by Marie Force
“Which one would you have killed first?” she asked with a grin.
“Him.”
“Why not her? She was the one you were married to.”
“Because he was screwing me twice over by screwing her.”
“I can’t believe you had to see them together that way.” She shuddered. “That had to be the worst.”
“Took a long time to scrub those images from my mind.”
The waitress returned to take their plates, handed a key for a room upstairs to Brianna and asked if they were interested in more drinks or dessert.
“Since I don’t have to drive, I’ll have another,” Noah said. “Anything for you, Brianna?”
“I’ll have one more, too. And I wouldn’t mind seeing the dessert menu.”
“Coming right up,” the waitress said. “The band is here until midnight.” She moved on to tend to other tables.
Brianna looked at him through thick lashes. “I just want to say… I didn’t expect to talk to you like this, and it’s been nice. Thanks for listening to my tale of woe.”
“Likewise and thank you for listening to mine. It’s strangely cathartic to meet someone who’s been through something similar, although yours was much worse. At least my ex didn’t also ruin me financially.”
“You’re lucky.”
The waitress brought their drinks and the dessert menu. When Brianna didn’t see anything that tempted her, the waitress placed the check on the table.
Noah handed her the coupon Mrs. H had given him and his credit card.
“Let’s split it,” Brianna said.
“No worries. I’ve got it. And I was going to say that I already owned my house and my business when she came along, so my brother, the attorney, strongly suggested a prenup. I was so pissed with him for thinking I’d need that.” Noah smiled at the irony. “He said, ‘You just never know what’s going to happen, and you have assets to protect.’ Thank God I listened to him.”
“You dodged a second bullet with that.”
“No kidding. I probably ought to thank Grayson for that one of these days.”
“You really should. He saved you an even bigger headache than you already had.”
“It’s funny… I hated having to tell her that my brother was recommending a prenup. I thought that was a shitty way for her to start with my family. But she said she understood he was protecting me and signed it without another word about it. In the end, it was no big deal between her and me, but it sure saved my ass when shit went sideways.”
“Jeez, no kidding, huh? Imagine having her as your partner in the business after what she did.”
Noah cringed as he laughed. “Thanks for putting that thought in my head.”
“Sorry.”
“I feel like I’ve had three years’ worth of therapy over one dinner,” Noah said. “Thanks for that.”
“I’d say it was my pleasure, but I sure hate to hear that anyone else has had a similar thing happen. I’ve found it helps to talk about it, though. Keeping it all bottled up inside isn’t healthy. I don’t want to hold on to all that shit.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. My MO has been to keep it all to myself, if for no other reason than it was so freaking embarrassing. My wife and my best friend-slash-top employee? Seriously? Like was there no one else for her to screw? It had to be him?”
“That makes it so much worse than it would’ve been if it had just screwed up your marriage.”
“So much worse.”
“If you want to move on from it, you should tell people what happened. You’re not the villain in that story, Noah. Someone did this to you. No need to suffer in silence over it. The longer you do that, the longer the two of them get a pass with the people in your life.”
“That’s true. If my sisters ran into her somewhere, they’d probably be glad to see her. They liked her.”
“Yeah, you need to tell them what she did. She doesn’t deserve to be treated well by anyone in your life.”
“How much do you charge for this advice?”
“Free of charge in exchange for some baked beans and coleslaw.”
“Don’t forget the cornbread and vodka.”
“Ah, yes, that, too.”
“Not to mention deluxe accommodations at the Pig’s Belly Tavern.”
“And for this, I went to medical school.”
“Did you?” he asked, stunned.
She cracked up. “No, I was just rolling with the shrink thing.”
As Noah laughed—again—he realized he’d done that more in the last couple of hours than he had in years. He’d lost his sense of humor along with his best friend, his wife and the life he’d thought he was going to have with them both by his side. “Enough of this depressing shit. Let’s go dance.”
Chapter Six
“Being hurt by someone you truly care about leaves a hole in your heart that only love can fill.”
—George Bernard Shaw
They danced until the band quit at midnight. Brianna hadn’t had that much fun in more than a year. She was sweaty and disheveled and possibly drunk after that devil Noah kept the drinks coming while they danced. This evening had turned out much differently than she’d expected when she set out to dine with the man who’d been such a thorn in her side for weeks now.
It turned out he wasn’t mean, just wounded. Brianna certainly understood how the kind of heartache they’d both endured could turn someone into a moody asshole. She could only hope they’d had a breakthrough tonight, and things would be better on the job.
The dancing had served a secondary purpose of postponing their stay upstairs until the last possible minute. As the band packed up, Brianna sat with Noah at the table that had been their home base and finished the last of her latest drink. She’d lost track of how many she’d had and would pay for that in the morning.
Whatever.
It’d been worth it to have fun again.
In a year full of abject misery and heartbreak, the word fun had been a long way from her vocabulary. Something about sharing their experiences had given them the liberty to cut loose and enjoy themselves.
Brianna had polished off the last of her drink when a loud burp came from somewhere deep inside and had everyone still in the room looking at her.
She covered her mouth as her face heated with embarrassment. “‘Scuse me.”
Noah laughed harder than he had all night.
“Stop! It’s not funny.” She hiccupped on the word funny, which made him laugh some more.
“We should get you upstairs before you fall over.”
The hiccups intensified until they were coming one right after the other.
Smiling, Noah stood to offer her a hand up.
She took hold of his hand and let him haul her to her feet. The second she was upright, the whole world seemed to tilt, which had her reaching for him to keep from falling.
He put his arm around her. “Easy. I’ve got you.”
“I’m not much of a drinker.”
“You don’t say?”
“Stop making fun of me.”
“I’m not!”
“You are, too!”
His low chuckle was confirmation that he was, in fact, making fun of her. He half walked, half carried her up the stairs to room four. Using the key the waitress had given them, Noah somehow managed to keep her upright while unlocking the door. After they staggered into the room, Noah got her to the bed and waited for her to sit before releasing her.
Brianna promptly slid right off the bed onto the floor, where she lost it laughing and hiccupping. She laughed so hard, she feared she might wet her pants. Wouldn’t that be the kicker?
Noah offered her both his hands. “Let’s try this again.”
Brianna wasn’t sure why she pulled on them, but he fell almost on top of her, setting off another round of hilarious laughter.
He just barely missed landing right on top of her.
Pity.
“Are you trying to kill us
both?”
Hiccup. “Nope.”
He rose to his knees and looked at her with amusement in his lovely eyes. Had she ever noticed how gorgeous his eyes were? Probably not, because she’d been too busy being furious with him most of the time.
“You have lovely eyes.”
He rolled them. “Thank you. Now, do you want to sleep on the floor, or would you prefer the big comfy bed?”
“Bed.” Hiccup. Giggle. “Please.”
Standing, he offered only one hand this time and helped her to her feet, grabbing her with the other hand when she swayed.
“I gotta pee.”
“Awesome. Let’s go.” He perp-walked her to the bathroom. “If I let you go in there by yourself, you’re not going to fall and crack your head open on the sink or anything, are you?”
Hiccup. “Try not to.”
“Do that, since there’s no way to get to a hospital in this snow.” He released her at the door and waited until she’d crossed the bigger-than-expected bathroom to get to the toilet. “Closing the door now. Do not fall.”
She smiled and waved her fingers at him. “K.”
Fortunately, she had enough sense to heed his concern about not being able to get to the hospital if she hurt herself and managed to take care of business without falling. Out of curiosity, she looked inside the closet and was shocked to find a wide variety of sex toys, lube and condoms along with combs, toothpaste and toothbrushes. The Pig’s Belly was full of surprises.
When she opened the bathroom door, he stood with his arms propped above his head on the doorframe. He’d removed his sweater, leaving him only in a thermal Henley that displayed his considerable muscles.
Yum.
“All set?”
The sight of him waiting there for her did something to her insides, making her feel even more light-headed than she already was.
He offered his arm and escorted her to the king-size bed. When she sat on the edge, he stood by to grab her if she slid off again. “Sit back. I’ll help you get your boots off.”
Brianna leaned back on her elbows so she could watch him as he untied and removed first one boot and then the other. A wave of heat came over her as she watched him concentrate on the task, the muscles in his arms and shoulders flexing under the Henley. Had she ever noticed before how seriously ripped he was? No, not really. He wore tons of clothes to stay warm at work, so how would she know?
“I’ll crash on the sofa.”
“The bed is huge. You can sleep on the other side.” Hiccup. “I’ll try to resist mauling you in your sleep.”
“You’re funny when you’re drunk.” He sat in a chair to remove his boots. “I never would’ve suspected that.”
“Why, because I’m such a professional on the job?”
After a long pause, he said, “Something like that.”
“I think it’s safe to say a lot of things about this evening have been surprising.”
Noah put the safety lock on the door before he stretched out on the far side of the big bed. “Lots of surprises all around. Like this room, for example. It’s way nicer than I would’ve expected from the Pig’s Belly.”
“There’s stuff in the closet,” Brianna said in a scandalized whisper.
“What kind of stuff?”
“Toys.”
“Like Legos?”
She snorted with laughter that only intensified her hiccups. “No!”
“Oh, those kinds of toys. This I need to see.” He got up and went into the bathroom, closing the door to use the facilities before opening it again so she could hear his comments about the items in the closet. “Holy cow. They aren’t messing around.”
“Don’t you mean holy pig?”
“I guess I do,” he said on a low chuckle.
“I had no idea I was missing out by being a vegetarian. They don’t have this stuff at the vegetarian restaurants.”
Noah came back to the bed and lay down again. “I’m trying to picture my buttoned-down cousin Hunter finding that stuff in the closet. That must’ve been funny.”
Brianna was suddenly so sleepy, she could barely keep her eyes open, but she didn’t want this night to end. Once they returned to Butler, would the magical bubble surrounding them burst? Would they go back to normal, fighting all the time? She was tired of fighting with him over stupid shit that didn’t matter. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”
“I don’t want that either.” He looked over at her. “I really am sorry if I made you feel unwelcome in Butler. I wasn’t raised like that.”
Smiling, she said, “How were you raised?”
“To be nice to the flatlanders who come up to our mountains to visit.”
“Is that what I am? A flatlander?”
“If you’re not a native Vermonter, then yes, that’s what you are.”
Brianna yawned and then hiccupped again.
“Try holding your breath.”
She took a deep breath and held it.
“Push out from your diaphragm.” He gestured to his abdomen to show her what he meant. “Don’t let it go until you can’t hold it any longer.”
Brianna held her breath until she had stars in her eyes and then released it slowly. “I think you cured me.”
“Hope so.”
An extended period of silence ended with another loud hiccup that made them laugh.
“Try holding your breath again.”
Brianna repeated the ritual several more times before it seemed that she’d beaten the hiccups. “I’m not cut out for this drinking stuff.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“I had the best time that I’ve had in ages.”
“Then it was worth the hiccups.”
Brianna looked over at him. “Did you have fun, too?”
“I did,” he said, “and I never have fun.”
She turned on her side to face him, hands under her face. “That’s sad. You’re too young to have given up on fun.”
“It seemed easier that way.”
“To me, it sounds lonely.”
“Maybe a little, but nothing I can’t handle. I’ve got a huge family all around me. I can be with people any time I want to be.”
“How often do you hang out with them?”
“Not very.”
“Noah… Why would you let two people who aren’t worth it do that to you?”
“Do what?”
“Turn you into a recluse?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to answer questions about what happened to my marriage, so I fell into the habit of avoiding everyone.”
“Did you ever consider just telling everyone so you could move past it?”
“Nope, because that’d require me to talk about it, and that’s the last thing I want to do.”
“You talked about it with me.”
“That’s different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know you that well. You didn’t know my ex or us together, and you’ve been through something similar. All of that made it easier for me to talk to you about it.”
“I’m glad you talked to me. My therapist has helped me to see that none of what happened was my fault. That’s true for you, too.”
“I figure it must’ve been partly my fault if she wanted to sleep with someone else.”
“That’s on her, not you. If something wasn’t right for her with you, all she had to do was tell you, and you could’ve tried to work it out. What she did was evil on several levels.” She closed her eyes, just for a second, and immediately regretted it when the room started spinning. “Ugh, room spins.”
Noah moved closer to her. “Hang on to me. That’ll stop the spinning.”
She glanced up at him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s better than puking in the bed.”
“That’s very true. Okay, here goes.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and tried closing her eyes again. The room tilt was less severe than it had been before.
> “Breathe through the spins.”
“You seem to have some rather significant experience with room spins.”
“A little. The bottle was my friend after my life imploded.”
“You’re lucky you could find that oblivion. I couldn’t keep anything down for months. I survived on water and soup. Lost twenty pounds, so that was the good news.”
“You don’t have twenty pounds to lose.”
Since the spinning had stopped because she held on to him, she kept her eyes closed. “I did then. I still have trouble eating sometimes. I get this lump in my throat that won’t let anything by.” She took a deep breath and released it, hoping she wasn’t killing him with booze fumes. “Do you ever miss her? The person she was before she did what she did to you?”
“Sometimes, and I hate that.”
“Me, too. I find myself yearning for the life I had before I found out the truth, even though now I know it was all lies. He never loved me. He’s not capable of loving anyone but himself. I think that was the hardest thing to accept.”
“He didn’t deserve you.”
“No, he didn’t.”
That was the last thing she said before she fell asleep, still clinging to him.
She had an adorable little snore that made him smile as he listened to the rhythmic sound of her breathing.
He wanted to laugh at how this evening had unfolded. He’d gone from dreading the outing to sleeping next to Brianna, with her holding on to him for dear life. In addition to her adorable snore, she was also a cute drunk.
Noah also couldn’t help but notice he felt strangely lighter after confiding in her about the most painful event in his life. The breakup of his marriage had made his father leaving the family look simple by comparison, when it was anything but.
He was awake for a long time, picking over the things they’d talked about and wondering if maybe she was right. He’d allowed what his wife and former friend had done to make him into a cranky recluse who avoided interactions with other people as much as he possibly could—even the people closest to him.
Take the way his mother had cornered him first thing in the morning, wanting to lay eyes on him for the first time in weeks when they lived on the same street. He took care of shoveling her snow, but he rarely stopped in to say hello to her. That needed to change. None of the shit that’d happened to him was her fault, and after everything she’d done for him and his siblings, he owed her better than what she’d gotten from him the last few years.
