by Autumn Marks
Emily smirked. “I’m going to have to watch you from now on.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you seem to be a great liar.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“You’re lying right now,” Emily said.
The moment Brandon had said he didn’t need time away from her to process his feelings, she’d known it was a lie. He’d been different today, withdrawn and distant. He was putting on a good act, but that was all it was—an act. She’d chosen to ignore the signs for selfish reasons. She’d wanted to see him again. But she should’ve left him alone when she had the chance. What he needed was time to process things and while she wanted to help him out, some things needed to be done on his own.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not handling the news as well as you’d like. I get it. It’s a lot to deal with. I’ve been there before and I know it takes time. And sometimes what you want most is to be left alone.”
“I don’t want you to be right,” he gritted out. “I want to tell you that I’ve got my shit figured out. I want to tell you that I’m handling the news well and I’m not affected by it.”
“But you’d be lying,” Emily said, finishing his sentence for him.
Brandon’s head dropped and he came to a stop on the path. It pained her to see him this way. He’d been so happy the day before, so full of desire too, and now? He was a wreck. She stepped forward and took his hand in both of hers. He squeezed her hand and then let it drop.
“For so many years that man has dictated my life. So many years I’ve lived my life knowing he was judging my every move. I tried to better myself, telling myself I was doing it for me—but that’s a lie. I was doing it to prove him wrong. And here I am, after fourteen years away, letting him dictate my life once more. I really don’t know what to do here.”
“I think you need some time to think. Do you have someone you can talk to…someone that’s not in your family?”
Brandon nodded. “Mickey. When I was dealing with my dad, she was someone I could confide in. On nights when my dad was too much, I used to go spend the night at her house. Her son was a friend of mine. I could go talk to her tomorrow.”
“I think that would be a good thing for you,” she said. They still hadn’t started walking again. It was as though Brandon was stuck in place on the path. As much as she didn’t want to, Emily knew what needed to happen. She knew Brandon would never suggest this, so it needed to come from her. “Do you want to leave? I can tell your mind is elsewhere.”
“I’m sorry, Emily. I’ve made such a damn mess of this outing.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m not upset by it. I think it would be good for you to have some time to digest what you’ve been told. You can think about your options and discuss them with Mickey tomorrow.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
When they arrived back home, there was someone waiting on Emily’s porch swing for her.
“Stephanie, what are you doing here?” Emily asked. “Don’t you have a honeymoon to get to?”
Stephanie got up from the swing and came to stand next to her and Brandon. “I do. Chris and I are leaving in about an hour. I wanted to stop by to tell you something, but first…” Stephanie said, pulling off her sunglasses to gawk at Brandon. “Who is this?” she asked, giving Emily a nudge.
Emily silently pleaded with Stephanie not to make a scene. Now wasn’t the time.
Brandon thrust out his hand and Stephanie placed her hand in his. “I’m Brandon, Emily’s boyfriend. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet yesterday. You were pretty busy.”
Boyfriend? Emily wasn’t about to pretend he meant that word. He was just playing along with their act from the night before. She had to commend him on staying in character.
“I’m the one who’s sorry,” Stephanie said. “I should’ve said hello, but I was finding it hard to get around to everyone.”
“I’ll leave you two alone so you can talk,” Brandon said. “Emily, I’ll talk to you later.”
“All right. Bye.” Emily didn’t want him to leave like this. It felt so unfinished. No talk of when they’d see each other again. No kiss. No hug. Only a simple goodbye as though the two of them were nothing but acquaintances. She led Stephanie back over to her front porch. “Do you want to come in?”
“I shouldn’t. I told Chris I’d be quick. He’s worried about us missing our flight, so I shouldn’t get too comfortable. I really came over to apologize to you. I was a real brat yesterday and I’m sorry.”
“I know you were stressed out. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. We’ve been through everything together and I shouldn’t have been so mean. Out of respect for you, I should’ve rescinded Jason’s invitation. That guy is such an ass. He and his new girlfriend were so gross yesterday and I’m sorry you had to see that. I should’ve kicked him out. It seems that there are a lot of things I should’ve done, but didn’t. Can you forgive me?”
Emily reached out and hugged her friend. “It’s fine, Steph. I forgive you and I appreciate you coming by.” Although she wasn’t expecting an apology, it was nice Stephanie felt one was warranted.
Stephanie pulled away and narrowed her eyes. “I think you need to do some talking here. This boyfriend of yours? What’s that all about?”
Emily shrugged. “It just sort of happened.”
“Are you rebounding? It seems really soon after Jason.”
“I don’t think it’s just a fling. My emotions are definitely in check here.” No, they weren’t, but telling Stephanie the truth of their relationship would lead to more questions. She couldn’t tell Stephanie she’d only talked Brandon into being her date for the wedding in order to make Jason jealous. Stephanie would tell Audrey, Audrey would tell someone else, and then on and on it would go until word somehow made its way to Jason.
Stephanie glanced down at her phone screen. “Shoot. I need to get going. We’re going to talk about this, you know.”
Emily nodded. If there was one thing Stephanie was good at, it was asking questions. But Brandon wasn’t the only one who needed time alone. Emily wanted time to figure out where she and Brandon should go from here.
Chapter 18
It’d been four days since Emily had last seen Brandon. Somehow, despite being next-door neighbors, they’d been able to avoid each other. She’d seen Ollie in the backyard from time to time, but Brandon had managed to stay out of view.
This morning, she’d wanted to go over and check on him. More than once she had to stop herself from marching across the front lawn and knocking on his door just so she could see his face. But he needed this time alone.
Emily had been there before…twice. And sometimes, despite people’s best intentions, their presence wasn’t welcome. Grieving was hard when your home was a revolving door for visitors. While her presence wouldn’t be as disruptive as what she’d been through, she would wait. He’d come to her when he was ready.
She hoped.
Right now, Brandon would have to be pushed to the side. Her attention was needed here in this room. Next to her, her clients Eileen and Katie Harris were seated and the buyers, a couple who had moved here from Illinois, were across the table with their agent. This deal hadn’t been easy. She’d worked hard to find the right buyer for this house and get her clients the money they deserved.
As Emily watched the closing check be distributed to her clients, she struggled to keep the grin off of her face. Her check was coming next. Her hard work was literally paying off and she never got tired of this moment. Making money was rewarding in itself, but it was all the better since she loved her work.
For many years she’d known she was going to be a real estate agent. Putting people in new homes and selling the ones that weren’t working for them anymore was a rewarding experience. Sure, she wasn’t saving lives with this job, but for some people, a new home was the start of a new life. She’d seen firsthand what a new home could do for
someone, like what it had done for her father.
When her father had dreaded coming home because each time he entered the house, the onslaught of memories was too much, he knew it was time for them to move. A new home had brought her father out of his shell and let him see there was a life worth living. He’d been able to be his whole self again and even found love with someone else. Granted, Emily wished he would’ve waited a bit longer on the love part, but she was glad not to see him sad anymore.
The closing concluded with a series of handshakes and small chatter before they broke up and walked outside to their respective cars.
“Emily, I can’t thank you enough for all of your hard work,” Eileen said as they walked together.
“I can’t believe it’s not going to be Grandpa and Grandma’s house anymore,” Katie said with a frown. “It’s a lot to process.”
“I know, honey, but it hasn’t been their house in a long time. It’s going to a great family and I think Emily found the right buyers,” Eileen said to her daughter.
Finding buyers for this home had been a struggle. With five acres, the upkeep had the potential to be costly and no one in town seemed interested. With no other leads, Emily had posted the listing on her social media page and after enough shares of her post, a young couple from Illinois scheduled a showing. They were in the process of moving to town and had fallen in love with the house. Emily enlisted the help of her fellow agent in Brookview to represent the couple.
“Moving on is always hard, but think of what the future holds for you,” Emily said.
Katie grinned. “You’re right. Speaking of the future, are you going to come to our wedding?” Katie and her husband-to-be, Trent, were getting married soon if all the local chatter was to be believed. Their romance had provided plenty of material for the local gossip hounds, although every time Emily witnessed the two of them together, they seemed perfect for each other.
But another wedding? Really? She’d barely survived the last one and asking Brandon two times in a row didn’t seem right. Then again, they had pretended to be boyfriend and girlfriend, so he kind of had to go. This town was too small to miss a detail like that.
Katie sensed Emily’s hesitation. “Come on. You have to come. You worked so hard for us, I’d love to treat you for the evening. Even if you only come to the reception, we’d love to have you.”
“When is it?” Emily asked.
“Next Saturday.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.” She didn’t want to go, but what else was she supposed to say? She had been put on the spot and maybe Katie had planned it that way. Checking the “no” box on an invitation was a lot easier than trying to refuse someone in person.
“Great! We’ll see you there. If you have any questions in the meantime, you have my number,” Katie said.
Sure, she had a question. How could she get out of this?
It’d been four days since Brandon had heard the news about his father. He’d been avoiding everyone and spent his days binge watching a comedy series on one of his streaming services. Because of his drastic change in viewing habits, he’d already received an email from the streaming service asking if he was okay. He wasn’t.
He shouldn’t care so much about his father’s condition. His father hadn’t spoken to him in almost half his life. That was a long time to be without a father figure. But this was different. This went beyond just being pissed and avoiding one another.
Death was final.
And would he really want his father to pass away without getting the chance to talk to him first? He’d at least like to tell his father how much his rejection had hurt him. How kicking him out of the house when what he’d wanted most of all was acceptance was a blow he couldn’t forget. And one he couldn’t forgive. He’d at least hear his father’s side of things, although Brandon wasn’t sure there was much to say there.
Brandon hadn’t lived up to his father’s expectations. He’d been experiencing crippling depression which led to his grades slipping. The chances of a football scholarship? Gone. Four-point-0 GPA? Forget it. He was lucky to have graduated.
His father had written him off. The prodigal son no more. But Julie had come through with her perfect grades and athletic skills. His father could be proud of at least one of his kids.
Besides his mother, who’d been caught in the middle, there was one person who had been a rock for Brandon: Mickey. Her house had been a refuge when he couldn’t face going home to his father’s disapproving glares and backhanded comments.
He needed to talk to her. Mickey had always given good advice before. This should be no different.
Brandon showered and got dressed, then let Ollie out to go to the bathroom. He drove to The Neighborhood, and by the time he got there, the parking lot was almost empty. It was after ten in the morning, which was later than most people in town ate breakfast and Thursdays weren’t usually busy anyway.
Brandon walked in and took a seat at one of the booths. Mickey spotted him and went over to greet him.
“Hey, Brandon. Glad to see you here. It’s been a while,” Mickey said.
“Yeah, it has. I’ve been dealing with some things.”
Mickey raised an eyebrow. “Does this have anything to do with your neighbor?”
Brandon shook his head. “No, that’s not it.”
“Then it’s your father. Am I right?”
“I found out some news a few days ago and I’ve been struggling to figure out what to do.”
“Your dad is sick. I’m told he doesn’t have long to live.”
“Wait. You knew?”
“Honey, there aren’t many people in this town who don’t know.”
“Why am I the last to know?”
“Well, you never asked and it’s not like you’ve been keeping tabs on him anyway.”
Brandon didn’t argue with this logic. He’d never once asked his mother how his father was doing after he moved out. “I was forced into having breakfast with him on Sunday.”
Mickey looked around the restaurant. “Hold on, I need to go check on my tables and I’ll be right back. While I’m gone, what can I get for you to eat?”
“Surprise me,” he said.
About ten minutes later, Mickey was back with a coffee cup, a fresh pot of coffee, and Brandon’s breakfast. He looked down at his plate and smiled. There were two eggs, two slices of bacon, and a separate plate of French toast.
“Is this your recipe?” he asked, pointing to the French toast.
Mickey slid into the booth so she was seated across from him. “I thought you could use it.”
Mickey’s French toast was legendary…at least to him and his friends. On weekends when they’d slept over, Mickey would make huge piles of French toast, and somehow, despite going through two loaves of bread, it never seemed like enough.
Brandon took his first bite. “It’s exactly like I remember,” he said, then followed it up with a few more bites.
Mickey smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Now that you’ve had a few bites to eat, let’s talk about what’s on your mind.”
“My dad is dying and wants to reconcile with me. I don’t know what I should do. I didn’t seem to matter much to him all those years, but now that his life is ending, I feel like I have to talk to him.”
“Are you ready to forgive him?”
“I don’t know. I guess what bothers me is that my hand is forced in all of this. I wanted more time to come to terms with being back. There’s a lot more for me to overcome here than just my dad. Brookview holds so many memories and not all of them good. I need time to adjust.”
“I know, but are you going to be able to live with yourself if you don’t give him the chance to apologize?”
“I’m not even certain he’s willing to apologize.”
Mickey shrugged. “That I can’t say. I do think you need to talk to him. At least hear him out. Then you can make your decision whether or not you want the relationship to continue.”
“I know that’
s what I need to do,” Brandon said with a sigh. “I’ve been wrestling with it for a few days now. Hearing it come from you solidifies it for me.”
“Glad I could be of service. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, tell me about your neighbor. I hear you two are seeing more of one another.”
“We’re neighbors. We see each other all the time,” he said with a grin. “How’s Garrett doing? You haven’t said much about him.”
“Nice job changing the topic, but Garrett is doing fine. I heard from him a few days ago. He was planning on coming to Trent and Katie’s wedding but wasn’t able to get the time off.”
Right. Trent and Katie’s wedding. In all this mess with his father, he’d completely forgotten that he had to write a best man’s speech. “Are you going to the wedding?”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Trent is like my own son. And that goes for you too,” Mickey said with her eyes on Brandon.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I think I spent more time at your house during my senior year than I did at my own home.”
Mickey laughed. “My grocery bill could definitely attest to that.”
Brandon pushed his plate away from him and got out his wallet. “I appreciate you talking to me this morning, but I think I’m going to head out and think about what I should do next.”
“Don’t worry about breakfast. This one’s on the house.”
“Thanks for that,” he said. He stood up from the booth and turned to leave.
“If you need someone to talk to after you get done at your parents’, you know where to find me,” Mickey said.
“I might take you up on that.”
Chapter 19
“You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was such a hottie. And finding it out from Stephanie? I can’t believe you didn’t say anything to me!”
Emily took in the sight of her friend Audrey standing on her front porch with one hand on her hip and the other holding a few shopping bags. She craned her head around to see if Brandon was within earshot. He wasn’t. In fact, his car wasn’t even in the driveway, which was odd since it hadn’t moved much all week. Yeah, she’d been watching and keeping tabs on him.
