Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1

by D. J. Pierson

  “There’s the birthday girl and, lucky for her, she’s early,” Jade says, as chipper as ever.

  I return her hug and smile. “Today isn’t the day to be getting in trouble,” I reply.

  “No, it’s not,” she agrees. “Have a seat. Lunch should be here soon.” I walk over to the chair next to her desk. Jade has a few pictures displayed. There’s a photo of her and I from one of the many visits she made to Pennsylvania, one of her and her brother, as well as one of the three of us from high school graduation.

  “What? No picture of Kyle?” I wonder.

  “He just might make it to my collection if he keeps playing his cards right.” She points to the vase of roses on the corner of her desk. “They came yesterday. He told me not to take them home because he wanted me to think of him while I was at work. When I got home from your house last night, an identical bouquet was sent there.”

  “I think I’m going to puke,” I tease her.

  “Well, go do it now before your lunch gets here. I ordered from Mario’s just for your special day. You don’t want that to go to waste.” Mario’s is a popular Italian restaurant around the corner. She opens the bottom drawer of her desk and pulls out a small box wrapped in silver paper. “From me to you,” she announces.

  “Thank you,” I say, taking it from her. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I know, but I did anyway. Open it.” I undo the paper to find a white box from a local jewelry store. When I open it, I find a princess cut aquamarine ring, diamonds running along both sides of it. It’s very similar to the one I got her for her birthday back in February, only with an amethyst as the center stone. My favorite gem will now forever remind me of the one person in this world who has ever found his way into my heart.

  “Jade, it’s beautiful! I absolutely love it!” I exclaim.

  “Something told me you would,” she gloats. I slide it onto my right ring finger and admire it. The ringing of the bell that hangs on the back of the entryway door gains our attention. A very cute delivery boy enters carrying two bags of yummy smelling food. He has dark hair, dark eyes, and a gorgeous smile. He’s wearing his white baseball cap backwards and a red shirt with the restaurant name on the front of it. “The other reason you’re getting Mario’s today,” Jade whispers, standing up to collect our lunch.

  “Hi, Jade,” he says. “Haven’t been here in a while. What’s it been? Two days or so?” I suppose my sneaky best friend must order from Mario’s a lot.

  “Today is a special occasion. My best friend’s birthday,” she reveals. “Sal, Kacie. Kacie, Sal.”

  “Very nice to meet you. Happy birthday!” he says politely.

  “Thank you,” I reply, not at all stunned by my friend’s behavior.

  “Ladies, enjoy your lunch,” he says, turning to exit.

  “‘Bye, Sal,” Jade says, watching him leave.

  “Um…do you remember someone named Kyle?” I bring her focus back to me.

  “Please,” she rolls her eyes. “I don’t even think Sal is legal age. You’d think I’d be ashamed for looking, but I’m not. Let’s eat in the conference room. The chairs are more comfortable.”

  I follow behind her, laughing. “Wipe the damn drool off of your face before it gets all over your food.” She winks at me over her shoulder. That’s my Jade!

  For almost an hour, Jade and I have a nice time. She tells me about some of the cases they are currently working on. We get to talking about Kyle for a bit and how he wants to take Jade away for a long weekend. Neither one of us mention Evan or anything else that would bring me down. When we start to clean up our mess, the bell chimes again. Jade leans her head back from where she’s standing to see who it is.

  “It’s just me,” a familiar voice calls out.

  “Hi, Mary,” Jade responds. “Come see who the cat dragged in off the street today.”

  The last of our lunch gets shoved into the bags it came in and I walk over to meet Mary just inside the doorway to the conference room. “There’s my girl,” Mary says, smiling and stretching both arms out to me. I immediately fall into the embrace of my grandmother’s dearest friend. She still looks the same. Thin frame, hair done as if she just walked out of the salon, perfect makeup, and dressed as if she were going to kick ass in court. “Happy birthday, Kacie.”

  “Thank you. I was hoping you’d be here today,” I tell her. “How are you?”

  “I’m wonderful, dear,” she says, pulling back to look at me. “You get prettier every time I see you.”

  “You’re biased. You’ve known me forever,” I claim.

  “That’s not why,” she laughs. “Not to interrupt your lunch, but I have something I need you to look at while you’re here.”

  “Of course,” I say, suddenly concerned. “We were just finishing up.”

  “Perfect. Jade, are the calls still being forwarded to the answering service?”

  “Yes. I’ll go take them off.”

  “Actually, I want you to leave it how it is and stay in here with us. Would you mind getting me the file I spoke to you about this morning?”

  “Sure,” Jade tells her, avoiding eye contact with me.

  “Please, have a seat,” Mary directs me. I do as she asks. Once Jade returns and without saying a word, she hands Mary an accordion-type folder and comes to my side of the table to sit in the chair next to mine. Mary opens up the folder and pulls out a pale pink envelope. “I was asked to give you this on your birthday,” Mary states, trying not to get choked up. I accept it from her and recognize the neat handwriting my name is scrolled in across the front of it. No one writes the way Gram did. My fingers brush over the pen strokes as if it would somehow bring me closer to her. Jade places her hand at my elbow encouragingly. Mary lowers herself into the seat on my other side. No one rushes me to open the envelope.

  Careful not to rip it more than necessary, I get it unsealed and slide out a card that reads, “Happy Birthday, Granddaughter”. There will be no hiding the tears that have begun to flow. Jade reaches back behind her, then places a box of tissues in front of me. They both take a few and Mary offers one to me. A piece of paper is folded up inside the card.

  My Dearest Kacie,

  Writing this letter is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It’s second only to leaving you, something I know will be happening very soon. There are no words to express how deeply sorry I am for that. Please know, I tried everything in my power to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

  I wanted to make sure you received one last birthday gift from me, so I enlisted Mary’s help and she promised to see it through the way I requested. You are the sole owner of the house you and I have shared. It has always been your home. Your grandfather and I decided we would leave it to you long before you even considered moving your things in. The way you would light up when you walked through the door was undeniable. It’s where you belong. It’s where you have always belonged. Please accept it and spend the rest of your life happy, healthy, and content knowing how delighted I am to be able to do this for you. Also, you will now take my place as part owner of Shining Stars. Dr. Kelly assured me he would make certain to assist until you are confident enough to handle it on your own. This may seem like a little too much all at once, but I know everything will work out. Mary has all the details.

  Kacie, you have meant the world to me. Always remember how proud I have been to call you my granddaughter and, most importantly, how much I love you. Never stop reaching for the stars. You deserve every single one of them.

  All my love, now and forever,

  Gram

  I close the letter, place it back inside the card, and lay it down on the table in front of me. The three of us sit there silently crying until we can find our voices.

  “It’s mine?” I finally whisper, relieved.

  “It is. Technically, it’s been yours since September,” Mary says.

  “September?” I wonder, then remember the lady at the security company notifying me tha
t I was the primary account holder since the same time.

  “When the doctors told Marie there was nothing else they could do, she came to me and we began switching everything over to your name. She didn’t want you to have to worry about anything once she was gone. She knew how distraught you were going to be and tried to take care of everything she possibly could. Even her bank accounts were transferred. I have all of the information on those for you, too.”

  “My parents can’t touch the house?” I ask, more for the sake of hearing it than for clarification.

  “No. They never could and I would have stepped in if the need arose. I want to apologize for all of the distress they have been causing you recently. Until speaking with Jade this morning, I had no idea how severe the problem actually was. Perhaps I should have known. I feel somewhat responsible since we’ve been blowing them off about the estate. The last thing they were told was that nothing will be released until sometime late summer due to restrictions your grandmother placed in her will. Technically, we didn’t lie about the restrictions because Marie didn’t want you to know until your birthday. We only stretched the truth regarding the date. If they were told it was today, they would have figured it out.”

  “I doubt they even remember today is my birthday, but thank you, Mary. Please, don’t feel as though their wrongdoings are any fault of your own. No one should ever admit to that.” She smiles. “How long have you known?” I ask Jade, who has been uncharacteristically quiet.

  “I only found out this morning. Mary asked if I’d be able to get you to come in. Since I had already planned on inviting you for lunch, it ended up being the easy part.” Jade pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Kacie. Knowing all of this nonsense will finally be behind you is such a relief.” She must have been feeling the same stress that I was over this whole thing.

  There’s paperwork that needs to be signed, which takes the better part of an hour. Mary goes over every single detail until I understand. She also explains that my grandmother and I were her last clients. For the most part, she’s retired, but when her son and grandson need help, she’ll come in to consult. Being the amazing person she is, she makes it very clear that as long as she’s able, Mary will do anything I need. She wanted me to know that her grandson is completely aware of my situation and is prepared to take over whenever it becomes necessary.

  When everything is finished, I walk out of the conference room still in a daze. I should be ecstatically bouncing around, but it’s still hard for me to get a grip on everything Gram has done for me. There are no more tears. There’s just shock, surprise, and so much gratitude that I have no words.

  “Hey,” Jade says softly. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” I admit. “I just need to let it sink in.”

  “Do you want me to take the rest of the day off so you aren’t alone?” She looks a little more concerned than she needs to be.

  “I think being alone will do me good right now. Thanks, anyway. I’ll catch up with you later,” I say, grabbing my purse from her desk.

  “I think today’s events call for celebrating. Drinks at my house tonight?” she asks optimistically.

  I smile. “Sounds good.”

  “Yay!” Jade gets excited easily. “I’m glad you agreed since I already invited some people over.”

  “You did what?”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t act surprised! Throwing parties is what I do.”

  “A party, or a few people? There’s a difference.”

  Her smirk scares me. “No, there’s not. I talked to Evan about it last week, so he’ll be there.”

  “I doubt it.” She may have just brought him up to sidetrack me from a party versus a few people discussion.

  “He will be. He won’t be able to stay away. Make sure you wear the dress we bought at the mall last week.”

  “Anything else, boss?” I tease her.

  Jade winks and goes back to her desk. “Nope. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  There’s a park on my way home from Jade’s office. I wasn’t ready to go to the house just yet, so I pull in and walk down by the lake. It’s not as hot as it’s been, which is a nice break. There isn’t anyone here so I sit down on one of the wooden benches in the shade. I’ve been trying to find the right words to say to Evan. He deserves to hear something from me. Thinking back, I guess I thought he wouldn’t have a problem with me going to the gala because I took him at his word about him understanding exactly how I feel over losing Gram. I desperately wanted someone to get me but, it turns out, no two people ever really feel grief the same way. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it. That’s just the way it is.

  Instead of calling him like I should, I send a text.

  Heard about the party. Hope you’re still coming.

  Nervously, I put my phone down on the bench next to me and lean my elbows forward to rest on my knees. What if he doesn’t answer? What if he doesn’t come? A chime fixes my first dilemma.

  Not sure.

  I totally deserve that, but disappointment and irritation fill me. I refuse to respond. I can be an asshole, too.

  ***

  Walking into the house feels weird. I go through the foyer and step into the living room. From here, my eyes roam over the contents of the room. Nothing has changed from when I left earlier today. Was I expecting it to? Then, the reality of it all comes crashing down on me. “My house,” I whisper aloud. Since Gram was no longer here, I haven’t really referred to it as mine. How come? She would not be happy about me feeling like that, either. I continue on through to the back patio and look out over the pool. The smile spreading over my face brings a sense of tranquility I’ve been missing for a very long time. “This is my house and there isn’t a damn thing they can do about it,” I tell myself.

  ***

  Jade came over when she got home from work. We collected my stuff and headed over to her house to get ready for the party. When I went into the kitchen, I saw there was more food on the counter and more booze set up on Jake’s bar than a few people would need. I totally should have seen this coming. Good thing for my best friend, I didn’t.

  Just before people start to come over, Jade and I are finishing up in her bathroom. “Should I wear the silver necklace or the blue one?” I ask, holding them up, one at time, in front of the mirror.

  “Um…neither,” is the shady response I get. It could be because she’s applying mascara and trying not to poke her eye out.

  “Why not? What’s wrong with them?”

  “Nothing. I just think the top of the dress is pretty enough that you don’t need a necklace.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” She smiles quickly, then goes back to finishing her makeup.

  “Okay,” I say, not convinced. I shove them back in my bag and head out into Jade’s bedroom. Jake is knocking on the half-open door. I look up to see his eyes locked on me. “Hey, Jake.”

  “Hey. Happy birthday!” he replies, almost as if he’s distracted.

  “Thank you.” I smile at him.

  “And congrats on the house. I’m glad you’ll be hanging around the neighborhood.”

  “Me, too.” I plop down on Jade’s chair to slip my feet into the silver, strappy heels I bought last week. “No one else would last living next door to you, anyway.”

  “True,” he says, grinning. “Are you girls almost done? People are going to be getting here soon.”

  “Yes, pain in the ass,” Jade says, coming out of the bathroom. “I’m sure if we aren’t downstairs, you’ll be able to open the door a few times.”

  “I need a new roommate,” he mumbles, turning and walking away from the door.

  Suddenly, something occurs to me. “Jade?”

  “Hmm?” She’s digging through her jewelry box, looking for the match to the earring she’s holding in her hand.

  “What if he doesn’t come?” I speak softly.

  She finds it and looks up. “He’ll be here,” she says with a smile
.

  “But, what if he doesn’t?”

  “Kacie, Evan will be here,” Jade tries to assure me. She walks over and kisses my cheek. “He will. I don’t know how you can’t see it, but he’s got it bad. I bet he’s been in agony since leaving your house yesterday. There’s no way in hell he would miss your birthday party.” I don’t say anything, only nod. “Come on. Let’s go downstairs.”

  Loud music begins to play. “What the hell is that?”

  “Oh, that must be Nick setting up. He’s the DJ from Skyline.”

  “What?” I ask, ready to flip out. “A few people do not need a DJ, Jade!”

  She shrugs. “Don’t look at me. Evan sent him over.” I’m not buying her innocent act. Not one bit.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Evan

  Miserable is not a strong enough word to explain how shitty I’ve been feeling since walking out of Kacie’s house yesterday. I know I fucked up. Man, did I fuck up, but so did she. She never even thought twice about going to the gala on Saturday. What am I supposed to say? “Okay, have a good time”? No fucking way! Clearly, she wasn’t happy about it, either, but it’s not enough to make any of this better. Isn’t it just my luck that when one girl finally gets me to care enough to want her so fucking bad it hurts, she tortures my ass on a daily basis? Sometimes, it’s not even intentional. It’s the times I can’t be with her. How am I unable to find the right words to convince her we can get through this shit together, that I want to get through this shit together? The sad look on her face when something reminds her of the trouble she’s dealing with or when she thinks of her grandmother tears my heart out. Don’t get me wrong. There are just as many intentional times. The way her tongue rolls over her lip and I’m powerless to do anything because other people are around. She totally does that shit on purpose. Then again, she can make anything look hot as hell.