Burning Love

  Burning Love

  Scarlett Brooks

  Copyright © 2019 by Scarlett Brooks

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  1. Willow

  2. Kalen

  3. Willow

  4. Kalen

  5. Willow

  6. Willow

  7. Willow

  8. Kalen

  9. Willow

  10. Kalen

  11. Willow

  12. Willow

  13. Willow

  14. Kalen

  15. Willow

  16. Kalen

  17. Kalen

  About the Author

  One

  Willow

  I ripped open the envelope while still attempting to collect some things around my desk. Perfect swirly calligraphy stared at me right in the face. An engagement party celebrating Annabelle and Luke. Annabelle was getting married? She was the last person I thought would ever be getting married. I tossed the envelope in the trash as I grabbed my phone and quickly put in Victoria's information. My cousin lived in Evans Mill, and as the local barista, she knew everything about everybody. If Annabelle was really engaged, she would know.

  “Hello?” she answered sounding a little flustered.

  “Hey it's me, did you get this invitation? Annabelle's getting married?”

  “Oh yeah. Marrying some of Evan Mills finest. I'm surprised you didn't know. Didn’t you used to hang out like all the time?”

  “Yeah, when she lived here in Denver. I haven't seen her in a while.” Honestly, it’d probably been a solid year since I had seen Annabelle. She was a great friend, kind, fun, all the good stuff. But when we both got busy, our friendship definitely took a backseat to our lives.

  I continued to collect some of the papers from around my desk, quickly shoving them into my bag. I had a meeting to get to, and as much as I wanted to know about Annabelle's new fiancé, I also needed to get moving.

  “So are you going to come? I mean you haven't been out here in years. And when was the last time you even took a vacation?” She was whining, I hated when she whined.

  I rubbed my forehead, closing my eyes for just a moment. Victoria was always on me. She said I was a fun sucker. That I never did anything for myself, and I was completely focused on my career. And while I was focused on my career, it wasn't that I never did anything for myself. I practiced self-care. I got my nails done and sometimes I would go for a massage or a martini after work. I didn't need to be jet-setting around the world in order to have fun. Victoria was just so much more of a free spirit than I was. And that was ok.

  At least it was for me.

  “You know I can't just take off work whenever I want. There are so many accounts to manage, and I'm one of the lead number crunchers.”

  “Is that your official title now? Because I know you didn't get that promotion last fall like you were planning.”

  Ouch.

  I sighed, grabbing my bag and heading towards the door. “Yes, you're right. I didn't get the promotion.” I paused letting the defeat sink in. “But I do take vacations, sometimes!”

  “You should come to this engagement party. Everybody will be there! Maybe you can even meet someone,” she laughed as if me finding a match was funny. I rolled my eyes.

  “I'm not going to just drive down there for this party, I don't even know those people. I know you, and Annabelle, and that's really it.”

  “So don't just come for the party, take a couple of days off! It’ll be so fun! I need to get someone to cover some of my shifts and then we can just hang out! Please! I really need a wingwoman at this party. And you know Annabelle will be so excited to see you.”

  “There is nothing to do there Victoria!”

  “The slopes are a tourist dream.”

  “It's Spring.”

  She sighed on the other end of the line. “Fine, valid point, but still it could be so fun. We can get our nails done, and visit some of the local farms and wineries. I know you love to just take in the scenery. And remember Annabelle!”

  I hit the button on the elevator and thought about it for a moment before looking over my shoulder to see all the other number crunchers sitting at their desks working on the accounts. They all looked tired and perpetually concerned. Was that me too? Had I become so sucked into this job that I barely had time to focus on anything else? Victoria wasn't wrong, I had accumulated quite the amount of vacation days. As the elevator doors opened I realized maybe she was right, maybe getting away for a few days would give me a new perspective on my life. Maybe it was just the break I needed.

  “Fine. I'm in, RSVP for both of us. Clear your schedule for the whole week. Let's have a staycation in Evans Mill.”

  * * *

  Holy shit this had been a bad idea. I was barely in town for a night and Victoria was practically passed out on the bar. We were at a little local place called Scrubby’s. It had the distinct smell of stale smoke and detergent. I appreciated that the place had formerly been a laundromat and that they kept a washer and dryer along the back wall with the original sign just for nostalgic purposes. But now the mix of bar smells and old soap were starting to give me a headache.

  Victoria had a rough night, I could tell. What I couldn’t tell, was why. But girlfriend had lost her damn mind. At the engagement party she was all cute and kind of, do you see me, to everyone, but the minute the party moved to Scrubby's she turned into a completely different human being. It was as if something completely switched in her head. All she had done since we walked in the door was toss back shots and talked about how she was never getting married.

  Annabelle was always the winner of our little group. Well if I was being honest, I didn't even feel like we were a group anymore. Annabelle was with all of her guests and had barely any time for us, which was totally understandable, but Victoria seemed to take that as just another point towards the fact that Annabelle was moving on without us. And because we were the only two single girls left in the entire world in her mind, Annabelle would probably not be friends with us anymore after the wedding. Victoria was losing her mind.

  Then out came the tequila.

  And after only three rounds of that, she had salt all the way up her arm and her head was resting on the bar. I even think she was drooling a little bit. I kept tossing apologetic glances at the bartender and for a while, he seemed to understand, but I could tell that our time was starting to run out. I was starting to freak out. I didn't really know my way around Evans Mill, certainly not enough to get us back to Victoria's apartment. Especially if she couldn't even tell me which way to go, and at this point, I didn't even know if she could tell me her name.

  Suddenly her face popped up and I noticed that her eyes were puffy. Great. I was going to be the semi-sober friend of the girl who was probably going to be crying in the bathroom. Except that she was never going to make it to the bathroom and instead was going to full-blown meltdown in the middle of a bar. This night could not get any worse.

  “I just think,” she started blubbering, “that it's never going to be the same! And what if, what if I don't meet a guy? Am I going to be a spinster?” Her voice started to get higher as the tears welled up in her eyes again.

  “Victoria, I need you to get it together.” I signaled the bartender, “Can you get us a couple of glasses of water and the bill?” He nodded at me. “Because to be completely honest, I have no idea how to get us home. And you are drunk. Like, fall down not fun anymore drunk.”

  “You're a fun-sssssucker!” She slurre
d pointing at me and pointing at three other guys that were behind me because she started to slide off of her stool at that moment. I grabbed her and steadied her as the bartender dropped off her water and the bill. I put down my credit card, luckily small-town drinks weren't that expensive. Because if she had just drunk this much in Denver? I would have had to take out a loan just to pay the tab.

  She sipped water slowly still crying and sniffling but was a little bit quieter now. The bartender handed me a pen, the receipt, and my card back. Then he leaned in close.

  “You're taking her home right? I was about to cut her off but I don't really want to make a scene.”

  “Oh yeah, we're going home. As soon as I can figure out where home is.”

  He nodded and took the receipt and the pen. “I am sorry she had such a rough night. Victoria's usually such a good time.”

  He shrugged and walked away.

  “Alright, Victoria it's time to go.” I tried to stand her up but it was futile. I was going to have to carry her out of here. I opened up my favorite rideshare app and tried to convince her to put in her address except that I noticed that there were no cars on the little screen.

  Oh my God, even if we could figure out where she lived we still had no one to take us home. I slumped down on the stool next to her, we weren't going anywhere.

  “Bartender? I need another round.”

  Two

  Kalen

  I pushed open the doors to Scrubby’s and was immediately hit with the smell of stale smoke and soap. No matter how many damn times they cleaned the place, it always smelled the same. I bit back a laugh as I made my way over to my usual spot on the side of the bar and sat down on a stool. The bartender, Lucas, was taking orders on the other side so as I waited for him, I let my eyes roam around the place.

  Scrubby’s was a bit more packed for a Thursday night than it usually was, which was surprising. Scrubby’s was by no means a fancy place. It was practically the definition of a dive bar. But the locals, including myself, loved it.

  Lucas rushed by me, and I watched as he gave two girls at the edge of the bar glasses. One of them, I recognized from town, was drinking water and looked a little sloppy. I wasn’t sure what her name was, but I knew I had seen her around the area. The woman she was with though, I had never seen before. Being in such a small town, everyone pretty much knew everyone else’s business. And the majority of this town knew or at least thought they knew mine.

  Being a Mortimer, meant my last name came with certain expectations. My family owned a significant amount of our small town, Evans Mill. My great grandfather was the one who started to buy up a lot of land back in the 1920s. It was nothing but farmland back then, and he practically bought up all of it and turned it into a farming empire. Now, most of the farms that were still operating were owned by the family.

  I hated growing up as a Mortimer. Because everyone just assumed that because of my family I was some rich stuck-up kid. For years I could never really trust people that would get close to. I was never sure if they were getting close to truly be my friend, or if they were getting close to access my wealth.

  That’s the main reason, I gave it all up.

  “Hey man, haven’t seen you here in a bit,” Lucas said pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Yeah,” I let out a sigh. “The firehouse is a bit short of staff, so we all have been doubling up our shifts lately.”

  “What can I get you to drink?”

  “Whatever you have on special on draft.”

  “Coming right up.”

  The last couple of weeks at the firehouse had been crazy. It felt good to actually be out, not stuck with the same group of guys day in and day out. I loved the guys at the firehouse but pulling double shifts the last week had been a bit too much. I was damn tired. And ready to relax a bit.

  My eyes wandered back to the girls at the bar, and I couldn't help but bite back a laugh. The one that I recognized was not looking too good. I could see her eyes glazing over, and she was starting to sway a little bit in her seat. Her friend looked like she was trying to help her, but I could already tell it was no use.

  Lucas handed me my beer, just as the drunk girl knocked over her water glass on the bar top. He let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed a towel.

  “Sorry about that,” the sober one said. She grabbed the towel from Lucas and quickly cleaned up the spilled drink. When she was finished cleaning, her eyes shot up and caught mine and for a moment, I couldn’t force myself to look away. She had beautiful doe-like brown eyes and long brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She quickly smiled back at me and then turned her focus on her friend again.

  “I want another shot,” her friend said.

  “I’m not sure it’s a great idea, Victoria,” she said.

  “Pssh! It’s fine. Lucas? Ca- I have another shot please?” Victoria said in a drunken slur.

  I watched as Victoria’s friend put her head in her hands. She looked over at me again, and I chuckled and raised my beer glass at her. She was going to be in for a long night if she had to take care of her. I took a sip of my beer as I watched Lucas roll his eyes and handed her a glass of water instead.

  “No Lucas! I said I wanted a shot!” Victoria whined.

  “Vic, I think he’s right. Why don’t you have some water instead? You spilled your last glass. We can’t make him clean it up again.” Victoria flailed her arms and quickly fell of her chair. I stifled another laugh until I saw the death glare on Lucas’s face. I knew he wasn’t going to stand for much more of this. I put my beer down on the bar and headed over to Victoria and her friend.

  “Need some help?” I asked

  “No, I’m good,” her friend said. “She’s just a little tipsy.”

  “A little?” Victoria continued to lie on the floor while her friend struggled to pick her up. Each time she grabbed her arms, Victoria would flail her arms and curl up into a fetal position. She looked like a toddler throwing a full-blown temper tantrum. Her friend let out a frustrated sigh and stood over her.

  “Ok, fine. She’s maybe a little bit more than tipsy.”

  Before she could say no, I reached down and pulled Victoria up.

  “I think it’s time for you to head home,” I said to her realizing she wasn’t comprehending a word I was saying. Once she was standing, her friend tried to hold her up but Victoria’s legs buckled underneath her. I shot a quick glance at Lucas that looked like he was two seconds away from calling the cops. I made a split decision and quickly hoisted Victoria up over my shoulder and carried her towards the door.

  “Hey! Where are you taking her?” her friend asked as she rushed up next to me.

  “Outside, Lucas is about the call the cops.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her turn to look at Lucas, who I am sure looked beyond pissed.

  “Oh,” is all she can muster as we reached the front door. “Wait, I gotta…” She wandered back to the bar and put a twenty down. Good for her.

  “Sorry!” She yelled to Lucas as she caught back up with us.

  “Did you guys drive here?” I asked.

  “No, we walked. She only lives a few blocks away from here. I just can’t really remember what number her place is. I’m sure if I saw the building I would remember it. When we left it was still light out. And we came from another party… so maybe I was a bit tipsy then. Jesus, I’m making a great impression.”

  I set Victoria down in front of me, and I could tell that her eyes were still not focused. There was no way in hell she was walking back to her place. I quickly picked her up again and threw her over my shoulder.

  “I’m driving you guys back home.”

  “What? You don’t –“

  “You want to carry her home?” I asked as I turned to face her. She looked at Victoria who was probably passed out on my shoulder. I turned back around and headed towards my beat up truck.

  “Didn’t think so.”

  We reached my truck, and I shoved my hand in my pocket retrieving my keys a
nd unlocked the truck.

  “Here, I can open the door,” she offered.

  Thankfully, even though my truck was a piece of shit, it at least had a back seat. I carefully placed Victoria inside and she curled up again across the back as if this was all just a dream.

  “I’m Willow by the way,” the dark-haired beauty said as we both got into the front seats. She offered her hand.

  “I’m Kalen.” I reached out my hand and grabbed hers. I took note of her round face and big brown eyes. I could tell that she was pretty in the dim light of the bar, but now being this close to her in the cab of my truck I could see that she was absolutely gorgeous. I smiled brightly at her and a deep crimson started to form on her cheeks, making me smile even harder.

  “Alrighty, where are we headed?” I asked as I reluctantly broke the contact with her hand.

  “Vic’s place is just a few blocks that way,” Willow said pointing straight ahead. Easy enough, I thought. I started up the truck and heard Victoria rustling behind me. “I think so anyway.”

  “How did we end up in a taxi?” Victoria said groggily from the back and I let out a laugh.

  “Kalen is just taking us home,” Willow said as she turned back to face her. In my rearview mirror, I saw Victoria just nod and lay back down. Within a few seconds, I could hear her light snores.

  “You are in for a rough night,” I chuckled.

  “Ugh, this was supposed to be us just grabbing a few drinks before heading home,” Willow said.

  “Looks like she had a few more than a couple of drinks.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know how she got this drunk that quickly.”