Lucky Break (5 page)

Rowan sighed. “It’s not a big deal. The older I get the more I realize it doesn’t matter. It’s normal. But you left, Sidney. Your best friend. I think he thought of it as you leaving
him
, not Shamrock Falls.”

Rowan’s words hurt, because Sidney knew they were true. She knew Kade well enough to know how he would think. And maybe he was right too. Maybe she had really been leaving him.

She hated herself for thinking this, but how could she become who she needed to be with him by her side? As much as she loved Kade…Rowan…they represented the old Sidney.

“I feel terrible. We talked yesterday and I think we made up, but it still sucks.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you talked it out. I guess I’m a little late.” Rowan pulled her legs up and crossed them on the couch. “That’s fantastic. It must be where this hug you were stressing about came in.” She wagged her eyebrows. Sidney sighed, but still smiled.

“In all seriousness, though, it’s great that you guys made up, but tread lightly with Kade. You hurt him more than you might realize. I’d hate to see you accidentally lead him on and break his heart again.”

No. Sidney wouldn’t ever let herself hurt Kade again. “It won’t get that far, Row. I promise.”

Rowan grinned. “It must feel great to have your best friend back.”

“You’re my best friend too, Freckles. Guys are great, but a girl has to have a best girlfriend too.” Sidney pulled Rowan into a hug. When her friend pulled away and smiled, she added, “Come on. Let’s go to Lucky’s and help Kade.”

…

Kade had too many things to do, not enough hands to do it, and his head wouldn’t stay in the game.

“Hey, buddy. You’re spacing out over here. Where do you want me?” Jace stepped up beside him. It was the weekend, so he had time off from work. Lucky for Kade, he didn’t mind spending that time working on Kade’s dream.

He wanted Lucky’s soft opening to be in two weeks, but they’d have to work hard if they wanted to make it happen.

“How ’bout helping me rip the desk out where the shoes and stuff are kept? I have a new one coming.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and tossed his shirt over his shoulder.

“Sure thing,” Jace replied before they walked over to the counter in question. His tools were strewn about all over the place. He picked up a large sledge-hammer. Jace grabbed the other one.

“This is the fun part.” He tossed Jace a pair of goggles before putting some on himself. Seconds later they were both swinging like hell at the wood.

The thing was so old, it busted apart easily, but it was still satisfying to hit something. Kade needed it with the way his muscles were wound up so tight. It was ridiculous for him to wonder if he’d see Sidney today or how things would go now that they’d put the past behind them—but yet, here he was.

The muscles in his arms actually started to ache because of the strength he used to slam the sledge-hammer into the wood over and over again, but he kept going. Kept pushing himself. Trying to silence thoughts of her the way she used to silence his father’s words for
him.

Much too soon, the long counter was nothing but a pile of old wood, but the tightness in his body hadn’t loosened at all. “Jesus, man.” Jace slapped him on the back. “You beat the crap out of that. Got a lot of pent-up anger in there or what? Must be a woman.”

It was always a woman, wasn’t it? First he was upset she was there and now he was stressed like a sixteen-year-old kid about when he’d see her again. Kade grunted and Jace laughed. “I hear ya. They’re a whole hell of a lot of trouble, aren’t they?”

All he could do was nod at his friend. Yeah, they were.

Just then, a soft female voice cleared her throat. Both he and Jace turned around to see three women standing about twenty feet behind them: Rowan; a woman he didn’t know, who seemed to find the ground pretty damn interesting; and Sidney.

Kade took a moment to study her: the short shorts (thank God for those), a tank top, sandals, and a huge smile. It was then he realized he was smiling, too. Funny how women could be so much trouble, but with one look, it was forgotten.

“Betsy? What are you doing here?” Jace asked. The third woman pushed her brown hair behind her ear and looked over at him.

“I came with Rowan.” Her cheeks flushed a sweet pink.

Jace shrugged, but Kade noticed his eyes didn’t leave her when he said, “This is Betsy, my legal assistant. Betsy, this is Kade.”

“I figured you could use as many hands as I could find,” Rowan said. “Sidney and Betsy both said they’d love to help.” She smiled and he shook his head at her. The way she bit her cheek told him she had something sneaky going on. He’d deal with that later.

“Thanks for helping. I appreciate it.” His eyes found Rowan’s again. “If you and Betsy want to go in the diner, there’s paint. You can get started there, if that works for you.”

He eyed Sidney next. She had her arms crossed over her perky breasts. They looked bigger than the small handful he remembered, and his heart started racing. She actually tapped her foot as she returned his stare, and he bit back his grin. Did she think she was going to win this one? She had another think coming.

“How am I supposed to paint if I’m not in the diner with them?” More foot tapping.

“You’re not painting. That’s the point.”

“Oh yes I am,” she countered.

He heard Jace chuckle in the background. Betsy watched with fascination and Rowan wore a smirk that matched Sidney’s.

Kade crossed his arms. He was only half kidding with her. “Not going to happen.” He knew everyone around them had to be confused, but he’d deal with this before he let them in on their conversation.

“You need help and I’m here to give it to you. Don’t be so stubborn. I’m going to find a paint brush.”

She tried to walk around him, but Kade held his ground, moving in front of her each time she tried to get past him. It almost felt like an electric buzz going through him—messing with her like this again went straight to his heart.

“Move!” If she was trying to sound mad, it wasn’t working.

“I don’t have time to play with you, Sidney.” His words brought thoughts to his mind that he had no business thinking. Sexual ones where he
did
get to play with her. It didn’t help that she looked gorgeous as always. “Get that idea of painting out of your head right now.”

“Make me.”

Fire blazed in his veins. He loved it when she got feisty like this. “Don’t tempt me.”

She tried to get around him again. So she wanted to play hardball? He’d give her hardball. Kade picked her up. Sidney squealed, but he ignored it. She flopped over his shoulder.

There was a slight chuckle around her words. “Kade Mitchell! You put me down right now!”

Not likely. “You’re staying as far away from a roller as I can get you. Do you think I don’t remember what the cabin looked like when we painted it?” How she couldn’t paint a wall, he didn’t know. It had probably been more of her not wanting to, but he wasn’t risking it.

“I was like, five. And you’re sweaty! Put me down.”

He’d walked to the other side of Lucky’s by now. He laughed as he put her down, surprised at how he’d fallen right back into their friendship the way it used to be.

She was slightly out of breath when she spoke. “I’d forgotten about painting that cabin until now.”

“You were a lot older than five, Peaches.” She froze, and he realized he’d used his old nickname for her.

Sidney recovered quickly by saying, “I always loved it there.”

The air around them thickened. A knot formed in Kade’s gut. “Yeah…yeah, I did, too.”

“Are you sure it’s okay to come out here? Your parents won’t care?”

Kade shook his head. “Nah, it’s cool. Even if they did care, they won’t know. Dad’s away on business and Mom’s up at the house.”

She followed him through the woods to the little lake cabin that sat on the same property as his house. When she tripped over a branch, she reached out for him and he caught her. He didn’t let go of her hand and she didn’t, either. It made him feel strong, like he could do anything because she trusted him to take care of her—not that it was such a big deal. He couldn’t protect his mom, but he could protect Sidney.

“It’s pretty out here,” she said from next to him.

“It is.” Only he was thinking about her and not the woods.

Kade pushed the door open to the little wood house. He froze the second he stepped inside. His mom was sitting there, her face red and eyes swollen from tears. A purple bruise tinted her left eye.

“Kade! Oh, I didn’t know you were coming out here today.” She quickly wiped her eyes, and when she glanced over to see Sidney, she turned around. “This is so embarrassing. I’ll let you kids hang out.”

Only he couldn’t move. His body was frozen yet overheated in anger at the same time. “Where is he?”
What did Dad do to her now?

“It’s nothing, Kade—”

“It’s not nothing!”

“I can go,” Sidney whispered.

“No!” His mom partially hid her face as she walked toward them. “I’m fine. Just being a silly old woman. You kids have fun. Be safe out here.” She slipped through the middle of them, pulling their hands apart. He wanted to grab on to Sidney again, but didn’t.

“I hate him.” Kade walked over to the window and looked out. Trees blocked his view, but he kept on starting at them. “He’s such an asshole. ‘This is a man’s world, Kade. It’s our place to own it and a woman’s to stand by our side. Sometimes you have to remind them of their place.’ I hate him. I don’t want to be like him.”

Sidney stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her head rested against his back. That small gesture eased some of the tenseness in his limbs.

“You could never be like him, Kade Mitchell. You have too big a heart.”

“I should protect her. I try, but she won’t let me. He’s already told her he’ll kill her if she says anything.”

“Oh, Kade,” she whispered and he could tell she was crying. The last thing he wanted her to do was cry for them. He tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let him.

“You do everything you can.”

But that wasn’t true, was it? He should be able to stop this—to stop his dad. And… “Sometimes, I just want to get away from them, too, and then I feel guilty for it. I shouldn’t want to run. If she has to deal with it, I should, too.” He knew he should feel bad admitting that, but he couldn’t. Not with Sidney.

“You can’t always be there,” she said against him. “You do your best.”

“I want to forget about it—what I hear, what he does. I want to block out the yelling. Every time I step in it gets worse. ‘It’s for her own good, Kade. Step back before I have to hit her again because she can’t control you.’ Do you know what it feels like to hear him say that? There’s nothing I can do so I have to sit there and
listen
to it. Hear her cry and hurt.”

Sidney let him go and stepped in front of him. This time when she wrapped her arms around him, her face buried into his chest. It made him feel invincible, having her hold him, but how could he be invincible if he couldn’t even keep his own mom safe?

“You can’t protect the world.”

“I want to.”

“But you can’t… I could tell Aunt Mae—”

“No!” He tried to pull back, but again she didn’t let him. “We can’t, Peaches. He’ll kill her. You don’t know him like I do. How evil he is… He’ll
kill
her.” Kade choked on the words.

It took Sidney a few minutes to reply. She wasn’t only crying now, but bawling against him. His shirt was wet with her tears. “I won’t tell, but you call me, okay? If you need to get away, or if you can’t leave and you don’t want to hear them, you call me and I’ll talk to you till they stop. I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll sneak out and come to you, if I have to. I know it’s not that much, but—”

He exhaled a breath. “It’s a lot.” It was everything.

After that day, he called her when the fighting was too much. Sometimes they did sneak out and come to the cabin, while other times they just talked.

Her voice was always louder than the yelling. She always silenced the pain for him.

Kade groaned, hating that he’d brought up that old memory.

One look at Sidney, the way her eyes creased and her lips turned down made him wonder if she were thinking of the same thing as him. And she felt sorry for him. He still didn’t do well with that.

“I need to get something from the car. I’ll be right back.”

He went straight for his truck and climbed in. Kade gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. He still got upset when he thought about his dad and all the things he hadn’t been able to put a stop to.

People knew stories. It was impossible not to in a town as small as Shamrock Falls, but no one besides him and his mom knew as much as Sidney.

Which was exactly why it didn’t surprise him when she climbed into the passenger seat. “Hey.” She turned sideways and looked at him.

“You didn’t have to follow me.”

“Yes, I did.”

Kade shook his head. “Not a kid anymore. You don’t have to talk to me until I calm down. It’s about time I got over it.”

“It’s not always that easy.”

He wondered if she was talking about her mom, but the slight shake of her head told him not to ask. He both hated and loved the fact that he could read her so well. That yesterday he couldn’t look at her without going crazy, yet today it was almost as if no time had passed at all. Who knew if that was a good or bad thing.

Probably closer to the latter.