“What do you think?” She ruffled her hair with a smile.
“Why have you changed your hair colour again?”
The smile dropped. “I wanted to.”
“I know you, Noelle. Why this time? Your hair is naturally blonde and beautiful. I don’t know why you keep changing it.” Brad folded his arms and glared at her.
She knew he would expect a long conversation, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of talking about her low self-esteem. He already knew the reason she changed her hair colour on a regular basis.
Without thinking she touched the right side of her face and winced. There was no pain, only the feel of the scarred flesh that went from beneath her eye down her cheek and neck, the scars she’d gained from a car accident over ten years ago. Brad reached out, took her hand and touched the scarred side of her face.
“Don’t do this to yourself,” he said. He held her in his arms as she held the tears at bay. “One day you’re going to find a man who loves you for who you are. Not the way you look.”
Noelle pulled out of his grip and turned away from him. She stared at her bedroom and around at the plain walls. For ten years she’d lived without looking in a mirror. The sight of her scars made her hate her life and what had happened to cause them. She never spoke to her family, as she couldn’t stop herself from blaming them for her ugliness.
“I’m twenty years old. That crap about falling in love and finding a man who’ll love me for me is bullshit. You know that. I know that. So stop trying to fill me up with false promises.” She folded her hands under her br**sts to try to stop herself from touching her face.
“If someone can learn to love me then they can love you.”
She wanted to shout at him. His situation had been different from hers. He would never carry around physical scars on his body. Brad, or Bradley Welch, had been sober for two years. He’d suffered with alcohol and drug addiction along with a gambling problem. When she listed the problems she could understand the comparison. She’d only lived with the scars down one side of her face and neck. Brad did have the hardest thing to deal with. Every day he had to live with the temptation always in reach for the substances he craved.
Blinking back the tears she turned to him. “What do you think?”
He moved to her side, ran his fingers through her hair. “You do know men will see past your blonde hair and full figure to see the woman underneath.”
“All they have to do is get past the revulsion of the scars on my face.”
“The hair colour looks lovely, but it’s not yours. You’re only hiding. How long will this one last?” he asked.
“Until I grow bored.”
“Or until another man checks you out, sees your scars, and recoils, as you’ve said many times before.”
The first time a guy had checked her out, she’d been shopping for their groceries. Brad had pointed him out to her. Without thinking, Noelle turned round to see who’d been checking her out, only to see the guy change completely as he looked at her face. Since then she’d spent most of her time changing hair colour, which she miraculously did without the use of a mirror.
Brad owned the only available mirror, and Noelle hated staring at it.
“I’ve got a lunch date tomorrow. Are you going to be okay by yourself?” he asked.
Rolling her eyes, she nodded at her best friend. “I can look after myself. I did a great job before you came into my life.”
He kissed her on the head. “But I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You should call your family.”
“Why would I want to do that? I’m better off on my own.”
“You think you’re better on your own curled up in an apartment all day?”
“I get by. Besides, who is the date with?” she asked changing the subject.
“My brother. I’ve not seen him in years, and I contacted him and asked for a date to talk to him.”
She had heard him talk about his older half-brother. There was conflict between Brad’s mother and the older brother’s mom or something.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He kissed her on the head and left her room. Noelle played with a curl of her ultra violet hair. The colour had been a radical change. She knew it was a mistake, but she wouldn’t change it. Unconsciously she began to finger the line of her scar. The car accident that had created the resulting damage was still a blur. Her father hated himself, and because she blamed him, too, Noelle stayed well away from home. She hadn’t visited once in the two years since she left.
Sighing, she lay across her bed, grabbed her book and began to read. Romances were her guilty pleasure. There was no book that she’d read where the main heroine didn’t get her man. Whether she might be on the fuller side or have something wrong with her, the men all fell in love, eventually.
She fell asleep during the early hours of the morning with her romance book clutched between her fingers.
Chapter Two
Isaac sat waiting in his favourite Italian restaurant for his half-brother to show. He sipped the strong blend of coffee they were famous for and perused the menu. Meeting his brother after so long apart would certainly provide some source of entertainment. None of the dishes appealed on the menu appealed to him. Frowning, he placed the menu down on the work top as he looked around at the people inside the small building.
He recognised few. The flirtatious gazes from women he was accustomed to. He couldn’t believe how much he’d changed in the last few years. So many women would welcome him into their bed, but none of them would see past his glamorous lifestyle.
The moment Bradley Welch walked through the door, Isaac recognised him immediately. He’d been the oldest son of the next generation of Welches. Twenty years separated them in age. Staring at the man coming towards him, Isaac felt great respect for him. The challenge of contacting an older brother must have required great courage, especially since Isaac had publicly disowned his father’s new family many years ago.
Bradley stood at the table.
“Are you going to sit, Bradley?” Isaac asked.
“My name is Brad, and I was making sure I’d be able to sit down.”
Isaac nodded his head and watched as the younger man sat down. Isaac signalled the waiter over to take their orders. When they’d ordered a light lunch the two men observed each other, neither speaking a word.
The waiter came and served them coffee, and placed their lunch in front of them.