“I really have no explanation for that without seeing it myself. What do you think? Is he interested?”
“I honestly have no clue.”
“Would you be interested?”
Now that was a good question because my gut response was no. But when I thought of my reasons, the only one I had was Colby—but if there was never to be anything between us, was my reasoning still valid? “I can’t be interested in a guy whose brother I had sex with.”
“Well, technically you can, but I see your point.”
“And then there’s the party thing—well, you know more than me, considering I didn’t even get an invitation.”
“While I’m honestly surprised they’re involved in it, I’m not surprised they’ve taken over.”
“That’s putting it lightly. They never even discussed it with me. Just texted a few days ago. I don’t even know if Grandma knows, and I haven’t brought it up because I have no idea what I’d even say, considering how little I know myself.”
“I’m sorry. What a mess.”
“No kidding.”
“I’m really sorry to do this, but I have to get going. I’m supposed to be back at the studio in ten minutes and I need to get changed.”
“Oh, no problem.”
“Text me whenever. You shouldn’t be dealing with this stuff alone. I may not get back to you right away but I’m always here to at least listen.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just know how busy you are and it never seemed right to drop on you when you were in the middle of something.”
“Like I’ve never done that to you!” She laughed. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“Thanks, Felicity.”
After we hung up, my phone chimed with a text.
Landon: Off tonight. Having a get-together. Come over?
Landon. Short. Sweet. And to the point.
But before I gave an answer I shot a quick message to Taylor, who agreed to go and, best yet, offered to be designated driver, so I could even have a few drinks. Which at this point, I really could use.
But first things first. The perfect outfit needed to be chosen.
After several outfit changes, I finally settled on a cranberry-colored shirt, thanks to the one time Colby had said—rather off-handedly—that red looked good on me.
My phone started buzzing just as I applied a final coat of mascara. I glanced at the screen. Taylor was parked out front. I crammed all my makeup back into the bag then called out, “Grandma.”
“In the kitchen.”
I popped my head around the corner. “I’m heading to Colby’s.”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek, her floral perfume filling the air around me. “Be safe, mijita.”
“Always.” I smiled. “Call me if you need anything.” I turned, grabbed my purse off the couch, then headed outside to meet Taylor.
“Hey,” she said as I slid into the passenger seat. “Cute top.”
“Thanks.”
“Sooo.” She grinned. “Can I ask who the guy is?”
“What do you mean?”
She chuckled. “That you got all cute for.” When I didn’t respond, she went on. “Hair, makeup, outfit.” She pointed to each as she named them. “Full package.”
“Oh, uh, no one.” I glanced down at my top. “I practically live in my Eddie’s uniform. Just feels nice to dress up.”
“Okay.” She laughed again. “So can I guess?”
“Guess?”
“Who it is.”
“It’s no one. Really.” Which was only a partial lie, because even though I wanted Colby to notice that I looked good, nothing would come of it. Which was a good thing, now that we’d finally managed to get back to being just friends. It wasn’t exactly the place I wanted to be, but I’d take it over the messy place we’d been post-hookup.
She laughed. “Okay, by the end of the night, I’ll make my guess. If I’m right, you tell me. If I’m wrong, you can keep up the ‘no one’ story.” She grinned and I caved.
“Fine. Take a guess. But you won’t be right because there’s no one.”
“If you say so.” Her smiled widened. “This will be fun.”
“Oh my god.” I laughed. “There’s no one! Really.”
“Hey, I’m the DD. Let me have fun where I can find it.”
“That’s true. Okay, tell me what you see. This could be fun for me too. You’ll be so off base, it could get interesting.”
We pulled in front of Colby’s house and parked behind another car along the curb, since his driveway was full. From the looks of it, most of the guys had decided to stop by tonight. Which was probably a good thing. It’d keep Taylor guessing. Last thing I needed was her realizing how hopeless I was over Colby. I trusted her to not blab it all around if she did figure it out, but what if she slipped or told Matt? Or worse yet, what if she asked one too many questions, and stumbled upon the knowledge that Colby and I had slept together? The last thing I needed were rumors followed by interrogations. Everyone knew I wasn’t a good liar. The truth would be out in no time.
“And don’t worry.” She smiled as she opened the driver door. “This is between you and me.”
It was as if she’d read my mind. Though I still wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t confide in Matt, I appreciated her offering to keep it secret. “Thanks, but really, nothing’s going on.”
“If you say so; guess we’ll see tonight.”
I shook my head and laughed as we made our way to the porch. When it came to a party, no one knocked, so I swung open the front door just in time to see some sort of beer drinking competition in full swing.
Five guys, including Landon and Colby, were gathered around the table as they each chugged a beer. Landon slammed his empty can down then pumped his fist in victory. He was followed closely by Colby and Matt, then the other two.
“I think you cheated.” Colby wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Got an early start or something.”
“Want to go again?” Landon offered with a smug smile.
“Nah. Once is enough for me.” Then as if sensing someone had entered the room, he glanced over his shoulder and locked his eyes on me.
His gaze drifted down, then back up, and he smiled. Except it wasn’t his normal smile. It was this ridiculously sexy half smirk that suggested Colby had been drinking for quite a while. “Hey.”
I tried not to laugh as I responded. “Hey there. Having fun?”
“Not really.” He turned around, fully facing me, and his smile widened. “I lost.”
“Because I kicked his ass,” Landon shouted.
A quick glance at him confirmed he’d also done more than his fair share of drinking.
“Well, you guys got started early,” I said, biting back a smile. “Um, save anything for me?”
“Of course.” Colby was still giving me a slightly dopey but super adorable grin. “I’ve got whatever you want.”
“Wait, wait, wait. I got this.” Landon turned to the kitchen. “Let the professional handle it.”
Colby slowly turned to Landon, his smile fading as he tracked his brother’s movements. Apparently the world was in slow motion for him. I stifled a laugh. A drunk Colby was pretty hilarious when I was sober.
“Whatcha’ girls feel like drinking?” Landon called back as he stared into the fridge.
“I’m fine with a beer,” I answered.
“Beer? That’s not exciting. I was all ready to whip you up something.” He shifted his gaze to Taylor. “What about you?”
“I’m driving.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”
Landon looked a bit heartbroken.
My laugh finally broke free. “Okay, make me a drink. Anything you want. Surprise me!”
He expression brightened and he pointed at me. “You will love this.” Then he spun around and got to work.
Still smiling, I shook my head. That boy was all sorts of crazy tonight.
While he was busy showing off his bartending
skills, Taylor and I said hi to the rest of the guys, including her brother, Brandon, who hadn’t been around much lately. Hopefully it didn’t cause any awkwardness tonight, but he seemed to be genuinely okay with his friend dating his younger sister.
We’d just finished making our way through the small crowd gathered outside when Landon appeared in the doorway with a glass raised in one hand. “Best. Drink. Ever.”
Forcing back a smile, I crossed my arms. “Hmm, shouldn’t I be the judge of that?”
“Well, yeah, of course. But that’s just what I named the drink. Best Drink Ever. I mean, it may taste like shit, but when people say ‘Hey, that looks good. What is it?’ you’ll have to answer, ‘best drink ever.’ ”
The guys laughed and Landon’s grin widened at their approval.
“Okay, okay. Let’s see if it lives up to its name.” He handed me the glass and I took a sip, fully aware I had an audience. The first thing that hit me was coconut mixed with something tangy, like pineapple or orange juice. There was also a hint of fizziness, like he’d used some type of carbonated drink, but then I was smacked in the face with the vodka. All in all the drink was good but, whoa, it burnt going down. I coughed a bit as the residual flames licked at my throat, then finally gave Landon the thumbs-up. “Has a kick, but overall…” I winced and cleared my throat again, “…it’s good.”
His eyebrows pushed together and he stared at the glass. “Maybe I didn’t stir it well. I tasted it…twice. I couldn’t taste the vodka at all.”
“Maybe it has something to do with all the beers you’ve been shotgunning?”
He nodded. “Good point. Want me to add more juice?”
“Please?”
He chuckled and reached for the glass. “No problem.” He disappeared back into the house and suddenly I was tugged into someone’s lap.
I practically stumbled, then regained my footing and stared directly at Colby. Not even sure where he’d come from.
“I’ve been thinking.” His words weren’t quite slurred but he did seem to take extra long to get them out. “About you and me.”
Oh shit. A quick glance around confirmed at least five guys were in earshot.
“Together.”
My back stiffened. Great idea. Wrong time. This conversation so couldn’t happen now.
“Um—”
He shushed me. “I think we’d be great together as captains.”
What the hell? “Like of a boat?”
He laughed. Hard. “Team. Captains of a team.”
“Oh, okay…” A drunk Colby probably didn’t need to make sense if the conversation wasn’t diving into private territory. Might as well just let him babble.
“For that beach cleanup next month, if we organize our group, and I mean like really have a solid game plan, we could definitely win this.”
“We could…” Were we seriously discussing a fundraiser like it was the most important event of our life? “But we haven’t registered.”
His expression fell. “I know. But we’d win. And we’d donate all the money to the pier restoration. We need that pier.”
“Um, yeah. I like the pier too.” Holy crap, how much had he drunk?
“You were wearing blue.”
“Um, what?” Drunk Colby was very hard to keep up with.
“We were twelve. It was our first time getting to walk the carnival without our parents. And you were wearing blue.”
The back door slid open and Colby jumped up so fast I almost fell from his lap. He mumbled something about getting a drink and took off inside.
I craned to get a better look at his expression but Landon blocked my view.
“Sorry, I ended up making a few drinks for the guys.” He handed me back my drink. “Tell me if this is better.”
I took a sip and nodded, still hung up on where Colby had been going with that story. “Much better. Thanks.”
I sat in the chair Colby had been in and pretended to listen to the guys while thinking back to the night he’d been talking about.
It was the summer before seventh grade and we were at the weekend carnival on the pier. Usually I had to stay with my parents because it got crowded with all the tourists, but Colby’s parents had let him walk around with Landon so I asked my parents if I could join them. Mom had always been overly protective, but that night she waved her hand and nodded, like she was batting away a fly.
At the time, I was thrilled, but looking back, I realized I’d missed the glossy tears hiding in the corner of her eyes. The slight turn of her mouth, the tremble of her lip, the way her shoulders sagged with the weight of adult problems that I’d never understand at twelve. They divorced a few years later, but what I hadn’t realized at the time was how that night was the beginning of the end of their marriage. I never resented her for the brush-off though, because now I knew how much my mom had protected me from. She absorbed all the pain of a bad marriage, so I could stay blissfully unaware.
And I was. Happy and carefree with the freedom to follow Colby and Landon around. Because that’s exactly how it felt to me. They’d always been close, even back then, and I was basically the tag-along puppy.
But the best part of the night was when Colby gave me a stuffed bear. He’d won it playing a ring toss game and wouldn’t have been caught dead carrying it around so he handed it to me. God, how I’d treasured that stupid bear.
The details of that night had always lingered in my mind because even at the age of twelve, I’d already been hopelessly in love with him, but how had he remembered what I was wearing? I couldn’t even recall that.
What had made the night so memorable for him? Was this just drunk Colby talk or was there really something about that night at the pier? I glanced at the sliding glass door wondering where Colby had taken off to.
Then again, even if I went inside and questioned him, could I believe anything he said? A few minutes ago he’d been rambling on about a team for a beach cleanup neither one of us had even signed up for. Obviously, after a few drinks, logic wasn’t really on the table when it came to him.
But curiosity got the best of me. I slipped inside to find him. He wasn’t at the table with the guys playing cards. Nor was he in the kitchen. I glanced down the hall but the bathroom door was open, the light off. His bedroom door was also open with the light off. He wouldn’t have driven off somewhere, would he? My stomach turned, fearing what could happen if he got behind the wheel. I made my way down the hall just to double-check that he wasn’t in his bedroom.
And though the room was dark, I made out the distinct silhouette of Colby.
Chapter 13
His gaze was focused out the window. And I couldn’t blame him. The ocean was peaceful at night. The lull of the waves always calmed my restlessness too.
“Colby?”
He stayed quiet. Didn’t even turn around. Maybe he didn’t hear me, or maybe he chose not to. Either way something compelled me to move forward. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder.
“You okay?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
With a deep breath, he nodded. “Tired.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. You were sitting in the dark, and I thought you were upset. I didn’t realize you were getting ready to go to bed.” I lowered my hand but he caught it.
I stared at my hand, now in his, then at him. Was he reaching out for comfort? Or something more? “Want to talk about anything?”
“The ocean.”
I glanced out the window then back at him. And drunk Colby was still making his grand appearance. “Oh?”
“I like watching it. It’s pretty this time of night.”
“Yeah. It is.”
He released my hand then tilted his head toward the empty spot beside him. “I’m not going to sleep yet. You can stay if you want.”
Several minutes seemed to pass with nothing more from him. I had to say something.
“So the pier? What were you saying about it?” I asked.
“It has good memories for me.
”
“I can’t believe you remembered I wore blue. I didn’t even remem—”
“It was a blue sleeveless shirt with tiny white flowers all over it, jean shorts, and flip-flops. Your hair was in a braid.”
What the…? How…?
“The bear. I won it for you.”
I laughed, almost nervously. Scared to admit more than I should, knowing full and well this was just drunk talk. “You just didn’t want to carry it around.”
He shook his head. “Nah. I played it cool, pretending I’d won it on a fluke. But, damn, if I hadn’t tried my hardest…After all, yellow was your favorite color. Except…I hadn’t expected to see that look.”
“What look?”
He grinned. “It was as if I’d handed you a priceless treasure, not some ugly, slightly deformed carnival prize.”
My face warmed and I was thankful the darkened room hid it. Of course I’d looked at it like it was a treasure, because to me it had been.
“I think about that look a lot. Sometimes I think I see it. Other times I think I just want to.”
He wanted to see that look? And what did that mean?
“We leapt, Isla.”
And there was the reminder I needed right then. Colby was wasted. There was no point in deciphering drunken messages.
“Here you are…this girl, who I’ve cared about, watched out for, laughed and joked with, and genuinely just loved as a person, but suddenly I’m supposed to be thinking about you in a way I’d kill another guy for?”
His words sunk deep. And while a part of me screamed It’s just drunk talk, another part of me needed to know more. Like did he regret leaping? Or was he just having trouble figuring out the what next, like me? If we took our time, could we have more? Or could he never see me as more than a friend?
“Colby?”
He shifted, slowly coming to face me. His eyes looked hooded, sexy, and inviting. “Yeah, Isla?”
And I chickened out. All the things I’d wondered and the questions I had fell short on my tongue, and instead I blurted, “I still have that yellow bear.”
His head cocked sideways, the corner of his mouth tugged up in the slightest of smiles.
“In a box, in my closet.”
Addicted to You Page 10
