“Either way. Jake is one of my best friends.”
“His flirting still hasn’t gotten to you?” he asks.
“He learned it would never get him anywhere, just like I told you he would. We’ve only ever been friends. That’s all we’ll ever be.”
“Who was the guy you were with the other day?” I’m shocked it took him this long to bring it up.
I hesitate. “Another friend.”
“That didn’t sound very convincing.” I shrug. “Want to talk about it?” How does he go from trying to get me back to offering to listen to my problems?
“Nothing to talk about.”
“What’s going on?”
“My parents don’t know I’m a teacher yet. Once they find out, I’m going to have one hell of a fight on my hands for Gram’s house.” My eyes look at the garden as I think about losing all of this. “My mom is ready to sell it because I won’t date the guy she picked out for me.”
“Why does she care? She’s never cared about you. You aren’t asking her for anything, right?”
“It’s about her image. Always is. Noah is dating a professional cheerleader. She wants to make sure she has a good story to tell about both of her children. She doesn’t actually give a shit if we’re happy or not.”
“I told my parents about us having dinner.”
“How’d that go?” I grin, knowing his answer.
“My mom wanted me to invite you to their house, and my dad asked if we were back together. I think he still has a crush on you.” I roll my eyes and he smiles. “You always were his favorite.”
“Only because I paid attention to him,” I tease.
“A little too much, if you ask me,” Nate mutters.
“No one asked you.” I stick my tongue out at him and start to clean up. “I’m going to run this stuff inside and grab dessert. Want another beer? Or something else?”
“I’ll help you,” he offers, standing up.
“Don’t worry about it. Just sit there and relax,” I insist. Nate helps pile the plates for me to carry in. Thankfully, the pile stays in place all the way to the kitchen sink without falling over. There aren’t that many dishes, so I quickly rinse them and throw them in the dishwasher. Something tells me the reason I’m stalling to go back outside has to do with not wanting Nate to have any of the cake Evan helped me make. Without another thought, I grab the ice cream roll from the freezer and take it outside.
Nate is leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed. He didn’t hear me come out because his eyes pop open when I set everything down on the glass table. “Thought you got lost in there.”
“Sorry. I cleaned up the dishes,” I say, handing him another beer.
“You should have let me help you.”
“Nate, I sit home all day staring at the walls.” And baking cakes with a hot guy, but that’s my little secret. “The least I could do is clean up dinner that I didn’t even have to make.” I slice dessert and hand him a piece.
“Thank goodness. I was afraid you were going to tell me you made dessert. Doesn’t matter how fancy of a college you went to. There isn’t anyone who’d be able to teach you how to cook.” He winks at me.
“I’m thinking about taking up baking.” I take a sip of my beer, recalling events from earlier this afternoon. His puzzled expression amuses me. “Just seems like it could be a lot of fun.”
Chapter Eleven
Evan
Walking out of Kacie’s house this afternoon was not what I wanted to do. However, if I didn’t get the hell out of there, she was going to be bent over the damn counter screaming my name. This girl drives me fucking crazy. Just thinking about her has me wanting more. How am I supposed to get this shit done before the race tonight if she’s all I can think about? I launch my pen across the room and my forehead falls onto the desk in front of me. That’s how Meg finds me when she comes into the office.
“What the fuck is your problem?” she asks, pushing the door closed.
“Get out,” I mumble, not lifting my head.
“Seriously, Evan. Obviously something’s going on. You aren’t acting normal. Before a race, you’re usually running around here like a lunatic trying to get everything in order so you aren’t distracted.” She makes herself comfortable in the chair. “I’m going to sit here until you tell me.” I look up to see my cousin glaring at me, her arms extended along the sides of the leather chair. She’s not kidding.
“Do you have any idea how annoying you are?”
She grins at me. “I learned from the best. Now spill it.”
“Nothing’s really wrong,” I begin. “I’m just not sure what to do about Kacie Foster.”
Meg looks as though she’s trying to place the name. “Oh, Jade’s friend.”
“That’s her.”
“What happened?” Meg is examining her fingernails, obviously disappointed the story isn’t more interesting. “No. Don’t tell me. I want to guess. You had sex with her, blew her mind, and now she won’t leave you alone.” She actually put that a lot nicer than she normally would have.
“I didn’t sleep with her,” I confess.
Her eyebrows shoot up. She suddenly became more interested. “Really? Why not? She’s cute.”
“Meg, she’s more than cute,” I exhale, leaning back in the chair. “Other than being the hottest girl I’ve ever met, Kacie has a badass attitude that turns me on like no one else ever has.”
“Sounds like the girl of your dreams.” I’m not sure if she’s making fun of me or not. “What’s the problem then?”
“Having sex with her won’t be enough.” Did that just come out of my mouth?
“What did you just say?” she asks.
“I’m…not sure.”
“Holy shit!” Meg yells. “You like her. Evan Pierce really is a human being with feelings. Who the hell would have thought?” she laughs. Why does she find this funny? “Did she cut you off or something?” I don’t answer. “Come on. You have to tell me the rest.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I snap, pretending to turn my attention to the shit waiting for me on the desk. The act of moving papers aground isn’t enough to distract my younger cousin.
“Evan, if you don’t start talking, I’m going to hunt her down and torture her until she tells me. Did you ask her out?”
“How old are you?”
“Age has nothing to do with it. Did you ask her out?”
“No. Well, we went out to lunch the other day and I went to her house twice this week.”
“Did you kiss her?” Meg leans forward like a teenage girl gossiping with her friends.
“You’re getting on my nerves. Knock your shit off before I kick your ass.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she blows me off, as usual. “Did…you…kiss…her?”
“No.” Why am I answering these questions?
“Why not?”
“Meg, you’re seriously pushing your luck,” I warn her for the last time.
“Will you knock off the tough guy act for one fucking minute?” I sigh. “Why haven’t you kissed her?”
“Because I don’t know if she’s into me.”
She looks at me with an odd expression. “You don’t know if she’s into you? Who says that?” When she doesn’t get a response, she continues, “Explain.”
“Kacie doesn’t act like other girls.”
“Oh, you mean like a cheap whore who will screw you just to make every other female in the room jealous?” How pissed would my uncle be if I fired his only child from his club? “That’s because she’s an intelligent, classy girl, Evan. How many times have I told you to look somewhere other than here for dates?”
“I never wanted this before, and I don’t want to have this stupid ass conversation, either.”
“What do you want, exactly?” she probes further.
Frustrated at my cousin’s badgering, I jump out of the chair and pace behind it. “I don’t know what I want! I’ve only known her for a week. All I
do know is this isn’t only about random sex. Don’t get me wrong. It’s part of it. I’ve fucked her in my head more times and in more ways than you can imagine.”
“Yuck,” she says, covering her ears.
“But,” I ignore her comment, “it’s fun to be around Kacie. When it’s time to leave, it feels like part of me is being left behind. She’s smart, athletic, and funny. Hell, she has more comebacks than you do.”
“She’s not that good,” Meg mutters, lounging back to listen.
“I’ve said shit purposely to try to get a rise out of her and the girl doesn’t even squirm. She’s never shown any interest other than in the fucking milkshakes I bring her,” I rant. Getting this off my chest may be good for me.
“You bring her milkshakes?”
“Yeah,” I answer defensively. “She likes them.”
“Wow,” Meg says, lifting herself off the chair. “Looks like the only thing left for you to do is grow a set of balls and ask her out.”
“I can’t.”
“Afraid she’ll say no?”
“She’s already mentioned how she has too much bullshit going on to get involved with anyone,” I say.
Meg’s about to reach for the doorknob, then turns and looks at me. “If she’s really who you want, I guess you need to give her a reason to change her mind.” She opens the door and is ready to walk out, but stops. “Did you invite her to the party on Sunday?” Meg throws an awesome party at her parents’ house every year for Memorial Day.
“No. I forgot about it.”
“So call and invite her.”
“I don’t have her number.”
Meg is shaking her head as if I’ve disappointed her. “Maybe you should ask her for it. Why are boys so dumb?” If girls were so damn smart, why didn’t she just give it to me? She has a look on her face like something just occurred to her. “When was the last time you had sex?”
“Really, Meg?” I say instead of giving her the information she wants.
“Yes, really, Evan. Answer me.”
Only to get her to go away, I tell her the truth. She’ll know if I’m lying, anyway. “The night before I met Kacie.”
My cousin smiles. “I can’t believe you are finally falling for a girl. Hopefully Daddy’s club doesn’t suffer because of it.” She winks and disappears down the hallway. I really want to fire her ass.
For the next few hours, I’m buried under mounds of paperwork and phone calls. I order the liquor. If the order isn’t right when it comes tomorrow, I’m calling my uncle, wherever the hell he is, to get me a new distributor. I’m not tolerating the same bullshit as last Friday. Payroll always takes the longest to do and it’s the one thing I’d really like to delegate to someone else, but can’t. The only good thing about it is that everything gets done online. One less person for me to have to deal with on the phone. The last thing I need to take care of is calling the guy we picked to be the club’s guest DJ Wednesday night. We’ve never used him before, but he comes highly recommended from a friend of mine. If all goes well, I’ll be able to use him whenever Nick, our normal DJ, needs a night off.
It’s almost time to go pick up my car from my aunt and uncle’s house. I keep it there because they have room in their huge garage. No way in hell am I leaving my brand new car, which needed to be imported from another country, in my condo parking lot. Some scumbag would lift it before my front door gets unlocked. My normal rounds around the club take a fraction of the time they normally do. Everyone knows Meg is running the show tonight and to go to her with any problems. They were warned when they came in this evening. I just like to make sure everything is under control before I go.
My cousin is waiting for me by the employee exit. “You okay?” I ask. She’s leaning up against the wall, watching me walk toward her.
“Yes,” she sighs. I know what she’s going to say next. She always does this. “I really wish you wouldn’t race anymore.”
My arm goes around her and I kiss her head. “I’ll be fine, Meg. Stop worrying.” It would be nice if she didn’t need to know about my hobby, but if she didn’t, she’d never cover for me. She always stresses when I race because of what happened with my brother. Meg and Ethan weren’t very close. Actually, Meg and I weren’t even close until I moved here, but aside from our parents, we’re the only family we have left. “You’ll get a text as soon as I cross the finish line.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She gives me a sad smile. Before I’m all the way through the door, she calls out, “Hey, Ev?”
“Yeah?”
“Please be careful and make sure Jake watches out for you,” she pleads.
“Anything for you,” I promise her and head out.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m pulling up to the road closure where the first cop is stationed. His name always escapes me, which is fucked up because the dude always bets on me. At first, he doesn’t recognize the new car. When I reach him, he realizes who it is.
“Hey, man. What happened to the Mustang?”
“It was time for something new,” I say. “Don’t worry. She’s been rebuilt on the inside and is ready to do this.”
“Good because I already placed my bet,” he laughs. “I doubt Chris would let me change it.”
“You’re probably right.” I wave as he sends me around the barricade.
The best thing about racing here is that it’s an industrial park, so everybody is long gone for the evening. There shouldn’t be anyone back here who isn’t associated with the race. The cops do a sweep around the place about an hour before Chris gets here to make sure all of the employees have left. Then, Chris will send out his own guys to survey the area and set up. Their main job is to keep watch for cops not involved or any other people that shouldn’t be there. They are supposed to report back to Chris if they see anything so he can give us a heads up to disappear. That’s only the shit we know about. All of these companies along this road have security cameras, but nothing has ever been reported in all the years Chris has been running this. I try not to think about what those guys are actually doing or where they are.
The starting line is just around the second bend to make sure it’s not visible from the main road. When my car rounds it, I can see there are already three cars in their designated starting locations. One of them happens to be Jake’s Camaro. Chris is at his usual spot off to the side, leaning up against his Porsche. I’ve always wondered if he does this racing gig just to pay for that car. He looks up to see who’s pulling in. There’s no need for Chris to check the tablet he’s holding in his hand because he already knows which space he wants me in. He holds up one finger indicating I should pull into the first spot, which is to the left of Jake. My car creeps up to the starting line while Marco, Chris’ friend, makes sure it’s in-line with the other cars. When he gives me the signal to stop, I kill the engine and open the door.
“Danny has been bragging about this for over a month now,” Marco calls out, pointing to the Scirocco. “Can’t wait to see it in action.”
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” I say. It’s the truth but, right now, the only thing running through my head is Kacie being with her ex-boyfriend. What if she realizes there’s still something between them and she goes back to him? Why has it been impossible to stop thinking about this since leaving her house this afternoon?
Making my way over to check in with Chris, I see a group of girls standing in the parking lot next to the starting line. It’s still pretty dark out here, they won’t turn the street lights on until it’s time to race, so I can’t really tell who it is. They are pretty loud, making it obvious they’re already tanked. With any luck, none of them will recognize me. I’m not in the mood tonight. Why someone tells them about the races is beyond me. The only place they should be is at the bar everyone meets at when it’s over.
“I was starting to worry. You’re usually the first racer here,” Chris says, reaching out to shake my hand.
“Shit at the club took longer than it shoul
d have.”
“Real work blows. Wouldn’t it be nice to do this for a living?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “How many cars do I have to beat tonight?”
“Six. Three of them are newbies. I hope they don’t wreck your new ride.”
“They won’t even get near it.”
“Good to hear. I have a lot of money riding on you.”
I laugh. “Don’t you always? Where are we meeting afterwards?” Chris doesn’t like to handle the money out here in the open. He designates a place for everyone to meet and collect their winnings an hour after the race ends.
“Sandy’s,” he smiles. “I owe her a visit anyway.” Chris and Sandy go way back. They dated in high school or some shit.
“I’ll be there. Hey, have you seen Quinn?” He points in the direction of the drunk bitches. I should have known. “Thanks.”
As I make my way over, Jake comes into view. Some brunette has her hands all over his chest. He’s not going to be happy when I call him away from his groupies. Before I can get his attention, one of the girls sees me approaching.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Evan,” she says. Ava is one of the few girls I’ve been with more than once. She’s blonde, flexible as hell, and has the longest legs I’ve ever had around my neck. Ava has no desire to make the night last any longer than it needs to. She never freaks out about me being gone before she gets out of the shower.
“Jake, I need to talk to you for a second,” I say, forgetting her.
“You can talk to Jake later.” Ava comes over to me and wraps her arms around my waist. “It’s been too long.”
I pull her arms off of me. “Not tonight,” I dismiss her. She’s baffled by my reaction. I’ve never turned her down before. “Jake,” I repeat.
“What the fuck?!” Ava snaps, instantly angry.
“I need to talk to my friend. Now stop being a fucking bitch!” I snap back, just as loudly.
Jake steps out from the group and starts to push me back. “Come on, man,” he says. “You girls should head to the finish line, or go to Sandy’s and save us a spot.” They start to walk in the other direction, but I hear Ava call me an asshole. It’s not the first time. “You okay?” Jake asks once they are far enough away.
Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 Page 13
