Chapter Two #2
This sabbatical away from the limelight couldn’t just be about waiting for the noise to die down. Not because Candia thought that was the best way to save his career. Right now, that wasn’t even on his radar. No, he needed to focus, figure out how to finally be fucking happy—whatever that meant.
“You’re right. And I needed the honesty.” Jesse stood, then kissed Kimber’s cheek softly. “I’m going to go. Let me know when you have that baby. Thanks, both of you.”
Texarkana, Texas
“How have you not committed double murder?”
Bristol Reese stared into her beer, then glanced at her best friend. “They’re not worth twenty-five to life. But don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind.”
Jayla scowled, her dark, expressive eyes both disapproving and dismissive. “Girl, that’s restraint. He’s a player and she’s batty as hell.”
“Which is why they deserve one another. I’m sure they’ll have a short, miserable life together,” she shot back, then chugged some of her brew, ignoring the clapping and laughter from the group gathered at the large table in the center of the restaurant.
Her friend’s expression softened, her mocha skin glowing under the muted amber lights above the bar. “What about you? You gave that man sixteen months of your life. I really thought he was going to propose to you.”
“I did, too. But I guess Hayden decided that Presleigh is better wife material.”
Jayla snorted. “No, he thought having Miss Lafayette County on his arm would make him look like the shit with his old football buddies. That beauty pageant skank might look good in Victoria’s Secret, but she’s not you.”
Bristol nodded. “Actually, I think that’s something Hayden appreciates about her. And she’s not a skank. It pains me to admit it, but she can be sweet…sometimes.”
“Sweet? She stole your man!”
“I don’t think she had to try very hard,” Bristol pointed out. “Hayden was dazzled by her short skirts and her lash-batting adoration…and that was that.”
Jayla pulled what she would have called her stank face. “His bitch ass needs to be taught a lesson.”
Her friend was probably right, but Bristol had to shoulder part of the blame.
She hadn’t been heartbroken when she realized Hayden was pursuing her little sister.
He’d stung her pride—totally. But she’d buried her head in the sand and ignored her instincts about him because she’d foolishly convinced herself that Hayden could be everything he wasn’t—kind, helpful, caring, capable of compromise.
It was her fault for assuming he’d get there if she cared and encouraged him enough.
An old dog never changes its spots…
God, she’d been stupidly idealistic. But all she wanted was someone to choose her.
Because they wanted her above all others.
Was that asking so much? She ached for her own Mr. Darcy to move heaven and earth to marry her.
For Edward Lewis to conquer his fear of heights to rescue her so she could rescue him right back.
For Johnny Castle to tell her mom that nobody puts Bristol in a corner.
For her personal Edward Cullen to take one look at her and realize she was “The One.”
Ugh, she was a hopeless romantic who couldn’t resist a good sweeping, romantic gesture. That foolishness had brought her nothing but misery.
“He’s not worth my effort.” Bristol sighed.
“And Presleigh has no spine for the job.” Jayla was getting indignant on her behalf, slamming a fist on the bar.
“Another fact Hayden appreciates, I’m sure.
I wouldn’t conform enough for him. He always tried to change the way I dress, and all but bullied me to shut down my ‘silly’ business.
He would have much preferred that I teach Sunday school at the church, maybe sell some Mary Kay on the side, and be blissfully happy to be Mrs. Hayden Vincent the Third. ”
Jayla looked disgusted. “That’s not you. You’re too passionate about life to merely keep a clean house, spit-polish up the kids for Christmas photos, and scrapbook your life away.”
“That sounds miserable.” She drank more of her beer, then lowered the mug to the nearly empty bar with a sigh. “But you basically described Presleigh, so maybe they are a perfect match.”
“He’s falling for an empty package.”
Bristol shrugged. “But he doesn’t have much depth, either.
I let myself be dazzled by a few roses and charming words from the most eligible guy in town.
I mean, he’s Lewisville, Arkansas’s version of a Kennedy.
I had a crush on him in high school something fierce.
Admittedly, he looked good in his football pants. ”
Jayla tilted her head. “I’ll give you that.”
“I appreciate you being mad on my behalf, but honestly…I’m more humiliated than heartbroken.” After all, she hadn’t merely lost a boyfriend. She’d lost face. “And I’m over him.”
That was true, but seeing her sister wear the ring she’d imagined on her own finger wasn’t easy.
For the foreseeable future, no more entanglements of the heart for her. Flings only. She’d keep her relationships to a night—a weekend tops. If she didn’t let anyone close enough to matter, they couldn’t decide she wasn’t enough and throw her over for someone else.
Perfect, because right now Bristol hated seeing Hayden and Presleigh together all the damn time. But in a town of twelve hundred people, avoiding them wouldn’t be easy. Even though she moved away, she’d visit home and eventually run into them. It was inevitable.
“A toast,” Corey, one of Hayden’s football friends from high school said, standing in front of the rest of the gathering.
“Raise your glasses, everyone. To Presleigh, the most beautiful girl in Lafayette County. May you always follow your heart and be happy. To Hayden… Cheers, man. You’re one lucky bastard. ”
As the crowd laughed, Bristol watched, then spotted her mother bustling over in a Pepto-Bismol pink suit that looked more suited to Easter Sunday services than an engagement party.
“You’re being rude,” her mother chastised. “This is Presleigh’s event, and you’re sitting at the bar, sulking. Come give her your love and support. After all, she’s your sister.”
Bristol tightened her grip on her mug. “I closed my restaurant early and drove forty-five minutes down the road to celebrate her upcoming nuptials to the man who dumped me for her. I think the fact that I’m here at all is enough.”
“You sound bitter,” her mother tsked, her hair not blowing at all as the air conditioner kicked on.
She wasn’t. Annoyed? Yes. Embarrassed? Totally.
She and Hayden hadn’t been a good match, and she hadn’t wanted to admit it.
In truth, he’d done her a favor by falling for someone else.
Bristol just wished that someone hadn’t been her younger sister.
At nineteen, Presleigh was too young to get married and too pampered to know what the word compromise meant.
“Mama, leave it. Please. I’m not making waves. I’m still speaking to her. And to him. Anything more will take time.”
Bristol swallowed the familiar resentment her mother provoked. Not only had the woman who had given birth to her chosen her sister, so had her ex-boyfriend. Why couldn’t any of them grasp that being expected to smile through it wasn’t easy?
Her mother frowned. “At least come sit with the group. Food will be served soon, and the rest of the party is asking questions.”
Because keeping up appearances with her Aunt Jean, a distant cousin, and the rest of the townsfolk was far more important than any potential heartbreak or misery her older daughter may have suffered.
Beside her, Jayla rolled her eyes. She and Linda Mae Reese had never gotten along. Her best friend had always sworn that her mother favored Presleigh. Bristol had never experienced that as vividly as she was right now.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes, Mama. I’m waiting for a friend.” Maybe the others would be done eating before she had to admit that her “friend” hadn’t shown up—what a shame—and she joined the party as it wound down for the evening.
“Who?” Her mother frowned. “We didn’t invite anyone else, Bristol.”
In her mom’s vernacular, that meant that Bristol asking someone new to join the party without her knowledge bordered on unacceptable.
Jayla gave Linda Mae a sweet-as-pie smile. “Her new boyfriend.”
Bristol whirled on her barstool. “Are you crazy?”
What the hell was she going to do when no new man showed up except look more pathetic?
Her pal gave her an apologetic grimace. “It slipped out.”
Quickly, Bristol scanned the few men nearby to see if any might be suitable fake boyfriend material.
Maybe she could bribe him with a few drinks to play nice for an hour.
But no guy fit the bill. Predictably, most folks in a restaurant near the five-p.m. mark were at least old enough to be social security eligible or were married with children.
“Oh.” Her mother reared back, obviously surprised. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone. Who is he? Where did you meet? What does he do? Where does he live?”
The more her mother asked questions, the more suspicious she sounded—with good reason. It wasn’t as if Lewisville had a huge pool of eligible bachelors, and Bristol didn’t make the trip west to Texarkana often.
She shot Jayla a glare. Her friend shrugged in silent apology. She appreciated Jayla wanting to prevent her mother from continuing the bitter-hag routine, but this lie didn’t help.
“Mama…” Bristol sighed, knowing she needed to swallow a choking bite of humble pie and admit that she was totally single. But damn, she wished she didn’t have to.
Behind her, she heard a shuffle and turned to see an absolutely gorgeous guy emerge from the shadows.
His tight black tank framed an amazing set of muscled shoulders, one of which was covered by a tribal tattoo.
He had a strong jaw, wore a black skullcap and a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses, along with a smile that made her breath catch.
When he removed the shades to stare at her, his dark eyes danced with amusement. “Hi, honey. Sorry I’m late.”