He's the guy moms warn their daughters about. Bold, outspoken, and self-confident, Brian O'Brien returns to his hometown only to discover some things changed in his absence.
Brian has a new neighbor - a shy, smart girl Leah, who hates his guts since...
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Annie unlocks the front door and lets me into her house. It's not the first time I've been here.
She invited me over to have lunch and study together. We had so much fun, I regretted not having had any girlfriends before. Today, it's Friday, and the plan's different. Annie said we'd do girls' stuff.
"Kenzie, Kenzie." She groans, picking up a pair of sneakers from the floor in the hallway. "I always tell him to put his shoes away, but the guy never listens."
I giggle at Annie's eye roll. "Have you been living together long?"
"Since I turned eighteen in October. Before that, I used to live with my mom, and earlier with her and my... stepfather."
She spits out the last word. Knowing the entire story, I'm not surprised.
"You surely know about that; everyone does," she says.
I nod. "Brian told me, yeah. I'm so sorry. I feel awful for how Gavin behaved that time at The Temple."
We walk into the living room and drop our bags on the rug. "Don't worry," Annie says. "Nobody blames you. He's an idiot, and we all knew he'd say something like that."
"So, your mom lives here?" I change the topic.
Annie shakes her head. "She moved away. I encouraged her to. What happened with Greg wasn't her fault. My real dad's a piece of crap who beat my mom and me. She divorced him and met Greg. He seemed to be a good guy. He treated us well, and we lived in his enormous, beautiful house. Mom thought he'd make her happy, and so did I. But one night when I was fifteen, he—"
Annie stops talking and bites her lip.
I keep silent. If she wants to tell me, she will, but I'll understand if she'd rather not.
"Mom and Greg had some people over. He drank, and you know what happened. The following morning, I told her. She believed me. And I had to tell Kenzie because he knows me, and I can't lie to him. We started dating that same year, but we've known each other since we were babies.
"After Greg went to jail, Mom had it rough. She felt guilty, but Greg fooled all of us. Mom wasn't happy here, and when she got the chance to study to become a beauty tech in the city, I told her to go for it. She's working at a salon and lives there now. We see each other a lot and talk on the phone daily."
"I'm glad you get along well," I say.
Annie smiles. "Me too. Speaking of relationships, have you heard from Brian?"
"No." I point to my feet clad in comfortable, stylish boots. The brand's website said they were for bikers. "He left these on my windowsill but didn't want to talk to me," I say.
"He definitely likes you." Annie grins. "Maybe he's insecure. You're a good girl, and he's...Brian."
"I don't think he's a bad guy," I say, my voice low. "His big mouth and that attitude of his made me hate him at first, but the more I get to know him, the more I realize there's way more to Brian. He cares about tons of things, and his family's amazing."
