by Autumn Marks
“Can I get you anything? I brought some drinks for you and put them in the fridge. I also got a few quick meals for you so you won’t have to go out tonight.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m fine…really.”
She furrowed her brow. “I wish I could believe you.”
It was his mother who had urged him to apply for the job in Brookview and he had done so to pacify her. “Am I happy to be back? I think you know I’m not, but I’m happy to be gainfully employed.”
“I really thought you’d have some choices with all the applications you sent out. I didn’t think Brookview would be the only option.”
“You and me both. But I’m sure there’s a reason for me to be here.” As soon as the words had come out of his mouth, he regretted them. He had opened up the door for his mother to chime in with her thoughts on why he had been forced back to Brookview.
“You know what I think about that already.”
Yeah, he knew. And there was no way in hell that was going to happen. “If Dad wants to talk to me and reconcile, he knows where to find me. I’m not that far away now.”
“I see Ollie survived the trip,” Linda said, reaching down and scratching Ollie behind the ear. Ollie leaned into her scratching and then rolled over to offer up his belly for petting.
Brandon chuckled at the sight. “Yeah, and he hasn’t lost any of his manipulative behaviors either.”
His mother stood up from her crouched position. “Do you need help moving anything? I can help you unpack if you need it.”
“No thanks. Trent is coming by in a bit to help me lift some of the heavier items. The smaller stuff I can get by myself.”
“That’s right. You told me a while ago you had reconnected with Trent.”
Trent Stephens and Brandon had been good friends in high school and had reconnected several months ago through social media. When he had told Trent he was moving back, Trent was more than happy to lend a hand—and he’d even asked Brandon to be his best man at his upcoming wedding. “I texted him and told him I was here. He said he’d be here in a few.”
“Well, if you don’t need anything, I’ll get out of your hair. Your sister wants you to let her know when you get settled in. Lilly is anxious to see you.”
“Lilly is probably more anxious to see Ollie than me. I’ll text her once I get everything moved in.” Lilly was his five-year-old niece. He’d seen her only a few times each year because of the distance, but kept in touch as often as possible through video chatting. Now that he was back in town, he looked forward to being able to see her more.
“All right. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Thanks.”
While Brandon waited for his mother to drive away, he walked around the house to acclimate himself to where everything was located. He had rented this house sight unseen but his mother assured him the house was nice. She wasn’t wrong. The kitchen looked like it had been updated recently and the home had a partially finished basement which was a bonus.
He walked outside and began unstrapping his car from the tow dolly behind the moving truck. He had instructed Ollie to stay inside the house but Ollie wasn’t the best at listening. Ollie trotted right alongside Brandon, smelling all the different scents of the yard.
A white car pulled into the driveway of the neighboring home with a young woman wearing sunglasses behind the wheel. When she got out of the car, her height caught him off guard. She had to be almost six feet tall. Brandon knew he shouldn’t stare, but her legs seemed to go on for days.
He walked across the small strip of yard between the two houses to where the woman was standing. “Hi, I’m Brandon. I’m moving in to the house next door with my dog Ollie.”
“So I see,” the young woman snapped, not bothering to remove her shades.
What the hell is her problem? “Uh…” He muttered, unsure of how to respond.
The woman turned toward her house and started walking up her front steps. She whipped her head around and pointed a finger toward her front yard. “If we’re going to be neighbors, you need to tell your dog to stop pooping in my front yard!”
Brandon followed the direction of her finger. There, squatting down right smack dab in the middle of her yard was none other than Ollie, putting on quite the display of bodily functions. Heat rushed into his cheeks and words escaped him as he struggled to form an apology.
But the young woman wasn’t going to wait around for one. She slammed the door to her house leaving Brandon out there in her driveway with Ollie bounding toward him, now finished with his business.
That went well.
Chapter 2
Emily looked at her reflection in the mirror the next morning. Even after a shower, she still looked like how she felt—a wreck. Her face held the telltale signs of an all-nighter spent crying: bags under her eyes, blotchy cheeks, and red-rimmed eyelids. Even her head was getting in on the fun by continuing to throb and ache despite the two aspirin she had taken when she woke up. Some makeup would help. If nothing else, it would be a mask to conceal what had transpired the day before so every time she looked in the mirror, she wouldn’t be reminded of him.
Jason. Damn him.
Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she blamed herself for not picking up the signs that he’d been seeing someone else. There were times when he wouldn’t answer her phone calls, even ones late at night. Texts went unanswered, sometimes for more than a day. He’d been working long hours, he’d told her, and sometimes forgot to check his phone. She had blindly trusted him and never once thought to question it. Big mistake.
Emily heaved a big sigh as her heart pinched with a twinge of sadness. If her mother was still around, she’d likely have some helpful advice for her on how to handle things. But without a mother to give her advice, she’d enlisted the help of her friend, Stephanie.
Last night, Emily had called an emergency meeting of their Girls’ Club, minus one girl, because Audrey was out of town with her husband. Stephanie had come over and they spent the evening watching comedy movies, but only ones that didn’t contain an ounce of romance. Emily couldn’t stomach anyone getting their happy ever after, even if it was only on screen.
They’d passed out on the couch around one in the morning and when Emily had awoken a little after six, she slowly removed herself from the couch to shower and get ready for the day.
Emily looked in the mirror once more. She could no longer see the bags under her eyes. She could no longer see the blotchy skin on her cheeks and red-rimmed eyelids. She felt whole again, more like herself. But makeup couldn’t do a damn thing for the headache that pulsated behind her eyes. She needed coffee and she needed it now. She padded out to the kitchen to start a pot.
While the coffee pot gurgled away, she went to reach for a coffee mug from the cupboard.
“What time did you wake up?”
“Jesus, Stephanie!” Emily yelled, Stephanie’s voice startling her. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! You’re lucky I didn’t drop my mug.”
“Sorry,” Stephanie said. She glanced at the coffee mug in Emily’s hand and went to the cupboard to grab her own. “I figured you would’ve nudged me awake when you woke up.”
Stephanie poured herself a cup and then filled up Emily’s for her. The two women fixed their cups with the appropriate creamer and sugar and sat down at the table.
“You looked pretty out of it and my head was pounding, so I just got up,” Emily said. “No sense in having both of us miss out on sleep.”
“Are you feeling okay this morning?” Stephanie asked, her concern evident on her face.
“I’m fine. I have to be. I’m not about to sit around feeling sorry for myself all day. I have things to do. I need to go to the grocery store, my flower beds need weeding, and the grass needs mowing.” Truth was, she’d do anything to keep her mind occupied.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, at least Jason doesn’t live here in Brookview. It’d be hard to avoid each other if he did. The only time you’ll reall
y see him is at my—”
“Don’t say it,” Emily said with a grimace.
“I’m sorry. He hasn’t sent his RSVP back so maybe he won’t show up.”
“Or maybe he was waiting to see how things would shake out with me.”
“Are you sure you still want to be one of my bridesmaids? I would totally understand if you want to back out.”
Emily doubted Stephanie would be okay with her backing out, not that she would consider it anyway. “Of course. You’re one of my best friends. I’m not going to let Jason stand in the way of that.” In time, she would get over her relationship with Jason. She had to. He seemed to get over her easy enough.
“Good. I just wanted to make sure. Don’t forget that our last fitting is on Wednesday night. Are you going to be able to make it?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Between the bridal shower they’d had the month before, the tasting dinner with the caterer Stephanie had asked her to attend, the multiple dress appointments and fittings they’d had so far, the rehearsal dinner scheduled the night before the wedding, and hair and makeup appointments on the day of—her friend’s wedding was becoming as time consuming as a full-time job. But she and Stephanie had been best friends for years and last year they’d done the same for their other friend, Audrey. While she hadn’t minded all the appointments when she’d been blissfully in love with Jason, now each commitment added more insult to injury.
She was jealous. There was no denying it. Audrey was married, Stephanie was getting married, and she was back to square one.
“Anyway, let’s move on to more pressing matters. Have you had anything to eat yet?” Stephanie asked.
“Not yet. My fridge is pretty bare. I was going to go to the grocery store on my way home from Jason’s,” Emily said, swallowing down the lump in her throat. “But as you can imagine, that didn’t happen.”
“That’s fine.” Stephanie reached across the table and gave Emily’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “We can go out to The Neighborhood for breakfast. My treat,” Stephanie said with a grin which wasn’t returned by Emily. Stephanie’s forehead creased. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay today? I really hate leaving you alone, but Chris and I are meeting the cake decorator around noon to finalize the design. I can stop by afterward if you’d like.”
“I thought you finalized the design last week?”
“We did…and then I changed it. She’s arranged this last-minute meeting at her house.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to become another Bridezilla?”
“I’m trying not to,” Stephanie said, her voice raising an octave. “But I want to make sure things are perfect.”
“And they will be.” Emily got up from her position at the table to pour herself another mug of coffee. She looked at her friend’s tangled red hair and mascara smudges under her eyes and put on a brave smile even though her mind wasn’t in agreement. “Right now, it looks like you’re the one with issues. You’re a mess, Steph. Get ready so we can eat.”
They arrived at The Neighborhood a little before ten. The Neighborhood, the only sit-down restaurant in town, was the epitome of a hole-in-the-wall, greasy spoon restaurant. With its drab interior fixtures and outdated decor, the place was in desperate need of a renovation. But Brookview was a town where change was considered a curse word.
When they walked in, the murmur of the morning’s church crowd provided a nice change to the quietness that was typically the norm. The two women took a seat at a booth and waited on someone to take their order.
“Good morning, ladies,” Mickey said. Mickey was a fixture at The Neighborhood. Emily could remember coming in as a little girl and having Mickey wait on her family, back when it had been the four of them. She was always warm and welcoming and Emily was pretty sure she’d never seen anything other than a smile on Mickey’s face.
Emily smiled up at her. “Hey, Mickey! How are you?”
“I’m doing fine. I hear you have a new neighbor, Emily,” Mickey said.
Of course she had heard. Gossip in Brookview traveled fast. “Nothing ever gets past you,” Emily said. “Do you know much about him?”
Mickey nodded. “Sure I do. Brandon and my son were good friends back in the day.”
“He’s from here? I wanted to meet him yesterday, but didn’t get around to it.”
Mickey gave Emily a sly grin. “That’s not what I heard.”
Stephanie bit back her smirk. Emily had told Stephanie about the encounter with her neighbor the night before. “What did you hear?” Stephanie asked.
“I heard that you cussed him out,” Mickey said to Emily.
“I did no such thing! Did he come in here and tell you that?”
“No, your other neighbor, Mrs. Gordon, came in this morning spinning quite the tale. She said you were cussing up a storm and then you slammed your door in Brandon’s face.”
Stephanie burst out laughing.
“That’s ridiculous! I did not cuss him out. I barely even said anything to him,” Emily said.
“Don’t worry, honey. No one ever believes anything Mrs. Gordon says. I mean, who would cuss someone out over some dog poop? That’s crazy.”
Emily’s cheeks reddened. “That sounds made up.”
Mickey nodded. “That’s what I told her. Anyway, what can I get you ladies for breakfast?”
Dammit. She was here. Standing probably twenty feet away from him was the neighbor he had sort of met last night.
Sort of.
She hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with her name.
Brookview was a small town, that much he knew, but he didn’t think he would run into her so soon. More like, he hoped he wouldn’t run into her so soon.
When he had left his house this morning, her car wasn’t in the driveway. He had assumed she was long gone somewhere else—preferably somewhere far away where she couldn’t yell at him about Ollie.
He was wrong.
She was standing outside The Neighborhood chatting with a red-haired woman. The redhead was talking excitedly with her hands, while his neighbor nodded along.
Was she going in or just leaving? If she was going in, he’d have to change his plans. He wasn’t about to risk another encounter with her so soon after yesterday’s literal shit show.
The two women started walking away from one another, then they stopped. “Keep moving,” Brandon muttered under his breath in a vain attempt to urge them along. They continued their conversation, this time standing several feet apart.
His face flushed with warmth and beads of sweat dotted his brow. In this heat, the temperature inside his car was rising steadily and pretty soon he’d have to make a move. Starting up his car wasn’t an option. The red-headed woman was standing too close and his North Carolina plates were a dead giveaway.
Maybe he could crack the door without drawing attention to himself. If he could crack it just a little, that should be enough to give him some relief. He had to do something. He needed some air movement in his car—and he needed it now.
Brandon laughed at himself. Sneaking around to avoid the eyes of his neighbor was no way for him to behave. He had just moved in which was way too soon for him to start avoiding people. He needed to get over himself and get out of the car. But as soon as he put his hand on the door handle, the two women went their separate ways.
Finally.
He opened his car door and sighed as a breeze cooled his flushed skin. As he walked toward the door to The Neighborhood, out of the corner of his eye he caught the glare of his neighbor in her car. He pretended not to notice and continued on.
When he walked into The Neighborhood, a big grin consumed almost his entire face. After so many years away, he was expecting the place to have changed. Maybe a new layout or updated wall coverings. Some new furniture perhaps. To his amazement, it looked as though none of those things had happened. The dining counter was still there all the way at the back, and booths still lined the walls. Even the beige paint on the walls looked
as though it was the same color as when he’d left. Some of the tables that were dispersed throughout were being cleaned off as their respective diners were walking out of the building.
Brandon took a seat at one of the open booths and waited. The green Formica tabletop was faded in spots and could tell a story with all of the scrapes and scratches cut into its surface. He glanced around at the remaining diners and spotted Mickey across the room and waved to her. She beamed when she saw him and her smile alone brought back so many memories. Mickey had been a rock for him when he’d needed her most. He thought of her as his surrogate mother when his own was caught in the middle of the rift between him and his dad.
“Brandon! It’s been so long. How are you?” Mickey asked, holding her arms out to him.
He stood up and let her wrap him in a hug. “I’m doing fine. I’m sure it’s no secret that I’m back in town.”
“Trent told me you were moving back. But I heard about it long before that. Nothing ever gets past those three,” she said, pointing to a group of three older men at the dining counter.
“Who are they?”
“Oh, no one important. But they sure do love to gossip. And they’re in here all the time so I hear everything.”
“I’ll have to watch what I say and do then,” Brandon said. He sat back down and Mickey took the seat across from him.
“You missed your neighbor. She was in right before you actually.”
Brandon chuckled. “I wouldn’t say I missed her, if you know what I mean.”
Mickey couldn’t hold back her grin. “Yeah, I heard you two didn’t exactly hit it off.”
“That didn’t take long. Although I wouldn’t think that would be newsworthy.”
“Please. It’s not often that we get an out-of-towner here.”
He cocked his head. “But I’m not an out-of-towner. I grew up here.”
“You left. That makes you an out-of-towner. As far as people around here are concerned, you’ll always be an outsider.”
“Who would pay attention to me anyway? I promise I’m not that exciting.”
