Lads & Lattes (High School Clowns & Coffee Grounds Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  “Cali girl?” I heard Reid’s effervescent voice call out from down the aisle, and I turned toward it. He was wearing a pair of black pants, a t-shirt with the store’s logo on it, and a name tag. I had completely forgotten Reid said he worked part time at the grocery store.

  “Hey,” I greeted, trying to add some pep into my voice. The day had worn on me, the lack of food in our house just the icing on the cake at this point making me tired and irritable. “How’s work?”

  “Not bad, just stocking the shelves. What all are you picking up?” He tried to look into my cart, but a woman’s voice caught his attention.

  “There’s my little Reid.” She was shorter than me by an inch or two, with dark brown hair that was pulled into a messy bun on the back of her head. The man standing next to her was tall, at least 6’4”, with black curly hair that was cut a bit shorter than Reid’s. “Ah, you must be Emma!” the woman exclaimed. Her hand shot out to shake mine; her nails were short and well maintained in a layer of nude polish. “I’m Reid’s mom, Faith. This is my husband, Micah. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Her hand was warm and soft against mine.

  “Nice to me you too,” I responded genuinely, my attention darting to Reid who was smiling at me. The look in his eyes had me flushing. I couldn’t figure out why or what emotion was deep within his hazel eyes, but whatever it was, it was intense and wormed its way into my chest.

  “How’s work, dear?” She focused on her son, and his cheeks tinged a slight wash of pink. “We should let you get back to it.” She changed topics quickly without waiting for his response and before I knew it, they were making their way to another aisle.

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize they’d be coming to the store today, but it makes sense since they always make a store run before work.” He stepped a bit closer, but not close enough to be inappropriate at work.

  “What do they do?” I couldn’t be mad at Reid, his parents were cute. Well, his mom was, his dad hadn’t said anything the entire time, content to let his wife do all the talking.

  “My mom’s a flight attendant, and my dad is a pilot. They work for the same airline and take the same flights. They have a red-eye flight tonight to Hawaii, so they’ll be gone until Friday.” He started to stock the shelf again, finishing up the box he had been working on.

  “I’ll let you work, babe.” I brushed my fingers against his forearm as I walked by. His hazel eyes sparkled at the nickname.

  “Bye, Cali girl,” he murmured before I got too far. Glancing back, I gave him a flirty smile and turned the corner, his laugh following me.

  The total had come to $49.89. Counting my lucky stars, I loaded up the car and headed home. I refused to take more than one trip, so by the time I had all the bags on the counter, my hands were throbbing from the weight of the food. Shaking out the tingling that radiated in my palms, I unloaded and put everything away.

  I had just lay down a couple hours later when a small knock sounded from the back door. Hesitant, I peeked out my door to look through the basement. Reid’s curly head and bright smile met me as he waved animatedly. Crossing the basement, I opened the door with my finger in front of my lips to signal him to be quiet. He nodded and followed me to my room.

  “What are you doing here?” I whispered. My mom was up in her office having come home twenty minutes earlier with plans to go to bed soon. I could hear her rummaging around organizing files from her work day. He finished shutting the door, taking the couple of steps to close the distance between us. Staring down at me, he wrapped me tightly in his arms.

  “I could tell something was bothering you at the store,” he whispered softly in my ear. Laying my head against his soft sweatshirt, I enjoyed the feel of his stubbled jaw pressed into my scalp. “I wanted to make sure you were all right. I also missed you, we’ve all been really busy the last few days.”

  “I’m better now.” I couldn’t hold back the tears that leaked from my eyes onto his shirt. “How long are you staying for?” My voice cracked when I asked which had Reid pulling away to look down at me. The rough pad of his thumb swiped at my cheek to clear the trickle of unwanted tears.

  “Do you want me to say tonight?” He surprised me with his question, but looking into his hazel eyes I knew it wasn’t just for me.

  Reid didn’t want to be alone tonight either.

  Nodding, I popped up on my toes. His lips were covered in a thin layer of chapstick that tasted like berries. I shifted to bring my hands to the back of his neck, his soft curls teasing my fingers. A shiver ran through me as he smoothed his palms slowly down my back to wrap around my waist, my chest pressing against his tightly. Everything else faded away, my room, the troubles from today, the worry about my future, everything as he ran his tongue light as a feather against the seam of my lips. I opened my mouth, tentatively exploring. Tyler was the only person I’d ever kissed like this, and my heart rate galloped when I brushed the tip of my tongue against his. I couldn’t believe I was making out with Reid.

  My cute clown, Reid.

  The sound of footsteps upstairs brought us to a screeching halt. I didn’t move away from Reid’s warm embrace, but I pulled my head back. The berry scent of his chapstick washed over me as I listened to make sure my mom wasn’t going to come down here. When her steps faded into her room, I let go of the breath I had been holding in.

  “Emma’s going to get in trouble,” Reid teased in a soft whisper.

  “Shush.” I giggled. Having Jesse here after finding him walking alone on the side of the road was one thing, but having Reid stay the night just because was a whole other ballgame. My heart pounded loudly in my ears as I looked up at him; his hazel eyes were soft and half-lidded. Unable to help myself, I rubbed my fingertips and nails up and down his neck, the dark curls shifting under my movements. His eyes sparked and before I realized what I was doing, I felt him hardening against my hip.

  “Careful, Cali girl,” he mumbled shifting his hips so he was no longer stabbing me in the side. “You’re too pretty for your own good.”

  “Says the guy who’s too attractive and funny for his own good,” I teased back trying to calm my racing heart. “Let’s go to bed, babe.” I tugged the ends of his hair lightly before pulling away. I was already in my pajamas, but Reid had to strip down to his boxers before crawling under the covers. Shifting slightly, he pulled me to him until I was using his chest as a pillow, my arm draped over his muscled torso. It was like how we’d slept on the couch after the party from hell, except he was wearing much less clothing. I inhaled his Old Spice scent, willing my heart to slow and my body to calm, but that ember sparked once more.

  “Goodnight, Cali girl,” he murmured softly in the dark room, his warmth radiating around me. It took a long time before I finally dozed off, Reid’s steady breaths lulling me into a peaceful sleep.

  17

  November 16th

  Should I tell Reid that last night he was barking in his sleep?

  #MySecret #IgnoranceIsBliss #Cuddlebug #SoCute #FunnyFriday

  Nebraska had a cold front move through last week bringing it down to freezing temperatures, so I was thankful it had moved on and it was back to upper 40s otherwise this cookout at Kingston’s house would be miserable. Securing the knit hat he’d bought me for my birthday over my hair, I yelled a quick goodbye to my mom who was packing her suitcase for an all weekend business trip, and headed out. Reid and Jesse were waiting on the street to pick me up. Reid’s Jeep was cleaned and washed for once since the weather warmed back up, the black paint shiny in the fall sun.

  Kingston’s house was large with two stories. The siding was a light gray with dark gray trim, the door a bright red that stood out against the monochromatic face. Cars littered the wide driveway and both sides of the street. I couldn’t stop my eyes from taking in the area around the house. It seemed like a new development at first glance, with the large space between houses, but on closer inspection I realized it was just the yards for each house were huge. There was a trail that
looped between a few of the homes on the street that seemed to lead to one wide path spanning as far as I could see on both sides behind Kingston’s house. I felt a little smile curl my lips when I noticed a couple of little kids playing on a playground in the small park area that the path went by.

  I ended my perusal of the area as we neared the bright front door which opened as soon as we hit the steps. Stella was on the other side in a pair of stylish jeans, knee-high boots, and a long-sleeve sweater with some collegiate regalia on the front.

  “Come in you three.” She stepped to the side leaving the door open. Reid and Jesse hung back making sure I went first. Immediately after stepping over the threshold, I was wrapped up in a hug, her sultry floral perfume tickling my nose. “It’s good to see you, Emma.” Her smile was warm as she looked from me to Reid and Jesse. “Come here you two.” Her arms opened, hands waving them over to her expectant hug.

  “Hi, Stella.” Reid had to duck down to hug her with her petite stature. Her platinum blonde hair was shiny as the sun peeked out through some of the clouds, the black ponytail holder a sharp contrast in her light tresses.

  “Hello, Mrs. Bell,” Jesse greeted, looking awkward in her embrace. He patted her back lightly and I had to squish my lips together to keep from chuckling at his stiff movements.

  “Jesse Eric Parker, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Stella,” she enunciated while pulling away from him. Her hands waved animatedly in the space between them. “You make me sound like Kingston’s grandmother with that Mrs. stuff.”

  “Stell”—Kingston’s dad, Kaleb, materialized at the end of the entryway—“you going to hog them all day?”

  “Oh, shush,” she teased, her tinkling laugh filling the air as we walked down to meet him. “Kingston is out back, you three, if you want to go out there.” Now that I was no longer distracted by Kingston’s mom’s jovial personality, I glanced around. The house had flowing hardwoods, an open kitchen with white cabinets and marble counters, a very long dining table that had at least twenty chairs, and a bright and airy living room with a sectional and several overstuffed armchairs. The fireplace caught my attention, the stacked stone flowing from the hearth all the way to the second floor ceiling. A thick wooden beam acted as the mantel and was tastefully decorated in a very chic, timeless style.

  “Come on, Em.” Jesse nudged my arm with his elbow. I jumped slightly, his honeyed words startling me. I had been so taken in with the extravagance of the house that I hadn’t realized he stood next to me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You didn’t, I just wasn’t paying attention.” Flashing him a small smile, I followed Reid out to the yard. Nerves immediately bubbled within my chest when I saw several unknown faces amongst the crowd of people I did in fact recognize. The same people were here from the ‘Trunk or Treat’ at the law office, Vivian and her husband Brett as well as Zander, but there were a lot more children running around.

  “That’d be Kingston’s family. Aunts, uncles, cousins. That woman there is the other lawyer that works at the firm. Her name’s Brit.” Reid seemed to notice my hesitation to join the crowd in the yard, opting to stay standing on the raised deck. I quietly counted—seventeen—there were seventeen people here that didn’t include my boys or me. My nerves settled as we made our way to the yard and no eyes darted in our direction. I wasn’t exactly sure why I was nervous other than it was a lot of new people, a lot of small talk and introductions, and I didn’t want to be the center of attention being Kingston’s girlfriend.

  “Hey, baby doll.” Kingston met us at the bottom of the stairs. Soothing circles from his hand on my lower back melted the last of my nerves. “Aunt Natalie,” he called out catching the attention of a woman who looked almost exactly like Stella, only her hair was shorter and down. “This is my girlfriend, Emma. Baby doll, this is my mom’s sister Natalie, and her husband Nathan. Their kids are those two”—he pointed to a boy and a girl, both with light blond hair—“Sara and Charlie.” I shook their hands, committing their names to memory. Nathan was pale, fairly short, although a few inches taller than his petite wife, with light brunette hair and a clean shaven face. Kingston ushered me on to the next set of people allowing Natalie and Nathan to head inside.

  “Uncle Chris.” Kingston’s voice snagged the attention of a man who was lean with the familiar platinum blond hair. He was holding hands with another man who had jet black hair, bright blue eyes, and was bulky in the amount of muscles stacked on his body. “Emma, this is my mom’s brother, Chris, and his husband, Demetri. The twins, Zoey and Zain”—he pointed out two little kids who looked about five with olive skin, black hair, and captivating green eyes—“are theirs.” I felt my mind start to spin with the amount of names and faces that were being thrown my way as Kingston started moving me to the last two adults.

  “Emma, this is the other lawyer from the firm, Brit. She wasn’t at the Halloween thing.” I shook her hand. Her graying hair was pulled back in a severe bun, but the smile and crow’s feet softened her harsh look. “This is my dad’s sister, Kaycee, and her daughter, Kae. She’s a sophomore over at Millmer East.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” I repeated the same line for the third time since arriving. My hand tingled from all of the handshakes. Names and faces blurred in my mind, meaning I would need help remembering who was who.

  Who knew Kingston had such a large family?

  Not me.

  “You go to Arbor Ridge?” Kaycee asked. She was probably one of the easiest to remember, looking like a female copy of Kaleb. I nodded, leaning slightly into Kingston’s warm torso, already overwhelmed with questions and the party had just started. “Senior like the boys?” I nodded again.

  “Cali girl, save me!” Reid’s loud shout from farther down the lawn saved me from making any more small talk. Reid was surrounded by little kids, all of which were trying to get the ball he held above his head. One of the twins was hanging off his other arm in an attempt to climb him like a tree. “Here!” He chucked the ball the remaining distance to me. I fumbled but caught it, and immediately four sets of eyes zoomed in on me.

  Oh, boy.

  I broke away from Kingston and my silent Jesse who stood on his other side, taking off across the yard as fast as I could. Little kid shouts and laughs followed me, my face breaking into a bright smile when I spotted a small playset with a pair of swings and a slide attached to a little clubhouse. Darting up the slide, I crawled into the wooden clubhouse. Little footsteps sounded on the slide and on the rungs of the ladder.

  “Throw it here, baby doll!” Kingston’s normally laid back voice was filled with laughter as he hollered from outside the playset. Standing up right as the kids converged on me, I tossed the ball to Kingston who was waiting with his arms up. When they realized I no longer had the ball, they all went down the slide in a fit of giggles and chased Kingston who was purposely running slow. They tackled him and he went down in a wave of dramatics quoting the Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch was melting. Finally leaving the clubhouse, I chuckled as I slid down, and nostalgia of being little flooded me.

  “Hey there, Cali girl.” Reid stood at the bottom of the slide, his calloused palms going out for me to grab. “Didn’t mean to throw you into the fire there, but I needed reinforcements.” He chuckled, enveloping me in his arms. I couldn’t help but melt in his embrace, the feeling of warmth and comfort washing over me.

  “Don’t think I’ll forget that,” I teased pulling back. His arm looped around my shoulders as Stella started hollering over the deck railing saying the food was done. Jesse was helping Kingston up as we approached. Once he was up and dusted off from rolling around in the dried grass, we went inside. Killian was gathering the food from the grill outside that Kaleb had been manning and moving it to the counter. People started to line up to weave around the kitchen buffet style.

  The longer the get together went on, the more at ease I was around everyone. No one gave judging looks when Reid wrapped his arms around m
e or when Jesse held my hand. I wasn’t sure if it was because they truly didn’t care or if Kingston’s parents already knew about the four of us. I pushed away the thought and focused on the sense of belonging. I tried to remember any time back in California I felt like this but came up blank. My family wasn’t big. Both of my parents were only children, and my friends were always more focused on typical ‘teenager’ things. Sitting around the large table, I really felt that family dynamic even though several of the people here weren’t even family. Kingston’s fingers gently brushed my thigh under the table pulling me from my internal musings.

  “Want to come help me get dessert?” he asked. “It’s in the garage refrigerator.” I nodded and followed him through the main level and out into the cold garage. He paused before opening the appliance door, his hands wringing in front of him.

  “You all right?” I murmured, his nervousness putting me on edge. It wasn’t like Kingston, who was very go with the flow, to be nervous.

  “I was just wondering”—he cleared his throat as his voice cracked—“if maybe you’d want to go out on a date with me? Just you and me,” he whispered looking down at me. His coffee brown eyes darted around my face waiting for my answer.

  “I would love to go on a date with you.” Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach. A girly squeal echoed through my head as I mentally did a little happy dance.

  He just asked me on a date!

  My sweet Kingston.

  “Good.” His smile made my heart pitter-patter, his thumbs rubbing gently through my sweater. There was a split second hesitation, but Kingston’s eyes melted in warmth as his head came down. His kiss was different than Reid’s or Jesse’s, hesitant and soft, just a brush against mine. Feeling him pull back, I leaned further into him to bring our lips together. He realized I didn’t want the kiss to end and gripped me tighter, his hands splaying out against my lower back.