Coming Full Circle (the Pembrooke series Book 2)

by Jessica Prince

  “Sounds like it.” I laughed because he didn’t sound put out in the slightest with his nightly beatings. “What’s her name?”

  “Sophia,” he answered with a smile, telling me his little girl meant everything to him. It sucked that he’d lost his wife in whatever way he lost her. I hated that for him. It had been a long while since we’d hung out, but he was a good guy back then, and proof showed he was still a good guy now. So, in spite of the hurt he suffered with losing his wife, I was glad he had good in the form of a little girl that lit his face up with just the mere mention of her.

  We shot the shit for a while, ordering a couple baskets of wings and another round. He asked about my knee, but didn’t push the subject, digging into it like the media had right after it happened.

  “So… Eliza, huh?” he asked after we’d finished our second round and had begun our third.

  “What are you talking about?”

  A shit-eating grin took over his face. “Man, I saw you when you thought I was putting the moves on her. Thought you were two seconds away from kicking my ass right there in the middle of the restaurant. I remember you guys being tight, but that wasn’t what that look spelled out.”

  “Things with that are… complicated,” I understated vaguely.

  “How so?”

  It was a simple question that got my back up, not because I felt like it wasn’t any of his business, but because the answer shed even more light on the glaringly obvious fact that my current situation with Eliza was all my goddamned fault.

  “In the sense that I bailed six years ago, basically telling her she was just an immature kid I was done wasting my time with, and never looked back… not until now, at least.”

  He whistled low. “Wow. Yeah, brother. I’d say that’s seriously complicated. You planning on apologizing?”

  I shot him a look. “You really think I haven’t done that already?”

  His smile told me he was getting more than just a little enjoyment out of my predicament in the way all men who weren’t having to suffer through woman problems did. “Well, I wouldn’t think you were enough of a prick to treat her like that in the first place, seeing as everyone in town knew you two were tight. You’ll have to excuse me for thinking you might still be that same shit-for-brains.”

  I let out a surprised laugh at his bluntness. “Yeah, man. I’ve apologized. At least ten times by my last count.”

  Quinn rested back against the booth, throwing his free hand along the top of it. “Well, if I know Eliza — and most people here do since she’s lived here almost her entire life — I think it’s safe to say that woman doesn’t have it in her to hold a grudge for very long. If you’re really sorry, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”

  I let out a breath and ran a hand over my face. “She’s already starting to,” I admitted, not feeling the least bit better with the knowledge that at least she didn’t still hate me. “It took a while, but she’s getting there.”

  “Then why do you look like someone’s just pissed in your corn flakes?”

  “Because she’s on a fucking date,” I growled in answer, the hand holding my beer bottle squeezing tight around the cool glass.

  “Ah,” Quinn said with a knowing tone to his voice. “And it’s been six years since you’ve seen her. I’m guessing it’s not lost on you that Eliza Anderson’s all grown up, and done it in a real good way. That friendship you used to feel for her has turned into something else all together.”

  I glared at the humor lacing through his words. “Glad my suffering can amuse you, asshole.” Then something else about his comment registered. “And I knew you were checking her out that day at the restaurant, you fucker.”

  He laughed long and hard. “Relax, would you? I’m not interested in her like that, she’s a friend, but I’m not dead or blind either. Any man with a pulse can see the woman’s hot as shit.”

  He was right about that. I couldn’t blame him for noticing… as long as he didn’t touch. “I’m in a seriously screwed up way right now, and I’ve got no one to blame but myself. And to make matters worse, the only reason she agreed to the fucking date with this other guy was to push my buttons because she thought I was acting like an overbearing brotherly figure.”

  “Shit,” Quinn chuckled. “Never thought I’d say this, but I’m so glad I’m not you right now.”

  I couldn’t fault him. Hell, if I had a friend in the same shoes as me, I’d be laughing at his expense too. “Thanks, dickhead.”

  We hung out a while longer and had just finished paying our tab when something over my shoulder caught Quinn’s attention. “Well, it was good hanging out man. I gotta get home and get some shut eye, but you might want to stick around for a little while longer.”

  “Why’s that?”

  The smile on his face was so damn big it nearly split his face in two. “Because your girl’s walking in with her date.”

  Jerking around in the booth, my eyes trailed in on the direction his had been pointed, and sure enough, that Where’s Waldo son of a bitch was holding the door open for Eliza to pass through. The smile on his face was huge, like he was sixteen years old and had just nailed the prom queen. But as she turned to thank him, I saw it, and I knew in my gut that hers was forced. I didn’t need to keep track of her these past six years to know that wasn’t one of her real smiles. I’d seen the real thing a million times. I’d earned a thousand of them myself, I’d know her real smile from a mile away with one eye closed. And that was not what she was giving him.

  “Take it you’re staying?”

  “Oh yeah,” I answered, not taking my eyes off the two of them as he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to a vacant table on the other side of the bar. At the sight of his hand on her, my own clenched again, so tight I was surprised the bottle in my hand didn’t shatter. Lifting it to my lips, I downed the rest of its contents in one gulp. She took off her jacket and my head just about exploded. “And I think I’ll be needing more of these.” She looked good. Too good. At least for the dick head she was with. The navy sweater dress she was wearing hugged her curves like it had been made for her, her ass… Jesus. Her feet were encased in tan high-heeled boots that went up to her knees and made her legs look fucking phenomenal. I wanted to be the one touching her while she wore that killer dress. Or any time, really. And I wanted to stomp across the bar and plant my fist in that assholes face before taking what — had I not fucked everything up — should have been mine.

  “Well, whatever you do, don’t make an ass out of yourself,” Quinn warned giving me a pat on the back. “Her Sherriff dad might not be all that forgiving when you finally decide to make your play for his little girl.”

  “I’ll take that under advisement.” I returned his chin lift as he headed for the door and disappeared out it a few seconds later.

  Deciding I needed a better vantage point, I moved from the booth to the bar, taking up one of the stools so I could keep their table in my line of sight as I ordered another beer — only this time I got a shot of tequila to chase it down with. Then I settled in and waited, hoping to God it wasn’t going to be a long night.

  Eliza

  I MADE A mistake.

  I never should have agreed to a date with Kevin. It wasn’t that he wasn’t a nice guy. He really was great. My heart just wasn’t in it like it, so what should have been a fun, enjoyable evening was more akin to a checkup at the dentist’s office — relatively painless, but still something I’d rather not have to deal with.

  Dinner had been nice, but that was the extent of it. Just… nice. I engaged in conversation when required, and did my best to appear to be paying attention when he spoke, but throughout the entire evening my mind kept wandering to a place it shouldn’t, or more correctly to a person. And no matter how hard I tried not to think about Ethan, my stupid brain just kept conjuring him up.

  All night long.

  When Kevin picked me up and told me I looked beautiful, I wondered what it would have felt like i
f it had been Ethan picking me up for our first date, saying those words to me.

  When he rested his palm on my back to lead me into the restaurant, I wondered what it would feel like for Ethan to touch me like that. Would I have felt a bolt of electricity like I had when he touched me on Halloween?

  When Kevin ordered his meal, I wondered if that was something Ethan would have liked to eat, and when he suggested drinks at The Moose because he wasn’t ready for the evening to end, I’d stupidly thought about whether or not Ethan would have gone in for a kiss after the end of a first date.

  It was pathetic. It was idiotic. It made me angry because Kevin certainly deserved better.

  “Eliza? You okay?” At the sound of Kevin’s voice, my attention snapped back to our table at The Moose.

  God, could I have sucked any worse?

  “I’m so sorry,” I apologized with a guilty smile. “My mind must have wandered. What were you saying?”

  He looked at me with a kind, yet concerned expression. “You okay? You’ve seemed a little distracted tonight.”

  “What? Of course!” I lied, my voice rising a little too high. “I’m totally fine. So what were you saying?”

  His expression changed but the smile remained. “Eliza, it’s okay,” he said softly. “I’m not an idiot. I know you haven’t been into tonight. I’d hoped coming here would’ve loosened you up a bit, but I can see now I was wrong. And that’s all right.” And the fact that he sounded so genuine, so understanding, hurt. I. Was. Awful.

  And yes, it was obvious I could suck worse, because not only was Kevin a great guy, but I couldn’t even fake it well enough for him to believe I’d been interested all night.

  “God,” I rested my elbows on the table and dropped my head into my hands. “I’m so sorry. I suck. I’m the worst person ever.”

  I heard his soft laughter at the same time I felt his fingers wrap gently around my wrists, pulling them away from my face. “You’re not the worst person ever.”

  “I am!” I cried.

  His chuckled grew a touch louder. “You’re not. You’re just into someone else. I suspected as much when I asked you out at the football dame, but I took the chance anyway, knowing it might not have gone in my favor.”

  At that my back went stiff. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no one else.”

  He gave me a look that said who are you kidding. “Okay. Let’s just say you’re not into someone else.”

  “Because I’m not!”

  “I believe you.” He nodded, even though he so didn’t believe me.

  “See?!” I all but shouted. “Gah! You’re so… you’re so nice!”

  In spite of knowing the night had in fact not gone in his favor, he still laughed and smiled like being shot down was just water that ran right off his back. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “It is! Well… it’s not really. It’s actually pretty great. But it would just make me feel so much better if you’d maybe not be so nice to me.”

  His eyes grew comically wide just before he burst into laughter. “You’d rather I be mean to use just because we didn’t make a love connection?”

  I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, my face taking on a pout. “Well when you put it like that it just sounds ridiculous.”

  Kevin’s laughter finally died down and he rested his clasped hands on the table. “Look, I asked you out because I thought you were interesting and I wanted a chance to get to know you more. You were always nice in high school, and you’re still nice now. We didn’t hit it off romantically. But I still enjoyed your company.”

  “I enjoyed yours too,” I replied honestly. Because I had. He’s made me laugh and, despite my thoughts being full of Ethan, not once was I bored in Kevin’s company.

  “If it makes you feel better, silver lining is I’m not going to go home and pine after you, so there’s no reason we can’t be friends.”

  My face curved into a genuine smile. “I’d really, really like that.”

  “Then it’s settled.” He clapped his palm on the table. “From here on out we’re friends.”

  I giggled and nodded in agreement just as a crash rattled so loud in my ears that I jumped in my chair and both Kevin and I twisted our heads around toward the bar area. “Shit,” I whispered as soon as my eyes hit the scene. The crash came from a waitress who’d just dropped an entire tray of drinks. A tray she dropped because someone had apparently stumbled into her. “Shit,” I whispered again when Ethan’s gaze came to mine and I could see that he hadn’t stumbled because of his injured knee. He’d stumbled because he was three sheets to the wind.

  And he was now coming our way.

  “Do you need me to get you out of here?” Kevin asked, but it was a few seconds too late. Ethan moved surprisingly fast for someone recovering from an ACL surgery and being completely smashed.

  “Waldo.” The one word came out as a growl as he stared Kevin down.

  “Ethan.” At the sound of my voice, his head turned, his eyes trailing behind by a second, laying proof to just how drunk he was, not that I couldn’t already smell the alcohol on him. “What are you doing?”

  “What? A guy can’t have a few beers with a friend?” he asked sarcastically.

  “You’re drunk. And it smells like you’ve had a lot more than just beer. You shouldn’t be drinking anything else.”

  A bark of humorless laughter rumbled from his chest as he stumbled on his feet, having to drop his hands to the top of the table to keep his balance. “You acting like you actually care about me now?” The question cut me because I never stopped caring.

  “Stop it,” I whispered, my voice full of warning.

  “I think maybe we should get you a cab home, friend,” Kevin cut in. He was just beginning to stand, his hands out like he was reaching to help steady Ethan. God, he was such a nice guy.

  “We’re not friends,” Ethan bit out so harshly Kevin paused. “You have what I want. As long as that’s the case, we’ll never be friends.”

  I felt my eyes go round in shock, not only at the malice in his voice as he spoke, but at the confusing declaration. What the hell was he even talking about?

  “Ethan, enough,” I broke the stare-off happening between the two men by standing from my chair. “You aren’t even making any sense, and your causing a scene. Just let Kevin get you a cab.”

  “I don’t need Kevin to do anything for me.” With that, he turned his back on me and continued talking, moving closer to Kevin in a way that didn’t seem good. “You’re lucky enough to keep her, you better fucking treat her like gold.”

  “Ethan, stop!” I snapped.

  To his credit, Kevin stood his ground, even though his face was two shades paler. I couldn’t really blame him for being scared of Ethan. The man had at least two inches and several pounds of muscle on him. His hands came up in a placating gesture. “I think the two of you should probably talk once you’ve sobered up.

  “Don’t need to sober up,” Ethan told him. “I’m talking now, and I’m talking to you.” To emphasize his point, he drilled his finger into Kevin’s chest, making him wince.

  “Enough!” I jumped in and grabbed Ethan’s hand, shoving it away from Kevin. “You’re embarrassing yourself and me!”

  But he wasn’t done. “Fucked up six years ago. Fucked up so goddamned bad I lost the best thing in my life. You do that you’re even more stupid than I am.” The air in the entire room grew thick at the same time my back shot straight and every muscle in my body froze up.

  “Ethan,” Kevin coaxed. How he managed to sound so calm was beyond me, because I suddenly felt like the ground beneath my feet was crumbling. “Let’s get you home, okay? Stop now before you say something you can’t take back tomorrow. You don’t want to do this when you’re drunk.”

  “Lost her,” Ethan mumbled more to himself than anyone else. “And I fucking hate myself for it. Every goddamned day for the past six years. And I’ll hate myself for the re
st of my life ‘cause I’ll never get her back. Not the way I had her then, and not the way I want her now.”

  I couldn’t listen anymore. I just couldn’t. It was all just too much. What he’d said, the ravaged expression on his face when he’d said it. I was at war with myself. Part of me wanting to grab hold of him and hold on for dear life, the other part wanted to hurt him for letting me go in the first place, for wrecking me.

  His words filled me with joy, yet at the same time they destroyed me.

  Because I felt the exact same way.

  I wanted him in a way I never had before, not even when I was ten years old and convinced I would someday marry him. But I couldn’t trust him not to break me again. When he left the first time, it killed. The pain was worse than anything my own mother had ever done to me because he’d been my best friend. There was no way I’d ever survive him leaving a second time.

  And he would leave. It was a guarantee. His life wasn’t in Pembrooke anymore. It was in Denver.

  I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair and snatched my purse off the table. The air was too thick. I couldn’t breathe. I was feeling too much of everything and if I didn’t get out now, I’d crumble in front of everyone. “I’m sorry. I have to go,” I mumbled, pushing past the two men in front of me, ignoring their calls and all the eyes of the bar customers on me as I bolted for the door.

  Eliza

  “ELIZA! ELIZA, WAIT!”

  I didn’t wait. The wooden boards of the sidewalk clanked angrily under my high-heeled boots as I rushed to get home. I was only about halfway there by the time Ethan caught up with me.