“We appreciate that and will do everything to support you.” Cliff had been one of the first people Landon had met in town, along with the youngest Connelly son, Jameson. The Connelly’s were one of the most prominent families in the town and one of the nicest. Cliff’s tattoo shop sat a few blocks down the street from Landon’s building and he stopped in one day when Landon was busy tearing down walls. They had quickly formed a kinship based on unspoken troubled pasts. And Alexis quickly became one of his friends when the two of them got together.
“What brings you by this evening?” he asked her since it was rare that she made an appearance without her significant other.
“Nothing at all, just one my way home,” she said casually, but after all his years in prison, he knew when someone was lying.
All it took was the rise of his eyebrow to have a confession fall from her lips.
“Cliff would like you to join us for dinner. . .tonight.”
Ah, there it was. The charity. The setup. It seemed to make his frien
ds uncomfortable that he was happily single.
“Thank you for the invite, but I have plans tonight.”
“Really?” she said excitedly and it almost pained Landon to disappoint her as he replied, “Yeah. I plan to hit the typical haunts.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry, Alexis. Send my regards to whomever you invited under false pretenses.”
Her large brown eyes widened to an astonishing size. “I. . .we didn’t. . .Fine. We invited the new dentist in town, Reagan. Are you sure you won’t make this exception? She doesn’t know anyone in town.”
“Well, now she knows you and Cliff. And I’m sure you can invite Preston and Shelly. Hell, just give Amy Connelly a call and she can have an entire barbeque in her honor.”
“Landon. . .”
“What? You know it’s true.”
Alexis seemed to contemplate what he was saying before nodding with a disgruntled and pinched expression on her small face.
He had no interest in a relationship, not after everything he had been through. Landon wouldn’t dream of letting anyone that close to him and his past. And there was always the fear that a piece of his good-for-nothing father would rear its ugly head, tarnishing anything beautiful in his life.
“I wish you would reconsider.” she whispered, “even if just to enjoy our company.”
“I know. Maybe next time.”
“You say that every time.”
“And I’m still considering it.”
“Fine. Anything I can do to help you get ready for the opening?”
Landon began shaking his head then thought of the most recent task he added to his list.
“Actually, can you ask around for anyone that would be interested in waiting tables, preferably one with bartending experience?”
“No one comes to mind, but I’ll ask around. Someone up at Carson Mountain Winery may know of a few people.”
“Thanks, Alexis. I’ll see ya around,” he said, dismissing her as he moved from around the counter toward the back stairs that led to the apartment on the third floor of the building. He knew Alexis would see herself out.
A quick shower and clothing change later, Landon closed up his building and hoped into the mid-sized truck that he had recently bought in town when his car had met the end of its life.
With a quick phone call, Landon booked a hotel room close to the bars in Asheville he liked to frequent. He planned on drinking and never wanted to make the mistake of driving, so this worked out the easiest and safest for him.
He always went for a bit of peace and quiet, the noisy bars drowning out the darkest of his thoughts. And maybe he’d find someone to warm his rented bed for the night.
The possibilities were endless, he thought with a chuckle as he left the Carson town limits.