Starting Fires (6 page)

“He’s a few months older than me, but we’re both 26. I know, I’m a little older than most college students.” The server approached and took our orders.

“You’re not
that
much older,” he said as she left. “Are you getting your Master’s?”

It was embarrassing to admit that I wasn’t. “No. Things sort of happened and I put it off. A few years ago, I decided I needed to take care of it or I never would.”

Thankfully, the server brought our food out in record time, saving me from having to explain further. My mouth instantly watered as I saw the sandwich. Without waiting on him, I took a bite. My eyes grew large and around a mouthful I said, “Holy Shit!”

“I know, right?” Lucas mumbled through his own full mouth. With the food as a distraction, we talked about other good restaurants in the area, cool shops the town had, and the days to visit New Orleans without facing the crowds. When we were finished, I was so full all I wanted to do was take a nap, not go organize books at his bar.

As he picked up the last bit of his sweet potato fries, he looked at me with curiosity. “So why’d you move here? Charles said that you used to live in Central Louisiana, and I know you’re originally from New York. But this town isn’t that fascinating.”

He stuffed the fries into his mouth, and I debated whether I should tell him the truth. I didn’t want it to seem like I had baggage, and not even Charles knew the real reason why I wanted to get away from Mark. But it was part of the past and I should let it go.

Deciding to be honest, I took a breath, and said, “I moved here to get away from an ex. Everyone thinks that we broke up because things weren’t going well, and they weren’t, but the main reason was because he cheated on me. With my best friend. On my bed. And various other surfaces in my apartment. No one knows that though. Not even Charles. It’s always seemed too embarrassing to tell people.”

“Did it feel embarrassing to tell me?” he asked.

“Not really. It feels nice to get it off my chest. And I don’t care if people
do
know. I just haven’t mentioned it. It doesn’t usually come up in conversation. Anyway, all this happened months ago. I tried to stay and finish out my last year of school, but got tired of him hanging around everywhere, and wanted to leave. Charles lived here, and had the extra room. So it all worked out.”

Smiling, he pushed some loose hair behind my ear. “Yes it did and I’m glad.”

As he continued to smile at me, I wondered what he was thinking. Whatever it was, I liked the way he was looking at me. Like I was the only woman in existence and his soul would burn up if he didn’t have me. If I were more aggressive, I might have taken the opportunity to lean in and kiss him. Since I wasn’t ready for that, I said the first thing that popped in my head, “Your band is really good. You should consider playing professionally.”

The statement was awkwardly placed and Lucas cleared his throat, thinking about it. “Well, honestly, I don’t really care about playing music or being in a band.”

“Then why do you do it?”

“At first it was fun. I liked getting to hang out with the guys. And I won’t lie, girls love it, so that was a pretty big incentive.” I chuckled, causing him to smirk at me. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved playing music, but it’s just a hobby. We play shows every now and then and it’s great. But my heart isn’t in it. Not like Wally and Charles. I do it for fun. They do it because it’s what they love.”

“Well, what do you love?” I asked.

He stared off into the distance, thinking. After a moment, he shook his head and looked back to me. “Is it sad that I’m not sure?”

I thought about it. He was a few years older than I was, but I knew that I wasn’t sure what I loved or wanted to live for. “I think that you have plenty of time to find out what it is. Life will eventually show it to you. At least that’s what I’m hoping for.”

He stared at me, his eyes slightly squinting while he bit his lip. It felt like he was trying to figure me out. Uncomfortable, I asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” he grinned and put some bills under his glass. “Let’s go.”

As I stood, he put a hand to the small of my back and led me off the patio. In the parking lot, I leaned into him and my heart skipped a beat when he glided his hand across my back to curl around my hip. I wanted to walk forever. Just like this.

 

Chapter 5

A
t Burns, Lucas
gave me a tour of the back area. The hallway had a door that led to bathroom on the left and a large storage room on the right. The storage room ran around the back of the building, holding all of his filing cabinets, extra office supplies, and a few boxes of liquor. At the very back of it was an old, comfortable couch with a coffee table in front of it. Back here, I felt completely isolated with him. He stood so close, the heat from his body permeated through my clothes. Gingerly, he placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me to the supply cabinet in the back corner.

“You should find everything you need in here,” he said as he opened the doors. “Extra printer and receipt paper, pens, markers, paper clips, staples… you get the idea.” I looked up at him and nodded. “Come on, let me show you the system I use.”

I followed him back into his office and stood behind his chair as he showed me his bookkeeping program. Luckily, I was familiar with the software and it wouldn’t be confusing. “Yeah, I’ve used this one before,” I said, leaning over the back of his chair to analyze the computer screen. “If I have any questions, I’ll let you know.”

Lucas stood from the chair and turned to face me. “I’ll be at the bar if you need me.” He started to move, so I stepped out of his way, but then he stepped into my way, so I stepped out of his way, and we were doing the awkward side step dance. Both of us nervously laughed. He placed his hands on my waist and slowly moved me to the side. “See you in a bit,” he said. My body tingled as he let one of his hands trail along my hip, across my stomach, and then brush my arm as he walked off.

I let out a shaky breath before sitting in his chair to organize his receipts. If maintained properly, this should have only taken a few hours because of the size of his business, but with his disorganization, I was inputting data and balancing spreadsheets for nearly four. My eyes were tired and I was almost done, but I couldn’t seem to balance the last month’s invoices. I was rubbing my temples and sighing heavily when Lucas walked into the room.

“How’s it going? You’ve been in here a while.”

“I can’t seem to get these numbers straight and it’s giving me a headache, but I’m almost finished.”

Lucas grabbed a rolling stool and brought it over to the desk. He squeezed in on my right and started looking over what I’d done. “Wow, Marzy. This would have taken me all day.” He turned towards me and smiled. “Thank you.”

My headache subsiding, I smiled back. “You’re welcome. Now, if I can just figure out where I went wrong.”

“Go up to the bar and take a break. I’ll find it.” I wouldn’t have minded staying in here with him, but I rose and walked out of the room. Just before I stepped out of his office, I glanced at him over my shoulder. He was staring at my backside again, but quickly brought his eyes to mine. “It should, uh, just take me a minute,” he said nervously. I smiled and left.

It was a little after five, so the bar had just opened, but no customers had arrived. A younger woman was out stocking supplies. Her hair was short and blonde, and she was wearing a tight, black vest that showed off her stomach and cleavage. Noticing me, she smiled and waved me over.

Up close, she looked hard. Not ugly, just hard. Like she would punch you in the face without thinking twice about it. She had a studded nose ring and a leopard print tattoo going up her neck. “You must me Marlowe,” she smiled.

“That’s me,” I shrugged and sat down on one of the stools.

“I’m Kate,” she reached her hand out to me. As we shook, she asked me if I wanted anything to drink. Not feeling alcohol, I opted for a Coke. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she said as she went back to cutting limes.

One of the TV screens above the bar was playing a soccer game. I had no clue what was happening, but I watched it with rapt attention. By the time my Coke was finished Lucas strolled into the bar area. As he walked over, he smiled and I admired his sexy swagger.

“What are we drinking?” he asked as he sat next to me.

“Coke.”

“Get me one too Kate, and another for Marzy.”

She made the drinks and placed them in front of us. As she took my empty glass away, she eyed me with something akin to curiosity, but there might have been a hint of malice, too. It was hard to tell with a face like hers.

“I found the mistake,” Lucas said, showing me a liquor invoice. “That’s a five. Not a three.” I felt foolish for not catching it. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m a little bit of a procrastinator,” he said. “It would have been another month before I got around to doing them.”

“You’re welcome,” I said and took a sip from my drink.

Kate was standing at the far end of the bar, continuing to watch us but acting as if she wasn’t. “I need to go stock the cooler,” she called to Lucas. “Mind listening for the phone while I’m in there?”

“Go ahead,” he told her. Kate sauntered away and I wondered how much more time I would get to have with him today. I was starting to like the feelings he pulled out of me. Endorphins swirled in my body anytime we were close. Maybe I just needed to go at it with him, get this thing out of my system so I could move on with my life. I don’t think I was ready for a relationship, but a nice roll in the hay with a man like Lucas might give me the boost I needed.

“Like soccer?” he asked, leaning up on his elbows. It was then I realized that Kate had been gone for a bit and we hadn’t been speaking.

“Well, honestly, I don’t know much about it. I guess it seems cool,” I shrugged.

“You were watching the game pretty intensely. I figured you had to be a diehard fan or something.”

“I was just thinking,” I admitted.

“But not about the game?”

“No,” I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Well, what about then?” He leaned closer to me as if I was about to tell him a secret.

I cut my eyes to him and saw his flirtatious smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I grinned.

He laughed low in his throat and scooted further towards me, making our knees touch. One of his hands started reaching out for my leg. “What I want to know is, why are…”

The sound of the phone ringing cut him off. Without finishing his thought, he jumped from the stool and raced to the cordless phone sitting by the cash register. “Burns,” he answered. I half continued watching the game I didn’t care about and half listened to what he was saying. “Yeah… Okay… No, I get it,” he sighed. “You’ll be back on Monday then?… I can fill in tonight… No problem.”

As he hung up the phone, he gave a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “Mind calling Charles to come pick you up?” he asked. “I have to fill in tonight. Again.”

Disappointed, I dug around in my purse. “Sure,” I said and started texting Bear. Kate returned and walked pass Lucas as she came into the bar area, unnecessarily placing her hand along his shoulders.

He smiled at her. “Tammy called in sick tonight, I gotta stay,” he told her.

“Again?” she bristled. “Well, I’d rather be working with you anyhow,” she winked.

Lucas grabbed one of the bar towels and popped her on the butt—making her give out a girly yelp that I’d never think to come out of her mouth. “You better,” he smiled then started looking at the liquor bottles lined along the back wall. All of their playful flirtations made me wonder if something was happening between the two of them, but my phone dinged with a text from Bear before I could decide. “He said he’ll be here in about 15 minutes,” I told no one in particular.

Lucas walked over to me and propped his hands along the bar. “Sorry you have to wait.”

Not wanting him to feel bad, I shook my head. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Well, thanks again. Feel like you might wanna come back next Saturday?”

I tapped my chin and looked to the ceiling as if contemplating. Over his shoulder, I noticed Kate roll her eyes, but Lucas was all smiles. “Only if you promise to take me to lunch again,” I said.

“Deal,” he said and squeezed my hand before pushing off the bar. “I gotta go grab some stuff from the back, feel free to drink what you want, watch what you want, whatever,” he called to me as he left.

Then it was only Kate and me, and I had a good ten minutes before Charles would be there. She asked if I wanted another Coke, but I declined. A silence stretched between us as she started picking at her nails.

“How do you know Lucas?” she eventually asked, now looking me directly in the eyes.

“We’re neighbors. And I’m friends with Charles. We’re roommates. Wally, too.”

Kate scoffed and turned away from me as if I just admitted the most disgusting thing in the world. I suppose to someone who didn’t know me or my relationship with Charles might think our living arrangement taboo—especially if you threw Wally into the mix. A single girl living with two single men didn’t scream virtuous. But Kate didn’t know me. At all. And passing judgments was something she had no business doing.

Feeling a little angry, I told her exactly what I thought of her attitude towards me. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Charles and I have been friends since high school, and all three of us have separate bedrooms and it’s going to stay that way. Keep your judgmental scoffs to yourself.” Not wanting her to get another word in, I jumped off the stool and headed for the door. Charles should be here soon anyway.

“See you soon, Firecracker,” Kate called from behind the bar, laughing. I rolled my eyes and kept walking.

A few minutes later, Charles arrived, and I jumped into his beat-up truck with a sigh. “Rough day?” he asked.

“Not really. It was nice until a little while ago. What is with that Kate chick?” I huffed and folded my arms across my chest.

“Come on, Bird. She’s not that bad,” he laughed as he started pulling onto the street.

“Well, I get the feeling she doesn’t like me. Which is ridiculous because she doesn’t even know me. We barely spoke two words to each other.” I knew it was more than two words, but over exaggeration had its place.

“Most girls like you think that.”

I let out an offended scoff. “Girls like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean,
Bear
?”

“I don’t know,” he retorted moving his hands around animatedly. “Girls like
you
and not like
her.
”

“Oh.
What
.
Ever
.”

Silence filled the truck for a few moments as we drove. I still didn’t know what he meant by “girls like me,” and it irked me. I wondered if Lucas liked girls like her. They seemed friendly with each other—flirting, laughing,
winking
.

“So what kind of girls does Lucas go for?”

Charles huffed and shook his head. “I knew this was going to happen,” he said. I didn’t respond, even though I wanted to argue. “I don’t know. He just likes girls. What does it matter?”

Oh, it mattered. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just curious.”

“What do you want me to say?” He gestured in my direction, moving his hand down my body. “He likes girls with dark wavy hair, sexy as hell curves, and big beautiful eyes. Now go daydream to your hearts content.”

“Thank you,” I giggled. “But don’t go giving me false hope.”

“A-ha! I knew it. You wanna… do… do whatever with him, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” I shrugged. “Doing whatever with him might be nice.”

“I’m gonna reign in my big brother instinct and ignore this entire conversation.”

Charles focused on driving for the remainder of our trip, and I wondered what he
would
think if something happened between Lucas and I. Charles had never been the type to get all protective when it came to me and men. In fact, he barely said a word about other guys I’d dated. It seemed strange that he was suddenly warning me about Lucas. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to have to choose sides if things went bad. He’d known Lucas for a long time and me for longer. I could be putting him in a bad situation if it came down to that. But, honestly, I had no intention of letting things go that far. I just wanted to have fun—to be and act free, to throw caution to the wind. It didn’t have to be with Lucas, he was just the only guy that held any appeal for me right now.

Later that night, I lay in bed channel surfing. It was late, about two in the morning, and all I could find were infomercials. But sleep wouldn’t come. Deciding that it never would if I kept flipping through channel after channel, I turned off the TV and curled up under my blankets.

The house was quiet and the buzzing of my ceiling fan began to lull me into a slumber. Just as I was nearly completely under, the sound of a car engine broke through my sleepy consciousness. I listened. It sounded like it was across the street. Being the complete weirdo-stalker that I was, I got out of bed to check it out. As I approached my window, Lucas opened his door and stepped out of the car.

I smiled bashfully and watched him fiddle with his keys. He looked over his shoulder as his passenger side door opened and out walked Kate. My stomach dropped. From the illumination of the street lamp, I watched her approach him and lean into his side. Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. The two of them slowly walked into his house.

I felt like a voyeur watching the whole thing, but couldn’t take my eyes away. My heart sank, but I had to remind myself that he could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted. I had no claim on him. Still feeling upset, I walked back to bed and crawled under the covers. Maybe Charles was right. I don’t think I was cut out for this no strings attached thing. Lucas and I hadn’t even kissed and knowing that another girl was with him right now made me feel queasy.

I found sleep, but much later than I had wanted to.