Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GARRETT
Coming back to the library might have been a mistake. It’s been three weeks since my fight with Marie in front of her house. I hurt her feelings that night, and I have no idea how to fix things between us. She was angry that night, but also disappointed, her emotions bright in her eyes. I decided to return to the library to try and start mending things between us, but in the couple days I’ve been back, she hasn’t spoken to me, all but ignoring me.
It hasn’t been the same. Not by a longshot. Every time I come in now, she claims she has too much work to do and can’t help me one-on-one like before. Instead, she has Ally sit with me and help me with my homework. It’s obvious she’s trying to keep her distance, and it’s a gut-punch every time. I’m doing well in my class and am close to getting the last few credits I need to earn my degree, and it’s all because of Marie.
I’m also mostly healed, except for a few more physical therapy sessions for my shoulder. I should be a lot happier than I am—celebrating and looking forward to starting the next chapter of my life. I’m not happy. Not while Marie is so upset with me.
“Hey, Garrett? Earth to Garrett! Helloooo, have you been listening?”
Ally watches me with an amused grin. We’re sitting at a computer near the front desk of the library, where Marie works intently, appearing to do her best not to look our way at all.
“Huh?” I blink. “Oh! Yeah, uh, sorry… what were you saying?”
She arches her brow. “Whatcha looking at?”
Scowling, I say, “Nothing, what are you talking about?”
“Oh, geez.” She rolls her eyes and groans. “You’re being so ridiculous. Both of you are.”
I frown at her, but before I can ask her what she means, a large figure enters the library. When I recognize Mason Rowland, a childhood friend who’d recently moved back to town to set up his contracting business, I can’t help my surprise. What’s he doing here? The library isn’t really a place I’d expect to find him.
Briefly, I wonder if he’s here for Marie. He used to have a thing for her back in the day—he had a thing for a lot of girls—and he was always charming and able to sweep them off their feet. What if he tries that with Marie? Jealousy and frustration burn through me, but Mason walks right on by the front desk. He’s looking around, as if searching, and when his eyes land on me, he grins and waves.
“There you are!” he declares, strolling right up to my desk. “Haven thought you’d be here.”
“Hey, Mason,” I reply, standing and giving him a back slapping hug. “You’ve been looking for me?”
He returns the hug and then steps back and gives me a once over. Arching his brow, he gives me an amused grin. “I tried calling a few days ago, but you never got back to me. Pure coincidence that I was passing the library and saw you through the windows.” He chuckles. “I didn’t peg you for a bookworm.”
“Yeah, not usually, but I’m working on finishing my degree. Being here helps me focus.”
Or, it used to. Not so much anymore.
“Impressive,” Mason says. “You need a break? I wanted to see if you were up for hanging out with me tonight. It’s been so long since we’ve gone out and partied together. I thought it’d be fun—relive the glory days a bit.”
Chuckling, I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can survive reliving our glory days, man.”
“Ah, come on!” Mason urges. “I’ve been so busy since moving back that I haven’t had any time to hang with you!”
“It’s good to see you,” I assure him. “But, I’m just not sure…” I catch Marie’s gaze over Mason’s shoulder. She’s watching us, with pursed lips and furrowed brows. She doesn’t look happy and, she quickly jerks her gaze away and pretends to be busy. My heart sinks at her blatant attempt to ignore me. I look back to Mason and say, “Actually, you know what? A night out might be just what I need. The distraction could be good. I’m in.”
“Great,” Mason grins. “I’ll text you where, but shoot for a meeting at eight?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Mason leaves shortly after that, and as he goes, I look back over to Marie. She has her head down, seemingly focused on something in front of her, but her jaw is clenched and her cheeks are red. Taking a deep breath, I cross to her and stand in front of the desk.
“Hey, um, Marie,” I begin. “Can we talk…?”
“Sorry, I can’t,” she says in a short tone, not bothering to glance up at me. “Too busy.”
“Look, I just want to clear the air…”
“Nothing to clear,” she snaps, gathering up a pile of books. “I need to get back to work.”
She turns and walks away into the back room, leaving me staring after her in stunned silence.
Fuck.
Sighing, I sit back down in my chair and try to focus on my work. Ally is shaking her head with an irritated expression.
“Ridiculous,” she grumbles.
I don’t bother to ask her what she means.
* * *
Carson’s is busy, which isn’t a surprise for a Friday night. Other roughnecks enjoy their time away from the fields. A few townies unwind after a long week, and plenty of girls mill around, laughing and flirting as they convince guys to buy them drinks. It’s the typical scene for this place on the weekends, and when I was younger, it’d be just what I’d need to unwind and have some fun.
As I settle at a table with Mason, a bottle of beer in my hand, I’m not as interested in being here. I want to hang out with Mason, sure, but I’m just not in the mood to deal with other people. The image of Marie’s face after Mason left the library earlier won’t leave my head and I feel oddly… guilty.
“Hey, man, you good?” Mason asks, pulling me from my gloomy thoughts.
I meet his gaze, forcing a smile. “Yeah, no worries. Just got lost in my head for a bit.”
Mason furrows his brow. “You’ve been through a lot lately, huh? I was sorry to hear about your mom.”
“Thanks,” I say softly. “That was tough, but she’s not in pain anymore, so that’s something to be grateful for.”
“Absolutely.”
We chat for a bit, catching up. Mason gives me the rundown of his new business and what it’s like moving back to Blue Ridge Falls after being away for so long. His family moved at the end of our sophomore year of high school, but he kept in touch and visited throughout the years, so his connection to the town remained strong.
As we’re talking, a couple girls start to circle us, flashing us smiles as they try to catch our attention. A tall brunette and a curvy blonde, both in short skirts and flannel shirts over low-cut tank-tops. I vaguely recognize them from around town, but I can’t place their names. When Mason finally notices them, he grins and waves them over.
“Hey, there,” he greets as they approach our table. Looking back at me, he says, “Garrett, do you know Bailey and Kate? I just did some work at their boutique downtown.”
“And we are in love with everything you did,” the blonde—Bailey?—declares with a flirty smile. “We’re so grateful for your hard work, Mason.”
He clearly enjoys the attention. “It was my pleasure, beautiful.”
The brunette, Kate, turns to me and bats her long lashes. “You’re Haven’s brother, right? My nephew is in her classroom at the daycare. He loves her.”
I nod. “Yep, and I’m not surprised. Kids tend to adore her. She’s a natural with them.”
Kate saddles closer to me and flips her hair over her shoulder.
“Had I known she had such a handsome brother, I’d have insisted that she introduce us before now.”
I’m not going to lie—her attention is flattering. I’ve been injured and focused on school for so long, my social life has all but died, and there’s been very little interaction with women. I can barely remember the last time I had sex before Marie, which was something I never had a problem with getting before. Hook-ups were always my thing. I never got bogged down by emotions or the desire for more from a woman. It was never complicated for me.
Not until Marie.
Quickly shoving thoughts of her away, I curl my lips into what I know is a charming smile and say, “We’re meeting now, so better late than never, right?”
She giggles and rests her hand on my arm. At the feel of her touch, an image of Marie naked and spread out beneath me flashes through my mind, her eyes hooded and dark with desire as she stares up at me. Just like that, any interest that might have been starting to sizzle for Kate vanishes.
Shit. What is wrong with me? A pretty girl is standing right next to me, making her interest obvious, but all I can think about is that she’s not Marie.
Ally was right… I am ridiculous.
I do my best to keep talking and flirting with Kate, but my heart isn’t in it. When she and Bailey slip away to the bathroom together, I seize the chance to get out of here.
“Hey, Mason, I’m going to head out,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
He frowns. “What? Already? You sure? We can go somewhere else if you want to…”
“Nah, I’m good. I need to get up early to get some school-work done. You stay and have fun, and apologize to Kate for me, all right?”
Mason sighs, looking disappointed. “Yeah, all right. Have a good night, man.”
“You too.”
I grab my jacket and turn to head for the door, but before I even make two steps, it swings open. My jaw drops when Marie strolls inside with Maggie, who works at the daycare with Haven, in all her pink-haired glory next to her. They’re both dressed for a night out in short dresses, and Marie looks gorgeous and sexy. Almost every guy in the bar turns to gaze at her, and I’m not fucking going anywhere.