Page 18 of Pining for Pierce
As kisses go, it was okay. Nothing earth-shattering, but okay. She spent a lot of time running her hands up and down my arms, and when we pulled back, her eyes remained closed for a couple of seconds, before she finally opened them and smiled up at me, which made me think she’d enjoyed it.
“See you Tuesday,” she said, her voice a little lower than it had been before the kiss.
I nodded my head, relieved she hadn’t suggested taking things further. I wasn’t ruling out the idea, and I’m still not, but I think I want to spend some more time with her first, so I can try to work out what’s not quite right about her… or if I’m just imagining things.
I can’t be sure, you see.
Because it’s always possible that Harley’s right, and I’m being too picky. Those weren’t her exact words. She told me I was hard to please, but I knew what she meant, and I can’t help wondering if I should ask her advice. This is the kind of thing she’d understand, after all. She’s always been great at it, too.
Except I have to wonder if I’d be better off waiting until after my date with Monica tomorrow evening. It’s probably for the best. I don’t want to waste Harley’s time, or make her think I really am too fussy for words, when one more date with Monica might tell me everything I need to know.
I glance at the clock behind me and smile to myself. While I’ve been daydreaming, time has moved on, and I can close up the store already. Most people pay by card, but I take the small amount of cash and put it in the safe, locking the office door behind me, and then I switch off the lights. Rather than going out through the back door and up to the apartment, though, I head out through the front, closing and locking the door behind me before I make my way along Main Street. I need to make thereservation at the French restaurant for tomorrow night, and while I could call, I can see no reason not to go over there in person.
It’s fairly busy inside, and I wonder if I should have come over sooner… if I’ve left it too late, as I nod my head, smiling at the decor. It’s a kind of homage to the impressionist and post-impressionist artists of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth Centuries, with prints of several well-known pieces displayed over the dark-blue painted walls. I don’t often come in here, but I have to say, I really like it.
“Hey, Pierce.” I turn at the sound of my name, and look at Archer as he approaches. He’s probably in his mid-thirties, or maybe a little older, with dark hair, and even darker eyes, which suit the black clothing he wears when he’s at work.
“Hi,” I say. “You’re busy tonight.”
He rolls his eyes. “Tell me about it. What can I do for you?”
“I wondered if I could book a table for two, for tomorrow night.”
He nods his head. “I think that’ll be okay. Just let me check.”
He goes behind the bar, returning with a tablet, which he holds in front of him, tapping on the screen a few times, before he looks up and smiles. “What time?”
“Six-thirty?”
“No problem.”
“That’s great.”
“See you tomorrow,” he says, quickly typing my name onto the screen as someone raises their hand and his shoulders drop. “There’s never a moment’s peace.”
It seems not, and I leave the restaurant, pulling the door closed behind me, stopping in my tracks when I look up and see Harley crossing the street. She’s clearly come straight from work and is heading in the direction of MD’s, but that’s not whatcatches my eye. What does is the fact that she’s with Kaiden Bowman.
My skin actually crawls at the thought of him… but he’s that kind of guy.
He moved here when he was twelve, along with his mom, after his parents split up, and although he’s the same age as Ben and me, we never really got along with him. Ben said he always found him creepy. For me, it was more than that. I hated the way he used to boast about his father’s art gallery in Concord. I guess that was because of my love of art, and Kaiden’s obvious lack of appreciation. To him, it was just about the money… about his father having set him up with a job there, which he knew he could walk into the moment he left school. Naturally, that also meant he didn’t have to try too hard, so while the rest of us slogged to make the grade, he swanned around without a care in the world. When Ben and I – and practically everyone else – went off to college, Kaiden walked into that job at the gallery. He still works there now, commuting to Concord in a fairly new BMW, which I’m sure his father bought for him.
I’m pretty damn sure my father would buy me something similar, if I’d just agree to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. But the thing is, I can’t do that. I’d be betraying everything I’ve ever wanted… ever dreamed of… and there’s nothing on this earth that would make me sacrifice my dreams for the sake of someone else’s. I’ve said that over and over, to anyone who’s willing to listen. But my dad’s tone deaf when it comes to what I want. The only thing that would be music to his ears would be if I conceded defeat… and that’ll never happen.
I focus back on Harley and Kaiden, both of them oblivious to everything around them, including me, and as I go to take a step forward, I stop, once again, sucking in a sharp breath as Kaiden leans in, grabbing Harley around the back of her neck. He pulls her to a stop, right outside the bookstore, just a fewyards away, and dips his head, kissing her deeply. I stare at them as he changes the angle of his head, tipping it the other way, his hand sliding down her side, then around her back, pulling her close, before he leans away, taking her hand in his as they continue on their way.
My fists are clenched, and I slowly release them, my knuckles aching a little.
My feet refuse to move, though, and I stare after them until they disappear.
They’re dating. Harley and Kaiden. Harley and Kaiden? Since when? And why didn’t she tell me?
I thought we shared everything. Let’s face it, I’ve always told her about the women I’ve dated, and she’s… I shake my head. She’s told me nothing. Ever. I rack my brain, but can’t think of a single time she’s shared a confidence with me about her love life, or her sex life, or anything even remotely intimate. Not that she’s under any obligation to, of course…
I just wish she had.
Because then I could have warned her.
I could have told her that Kaiden has a reputation with women, going back more years than I want to remember.
