Page 6 of Forever and Other Lies

He blew out another long, frustrated breath. He had a date with an extremely hot woman, but his attention hadn’t been on her either. No, as always, it had been on the one woman he could never have. And shame filled him just like it had for the past decade.

Not long after he and his date had sat down at a cozy table in Patty’s Pub, Leighton Gray had breezed through the door with his sister and Bianca Grotta.

What kind of guy lusted after his brother’s girl? And not just any brother, but his twin. He did! Yes, he was a low-life pond scum.

However, it had always been there between him and Tommy, this competition. Maybe at first, Leighton was just one more thing to compete over. Until she became so much more.

Leighton was different from any other woman he’d ever met. She was sweet, classy, and so beautiful. And beyond his reach. He was also that guy who wanted what he couldn’t have. Yes, he was truly that flawed and knew it.

Tommy was alive. The brother he thought had died three years ago in Kandahar had been held captive all that time. And for those three years of captivity, his brother had known that he’d betrayed him. That for just a brief, stupid moment he’d crossed that line, taking what wasn’t his.

Last month, he and Ben had flown to the hospital in British Columbia, where Tommy was recovering from his ordeal. Tommy wouldn’t look him in the eye.

Soon his brother would return home, and he had no clue how to fix this mess he’d made. Why the hell had he taken it so far that night in the cornfield, the night before they thought they’d lost Tommy? Why had he kissed his brother’s girl?

In that moonlit field, he had run into Leighton and literally crossed the line. He could blame it on the accidental run-in, too much whiskey, and the magically lit corn maze, but all his good intentions dissolved in that moment. He bent and kissed those sweet lips like he’d been imagining doing for so long. With that one kiss, he ruined everything. Now, Tommy couldn’t look at him. Leighton despised him and he hated himself as well. That was more than likely the cause of his anger tonight. He was pissed off at himself, and Jayna was just the tangible person he could direct it at. He smashed his palm against the steering wheel again.

“The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” by Faith No More came on and he groaned. This song should be his anthem. He was so very good at burning bridges and pissing people off.

The yellow light flashed and turned red. He hit the brake and slowed to a stop, glancing down the side street. Jamie’s old truck was parked at the curb, behind Yesterday and Tomorrow. The three Js stood in the truck bed, attempting to lift out a large piece of furniture. His eyes focused on Jayna again, and even more irritation filled him. He wasn’t so much annoyed that she’d run off his date, but more that she’d been right. Tanya, no Tonya? Whatever her name was, she had been a distraction, nothing more. And lately, distractions were not helping to distract him.

The light turned green, and he hit the gas pedal. He barely made it five feet before he cursed again. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he lifted his foot off the gas and cranked the wheel to the left, pulling a U-turn.

If only his mother hadn’t instilled such strong values and a deep sense of responsibility in him. Then there was the strong work ethic of his father. Neighbors help neighbors, friends support friends. You showed up when you lived in a small town and offered a lending hand whenever needed.

He hit the right turn signal at the intersection, where Yesterday and Tomorrow hugged the corner of Main Street and Second Street. Pulling up to the curb, he sat for a moment, watching the three women as they struggled to lift the cumbersome armoire.

Standing near the edge of the tailgate, Jayna barked out orders that Jamie and Jessica completely ignored. The other two women stood at the far end of the truck bed, and when they lifted the armoire, they nearly toppled Jayna. She screamed and Jessica dropped the corner she held, cursing loudly as it hit her knee.

It was like watching an episode of ‘The Three Stooges’. The armoire was proving to be a formidable opponent, as the three women tried various techniques to move it. They tried shifting their positions. He laughed aloud. It was the most awkward dance he had ever witnessed. What he was enjoying the most, though, was the exaggerated facial expressions as they heaved and pushed. Yet the piece of furniture refused to budge. He chuckled again, which turned to a groan as red lights flashed.

Derek glanced out the back window. A police cruiser pulled in behind him. The cop put on his hat before stepping out. This was seriously not his day. His frown immediately changed to a grin as the officer stepped closer. Burke Winston was Blythe Landing Police Service’s new sergeant and a former colleague of his best friend, Nick Taylor. Just last weekend, they played poker. Burke had cleaned up.

“Hey Burke,” he said once his window rolled down. “Are you pulling me over for all the broken hearts I’ve left behind? Or for just being too damn handsome?”

“Nope. But we have gotten a lot of missing person reports on you. It seems you vanish into thin air after a couple of dates.” Burke shook his head. “But that’s not why I’m pulling you over. It’s because of that illegal U-turn you just performed.”

“Seriously?”

“License, registration, and proof of insurance, please.” Burke held out his hand, his voice professional.

“Seriously?” he repeated. Reaching into the glove box, he searched for the requested documents.

Burke chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll let you off with a warning. I’d suggest that you give Winona Clayton a call before she sends out a search party.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s not going to happen. For our third date, she invited me to dinner with her parents.” Derek’s eyes grew large. “I don’t do dinner with parents.”

“I heard you don’t do third dates either,” Burke chirped him.

Jayna let out a loud yell, nearly toppling off the tailgate again.

“While you’re here, maybe we should help out Larry, Curly, and Moe before one of them breaks their fool neck,” Derek suggested, opening his door.

The two men walked to the truck just as Jamie and Jessica shoved the armoire forward. Jayna lost her footing again, falling backward. Derek lunged, his arms wrapping around her. He stumbled backward but managed to maintain his footing. She was lighter than she looked and smelled damn good for such a pain in the ass.

He pulled her tighter, his chin dropped, and he buried his nose in her soft golden hair, inhaling. Strawberries and cream. He stiffened. This was Jayna. The woman he couldn’t stand, and he was... He wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. But what he needed to do was put her down.

Her head lifted, and she met his eyes.

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