A Brevia Beginning

by Michelle Major

  He shifted her onto her back once again. “Enthusiastic? You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  And for hours more, he proved to be a man of his word.

  * * *

  Scott whistled as he loaded cases of beer into the big refrigerator off the kitchen. It was midmorning and the bar was quiet, his favorite time to get work done.

  “Someone’s in a great mood today.”

  He turned to Jon Riley with a grin. “It could be because I just ran the numbers for last month. We’re doing better than I ever expected on revenue. I think that has a lot to do with your menu drawing in new customers. I appreciate everything you’ve done, Jon.”

  The older man shrugged, looking embarrassed to be singled out. “You’ve made some great changes here. My father would be happy to see his place thriving again.” Jon made a show of checking supplies in the food pantry. “But I’d guess your attitude has more to do with a certain tiny redhead.”

  Scott went back to stacking boxes. “We’re trying to keep it quiet, you know. She’s only here temporarily, but I’m the boss and I don’t want it to look...” No matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop the smile that played across his lips. “Truth is, I don’t care how it looks. She’s amazing.”

  “Everyone can see that you two belong together.”

  “The hell they do.”

  Scott’s back went stiff as he glanced to where Robert Preston stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

  “I assume you’re talking about my daughter,” Preston said through clenched teeth, “and I’m here to tell you she belongs back home with a man who is worthy of her. Not with some washed-up ex-combat soldier stuck in this town.”

  “Your daughter gets to make her own decisions now,” Scott argued. “You don’t own her anymore. You never really did.” He stepped toward the man. “You have no business here, Preston.”

  “I want to check on Lexi. Make sure she’s doing okay. I assume she’s ready to come back. If you’ve kept up your end of the bargain in making sure she knows what’s best for her.”

  “She told you she’d make her decision at the end of the month. You agreed to leave her alone until then.”

  Preston glanced around the kitchen, derision clear in his gaze. “If her choice is the life she left behind or this, I know what she’ll choose. I didn’t raise her to settle for someone like you. I can offer her safety, security and a guarantee that she’ll have a decent future.”

  Anger coursed through Scott. “Your problem is you underestimate her. Does the name Reid and Thompson mean anything to you?”

  “It’s a D.C. firm started by one of my old partners. So what?”

  “What if I told you Lexi had an interview with them?” She had said she wanted to keep her interviews quiet until she got an offer, but Scott knew she’d get hired and couldn’t help but gloat to her father. He enjoyed seeing Preston’s face turn blotchy.

  “You think you’re her only option, but what you forget is Lexi is a hell of an attorney in her own right. There are plenty of places that would be glad to hire someone with her talent. I’m not saying that I’m worthy of her. She’s better than either one of us deserves. Maybe now that she’s out from under your thumb she’ll have enough confidence to believe in herself.” He paused, then drove the final nail in the coffin. “Maybe you’ve already lost her.”

  Preston stalked toward him, looking as if he was ready for a fight. As much as he’d enjoy pummeling this man who’d caused Lexi so much pain, Scott wasn’t that stupid.

  “You think you know her so well.” Preston spit the words, his face only inches from Scott’s. “She needs me. I’m her only family and that means something to Lexi. She’ll come to her senses one way or another.” His mouth curved into a nasty grin. “And what about you? Hiding out here from your past. This isn’t what you want. You need to be where the action is. Do you really think it’s all going to work out so easily for you?”

  “Maybe this is enough for me.” Scott forced his voice to remain even. “You don’t know who I am.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Preston turned and walked from the room.

  Scott stood there, his fists clenched tightly. Robert Preston had hit the heart of Scott’s biggest fear. That he was going to mess up this chance he’d gotten at a new life, that the broken part of him would bubble to the surface and cause him to destroy the connections he’d built. That was why he’d chosen to be a loner in life. It was easier to take care of only himself, leaving less chance of collateral damage for the people around him.

  He may have been only a boy when his mother died, but he knew he was the one who’d driven her away, even as he’d wanted to save her. When he’d tried to show Sam that his fiancée was no good, Scott had ended up almost ruining his relationship with his brother. And he’d wanted to protect his partner to the point that he’d turned an unintentional blind eye to the drinking that had eventually killed Derek.

  He’d opened up to Lexi, let her into his life and heart because he’d believed it was a temporary arrangement. But he knew she wanted more from him, and he desperately wished he could give it to her. She filled the dark corners of his body and soul with her light. She’d become a lifeline back to the world for him, away from the isolation he’d lived with for so long. What would he risk if he fell for her completely? There was a good chance he would eventually hurt her. Scott wasn’t sure if he knew another way, despite his best intentions.

  Even if he couldn’t hold on to her, he knew for damn sure he wasn’t going to let her father reclaim her.

  “He’s intense,” Jon said, pulling Scott back to the present.

  “He’s like a poison to her,” he answered. “Toxic.”

  “Lexi certainly seems happier and more confident than when she first arrived.” Jon laughed softly. “She doesn’t drop glasses anymore.”

  Scott felt a smile play at his lips as he thought back to her first bumbling shifts at the bar. “This isn’t where she was meant to be, either. It’s just a short-term stopping point on her journey.”

  “What if the path leads to her father again?” Jon asked.

  “She can’t go back there.”

  “Maybe you should give her a reason to stay.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The bead of sweat that trickled between Lexi’s shoulder blades had nothing to do with the sun beaming through the clouds. The weather was growing colder, but this morning felt almost perfect. Leaves shimmered on the trees in the park and Freddy played with a pinecone, batting it around with his nose as she sank onto the park bench.

  She held her cell phone in her palm, still staring at it, unable to believe the conversation she’d just had. When the Human Resources department from one of the firms where she’d applied had called earlier this morning to tell her she hadn’t gotten the position, Lexi had been surprised but not too disappointed. She had several leads on open positions at reputable law firms. But after that first call, her phone had rung almost on cue every fifteen minutes, with all the openings suddenly drying up or the positions going to other applicants.

  The final call had come in from the senior partner at Reid and Thompson, her father’s former colleague, who’d informed her that they had no room for her at their law firm. When she’d questioned him about the reason, his answer had been cryptic, but he’d eventually suggested her best option might be to head back to Ohio to try to patch things up with her father.

  She dialed her dad’s private line now, the sinking feeling in her chest expanding as he answered on the first ring.

  “Are you ready to come home?” he asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

  “How did you know I was applying for other jobs? Are you having me followed?” She bit her lip as emotion threatened to overtake her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing how upset she was. “Why, Dad? Why sab
otage my chance at a fresh start?”

  “I want you here with me.”

  “I have to learn to live on my own.”

  “You’re all I have, Lexi.” She heard him draw in a breath, as if he was shocked he’d admitted that much to her.

  “I’m your daughter and I love you,” she whispered, willing him to accept her right to choose her own life. “Where I live won’t change that.”

  “You don’t belong there. Especially not with him.”

  “Are you talking about Scott?” She adjusted the phone in her hands, realizing her fingers were shaking. “Leave him out of this, Dad. He cares about me.”

  Her father barked out a bitter laugh. “Always so naive. That’s part of the reason you still need me. The man you think cares about you is the one who told me about your job prospects.”

  Lexi shivered from the ice that suddenly ran down her spine. “When did you talk to Scott?”

  “I paid another visit to Brevia and Riley’s Bar. Your boss was very interested in how I could help him return to his real life as a marshal. I still have quite a few contacts in the Justice Department, you know.”

  “What did you do, Dad?”

  “It’s time to come home, Lexi. Your little adventure is officially over.”

  She hung up, stunned to think that Scott would have betrayed her this way. He’d been encouraging her to apply to law firms in the region, bolstering her confidence and making her feel as if she could really contribute if given a chance. He still wouldn’t talk about a future with her, insisting she needed to worry about herself before she made any relationship a priority. But Lexi had continued to hold out hope that his feelings for her, or the ones she believed him to have, would be enough to make him realize their relationship was worth taking a chance on.

  Now any future they could have had together was ruined, so much collateral damage—just like her heart. She knew he didn’t love her; he couldn’t with what he’d done. She also knew that as much as she loved him there wasn’t a way to repair this kind of betrayal.

  Still, she had to know why.

  Her hands were shaking as she started walking, Freddy trotting along at her side. She didn’t stop until she was in front of Riley’s Bar & Grill. Part of her wanted to keep going, to return to the apartment and pack as much as she could fit in her suitcase. She wanted to escape this place and the sad, desperate promise she’d believed it held for her.

  She couldn’t outrun her past, couldn’t pretend it wasn’t waiting to swallow her again. She’d gotten what she came for—adventure and a taste of freedom. But now that was done and nothing could change the future she’d tried so hard to avoid.

  Scott stood behind the bar, his full attention captured by whatever he was reading. He looked up as she walked through the door, tenderness shining in his eyes. Their light made her heart break even further, creating a wide chasm so painful she clutched a hand to her chest to tamp down some of the pain.

  It didn’t work. Nothing could lessen the hurt she felt. Nothing but the truth.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” he said, coming around the bar. “The Marshals office has reinstated me. Apparently, their investigation has been satisfied without my review.” He reached for her, but she stepped away. Freddy, traitorous canine, wiggled at Scott’s feet.

  “Was it worth it?” Her throat was so dry the words came out as croak.

  “Hell, yes, it was worth it.” His smile brightened and he crouched down to pet Freddy. “I didn’t have to rat out my partner. I didn’t ruin his family. I’m in the clear.”

  His words were another blow, so much like a punch to the gut that she bent forward with the force of it.

  “Lexi, what is it? Come sit down.”

  “Don’t touch me,” she said with a painful hiss of breath when he tried to gather her close. “You ruined me. You destroyed us. And you’re telling me it was worth it?” She shook her head. “You’re no different than my father. I thought—”

  “What are you talking about?”

  How could he look at her as if he gave a damn? Her pain turned to anger, which gave her the strength she needed to straighten her shoulders. “You told my father about my job applications. He came to see you and you gave him the information he needed to ruin my chances at being hired on at any of the firms where I’d applied.”

  Scott looked confused for a moment, then shook his head. “No. I mean, yes. He showed up here and I told him that you weren’t coming back, that you were going to find your own way in life. It wasn’t so that he could interfere.”

  “But he did,” she said, her voice cracking. “I told you he would. I asked you not to say anything until I had everything settled. He’s basically blackballed me in the legal community. I guess I could get in my car and drive to California. That sounds like a great option, right?”

  “I didn’t—”

  “And now you’ve been reinstated. Do you think that’s a coincidence, Scott? According to the conversation I just had with my dad, it isn’t. He said he offered you a deal—help limit my options and he’d use his contacts at the Justice Department to have your review abandoned. I guess you both got what you wanted.” She drew herself up and asked, “So tell me again, was it worth it?”

  “It was a mistake, Lexi.” Scott ran his hand through his hair, a gesture so familiar to her now it made pain slice through her once more. “You have to believe that.”

  “Was it?” she countered. “You’ve told me over and over how you sabotage your own life. You destroy the connections you have with people.”

  “Not you—”

  “You’re a coward.” She wanted the words to hurt him. She needed him to feel some of the same pain she did, as if she could hold on to him with any kind of desperate connection.

  “Excuse me?” He said the words through clenched teeth.

  “I got too close. I think your feelings for me scared the hell out of you and you dealt with them the only way you know how—by pushing me away. Guess what? It worked. I’ve had a great time, but some things weren’t meant to be. I’m not a fighter by nature. I don’t want to spend my whole life looking over my shoulder, waiting for the next time my father sticks his nose in my affairs. I’m stronger than I was when I left, and I can go back now, hopefully on my own terms.”

  She raised her chin, biting down on her lower lip to keep it from trembling. “Tell me I’m wrong.” She tried not to let her voice sound as if she was pleading with him. “Tell me there’s another way.”

  For a moment, the pain in his eyes matched her own. He looked as miserable as she felt. She knew that if he reached for her now, told her he loved her and they would figure out another way, she’d believe him. If he could be honest, they might work through this.

  But he didn’t give her that chance.

  He took a step toward her, then stopped. His eyes closed for a second and when he looked at her again, the mask was back in place. The man who cared only about himself had returned. Lexi wondered if he’d ever really left in the first place.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he told her, his quiet voice a knife across her soul. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Lexi, but we both knew it was inevitable. That’s the guy I am. It’s who I’ve always been. Maybe you are better back with your father. At least he’s an enemy you know.”

  “And you’ll leave Brevia? Leave behind everything you’ve built here to go back to the Marshals?”

  He bit out a harsh laugh. “What have I really done here? I’ve put a shine on a two-bit bar. Come on, that’s no future.”

  “It’s more than that and you know it. It’s your family, the friends you’ve made in this community. Riley’s Bar & Grill is a part of the town because of you. You’ve made a difference. How can you turn your back on that?”

  “The town will go on without me. Sam a
nd my dad will do just fine. They were doing fine when I came back into their lives, and it won’t take much for things to return to normal.”

  She wanted to turn and walk away, but something inside her made her keep pushing. “What about you, Scott? What about your pain? Being in Brevia has healed what was broken inside of you. I know that it has.”

  “When are you going to get it? It’s not a piece of me that’s damaged. It’s the whole thing. I’m broken and there’s no fixing it.” He paced back and forth in front of her. “I can get on with my life.” He stopped, pressed his lips together, then said, “We both can. This was a fun ride while it lasted. You got the adventure you wanted and I had a distraction while I was waiting for things to work out. But it’s not real. It never was.”

  The unexpected rush of sorrow almost brought her to her knees. Wasn’t she repeating the same mistakes she’d made with her father? She’d tried to guess what Scott wanted from her. Attempted to meet his expectations without ever knowing what they truly were. She’d hoped their relationship meant something to him, but was too afraid of being rejected to share her feelings. And now when things were difficult, when she wasn’t making it easy on him, he shut her out. Just as her dad had done.

  She shook her head, not bothering to wipe away the tears that streamed down her face. “It was real for me,” she whispered.

  Scott’s eyes narrowed and she thought he might respond, believed she might have finally found a crack in his armor. But when he said nothing, she finally turned and walked away.

  Forever.

  * * *

  The bar was loud and crowded several hours later. It was a Friday night, and in the few short weeks he’d been in Brevia, Riley’s Bar had become a favorite hangout for locals and tourists alike. Scott surveyed the room, knowing he should feel pride in what he’d accomplished. All he could see was how he’d ruined things once again.

  He poured a round of shots for a group near the front celebrating someone’s promotion, then added an extra glass for himself. He hadn’t taken a drink of hard liquor since the night he’d moved in with Lexi. The bourbon burned his throat, but nothing could burn away the memory of Lexi’s tortured face as he’d watched her heart break in front of him.