The Prize: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Diamond Lake Romance Book 3)

by K. L. Middleton

  “You two were young. I’m sure she’ll realize that.”

  “I was a senior. I should have known better.” Hell, I’d been an absolute monster and, frankly, probably didn’t deserve her forgiveness. But, she did deserve an apology. Whether she accepted the trip, or not, I needed to be a man and let her know what a prick I’d been and how sorry I was.

  Mom smirked. “I’m surprised she stood up to you, being two years younger too. The girl has some moxie.”

  I grinned. “Damn right she does. She never backed down to anything. Honestly, I should have been a little afraid of her.”

  Mom chuckled. “Well, hopefully things will work out. I’d love to see the two of you make up and become friends. You know, I know her grandmother, Rae. She’s a nice woman. Spunky, too. I bet Chloe gets a little of that from her.”

  I was only half listening, my attention now on Rory, who was leaving Chloe’s table. From the look on his face, things hadn’t gone well.

  Shit.

  I stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Good luck,” Dad said.

  I met Rory halfway. “No go?”

  He grunted and raised the envelope. “She handed me this and said she’d rather travel with Charlie Manson then with you.”

  My lip twitched. “He’s dead.”

  “Yeah, I said the same thing to her. She meant his dead, rotting corpse.”

  I smiled. “Ouch.”

  I noticed the two girls getting ready to leave. “Let me see if I can change her mind.”

  “Yeah, I doubt that’s possible in this lifetime.”

  Ignoring him, I headed toward the girls. “Hey, Chloe,” I called out.

  She turned around.

  I stopped next to her. “Look, I know you hate me-”

  “No surprise there. You always did know everything,” she bit back dryly.

  I sighed.

  I deserved it.

  I tried again. “I just wanted to apologize for everything I did to you back in school. I was an asshole. A total prick. You didn’t deserve the bullshit I put you through.”

  Her eyes searched mine.

  “There’s no excuse other than I was an immature jerk. But, I’m older now. Different. I’ve grown up.”

  She frowned.

  I went on awkwardly. “I just hope you’ll reconsider about going on this trip. We don’t even have to talk to each other.”

  Her eyes narrowed and it looked like she was finally going to say something. That’s when Blair grabbed her hand and began pulling her away. “We’ll let you know. I’ve got Rory’s number.”

  I relaxed. “Sounds good.”

  Rory approached me. “What did they say?” he asked as we watched them leave.

  I shoved my hands into my pockets and sighed. “I guess they’re going to think about it.”

  “Don’t worry. They’ll go.”

  I looked at him. “Fuck it. I’m not worried. I tried apologizing and she didn’t even bat an eye. Hell, if she doesn’t want to go… that’s fine. I don’t care.”

  He smiled slyly. “Bullshit. Don’t give me that. You want her to go. I saw the way you were staring at her with your tongue on the ground.”

  I grunted. “Look who’s talking. I bet you’ve already asked her out, haven’t you?”

  “Not yet but we did exchange phone numbers.”

  “Yeah. She mentioned that. By the way, what did you say about the hotel? Did you tell them it was haunted?”

  “Hell, no. From talking to them earlier, they’d never agree to stay if they knew the truth.”

  “Let’s hope they don’t do any research.”

  “The hotel doesn’t volunteer this information, so chances are, they won’t find anything on the internet.”

  It was true. We’d learned about it from an employee that worked there. He’d sent us an email a couple of months ago, detailing the ghost activity. Most of it was the usual – footsteps, lights flickering, and doors closing. But there was something else that had caught our attention – missing underwear. In fact, several guests had complained about vanishing undergarments. A ghost with a fetish for lingerie was oddly fascinating.

  “Let’s just hope they don’t lose any panties,” I joked.

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Speak for yourself.”

  I laughed.

  7

  Chloe

  “So, what do you think?” Blair asked as we put our prizes in the trunk of her car.

  I thought about Adam’s apology. It had seemed sincere, and maybe it was. But, it was hard to let go of the old feelings, even after all of this time. Every time I looked at him, all I could remember was the cruel bully who’d gotten off on being an asshole. The fact that he’d gotten even better looking over the years, made him even more dangerous. For all I knew, he was still the same devious jerk and was hoping I’d go so he could pick up where he left off and harass me some more.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Here’s what I say – we go on the trip and just ignore his ass the entire time. I mean, it’s a free mini vacation. Why not take advantage of it?”

  She had a point. We didn’t have to associate with either of them if we didn’t want to. That’s what Rory had said. Plus, a trip to California would be awesome. From what I’d read in the envelope, we’d get first class tickets too. All expenses paid. A dream weekend where we didn’t have to pay for anything.

  “What about Rory?”

  “What about him?” she asked as we got into the car.

  “You like the guy.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, well he’s cute. You have to admit.”

  I agreed. Yeah, he was. He actually looked like a younger Chris Pine.

  “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  I knew that it would be silly to turn down a free trip. Besides, Blair was dying to go and we both deserved a getaway. Especially one that was free. “Fine. As long as you don’t abandon me while we’re out there. I’ll do it.”

  She gave me a funny look. “Why on earth would I do that to you?”

  I loved Blair but she could sometimes be a little guy crazy. I could already see her sneaking off with Rory.

  “I promise. I won’t take off. I mean, if something were to happen between us,” she said with a little smile, “I’ll make sure it happens after you’re asleep. Anyway, who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky in Cali.”

  “Please. I’m just going there to relax and catch some rays. Nothing more.”

  “We’ll see.”

  I decided to change the subject. “I still can’t believe I actually won the grand prize. I’m still in shock. Nothing like this ever happens to me.”

  “I know.”

  “Honestly, I wouldn’t have claimed it if it weren’t for Mrs. Hardgrove listening in.”

  “I’m glad you did though. I think we’re going to have fun.”

  “I hope so. I wonder what’s so great about the hotel in California? What was it, The Stratton Hills, or something?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’ll have to look it up and get more information.”

  “For sure. You still feeling up to going to that party?”

  “Well, I already told my grandmother that I was sleeping at your place and I know you want to go.”

  She smiled. “It’ll be fun. We’ll just stick around for an hour. Check out the cute guys. Have a couple drinks. Not too much though, because I’m driving.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  When we arrived at Tony Ganza’s place, a huge old home near the sorority houses, it was packed with partiers. From what I could tell, most of them had skipped the fundraiser and were already drunk.

  “Hey, look who’s here!” Tony said, racing over toward us from the other side of the room. He put his arms around our shoulders and gave us appraising looks. “Hot, damn… don’t you two look sexy tonight? Can I lie and tell everyone you’re my dates?”

  “And what will Robert say about that?” Blair teased. Robert was his boyfrien
d.

  He sniffed. “Fuck him. We’re in a fight.”

  “Oh, no. Why?” Blair asked.

  “It’s ridiculous, really. He’s just mad because I told him he has no taste in shoes. None at all. But,” he rolled his eyes dramatically, “you’ve seen some of the god-awful shit he wears, right?” Tony lowered his voice, “I actually threw out his orange sneakers and he doesn’t know it yet. They’re hideous.”

  Blair and I chuckled.

  Tony steered us toward the kitchen, where there was a huge buffet of food laid out, along with a counter full of booze.

  “There’s more wine if the refrigerator. And if beer is your thing, there’s a keg in the laundry room. Just help yourselves. Anyway, you two lovelies enjoy yourself and when you see Robert, tell him to get over his fucking self.”

  I laughed. “Will do. By the way, I love your place.” Blair and I had actually never been there before. I’d heard that it had been built in the nineteen-hundreds. As far as the furnishings went, everything seemed very eclectic. Nothing matched and most of the decorations were off the wall. Like the cow painting in the kitchen. It was drinking from a glass of chocolate milk. And the huge old fashion black cat clock on the wall. Its tail wagged and its eyes moved back and forth. They also had Betty Boop curtains hanging on the kitchen window and a stove that looked like it was older than Grandma Rae.

  He smiled. “Thanks. We’re renting, so there’s only so much we can do to the place. Not that my roommates help much. They pretty much let me decorate the place however I want.”

  “You live with two other guys, right?” Blair asked.

  He nodded and looked at the clock. “They’ll be here any minute. Which reminds me, I’d better make sure nobody is messing with any of their shit.” Tony took off out of the kitchen.

  “We should get a place together,” Blair said, grabbing a plastic glass. “Maybe an apartment by the campus?”

  I’d just moved in with my grandmother, mainly because of money. “How about next year? I’m broke right now. Seriously.”

  “Yeah, I hear you.” She filled a glass with ice and grabbed a bottle of rum. “You want a drink?”

  “Sure.”

  She nodded toward the liquor bottles. “There’s also tequila and vodka. What do you want?”

  “Whatever you’re having.”

  “Rum and Coke.”

  “That’s fine.”

  She poured us each a drink and then we walked around and started mingling with people we knew from school. As I was listening to a story from someone in my psych class, I felt someone grab ahold of my butt. Shocked, I turned around and noticed two guys standing there. One of them was Terry Jacobson, a rough-neck troublemaker who was two years older than us. He’d dropped out of school in his senior year and was a known drug dealer. From what I could tell, he’d gotten more muscular and was just as terrifying as ever. His friend, a tall guy with red hair and a soul patch, was even more menacing. He was older, maybe in his thirties, and had tattoos all over his thick arms and neck. One of them was an upside-down cross with a snake wrapped around it. It was obvious, from their bloodshot eyes, that they were high, drunk, or both.

  I probably should have just ignored them… but the cocktail was already hitting me up with some liquid courage. I glared at both of them.

  Terry’s friend chuckled. “Whoa, what’s wrong, Blondie?”

  “Keep your hands to yourself,” I mumbled, turning around again.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. That ass of yours is hard to resist. Especially in that dress,” the older guy said.

  The two men chuckled.

  Terry leered at my chest. “Looks pretty good in other areas too.”

  This time, I ignored them. They were obviously baiting me.

  “What happened?” Blair murmured near my ear.

  I told her.

  “Lighten up, Blondie. I mean, hell, if you’re going to wear a dress like that to a party, you gotta expect attention,” the older man said.

  “I’d say you’re the one looking for attention,” I snapped.

  “Damn, I guess it’s true what they say about you – you’re definitely an ice queen,” Terry replied.

  Blair rolled her eyes. “And you wonder why some people need drugs to cope with their own pathetic existence,” she said loudly.

  Terry’s friend scowled and took a step toward us. Up close he was much more menacing. “Excuse me?”

  I cringed and everyone around us backed away. Blair and I were on our own, apparently.

  Cowards.

  He stopped in front of her. “You’ve got something to say, say it to my face, Bimbo.”

  Blair glared at him. “Bimbo? Really? Is that the best you’ve got?”

  “Just ignore him. This is supposed to be a friendly party. These two must have missed the memo.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

  “Fuckin’ bitches,” the guy muttered.

  “Yo. How’s your cousin Mackenzie doing?” called out Terry. “She kill anyone new lately?”

  I stopped in my tracks and turned around. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Terry grinned. “We all know she and her asshole boyfriend murdered Jason Sharkey.”

  Jason, a guy who’d gone to school with my cousin, hadn’t been killed by anyone but himself. He’d slipped off of a ledge. Some said it was suicide. Others thought it might have been an accident. One thing I did know for sure was that he’d held my Mackenzie hostage and had tried killing her the night he’d died.

  “Mackenzie isn’t a murderer. And if I were you, I’d keep your fucking mouth shut,” I said angrily.

  “And what are you going to do about it?” he replied with a mocking smile.

  “Nothing. She won’t have to,” a voice behind me said angrily. It was one I recognized. One that was usually on the opposite end of an argument with me.

  Grateful to have him on my side for once, I felt myself relax a little.

  Terry glared at him. “Why don’t you mind your own fucking business?”

  “This is my house. My business,” Adam said, moving next to me.

  That shocked me.

  So, he was one of Tony’s roommates. Interesting.

  Terry’s eyes filled with recognition and he smiled apologetically. “My bad, Knight. We smoked some pretty powerful shit before arriving. Didn’t even recognize you. I apologize.”

  I could tell that Adam was still tense. He crossed his arms over his chest. Oddly enough, the two guys were similar in size and stature. But it seemed that Terry was intimidated by Adam.

  “Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to her,” Adam said.

  Terry’s eyes met mine. I knew it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Sorry.”

  I nodded.

  He turned back to Adam and smiled again. “Actually, you’re the reason we’re here. My cousin, Earl, has been messaging Rory about the ghost sighting in the hotel he works at.”

  Earl moved next to Terry. He was grinning from ear-to-ear. “Adam Knight? I thought that might be you. I’ve watched your show. Love it.”

  Adam, still looking guarded, nodded. “Thanks.”

  “I was a big fan when you were racing too. It’s kind of why I started watching the web show,” Earl said. “Anyway, I heard you guys might be coming out to California?”

  Having had enough of Earl and Terry, I asked Blair if she wanted to go back to the kitchen.

  “Sure.” She took a sip of her cocktail and shook the ice around. “I could use a refill.”

  “Cool. Let’s go.”

  8

  Adam

  I’d been shocked as hell to see Chloe and Blair at the house. I knew Tony was throwing a bash, which he did quite often, but had never seen her at any of the other ones. Seeing Terry fuck with her had really pissed me off. It also reminded me that I’d once been that guy. A piece of shit who enjoyed picking on people. It made me sick to think about.

  “Yeah, we’re planning on it,” I said, answering E
arl. “So, you’re the guy who works at the hotel?”

  He nodded. “I work in maintenance. I’ve seen some freaky shit, man. That’s why I wrote.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  He went on. “I’m just in town for a couple of days and thought I’d try and talk to you. See if you’ll be paying us a visit. Heard about the party and so we stopped by. So, what do you think?”

  “We’re working on getting out there,” I said.

  Rory suddenly appeared at my side with two bottles of Budweiser. He handed me one. “Did you see that Blair and Chloe are here? I couldn’t believe it when they walked into the kitchen.”

  “Yeah. I saw them,” I replied, looking at Terry again. I hadn’t seen him in years. Not since high school. He’d always been trouble and apparently, not much had changed.

  As if reading my mind, he brought up Chloe again. “Sorry about earlier. I didn’t know you and that chick were even friends. Hell, from what I remember, you two used to hate each other.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of weed, along with a pipe. “I guess I’d stop hating her too with tits and an ass like that. You tap that ever?”

  I ignored the question. “You can’t smoke that shit in the house,” I said, watching him pack the pipe.