Damaged Souls (Broken Man)

chapter One


Five Years Later


Amanda had been right.

Jack smiled as he remembered their conversation and watched his son trying to break the piñata. He had always wondered how she had known, how she had been so sure of it. Hard to believe it had been nearly five years and that Logan had already grown from an abstract concept into this wonderful little boy.

Logan’s swings got harder and harder as the kids screamed their support and Jack pulled the piñata just out of his range. Finally, Jack squared up the paper mâché dolphin for a center hit, and the candy streamed onto the grass as the kids scrambled to recover lost treasure. Chaos ensued, and Jack laughed as he watched Amanda help Logan pull off his blindfold, more interested in his performance as a batter than in gathering candy.

“Great job, bud,” Jack scooped Logan up and gave him a hug. “That was quite a hit.”

“I got it good, Dad,” he excitedly gave the play by play. “I missed a couple times, but hit it when I swung my hardest.”

“You did great, honey,” Amanda reassured him and gave him a kiss. “Why don’t you go gather some candy.”

“Okay, Mommy,” he nearly screamed as Jack returned him to the ground and he ran to join the other kids.

“You did a great job with the party,” Jack complimented his beautiful wife as he admired her low cut summer dress and enjoyed their annual Cinco de Mayo gathering.

“Thanks, Jack,” Amanda accepted his compliment as she gave him a kiss. “I think I did a good job planning around the limited attention span of four and five year olds. And, thanks for lending me Delaney and Greg. They’ve been a huge help today.”

“No problem. I just hope they don’t get into the booze,” he second guessed his decision to let them bartend the party.

“They will be fine, don’t worry. You’re not at work now,” Amanda reminded him as she touched his arm. “Even if they have a drink, they’re not going anywhere. I invited Greg to stay for dinner.”

“That’s fine, I didn’t know we even invited him anymore. I just thought he showed up every Sunday.”

“Well, he does seem to be part of the family now,” she responded as Jack could sense her happiness. “And I know Delaney and Logan love having him around.”

“You know it’s fine with me, especially if he cleans up this mess,” he replied as he surveyed the disaster in the back yard. “We should probably join the parents for a little while and then wrap this party up before these kids get too wired.”

“Look at you,” Amanda teased him. “Already plotting a way to get me alone.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be a Sunday without it,” Jack laughed, knowing she had read his mind.

* * *

“Here is your martini, sir,” Delaney presented another drink as Greg enjoyed the formality of her bartender routine.

She is so beautiful, he thought to himself as he looked away, trying not to stare. The most beautiful girl in school, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He had formed this crush on her from the day they met in middle school, Delaney already mature and stunning while he was just a short, awkward, braces wearing kid trying to recover from the loss of his father.

He didn’t know her well at first. They only had one class together as sixth graders, fortunately it was math. It wasn’t her best subject and a couple times he had helped her with her work during quiet study time. Even now, he remembered the way she would twirl her long blonde hair around her fingers as she struggled with concepts that came so easily to him.

But, math was the only subject where she came up short. A great student and an even nicer person, everyone liked her and every boy in the school had a crush on her. There had simply been no way for Greg to compete, and he had quickly fallen into the dreaded friend zone.

“What are you doing, Greg,” the sound of her voice snapped him out of his trance. “Am I going to have to serve every drink.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized and smiled sheepishly. “Just fell asleep for a second.”

“Well, wake up now,” Delaney replied as she smiled back at him. “I have to run inside for a minute.”

“Okay,” Greg managed to mutter as he admired her perfect figure walking away and returned to his thoughts.

I guess it’s not so bad being friends, he remembered how she always treated him normally when the other kids subconsciously ignored him for the first few months after his father’s death. She would never know how much it meant to him during that difficult time, and he had returned the favor when Delaney finally returned to school after her own mother’s tragic death at the hands of a drunk driver.

And while they never really talked about their parents’ deaths, it formed a bond between them that would never be broken. They had been best friends for the last five years and did everything together. They studied together, babysat for Logan together, worked at the same job bussing tables at Jack’s hotel, they would even be going to the same university together in the fall. There was nothing they didn’t do together. Well, almost nothing.

“Everything going okay,” Delaney asked as she returned to behind the bar and poured a bucket of ice into the well.

“Everything is good,” he replied and tried to show he was paying attention. “Looks like the party is winding down.”

“It does,” she drove him crazy as she tied her hair up with a rubber band, exposing her neck and well toned arms. “You’re staying for dinner, right.”

“Yeah, Amanda invited me,” he sensed an opportunity that probably wasn’t there. “Maybe we can catch a movie this afternoon.”

“That sounds great,” Delaney quickly lifted his hopes before just as quickly deflating them. “Logan has been wanting to see that new Disney movie, we can take him to see that.”

“Sounds good,” Greg replied as he quietly slid back into that dreaded friend zone.

* * *

“Delaney, Delaney, throw me in the pool one more time.”

“Okay, Logan, one more time,” Delaney agreed as she picked him up. “But then we have to help Greg clean up.”

“Okay, Delaney,” he responded excitedly as she knew he was ignoring her.

“Are you ready.”

“I’m ready,” she heard his r’s come out like w’s and started to swing him behind her.

“One, two, three,” they counted down together.

Logan splashed into the pool for what must have been the tenth time that afternoon. He certainly doesn’t need any more sugar, Delaney smiled as she watched him bubble to the surface, his cute little floaties aiding the process.

“That was your best one yet, bud,” she complimented him as he looked at her for approval.

“Thanks, Delaney,” she could tell how proud he was as he paddled to the edge of the pool. “Can we do it one more time.”

“Greg needs our help, honey,” Delaney let him down easily as she helped him out of the pool and wrapped a towel around him. “Don’t forget, we are going to the movies in a little while. Why don’t you run inside and have Mommy help you get ready.”

“Okay, Delaney,” he obeyed as he dropped his towel to the patio and turned to run inside.

Delaney smiled as she watched Logan run towards the screen door. He really is the little brother I always wanted. It’s nice spending so much time with him now that I live with Jack and Amanda.

It really just makes sense for me to live here, Delaney thought to herself as she straightened up the pool area from the party. Nothing against her Dad or even Wendy for that matter, but she had always felt like a third wheel in their household. Dad had his new wife, Bailey had Wendy’s daughter, and Delaney more or less had nobody. Her dad even seemed to understand and hadn’t really resisted the move once she turned eighteen.

It was different with Jack and Amanda, Delaney thought as she caught a glance of a shirtless Greg lifting a table into the back of his truck. He looks pretty good, her mind drifted as she admired the muscles of his chest and his wavy dark hair as he manhandled the table. That would make a nice picture, Delaney smiled as she contrasted him with the small, awkward boy she had met six years earlier and took a snapshot in her mind.

He is also like a brother to me or at the very least my best friend, Delaney quickly dismissed her thoughts as she remembered growing up with Greg. They had so much pain in common, it would have been impossible for them not to have been drawn to one another. But, there was so much more to it than just that.

Greg was just different than the other boys and had always been. There was simply nothing frivolous about him. He took his studies seriously, he took his work seriously, and he took his relationships seriously. He wasn’t anything like all the shallow, immature boys at school.

Sometimes, Delaney wished he wouldn’t take everything so seriously, but that just wasn’t in his makeup and she understood. He couldn’t afford not to be serious, especially with regard to his troubles at home and the pressure on him to provide and succeed. No, she appreciated his dedication to his mother despite her problems, and she appreciated his commitment to her.

Greg had always been there for her. Other boys came and went, other girls pretended to be her friend for a short while, but Greg was one of the few friends who always stuck around. He really was like a dog with a bone, and Delaney knew he would always be there to look after her.

“Are you going to help me out here or am I going to have to do everything as usual,” Delaney blushed as he caught her staring at him and teased her about her lack of progress.

“It looks like you have everything under control,” she answered before turning away shyly. “Do you want some lemonade or something.”

“No, I’ve got a coke right here,” he responded as his muscles dripped with sweat and she tried not to look at him. “Are you okay, Delaney. You are acting kind of weird.”

“I’m fine,” she tried to act normal as she looked up at his pale blue eyes. “Just a little tired, that’s all.”

“We can skip the movie if you want.”

“No, that’s okay. Logan is looking forward to it, and Jack and Amanda need their nap time,” she responded slyly and made pretend quotation marks in the air.

“You’re awful,” he replied and smiled although Delaney could tell he wasn’t comfortable talking about anything involving sex with her. “I’ll get a shower in a few minutes and then we’ll get going, okay.”

“Sounds good,” she answered as she tried not to think about him in the shower and instead returned to her work.

* * *

“Jack,” Amanda enjoyed finally being alone with him as she tickled him with her tongue. “Do you think Greg is going to ask Delaney to the prom.”

“You want to talk about that now,” he asked incredulously as she kissed his stomach and looked up at him.

“Of course I want to talk about it now,” Amanda replied as she worked her way up his stomach to his chest. “You know me, this is the best time to talk.”

“You weren’t talking so much a couple minutes ago,” Jack teased her about her bedroom noises. “Except to say ‘Oh, right there, Jack, don’t stop, don’t stop.”

“I don’t sound like that,” she laughed at his imitation. “But, if you keep teasing me, I may not let you do that to me anymore.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he replied as his mouth found her breast and she almost forgot about their conversation.

“One second, Jack,” she moved her body so they were again face to face. “I’m serious now, do you think Greg is going to ask Delaney to the prom.”

“I don’t know,” he laughed, accustomed to her bedroom interrogations after five years together. “We’re guys, we don’t talk about things like that.”

“Why not,” Amanda still didn’t entirely understand men. “Delaney and I have talked about it a couple times.”

“Of course you have, and what did the two of you decide.”

“Delaney would love to go to the prom with Greg,” she paused as she thought about their last conversation. “As friends.”

“Ahhh,” Jack teased her. “There’s the catch. Is that what you’re worried about.”

“Well, yeah,” Amanda smiled, knowing Jack thought she was being silly. “I guess it’s better than nothing, but when are those two going to realize they are in love with each other.”

“Amanda,” Jack scolded her with a smile. “They have plenty of time to figure it out. They’re only eighteen. Maybe it’s best they just remain friends right now and maybe even date other people. I really don’t want you too push too hard on this, okay.”

“Okay, Jack, you might be right,” she responded as the wheels turned more slowly in her head and she rolled over onto her side. “But promise me, you will talk to him about it.”

“Okay, I promise, honey. Are you all done now.”

“Not quite, Jack,” Amanda answered as her body finally gave in to him. “But, you can come get me now.”