Shifting Gears: The Complete Series (Sports Bad Boy Romance) (39 page)

We stopped for Jake on the way. Brock had
gotten Suzie out of the shop earlier in the day. He had to be there early to
set up but he said he left our names at the door as his guests, so we didn’t
have to wait in line. The club had become very popular, and Jake told her it
had a lot to do with Brock’s singing and guitar playing. I didn’t doubt it,
even if I didn’t know him, after hearing him sing I would go back.

The club was already packed when we got
inside. Brock saw us as we made our way through the crowd and waved us over
towards the stage. He pointed out two tables that were roped off. “Those are
mine and Joe’s, pick one and have a seat,” he said. He looked so good tonight.
He was wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt. It was all black except for the eyes on
the face in front. Those were blue, like his. I had to wonder if he had bought
the shirt because he knew it matched his eyes. I knew him now though, and even
if he did know he was pretty, I knew enough about him to know that he hadn’t
let it go to his head.

His dark hair was stylishly mussed and he
looked like he hadn’t shaven today. It gave his face an older, rugged look. It
was hot. Before I went with Molly and Jake to sit at our table I said, “Good
luck.” He winked at me, which really did things to my insides.

“I’m already lucky,” he said, “you showed
up.” I walked over to our table on wobbly legs.

The band he was playing with was really
good. They did a few sets with Brock playing the guitar and Joe’s wife singing,
and then she and Brock did a duet. I tried to look at other things in the club,
the people, the décor, Megan and Jake, but my eyes kept being drawn back up to
the stage, on Brock. I liked the way he took the microphone off the stand when
he sang and pressed his lips down close to it. I began to notice how his voice
got deeper and….yes, sexier when he sang a love song. I even noticed how the
veins on his muscular arms seemed to come alive and dance as he moved around on
stage.

Every so often, he would look at me and
smile. There was something so intimate about that to me. It was just a smile,
but he and I both knew that it was just for me, and I had to admit that I was
coming around to the idea of dating him. Maybe it was being freed of my secret,
maybe it was just because he was the hottest guy around, and maybe it was
because he proved over and over what an amazing and kind spirit he had. I’m not
sure what prompted the change, but I knew all of a sudden if he tried to kiss me
again, I was going to let him.

They played about five songs and then Joe
said they were going to take a ten minute break. Brock came straight over to
our table, and I couldn’t help but notice the looks of envy most of the single
girls in the club were throwing my way. He sat down next to me and opened a
bottle of water he had in his hand. He downed more than half of it in one drink
and then he leaned over and whispered in my ear. All he said was, “Have you
been drinking enough water?”

“Yes,” I told him, plenty. I wasn’t lying
either. If drinking water was going to stop me from having to go back to the
hospital, I’ll hook up the garden hose.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” he asked me.
“You look too pretty to just be sitting here.”

I didn’t think about what I was saying, I
just said, “Because the only person I want to dance with is on-stage tonight.”
I heard it come out of my mouth, and I knew it to be the truth, but I was
shocked that I’d actually said it.

He smiled and leaned in close again. He
put his lips near my ear once more and said, “Save one for me when we’re
finished up, okay? The next band playing is pretty good.”

I smiled and told him that I would. He saw
Joe headed back for the stage so he went too. I watched him go, and then I
realized that Megan was giggling. I looked at her and she and Jake looked
extremely guilty.

“What?” I said.

Megan shrugged. “There’s a lot of
whispering going on with you two,” she said.

“He was talking to me. It’s loud in here,”
I said. In our defense, it was the truth.

“Jake says he used to sing a lot of hard
rock and suddenly he’s all about the love song. Did you notice that Molly?” she
asked me with another giggle.

I was saved by the band that struck up
once again. Megan and Jake went off to dance and I turned down three guys while
they were gone. There was no reason for it, I just didn’t want to dance…with
them. I was saving one, and we would see where that went.

The band played three more songs, picking
up the tempo a bit with Joe’s wife doing most of the singing. Brock sang with
her for one of the songs, but for the rest he just played his guitar. I liked
watching his face when he played. It was so intense, like his very life
depended on getting every note just right. I watched him as he stepped up to
the microphone. I thought he was getting ready to sing his last song, but then
he said, “I want to dedicate this song to a very special person here tonight. I
think she knows who she is, and if she doesn’t yet, I hope to convince her
someday.

Megan reached over and squeezed my arm.
When I didn’t look back at her she said, “He was talking about you.”

I laughed and said, “You think so?”

Brock started singing then, and as I
listened to the words and music, I realized he was doing “Somebody’s
Heartbreak” by Hunter Hayes. It was one of my favorite songs, and now he was
singing it to me. While he stood under the spotlights of the stage and crooned
out the melody, I felt things inside of me that I didn’t even know existed. He
carried the microphone to the edge of the stage and as he looked right at me he
sang the lyrics.

Megan and
Jake went to dance again but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Brock. I could
hardly catch my breath. Then, the unthinkable happened. I was staring across
the room, up onto the stage, looking into Brock’s eyes when suddenly someone
was standing directly in front of me. I looked up to tell whoever it was to
move, or more accurately, to get the hell out of the way. Looking back at me
was my ex-boyfriend Zack. I was stunned. I hadn’t seen him since just before I
started school here and he had decided that he wasn’t up for the whole sick
girlfriend thing. While he stood there, the last person in the world that I
hoped to see, the song ended and Brocks beautiful voice stopped singing.

“Hi
Molly.”

Hello,
coward.

“Hi
Zack.”

I didn’t
see the need to be confrontational. Play nice for a minute and he’ll go away.
After all, I already knew how good he was at walking away.

“How are
you? Are you still sick? Do you still have those nasty tumors on your kidney?”

“I’m
fine, thanks Zack. How are you?”

He
smiled, “I’m good. It’s really nice to see you. You look really pretty.”

“Thanks,”
I said.

Now go
away.

“Hey
Molly, are you okay?” Megan had walked up then.

“I’m
fine, Megan. You remember Zack?” Megan gave him a distasteful look, like there
was something sour in her mouth.

“Hi
Megan!” he said with a big smile and way too much enthusiasm. Even if he wasn’t
smart enough to figure out that I wasn’t happy to see him, he had to know
without a doubt that she wasn’t.

“Yeah,
hey,” she said, dismissively. “Were you riding home with Brock tonight?” she
said. Good ‘ole Megan.

“Yeah, I
think so,” I said. “I’m just waiting for him to finish up.”

“Okay,
Jake and I were going next door to get something to eat. You sure you don’t
want to come with us, just until Brock’s ready?” She looked at Zack every time
she said Brock’s name. I love this girl.

“No
thanks, Meg. He shouldn’t be long.” She hugged me and whispered, “Tell him to
take a hike, a long one, off a cliff.” I laughed and said, “Don’t worry, I
will.” When Megan left, Zack said, “Can I sit for a minute?” I started to say
no, but then he said, “I just want five minutes Molly. I need to apologize to
you for being such a big jerk.”

“Okay,” I
said. I liked hearing him call himself a big jerk.

He sat
down and said, “I loved being with you in high school, Molly. I haven’t been
able to find anyone even remotely like you since. I miss you, and I never
should have walked away.”

“Thanks
Zack,” I said. I appreciated the apology, for what it was worth. I mistakenly
thought that was all, however. Then he went on. “My fraternity is having an
after-party tonight. Why don’t you go with me?”

“No
thanks, Zack. I have plans.”

“Okay,
another time then? We could have dinner, catch up?”

“Zack…What
exactly is it that you want to catch up on?” I asked him. Things were fine
between us until I got really sick, then he was gone. Does he really want to
know how I fought it, got better and now have to start the fight all over
again?

“It would
just be nice to talk and find out how you’re doing, what you’ve been up to….I
miss you, Molly,” he said again.

“I’m
doing fine. I’m going to school and working….and I still have cancer Zack.”

“Oh,” he
said. Here we go. “You look so….healthy,” he said.

“Looks
can be deceiving like that. You can run away now, it’s okay. This time, Zack I
won’t even bat an eye.”

“Aw, come
on Molly. I was a kid.”

It was
less than a year ago...but okay, sure…we were kids.

“I was
looking at getting out of high school and going on to have a great time in
college…with you on my arm, Molly. Then I found out how sick you were and I
freaked out. I didn’t know how to handle it….”

“So you
walked out on me when I needed you the most.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BROCK

“There
was nothing I could do, right? You were in the hospital and me sitting by the
bed watching you; well I just thought it would be pointless. Molly, I’m sorry.
That was probably wrong…” That was when I walked up on this conversation. At first
I held back, because I didn’t want to intrude…

“You
think, Zack?” Molly was saying. She sounded annoyed, and if I wasn’t wrong,
like she wanted him to go away.

His face
was red now. Good, at least he felt a little bit ashamed. “Give me a chance to
make it up to you Molly. This time will be different, I promise.”

“I don’t
think so, Zack,” she said. “I’m not finished being sick. I wouldn’t want to
spoil your college fun.” Nice sarcasm, she’s doing fine and as bad as I want to
punch this guy I’m hanging back, letting her handle it.

“Maybe we
could just hang out, you know, date. We don’t have to get into anything
serious.” Wow, this guy was a piece of work. She opened her mouth and then
closed it right away. I could tell that she was shocked too and didn’t know
what to say. I hope she doesn’t get mad at me, but I couldn’t keep my mouth
shut any more.

“She said
she’s not interested.”

Zack’s
head snapped up and he looked at me standing behind Molly. She looked at me
too, shocked. It looked like she was wondering how long I’d been standing
there. I was hoping she didn’t mind me getting involved but I couldn’t hold
back any longer.

“Oh,” he
said, standing up, looking back at Molly now, not at me. Then the big
chicken-shit was saying, “Why didn’t you just say you had a boyfriend?”

I still
wanted to punch him, more so now that he was implying if she didn’t have a
boyfriend she would be desperate enough to take him back.

“I’m not
lucky enough to be her boyfriend…yet,” I said. It was the truth, but I also
wanted him to know that Molly didn’t need him, whether she had a boyfriend or
not. “When or if I am, I guarantee you that I won’t tuck my balls and run the
second that the going gets rough. I’m going to man up and be deserving of this
fine, beautiful woman, unlike you. So run along cowardly pup and leave the lady
be.”

Zack’s
face was bright red now. I think he was more pissed than embarrassed. He looked
like the kind of guy who had been the high school jock, the homecoming king,
the guy all the girls wanted to go to the prom with. Now here he was being told
off by a musician. He looked like he wasn’t going to leave for just a second,
but first he looked at Molly, who was grinning and then he sized me up one more
time. Then, proving he was the biggest loser ever he said, “Call me if you ever
want to hang out, Molly.” Molly and I watched him walk away. Both of us in awe
of the guy’s nerve I think. Finally, we made eye contact and laughed.

“I’m not
even going to ask what you saw in that guy,” I said.

She just
grinned and said, “Thanks, because I don’t know if I could answer it. Is it
okay if I hang out at your apartment with you for a while, tonight?”

“Of
course.”
Yes please!

She went
on then to say, “I think Meg and Jake have plans and I really don’t want to sit
in the room by myself tonight.”

“Sure,” I
said. “Although just for future information I would prefer something along the
lines of, “I really can’t stand the thought of leaving you Brock; you’re so
handsome and debonair. I can’t stand the thought of being away from you.”