Page 17 of Rekindled Heat

"I'm in trouble."

"Is this about the beautiful woman staying with you?" Max teases.

"She's the only woman I've ever loved," I confess.

"I don't see the problem then, Nelson," Anne adds.

"I can't love two things at once."

"Says who?"

"Back when we were together, Brandy was my whole world. Only after I went away to college was I able to see beyond what we had. And I found that I wanted other things as well. After two years in college, I chose my career and broke things off with her. Now she's here, and she's getting into my head again. She's all I can think about."

I think about my work week and keep up with the confessions.

"I had to work today because I'd been too distracted during the week to finish my tasks. And every day, our connection gets stronger. I don't know how to stop it."

"What is your main concern, Erik?" Max asks, always going straight to the point.

"That I drop the ball with our business. We're starting to grow, and soon, we'll have other locations. I don't want to let you or Theo down."

"I don't know, Erik. I don't think love should be an all-or-nothing proposition. Have you talked to her about this concern?" Anne asks.

"Maybe I should ask her to leave," I whisper.

The moment I say it, I know it's the wrong thing to do. Max and Anne look at me anxiously.

“The less contact I have with her right now, the better. Or I’m liable to take her to bed.” I feel the sun on my cheeks and avoid Anne’s eyes.

"You know, you might have been distracted this week, but I've never seen you in a better mood. Why don't you give love a chance?" she says.

"Right now, you're inside your own love story. Of course, you'd say that."

"I guess being happy gives you a brighter outlook, but I think you're making things more complicated than they should be."

I stare at her, missing her point.

"Brandy is an amazing woman. You'd be lucky to have someone like her fall for you."

"She's a small-town girl. She's not used to life in a city as vibrant as Miami."

"So take her out, show her. She's an adult who can make her own choices."

"I don't want to fall in love with her again."

"Looks to me like you're halfway there already, brother," Max says.

I go to the bar and mindlessly serve myself another drink. Hearing Max and Anne talking in the background is soothing, so I sit in one of their lounge chairs and try to make sense of what I'm feeling right now. As a teenager, Brandy was a mixed bag of outrageousness and calm. She'd get these strange ideas that she thought would change the world and then planned to carry them out in the best possible way.

She helped shelter animals, disabled kids, and even the elderly. I wonder what she'd be like if let loose here in Miami. The truth is, I'm terrified of loving such a woman. She'd challenge me and expect me to rise to those challenges. I don't know that I could live up to that. Plus, she's capable of such love. What if I can't love her back the way she deserves?

Anne makes it sound so easy. How would things look if they were easy? I would just let Brandy into my heart and never look back. But life doesn't work like that. Besides, I don't even know how she feels about me. How would I feel if she only wanted a distraction? Be her boy toy for a few months and end it when she goes back to Woodland Falls.

Could I do something like that? I've done it before with other women. I'd have to talk things over with Brandy, but every time I look at her, I just want to ravish her. I finally focus and realize I am alone in my friend's back yard. They are in the kitchen fixing dinner.

"Hey, you're back," Anne says with a smile on her face.

"Is there anything that I can help with?"

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