“This is my day off, please leave.”
“Are you sure it was a good fucking because I’m not seeing damage here.” He points to the ruffled sheets.
“Carson Lee, get out of my room this very instant!” I scream at him.
Of course, he laughs as I shove him out of my room, slamming the door.
Chapter Sixteen
Carson
There’s a knock on the door and I grin. Thank God. The cavalry has arrived. I open the door to find Tyler standing on the other side. I called him the other day, asking if he wanted to come hang out. It didn’t take much incentive for him to say yes, considering all the women I’m surrounded by. There needs to be more testosterone around this place, so here he is.
“Where are all the models?” He smiles.
“On another floor. I think Kinley wanted to create some sort of obstacle or barrier of some sorts.”
Tyler laughs. “Where is she? I should probably meet this girl who can actually dish back all the shit you put out.”
“The warden is across the hall. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled that you’re here.”
“Why do you say it like that?” he asks as we sit down on the couch in the room.
“She’s always worrying that something will go wrong or that I’ll sleep with the models and cause friction. Stuff like that. She sends the same email like two or three times and then has you confirm you got it and read it each time. But I can mostly get it. If this goes well, she’ll get her dream job basically.”
He nods, slaps his hands on his thighs, and says, “Let’s go to the bar.”
After grabbing the things I’ll need, we make our way to the bar. Kinley and Cassie are sitting at a booth. I tap Tyler’s shoulder and nod in their direction. He grins as we make our way over.
“Tyler, this is Cassie, the photographer, and this is the warden, Kinley.”
He goes for the seat next to Kinley, leaving me no choice but to sit next to Cassie. “It’s nice to meet you, ladies.”
“I’m not the warden, but it’s nice to meet you. I didn’t realize you were going to have company.”
“I got bored. Tyler is a teammate of mine, which you probably didn’t know since you’re not a fan and all.”
“I might have known that. And what do you mean bored? Doesn’t your right hand keep you busy enough?”
Cassie and Tyler laughs before he adds, “This is why I came. I had to meet you.”
“Meet me? Why? Is Carson talking about me non-stop or something?”
“Something like that. You are one of the few who doesn’t fall for his charming personality. How could I not want to meet you?”
“Charming? Is that what it’s called?” She looks at me with a raised brow.
“Of course. That’s one way to describe it.”
“I was going to say ‘man-whore’ but I don’t think that’s politically correct.”
Tyler angles himself towards her. “Kinley, I think you deserve a drink for putting up with him.” He lifts his hand to wave a waitress over.
“Now that is Kinley’s favorite thing in the whole world. She could out drink you two,” Cassie inputs.
“Well, let’s find out,” I say. “Two words: quarter bounce.”
The corners of Kinley’s mouth lift in a small smile. “You know I like a good bet, and I don’t usually lose.”
“Every bet we’ve made together, you’ve lost,” I point out.
“Hence the word usually. Now, what do you want to bet?”
“Wait a second,” Cassie tells me. “If you’re going to drag us all into this, let’s do a girls versus guys, that way it’s fair.”
“Works for me. Carson?” Tyler looks at me expectantly.
I nod. “Loser picks up the tab. Does anyone have change? All I have is plastic.”
Cassie digs out a quarter from her purse. We do four rounds and I’ll be damned if we don’t lose every single one. Cassie wasn’t kidding. Kinley is like a pro. The feel good buzz of the alcohol is coursing through both Tyler and me. His eyes keep going back to Kinley. It’s like he’s one of those pesky bugs and she’s the light that draws him to her.
“Okay,” Tyler starts. “Teach me your ways, wise one. Where did you learn to do that, Kinley?”
“We played a lot in college,” she answers. “Next time don’t pick such a lame game and you won’t lose.”
“Where did you go to college? ‘Bama?”
“Roll tide, baby.”
Tyler holds up his fist and they fist bump as he excitedly tells her, “I transferred there my junior year. Awesome school.”
“No way! That’s so cool. When were you there?”
“I transferred in 2009 and got signed the next year.”
“Oh, I had already graduated, but I can’t believe you went there. You need to teach Carson a thing or two about Roll Tide Pride.”
“I don’t need to learn anything,” I let her know quickly. “I already know everything about Alabama that I need to know,” I finish with a smirk.
In a monotone voice, she smarts back, “The only thing you’ve learned is how to tell which ‘Bama girls are easy.”
“Like I said, I already know everything.”
Tyler gets a little closer to her by leaning towards her. “We’re not all like him, Kinley. Don’t let him make you think otherwise.”
“Tyler, are you saying that you’re the exception?” she flirts.
Tyler leans further to whisper in her ear and all I can hear are a few words that make Kinley giggle afterwards. “….show…real man.”
Cassie bumps my elbow with hers. “Carson, are you getting the feeling we’re being left out of a joke?”
Ignoring her, I narrow my eyes at my teammate. “Tyler, are you ready to go meet the models? I mean, you came all this way and no offense, girls, but it wasn’t to chat with y’all.”
“Hang on, we have to pay the tab first for losing to these beautiful ladies.”
We slide out of the booth and once we arrive at the bar, Tyler glances back. I follow his gaze to find Kinley returning his smile. “She’s not nearly as bad as you made her out to be, Carson.”
“Wait until you’re sober and working with her.”
“Well, I’m enjoying her right now, so I think I’m going to go back to the table.” He pats the bar twice and leaves me waiting for my card to be returned.
Watching Tyler walk to a smiling Kinley, my gut wrenches. There’s something about the sight of them together that I don’t like and it pisses me off. Maybe Tyler doesn’t want to go enjoy a model, but I sure do.
Chapter Seventeen
Kinley
I fluff my hair in the mirror. I smooth out my black capri pants and red tank top when the knock on the door pulls me away.
“Tyler, hey, come in.” I step back from the door and let him in. “Give me a second, I need to grab my purse.”
“Take your time.”
I had a great time with Tyler last night after Cassie and Carson left, and I’m excited to go out to dinner with him.
When we walk out of the room, he takes my hand and guides me to the elevator. I get a small thrill through my veins feeling his soft hands. I would have thought a hockey player’s skin wouldn’t have been so baby-like. Tyler hails a cab, and we go to a small Italian restaurant a few miles away from downtown.
“Where did you find this place?” I ask when we walk in. The smell of pasta and bread overtake my senses.
“Carson and I found this place when we came here and played last season.”
“That’s right, Salt Lake City has a hockey team.” How the hell did I know that? I’ve been hanging out with Carson Lee too much.
Tyler pulls my chair out for me, and it’s nice to be treated so kindly. Tyler gives me a small smile and when the waiter comes over, he orders a bottle of wine. Like last night, we have small conversation, and I’m enjoying his company. We talk mainly about college and even some about our families. Like me, Tyler comes from a small famil
y. His parents divorced when he was young, but both remained very active in his life.
The dinner makes my mouth water because it’s so delicious. I laugh a lot with Tyler but am glad when the evening ended. When he walks me to the door, I know he might try to kiss me. Even though Tyler is nice and good company, I don’t think he and I are more than friends. As he leans in, I slightly turn my cheek, and he catches the corner of my mouth. I know that isn’t what he was expecting.
“Have a good night, Kinley,” he says politely.
“You too, Tyler.”
~
“Carson, if you could please cooperate for a little bit longer, I won’t have to kill you!” I yell at him.
“Shit, Kinley, how long is this commercial? Thirty seconds? Why is it taking five hours to shoot?”
I don’t answer him. I roll my eyes, turning my back to him. He obviously listens to me because within the hour, it’s complete.
Usually, I’m the last to leave, but tonight I’m the first. I don’t want to deal with the models, Cassie, or even Carson. I need some downtime. I need to be alone to gather my thoughts.
I toss everything onto the spare bed and flop onto mine. I can feel my eyes growing heavy, but my phone ringing interrupts my potential slumber.
“Kinley, the flight is booked,” my mama’s voice sings out from the other line of the phone.
“That’s great, Mama,” I mumble with half of my face still in the pillow.
“We will be there late Wednesday night, and I can’t wait to see you for an early breakfast on Thursday.”
Of course, Mama wants to get me up early on my day off. “That sounds great,” I lie to her.
“Now, your father said something about golfing. I don’t know what he’s talking about, but is there somewhere he could go?”
I sigh. “I’ll find somewhere for him, Mama.”
“Great, see you in a few days.” She disconnects the call before I can even say goodbye.
I give up on sleep and make the decision to get some ice and break into the mini bar. I drag myself out of the plush bed and grab the bucket. Of course, Carson would be coming out of his room. That’s why Karma is a bitch.
“Don’t you just look cheery? Ice run?”
“I’m always cheery, and yes, I am. I’m hoping that I have a long and pleasant date with the mini bar in my room.” I walk away from him and down the hall.
“Nice. Your parents are coming soon, right?” he asks catching up to me.
“Yes, they’ll be here in a couple of days. Tyler still here?” I want to ask only to know how much longer I need to avoid him.
“Shouldn’t you know whether he is or not?”
“How would I know something like that?” I smart off to him. “I’m not his keeper, and I don’t have him attached to a GPS.”
“Me either. Just figured you would be in contact after the ‘great’ date you two went on.”
I stop and turn to him. “Great? Well, I wouldn’t put it quite that way. I mean, I had fun but nothing I would tell on Oprah.”
“Ah, I see.” He nods. “But no, he’s not here. He left earlier today.”
“Well, I’m sorry you’re the only male again. I guess that leaves you being the only thing the models can play with.”
“Don’t be sorry. I think I prefer to be the only one around. Plus, being a plaything for models does have its perks.” He winks at me.
“You do tend to be by yourself a lot. I assume you like it that way.”
“Of course. I’m not the only one either. We’re basically two peas in a pod, Kinley. Career first, everything else is second.” He shrugs.
“It’s a scary thought that you and I are in a pod.” I reach the ice machine and begin to fill my bucket. “Next thing I know you’re going to bet me that if we’re both single at fifty, we marry each other.”
He chuckles. “I wouldn’t do that. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the marriage kind of guy and I don’t see that changing in the future.”
“Aren’t you the one that told me ‘never say never’?” I growl my question at him.
“Aren’t you the one who said it and meant it anyway?” he gives it right back to me.
“I hate that you’re right.” I walk away from him and back to my room.
I hear him fill his bucket and chase me down the hall. “Doesn’t usually happen with you, Ms. Know-It-All.”
I spin around when I open my door. “Was that some type of compliment? Because if it was, you suck at them.” I slam the door in his face.
Chapter Eighteen
Carson
I dump the watered down ice out of the bucket at the sound of movement outside my door. The fridge in my room is how I keep my drinks cold, but by filling up this ice bucket, I happen to run into Kinley. When I open the door into the hallway, it’s not Kinley making her way down to the ice machine. It’s her dad. Her parents are finally here, it seems.
With a quick jog, I catch up to him. “Hey, Mr. Wright. Glad y’all made it here safely. On an ice run?”
“Carson, how are you, son?”
“Pretty good, trying to keep up with Kinley’s daily itinerary. You?”
“I’m well. Trying to keep my wife out of Kinley’s hair for a little bit.” He sticks the bucket he’s carrying under the machine. “Do you golf, Carson?”
“Yeah, here and there,” I answer, switching places with him. “Are you planning to test out some courses while you’re here?”
He nods. “I heard of a country club that allows guests. Would you care to join me today? I know from Kinley that you’re off. I’m sure she sent you an email about it.” He chuckles as we head back down the hallway.
“More than one email.” I laugh, quickly deciding on if I want to go or not. “Golfing does sounds good.”
“How about in an hour?”
“That works for me. I’ll meet you down in the lobby.”
Kinley’s dad seems like he would be an alright person to be around. Hopefully, it will be a good break from the normal pace of things around here.
~
“Carson, for someone who just plays here and there, you’re killing me.”
I smirk as I go for my turn. “I should probably let you know that there’s a course not too far from my house.”
“Ah, so you’re trying to hustle an old man?” He chuckles. “Let me tell you something, son, you can’t hustle a hustler. Always remember that.”
“Not trying to hustle anyone.” I smile, swing, and turn to face him. “Are you saying you’ve hustled people before?”
“Well.” Mr. Wright turns somber. “It’s not something I’m proud of, but I lived in foster homes most of my teenage years, so I needed to survive somehow.”
“You were a foster kid?” I question with disbelief. The man has it all and is so well put together. I would have never thought he bounced from house to house as a foster kid.
“Yep,” he says simply at first. “My parents thought a bottle of vodka was more important than their kids, so the state took us. My first home was when I was thirteen. God, I don’t even know how many I was in.” He shakes his head at the memories. “I was seventeen when I left the last one. I signed up to join the Army, figuring it was the best way to make money and see the world. All it really showed me was how I was a punk kid that didn’t know shit.”
It’s a dangerous line to walk, so I keep my response short. “Seems like you were able to recover.”
“I’m not one to pry into other people’s lives because it’s none of my business. However, you can keep lying about having a family if you want, but I know the look in your eyes. That hurt. That pain. The loss of parents, whether good or bad. You have that look, Carson.” He turns to look at me. “I held that look for a long time in my life.”
My mouth is moving before I can do much thinking. “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. The only person who knows me is myself.” I can’t believe he thinks he knows anything about me.
; “Carson,” he starts in a steely, no-nonsense voice. “Drop the attitude because you’re not fooling me. I’m going to tell you a story, and you’re going to listen, alright?” He doesn’t give me a chance to agree or disagree.
“When I was twenty, a bunch of Army buddies and I went to Biloxi to the casinos to blow our paychecks. I was nothing but a show off and a know-it-all and there was no one who could tell me different. So, I’m at the bar, drinking of course, when I see this drop dead blonde at the end of the bar.” A smile lifts his lips. “Oh, I loved her the moment I saw her. I went up to her, told her my name, that I was in the Army, and tried to impress her. You know what she did?”
I shake my head.
“She blew me off. Wouldn’t give me the time of day. However, she said something that changed my life. She told me when I grew up to come find her. Those words pierced my heart, and I knew that I couldn’t stay on the path that I was on. So, I changed. I found her again, married her, left the Army, got a good job, and she gave me the greatest gift ever. My daughter. The moment I looked in Kinley’s eyes, I knew I would move heaven and earth for her. I hope that someday you find your Ruby before it’s too late.”
“I appreciate the story, Mr. Wright, but despite what you may think, I am happy with how my life is right now.” I am. No doubt about that.
“Son, if you’re happy like this, then great, but don’t do it because you don’t think there’s nothing better. Don’t do it because you think you’ll be like your parents. My parents were the worst, but I swore when I became a dad I wouldn’t be that way, and I’m not. But I see a lot more in you than what you’re showing.”
Ignoring the last part, I tell him, “I’m not doing it because I think I’ll be like my parents. It took me a long time to accept that I could stay happy with this life. I pay a lot of money to keep my private life hidden, so the other well-known stuff can stay in the public.”
“Just remember: if they’re hidden, that doesn’t mean they won’t be made public. No matter how much money you put into people’s mouths.”
Finding Carson Lee (Oh Captan, My Captain #3) Page 8
