Thursday Nights (The Charistown Series) Read online

  After a time, Lyla began to let Janie hold her and comfort her until the fear receded. In return, Lyla gave her the thing Janie had spent eighteen years searching for, the thing she couldn’t even find in her own family: unconditional love and support. Janie could depend on Lyla’s presence, either physically or via phone, whenever she needed her, and Lyla had never let her down. For ten years Lyla had been her sister, and that was something that didn’t need to be discussed at Sunday dinner.

  Janie could feel Max’s eyes on her, burning into her skin, but she resisted looking over at him. She knew that if she allowed herself to look directly into the grassy-green fields that were his eyes, she would get lost in them. And she was trying to be strong. She had said it was okay, that she was okay, so she continued to look at everyone else in the group, acting okay. Everyone but Max.

  Max could feel his gut twisting, and his hands were physically twitching with the need to reach out and stroke her long, silky hair. He was sitting close enough that, with every inhale, he took in her scent, and it was amping up his desire and frustration. His cock was pressing into the zipper on his jeans, making it so he could barely think coherently. He couldn’t handle it another second. She wouldn’t even acknowledge his existence.

  Well, isn’t that what you wanted? His inner voice chided him. You wanted her to know what it felt like to have her body cherished. You wanted to give her yours. And then you wanted to walk away without so much as a call—and you did. Make this right, DeLucca! His mind screamed, and Max clenched his fisted and breathed in quietly through his nose. He willed himself to keep his mouth shut.

  “So, Janie,” he huffed. “When do your students start school again?” He noticed a few strange looks thrown in his direction from Lyla and Danny, but no one else reacted.

  Janie sat quietly for what felt like minutes but was probably only a second before she answered. She had been teaching middle-school English for six years, but since she and Lyla moved around quite a bit after college, it was only her third year in the Charistown district. She loved her job, adored her co-workers, got a kick out of her students, and having her summers off to goof around with Lyla was pretty awesome, too. But the summer had to end sometime.

  She sighed. “My kids come back tomorrow. I should be ready for cocktails by Thursday night, so get ready, Danny.”

  He chuckled and nodded. “I’m always ready, Jane! What about you, Ly? How is the column going?” Danny asked a little too casually. Lyla caught Julie shooting her husband a tense look. While she couldn’t decipher it exactly, it had a “Watch your step, buddy” sign posted to it. Lyla couldn’t help but smile.

  Spending time with the people from Danny’s on Main was like a little slice of heaven for Lyla’s heart, yet a small spark of hell on her soul. She was growing to love them all: Danny, Julie, Ryan, Ashley, Kyle, and Max –– each and every one of them. While she knew they were good people, chances were each of them had some sort of skeleton in their closet. But she traveled with a whole goddamned cemetery in hers. So, as much as her heart longed to let these kind and loving people in, she knew she had to keep them at a distance. She didn’t trust; she couldn’t take the chance.

  Lyla’s face softened into a genuine smile. “It’s going really well, Danny. Thanks for asking.”

  Janie loved how Lyla’s eyes sparkled when she talked about her column. She knew that sparkle, too—she was the only one who knew that Lyla’s creativity didn’t start and end with the advice columns she wrote for the online papers. The real fire burned when Lyla was writing her novels. But due to a tragic past, she chose to write under a pen name, keeping her true passion a secret from everyone but Janie.

  “Writing makes me really happy,” Lyla said, confidence pouring off her in waves.

  “It’s nice to see someone who loves their job as much as you do, honey.” Julie patted Lyla’s shoulder.

  “What’s not to love,” a formerly-dazed-and-currently-drunk Kyle sneered. “She writes some advice in a column twice a month, and she doesn’t have to worry about money. Not everybody is lucky enough to win the lottery.”

  Lyla stared at Kyle, muted by the shock of his words. Kyle had no such problem, though, as he continued his drunken rant. “We know everyone loves you. We know you love yourself. It’s the world according to Lyla Dalton. You always need to put your two cents into everyone else’s business. And speaking of cents…yes, Lyla, we know you have money. Jesus, can you rub it in our faces any more than you already do?” Kyle spat his words and then tried to get up to leave.

  Lyla caught the pain that slid across her face before anyone but Janie could see it. She placed her “As if I care” mask on firmly. The alcohol that Kyle had consumed in the past few hours, added to whatever was still pumping through his system from the night before, caused him to stumble as he stood.

  “Goddamn it, Kyle,” Danny shouted. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Lyla leaped into the conversation, voice raised and fists clenched. “It’s fine, Danny. Kyle,” she said, turning to face him head-on. “I’m glad we are finally close enough to share how we really feel about one another. I have thoughts about you too. Frankly, I was thinking that you were sexy, so hot in fact that I’ve spent weeks thinking of all of the ways I wanted to fuck you. But now you’ve cured me of that insane notion. So, thank you.” Lyla’s face was blazing red, making her sky-blue eyes burn even brighter.

  “As for me sticking my rich ass in everyone’s business, you’re gonna wish I did. You’re gonna wish I stopped you from saying all of the shit that just spewed out of your drunk, fucked-up mouth.” Kyle stared blankly at Lyla as her verbal lashing continued. “I’m not going to hate you for saying those things,” she said softer, beginning to rein in her temper and with it her voice. “Because tomorrow, when you wake up, you are going to hate yourself enough for the both of us.” She lowered her face to Kyle’s and dropped her voice to a quiet pitch. “But I will say this, and trust me, if you forget what I’m about to tell you, there are six people here to remind you. You can try, but you will never be able to take back those words.” Lyla rose to her five-foot-one height and turned to face the rest of the group, standing silent and in awe. “I’m leaving. Please lock up on your way out.”

  With her back facing the group and one foot out the door, she stopped but didn’t turn around. “Before you ask, Janie, no, you can’t come. I need some space. I love you.”

  Lyla closed the door behind her and walked into the night alone.

  Lyla’s house, which had been full of laughter and love only thirty minutes before, was now heavy with sorrow and anger. Janie could hear the men in the family room yelling at Kyle while she stood in the kitchen trying to keep herself from falling apart. Knowing Lyla, she was out there replaying Kyle’s words over and over, each replay inflicting a little more permanent damage. Lyla would mostly likely add another layer to the already-impenetrable walls that surrounded her heart.

  Lost in her own version of hell, Janie didn’t even notice when Ashley and Julie entered the kitchen. She silently tried to wave them off when she saw them, knowing her voice wouldn’t be strong enough to send the message, but Julie insisted that the guys needed their time to regroup and Janie needed her girls. The moment Janie felt arms wrap around her body, her legs turned to jelly, and she slid to the floor sobbing.

  “Talk to us, sweetheart,” Julie whispered as she sat down beside Janie, reaching an arm around her shoulder. “Let us in.”

  Janie continued to cry as Julie held her tight and Ashley openly listed ways to castrate Kyle.

  “I’m sure we could get Danny to help. He loves Lyla. If he holds Kyle down, I could use the nut crackers, the ones we use at the bar.” Ashley let out a maniacal laugh. “They crack more than walnuts, you know!”

  That got Janie to stop crying for a moment, and the three women shared a quick giggle. Janie wiped her eyes and looked at her friends. “She isn’t any of those things he said about her…”

  “Of course
she isn’t!” Ashley and Julie replied in unison.

  Janie nodded and then continued. “But she will believe every single word that came out of his mouth.” The tears began to well in Janie’s eyes again, but this time her eyes weren’t the only ones filling up. She saw it hit Julie and Ashley as they began to understand the damage that Kyle truly caused. They might not know the history, but they did understand that there would be repercussions. Janie felt Julie’s shiver as she hugged her tighter.

  “Kyle Marx, you son of a bitch,” Danny bellowed. “What has gotten into you? Or a better question…what have you gotten into? Those women came into our lives and made them better. They have made us more of a family than we ever were. They have invited us into their homes and cooked us dinner and helped us out at the bar. Lyla has driven your sorry, drunken ass home more times than I can count. She has donated money to “Leo’s Light” charity, and she has spent six months showing you unconditional love when she had no reason to, and this is how you treat her? I wanna kick your ass, boy.”

  Danny noticed Ryan’s hands were already in fists. “The only reason I haven’t punched you is because I fear that if I start this fight, Ryan here will finish it. I may be angry, but I still love you and don’t want him to kill you.”

  Danny looked at Max and then Ryan. “Sorry, son. No deaths tonight. Besides, I think the punishment will be worse when he has to look at Lyla every day from here on out and see the hurt he’s caused.”

  Ryan unclenched his fists and stalked over to Kyle, who had quickly sobered up when Lyla closed the door behind her. His hands wrapped around the collar of Kyle’s T-shirt. “Listen to me, you sorry piece of shit,” he muttered between closed teeth. “Don’t you ever, ever speak on behalf of me or any one us ever again. If she even looks at you again then you are one lucky son of a bitch, and if she ever says she forgives you? Just know that she finally learned how to lie. Because no one could—or should—ever forgive the crap you said tonight.” Ryan let go of Kyle’s shirt, then grabbed it again. “And Kyle? If you ever even think about talking to Ashley the way you spoke to Lyla, I will cut out your fucking tongue. We clear?” Ryan dropped the fabric and walked away, leaving a visibly shaken Kyle nodding in his wake.

  “Max,” he said as he neared the kitchen door. “Get him out of here, man.” Max just grunted his assent, and Ryan disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Ash, let’s go,” he said when he saw his roommate. “Janie, I’m sorry. I’m never gonna let Kyle talk like that again.” He reached out and pulled Janie in for a hug.

  “It’s not your fault. But…” With a forced smile, Janie looked Ryan in the eye. “I need one of you need to get Kyle out of this house before I kill him. I’m not joking. I can’t even look at him…” Janie could feel her heart still pounding. All she could see was red. “I want him gone. He has no idea what he has done.”

  “Max is taking care of it.” Ryan gritted through his teeth and walked out of the kitchen with Ashley tucked into his side.

  Danny walked into the kitchen and directly into his wife’s embrace, replacing the two who just left. The couple then reached out and pulled Janie into their hug.

  Danny spoke over top of the two women’s heads. “Did anyone else think it was like witnessing a Christmas miracle when Ryan and Ashley left without any arguing or complaining?” Julie and Janie both smiled…but their eyes told a different story.

  Expecting Someone Else?

  “Why won’t you turn on your phone, Lyla?” Janie asked the empty room as she paced her apartment. Her body felt weighed down by bricks, but she continued to take laps around the main room. Janie knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t turn her phone back on until she was ready to talk. When Lyla needed to clear her head—to think, to write, or to just disappear—she would turn off her phone and check out. In the past, the girls had a safety plan in case of an emergency. Lyla would keep a special cell phone with her, one only Janie had the number for, so Janie always had a direct line to her. And Lyla knew Janie wasn’t going to bother her with nonsense, knew that the knowledge that her friend was “there” was a form of safety that kept Janie calm. Lyla always kept that phone on, even when she checked out from the rest of the world.

  But that phone was going straight to voice mail now. Janie had come home in hopes of finding Lyla inside, but her apartment reeked of loneliness from the moment Janie had opened the door. Too anxious to sit and wait, she drove around Charistown, stopping at their favorite coffee shops, restaurants, and even the movie theater, but Lyla was off the radar. Janie knew that Lyla need time to regroup. She knew that the things Kyle had said must have cut Lyla bone-deep. She knew the things in Lyla’s past that she kept hidden from the rest of the world, and she had a feeling there were things that even she, after all these years, still did not know about her best friend. Janie let out a frustrated breath. Her head was being logical, but her heart wanted to just force Lyla to show up.

  Janie wanted so badly to take on the pain that Lyla was drowning in, to help Lyla the way she always helped Janie. But when her friend resurfaced, Janie knew she would look perfect on the outside—just like Kyle had said she always did—but on the inside she would be more lost, more cracked, more guarded, and more unreachable. And at that point, even Janie wouldn’t be able to break through. God, what if Kyle’s careless words were the ones that finally cemented the door to Lyla’s heart closed?

  Janie wanted to scream and returned home feeling profound sadness and slight dejection at her fruitless search. She got ready for bed and left yet another message on Lyla’s voice mail. “I love you, Lyla. Every part of who you are. Call me when you get home.”

  A hard knock on the door startled Janie, and she nearly dropped her phone. Lyla had a key to her apartment, so it couldn’t be her. Janie set down her cell and looked through the peephole. Max stood on the other side of the door, holding himself tall and strong. The butterflies in her belly started fluttering, even though her mind was reeling with thoughts of Lyla. With a loud sigh, she opened the door and looked at the stunningly sexy man who stood before her. Before she could question his presence, Max placed a large, calloused hand on her cheek. That one gentle touch made all words evaporate from her mind.

  Her eyes were red from crying, making her irises all the more vibrant. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, her neck and jaw exposed. God, she’s beautiful…even now. Max mentally kicked himself for allowing his mind to wander so far from the reason for his visit: he had to check on her. He knew that Lyla’s wound would cut Janie too, and no matter what his mind told him, the place in his chest where his heart once lived begged him to go comfort her.

  “Janie, I…I had to come and see you tonight,” he said. “Have you heard from Lyla?” Max didn’t waste time with ridiculous questions such as, “Are you okay?” or “Do you need help looking for Lyla?” Max knew her well enough to know the answers already.

  “No,” Janie said through watery eyes. “I even tried to use the emergency number we’ve shared for years…she’s off the grid.” Max watched tears slowly slide down Janie’s beautiful cheeks. “She has shut everyone out, Max. Even me.”

  Pain knifed through Janie as she started to sob. “She is out there alone…and she left me alone.” Janie looked around her apartment with blind eyes. “Lyla is the only family I have, and we’re both alone when we don’t have to be…”

  Max looked at the kind and loving woman standing before him in excruciating pain. With one large step he entered her apartment and enveloped her small frame in his embrace. He placed his lips on the top of her head as her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer. The sweet smell of her shampoo filled his lungs as he pulled in deep breaths in an effort to consume her.

  “You aren’t alone, Janie. I’m here. I’ve been your friend for months, and I’m here for you. You are not alone.” He kissed the top of her head again, feeling his blood starting to flow south toward his groin without his permission.

  Standing wrappe
d in his arms, Janie’s heart was screaming that this was a bad idea. He would probably leave in the morning again, and she would be left feeling like shit. Again. But her brain didn’t care about what her heart said. She needed to be part of something tonight. She needed to feel wanted. She just needed to feel. And standing in front of her was the one man she knew who could take care of her tonight.

  As her small hands skated up his torso, she felt his heartbeat thumping in his chest. “Max,” she whispered boldly. “I need more than just a friend tonight.” She licked her lips as her hand slid up to his neck. Staring into his eyes, she waited for a response.

  Whatever thoughts may have been holding Max at bay dissipated the second he looked at the fire burning in her aqua eyes as her pink tongue moistened her bottom lip. It was all he needed to lean in and capture her mouth. Electricity crackled between them as the kiss became a hungry plea for more.

  “Babe, I’m right here,” Max stated gruffly. “I’m not going anywhere tonight but to your bed…if that’s where you want me.” He kicked the front door closed with his booted foot and swept her up like a groom carrying a bride over the threshold, carrying her to her bedroom. With her face so close to his neck, his cologne both soothed her frayed nerves and fueled her desire.

  When the bed hit his knees, he placed her gently on the mattress, and his eyes roamed her form for just a second. She was lithe and beautiful, and with only the light from the main room glowing down the hall, she looked like an angel. Kneeling over her, Max began the slow seduction of her body. He licked and sucked on her lips, biting gently.

  “Open for me baby,” he purred.

  Janie opened her mouth as Max slid his warm tongue into her moist opening. She met his tongue stroke for stroke as Max’s hands started to drift their way down her neck to her collarbone. God, she smelled and tasted so good, like the coconut and citrus lotion she used mixed with pure Janie. He could taste the salt from the tears she had shed, which made him want to beat the shit out of Kyle even more than he already did.