Where My Heart Breaks (3 page)

“I did,” I said, unsure of what to say next. From what I remembered as a kid, Patrice was direct and outspoken. I did not want to get our new relationship started on the wrong foot. Or more of a wrong foot. My whole reason for being there felt wrong.

Patrice moved past me, and I followed her back out into the hallway. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

“No,” I replied. She appeared to be on a mission as she made her way to the stairs and started to climb them. Patrice moved fast, and I tried to keep up. “I did have a flat tire. The guy who helped me told me where to find the place which was helpful.”

“What guy?” Patrice asked.

“Late 20s, blue pick-up truck, tattoo on his arm,” I said, picturing him in my mind and trying not to drool. I thought about his toned biceps and pictured them curling around my body and pulling me closer to him. I was going to have some pleasant dreams tonight.

“So you met Reed Black,” Patrice said coolly.

“I didn’t quite catch his name,” I admitted. Reed. The name fit him.
 

At the top of the stairs, Patrice turned to the right and proceeded toward the open door on the left. “Not surprising. He doesn’t talk much,” Patrice said. “Mandy? Are you done in there yet?”

A girl who looked like she was still in high school emerged from the room with her arms piled high with sheets. “Almost, Ms. Collins. I just need to run these sheets upstairs and remake the bed.”

Patrice looked at her watch and frowned. “You’re behind again, Mandy.”

The girl looked as if she was going to cry, and I instantly felt sorry for her. It wasn’t a surprise to me that Patrice ran a tight ship. A person doesn’t retire from an executive level position at forty-five without being disciplined.
 

“I’m sorry, Ms. Collins. I’m going as fast as I can.”

“Well, you’re going to have to start going faster, Mandy. Starting next week, we’re going to be fully booked almost every week through August,” Patrice said. “By the way, this is my niece, Kate. Since you’re on your way upstairs, you can show her to her room. Then right back to work.” Patrice turned back to me. “I’ll let you get settled in, but I’d like to get started on your training first thing in the morning. Eight a.m. sharp.”

I almost clicked my heels together under her stare. “Got it,” I said.

As if she read my mind, her eyes wandered down at my feet. “I hope you brought more sensible shoes than that, Kate.” She sighed and then was on her way back down the stairs before I could say anything.

I looked around and found Mandy already on her way toward the staircase to the third floor. So much for social time and getting to know my fellow employees. I hurried after her.

“Hey, so I’m obviously new in town. Is there a place where the younger crowd hangs out?” I asked Mandy. I could barely see her face behind the tower of sheets. I knew that I should be staying in and doing something innocent like reading a book tonight, but I couldn’t stand the idea of being confined to my room for the rest of the evening.
 

“I’m not old enough to go to the bars,” she squeaked.
 

We reached the top of the stairs and her fingertip emerged from beneath one corner of the pile. “Room five, at the end. It’s unlocked.” Mandy turned the other way. “I have to go before I get in trouble again. Welcome to the Willoughby.”

“Thanks,” I said, feeling a little let down. I wondered if Patrice told her employees any of the bad stuff about me. I started down the hallway when I heard Mandy’s voice again.

“My older brother hangs out at Lula’s on Main Street. I think they’ve even got dancing on Saturday nights.”

Dancing sounded promising, even in Bleckerville. “I appreciate the tip,” I said. Then I made my way to my room. As promised, the doorknob turned with no trouble and I pushed it open. I was greeted by a double bed with a drab beige blanket, an antique dresser, and a standing mirror. The open doorway on the right revealed a small bathroom. I sighed. Apparently, there were no five star accommodations for the staff.
 

The only thing notable about the room was the view. It looked out over the backyard and offered a breathtaking view of the lake. An unremarkable chaise lounger sat beneath it.
 

Looking out at the wide expanse of water, I felt the warring parts of me. For the past six months, I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol in my system, but then I had been under the eagle eyes of my mother. Something about me possibly not graduating from college really rattled her cage, and she insisted that when I was back under her roof I abide by her rules. Rule number one was no drinking. Rule number two was no boys. Rule number three was that I was home by midnight. Her rules sucked. If I hadn’t had Millie to hang out with, I would have gone insane.

For six long months, I played the part of the good girl. I told myself there was nothing wrong with it, but my body and mind burned for some excitement. Reed Black had unwittingly stirred all of that up with his smoky green eyes and dark good looks. I missed the casual freedom that I’d for the last three years.

What I didn’t miss was waking up in Trevor’s bed tasting ash and worse in my mouth with no recollection of how I got there or what I had done the night before. I didn’t miss stumbling home and having to explain why I missed yet another class to Millie, who became progressively more concerned about me as the semester wore on. I didn’t miss being surrounded by beautiful people who loved to party, but couldn’t care less about what happened to me after the party. Trevor never even bothered to call me again when I told him about my parents’ ultimatum during Christmas break.

There was something seriously messed up inside of me. What I craved, I had yet to find. Even as I told myself that I wasn’t going to do anything dumb, I cataloged the scant inventory of clothing that I brought along with me to the Willoughby. Surely something would do for a small town bar on a Saturday night.

CHAPTER THREE

My excuse to go into town was brilliant in its simplicity. “Patrice, I need to get a new tire for my car right away. I can’t drive it around on that spare. The driveway will eat it up. Plus, it’s a safety hazard.”

My aunt was straightening the paperwork in her office and looked up in surprise at my sudden arrival in her small space. “The only place in Bleckerville where you can get something like that done is Bud’s.” She pointed at the clock. “I don’t know that you’re going to get that fixed today. It’s already five.”

“How about I take it into town and check? My dad always told me not to drive on those tires for too long. Better safe than sorry.” I kept my eyes downcast and shuffled my feet trying to look innocent. Having changed into jeans, a thin grey pullover, and tennis shoes, I knew that I looked about twelve years old. There was no reason for her to doubt my story, but regardless I knew she still did, was which was annoying.

Patrice sighed. “I’ll call Bud and tell him you’re coming. When you get into town, his shop is on the far end of Main Street. You can’t miss it.”

It was hard not to smile at how easy it was to pull the wool over her eyes, but somehow I managed it. I was so close to freedom that I couldn’t mess it up now. I nodded. “Do you need me to grab anything for you while I’m in town?”

“No,” Patrice said.
 

I turned and had only gone two steps when her voice carried out to me. “Eight o’clock sharp tomorrow morning, Kate. I wouldn’t make it a late night if I were you.”

Apparently, my ruse was more transparent than I thought. I’d have to watch myself around Patrice. Of course, she and my mother were genetically related, so it made sense. I might have gotten a thing or two past my dad, but I don’t think my mother believed a single word that came out of my mouth anymore. I knew that was my fault. I had become a pretty good liar during my “crazy phase” but it still rankled.
 

I made my way out to the car and looked back up at the Willoughby. I couldn’t deny that it was beautiful and romantic. There was something about it that called to me, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen. I was in the mood for a drink.

As I crawled back up the driveway, I dug out my phone and was delighted to see that I had two bars. I hit speed dial on Millie’s number.
 

“Where have you been? I expected a call hours ago.” Millie’s mock reprimand instantly brought a smile to my face. She and I rarely went a day without talking. Usually we spoke several times a day.

“I am in the middle of nowhere. I miss you,” I said.

Amelia St. John and I had been best friends since freshmen year of college. Millie was everything I longed to be, tall, beautiful, popular, and rich. We didn’t hit it off right away until we discovered our mutual love of all things Joss Whedon. Since then, Millie and I were inseparable. At least, we were until my parents decided that they knew better about my future than I did. As much as she loathed what I did to my life while Trevor was in it, Millie hadn’t deserted me like other friends. I considered her the sister I never had.

“I miss you too! Especially since my dad is driving me crazy. We totally should have booked a flight to Hawaii after our last class and conveniently missed the return flight,” Millie said. “He won’t stop talking about Rick.” Fredrick Malone III was Mr. St. John’s desired choice to marry his only daughter. It was almost archaic how hard he was pushing Millie to get engaged now that she was ready to enter her senior year of college. Millie, for her part, wanted nothing to do with it.

“Well, I’d still rather be where you are than here,” I said as I pulled back onto the highway and headed for Bleckerville.

“Normally in this situation I’d tell you that you just need to meet a smoking hot guy and let him cool those jets of yours,” Millie said. “But remember…”

“I know, I know,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Geez, you are worse than my parents. No partying. No drinking. No drugs. No one night stands. Shouldn’t be a problem in
Bleckerville
. If anything, I’m going to die from boredom this summer.”

“Aw, poor Kate,” Millie said. There was no real pity in her voice. “I gotta go. Call me later.” Then she was gone.

Just like Millie. Breezing in with words of caution and judgment and then breezing right back out. It frustrated me because she was right. Somebody needed to take me by the shoulders and forcefully push me in the right direction. The collision course I had been on wouldn’t have ended well. I saw that now. At the time, I just couldn’t find a way to get off the Trevor Franklin roller coaster.

I found myself on the edge of the infamous town of Bleckerville before I knew it. I hit the brakes and cruised into town, staring at the place that would be my home for the next three months unless I found a way to escape to the Hamptons with Millie.
 

I saw a beauty salon named Mae’s Cut and Curl and couldn’t resist a chuckle. There was the post office next to the bowling alley. I saw a hardware store and the public library next to the police station. The street was complete with a pair of white haired men in overalls sitting on a bench outside the gas station who stared at me as my car passed them. Next to the gas station I found Bud’s Garage and Auto Body Repair. In a wonderful twist of fate, I saw that across the street sat Lula’s Bar and Grill.
 

Perfect.

I pulled into Bud’s lot and parked next to an old black Buick that I noted had a rusting bumper. Before getting out, I pulled the gray hoodie up over my head revealing a form fitting red tank top underneath. I threw the hoodie on the passenger seat. I had no intention of putting it back on until I went back to the Willoughby. I flipped down the visor and pulled my hair out of its confining ponytail and tousled it so that the strands curled around my ears and just brushed the tops of my shoulders. A little bit of gloss on my lips completed the look. Not a total transformation, but a respectable one. I climbed out of the car and went in search of Bud.

Both bay doors were open, but it looked dark inside. The heavy smell of oil and metal wafted to my nostrils as I stepped inside the bay closest to me.
 

“Hello?” I called out into the dimly lit room. “Anybody here?”

A man in overalls with tufts of white hair sticking out from beneath his stained ball cap shuffled from the side of the room carrying a wrench. He waved at me merrily. “You must be Kate. Your Aunt Patrice said you were looking for a tire.”

I think it was his easy grin that won me over. I liked him instantly. “I had a flat on my way to the Willoughby.”

“Lucky for you, Reed called it in over an hour ago, and I ordered it from a place over in Cheshire. It should be here in the next half an hour or so. Assuming it gets here before I close up, I’ll go ahead and take care of it for you.”

The mysterious Reed struck again. I was stunned. “Wow. That’s great news. That was a really nice thing for…Reed…to do.”

“Folks take care of each other around here,” Bud said with a nod. He used a rag to wipe the wrench and then stepped underneath the car up on the lift. “Leave me your keys. You can wait over at Lula’s if you’d like. I’ll call over either way.”

The stars were aligning even better than I expected. It appeared fate was telling me something, but I wasn’t sure if I should be listening to it. When I got what I wanted, I was pretty sure it had me confused for someone else. Either that, or I was misinterpreting the radio static. I admit it made me nervous how the universe seemed to be saying that I was meant to be at Lula’s that night.

“I just need to grab something out of the trunk.” I turned and popped the trunk with the fob and then handed the keys to Bud. He tipped his hat to me. I made my way back to the car and pulled out the pair of sling back sandals that I left there earlier. Quickly I swapped my tennis shoes for the sandals and felt satisfied with my casual, yet trendy appearance.
 

I looked both ways before crossing the road and felt silly. I couldn’t see a moving car anywhere. I really was in Smalltown, USA. I made my way to the door of Lula’s. There were several cars scattered throughout the parking lot. It was still early. My stomach growled reminding me that I skipped lunch because I didn’t want to be late getting to the Willoughby. Maybe I could score a burger too.