I Choose You (3 page)

             
Roni poured some more wine, then scooted dramatically closer with a big laugh.

             
“Oh goody, do tell. Make me feel better about myself.”

             
Nicole laughed at Roni, then sighed and smiled at her new roommate.

             
“I think this is gonna be great. You and me, together in this town… I think we’re going to be lifelong friends.”

             
Roni smiled widely and picked up her glass to clink it with Nicole’s.

             
“Me too.” She responded. “Now quit procrastinating and get to the good stuff.”

Chapter Three

             
Kent stretched languidly as he drifted out of sleep the next morning. He’d gone out with Rich for a few more beers after they’d dropped off Roni’s stuff, but he didn’t feel any worse for it.

             
He slowly opened one eye, happy for the blackout curtains he’d hung in his bedroom.

             
He was not a morning person.

             
Kent glanced over at the clock, his forearm brushing against the empty sheets next to him, and he wondered how long it had been since he’d had a woman in his bed.

             
Shit, at least since Roni had come to town and stayed in his house. Well, now that she had moved out and he had his space back, he would have to remedy that.

             
His mind wandered to Briana, and he wondered how she was doing in Austin. He couldn’t help but smile.

             
Although he was sad that she’d taken Colin back and moved away, he couldn’t help but be proud that she’d followed her dreams.

             
He could think of her now without feeling like he’d lost her. He knew that she’d never really been his to lose in the first place, but he’d still felt bereft when she’d told him she didn’t want to see him anymore.

             
He wasn’t naïve enough to think that he’d loved her, but he knew that he could have, if she’d given him the chance.

             
“Oh, well,” he thought as he pushed himself up in the bed and threw his legs over the side. “No use wishing for something that was never going to happen. Time to move on.”

             
He sat still for a moment, allowing himself time to wake up, before standing up and heading into the bathroom to take a shower.

             
Although he worked at the local newspaper, Kent had always been smart with his money. He’d started saving as a young child, and had received a scholarship to go to school, so he’d worked and saved all through college as well.

             
Growing up poor had taught him determination.

             
He was determined to never live the way his parents had, to never settle for someone who didn’t love you, and to make sure he was always prepared to care for himself and his twin.

             
Kent loved his house. It was a small, two bedroom home on the outskirts of town. He’d paid to have it renovated, and enjoyed the small luxuries that he’d put in the house.             

             
Even more, he liked knowing that it was bought and paid for, and was solely his.

             
Of course, Roni knew that it was available to her whenever she needed, as was anything he owned, but like him, she wanted to make her own way. He was proud of her for that.

             
As the hot water from the dual shower heads streamed over his back, he wondered what he would do now that he was a free man again.

             
Maybe he would go out that night and try to break his slump.

             
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t stop the flash of a certain beautiful, busty blonde from creeping in.

             
Damn, Nicole was hot.

             
Kent could tell she was attracted to him. It had been apparent by the way she’d stood there staring at his chest yesterday, he thought with a chuckle.

             
He didn’t know much about her. Just that she was sweet and kinda quiet. He hadn’t seen her with any guys since he’d met her, and wondered about that for a minute.

             
He knew he’d upset Nicole one night at the bar. It was after Bree had told him that she was seeing Colin and didn’t want to see him anymore. Kent had been drinking and was trying to prove to Bree that he didn’t care about her and Colin, and he’d hit on Nicole in front of her. He’d apologized and Nicole seemed to understand that he’d meant it.

             
He wondered if she was as sweet as she seemed. If so, she was probably the last thing he needed right now.

             
He needed someone who was the opposite of sweet.

             
The opposite of good.

             
The opposite of anything that was going to make him
feel
things.

             
He just needed to get laid.

             
He stepped out of the shower and toweled off with his plush full body towel, then hung it to dry, as he went naked to the mirror to shave for the day.

             
As he walked from the bathroom into his bedroom to get dressed for the day, he though, “Yeah, it’s good to have my house back.”

             
While he drove into town listening to his favorite Country station, Kent decided to give Rich a call to see if he wanted to hit up the bar that evening.

             
He had only just gotten to know Rich, he’d met him and Colin at the beginning of the summer, and although he didn’t think Colin was good enough for Bree, he couldn’t help but like both of the guys.

He
and Rich had been hanging out quite a bit, and it was nice to have someone to chill with. Too bad, Rich had to head back up to school soon.

             
He pulled up to the newspaper office and went inside. He’d been putting out applications recently to newspapers in big cities, but the newspaper business was on such a downward slide, no one was hiring.

             
Kent brushed off the disappointment and pulled out the charm when he rounded the corner and encountered the Editor in Chief’s secretary.

             
“Morning, Marla,” Kent started with his most charming smile. “You’re looking lovely as always. Is the boss in?”

             
Marla turned a jaundiced eye on him and drawled in her best Clint Eastwood impression, or maybe that was just her voice after fifty years of smoking a pack a day.

             
“Don’t think that smile is going to get you anywhere with me, young man. The boss will see you when he’s ready, and not a second sooner.”

             
“Yes, Ma’am,” Kent replied, keeping the smile in place as he walked to his cubicle.

             
He hoped that all of the crap he’d put up with since being hired on here would eventually pay off.

             
Chuck, the Editor in Chief, had been reluctant to hire someone right out of college with no experience, but Kent had managed to get the job anyway.

             
Chuck and Marla had both been working at the paper since the dawn of time, and Kent had convinced Chuck that he could bring them up to speed with this century, and help them keep the doors of the paper open.

             
He’d been working his ass off to keep his promise, but it seemed like the two of them had fought him every step of the way.

             
He’d got the paper online, set them up with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and every other account he could think of to keep the small paper relevant.

             
There were a couple interns from high school and the local community college, as well as a photographer, but that was it for staff.

             
Kent sat at his desk and checked the notes left for him from the night before, turning on the police blotter as he settled in.

             
A buzz on his phone notified him of a message, and he smiled when he saw that Rich was “game on” to meet at the bar for some beer and food.

             
He hoped a night out would take his mind off work, and Bree, and get him back in the game.

Chapter Four

             
The bar was pretty full that night and Nicole had a full station. She had never considered waitressing before she’d moved here, but she really was having a fantastic time.

             
She laughed at something an older couple said as she refilled their sweet tea, then turned to go to the kitchen to check on her orders, when she noticed Kent and Rich standing at the hostess station talking to Roni, who seemed to be ignoring Rich altogether.

             
Nicole’s heart jumped in her chest at the sight of Kent. He had on jeans and a t-shirt, nothing fancy, but the way the t-shirt hugged his muscular body, had her belly tightening. And a glance at his biceps bulging from beneath his sleeve, almost made her walk straight into Kara.

             
“Distracted much?” Kara asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

             
“Hmmm?” Nicole replied absently.

             
Kara laughed and made a production of looking over at Kent and then back at Nicole.

             
“Stop it,” Nicole whispered, when she saw how obvious Kara was being.

             
“Oh, please,” Kara said with a laugh as she grabbed Nicole’s arm and pulled her into the kitchen. “It’s as plain as the dreamy look in your eyes, that you have a thing for Kent.”

             
“It is?” Nicole asked, suddenly worried that it was obvious to everyone, including Kent.

             
“Duh,” Kara said, stopping in front of the prep table and looking to see if any of the plates were for her customers. “Don’t worry, I doubt it’s obvious to everyone, but I’ve been watching you since you started working here. I know that you haven’t given any of the guys who have hit on you the time of day, but when Kent comes into the bar, Woo-Hoo… Sparks fly.”

             
“You think so?” Nicole asked, picking up a few plates and arranging them on her tray.

             
“Honey,” Kara drawled. “You look at him like he’s a tootsie roll pop and you want to lick your way to the center.”

             
Nicole blushed at that and was about to ask Kara what she thought of Kent, when Pete came walking in from the back.

             
Kara squealed, “Hi, Baby.” and ran over to give Pete a hug and a kiss.

             
Pete grinned broadly and seemed to enjoy his beautiful girlfriend wriggling in his arms.

             
“Not at work, Kara,” He chided, his face showing the pleasure that his words did not.

             
“Oh, you’re such a rule follower,” Kara replied, kissing him loudly on the lips. “I love that about you. Now, get your cute butt behind the bar, so I can watch you break all the poor girls’ hearts.”

             
“Please,” Pete said with a laugh. “There are no other girls but you.”

             
Nicole groaned good-naturedly, as she headed back out into the dining room. “Give me a break. You two are so corny.”

             
Once she dropped off the meals, she checked on some of her other guests, before going to Rich and Kent, who had just been seated in her station.

             
“Hey, Darlin’,” Rich said with a suggestive look. “How’s everything going with your new roommate?”

             
Nicole couldn’t help but smile at Rich’s flirting.

             
“It’s great.” She said truthfully. “Thank you both so much for helping us. Can I get you started with something to drink?”