Dirt: A Sexy Small Town Romance (Copperwood Book 1) by Reese Patton Page B

struggled to find words that would never fully explain my intentions. I was being selfish. I knew that. “Still playing?” I changed the subject.
    Mike shrugged his shoulders and glanced around the room. “At home. Nothing serious.” He stopped looking around the room and turned his attention back on me. “Why are you here and not at your dad’s, Shane?”
    “I hadn’t spoken to him in years. Somehow it just felt wrong.”
    “Damnit, Shane, this is high school all over again.” Mike gave up any pretense of small–talk and returned to the initial reason for showing up at my door.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “She still has a school girl crush on you. She never really got over it and it was fine when you hadn’t come back here because she could daydream. But now that you’re here…” Mike shook his head from side to side. “Now that you’re back, she doesn’t need to daydream.”
    “Mya’s a grown woman, Mike.”
    “A grown woman who is still the little girl tailing after you hoping for even the slightest bit of attention.” He leaned forward and closed his eyes while rubbing his forehead. “And you’re finally giving her that attention, but you won’t keep on giving it.”
    “And why the hell is this your business?” I glared at Mike and crossed my arms over my chest. I clenched my jaw and ground my molars together.
    “Because you aren’t going to be here on Monday, but I will be.” Mike jumped up to his feet and paced around the small open area of the motel room.
    I let him stomp around for a few minutes. I didn’t get why he was angry. He was the one who talked me out of dating Mya in high school, but he never dated her. Plus, Mya was always my friend more than his. But that was before I left.
    Shit. Mike wasn’t playing the role of friend, he was playing the role of big brother and he knew me well. Or at least he thought he did.
    A lot had changed since I left town all those years. Too bad, Mike still saw me as the same eighteen year old kid who didn’t care what anyone else thought about him as long as he was having fun.
    I stared at Mike, knowing I wouldn’t be able to say anything that would convince him he was wrong. Especially because he wasn’t. I was leaving Copperwood. This was a short stop and one I didn’t plan on repeating again. At least that was what I intended when I first drove into town.
    “Watch yourself with Alene.” I decided to change tactics and the subject.
    Mike’s eyebrows lifted high on his forehead and his eyes widened. “What does Alene have to do with any of this?”
    “She doesn’t. Just watch yourself okay?” I couldn’t let him know what I had started digging up on her. Alene’s problems were her own to tell. Plus, I had plenty of my own problems in need of telling, but I was too much of a coward.
    “Whatever. This doesn’t change anything with Mya. You hurt her and I will hunt you down and beat the shit out of you.” Mike stood up and stepped closer to me.
    I refused to back away from him and instead lifted my chin and narrowed my eyes. “Hurting Mya is the last thing I want to do.”
    Whether my words had any impact on him or not, I couldn’t tell. I didn’t think he believed me, but then I probably wouldn’t have believed me either. He spun around and headed to the door.
    “Mike.”
    He pulled the door open, but stopped to look over his shoulder at me. Waiting for me to continue.
    “Find a reason to keep on playing. You were good.”
    “Copperwood’s different, Shane. None of us have much time for hobbies anymore.” He walked out the door, closing it behind him.
    I stared at the closed door. It might not have been his intention, but Mike got me thinking about my future plans. Specifically my future plans with Mya and Copperwood.
    I leaned back in my chair, once again putting aside thoughts of work in order to consider Mya. I needed to figure out what I wanted her to mean to me and if I was willing to accept everything that