Something to Prove

by Shannyn Schroeder

“We’re waiting on the order of shoes. The floor guys are coming tomorrow. So maybe later in the week? I’ll talk with Elizabeth and see what her plan is. She always has a plan.”

  “How is she? You said you had to pick her up from the hospital. Did something happen?”

  He shook his head. Elizabeth would freak if everyone knew her business. “No. She was sick, but she’ll be back in a couple of days.”

  He followed Bianca out and locked up. She had agreed to come back and supervise the floors getting done during the day, so all Colin had to do was show up and let them in. Since the locks had been changed, he didn’t want too many people having access.

  The thought brought him back to the damage yesterday. Had it really only been a day? His body felt like many more than twenty-four hours had passed. Sitting at Elizabeth’s desk, he put his feet up as he had seen her do many times. The position was surprisingly comfortable.

  He leaned back and closed his eyes. Just as his mind began to turn off, his phone rang. He jolted up. No, not his phone, the business line.

  “Hello, Brannigan’s Sports Bar.”

  “May I speak with Elizabeth Brannigan, please?”

  “She’s unavailable right now. I’m her partner, Colin. Is there something I can help you with?”

  A throat cleared on the other end. “Partner? This is her brother, Keith. Do you know when she might be available? She’s not answering her cell phone.”

  Shit. He had to think fast. After what Elizabeth had told him this afternoon about her family, he knew he’d just stuck his foot in his mouth. “Uh . . . I’m not expecting her to be in until tomorrow. Can I take a message?”

  He didn’t want to have to deliver a message. He didn’t want to admit to Elizabeth that he’d told her brother they were partners.

  “No. I’ll call her tomorrow.”

  Keith hung up, leaving Colin feeling slightly relieved.

  Elizabeth caved and spent an extra day in bed, catching up on sleep and eating mushy food. Colin managed to both keep an eye on her and run their business. For the first time in weeks, she’d been able to relax.

  Now, though, she needed to get back to work. She had to check on the progress of the bowling alley and figure out a plan for the grand reopening. She also had to nag the insurance company about getting her a check for the damages after the break-in. Colin wouldn’t let her pay him back out of her own pocket, but she knew he couldn’t afford to foot the bill for everything he’d replaced while she’d been sick.

  Dressed in her new business attire of jeans and a T-shirt, she felt comfortable. Colin had already left; he’d been keeping longer hours than she did. She packed her meager possessions and locked up his apartment. Continuing to stay when they hadn’t been sleeping together sent the wrong message, no matter how easy it felt. She didn’t want to assume she belonged living in his space. She was better and should get back to her own life.

  Colin had left her car parked in the same spot when they came from the hospital. After not driving for three days, the car felt awkward, but it only lasted a moment. She relaxed her body and drove to the bar. She parked on the bowling alley side and went to check on the progress there. The door was propped open, allowing a breeze to blow through. Her eyes adjusted to the dim interior and she looked around. The place looked clean if not inviting.

  “Hello?” she called out, hoping Bianca and Colin hadn’t left the place unattended.

  Bianca shot up from behind the counter. “Elizabeth. Hi. Colin said you were going to be out for a few more days.”

  Elizabeth figured that was what Colin had hoped. “No, I’m back. Where are we with getting this place going?”

  Bianca held up a shoe. “Shoes just arrived, so I’m organizing back here. Computer systems are up and running beautifully. Floor guys are coming out to wax later today, so we won’t be able to do anything for another day or so until they’re done.”

  Elizabeth stared and barely prevented her jaw from dropping. She’d expected everything to come to a halt while she’d been out.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “N-no,” Elizabeth stammered. “Good job. It looks like Colin definitely hired the right person.”

  Bianca beamed. “Thanks.”

  Loud pounding and thunking against the wall stopped both of them.

  “What is that?” Elizabeth asked.

  Bianca shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it’s Colin.”

  A moment later, a sledgehammer broke through the wall behind what used to be a bar of some kind.

  “What the hell?” Elizabeth edged closer.

  Two more smacks and Colin’s face poked through the hole. His wide, silly grin filled the space, and her heart gave a little jump.

  “Ha! I knew it,” he said.

  “Knew what exactly?” she asked, trying to muster the anger she knew she should feel.

  His face twitched. “Elizabeth? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to . . . Hold on. I’m coming around.”

  She crossed her arms and readied for a fight. At the moment she wasn’t quite sure which fight would happen first: the one where she argued the necessity of her presence or the one about him busting a hole in the wall.

  As Colin strode through the door, she turned to Bianca. “Why don’t you take your lunch break? I think Colin and I have some things to discuss.”

  Bianca’s eyes widened, but she nodded and hurried out the door.

  The happy grin on Colin’s face had been replaced with grim irritation. Maybe even anger. Like he had a reason to be mad? He was the one who’d just put a hole through her wall.

  “What are you doing here?” they both asked simultaneously.

  Elizabeth’s jaw clenched. “I’m here to work. I’m trying to build and run a business, not tear it apart.”

  “No, I mean why are you here now? You’re supposed to be recuperating.”

  “I’m fine. The doctor said I could’ve returned to work yesterday, but I didn’t want to deal with your nagging. Now, please explain why you’re busting a hole in the wall.”

  Concern shadowed his face. “We knew the two businesses shared the basement, but I figured that there had to be more than one way to connect them. I couldn’t imagine them running as two completely separate businesses. After poking around in the storeroom, I noticed that one wall seemed newer than the rest.”

  He stared at her like that explained the hole.

  He smiled and grabbed her elbow to lead her to the wall. “When they closed up the bowling alley, they threw up a sheet of drywall on each side. These spaces are supposed to be connected. That’s why our storeroom is so small. It’s not a storeroom; it’s a small kitchen. There’s a gas line for a stove and a hookup for an exhaust fan.”

  “Why is this important? We have enough work to do.”

  “Don’t you get it? We can really increase our profits if we can offer food. Both the bar and the alley would share the same kitchen. It encourages people to stay longer if they can have a meal. Nothing fancy. I’m thinking burgers, wings, and nachos. Maybe hot dogs for kids.”

  His excitement was infectious as usual, but she grasped at rational thought. “First, we agreed a long time ago that all decisions were supposed to go through me. Second, adding a restaurant, even small scale, is a huge headache. We have to get permits and inspections and then hire more people in the hope that it will increase business.”

  “How many bars have you gone to that don’t offer food?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I know I’m supposed to talk to you first, but I got excited and broke through. Even if you don’t want to offer a food menu, connecting the two businesses is the right move.”

  She waved a hand at him, knowing his argument made sense. “Whatever. How long until you get the wall fixed?”

  “That’s a day’s worth of work. Then we can walk from one side to the other.”

  “Fine. Before you do anything else, we need to check into permits and inspections. I can’t afford to be shut down over something stupid
.” She walked behind the counter and picked up where Bianca had left off organizing the shoes.

  He followed her, and she could smell sweat and man combined with dust from the wall. What should’ve had her wrinkling her nose made her want to step closer.

  “Go back to my place and get some rest. We have this handled.” His palm landed on her hip.

  When she brushed it aside, his print left a mark on her jeans like she’d been branded. She didn’t tell him she’d taken her things from his apartment. She certainly didn’t need a babysitter. “I need to keep working. This is too much for you to do alone, and every day I’m gone slows things down.”

  Slows down her return to Florida.

  The words were unspoken but hung between them.

  She hefted shoes from the box and placed them in cubbies according to size. “I’ll call Keith and ask him about the food issue. He’d have the background on it, even if it has been years.”

  Something flashed across Colin’s face, and his gaze darted back to the hole in the wall.

  She ignored the nagging feeling his look gave her and stacked more shoes. “Have you heard from the police at all?”

  “Yeah. They don’t have any leads, but whoever broke in didn’t really break in. He came in through the bowling alley and came up through the basement. They need to know who might’ve had access to keys for the bowling alley.”

  This was all her fault. She hadn’t thought to change the locks on the bowling alley. She’d been so overwhelmed and distracted. Well, no more. “I’ll check with Keith and see if he has any clue, but it’s probably hopeless, given that the place had been pretty much abandoned for years.”

  Tension curled in her stomach. So much for trying to stay calm and let the medicine do its work.

  As if sensing her discomfort, Colin moved close again. “Go home and rest. We can handle this.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  She sounded like a bitch and she knew it. He didn’t deserve it, especially after he’d gone out of his way to take care of her and the business. She looked up into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just not myself yet.”

  “Bossy is who you are. Since when do you apologize for it?” He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss.

  She melted against him, tension unfurling and disappearing. This man was too good. She didn’t even want to push him away, which told her she was getting in too deep.

  He pulled away and she forced herself to focus.

  “Better?”

  Damn him. He knew she was, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

  He smirked when she didn’t answer.

  “So what’s with Highlander?”

  The change in subject threw her. “Huh?”

  “For the last two nights Highlander was cued up to watch on my TV.” He was studying her face, making her uncomfortable.

  “I like it. I used to watch it with Keith. It kind of became our credo.” Again, she faltered under his scrutiny and talked more than she preferred, but she knew Colin would expect more explanation. “From the time I was in high school, Keith and I have been in competition. At first Dad thought it would just push us to better ourselves, but it became more.”

  She couldn’t talk about how ugly it had gotten, especially with her ex-boyfriend Matt in the mix, or why they no longer went head to head.

  “So you chase each other around with swords trying to chop off each other’s head?”

  “Not quite. We just did whatever we had to in order to be the best.”

  She finished unpacking the shoes under Colin’s vigilant eyes. How was she supposed to work with him watching her every move? “Don’t you have a wall to fix?”

  “It’ll keep for a while. How about a game?”

  “What?”

  “Wanna bowl?”

  “The lanes aren’t ready. And even if they were, we’re supposed to be working.”

  “A little fun won’t kill you. The floors will withstand a couple of frames. Come on. Let’s bowl. What’s the point of having a place like this if you can’t enjoy it?”

  She stared at him. He’d been so responsible and together that she’d almost forgotten this side of him and she’d missed it. She surprised them both by saying, “Okay.”

  She tossed him a pair of shoes and grabbed her own. He pulled her to the rows of balls. She picked a green marbled one and he chose hot pink, drawing another smile from her. While she laced up the shoes, he turned on the lane and entered their names. ELIZABETH stared at her from the monitor, stiff and formal. She wished she were here with Janie because then, for at least a little while, she could be Libby.

  Screw it. Why couldn’t she be Libby with Colin?

  While he put on his shoes, she changed her name. Nervousness skittered through her as soon as she hit Enter.

  “Libby?”

  The way he spoke the name was even better than when he said the full version. It was so personal, it should’ve bothered her, but it didn’t.

  “Yeah. I figured if we’re going to act like a couple of irresponsible kids, I might as well go back to being Libby.”

  He moved in on her again, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. “I like it. Who calls you Libby?”

  “No one. Except Janie and Lori. They refuse to use my full name.” Her answer came out a little breathless because he began nibbling on her ear and worked his way down to her collarbone.

  “Can I call you Libby?”

  So unfair to ask her now and he knew it. She was always at his mercy when his mouth was on her. “No.”

  “Please.”

  The whisper coasted along her skin. She smiled and pushed his shoulder to escape his touch. “You can call me Libby whenever we bowl.”

  He tugged her back and whispered in her ear. “And when we’re naked. I want to see Libby come.”

  He released her waist but pulled the rubber band from her hair.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Libby strikes me as the kind of woman who likes to let her hair down.” He picked up his ball and threw it down the lane. About halfway down, it slid into the gutter. “Practice frame,” he said when he turned around.

  “You’re only saying that because you suck. I’ll let you have your practice frame, but that’s it. No more do-overs.”

  “I suck? I haven’t bowled in years. I don’t think a practice frame is too much to ask.” His ball came up through the return. He picked it up and looked at her with a gleam in his eye. “How about we place a little wager on this game?”

  “Like what?”

  “If I win, you have to go back to my place and rest.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek and considered the possibility.

  “Naked,” he amended.

  The single word made parts of her pay attention. “And what do I get if I win?”

  “What do you want?”

  It was like he was daring her to say she wanted him naked. Which she did, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. “I win and you can’t mother me anymore. You have to trust me to take care of myself.”

  “Like you’ve done such a good job so far.”

  She ignored his jibe and thrust her hand out to shake. “Deal?”

  “Sure.” He held the ball in his left hand and shook her right hand, gripping a little tighter than necessary.

  Although he always appeared to not care about anything, she was suddenly seeing a competitive side to Colin, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  CHAPTER 14

  Bowling was a lot harder than he remembered. They were in the tenth frame and although he was ahead by eight pins, Libby could catch him. It was only fair to employ the same strategies she had. He whispered in her ear, “Nervous?”

  “Nope. I got this in the bag.”

  That’s what he was afraid of. He pushed her hair off her shoulder and placed a wet kiss on her neck. “Wouldn’t want you to get distracted.”

  She shivered and stepp
ed away to pick up her ball. She hoisted it and focused.

  “Naked sounds pretty good.”

  She stepped up and faltered. The ball slid into the gutter. “Stop cheating.”

  “I don’t cheat.”

  “You’re trying to distract me.”

  “Me? You groped me before I took my turn.”

  Her face reddened and she turned away. Her ball came back, and he sent up a little prayer. Before the ball reached the end of the lane, she turned away. “Shit.”

  Her curse was quiet, and he peered around her to see that the ball ran crooked. It knocked over four pins. Not enough to win.

  He tried not to smirk. “Good game.”

  “Whatever.”

  Talk about a sore loser.

  She put her ball back on the rack and sat down to change her shoes. He sat beside her and she edged away.

  He changed his shoes and watched her pull her hair back into place. Just like that, Libby was gone.

  An hour later, Colin wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn’t believe that he’d not only beat Elizabeth at bowling but that she’d honored their bet and left. She looked better, but not herself, regardless of what she thought.

  After sending her on her way, Colin checked in at the bar and closed himself in the small storeroom that would become the kitchen. Ever since they’d cleared out the basement, most of their inventory went there. With the door closed, Colin hoped the customers at the bar wouldn’t hear his noise.

  His sledgehammer slammed through the last bit of drywall and he smiled. Libby. He never would’ve guessed that she’d been a Libby. The simple switch to a nickname changed who she was. Libby was the girl dancing at the club. Libby was the woman who tried to pick him up for a one-night stand.

  The light went on in his head. Libby was the snorer. The obnoxious laugh and the clumsy behavior belonged to her.

  There was a lot to like about Libby.

  Knowing that she would probably try to find a loophole in their deal, he said he wouldn’t nag her if she went back to his apartment. She could make some phone calls, but then she had to nap.

  He worked until he had the wall opened up. Tomorrow he’d finish it so it would be a walkthrough. He taped plastic over the opening and let both Bianca and Mike know that he’d be back in few hours.