Free Everything You Need by Melissa Blue Page A

nodded. “I did. She laughed and said, ‘sounds
like the same ol’ Brice.’ I think you should check on her since she
is a longtime family friend. Don’t forget, son.”
    His teeth hurt from clenching his jaw so hard.
“Thanks for the info, Father.”
    He took a slow breath and beat back the anger as he
faced Hazel, not looking at anyone else in the family. Confusion
and concern filled her eyes, but she smiled at him in
understanding.
    “It’s been great, you guys,” she said. “But I have to
get up early tomorrow.”
    She gave Brice a look that made the phantom fist
squeeze tight around his heart. Hazel was doing for him what he’d
done for her earlier, saving him. He wanted to kiss her. Plain and
simple.
    He stood. “If you’ll excuse us.”
    “Joseph,” his mother said and started to condemn his
father in Italian. Words he’d gotten punishment for saying when
he’d been a boy. She stood also and threw her napkin on the table.
She added one final blow by calling him something unrepeatable even
in impolite society.
    She huffed out a breath and then smiled sweetly at
Brice and Hazel. “I’ll walk you out.”
    Hazel made it to the door first and was out before he
could catch up. He ran a hand over his face, knowing any chance he
had of getting her to design his house—hell, to sleep with him—was
gone.
    This was the main reason he didn’t bring anyone home.
His jaw clenched again. It was one of the reasons. Carmen and the
history with her was the other. Living proof, as some people would
say, of why he should never fall in love again, much less want to
marry anyone.
    His mother laid a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.
Your father was trying to protect her. He thinks you still refusing
to be in the family business is proof you’re not ready.”
    “She’s a friend, Mom.”
    She placed a warm hand against his cheek like she’d
done earlier. “You want her to be more.” She narrowed her eyes when
he started to protest. “You were trying to protect her, too. You
never did that with Carmen.”
    Brice moved from his mother’s touch. “I’ll call you
later this week.”
    She sighed. “Know we both love you.”
    Brice didn’t reply, because not for the first time in
his life he wondered if Pops knew what the word truly meant. He
stepped out into the night and took the first deep breath he’d had
since walking over the threshold.
    Hazel leaned against the car door. Her arms wrapped
around her waist as if she felt cold. He went to her, but didn’t
speak nor comfort her like he wanted to, because that would make
his mother right. Make his father right. Any woman he cared for he
ended up hurt. He didn’t want to hurt Hazel and that made her more
dangerous than any woman he’d ever dated.

Chapter 8
     
    On the way back to the island Hazel wanted to ask a
million questions about this Carmen. All conversation had stopped
once the woman’s name slash through the air. Hazel also wanted to
ask because if he told her then maybe the chasm between them would
close.
    She could no longer lie and say she didn’t know
Brice. She knew grief, that deep searing pain that only dulled with
time. She knew loneliness. Even though Brice came from a huge
family he had the war scars of being alone. She also knew what it
felt like to disappoint your parents. Because Hazel knew those
things she knew Brice in an intimate way. It gave them an
intangible connection she wasn’t ready to have severed yet. And
because the pain and anger was radiating from him, Hazel knew she
had to ask.
    “Who is Carmen?”
    For a moment Hazel didn’t think he’d answer her, but
he finally spoke. “My ex-fiancée.”
    She couldn’t tell from the way he said it who had
broken the engagement off. With trepidation she asked, “What
happened?”
    His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I ended
the engagement. She wasn’t expecting that. It’s an understatement
to say she didn’t take it well.” He paused. “We grew