Free Mesmerized by Audra Cole, Bella Love-Wins Page A

brothers are with them too. They invited me to go, but I said I’d wait and come back over tomorrow. It just feels weird how they can go on like nothing is happening.”
    “Well, they’ve had more time to adjust to the news. And I imagine, in some way, it helps to continue to live a normal life,” I say.
    Brandon nods. “I guess. I don’t know. I’ll probably get some dinner and go back to my room at the inn. Maybe catch up on the news. Is Little Ricky’s still open?” He asks, referring to a hole in the wall Italian place that we used to go to in the next town over.
    The image of him sitting alone in a hotel room, with a plastic container of cold spaghetti, watching the nightly news is more than I can handle. “You can’t go to Little Ricky’s. Do you want to come over to my place? I can make us something.”
    The invitation seems to surprise him just as much as it surprises me.
    “Really? That would be amazing,” he says. He lights up and gives me a smile that both warms and breaks my heart.
     

Chapter Twelve
    Walking back to Ashley’s, my main mission is to just keep it together and not have a panic attack. Breathe in. Breathe out. There. Simple, right?
    In. Out. Right.
    Brandon has the leash, and Maci is trotting along after him, quite contentedly. I smile at her, wishing I could feel as relaxed as she looks. I probably look like I’m fine, but everything inside me is like a wind-up jack-in-the-box that could spring at any time.
    An awkward silence has settled between us as we walk. I figure he doesn’t want to talk about his mom, and I don’t want to talk about us.
    “So, uh, do you like living in California?” I ask. “Must seem pretty gloomy being back here with the cold and all.”
    “It’s okay. I think some things are better than I expected, and then other things are worse than expected. It’s nice to be back here though. I’ve missed it, for a lot of different reasons.” He turns his face to meet my gaze, and although I am trying not to read into each word, there is no mistaking what he means by that comment.
    I can feel myself start to blush. Unsure of how to respond, I turn my eyes back to watching the ground in front of me.
    We walk in silence for another few minutes before we arrive at Ashley’s house. Her car is not in the driveway. I breathe a sigh of relief that she’s not here to find Brandon and me together.
    “All right, let me take her in and get her cleaned up a little. Then we can go to my place.” I reach to take Maci from him. “It’s not too far from here.”
    Brandon gives me the leash, brushing my fingertips in the process. I almost recoil at his touch, feeling like I had been shocked. Waves of heat ran through my body and I force myself to back up a step.
    “Do you want a hand?” he asks
    I shake my head. “I’ll be all right.”
    “Okay, then I guess I’ll stay here,” he says, taking a seat on the front steps.
    I nod in agreement and turn to go inside. I shut the front door behind me and lean back against it, letting out a pent-up sigh. “Get it together, McAdams,” I whisper to myself.
    I shake it off and roll my shoulders back before starting to wipe at Maci with the doggy towel Ashley leaves by the front door. Most of the mud is dried on her fur, so there’s not a lot I can remove with the dry towel. With another sigh I decide I’ll need to give her a bath if I want to get her completely cleaned up. I glace at my watch and then nervously look back at the front door. In all reality, Ashley could be home at any minute, and I can only imagine her reaction if she finds Brandon on her front steps.
    I really would hate to call the cops on my best friend.
    I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Ashley. She answers on the third ring.
    “Hey Charity, what’s up?”
    “Hey, I just got back from the park with Maci. We had a little mishap and she needs a bath. I just…uh…wanted to see where you keep the doggy shampoo. ””
”
I improvise.
    “Tell