Falling to Pieces (4 page)

He smiles. “Panty dropper. Figured it would be a good way to prepare
you to meet me on my break later.”

Unable to keep a straight face any longer, I laugh and raise my glass
to him. “Nice one. You got me there, Chad.”

After drinking the shot, I hand him back the glass and nod my head
towards the other end. “I guarantee if you use that line on the blonde dressed
in red, she won’t practice my same willpower.”

“Eh, I got that last night. Didn’t even need a line. Too easy.”

“You two are ridiculous. I swear it’s like you are the same person
sometimes.” Becka says taking her shot from Lilly.

“Yeah, it is rather disturbing at times. And Chad, you should probably
stop sleeping with the customers. Before we know it, there will be a brawl in
here once they all catch on.” Slapping Chad on the arm, Lilly starts making
drinks for a couple guys waiting next to Becka.

“That would be awesome. Maybe I should mention getting a tub and
filling it with
jello
to Preston. Just picture it.”
With the faraway look in his eyes I can only imagine the scenes going through
Chad’s brain right now.

“On that note, come one Chey, let’s grab a table before the next band
starts.” Nodding to Lilly, Becka grabs her drink and walks towards the tables.

“Keep ‘em coming handsome.” I wink at Chad and turn, finding Becka at a
high top close to the stage.

Working on our second round, the other band finishes their set and the
house music fades in while equipment is switched out for
Knucks
Road. The crowd has doubled from when we first arrived.

Since arriving, I have been pointing out guys to Becka left and right,
trying to spark some kind of interest, but have come up empty handed. I did
however notice her eyes often drifting back towards the bar making me wonder if
she has a thing for Chad. Surely if that was the case she would have mentioned
it to me by now, especially with how I carry on with him. Maybe I should back
off and stop all the flirting.

Before I am able to ask Becka about Chad, two guys approach our table. Both
dressed a little too preppy for my liking and the near matching outfits are
cute and all, but not my style. The guy closest to me, wearing a blue polo,
looks familiar but his friend, in the green polo, I don’t recall.

“Hello beautiful ladies.” I can’t stop the rolling of my eyes, as green
shirt greets us.

“Hey stranger, you know I have been waiting for your call.” Blue shirt
says, leaning his arm on the table positioning his body to block his friend and
Becka from our conversation.

So, apparently I have met him before. If only I could remember, because
nothing about him is really appealing to me right now.

“Yeah…” I say dragging the word out, “I’ve just been
super
busy.”

Hearing a quiet giggle, I glance around blue shirt to see Becka shaking
her head knowingly for using her line from earlier.

“Well, I guess I am in luck because you don’t look too busy tonight.”
Leaning closer to whisper in my ear, the smell of whiskey assaulting my nose, he
continues, “But then again, I don’t need much time with you.”

Holy shit! Sean.

It is all coming back to me now. Last month I first met Sean, here at
Penny’s, letting him buy me drinks all night. He spoke a good game, that’s for
sure. Even had me panting and practically dragging him out of the bar. I was ready
for him to rock my world!

Worst two minutes of my life.

Over before it ever began. Yeah, sorry buddy, there won’t be a repeat.

“Sorry, but I am actually meeting someone here.” I politely lie. I
could just come out with the truth and be a bitch about it, but I am not that
mean.

“Well, he’s not here now, so how about we get out of here?” Sean asks,
moving even closer to me.

Before I can respond, I feel a body press up against my back and a tattooed
arm wraps around my waist.

Saved by the sexy musician.

“There you are.” Dave says, kissing my neck and swiveling my stool,
turning me toward him and away from Sean. “Sorry to keep you waiting, babe.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, baby. I was just catching up with an old friend.”
Looking up at Dave I can see the amusement in his eyes.

Pulling me in tighter, Dave looks over my shoulder at Sean. “Hey man,
thanks for keeping my girl company, I can take it from here.” Dave’s tone turns
serious and I hear a shuffling. Without looking behind me, I know both guys are
gone.

Becka and I bust out laughing and after releasing me, Dave moves to my
side. If any other guy had walked up and put an arm around me in an attempt to
mark their territory, he wouldn’t be living to tell the story. Dave did me a
favor and I know that it was just for show and entertainment purposes.

“You, my friend, are the best.”

“Yeah, I must admit that was pretty smooth. You almost had me
convinced.” Becka is right; he was pretty damn believable. Worked like a charm.

With his lips to my ear, Dave whispers, “Just remember you owe me one.”

I am unable to control the shiver that runs through my body as Dave
stands up straight.

“We are about to go on and I need my two favorite dancers front and
center. Had to get rid of those douche bags.” Raising his arm, he signals the
bar to bring us another round. “I will be looking for you.” With a light touch
against my lower back Dave walks off towards the stage.

“Thanks for your help back there.” I say sarcastically to Becka. “Took
me forever to remember that guy’s name.”

Becka was with me the night I met Sean. He used the fact that he and
Becka had shared a class as his way in.

“Cheyenne, if you are unable to remember the names of your conquests,
how in the hell do you expect me to keep track?”

“You got a point there, sister.”

“Besides, I was left trying to fend off his friend. He was bragging
about his BMW and trying to get me to go outside and check out how comfortable
his leather is. Gross.”

“Wow, can’t believe you were able to stay in your seat. You have such restraint.”

Just in time, Lilly brings our drinks and we fill her in on the comedy
show she just missed. Getting a big kick out it, she tells us to behave before
walking back to the bar.

“So will you be going home with Dave again?” Becka asks, as we stand
from our table and make our way through the crowd to the front of the stage.

Would I be going home with Dave?

Nothing had been planned and so far no other promising options have
come up, so it could happen. Then again, I do miss the sleep I get in my own
bed.

“Not sure. Guess we will see how the night goes.”

As the band struts onto the stage, the whole place goes wild with
cheers. From their first song all the way through the entire set, Becka and I remain
in our spots, jumping and dancing around. Dave always interacts with the
audiences during their shows, but tonight he pays more attention to where we
are. It’s times like these I understand the thrill of wanting to hook up with
performers.

The next morning I wake up swatting the
air and rubbing my hands across my face. I swear I just felt something tickle
my nose. Not feeling it again, I figure it was nothing and burrow myself into the
pillow to fall back asleep.

Then it happens again, only this time it
is following by a muffled giggle.

“Taking a big risk waking me up like
that. You remember what happened last time.” Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I
look around the room, trying to adjust them to the blackness and find the
culprit.

“Don’t worry, I learned my lesson. I would
never want to fall victim to Cheyenne Kung Fu ever again. That’s why I was a
little more subtle with my techniques and kept a safe distance.” Sawyer laughs,
surely remembering the time she came in and jumped on top of me trying to wake
me up. It all happened so quickly that I am still not certain what all
transpired. All I remember is feeling someone land on me and without warning my
legs and arms went straight up launching Sawyer into the air and onto the
floor.

“You should have known better, crazy.
You know I don’t like surprises, especially when I am dead asleep.” Sitting up,
with my back against the headboard, I switch on the lamp, giving the room some
light.

Adjusting to the now brightness, I spot
a cup of coffee in her hands. She knows me all too well. At times, I can be a
beast without my morning coffee. I hit the button on my phone for the home
screen and note that it is only ten in the morning and I have a few missed
calls and messages, but can deal with those later.

“Man, do I love you. So how are things
back at home?” I ask, taking a slow sip of the hot liquid. One taste and I
already feel human again.

“Good. Everyone is excited about Ben and
Julie’s engagement. Get this, so Ben had this whole romantic evening planned
out for when she came home. I am talking rose petals all over their house
leading to the back porch, where a candle lit dinner awaited. Which is crazy to
imagine, because, well, that’s just not my brother.”

It does make me laugh thinking of Ben
coming up with such an idea and then actually following through with it. He was
a country boy through and through, and I never would have thought he had it in
him.

“When she makes it outside, there he
was, down on one knee, professing his love before asking the big question.”

“
Aww
, how
sweet!” I say.

“Then, she said no!”

Shocked, mid-swallow, I choke on my
coffee. “What? No she didn’t!”

“Oh yes she did. Julie said the look on
his face was priceless and she couldn’t hold it very long before putting him
out of his misery. She started laughing and crying at the same time and told
him she was only kidding and of course she would marry him.”

“I bet Ben shit himself when she said
no.” Julie was the first girlfriend of Ben’s that Sawyer and I approved of. He
definitely found his match.

“He said he almost cried, can you
imagine?
Big Ben, down on one knee in tears?
Poor guy,
but it was a great story. We all went out to Granger’s Steakhouse to celebrate
and I ran into your dad.”

Redwood is a small country town and almost
everything is locally owned
;
a lot of mom-and-pop
places. The Granger’s have been around forever, being one of the founding
families. And their restaurant is one of the best in town.

“Was his wife with him? I wouldn’t
imagine her being far away.” I loved my dad, but despised his wife. I don’t
even know if despised is the right word to describe my hatred.

Dad had his faults when it came to his
marriage with my mom. I remember when he started going out of town a lot on
business and was barely around. My grandfather’s family also held the title as
one of the founders of Redwood.

Thomas Building is third-generation
family owned. Starting out as a small construction company, it has now grown
and spread having four other locations throughout the country. They were in the
middle of the third expansion, when my dad became more involved. The new company
location was to be in North Carolina, and the constant traveling began. I had
always been a daddy’s girl and missed him like crazy when he was gone.

It was still a year after the divorce
before the company in North Carolina was able to run without Dad always being
there. During that year I had seen him for holidays, and if I was lucky, once a
month in between. He always made sure to call most every night before bed, but
as a little girl I just wanted my daddy around.

Around the time my mom married Bill is
when I overheard a conversation between them about my dad’s affair. That was
the day I stopped being a daddy’s girl and a lost a certain amount of respect
for him.

It was the summer before my sophomore
year in high school when my dad first introduced me to Lora. I hated her immediately.

I believe there are some people that you
can just sense evil in right away. That was Lora, with her artificial platinum
hair, and blood red pointy nails, which she still sports to this very day. For
the life of me, I cannot figure out what Dad sees in her. There is not one
decent quality about her and I have made my opinion known from day one.

I try to avoid her at all costs, only
going to the house when I know she isn’t there or for holidays when I can’t get
out of it. I talk to my dad often and we have lunch and dinner dates with just
the two of us so we can catch up and spend time together. I had given up trying
to convince him to ditch the witch once they were married; obviously my efforts
hadn’t worked.

The evil, of course, only seemed to come
out when it was just she and I. Our first major altercation happened one
morning when I was walking Sam out. We had gone to a party the night before and
he drove me back to my dad’s house. His mom was working overnight so I
convinced him to stay with me knowing Dad would be gone before we woke up.

I had just closed the door after Sam
drove off when I heard her from behind me going on and on about how I will end
up knocked up before long and will be a disgrace to my father. Ignoring her, I simply
turned for the stairs, ready to lock myself in my room until Dad came back
home. I was on the third step when she made the comment that caused me to snap.

She continued to say that Sam was just a
poor boy with no father who only wanted me because of my family’s money.
Whipping around quicker than I even thought possible, I was right in her face
screaming.

I had
lost it; completely gone.

Every feeling I had bottled up inside
about her came crashing out, and I held nothing back. She could say what she
wanted about me, but not about Sam.
And definitely not that.

Sam’s mom left everything behind when
she moved him to Redwood to escape his father. His dad had made a lot of bad
choices and ended up down a road that he couldn’t return from. Coming to
Redwood, she was able to get a good job at the hospital as an ER charge nurse and
took every shift possible to provide a good life for Sam. I had such admiration
for Mrs. Carter and how she raised an amazing son.

I was not sure what either one of us
truly saying as we were basically yelling over one another. What pissed me off
even more, was the fact that it wasn’t even noon yet and she had already
started on her wine. Even if she wasn’t holding the almost empty glass, I
wouldn’t have been able to miss the stench on her breath.

It was around the time that she called
me a self-centered, tasteless, teenage slut that I countered with a name I had
in my head for her. She heard
whora
-Lora clear as
day, leave my lips as she reached back and slapped me across the cheek. With my
adrenaline in high gear, I snatched the glass from her hand and smashed it on
the floor behind her.

At times I wish I would have hit her
back, but knowing that she had been drinking would not have been fair and most
likely would have ended up with me in trouble. By only breaking the glass, she
would still have to clean it up before Dad got home and realized she had been
drinking again, much less have to explain why it was broken in the first place.

She didn’t say another word and I turned
and left the house.

She now knew I had the upper hand in
this relationship and could end her with just one conversation with my dad.

 
“No, she wasn’t there. It looked like he
was there for a meeting or something. He said that he’s been trying to get
ahold of you, but you aren’t returning his calls.” Sawyer says, bringing me
back to the here and now.

“He’s called a couple times. I tried
calling him back but his wife answered the phone. She obviously knew it was
me
calling since my name and picture pops up on his phone
screen. There was no way I was talking to her so I hung up and haven’t called
back since.”

“And I bet she never mentioned your call
to him either.” Sawyer stated knowingly.

“Right. He wouldn’t have had her answer
if he were with her. He is not an idiot.”

“Well, I told him that I would give you
the message but that you were probably tied up with school work.” But my dad wouldn’t
have bought that.

Over the summer he told me I didn’t need
to keep working at the bookstore. It was my senior year of college and he
wanted my complete focus on school and having free time to enjoy my last year.
He said he would make a weekly deposit into my account to cover my loss of
income, but of course, his deposits were double what I was making there.

“Thanks. I will give him a call later.
Anything else exciting
happen
?”

“You know there isn’t much excitement in
Redwood. I took Mrs. Davis flowers and went to the cemetery to talk to Austin.”

Reaching over I take Sawyer’s hand in
mine. “How was it?”

“It still hurts so much. Just turning
down their driveway has me in tears. I sat in my car until I was sure it was
dried up before walking to the door. I love visiting his parents, but at the
same time I feel bad because we always end up crying. A lot of the time they
are more from happy memories, but I still feel horrible seeing his mom cry. I
keep waiting for it to get easier, you know, but I don’t know when that will
happen. I will always miss Austin, but why does it have to hurt so bad?”

Hearing the pain and tears in her voice
I pull my hand from hers and wrap it around her back holding her close to me.

“I feel like I am doing so good and
making progress, but the minute I go back home it hits me all over again. And
Preston, he’s been amazing. He knows what it means for me when we’re there and
always gives me space when I need it.”

“I’m sorry, friend. If there was a way
for me to take your pain away, I would in an instant. It’s okay to be sad at
times, everything is still so fresh. Your wounds haven’t even begun to heal all
the way, but they will. It will take some time, but I promise you that
eventually there will be a day when it doesn’t hurt as bad. Until then, if you
ever need a day to just cry and get it all out, you know you can call me; I’m
your girl. Always will be, Sawyer.”
 
Squeezing her tighter to me, I kiss her head.

“Thanks, Chey. That is why you are my
bestest
.” Sawyer sits back up against the headboard, wiping
the wetness from her cheeks. “Sam was at the cemetery when I got there.”

Hearing his name, I close my eyes at the
jolt of pain I feel in my chest. But quickly recover; masking my emotions
hoping Sawyer didn’t catch it.

“He must have been in town visiting his
mom. Her birthday was last week.” I made sure to send Mrs. Carter flowers. Unsure
of her work schedule, I had them sent to the hospital, still pretty sure she
spends more time there than at home.

My relationship with Sam’s mom has stayed
strong over the years. With him away at school, I knew she had to be lonely so
I always made a point to stop in and see her anytime I was back home.

“Yeah, about that, there is something
you should know…”

“Honestly, I don’t want to hear it.” I
interject, having a bad feeling that whatever it is will only bring me down.
This conversation reminding me of the time I had to break the news to Sawyer
that Austin had a new girlfriend. Unable to deal with the thought of Sam having
a girlfriend I had to stop her. “We don’t talk about him, remember? I have him
deleted and blocked for a reason, so let’s just drop it.”

Looking unsure, Sawyer nods her head in
acceptance. “Have you talked to Aaron recently? I think something happened with
him and Martha. She wasn’t herself all weekend; real quiet and you know that’s
scary.”

Shit.

I already knew what happened and haven’t
had the chance to tell her. “You know, it’s probably better if we stay out of
it. Let them sort it out on their own.”

“What do you know, Cheyenne? What did
Aaron do?” Sawyer asks, sitting even straighter, turning her body to face me.
Already getting defensive and sticking up for her sister.

“This is why we need to stay out of it.
You will always be on your sister’s side. I get it. But Aaron is also my family
and I will stick up for him, especially now.”