This has to be a good sign.
A magician in a top hat stops not far away and pulls an actual rabbit out of his hat.
I nudge Raven. “Want to go for a closer look?”
She shakes her head, eyeing the pizza stand. “The only thing I want is more food.”
I can’t disagree, but since I’m getting pics and videos of everything, I need to get something from the magic show. “I’ll be right back.”
“Good.” She throws me a teasing glance. “That gives us time to talk about you and your boyfriend.”
“He’s not like the others. He’s even Jaiden-approved.”
“So far, I said.” He gives me a knowing look.
“He’s buying you all expensive pizza.”
“Sweetie,” Samara says, “anyone can throw money around—look at your parents. We just want you to be happy for once.”
“I am happy. All the time.”
Jaiden lifts a brow.
“Most of the time, okay? I’m a positive person. Not defined by my family.” I march toward the show to get some photos of his tricks before the magician moves on.
“Look who’s here,” comes a familiar male voice behind me.
My stomach knots, and I turn around to see Cameron. We dated my freshman year. It hadn’t been for a long time, but it was still too long. “What do you want?”
“Can’t a guy just say hi?”
I stand taller. “Not someone who treated me the way you did.”
“What … because of Brandi? Give me a break. You were so mopey all the time, what else was I supposed to do?”
“Not cheat on me, for starters.”
He snorts. “With your obsessive personality? Why do you think every one of your boyfriends has done the same? You complain about it—I sure heard about it, didn't I?—but you won’t do anything to change it. You’re just like the family you whine about.” His eyes narrow. “Exactly like them. Good luck finding someone who won’t cheat on you. Just like your mom. Who can blame your dad—”
Everything in me wants to hit him, but I don’t want to risk an assault charge. Instead, I turn around and march off.
“You’ll never change!” he calls.
I spin around and gesture at him to shut up, then hurry back to my friends. Just as I sit down, Lincoln starts heading our way with a pizza box.
“Are you okay?” Jaiden’s brows knit together. “What happened?”
“I ran into Cameron. I’m fine.”
He jumps up and looks around. “Where is that street rat? I’ll put him in his place.”
I glance over where I just was. The jerk is gone. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry?” Jaiden turns back to me. “Are you crazy?”
“He’s just jealous. I’m not going to let him get to me.”
Samara rests her hand on my shoulder. “It looks like you already did.”
“I’m just frustrated. It’s no big deal.” I glance over at Linc, who’s almost here. “I don’t want to talk about it in front of him. This is a day for fun.”
“Who’s ready for more pizza?” Linc opens the box as he sits down. “If everyone doesn’t get enough to eat, I don’t know what to tell you.”
I force a big smile and focus on his kind eyes. “You’re the best.”
He cups my chin. “No, you are. Dig in.”
We eat and joke, helping me to push aside my thoughts of running into my ex. I’m not going to let him get to me. There’s a reason we broke up, and it’s because he’s a jerk. Why would I expect anything else from him? He likes to tear people down, and that’s why he isn’t in my life anymore.
As we’re finishing off the last of the pizza, Jaiden pulls out the fair’s schedule. “Looks like there’s a firework show in a few hours. Do we want to stay for it?”
I glance at Lincoln. “That sounds romantic, don’t you think?”
He traces my jawline. “It sure does.”
Raven sighs. “I wish Alaric could’ve made it. You two are so cute, I can’t help but miss him.”
“He had to work?” Samara asks.
“Always.” Raven looks at her phone. “Yep, still working. Overtime, as he predicted.”
My first thought is that he’s actually seeing someone else, but I push that negativity aside. I hate how a one-minute interaction with Cameron has sucked all my joy from the day. Raven and Alaric have been together for years. They’re adorable together, and he treats her like royalty. His family just doesn’t have money to put toward his education. That’s all it is.
Jaiden pulls me from my thoughts. “So, we all agree on the fireworks display?”
Everyone says yes.
He lays the schedule out on the table. “The next question is, what do we want to do in the meantime? I’m leaning toward the rodeo.”
Raven snags the paper. “A fashion show! I’m so there.”
Jaiden leans closer and looks deep in thought. “That’s clear across the fairgrounds from the rodeo. We’d better split up and plan to meet up for the fireworks.”
“Sounds good.” Samara glances over the schedule. “I’m going with Raven. There are some fairly big designers listed.”
“Fair-ly?” Jaiden laughs. “Good one.”
She rolls her eyes but smiles.
“What about you two?” Jaiden turns to Lincoln and me.
Linc puts his arm around me. “I’m up for whatever Malia wants.”
“Whipped,” Jaiden mutters, but he’s smiling at me. “What do you want, princess?”
I shove him. “I was hoping to catch part of the dog show, actually.”
Linc grabs the schedule. “We could catch the ‘tail end’ of that then join Jaiden at the rodeo.”
“Tail end.” Jaiden nods in approval. “I’ll text Malia so you guys know where I’m sitting.”
We split up, going in different directions.
I lean against Linc. “I’m so glad you came today.”
He rubs circles on my back as we make our way through the crowd. “Wouldn’t have missed it. Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve seemed a little down since I got back with the pizza.”
I frown. “Really? I was laughing and joking with everyone.”
“Right, but you still seem a little sad. I could be wrong, of course.”
I hardly know how to respond. My friends know how to pick up on my moods, but I’m not used to anyone else noticing.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do.”
“Thank you.” I lean my head against him.
“So, something is wrong?”
“I’m with you. How could anything be wrong?”
He doesn’t respond, but he also doesn’t push it. It’s so weird being with a guy who doesn’t demand I answer every question.
When we get to the dog show, we find two seats and watch the enormous curly-furred canine prancing around the stage like he knows everyone is watching him. Lincoln rubs my shoulders, and it’s perfect. Doesn’t dig in, making it hurt, nor does he have such a light touch that it tickles.
The guy is a dream.
It makes me wonder how long it’ll be before I push him away.
And that makes me want to hunt down Cameron and actually hit him. I shouldn’t be doubting Lincoln, but now I am.
He continues massaging, moving around my back and neck.
Why am I questioning anything about him? He knows what I’m dealing with in regard to my family, and he still wants to spend time with me.
I wish it were easier to shove the thoughts from my mind, but given my lifetime of experience, it’s hard to expect any different. Yet, it really shouldn’t. My friends have been there for me and haven’t ever let me down. Lincoln is more like them than my family or anyone else I’ve dated.
That’s what I need to focus on. And the fact that he gets along with them so well is the proof I need that he’s good for me.
I hop
e I can be the same for him.
Chapter Seventeen
Lincoln
Bang, bang!
Oh, the joys of roommates. Andy warned us he would be constructing a model of something—I can’t remember what he said—but now that I’m lying in bed after watching a late fireworks show before driving back, I wish I’d told Andy to hold off.
But it’s hard to be too annoyed when I recall kissing Malia under the colorful display. The day had been about as close to perfect as possible, with the exception of me yakking on the roller coaster. I’ll probably never hear the end of that from her friends.
I roll over and grab my phone to scroll through the pictures I took—which are only about one percent as many as Malia took. To my surprise, I see she added me to a photo album for the fair. My heart expands as I look through them. She got so many selfies of the two of us, and I love each one.
I was also wrong about how many more pictures she got than me. I had to have gotten about one-eighth of a percent as her. No joke. The girl should be a professional. She can cook, but she also has the magical touch with the camera.
Speaking of magic, I stop when I get to images of a magician. I didn’t see the guy, and I try to figure out when she would’ve gotten them. They’re right after some pics of us all eating pizza. Must’ve been while I was ordering the second round.
I press play on the video and watch a card trick. Somehow, he managed to turn one card into three and it makes my mind spin. I can hear Malia laughing, and the sound warms my heart. Nothing makes me happier than her happiness.
Suddenly, the video goes blurry and the microphone makes a bunch of noise. The camera focuses on one of Malia’s sandals.
“What do you want?” she asks.
“Can’t a guy just say hi?” asks a gruff male voice.
I sit up in bed and bring the phone closer to my ear, listening to the heated conversation. It cuts off and the video ends just after the loser essentially tells Malia that she’s worthless.
Fury rages through me. I want to hunt him down and beat him until he apologizes. The wimp admitted to cheating on her and made it sound like it was her fault.
This explains why she didn’t seem herself after I returned with the pizza. Not that I blame her for not wanting to tell me about that. I wouldn’t have wanted to share such a crappy conversation with her if I’d been in her place.
I listen to the exchange again, trying to pick up his name or any clue as to who the jerk was. There’s nothing, aside a mention of someone named Brandi.
Maybe one of her friends knows who the guy is.
Then a thought strikes me. Malia doesn’t know that conversation was on the video. She brought her phone down and either forgot to press the stop button or she thought she pressed it but it didn't take. There’s no way she’d have shared that with me knowing it was there.
Or would she have?
Doesn't matter, because now I know. And I can’t let that rest. I have to find out who he is and, at the very least, have a conversation with him. I’d love for him to push it so I could mess up his face, but I can’t start with that.
The bedroom door opens, and Andy walks in. “Dude, you okay? It’s noon, and I gotta work on my project.”
I put my phone on the bed next to me and get to my feet. “It’s not you.”
He starts to say something, but I ignore him and hurry into the shower. At least it’s late enough that I can do some digging and figure out who that guy is that was harassing Malia.
By the time I’m dressed, my stomach is pleading for food. I take my phone with me to the kitchen and look for Jaiden on social media. It’s super easy since he and Malia are friends. I sent him a quick message, giving him my number and asking him to call me. While I wait, I make myself some cereal. And watch the seconds move on the oven’s clock. Time is moving ridiculously slowly. Maybe stopped altogether.
After finishing two bowls, I give up. Can’t stand around waiting all day. Jaiden could be one of those guys who checks his social media weekly or monthly.
I might just have to go straight to the source, and tell Malia what I heard on the video. That would be the right thing to do, except I don’t want to upset her. The interaction clearly affected her, as it was obvious something was wrong. She has so much else going on in her life, I don’t want to bring this up. She didn’t want to talk about it with me, so she wouldn’t want me to reopen that wound.
I hate this. If I could go back in time, I would have never watched the video. Now I’m facing a moral dilemma—and it’s knotting my stomach. With any luck, her friend will know the best course of action.
For now, I need to get away from Andy’s incessant banging and study. I have an exam tomorrow and a significant part of my business class project to work on. We’re all presenting our research to the group in the afternoon.
I gather my things then send a quick text to Malia thanking her for yesterday and letting her know I can’t wait to see her in class tomorrow.
The dancing dots appear right away.
Malia: I had so much fun! Ready for our first experiment tomorrow?
How could I have forgotten about that? Add that to my list of things to prepare for at the library today.
Lincoln: I’ll be ready. How ru doing?
Malia: Happy. Cant stop thinking of yesterday!
Lincoln: Same!
I just wish I could put that video out of my head. Or that I could talk to her about it without worrying about upsetting her.
She sends a string of heart and kissing emojis, melting away a bit of my tension. I send some of my own before heading to the library. The ground is wet, and large cold drops are falling from the sky, splashing on my face and clothes. I shiver and glance over to the parking lot, tempted to drive. Street parking will be impossible today, and I’m not going to risk using the lot without a permit.
I go back inside, stick on a Mariners cap, and pull my hoodie over that. It’ll have to be enough. I’m not going to look like an out-of-towner and use an umbrella. I’ll never hear the end of it if I run into someone I know. Bracing myself, I run to the library, careful not to slip on any of the numerous puddles.
By the time I get inside, the library is pretty full but not so bad I can’t find a quiet table to spread my books and laptop on and get down to work. Thankfully, I lose myself in the business project and time flies. A little too fast—I still need to study for my exam and do my part to prepare for social experiment number one with Malia. I set a timer on my phone to make sure I don’t lose track of time.
Once the first timer goes off, I’m starving. Should’ve thought about food. It’s tempting to power through, but my rumbling stomach isn’t about to let me ignore it. I pack up everything and hope I can find a spot again when I return. It’s full now, and people are studying on the floor.
Just as I’m about to step out into the pouring rain, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I ignore it and race to the cafeteria trying to avoid the biggest puddles. Once inside, I get in the long line and check my phone.
Jaiden. Finally. I was beginning to think he’d never get back to me.
He answers my call right away. “Lincoln, my buddy! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Late night and all.” He yawns as if to prove his point.
“Yeah, I get it. I’d have slept in if I could’ve. I’ve got projects and exams coming out my ear.”
“I hear ya. Mine are all next week. So, what can I help you with? You sounded concerned on your message.”
I lower my voice so nobody in line will hear me, but everyone’s wrapped up in their own conversations. As I explain to him about the video and what the jerk said to her, anger bubbles up again.
He lets out a low whistle. “Ouch. Tough situation.”
“Tell me about it. Malia wouldn’t have loaded it if she knew that was there. She didn’t want to talk about it yesterday. What do you think I should do? You know her better than I do.”
“Cameron’s a sore subject.”
“What’s Cameron’s last name?” I try to think of any I know, but come up with nothing.
“Why? What are you thinking?”
“That I should talk to him myself.”
“Don’t do that,” Jaiden says. “Definitely not, bro.”
“You wanna hear the video? We need to put that guy in his place!”
“And how do you think Malia would feel about that?”
I start to say she’d feel vindicated, but as her beautiful face flashes through my mind, I know better. She’d be upset that I went behind her back. “What am I supposed to do, then? You tell me. That’s why I called in the first place.”
“Have you talked to her today?”
“We texted.”
“How did she seem?” he asks.
“Happy.” I inch forward, the aromas of some Italian dish making my stomach rumble all the more.
“Then let it go. She’s moved on.”
I sigh, frustrated. “I can’t forget about it. I want to punch him in the face.”
“And that would solve nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I mutter.
“Hey, I get it. Just focus on being the best you can be for her. Malia’s been through a lot. I mean, a lot. Her family’s put her through hell, and as result, she hasn’t always made the best decisions when it comes to guys. Not that I’m judging her. I’ve made my share of mistakes in that area myself.” Jaiden makes a shuddering sound. “Anyway, all I’m saying is you’re good for her. The best thing you can do, if you want to help her, is focus on now. You’re good for her, and I wouldn’t be telling you any of this if you weren’t. Forget Cameron. The jerk isn’t worth a second thought.”
I draw in a deep breath. “So, I shouldn’t tell her I saw the video?”
“Don’t lie if she asks, but I would just ignore it. Seriously. She’s trying to turn her life around. You’re part of that.”
When You Start to Miss Me: A Romantic Suspense (Wildflower Romance Book 3) Page 11
