The Broken Road Read Online Free Page B

you couldn’t get a booth, huh?” He joked, putting an arm around Allison’s petite shoulder. It felt like I got punched in the heart. She’s beautiful, with long black hair, very small frame, and stunning blue eyes.  He’s hers, not mine, I mentally chastised myself. I hoped I wasn’t turning green with envy.
    Jen gestured around. “Shoot. What do you think? I had to practically bribe someone   to get this table. You’re lucky you’re not sitting on the floor.”
    We all laughed. Memories of old times came flooding back. The four of us - Jen, Matt, Shane, and I - used to come here once a week and would close down the bar. It was so easy back then. We didn’t have the stresses that we do now. Bills, mortgages, kids; they all didn’t exist.
    But then times changed. I met Tommy three years ago, here at Artie’s  as a matter a fact. He just graduated from the FBI academy in Quantico and was helping the Annapolis police with a case. He came in for a break, and everything changed. We went out on a first date soon after and were inseparable from that point on. Not to say it wasn’t without its period of awkwardness. Tommy never belonged to our group; he just never clicked. Shane, Matt, and Jen were always nice to him, but Tommy had grown up differently from the rest of us. He grew up with money, a private school education, and a trust fund. The rest of the group had blue collar parents that struggled to send us to college.  The fact that he was the good side of the law didn’t give Shane warm and fuzzies either.
    But most newcomers didn’t last long. Allison definitely doesn’t belong with our group. Jen, who is the go-getter and includes everyone, even admits that there is something off about her. Allison has never offered anything about herself except for the mention that she grew up in New Jersey. She didn’t give off the vibe that she cared to get to know us. While we sat chatting, Alison stayed quiet and kept looking around as if we were boring her. My big mouth opened to say something to that effect when she leaned into Shane and whispered something in his ear. Shane looked up and, I swear, a quick glance of nervousness crossed his face. It disappeared as quickly as it came, so I brushed it off as a figment of my imagination.
    “Hey, we need to go talk to someone. We’ll be back later. Go ahead and order without us.” He grabbed Allison’s hand and disappeared into the crowd. I moved into her vacated seat.
    “What the hell was that about?” A hint of annoyance came through in my voice. Jen gave me a sympathetic smile.
    “You are still not over him, are you?” She asked gently. I hesitated, then frowned and shook my head. As my best friend, she knows me better than I know myself.
    “I’m not. But I’m going to have to. That’s all there is to it,” I took a long drink of my beer. “Are we ordering food? Screw my resolution. I need something with grease.”
    Jen handed me the menu. “You should get back out there. You need to meet someone.”
    I ignored her and perused the menu, settling on a cheeseburger and fries. Artie makes the best burgers. “I know, I know. I don’t feel like it. Does that make sense?”
    Jen smacked my menu. “No. It doesn’t. Look Megs, it’s been eight months. You’ve got to be in need of some company by now,” she said, scanning the room. “There – at the bar. See that guy with the navy blue polo? He’s looking this way. Why not go and talk to him?”
    I glanced in the general direction of where she was talking. I didn’t want to be obvious, but the guy in the polo was pretty cute. Slim, tall, nicely dressed with beautiful Asian eyes, drinking a beer. I blushed when he looked at me and ducked my head.
    “Jen, I’m not looking for a one-night stand. That is something I don’t need. I want something more substantial. Like what you and Matt have.”
    Jen raised her eyebrow. “What? You want marriage and a baby? I think you’re missing a step. You need