Make It Last (7 page)

             
“Her mother’s a b
itch,
and Kara is nothing like her. B
ut you’re
right;
she doesn’t think that she’s relationship material.”

             
“
I’m
a patient guy,” Pete said with a sad smile as he watched Kara pull Rich towards the water. “I can wa
it. I plan to be there when she
realizes how much she has to offer.”

             
Briana looked over at him
and put her hand up to ruffle his hair. “
You’re
the sweetest guy I know.”

             
“I know,” he said with a laugh, looking pointedly around. “But that’s not saying much.”

             
She
laughed with him and punched him goodheartedly in the arm.
“These guys aren’t so bad,” s
he replied.

             
They watched Kara and Rich splashing in the water until it became too much for Pete
. H
e excused himself to go help Kent with the food.

             
Briana laid back on her blanket, eyes closed, soaking up the sun. After a few minutes she felt a shadow pass over her, as someone sat down on the blanket next to her.
She knew it was Colin even
before she opened her eyes. It was like her senses were still attuned to him and every nerve in her body stood at attention when he got close.

             
“Hey, Bree, I hope you don’t mind that Ri
ch invited me here today,” he said in a quiet voice
.

             
She
didn’t open her eyes.
“It’s a free country.”

             
He
let out a deep sigh and trie
d to look out at the water, but
all he wanted to do was take in the sight before him.
Briana’s small frame was tanned and perfectly proportioned. He felt his body tight
ening
as his eyes wandered, and
he
forced his gaze back out.

             
“I realize that, Bree, but I don’t want to ruin your party or anything.
I haven’t done much since I’ve been home and when Rich invited me
, it sounded like a good time. B
ut I’m not trying to piss you off.”

             
Briana peeked up at him. T
hen, realizing he wasn’t leaving,
she
sat up and turned towards him.

             
“It’s a small town, Colin. W
e’re bound to run into each other. We still have a lot of the same friends. You should feel comfortable goin
g and doing whatever you want. D
on’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

             
“Cool,” he
said with a small smi
le, his dimples flashing
. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I know I ended things badly, Bree, but, shit, I was just a kid. I’m sorry.”

             
Briana looked out over the water. “Look, Colin, I know we’ll run into each other, but that doesn’t mean that I want to rehash everything that happened four years ago. I’m not ready to be your buddy.”

             
With that said she stood up to leave. As she walked down to the water she heard him say, “I’ve really missed you.”

             
She ran and dove in, trying to swim as far away from him and his damn
ed
words as she could.

Chapter Seven

             
Briana was sitting on the couch, drink
ing coffee and watching
E News
the next morning, when Rich po
ked his head
out of Kara’s bedroom
.

             
“Walk of shame, Rich?” Briana asked with a chuckle, not looking away from the TV.

             
“Shit
.
I was hoping you’d still be asleep, Bree.”

             
“No such luck, Romeo.”

             
He walked
out with his pants slung around his hips, still unbuttoned, and his shirt in his hand. Briana looked back briefly and turned away when she saw his six pack rippling and started to
inadvertently
follow his happy trail with her eyes.

             
“Can you put your shirt on?” s
he pleaded.

             
He
smiled at that and cocked his head to the side a
s
he strolled over to her.

             
“
What is it
, baby? S
ee
something you like?”
Rich c
ould flirt in any situation, no
matter
how awkward or inappropriate. I
t was part of his charm.

             
“Been there, done that,
”
she
retorted.

             
He
sat down next to her on the couch, his cocky smile gone, a serious look in its place.

             
“
About that. Y
ou never said anything to Colin, did you?”

             
“No. I haven’t talk
ed to him in four years, Rich. W
hen would it have come up?”

             
“I don’t know, but I never told him
,
either. I don’t know if we should.”

             
“
Rich, I doubt it would ever enter a conversation
, but
if it does, I won’t lie to him,
”
she said, looking him
in the eye. “It shouldn’t matter to him
, anyway. D
on’t worry about it.”

             
He
looked unsure
for a minute, then glanced
back towards Kara’s door.

             
“Does she know?”
he asked.

             
“Yeah, she knows. S
he knew before she met you.” Briana replied. “It’s no big deal, Rich. Seriously, stop worrying.”

             
“Alright,” he
said finally, then looked back at her, his cocky grin back in place. “You know I’ll always love you, right, Babe?”

             
Briana smiled back, but her look turned serious. “I know that, Richie. I’
ll always love you too.
You’re one of my best friends.” She leaned in to give him a hug, then realized he still didn’t have his shirt on.
“I appreciate the fact that you work out and your body is
awesome
, but can you please put your shirt on? It’s hard to concentrate.”

             
R
ich looked pleased at that. He
stood up
to go
into the kitchen for coffee, throwing his shirt over his head along the way.

             
Kara came stumbling out moments late and grunted at Briana on her way to get some coffee.

             
“You’d better have
left me some coffee,”
she
grumbled at Rich.

             
“Dang, girl, you’re lookin’ rough
.
” Rich stated with a laugh, running out of the kitchen to avoid Kara’s wrath.

             
“Shove it, Rich,” w
as Kara’s reply. She walked in holding the warm cup up to her face inhaling briefly, before taking her first sip. “Don’t mess with me before I’ve had my coffee.”

             
“Noted,”
he
replied, as he sat back down on the couch with his mug.

             
“So, ladies, what’s on your agenda today?”

             
Kara was still
waiting for the coffee to take e
ffect and didn’t reply, so Briana answered.

             
“Nothing much.
I’m
off today, so
I’m
planning t
o
lie
out in the sun and read. B
ut Kara has to work.”

             
“Yeah, me too. I’ll be serving up some delici
ous treats at The General Store if you guys want to stop by,” h
e offered with a wink.

             
Kara looked at him blandly over her steaming mug. “No
,
thanks.”

             
“Yeah, I’ll pass
, too,
” Briana said with a look of regret. “Sorry, but although I know I’m going to run into Colin now that he’s back, that doesn’t mean I’m going to seek him out.”

             
“You’re not still mad at him for what happened four years ago, are you?” Rich questioned her. “
Bree that
was a long time ago. You guys have been apart way longer than you were ever together.”

             
“I loved him, Rich,” Briana
replied quietly. “He really hurt me.”

             
“I know that
. Believe me, if anyone knows how much he hurt you,
it’s me. B
ut give the dude a
chance. It’s been a long time. H
e’s grown up, and I know he regrets hurting you.”

             
“I don’t know if I’m ready
yet. A lot of time may have passed
, but I’ve only just started to see him again. It’s like seeing him has brought
back
all of those feel
ings of hurt and resentment
, as if it just happened.”

             
“Just th
ink about it.” Rich
stood up and took his cup back to the kitchen, then came back out to give them each a hug. “Well, ladies, I hate to break it to you, but I have to get going. Work is a’waitin’.”

             
“You’re working at a soda fountain,” Kara said, finally waking up enough to get snarky. “It’s not like the city will crumble if you don’t get to work on time.”

             
“Hey, Ms. Grumpy Pants, this is my last summer before
I’m
a coll
ege graduate and have to get a real
job, with all of the stress and long hours that come along with it. I plan to make the most of my time at the counter, and vow to have the h
appiest customers in town,” he
declared with a wink and a sm
ile. Then
he walked out the door.

             
Briana couldn’t help but giggle at his dramatic exit.

             
“You shouldn’t encourage that clown.” Kara said dryly.

             
“Hey, that cl
own is one of my best friends. B
e nice.”

             
“Sorry. D
idn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” Kara said with a satisfied smile.

             
“Ple
ase, spare me the details about two
of my
best friends’ night of passion,
” Briana begged her. “This situation is strange enough without getting the play-by-play.”

             
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

             
“You gonna see him again?”

             
“Nah… W
e talked it out last night. It was just a casual thing between friends, no big deal.” Kara got to her feet and walked out. “Gotta grab a shower.”

             
Briana knew that it was hypocritical, but she couldn’t help but wish that Kara would give a guy a chance. She had so much to offer and Briana knew that Kara would
be a wonderful girlfriend for any guy, but Kara didn’t see it that way. Her mother had spent her life telling her that she would never be good enough for anyone, and Kara believed every word. She figured her mother knew her better than anyone, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. Kara was the most loving, loyal, and funny person that Briana had ever met, and she wished that she would allow herself to fall in love.