FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “I’m going to go now. You’ll be safe here in your house.”

  He turned away from me and gave me a small wave before he tripped up the steps and laid there. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to him and helped him climb up the stairs one by one. When we reached the top of the stairs, I asked him which room was his. He pointed straight ahead. I helped him to his bedroom and made sure he laid down on the bed. He yawned and when I went to walk away, he grabbed a hold of my hand. I turned around and looked at him.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  I lightly smiled as I put my hand on top of his. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  I walked out of the room and still felt the hand he grabbed. It felt like he was still holding it. I could still feel his soft fingers wrapped around mine. Before leaving, I stopped in the family room and looked at the numerous pictures that were displayed all over the room. His mom was beautiful, and his dad was extremely handsome. Now I saw where he got his good looks from. His sister was beautiful as well. Looking at what a beautiful family they were, it tore my heart to pieces. Tears began to swell in my eyes as I headed back to my house as fast as I could.

  Chapter 11

  Collin

  “Fuck,” I moaned as I rolled over and tried to open my eyes. I laid there on top of the comforter, fully dressed, wondering how the hell I got here. As I moved my hand across the bed, I felt something. Sand. How the hell did sand get in here? Shit, I hated when I drank so much that I couldn’t remember.

  I dragged myself out the bed and down the stairs to make a cup of coffee. I looked at the clock and it was noon. I popped a k-cup in the Keurig, grabbed a mug from the cabinet and hit the brew button. I kept shaking my head because I kept smelling the scent of roses. I looked around the kitchen trying to figure out where it was coming from, but there weren’t any roses to be found. I grabbed a hold of my shirt and held it up to my nose. Sure enough, it was on me. What the hell happened last night? I took my cup, went upstairs and took a shower. When I was finished, I picked up my shirt from the floor and sniffed it one more time before throwing it in my bag. The smell was nice. It was the scent a woman would wear. Maybe some kind of perfume or lotion. Who was I with? I sighed as I made another cup of coffee and took it outside and down to the beach where I stood and watched the waves crash against the shore. I took my phone from my pocket and looked at the date, today was Hailey’s birthday. I wasn’t going to let it bother me and I wasn’t going to send her a text message either. She’s moved on, I’ve moved on and after everything that happened, we couldn’t be friends. As I stared at my phone, I heard a voice.

  “Glad to see that you won’t be tripping anyone today.” She smiled as she jogged by.

  She kept going and I didn’t understand what she meant. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

  She stopped and then turned around. “I said, I’m glad to see that you won’t be tripping anyone today.”

  I shook my head. “Sorry, but you must have the wrong person.”

  She laughed and began walking towards me. She was beautiful, especially when she smiled.

  “Nope. You’re the right person,” she said as she walked up to me.

  “I don’t understand. I’m sorry.”

  The wind blew lightly, and the faint scent of roses swept across me. The same scent that was on my shirt from last night.

  “You were passed out drunk on the beach last night and I was taking a walk and I tripped over you. So, I’m happy to see that you’re awake and standing here so nobody will trip over you again.”

  I knitted my brows and cocked my head. This girl. This girl that smelled like roses intrigued me.

  “I’m sorry. Are you all right?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. Are you all right?”

  I kicked the sand with my foot as I looked down in embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

  “You must have one wicked hangover. You were passed out cold. I was surprised I even managed to get you in the house and up the stairs.”

  “You brought me to my bed?” I asked in confusion.

  “I did. I didn’t think you should spend the night on the beach. Anyway, I have to go. I’m glad you’re up and feeling better.” She smiled as she turned and started jogging away.

  “Wait!” I exclaimed. “Do you live around here?”

  “Corner house, on the left.”

  “Do you have a name? Or should I just call you the girl who tripped over me?” I smiled.

  “My name is Amelia.” She softly laughed.

  “I’m Collin.” I smiled.

  “Nice to meet you, Collin, aka, the guy who tripped me on the beach.”

  I chuckled as she jogged down the beach. Wow, I thought to myself. What a great girl.

  My phone began to buzz in my hand. I looked at it and there was a text message from Aiden.

  “Bro, I met the most fantastic girl. Going out with her tonight if you want to tag along.”

  “Nah, have fun. I think I’m going to stay in tonight.”

  I walked back up to the beach house and I couldn’t stop thinking about Amelia. I thought about her for the rest of the day. I needed to pick up a few things from the store, so I hopped in the range rover and drove to the local market.

  * * *

  My phone buzzed with a text message from Aiden.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come out with us tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  I wasn’t paying attention and ran into the cart that was in front of me.

  “Oh my God, I’m sorry,” I said as I looked up and saw Amelia staring at me.

  “First you trip me on the beach and now you practically run me over with your cart in the grocery store,” she said.

  “I am so sorry.” I began to laugh. “I was texting my friend and I didn’t see you.”

  “Of course you didn’t see me. You had your eyes focused on your phone and not what’s straight ahead of you. If you’re going to text while pushing the cart, at least stop first and then text.”

  She liked to go on little rants. She made me smile and no one had done that in a very long time.

  “I’m glad I ran into you, literally.” I chuckled. “I want to thank you for thinking enough of me not to let me spend the night on the beach. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for spending the night on the beach, under the stars. Just not passed out drunk. I was hoping that you’d have dinner with me.”

  She looked at me and her eyes diverted down. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

  “Why?” I asked in confusion.

  “Because I just can’t,” she said as she began pushing her cart down the aisle.

  I grabbed my cart and caught up with her. “Oh I see, your husband or boyfriend wouldn’t approve.”

  “I don’t have a husband or boyfriend.”

  Whew, I thought to myself. She was single; that was good.

  “Then why can’t you?”

  She stopped her basket and turned and looked at me. “Look, Collin, you seem like a really nice guy, but I’m not interested.”

  Okay, she wasn’t interested. That was impossible.

  “Okay, so you’re not interested. I’m not interested either. All I want to do is thank you for helping me into the house last night and to apologize to you for hitting you with my cart.” I smiled. “I don’t understand why women think that when a guy asks them to dinner, they automatically think we’re interested.”

  “Because, men usually are,” she said with a twisted face.

  “Well, not me. I think you’re a nice girl and all I want to do is thank you. What’s the big deal with that? Am I trying to have sex with you? No way. Do I want a relationship with you? No way. Would I like to show my gratitude as a new friend? Yes way.”

  She stood there and stared at me while she chewed on her bottom lip, for she was trying to figure me out.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll have dinner with you.”

  “Okay. Thank you. How about I cook for you at my house. I’m reall
y not up for going out tonight.”

  “Sounds good to me because I’m not up for going out either. Maybe I can help you cook.”

  “No. I’ll cook for you. Remember, it’s my thank you.”

  “Fine.” She smiled. How about I bring dessert?”

  “I would like that. Do you eat meat?”

  “Yes, I eat meat.”

  “Good, because I’m going to cook us some steaks. Do you have any food allergies?”

  “No.” she laughed.

  “Don’t laugh. At the rate I’m going with you, I would probably cook something that you’re allergic to and I’d send you into anaphylactic shock.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not allergic to anything.”

  “Okay then. I’ll finish up shopping and see you at my place around seven?”

  “I’ll see you then, Collin.”

  We both smiled at each other as our carts went the opposite way. I smiled all the way through the store.

  * * *

  I made sure I had everything, right down to a couple bottles of wine. I set the table for two and threw the steaks in the pan. As I put the final touches on the salad, the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock and it was seven already. As I walked to the door, my heart began to race.

  “Hey,” I said almost without breath.

  “Hi,” she said as she held a covered plate and a bag in her hands.

  “What’s all this?” I said as I took the bag from her.

  “Dessert. I brought brownie sundaes. I hope you like chocolate.”

  “I love chocolate. Come on in.”

  She walked into the kitchen and set the plate of brownies on the counter. I put the gallon of ice cream in the freezer and the caramel sauce on the counter.

  “It smells delicious in here,” Amelia said.

  “Thank you. I’m making us Pan-seared Tenderloin Steak with a sauce, steamed broccoli, baked potato and a Caesar salad. But first, we’re going to start with marinated shrimp scampi.”

  “Wow.” She smiled. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  “My manny, Mason.”

  “You had a manny?”

  “Yep and he was the best. He was an amazing cook and taught me and my sister everything he knew. Now, do you like red wine or white wine? Because I have Pinot or Merlot.”

  “Pinot is fine.”

  She looked so beautiful in her cute white sundress, that made her tan glisten and her long straight blonde hair. She stood about five foot nine with a petite frame. I found myself staring at her more than I should have. I poured the wine into our glasses and told her to step out onto the patio.

  “I thought we could eat out here since it’s a beautiful night?”

  “It is a beautiful night.” She smiled.

  She sat down with her wine and I brought out the shrimp scampi.

  “That looks great.”

  “Thank you. Wait until you taste it.” I winked.

  I stared at her blue eyes as I took a sip of my wine. I was feeling overwhelmed by her; a feeling I haven’t had in a very long time. Actually, I wasn’t really sure I’d ever felt like this. She took a bite of the shrimp and smiled.

  “Wow, Collin. This is amazing!”

  “Thanks,” I said as I nodded my head.

  I got up from my seat and walked into the house to get the rest of our dinner. I was nervous that she wasn’t going to like it and thought I was a total idiot. Maybe I should’ve just taken her out to dinner.

  Chapter 12

  “I’ll say it again. Wow! This food is amazing. You have to be a chef. You’re a chef, right?”

  I chuckled. “No, I’m not a chef, but I do like to cook.”

  “A man after my own heart.” She smiled as she put her hand over her heart.

  I held up my glass and motioned for Amelia to do the same.

  “Thank you, Amelia, for being so kind to me last night and also please accept my apology for running you over with my cart today.”

  She laughed as we brought our glasses together.

  “Thank you for this wonderful dinner and I accept your apology for tripping me and running into me.”

  I winked at her and we continued to eat our dinner. There was an aura about her that made me happy when I was with her. After we finished with our meal, we both went into the kitchen and made brownie sundaes. I was startled when I heard the front door open. I looked up and gasped when I saw my mom and dad walking into the kitchen.

  “Oh, excuse us, son. We didn’t know you were having company tonight.” My dad smiled.

  “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Chicago?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  “We decided to go next weekend instead,” my mom said. “Hello, I’m Ellery Black, Collin’s mom.” She smiled as she held out her hand to Amelia.

  “Hi, I’m Amelia.” She smiled back as she shook my mom’s hand.

  “I’m Connor, Collin’s dad.”

  “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Black.”

  “Son, I’m sorry if we interrupted something,” he said.

  “You couldn’t have called first?” I said.

  “To be honest, we thought you’d be out for the night. You actually surprised us.”

  I turned to Amelia. “I’m sorry. I had no idea that they’d be coming here.”

  “It’s perfectly fine. I would give anything to have my parents walk in right now.”

  I picked up on the sadness in her voice when she said that. I didn’t want to ask her any questions about it since my parents were here and she’d probably tell me that it was none of my business.

  “Let’s grab a blanket and have our sundaes down on the beach,” I said.

  “Okay.” Amelia smiled.

  “Collin, we’re really sorry. We can leave. Right, Connor?” my mom said.

  “Don’t worry about it, Mom. We’re going down to the beach.”

  My dad handed me the blanket, and Amelia and I grabbed our sundaes and took them down to the beach. As I spread the blanket on the sand, she handed me my sundae and we sat down, facing the ocean. The water was calm, and the light breeze was soothing.

  “You never told me your last name,” I said as I looked over and gave Amelia a small smile.

  “Well, I was going to until I heard your last name. You’re going to laugh at me.”

  “Why? Is it Black?” I asked jokingly.

  She set down her sundae and stuck out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Collin Black. I’m Amelia Jean Gray.

  I tilted my head and smiled as I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Miss Gray.”

  I shook my head as we both laughed.

  “I told you that you were going to laugh,” she spoke.

  “Okay, now that I know your last name, tell me something else about you.”

  “There’s nothing else to tell. My name is Amelia and I think that’s all you need to know. When people start telling things about each other a bond forms and that’s something I’m not interested in.”

  “So you’re not even interested in being friends?” I asked.

  “Friends? I don’t have any friends. I gave up on any friendships I had a long time ago.”

  Something was going on with this girl. She was broken and she had the same sadness about her that I once had, or maybe still had.

  “You just did it,” I said.

  “Did what?” she asked as she looked at me.

  “Told me something about yourself and didn’t realize it.”

  “Well then maybe I need to stop talking.”

  “That’s fine. You can do whatever you want, but I’m going to tell you about me.”

  She let out a light laugh and gave me a strange look. “And what makes you think that I want to know anything about you?”

  “It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t. I’m going to tell you anyway.” I smiled. “I live in New York City and I work for my dad at Black Enterprises. He’s grooming me to take over his company when he retires. I have a sister whom I
adore and she’s going to have a baby; a boy in fact. I graduated from Columbia with a degree in business and I have a lot of friends. Friends who I count on for support when things aren’t going right in my life. I party too much; something that I’m changing, and at those parties, I tend to drink too much. But you already knew that when you tripped over me last night.” I smiled.

  “Why are you telling me all this? And for the record, you tripped me.”

  “No. You should’ve been paying attention to where you were walking.”

  “I was looking up at the stars because I love them, and they soothe me. You shouldn’t have drank so much that you passed out on the beach.”

  “Touché, Amelia. Touché.” I smiled.

  She looked away, but with a smile. I was responsible for her smile and I felt good about that. I bumped my shoulder against hers and she bumped me back.

  “Fine, Mr. Black. Come to my house tomorrow morning at nine o’clock and bring me coffee and breakfast. We can sit and talk some more. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow,” she said as she got up and began walking towards her house.

  “Where are you leaving to?” I yelled.

  “Home,” she yelled back.

  “And where’s home?”

  “New York.”

  I watched her walk up the beach. I didn’t want her to leave but I’d have to settle for seeing her tomorrow morning. I got up, picked up the blanket and the sundae cups and headed back up to the house. Now I’d have to explain to my parents who she was and how I met her. If I lied about it, they’d eventually find out, so I better just tell them the truth.

  * * *

  “Back already?” my dad asked as I walked in the kitchen.

  “Yeah. Amelia had to get home.”

  “Does she live around here?” my mom asked.

  “Down the street. Corner house.”

  “Hmm. Nobody’s been living in that house for the last two years. The people who owned it, bought it, moved some stuff in and then they hadn’t been back. Are you sure that’s where she lives?”