Free Hidden Barriers by Sara Shirley Page A

“Go! I’ve got this under control.” Nodding my head in appreciation, I make my way onto the street where Drew is now waiting for me.
    “So, what’s the grand plan here?” he asks as I approach him.
    “Well, with any luck, he’s still home. If he accepts my apology and then passes your interrogation process, maybe the night can still be saved, and we can put those beers to good use,” I say as we walk to his car. Grabbing a gummy worm from the candy bag in my coat pocket, I chew off a bit at a time. Drew gives me a disgusted look. “Hey!” I spout out with my mouth full of candy. “Don’t criticize. You know I’m a sucker for sugary sweetness, and it’s the way to my heart these days. Otherwise, I would not be doing this at all.”
    I suck back on another gummy snack as Drew pulls the car down the next street, driving slowly until we reach the townhouse Cara described in her directions. Drew pulls over and stops the car as I point to a house that matches the description. The lights are on, but I can’t see any movement inside.
    Drew catches the hesitation in my eyes as I stare at the house. “It’s now or never, Sam. I love you, Sis, and you know without a doubt how I’d go through hell to protect you again if I had to. But, the only way to fight all the nagging thoughts in your head is to walk up those stairs and see if that guy is worth a shot. He may not be perfect, but none of us are. Something tells me from just the look in his eyes today when I saw him, you have nothing to worry about.”
    “Thank you for being here tonight. Let’s get this over with, and please, don’t go all Marine Corps on him. The last thing he needs is Drill Instructor Daley barking in his face for an hour.”
    My brother has grown into a man with a heart of gold and more words of encouragement than I would know what to do with. Leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, I tell him, “I love you, little brother.”
    “I’ll do my best to keep my alter ego contained. I can’t make any promises, though.”
    “Fair enough,” I say with a mouthful of watermelon-flavored jelly beans. Drew looks over and gives me the evil eye. “What? I’m nervous. Leave my candy and me alone, or there will be hell to pay.”

I leave after being ignored for nearly a half hour while Sam and her brother take a trip down memory lane without even so much as an introduction. I know she adores her brother and doesn’t see him often, but still, if that were my sister and me, I wouldn’t have just ignored her existence.
    The minute I step through the front door and slam it behind me, Nick knows better than to ask how things went with Sam. I grab the first beer I find in the fridge before retreating to my bedroom, shutting the door and cranking up the media player on my tablet. The Black Keys’ haunting lyrics permeate the walls of my room as I change into my fleece lounge pants and hoodie before falling back onto the bed.
    Sucking back on my beer as I search through my phone, I type out a quick text to Jeremy to see how things are going with his professional hockey career and let him know how Emily was when I saw her earlier today.
    I throw my phone to the side as I take another pull of my beer before lying back to shut my eyes. Nothing seems to allow me a chance to calm down at the moment. Usually beer and music do the trick after a long night at work. If those don’t work, a long run helps, but it’s too late for that.
    Something about this girl is unnerving to me. What is it about her that causes me to want to change my ways? I don’t date or do relationships. I haven’t since I split from Sue nearly ten years ago. Fucking Tarryn has replaced the void for almost five months. As much as I hate to hit up that bitch tonight, maybe I need to in order to fix whatever is screwing with my head right now. Reaching over for my phone, I type out a short text to Tarryn to see if she’s down for a booty call. Just as I hit Send , I hear a