Wednesday (Timeless Series #3) Page 13

  “It’s fun to dream about.”

  Marie took another drink and her eyes moved past my shoulder. Instead of looking back at me, her stare was frozen in place. “You’ll never guess who’s here.”

  Hawke. It had to be him. I’d managed not to run into him for this long but my luck was bound to run out. “Please tell me it’s a pony.” Those were so damn cute. “A white, fluffy one.”

  “Actually, it’s Kyle.”

  “Oh…” I hadn’t seen him in forever. We stopped talking after we ran into each other in a bar about a year ago. “Cool.”

  “He’s coming this way.” She set her drink down and started to fidget. “Act cool.”

  “I am cool. You’re the one acting like a weirdo.”

  Kyle reached our table, looking almost the same as before. His brown hair was a little shorter than it used to be, and his body was a little thicker. It seemed like he hit the weights a little harder this past year. He wore a gray t-shirt that showed his nice arms, and black ink marked one of them.

  He didn’t have that before.

  “Long time, no see.” He gave me a genuine smile, like seeing my face brought him nothing but joy. His entire face lit up like the Christmas day parade. “Wow, your hair is crazy long.”

  I felt it in my fingertips. “I know. I’ve been too busy to get it cut.”

  He turned to Marie. “You look beautiful as ever. Still with Axel?”

  “Yes.” She smiled and touched her ring.

  He snapped his fingers in disappointment. “Darn.” He turned back to me, the same glow in his eyes. “It’s just as well. I’ve got a pretty amazing girlfriend. She runs a yoga studio in Brooklyn.”

  He had a girlfriend? I knew I shouldn’t be surprised. Kyle was a good-looking guy and would find someone eventually. I was happy for him. He deserved to be with someone who appreciated him. “That’s awesome. Good for you.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “I’m guessing you and Hawke are married by now?” He chuckled and glanced at my left ring finger.

  Marie tensed at his assumption.

  I took the lead on this one. “Actually, we broke up. It happened a long time ago.”

  “Oh…” Kyle clearly didn’t know how to take that information. “Uh, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Like I said, it happened a long time ago. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” I couldn’t believe how effortlessly I talked about Hawke. It made me happy but also sad at the same time.

  Kyle rubbed the back of his neck.

  Marie watched him then looked at me, her eyebrow raised.

  Kyle drummed his fingers on the table.

  What did I say?

  “So…you’re single?” he asked. “Like, totally available and ready to jump back into the dating world?”

  I shrugged. “I guess.” Why did he care if he had a girlfriend? He seemed happy with her.

  “Well, I have a confession to make,” he said. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I made that up.”

  Marie beamed like the morning sun.

  “Why would you make that up?” Kyle was always a little quirky but he never made stuff up.

  “I just wanted to save face, you know?” He put his hands in his pockets. “I assumed you were happy with Hawke and I guess…I didn’t want you to know I still hadn’t found someone.”

  Marie couldn’t stop smiling. “I just remembered I have a hair appointment…” She grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth.

  “No, you don’t.” I was calling her out on her shit this time.

  “Man, I’m late.” Marie kicked it into gear and practically ran out of the bar.

  I tried not to be embarrassed that Marie practically pushed me into Kyle’s lap.

  Kyle eyed the empty seat across from me. “May I join you?”

  “Please do. Otherwise, I’m just drinking alone.”

  He sat down and faced me, his blue eyes beautiful like always. “So, what’s been going on with you for the past year?”

  “Nothing much.” Now that I was face-to-face with him, I was oddly nervous. “I ran my first marathon a few months ago.”

  “Congratulations. That’s awesome.”

  “And I’m thinking about opening another bakery.”

  “That’s even more awesome. Are you going to call it The Donut Guy?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why would I call it that?”

  “Well, I’m a guy. And I like donuts.”

  I laughed at the stupid look on his face.

  “Hey, I think it’s a great idea. It’ll attract a whole new demographic.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Cops.”

  “And boom. You have yourself a successful business.”

  I laughed before I took another drink. “Thanks for the suggestion.”

  “No problem.”

  I finished my glass and set it on the table.

  He eyed it for a few seconds before he looked at me. “Francesca, can I buy you another?”

  I held my breath for a moment as I considered the offer, unsure if I wanted to go down this road again. But when I looked into those inviting eyes and warm smile, I knew what my answer was. “Please.”

  ***

  “Where do you live now?” Kyle walked beside me down the sidewalk.

  “Just a few blocks from the park.”

  “Ooh…someone upgraded.”

  I smiled. “I really like it. It’s much bigger than my old place. I even have an office now.”

  “Swanky.”

  “How’s your practice?”

  “Same,” he answered. “There’s nothing too interesting about it.”

  “I think it’s interesting.”

  “Yeah?” he asked. “Because of all the power, huh?”

  “No. I think law is interesting. If I didn’t become a baker, I might have considered becoming a lawyer.”

  He nodded in approval. “I can totally see that. You would be a sexy lawyer—all work and no bullshit.”

  “Well, thanks.”

  We entered my building then took the elevator to the top floor.

  “Your other place didn’t have an elevator,” he noted.

  “I know. It’s so nice.” We walked out the open doors then approached my door.

  “I can already tell it’s nice just by looking at the front door.” He stared at the panel surrounding the entrance and the doorbell that glowed in the wall. He leaned against the wall and stared at me, not intending to leave anytime soon.

  “Well, thanks for walking me home.” I dug my keys out of my purse.

  “Sure thing.”

  I got the door unlocked before I stowed my keys again.

  “So…can I ask you out sometime?”

  I suspected this was coming. Even though I had all night to think of my answer, I didn’t know what to say. “You want to go out with me?”

  “Definitely.” He stared at me with confidence, his eyes on the prize.

  “Even after what I did to you?”

  “You didn’t do anything, Frankie. You told me what we were from the beginning. I was the one who took it too far.”

  “Even so…”

  “How about this?” He took a step closer to me. “No thinking. Just doing. Have dinner with me tomorrow night. We’ll get Italian then some ice cream. It’ll be super romantic.”

  “Super romantic?” I couldn’t help but smile at his choice of words.

  “Oh yeah.” He wiggled his eyebrows just the way he used to, and the memory made my body relax. “We’ll have a great time. Maybe we’ll have some really good sex afterward.” He winked.

  “You’re being a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?” It was hard to say it seriously when I kept smiling.

  “I said maybe. You’ll have to control yourself if you want to remain PG.”

  I smacked him playfully on the arm. “You’re still full of yourself, huh?”

  “Some things never change.” His arm hooked around my waist naturally, just as it did a million times before. “So?”r />
  I already liked the way he touched me. And I liked the way we flowed together like water. Our conversation took off naturally, and he already made me laugh a few times. “I would love to have dinner and ice cream.”

  He smiled.

  “And I would love some hot sex too.”

  Broken

  Hawke

  My life was complete shit.

  It passed slowly, like a bad dream that just wouldn’t end. I prayed for the next thing to look forward to—the sweet release of death.

  My company was doing better than ever, and I just hired five more guys for the office. My father was gone and I didn’t have to deal with his shit anymore. And now that my mother had passed, I didn’t have to worry about her dying anymore—because it already happened.

  I was angry all the time, at nothing in particular. Weeks passed but that ferocity never diminished. Francesca came into my mind every day, and when I remembered the way I treated her, I hated myself more.

  Why don’t I just kill myself and be done with it?

  Axel met me at our usual bar after work. He was still in his suit just as I was. We never spoke of Francesca or what happened between us. His resentment was still clear in his look sometimes, like he’d never truly forgive me for leaving her a second time.

  I didn’t blame him.

  “How’s the money life?” he asked as he slid into the booth.

  Meaningless. “Good. What about you?”

  He waved down the waitress and ordered a beer. “I like my job and everything but I hate having a boss. They suck.”

  “They do.” I was pretty terrible.

  “What are you doing this weekend?”

  Something I’d been dreading for a long time. “I have to head back to South Carolina…gather my mom’s things and figure out what to do with them.” I’d been putting it off as long as possible. I didn’t want to be in that house with her ghost. I didn’t want to look at the closet I’d been locked up in. The bat that broke my ribs in eighth grade was probably still tucked under the bed.

  “Oh…” He fingered the handle of his glass.

  “I’ve put it off too long. It needs to get done.”

  “Well, if you need any help, let me know.”

  I appreciated the offer but couldn’t subject anyone to that torture. The only person who would offer because they genuinely wanted to be there was Francesca—but I couldn’t ask her for anything.

  Despite my constant state of ferocity, the softer side of me slowly began to emerge. I thought about Francesca every night before I went to sleep, wondering what she was doing and if she was sleeping alone. Her scent was all over my apartment, even after all this time later. I thought I did the right thing when I let her go, but now I started to question everything.

  I assumed I would go back to my old ways once we were done, but I hadn’t. I hadn’t slept with anyone or even made the attempt. Women made passes at me the second I was available and plenty of offers were on the table.

  But I couldn’t do it.

  The past six months had been nothing but lonely. I spent most of my time alone, and when I was in my apartment, all I did was sulk. I blamed my father for robbing me of everything that ever mattered. First, he took my mother. And then he took my innocence. I couldn’t be with the one woman who mattered because I would hurt her.

  I was a beast.

  When she tried to stop me from killing him, I wanted to shove her as hard as I could. When she exposed her neck to me, I wanted to break it. The violent tendencies overtook me, and it was a miracle I didn’t give in to the weakness.

  If we were still together, she’d probably be dead by now.

  ***

  I didn’t want to pack up my mom’s things alone. I was a grown man that was invincible to everything, but I was still intimidated by the four walls I used to be surrounded by. There was one person who could battle the front with me because she wasn’t scared of anything.

  But I kicked her out of my life for good.

  The last conversation we had in my apartment was brutal. I was out of my mind with rage, and I took it out on her. Desperate to push her away, I did whatever was necessary to get her to leave.

  Then she did.

  Before I left for South Carolina, I walked to her apartment and stood in front of her door. It was stupid for me to go there but I couldn’t help it. My legs automatically took me there, and my heart also had a hand in it.

  I stared at the wood and released a deep sigh, knowing how this conversation was going to go. We hadn’t seen each other in six months. The second I asked for help, she would turn me down—and she should.

  I knocked.

  Footsteps sounded on the other side, and then the door opened. A man in his late forties stood there. He had a bushy mustache and black beady eyes. “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.”

  “Francesca doesn’t live her, by chance?”

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about. But I just moved in a few months ago.”

  She moved? I had no idea. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.” I darted down the hallway with my head bowed. She moved and I didn’t even know about that. How did I miss that?

  What else in her life had changed?

  First Date

  Francesca

  He knocked on the door right at seven.

  I checked my hair in the mirror one last time before I opened the door. Marie and I went shopping that afternoon, and I got a black dress that pretty much had no back to it. My ass almost hung out like a damn slut. “Hey.”

  He looked me up and down then whistled. “Day-yum.” Both of his hands were behind his back, and when he pulled them forward, he revealed a single red rose. “For my date.”

  “Awe, thank you.” I took the flower and smelled the petals. The scent of summer washed over me like a warm breeze.

  Kyle scanned me up and down, his eyes lingering on my legs. “Please tell me that’s one of those backless dresses.”

  I shrugged. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  He crossed his fingers. “Please…please…please.”

  I chuckled then grabbed a cup from the cabinet. After filling it with water, I set it on the table and placed the single rose inside.

  “Oh yeah.” Kyle came behind me and pressed a kiss directly against the back of my neck.

  I took an involuntary breath at the touch.

  “You have the sexiest back, Francesca. Look at all that definition.” His fingers slowly moved up my spine until he reached the area between my shoulder blades.

  “Thanks. I can’t see my back so I never knew.”

  “Well, use my words as a mirror.” He was affectionate with me right from the beginning, picking up exactly where we left off. Kyle seemed to realize he crossed the line because he stepped back slightly and cleared his throat. “Ready to go?”

  I grabbed my purple clutch. “Yeah.”

  “Good. I’m starving.” His arm circled my waist as we walked out together. The touch didn’t feel rushed. In fact, it felt just right.

  ***

  Kyle eyed his menu. “Would you judge me if I ordered two lasagnas?”

  “Just for yourself?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Actually, if you ate both of them, I’d be impressed.”

  He closed the menu and set it on the table. “Then you’re about to be entertained.”

  The waiter came over and took our orders before he moved back into the sea of tables. The restaurant glowed by candlelight, and other patrons spoke quietly to each other at their tables.

  “This is the first date I’ve been on since…yeah.” I grabbed a roll and tore off a piece with my fingers.

  “Then we’ll make it memorable.” Kyle had the ability to lift my spirits with a simple smile. His happiness was infectious.

  “What have you been up to this past year?”

  “Romantically?”

  I shrugged. “I meant in general, but sure.”

  “Well, in m
y journey to find the right girl to have a meaningful relationship with, I hooked up with a looooot of people. Like, I can’t even keep count.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “I guess. But every time I told a girl I was looking to settle down, they jumped my bones. I think I invented the best pick-up line ever.”

  I took a bite of my bread then laughed. “Share the wealth.”

  “Nah,” he said. “When I said those words, I actually meant them. But if other guys start throwing that line out just to get laid, a lot of hearts are going to break. That’s not cool.”

  “No, it’s not. So, you didn’t like any of them?” New York was full of so many beautiful women. He really didn’t have a connection to a single one?

  “They were all great. There’s nothing to complain about. Some of them were smart, others interesting, and I even met one girl who tried out for the Yankees—true story. But…that thing you need to really feel something was never there. There were sparks here and there, but nothing that led to a bonfire.” He took a drink of his wine. “But don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun sleeping with all of them.”

  “I’m sure you did,” I said with a chuckle.

  “My mom still asks about you.”

  The comment made my stomach tighten.

  “She really liked you. Or she’s afraid I’ll never bring another girl home and I’ll die alone.”

  “I really liked her too.” Kyle had a nice family. They were sweet to me the moment I set foot on their soil. “Is she still seeing that guy? Who owned some hotels in the Caribbean?”

  “You remember that?” he asked with a smile. “Yeah, they’ve been together for a while now. She’s really happy—so I’m happy.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “He treats her right, and that’s all I can ask for.”

  “You think they’ll get married?”

  “I hope so. I want my mom to have a companion. I know she’s in her fifties, but she’s really not that old. She’s still got a long life ahead of her.”

  Kyle could have had a much different opinion about the whole thing. He could have been selfish and said he didn’t want his mother being with anyone besides his father. But all he wanted was for her to be happy. “Very true.”

  “And I had ‘the talk’ with him.”