Shooting For Love - A Standalone Novel (A Suspenseful Bad Boy Neighbor Romance Love Story) (Burbank Brothers, Book #2)

by Naomi Niles

  “How is she?” I asked. “What’s she been doing these past few years?"

  “You’d have to ask her,” Tyler replied unhelpfully. “But I do know that she’s divorced.”

  “I heard something about her getting married,” I said. “Didn’t work out huh?”

  “You went to school with the guy didn’t you?”

  “Who?” I asked. “The guy she married?”

  “Yeah,” Tyler nodded. “Paul Kapke.”

  “Paul fucking Kapke?” I choked. “That’s who she married?”

  “Yeah … you didn’t know?”

  “No,” I said trying to let that sink in. “What happened between them?”

  “As I understand it, he was verbally abusive.”

  I felt my hands curl up into fists and I had to remind myself that I had no place in this town anymore, and I certainly didn’t have a place in Lizzie’s life. I wondered suddenly why that bothered me so much.

  Chapter Eight

  Elizabeth

  Once the lasagna was finished, I left it on the kitchen counter to cool and then I moved into my bedroom. Elvis followed at my heels, purring and pawing at me for attention. I bent down and picked him as I stood in front of my wardrobe trying to figure out what to wear.

  “I’m ridiculous aren’t I?” I asked Elvis. “It doesn’t matter what I wear; no one is going to care.”

  Elvis looked bored with me so I set him back down and reached for a plain black LBD that was both appropriate and flattering. “Maybe I should save this one for the actual funeral.” I reminded myself that this was just a casual visit and a dress was probably a little overkill.

  “I’m being ridiculous,” I said firmly and threw on my dark denim and a white, lace blouse. I kept my hair loose and resisted the urge to put a little gloss on my lips.

  I had just finished feeding Elvis when the doorbell rang and I ran to get it. “Hi, Maddie,” I greeted. “You’re right on time.”

  “You ready?” she asked.

  Maddie was wearing jeans and a simple, crocheted, beige top that made me feel as though I had made the right decision. “Yup,” I said. “Just let me get the lasagna and we can get going.”

  It had been a long time since I’d driven to Dylan’s home. It felt so natural that I was uncomfortable by the thought. I reminded myself that at one point in my life it had been my second home. I remembered all those times when Dylan and I had gone straight from school to his house. Mrs. Thomas would make us lunch and then we would play video games, go biking or just sit in the backyard and talk.

  “Are you ok?” Maddie asked.

  “Sure,” I said unconvincingly.

  “I can feel the nerves coming off you,” Maddie pointed out.

  I gulped. “I’m just … psyching myself out a little. I really shouldn’t be this nervous.”

  “Lizzie, you need to breath,” Maddie said calmly. “It’s going to be fine.”

  “Do you think he’s changed much?” I asked.

  “I’m sure we all have,” Maddie answered. “But at the heart of it, I’m sure he’s the same person he’s always been.”

  “I don’t know how to react when I see him,” I admitted. “I mean, should I hug him? Should I shake his hand? Should I just wave from across the room?”

  Maddie smiled. “Just do whatever comes naturally.”

  I glared at her. “Oh you’re a big help, I’m so glad I brought you.”

  Maddie laughed and instantly I realized how neurotic I must sound to her. “I know it must seem like the only reason I’m going tonight is because of Dylan but it’s not.”

  “I know…”

  “I mean I do want to see him but … even if he wasn’t going to be there, I would still be going and I would still have brought the lasagna.”

  “I know, Lizzie,” Maddie said firmly. “You don’t have to tell me that. We’ve known each other for twenty-five years. If there’s anyone who’s willing to make food and take it to someone in need, it’s going to be you.”

  I smiled. “Thanks. I’m just a little nervous.”

  Maddie glanced at me curiously.

  “What?”

  “Do you think that maybe the reason you’re so nervous is because you might still have feelings for Dylan?”

  “No,” I said before I could even consider the question. “Definitely not.”

  “You sound sure.”

  “I am,” I said quickly. “I mean, I haven’t seen the man in eleven years. I’m just nervous because, well, he was my high school sweetheart. Wouldn’t you be?”

  “I suppose so,” Maddie said with a shrug that wasn’t very convincing.

  Our conversation came to an abrupt halt as I pulled up outside Dylan’s large driveway. There was already a parade of cars outside and I knew the house would be packed with people. I got out and straightened my blouse, then I got the lasagna and Maddie and I headed for the open front door.

  We walked in and headed straight for the long table where the food had been laid out. There was already a range of different things: fruits, sandwiches, pies, and more. A few people nodded to us as we moved through the room, but I was too preoccupied to have a conversation with any of them.

  That’s when I saw Mrs. Thomas. She was sitting in one corner of the room with a bunch of tissues in her hand. Her eyes were red from crying and her cheeks were tear stained. I left Maddie at the food table and moved towards Mrs. Thomas. My heart broke at the expression on her face and I realized how much she had loved her husband.

  I knelt down right in front of her. “Hello, Mrs. Thomas,” I said. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” The words didn’t sound right as they came out. It was such a conventional thing to say that it seemed to me as though all meaning had been drained from it. She looked at me in confusion for a moment and then it clicked.

  “Elizabeth?”

  I smiled and nodded.

  “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

  “I know,” I replied. “I should have dropped by to see you, it’s just—”

  “I know,” she said before I could finish my sentence. “You don’t have to explain.”

  I reached out and took both her hands in my own. I remembered the days when Mrs. Thomas had been a second mother to me. There were times when I had been more comfortable talking to her than I felt with my own mother. She had the kind of calming presence that invited you to spill your confidences.

  “If there’s anything at all I can do for you,” I said. “Please let me know.”

  “Tyler told me that you’re going to be playing the piano at the funeral,” Mrs. Thomas replied. “I really appreciate you agreeing to do that.”

  “I only wish I was better,” I said. “So that I can do justice to Mr. Thomas.”

  “Oh don’t worry about that dear,” Mrs. Thomas replied squeezing my hand. “It’ll be enough for him that you’re playing at all. He was always so fond of you.”

  I felt a stab of sadness in my chest and I had to turn my face down to compose myself. I didn’t want to cry in front of Mrs. Thomas; I felt as though the person most affected should be the one to break down and everyone else needed to be strong for her.

  “Come and sit beside me, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Thomas sat, patting the seat next to her.

  I sat down and wrapped my arm around her. I could tell instantly that she had lost weight, probably in the last few days alone. She had aged considerably since I’d last met her and I wondered if that had occurred over time or if it was a result of her husband’s sudden death.

  “How have you been, Elizabeth?”

  “Oh, we don’t have to talk about me, Mrs. Thomas,” I said, wondering if that would be insensitive.

  “Please,” she said. “I’d rather talk about you than me at this moment.”

  I nodded in understanding. “I’m fine,” I replied. “I have two jobs and they keep me busy.”

  “I hope you have time left over to enjoy your life,” she said. “It has a habit of going by faster than you ima
gine.”

  “I … well … I try,” I said, but I sounded unconvincing even to myself. “I went through a divorce a year ago.”

  “I heard,” Mrs. Thomas replied softly. “I wanted to reach out to you at the time, but I didn’t think it was my place.”

  I remembered a time when I was twelve and Dylan had just turned thirteen. We had been bored in the house and we had snooped around until we’d found Dylan’s mothers sewing kit. Dylan dared me to thread a needle and stitch a pattern onto my palm. I challenged him to the same dare and we got out two needles, threaded them, and got to work on our palms. The top layer of skin was course and hard and we could stitch through it without a problem.

  I was close to finishing when Mrs. Thomas found out and made us stop. Then she sat us and down and gave us a lecture about doing silly things. “If you keep doing that, you’ll damage your skin,” she had said sternly. “It might not affect you now, but it will affect you later.”

  “You can’t tell Lizzie what to do,” Dylan had pointed out. “It’s not your place.”

  She had fixed Dylan with a steely glare. “Elizabeth is your friend and I care about her, which gives me every right to advise her.”

  Dylan had been annoyed with his mother but I had been far from it. It was nice to have someone looking out for you. It was nice to know that someone cared about you and wanted you to be ok. I had taken it for granted at the time that things would always be like that.

  The door opened and Mrs. Thomas looked up searchingly, as though she were expecting someone. She noticed my curiosity. “Tyler left a few hours ago to collect Dylan from the airport,” she told me. “They should be here any moment now.”

  I felt my insides grow cold as I realized I would be seeing Dylan soon, very soon. I gulped down my nerves and tried to maintain a calm demeanor. “Would you like something to eat, Mrs. Thomas?” I asked. “Or something to drink at least?”

  “Nothing dear, thank you,” Mrs. Thomas replied in a voice that was weak with grief. As other people came to pay their condolences, I moved back into the next room where Maddie was.

  “How is she? Maddie asked.

  “She’s doing as well as can be expected,” I replied.

  There was something of a commotion at the entrance in the next room. “What’s that?” Maddie wondered out loud, craning her head to see a little better.

  “I don’t know,” I shrugged.

  Two older gentlemen passed by us and I recognized them as Dylan and Tyler’s uncles. “Looks like the boys are finally here,” one said to the other as they moved passed us.

  As I turned to Maddie, I realized she was already looking right at me. “You ok?” she mouthed.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” I replied.

  Chapter Nine

  Dylan

  There was a line of cars that paraded down the driveway and I was immediately overwhelmed. “Whoa,” I said. “The whole town’s here.”

  “What did you expect?”

  “An emptier house,” I replied. “I was hoping for some time alone with mom.”

  “There’ll be plenty of time for that,” Tyler said. “I think it’s good that mom’s surrounded by people at the moment. It gives her less time to be miserable.”

  “I think she’s going to be miserable whether there’s people around or not.”

  “Still, it’ll give her some amount of distraction.”

  I wasn’t sure I agreed with Tyler. I wondered if he preferred other people being around because that meant he wasn’t solely responsible for comforting mom. A part of me didn’t blame him; being around that kind of grief was draining, especially when you had your own to deal with.

  We got out of the car and moved towards the house. Apart from the crowd of people and the vehicles parked outside, it looked the same. It looked like my childhood, painted in the fading light of day. I wanted to take a moment and just stand there and remember, but now was not the time. Tyler went in first and I followed after him. Immediately there were cries from relatives, friends, and neighbors who I hadn’t seen in years.

  I hugged some, I shook hands with others, I accepted their condolences, and I thanked them all for their love and support. Then I excused myself and asked where my mother was.

  “She just went upstairs dear,” Aunt Brenda said.

  Thankful that the exchange with my mother wouldn’t be a public one, I headed upstairs. She answered the door faster than I expected and stood there staring at me without a word. “Mom,” I said. “I’m home.”

  Her face broke out into a sad smile and she leaned in and grabbed me. We stood there hugging for a long time and I was immediately comforted by the smell of her. It transported me back twenty years in the past when I was still a young boy and my only definition of safety was tied to my parents. Now that dad was gone, mom was the only thing I had left.

  She pulled back after a while and cupped my face with both her hands. “You look like a man,” she said.

  “And I didn’t before?” I asked lightly.

  She smiled. “I don’t know,” she replied. “There’s something different about you this time.”

  I didn’t ask her to explain that. I just let her look at me and I felt the regret wash over me as I realized how much time I had missed with both my parents. I didn’t say anything but Mom looked different to me as well. She looked smaller and older which alarmed me only because she was still a young woman. She shouldn’t have looked so defeated.

  “I wish I had been here, ma,” I said sincerely. “So that you wouldn’t have had to go through … everything alone.”

  “You have an important job, darling,” mom replied with understanding. “And anyway, Tyler was with me. Your brother has been so amazing through all of this. I don’t know what I would have done without him.”

  “Good old Tyler to the rescue, huh?” I said, surprised at the little edge of bitterness in my tone. “It’s good that he was the one who was here,” I continued trying to make up for it. “He was always the more responsible one.”

  “You both are,” mom said diplomatically. “In different ways.”

  It was just like mom to want to make us both feel like we were equally important and equally capable. I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “I’d like to stay up here for the rest of the night, but I don’t think we’d get away with it.”

  “I think you’re right,” mom replied with a small smile. “Why don’t you go on ahead and I’ll be down in a bit?"

  I nodded, understanding that she needed a little time to herself before she re-joined the crowd. I grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze. “I love you, mom,” I said trying to keep my voice from shaking.

  “I know that son,” she replied, as tears formed in her eyes. “I love you too.”

  I left her in the room and made my way downstairs. I spotted Tyler out in the back on the patio and he seemed to be deep in conversation with someone. I made my way towards him and walked out onto the patio. The moment I turned I realized whom he was talking. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Lizzie Miller for the first time in eleven years.

  “Lizzie,” I said, her name escaping my tongue without my permission.

  “Hello, Dylan,” she said, her voice was soft.

  There were things about her that were comfortingly unchanged. The vibrant brightness of her deep-red hair, the startling blue of her eyes, the electric brightness of her smile, and the sprinkling of freckles along the bridge of her nose. And yet, there were just as many things that had changed. She was no longer a girl; she had blossomed into a woman. She was fuller than she had been in high school; her breasts and hips had rounded out a little, giving her body some serious curves.

  There was something irresistibly seductive about her and I could barely take my eyes off her. She didn’t have on any makeup, giving her soft features a youthful glow that made her seem years younger. She had kept her hair long even after all these years and I was thankful. I had always loved her hair; it was like a wat
erfall made of fire.

  “How have you been, Dylan?” Maddie said coming forward and giving me a hug.

  “Doing ok, Maddie,” I replied distractedly, as my eyes kept flitting to Lizzie.

  Only when she spoke did I realize that she and Tyler were there as well. I had completely forgotten about their existence the moment I had laid eyes on Lizzie. She came forward after Maddie and I took a step toward her. We hugged but I could sense how rigid her body was against mine. I remembered a time when she had fit perfectly into me, as though we were made for each other. Now I could sense something between us, blocking the comfort and the passion that had once stood there.

  The embrace was all too short, as she pulled away sooner than I had expected. I had no choice but to drop my hold on her and watch as she backed away.

  “It’s been awhile,” I said.

  “Too long,” Maddie nodded. “We were just reminiscing about your fifteenth birthday actually. Remember your parents hired dirt bikes and Tyler crashed one into your dad’s car?”

  “I remember,” I smiled trying to resist the urge to glance at Lizzie. I noticed she was being extremely quiet.

  Aunt Brenda interrupted the conversation. “Tyler, dear,” she called. “We need your help with something.”

  Tyler nodded and followed her back into the house, leaving the rest of us standing there. Maddie looked between Lizzie and I for a moment. “I think I’ll go see if Tyler needs some help,” she said smoothly and disappeared into the house leaving Lizzie and I alone.

  I could feel eleven years of distance stand between us, but I pushed aside the awkwardness and looked out towards the lake. “Let’s go down to the water,” I said, praying she wouldn’t make an excuse and turn me down.

  “Ok,” she said simply and we started walking down towards the lake.

  We picked the spot that was shaded by large trees and sat down by the edge so that we could dip our legs into the water. This was what we did as kids on cool afternoon days armed with juice bars and silly conversation.

  “How are you doing?” Lizzie asked.

  I looked out at the calming expanse of water. “I think I’m still coming to terms with it,” I answered honestly. “I can’t quite believe he’s gone.”