AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another rush came in, and we got back to work. Landon was never far from my mind. The story wasn’t the only thing pushing me to crack his exterior. The thought that we might get along in other ways had definitely crossed my mind. I tried to remember the last time I’d been taken by a handsome face. The fact that I couldn’t recall it was sad, but I wasn’t about to admit that to anyone.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I picked up soup and sandwiches from Dina’s and we ate lunch in the back room, watching the machines do their thing. With two hours to go, my father returned from his meeting. I took the opportunity to walk to the bookstore a few blocks over. Scanning the shelves, I managed to find a used Landon Adams. I knew I could ask my mom if she had a copy, but I wasn’t ready to tell her why I was interested in it or him. Paying for it and a new journal, I slipped them both into my bag, excited to get home and read.
6
LANDON
Tara intrigued me, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time. My heart was still pounding from our brief encounter. She seemed smart and interesting. She was definitely sexy, but she was also inquisitive, intensely inquisitive. Her line of questioning made me feel uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell if it was due to my minimal human interaction over the past few years or the questions themselves. The only thing I knew for certain was I needed to break the habit of pushing people away. It was getting me nowhere fast.
The road vibrated under the truck tires and I tried loosening my grip on the steering wheel. The accident had left me tense when driving. By the time I got home, my shoulders and jaw would be aching. Thankfully, there hadn’t been much traffic either time I’d come to town. I knew this old truck would take a beating and keep me protected, but it didn’t stop me from worrying.
I also knew I wasn’t the same person I was before the accident. Not just mentally but physically as well. Unless I was home, I never wore shorts. In public, it was always long pants or jeans to cover the scars on my legs. The scars rose to my chest, like angry slashes across my torso. Even covered, I knew they were there. A constant reminder of when I lost control.
Five minutes away from the cabin, I felt like I could finally relax. In the back of my head, I heard a voice reminding me that most accidents happen close to home. No wonder I was always a ball of stress—even my mind was against me. My cabin was at the end of the road, with just two before me. I didn’t think the other cabins were used full-time, making the road seem like it was all mine.
It was a far cry from my last home, the top floor of an elite hotel. I had a 360-degree view of downtown on my rooftop deck. The whole penthouse was walled in glass, with only the bedroom and bath contained in a private space. Money hadn’t been an issue. I couldn’t even tell you where I’d purchased most of the things decorating the space, let alone why. After the accident, I focused on recovering while Shelby sold off pieces one by one to pay for the damages. In the end, I ended up in a one-bedroom apartment in a three-story building with views of the buildings around it. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.
She and the few friends I had left reminded me of the good days and my talent, but none of it mattered to me. I couldn’t see past the hole I was in, and I certainly didn’t think I was worthy of the awards I’d once relied on to get me the best of the best. I’d hit a wall one night, demanding Shelby pack all the awards and put them in storage. I didn’t even know where they were. I most certainly didn’t care.
Putting my laundry inside, I changed clothes. I needed physical activity. Chopping wood sounded like the best exercise, even though I had no clue what I was doing. It couldn’t be that hard, right? The previous owner had left an ax in the storage shed. I knew it could get brutal in the winter here in the mountains, and even though it was months away, I’d heard it was good to prepare in advance. I didn’t want to be chopping wood in the freezing cold.
Thanks to the accident, my body was still exhausted earlier than it might have been. Specifically, my legs. They didn’t like to be pushed as they once had. I used to run the hills around my penthouse with enough energy to challenge the Energizer Bunny. Now I was tired walking from my bedroom to the kitchen. And every rain brought an aching to my left shoulder. Amelia had warned me the pain might return if I didn’t continue to work through my exercises. I knew I was hard on myself. I was much better than in the months or even the first couple of years after the accident, but I was nowhere near what I’d once been.
