was full of life and laughter. Her positivity was always on high. He couldn’t recall many times he’d seen her sad, or upset. Even when bullies had hurt her, she’d not let it get to her.

She was a powerful woman all in herself.

There wasn’t much that could go wrong with a book. A few papercuts here and there. For the most part, I was fine. I guess DIY is not in my blood. Juliet banned me from decorating our apartment when I spilled paint on the couch.

Ouch.

Yeah, we’d been saving up for a year to pay for it, and the first chance we get home, I ruin it. She knows I’m used to it, but still, I frustrate her. Believe it or not, the one area I’m not a total mess, is the kitchen. I can bake you up something really good, and in a jiffy.

He smiled. She had baked some really good chocolate chip cookies, and they were so nice. He’d eaten the entire jar within one sitting of dealing with paperwork.

I know how good those cookies were.

I’ll be bringing in some more soon. How come you don’t talk a whole lot? she asked.

Because I like to hear more about you.

There’s not a lot to know about me, Cole. You know that. Once he finished with her wound, she held it up, properly bandaged. When did you learn first aid? she asked.