Hope Falls_Sparks Fly
Page 5
“I’m taking Britt out for breakfast and who knows what else. I’m just glad to spend some time together,” Brady says. Well, so much for wishful thinking.
He walks out of the room and I turn to Britt, “Hey,” I say with a smile.
“Hi,” she says again.
“You okay?” I ask her.
“Yes. You?” she asks with a smile.
“Yeah, fine.”
“Good. I’ll see you later?” she asks.
“Definitely. I’m going to run into work and see how your car is coming along.”
“Sounds good.”
“You ready?” Brady asks walking back into the room.
“Yep,” Britt says and moves away from me to go out the door with Brady.
He looks at me curiously for a moment then leaves calling out, “See ya,” before I can say a word.
Chapter Eleven
Britt
Brady and I are sitting in Sue Ann’s Café and he has already spoken to no less than five people. It’s clear that people here like him, respect him, and I can tell he enjoys the feeling. It’s in the way his chin lifts when he speaks to them, the smile on his face, the satisfaction in his eyes. This has definitely become his home and he’s happy. I’m glad.
After we order and get our drinks, he looks at me, “So, did you and Landon have a good time last night?”
I’m glad I didn’t have water or anything in my mouth when he asked that question. “Yeah, it was great, actually.” I find myself smiling and begin telling Brady everything we did together yesterday. I realize that I go on for a while, not stopping until our food is delivered to our table. I shut my mouth immediately realizing I’m gushing which is not like me at all.
Brady has a concerned look on his face. I know him, and I know he wants to say something, so I wait it out. “It isn’t a good idea for you to fall for Landon.”
“What? Fall for him? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I know you, Britt. It’s all over your face even though you’re trying like hell not to show it. You’re taken with him. It’s obvious.”
“I do like him, but so what? Maybe if I lived here…”
“But you don’t. And long distance relationships don’t work.”
“Brady, what the hell is your problem? I’m an adult. If Landon and I decide that we want to try a long distance relationship that would be our business.”
“So you do like him,” he accuses and I stay silent, taking additional bites of my food. But I’m mad so I’m shoving it in my mouth with ridiculous speed. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m a grown ass woman, you can’t prevent that kind of stuff, big brother. Sorry.”
“Britt-” he begins then stops and runs his hand through his hair in frustration, “Landon just got out of a long-term relationship,” he says and that stops me. My eyes swing up to his and I even stop chewing.
“What?”
“He was with a woman for a long time – Stephanie - they were even engaged to be married. They only broke up about a month ago.”
“A month ago?” I ask feeling sickness coil in my belly.
“Yeah. They were together in high school and everyone thought they were going to be married. It was a big deal around town when they broke up.”
“What happened?”
He shrugs, “I’m not sure other than they just grew apart, and he says that she wasn’t the one. They stayed together because it became easy, but it wasn’t right. So they broke up. It wasn’t an easy break up either.” When he gets a look at my face he sighs, “I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to get hurt. Anyone he’s with after Stephanie would just be a rebound and I don’t want that for you.”
Placing my fork down next to my plate, I realize I’ve lost my appetite. Before I can make any kind of comment, Brady’s phone rings. He grabs it, “Larson,” he answers. He listens for a minute and then his eyes find mine. Sighing he speaks into the phone again, “Alright. I need to get home and change first, give me half hour or so.” My heart sinks. “I’m so sorry, Britt. I need to go back into work.”
“Do you ever get time off, Brady? What the hell?”
“I’m really sorry. Things are just crazy right now.”
“It’s okay, I know you can’t help it, but as soon as my car is done, I’m going to go ahead and head home.”
“What? Why?”
“I was leaving the day after tomorrow anyway, and Brady, you’re busy.” He starts to protest and I hold up my hand, “No, it’s okay. I’m not mad. I get it. This is your life, it’s busy, but it’s great. You’re happy here, I can tell.” He nods and smiles. “We’ll schedule something again when you can take time off and we can go somewhere fun like to the beach or something. Okay?”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” he says.
“I am.”
His phone rings again and he looks at me, “Speaking of the devil,” he answers it again, “Larson. We were just talking about that. Great. Can you do me a favor and bring it back to my place right now? Is that a problem for you? Perfect. Okay, see you at the apartment.”
“Your car is done, Landon is driving it back to our place.”
“But that will leave him without a car.”
“No big deal, he can ride with me to the station and then I’ll take him back there really quick.”
He knows that I could take him too since I’ll be going that way, and I’m grateful that he understands that I don’t want to do that. “Okay. Oh, but I need to pay him.”
“No you don’t. It’s taken care of.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, I took care of it.”
“Brady, no. I don’t need you to do that.”
“Let your big brother take care of you sometimes, Britt, okay? I know you don’t need me in other ways anymore, but that was something I could do, wanted to do, alright?”
“Okay, Brady. Thank you.”
He pays our bill and leads me out to his car and hugs me when we get to the passenger door. “I’m really sorry that this has turned out to be a shitty visit.”
“It wasn’t all bad. I just miss you, that’s all. Maybe you can come out my way or we can pick a destination and plan something adventurous, or the beach like I said before. We need to get you away from this town and its distractions, deal?”
He smiles, “Deal.”
As soon as we get back to the apartment, I go to my suitcase and quickly pack my things. I decide to change out of the sundress I put on this morning into comfy clothes for the drive home and then I hunt down a piece of paper and a pen from Brady’s room and scribble out a note. When I’m finished, I go back out into the living room and put my discarded sundress into my bag. I’m zipping it closed when Landon walks in the door. He looks from my bag, to me, and back again in confusion.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“I’m going back home today.”
His face falls, “Why? I thought you still had a couple more days.”
“Well, Brady got called back into work and I’ve decided that this just isn’t a great time for a visit. He’s busy, and we decided to reschedule.”
He walks to me, smiles gently, and touches my shoulder, “I’m happy to spend the rest of your remaining time with you. In fact, I would love to. There are some things I’d like to talk to you about-”
“You ready?” Brady asks as he walks back into the room and Landon takes an inconspicuous step away from me.
“Yes,” I tell him not looking at Landon, but I can feel his reaction.
Brady walks to me and hugs me again, “I love you, little sis. And again, I’m sorry,” he looks me in the eyes, “For everything.” And I know that he’s not just talking about being called back into work, but really he shouldn’t be. Yes, I really like Landon, and maybe for a passing minute or a few more I had thoughts of attempting a long distance thing or something, but I realize that was stupid. He’s likely right; it probably wouldn’t work. The attr
action I’m feeling and the need and want to be close to him will fade with distance. Reflecting on how I felt when I arrived, I decide to look at this fling as a great confidence booster – and a delightful if unexpected escapade.
“I love you, too,” I tell Brady. “Don’t be sorry.”
Landon looks at me helplessly, but I don’t care, I hug him right in front of Brady. “It was great to meet you, Landon. Thank you for fixing my car and picking me up when it broke down. You will always be my hero. I was melting out there,” I tell him forcing bravado I don’t feel.
He squeezes me, too tight, and I know he’s confused and hesitant to let go. I pull away and smile at both of them. Brady’s not stupid, he knows what’s going on and he’s helping me make a clean escape. I reach out to shake Landon’s hand. He looks confused for a moment until he feels the paper in my hand and then takes it from me. He smiles and I look away.
“Bye,” I tell them both and then walk out the door and don’t look back – even when I know they’re both at the door watching me drive away.
Chapter Twelve
Landon
As soon as she’s gone, Brady leaves to change and I immediately open the note she’s left behind. I feel a weight in my gut and wish more than anything that I could run after her. Opening the paper, I read quickly, hoping she’s wanting me to meet her somewhere.
Dear Landon,
What can I say about yesterday? It was unexpected and a hell of a lot of fun. I think that’s the thing that will stand out to me when I look back – the fun. I haven’t had fun like that in a long time, so thank you for that. I’m sure you’re confused right now. I know I left quickly – but Brady told me… about Stephanie. He told me that you only broke up about a month ago and I realize that anything we could potentially have together is more than likely a rebound relationship for you. So, how can I make this clear? You’re great in the sack, and a few more rounds would have been great, but I don’t do rebound relationships. They’re messy and drama that I don’t need or want in my life. And how awkward would it be if I ended up having to hire a hit man to take you out? I mean, Brady would have to arrest his own sister! Yeah, no thanks.
So, how about this, someday when you have Stephanie out of your system, you’ve found your passion in life and find yourself in LA, look me up. Otherwise, don’t call me. Don’t be angry, and if you are…well c’est la vie.
Sayonara,
Britt
I refold the letter and part of me wants to go beat the shit out of Brady. Part of me wants to steal his car and race after her, but I know the end result would only be the same.
Brady approaches me hesitantly and I stare him down. “I want to kick your ass right now.”
“I know.”
“Why did you tell her about Stephanie?”
“You know why, Landon. She’s my sister.”
With a sigh, I nod, “Yeah, I get it. I do. But I’m going to hate you for a while. I like her, Brady. I really like her.”
“Well, it seems to me then that you have some things to take care of.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I tell him.
“You ready?” he asks.
“Yeah, just give me one sec.”
I go into my room for a minute and despite what she said, try to all her anyway. I have her number in my phone from when she gave it to me at the shop. It goes to voicemail and I’m not surprised. Feeling defeated, I leave her letter on my desk. Walking back to the door I stop, glance at the bed, and feel like an ass. I walk to the bed, pick up the pillow and take a deep breath. “I’ll see you again, Britt. You can count on it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Britt
It’s been a long day at work. I had the worst client today that wanted “the perfect shade of red,” for her hair color. She started out as a blonde, and I warned her that the color she chose would be much more vibrant on top of blonde than the picture she showed me and that she may want to pick a couple shades darker, but she insisted anyway. And as expected it was not at all what she wanted. I worked on her for hours in between my other clients. The whole salon cheered when she walked out the door, all of them feeling my pain.
Driving down the street I happen to see a bar called The Hook with a sign out front saying it’s karaoke night. That makes me laugh; who does karaoke anymore? I think a drink is in order.
It’s only been a few days since I left Brady’s house and Landon is not at all out of my system yet. Apparently I’m not out of his either. Despite my request he’s tried to call me a few times, but he never leaves a message. It seems strange to miss someone I had only just met. I didn’t even have him in my life for more than a matter of hours. But, as soon as I saw him, sparks flew, and I suppose the rest was inevitable. It may be dumb, but…it is what it is.
Parking, I make my way inside the bar and find that I like the cozy feel of the place. There’s a stage on one end and a microphone and a DJ next to it, clearly getting ready for the singing. Tables and chairs are set up throughout the place and a bar is on the far side of the room. There are waitresses that man the tables, but I find a seat at the bar and sit down. “Hi, what can I get ya?”
I look up to find a pretty brunette with eyes just as dark smiling at me. “A man that doesn’t have issues?”
She smiles, “Sorry, we don’t serve that here.”
Sighing dramatically makes her laugh. “Fine, then I guess I’ll take a whiskey neat instead, please.”
“You got it.”
When she gives it to me, I slam it down fast then ask for another. She raises a brow and pours as directed. “Call me crazy but I suspect you’re having guy trouble?”
“You have no idea. Guy trouble, a bad day, a bad week – all of it.”
“Sounds like I’ll need to keep the whiskey coming.”
“Yep. What’s your name?” I ask curiously.
“Sailor.”
“Hi, Sailor, I’m Britt.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she says and sets the bottle aside and places her elbows on the bar and leans forward. “Why don’t you tell me all about it?”
“I bet you say that to all the patrons. How much in tips do you make from that line?”
She laughs, “Actually, not many,” she admits and somehow I believe her.
With a sigh, I begin, “So, I was driving to my brother’s house because I needed a little vacation….”
Catch up with Sailor and Britt in Broken Melody
July 2017
Also by Jennifer Miller
Deadly Sins Series
Fighting Envy
Fighting Wrath
Fighting Lust
Fighting Pride
Pretty Little Lies Series
Pretty Little Lies
Pretty Little Dreams
Pretty Little Vows
Perfect Little Plan
Whispering Wishes
Charming – A Modern Day Cinderella Story
Beer Goggles Anthology – Strike Out
For more information about Jennifer Miller, please visit www.jennifermillerwrites.com