Mission For Love (Love By Design 6)

Andy shuffled papers on his desk. “I’ll have to do something with it beside manage it.”

I groaned out loud and looked up at the ceiling saying a silent prayer. It had come to a shock to all of us when Sierra’s grandfather passed quickly after her grandmother that Andy had been named in the will. It was her inheritance but even from the grave they tried to manipulated them both.

“Sell it.” If I had the money to buy it from him I would, and then I’d burn it down to the ground in the hopes it would exercise all the demons it came with. Nothing good ever came from my brother getting wrapped up in that girl. As sad as her situation had been and believe me, my parents were sympathetic, she burned all her bridges with us.

I hated, absolutely hated seeing my brother tormented over something better left alone and far away from him.

“You know I can’t do that.” He leaned over the desk burying his head for a moment before glancing up at me.

“But you should do it. She’s not coming back.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Ten years says differently.”

“Nine years and…”

I held up my hand. If he was still counting days this was worse than I thought. He was like an addict refusing to give up the torch he held for her. “I don’t need an exact accounting, Andrew. I can see the pain in your eyes and it guts me every time.”

My brother was a glutton for punishment. He held onto his anger like a carefully crafted bomb and I agonized over the day he finally blew his top. I thought I was the one with anger issues. I’d never forgive that selfish girl if she took him from me.

“I’m okay, David. Promise.” He stood up holding a packet of papers. His clenched jaw told me a different story, but I let it go for now. We were both stubborn as mules and fighting him only deepened the rift between us that I didn’t want.

I held my hands up and got out of the chair reaching for my helmet on the desk. “Alright. Forget I said anything.”

“David.”

I turned in the door waiting. “Yeah?”

“Thanks.” Andy said and I knew it took him effort to relax. He knew I would protect him from anything, same as our parents, but stubborn guy wouldn’t let us take this burden from him. It was like he felt he had to atone for something, but what, I had no clue.

I wasn’t about to beat this dead horse tonight though. I had a date tomorrow. “Sure. I’ll be grading papers upstairs.” My knuckles rapped on the door and I made my way up the back stairs to my apartment.

My lonely apartment that still carried the faint vanilla scent of a certain woman I couldn’t exercise from my own head.

24

Kiara

Saturday busted into my bedroom window with sunshine and heat waking me from sleep despite the nervous energy that kept me up last night. I slid my hand down over my fluttering belly to quell the ups and downs before I got out of bed. I moved to the edge and adjusted my prosthesis so I could stand up and stretch. It felt good to arch my back and ease into my kitchen. I flicked the switch on my coffee pot and puttered around opening windows to let in the chill morning breeze. My window boxes were barren this time of year but the crisp fall scent was equally nice.

I checked my phone again and another message from the doctor’s office sat in the pit of my stomach. Not today. I wasn’t doing this today, bad news or otherwise.

After a fortifying cup of coffee, I tear through my closet like a possessed woman searching for my needle in the haystack. Skirts, dresses, shorts, nothing seemed to fit the bill. Everyone knew about my prosthetic, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that I wanted to look nice, special, for this non-date in front of most everyone I’d grown up around. My brother would be there, my uncle and a few cousins who worked as firemen. I would be surrounded by the guys and one girl on the department I’d known forever. Eyes would be scrutinizing us from the moment we showed up. David wouldn’t be my secret anymore and the thought pressurized inside my chest like a vice. I had trouble trusting myself because I could easily become attached to David. Scratch that. I was already there nibbling the skin around my thumb raw.

Knocking at the door had me grabbing the closest dress I could find. An ankle length bright yellow chiffon with ruffles at the bust and a flounce on the bottom making it flirty with the skinny spaghetti straps holding it up over my non-existent boobs. Braless and sticking out like a neon sign would have to do. I dropped the dress over my head letting it flutter over my frame.

Fluffing my curls one last time, I rushed to the door and opened it stepping back. David crowded my small front porch and the awning with his huge frame and the bouquet of bright wildflowers and daisies in his hand.

He thrusted the flowers in my direction and I stepped back letting him inside. “What is this?” I’m speechless for a second before I have a chance to form a coherent thought or a proper thank you for the “non-date” gesture.

Our hands touched as I took the flowers lifting them under my nose smelling their combined scents.

“They reminded me of you. A little wild, but beautiful.” He grinned with his head dipped down and I turned making for the kitchen like a cat who got her tail stepped on.

“That’s sweet of you. Let me just put them in some water.” I reached up into the cabinet for a vase falling short since I don’t have my shoes on, barefoot with my prosthetic.

David’s hands reached for my waist as he tenderly pressed against me. His chest to my back warmed my exposed skin from my dress and there’s a lot of it considering the flirty dress I wore.