Michael
Nearly a year later
Michael Bishop had grown his motorcycle business exponentially during the past year.
He was brokenhearted, and he threw himself into his work as a distraction and release. He now had three full-time employees and would soon hire one or two more.
From the outside, it seemed as if Michael Bishop had it all figured out. He had silenced the skeptics who said he would never make it in Memphis. He was well on his way to doing exactly what he predicted and becoming as big as Harley. He was good at it. He smiled, talked to customers, and conducted business like a true professional, but on a personal level, he had changed.
Michael hadn't been the same since he ended things with Ivy Lewis. He switched off some part of himself when he told her to leave, and he hadn't been able to switch it on since.
The sad part was that he was in a pretty good position with the ladies. He had a successful rebel thing going on. He went to church and was extremely successful, and yet still somehow maintained a bad boy image because of his motorcycles.
In the past year, he had gone from Memphis's most misunderstood to Memphis's most eligible. The funny thing was that he had no idea he was so desirable, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
He couldn't care less about his own romantic marketability because, as far as he was concerned, he was done with love.
Losing Ivy had hurt him too much.
It had been ten months since he saw her, and thinking about her still made his heart hurt. He had heard enough gossip to know that she was having success in Nashville, and that helped him grin and bear it through the pain of not having her.
Ivy had been on his mind nonstop for the past hour or so, ever since her brother called to ask if he could come by the shop. Michael knew Jacob had turned seventeen, so he thought maybe he was interested in buying a motorcycle.
It was just after noon, and Michael's employees were all at the shop working when Jacob came by, driving his mom's car. It was a beautiful day in early summer, so they had the garage door open. Michael had been expecting Jacob's visit, and he was waiting for him when he arrived. He met him at the entrance.
"Hey, Jacob, it's good to see you," Michael said as they shook hands. "You went and became a man since the last time I saw you."
Jacob smiled shyly.
"Did you come to look at a motorcycle?" Michael asked.
Jacob's smile faded as he shook his head. "I just came to talk to you about something personal, if you don't mind."
Michael's heart dropped. "No, not at all," he said. He pointed to the shop. "Do you want to go inside? Or I have a table out here under those trees. We could go sit over there."
"That's fine. The table's fine." Jacob said.
The two gentlemen made their way toward the shady area near the side of the building. There was a wooden picnic table under a group of small trees, and Michael and Jacob walked to it.
"It's been a while," Jacob said.
"Yes it has," Michael replied.
"You don't come to our church anymore," Jacob said.
Michael sat on the closest bench, and Jacob sat next to him.
"Nope," Michael said.
"Why'd you quit coming?"
"Because I didn’t want to anymore."
"Do you go somewhere else?"
"Yes, I do go somewhere else," Michael said, wondering if that's what the boy had come to talk about.
Jacob was quiet for a few seconds. He stared at the ground beneath his feet, absentmindedly shifting the dirt and working up the nerve to say what he came there to say.
"Why'd you break up with my sister?" he asked.
Now it was Michael's turn to have to work up the nerve to say something.
The mention of Ivy made the blood rush from Michael's head, and he rubbed his eyebrows as he tried to figure out how to answer Jacob's question.
"Because she really liked you, and I thought you really liked her," Jacob added when Michael didn't answer right away.
"I did like her. I loved her."
"Then why did you break up with her?"
"It's complicated, Jacob."
"Yeah, well, so is Ivy's life right now, but you wouldn't know that."
Michael felt a stabbing sensation in his chest when Jacob said her name.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"She's sick," Jacob said. "And not just sick as in ill. That's not what I'm talking about."
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked, getting to the edge of his seat and feeling frustrated.
"Ivy," Jacob said. "She hasn't been the same since… well, since last summer. She quit school right when she got back to Nashville. She called home, saying life was too short and she was quitting school to pursue a career in music."
"I heard she was doing well with that," Michael said. "I'm happy for her."
Jacob just looked at Michael and shook his head as if to say he shouldn't be happy.
"My parents cut her off, but she didn't care. She makes tons of money playing and singing." Jacob paused, but Michael didn't say anything, so he continued. "She says she's doing great, but she's not. I can tell. She hadn't spoken to my parents in months before she called the other night. She didn't come home for Christmas, and she has never done that. And she's got all these friends who party all the time."
"Why hasn't she spoken to your parents?"
Jacob regarded Michael with a serious expression. "Honestly, I think it's because she thinks my dad had something to do with what happened with you. That's why I came to see you. I was hoping if that was the reason, then we could try to make things right. Maybe I could talk to my dad." Jacob shrugged. "I don't know. I felt like I needed to come to you and say something. The other night, Ivy called in the middle of the night, crying and panicking, and thinking she was dying, and then an hour later, when we were just about to leave for Nashville to help her, she called again and said she was fine." Jacob shook his head and stared blankly as he remembered. "We went to see her the next day anyway, and she wasn't well, Michael."
"What's that mean?"
Jacob shrugged. "I mean, I think she thinks she's well. She's making money, and she has lots of success and lots of friends and everything, but she's just not the same. She's hurting. She's my sister, and I can just see it."
Michael's chest hurt at the thought of Ivy being in pain. He wanted to be next to her instantly, and he had to fight the urge to get in his car and take off for Nashville without even knowing where she lived.
Jacob took Michael's silence as disinterest.
"It's probably stupid that I came over here," he said. "I didn't mean to bother you. I know if you liked her you would've stayed with her or whatever. I was just kind of hoping against hope that my dad had something to do with it, that way it would be something I could try to fix."
Michael was so full of thoughts emotions that he didn't even know where to begin. He had never felt so overwhelmed.
"I'm glad she has you for a brother, Jacob," Michael said, after a few seconds. "And it's not the least bit stupid that you came over here. I don't know what to say. I haven't been the same since things ended with Ivy, either."
"She said you were the one who did it. She said you broke up with her."
"I did, but not because I wanted to," Michael said.
"Did my dad make you?" Jacob asked, sitting up a little straighter as if reluctantly contemplating confronting his father.
Michael shook his head and put his hand on Jacobs shoulder to make him settle down.
"Then why did you break up with her?" Jacob asked.
He was so determined to find the truth that Michael felt he had no other choice but to tell him.
"Three men came into the shop that day that I ended things with her. They came to me and threatened your family. They didn't threaten me, they threatened you—Ivy's family."
"Who was it? What did they say?" Jacob asked incredulously. "That they would kill us?"
"No, they didn't say they kill you."
"Then what did they say? What did they threaten you with? Who was it?"
"They said your dad would lose his job. They also said that Ivy's family would never talk to her again if she married someone like me."
"Why didn't you just ask us if we liked you?" Jacob asked as if it were that simple.
"How about your dad losing his job? What was I supposed to do?"
"Why would you be worried about something like that?" Jacob asked with a completely confused expression.
"Because a job is important, Jacob."
"Yeah, but if my dad lost his job because of who my sister chose to date, then he was meant to lose it, anyway." Jacob gestured with his palms up as if indicating the area around them. "We serve the living God. The one who created everything. The one who gives breath and life. There's no threat against my dad's job that God doesn't know about or can't take care of. He could just smite those guys if He wants to."
Michael smiled. "I guess He could," he agreed.
"He can. If there is one thing I've learned growing up a preacher's kid, it's that God defends us. God's got it handled way better than we can. God doesn't need you to go break my sister's heart over something like that."
"You're probably right."
"I know I am," Jacob said. "And who was it?"
"Stephen Meyers."
Jacob made a dismissive sound. "That guy's getting married to someone else, anyway."
Michael's heart was pounding uncontrollably by the time they finished the conversation. He knew he would be leaving for Nashville that same day. He felt so compelled to go there that he stood up and began pacing in front of the table.
Jacob was right.
Michael thought about all the kid had just said and wondered how a seventeen-year-old could be so reasonable and smart. He looked Jacob in the eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to express his gratitude. He could see how concerned the boy was for his sister, and he loved him for that.
"I love her," Michael said, regarding Jacob with a man-to-man expression. "I love your sister, Jacob. I was only trying to protect her. It's the only reason I did what I did."
Jacob let out a relieved sigh. "I hate to tell you this, but your plan might have backfired a little bit. I think she really liked you. I'm glad you feel the same way."
"I do. I love her."
Jacob smiled. "I was at her house yesterday, and I just kept having this feeling like you were the only one who would be able to get through to her. I'm so glad I came over here. And I'm glad my dad didn't have anything to do with this."
Michael shrugged. "He still probably doesn't want me with his daughter," he said.
"I'm sure he'd rather see her with you than those people we saw at her house yesterday."
"What people?"
"I told you. She had a whole bunch of people at her house when we first got over there. It was ten in the morning, and they were just laid out all over the place like they had been up all night."
"Guys? Were there guys?"
Jacob nodded, and Michael felt his blood pressure begin to rise. He clenched his fists and instantly began thinking of all the things he needed to pack to get on the road. He could not get on the road soon enough.
"Do you think you'll try go see her?" Jacob called, as Michael started to walk away.
"I'm leaving now," Michael said from over his shoulder.