by Box Set
In a few hours, she’d see Nate. And for three days, she could Cinderella pretend the world away. This was her dance, her shot at fun before trudging through the disaster that was her life. She just…needed something good. And Nate was good. He was the only good left in her life.
“I can’t afford to go back to school, Mom. I’ve saved up for this trip. I’m going.” She straightened her spine.
What had Nate said to her the other night when she’d talked about her manager? He’d said to be like Rey from The Force Awakens. Nate was obsessed with the movie. They both loved Star Trek, but he’d finally found a character that he identified with in Finn, which made The Force Awakens his new favorite.
Nate and Finn were both underachievers who found their calling…and followed their dreams. She was so proud of Nate. He’d left Omaha, and even though his plan A of joining the Navy SEALs hadn’t panned out, his plan B was pretty awesome. He got to work on movies and TV shows. His life sounded so exciting compared to her own string of disasters.
“You’re going to screw up your chances of getting another apartment, if you don’t hold onto this money.”
“I’ve already bought the plane ticket.”
“You could get a refund.”
“I don’t think it works that way, mom. Not the day of the flight.”
“You could try. Why do you want to go visit that boy, anyway? He’s never done anything for you.”
“He’s my friend.”
“Friends leave, Cara. You need to wake up and realize you’re an adult now. You’re not a child.”
“Here’s the phone,” Denis said too loud, too cheerful.
How much had he heard?
“Great.” Cara smiled, though it hurt to, and turned. “Ready?”
Denis kissed her mom while Cara dove into the passenger seat. She waved at her mom while Denis slid behind the wheel, the car already toasty warm.
“You know she’s just worried about you?” Denis glanced her way, his kind face creased.
“I know.” Cara mustered a smile. Denis was great for her mom, and Cara. After what Dad did to them…she didn’t know how they’d have gotten by.
“She’s just in one of her moods.” Denis eased the car back out of the drive.
Mom’s moods had been the bane of Cara’s existence since having to move back in with them. She was fully aware that her life wasn’t all she’d hoped it would be, and Mom took every opportunity to rub Cara’s nose in it. As if she could pay Dad back for all that he’d done to them.
Cara breathed a deep sigh of relief as they pulled out of their neighborhood and Denis pointed the car toward the airport.
In a few hours, she’d be in California. With Nate. He was everything good in her life. Which, if she let herself think about it, was pretty sad in and of itself.
Nate had moved away ten years ago. He was still her best, and sometimes, only friend.
Maybe her mother was right, and she was just pathetic. It wasn’t like Cara was measuring up to her dreams. She was an accountant, working for a company whose practices she hated and with co-workers who mocked her on a daily basis. It was like living in junior high, only now people were crueler.
Which was why she needed to go to L.A. See Nate. Something had to change. Her life was in a rut, and maybe…maybe seeing him, feeling those butterflies, would shake something lose. Or not. She’d never know if she didn’t go.
There she was.
Cara Logan.
Nate Vaughn hadn’t seen Cara since last Christmas. A whole year. Her hair was longer, she was paler than Casper’s ass, and she was still the most beautiful thing to crash land in his life. And she was his for the weekend.
Well, not his.
Cara would never be his.
But she was his best friend come to visit, and that was worth something.
He cranked his stereo all the way up, rolled the windows down and hit play on the track he’d cued up.
The Imperial March blasted through the subwoofers, vibrating the whole car and earning more than a few death glares from other drivers doing pick-ups at the airport.
Nate didn’t care.
He only had eyes for Cara.
She started at the first blast of brass, her head whipping around, scanning the cars for him.
Nate stuck his hand up through the sunroof and waved. She grinned, did a little hop and waved back. He chuckled and whipped his car into a space at the curb.
Some people grew up and changed, but not Cara. Sure, she’d matured, he was a dude, he hadn’t missed that, but everything else about her was the same. From the too-large glasses to her mismatched style, she was geeky chic before it was a thing.
“Don’t get out, I just have one bag.” She tossed the duffle and her long, winter coat in through the window.
Nate grunted and barely caught it. For such a small bag, it weighted a metric ton.
“Shit, what all did you bring?” He gently shoved the bag into the back seat.
“Books. Duh. And my boots.” Cara launched herself across the car, twining her arms around his shoulders and squeezed for all she was worth. “I missed you!”
He gently hugged her back. Next to her, he was an ogre, but she’d never seemed to mind.
A driver behind them laid on the horn. Nate stuck his hand through the sunroof and flipped them the bird.
“Wow, aggressive much?” Cara settled back on her side of the car and buckled up.
“L.A. drivers are pricks.”
“This sure ain’t Omaha, is it?” She chuckled and folded one foot under her, in typical Cara style.
Nate found somewhere else to look, besides the narrow band of skin between her over-the-knee socks and skirt. It was only a few inches of leg, but still. Those were Cara’s legs.
Lusting after his best friend was one thing, staring at her like a dick-for-brains was another.
“So, hi, Mr. Big Time L.A. guy.” She leaned on the center console, all grins. Today’s glasses were bright red, which set off her pale blue eyes. Her blonde hair was doing its best job trying to escape the twin braids, but she’d tied some sort of scarf thing around her head that seemed to be…helping? He had no clue, and when it came to fashion and Cara, there was no telling.
He maneuvered the car into the moving lanes of traffic and turned the music down.
She just kept staring at him.
“What?” He glanced her way every few seconds.
“Nothing. I just can’t believe I’m here, or that this is where you live.”
“L.A.’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” If Nate had his way, they’d be living and filming their show, HitPoint, somewhere else. L.A. was a depressing city full of people trying to be something they weren’t. Still, for a behind-the-scenes guy like him, it provided a lot of work opportunities.
“Oh, shut up, Mr. Big Time.” Cara pushed his shoulder.
Nate tipped his body to the left and grunted, holding his shoulder.
“Please, like I hurt you.” She rolled her eyes, but the smiles kept coming.
He’d missed those, the way Cara lit up life just by being in it. Nate hadn’t realized just how much he’d relied on her until he’d enlisted in the Navy, short lived though that period of his life was.
“How’s Josh? And Bryan? And Samir? I feel like everyone I know lives out here now.”
“Josh is good. He’s buried himself in preparing for the next season. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t show up tonight, okay?”
Cara shrugged, but otherwise showed no interest one way or the other about Josh’s presence. Nate had always thought Cara and Josh looked like the perfect couple. They were both blonde and people liked them instantly, but they’d never seemed interested one way or the other. Still, Nate was more than a little jealous of the idea of them together. He’d long since given up rationalizing his jealousy over Cara and simply accepted it.
“How’s work?” he asked.
“Eh. Did you hear that Daphne is getting a divorce?”
“Daphne?” Nate frowned. The name was familiar. “Josh’s neighbor, his sister’s BFF? Crazy Daphne?”
“She’s not crazy. She’s nice.”
“Okay, nice Daphne?”
“Yes, nice Daphne. What’s Bryan up to? He looks so happy on camera! And what’s this I read about a new co-host?”
One by one, Nate answered her questions, but never got more than an eh, good or okay out of her. He gritted his teeth and ran over everything they were gearing up to do with HitPoint. He shouldn’t be so annoyed. Of course any normal person would be excited about a place they’d never been before. L.A. was a very glitzy city, but Nate missed home, the slower pace of life…and Cara.
Chapter Two
Cara propped her elbows on the table, her gaze ping-ponging around the group.
These were her people. The guys she’d grown up with. Oh, she hadn’t given them much choice in accepting her. She’d more or less tagged along wherever Nate went because he made her feel safe and the rest had tolerated her. They’d formed a sort of comfortable bond. A group. And for a few, short years…she’d belonged.
Now the guys were out here, living their dreams, and she was…back in her parent’s spare room after another roommate nightmare situation went south. No, she couldn’t really afford this trip, but she needed it. The same way a starving person needed food, or water. She needed the guys. Or really, just Nate.
She glanced at him, his features relaxed, smiling at whatever Bryan was saying.
Most people at school had been afraid of Nate. He’d been a big, black kid, prone to frowning a lot, and she’d been the runt of the class everyone picked on. Sure, at first when he and his dad moved in across the hall, she’d been scared of him by default, but then they’d been paired together in the fourth grade for a project and she’d learned a few things.
First, Nate needed glasses. He frowned and squinted because he couldn’t see. Under all those pseudo-glares, he was really just a big teddy bear.
Second, they both loved the same weird cartoons. And Star Wars. Always Star Wars.
Third, they were the same kind of different.
She’d found someone just like her, mismatched and all.
Nate barked a deep laugh and the others followed suit. She chuckled and leaned back in the booth, her shoulder brushing against his.
Bryan was ten times the ham he’d been when they were younger. She was glad to see he was getting to put both his talent to use working for a new, tech company, as well as his outgoing personality on camera.
“You can’t tell stories like that around a lady.” Samir, the latest addition to the group, gestured toward her.
“Cara’s not a lady, she’s one of us. You’re the lady.” Bryan shoved Samir’s shoulder and the two devolved into name calling.
She chuckled and sipped her water, jealousy gnawing at her. Bryan and Samir had a great on-camera vibe going. She could see why the guys were all friends. It didn’t make her feel any less replaced.
The guys didn’t need her.
They never had.
It was always her needing them, so she didn’t have to sit by herself, so she had someone to walk home with, so she had a partner in class. Their lives were moving on, and hers…was slowly circling the drain.
“Cara?” Samir held out his hand. She’d missed something while woolgathering. Cara put her hand in his, a little uncertain. “It was lovely to meet you. I hope this asshole takes good care of you, and if he doesn’t, feel free to call me.”
Samir kissed her knuckles and grinned. Cara gulped. She’d most certainly missed something.
“Fuck you, man.” Nate presented his middle finger to Samir.
“Yeah, I’m going to head out, too.” Bryan checked his watch. “We still on for tomorrow?”
“We are.” Nate wrapped his arm around Cara’s shoulders and her spine stiffened. She never knew if she was supposed to lean in to these or sit there or what. “Samir can go fuck himself.”
“Cool. Josh said he’s for sure going to be there tomorrow.” Bryan slid out of the booth.
That was her cue.
Cara stood, smoothing her skirt down, and glanced from Samir and Bryan to Nate. Who was still sitting. Had she misunderstood? Their dinner was over. Should she sit?
“It’s good to see you, Cara. You need to come out more often.” Bryan wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.
She hugged him back and breathed a sigh of relief. Bryan was always hugging people. This, she understood, when so many other social cues went over her head.
“I can’t wait for you to meet Tamara and Stephen. They’re supposed to come tomorrow, too.” Bryan let her go. “All right, drive safe, Nate.”
Cara watched the two leave the burger joint, then glanced back at Nate.
He was scowling again. He always did that when he needed his eyes checked.
“So…are we going? Or…” Cara slid her hands into the pockets of her skirt and rocked back on her heels.
“Yeah.” Nate sipped a bit more of his Coke, in no hurry whatsoever to leave.
“Your new friend seems neat. How’d you guys meet?”
“Josh met Samir in college.” Nate slid out, the frown lines deepening.
Had she said something wrong? Or was there something going on with Nate and Samir?
She let Nate lead her out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.
“What else does Samir do?” she asked to fill the silence.
“He’s a programmer. He works for a company that builds phone aps.”
“Neat! Anything I’d know about?”
“Have you played MonsterGo?”
“Um, who hasn’t?”
“Then you’ve played his code.”
“Shut up!” Cara pulled out her phone. Since she didn’t have friends who were into the augmented reality game where people roamed around, catching little monsters to complete their collection, she hadn’t played much. But maybe she should give it another go.
“Yeah, he’s great.” Nate held the door for her.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You don’t seem all that crazy about him.”
“I’ve been spending every night for the last three weeks listening to Bryan, Samir and Tamara’s voices while I edit all the new material for the intro and our teaser reels. I’m just…I’m tired of listening to the sound of their voices. Sorry.” He unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for her.
“Oh. No. That makes total sense.” She slid into the car and he closed the door.
If they didn’t talk about the guys and the show, though, what were they going to talk about?
Nate didn’t like reliving his short time in the Navy, and she never wanted to admit how ridiculously relieved she was when he got injured during his SEAL training. The damage to his knee was so extensive he’d been medically discharged, but Nate was a fighter. He hadn’t let that hold him back.
Unlike her.
She let everything hold her back.
Coming to L.A., if only for a weekend, was about…having a Cinderella weekend. Two days where she could forget her boring life, her miserable career choice and pretend they were back in those crappy apartments again. Neighbors.
Nate pulled into the tiny apartment parking lot and killed his engine.
“Wow, this place is so cool.” Cara leaned forward, peering up at the old building. “You said this place used to be a hotel?”
“Yeah, in the early 1900s, it was a saloon and hotel. Now, it’s a pretty badass, four-unit apartment building.” Nate grabbed her bag out of the backseat and got out.
He’d never forget the day he saw the handwritten note card pinned to the cork board at the coffee shop down the street. At the time, Nate had been renting a bedroom from a guy with six roommates in an older house. That note card might as well have been a golden ticket.
“Rooms are a little on the small side, but I like it.” He led the way up to the door, plugged i
n the code and let them in.
His apartment was on the fourth floor. There were no elevators, but he didn’t mind that so much. Especially when he opened his windows at night and could look out over L.A.
Cara followed him up, ohing and ahing over the refurbished brass fixtures, the period features, and quirky décor. Yeah, so the place had also reminded him of her. So, what? He’d long since accepted that a part of his heart would always belong to Cara Logan.
He opened the door to his apartment and stepped back, taking in the sight of her smiling face. How her eyes lit up.
“It’s the Millennium Falcon!” She rushed to the opposite wall, bouncing on tip-toes.
“Yeah, it was part of the set dressing for the The Force Awakens publicity tour. This guy was just going to throw it out, so I asked if I could have it.” He kicked the old, wooden door shut and set her stuff on the sofa.
“It’s just cardboard?” Cara reached out and touched the glossy surface.
“Yup.”
“I’m so jealous. You have the best life, Nate. Seriously. I want to be you when I grow up.” Cara turned around, her lower lip stuck out in a typical, over the top, Cara Pout.
Man, how he missed those faces.
“Come here. I’ve got another surprise for you.” One he hadn’t wanted to share with the guys.
The one downside of the apartment was the kitchen. It occupied about six feet of the wall and that was it. Stove, counter space and pantry. He’d brought in a rolling cart to help with prep space. It worked since it was just him, and the guys rarely came over.
He reached deep into the freezer and grabbed the frost-covered bottle.
“What’s that?” Cara scrunched up her nose and tilted her head to the side.
Nate grinned and grabbed two shot glasses, then set it all on the island. He popped the top on the growler and poured two slushy-like mixtures of an amber liquid into the glasses. When he’d made the liquor, he hadn’t had a purpose for it, but when Cara had started asking about visiting two months ago, he’d earmarked the bottle for her visit.
“Try it.” He nudged the glass her way.
Something was up with Cara. She wasn’t talking about herself, what was going on in her life, or anything. Come to think of it, he hadn’t the foggiest idea what she was up to lately, and that bothered him. A couple shots and he was pretty sure he could get to the bottom of what was up.
