by Cara Dee
Table of Contents
www.caradeewrites.com
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Uncomplicated Choices
Cara Dee
Copyright © 2017 by Cara Dee
All rights reserved
Edited by Silently Correcting Your Grammar, LLC
Disclaimer: This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with others, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. All references to ancient or historical events, persons living or dead, locations, and places are used in a fictional manner. Any other names, characters, incidents, and places are derived from the author’s own imagination. Similarities to persons living or dead, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of any wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction.
Warning: This story contains scenes of an explicit, erotic nature and is intended for adults, 18+. Characters portrayed in sexual situations are 18 or older.
Camassia Cove is a town in northern Washington created to be the home of some exciting love stories. Each novel taking place here is a standalone, and they will vary in genre and pairing. What they all have in common is the town in which they live. Some are friends and family. Others are complete strangers. Some have vastly different backgrounds. Some grew up together. It's a small world, and many characters will cross over and pay a visit or two in several books. But, again, each novel stands on its own, and spoilers will be avoided as much as possible.
Uncomplicated Choices is a Camassia Cove novel, and readers first met Casey and his family in Path of Destruction—Lincoln and Adeline's story. However, it is not necessary to read that book in order to get the full enjoyment of this book. If you're interested in keeping up with the characters, the town, the timeline, and future novels, check out Camassia Cove's own page at Cara's website www.caradeewrites.com.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Casey Teague
It always came up, somehow. It was always a deal breaker, somehow.
Did you leave Detroit for school?
What did you do before coming to Washington?
This time, because my date and I met at the studio, we reached that point when she asked, "So how did you come to meet the rock legend Lincoln Hayes?"
Rock legend is his Christian name, by the way.
I wiped my mouth and took a sip of my beer. "We were incarcerated together."
And it was okay for a former rock star to have been to prison. For reasons even Lincoln was baffled by—and admittedly pissy about—famous people could do no wrong. His ten years in prison had given him an extra edge. These days, as a well-known producer and family man, his slate was clean.
Mine wasn’t.
"Oh…wow." Allison set down her wineglass, unsure of what to say.
I smiled stiffly. I was used to this. Dating sucked.
One might think I'd have a bigger pool to swim in since I was attracted to people, not genders, but that only applied if you weren't an ex-con. Or a single father. Actually, if I wanted to get laid, I just needed to snap my fingers. Plenty of women thought the prison history was hot—for a night or two. And men didn’t care I was a father—for a night or two.
Relationships were another story.
"Can…" She hesitated. "Can I ask what you were in for?"
"Larceny." You could say I despised this topic. "I got mixed up with the wrong crowd and did some stupid shit." Like steal jewelry, expensive equipment people tended to keep in garages and tool sheds, computers…
"But you're not involved with those people now," she said with a placating smile.
I would've been relieved if I didn’t know the signs by now. Allison was moving past it too quickly; we would go through the remainder of the date with shallow conversation, and then I'd never hear from her again.
Thank fuck she didn’t actually work with Lincoln in his studio. She was the assistant of a client of his, and Seattle was a big city, one I didn’t even visit that often. I belonged a couple hours north of here.
*
I was back in Camassia Cove the next morning, and I headed up to the northern district of Ponderosa to have brunch with the family and pick up my girl. Driving through Downtown, I got closer and closer to the hillside neighborhood and all its mansions.
Lincoln and his wife Adeline had their big house somewhere in the middle, and once I entered their premises, I noticed the driveway was strangely empty of cars. Sunday brunch was a thing here. Maybe the others hadn't arrived yet.
I stepped out of my truck and glanced up at the three-story home. Four, if one included the underground basement. Their estate may very well be one of the most expensive in the district, and given my degree in landscape engineering, it was a life-long project and passion of mine to work on. What was once a lifeless, grossly modern structure in metallic tones that stretched along the hillside, rather wide and narrow, now displayed a vibrant, homey design and looked like it belonged here. I'd had new oak paneling ordered to cover up the lifelessness, and the balconies that traveled the length of the house on each floor had a wall of flat stone and boxwood now as opposed to the glass that was there before.
Ponderosa was sort of my favorite district for that reason. It took creativity and a solution-oriented mind to build in the mountains. Lincoln and Ade's house in particular sat on one of the steeper hillsides. There was no backyard. Instead, they'd hired me shortly after my graduation to turn their roof into a green haven. It was where they had their garden, pool, and barbecue area.
Jogging up the pathway to get out of the rain that was starting, I switched off my phone before opening the door. Their property was gated, so the door was rarely locked. It'd taken me a while to lose the Detroit mentality. One simply did not leave a house vulnerable, even in the nicer parts of town. I'd grown up with nice. And that came with tight security and alarm systems.
"Ade, our favorite stray is home!" Lincoln was coming up the stairs as I took off my shoes. Judging by the sweaty state of his sweats and T-shirt, I'd say he'd been working out. The basement was one part gym and one part recording studio. "Did you crash at our place in the city?"
I nodded, and he gave my neck a gentle squeeze. "The only ones getting lucky there are you and Ade, though."
He chuckled and winced. "Another date crashed and burned? What was it this time?"
"Same old. Women are usually all right with children. Prison, not so much."
He shook his head, and we headed toward the kitchen. "Maybe it's time to go with Ade's suggestion. There's no reason you gotta tell them about that on the first dat
e. Wait a while, at least 'til there's an attachment. It's less likely they'll judge you for it if they know you better."
"I don't mention it to get it out of the way," I replied. "But like yesterday, she asked how you and I met…? I can't go around that. I won't lie."
"Makes sense." He opened the fridge and took a bottle of water. The large kitchen table was already filled with food, though Ade was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t hear the girls, either.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
"Probably still on the roof." Lincoln tossed the kitchen a wry smirk. "The wife's gotten it into her head that our kitchen needs to look more French." Well, that was the main inspiration for this area. It was cozy and rustic, despite the bigger size. "She and the princesses are bringing down some herbs to hang up there." He pointed at the grid above the kitchen island where pots and pans hung. "I think she's just missing work."
The travesty. Must be hard to be on vacation. Christ, it was a few weeks, not a year. That woman needed to learn how to relax. She was always on the go.
That said, I had to admire her dedication. She worked with men and women who were escaping abuse, and she’d opened a residential center a few years ago that had only grown since then. These days, she worked alongside everyone from psychiatrists to education counselors.
"I struggle to feel bad for her."
Lincoln laughed. "Right? I keep telling her…" He trailed off with a shake of his head, and then we made ourselves useful by bringing the rest of the food to the table. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and sausage links were staying warm in the oven, so I went for that. "Pop's out fishing, so he's not coming. Madigan's hungover. Ellis will be here."
"All right." That was a man I didn’t see often. "How's he doing?" Ellis was Lincoln's cousin, and last I heard, he was on the verge of divorce. He and his wife were separated but were going to counseling or something.
Lincoln shrugged. "He says he's fine. I think it's bullshit."
Fair enough.
Right around the time brunch was ready, the doorbell went off, and little feet were stomping down the stairs. Lincoln went to get the door for Ellis, and I braced myself for my little hurricane.
"Daddy!" There she was. I smiled widely, and Haley barreled into me with more force than a four-year-old should possess. "Best sleepover ever!"
I laughed and picked her up for a hard squeeze. "You say that every time, baby." Possibly because Ade and Lincoln spoiled her rotten. "Let me look at you." Getting down on one knee, I brushed a lock behind her ear and gave her rosy cheeks a playful pinch. "Did you go to the beach?" I noticed she'd gotten some color.
She nodded, bright blue eyes going wide, and held up two dirt-covered fingers. "We had ice cream two times."
I faked a gasp. "That's nuts. Did you thank your aunt and uncle properly?"
"Yeah, like dis." She demonstrated a curtsy that was too fucking cute.
"Hi, Uncle Casey." Lyn ran over next, her hands as dirty as Haley's.
"Princess Nova-Lyn." I winked. "How about you two go wash up so we can eat?"
Thick as thieves as they were, they darted out of the kitchen to go wash their hands. We all dreaded the day next year when Lyn started first grade and the girls would be separated during school hours. They couldn’t act more like sisters.
*
Focus was on the girls while we ate. It was information overload on everything they'd done, movies they'd watched, and what they wanted to do for their next sleepover.
When they declared they were done and asked to play, I crushed their little dreams by saying, "I'm sure you've made a mess in Lyn's room, so I suggest you put all the toys away."
Automatically, they turned to Lincoln at the head of the table.
Lyn pulled out her best pout. "Do we gots to clean, Daddy?"
"Well, yeah." He stole a smooch from her before she backed off with a scowl. "And next time Uncle Casey tells you something, you listen. That clear?"
Both girls got huffy but nodded sullenly in understanding, then went upstairs.
"With that out of the way…" Adeline glanced between Ellis and me. "Who goes first?"
"Not it," I said quickly.
"Goddammit," Ellis muttered.
Lincoln snorted a chuckle and refilled his coffee mug.
No one needed to hear more of my depressing dating blunders. That was why I blogged.
"I'm not sure I have anything interesting to share," Ellis said.
"You let me decide that." Ade patted Ellis's hand and smiled sweetly. "Go on. How's everything?"
She was relentless, not to mention quick to defend herself by saying if she didn’t know what was going on in our lives, she couldn’t help. Never mind that Ellis was a year older than Ade at…thirty-seven, I was pretty sure; Adeline was everyone's mother and meddler.
"Isn't that obvious?" Lincoln drawled and lifted his coffee mug. "Wife is giving him lemons."
I choked on a laugh and instantly felt horrible for finding that hilarious. Lincoln smirked at me, until he met the death stare of Adeline. She could be scary.
"Right. Sorry." Lincoln cleared his throat and got serious.
Ade gave him a little more heat, then returned her attention to Ellis.
"I think there may be some progress," he responded pensively, choosing his words carefully. "Our therapist is encouraging us to try dating each other."
Lincoln frowned. "You're gonna ask your wife of eleven years out on a date?"
"What's wrong with that?" Adeline lifted a brow. "You and I go on dates all the time."
"Right, and we love each other," Lincoln pointed out. "They don't."
Ellis cleared his throat, uncomfortable. I felt for him. "Perhaps we can find our way back to that."
I had my own issues, so I couldn’t contribute. If he figured out a way to make it work, I could only hope he divulged the secret. Why he struggled was another mystery. The gene pool from which he and Lincoln came must've been made of liquid sex. They shared the same brown hair and striking gray-blue eyes, were equally tall at six foot three—maybe even four—and had the same broad shoulders and chiseled jaws.
Lincoln was ten years older and sported ink everywhere instead of the suit Ellis chose, but those were the only differences in style. Add successful career and the fact that Ellis was incredibly kind and compassionate, and I was at a loss. I had no idea what issues his wife had with him. He wasn’t even one of those types who was married to their jobs.
Adeline was supportive and encouraging, hoping this dating thing would work. Lincoln thought it was a lost cause but kept most of that to himself. Instead, he dropped out of the conversation and grabbed another bagel.
"You wanna sync schedules for next week?" he asked me.
"Sure." I nodded and pulled out my phone. Summer break meant the girls were home, and they wanted to spend as much time they could with each other. "Will you be in Seattle?"
"No more than usual." He scrolled through his planner on his phone. "I have a meeting with a client and his wife on Friday, and I wanna bring Ade. Mind taking Lyn then? It's here in town, so we can pick her up afterward."
I nodded slowly, rearranging a couple appointments. "No worries. I get off at four, and I gotta meet with the electrician…" I hummed then shook my head. It wouldn’t be any problem. I could squeeze it in. "She might as well stay the night. We'll have a movie marathon."
We went back and forth for a while and managed to organize everything from work, summer activities for the girls, and some precious kid-free time. It was one of the things I loved most about being so close with Lincoln and Adeline. We made a lot of our plans as a unit.
When we were done, I pocketed my phone and finished my coffee.
"How's work?" Lincoln asked.
I cocked my head, suspicious. "It's…good." We were on the phone about this just a week ago, and my work was a topic he struggled with. He zoned out when I prattled about geology and ecology. If I threw out irrigation, he returned with irritation. He ga
ve it an honest try last week because my company had grown. I'd hired my three first employees, so it was kind of a big deal. "Why do you ask?"
He got defensive. "I can't show interest in your job?"
That amused me. "Not really, no. You know the latest. More landscaping, less engineering, but no complaints." I had a passion for both; it'd just been a while since I put my geek on and used math and science to pretend I was a superhero who could bend the elements.
"He's buttering you up," Adeline chimed in.
So I was right to be suspicious. Interesting. "What for?"
She and Lincoln went into a brief stare-down battle to determine who was going to be the messenger.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Fine." Ade rolled her eyes, then faced me. "Since your new house won't be ready until the end of August, Lincoln and I were thinking about taking the girls to Disneyland."
I didn’t know I required lube to accept that news. It wouldn’t be the first time they included Haley in their impromptu vacation plans. "That's very sweet of you. You know the drill." I paid for Haley, end of story. I assumed they'd take a weekend before the next semester—
"Given your mellow reaction, I’m gonna guess we’re not thinking about the same Disneyland," Lincoln said. "It's not even me this time."
"Thank you for throwing me under the bus," Ade laughed.
Lincoln winked at her. "My pleasure."
With a shake of her head, Adeline refocused on me. "I'm actually surprised Adrian hasn't told you." Wonderful. Confuse me further, please. Adrian was a friend we had in common. He volunteered at a community center for kids and joined forces with Ade often enough.
"We're meeting up next week," I said. "Should I ask him instead?" Because, Christ, they were taking forever.
"We're starting a pen-pal exchange this fall as part of our education program," Ade explained. "The school we're doing the collab with invited Adrian and me to visit. And, well, you know…" She got fidgety. "The school is in France."
I stared blankly, and I was afraid my mind couldn’t process that last little tidbit.
