Current wardrobe aside, my mother was a stunning woman. I’d gotten my dark hair and thick lashes from her, and most of my features as well. The big difference was that she had green eyes, while I had my father’s brown eyes. I hated them. Brown eyes were boring. Plus, when I was really little, I used to fear that I’d inherited the brown eyes from him because of all the shit lies he told her when she was pregnant with me.
When Dad left, Mom stopped caring about clothes and makeup and invested herself completely in me, Tessa’s family, and the community. She filled the empty parts he’d left in her with meaningful relationships, but she’d never given her heart away again.
I’d looked him up, once. Shortly after stumbling across that box of photos. He had many photographs in popular travel magazines all over the world, including National Geographic, and according to his personal website—he was married with two kids. They’d be just entering their teen years, now.
Any desire I’d had to get to know him had evaporated. It was hard to want to get to know someone who had clearly given you no second thoughts after leaving. He could have reached out over the years, but he hadn’t. He had, however, started his new family and solidified the fact that Mom and I were better off without him.
I exhaled, trying to force my thoughts away from my vacant father. Instead, I studied my reflection in the mirror. There was a very real possibility that I’d run into Braden again at the garage, and I needed to look hot. I wanted him to see what he was missing out on, and I wanted him to regret it. I wanted to punish him a little.
I had chosen a patterned sundress, my tight blue jean jacket and a pair of flip flops. I’d gone for a natural look in the makeup department and left my long hair down, letting it fall in soft waves down my back.
Once I was satisfied with my reflection, I walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Mom was sitting at the table, sipping a glass of orange juice and reading the paper. The front page of the Toronto Star boasted an article about Travis Channing being back in the Muskoka’s.
“Oh God, seriously?” I grumbled, snagging the paper from her to read. My eyes scanned the article, searching for any details that might have leaked to the media. The article was mostly detailing how he’d be headlining at the Parry Sound Stampede, although it did mention he was also in town for a friend’s wedding. Thankfully, it didn’t reveal which friend or the date of the event.
“Don’t worry, I already checked,” Mom smiled, shaking her head. “Not sure what they expected from him. Travis has always been a bit of an attention seeker.”
“An attention whore, more like,” I grumbled, dropping the paper back down on the table as I thought about that night at the bar, when Travis had sauntered in with his entourage. The look on Becky’s face when she saw him was like she’d seen a horrific accident occur. She was ghostly pale and had made an excuse to leave immediately. “You should have seen the women he brought to O’Riley’s.”
“With fame and money comes a lot of bad decisions,” Mom smiled sadly. “He’ll get tired of it. He may be restless now, but behind all that restlessness is a heart that needs a home.”
“I think you’ve said that about every guy in this town,” I arched a brow, remembering how she used to say the same thing about Braden. “Maybe you just mean to say they’re all bored and can’t keep their pricks in their pants.”
Mom chuckled and shook her head. She stood up, bringing her dishes to the kitchen sink. “That may be true, but they eventually settle down. Most of them, anyway.”
I was long since used to my mother’s view on love. While she had never dated anyone after my dad to my knowledge, she still wanted to believe in love. She still wanted me to believe in it.
“Whatever you say Mom. Any chance you could take me to the garage to pick up my car?” I asked, changing the subject so she wouldn’t feel the need to broach the B topic.
“Of course, are you ready to go now? I’ll drop you off, then I need to swing by the Armstrong’s.” She turned back to the counter.
“Why?” I tilted my head, my brow furrowing slightly. Mom waited until she’d finished rinsing her dishes to reply. She turned around, leaning against the counter and gave me her best smile.
“I need to pester Bill. He’s got to do his speech for the wedding, and Lord knows he’ll put it off until the last minute and be woefully unprepared.”
“Woefully unprepared?” I said with amusement. “He should just make you write it.”
“I’ve got my own speech to write,” Mom smiled, pushing off the counter. She grabbed her purse from the hook by the door and headed outside. I followed her, shaking my head.
When I was little, I used to wish that Mom and Bill would fall in love and get married. I loved going over to the Armstrong’s house. I’d always felt like a part of the family and at one point, I got it into my head that it would be perfect if Bill and my mom tied the knot. Only I knew that it would never happen: Bill had been madly in love with Tessa’s mom, and even though she’d been dead for a long time, he had never gotten over her. Plus, Tessa’s mom had been my mom’s best friend. I knew without a doubt I could never entertain the thought of falling for the love of Tessa’s life. Bill and Mom were kindred spirits; both of them raising their kids alone despite heartbreak.
Once we got to the garage, I grabbed my purse and told my mom I’d meet her back home in a couple of hours to go shopping before I slid out. I watched her drive away before I started walking towards the office door. I passed Braden’s old Chevy S10, the same one he had in high school. Remorse settled on my shoulders as the memories that accompanied that truck washed over me. I didn’t know why I was feeling remorse…it wasn’t like I’d ripped Braden’s heart into pieces. Frowning, I opened up the office door and walked inside.
Chuck’s Garage was tiny and cramped. It smelt like metal and grease and was completely empty save for the receptionist sitting behind the front desk. Like most people in town, she looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t recall her name—she hadn’t been in the office when I’d left my contact information. She had curly strawberry blonde hair cut in a bob and freckles that dotted her nose.
She looked up when the door closed behind me. The easy smile she’d been wearing prior to looking up vanished. “Guess you’re here for the Camry.” She said, without a note of friendliness.
I arched a brow, wondering what I’d done to deserve this icy reception. As far as I’d known, I had never had a falling out with her before, although her voice seemed slightly familiar as well as her appearance. Suddenly, it dawned on me.
“Oh! You’re Chuck’s niece, aren’t you? Michelle? You dated Gordon for a bit?” I exclaimed, picking up the receipt without looking at it right away.
“It’s Melissa,” she corrected hotly, her eyes narrowing at me. “And that was forever ago.”
“Sorry, Melissa. How much do I owe?” I asked, stopping before the desk. I looked down, searching through my purse for my wallet.
“Nothing. You don’t owe a thing,” she responded coldly. I looked back up at her, blinking blankly.
“Pardon?” I asked. Melissa responded by rolling her eyes and gestured to the paper in my hand. I read the receipt. There was no price on the bill, just a summary of what work had been done and Braden’s signature at the bottom right corner. “But…Braden said he had to replace the radiator?”
Melissa made a strange sound of exasperation and rolled her eyes again, as if I was the most obtuse person in the world and she didn’t have any patience at all to deal with me. “Obviously, someone covered it for you. Although I have no idea why he’d do such a thing,” she muttered, suddenly focusing all of her attention on her computer screen.
Realization struck me like a bus. “That goddamn bastard,” I swore, seething with anger. “Where is he?”
The world’s most unhelpful receptionist shrugged a shoulder, refusing to respond or look at me. I tore out of the office and into the parking lot. Braden’s truck and the tow truck were parked out front, so
it was obvious he was here somewhere. My best bet was inside the garage. That’s where one would usually find a mechanic, anyway.
One of the garage doors was open, so I stomped inside. “Braden Miller! Get your ass out here right now!”
A young guy dressed in blue coveralls with the name Miles embroidered on the pocket looked up from the car he was working on. He spotted me, standing with my hand on my hip and fire in my eyes, and grinned.
“Jesus Braden, what’d you do now?” he asked with amusement, turning his head towards the right side of the garage. I followed his gaze to a sedan. Braden was leaning into the engine bay, some kind of wrench or socket in his hand. He didn’t bother looking up from his task.
“Fuck off Miles. Take your break now,” Braden responded without looking up from the car. Miles set his wrench down and chuckled, heading to the office to give us some privacy. I watched him leave, my foot tapping impatiently against the floor. “Most people would just say thank you and carry on with their day,” he finally said, his muscles straining as he worked the wrench to get some part free.
It was a distracting sight, and I had to clamp my mouth shut for a moment to prevent myself from drooling.
“Why did you pay for it, Braden?” I demanded, my eyes narrowed with anger. I stalked closer to him, my eyes never leaving his face. “I never asked you to do that.”
He looked up, his eyes instantly locking with mine. “I felt like being charitable,” he shrugged, smirking.
“I don’t need your goddamn charity! Go be charitable to someone else,” I hissed.
“Where’s the fun in that when you respond so graciously?” he laughed.
“Tell me how much it was and I will pay in the office,” I ordered, my teeth practically grinding together in aggravation. I didn’t want to feel indebted to him in any way.
Braden crossed his arms, his muscles flexing, distracting me from my anger for a moment. He leaned against the car he’d been working on, a devious glint to his deep blue eyes that immediately set me on edge and aroused me, despite my best efforts to remain angry and unresponsive. “If you want to thank me, let me take you out for dinner.”
“Dinner?” I frowned, the confusion I felt apparent on my face.
“Yeah, you know…the final big meal of the day, usually the best. Happens anywhere from five until eight, depending on the people and the schedule,” his smirk widened. It was obvious that Braden was having a blast toying with me.
“I know what dinner is, smart ass,” I growled, my skin hot and my mood aggravated. “I just don’t know why you’re trying to blackmail me into going out for dinner with you.”
His expression softened as a yearning replaced the deviousness in his eyes. His lips loosened from their taunting smile, easing into a gentle one. “I already told you, I want a chance to explain…and apologize.”
We stood there, staring at each other for several long beats as I contemplated my options. On the one hand, it seemed that Braden really wanted a chance to explain himself. In all the years we’d been apart, I’d never heard a whisper of an explanation. On the other hand, I was with Alex, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him in a quest to find out why a relationship that had been over for years had ended. I should be over it. I told myself for years I was, hell…I was with someone else now.
I had a feeling I’d never be able to let Braden Miller go if I indulged him and let him explain his reasoning. I was afraid that I’d understand, and that I’d forgive him. I’d been down this road once before.
But something was pulling me to him. We were like two magnets, drawn to each other without rhyme or reason. It was the same pull that had attracted me to him in the first place. It hadn’t lessened at all in the time we’d spent apart. If anything, it had grown stronger, and I was terrified to test that theory. It would only end in heartbreak and sorrow. Braden’s, mine, or Alex’s—it didn’t matter. I didn’t want anybody else getting hurt.
“Well? You gonna give me an answer so I can get back to work, or are you just going to stand there and look at me like that all day? Cause if it’s the latter, I won’t be able to stop myself from pressing you against that truck and kissing you until I make up your mind for you.”
“You really expect me to say yes after that?” I frowned, my heart pounding in response to his threat.
Braden chuckled as he turned back to his project. He picked up the wrench, looking at me briefly before he looked back at the engine. “You’re going to say yes and hear me out, because I know you want to. You’re just hesitating because you can’t trust yourself around me.”
“I trust myself around you just fine,” I retorted, scowling. Lies, lies, lies. “I just don’t trust your intentions.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Braden looked up, that devious grin back in place. “But that’s not going to stop you from saying yes—because you’re not a coward, Elle. You’ve never been afraid to face things before, so why would you start now?”
Goddamn him. “Fine. I’ll go out for dinner with you. But you’re wrong.”
“We’ll see. I’ll pick you up at seven tonight,” Braden grinned, not looking up again.
“I’ll drive myself, thank you,” I said, turning around and heading out of the garage.
“You don’t know where we’re going, and I’m not telling you. So, be ready at seven,” he called after me, the amusement evident in his voice.
I knew arguing with Braden would just be a waste of my time—and his. Once he got an idea in his head, it was impossible trying to talk him out of it. Instead, I bit my tongue as I walked over to my Camry. I could see Melissa peeking her head out the office window, a scowl glued to her face.
I waved at her, giving a catty smile that matched her disdain towards me. I didn’t know what I’d done to get her to act the way she did, but considering she was already pissed off at me, I might as well drop the nice act myself. I never really had the patience to fake relationships. People either loved me or they hated me, and vice versa. I wasn’t outright rude to people intentionally, but I also didn’t stand for passive aggressive bitchiness. I was more in-your-face bitchy, especially if someone was treating me or someone I loved poorly.
I slammed my car door, and shoved my key into the ignition. The car purred to life, sounding better than ever. My eyes darted to my rear view mirror, and I caught a glimpse of Braden, as he watched me peel out of the parking lot.
My mind refused to shut off the entire ride back to my house. Mom’s truck was still gone, so I didn’t bother pulling up the driveway. Instead, I headed to the Armstrong’s farm. Maybe Tessa would have a few minutes to listen to me bitch and moan about Braden before we all went shopping.
Just as I was pulling up the Armstrong’s driveway, my cell phone rang. I fished it out of my purse and answered it—a total no-no when driving, but I was on private property and the only danger I faced was running into the ditch or perhaps one of Bill’s cows (which in hindsight, wouldn’t be very good for the cow or for me).
“Hello?”
“Hey babe, it’s me. Just checking in,” Alex’s voice rang through the speaker. His voice had a magical way of soothing and relaxing me. It was the chamomile tea of voices.
“Hey, how are you?” I bit my lip, thinking about the plans I’d made with my ex-boyfriend for dinner.
“I’m good, missing my girl. What are you up to today?” he asked. I knew he was smiling. Alex was always smiling and rarely ever moody. If Braden was a stormy sea, Alex was the calm lake.
“I’m just about to drag my mom away from Tessa’s dad to go dress shopping, actually,” I told him. I hesitated for a moment on telling him about meeting Braden for dinner.
“Oh yeah, dress shopping with your mom should be fun. Doesn’t she hate that kind of thing?” Alex laughed. I could hear his affection for me in his voice, and it made me wistful.
“Yeah, she does. It should take all of five minutes if she has her way. Longer, if I have mine,” I laughed uneasily. I had no idea
how to interject with the ex-boyfriend bomb. How do you tell your current boyfriend that your ex-boyfriend, who you still have intense physical feelings for, wants to take you out for dinner to explain himself? Or that he paid a really hefty repair bill on your car? Alex wasn’t exactly the jealous type, but that didn’t mean he’d accept that news with a smile.
The choppy sound of the radio in the ambulance calling for a team to head to a local public school interrupted Alex before he could respond. “Sorry babe, I’ve got to go. I’ll give you a call later tonight—hope you have fun with your mom and Tessa today!”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks…and be safe,” I told him.
During our conversation, I’d finished driving up Tessa’s driveway and had parked beside my mom’s truck. Tessa was waiting for me on the front porch, grinning from ear to ear.
“You should see the two of them in there, bickering like an old married couple,” she shook her head.
Normally, I’d joke along with her and laugh about how ridiculous our parents were. But today, I didn’t feel like doing that. Instead, I walked up to the porch and sat down heavily on the front step.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa asked, sliding down beside me.
“Braden paid my car repair bill so that I’d owe nothing when I picked it up today,” I sighed.
“Gee, sounds terrible. What a jerk,” she responded dryly. I nudged her shoulder with mine.
“Don’t be a dick,” I frowned. “You’re my best friend, you have to side with me. We’re angry about this because now I’m indebted to him.”
“What, does he expect a blowjob as thanks or something?”
I almost laughed, because the old Braden totally would have expected a blowjob after doing something nice…although I wasn’t going to completely rule that out, not after the hungry way he’d looked at me. “He wants me to go out for dinner with him tonight. He’s not taking no for an answer.”
Rebel Heart: (Rebel Series Book 2) ((Rebel Series)) Page 9