The Reunion: Shelby's Chance Meeting (Starting Over Series) (3 page)

“
You got it. I came by to take a look at the damage to your vehicle first hand. That way I can fast track the repairs for you.
”

“
Sure. We can just go outside and I will show you,
”
she said pointing at the front door.

“
Are these your kids?
”
he asked picking up a photo of the three of them together. She had taken them to a pumpkin festival in the north Georgia mountains one year when Kenny didn
’
t want to leave the farm.

“
Yes.
”
She was unsure of showing a complete stranger what her kids looked like. But, since they were with Kenny a couple of hours away, she figured she was safe.

“
They are adorable.
”



“
That
’
s an older picture of us at the pumpkin patch. You can see I am actually sitting on a big pumpkin,
”
she said leaning in and pointing. Her hair brushed across his chest and she heard his breath catch again.

“
The car,
”
he said as he put the photo back on the table and backed up.

“
Right. The car,
”
she said walking to the front door.

As they walked down the sidewalk to the driveway, she could feel his eyes on her. Was he looking at her butt? And, more importantly, did her butt look good in yoga pants?

“
You can see right there where he scratched it up the side. And there is a dent over here
…”
she said as she bent over to show him the damage.

“
Yes, that looks good,
”
he said.

“
It looks good?
”
she asked confused.

“
I meant that looks bad
…”
he said shaking his head.
“
Bad,
”
he repeated.

“
Were you just checking me out?
”
she asked with a grin as she crossed her arms.

“
Of course not. This is purely a business visit,
”
he said with a grin of his own.
“
Fine. I was checking you out. Those pants are rocking. Satisfied?
”

“
You are very up front and honest, aren
’
t you?
”
she asked as she leaned against her car.

“
Is there any other way to be?
”
he asked.

“
From what I have seen out in the dating world, yes. There is not a lot to choose from out there.
”

“
I agree. I
’
ve met some crazies during my dating adventures. This one girl seemed nice enough until I found out her favorite past time was dissection. Seriously. She liked to dissect things as a hobby.
”

“
You are lying
…”
she said with her mouth hanging open.

“
I swear on my whole business. She was a nut.
”

“
I went out to a bar with some friends recently and this guy came up to me and said
‘
Do you have any Native American in you?
’
and I said
‘
No
’
and he said
‘
Want some?
’
Yuck! I mean where do guys come up with these stupid pick-up lines anyway?
”

Brian cackled with laughter at her story, and she followed. Pretty soon, they were sharing their worst dating stories, although she had few since she
’
d been with Kenny for so long. One thing was for sure - she was not impressed with dating so far.

“
Okay, back on a serious note
…
Isn
’
t this car a bit small for you and your growing kids anyway?
”
he asked, still wiping a tear of laughter from his eye.

“
Yes, it is. But, I am now a single mom, so I wasn
’
t able to afford much. I am a school nurse, so I don
’
t get to live the high life by any means. But, it
’
s mine and it does the job,
”
she said trying to sound proud of her small 10-year old compact car.

“
Well, at the very least I can get it fixed up for you. I am so sorry our worker scratched and dented it for you. I will have my guy come by tomorrow morning and take it to my body shop guy. Sound good?
”

“
Sure. I will be hanging out at home all day tomorrow anyway. Any idea when I will get it back?
”
she asked.

“
I will tell him to put a rush on it. How about if I come by tomorrow afternoon with an update?
”
he asked with a sly smile.

“
I suppose that would be good,
”
she said smiling as she looked at her feet.
“
See you tomorrow then.
”

“
Tomorrow
…”
he said with a smile as he backed up toward his car. She quickly went into her condo so she could peek out the window and watch him walk away. As he got into his sleek black BMW, he turned around and waved at her. Dang! She hadn
’
t been so sly after all.

Brian
’
s guy came by and picked up Shelby
’
s car the next morning like clockwork. She had cleaned everything out of it just in case she needed her belongings. She spent the day cleaning house and trying to pass the time until Brian came by. The thought of him coming caused her heart to skip a beat, and she started to wonder if he might feel the same way.

“
Hello?
”
she said as she answered her cell phone between dusting projects.

“
Shelby,
”
she heard Kenny
’
s voice say. Her heart sank at the sound of his voice because she knew he would never call her unless something was wrong.

“
Kenny, what
’
s wrong?
”
she asked.

“
It
’
s Austin. He
’
s been in an accident.
”
Shelby barely heard what Kenny was saying because her heartbeat was so loud in her ears. From what she could gather, Austin had been in a four-wheeler accident with his cousin, Joey. The vehicle had rolled over and landed on Austin.

“
Is he going to be okay?
”
Shelby asked in a begging tone as she sank down onto her sofa in tears.

“
We don
’
t know much yet, Shelby. You just need to come. I promise I will call you if anything takes a turn before you get here
…
The doctors are looking him over now, and he may need surgery
…”
She had known Kenny almost her whole life, and to hear his voice cracking made her very scared. He was a man
’
s man, and crying was not something he would do unless it was a major event.

“
I am on my way,
”
she said as she ended her call and started frantically running around to pack an overnight bag.

She turned off the lights, locked the doors and ran outside only to realize that she didn
’
t have a car. Remembering that Brian had given her a copy of her paperwork with his business card attached, she quickly ran back inside to find it. Tears streaming down her face, she started to sob as she searched.

“
Shelby, are you okay?
”
she heard Brian say behind her.

“
Oh, my God
…
Brian!
”
she yelled as she ran and fell into his arms without thinking. She just wanted someone to comfort her, and she was thankful he was there.
“
My son
…
my baby
…
he
’
s hurt at the hospital in South Georgia
…”
she stammered and stuttered between sobs.
“
My car wasn
’
t here
…”

“
Hey, it
’
s okay
…”
he said softly as he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head.
“
Let
’
s go,
”
he said as he took her bag and her hand and led her outside. She was so upset that she didn
’
t even notice the car he was driving was not the same one from the night before. She climbed inside the bright red SUV, and he buckled her in.

When they got on the interstate, she finally realized he wasn
’
t taking her to get her car.

“
Where are you going?
”
she asked looking around.

“
To South Georgia, of course,
”
he said as he looked at the road.

“
But, I thought we were going to get my car,
”
she said.

“
No time for that. Your son needs you,
”
he said. Her heart melted as the tears returned. She let them flow as she stared out he window looking at passing cars and trees. Her mind wandered to thoughts of Austin as a baby boy, riding his bike for the first time, opening presents at Christmas, Easter egg hunts on the farm
…
It seemed like a rush of emotions and memories flooded her all at once.

They didn
’
t speak for the first hour of the trip. Somewhere along the way, he had reached over to hold her hand. The warmth of someone being with her during a difficult time was a welcome feeling compared to her normal sense of loneliness.

“
Tell me about your son,
”
he finally said softly.

Shelby took a deep breath and her face softened.
“
Well, he
’
s amazing. He will be eleven in just a few months. He
’
s the most energetic kid I know, but he
’
s not a brat or ADD or anything like that. He
’
s just full of life
…”
her voice broke.

“
He sounds amazing. I can
’
t wait to meet him,
”
Brian said squeezing her hand. He asked her which hospital he was in so he could punch it into the GPS.

“
This is so weird,
”
she said with a slight smile.

“
What
’
s weird?
”

“
I just met you yesterday, and you already know more about me than most of my friends here. And now you are driving me to see my son in the hospital and my ex-husband,
”
she said with a half-hearted chuckle.