Page 7 of Valley

I moved away from the wall I had been leaning on and started dressing. “Yeah, just a little tired. Dad had an appointment this morning, and I worked at the dance studio in the afternoon.”

“Then get your butt home and get some sleep before I have to pick you off the floor,” she chastised gently.

I slipped on my sandals, picked up my bag, and asked, “So I’m behind the bar tomorrow night?”

“Yep,” she replied, walking out of the room with me into the hallway.

“See you tomorrow night,” I said as we went our separate ways. Working the bar brought good money; most of the men tipped extremely well. Some men were not interested in dancing, but rather sought companionship and someone to talk to, which I found effortless. But tonight, my mind was miles away, trapped in the past and wrestling with the present. The idea of Jarrod sitting in that club, watching me, unsettled me in ways I wasn’t prepared for.

“Mandy, wait up,” Sean called down the hall, stopping me. “Margie sent me to walk you to your car.”

“Oh, okay,” I replied, waiting. I had forgotten to wait. It was a ritual that we never walk to our cars alone—too many creeps in the world.

Sean pushed the door open for me, and I started out, running smack into someone, hands steadying me. “Sorry... I didn’t see you...” My words trailed off seeing Jarrod holding me, his touch electric. My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, the world stopped turning. His hands on my arms were warm, solid, a tether to something I wasn’t sure I should want but couldn’t help craving.

“My fault,” he replied, still holding my arms and staring hard at me like he could see every dream I ever had about him. His voice, deep and smooth, sent a shiver down my spine. It was like hearing a song from long ago, one that had been stuck in your head but you never knew the name of. And now, here it was, playing again, pulling at the corners of my memories.

“I’m walking Mandy to her car,” Sean said, interrupting the moment.

Jarrod released me, still not taking his eyes off me. “Then I better get on the floor,” he said, moving aside so I could brush by him, Sean following. I could feel his eyes burning into my back, and I wondered what he was thinking. Did he remember those silent exchanges from high school? Did he feel the same pull that I did, or was I just fooling myself?

At my car, I unlocked the door and said, “Thanks a bunch, Sean.”

“No problem, better safe than sorry,” he replied as I got inside, starting the van and looking toward the back door of the club. Jarrod was still there watching, and as Sean turned to head back, the door clicked shut. The sound was silent but seemed tostill echo in my ears, a finality to the night that left me feeling hollow.

I took a deep breath, my heart beating in excitement at an attraction so deep and one that I hadn’t felt since last seeing him. As I pulled out, I wondered how all this was going to play out and, like always, if I would lose.

The road stretched out before me, much like my thoughts. Was this the beginning of something, or just another fleeting moment that would leave me more lost than before?

The questions grabbed at me, refusing to let go as I drove home, the image of Jarrod’s eyes burning in my mind.

CHAPTER FIVE

Chapter Four

THE DEEP RUMBLEof my Harley gradually faded intothe night as I cut the engine in front of the clubhouse. The machine’s purr settled into the background, leaving only the persistent thump of bass vibrating through the walls. Even this late, the place was alive, a place in the night for those seeking some company in its smoke-filled embrace. I swung my leg over the bike, dismounting slowly, every muscle in my body heavy with the burden of the day. But it wasn’t just the day that weighed on me—it was everything.

Inside, the usual night crowd packed the room, their voices and laughter blending together in my mind. I pushed throughthe throng, nodding absently at a few familiar faces, though their greetings barely registered. My mind was miles away, tangled up in a web of thoughts I couldn’t escape.

Sliding onto a barstool, I signaled Adam for a beer with a curt nod. My gaze drifted to the wall, where the shadows danced in time with the pulsing music. The noise around me dulled as my mind focused inward, the whirlwind of thoughts pulling me under.

Madeline.

Her name alone was enough to set my heart racing, the memory of her face a constant vision from the moment I laid eyes on her again. She was all I could think about, and thoughts of her were consuming me. I couldn’t let this happen—I couldn’t let her into my life. Because if I did, Kezia would know. And if Kezia knew, everything I’d tried so hard to hold together would fall apart.

“You okay, Valley?” Adam’s voice cut through the fog in my mind as he placed the cold bottle of beer in front of me.

“Yeah,” I sighed, rubbing my forehead as if the motion could smooth away the tension there. “Just a long night.”

“I hear ya,” Adam replied, his tone understanding but distant, like someone who knew better than to pry. He moved back to his duties, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

Why did Madeline still have to look so damn beautiful? It wasn’t fair. After all these years, she was still the same—only better. Her voice, that same soft, sweet tone, played in my mind on a loop, refusing to be silenced. I had always seen her as an angel with a hint of wickedness, a blend of purity and temptation that drove me crazy then and still did now.

Damn, I wanted her.

And I wasn’t imagining things; she felt the same. It was in her eyes that unspoken connection that hadn’t faded with time.Just like before. But just like in high school, guilt clawed at me because of Kezia.

The bitter truth was, I loved Kezia—of course, I did—but it was the kind of love you had for a sister, not a woman you wanted to share your life with. I could never bring myself to break it off with her, though. The Rafferty’s were the only real family I had, and Kaven was like my brother who stuck with me through everything.

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