Lucky Break (3 page)

“I wonder if she’s seeing anyone,” Jace mused. “I always thought you two had something going on. That you’d have gone with her or she’d have stayed with you.” He shrugged like his words hadn’t been a punch to Kade’s gut. Like the flames of anger hadn’t flared into a wildfire. “Guess you never know how life will turn out, huh, Mitchell?”

No…no you didn’t. Kade pushed to his feet, trying to get himself under control. “I have some work to get done. If you want, stop by Lucky’s later. We’re not open, but I’ll be around. We can have a beer or something.” He knew he was probably coming off as a jerk by leaving so abruptly, but he couldn’t help it. The last thing he wanted to think about was Sidney, or where this anger he shouldn’t have was coming from.

…

“Did you get a boob job? I swear mine don’t look that perky!” Rowan wagged her eyebrows at Sidney.

“What?” she gasped. “No, it’s my bra. There’s this lingerie store in Beverly Hills. Seriously, best. Bras. Ever.” There was no one else she could talk with like this. She’d made friends in LA, of course, but it had been different. The people she knew were blunt and outspoken, but not because they knew they could trust the other person. It was just because they didn’t care.

Things just weren’t as
easy
there.
Which is why you closed yourself off from Rowan and Kade. That way you wouldn’t know what you missed.

The only person she even considered a real friend there was her agent, Lydia. She was only a few years older than Sidney and had taken her under her wing when she first moved to Los Angeles. Lydia wasn’t too happy about her disappearing for a month, to say the least.

“Hmmm, if you say so.” Rowan winked. “So, tell me what you’ve been doing. I don’t hear from you nearly enough, Sidney. Don’t you think I’m not going to call you on that just because I’m happy your famous butt finally came home.”

Sidney’s heart sank and her cheeks filled with blushing warmth. How could they think she was famous because she played in commercials here and there? That was nothing. Definitely not even
close
to what her mom had on Broadway. And definitely not what she’d given up everything for. “Eh, I’m boring.”

“Don’t do that. I seriously want hear about it. You’re really interesting.”

“What do you want to know?” A little buzz zipped beneath her skin.

“Everything.”

They didn’t have time for everything, but Sidney talked to her about auditioning. How that was her least favorite part, but how being on camera made it worth it. Rowan listened excitedly as Sidney blabbed on, enjoying her friend’s interest.

Not wanting the whole conversation to be about her, she said, “Let’s talk about you. How’s business going?” Not that she could remember exactly what it was Rowan was doing. Wow. She was an awesome friend.

Rowan sighed and leaned over the counter toward her. “I’m still hoping to turn the house into a bed and breakfast. People think it’s silly, but you know it’s always been my dream. It takes money I don’t have right now, though.”

Sidney had forgotten about that. Rowan loved to cook. She’d always wanted to have a place where she could give people a home, even if for a short time. It was one of Sidney’s favorite things about her friend. “It’ll happen for you. If anyone can do it, you can.” And she meant that. She had no doubt Rowan’s dreams would come true.

“Hey! Remember that time you tried to teach me to make pancakes?” Sidney found herself smiling at the memory.

Rowan’s head dropped back and she laughed. “You’re the only person in the world I know who can’t make pancakes. They’re the easiest thing in the world!”

“What? I did okay! It wasn’t the cooking I had trouble with. It was the flipping.”

“It’s all in the wrist.” Rowan winked at her. “I also remember that time I asked you to watch the stovetop for the macaroni and cheese while I took a shower. When I came out the water was completely gone and the noodles were total mush!”

Both the women laughed. Sidney let the memories float through her, soak into her. Why didn’t she think about these things more often? Oh yeah—it went back to the missing-them thing. It was much easier to just keep going forward than regret her past.

“Anyway, if I ever get the B and B going, I won’t be making macaroni and cheese unless it’s homemade, and I promise not to ask you to watch it.”

Sidney almost opened her mouth to say she wouldn’t be here by then anyway, but she caught herself. “When. Not if.”

Rowan’s eyes went soft as though the statement meant a lot to her. “Thanks, sweets! I hope so. The flower shop I was working at closed down. I’m hoping Kade will need someone.”

Hearing Kade’s name sent fire through her veins. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask Rowan if they were together, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t have the right. “Need someone?” Now
that
, she could ask. It didn’t make her look like she was sniffing too much into his personal life.

“Yeah, when he opens Lucky’s back up. You know he owns this place, don’t you?”

Sidney’s eyes widened. Kade owned Lucky’s? It shouldn’t really surprise her. He’d spent a lot of time here bowling and playing video games when he didn’t want to go home. Plus, it was the kind of thing she could see him doing. He liked being around people and no place housed as many people in Shamrock Falls as Lucky’s. But, hello? How could she not have known he bought the place? How could Rowan have thought it okay to have her come here? “How would I know? Geez, Freckles, he’s going to freak out if he sees me here.” Not to mention, she might do a little freaking out herself.

Then, letting the sadness she felt creep into her words, she added, “He hates me.” Not that she blamed him. She’d been right to leave Shamrock Falls—but she’d been wrong about the way she did it. Wrong about sneaking off without telling him good-bye. Too chicken to tell
anyone
good-bye because then it would have been harder to leave.

Rowan shook her head and grabbed her hand. “That boy couldn’t hate you if he wanted to, and you damn well know it.”

Before, maybe. She never would have imagined Kade looking at her the way he had last night. They’d always fought, but they’d always loved each other, too. As friends, sure, but she knew if there was one person in the world she could count on besides Aunt Mae, it was Kade. Now…now her gut clenched just thinking of his hard eyes narrowed in on her.

“You didn’t see how he looked at me at Mae’s last night. He didn’t even look at me, actually. More like through me. He wants absolutely nothing to do with me, and my being here is like I’m rubbing it in his face. I know him.” She used to, at least. She wasn’t even sure she could say that anymore.

Sidney gathered her purse to leave when Rowan’s words stopped her. “He told me.”

“Told you what?”

“That you’re home. He told me he saw you last night and it didn’t go well. He was kind of a wreck. You know how he is, though—he’s always been a quick trigger with his emotions. He feels everything so much.”

Now it was bothering her that Rowan talked about Kade like she knew him better than Sidney did, but she tried to push that thought away. It wasn’t right.

“Sidney…what happened between you guys?” Rowan’s voice was soft, curious, but also supportive.

What had happened between them?
He took care of me when Mom broke my heart.
She didn’t know how to explain that she’d run away from him. Of course Rowan partially knew, since Sidney had left her, too, but she’d left Kade’s arms—and his promises—only to never talk to him again.

Even thinking about it hurt. “I…,” she started to say, but was immediately cut off by a familiar male voice.

Shivers trickled down Sidney’s spine when Kade asked, “Yeah, I’d like to know the answer to that question too.” His voice held a hard edge to it she wasn’t used to hearing from Kade. Not when it was directed at her. Even when they fought it never held the fierce anger that clung to his words now.

“Hey, Kade. How are you?” Obviously Rowan was trying to defuse the situation.

He turned his head briefly toward Rowan. Softness teased his features again. “Not going to work, Freckles.” Next his hard gaze pinned her again. “I’m waiting.”

All she could think about was that she didn’t want to do this with him. Not just because of everything she’d been through, but because this was Kade, and Kade wasn’t supposed to look at her like that. That’s not what came out, though. “Now isn’t the time. I have a lot of important things on my mind.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. If at all possible, Kade’s features tightened even more and then…then he dropped his head backward and laughed.
Laughed.
Some things about him might have changed: his stockiness, a new, deeper voice, harder eyes. But this rich sound, it was the same laugh she remembered. All sorts of memories of them laughing together slammed into her. This was her best friend. The most important person in the world to her.
The one you haven’t called in five years.

Without a word, Sidney turned and started to walk away.

“Kade, I don’t think—” she heard Rowan say from behind her.

“No offense, Freckles, but this is between us.” His voice softened when he spoke to her. And she was always Freckles, never Rowan, while he kept calling her Sidney instead of his nickname for her.

Footsteps behind her said he was following her. When they were far away from everyone else, he said, “And obviously I’m not important to you.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She fought to steel her emotions and kept walking. This was all wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be when she came back to Shamrock Falls. The drama should have stayed behind her. Instead, it was a million times worse.

…

“Shit!” Kade ran a hand through his hair. His blood pressure had to be at dangerous levels right now. He was angry, hurt, and hell if he couldn’t keep going after her. She’d been home two days and she had already chipped away at the walls he’d built. Again, she was running and he followed.

Obviously, he’d never been able to let anything go when it came to her.

No one wound him up as tight as Sidney did. It had been a long time since he felt the way he did around her.

Still, something tugged at his insides, pulling him to jog and catch up with her.

All he could think about was that he couldn’t let her leave that pissed, especially because he’d seen Mae’s truck out there. Sidney had never been the best driver and if things hadn’t changed, she couldn’t drive a stick very well.

As soon as he hit the parking lot, her gears grinded and the truck stalled. A laugh threatened to jump out of him, but he held it back. Sidney started the truck and grinded the gears again.

“Jesus, woman!” he yelled, running toward the truck. “You’re going to murder the damn thing. Slow down and pay attention to what you’re doing!”

The windows were down in the old Chevy. She looked at him, a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses on her face, and flipped him off. “Screw you, Kade Mitchell. I don’t need you to tell me how to drive!”

The truck lurched forward and died again. His first thought was,
That’s my girl
, because the fire in her words reminded him of the old Sidney. He’d wondered all these years if she’d changed, and the two times he’d seen her so far, he decided she definitely had, but those words and actions, those were the Sidney he knew. And just like that first day on the playground, she was still stubborn as hell.

“Tell it to the engine that’s about to fall out of the damn thing. You’re pushing her too hard. You need to ease her in and—”

The truck rumbled to life only to die again when she tried to move forward. “AHHHH!” Sidney screamed, banging her hands against the steering wheel.

His brain told him to turn around and go back inside. He knew she’d be okay now. She’d calm down, concentrate on what she was doing, and conquer it like she did everything else. But still, he didn’t walk away.

Kade stopped at the window. “It’s an old truck, Sidney. The gears have always been tricky. Remember what I showed you when I tried to teach you how to drive? Ease her in. It’s always better to get her there smoothly rather than push her too hard.”

Her head whipped around so fast he thought it might keep going and twist right off her neck. She ripped her sunglasses off and narrowed her eyes at him. “Who do you think you are?” He actually had to jump backward when the truck door flew open at him.

“You’ve been a jerk to me both times I’ve seen you and now you want to come out here all sweet, helpful Kade, who has to take care of everyone and try to teach me to drive? I don’t need your help! I need my own stupid car back, from the stupid person who stole it!”

Wow…someone stole her car?

She poked a finger into his chest. “I don’t want to drive Aunt Mae’s truck again! I don’t want you to try and rescue me!” Another poke. “I don’t want to be stuck here!” Poke.

Stuck
here?

“And I don’t want to deal with any of this crap right now!”

Her words lit his anger again. “Don’t we know it? I think everyone in this town is aware you don’t want anything to do with us, but you’re here, whether you want to be or not. You’re going to have to deal with us until you disappear again.”

His breath came out fast and hard. Hers did too, her breasts rising and falling beneath the pale yellow sundress she wore. Holy hell, how did he just realize what she was wearing? The material dipped down between her heavy-looking breasts, hugging them the way a man’s hand would want to.

“Ugh! You’ve always been like this, putting words into my mouth! That’s not what I meant, you big jerk.” This time she put both her hands against his chest and shoved. Taken off guard, he stumbled a little.