“I know, mijita. But you won’t be living here much longer. Let a grandma spoil her granddaughter while she can.”
“Gracias, pero no hoy. How about another day? Sunday? Let’s make a big breakfast together.”
“Ay bueno. I’d like that.”
I smiled. “Me too. Now I need to finish getting ready.”
“Si, but invite Colby to breakfast too,” she called after me. “I need to repay him for his hospitality, and for taking such good care of my beautiful granddaughter.”
I practically stumbled in the hall as heat rose up my chest and seared my face. Oh, he took care of me all right. “Um, yeah. I’ll mention it to him.”
—
That afternoon at work I did everything I could to keep my mind off of Colby, except it was near impossible, partly because business at Eddie’s always slowed after the wave of summer tourism stopped, but mostly because thinking about Colby was like breathing. It was just what I did. How I passed my time every day. Whether I wanted to or not, thoughts of him just floated around my head. Add in the fact that I now knew how it felt like to kiss him—short answer: amazing—and there was no way I could not think about him.
And once my mind drifted back to his bed, little sparks would tingle in the pit of my stomach, then slowly spread over my body, warming it exactly as he had the night before. I brushed my thumb over my lips, recalling how he’d done the same thing.
“Isla?”
I yanked my hand down and turned to Eddie, convinced he could see the flush on my skin and the guilt in my eyes.
He tossed a towel over his shoulder and leaned against the counter near the hostess stand. “We’re kinda slow today, so if you want to take off early, you’re welcome to. I think I can manage the hostess stand for the rest of the day.”
Though I’d normally jump at the chance to have a day off, being alone with my thoughts was the last thing I wanted. At least at work I had something to do to help temporarily mute my brain. Not that it had helped much, but there were a few moments Colby wasn’t in the forefront. Oh, who was I kidding? I forgot menus when seating one family, and completely botched drink orders at another table.
“Sounds good. Let me finish up what I was doing, then I’ll take off.”
He pushed off the counter and called back, “Enjoy your day.”
“Thanks.” I slid the stack of menus back into the holder, finished rolling silverware, then went to the computer to clock out.
The door dinged, and I glanced toward the kitchen but Eddie didn’t reappear.
“Hey, Isla.” Landon’s voice drew my attention to the entrance but my gaze drifted past him and right to Colby, who stood alongside him.
“Hey.” I fought to keep my voice steady and my smile natural. “Are you eating here or picking something up?”
Colby, who’d been studying me, finally shifted his gaze. “We called in something. Eddie took our order.” He glanced back up. “How’s your day been?”
“Um, great.” My forced smile couldn’t possibly look natural so I turned away and scrolled through the computer. “I actually just clocked out, but I can check on your order real quick.”
“Well, if you’re off, you should come hang out,” Landon said.
I glanced over my shoulder as Colby lifted his baseball cap, then settled it back on his head. “Yeah. It’s Matt’s birthday tomorrow so we’re all hanging out tonight. You should come.”
Was that a pity invite or genuine?
Dammit. This was Colby. Of course I was welcome. And this was the problem with hooking up with your friend. At least for me. It shifted the dynamics, and turned me into an insecure mess.
“I’m going to check in with my grandma, but I might stop by.”
“Yeah, for sure. Matt’s bringing his new girl and I’m sure she’d appreciate the company.” Landon chuckled.
“He has a girl now?” I shifted back to the guys. “Who’s he dating?”
“Brandon’s sister Taylor.”
I stared at him, trying to decide if he was serious, then, realizing he was, shook my head. “Oh, that’s gonna end well.”
Landon chuckled. “In a wedding or a funeral.”
Colby shrugged. “Brandon seems cool with it. And Taylor and Matt are happy. Even if it doesn’t work out, it was worth a shot, right?”
Wait. Was this one of those times I should or shouldn’t read more into that comment? Colby had always been sort of the mediator in situations like this, so he was probably just doing what he did…but oh, how I really wanted that to be a message to me. Like he was secretly saying maybe we could give things a shot. Maybe I didn’t need to be “that friend” he hooked up with one time. Maybe I could be the girl worth dating.
Though right now I was just the girl overthinking everything.
I shook it off. “That’s true. Let me go grab your order before it gets cold.”
“Cool, thanks.” Landon sat on the bench and stretched his legs out.
And maybe it was wishful thinking but Colby’s gaze seemed to track me as I disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. I bagged the to-go boxes, then took them back to the guys.
“Here you go.”
Colby, who was still standing, reached for the bag and, yeah, we totally had one of those moments where our fingers brushed each other’s and all the warm tinglies rushed through me. But the question was: Did it affect him? And by first look the answer was a big fat no. Which meant it was as good a time as any to throw out Grandma’s invite and extend it to Landon to avoid one giant awkward breakfast.
“Oh, Grandma wanted me to invite you over for breakfast Sunday.”
Colby looked at me and a small smile began to form on his mouth.
“You too, Landon. If you can drag yourself out of bed before lunchtime, come over, okay?”
Colby glanced back at his brother, the smile fading. “Yeah. I’ll get him out of bed.” But when his smile reappeared, it didn’t look quite as spontaneous.
Landon tilted his head in my direction. “Hey, when it comes to your grandma’s cooking, I’ll get my own ass out of bed. No problem there.”
I laughed. “She’ll be thrilled to hear that.” I gave him a pointed stare. “Don’t let her down.”
“Never.” He stood and stretched, his shirt riding up a tiny bit around the waist, and no doubt he had the kind of body most girls would drool over, but I saved all my fantasies for his younger and—in my opinion—much hotter brother.
The two said goodbye, lunch in hand, and I pretended to be really preoccupied restocking menus but really it just gave me a chance to busy my hands while sneaking a peek at Colby as he walked away. And this was one of those moments I really missed my best friend.
I straightened, shaking off my thoughts once again, and untied my apron. Of course, now the question was did I go to Colby’s? He did say Taylor would be there, which might help. It wasn’t often girls hung out there. And though she was a little younger than me, she’d been around a few times with her brother. I didn’t know her well, but she seemed nice. I sighed and shoved my apron into my bag. This was Colby’s. I shouldn’t need to talk myself into this. But maybe a few days apart was what we needed. A little time to forget about what had happened. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, like that was possible.
“You okay?” Eddie had reappeared and caught me in the middle of my mental argument. Awesome.
“Oh yeah.” I waved my hand like muttering to myself was the most normal thing ever. “Just remembered I have an assignment due for school.”
“Well, now you have the afternoon off to work on it.” He smiled and patted my head as he walked by. Really it must just be a short girl problem, because everyone seemed to feel the need to reassure me like a child.
“That’s true.” I smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Get your work done,” he called as I pushed through the doors.
Before the door swung shut, I shouted back, “Yes, sir.” Mostly because I knew Eddie hated being called si
r, claiming it made him feel old. Not that he was young, but I guess he hung on to what he could.
I laughed as his expression fell. With a grin, I waved bye, and he shook his head then turned to head back to the kitchen. The problem with Eddie playing hostess was he tended to forget he was actually supposed to stay up front. Oh well, it was his restaurant.
As I walked to my car, I pulled out my phone and called Felicity. Her phone rang several times with no answer. I ended the call and slid the phone in my back pocket just as it chimed. I pulled it back out and read the screen.
Felicity: Just got to a photo shoot. Can’t answer now. What’s up?
Unfortunately this wasn’t the kind of chat I wanted to have through texts. I knew when she worked shoots they usually lasted several hours, which meant I probably wouldn’t get a chance to talk to her before going to Colby’s.
Me: Just call me when you have time to talk.
Felicity: Everything all right?
Me: Yep! Just wanted to chat.
Felicity: Okay. I’ll call you later.
For years, I’d been dying for some Colby-action, dreaming about a moment just like this. Now here it was and I was completely lost. No clue how I should be acting, and no one around to help me figure it out. When I couldn’t turn to Felicity, my next choice was always him. What now?
Grandma flitted through my mind but that idea was quickly smothered. I couldn’t talk to her about this. No way. Gah. I needed more friends.
—
I pulled up to Colby’s and stared at his house. It was as familiar as the cars parked in front of it, yet everything felt off. And because of that, I just knew I’d walk in the door and the guys would know. Not because I didn’t trust Colby to keep quiet, but because I wore my emotions, and subtlety wasn’t really my strong point. My expression would basically be like an “ask me about the amazing sex I had with Colby last night” sign. I was so screwed. Maybe I shouldn’t even bother? I could just go home, get a little schoolwork done, maybe finally get a chance to talk to Felicity—
My heart leapt from my chest as a hand banged on my window, followed by a deep laugh.
Owen shouted, “You napping in there?”
I rolled my eyes and, with no other choice now, opened my car door.
“I was until you came along.” I playfully swatted his arm. “Need help with those?” I pointed at the two cases of soda he carried.
He raised his arm, intentionally causing his bicep to flex, then winked. “I got it.”
With a laugh, I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure that works wonders on the girls at school.”
“You think?”
But I didn’t bother answering because clearly Owen knew the answer. And I couldn’t really blame him. He was basically Colby’s good looks topped with Landon’s charisma. Like the best of both his older brothers wrapped up in one adorably cocky package. Somehow it really worked for him.
“So how are you enjoying your last year of high school?”
He shrugged. “Ready for May.” His answer lacked conviction. But really, what was the rush? I mean maybe high school sucked—though doubtfully for a guy like Owen—but juggling college and a job definitely wasn’t much better.
I opened the front door for him, then did a quick sweep of the room. Colby must’ve been out back. But I did spot Landon in the kitchen talking with Matt and Taylor. He nodded and waved me over.
“You made it.” He grinned and then wrapped me up in a big hug. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ll take a soda.”
He walked to the fridge and I turned to Matt and smiled. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks. You’ve met Taylor, right?” He pointed to the cute blonde at his side.
“Yeah. Of course. How have you been?”
“Good thanks. And um, really happy to have another girl to talk to.” Her laugh sounded almost nervous, like she’d admitted something then immediately doubted herself.
I smiled. “You and me both.”
Her face brightened and she glanced at Matt, who looked a little relieved himself. It must have really sucked being the new girl. I’d never had to be on the other side of that, and I felt kind of bad about all those other girls who’d come and gone but I’d never really gotten to know. Granted most of them hadn’t been the younger sister of one of the guys, so maybe this was a little different. One way or another, I figured Taylor would be around for a while, which was cool with me.
Landon returned, drink in hand. “Did Colby keep you up too late? You look exhausted.”
His joke was innocent enough and there was no reason to suspect it wasn’t just his usual teasing, but I went into panic mode, knowing full and well my emotions would seep through. “We just hung out, waiting for the storm to pass. But tell me about the bar. Was it completely packed?”
He laughed. “Oh man, do I have a few good stories.”
Matt shook his head. “A few?” He laughed. “Where do you even start? It’s like the wind blew the crazies in.”
I leaned against the counter. “Now this I have to hear.”
Landon rested his elbow next to me and started with his first story, and I was beyond grateful for the distraction. The last thing I needed was to be thinking about what Colby and I did. Especially since it all started right there. At that table. In the very chair I was staring at now.
Chapter 4
Landon had done a pretty good job distracting me, but the second Colby stepped into the house, I’d known. It was as if I could sense him watching me, and though it wasn’t easy, I kept my attention on Landon.
He was finishing up a story about a guy who’d managed to get himself ejected from the bar last night. I shook my head as he described how the guy had mistaken a closet for a bathroom, and couldn’t help but laugh as Landon did a spot-on drunk guy impression.
Landon grinned over at me, his story now winding down, and reached over, freeing a strand of hair that had managed to stick to my gloss without my knowledge.
I looked up at him and helped tuck the strand back. “Thanks.”
His smile hitched slightly higher on the right, then he nodded, and as he said a quick “no problem,” Colby came into view.
He’d finally made his way into the kitchen, but instead of a greeting, I got an icy stare. Well, maybe not icy, but definitely not warm and tingly, at least not from what I could make of it. But curiosity got the best of me and I turned my attention fully to him.
And yep, as expected, he didn’t look happy to see me. But not necessarily mad either. Indifferent? No, that wasn’t it. He looked…well, agitated. Except I couldn’t really tell if it was directed at me or not.
And before I could decide what in the world had him all worked up, he relaxed his stance, and asked, “When did you get here?”
It didn’t exactly sound like an accusation because he combined the question with a smile, but still, something was amiss. The obvious thing would be what happened last night, except he hadn’t acted this way at Eddie’s.
“Not that long ago.” I raised my drink, slowly taking a sip, eyeing him over the top, then lowered it. “Can’t stay too long though. I need to study.”
I waited to see if he’d look relieved by the fact I’d be leaving soon.
“Whatcha studying tonight?” Landon asked.
“For midterms.” I shrugged. “But don’t forget. Sunday. Breakfast.”
“Yep. I’ll be there,” Colby quickly answered, catching me slightly off guard with his sudden cheery response. Talk about whiplash.
But then his gaze dropped as Landon shifted, his arm brushing my hip. Call me crazy but there was the tiniest twitch in his jaw.
“Me too,” Landon added, completely oblivious to whatever was happening between Colby and me right then.
Of course, when it came down to it, so was I. What in the world was going on with him? And how was I supposed to feel about it? Mad? Hurt? Definitely confused. I could ignore it and maybe give it time to work itself out, but this was Colby.
My friend. Hopefully. Either way, it was probably time to find out.
I forced a smile. “Cool. Well, I need to get going.” I turned, tossed my soda in the trash, then glanced over my shoulder at him. “Walk me to my car?”
Colby stood upright, glanced around the group then nodded. “Sure.”
I said a quick goodbye to everyone, told Taylor we’d have to get together soon like we’d planned, then headed toward the front door. I didn’t glance back to be sure Colby followed but I knew he had. My body always seemed to sense when he was nearby.
Once outside, I leaned against the driver side door of my car and stared up at the stars. The moon wasn’t quite full, but close enough to brighten the entire sky, making it easy to see everything. From the quiet, colorful beach cottages lining Coral Cove, to the way Colby’s eyebrows had pushed together and his downturned mouth.
I sighed, feeling my own expression sink into a frown, then shifted my gaze to him.
Now or never.
“Are we okay?” And before he could even answer, I blurted, “It was just sex, right?”
“Uh…” Colby straightened his shoulders, glanced around, maybe hoping no one was in earshot, then said, “I hope we’re okay.” His expression softened. “Are you okay?”
But when he looked at me, my I-can-handle-one-night-stands persona wavered. So I did what I did best. Talk. “Yeah. I’m good. And, really, I don’t want things to get weird. They shouldn’t. But it seems like maybe they are.” My rambling lost steam and I finally stared down. “Or maybe it’s just me. I don’t know.”
“No, it’s me too. But you’re right. It shouldn’t be weird.”
I peeked up at him and he looked like my Colby again. Warm eyes, sweet smile…
“We’re still friends.” His hand extended toward my hair much like it’d done last night but then it seemed to shift course and he pulled me into a playful hug. “Nothing’s gonna change that.”
But hadn’t it? I stared up at him wondering if there was even the tiniest bit of change in the way he saw me. Last night had been pretty amazing. I’d handled it well. Hadn’t gone all crazy. Could he ever see me as a something more than just Isla? Because as stupid as it was, I saw him as more. Was Colby one of my favorite people? Yes. Was I in love with him? Definitely. But now he was also the guy I’d had some seriously amazing sex with, and being this close to him, wrapped up in his arms…well, I couldn’t think of much else.
Addicted to You Page 3
