Page 26 of Speechless
When the waitress arrived to take our order, we both settled on soft drinks with burgers and fries.
“Oh my God,” the pretty young blonde said, staring at me, wide-eyed. “You’re Maverick Stone, aren’t you?”
So much for going out and being incognito. “Uh yeah, I am.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth. “My friends and I saw you guys in concert last night! It was epic!”
I dipped my head, still trying to get used to the praise and recognition. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show.”
My brother’s shitting-eating grin said it all. This pretty little thing was reinforcing everything he’d just told me. I had to learn to accept that life was changing for me, for the better.
“Um…” She bit her lip before looking behind her to make sure no one was listening. “Do you think I could give you my number? I know you’re going to be in town a few more days. I thought maybe we could… get together.”
I didn’t have to be a mind reader to know an offer for a hook-up when I heard one. She was attractive, but too damn young for me. More importantly, she wasn’t Codie. So, the answer had to be a hard no.
“It’s real sweet of you to offer,” I said, trying to soften the blow with a smile. “But I’m gonna be pretty busy while I’m here. Won’t have time to get out much. This is kind of a special occasion, since my brother came from Raleigh to catch the shows and hang out with me.”
She blushed, looking from me to Noah. “Oh, of course. I understand. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
I groaned when she rushed away. “I probably could’ve handled that better, huh?”
“I don’t know about that. I thought you handled it like you’re used to giving pretty women the brush off.”
I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.”
“So, Codie?”
I shook my head. “I wish.”
He frowned. “Hey, I saw the video. She was at your concert, you dedicated that song you wrote for her—”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. She was there because her best friend is a big fan of Trey’s. We ran into each other… in Nashville, before I left. I invited her to a show. For her best friend’s sake, she accepted. That’s all there is to it.”
His eyes narrowed, like he was sizing me up. “Why don’t I believe you?”
I sank back in the bench seat, trying to reconcile the kid my brother used to be with the man he was now. Most people said the physical resemblance between us was uncanny, but it ended there. He’d been the good, smart, kid who stayed out of trouble. He got partial scholarships to help pay for school and had part-time jobs since he was thirteen. He deserved the good fortune, not me.
“You believe what you want to, man. There’s no going back for me and Codie. I wrecked her life once, there’s no way she’d give me a second chance.”
“But you’d like one?”
I could have blown most people off, but my brother knew me better than anyone. He’d see right through me if I tried to B.S. him. “I’d give anything for one more shot with that girl.” But I knew I didn’t deserve one. “But she’s got a good life now. She doesn’t need me messing things up for her.”
We muttered our thanks when the waitress returned with our drinks, but I could tell by the scowl on Noah’s face he was waiting to unleash on me.
“Hey, you’re doing it again, asshole.” He was spitting the words out between clenched teeth, looking as fierce as I’d ever seen him. “Short-changing yourself. Believing you don’t deserve the best ‘cause you may have messed some things up in the past. Well, guess what, Mav? We’ve all made mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.”
“Nobody’s made as many mistakes as I have.” Some days my whole life felt like one big mistake, until recently.
“That’s what you think. Look at our folks. They’re still swimming in a cesspool of booze, hatred and regret. And they’re in their sixties.”
“That’s true.” I’d learned how to screw up my life from the masters. “Maybe if I can get it together, I won’t end up like them.”
“You are getting it together,” Noah said, glaring at me, daring me to challenge him. “And you’ll continue to keep it together, because I’ll make it my personal mission to see that you do.”
“I love you for looking out for me, but I’ve gotta do this on my own. I’ve got to get up every day, go to meetings, rehearse, write music, be civilized to my band, my team, all while resisting the urge to have a drink… every minute of every day.”
Noah winced. “The urge is still that strong, huh?”
