Finding Fisher

by Dakota Madison

  The menu is not extensive. Mostly burgers and finger foods. But the lack of options doesn’t seem to deter anyone from eating. It looks like everyone in the place is stuffing their faces.

  After a few minutes I notice an extremely scary looking guy limping toward our table. He’s got to be the biggest guy I’ve ever seen in my life. A literal wall of muscles. And every inch of him looks tattooed. I simultaneously wonder why he’s heading in our direction and hope he doesn’t kill us.

  “Hey, Man,” the massive guy says as he pats Fisher on the shoulder. “Sorry about your brother. I can’t even imagine.”

  “Thanks.”

  There’s no way this guy is Jake. I can’t imagine Harley being with someone who looks like this guy. This guy is so utterly intimidating he’d make the scariest biker on the planet run away in fear.

  “This is Chloe,” Fisher points in my direction. “Chloe, this is Tucker. Harley’s brother-in-law. Jake’s brother.”

  “He’s around here somewhere. I’ll make sure he stops by your table.” When Tucker turns his attention to me I feel myself start to shake a little. “Fish is a great guy.”

  “I know.” The words feel like they’re getting stuck in my throat.

  Then Tucker just turns and limps away.

  “Not a man of many words?” I ask.

  “He got a little messed up in Iraq. That’s why he limps like that.”

  Another big guy stops at our table to take our order. This one looks young, like he’s just out of high school. “What is it with all the huge guys in this place?”

  Fisher laughs. “Jake and Harley only hire guys who played on the high school football team to work here.”

  I furrow my brow. “Why is that?” It seems like an odd qualification to work at a bar.

  “It’s kind of a long story.”

  I lean back in my chair and fold my arms over my chest. “I’ve got all night.”

  “Jake used to have a well-deserved reputation as a ladies’ man. It was pretty well known around town that he liked to have fun with the help and half the patrons in the back room. After he and Harley got together they decided that they’d only hire guys to work here. And since Jake was a star football player and still had a connection with his old high school coach they hire guys who don’t get accepted to college and need a job.”

  Now my curiosity about meeting Jake is really piqued. As if he can read my thoughts Fisher grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. “Jake is quite a stud, but he’s also quite taken.”

  I frown. “As if you have anything to worry about.” When I fell in love with Franklin I didn’t think it would ever be possible to find someone more attractive. Fisher definitely fits the bill.

  A few minutes after our burgers and beers are served a sexy guy, who looks to be in his early 30s stops at our table. From the air of confidence the guy radiates to his killer charismatic smile there’s little doubt in my mind this guy is Jake. And I can definitely see how he could get so many girls to follow him into the back room. He’s got All-American good looks and exudes charm.

  Fisher stands when Jake gets to our table and the two guys embrace. “So sorry about Franklin.”

  “Thanks, Man.”

  “How’s your mom doing?”

  “Taking it one day at a time.”

  “We’ll be at the memorial service. Cooper and Riley are coming out from the city in the morning.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Jake waves at the table. “Whatever you want. It’s on the house.”

  Fisher shakes his head. “It’s okay.”

  “I insist.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” Jake holds out a hand for me to shake.

  “This is Chloe.”

  Jake immediately notices my engagement ring. “Nice rock.” He’s the first person to notice it, or at least mention it. No doubt a habit left over from his days of bringing patrons into the back room. I’m sure one of the first things he did was see if they were wearing a ring.

  Giving Fisher a narrow-eyed stare he says, “Something you’re not telling me?”

  He shakes his head. “Nothing like that. It’s a long story.”

  “They usually are. Just be careful.” Then Jake turns his attention to me. “Fisher is a good guy.”

  “So I’ve been told,” I reply.

  After another quick half hug Jake says, “You take care, Fish.”

  When Fisher rejoins me at the table I say, “So everyone thinks you’re a good guy.”

  “I try to be.”

  I open my mouth but before the words come out a familiar looking girl with dark hair and big, brown eyes practically runs to our table.

  “Fisher,” she shrieks.

  It takes me a few moments to realize why she looks familiar. It’s Misty. The girl who made the senior year scrapbook for Fisher.

  “Misty?” Fisher sounds surprised to see her. “You’re back.”

  “I came home for Spring Break and my parents told me what happened. I’m still in shock. I can’t believe both Olivia and Franklin are gone. I don’t have a memory from high school that doesn’t include those two. And you, of course.”

  Fisher just nods. When he glances at me I can see his features are strained and he looks uncomfortable.

  “Let me give you a hug,” Misty insists.

  He takes in a deep breath before he stands, but Misty doesn’t hesitate to throw herself at him. I know I have no right to feel jealous, but I do. I don’t want her to touch him.

  Fisher’s entire body looks tense and Misty seems to be holding on to him a lot longer than necessary. It makes me wonder if she happens to be single and hoping he is too.

  “I’m really sorry about Franklin.” She makes a point of pushing herself even closer to him.

  Finally Fisher puts his hands on her arms and extricates himself from her grasp.

  “It’s so good to see you.” She’s short so she’s looking up at him and batting her long eyelashes shamelessly flirting.

  I make a point of clearing my throat and it finally gets her attention away from Fisher. When she realizes he’s not alone she visibly deflates.

  “This is Chloe.” Fisher introduces me. “Chloe, this is Misty. My friend from high school.”

  Misty places her hand on his arm. “We were more than friends.”

  I glare at her. “I know.”

  “You should stop by the house.” Misty turns her attention back to Fisher. “My parents would love to see you.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Disappointment registers on her face. When she looks back over at me her eyes land on my engagement ring. “You’re engaged?” she asks Fisher.

  “Not exactly.”

  She cocks her head like a puppy dog. “I’m confused.”

  “Don’t be,” I tell her. I make a point of getting up and standing right next to Fisher. “I was engaged to Franklin.”

  Her jaw drops then she shakes her head. “That’s not possible. He was with Olivia. He’s always been with Olivia. They were high school sweethearts.” She glares at me. “They have a child together.”

  “Yeah, well, he neglected to mention any of that when he asked me to marry him.”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  I remove my cellphone from my purse and flip through some photos until I find one of Franklin and I right after we got engaged. His roommate took it for us. I turn the phone around and show it to Misty. I’m not sure why I feel like I have to prove anything to her.

  But maybe I need to prove it to myself. The longer I’m here and the more I hear stories about his life with Olivia and Jackson, the more difficult it is for me to recall our life together. It’s almost like our life in California didn’t exist. It certainly didn’t exist for his friends and family in New Jersey.

  Looking at the photos makes the life he had with me more real again.

  After studying the photo for a few seconds she says, “Franklin w
ould never do anything to hurt Olivia. He loved her.”

  “He loved me too,” I retort.

  She crosses her arms over her chest. “And what are you doing with Fisher?”

  “Right now I’m eating a burger and drinking beer.”

  The way she looks me up and down it’s obvious that she thinks I’m a whore just like Sherry and everyone else in this Godforsaken town. I’m the one who came between Olivia and her true love. The father of her child. I’m the one who caused the crash. And now I’m the one who’s corrupting his twin brother with my California sex voodoo.

  When she touches Fisher’s arm again I want to punch her. I want to take every bit of frustration I have about this entire mess out on her.

  But I refrain.

  “I hope you’ll stop by and see me. Say hi to my parents.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he repeats.

  “Seriously. Think about it. We were good together.”

  “What happened to Mike?”

  She laughs nervously. “That’s old news.”

  He gestures over at our table. “I don’t want our food to get cold.”

  “Of course. I should let you get back to it.” She makes a point of kissing his cheek. “I’ll see you at the memorial service.”

  After she finally takes off I plop back down in my seat and just stare at the photo of me and Franklin. I feel like I lost him twice. Once when he died and once when I learned the truth. He wasn’t the person I thought he was. I’m not even sure who I was in love with.

  Did I love someone who didn’t even exist? If so much about him wasn’t true I have to wonder if any of it was true? Or was everything about our relationship a lie?

  I toss my phone back into my purse and down the rest of my beer in one long gulp.

  “Whoa there, Buttercup. You may want to slow down.”

  “I think I’ll have another.” I plop the empty back down on the table and look into Fisher’s eyes. “You know Franklin never had a pet name for me. All the time we were together he always called me Chloe. You’ve known me a little over a day and you’ve already given me a nickname.”

  When the server comes back over to our table I order two more beers. “You’d better drink up,” I tell Fisher.

  “Someone has to drive you home. And make sure you don’t do anything crazy.”

  “You know what’s crazy? Finding out you were living a big fat lie.” I stare at diamond on my hand. “I honestly don’t know why I’m still wearing this ring. I’m not even sure what it’s a symbol of anymore.”

  Fisher grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I know my brother would never have done anything to intentionally hurt anyone. But that’s also probably how he got himself into such a mess. Because he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He didn’t want to hurt Olivia and Jackson, but he didn’t want to hurt you either.”

  “He ended up hurting everyone anyway, didn’t he?”

  When the server brings our beers I grab mine and take a swig. “I’m not much of a drinker. But tonight I’m making an exception.”

  Fisher downs what’s left of his first beer and hands the empty to the server. “At least try to pace yourself. The band doesn’t come on for another hour. And at the rate you’re going you’ll be passed out before then.”

  “Do I look like that much of a lightweight?”

  He gives me an are-you-serious look. “Yes. You’re definitely a lightweight.”

  I take another big gulp of my beer just to prove him wrong. But within minutes I’m already feeling the effects of the alcohol. “Maybe you’re right. The room is getting crooked.”

  He pulls what’s left of my beer away. “How much do you normally drink?”

  I shake my head. “When I order wine I usually just sip it. Maybe half a glass.”

  “You’re cut off. I’m not carrying you back to my house.”

  “But you’ll carry me over the porch, won’t you?” I can hear myself whine. At least I think it’s my voice. But I’m not a whiner.

  “I’ll carry you over the porch. Even though it’s perfectly fine.”

  I point a finger at him. “That porch is a safety hazard. It needs to be fixed.”

  “Now you’re a building inspector?” He bites back a grin.

  “I know a faulty porch when I see one.”

  I reach for my beer, but Fisher has a firm hold on it. “No, I think you’re done for the night.”

  “Can’t I just have the rest of that one?” I bat my lashes at him. “Please?”

  Shaking his head, he says, “You’re officially cut off.”

  I fake pout for a few seconds, but it doesn’t seem to have any impact on him.

  “You’re a tough nut to crack.”

  “And you’re a tough cookie to handle, so I guess that makes us even.”

  “So what kind of music does this band play?” I ask.

  “Alternative country.”

  I frown. “What’s that?”

  He gives me a big, dimply grin. “You’ll see.”

  An hour later Fisher and I are on the dance floor with what feels like half the population of Old Town. I’m sweaty and my feet are sore, but I’m actually having fun.

  I didn’t think I’d ever use the words enjoy and country music in the same sentence, but I’m actually enjoying the band. They’ve got a unique sound that’s a cross between bluegrass and country rock. And it’s definitely dance music. It’s hard to sit still while you’re listening to it.

  After they finish their first set I feel like my feet are crying. “I’m done. I wear heels a lot, but not dancing like this.”

  “Did you like the band?” He asks as he grabs my hand and pulls me off the dance floor.

  “I don’t want it to become a matter of public record that I actually like country music.”

  He puts an index finger up to his lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “Can we go back to your place?” I ask.

  His eyes are dancing with mischief. “Are you propositioning me?”

  “Maybe,” I tease.

  “You’re not still drunk, are you?”

  “After all the dancing? Not really. Just slightly buzzed.”

  He puts his arm over my shoulder and leads me out of Haymakers.

  The drive back to his place is quiet. We’re both lost in our own thoughts. Franklin and I never went dancing. I don’t even know if he could dance. But Fisher is an awesome dancer, which I have to admit, surprised me a little. On the outside there are so many ways in which Fisher is a lot like Franklin, but on the inside there are so many ways in which they’re so different.

  Fisher seems to be full of surprises and the more I get to know him, the more I like him, which puts me in dangerous territory.

  When Fisher parks his truck outside of his house he doesn’t make a move to get out right away. He turns to me instead. “I just want you to know I had a great time tonight.”

  “I did too.”

  “Good.”

  We sit in silence for a few seconds. “Is there something else you want to say?” I ask finally.

  He clears his throat and then says, “I know the guest bed isn’t that comfortable.”

  I laugh. “It’s actually a lumpy mess. It’s the opposite of comfortable.”

  “So if you want to sleep in my bed I’d be okay with that.”

  “Are you going to be in it?” I tease.

  His eyes widen. “We’d just be sleeping. I didn’t mean…”

  I place a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I was just kidding.” There’s a note of disappointment in my voice. A part of me probably would have been okay with doing more than just sleeping and I’m not sure how to feel about that.

  My fiancé just died and I’m thinking about being intimate with his twin brother.

  Maybe I really am a whore.

  Or maybe I just don’t want to feel lonely and empty inside anymore.

  As he promised Fisher carries me over the rickety front porch, but instead of putting
me down right inside the front door he carries me all the way into his bedroom and lays me down on his huge king size bed.

  “Wow,” I say as I look around the room. “This looks great.” The room as been completely restored and decorated. With the beautiful hardwood floors and matching wood shutters it looks like a page straight out of a home design magazine.

  “I’m working on updating the house room by room. You saw my plans. I decided to start with my bedroom since I seem to spend the most time in here.”

  “You did everything yourself?”

  “All of it. I even built all of the furniture myself.”

  I admire the handcrafted, rustic, reclaimed wood pieces. “You’re really talented.”

  He shrugs. “I took a lot of woodshop in high school. The teacher liked me so he spent extra time with me after school. The rest I figured out on my own.”

  “Franklin may have been book smart, but you got all of the talent with your hands.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “There are other ways in which I’m talented with my hands. Maybe one day you’ll find out.”

  “Why don’t you remind me how talented you are with your lips and tongue?” I suggest.

  Without any hesitation he joins me on his bed and gives me that reminder. My lips tingle as they reunite with his and I’m surprised that he tastes minty.

  “Did you chew gum?” I ask.

  “Mentos. I carry them wherever I go. I’m addicted to them.”

  Then the rest of my body starts to tingle as he moves those talented hands of his all over me.

  As I move my hands over his chest he takes in a sharp breath. But when I ease towards the buttons of his shirt and start to undo the top button he grabs my hands and holds them in place.

  His eyes narrow. “What are you doing?”

  “I think it’s obvious. I’m unbuttoning your shirt.”

  “And why would you do that?”

  “Because I want your shirt off,” I say matter-of-factly.

  “Are you sure about this?” His voice cracks.

  I nod ever so slowly as I undo the knot in my t-shirt and remove it.

  Fisher’s eyes are wide and he swallows hard as I remove my bra.

  “I’m sure.”

  He stares at my naked upper body for several seconds just taking me in. “You’re so beautiful, Buttercup.”