same.
The tears well up in my eyes before spilling over.
I cry myself to sleep.
Chapter Nine
Braden
The next morning, Braden is meeting Holly for coffee at The Ugly Mug in town. The place is always busy, whether it is the morning, afternoon, or evening. It is a small place lined with two-seater tables along the walls of both sides of the shop with a walkway to the barista station and cashiers. The lighting is darker than most places, but each table has overhead lighting.
A lot of people come in and chat, enjoying their coffee amongst friends, and others bring in their laptops and tap into the free Wi-Fi that the owners so graciously offer. Some of them stay for hours.
When he walks into the coffee shop, he spots her sitting off in the far right corner. He clenches his jaw when the image of Emma seeing him and Tara in the bar last night creeps into his mind. The way she tried to run from him still kicks him straight to the gut.
His mind is filled with all of the shit from last night.
His eyes go to the baristas, then to the couple at the front end of the shop, back to Holly as she waves him over.
Braden called Holly about an hour ago, asking her to meet up with him for a cup of coffee. He needs to talk to her about Emma and find out where her head is. If Holly knows why Emma broke up with him in the first place, that would be a good start and he intends to get it out of her.
Emma is still holding out on him, and he is done with that shit. He really likes Holly. She is a great friend and very loyal. But he needs her to spill and he’ll get the answers he needs one way or another today. He is just hoping Holly isn’t going to be difficult.
Braden moves to the table she is at. She stands and greets him with a hug smiling at him until she sees his face.
“This isn’t just a friendly cup of coffee with an old friend, is it?” Holly mentions, having a seat back in her chair.
“No, it’s not,” Braden answers.
He takes the seat across from her while Holly puts a coffee down in front of him. “Black,” she states.
“Thanks,” he remarks before taking a sip.
“What’s going on?”
“We need to talk about Emma. You’re going to answer some questions for me, okay?” he asks and Holly’s body goes rigid. Her eyes roam the shop, avoiding his.
“Holly,” he starts before she whispers, “Shit, Braden, I can’t be here with you right now.”
“I need you to talk to m e. We need to help her together and she’s not letting me in very easily. What do you know about Emma breaking things off with me?”
Holly's eyes grow wide and immediately she pulls back her head, sliding her gaze to the ceiling, taking a deep breath in and out.
“Don’t do that, Holly,” he says, his voice so quiet that she almost missed it.
Her eyes slide to him and she says, “Nope. I can’t be here with you right now. If Emma finds out I was here talking about her relationship with you, she’ll freak. I don’t want her to freak. She’s had enough freak to last her a lifetime, don’t you think?” she asks.
Braden inhales deep and answers, “Something happened to her back then. She holds me at a distance. Just when I think I’m making a break in her walls, she adds more barriers. It’s like I take one step forward and three more back. I don’t know what I’m doing, Holly. Can’t you see? I need to know what happened and I know you can tell me what that is.”
“I can’t tell you anything.”
Braden opens his mouth to reply but Holly isn’t done yet. She leans forward, elbows on the table.
“If I could help you, Braden, God knows I would do it in a second. I hate seeing her beat herself up day in and day out. She is so wounded inside after all of this. Granted, she’s gotten a lot better over the past couple of months, but she is so scarred and frightened. Delgado is locked up right now and it might as well be her. She’s living in her
The tears well up in my eyes before spilling over.
I cry myself to sleep.
Chapter Nine
Braden
The next morning, Braden is meeting Holly for coffee at The Ugly Mug in town. The place is always busy, whether it is the morning, afternoon, or evening. It is a small place lined with two-seater tables along the walls of both sides of the shop with a walkway to the barista station and cashiers. The lighting is darker than most places, but each table has overhead lighting.
A lot of people come in and chat, enjoying their coffee amongst friends, and others bring in their laptops and tap into the free Wi-Fi that the owners so graciously offer. Some of them stay for hours.
When he walks into the coffee shop, he spots her sitting off in the far right corner. He clenches his jaw when the image of Emma seeing him and Tara in the bar last night creeps into his mind. The way she tried to run from him still kicks him straight to the gut.
His mind is filled with all of the shit from last night.
His eyes go to the baristas, then to the couple at the front end of the shop, back to Holly as she waves him over.
Braden called Holly about an hour ago, asking her to meet up with him for a cup of coffee. He needs to talk to her about Emma and find out where her head is. If Holly knows why Emma broke up with him in the first place, that would be a good start and he intends to get it out of her.
Emma is still holding out on him, and he is done with that shit. He really likes Holly. She is a great friend and very loyal. But he needs her to spill and he’ll get the answers he needs one way or another today. He is just hoping Holly isn’t going to be difficult.
Braden moves to the table she is at. She stands and greets him with a hug smiling at him until she sees his face.
“This isn’t just a friendly cup of coffee with an old friend, is it?” Holly mentions, having a seat back in her chair.
“No, it’s not,” Braden answers.
He takes the seat across from her while Holly puts a coffee down in front of him. “Black,” she states.
“Thanks,” he remarks before taking a sip.
“What’s going on?”
“We need to talk about Emma. You’re going to answer some questions for me, okay?” he asks and Holly’s body goes rigid. Her eyes roam the shop, avoiding his.
“Holly,” he starts before she whispers, “Shit, Braden, I can’t be here with you right now.”
“I need you to talk to m e. We need to help her together and she’s not letting me in very easily. What do you know about Emma breaking things off with me?”
Holly's eyes grow wide and immediately she pulls back her head, sliding her gaze to the ceiling, taking a deep breath in and out.
“Don’t do that, Holly,” he says, his voice so quiet that she almost missed it.
Her eyes slide to him and she says, “Nope. I can’t be here with you right now. If Emma finds out I was here talking about her relationship with you, she’ll freak. I don’t want her to freak. She’s had enough freak to last her a lifetime, don’t you think?” she asks.
Braden inhales deep and answers, “Something happened to her back then. She holds me at a distance. Just when I think I’m making a break in her walls, she adds more barriers. It’s like I take one step forward and three more back. I don’t know what I’m doing, Holly. Can’t you see? I need to know what happened and I know you can tell me what that is.”
“I can’t tell you anything.”
Braden opens his mouth to reply but Holly isn’t done yet. She leans forward, elbows on the table.
“If I could help you, Braden, God knows I would do it in a second. I hate seeing her beat herself up day in and day out. She is so wounded inside after all of this. Granted, she’s gotten a lot better over the past couple of months, but she is so scarred and frightened. Delgado is locked up right now and it might as well be her. She’s living in her
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