Chapter 10
A little less than an hour later Sarah found herself standing in front of Nick’s house. Its appearance was somehow different in the daylight, not nearly as magical. Or maybe it was just that today Sarah really, really didn’t want to be there. The sun was shining and the birds were singing yet as Sarah stared up at the house something loomed heavily over her heart. Every step she took toward the door seemed to make her physically ill.
Sarah was unable to push the jitters from her stomach as she walked past a truck that had a trailer hooked up to it. Why was she here? Why would Brian ask for her to go with him after the way he’d treated her the night before? Why had he been so cold and insulting in the first place? That wasn’t like the Brian she remembered, not that she’d ever paid much attention to him. He was three years older than her and she only ever saw him when she was at the shop with her dad. Brian had always been quiet but at least he’d been nice. Last night he was neither.
In fact Sarah didn’t understand it at all. In the day that she’d been back she’d seen more of the personal side of the Harper brothers than she had in all her life and Brian wasn’t the only one that puzzled her. The fact that Nick was paying attention to her had her stumped as well. What had happened around here after she left? Were things really that different in Whitmore Lake, or was it her that was different?
Sarah looked down at her low-rise jeans and form fitting tee and then ran her hand through her long brown hair. It was a shade or two darker now and wasn’t being held captive by an elastic. Sarah’s brow furrowed. She certainly looked different and to be honest she felt a little different on the inside but in her heart she felt as if she were the same girl she’d always been. She didn’t feel she deserved the harsh treatment she’d received from Brian, nor the praise she’d gotten from Nick for that matter. Her heart fluttered thinking of the way Nick held her close while they danced. She tried not to get her hopes up and reminded herself that he did blow her off without explanation and that it was Brian that called her this morning, not him. Maybe he didn’t like her as much as she thought. Maybe it wasn’t her that was different, maybe it what them. “I can do this.” Sarah said and took a deep breath. She walked up the steps with determination. If they were going to be jerks then there was no reason for her to waste any more time being hurt by them. It was their problem not hers.
She was about to knock on the door when she heard Brian’s voice coming from inside. Suddenly her confidence was gone and replaced with that sick feeling she’d had when she arrived. What was she going to say to him? Sarah quickly stepped down from the porch and walked away from the house. She couldn’t do it after all. Brian could find someone else to go with him. He wouldn’t be mad at her father if Sarah didn’t show. He may have been a jerk, but stupid was just something Brian Harper was not. He would understand why she wasn’t there. Sarah got as far as the driveway when the front door swung open and a familiar voice called her name. “Sarah!” he said, “Just the girl I was coming to find.”
Sarah was surprised by the tone. He sounded almost excited to see her. She held her breath nervously as she turned to face him. She forced a smile and within seconds his arms were around her. “Hi Nick.” She finally greeted completely surprised by the loving embrace.
Sarah was relieved that she was faced with Nick before Brian and she was glad that he was happy to see her. The tighter Nick hugged her the more he squeezed any negative feelings toward him right out of her and by the time he let go all anger had vanished and Sarah was back to her love sick self. “I was just coming to see you. I hope you can forgive me.”
Nick pouted expertly and Sarah couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. He was so adorable she would have forgiven him even if he’d acted the way Brian had. “I got caught up and then Brian said you’d left. I felt awful. I was on my way to see if I could make it up to you.”
Nick gave Sarah more puppy dog eyes and held up a picnic basket. Sarah peered curiously at the lunch. “What do you say we go out to the lake? It’s a gorgeous day.”
A day at the lake with Nick? The offer was a dream come true and Sarah desperately wanted to accept it. It hurt to have to turn him down. “That’s really sweet Nick.” She said, “But I was actually here to see Brian.”
The always calm and collected Nick briefly lost his composure as he felt the sting of jealousy and disappointment. Never in his life had he been given such a response. He quickly plastered the smile back on his face though. To be rejected for his brother? She had to be messing with him. “You’re here to see Brian?” he asked trying not to laugh at the idea of the two of them going out.
“He needs me to go with him to look at a car.” Sarah replied still heartbroken over the fact that she couldn’t go to the lake with Nick.
Nick began to laugh but Sarah wasn’t sure what was so funny. “You had me worried.” Nick confessed, “For a moment there I thought Brian was trying to steal you away from me.”
Sarah felt her cheeks get hot and she forced a nervous laugh. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. How could Brian steal her away from Nick? That would have to mean that she was Nick’s to steal. What exactly was he saying? Nick smiled when Sarah blushed and he held up the basket again. “When you get back then.” He said, “After all I still owe you a ride.”
Sarah was so excited she was unable to say anything. Finally it was her turn to be that girl riding next to Nick. She’d wanted to be that girl for so long and now it was almost happening. In an hour or two she would be back from her excursion and then she would happily spend the rest of the day at Whitmore Lake with Nick. She’d spend forever with him if he wanted. Sarah didn’t care what Brian had to say about it, she was going to follow her heart. She nodded shyly, accepting Nick’s invitation and his face brightened up at the response. “It’s a date.” He said as charmingly as he could.
“What’s a date?”
Sarah’s perfect moment was ruined by the reality of her present situation as Brian emerged from the house. The butterflies returned to Sarah’s stomach as she snuck a glance Brian’s direction. He placed a briefcase into the truck and looked back to Sarah and Nick with a questioning look. His eyes met Sarah’s briefly but she quickly turned back to Nick. Nick smiled and then placed his arm around her waist before walking her to the truck. He held open the passenger door just like the perfect gentleman and helped her into the car. Every look he gave her and every move he made caused Sarah to fall for him that much more. Nick placed a kiss on Sarah’s cheek and whispered the words, “Hurry back.” in her ear. Sarah shivered and stared dreamily as Nick shut her in the car.
Brian felt sick watching the way Sarah looked into Nick’s eyes. He gripped the handle of the driver’s side door with white knuckles watching the girl of his dreams fall for his smooth talking brother. He couldn’t stop the anger from growing in his heart. He was angry at Nick for trying to steal Sarah. Nick could have any girl he wanted and yet he picked the only one Brian cared for. And what hurt the most is that he knew Nick didn’t really feel anything for Sarah.
He was also angry at Sarah for letting Nick do this to her. How many countless girls had she watched Nick play throughout high school? How many hearts had he broken? Was Sarah really so stupid that she would let herself get hurt like that? Did she really not see what was going on, or did she simply not care? Brian cursed them both under his breath for being so stupid before getting in the truck. He knew he shouldn’t be angry; after all it wasn’t entirely their faults. He’d never breathed a word of his feelings to anyone, but still, it hurt all the same.
Nick blew Sarah a kiss as Brian slowly pulled the truck away from the house. Sarah waved sending him a soft smile. Brian’s heart couldn’t help but soften a little when she smiled. He was as much a lost cause for her as she was with Nick. Brian turned his attention back to the road ahead of him and when he turned the corner leaving his house and Nick behind Sarah was forced to look ahead as well. Suddenly they both realized how uncomfortable they were. Brian kept glancing at Sarah and she could feel him looking but refused to acknowledge it. She turned her gaze out he window. She smirked thinking that this felt strangely similar to the last time they’d been in a car together. “Something funny?” Brian asked glad to finally have a reason to break the silence.
The smile left Sarah’s face when Brian spoke. She shot him a dirty look and then went back to staring out the window. Brian shifted uncomfortably in his seat; maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. The silence was killing him. “I wasn’t sure you would come after last night.” He said trying again to get her to talk to him. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
“I’m not doing this for you. You’re an important client of my father’s. End of story.” Sarah clarified without making any attempt to spare Brian’s feelings.
Brian sighed. She was obviously still a little more than angry with him. “I feel bad about last night.” He said. “I was really mad at Nick and I guess I sort of took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that, and I’m sorry.”
That was the truth. Brian really did feel horrible. The tears that he’d caused in Sarah’s eyes haunted his dreams all night. Sarah said nothing in response to his apology. She knew it was sincere but she wasn’t quite ready to forgive. She continued to stare out the window until Brian turned off the road to Ann Arbor on to the expressway in the opposite direction of Detroit. Sarah frowned. “Where exactly is this place?”
Brian hesitated but then murmured the word, “Chicago.” knowing that she was bound to find out sooner or later. The muscles in his body tensed up as he braced himself for the explosion he knew would follow his confession.
“Chicago!” Sarah screamed right on queue.
Just as she yelled out their destination, they passed a sign that said: Chicago 242 miles. Brian kept his eyes calmly on the highway prepared for Sarah’s outburst but it didn’t come right away. She didn’t yell at him right then. She was so mad that she didn’t know where to start. She sat in her chair with her arms folded tightly across her chest, fuming that he’d tricked her into a four-hour drive across state lines.
She was so cute when she was angry and whether he wanted it to or not, a smirk slowly spread across Brian’s face. Sarah saw the smile and glared daggers at her travel companion. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Chicago?”
“I didn’t think you would come.” Brian answered trying to wipe the smile from his face.
“I wouldn’t have.” Sarah stated matter-of-factly.
“Well then I guess I made the right choice keeping quiet.” Brian smirked.
Sarah’s face turned red with anger. “You’re unbelievable!”
“You may want to relax just a little. We’ve got quite a drive ahead of us.”
Brian smiled. He was becoming more comfortable every second and was, not without a little guilt, starting to enjoy giving her a hard time. His nonchalant behavior sent Sarah’s annoyance through the roof and she let out a frustrated scream. Brian laughed but still felt a little bad. Although he was thrilled that he would have her company for the next ten or so hours, he knew that was not her ideal way to spend the day.
Four hours there, four hours back and however many hours he might be able to talk her into wandering around Chicago with him. If he could convince her to have dinner with him in the windy city it would almost be like a date. Even if she hated him and hardly said two words the entire day, it would still be time alone with her. Maybe he could wear her down somehow. Maybe he could convince her that he wasn’t really a bad guy. Brian viewed the day as his one and only shot to make her notice him but that would never happen if he couldn’t somehow cheer her up. “It’s not so bad.” He said, “Think of it as a mini vacation. When’s the last time you visited Chicago?”
“Vacation?” Sarah sneered, “That would imply having a good time. This is more like… a business trip. To put it in terms you might understand.”
“Can’t it be both?”
“Eight hours in a car with you? Doubtful.”
Brian rolled his eyes and frowned playfully at Sarah’s comment giving off the impression that her insult hadn’t hurt, but deep down Brian was upset. Sarah retrieved an mp3 player from her purse and cranked up the volume in order to drown Brian out. So much for wearing her down…
Sarah was a stubborn girl and after that she and Brian hardly spoke the entire four hours to Chicago. Having her right there and not even being able to talk to her was torture on Brian’s heart. He tried several times to start up conversation but never managed to get more than a three or four word response. After the first couple of hours he was fed up with her and he quit trying to be friendly. If she wanted to pout then so be it, at least he’d accomplished one goal today. Sarah was not spending the day at the lake with Nick. Hopefully spending the day alone was making Nick miss his loving girlfriend and his little crush would soon be forgotten. Brian may not be able to win Sarah’s heart today, he couldn’t even manage to scratch the surface, but at least she wouldn’t get in the way of his only escape rout.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Yay! I updated! I'm going to try and get the next chapter up today too. :)
