Starting Over: The Broken Hearts Club

by Michele Barlow

  Her strength showed through a very fragile shell, that much he could tell.

  Evan continued to flirt with her while he tried on the clothes. His aunt wouldn’t really care what he wore to her funeral, but he knew for sure she would be proud that he was talking to a pretty girl. She would tell him to go for it, be brave and ask the woman out. Be honest about why he liked her and then get married and make babies. His auntie had very simple plans for how someone had a good life. That and take care of your teeth. Marry, babies, brush twice a day. It was the recipe for happiness.

  Gearing up to ask her out, he had expected her to turn him down and she didn’t disappoint. Accepting a social engagement from a stranger nowadays was fraught with possibilities, not all of them good. He would have been surprised if she had actually said yes.

  Not wanting to be a stalker, he accepted her rejection but knew that he wasn’t going to be able to get her out of his mind.

  Chapter 4

  Sitting in her car during her break, Cambry kept replaying the sequence of events that happened after the phone call to alterations.

  It was like a slow motion train wreck. You could see it was going to happen, but couldn’t look away. So you watched with inner horror as the impending catastrophe occurred.

  As she had been on the phone, he’d leaned over the counter, bringing those gorgeous blue eyes closer to her.

  “Sorry, I’m on hold.” She mouthed.

  “Go out with me,” he whispered back.

  “Sorry?”

  “Go out with me… on a date.”

  Cambry frowned; she didn’t know what to say.

  “Oh, yes, thank you I’ll send him right down,” she told the woman on the phone.

  “They can take you right now if you can go for them to pin the cuffs.”

  “Great, I’ll do that. Are you going to go out with me?”

  “Me? I don’t know you. Who accepts dates from strangers anymore?”

  “You?”

  “Huh, no, can’t say that I ever have. Besides, how do you know I’m even interested? Maybe you’re not my type.”

  “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that beautiful blush on your cheeks says you may be interested in me.”

  Cambry made a scoffing noise. “That’s bold.”

  “Yes, I’ve been known to be bold. You’re cute, sexy, and I’d love to see you again. Nothing creepy or weird.”

  “I… umm…” Cambry was waiting for her brain to start firing again after the short circuit of his unexpected observations.

  “Hmm, don’t trust me. That’s okay, I get that. So what do I need to do to get you to trust me?”

  “I have no idea! That’s a crazy thing to ask.”

  “Or is it just to the point? Let’s see. First, I need to prove my identity.” He reached around and pulled out a wallet. He opened it and flipped his driver’s license and an ID card on the counter. “Here is my driver’s license and my school ID. Here is a coupon for Bath & Body Works, though that doesn’t have my name on it.”

  “Bath & Body Works?”

  “I like their sanitizer for the classroom. Smells nice. I have an idea, how about you visit my classroom? I can bring you a background check to fill out then you can visit. Maybe then you’ll let me take you out on a date.”

  “Why would you want to go out with me?” Cambry was mentally going over her appearance, her job, her new boss. She didn’t seem like a catch. It wasn’t fair to her or anyone else, she knew that and it made her feel shittier for being snobby. That was the old Cambry. The one that barely looked at salespeople and hardly acknowledged their existence.

  Maybe this kind of thing happened all the time and she was just supposed to brush it off and keep up a minor flirt to get the sale. That must be it. It was a game that she had never been on the other side of. Flirt, finish the sale, and move on.

  “Hmm, I can’t tell if you’re asking for real or fishing for a compliment.” He looked like he was really considering both possibilities.

  “Not fishing, in fact how about I retract that question and just tell you that I’m flattered, but I’m not in a place I can date right now. I’m glad I was able to help you with your suit today. Please come again soon.”

  She handed him his suit in a garment bag that she’d put together and smiled.

  “Really, you’re just going to put on the blank stare and thank me for shopping at Monroe’s?”

  “I’m happy I could help you today.” She really hoped he got the hint and let her off without any more awkwardness.

  “Okay, I can take a hint. Just so you know,” he said grabbing the bag from her. “I asked you out because you’re beautiful and you have a great smile. I wanted to get you to know you. Nothing more than that. I know it’s weird coming from a stranger, but I’m a good guy, ask anyone.” He smiled and gave her a wink that hit her somewhere in her nether regions, and then he turned and walked away.

  Now she was in her car nibbling on the meager snack she had brought along and waiting for her phone to chime letting her know someone read her desperately typed out message.

  Luna: You got hit on your first day? Damnnnn

  Waverly: You said no?!?! Why??

  Luna: He could be a creeper, good call.

  Waverly: Don’t listen to her. You’re hot, of course you are going to get some attention.

  Elena: Wait, did you say motorcycle guy?

  Cambry: Yes, he said he was a kindergarten teacher. I saw his ID.

  Luna: Stop, that can’t be real.

  Elena: I need a better job.

  Claire: Please lord tell me he was shopping for boxer briefs.

  Paisley: Ohh those Calvin Klein ones, damn that’s sexy.

  Evie: Did you get pictures? You guys always asked me for pictures. You try being stealthy and see how hard it is.

  Luna: You just need to cough when you hit the picture button, amateurs.

  Cambry: His name is Evan Brantley, I can’t tell if that’s a country western singer or something else.

  Monica: Probably something else. You need to do a background check on him.

  Evie: She’s not dating him, she just met him at work. No offense honey.

  Cambry: None taken, don’t know what I would do if I saw him outside of here. I was really hoping for a quiet first night. He was cute. I have so much baggage I should open my own luggage store.

  Waverly: Stop that! No self bashing, you know the rules.

  The Broken Hearts Club had a loose set of bylaws. You could be honest about your feelings as long as you weren’t mean to yourself. No judging anyone else’s sense of loss. Kindness first, reality second. Meaning that they would always offer support before offering advice. And finally, never repeat what is said during get-together’s, formal or informal.

  Cambry: Sorry, it’s hard. I’ve gained weight. You don’t even know. The seams of my skirt are screaming. Working at Twisty Cup is not good for me. I like the corn dogs too much.

  Evie: Maybe you aren’t ready, so look at it that it was a nice morale booster. You’re a catch because you are a good person.

  Cambry: I have to get back. I’ll try not to obsess and keep you guys awake all night.

  Luna: Corn dogs are good.

  All she had to do was get through the evening and get back to her life of soft serve ice cream and folding shirts.

  Chapter 5

  Two weeks of working two jobs was exhausting. Cambry really had thought it would be easy. They were both part time, how hard could it be? She figured she would be lucky to get up to full-time between the both of them. And she did, except that both of her employers had realized having a worker that actually worked was worth extra hours. Both had scheduled her up to the maximum part-time hours so they wouldn’t have to pay her health insurance.

  That meant that in the last two weeks she had worked sixty hours each week. She was sleeping odd hours and eating even worse than she had before.

  Her classic suit had to be hung in the back of her closet,
replaced by a pair of very forgiving slacks and her small collection of silk blouses. Her meals were microwaved or fast food and she was starting to think she always smelled like a French fry. Then again, there was a certain freedom to not worrying what your pseudo friends were thinking about your eating habits. Gluten? How dare you. Carbs? Blasphemy! Cambry had forgotten how freaking delicious bad food was. No wonder people gobbled it up. Back in New York, the portions had been smaller and the meals more expensive.

  Her junk in the trunk was at least good cushion when she flopped down on the couch at the end of the day. The good news, however, was that working all hours of the day and night meant that her paychecks were going to be able to bring in enough money that she could afford a deposit and rent on a place of her own.

  She’d been keeping an eye out on the local ads. There were beautiful two-bedroom apartments, with views of the mountains. Fun one-bedrooms with pools and exercise rooms. Nothing compared to what she had in New York, so she decided to not try and recreate it. Unfortunately, those apartments were all still out of her price range.

  There had been an affordable one she’d been watching. It was a studio apartment that was part of a group of four-plexes that looked to have been built in the sixties or seventies. Two buildings facing each other with a communal parking lot in the middle. It was an end unit that backed up to a green space with trees and a small patio. That was the selling point. Not the three hundred square feet of room with a tiny kitchenette and bathroom. She needed quiet. The hum of New York had burned out her hearing it seemed and now she could appreciate just how noisy it had been.

  Her parent’s house always had a television on and usually at max volume. They also loved to yell things to each other from opposite sides of the house. They included frequently yelling down the basement stairs to include her in the fun. Quiet was what she needed. So today, she was calling and hopefully would be able to make quick work of putting in her application. It was still on the market after almost a month so maybe they hadn’t had any interest. Or maybe they were just overly picky. Cambry had been selling combos at Twisty Cup and accessories at Monroe’s like a madwoman for weeks. She could sell herself to one landlord.

  On her drive into work at the restaurant, her mind slipped back to the hot teacher. That was how she had started to think of him since it was easier than giving into his real name. His real name made her act like a teenager. Mrs. Evan Brantley. Cambry Brantley. Mrs. Brantley. All ridiculous thoughts because she’d sworn she wasn’t going to think of herself like that again. Ridiculous. She was Cambry Sinclair and she knew that no matter what she did in the future, her name was going to stay Cambry Sinclair. Besides, when someone called her ‘Ms. Sinclair’ it made her feel youthful, and she needed every little boost she could get.

  The fact that she was pondering wedded bliss to a stranger didn’t take a degree in mental health to figure out. She was lonely. Loneliness was a heavy cloak that seemed to wrap around you when you needed it the least. Cambry realized that she had been lonely for years. Being surrounded by literally millions of people in the streets of New York kept up the illusion that you weren’t alone. But really, her ex had worked sixteen hours a day, sometimes seven days a week, and she had spent her time desperately trying to appear busy.

  Pulling into the parking lot, she shook out of her thoughts, grabbed her phone and dialed the number for the apartment.

  “Yup.”

  “Yes, I’m calling about the studio apartment that is available?

  “Yup.”

  “Is it still available?”

  “Would I be paying for an ad if it wasn’t?”

  Surly, would be a good descriptor for this man.

  “I’d love to come and take a look and put in my application for it. I have impeccable history, owned my apartment for eight years and was never late on my mortgage. I just moved back to Colorado and have been staying with family.”

  “You noisy?”

  “No, actually I liked the apartment because it looked quiet.”

  “You got the deposit and first month’s rent?”

  “Yes, I have references too if you’d like.”

  “You sell drugs?”

  “No, I work two jobs. If I was selling drugs, I’d retire.” She probably should be more tactful when it came to dealing with the man that might be giving her some freedom and peace, but dang!

  “Come down and let me take a look at you. Then you can sign the papers.”

  “Does that mean I get the apartment?”

  “Depends if I like the look of you. Too many damn pot-heads have been applying and I don’t need the neighbor complaining of getting secondhand high from some stoner. I can tell if you’re a smoker by looking at you.”

  “Okay, well I definitely don’t smoke. Not cigarettes or any other kind, so I can come by between my jobs. Is three okay?”

  “Sure fine. Who are you?”

  “Cambry Sinclair, It’s nice to meet you Mr…”

  “Call me Hank. I’m in apartment one. Just knock.”

  Then the phone clicked dead.

  “Okay, then…” She wasn’t sure if that was a good call or bad. Crossing her fingers that he “liked the look of her,” she got out to start the first of her two jobs for the day.

  Walking into the building, she took that first breath of fast-food aroma that was tantalizing and nauseating at the same time.

  She scanned the dining area to gauge how quickly she needed to jump on and only spotted two customers. A little old lady named Elspeth that came in for coffee every day and sat for a few hours and chatted with the staff. The only other occupied table had a man with black hair and his own cup of coffee in front of him.

  It was him.

  Chapter 6

  Cambry felt a moment of shock. She’d almost convinced herself that he was just a hallucination of her first night at Monroe’s. Not that it had stopped her from fantasizing about him nightly since then. But since he didn’t come back, not that he should have after she brushed him off, she figured that he must have been a happy illusion.

  Awkward coincidences or not, she did not want him to see her in her Twisty Cup uniform and awful black orthopedic sneakers that were required. Turning and walking to the back room before she could be spotted, she put her purse away in her locker and peeked through the small window in the door to see if he was still there. She saw the table was empty so took the long way through the kitchen to get to the front counter.

  As she turned the corner from the prep area, she saw him standing at the counter, cup in hand with a gorgeous smile on his face.

  “Remember me?”

  Did she remember him? No, of course not. It wasn’t like she had been masturbating to him when she was alone at night. No, that wouldn’t be weird and creepy at all.

  “Oh, hi. Fancy meeting you here.” Lame, oh so lame. She gave herself a mental punch.

  “I dropped in for a bite to eat and heard someone mention your name. On the off chance it was you, I thought I’d stick around.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wanted to see you again. I’m still reeling from you turning me down. I was hoping I’d get another chance to convince you to let me take you out.”

  “Reeling huh? Can’t sleep, can’t eat?”

  “Okay, maybe not reeling,” he said with a grin. “How about, disheartened.”

  “Ouch, disheartened. That’s low. Shouldn’t you be at school? You said you were a teacher.”

  “I am. Late start today, so I only have afternoon kindergarten. The morning kids get the day off. I get to crawl in a little later. It must be a sign that I ran into you here.”

  “Sign? More like your dining options were limited,” she laughed. He was still so handsome. He was sporting a dress shirt and a tie with frogs on it over a pair of jeans.

  “Science today?”

  “Huh?”

  Cambry pointed to his tie. “Frogs.”

  He glanced down and picked up the end of the tie. “Oh
no, we are reading I Don’t Want to Be a Frog. It’s a story about self acceptance and liking who you are.”

  “Maybe I should read it.” Shit, that was too much to share with him.

  “I’d be happy to read it to you. I really think this is a sign, Cambry. We’re clearly meant to read children’s books together.

  “Just so you know, I’m interested in what happens to the frog. Who wouldn’t be?”

  “True, but I’m going to say it was divine providence. I like you, Cambry. Not sure why yet, but I do. Let me take you out and we can chat. Unless you find me hideously unattractive or your gut is telling you to steer clear. Then I wouldn’t push you to accept. I’ll bring the book in case you find me boring, it’ll give you something to read between courses.”

  Cambry made a scoffing noise. “Hideously unattractive? That’s a bit much. You know you’re a hunk.” Sweet mercy, did she just call him a hunk to his face?

  “Hmm, hunk, that sounds promising. I think you are beautiful, and witty. I like wit even more than beauty. I love to talk, and you seem like you have a lot to talk about.”

  “You don’t even know the half of it,” she admitted.

  “So, when is your next night off?”

  Cambry bit her lip for a moment. Standing in her uniform, wearing a visor of all things, and he was still asking her out. That must mean something.

  “Tomorrow night.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. That wasn’t her brain answering it was her lady parts being desperate.

  “Can I pick you up? Maybe hit a local rib joint? Are you a vegetarian?”

  “No,” she said with a smirk. “I could never make it more than a few days. I also eat carbs and currently anything that contains massive amounts of sugar. I’m basically running on sugar and caffeine these days.”

  “Do you want to text me your address?” He asked, pulling out his phone.

  “How about I meet you?” Cambry wasn’t up for the alone in a car scenario with him.