Relinquishing Liberty (Second Chances) Page 2

  My gaze lowered to the casket, and I knew he wasn’t really there. It had been three days. Three days since he left me here to pick up the pieces of my shattered heart. Three days since I had let his name pass through my lips. Three days since he selfishly took his own life, leaving me with an image that will forever be burned into my brain. Inside that cold, hollow box was just a remnant of what once was my whole world…my brother, my best friend, my rock.

  I tried to surrender all of the feelings I held locked in my heart for AJ, but the words just never came. The longer I stood there staring back at the blank faces before me, the harder I trembled. Finding my brother’s lifeless body had left me in a state of shock that I still had yet to come down from. I never allowed myself to fully mourn him…not one tear was shed. But now, I no longer had control over my body as my emotions came barreling through me, fighting to find their release.

  What happened next was a blur.

  I don’t remember running from the church, but I had finally broken free from the haze as I collapsed to my knees on the hard, cold ground, gasping for air as if it were my last breath…

  I woke up screaming and completely drenched in sweat. My heart was racing a mile a minute, and I looked around, taking in my surroundings as I slowly came back to the present. The couple in the room next to me pounded on the wall and shouted for me to keep it down. Well they could go fuck themselves because they had no idea what shit I was going through over here!

  Fuck, why did the dream have to come back now? Just when I was trying to start over and heal on my own, it crept up and bit me in the ass. I lied there, unconsciously spinning AJ’s state championship ring that I wore on the white-gold chain he gave me for the last birthday we celebrated together. I hadn’t taken it off since the day after his funeral when I decided to add the ring to my necklace. For some reason it had a soothing effect on me, and I often caught myself rotating it between my fingers when I felt stressed and overwhelmed.

  I grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge, draining it completely before I lied back down. I thought about forcing myself to stay awake the rest of the night, fearing I might be pulled back into the dream, but I knew I’d regret it tomorrow. I needed all of the energy I could get if was going to spend the next day hunting for a job and an apartment…but I sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to it.

  After keeping ice on my face for most of the night, the swelling had gone down immensely. The bruising on the other hand…not so much. The entire right side of my face was sporting some lovely shades of blue and purple. I wanted to at least try to make a good impression while I was out on the hunt for a job, so I caked on as much makeup as possible to cover up the discoloration. The concealer I had didn’t quite match my skin tone, but at least it was an improvement.

  “Yeah, I look like shit,” I grumbled as I dragged myself away from the mirror and finished getting ready.

  I stopped by the motel office to check in for another night and made my way down Main Street in the heart of the city. I spent the entire afternoon walking up and down the streets of Savannah, popping into every shop, boutique and restaurant with no luck whatsoever. I was beginning to think all of the makeup I had caked on was actually scaring some of the employers away because even places clearly displaying “Now Hiring” signs in their windows turned me down. Seriously, with the way the last 24 hours had panned out, could things really get any worse?

  I decided to make the 20-minute drive back to the beach I had visited yesterday on Tybee Island, so I could clear my head. Something about that place had such a tranquilizing effect on me, almost like it was my home away from home. I wasn’t sure how long I was out there, but the sun was gradually beginning to dip below the horizon as the oranges, pinks and purples splashed across the evening sky. I walked along the beach, watching couples cuddle under blankets while admiring the stunning sunset in front of them. It tugged at my heart to see them like that because I realized that I wanted that.

  I had never been in a serious relationship; that was my first problem. Sure, I’ve had my share of boyfriends, but I always ended up pushing them away before things got too involved. I never allowed myself to get close enough to anyone because honestly, what was the point? I knew they’d eventually leave me and just the thought of having to say goodbye tore me up inside. At least if I was the one to break things off first, it wouldn’t hurt as much. I was just barely holding together the pieces of my broken heart after AJ died, and I wasn’t about to let anyone step in and finish the job. But now I craved to feel that burning desire and passion that was so often portrayed in romance novels and films. I knew that wasn’t real life, yet I still held on to the belief that one day I could experience that kind of love.

  My stomach growled violently, snapping me out of what I imagined was an unattainable fantasy. I continued walking along the beach, surveying the area for somewhere to grab something for dinner. I was sick of eating fast food and wanted an actual meal for once. There was a building lit up a little ways up the beach, and I could faintly hear music trickling through the air, mingling with the sound of the waves that crashed beside me.

  My heart nearly stopped when I took in the sign above the building that glowed brightly into the darkness that had slowly crept up on the evening sky: “AJ’s Oceanside Restaurant”. I felt my stomach do a summersault at the irony of the name hit me. Even hundreds of miles away, my brother was still there reminding that I could never truly run away from reality.

  There were fake lobsters and lobster traps embellishing the outside of the restaurant, and island themed music filtered through the front doors. I actually found the decor slightly amusing. For a moment, it brought me back to one summer spent with my family in Cape Cod. AJ was chasing me around the cottage and taunting me with a live lobster shouting, “Kiss me! Kiss me!” Little did that poor sucker know, he was on the menu for dinner that night.

  I stepped through the front doors and was blasted with huge whiff of fresh seafood. Unfortunately, not one of my favorite food groups, but I was starving so I’d just have to deal with it. The restaurant seemed pretty dead for a weeknight, so the hostess seated me at a huge booth all to myself. When the waitress stopped by my table, I quickly skimmed the menu and ordered the only chicken dish offered and figured I’d give the fried calamari a try as well; I’d pretty much eat anything as long as it was fried.

  While I sat there waiting for my dinner, I glanced around the restaurant. It looked like a fishing boat threw up its contents along the walls. The lobster theme from the exterior of the building continued inside, along with some fishing nets, buoys and large trophy fish. The bar was trimmed with little twinkling lobster lights that I actual thought were kind of adorable.

  Then I saw him…the same hottie-boombalottie who nearly bludgeoned me with a football just the day before. Brett was standing behind the bar, mixing drinks and laughing with some of the customers seated in front of him. What were the freakin’ odds?! I tried not to draw attention to myself, but just as I was turning to look away he made eye contact with me. Shit.

  I saw him talking to the other bartender before he stepped around the bar. I tried to calm my nerves as I watched him approach my table with confidence.

  “Liberty, what a surprise! I thought you weren’t staying in Savannah, darlin’.” He casually pressed his hip into the side of my table and crossed his arms against his chest, making his biceps bulge a little more. His smile was beaming bright as those pearly whites spread across his face. Now that my eye wasn’t as swollen, I was getting a much better view of him, and let me tell you…I had no complaints!

  “Yeah, well, I thought I’d give this city another shot. So far I’ve had zero luck, though.”

  “What exactly is it you need luck for? I can’t picture someone as gorgeous as you needing any luck. It must come naturally.” He winked and that mouth-watering grin spread across his face again. I could feel a blush creeping up my face. Shit, shit, shit! I didn’t want him to notice how much he was affec
ting me.

  “Well, I’ve spent the majority of the day looking for a job, but unfortunately I’ve been turned down left and right. I don’t suppose you know any places that are hiring?”

  He stood there pondering for a second. “Hang on a sec, I’ll be right back.” A sly grin slowly curled up one side of his mouth as he stepped away from the table and slipped through a door in the back of the restaurant. Hmm…that was weird.

  The waitress came back with my food and a fresh glass of water with lemon. I didn’t realized how parched I was, but I had practically chugged my entire drink while Brett was standing there. Maybe it was just my nerves. I had no reason to be nervous around him. I didn’t even know him, and I definitely had no intention of pursuing anything with him. Yet for some reason, he still got to me.

  Brett appeared out of thin air and slid into the seat across from me, placing his folded hands on the table.

  “I’m taking my break. Mind if I join you for a few minutes?” I really just wanted to eat in peace, but how could I say no to that face?

  “Sure, why not.” At that, he reached across and snatched a piece of fried calamari from my plate.

  “Hey, I was planning on eating that!” Who the hell did he think he was? Growing up with a brother who played football and ate enough to feed an army, I was very territorial when it came to my food. I guess I had that in common with Joey Tribbiani from Friends.

  “Shit’s good, isn’t it? I swear I could eat it every day, but I’d probably weigh a thousand pounds if I did. I gotta watch my figure,” he said as he lifted his shirt, patting his lean sculpted stomach. I gave him a quick once over. I don’t think there was any way he could ever tarnish that tight body. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him.

  “Yeah, I highly doubt that. You look like you’re in pretty good shape.”

  “Ah, so you were checking me out, darlin’?” He gave me a smug grin. That response gave me déjà vu from the previous day when Brett admitted he was checking me out. So I decided to play along.

  “Well how could I miss you? Not only was I distracted by an extremely sexy guy, who also happens to be stealing my food as we speak, but you’re the only guy in the restaurant right now. Kinda hard to miss you, darlin’.” I made sure to put extra emphasis on the “darlin’” in an attempt to mock him.

  “Touché.” He smirked.

  “Okay, so here’s the deal…” he began, grabbing my full attention. “I spoke to Bob and he said it’s been a little slow lately, but with summer approaching in the next few months, we’re going to need all the help we can get. It can get pretty busy here during tourist season. So how would you feel about waitressing?”

  I sat there not blinking. I had just spent all day walking up and down the streets of Savannah with now blistered feet and no success whatsoever, and here Brett was handing me an opportunity on a silver platter. I swore if I had no self-control I would’ve jumped across the table and kissed him.

  “Who’s Bob?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “He’s the owner. He’s in the back if you want to talk to him about it when you’re finished eating.”

  “Wow, um…thanks.” I looked down humbly, pushing around a piece of calamari on my plate. “I don’t know what to say. You didn’t have to do that, Brett.”

  “I know, but I still owe you for yesterday. I told you I wanted to make it up to you, and this way, I can. Besides, it wouldn’t be so bad getting to see your sweet face around here more often.” He winked at me again. Him and that damn wink! I looked away grinning and thinking to myself it wouldn’t be so bad having him to look at while I worked, too.

  “Okay, I guess I’ll give it a shot. I’ve never waitressed, so this should be pretty interesting.”

  “You’ll be fine, it’s not that bad. You just got to be able to juggle all of your tables when it gets busy.” Brett’s confidence in me was reassuring. “My break’s over so I got to get back to the bar. Want to go talk to Bob now?”

  “Sure, I might as well.”

  Brett walked me to the back of the restaurant and held open a door that entered into the kitchen. He led me past the cooking stations and knocked on a door that I presumed was Bob’s office.

  “Come in!” He shouted and Brett opened the door and introduced me.

  “This is Liberty, the girl I was telling you about. Liberty, this is Bob.” After the introductions, Brett stepped out to return back to the bar.

  “Nice to meet you, Liberty.” Bob stood up and stepped around his desk to shake my hand. “So have you ever done any waitressing?”

  “Nice to meet you too, sir. No, I don’t have any experience, but I’m always willing to try something new.”

  “Excellent! Well, Brett’s sister, Maddie, waitresses here a few nights a week and on the weekends, so I’ll have her training you. It’s not rocket science, so you’ll pick it up pretty quick. Can you start tomorrow night?” Wow, even Bob had faith in me.

  “Absolutely! I could really use the money, so the sooner, the better.”

  “Great! If you have time, I’ll have you fill out the employment forms now, so you won’t have to come in early tomorrow.”

  Bob handed me the forms, and I got started on them. When it came to my address, I started fidgeting because I wasn’t really sure what to put down. I could put my Buffalo address on there, but I wasn’t planning on going back there any time soon.

  “Um, Bob, I don’t have a permanent address here yet, so I’m not really sure what I should put down on the forms.”

  “Where are you living now?” He gave me an inquisitive look.

  “Well, I just got here yesterday, so I’ve been staying in a motel.”

  “Hmm. Okay, I’ll let you put Maddie’s address down in the meantime. I know she’s looking for a roommate, so I’m sure it won’t be a problem. If you find somewhere else to live we can change it later.”

  “Okay, thanks.” A roommate, huh? That could actually work out to my advantage.

  I finished filling out the stack-up papers, and not a moment too soon because my hand was starting to cramp up. I said goodbye to Bob, and he threw a black “AJ’s Oceanside Restaurant” t-shirt at me.

  “You have to wear the t-shirt, but you can wear jeans and comfortable shoes since you’ll be on your feet for a couple of hours.”

  “Great! Thanks, Bob. See you tomorrow.”

  I walked back out front to see if Brett was still around. He was off to the side of the bar talking to a pretty blonde that was wearing a strip of cloth that I could only assume served the purpose of a mini skirt and a low-cut top that threatened to release her girls. Honestly, I wasn’t really surprised. Brett was a really good-looking guy, and probably attracted drones of girls. I walked to the other side of the bar, not wanting to interrupt him. After the barely-clothed bimbo left, Brett slung a towel over his shoulder and made his way over to me.

  “So, how did it go?” His lips tilted up in a crooked smile that told me he already knew I got the job.

  “Good, I start tomorrow! Bob said your sister, Maddie, will be training me.”

  “Cool. You’ll like her. She can be a bit much to handle at first, but that’s just her crazy personality.” Hmm, now I was having second thoughts about the possibility of rooming with Maddie. I had a hard enough time getting along with girls as it was.

  “Um, Brett, Bob mentioned that Maddie was looking for a roommate, and I kind of used her address on my forms. I hope that’s okay,” I said as I chewed the inside of my cheek.

  “Yeah, she won’t mind. Do you not have anywhere to stay?” He stared at me with such concern in his eyes that it instantly tugged at my heart. That was not something I was accustomed to.

  “Oh no, I’m fine. I’m staying in a motel for now, but I will need an apartment soon. This whole living day to day in motels is started to drain my funds.”

  “Well, you can stay with me for now if it’ll help. I don’t want you to have to worry about money before you even have somewhere to live.�
� There he goes being all chivalrous and sweet again.

  “Oh I couldn’t do that. Really I’m fine for now. Do you think you could mention something to Maddie about the roommate situation? I’ll see her tomorrow night, but I don’t want to just drop the bomb on her, and make her feel obligated to take me in.”

  “Yeah, no problem. But seriously, Liberty, if you need anything let me know. I’m always here to help.” He grabbed a napkin from the bar. “Here, let me give my number in case you change your mind. Feel free to call anytime.” His hand grazed mine as he slid it across the bar to me. It lingered there a little longer before he pulled it away. Just like yesterday, the touch was barely there, like feathers or rose petals lightly skimming across my skin. It had such a calming effect on me; I could easily see myself becoming addicted to his touch.

  “Thanks, Brett. I really appreciate it.” I gave him a warm smile.

  He caught me off guard when he came around the bar and enveloped me in a tight hug. It felt so familiar, almost brotherly. Ohmigod! That’s what it was…the calming effect I felt before. It was what I used to feel around AJ, minus the physical attraction, of course. I just felt better being around him. Safe. It was nice being able to feel that again after having missed it for so long.

  We disentangled and said our goodbyes. He gave me his signature wink just as I was walking out. God, those eyes made me weak in the knees. Whoa, snap out of it Liberty! You just compared Brett to your brother! I shuddered at that thought. I didn’t have time to swoon over anyone, anyway.

  Finally, it felt like everything had fallen into place all thanks to Brett. I was ecstatic about starting work tomorrow, and hopefully I would soon have a more permanent place to live, thanks to his sister. I think Brett may have just become my knight in shining armor!

  It was six in the fucking morning, and for some ungodly reason I was awake. For the most part you could call me a morning person. I tried not to make a habit of sleeping past nine, but waking up before the sun even had a chance to make its appearance immediately put me in a terrible mood. I thought about going for a walk down by the beach to bring me down from my unwelcomed mood, but since I hadn’t been keeping myself in shape lately, I thought a run might be more beneficial. I could really use the release of endorphins.