Page 2 of My Heart for Yours

“Not happening,” I mumble. I do not want to talk about this, but Jay is like a dog with a bone.

“Come on man, it’s been two years. You’re in the prime of your life and Layla’s gone. You need to put it behind you. Get back on the horse. Grab a spoon!” I want to get pissed off but…

“Was that Friends?” He just shrugs at me.

“Joey knows, man. Joey knows.”

I’m about to make some smart comment about what else Joey knows when the door swings open once more.

Lisa

The town looks like it belongs on a postcard, or inside a snow globe considering the current weather conditions. The businesses along the main street appear loved and looked after with colorful awnings displaying their trades and the street itself is decorated with Christmas lights and signs for an upcoming festival. Must look into that, it could be fun. All this is framed by the majestic Colorado Mountains. It looks like the perfect place to stop for a few days.

Taking a road trip without a clear route or destination was never the plan but once I started my little adventure, it seemed imperative to keep going. I was only going to be gone for a couple of days, a week tops, to clear my head, get some perspective, and come up with a new strategy for my life, but as I started my second week on the road, making plenty of stops and exploring the small towns along the way, it felt like this was something I should be doing. As cliché as it sounds, I feel that a sense of purpose is missing from my life, and this trip is meant to help me find whatever that is. And let’s face it, the situation back home in Chicago is not going to improve. Cole is escalating and the police seem powerless to do anything about it. Worse, I feel powerless to do anything as well, and I hate that. I’ve been powerless before and vowed that I would never feel that way again. As if the universe were paying attention, my luck suddenly changed and here I am. So, I’m making the most of my good fortune. I’ll see where the road takes me and hopefully find some answers to the questions I haven’t thought to ask yet. But first and foremost, I need to find a place to stay tonight. And food, definitely food.

After checking into a room at a cute inn just off the main drag, I change into a pair of jeans, sweater, and winter coat. I want to go for a walk to explore the town in the last few hours of daylight and to find something to eat. I make my way back to the main street to a bar called Shane’s that also happens to serve “the best burgers in Colorado.” Well then, let’s see if Shane is a man of his word.

Shane

Honey brown hair that reaches just over her shoulders, eyes that sparkle even from this distance, pink cheeks, probably from the cold, and a mouth so lush I find myself leaning forward over the bar to get closer, to get a taste. What … the … hell! She shrugs off her coat to hang on the rack by the door and I feel like all the air is sucked out of the room. She’s short, petite as girls like to say, and her tight jeans and sweater show curves that would look amazing in one of my t-shirts after a night twisting around in my sheets. She’s beautiful and I can barely tear my eyes away, but I can’t deal with this instant attraction, not today.

She walks over and takes a seat at the bar right next to Jay, who notices my reaction before noticing her. Up close she looks younger than I first thought, twenty-three or thereabouts, with skin that would make a model weep. She gives Jay a small smile and then looks at me, but before she can say anything, I bark, “What can I get you?” Even to my own ears that sounds short, rude, and completely out of character, but easy-going Shane has apparently left the building and asshole Shane takes his place. I couldn’t even say why; there is just this nervous energy and agitation running through me.

Her eyes widen slightly as she takes me in and then answers, “A cheeseburger and a Corona would be great, thanks.” Her voice, soft and smooth as melted dark chocolate, floats across the bar and reaches for my heart, but that organ stopped working two years ago when the woman I loved betrayed me with one of the people closest to me. Yeah, it’s been two years, but he’s my brother! I think I have the right to be pissed a while longer, not that I need anyone’s permission. It’s just the way it is.

“You’re not from around here. Just passing through?” That’s Jay, fishing for information. She turns slightly in her seat so that she can face him.

“Not sure yet. I’m thinking of staying a few days and will take it from there.” I try not to notice the way Jay’s face lights up.

“Yeah? Cool, I’m Jared, but you can call me Jay, and this is my brother and owner of this fine establishment, Shane.” Laying it on a little thick bro, but whatever. I don’t need her to be impressed. She gives a shy smile and hesitates before introducing herself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lisa.” She turns again to smile in my direction, but her expression stalls when she notices the look on my face. I can only imagine what she sees, but I don’t care. I don’t understand the reaction I’m having to her presence and now is not the time to analyze it.

“Reid, take over here, will ya? I’m going to get some work done in the office.” He moves closer with his usual friendly smile in place and I have to fight the urge to send him back to the other end of the bar. He’s a good-looking guy if all the female attention he receives is anything to go by, but I can’t be here right now, so this will have to do.

Jay gives me a questioning look which I ignore and disappear down the hall to the back of the building where my office is located. Once the door is closed behind me, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.

About an hour goes by before I give up on doing any kind of work that requires me to focus on accounts, orders, and budgets. Well, that was a waste of time I could have spent getting to know the gorgeous woman who spun my head around the moment she walked into the bar. Is she still here? Did she eat her burger, drink her beer, and leave? Did I scare her away? Or did Jay work his charm to smooth things over and get her back to his place? I dismiss that thought immediately, not because it’s not a possibility but because the sudden tightness in my chest demands it.

I get up from my desk to go back to the front of the bar when my phone rings. Derick. Fuck! His name flashes across the screen, daring me to answer. I consider letting it go to voicemail because the last thing I want to do in this moment is deal with our complicated past but he’s family, my brother, and maybe Jay is right. Maybe the time has come to put the whole sorry mess to bed. I take a deep breath before answering.

“Hey, Derick. What’s up?” That sounds friendly enough, right? Not at all like someone who was betrayed in the worst possible way.

“Hey, uh hi.” He sounds surprised that I answered the phone. A moment passes before he continues. “I’m good. How are you?” I wonder if this feels as awkward for him as it does for me. “Good man, just busy with the bar and stuff.” The bar and stuff? Jeez.

“Right, of course.” He pauses again before continuing. “I was hoping we could get together some time soon, before Christmas. You think that would be possible?” I was not expecting that, and dread starts to creep up my spine.

“What’s this about, Derick? Are you sure everything is okay?” No matter our past, the concern is instant as memories of finding him drunk and battling to get him into rehab come flooding in.

“Yeah, I’m good. Really good actually. It’s kind of the reason why I want to do this as soon as possible. This thing between us has gone on long enough, don’t you think?” This thing? Seriously? But he has a point, so I make the decision to man up and face my part in everything that’s happened.

“Yeah, man, let’s meet up. You free tomorrow morning?” Again, he seems surprised that I’m going along.

“Sure, want to come over to my place?” I can appreciate the need for privacy. The conversation we need to have is not going to go any easier with an audience.

“Yeah sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I hang up then and make my way back to the front of my bar.

Lisa

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