Chapter 2
"F*ck!" Chloe shouted and she jumped out of her red, Mitsubishi Eclipse to inspect the damage to her front bumper. "You idiot!"
"Hey, hold on there, lady," Brady shouted as he got out of his car, the rain soaking them both.
"Look what you did!" She screeched as she pointed at the big dent in her car.
"Me!? Are you insane!? This was a four way stop and you failed to do so!" He pointed to the stop sign and at the similar damage to his silver, rental Pontiac Sunbird.
"As if," she yelled over the rain. "I stopped, looked right and left, and there you come blazing down the street like some freak!" She pushed his chest and beat her fists against him.
He caught her hands and gently pushed her back. "Calm the f*ck down! It's a car! It can be fixed."
"It can't be fixed," she cried sadly. "It's over. It can't be fixed." She began walking back to her car.
'What the hell was this,' is all Brady could think as he watched this loon walk back to her car. "Hold up," he shouted over the rain. "Take this." He handed her a generic Basic Black card with Salem office numbers on it. He would have given her one of his actual business cards with his name, but they all had his New York numbers on it. "Give me a call and we'll get this all settled."
"Whatever," she muttered, not looking at the card as she got back into her car and sped down the street towards Belle's house.
Oh crap, he hadn't even told her his name and now she wouldn't know whom to ask for. It was just as well. "Nutcase," Brady muttered as he got back into the car and drove off in the opposite direction of Chloe, determined to find his sister's house.
***************** "Oh Belle," Chloe cried on her best friend's shoulder as they sat huddled on her couch.
"Chloe, honey, Philip was so not worth it anyway. I mean.well," she trailed off at a loss for words. "You want some tea?"
"Umm.okay," she sniffled.
"Okay," Belle gave her a warm smile and a hug and walked with Chloe to the kitchen, where they sat for twenty minutes trashing Philip.
"Oh you haven't even heard the worst part of my day," Chloe laughed, already cheered up. "I got into a car accident on the way here."
"What," Belle's eyes bugged out as she looked Chloe over expecting to see blood gushing out of her or something.
"It's okay. Really, I'm fine. But the dumba$$ that hit me is so gonna pay."
"Well, was he at least a cute dumbass," Belle asked and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, please Belle, I have no idea. I kinda had my mind on other things. Besides, look at me. I must have looked like a waterlogged raccoon," she gestured to her puffy eyes rimmed with black mascara that streaked along her face and her tangled hair swept haphazardly in a ponytail.
Belle only laughed, grateful that she had successfully been able to cheer up her friend. "Well-" the doorbell rang, interrupting Belle from whatever she was planning on saying. "I'll be right back. Probably the mailman or something. He always brings the mail to the door when it rains."
"Okay," Chloe laughed and watched her friend walk out of the room before pouring herself some more tea.
Belle opened the door and got the shock of her life. "Brady," she squealed and jumped into his arms. "Oh G-d, come in." She pulled him in and stopped him when he got in far enough so that she could shut the door. "Wait here. Let me get you a towel. We just had the carpet steamed cleaned earlier today."
"K Tink," he laughed and kicked off his shoes. He looked around her living room and shook his head to himself. It was just as he imagined it, like a picture out of 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazine. He couldn't help the twinge of envy that fluttered in his stomach. "Toughen up," he sighed to himself. He watched a few moments later as she came back in the room and handed him a pink towel. "Thanks," he ran it over his hair.
"Come," she pulled him towards the kitchen. "I want you to meet someone."
"Aw Belle, I've had an awful day. Can't I just go upstairs to one of your guest rooms and take a nap?"
"No, you can't Brady. You are going to meet Chloe."
"Chloe? Your friend?" He vaguely remembered meeting Chloe at Belle's wedding to Shawn five years ago. He hadn't paid much attention to her really, having been completely in love with Patricia. Besides, as he recalled, Chloe was with his Uncle Phil at the time. He hoped Belle wasn't trying to set him up. In no way did he want Phil's sloppy seconds. Plus she had to be pretty shallow to have dated Philip in the first place. "I met her already."
"Yeah like five years ago at mine and Shawn's wedding."
"So? I'll meet her later. I'm really tired." He tried to turn around but she pulled him back.
"You mean really hungover." She stopped in front of the kitchen door and turned to inspect him. "My G-d, Brady, why do you always dress like you're going to a funeral?"
"I like black." He tried to slap away her hand that was busy smoothing down his shirt.
"Take off your sunglasses," she demanded.
"Belle," he whined.
"Brady," she gave him a warning look.
"Ugh, fine," he pulled them off revealing his very bloodshot blue eyes.
"Oh G-d, put them back on. You're going to scare her if you don't."
He complied and followed her into the kitchen. That's when he saw her, the wretched woman that crashed into his car only half an hour before.
Chloe looked up to see the man who hit her car.
"You," they shouted simultaneously.
"F*ck!" Chloe shouted and she jumped out of her red, Mitsubishi Eclipse to inspect the damage to her front bumper. "You idiot!"
"Hey, hold on there, lady," Brady shouted as he got out of his car, the rain soaking them both.
"Look what you did!" She screeched as she pointed at the big dent in her car.
"Me!? Are you insane!? This was a four way stop and you failed to do so!" He pointed to the stop sign and at the similar damage to his silver, rental Pontiac Sunbird.
"As if," she yelled over the rain. "I stopped, looked right and left, and there you come blazing down the street like some freak!" She pushed his chest and beat her fists against him.
He caught her hands and gently pushed her back. "Calm the f*ck down! It's a car! It can be fixed."
"It can't be fixed," she cried sadly. "It's over. It can't be fixed." She began walking back to her car.
'What the hell was this,' is all Brady could think as he watched this loon walk back to her car. "Hold up," he shouted over the rain. "Take this." He handed her a generic Basic Black card with Salem office numbers on it. He would have given her one of his actual business cards with his name, but they all had his New York numbers on it. "Give me a call and we'll get this all settled."
"Whatever," she muttered, not looking at the card as she got back into her car and sped down the street towards Belle's house.
Oh crap, he hadn't even told her his name and now she wouldn't know whom to ask for. It was just as well. "Nutcase," Brady muttered as he got back into the car and drove off in the opposite direction of Chloe, determined to find his sister's house.
***************** "Oh Belle," Chloe cried on her best friend's shoulder as they sat huddled on her couch.
"Chloe, honey, Philip was so not worth it anyway. I mean.well," she trailed off at a loss for words. "You want some tea?"
"Umm.okay," she sniffled.
"Okay," Belle gave her a warm smile and a hug and walked with Chloe to the kitchen, where they sat for twenty minutes trashing Philip.
"Oh you haven't even heard the worst part of my day," Chloe laughed, already cheered up. "I got into a car accident on the way here."
"What," Belle's eyes bugged out as she looked Chloe over expecting to see blood gushing out of her or something.
"It's okay. Really, I'm fine. But the dumba$$ that hit me is so gonna pay."
"Well, was he at least a cute dumbass," Belle asked and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, please Belle, I have no idea. I kinda had my mind on other things. Besides, look at me. I must have looked like a waterlogged raccoon," she gestured to her puffy eyes rimmed with black mascara that streaked along her face and her tangled hair swept haphazardly in a ponytail.
Belle only laughed, grateful that she had successfully been able to cheer up her friend. "Well-" the doorbell rang, interrupting Belle from whatever she was planning on saying. "I'll be right back. Probably the mailman or something. He always brings the mail to the door when it rains."
"Okay," Chloe laughed and watched her friend walk out of the room before pouring herself some more tea.
Belle opened the door and got the shock of her life. "Brady," she squealed and jumped into his arms. "Oh G-d, come in." She pulled him in and stopped him when he got in far enough so that she could shut the door. "Wait here. Let me get you a towel. We just had the carpet steamed cleaned earlier today."
"K Tink," he laughed and kicked off his shoes. He looked around her living room and shook his head to himself. It was just as he imagined it, like a picture out of 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazine. He couldn't help the twinge of envy that fluttered in his stomach. "Toughen up," he sighed to himself. He watched a few moments later as she came back in the room and handed him a pink towel. "Thanks," he ran it over his hair.
"Come," she pulled him towards the kitchen. "I want you to meet someone."
"Aw Belle, I've had an awful day. Can't I just go upstairs to one of your guest rooms and take a nap?"
"No, you can't Brady. You are going to meet Chloe."
"Chloe? Your friend?" He vaguely remembered meeting Chloe at Belle's wedding to Shawn five years ago. He hadn't paid much attention to her really, having been completely in love with Patricia. Besides, as he recalled, Chloe was with his Uncle Phil at the time. He hoped Belle wasn't trying to set him up. In no way did he want Phil's sloppy seconds. Plus she had to be pretty shallow to have dated Philip in the first place. "I met her already."
"Yeah like five years ago at mine and Shawn's wedding."
"So? I'll meet her later. I'm really tired." He tried to turn around but she pulled him back.
"You mean really hungover." She stopped in front of the kitchen door and turned to inspect him. "My G-d, Brady, why do you always dress like you're going to a funeral?"
"I like black." He tried to slap away her hand that was busy smoothing down his shirt.
"Take off your sunglasses," she demanded.
"Belle," he whined.
"Brady," she gave him a warning look.
"Ugh, fine," he pulled them off revealing his very bloodshot blue eyes.
"Oh G-d, put them back on. You're going to scare her if you don't."
He complied and followed her into the kitchen. That's when he saw her, the wretched woman that crashed into his car only half an hour before.
Chloe looked up to see the man who hit her car.
"You," they shouted simultaneously.