Chapter 17

It’s a fantastic night for drinking some beers with the guys and grilling hamburgers. After I bought this lake house, my beautiful streamlined stainless-steel grill was one of my very first purchases. I had happened to be in the hardware store at the time looking for light bulbs when I came across the grill. It was perfect and came with all kinds of gadgets including a really awesome bucket for frying and a side section for smoking meats. It reminded me of my childhood, and how most of my best memories were spent in the back yard with my dad grilling.

I use this grill all the time and it’s definitely one of my prized possessions, especially now in the spring when the weather is perfect for being outdoors. I take a long sip of my cold beer, relishing in the way it slides refreshingly cool down my throat.

There’s nothing better than a Friday night, looking forward to the weekend ahead and enjoying some burgers with some buddies. My friend Chris, the mechanic from the shop, is over with a few people on his friend’s crew that have become my friends too over the years. We all hang out occasionally when the married guys can get away from their wives. I also invited a few guys I met at the shop, motorcycle guys and a few motocross racers.

Chris is a real people person, more so than me. He’s friendly and chatty, always the life of the party. He brought over Thomas and Mike, whom I’ve had the opportunity to get closer to over the years. Thomas is Chris’ friend from high school. They go back forever and are basically brothers.

Mike is one of Chris’ cousins and he likes to tag along whenever we do something. He is obsessed with UFC fights. He’s been in several competitions over the years himself and used to be a boxer in high school and some in college. I think he’s got a hidden anger problem that makes him love fighting so much, but as long as he doesn’t get too drunk, he’s fine to be around.

Part of the reason the guys wanted to come over today is because there’s a wildly popular fight on TV tonight and Mike wanted to gather everybody over at my house since I have a huge living room and a ninety-inch flat screen mounted to the wall above my fireplace. My house is the party house.

I don’t mind. I know it just comes with the territory. Naturally, whoever of the group has the biggest house and the best tv is going to be the one that the people flock to. I’m proud to oblige and be the host, although it means I have to do all of the cooking and cleaning. It’s been a while since they’ve come over. Everything always gets so busy with work and families, but I’m grateful for these hangout sessions when they do come along.

The house has been too quiet and lonely lately and I’m ready to cut loose and have a good time with some great friends. There is one guy that Mike brought along that I don’t know very well. Chris vouches for him though and says he’s a good friend of theirs, even though this is the first time I’m meeting him. His name is Nick, and he’s about my age, slightly muscular but I think he’s mostly just stocky. He just has this look about him, like he’s up to no good. Maybe I’m just being judgmental.

When I hear the sliding glass door roll open from the back deck where I’m grilling, I turn around and notice that he’s walking toward me. I immediately tense up because I don’t know this guy and I hope he’s not out here to open up the flood gates of communication when I don’t even have a buzz going yet.

“Hey man,” he says and gives me a fist bump in greeting.

“Hey,” I say politely and take a sip of my beer.

“This is some dope place you’ve got here.” Nick points out to the lake and looks around, up to the roof.

“Thanks,” I say and flip the burgers, so they can get some flame love from the opposite side.

“I bet it’s a real chick magnet huh?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“I wouldn’t know,” I mumble and focus my attention back to the burgers, careful not to burn them.

I don’t know Nick very well, but he’s not making a good first impression. He seems like a former frat boy that never grew out of his idiot days.

“Well that leads me to my next point.” Nick chuckles, walking around the deck while clutching his beer.

I turn around to look at him. “I’m sorry?”

Nick’s mouth spreads into a devilish grin. “That hottie in your house? She yours?”

“What?” I shake my head, having absolutely no clue what he is talking about. I thought the guys agreed not to bring wives or girlfriends tonight.

Nick glances back inside and licks his lips. This guy is a slime ball and I’m not a fan. “Cool, so she’s not yours? I was hoping she was your sister or something.”

I crane my neck to look inside and my heart plummets through my chest, through my legs and splatters onto the deck by my feet.

It’s Livi.

Shit, I almost forgot she was living here. She’s so quiet and keeps to herself so much that when I get home every night it’s almost as if I’m still living alone. That doesn’t change the private fact that I am having dreams about her every night. Some of them are sexy, some of them are just the two of us talking, laughing and engaging each other in friendly company.

The night we kissed was a great night for me, but I still have to hold my ground. No matter how cute and sweet she is, I can’t leave my heart out there in the wild open, exposed to another cruel girl.

“Oh…” I trail off, narrowing my eyes to study her. She’s standing there, looking nervous and timid. Her mouth is moving so I assume she’s talking to someone that’s in the living room and not visible, since she’s standing at the edge of the kitchen.

Her arms are crossed protectively over her chest and she looks so clean, gorgeous and utterly perfect. In spite of my observance, I don’t know Nick, and have no intention of revealing my true emotions, especially when I’m still trying to figure them out myself.

I glance back at Nick, who’s staring at me expectantly, with a hungry grin splashed on his face. He’s wearing a Red Sox baseball cap that’s positioned with the bill behind his head.

“So?”

“So…what?” I shrug because I don’t want to discuss Livi with this prick.

“Who is she? Your sister?” His voice is eager.

“She’s not my sister,” I say and focus my work on the burgers. “Do you know how many burgers we need?” I ask him, trying to change the subject.

Ignoring me, this guy hounds me with question after question about Livi. If she’s single, how old she is, what kind of guys she likes. I don’t even know her that well, so if he wants to unlock the key to her past…he’s come to the wrong person.

“So she’s not your girlfriend or anything?”

“Nope.” I shake my head and refuse to make eye contact with him.

“Sister?”

“Nope,” I say again and take a huge swig of my beer because it’s the only thing calming my nerves and standing between my fist and this guy’s face.

“Does that mean she’s fair game?”

This time I begrudgingly glance up at him. “She’s just a friend of Alexa’s,” I murmur.

“Alexa? That girl that owns the bakery on Main Street?” This guy must think I’m a fucking walking encyclopedia.

“Yep.”

“Hmm,” he says. “They’re both sexy. But only one of them is here tonight.”

I don’t answer him and keep my back to his gaze. The silence weighs heavily in the air but to my surprise, the guy still doesn’t take the hint that I’m not interested in continuing this conversation any further.

“Will anyone mind if I ask her out?” I can’t believe he has the audacity to ask me this.

I don’t know why this bothers me, but the idea of this creep near Livi makes me want to hurl. Regardless, it’s none of my business what he does, or what she does for that matter because I’m not involved with her in any capacity.

I have no idea whether Livi would even accept his offer for a date and frankly it seems a little presumptuous, but I have no say in the matter.

“Do what you want,” I tell him with a shrug. I have to bite my tongue to prevent myself from saying something cynical or patronizing on his behalf.

“Thanks, dude.” Nick slaps my back affectionately as if my blessing to date Livi suddenly shifts us into ‘bro status.’

“For what?” I grumble.

“You know, for letting me go out with her,” Nick chuckles.

“You might want to ask her first,” I point the spatula in Livi’s direction through the glass panes of the sliding door.

“Oh…I intend to, bro,” Nick laughs with a chauvinistic quality that makes my blood boil. I grit my teeth and bite my tongue again.

Nick pulls open the door and I can hear the soft buzz of my company chatting and the TV sound in the background. The door slides shut after his departure, and the world is silent again. I take a deep breath and pull the burgers off the grill one at a time, placing them on a clean plate so not to worry with cross-contamination.

I bring the burgers inside, holding them steadily on the plate like a tiny mountain of meat. Everyone whistles and drools over the appearance.

“Wow, those look amazing dude,” Chris admits and walks into the kitchen with me.

“Thanks,” I say and steal a glance at Livi when I pass by her. She blushes and glances at the floor.

“Those smell fantastic,” Mike says, joining us in the kitchen.

“Dig in,” I offer and gesture to the food as I toss the hamburger buns onto the counter beside the burgers. Chris is comfortable in my house from years of hanging out with me, so he pulls out the condiments like ketchup and mustard.

“Help yourself to whatever you can find in the fridge,” I tell the guys as everybody hoards around the food with starving expressions on their faces.

That’s when I notice that Nick is already swooping in on Livi. Shit, he’s really wasting no time at all beelining directly for her and aiming at his intended target. My stomach tightens and I’m gripping my plate so hard it might break.

I try not to stare as I subtly glance over at them while splattering some ketchup on the bun of my burger. Nick is already invading her personal space, trying to drape his arm around her and telling her jokes. I don’t want to look pissed off, so I take a deep breath and try to shake off the annoyance of seeing Nick so close to Livi.

I don’t why it bothers me so much. It’s not like I’m making any life altering efforts to pursue Livi on my own accord. In fact, I kissed her several weeks ago and left her all alone, outside on the very same deck where I told Nick that she is fair game.

Maybe if things had gone differently, I could be calling her my girlfriend by now, but I just can’t bring myself to get close to another female, no matter how sugar coated they appear from the inside.

Nick is packing on a hardcore flirting game and I grimace as I place some pickles on the top of my burger. I guess Livi can feel my stare, because the next time I glance up, our eyes meet. My cheeks flush—either with embarrassment or anger, I’m not sure.

She tucks her hair behind her ears and smiles a little at me. How can she be so perfect?

My heart is melting at her friendly aura and I wish I could run over and wrap my arms around her to smell the vanilla scent of her hair. But this is real life, not a fantasy. My feet remain firmly planted on the cool tile floor below and I can’t move a muscle. I grab a new beer out of the fridge and walk back to retrieve my plate on the kitchen island when I notice Livi approach me, standing on the opposite end across from me.

“Hi.” Her voice is sweet like maple syrup.

“Hi,” I say back with a grin.

“Um…do you mind, well, are there any extra burgers?”

“Of course,” I say and wave an enthusiastic hand toward the food. “There’s plenty to go around.”

“Thanks,” she says and grabs a plate and begins to build her burger.

“I like pickles, too,” I tell her stupidly as she puts pickles on her burger. What am I, five years old?

“That’s cool,” she says with another warm smile that makes all six foot three and one-hundred and ninety pounds of me tremble inside.

Livi finishes up putting toppings on her burger and holds it with two hands, instantly taking a bite. I hold my breath, hoping she likes it. Otherwise I’m not sure my manhood could stand it.

“Mmm,” she groans with a mouthful as her eyes roll back in her head. She places a hand over her mouth to speak. “Incredible burger.”

“Thank you,” I say, my manhood intact. “I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s delicious,” she grins.

We stand there for a few moments in awkward silence, using the opportunity to stuff our mouths full of food in order to displace the non-verbal moment between us. I’m glad we’re talking. It’s been weird going so long without seeing her.

The moment only lasts for a few seconds, and then Nick, the slimy jerk, slides right in beside her with a grin and a wink, placing his arm around her. “We meet again,” he tells her in a low voice.

He’s ridiculously forward with her, given the fact that he’s known her for all of five minutes. He doesn’t have as much game as he thinks he does, and Livi seems slightly rattled by his possessiveness.

She’s too polite to tell the jerk to sod off, or maybe she does really like him. I don’t have a clue what her interest meter is with him because I’m not inside her head, but I decide then and there that it’s not really my decision or my business.

I walk back to the living room and plop down on the couch to finish my food in peace and distract myself with the fight on the TV. I don’t care much for UFC, but I watch it anyway, I need the distraction, otherwise I’ll look over and see something that makes my chest fill with fire.

Nick, all over Livi in the corner of the room.