Forbidden Kiss (Carson Cove Scandals 1)

“I sure as fuck hope so.” He lifted his glass and took a drink—then finished it.

Jon’s words got slurred, but he kept drinking—and before long he was talking about our high school years. He seemed to remember them with rose-colored glasses, but that was probably because they seemed better than what was dealing with at the moment. We definitely had fun in high school, but we were just dumb kids doing stupid things. I was curious to know where Jon’s kids were—if they left with Mary or if their grandparents were watching them. I was afraid to bring anything up that he didn’t want to discuss—it was risky since he was wound up about everything already.

“Bryant Benson, holy shit.” A voice laced with a Cajun accent echoed from across the room, and I looked over to see a man approaching.

Fuck me, it’s Danny Fontenot. What is this, a high school reunion? I thought he moved back to Louisiana.

“Danny?” Jon narrowed his eyes and then hopped to his feet. “Danny!”

Apparently, he’s happier to see that bastard than I am—or maybe he’s just so drunk he forgot what an asshole he is.

“Hey Danny.” I gave him a nod while Jon decided to just go for a fucking hug.

“What are you two doin’ at Chateau Prime? Hell, ain’t seen either one of ya in years.” Danny hugged Jon and then decided to sit down at our table without asking for an invitation.

“Us?” I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you left Carson Cove after college…”

“Naw, I been back a few years.” He nodded. “My boys—got twins—they’re tearing up the field at our old stompin’ ground. Hell, that quarterback they got comin’ up is supposed to have a cannon—might go to state—might break all our old records.”

“Damn, they haven’t been broken yet?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“Naw man, we was legends—still are.” He laughed and raised his beer to motion for the waitress to bring him another.

“Hell yeah, man.” Jon leaned over and gave Danny a nudge. “Danny Fontenot! I can’t believe it. What are you doing with yourself these days?”

Danny told us his life story—I tuned out and just stared at my drink, but I was forced to still hear most of it. Jon was having a good time and wa

sn’t wallowing in his despair, so that was an improvement. Danny wasn’t one of the so-called privileged in Carson Cove when I knew him. He was just a kid from the suburbs that could sniff out a quarterback’s next play before they even figured it out themselves. He got a scholarship to LSU, which was where his family was from—knocked heads for another four years before he finally hung up his cleats. His financial situation had apparently changed for the better—but he didn’t elaborate on it.

“Oh, ya two will never guess who I ran into the other day.” He leaned forward and grinned. “Hot-ass Alexis.”

“Yeah, never would have guessed you’d run into her in Carson Cove.” I couldn’t even hide the sarcasm in my voice.

“I don’t want to sound like a playboy or anythin’—cause I love my wife—but I think she was hittin’ on me.” He grinned from ear-to-ear.

What the fuck is going on with her? Is she really that fucking desperate?

Jon decided that he needed to tell his own story about Alexis to match the one that Danny told, so I got to relive the events of the art show from Jon’s perspective—which included a mention of Taylor. That, of course, meant Danny had to ask about my ex-wife—and Jon’s soon to be ex—which soured Jon’s temporary moment of joviality reliving our high school days. It seemed like the air got sucked out of the room after that, and it didn’t take Danny long to look for an excuse to leave. I was glad to see him go—and it was about time for me to get Jon home before I literally had to carry him out of Chateau Prime.

“Are you about ready for me to drive you home?” I finished the drink I had been nursing most of the night and put the empty glass down.

“Yeah.” Jon nodded and sighed. “I wanted to drink and forget all this shit—now I’m thinking about it all over again.”

“Sorry…” I stood and motioned for him to follow me.

The drive to Jon’s neighborhood was a somber one. He knew he was going home to an empty house, and I fully understood how miserable that could be. The alcohol helped his mood while he was happy, but as soon as he got a vicious reminder of Mary, he was worse than he was before he took his first drink. I decided not to just drop him off—I followed him into the house and kept him company until he finally passed out. It was late, and my plan to go to bed early was definitely shot, but I knew I would sleep hard when I got there. I drove to my house, changed into a pair of shorts, and decided to check in with Taylor before I crashed. It might have been late for me, but I doubted she was in bed—not if she kept the kind of hours I did when I was in college—granted, I was usually up to no good instead of hitting the books.

Bryant: I missed you today…

Taylor: Hey! I was hoping I would hear from you before I went to sleep. I missed you too.

Bryant: I really have to wait until Saturday to see you?

Taylor: If you wait until Saturday, I can spend the whole day with you. Otherwise, I’ll have to go home early to work on my school stuff.

Bryant: Okay, I guess that does sound better. I wish you could spend all night with me too…

Taylor: I probably could, but then I’d have to tell my mom why I’m not coming home. I’d like to avoid that conversation for now.