by Alison Mello
Unfortunately, my phone rings and it’s him. “Hey Todd, how are you holding up?”
“I’m hanging in. I went and claimed Collin’s body this morning. I signed release papers and I’m meeting with the funeral director later today. They’re planning the wake for Monday and the funeral for Tuesday.”
“What can I do to help?” I ask, my voice monotone.
***
I can’t believe at twenty-three years old I’m burying my boyfriend. The realization hits me while I’m standing above his coffin. It’s closed, with my favorite picture of him neatly placed on top. He was quite a mess from the accident. His father and I decided it was important for his friends and family to remember him for the good guy he was, instead of as the man who died while driving drunk. I glance around the room taking it all in. It’s empty, nothing but rows and rows of chairs that will soon be filled with people who’ll come to say good-bye.
“Katie, it’s time to open the doors. Are you ready?” Todd asks me.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” I take my place next to Todd, as he requested. Collin had no siblings and Todd said he knows Collin loved me dearly, and that I belong at the front of the room with him despite the fact we weren’t even engaged. Sitting in my seat, with my parents sitting off to the side for support, I stare up at the coffin with thoughts and memories of Collin running through my head.
People start flowing into the room, some of whom I know and some I don’t. They all politely say the same thing: “I’m so sorry for your loss.” I nod, shake hands, and politely thank them for coming. Todd takes the time to introduce me to certain people, and with the others we simply continue our routine of thanking them for coming.
Spotting Collin’s friend, Jeff, at the door reminds me of a time we all went to the zoo and ran around like a bunch of big kids. We were checking out every animal, reading their signs, and taking pictures in front of the exhibits. We had a blast. That memory makes me collapse into my chair as a lone tear runs down my cheek. That was before Collin began drinking. He had little time for fun once the drinking took over. “God, why didn’t I see it sooner?” I gasp when I realize I said my thoughts out loud.
“You need to stop, sweetie. You didn’t do this. He did.”
Jeff comes over and kneels in front of me. “Hey.” I look up to see pure hurt in his eyes. “A lot of us should have seen it, and there were many of us who could have done something about it.”
“Why didn’t we?”
“That’s a good question and one I’ve been asking myself since I heard about the accident. When I come up with an answer, I’ll let you know.” He stands to pay his respects to Todd, and takes a seat close by.
My mom is by my side. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
“No, I feel like I screwed up. I should have asked for help but I didn’t, and now he’s gone.”
She hugs me and whispers, “I know you’re not listening to reason, but I’m going to tell you anyway. This is not your fault. We will help you through this, I promise.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
My mom and I break our hug and that’s when I notice, much to my surprise, that the night is going by quickly. We only have about twenty minutes left before we leave, when Skyler and her friend, Meg, from the bar come into the room. Walking straight up to Todd, Sky says, “Hi, I’m Skyler, and this is my friend, Meg. We were friends of your son. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Todd, this is the woman who called me to pick Collin up. She tried to help him so he wouldn’t get into the car.”
“Thank you for trying,” Todd says. He seems truly thankful for her attempt.
“I feel like I failed. I should have kept a better eye on him. I never thought he would leave once I had set up the ride for him. I’m so sorry.” Meg rubs Skyler’s back in support, as she’s clearly beating herself up over this.
“Skyler, there are a lot of things we could have done differently. I should have started looking for him the second I knew he’d left. We both assumed he was walking and he needed some fresh air. It was his time. Trust me when I say that I’m not letting go of this any easier than you are, but I have to find a way to get over the loss and the guilt and I’m hoping by holding onto that thought, I’ll be able to.”
She nods and hugs me tight, whispering in my ear, “Promise me we’ll stay friends.”
“We will, and we’ll get through this together.”
Chapter 2
Katie
Ten Months Later
I’m pretty pumped for a night at Club Thrive. My girl, Sky, sent out a group text asking who was in for a night out. Apparently, she’s dating the owner, and he has given her a VIP section so she can hang with her friends for the night. I’ve worked hard all week long, and now it’s time to play. Maybe she has a cute friend she can hook me up with, I think to myself while looking in my closet for something to wear. It’s been almost a year since I lost Collin and I think I’m finally ready to move on.
Gliding my hand across some hangers, I grab my favorite pair of jeggings. They’re fitted and are shredded across the legs, which gives them a very sexy look. I look over my shirts, biting my lip as I contemplate which one to wear. I want to look sexy, not easy. I take a deep breath and grab my favorite purple top. It’s a tank top with sequins on the front, and it’s fitted to show off my nice breasts without being sleazy—perfect for the club. Reaching into the bottom of the closet, I find my favorite snakeskin heels to complete the outfit.
While I’m showering, I realize that I’m probably going to have a few drinks tonight and decide I’ll take a cab to the club. I don’t live far, so it won’t cost me much to get back and forth. Right after I shower I throw on my clothes, and call to arrange the cab ride. All I have left to do is fix my hair and throw on some makeup.
Looking in the mirror, I decide on curls. I quickly finish drying my hair, and while my curling iron heats up, I start applying my makeup. When I’m done, I put the finishing touches on my hair and stand back to look at myself in the full-length mirror behind my door. My light brown hair is curled to perfection and pinned out of my face. I’m wearing smoky purple eye shadow that makes my light brown eyes pop, and these jeggings make my perky little ass look good.
I’m done just in time. My phone chirps with a text saying my cab is waiting downstairs. I like to call ahead because, although I don’t live in the worst part of the city, I certainly can’t afford the nicest. My dad, being a cop, instilled in me that it’s never good for a young girl to be waiting outside for a ride at night by herself. I reply to let him know I’m on my way, then grab my purse and make my way out the door.
We pull up to the club, and I’m in awe. I have to say the new owner has done a great job. Even the outside looks much nicer than it used to. It’s a typical brick building, but it has blackened-out windows with advertisements posted in them, and it’s nicely lit. The new sign is really nice and gives the club an inviting feel. Swiping my credit card through the cab’s machine to pay for the ride, I take the receipt and tell him I’ll call for a ride when I’m ready to leave.
I get to the front of the line and as instructed, I inform the bouncer that I’m a friend of Skyler’s. The guy nods, says something into his earpiece, and I’m instantly greeted by a woman. She starts to escort me in, but is called away so she tells me which section is ours and that she’ll be right over to grab my drink order.
When I get there, I find Sky, Sadie, and Jonah all sitting down and having a drink while waiting for everyone else to show. I realize that the girl was pulled away because someone else has shown up and she’s escorting her over now. She takes my drink order and as soon as she leaves, Sky makes introductions. I’ve met Sadie and Jonah a few times, but I only know her friend Meg from the one time at the bar and when she came to Collin’s funeral. Ava and Ricky finally show up, and Sky continues with the introductions.
We’re sitting around listening to Sky tell us how Logan went to hear her sing at the bar last night. He’s thinking abou
t having her sing for this Singles Night here at Club Thrive. He wants to have some live entertainment instead of a DJ all the time.
“Singles Night?” I ask, a bit too excited. “Sweet, I need that. B.O.B. and I are not on speaking terms right now and I need to take the edge off.” Everyone cracks up laughing.
Skyler says, “Wait, who the hell breaks up with their sex toy?”
“Me, when the batteries run out.”
They all erupt into laughter again and I sit there with a fake pout on my face, which quickly turns into laughter.
Thank God the conversation ceases, because this good-looking guy walks over putting his arm around Sky. I’m assuming it’s her new boyfriend, with the way they’re looking at each other. The guy is seriously hot and I’m a bit jealous. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a man. I don’t have to wait long for confirmation because Meg asks loudly, “You going to introduce us?”
Sky giggles. “Sorry, everyone, this is my boyfriend, Logan, owner of this fine establishment. Logan, this is Katie, Meg, Ava, and Ricky. Of course, you know Sadie and Jonah, or I wouldn’t know you.”
He says a quick hello before he tells Sky he has to get back to work. He tells us all to enjoy our night and that he’ll be back by later. As I start scanning the room, my leg bounces and I’m itching to get on the dance floor. Sky must notice because she finally stands up and says, “Let’s go dance.” The ladies all leave our VIP section and the two guys stay behind watching us while we dance around in our own little circle. I notice there’s a really hot bartender working the bar not far from us.
Pulling Sky closer to me, I yell into her ear, “Who’s the stud at the bar?”
A huge smile spreads across her face. “That, my friend, is Shane, and he is very single.”
“No way, he’s hot.”
“Yes, he is, and if you stay until closing, I’ll introduce you.” I chew the inside of my cheek as I contemplate what to do. I wasn’t planning on staying out that late, but he really is hot and it could be totally worth it. “Come on, how cool would that be? Sadie is dating one of the bouncers, I’m dating the owner, and you get the bartender.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine, I’ll stay until closing, but only because he’s really hot.” Sky starts laughing, and we continue dancing.
After dancing to a few songs we’re all getting tired and sweaty, so we make our way back to the table for another round of drinks and to chill. Sky is flagging Kelly down for another round of drinks, when we look over to see Jonah down on one knee.
“I know I screwed up today and you’re mad at me, but please know it was only because I was nervous. Sadie, I love you with all my heart and hope you can forgive me. I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?” Sadie is crying and all she can manage to do is nod as Jonah slips a ring on her finger. We all begin cheering and clapping for the happy couple. Logan comes over with a bottle of champagne and a bunch of glasses. He puts the tray down, congratulates his boy, and tells Jonah the bottle is on him.
Meg starts pouring champagne while Sky and Logan look like they’re having a bit of a heated conversation. Poor guy looks slightly defeated when he finally walks away to finish working for the night. Sky turns her attention back to the party and I offer a sympathetic smile, she pretends all is fine and starts to celebrate with her roommate.
We’ve all had a blast, but the night is coming to an end. The place is cleared out except for our VIP section and even then, it’s only me, Sky, Megan, Jonah, and Sadie that remain. We all walk over to the bar, bringing the last of our empty glasses with us to help the crew with clean up. When we put them on the bar top, I see a guy with the most amazing blue eyes look up at me. “Thanks,” he says.
“No problem.” I take a seat next to Sky.
“Hey Shane, this is my friend, Katie.” Sky introduces us.
He dries his hand on a towel before stretching it across the bar. “Nice to meet you. Can I get you a beer?”
“Sure, I’ll have one more for the road.”
“You’re not driving, are you?” He narrows his eyes, wondering if he should give me one more.
“Nah, I have a cabbie’s number in my phone. I’ll call him in a few minutes to come pick me up.”
He places my beer on the counter and opens one for himself. “If it doesn’t freak you out, I could bring you home.” I narrow my eyes back at him, trying to tell if it’s safe to go with him.
“Hey, Sky! Is it safe to let this guy bring me home?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know; I just met him, but he works for Logan, so my bet is you’re safe.” She winks at me as Shane shakes his head.
My brows shoot up and I start to laugh, “That was very reassuring.”
Shane starts laughing. “All right, how about this? If you don’t trust me to take you home, then I’ll give you my number and you can call me sometime.”
“How about this?” I say with a smile. “I let you take me home, I’ll give you my number, and then you can call me sometime.”
He laughs. “That sounds like a great plan.” He pauses for a minute. “Wait a minute, how drunk are you?” He gives me a nervous look. “I don’t want you getting sick in my truck.”
“I may not be a big girl, but I can hold my own. Besides, I only had a few beers.”
“Okay, give me about fifteen minutes and we can get out of here.”
I shake my head, laughing. He walks over to the other side of the bar giving me a chance to check out his ass, and it’s a mighty fine ass. He’s wearing snug jeans and a black, fitted V-neck shirt, I can’t help but stare because his muscles are flexing with every move he makes. It has been way too long since I’ve been touched by a man. I know I’m going to have dreams about being buried underneath this guy tonight.
Sky comes up next to me and nudges me. “Stop drooling.”
“I will not stop drooling. You know as well as I do that it’s been a long time, and that is one hot man right there.”
“Is he taking you home?”
“Yes, he’s dropping me off. No man is hot enough to end up in my bed the first night we meet. I will, however, give him my number in hopes that he’ll call me.”
Logan announces that he’s ready to lock up. Shane grabs my beer bottle to throw away and walks around the bar, taking my hand, he helps me off the barstool. His touch gives me goosebumps up my arms, causing me to shiver. He looks down at me and asks, “Are you okay?”
I smile up at him and say, “Fine,” noticing that he’s about three inches taller than my five-foot-six-inches. I look down, blushing slightly at my reaction to his touch.
He nods, and we walk out of the club with only Logan and Sky trailing so they can lock the place up. He shows me to his truck and opens the door for me to climb in. I’m not a car person, but he has one of those really big manly trucks, and I realize it suits him. It’s black and perfectly clean, inside and out. I can tell he takes good care of it.
Closing my door, he walks around to his side and climbs in, looking a bit nervous.
“Thanks for giving me a ride,” I say softly, trying to ease his nerves.
“It’s no problem. Where do you live?” he asks as he starts the truck.
I put my seatbelt on and turn in the seat so I’m facing him. He turns to me, and he immediately focuses on my breasts. They’re a nice C cup so when the seat belt slips between them, I’m not surprised it catches his attention. I rattle off the directions, and he quickly looks back out the windshield so he can pull out of his parking spot. His truck lets out a bit of a roar, its power apparent.
I chuckle. “So, do you like bartending?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I have fun doing it, and it pays the bills. I’m the head bartender, so I get more shifts and I get to choose which ones I want. Plus, Logan is a good guy to work for. Our old boss was a dick and I was about to quit when Logan took over.”
“He seems pretty cool,” I say, putting my arm over the back of the seat.
“How do you know Sky?�
�
I sigh. “My ex was an alcoholic. He used to always go to the bar where she works. One night he got really wasted, and he asked her to call me to come pick him up. By the time I got down there, he’d left already. It was a slow night, so between her serving drinks, we started talking about some of the things he’d pulled on me. I told her it wasn’t the first time he’d called me for a ride and then walked home.” I sigh. “I was about to leave to look for him, when I got a call from the police.” Shifting in the seat to look out the window, I continue. “For some god-awful reason, he chose to drive that night. He got into an accident, killing himself instantly.” I look back at Shane. “Luckily he didn’t injure anyone else. Anyway, we’ve been friends ever since.”
“I’m so sorry,” he says, placing his hand on my knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. “That’s a lot to experience at a young age.”
“How old do you think I am?” I ask with a small smile, trying to lighten the conversation.
“Wow, is that a trick question? I could get myself in a lot of trouble trying to answer that,” he says. I giggle as he ponders for a second. “How about this? I’ll tell you my age if you tell me yours.”
“Fair enough, you first,” I tell him with a grin.
“Thirty-three,” he says, looking into my eyes.
Shit, he’s a bit older than me, but he’s really cute so who cares? “I’m twenty-four,” I say bashfully. I’m hoping the age difference won’t bother him.
He pulls up outside my apartment. “Thanks for the lift,” I say.
“It was my pleasure. Listen, I have to work tomorrow night but I don’t go in until eight. Would you want to continue this conversation over dinner?”
“Our age difference doesn’t bother you?” I ask, kind of shocked.
A gorgeous smile spreads across his full luscious lips. “No, does it bother you?”
