Finding Peace (Finding Series Book 1)

by Love, K. J.

  The phone rings a few times and then I hear her voice. I’d recognize it anywhere by now. The ache I get in my heart makes it seem as if I haven’t seen her in days, when it’s actually only been hours.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, gorgeous.” I hear her intake of air.

  “Hey. I’m so glad you called. I tried to call you earlier. Did your mom tell you? She was so nice on the phone. I can’t believe I’m actually talking to you.”

  She is so excited, it’s cute. She hasn’t even let me answer her question. It doesn’t matter though I could listen to her ramble all night.

  “She told me. I’m sorry I wasn’t here, though I did get a lot done today. I’ve got the house staked off and I got the trees that need to be removed marked. I contacted the people to come out and dig the well, as well as the power company to come and give us a temporary connection so that we can have power on the site.” Now I’m rambling. I hear her giggle.

  “I don’t feel so bad now.” She says.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I felt like I didn’t take a breath when I started talking and I don’t think you did either. So, I don’t feel so bad, because you did the same thing.”

  I laugh again. “I guess you’re right. It’s just that there is so much to tell you and these calls are expensive, so I know we won’t be able to talk for long. How was the trip home? Is everything okay there?”

  “It was okay. You know sit in the car, listen to music, if you can hear it over Tessa’s non-stop twenty questions. How about you? It sounds like you got a lot done. I bet you’re really tired.”

  It doesn’t escape me that she didn’t answer my question about everything being okay there.

  “Got everything I wanted to do today done. I just wish I had more time that I could devote to it. To answer your question, I’m exhausted. Now, answer my question. How is everything there?”

  She’s quiet for a minute.

  “Kayla?” I wait for her to speak.

  “I’m here. Everything is fine.”

  She is lying, I know it. I can tell by the way her voice has changed.

  “Don’t lie to me Kayla. What’s wrong?”

  “Apparently David has been parked outside the house across the street while we were gone and today he was driving by in a different car, I’m guessing so that we don’t recognize it.”

  My blood feels like it is starting to boil. I’m clenching my jaw so hard it is making my teeth hurt. I hate being this far away from her and not being able to help. This guy is going to cause me to beat him to a pulp.

  “Blake, are you still there?”

  I take a deep breath and let it out. Get it together man. Don’t upset her. “I’m here baby. Did Tessa’s dad call the police?”

  I haven’t met any of them. I’m hoping when I go to see her Friday that I can talk to Tessa’s dad about all of this. I don’t want her going out alone if this guy is doing crazy stuff like this.

  “He did. Troy already said that we need to call the police if we see him out anywhere where we are. He is also checking on getting a restraining order.”

  I hope that Troy is Tessa’s dad, not some other guy I need to worry about. “Troy?”

  “Oh, sorry. Troy is Tessa’s dad.”

  Sigh of relief. “Good. Listen to him. I don’t want you going anywhere alone. It sounds like this guy has some serious issues.”

  “I won’t. I don’t plan on doing anything but going to school. I have too much school work to catch up on.”

  As much as I hate to, we need to end this call. The phone companies make a killing on long distance calls; all my extra money needs to go into the house and for gas to go see her.

  “Baby, I already miss you so much. Just hearing your voice makes my heart beat faster. I wish you were here with me Kayla.”

  “I miss you too. As soon as you pulled out of the driveway, I missed you. I’m wearing your shirt to bed tonight. I have it on right now.”

  Control your thoughts. I clear my throat and try not to focus too hard on the image I have of her in my head. Blonde hair a mess, my shirt so long on her that it covers her to her thighs. Those crystal green eyes looking up at me.

  “You’re killing me, baby. I may need to go shower again.”

  She laughs, which doesn’t help my situation at all. Her laugh is like music to my ears.

  “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know that I love it.”

  And I love you. I so want to tell her, it’s just not time yet. “I love that you are wearing it.” I’m pretty sure she has red cheeks right now. My sweet girl. “Good night baby. I’ll try to call again in a couple of days. Sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

  She laughs again.

  “You don’t have to call. You can just write me and I will see you Friday, right?”

  Silly girl. “Hearing your voice makes my day so much better, it’s something I want to hear all the time. I’ll write you, as soon as I hang up and I will put it in the mail on Monday.”

  “Okay. I’ll write you too. I just don’t want you to spend a lot of money on phone calls.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll be watching for your letter. Good night, Baby.”

  “Good night, Blake. I’ll see you in my dreams.”

  “Me too, baby. Now hang up.”

  “No, you hang up.”

  I laugh and so does she. “Let’s hang up together on the count of three.”

  “Okay. Deal.” She says.

  I start to count. “One, two, three.” I don’t hear her hang up.

  “Are you still there?”

  I shake my head. “Yes. We really do have to hang up.”

  “Okay. Do it again. I’ll hang up this time. I promise. Bye.” She says while letting out a big breath.

  “Bye, baby. One, two, three.”

  Feeling a little disappointed when I hear a click this time. She hung up. I hang up the phone and grab my pen and paper to write my letter to her.

  Chapter 25Kayla

  Talking to Blake last night made all my worries leave. David didn’t even enter my mind after that. I got off the phone with Blake and went straight to my room, turned on some music, and started to do some of my make-up work.

  Sunday, I got up went to Church with the family, came home and ate a huge meal, which is a southern tradition, of course. Then I went right back into my room. Honestly, I can’t believe how much work I have missed.

  We haven't seen David since Saturday when we got back. Even though I feel better about that, I know not to let my guard down where he's concerned.

  Skipping church tonight, I continued to do my homework. Taking a break from school work, I wrote Blake a letter and will mail it out tomorrow. That way, if he will mail me a letter tomorrow, we should both receive them on the same day.

  Tessa walks into my room.

  “Wow! You are really at it. Are you almost caught up?”

  “Not even close. I can’t believe I have spent the last two days working non stop basically and I’m still not finished. A weeks worth of homework and classwork is just an insane amount when you put it all together.”

  She laughs and sits down beside me on the bed.

  “So, you go to your first appointment tomorrow after school. Are you worried about it?”

  Lisa and Troy called a Christian therapist that was recommended to them by our Pastor. My first appointment is tomorrow right after school.

  “No. Not really. It’s going to be strange telling a stranger stuff that I don’t even share with those closest to me, it’s necessary though. Being emotionally healthy is vital to me moving on with my life.”

  She looks shocked by my comment.

  “I’m so proud of you for taking this step. It will be good for you, I’m just glad you are finally seeing that.”

  “I’m tired and ready for bed. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

  She gets up and walks to the door, then stops and looks back at me.

 
“You’re looking a lot better by the way. Good night.”

  “Thanks. Good night.”

  She closes my door; I kneel beside my bed and say my prayers. Once I’m finished talking with God, I climb back into bed, reach over and turn off my lamp, snuggle into my covers and picture his face. Blake, he’s never far from my thoughts.

  I wake up early and gather all of my make-up work for school. I arrange it for each class, so that I can turn it in. Tessa and I share a bathroom. She’s the morning person, so I always let her go first. By the time she is finished, I’ve got my stuff packed and ready for school and I’ve laid my clothes out onto my bed. I run to take a shower, brush my teeth, dry my hair, apply some light make-up, then go and get dressed.

  Hearing the phone ring so early in the morning during the week is a strange occurrence. So when I hear it ringing I get a nervous feeling in my stomach, then I hear Tessa yell to me that I have a phone call. I run down the steps. I hear Lisa call out.

  “Slow down, Kayla, before you break your neck.”

  I look at Tessa, who is holding the phone out to me. I stand there frozen.

  “You better hurry; every second you stand there is costing him money.”

  She smiles at me as I rush over to her and grab the phone.

  “Blake?”

  “Were you expecting someone else?”

  My smart ass man. Smiling to myself, I think of the perfect response. “Well, yes, but he isn’t due to call for another thirty minutes.”

  The growl that came across the phone made me feel giddy. Yes, giddy. Honestly, I can't believe how much his voice makes me feel warm and safe all over.

  “I guess, I should let you go then. Wouldn’t want to have the line tied up when he calls.”

  This is so much fun. “No problem. We have call waiting.”

  He is laughing now. What a great way to start my day.

  “You and that smart mouth. If I was there I would kiss you senseless right now.”

  That makes me wish he was here, even more. “Hmm, that sounds nice. You really didn’t have to call, I am really glad you did though.”

  “I just had to hear your voice. Missing you is about all I’m getting done during the day. I want you with me more than I want my next breath. June can’t get here fast enough.”

  The things he says to me always makes me feel special. He is all I can think about too. “I feel the same way Blake. I’m just holding out for this weekend. Four days Blake, just four more days.”

  “That’s right baby. Four more days. However, right now four more days feels like an eternity.”

  He’s right, it does. “I can’t wait either. Being in your arms is the only place I want to be. Watching the sunset from the dock and talking for hours, just spending time alone together sounds amazing to me.”

  “Careful baby. I might just go get in the truck and drive there right now. And that sounds more than amazing to me. I want to hold you and kiss you until we both can’t stand it anymore.”

  I laugh. “Down boy.”

  He’s laughing as he says. “I thought we already discussed this boy thing.”

  “We did. I just love getting you all riled up.” I left that statement wide open for him and I know it.

  “I can think of a lot better ways to get me riled up.”

  I shake my head even though I know he can’t see me.

  “I knew you were going to say something like that. I am putting your letter in the mail today. Did you write mine?”

  “Yes, I will be mailing mine today also. Listen baby, we better hang up. I’ve got to leave for work and you need to leave for school. I probably won’t call again this week, but I’ll be there Friday night. Okay?”

  I look at my watch. Wow, I really do need to leave.

  “Okay. I lov… I look forward to seeing you. Bye, Blake.”

  “I’m looking forward to it too. Bye, baby.”

  He hangs up and I just stand there with the receiver in my hand. Almost telling him I love him has put me into a state of shock. What was I thinking? I can’t tell him that yet. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell him. The thought of it scares me to death. I don’t want him to know that I may have already completely fallen for him and then have to move. The problem with this logic is that I’m pretty sure I’m head over heels for him.

  “You ready?”

  Tessa walks up and puts her hand on my back, startling me.

  “What’s wrong now?”

  She takes the receiver and places it on the phone base. I look at her with my eyes wide.

  “I almost told him I loved him.”

  Tessa is trying not to laugh. “It’s not funny, Tessa. I just hope he didn’t catch it.”

  “Kayla, don’t worry. It’s obvious to everyone that you love him. We are all just waiting for you to say it out loud. Even if he did catch it, he’d never tell you that he did. Let’s go to school.”

  She’s right. Blake is too much of a gentleman.

  We turn up the music on the way to school, singing along to the very song I added to Blake’s letter I’m sending to him today. It’s Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac…

  Can you hear me calling

  Out your name

  You know that I'm falling

  And I don't know what to say

  I'll speak a little louder

  I'll even shout

  You know that I'm proud

  And I can't get the words out

  Oh I,

  I want to be with you everywhere

  Oh I,

  I want to be with you everywhere

  (Wanna be with you everywhere)

  Something's happening

  Happening to me

  My friends say I'm acting peculiarly

  As I leave out of my Honors English class, I head to the stairs to go to the main floor. The call I received from Blake this morning is still fresh in my mind. I go over every word we shared. I analyze every remark he made hoping to read more between the lines. Although I don’t think that’s even necessary with Blake, he pretty much tells you exactly what he is thinking, all the time.

  “Hey, Kayla. You look happy today. Anything to do with that new guy in your life?”

  It’s Megan. She is a good friend of mine; actually she hangs out with all of us. We don’t have a particular group of people we hang with. Not being into the clicks, we chose to talk to everyone and be friends with whoever talks to us. We don’t care what group you are from if you are friendly to us, we are friendly to you.

  Megan is a little different, with her wild hair and funky style of clothing. She is a tremendous amount of fun. Never taking crap off of people, she will put you in your place in a heart beat. She isn’t much taller than I am. Her hair is platinum blonde, shoulder length, and she spikes it up in the front.

  “Hey, Megan. How do you know about that?”

  “Tessa, who else? We talked a lot while you were out last week and I saw her this morning. So, she told me about your quick trip this weekend.”

  “Oh, I see. It’s true, I am beyond happy. Blake surprised me this morning by calling me before school. Besides that he will be here in just four days.”

  I feel those familiar butterflies in my stomach. Just the thought of him gives me butterflies.

  “That’s great. I’m so happy for you and I can’t wait to meet him. You want to walk with me to my locker and then we will meet Tessa for lunch in the quad?”

  “Sure, I’ll walk with you.”

  Our high school campus looks like a college. It consist of three major buildings and a football stadium, they all surround a circular grassy area that has shade trees, benches, and some tables. We normally eat our lunch under one of the shade trees every day as long as the weather permits it.

  Our football stadium is not like any other schools I’ve ever seen. It sits low and is surrounded on all four sides by sloped hills. During the football games people sit on the hills with blankets to watch.

  The main building ho
uses the English, Math, Science, History, and vocational departments. The second building is the athletic building and the third is the Fine Arts building, that building is where I take my favorite class, Visual Arts.

  In my Visual Arts class, I get to play with photography, screen printing, creating logos, along with numerous other things. Developing pictures in the darkroom is what I love doing the most. The creativity is what makes the class so interesting to me. I could spend all day there.

  We walk down the hall of the main building; standard gray lockers line the walls.

  “So, what do you and Blake plan to do this weekend?”

  We spoke about that this morning. I don’t care I just want to be with him. “Nothing really. I’d be happy just sitting on the dock with him.”

  “You are so obviously in love. Your face is glowing. I don’t think I have ever seen you this happy?”

  Why does everyone keep saying that? We stop at her locker; she throws her books in it. Just then a group of guys who are on the baseball team run into us and just about knock us down.

  “Hey, Kayla, Megan. Sorry about that. We are just excited about the game. You girls coming to watch tonight?” Brandon asks.

  Brandon Horton is expected to play baseball for the University of North Carolina after graduation. He is a really sweet guy and his long time girlfriend Sarah Diggins is beautiful. They make the perfect couple.

  “I’m not. The lake house is just too far away from here for me to drive back to the game. Besides, I’m so far behind in my studies I really don’t have time for anything else if I’m going to have any free time this weekend.

  “She has a hot guy coming to see her this weekend. Don’t let her kid you. That’s the only reason she is worried about finishing that work.”

  I playfully shove Megan. “Shut up.”

  “Hot guy? That’s the first I’ve heard of this. I’m sure I’ll be filled in by Sarah. Too bad that you can’t come to the game. What about you, Megan? I know Sarah would love it to have someone other than the usual baseball, girls to talk to.”