Page 26 of Tangling Hearts

Chapter Seventeen

Brendan

Fingers: Can’t stop touching her. Heart: relaxed and happy.

“You want room in your Americano?” the cashier asks.

“No. It just gets in the way of my coffee.” Annie smiles and lets go of my hand to hold onto the counter and focus on the menu. I slip my fingers onto her lower back and lightly caress it, watching her face as she concentrates to decide.

“I want to try something different. How’s the Chai Latté?”

The cashier - a guy with shaggy brown hair who looks like he probably plays guitar in an alternative band – rolls his eyes to the ceiling in his efforts to describe it. “Do you like sweet or salty?”

Freckles looks at him. “I’m in the mood for sweet.”

“You’ll love it, then.” He smiles and she beams at him.

“Great. Sign me up.”

With my free hand, I pull out my wallet and shake my head as she reaches for her purse. “I’ve got it.” She hesitates and smiles, thanking me by rising on her toes to give me a kiss. I’m pretty sure this is the best way to spend an afternoon ever, and I wonder, what have I been doing with my life, up until now? I throw a five into the tip jar, ignoring the raised eyebrows of the cashier. Annie looks at me like I’m a super hero and all it cost was five bucks.

We step aside to the left, nearer to the wall with the bulletin board where locals post their band flyers and business cards. Annie’s telling me how she should have asked if there was caffeine in the Chai because she needs some. I look up as someone enters the door of the building, a guy habit to always have an eye on the exit, and when I do, I catch the eyes of Rebecca staring at me, just a few people back in the line. The look on her face is cold and distant, like she’s a stranger and not someone I know very, very well. I glance down at Annie and back to Rebecca, wondering what’s about to happen. I can see an inevitable war.

Bracing myself, I reach out and take Annie’s hand, my eyes fixed over her head on the woman I’ve hurt, even though I really didn’t mean for this to happen.

“What’s wrong?” Annie asks me, worry creasing a line on her forehead.

“Rebecca’s here.”

She turns her head. They look at each other and Annie turns to me, stricken. Quiet, her eyes fall to a button on my shirt in front of her that she stays fixated on. “It’s going to be okay,” I tell her. “Just hang on.”

Rebecca leaves the line, her eyes locked on mine, the pain in them killing me. She’s got that proud stance, but I know her better than that. I can see how badly I’ve hurt her, how she probably wants nothing better than to disappear into the ethers. But we all see each other. There’s no avoiding confrontation.

Rebecca’s eyelashes lower as she looks at Annie, at our hands held together, then back up to me. Annie turns and looks at her, but her body is close to mine, just where I want it.

“You’re out of the hospital. I guess that means you’re on the road to recovery.”

I nod. “Yeah. They let me out last night. How are you?”

She nods her answer, a polite, curt motion reserved for strangers she looks down upon. She looks again to my hand holding Annie’s tightly. Her breath catches and she says, “I have something I have to tell you, Brendan.”

All of my muscles are tense. “Okay.” Annie’s watching Rebecca, her palm becoming sweaty.

Rebecca’s head is high and she’s blinking too much all of a sudden, having trouble with what she wants to say. She gulps and looks at Annie, then meets my eyes as she says, “I found out that…”

“Americano!” the cashier calls out.

We all look over. Rebecca says, “That’s you,” her whole body crumbling.

I know exactly what she’s thinking. “Yeah. What were you going to say? The coffee can wait.”

Rebecca’s hand goes to her throat and her eyes mist up. In a pained voice, she launches in. “I found out that… the donor I was hoping for, just came through with a huge grant for Global Girlfriends. I had told you about it. Remember?” She brings her hand up and wipes away a tear, shaking her head like she wishes she had Dorothy’s slippers on.

For a split second, I’m confused by the information, but then I realize that what she’s really saying is goodbye.

“Oh. That’s great news. I’m really happy for you.”

She nods and looks toward the tables, avoiding my eyes. Annie’s staring at her and her hand has gone limp in mine. She turns to look up at me and releases my hand altogether.

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