The Broken Road (7 page)

I nodded. Kyle is a food magnet. He enjoys cooking almost as much as he loves eating. I drummed my fingers on the table with mock impatience.

“So what’s new, Megs?” she asked, taking the chicken out of the oven.

“Nothing much. Shane moved in,” I mumbled. She’s going to find out anyway, I figured, might as well tell her now.

Mom paused and raised an eyebrow. The same look I give when the truth is hard to believe. “Shane? Shane Turner?” she asked, stirring the gravy.

I sighed. “Yes Mom. Shane Turner. Don’t worry, we’re just friends. He has his own room. Plus he’s still dating that girl, Allison.”

“Hmmm.” She knows better than to not press me about Shane. She always had her suspicions about my feelings for him. Mom knows me better than I know myself sometimes. I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have to ask her what she was thinking because I knew what she would say. Luckily, the dog’s barking saved me from answering any questions. Kyle walked in and threw his book bag on the sofa.

“Hey guys,” he said as he kissed mom on the cheek. I raised my cheek for my kiss, but got a raspberry instead.

“Ugh. You’re so gross!” I cried, wiping the spit off my cheek. Kyle just laughed.

“So, Kyle, how’s Sarah doing?” Mom asked, pulling out the plates and handing them to me. I set the table and shook my head slightly at Kyle when he widened his eyes at me, as if to say
“No baby brother, I didn’t tell her.”
I want his proposal to be a surprise just as much as he does.

Kyle coughed. “She’s good. I’m going up there next weekend. She has a break and I’m able to get some time off.” He brought over the water pitcher and sat down. Mom and I followed suit.

We ate in companionable silence, enjoying the best food we’ve had in a long time. I learned my cooking skills from both my parents, but even with their simplest recipes, it’s not the same.  It didn’t take long for my mother to ask the question that I knew she was dying to ask.

“So Kyle, what’s going on with you and Sarah?” she asked, passing around the broccoli. I kept my eyes down, quickly took a serving, and passed the bowl to Kyle. I’m a horrible liar. Kyle is only slightly better than I am.

“Um. Things are really good. She’s doing great in school, we’re going to try and take a vacation after she gets back from Boston. Not sure where, but someplace nice,” he quickly stuttered.

Mom gave him a raised eyebrow. Quickly taking the bullet, I interrupted. “That’s right. I think a bunch of us were talking about going down to Myrtle Beach for Memorial Day weekend.”

Kyle gave me a grateful look and I stored that in my brownie points file. Who knows when you’ll need a police officer to owe you a favor, right? Especially if that police officer is your younger brother and you just got a speeding ticket

After dinner, Kyle and I did the dishes while Mom put the leftovers into bags for us. She always worries about us eating well and makes enough for a couple dinners.

“I heard about your house,” Kyle said under his breath. He checked over his shoulder to see where Mom was. He was supposed to be drying the dishes, not checking up on me. I groaned.

“Yeah. Well, nothing much we can do about it now. It was just some random thing,” I muttered back. I handed him the last dish and dried my hands on the checkered dish towel.

He gave me his “
who are you kidding?”
look. I just rolled my eyes and walked into the living room.

“Megan, would you like me to add some for Shane?” Mom asked, cutting Kyle off from saying what I’m sure would be a condescending comment about me being careful. I settled on the couch and blew out a breath. I couldn’t move. “No thanks,” I called back. No need for Shane to have leftovers if he’s going to be away for a while. Full from dinner and feeling all cozy from the roaring fire in the fireplace, my body melted into the folds of the couch. I tucked up my legs and pulled the afghan over me.
I could fall asleep right there.

“Shane? We’re not talking about Shane Turner are we?” Kyle mocked, falling into the other end of the sofa. Shane and Kyle were friends, although not as close as we were. They had similar interests, so their paths crossed frequently. “Does that mean you and Shane are finally hooking up?”

I reached over and punched him in the arm. “Whatever, Kyle. You know it’s not like that. We are friends. Two adults of the opposite sex can be friends,” I replied hotly.  Were my feelings for Shane that obvious?
Sheesh.
.

Kyle laughed. “Yes. Two adults of the opposite sex can be friends. But we’re talking about you and Shane. Before Tommy, you and Shane were inseparable. Ever since you met him, you’ve been crushing on him. It’s written all over your face! ”

My cheeks flamed as my temper rose. He has a point, but does he have to be so freaking blunt about it? I did what every big sister would do. I picked up a throw pillow and smacked him upside the head with it.

“I have moved on, thank you mister pain-in-the-butt. In fact, I’m meeting someone for coffee tomorrow!” I retorted then clamped my mouth shut. That wasn’t supposed to come out. Crap. Mom’s eyes lit up. She wants grandchildren in the worst way and I’m delaying her plans. If she had her wish, I would have been married with three kids by now.

“Oh really? I’m surprised you didn’t mention him earlier. Who is he? Where did you meet?” she pressed.

“It’s just coffee Mom. Not a big deal,” I replied with a yawn. I leaned my head back against the sofa and closed my eyes.  If I didn’t want to stay the night, I should leave soon.

“Well, what’s his name?” My mother knows practically knew everyone in the area.

“Alex Collins,” I mumbled in defeat. I’m sure she’d know about Dr. Super Hunk. Micki goes to the same vet.

“Oh, old Dr. Collins’s grandson? He’s adorable. We met him the other day. I took some cranberry bread over to Mary Patterson and he was there, working with the children,” she said approvingly.

My heart thumped slightly faster.
He works with kids? Is this man not perfect?
I stood up and stretched. “Um, right. Well, Mom. I’ll let you know how it turns out. But we’re going to have to run. Come on Pen. Let’s get a move on.” Penny lazily thumped her tail. With her full belly, Penny didn’t want to move. I threw on my jacket, grabbed my purse, and hugged my mom and brother goodbye.

The shock from the frigid air outside woke me up and I was able to keep my eyes open all the way home. I pulled up to my house and sat there, just watching. It felt odd to see Shane’s truck parked on the side of the road. Hopefully, another car in front of the house would deter any future would-be thugs. Regardless, I was uncomfortable being by myself after last night’s fiasco. After setting the double locks, alarm, and motion detectors, I brought Penny upstairs to my room and shut the door. I peeled off my clothes, settled underneath the covers, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 6

I woke early the next morning feeling anxious. I have never asked a total stranger out before. I debated about calling and canceling, then realized that I never got his number.
What am I doing?
I shook my head at my own anxiety. I took a shower, and dried my hair, all the while trying to downplay this morning.

“It’s just freaking coffee,” I muttered as I scanned my closet. I finally decided on jeans, a fitted navy turtleneck and a white quilted down vest. Casual, but not under dressed. I let Penny outside to do her thing while I warmed up the car. Snow had fallen last night and it was gorgeous. Luckily, it was only an inch and wouldn’t hamper my drive.

I pulled into the parking lot two minutes before nine. I saw his Porsche sitting in the lot, backed in at an angle. My palms started to sweat and I felt like puking. “Stupid first date jitters. It’s just coffee!” I muttered. I stepped out of my car and immediately slipped on a piece of ice. As I oh-so-gracefully fell into a split, an arm reached out to steady me before I did any real damage.

“Oh crap. Thanks!” I said, looking up into Alex’s beautiful gray eyes.
Good job Megan. Way to make a complete fool of yourself.
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

“No problem. I’m used to women falling over me,” he joked. Ah, a sense of humor. I chuckled back. Still, completely embarrassed, I didn't have a witty comeback and just looked like a dope. Alex held the door open for me and gestured inside the warm coffee shop.

“Did you just get here?” I asked, hoping that he didn’t already have a drink. That would be sort of awkward.

He shrugged off his leather coat revealing a gray and white striped long-sleeved polo shirt. The white matched his teeth perfectly. “I pulled up a second before you did. I was  waiting in the car, talking to a lady about her aging Bichon.”

Aging Bichon? That sounded suspiciously like my mother. But there is no way she would call him, right? I shook that thought out of my head and got in line.

“What would you like?” I asked when I got to the front. He gave his order and handed over his cash before I could pay. “My treat,” he said with a smile. I smiled back; his smile was contagious. We took our drinks over to the circle of oversized chairs. The shop was crowded with adults trying to keep warm and children drinking hot chocolate.

“So, tell me about yourself,” he said easily, settling back into the arm chair.

“Not really much to tell. I’ve lived in this area for most of my life. I graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. I work for my Uncle Bob at his law firm. I have a brother and a dog, which you know. That’s basically it,” I replied with a smile.
This feels slightly like a job interview.

Alex laughed. A southern, baritone laugh. “And that’s all there is to you?” .

“Well, you have to ask the right questions. What about you? I know you love animals, but what else do you like to do in your spare time? What’s life in North Carolina like?” I countered back.

“You’re right. That was a very generic question. Let’s see. I do love animals. I’m also a huge movie buff. I love all things sports. I'm basically your average guy.” he said, smiling his beautiful smile.

“Ah, I see. What about life back home? What’s that like?” I replied, grinning. He’s too cute for words, but my imagination must have been working overtime. He looked slightly uncomfortable at that question.

“Home. Well. I grew up in Granite Falls, North Carolina. I went to school at Duke and moved to Raleigh about two years ago. I started helping my grandfather up here back in January,” he said, as he finished off his coffee.

“Were you always interested in being a vet?” I asked, returning to what seemed to be a safer topic.

“Oh yeah. I have ever since I was a little kid on my grandmother’s farm. Sometimes I get more satisfaction out of helping animals than I do humans. They never talk back,” he joked, seeming more at ease. I wondered what was really going on back there. Maybe he just got out of a bad relationship or something. I found him easy to talk with. We had a similar sense of humor, liked some of the same movies, and liked to travel. I was surprised when I looked at my watch and saw that it was nearly lunch time.

“Oh. It’s almost noon. Do you want to grab some lunch?” I asked, as my stomach growled. Alex opened his mouth to agree with me; until his cell phone rang. He quickly checked it and gave me a small smile.

“I wish I could, but I can’t. I have to take this. Can you give me a minute?” he said, standing up and walking a few feet away. Nodding, I leaned back into the chair. Alex is really sweet. He seems genuine in his nature but had that air of mystery about him. I want to get to know him better.

“Sorry about that,” he said, coming back to the chairs. “I should really get going. I promised a friend that I would help him out today with his horse. Can I call you sometime though?”

Well, okay then, I thought, as I wrote down my number.
This certainly feels like a brush off.
I handed him the piece of paper and smiled brightly. “Thanks for the coffee. It was really nice getting to know you.”

Alex smiled and, surprisingly, kissed me on my cheek. “Same here. But we’re far from done getting through these questions. We’ll talk soon.”

“Sure,” I said, and walked out the door. My inner romantic was geeking out, squealing and crowing about a sexy man who just kissed me. I got into my car and sight. On the way home, I over analyzed everything I said and did. Alex appeared interested and engaging, but I knew enough to take it slow. On a happier note, I didn’t think of Shane once. 

Once I got home, I ate a quick snack and made some beef stew in the slow-cooker for dinner. The contractor came out to fix the mudroom door frame and added a new lock on the door.  Penny and I played outside in the snow for a while, then came back in a couple hours later, frozen to the bone. The house was filled with the aromas of bay leaves. My mouth watered. I put a loaf of Italian bread in the oven for heating and headed upstairs to take a shower.

I threw on some sweats then started a fire. A ping from my phone indicated I had an email. Uncle Bob cancelled work for the next day due to the snow. Good thing. I knew the roads would be like glass in the morning. The snow had started to fall again, crystallizing the trees, making the backyard shimmer.

The heat from the kitchen and fire fogged up my windows. As the bread cooled on the counter, I dished some soup into Penny’s bowl. I had just made my bowl when my cell phone rang.  Curious at the unfamiliar number, I answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Megan. It’s Alex. I want to apologize for leaving you like I did this morning.” His accent made my toes tingle.

“Hi, Alex. No worries. I totally understand,” I replied, as I tried hard not to let him hear the big cheese of a smile that was on my face.

“I appreciate that. I’m wondering if you’d like to meet for dinner tonight. I’m in Annapolis right now, so I can meet you so anywhere.” Butterflies replaced the growling in my stomach. I wanted to squeal, but kept it cool.

“Actually Alex, I just made some beef stew. Would you like to join me? I have plenty,” I offered, surprising myself. The suggestion just came tumbling out.