by Blair Grey
I groaned. “You’re terrible,” I said.
“But you missed me anyway,” Landon said, winking at me. “But seriously, you’re okay, right? They didn’t throw you in with the rough crowd or anything?”
“I wasn’t in jail jail,” I reminded him. “Just in the holding cell for a couple hours until Ray posted bail. I didn’t even see much of anything.” I paused. “But yeah, it pretty much sucked. Worst part is they took my watch and my phone away, so I didn’t even know how long I had been in there.”
“Bet you were bored out of your mind,” Landon guessed.
“I was so bored that I figured out how many tiles were on the walls, floors, and ceiling,” I admitted.
“Which is quite the feat for someone who’s terrible at math,” Landon said teasingly.
“I was never terrible at math, it was just easier to get all the right answers from you,” I said, rolling my eyes. But as nice as this digression was, I was still thinking back to the reason he was here: to clean up my mess. “Let me know if there’s anything you need me to do.”
“I will,” Landon promised. Then, he narrowed his eyes at me. “But I agree with Ray. It’s time you found something else to do with your life. For now, I guess you can start with making things right with Mia.”
I sighed. “I don’t even know if there’s anything to make right with Mia,” I told him. “She blew up at me yesterday after I beat up Darren. While the cops were handcuffing me.” I smiled a little at the memory. If it weren’t so painful, it might have been funny. “She gave them quite the show actually.”
But I shook my head, looking over at Ray. “There was this guy in the cell with me, some drunk. But he said that he was a lawyer. And he said that he represented Mia during a trial where she was accused of killing her father. Did you know about that?”
Ray held up both hands. “Honestly, I only know her from a business perspective,” he said. He paused. “But I guess once things settle down a little, you should invite her over for dinner, so I can get to know her a little better. If you love her and all.”
I rolled my eyes at his teasing smirk. “I don’t even know if she’ll talk to me,” I muttered under my breath. But I wanted to talk to her. I was afraid of what I might hear. About all the things that she might have kept from me. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that no matter what it was, I could forgive her. I had to. I loved her.
“Just whatever you do, don’t show up at the bar,” Ray cautioned me. “The police would be all over you, I’m sure.”
“I’m not stupid,” I said exasperatedly, even though that was exactly where I was thinking of going when I was out of here. I looked over at Landon. “You’re sure you can get this taken care of?” I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.
“Consider it done,” Landon said firmly, nodding his head to add extra weight to the words.
I looked over at Ray. “And you’re not mad at me?”
Ray sighed. “Sure I am,” he said. “But we’re family. And everyone makes mistakes. Especially when his emotions get the better of him.” From the way he said it, I could tell that he was thinking back on something from his own past. That there was some story there. But whatever it was, he didn’t share, and I wasn’t about to press him for details. Not right now.
I nodded my head and stood up. “All right,” I said. I cleared my throat, looking back and forth between the two of them, having a hard time hiding how grateful I really was for them. They always had my back. No matter what.
Now I just had to prove to Mia that I felt the same way about her.
36
Mia
I went back out to the bar when I was sure that Grant was gone and when I had had a chance to compose myself a little bit. I could tell from the way that Candice kept glancing over at me that she was still worried about me, but apparently, I was doing a good enough job at pretending like I was okay, because she didn’t send me to the back to do more inventory, and she didn’t even stop me to ask if I was doing okay.
Although that last was probably more because she knew if she asked how I was doing, I would automatically lie and tell her that everything was fine.
But to be honest, everything kind of was fine. Or as fine as it could be, given everything that had happened. I already felt better, knowing that I had made a decision. I was going to go see Braxton. I needed to talk through all of this with him.
To be honest, I already kind of missed him. I had been trying so hard to keep from being in a relationship with him that I had forgotten to keep myself from falling in love with him.
The door swung open, and one familiar-looking drunk wandered in, sitting himself at my end of the bar. I automatically made him an old-fashioned, taking my time to make it a good one, and set it in front of him. “Long time no see, Jack,” I said.
Jack beamed at me. “There’s my favorite little Lamb,” he said teasingly.
I rolled my eyes, but I was still grinning at him. I couldn’t thank Jack enough for everything that he had done for me. There had been some seriously dark times in my life—darker even than this—and Jack had been the one to help me get my life back on track, even before Candice had given me this job and subsequently had become my best friend.
Now, the man was almost like family to me. Maybe not family that I saw very often, but definitely like an uncle or something like that. He was a good guy, even if drunk more evenings than not.
“What’s up?” I asked him, figuring that there must be some reason that he had stopped by.
“I wanted to check on you,” he said, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes piercing behind the rim of his glass.
I frowned at him, remembering that that was just what Grant had said earlier too. Jack wasn’t somehow involved with Red Eyes, too, was he? It wouldn’t totally surprise me, to be honest. I knew that Red Eyes must have some legal counsel on retainer. Maybe he was representing Braxton.
If so, though, he should know he needed to get off the case. There were too many people who would think back to that earlier case, who were still angry that I had gotten off without even a warning. They would put Braxton away before he could even say a word.
But Jack cleared up my confusion immediately. “I spent the night in the holding cell. Something about drunken shenanigans and swimming in fountains,” Jack said, rolling his eyes, and I fought the urge to smile. Jack was formidable in the courtroom, but outside the courtroom, he was like a big kid. I was still amazed at how many people took him so seriously.
“Anyway, you know who else happened to be in the holding cell with me for a couple hours?” Jack continued. “None other than your boyfriend! Braxton, I think his name was?”
I blushed and scrubbed furiously at the glass in my hand. “He’s not my boyfriend,” I said immediately.
“Could have fooled me,” Jack drawled. “He said you were having some trouble with your ex and that he had to step in and help out. Hands were pretty cut up and bruised too. Looks like he got that fucker good.”
“I didn’t want him to get involved,” I said, shaking my head.
“Of course you didn’t,” Jack said, flashing a grin at me. “I know you. You want to do everything on your own. And the scary thing is, you know that you can.” He leaned closer, swaying a little. “But I don’t know, Mia, I don’t think I’d write off this guy Braxton.”
“Why not?” I asked.
Jack shrugged expansively. “He seemed like a good guy,” Jack said, which was pretty high praise coming from Jack. “Besides,” he added, lowering his voice, “not every man is like your father.”
I froze, staring down at the glass in my hand. It was the part I had been dancing around with this whole thing. I had made up countless reasons for why I couldn’t be Braxton’s girlfriend. I had blamed Darren and the drama with him. I had blamed losing Maggie and my fear of losing Braxton as well. So many different reasons, but in the end, they didn’t add up to the truth.
No, the truth was exactly
like Jack knew it was: I was afraid to be with Braxton because I was afraid that he would end up being just like my father. After all, I could see more and more of my mother in me every day. How did I avoid making the same mistakes that she had made?
“Have you talked to him since he got out?” Jack asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say,” I said quietly. “I was so mad at him. I yelled at him as they were handcuffing him; that’s how mad I was.”
Jack laughed and shook his head. “I think you’re okay if you still want him,” he said. “I didn’t talk to him too much, but I could tell that he was just trying to look out for you. And you can’t blame a guy for that. You can’t blame a guy for losing his heart over you, darling.”
I smiled at him. “Thanks,” I said.
Jack tossed back the rest of his drink. “Don’t mention it,” he said. “Let me know how it goes, or if your boyfriend needs any help. I can recommend some people. You know where to find me.” He waved and headed out.
“What was that about?” Candice asked, watching him go. She frowned at me. “You know it’s against the law to serve someone who is already clearly drunk.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Jack’s an old friend,” I told her. “And he wasn’t drunk, not yet. If he had been, you would have heard every word of our conversation, and then he probably would have decided to try juggling beer glasses or something. He likes to get a room going.”
“Okay,” Candice said slowly.
“Hey, can I have tomorrow off?” I asked, trying to redirect her attention. “I need to go talk to Braxton, and I know he can’t come anywhere near here for the time being.”
“Yeah, of course,” Candice said immediately. “You need me with you for moral support?”
“Nah, I think I’ll be all right,” I told her. “But thanks.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’ve decided you want to go talk to him,” Candice said softly. “I think it’s the right decision.”
“I’m not making any promises,” I warned her. “For all I know, I’m going to show up there, and we’re going to have a huge shouting match, and that’ll really be the end of us.”
“Could be,” Candice said easily. “Or it could be the start of something great.”
“It could be,” I agreed. “I just don’t know.”
I could tell that there was something else that Candice wanted to say. I raised an eyebrow at her. “All right, so don’t freak out,” she said slowly.
“What did you do?” I groaned, not even sure I could imagine how things could get any worse than they had been.
“Just, in the spirit of new beginnings, I wanted to let you know that I submitted an application on your behalf and I’ve got a job opportunity for you.”
“You did what?” I asked incredulously.
“You know I love you and that I just want a good life for you. And I think you could do a lot more than being stuck here behind the bar for the rest of your life.” Candice laughed ruefully and looked around. “Not that this is a terrible place to be. But you’re too smart for this.”
“Candice,” I groaned. I wasn’t exactly upset with her, but I couldn’t believe she thought this was a good time for news like this.
“I know, I know. There’s a bunch of shit from your past that has held you back. But I think it’s time for new beginnings. Time for a new start. At least think about it, okay?” Candice pleaded.
“You know I don’t want to work for anyone other than you,” I protested.
“And you wouldn’t be working for me at this other place, but you would be working for a good friend of mine. I think you’d really like her,” Candice said. “In any case, if it didn’t work out, you know your job is always waiting for you back here. I just think you should at least try it. It could be a really great opportunity.”
I stared at her for a long moment, trying to sort out how I felt about it. But to be honest, maybe she and Jack were both right. Maybe it was time to move on. Forget about the trial, forget about my father, forget about all the things that continued to hold me back. Maybe it was time for me to move on and build the future that I wanted.
I’d start with talking to Braxton. And then maybe I’d think about taking this mystery opportunity that Candice’s friend had for me. A change could be just what I needed.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Candice asked, looking worried. “I felt like I probably should have asked you before I submitted all your information to my friend, but I was afraid that you wouldn’t even consider it, and that you were just going to say no. But I really think this could be good for you.”
“What the hell,” I said, giving Candice a hug. “I guess it can’t hurt to have my friends looking out for me. I’m not saying that I’m going to accept the position, whatever it is, but I’ll at least read over the information and think about it.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” Candice said. She looked around the bar. “You know, we’re pretty dead in here tonight. Why don’t you take off? Get some sleep.” She paused. “You’re going to be okay, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said, and this time, it didn’t feel so much like a lie. “I think I’m going to be just fine.”
I finished up a few last tasks around the bar and then took off my apron and punched out. When I headed outside, though, I stopped dead in my tracks. I recognized the car that was across the street. Braxton’s car. And there he was, sitting in the driver’s seat.
No doubt, he was here because he was afraid that Darren might show up or that something else would happen to me. He was there to look out for me after I had made it clear that I didn’t want him to do that.
Or maybe he, like Grant and Jack, just wanted to check up on me and make sure that I was okay. The truth was, even though I had planned on talking to him tomorrow, I had missed him, and I wanted to talk to him about all of this. He would understand how I felt in a way that Candice, wonderful as she was, never could. He just got me somehow.
We hadn’t known each other that long, but there was a reason I couldn’t keep away from him even though I knew, logically, that I had to.
I deliberated for a moment, but then I went over and knocked on the window. He jumped a little bit and then quickly got out of the car. “I know I probably shouldn’t be here, but I wanted to make things right with you,” he said hurriedly.
“I’m listening,” I said.
A broad smile broke out on his face.
37
Braxton
I knew that I couldn’t go into the bar to confront Mia, but I wasn’t sure how else to get a hold of her. I was afraid that if I texted her or called her, she’d just ignore me. If she was really angry and wanted nothing more to do with me, what then? Could I handle that?
I thought about calling Candice and arranging something through her. Or else asking Grant to help me arrange something. But that just felt juvenile. No, I wanted to face this head-on. Force her to see how contrite I was. The truth was, if I had to do it all over again, I’d probably do things exactly the same way. But I wanted to be sure that she knew my reasons. The she knew I just couldn’t bear to let anything happen to her.
So I parked across the street from the bar and sat there to wait until the bar closed, hoping that I would see her. It made me feel a little awkward, a little too much like Darren. I didn’t want her to feel like now I was stalking her. But if she refused to talk to me now, then I vowed to let her go. I wouldn’t obsess over her, even though I knew I was never going to find someone as amazing ever again.
As it turned out, I didn’t notice Mia leaving the bar early. I didn’t notice her approach the car until she tapped on the window to get my attention; I had been so busy trying to come up with something to even say to her. But any of the things that I had rehearsed went out of my head the moment I saw her.
I just knew that I needed to talk to her and that I couldn’t let her go. Fortunately, Mia didn’t seem as angry as I had expected her to be
. Instead, it seemed like she wanted to talk to me as well.
“Why don’t we go back to your place?” she suggested quietly.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She nodded. “To be honest, I’d feel safer there,” she admitted, looking off to the side. “Candice says the hospital told her that Darren’s still going to be in there for a couple days, but just to be on the safe side, I think it would be better to be with you. If that’s okay.”
She bit her lower lip, looking pleadingly at me, and I couldn’t help but reach out and cup her cheek against my palm. “Oh, honey,” I murmured, surprised at the naked emotion in her gaze. I had never seen her this open with me before, not even when she’d told me about her sister. “Let’s go,” I said.
We drove in silence back to my place. I kept glancing over at her, wondering what was going through her head. But she kept her gaze trained out the window, her thoughts hidden.
When we reached my place, I led her into the living room and got her seated on the couch. “Do you want anything to drink?” I asked her, feeling like I might need a little liquid courage, myself.
“Please,” she said, looking relieved, and I could tell that she was just as nervous as I was. On the one hand, I hated seeing her so nervous and uncertain like this, as though she were afraid of what I was going to say to her. But on the other hand, it reminded me that she had feelings for me as well. She wasn’t ready to let this go any more than I was. And just maybe things were going to work out between us.
I poured the drinks and then joined her on the couch, putting a careful distance between us. We needed to talk first. Not just revert into our usual pattern of having sex with each other. I wanted her, but I wanted more than her body. And although the tension between us would no doubt have made for explosive sex, I wanted us to clear the air first.