Page 54 of With Stars in Her Eyes

Thea

Despite my aching feet from the busy afternoon, I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked around the giant tree, past the plant shop, and up the small stone stairs to the pub entrance.

Courtney and I had flirted so hard across the room from each other that Samantha put a stop to it by putting a NSFW sticky note on Courtney’s forehead.

Things were going to be okay.

We would talk, and she would explain and everything between us would be back on track. She wanted to open up to me. She had just made a mistake at first, but now that she knew that I wanted her to open up, she would stop hiding things from me.

I reached for the door handle and my smile vanished. The state of the place was obvious even through the glass door.

The door to the pub wasn’t even latched. “Marshall?”

“Back here,” Marshall said in a broken voice that made me want to commit murder.

He was seated on the ground behind the counter with his head in his hands, but he wasn’t alone.

Jeannie was seated beside him, the expression on her careworn face somehow both sympathetic and unyielding. “Well, now you’re here, I’m gonna take off.” She pushed off the ground and gave my shoulder a little pat. “I’ll come by again in the morning, Marshall. We can talk more then.”

“Why bother?”

“Because I think this particular fresh start’s gonna hurt like a real bitch.” She and I exchanged pitying smiles.

Marshall made a watery sound that was half snort and half something sadder. “Are you going to tell my dad?”

“I reckon that ought to be your responsibility. But since your father’s off on a boat somewhere or probably waltzing with penguins or scaling a mountain or some other reckless nonsense, I think we can safely put a pin in that conversation.” She peered down over her glasses at him. “For now.”

“I’m sure he’ll catch the next flight back when he finds out he’s going to get to say I told you so.”

Jeannie went over to the jukebox in the corner and pushed a few buttons. “Well, I guess this is all I have to say about that too, then.”

At first, I had no idea what Jeannie meant, but then the first notes of a song began.

She’d put on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones.

“The sassy old broad isn’t exactly subtle, is she?” I put a hand on my hip and watched Jeannie’s progress down the sidewalk until she was no longer visible.

“Probably not a day in her life.” He rubbed his beard. “You didn’t have to leave the book fair early.”

“I didn’t .”

He squinted in confusion and then grabbed his phone from the ground beside him. “It’s already seven-thirty?”

“Guess misery and alcohol made the time pass quickly?” I eyed the bottle of Jim Beam beside him. “Emergency locksmith still coming out at eight?”

He nodded.

I scanned the space now that my eyes had adjusted. The place hadn’t been gutted, but his former business partner had taken a lot. “What did your attorney say?”

“I have options. But it’ll probably take a while.”

“Are you finally going to tell me what this has to do with your dad?”

“He gave me this space to use on the condition that I retired.”

“But you’ve had this restaurant for what… four years now?”

He nodded. “Do you remember that game in Atlanta?”

“The one where you got knocked out cold, and I thought… Marshall…” Realization struck me. “Are you okay? Like your brain, is it—”

“Yes. I’ve seen a doctor. Every scan and test came back fine.”

My rush of relief nearly knocked me off my feet. “Thank god.”

“A few years before that my dad found out I’d had some concussions though and had some memory loss too.

We got into a huge blowup about it. I said what was I supposed to do if I quit…

run a restaurant like I wanted to do when I was eight?

And he said yes . Do that. But I had been an idiot about money early in my career, trusting the wrong people, so I didn’t have the cash.

He offered me this. He’d pay for the renovations.

But it would be mine.” Marshall gestured to the space. “I just had to retire.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I took the deal with him because I thought it would be easy to retire after getting downgraded to the practice squad. The restaurant was about to open, and then I got a call from my agent. There was an unexpected hole in a roster.”

“And you went back on your word.”

His eyes shut tighter. “Felt guilty, but I got to play that season. I’ll never forget that last touchdown.

” He made a sound that was half laugh, half sob.

“It was the last game I scored a touchdown. The last time I heard the crowd cheering for me.” His eyes were still closed but he was smiling.

“It wasn’t even the crowd. It was a beautiful play.

It was a tough route, but I found the hole.

QB threw this incredible pass.” He held out his hands.

“And I caught the motherfucker and ran. Career record for me. They had been saying I couldn’t hack it anymore.

” His hands dropped. “I know I should regret it.”

“Regret what?”

“Going back on what I said to Dad.” He ran his fingers in his hair.

“But if I hadn’t tried… I would’ve always wondered.

But then I got wrecked three plays later.

Out for a few weeks.” He looked down at his hands, which were clenched into fists.

“Was never quite the same after. But I’d had that beautiful catch.

I’d had that last moment of doing something absolutely electric. ”

“But then?”

“Then I got cut completely that time. I said I would retire then, but then there was another call. Practice squad position, but there was reason to hope.” He shook his head.

“Bet your dad had some feelings about that.”

“He was pissed as hell. I think I checked out of managing this place the way I should’ve because it was easier to ignore feeling guilty about going back on my word about retiring if I wasn’t here .” Marshall gestured around him.

I nodded.

“I didn’t believe the old man when he told me he thought some shady shit was happening.

I accused Dad of having ulterior motives, because he didn’t have any proof at that point.

” Marshall scanned the wreck of a space.

“And I think… I think I was so pissed my career was ending for real this time I didn’t believe him… ”

“ God , Marshall.” It was impossible to keep all the frustration out of my voice.

“Then he said my extreme reaction was just another sign I need to stop getting hit in the head. He said…” Marshall’s throat bobbed. “He said Mom wouldn’t have wanted me to waste my brain like that.”

“Oh no .”

“So, I said some other things. He said some other things. And we haven’t spoken since. Even when we’re in the same space we don’t talk.”

“When was that fight though? Just before I got here?”

He leaned his head back with eyes closed. “Two years ago.”

“Two years ago?”

Despite how big he was, he almost looked like a little boy when he looked up at me. “I should’ve mentioned I had some ulterior motives for wanting you to move here. Just needed someone around who didn’t think I was a stupid, stubborn jackass.”

A small snort escaped my nose. “Well, dude, you are a stubborn jackass.” I patted his head once. “But you’re not stupid. Probably why your dad’s so frustrated.”

His head hung over his knees. “And shit, I’m sorry I’m wrecking your night too. Did you talk things out with your girl at the book fair?”

“A little.”

A thought occurred to me. Strangely enough, of all the people around here, Marshall might be the one who understood what Courtney had been going through the best. Except unlike Marshall, who had to give up football for his health and safety, Courtney could try again.

What if she had some perfect moment out there like what Marshall had described, and she was giving it up before she really had her chance? What if in Courtney’s case, her fear was making her look for reasons to give up something she really wanted?

“It’s not fixed, exactly. I’m going to meet her at Samantha’s later to talk though.”

“Good. It seems like she makes you happy, and you shouldn’t dump her for being a secret rock star.” His eyes were still wrecked, but a little bit of twinkle had returned, as if getting his secret out had made him feel better. “Why later?”

“Locksmith.” I swished my hand around the room as if this were obvious.

“You don’t need to stay. I can handle that.”

“You’ve been drinking.”

He shook his head. “I actually haven’t. Not a sip since last night. Jeannie said she needed a swallow of whiskey to listen to my self-pity. Those dicks took most of the liquor inventory, but they left a few bottles.”

“Well, weren’t they just so generous in their thievery.”

“Bottom line is I’m physically and emotionally capable of telling a locksmith what to do so that my ex–business partner doesn’t steal anything else from me or do any more damage to my dad’s building.

You can leave.” Sober or not, the man was a wreck.

He needed to sleep. He looked like he hadn’t been sleeping well in weeks.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Actually, I’m early because they’re still breaking down the book fair. Courtney’s meeting me here before walking to Samantha’s.” I held out my hand. “I’ve got this one, Marshall. I’ll bring the key home later, okay? Please let me do this for you?”

“You’re sure? I don’t want to leave you alone—”

“It’s not even dark out yet. Go home and sleep. You can call your dad in the morning when you feel better.” I nodded to the jukebox by the door. “At least they didn’t take that.”

“ That’s my dad’s. And it’s bolted to the floor.

It’s been here since this was his drugstore.

The kids always wanted to come and pick a song while they were waiting for their medicines.

My sister worked here as a pharmacy tech, but my dad never trusted me in the pharmacy.

Can’t say I blame him given how this all turned out.

” Marshall’s head dropped down again. He muttered a few more things about failure that broke my heart.

But there was no point in arguing right now.

Feeling it all would probably help him later. “T-Thanks for doing this, Thea.”

“What’re best friends for?” After a tight hug around his massive shoulders, I closed the door behind him.

Marshall had been standing up to people his whole life.

He tackled anyone who stood in the way of his goals, often literally.

They were so different but the way he’d described that pass…

it had been like watching Courtney pretend to play cello beneath the stars.

But Marshall knew that his dad—and pretty much everyone else around here—would love him despite his mistakes. Did Courtney know that?

I absently scrolled through the jukebox songs until a knock jolted my attention to the door. Courtney stood there, eyes bright, looking at me with so much expectation it hurt my heart.