Think positive thoughts and positive things would happen. That’s what I kept telling myself, at least. Luckily, I had some money put back. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to cover a few months of rent and bills. The thought was another harsh slap in the face by reality. I’d not simply let my dreams slip from my fingers, but my financial independence, too. When Bobby’s band had hit it big, he’d insisted on taking care of everything for me, and I’d all too easily agreed to let him.
“I’m sure you will too. If not, you could always help at the church. Your father would love having you there.”
I gave her a tight smile. I loved my father. I loved God. But working for the church was not what I wanted to do. Staying with Bobby and putting up with his selfish acts for as long as I did was enough selfless servitude for the time being.
“What kind of job are you looking for?” Mia asked.
“Anything really. Just something temporary until I figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life.” I retrieved more items from the box labeled ‘kitchen.’
“You mean you don’t already know?”
I turned to face her, pulling my brows together. I wasn’t very fond of Mia to begin with. Unfortunately, she fit the head-cheerleader stereotype. There was no doubt in my mind she’d drop my brother quicker than you could blink if he ever lost his starting quarterback position. Between knowing that, and the amount of underlying judgement in her question, she was quickly positioning herself on the dislike side of the line.
Her blush this time was a shade darker as she stuttered out, “I’m sorry. I just meant… I mean you’re older, right?”
Ricky laughed obnoxiously as he shoveled more pizza in his mouth, shaking his head.
“I’m not that old,” I defended, turning my glare from Mia to Ricky and ignoring the twisting of my stomach that said Mia might be right.
I mean, yes, I was approaching thirty-five…but it’s not like I was near retirement age or anything. I had plenty of time to figure things out. I wasn’t completely without direction. I had dreams once. Ones that faded into the shadows of Bobby’s music career, as my mother had so kindly reminded me earlier.
This was the first time in years I could think about what I wanted without Bobby having an opinion or instantly shutting it down because our lives were busy enough. In the beginning, I understood his objections. We traveled a lot for gigs all over the country, and he wanted me by his side. When I was younger, I didn’t consider much beyond the here and now. I just lived. I went with the flow and had fun. Then it stopped being so fun.
The small local shows turned into massive sold-out concerts. The larger the venues got, the more my focus turned solely to Bobby and the band. I invested most of my time supporting his dreams. I didn’t have time to think about whether I was happy, much less what would make me happy.
“We should let your sister get settled in her new place in peace. Hmm?” Mom interjected as she stood from her seat at the table, saving the day.
Whether she was doing it for me, or my brother and his judgmental girlfriend, wasn’t clear. But by the way she glanced between the firm grip I had on a set of sharp steak knives and the two teenagers sitting there unexpectedly, it was most likely the latter.
“But I’m not done eating,” Ricky complained, stuffing his last slice of pizza in his mouth as she snatched up his paper plate.
“Take it to go, then,” Mom ordered. Her tone was one we both knew all too well. It was one you didn’t argue with. As he stood from the table, she handed him one of the half-eaten boxes of pizza and kissed his cheek. Once they were gone, she turned to me, searching my face for any sign of...hostility, maybe?
“I wasn’t going to stab them.” I opened a drawer and put away the knives.
“I didn’t say you were.”
“You thought it.”
Her eyes softened as she cupped my cheeks, leaned in, and kissed my forehead. “Call me if you need anything.” She patted my left cheek lightly as she stepped back, then turned and gathered her purse from the counter.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t deny that you thought it,” I called to her retreating back.
“Bye, honey. Love you!” She threw a wave over her shoulder without another glance my direction before disappearing around the corner.
I waited for the click of the front door, then slouched against the granite counter, gripping the cool edge. With a deep sigh, I gave myself a minute to let the reality of my new life set in. There was no more life on the road.
No more fancy dresses and red carpets.
No more hanging with the band.
No more Bobby.
No job.
Only me.
As depressing as it sounded, it was what I wanted. Simple. Uncomplicated. I was sure things would be better as soon as I found a job. The only direction I could go from here was up.
I sighed and huffed, then turned to my side, the mattress squeaking beneath me. I lifted to an elbow, fluffed out my pillow, then rolled to my back once again.
Why is it so hot?
I kicked out a single foot from under the covers. The satisfaction of cool air hitting my bare skin only lasted a few seconds. The frustration continued to build when nothing seemed to help me settle and fall asleep. I’d been exhausted from all the moving when I crawled into bed earlier. I was sure I’d pass out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I sighed, tossing and turning a few more times. My phone pinged on the nightstand beside me, flooding the dark room with a dim blue light. I snatched it up, immediately wishing I hadn’t.
Bobby: I miss you.
My chest felt tight and heavy as my thumbs hovered over the screen, itching to respond. I wondered if tonight would be the night when I’d finally break and tell him I missed him too. Because I did. No matter how much or how many times he’d hurt me, I did. I missed him. And I hated it. It was a moment of weakness.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath through my nose for strength, reminding myself why I left him behind. Why a man like him was as toxic as they came. And as the next slew of texts came in, I was glad I hadn’t responded, that I hadn’t fallen back into our unhealthy pattern.
Bobby: Come on, Con. Talk to me. Don’t be this way. I need you here.
Bobby: You made your point. Okay? Come home.
Bobby: Babe?
I turned the phone to silent and tossed it onto the mattress.
Not one time did he mention he loved me in all his desperate texts since I’d left. Or that he was sorry. Or that things would change. Because they wouldn’t.
He was only texting because he was drunk and alone. But that wouldn’t last for long. He’d find a groupie to dip his stick into. I wouldn’t be surprised if I learned he had prior to me breaking things off. Who knew the number of times he’d cheated on me? I didn’t want to know. I wanted to move on. That realization was just the cherry on top of the eye-opening revelation that led me to pack my bags and leave it all behind.
The pitiful part…in the past, I probably would’ve forgiven him if he had cheated. Like the fool I’d been for so many years. Like the person my parents had raised me to be—always forgiving, always looking for the best in the person. I would’ve been willing to work through things, knowing I’d have felt an unreasonable guilt if I didn’t at least try.
Officially wide awake, I slung off the covers and sat up. I needed a distraction, something to get my mind off things and relax me. I knew just the thing. Unfortunately, since I hadn’t made it to the store yet, I would have to go out to get it.
Freaking small towns and their early closing hours. After climbing into my car, I slammed the door shut and flopped my head back against the leather headrest, contemplating if I should give up my mission for a drink and try my luck at sleeping again.
The vibrating phone in my hand interrupted my internal debate.
Bobby: Fine. Whatever. You’re going to realize you’re being childish about this. Don’t expect me to wait around f
or you.
I snorted a humorless laugh, tossing my phone into the passenger seat. I never expected nor wanted him to wait. It’s why I left the ring on the table next to the bed we shared the day I walked out. His text did nothing but strengthen my resolve. I would have that drink, and I would forget Bobby existed. At least for one night.
I turned over the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward the one place in town that would have what I needed.
The bright blue neon sign of Dudley’s guided me into the graveled parking lot like a beacon in the night. The bar sat on the edge of town. There wasn’t much to the aged, corrugated metal building, with its simple rectangular footprint and gabled roof. It could have just as well been a warehouse or a barn. Yet, the old watering hole was as much of an icon in Billingsley as the century-old courthouse that stood in the middle of the town square. I climbed out of the car, knots suddenly growing in the pit of my stomach from what potentially waited for me within the walls of the metal building—who waited for me.
As I neared the entrance, ready to walk in, my stomach rolled, the pizza from earlier threatening to make a reappearance. The drink I’d wanted moments ago no longer sounded good. I took a step backward and spun to leave, bumping into a large, firm body.
“Whoa, now,” a masculine voice ordered as large hands firmly gripped my shoulders to steady me.
“I’m so sorry,” I muttered with a rush of heat fanning my cheeks.
“No problem.” He dropped his hands as he backed away.
“Excuse me,” I said, brushing aside the hair that had fallen in my face. I kept my focus on the ground as I side-stepped around him.
“Wait… Conley?” A feminine voice I hadn’t heard in years called from behind me. “Is that you?”
I slowed to a stop, peeking over my shoulder, immediately recognizing the beautiful redhead standing next to the man I’d bumped into. “Lottie Davis!”
She smiled wide, her eyes bright. “It’s Monroe, now,” she said, lifting her left hand and wiggling her manicured fingers to show off the huge diamond wedding band.
My gaze went from the ring to the man next to her, realizing I’d bumped into Tucker Monroe. Tucker and Lottie had been high school sweethearts, but their relationship had ended abruptly, to everyone’s surprise. I was happy to see they’d found their way back to each other.
“Oh my gosh!” I gushed, walking back toward them. She met me with a hug. “Congrats!” I said, and then gave Tucker a quick hug, too. “Wow, how long has it been?”
“Since Bobby’s show in Seattle, right? What was that? Six or seven years ago?”
I tried not to flinch at the mention of Bobby. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“Speaking of, what are you doing here? Is Bobby with you?” She looked past me, as if she expected him to appear suddenly.
“He’s uh, still on the road. It’s just me.” I shoved my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “I decided to move back home a couple weeks ago.”
She exchanged a quick glance with Tucker as he put his arm around her. “Well, that’s awesome. It’ll be great having you back in town,” she said with a genuine smile. I was grateful she didn’t push for more of an explanation. That was one thing I’d always liked about Lottie: she wasn’t a nosey gossip the way some other women in this town were. “Were you coming or going? I’d love to catch up over a drink.”
“I was just…” I gazed over my shoulder at the safety of my car—my escape from Dudley’s. It’d be so easy to turn and run, hightail it out of here with nobody the wiser other than Lottie and Tucker: two people who wouldn’t sell me out if I asked them to keep it quiet.
What was I thinking? I wasn’t that person—the one who ran from uncomfortable situations. Besides, what was I scared of, anyway? The entire world would know soon enough. There was only so long before the tabloids noticed I was no longer at Bobby’s side. Plus, I’d always liked Lottie and Tucker. At least this way, I could have that drink I’d wanted, and I wouldn’t have to do it alone.
“You know what?” I said, looking back at them. “That sounds perfect.”
“Great!” Lottie’s grin widened.
Tucker reached for the door, holding it open as I walked in and Lottie followed behind me.
“I hope you don’t mind, but we’re meeting everyone here,” Lottie said, walking beside me toward the bar. “It’s couples’ trivia night and it can get kind of competitive. Especially Wes and Devin.”
“Devin?” There wasn’t a girl in town who didn’t know the Monroe brothers. Wes and Tucker had always been the town heartthrobs. Wes was the older and even less obtainable brother, always more of a play-the-field kind of guy, while Tucker only ever had eyes for Lottie.
“Wes’s wife. You’re gonna love her. You two have a lot in common. She kind of reminds me of you,” she said, giving my shoulder a friendly bump with hers.
I didn’t have a chance to reply before she took the lead, dragging me to a group of people crowded at the bar. They were all up and out of their seats, exchanging hugs with Lottie and Tucker as soon as they caught sight of us. I recognized most of them as I lingered off to the side. Leighton Miller (now Bradley) was the first to see me. She had been Lottie’s bestie since grade school. Her high-pitched scream pierced the air as she smothered me in a hug.
The others followed suit. Leighton’s husband, Aaron Bradley, greeted me next, then Wes Monroe and Billy Miller (Leighton’s older brother and Aaron’s best friend). Wes introduced me to Devin, and then Billy introduced me to his wife, Hannah, who I’d met years before at the Seattle show. She’d been there as Lottie’s co-worker and friend and attended the after party with us.
The atmosphere was welcoming, filled with an energy I hadn’t experienced in a while. It was like high school all over again, though I’d hung out little with this group then. The thought had my gaze drifting from them to search for the one person I’d spent most of my high school days with.
It didn’t take long to find him at the opposite end of the bar, smiling and talking to two attractive women as he mixed their drinks. The voices and commotion around me faded in the background as my pulse picked up.
He looked good. He looked better than good. He looked hot and…happy as he handed them their drinks. Crossing his ink-covered arms over his chest, he pushed the rolled sleeves of his black dress shirt farther up, then leaned forward. Strong forearms pressed flush against the bar as he got closer, more personal with the blonde one. She smiled at him, tucking hair behind her ear: a flirtatious move. Her shy gaze flittered between her drink and him as they spoke to each other. But his eyes…they were solely on her with a smile that would melt any woman into a horny puddle.
My chest filled with a heaviness, and my skin heated. The rolling in my stomach returned full force thanks to my suddenly spinning head.
“You okay, Conley?” Lottie asked, placing her hand lightly on my shoulder, garnering my attention.
“What?” I shifted my gaze from him to her. “Oh. Yeah.” I forced a smile. “I’m good.”
“She looks thirsty. Get this woman a drink,” Leighton demanded, shoving me gently forward, wedging me against the bar next to Wes and Devin.
“What’s your poison, Conley?” Wes asked, glancing my direction, one arm resting on the counter, the other firmly around Devin’s waist.
Looking over all the liquor bottles stacked on a tower of shelves in front of me, my mind tried to catch up and process the reaction I’d just had to the scene on the other end of the bar. “I think I need a shot.”
“How do you feel about tequila?” Devin asked, leaning forward to look around Wes at me, a friendly grin curving up her face.
“Sounds perfect.”
“Coming right up.” Wes winked with a wide smile, then beat his palm on the counter. “Bartender! We need some drinks down here!”
The aggressive pounding of my heart raced with anticipation when I twisted my head to look at the man behind the bar once again. He’d pu
shed off the edge, straightening to his full height with his gaze still trained on the blonde woman as he said something to make her laugh.
When he finally looked our way, his gaze landed on Wes first and then lowered, meeting mine. His smile faded as recognition seeped in. Walking toward us, his intense, metallic gray eyes stayed locked on me, the defined lines of his jaw rigid as steel.
With every step he took, the air grew thicker, making it harder to breathe. The closer he got, the faster my heart beat. I realized it wouldn’t be easy seeing him again, but I hadn’t been prepared for this. Whatever this was.
2
Tim
My mind was playing tricks on me. I had to be imagining things, seeing double. I stared at the woman beside Wes, hair as black as the night sky, then glanced to the other one he had his arm around. She had to be a lookalike, another one of Devin’s cousins, or else there was some other explanation. Because there was no way in hell Conley Logan was standing in my bar.
Yet, she was.
I knew it the moment my sight landed on her. I knew that face, that hesitant smile, and those big nervous eyes staring back at me. But even on the off chance the woman was Conley’s doppelgänger, there was no chance she’d have the same custom tattoo of flowers that weaved up her left arm: a tattoo branded in my mind for eternity.
There was a time when the sight of her would have put a smile on my face. But that was in the past.
I scanned the bar as I moved in her direction, searching for Bobby, her other half. He was nowhere in sight. Thank God for that. I wasn’t sure I could handle being blindsided by them both.
“It’s about time we got some service ‘round here,” Wes goaded.
I picked up a few coasters, sliding them across the slick surface of the bar. Avoiding Conley’s stare, I kept my eyes on Wes. “What do ya need?”
“Tequila shots. For the ladies.”
I nodded, finally giving Conley a second glance.
“What? You can’t even say hi to me now?” she asked. She’d straightened her spine in the last few seconds, replacing the worry in her green eyes with a fiery determination—one I hadn’t seen from her in a very long time.
Tempting Tim: A Small Town Friends to Lovers Romance (Billingsley Book 4) Page 2