“I heard that he visits Bert’s Bar quite frequently.”
“I saw him on the street yesterday, and he didn’t even call mebabelike he usually does,” Susan whined.
“Someone told me that he is nothing but a constant drunk.”
“I heard,” Amanda lowered her voice a little, “that his father is fed up with Brad’s laziness. I heard Todd was going to tell Brad to find his own place to live because he was tired of Brad’s slothfulness.”
The girls muttered their sorrow.
“Why is Brad this way? I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“I heard it was over a woman,” Tiffany whispered.
Jackie laughed. “A woman? No way!”
“Yes, he’s in love.”
“But why would he drink every night if he was in love?”
“Because... she broke his heart.”
A few more people laughed, and Breanna’s hitched a breath. No, this couldn’t be... He wouldn’t have acted this way over her. Tyger Breanna Loveland was a nobody. Had Brad found another woman to love? Just the thought made her chest tighten, even though she shouldn’t feel this way.
As she sat at her desk, she noticed Amanda glance at her. The accusation in Amanda’s stare told Breanna exactly what her co-worker felt. But she just couldn’t believeshewas the reason Brad was all torn up over a woman.
She turned toward her computer and stared at it while it booted up. Words that had been exchanged between her and Brad on Sunday echoed in her head. He’d looked at her with such desperation, and the tone in his voice had been so serious. Had he fallen for her as she was trying not to fall for him?
As ridiculous as it sounded, her wrenching heart told her the answer, even though she refused to believe it.
The phone on her desk rang, and she quickly picked it up. “Thanks for callingUpbeat.This is Breanna, how can I help you?”
“Hey.”
Hearing Tom’s voice made a chill spread through her body. Immediately, she clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on the phone. “Hi.” More than likely he was calling to tell her he couldn’t come over again tonight. What’s new?
“Are you mad at me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Do I have a reason to be mad at you?” She tried to keep the anger from reaching her voice, but she worried he’d know, anyway.
“Well, I’ve just been so busy lately, but I’m free tonight. Can I come see you after you get off work?”
Nervousness made her hands shake. Tom hated change. Oh, why did she have to let Brad convince her to get a whole new look? “Sure. I’m not doing anything.”
“I figured you weren’t going to be busy.”
She gritted her teeth again. What did he mean bythat? She could literally feel the blood rising inside of her head. “I don’t care if you come over, but I’m going to warn you now... I have changed.”
He snorted a laugh. “Breanna, you will never change. That’s what I love about you.”
“Well, I’ve changed my hair and I’m now wearing clothes that fit me instead of the baggy clothes I’ve been wearing for several years.”
Silence stretched between the phone lines. By now she knew what this meant. He wasnothappy.
“You changed without telling me?” His voice lifted in irritation.
“I did tell you, Tom, but you were more interested in watching TV than listening to me.”
His irritable grumble echoed through the phone. “Now you’re accusing me of not listening to you?”
