Love Burns Read online

  Love Burns

  Callahan Clan, Book One

  Greenleigh Adams

  Contents

  1. Charlie

  2. Louis

  3. Charlie

  4. Louis

  5. Charlie

  6. Louis

  7. Charlie

  8. Louis

  9. Charlie

  10. Louis

  11. Louis

  12. Louis

  13. Charlie

  14. Charlie

  15. Charlie

  16. Louis

  17. Charlie

  18. Charlie

  19. Charlie

  20. Louis

  21. Charlie

  22. Louis

  23. Charlie

  24. Louis

  25. Charlie

  Epilogue

  Gratitudes

  About the Author

  To B.T.: You are my one and only. You are the best partner I could have ever hoped for.

  1

  Charlie

  The grocery store can be a very dangerous place when you go in without a list. I should have made a list. I seriously thought I needed everything in every aisle.

  Why in the world is the freezer section and refrigerated section on opposite sides of the store? Shouldn’t they be near each other? When my only plan was to fill my cart with nonperishable items first, I had to shop the middle of the store and then head to the north and south pole for refrigerated and freezer items.

  After that realization, I moved into the cereal aisle. When I turned into the row of breakfast junk food, planning to fill my cart with several boxes of cereal and oatmeal, I saw him. Surely my eyes were playing a cruel joke on me. What the hell is he even doing here? I held up a box of Froot Loops cereal to shield my face. Hopefully, he won’t see me. Maybe I could just casually turn around and retreat down the aisle.

  “Charlie?”

  I heard his voice. The voice of my twin brother’s lifetime best friend. The last time I had seen him, we were only eighteen years old—he was still a boy. It only took that quick moment for me to see and hear him for me to discover that he was definitely a man now. He had seen me, so running now was out of the question, and continuing to hide behind the cereal box was completely ridiculous.

  Even though I hadn’t seen him in over five years, rather than act surprised—because I truly was—I decided to play it casually. “Hey, Louis,” I said in my best monotone voice as I tossed the cereal box into my cart. Considering I didn’t even like Froot Loops, it didn’t really make sense for me to do that. But Louis didn’t know that.

  “Eating that kind of sugar first thing in the morning is bad for you.”

  I wondered what his feelings were regarding seeing me again after so many years had passed, but his blue eyes didn’t give me any information at all. His expression completely lacked emotion, which completely annoyed me. How dare he criticize my cereal choice?

  “What are you doing in town? I’m sure it’s not to ridicule my breakfast preferences.” Grasping the handle firmly, causing my knuckles to turn white, I pushed my cart past him and proceeded to examine the oatmeal section. I expected him to follow, but there were no sounds of movement behind me. So I peered over my shoulder, noticing that he wasn’t looking in my direction. He was observing the protein bar choices.

  I eyed him up and down without changing my position in front of the oatmeal. He was tall. Is it possible that he’s grown a few inches since high school? His blond hair was cut short, and he had filled out well. His shoulders were broader, his T-shirt clung to his chest from his muscular physique, and his jeans hung low on his trim waist.

  “See something you like, Callahan?” He didn’t turn toward me. He continued to stare at the protein bars. But he noticed me staring. How embarrassing!

  I had no choice but to pretend I wasn’t drinking in the sight of him. “As a matter of fact, I did.” I marched toward him and snatched a box of oatmeal off the shelf near him. “Apples and cinnamon.” I waved the box in front of him and dropped it into my shopping cart.

  He actually laughed at me. “You’re still as feisty as I remember.”

  This time when I observed his facial features, I noticed his lips tugging up in the corners, and the most spectacular pair of blue eyes shone in my direction. They were two pools of cobalt-colored swirling water, and I could see my reflection in the sparkling spheres. I was about to say something to him, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what. I was at a loss for words.

  Has he always been this smoking hot? Surely not.

  Abandoning the distraction of his good looks and spectacular physique, I was forced to address the heaviness weighing in my chest; and I remembered I was angry with him. He walked away from me all those years ago without even a goodbye. That memory left a tarnished spot on my heart and an emptiness within my soul. He didn’t bother to contact me at all in the years that passed. I’d even called and texted him without a response. My cheeks felt flushed, and I was confused whether it was due to anger, heartbreak, or both.

  “You still didn’t tell me why you are here.”

  “I don’t need to tell you anything.” Redness flashed over the skin of his own face, and he spun away with such intensity that his sneakers screeched against the sleek linoleum surface.

  “Fine then,” I retorted and shoved my cart from in front of the oatmeal section toward the pancake mix. As I dropped a box of pancake mix with a bottle of maple syrup into my cart, a hollow thud resounded behind me.

  When I swung around to acknowledge the noise, I spotted an older man on the ground near the Pop-Tarts. Louis and I scrambled on our feet and approached the man.

  “Sir! Are you okay?” My voice was loud and harsh as I stooped down on the smooth floor.

  He didn’t respond. He remained on the ground, motionless.

  “He’s not breathing,” Louis said coolly as he lowered himself down next to me.

  I placed two fingers on the old man’s neck and attempted to locate a pounding blood vessel. “I don’t feel a pulse.” Before I finished pushing the words out of my mouth, Louis was already performing chest compressions. Knowing time was of the essence, I snatched the phone from my pocket and dialed 911. Holding the phone tightly in my grasp and bracing it against the side of my face, I was forced to endure the sounds of several elongated rings pulsating against my eardrum. How can 911 not pick up on the first ring? Although a mere few seconds ticked by, I decided it was taking too long for the dispatcher to respond, and the old man’s life was at stake.

  “We need an AED!” I yelled, scanning the aisle of the breakfast foods as if the life-saving automated external defibrillator would be located there. The sooner we could restart the man’s heart, the better chance he had for recovery.

  Still pumping away at the old man’s chest, Louis tilted his head back and narrowed his eyes. “I saw one by the front entrance.”

  With desperation fueling my instincts as I continued to await the voice of assistance from emergency personnel, I accepted his direction with a nod and rushed toward the front of the store. Thankfully, a lot of businesses have automated external defibrillators available for laypeople to use when they witness a cardiac arrest. Years ago, a cardiac arrest victim had to wait for paramedics to arrive before having his heart essentially restarted with a jolt of electricity.

  While running to retrieve the device, I finally spoke to the 911 dispatcher and reported the description of our location and what we had witnessed. I was away no longer than one or two minutes before returning to the cereal aisle, where a crowd surrounded Louis and the old man.

  I forcefully pushed through the throng of people who were in my way and resumed my position next to Louis as I turned on the machine. “Apply pads to patient’s bare che
st,” the machine directed. I did as instructed and interrupted Louis’s compressions long enough to unbutton the man’s shirt and applied the sticky pads to his chest.

  “Plug in pad’s connector,” the machine ordered next. I followed the prompt as directed by the automated device and awaited the next step. “Analyzing heart rhythm. Stay clear of patient.”

  Louis removed his interlocked, overlapping hands from the man’s breastbone and leaned back on his haunches. The man on the ground developed a blue hue around his lips that was spreading to his cheeks and still wasn’t breathing. Louis, however, had heavy, labored breathing.

  “Shock advised. Stay clear of patient,” the machine stated. “Charging.” The device sure did say a lot. “Depress orange button.”

  I surveyed the patient to assure that no one was near him and depressed the button on the device. The man jerked as a jolt of electricity dispersed through his chest.

  “Shock delivered. Resume CPR.” I guess the instructions needed to be super detailed for non-healthcare personnel.

  In the briefness of a moment, I decided to take over chest compressions. I placed one hand on top of the other, interlocked my fingers, and pumped against the man’s sternum as fast and as hard as I could.

  “I can do that.” The smugness of Louis’s voice indicated to me that he obviously didn’t have confidence in my ability.

  “You pumped while I called 911 and retrieved the AED. Now it’s my turn,” I said, becoming breathless quickly. “The AED will let us know when it’s time to switch.”

  “I am a paramedic.” When had he become so arrogant?

  “So?” Two could play at this game. “I’m an ER nurse.”

  “But I’m a man.”

  Lord, he’s become chauvinistic.

  “And I’m a woman.” The physical excursion of compression delivery was causing me to grow tired after only a few cycles, but I certainly didn’t want to let him know that.

  When the two minutes finally elapsed for the machine to analyze the man’s heart rhythm again, and I could relieve my arms from the unexpected exercise they endured today, the commotion of the EMS providers arriving caught my attention. Louis spoke to them and aided in switching the patient from the store’s AED to the ambulance unit’s defibrillator. Meanwhile, I shifted my seated position, hoping to fade into the background.

  Louis and my twin brother, Cameron, had been volunteer firefighters in a cadet program for our town’s fire department when they were in high school, so it was no surprise that he knew one of the EMS providers. Using the commotion as a cover, I discreetly stood up from the floor where I had been kneeling next to the old man and tiptoed over to my shopping cart.

  The man still hadn’t regained consciousness, and I didn’t feel the need to continue to gawk at him like all the onlookers from the store. Having only been an emergency room nurse for less than a year, I was certainly still considered new to my position. I lived these kinds of scenarios every shift I worked, but today was a day off for me.

  The situation was obviously being handled, and the man would soon be transported to the hospital, so I took the opportunity to resume my shopping. Clearly, I would need to revisit the cereal aisle once the ruckus dispersed.

  As I roamed up and down each aisle, I continued to think that maybe I would see Louis again. I scanned everywhere while still having a purpose behind traveling up and down the aisles. Once I approached the checkout lanes, I resumed my surveillance. I didn’t see him anywhere. I guess I wasn’t going to. I couldn’t help but feel disappointment…and resentment.

  He wasn’t just my brother’s best friend. He used to be my best friend too, and I felt like he had abandoned me after high school. I missed him. I didn’t miss him the way you miss your friend who goes away to college. My heart missed him. I tried not to think about him anymore because the anguish was too difficult to bear. Fortunately, my efficient brain suppressed my thoughts regarding Louis for the last five years in order to protect my heart.

  After putting away my groceries, the emotional toll from the day created an overwhelming need to clear my head, so I decided to take a run. Due to the addition of the physical toll that I suffered, I figured a short run was in order, not a ten-mile-long run like I sometimes indulged in. Four or five miles was long enough to clear my head but not long enough to completely wipe me out.

  The month of June on the eastern shore of Maryland always starts out pretty mild. Since it was now close to three o’clock in the afternoon, I appreciated the mild temperature during my run. In the later summer months, I only ran early in the morning before the scorching temperatures reached their peak of the day.

  I began my jog along my usual path from my apartment building along the bicycle path toward the park. But I decided I would alter my usual route and began to head in the direction of my parents’ house. They only lived a couple of miles from me, but I rarely ran in my old neighborhood. The old women who reside there worked in their gardens this time of year, and they would always wave me down, making me feel obligated to stop my run and speak with them.

  However, today was different. I wasn’t sure if I was looking to speak to the older women of my childhood neighborhood after seeing the older man suffer from a medical event earlier today or merely looking for the comfort and familiarity of where I grew up.

  I jogged past my old house almost twenty minutes later. My parents were both at work, so I didn’t stop. I didn’t see any of the older women in their yards like I had anticipated, so I was able to run without interruption. As I continued my journey along the neighborhood streets, I made an unexpected turn onto the street where Louis used to live. I wasn’t sure what I was thinking—maybe I would see him? Do I even want to see him?

  My mind was made up for me in a matter of a few minutes. As I approached his old house, not only did I see Louis, but my twin brother, Cameron, was standing outside of his house waving me toward him. I made eye contact, so I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t see them.

  2

  Louis

  I knew coming back home came with a risk of seeing Charlie. The rational side of my brain told me I would. But somehow, I didn’t think it would be quite this soon. I only came back into town yesterday. Now, not only had I seen her, but I had also spoken to her and performed CPR with her on a random cardiac arrest victim in the grocery store.

  I should never have texted Cameron. He was my best friend a long time ago. It felt like a lifetime had passed since we were together every day. I didn’t just leave Charlie five years ago; I’d also left my best friend. However, talking with Cameron made it seem like no time had passed at all. I couldn’t say the same about Charlie. She had grown into a beautiful woman. Now, as she jogged in my direction, I had to swallow the growing lump in my throat. I was still angry with her, wasn’t I?

  Even with wet hair plastered to her forehead, a flushed face, and a shirt that clung to her body from perspiration, she was beautiful. Her shiny, brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her long, lean legs moved gracefully in an even stride. She had sun-kissed skin, most likely due to her running routine. Did I not notice all these things about her when I saw her earlier today at the grocery store?

  “Hey, Lean Bean,” Cameron called out to Charlie. I guess that nickname had stuck all these years.

  She huffed heavy breaths as she approached my porch. “Hey, guys. What are you up to?” With her breathing still resonating air in and out loudly, she popped an earbud out and propped her hand on her hip when she spoke to us.

  “I’m trying to talk Louis into coming out with us for a drink later.” Cameron bounced a glare at me and then back to his sister. “I had asked him when he texted me, but he refused, so I figured I might be able to convince him if I showed up in person.”

  I wouldn’t mind grabbing a beer with Cameron, but when he suggested the three of us go out together, I adamantly refused. “I’m pretty beat, Cam. Raincheck?”

  “You two should go and catch up,” Charlie said whil
e still trying to catch her breath.

  “The three of us should go. It would be like old times.” Then he tossed that daunting glare between us and let out a forced sigh. “Well, before…you know…”

  I was unable to stop the hard eye roll and hushed laugh that escaped while Charlie’s posture stiffened, forcing her to shift her weight from one foot to the other.

  “Come on. You two can’t still be upset over some high school bullshit.” He clenched his jaw, causing the muscles in his cheeks to twitch, and after a quick glance in our direction, he threw his forearms up in a frustrated gesture. “Seriously? It’s been over five years. That just means it’s even more important to talk this out, preferably over a few beers.”

  “Cam, I don’t know. I’ve had a long day. Maybe some other time.”

  Evading the invitation due to her tired state was plausible, but her rigid body language implied there was another reason she didn’t want to go. I figured her shifty gaze and deep sigh indicated she was uncomfortable and perhaps a little nervous.

  “What are you both afraid of? Or are you embarrassed?” His questioning tone was emphasized as his eyebrows drew together and lines on his forehead deepened.

  “I’m not afraid or embarrassed of anything,” she curtly refuted her brother and then pulled her arms tightly across the front of her chest and jutted out her chin.

  “Well, neither am I.” I wasn’t really sure what feelings I was having at that moment, but I didn’t want either of them to think I was a wuss.