Chapter 6

I groaned as I followed Harmony and the real estate agent out of yet another empty space that just wouldn’t work for the restaurant Harmony had in mind. It had been our fourth space to look at this morning and we were on our way to the fifth. I was now cursing my decision to wear heeled boots. Sometimes, okay often, I put appearance way ahead of comfort. Today, however, I should have been using my brain. I should have remembered how picky Harmony was. Personally I hadn’t seen anything wrong with the last place.

I smoothed my dress out before pulling my jacket around me a little tighter as we got out of the car at the next stop. Hopefully it would be the last. Even Harmony couldn’t take spending an entire day looking at properties, and it had already been four hours. My stomach was growling with hunger, my feet were killing me from all the walking, my head was aching from all the questions and speculation, and my body was shivering from the unexpected sudden drop in temperature today.

The door was opened to the next property and I stepped in last. Almost immediately upon entering I felt something. The restaurant wasn’t my dream and I was really just on for the ride with Harmony, but this place made me excited. It was basically bare bones and would need a lot of work to transform it into anything, but the space seemed perfect.

“This is amazing,” Harmony said glancing up at the high ceilings. Finally!

We took the rest of the tour, being shown some of the back rooms. I guess it had been a boutique of some kind previously. While Harmony began to talk with the agent about how she envisioned the restaurant and where everything would go I made my way to a window in the front. I glanced out at the street and checked out the area one more time. A smile formed on my face. This would be the perfect location.

“It is a little small though,” I heard Harmony say. My smile faded and I fought the urge to let out a scream. This could not be happening. Then I remembered something.

“The place next door is vacant as well, right?” I asked. I saw a flicker of excitement flash in Harmony’s eyes as she waited for the agent’s response.

“Uh, yes, I believe it is, but I don’t think it’s for sale,” he began as he started to search through notes.

I wasn’t waiting for confirmation. I walked out the door and over to the windows of the vacant property that shared a wall with the one I had just been in. I didn’t see any sort of ‘for sale’ or ‘for rent’ sign anywhere, but it was completely empty. I used my hands to block out any light as I peered in through the window and saw that while the interior was a little different from the one we were shown, it was in good shape and would work as well.

“How does it look?” I heard Harmony ask as she mirrored my position to peer in.

“Like it would work,” I responded. I heard her squeal in excitement.

“I want it,” she stated. I turned and saw that look on her face. When Harmony made that face, she got what she wanted. “Find out who owns that property and find out what they want for it.” Our agent seemed to want to argue with her, but decided against it and made a note.

“Are you thinking you want that instead?” he asked. Harmony and I looked at each other and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

“I want them both.”

“I’m not sure…..” he started. Harmony wasn’t having any of what he was going to say.

“I don’t care. Find a way.”

Once again, he looked like he wanted to argue, but he made the smart decision and kept his mouth shut. Once Harmony wanted something, she got it no matter what. I knew better than to argue with her when she had that tone, that look on her face. A swift death came to people who didn’t heed those warnings.

“I’ll look into it,” he said and she let out another excited squeal.

“We found it, B, we really found it!” she exclaimed as she took my hand and began to jump up and down.

“Thank God!” I shouted as I lifted a foot off the ground and over exaggerated the rubbing of my foot. She gave me a shove that nearly sent me toppling over with a laugh. Just as I was about to retaliate, my phone began to ring. “Saved by the bell.”

“Hey, Bryce,” I heard Sidney’s voice say when I’d answered. I cringed a little and began to scold myself for not checking the call ID in my excitement.

“Sid, hi!” I forced the cheerfulness into my voice despite the sudden downturn in my mood.

“What’s going on?” he asked. I glanced over at Harmony who was now in some sort of discussion with the real estate agent once again.

“Harmony and I are out looking for locations for the restaurant,” I told him.

“Oh yeah? How’s that going?”

“Good. I think we found the place. We just have to work out some things before it can be finalized.”

“Wow, that’s great. Where are you?” I told him what area we were in and then the nearest major intersection. “Hey, I’m right by there. Would you want to grab some lunch if you haven’t eaten yet?” No. No I don’t want to spend time with you.

“Lunch would be great. I’d just have to make sure I’m done here.” I’d had to force those words out. Despite knowing I was going to have to do more to execute my plan than have lunch with Sidney, it didn’t make it easier.

He gave me the name of a place after I’d made sure Harmony and the real estate agent didn’t need me for anything else. Then I walked to the place, grumbling to myself the whole time. Harmony had refused to give me the car which meant I was either going to have to pay out the ass for a cab, or Sidney was going to have to drive me home. Not to mention, my feet still hurt.

As I walked I began to wonder if my plan was a good idea. If I was going to make him fall in love with me I was probably going to have to kiss him at some point. I felt sick at the thought. I know that at one time I’d found him to be the hottest guy on the planet, and that thousands upon thousands if not more girls felt the same, but now I felt differently. Oh God, what if I had to do more?

It was amazing how much one terrible incident could affect and shape a person’s feelings on people and life in general. That one night in Cole Harbour had killed any love I thought I had felt for Sidney. Maybe I should say screw it, tell Sidney what a cocksucking asshole he was and be done with it. No, I couldn’t do that. He needed to really know. He had to really know how it felt to be used and discarded as a joke.

“Bryce!” I heard him call. I glanced up and saw him walking from the opposite direction towards me.

“Hey!” I called back with a smile, pushing all of those thoughts out of my head.

Sidney held the door open for me and I walked in. The restaurant he had picked out was small and quiet. I wasn’t sure if the small amount of diners inside was due to the late hour for lunch or if it was like this all the time. Knowing Sidney, it was always like this. The hostess at the podium in front was on the phone and held a finger up to tell me she’d be with me in a moment, a smile on her face as she did so.

“Well, we don’t take official reservations but if you have a large party it helps to call ahead so we can have space open for you as close to your arrival as possible,” she was saying into the phone.

“I hope there’s something you can find on the menu to eat,” Sidney said coming in behind me. I turned to give him a strange look.

“Does this place serve strange or creepy food?” I asked.

“No, not at all,” he replied.

“Then why would I have trouble finding something on the menu?”

I hadn’t meant for my voice to hold the annoyed tone that it did, but I couldn’t help it. Who did Sidney think I was? Was that what the girls he usually spent time with were like? I was about to apologize for how that had sounded, but Sidney laughed. He apparently hadn’t noticed my tone, or it hadn’t bothered him.

“You’ve really changed since school,” he told me. I opened my mouth to respond, and found I didn’t know what to say. I struggled with being both angry at the comment and relieved that it was noticeable that I was different.

“I’m sorry for the wait. Your usual table Mr. Crosby?” the hostess asked. He nodded and we were on our way to a table in a back corner. It must suck to live life in dark corners. It was the first actual feeling of sympathy towards Sidney I had. It was the first feeling that wasn’t disgust or anger really.

I glanced over the menu and decided on a house specialty salad Sidney insisted was one of the best in the city. I spent the rest of the ordering process experiencing the jealous and questioning looks I received from the waitress who had obviously served Sidney multiple times before. I wondered how many other girls had come in here with him and experienced the same treatment. She hadn’t been rude, but I didn’t exactly want to be stared at like that while I ate lunch, thank you.

“So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” he asked after our food had arrived.

I could immediately feel my muscles tense up. The ache I felt in the back of my neck told me that I was in a desperate need of a massage. What was with people and this stupid holiday anyway? It seemed to be all my family wanted to talk about and now Sidney. I was just glad I was living in the States and our Thanksgivings were not shared so I didn’t have to listen to more people talk about it.

“I’m flying home for a couple of days. How about you?” I returned.

“We have a game. It must be nice to get to see your family.”

Ha, yeah right. I just shrugged and didn’t elaborate any more on the trip. What was I going to say? My mother was certifiable, my aunts and uncles were always in competition, my father was becoming more and more of a recluse to avoid the previously mentioned people, and I’d left my brother long ago to deal with them all by himself.

As Sidney and I chatted over lunch I couldn’t get my mind off of my upcoming trip. It was only a few days away now and I wanted nothing more than an excuse to get out of going. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to handle being there with them. I’d escaped Cole Harbour for more reasons than just Sidney. There was a reason Kellen was the only member of my family I spoke to on a regular basis.

After telling Sidney I had to catch a cab home and him subsequently offering me a ride I accepted and did my best to focus on our conversation in the car rather than on my family. I couldn’t help where my mind wandered however. I tried desperately to remember a time when we were one big happy family. That had to be the case at some point right?

I got out of Sid’s car at my apartment complex and we made tentative plans to get together once I returned from home. I gave him a wave as he drove away before I turned and used my key sensor to unlock the door to the building. I realized as I waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor that I hadn’t come up with one happy memory that included my entire family.