Shit!” I heard Evan swear for the hundredth time that day, causing me to chuckle.
“Need some help in there?” I asked him from where I was fixing the frame around the front door.
“No, but who’s freaking bright idea was it for us to pull up the peeling linoleum again?”
“Oh, stop your bitching.”
I returned my focus to where I was putting wood back up. We had been slowly plugging away at little projects the past four days, and were finally getting to some of the larger things, like the flooring my friend was currently trying to pull up. I wanted to do as much as possible ourselves before I called in any contractors. Not that money was an issue, but I wanted the satisfaction of knowing I had done the work.
The sound of scraping gravel had me looking up the driveway. I couldn’t see what was making the noise; however, I had a pretty good idea it was my youngest brother with the grader I had requested from Grind Construction. I was lucky the company was basically right next door and I had two family members that worked there. It was after four, I was sure, so he was probably done for the day and had decided to do it on his own time. Either way, I would still catch up with Dale later, to get him some money.
Finishing up, I put my tools back into the chest in the living room and grabbed my sweatshirt. It was warm for April in Maine, but it was already starting to cool off from the heat of the day. Evan was sprawled out on the kitchen floor in a dramatic fashion when I moved past him to get a few cans of soda out of the refrigerator. Evidently, the flooring had gotten the best of him.
“Come on, you goof. Let’s go out and see Rick,” I said, dropping one on his stomach as I stepped over him.
He groaned and got up to follow me out. My brother was just rounding the corner with the piece of equipment when we reached him. I smiled widely. It would be nice to drive in and not feel like you were riding shotgun with Ace Ventura through the jungle. He stopped and turned it off, before opening the door and joining us on the ground.
“Hey, man,” he greeted, engulfing me in a bear hug. “It’s good to see you!”
“You too, little brother,” I replied, gripping him tightly before releasing him and handing him a soda.
He looked at the can, then looked at me with a question on his face. Obviously, he was expecting something a little different on the front of the can than the Mt. Dew logo he was seeing. I rolled my eyes and he shrugged, before opening it and taking a long swig.
“How have you been?” he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Good, the house is keeping us busy.”
“If you ask me, we should just call someone to do the work for us,” Evan muttered beside me. “These hands are my life.”
“You can come by when you’re done working and check it out if you want,” I told him, elbowing my friend in the gut.
“Sounds like a plan. I got to tell you who I saw Saturday anyway,” Rick said with a wink. “I’ll just finish up and take this mother back to the shop.”
“Pizza from Claire’s?” I asked, turning as he jumped back up on the machine.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “You call it in and I’ll pick it up.”
I sent him a thumbs-up as he started the grader and went back to work. Heading toward the house, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and made the quick call to order us two large pizzas from the local general store. I gave them Rick’s name and quickly hung up before they figured out otherwise. Evan and I hadn’t strayed far from the house because we didn’t want to cause a stir; however, my parents had assured me when they visited that people were already buzzing.
“Who do you think your brother saw?” Evan questioned, as we cleaned up the messes we made while we were working.
“It could be just about anyone,” I replied, filling an empty trash can with pieces of linoleum. “I haven’t been here in ten years, so anything would be news to me.”
A couple of hours later, we all sat around the old worn table, stuffed to the gills. On top of finishing a pizza and a half, we had cleaned out a dozen cookies that my mom had sent over with my brother. I opened a bottle of water and leaned back on two legs of my chair while I took a sip. It felt good to be home and even better to be spending some time with my family. The three of us had always been close growing up, and leaving them had been hard on all of us.
“So, who did you see?” Evan asked Rick.
I shook my head and smiled. He was like a dog with a bone, that one. Out of all the members of the band, he had to be the nosiest one. Evan always knew the latest gossip and had his hand in everyone’s business. He was also fiercely loyal and made sure that any crap that came out about us, that wasn’t true, was quickly remedied.
“Oh, that,” my brother drawled. “This information is for Coop.”
“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I saw Avery at the shop this weekend.”
The front feet of my chair came down with a snap loud enough I thought the whole thing was going to cave underneath me. My heart sped up and my eyes grew wide. Other than the time missed with my family, she had been my biggest regret about leaving Maine. My friend had that shit-eating grin again and my brother’s face had lit up. They’d gotten the reaction they were hoping for.
“What is she doing home?”
The question had Rick’s face falling. Evan noticed as well and looked at me with concern. I shook my head, unsure of what was going on. I was certain Avery was home visiting her family, but I didn’t know why that would cause my brother to look like he had just lost his puppy.
“Rick, why is she home?” I asked again.
“The big guy’s cancer came back,” he finally said on a sigh.
My heart stopped. I think I felt it lodge in my throat and stop beating. Dale had been a mentor, a friend, and a second father to me. I vaguely remembered the first battle, but we had been young and, at that point, I hadn’t been that close to Avery; that had come when we were in high school. I felt a prick at the back of my eyes and had to close them to keep them from filling. Pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and pointer finger, I took a couple of deep breaths.
“He hadn’t been feeling right and went to the doctor last week. Monday was his follow up and they found that it had come back,” he told us. “They think that they caught it soon enough that with surgery and aggressive treatment, he will be right as rain.”
“Fuck!” I cursed, banging a fist on the table and getting up to pace.
“He’s scheduled to go in next Monday. He wanted the week to get things in order before he ended up sick.”
“I’ll try to get over to see him this week,” I told him. “Where is she staying?”
“You think going to see her is a wise idea?” Evan asked with a snort.
“Yeah, have you even talked to her since you left?” Rick questioned.
I put my hands on the bar facing the living room, so they couldn’t see my face, and shook my head. I needed to see her. I needed her to know I was here for them, for her. I knew in my gut, though, that she wouldn’t want to see me. I wasn’t that stupid. I had treated her like shit and didn’t deserve a minute of her time. I had been young and dumb. There was nothing I could do to change that now, but I could sure as hell try to make it up to her in any way possible.
“Give her some time, man,” Rick advised. “She’s got a lot going on right now.”
“I agree with him,” my friend remarked. “How does she look?”
“As gorgeous as ever,” my little brother replied with a smirk. “More so, if that is even possible.”
“Nice!”
I snapped around and took two steps in Evan’s direction before I could stop myself. The sight of him scrambling out of his chair and backpedaling away from me stilled my movement. We stood looking at each other for a moment, before I shifted and headed out the front door, letting it slam shut behind me.
Leaning against the railing of the porch, I took a couple deep breaths of the cool night air and clos
ed my eyes. Obviously, my emotions were high about Dale, but that explosion had been all about Avery. When we were younger, I had constantly been on edge, feeling the need to protect her from my own reputation.
When Lee signed us, I had turned and run with my tail between my legs. Disappearing without even saying goodbye because I thought that was what was best for her. It was a clean break and she could find someone that would be better for her than I was. What I hadn’t counted on were the millions of little pieces it would leave my heart in to walk away.
Ten minutes later, I felt in control again and headed back inside. Rick and Evan looked up from where they were sitting at the table, talking. I went back to my chair and grabbed my water. Taking a few long pulls from the bottle, desperately wishing it was something stronger, I set it back down and turned to my friend with my hand out.
“I’m sorry,” I told him.
“Don’t worry about it,” Evan said, shaking my outstretched hand. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“She’s not mine anymore. There was no need for me to go after you for agreeing with my brother.”
“So, you wouldn’t mind if I asked her out then?”
“If you don’t mind if I pull a Lorena Bobbitt?” I countered.
The two of them erupted in laughter with that comment. I shook my head at them, yet the smile I tried to hold back came through. They both knew just how to push my buttons.
“We were thinking we would go down to Willie’s on Saturday night,” Rick told me as we were taking care of things from supper.
“Isn’t he having karaoke that night?”
“Yep, but he alternates it with regular music every hour or so,” he informed me. “It keeps people entertained and allows them to cut loose a little.”
“Maybe we should wait until things die down about us being here. I don’t want to cause problems for Will.”
“I’m pretty sure Keegan and Jennifer are going to drag Avery out. Kind of a last hurrah before the battle with their dad starts.”
“What time are we going?”
How did I let you convince me this was a good idea?” I asked my best friend, Jen, as I fidgeted with my dark wash jeans and my black knee-high boots.
“Because you and Keegan both need a night out before you have to help your dad,” she reminded me, slapping my hand away from where I was trying to pull my low-cut V-neck shirt up under my jacket.
I glared at her in response as we followed Keegan and Abby through the parking lot of Willie’s Tavern. Jen had been my best friend growing up; she had been the wild child to my angelic nature. Now, as an adult, she was happily married to an accountant, Michael Smith; and was a teacher, go figure. My heart wasn’t exactly into going out, but I knew she meant well. Brushing her long brunette hair back, she looped her arm through mine and gave me a loving smile. I kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand.
Keegan held open the door for us and I was taken back by the amount of people inside. Michael and one of his friends from the office were meeting us there, so Jen tugged me to the bar to grab our first round of drinks. We slipped into a tiny open spot and my friend’s hand went up to signal the bartender. When he turned toward me fully, my mouth dropped open. Apparently, Rick wasn’t the only Hall who had grown into his good looks.
William, or Willie to his friends, was all muscle underneath his tight hunter green t-shirt, and tattoos covered both biceps and forearms. His jeans gripped his thighs like a glove and when my eyes traveled up, his mouth held a knowing smile under a five o’clock shadow. I blushed and smiled at him in return, which caused his brown eyes to sparkle under the brim of his ballcap. Sometimes I wondered why I hadn’t fallen for him instead of the one who had obliterated my heart.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he greeted. “We’ve missed you around these parts.”
“I’ve missed you all too,” I assured him, putting my hand over his on the bar.
He picked it up and planted a soft kiss on the back of it, flashing me another killer smile. Any other woman would have been pooled on the floor; unfortunately, other than an appreciation for his good looks, I felt nothing. Not even a glimmer of a spark. Now I remembered why I didn’t date; his damn brother had ruined other men for me.
“Okay, enough, you two,” Jen cut in. “Some of us would like to drink tonight.”
With a booming laugh, Willie gave me back my hand and took our drink order. My friend got a mixed drink that sounded like it was all liquor while I stuck to a club soda with lemon. I’d planned to have an adult beverage later, but for now, I figured I’d stick to the soda. Once he served us, Willie gave us another grin and moved to a gaggle of women waiting further down the bar.
I turned and followed Jen back toward the front door where there were tables set up. Keegan and Abby had found the other two and the four of them had pulled tables closer, so we could all sit together. I looked at Michael’s coworker and quickly grabbed my friend’s arm with my free hand. I knew what she was up to. He was good-looking in a preppy way, with sandy brown hair styled ‘just so’, and blue eyes. Though he looked good in jeans and white button-up shirt, he just wasn’t my type.
“Hey, baby,” Jen cooed to her husband, kissing him and shaking off my hand before shifting her attention. “Trent, how are you?”
“I’m good, Jen,” he replied, standing up and giving her a friendly hug.
“This is my friend Avery, that I’ve been telling you about,” she introduced, swinging her arm in my direction.
I raised my eyebrow at her as I leaned in to shake his hand. He turned his smile up a couple of notches and I instantly felt bad about the situation. My friend had clearly given him the wrong idea. I moved around the table to sit beside my brother and Jen sat on my other side.
“What are you doing?” I hissed at her, as Keegan asked the guys if they wanted anything before heading to the bar.
“You need to find a nice guy,” she whispered back.
“I don’t need any guy right now,” I told her in a low voice.
She gave me a look and turned back to Abby to talk about some of their mutual students. Sighing, I joined in easily to the conversation Mike and Trent were having about one of their clients. I hated having “shop” talk when it came to accounting, while I was out at a bar. It was not one of those things that helped me to unwind.
When my brother returned, we got to talking about Grind and I relaxed considerably. Trent even asked us about the business. He did seem like a genuinely nice guy and he was easy on the eyes, but that was it. Karaoke got started and our attention was drawn to the people attempting to belt out Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean. I don’t remember the last time I had laughed that hard.
“Time to dance, lady,” Jen stated, hauling me to my feet once the singers took a break and the DJ took over.
“Yes, ma’am,” I agreed, gladly following her out to the floor.
We somehow found an empty spot and happily bounced around to modern country hits for the next hour. More times than I could count, men came over and either asked us to dance or joined in without an invitation. For the most part, they were good about backing off, especially when we pointed to our table where Michael would wave. It felt great to spend time with my oldest friend and just let loose.
The DJ interrupted our good time to announce that the singers would be back with vengeance in ten minutes. After making a quick trip to the ladies’ room, we made our way back to our group and sat down in a fit of giggles. Abby still wasn’t feeling one-hundred percent, so she hadn’t joined us dancing, but she threw me a large smile when we returned.
We immediately got into an animated conversation about our high school days and the things that students did nowadays in comparison. I was so distracted that I only vaguely heard the strings of a guitar from the vicinity of the stage. Only when I heard the opening of the song did I freeze mid-sentence. I reached out and grabbed Jen’s arm. The singer’s voice was the toe-curling low of Josh Turner combined with the panty-dropping rasp of
Brantley Gilbert. I would know it anywhere.
I closed my eyes as the lines from Kenny Chesney’s “You Save Me” filled the room. All the other patrons had grown quiet, and I wondered if they knew who they were listening to. I opened them again and turned toward the sound. There sat none other than Cooper Hall. The man of my dreams; or nightmares, depending on how you looked at it. The photos in magazines and online didn’t do him justice.
Cooper sat on a stool, holding the cheap black no-name acoustic guitar he had bought in high school. His position had his dark jeans hugging his thighs and had a slight flare where they sat over newer black cowboy boots. The muscles in his forearms danced while he strummed and the tight black t-shirt he sported clung to his pecs. The tattoo that wrapped around his left arm, starting at his wrist and disappearing under his shirt sleeve, completed the bad boy ensemble and left my panties damp.
I heard Jen let out a small squeak and I realized I was leaving indentations in her arm where my nails were digging in. Letting go, I met her eyes and she reached out to grip my hand. My gaze found the stage again and remained there until he was done, but I never let go of my lifeline.
The crowd swallowed him up the second Cooper stepped off the stage, so I took the opportunity and jumped up to head for the bar; club soda wasn’t going to cut it any longer. I could hear everyone back at the table calling to me. Waving my hand at them to give me a minute, I wiggled my way around the throng of people.
Finding a hole in the crowd vying for Willie’s attention at the end of the bar, I nodded to him and waited my turn. The look on his face told me he knew why I was there when he headed in my direction. I ignored the solid bump from a body behind me and flashed him a smile. I didn’t want him to think there was any bad blood between us for him having his own brother on stage.
“What’s your poison?” he asked.
“Surprise me with two shots,” I told him, leaning on the bar.
He gave me a short nod and moved away. The bump from behind me happened again, but before I could turn around to snap at the rude behavior, two large hands appeared on either side of me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. If the memorial bracelet on the left arm, along with the tattoos, didn’t give him away, the smell did. All male, mixed in with a little musk, sweat, and laundry detergent; it was his and his alone.
The Return (The Comeback Series) Page 3