Bayside Destinies

by Stacy Claflin

  She stiffened. “I don’t leave without him. He’s even going to work with me.”

  “That does make me feel better, but what will you do if Bryson tries to attack Charlie?”

  Audrey’s face paled. “Pepper spray will work?”

  “From what Nico told me, it’s extremely potent. He had to be sprayed with some as tactical training, and it sounded excruciating.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask him about that.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I don’t want to see anything happen to you. Either of you.” He patted Charlie. “And if you ever don’t feel safe here, you can stay at my place.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I have several guest rooms,” he clarified. “Or if you’d feel more comfortable, I’m sure my parents or any of my siblings would welcome you with open arms.”

  She just stared at him with her alluring emerald eyes. Her vulnerability made him want to wrap her in his arms and never let go. The desire to place his lips on hers again overwhelmed him. He wanted to bring her home and never let go.

  Logan stared at her supple lips. They parted slightly, practically inviting him to envelop them with his mouth.

  His phone rang, startling him and bringing him back to reality. He cleared his throat. “Probably Shale wondering what’s taking me so long. The game’s probably half over by now.” He answered and put it on speaker without looking at the screen. “Hey, there.”

  “Hi, honey.” It was Mom.

  “Mom,” he said quickly not wanting Audrey to think some other woman was calling him honey. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Dad and I were just talking about Tuesday’s family dinner. You’re bringing Audrey, right? Everyone wants to meet her.”

  Of course they did. He gave Audrey a questioning glance.

  She nodded and mouthed, “If you want me to go.”

  “Audrey will be there.”

  “Oh, good. I can’t wait to get to know her. See you then, honey.”

  “Bye, Mom.” Logan ended the call.

  “Are you sure you want me there?” Audrey asked. “I feel so bad that your family thinks we’re actually engaged. If only I’d never run into Freya that day!”

  “I don’t mind.” And he really didn’t.

  His phone rang again. That time it actually was Shale. He turned to Audrey. “I’d better head home. Sure you don’t want to come with me?”

  She bit her lower lip. “I really should stay and work with Charlie on what we learned at obedience class.”

  “Okay.” Logan smiled wide to cover up his disappointment. “Call me when your car is ready.”

  “I will. Thanks again.”

  He left, keeping an eye out for any shady characters in the building. Again, everything seemed fine.

  When he got home, Shale was spread across his couch with popcorn all around him.

  “Were you raised in a barn?” Logan kicked off his shoes.

  “No, Mom.”

  “What’s the score?”

  “We’re ahead by one, but they’ve been in the lead most of the game.” Shale threw some popcorn in the air and missed his mouth by a long shot.

  “You’re picking that up, you know.” Logan brushed popcorn from the couch into his hand and dumped it on the coffee table. At least it wasn’t buttery. He flung himself on the couch and kicked his feet up on the table.

  “Don’t you have a maid?” Shale threw another kernel in the air and hit himself in the eye.

  “I have a housecleaning service, and messes like this are extra.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. They do basic upkeep, but they’re not my mother.”

  Shale shrugged. “If I had enough for a maid, I’d have her do everything for me.”

  They both yelled at the TV as their team dropped the ball and the other team scored.

  “This is such a frustrating game.” Shale finally caught some popcorn in his mouth.

  They continued yelling at the team until they were three points behind, and the doorbell rang.

  Logan turned to Shale. “Did you invite someone over?”

  “Yeah, the pizza delivery guy.” He jumped up, pulling out his wallet.

  “I’ve got it.” Logan beat him to the door and paid for the three boxes. He set them on the coffee table and gave his brother a funny look. “Hungry much?”

  “Leftovers for both of us, plus one of them is a dessert pizza covered in chocolate, marshmallows, and caramel.”

  “I have to admit, I like the way you think.”

  Logan filled himself on pizza and then had two slices of the dessert. He rubbed his stomach. “I’m going to have to work out all day tomorrow to burn this off.”

  “You and me both. Want to hit the gym before lunch?”

  “How about before breakfast? I keep hearing about fasted cardio.”

  “Fasted cardio?” Shale twisted his face in confusion.

  “Yeah, cardio before you eat. It’s supposed to kick your metabolism into overdrive.”

  “Sounds more like torture to me. Can we at least have coffee first?”

  “Fasting means no food, bro.” Logan arched an eyebrow.

  “Coffee isn’t food. It’s liquid heaven. And I think if I don’t add anything to it, it has no calories.”

  “Do what you want. I’m only going to have a cold glass of water.”

  “Fine, I will too. I need to get in shape if I want to attract any ladies.”

  Logan nearly choked on his soda. “You’re looking for a relationship?”

  Shale wiped some caramel from his mouth and his expression turned serious. “It’s been a few years since Mia died. I always thought we’d have a family together, and that didn’t happen, but I still want kids, and I think I’m finally ready to move on. She’d want me to, right?”

  It gutted Logan to think about all his youngest brother had been through. He’d been married, become an expectant dad, and then a widow before any of the other Hunter siblings even became engaged. Or fake engaged.

  Logan smiled sadly. “Yeah, she’d want you to be happy. I’m sure of it.”

  Shale frowned, his eyes gleaming with tears. “It just sucks, you know? Sometimes I just want to break something. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  Logan swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “I know. Believe me, I wish I could fix it for you. If I could, I’d trade myself for Mia in a heartbeat.”

  Shale gave him a double-take. “You what? No, you wouldn’t.”

  “I would. You’re my brother, and I hate the heartache you’ve had to endure. It’s something I can’t even imagine, and yet you’ve lived through it.”

  He laughed bitterly. “You make it sound like I’m some kind of hero. You’ve seen what a mess I made of my life. It took a Hunter family intervention to get me to see straight.”

  “None of us can say we’d have handled it any better.”

  They sat in silence and watched their team fall further behind.

  “When are you getting married?” Shale asked.

  Logan turned to him and frowned. “I’m not.”

  “Huh?” Shale stared at him like he’d sprouted another head.

  “We’re not really engaged.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Audrey has some stuff she’s dealing with, and being engaged should help resolve the problems.”

  Shale blinked a few times. “Do Mom and Dad know?”

  Logan shook his head. “No, and they’re not going to find out, either.”

  “I won’t say anything.”

  “Good.”

  “But when are you going tell them?”

  Logan sighed. “Once she’s safe. After we fake call it off.”

  His stomach tightened at the thought of ending it. Why? The thought of getting back to life and his practice should’ve made him happy. But for some reason, it didn’t. Was he worried about upsetting his parents—his mom, mostly? Or was there more to his chang
e of heart?

  Nineteen

  Audrey raked her fingers through her hair as she stepped outside the doggie hotel. Her second day of work had been as tiring as the first. The receptionist had become seriously ill and had taken a leave of absence, so Audrey and Cassidy both had to greet customers all day in between their other responsibilities.

  Yawning, she headed for the doggie daycare building to pick up Charlie. The day before, his full day of play had worn him out. With any luck, the same would hold true this time. She needed to drop him off at the apartment and then leave with Logan to go to his family’s weekly dinner.

  She froze mid-stride. Parked next to her sedan was a red pickup truck.

  Bryson’s red pickup.

  How had he found her? Had he driven by and recognized her car? She’d parked in a spot that wasn’t visible from the road.

  Or had he followed her, having figured out her new schedule already?

  Logan’s warning rang through her mind.

  Audrey pulled out her phone and found Nico in her contact list. She pressed call.

  Bryson stepped out from around his truck.

  Pick up, Audrey pleaded with Nico.

  She got Nico’s voicemail. She let her hand fall to her side. There was no time to leave a message.

  Bryson sneered as he walked toward her.

  “Leave me alone!” She stepped back.

  Don’t engage. Don’t engage.

  “Where’s your guard dog now?” He glared at her, his nostrils flaring.

  Audrey’s pulse pounded in her ears.

  “You need to leave me alone, Bryson.” Her voice shook, giving away her fear of him. “I’m going back inside where there are lots of people.”

  “Funny, the parking lot looks pretty bare to me.” He walked toward her.

  Her heart nearly jumped into her throat. She tried to run, but her feet wouldn’t budge.

  “Where’s your fiancé?”

  “He doesn’t work here.”

  “Does he even exist?”

  Audrey felt like throwing up. How did he know the whole thing was a farce?

  “Did you buy that ring yourself? Pathetic.”

  “No, he bought it for me. Right after he proposed.”

  Bryson laughed cruelly. He slowly walked toward her. If Audrey didn’t move soon, she’d be within his reach.

  Don’t engage.

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  “Nico got my call?” she whispered.

  Bryson’s brows knitted together. “What did you say?”

  Audrey stood taller. “My future brother-in-law is a cop.”

  His face paled and he glanced around. “You’re lying.”

  “Do you want to stick around and find out?”

  The sirens grew louder. Closer.

  Bryson’s nostrils flared and he jutted his jaw. He called her a derogatory name and bolted for his truck. His door barely closed before he peeled out of the parking lot.

  Less than a minute later, two fire trucks barreled down the road past the doggie hotel and daycare.

  Audrey clutched her hands over her chest and leaned against the building, trying to catch her breath. That had been close. Too close. And worst of all, Bryson knew where she worked.

  He knew where she lived, where she worked, and that her engagement wasn’t real—or he suspected as much. She would never tell him the truth.

  What would it take to get rid of him? Would the scare of the sirens be enough to send him back to Spokane?

  Given how determined he was, that was unlikely. Would she be better off moving somewhere else? Maybe, but if he managed to follow her, she’d be in no better position—she’d be worse off, actually.

  At least in Enchantment Bay, she knew a police officer and an attorney. She already had a place to live and work. She was building a life for herself away from him.

  Audrey stood taller. She wasn’t going anywhere. This was her town now, and she was beginning to fit in. Cassidy might even become a friend.

  She wasn’t going to walk away from all that. Bryson wasn’t going to take it from her on top of everything else he’d already done—he’d stolen more than a year of her life and pushed her away from her best friends.

  No, she was done with him. He wasn’t going to push her around ever again.

  Audrey stood taller and marched over to the doggie daycare to pick up Charlie. Stark determination grew with each step she took.

  Just like the day before, Charlie was so happy to see her that he nearly knocked her over. She balanced by pressing her palm on a wall and then commanded him to sit.

  “You volunteering tomorrow?” Rob asked, not looking up from his computer.

  “I’ll be here.” Audrey wrangled Charlie to the ground and patted his head.

  “See you then.”

  Audrey waved as she tried to get Charlie’s attention to leave. He was barking at the dogs on the other side of the door.

  Before she’d pulled her car out of the parking lot, the pup was snoring in the backseat.

  “I wish I could fall asleep that easily.” No matter how tired she was when she went to bed, she always tossed and turned for what felt like hours before finally drifting off. She couldn’t stop worrying about what Bryson might do next.

  It wasn’t until she locked the apartment door behind her that she realized how shaken she was from his confrontation in the parking lot.

  As Charlie sniffed around the apartment, Audrey sat on the futon and shook until she was so cold she had to pull blankets over herself.

  Would Bryson ever go back to Spokane? What if he’d picked up work around Enchantment Bay? It had already been over a week. If he was using vacation time, he couldn’t have much left. Or could he? What if he’d taken an extended leave? Was he really planning on staying until she agreed to return with him?

  Her phone rang. It was Nico.

  “Sorry I missed your call. I was in a meeting. What happened?”

  She took a deep breath and told him everything, trying to remember every detail.

  “I’m glad those firetrucks scared him off, but next time you need to call nine-one-one. They can send someone right away. I could be on a call or stuck in a meeting.”

  “Okay. He caught me off guard, and you were the first one I thought to call.”

  “I understand, but with someone like him, you have to be ready at any time. Never let your guard down, okay? I’ve got to go, but I’ll talk to you tonight. You are going to be at dinner, right?”

  Logan’s parents’ dinner. She’d forgotten about it after seeing Bryson. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

  Twenty

  Logan pulled up to the curb at his parents’ house, parked, and turned to Audrey. “Are you ready? My family’s eager to meet you.”

  She didn’t meet his eye. “I think I’m ready. Everyone I’ve met so far is really nice.”

  “They all are, it’s just that there’s a lot of them, and they’re going to be curious about you.”

  She played with some tassels at the bottom of her shirt. “Oh?”

  “They’ll like you. Don’t worry about that. But they think we’re engaged, and they’re bound to be excited. You ready to play the part?”

  “Are you sure you want to go through with this? Deceiving your family, I mean.”

  “I don’t look at it that way. I’m never getting married, so this at least gives my mom an engagement to enjoy.”

  “What will happen when she thinks we broke up?”

  Logan’s stomach tightened. “She’ll be upset, but she’ll understand.”

  “Maybe we should just tell them the truth.”

  “You really want to tell my whole family about Bryson?”

  Audrey’s face paled. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

  “We’re both better off keeping this up. We’d better get inside. You ready?”

  Audrey was quiet for a moment before sighing. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

  “Is something the ma
tter?” He put his hand on her arm. “You can tell me.”

  “Bryson showed up at work today.”

  “What?” Of course! That’d be why she was being so quiet. “Did he confront you?”

  Audrey took a deep breath and finally looked at him. “In the parking lot as I was leaving. He didn’t stay very long because some sirens scared him off.”

  Logan squeezed the steering wheel and tried to control his temper. “What’s it going to take to get rid of him? He doesn’t even live around here.”

  “I know. Believe me, I wish he’d just go back to Spokane and stay.”

  He turned back to her. “When you get a chance tonight, tell Nico what happened.”

  “I already spoke with him.”

  “Good. I’m glad all of this is going on official record. That’ll help build the case against him. Have you thought about taking him to court?”

  She gave him a funny look. “You don’t think I’ve done enough?”

  “He sure doesn’t seem to think so, or he’d give up. You’ve pressed charges, filed a restraining order—which he’s broken more than once—and you’ve told him to leave you alone. What’s next?”

  “I’m hoping he’ll take the hint now.”

  “Do you really think he will?” He stared into her eyes. “What’s next if he doesn’t?”

  She looked away. “I can think about suing him, but he’s already avoiding arrest, I can’t imagine him showing up for court.” Her phone rang. She groaned when she looked at the screen.

  Logan clenched his jaw. “Is it him?”

  “Probably. It’s an unknown number—every time I block one number, he starts up with another one.”

  Logan muttered under his breath and then put his hand on her arm again. “Text him to leave you alone, then block that number.”

  “Why bother texting? Can’t I just block it? I’ve already told him to stop calling me.”

  “It’s a pain, but you want to cross all your t’s and dot all your i’s. It’s better to be over-prepared than under. The last thing you need is him getting away with everything because of some small misstep or loophole. The system can be most unforgiving at times. If anyone knows that, it’s me.”

  She groaned, but then sent a text. “It’s all taken care of, until he finds a new number.”