Escape With Me

by Kristen Proby

  I could go relieve my da and take care of the bar for the rest of the night. It’s not even ten o’clock.

  But I don’t.

  I promised myself a night off, and I’m going to take it.

  So, I climb the steps to my flat and sit on the couch. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I bring up Izzy’s number.

  Me: I’ll be there to pick you up at 8:00 a.m.

  I smile at the three bubbles bouncing on the screen as she types her reply.

  Izzy: I’ll be ready. Good night, handsome.

  Chapter 6

  ~Izzy~

  “Your brother is taking me out to breakfast,” I inform Maggie as I swing into the kitchen and pour myself a little glass of orange juice. “He should be here any minute.”

  “Fun.” She watches me speculatively.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing.” She shrugs and takes my glass to have a sip. “You didn’t tell me much about your date last night.”

  “And I probably won’t tell you much about it today.”

  She huffs out a breath and scowls. “You can trust me, you know.”

  “Oh, trust isn’t the issue. I had a good time. And I’m keeping the rest to myself for now. If I didn’t enjoy myself, I wouldn’t let him take me out for breakfast today.”

  “I guess that’s true,” she says as the doorbell rings.

  I hurry and open the door to find Keegan, hair damp from his shower, wearing a dark green T-shirt and faded blue jeans.

  My mouth waters.

  “Good morning,” he greets with a grin. “You look fantastic.”

  “As do you. I’m ready when you are.”

  “I want to go,” Maggie says as she joins us. “I’m hungry.”

  Keegan’s eyes narrow on his sister. I smile. I don’t mind if she joins us at all.

  “Come on, then,” he agrees, and the three of us climb into Keegan’s truck. He drives us to the edge of town to his favorite diner. Most of the tables are empty as we’re shown to a booth on the edge of the room. Keegan slides in next to me, and Maggie sits across from us.

  “You guys are cute together,” she says.

  “Are you going to be a jerk the whole time we’re here, or can you behave like a regular human being, Mary Margaret?”

  “I’m not a jerk, you jerk. I simply said you’re cute. And you are.”

  “What can I get you?” the waitress asks.

  “I’m going to have the breakfast tacos. To go,” Maggie adds. “I just came to torment my brother. Can you add extra salsa on the side and some hash browns? Oh, and a cinnamon roll.”

  “How many are you eating for?” Keegan asks.

  “You don’t have to leave,” I rush to assure Maggie.

  “I’m gonna walk over to Maeve’s and see what she’s up to. Really.”

  I order the pancakes, and Keegan gets his usual oatmeal. When the food is delivered, with Maggie’s bagged up and ready to go, she stands and offers me a smile.

  “In all seriousness, you are cute together. I like it. And don’t forget, we’re having lunch tomorrow with Maeve.”

  “Oh, I won’t forget. I’m excited.”

  Maggie grins and takes her food. Before she makes it out the door, a tall man approaches her.

  Maggie frowns.

  “Who’s that?” I ask Keegan.

  “Cameron,” he replies, watching them with narrowed eyes.

  “Who’s Cameron?”

  “Kane’s best friend. A friend of the whole family, really, as they’ve been close since they were small boys.”

  “He looks at Maggie like she hung the moon.” I watch in fascination as Maggie’s face turns mutinous, then shuts down altogether. She says something I can’t hear, then shakes her head and walks away.

  Cameron watches her with so much longing, it makes my heart hurt.

  “I wish they’d just admit that they’re meant for each other,” Keegan mutters.

  “Oh, he knows,” I assure him. “That poor man is in love with her. I think your sister’s being stubborn.”

  “She wouldn’t be Mary Margaret if she wasn’t being stubborn.” Keegan waves at Cameron as the other man walks across the room and stands next to our booth. “Good morning to you, mate.”

  “It was,” Cameron says with a sigh and glances back to where Maggie was. She’s now gone.

  “I didn’t know you were back in town,” Keegan interjects.

  “I’m here for a couple of weeks.” Cameron slides his hands into his back pockets. “I’d like to have a talk with you and Kane. Shawn, too, whenever you have time.”

  “We’ll make time,” Keegan says. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, nothing to worry about.” He glances down at me and smiles. “Sorry, I’m rude. Cameron.”

  He reaches out to shake my hand. “Izzy.”

  “Nice to meet you, Izzy.” He turns back to Keegan. “Just shoot me a text when you guys have a minute.”

  “You got it.”

  Cameron nods and then walks away. He picks up a to-go order from the long counter near the kitchen and then leaves the diner.

  “He seems nice.” I take a bite of my pancakes.

  “He’s the best. Like a brother to us.” Keegan shifts in the seat and rests his arm on the bench behind me, leaving his oatmeal untouched. “Do you want me to shift to the other side?”

  “No, this is cozy.” I grin up at him. His green eyes deepen as his gaze drops to my lips. I know he’s thinking about kissing me.

  I’ve thought of little else since the last time he did it last night.

  The man is an extraordinary kisser.

  But before his lips can descend on mine, the waitress appears. “Everything okay here?”

  “Yes,” Keegan says without looking at her. Instead of kissing me, here in front of the whole town, he turns and digs into his oatmeal.

  “What are your plans for today?” I ask him as I take another bite.

  “After we finish breakfast, I have to go to the pub for a delivery. I’ll be unpacking bottles until it’s time to open for the day.”

  “Do you want help?”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Well, I’m not asking to clock in, I’m asking if you’d like me to come give you a hand so we can hang out together and be productive at the same time.”

  “If you come help, you’ll clock in.”

  I roll my eyes and shrug a shoulder. “Fine. But if you’d rather not, that’s okay, too. I’m not forcing myself on you.”

  He laughs and pushes away his empty bowl. “Let’s try this again.”

  “Okay, do you want some help today?”

  “Sure, that would definitely be better than doing it alone.”

  “See, that wasn’t hard.”

  “Whoa.” We’re in the storeroom, staring at a mountain of boxes. “This is some delivery.”

  “Every week at this time.” He takes a box down from the top, his muscles straining with the effort, and my mouth goes dry.

  Dear Lord above, I’ve never seen anything like him before. The broad shoulders and defined arms are a sight to behold.

  It’s borderline ridiculous.

  “I’ll take the boxes out behind the bar and show you where to unload them, if you like.”

  “Sounds perfect.” I follow him out of the storeroom to the bar, and he sets the boxes down in front of where he wants them.

  “Beer bottles go in the cooler. I pull out the existing ones and put the new ones to the back, then the older ones in front.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “The extra liquor goes in the cabinet under here.”

  “Got it. Looks pretty self-explanatory.”

  “Now, I have one very important question, lass.”

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “What kind of music do you prefer? We can’t do this in silence, can we?”

  “No, that wouldn’t work at all. Hmm… I guess just regular pop music.”


  He pulls out his phone and taps the screen. A few seconds later, music comes through the speakers in the corners of the room.

  “Fancy.”

  “I like music,” he replies. “This is satellite radio. If the station starts to irritate you, just let me know.”

  As I unpack boxes, Keegan walks back and forth between the bar and the storeroom, carrying the bottles.

  “Why don’t you use a dolly?”

  “I don’t belong to a gym,” he says as he sets another heavy box down. “I don’t have the time. So, this is my exercise. I won’t bring them all out today, some will stay back there, and I’ll haul more throughout the week as I need them.”

  “Well, it works.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  I sit back on my haunches and blow a piece of hair out of my eyes. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your muscles are impressive.”

  “It’s my muscles you like, is it?”

  “They don’t hurt.”

  A slow song comes over the speakers, and Keegan holds his hand out for mine. “Let’s take a break.”

  “We just started.”

  “I’m the boss here, and I’m telling us to take a break.” He pulls me to my feet and leads me out to the small dance floor in front of the stage. He loops one arm around my back and holds the other against his chest as we sway back and forth to the music.

  I can’t help myself.

  I lean in and rest my cheek on his firm chest, giving in to the sway of our bodies and the gentle beat of the music as John Legend sings about you and I.

  Keegan’s heart beats strong beneath my ear.

  His lips are buried in my hair as he kisses my head.

  And with his arms and scent wrapped around me, I’m completely caught up in the moment, in this potent man.

  Could I be falling for him? Or am I just thrilled at the idea of being treated so nicely? Am I grateful that he took me in without a resume or a background check and came to my rescue?

  Or is it both?

  “I have a feeling you’re thinking way too hard about something,” he murmurs. He tips my chin up with his finger and lowers his lips toward mine.

  This kiss is different from any of the others. It’s lazy and slow, just like the song.

  His hand travels down my back to my butt. He clenches it there, and I lean into him harder.

  Suddenly, the door opens, and the moment is lost.

  “Whoops,” Shawn says with a grin. “Sorry, you two. I have to get a few things ready in the kitchen. Ma called, and she’s not feeling well this morning.”

  I brush my hands over my face as Keegan pulls back.

  “What’s wrong with Ma?” he asks.

  “She didn’t elaborate, just asked me to cover the kitchen today. It’s not a problem for me.”

  I clear my throat and walk back behind the bar to continue unloading boxes. “Good morning, Shawn.”

  “And good morning to you, Izzy.” He winks and walks into the kitchen.

  I blow out a long breath.

  The man sure can kiss.

  “We can’t drink much, we have to work tonight,” Maggie reminds Maeve as her sister pours us each a glass of wine.

  “I’m working tonight, too,” Maeve replies. “Keegan roped me into a shift. I don’t really mind.”

  “You haven’t been working at the pub much,” Maggie says as she takes her wine.

  “No. Thanks to Izzy here.” Maeve smiles at me. “Thanks for that, by the way. I’m able to take more evening appointments to show houses. You know, my actual job.”

  “I’ve always been so fascinated by real estate,” I say as I reach for a slice of pizza. We decided to meet at Maeve’s house for lunch so we could have quiet and would be able to chat without anyone else listening. “I love looking at houses.”

  “You and a lot of other people,” she says. “I can’t tell you how many calls I get from people just wanting to look at a house with no intention of actually buying it.”

  “I bet that happens a lot with the big, fancy houses,” I say.

  “If it’s over a million, I have a stipulation that I’ll only show to people who are pre-approved for a mortgage. That usually helps carve out the lookie-loos.”

  “Good idea.” I spear some lettuce with my fork and take a bite.

  “I don’t get to talk to you as often as Maggie does,” Maeve says and sips her wine. “So I’m just going to get to the point. What’s going on with you and Keegan? Shawn said he walked in on you two making out in the bar yesterday.”

  “What?” Maggie exclaims and stares at me in shock. “You don’t tell me anything!”

  “It was just a kiss,” I insist and feel my cheeks flush. “And I’m not used to confiding in people. As you could probably tell, my friends from before weren’t exactly good ones.”

  “Have any of them reached out to you?” Maeve asks.

  “Only one, to rub Troy’s trip to Aruba in my face.”

  “Bitches,” she mutters.

  “Well, you can confide in us. Or Stasia and Lexi. We won’t tell anyone anything you don’t want told,” Maggie insists.

  “I like him a lot,” I admit and stare down at my half-eaten slice of pepperoni pizza. “He’s sweet and thoughtful. He listens to me. And you may not want to hear this, but your brother can kiss.”

  “Ew.” Maggie scrunches up her nose. “TMI.”

  “Be careful there,” Maeve advises. “He’s definitely all of those things— Well, I wouldn’t know about the kissing, but you know what I mean. But he’s also very married to that pub.”

  “She’s right,” Maggie agrees. “He’s a great guy, but he doesn’t really date anyone for very long. It’s not that he’s a player, really, it’s just that he gets absorbed in running his business, and the girl gets pushed to the back burner.”

  “And you don’t deserve to be the back-burner girl,” Maeve adds. “You’re a front and center, rolling boil kind of girl.”

  I stare at both of them. “Are you warning me away from your brother?”

  “No, not at all. Actually, we really like you for him. I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re cute together.” Maggie grins at me. “We just want you to be aware of what you’re getting yourself into.”

  “Basically, a good time without long-term strings attached,” I say.

  “Yeah, I think that’s probably an accurate assumption,” Maeve says. “So, have fun with him, but don’t fall in love with him.”

  What if it’s too late for that?

  “Thanks for the advice, you guys.”

  “I hope we didn’t hurt your feelings,” Maeve insists. “Because I really do like you, and I hope I get to know you even better. And Keegan is a good guy. He doesn’t try to hurt anyone.”

  “No, I’m sure he doesn’t.”

  This gives me a lot to think about.

  “Okay, let’s not talk about that depressing stuff anymore,” Maggie says. “I want to hear more about the meteorologist thing.”

  “What meteorologist thing?” Maeve asks.

  “Izzy went to school to be a weather girl.”

  Maeve’s eyes widen, and her gaze flies to mine. “Really? Why aren’t you doing that?”

  “It’s a long, sad story,” I say with a laugh, but give them the CliffsNotes version of the tale I told Keegan the other day.

  “But you’re trained,” Maggie adds. “Like, you could do it?”

  “Sure.”

  “Show us,” Maeve says.

  I blink at her. “What?”

  “Show us, right here. Do a mock weather report.”

  “Make it a dramatic winter storm report,” Maggie adds, clapping her hands.

  “This is fun. Okay.” I jump off the stool at Maeve’s breakfast bar and rub my hands down my thighs, suddenly nervous. “I haven’t done this in a little while.”

  “You’re going to be great,” Maggie insists.

  I stand in front of the wall and pretend it’s the green s
creen. “I need a key fob.”

  “Here,” Maeve says and pulls one out of her purse, tossing it my way.

  I glance off to the left as if I’m looking at a monitor and use the fob as a pretend clicker to cycle through the screens.

  “Good morning to you on this chilly day. I’m sure you’re already noticing that it’s cold outside, and this weather is going to continue into tomorrow evening. As you can see here, Seattle has a high of just twenty-four degrees, and that’s much colder than we’re used to in the Pacific Northwest.”

  I go on to describe the low pressure and the forecast for the next several days. When I’m finished, both girls give me a standing ovation.

  “Okay, first of all, you are badass at that,” Maeve says.

  “Yeah, why aren’t you doing that for a living?” Maggie asks. “And, yes, I know because of your parents, but you can do it now.”

  “You’re beautiful, and I know you’d look amazing on camera. Seriously, what would be involved in getting you into this as a regular gig?”

  “There are exams to take,” I reply, thinking it over. “And then I’d have to make some videos of me doing pretty much just what I did for you guys to use as an audition.”

  “Maybe you could get a job at one of the stations in Seattle,” Maggie says.

  “I doubt it. Seattle is a big market, and I don’t have enough experience to get on somewhere like that. I’d probably have to start somewhere small, and then work my way up over time.”

  “Are you going to have to go on location in a yellow rain slicker and report in a hurricane?” Maeve asks.

  “I should be so lucky,” I mutter.

  “You have to do this,” Maggie insists. “We can help you film the video. Hell, we know Luke Williams.”

  “I don’t think I need anything that extravagant,” I say with a laugh. “But I definitely will need someone to work a camera.”

  “Promise you’ll think about it,” Maeve insists. “You looked so happy just now.”

  “It felt really good.” I nod, the idea taking shape in my head. “I’m going to think on it.”

  Chapter 7

  ~Izzy~