The Luminous Rock Series Box Set

by K E Osborn

  That’s right up Effa’s alley.

  “You hold on tight to that girl, she’s a keeper,” Gran tells me.

  I chuckle and nod. “Don’t I know it. I plan on it.”

  “I see a light in you, Kaden. A light that’s been extinguished for a long time. You’ve come alive. You’ve been through enough in your life, you don’t need more devastating heartbreak. So whatever you need to do to keep her, you do it.”

  “Yes ma’am,” I reply, and she winks at me.

  I turn to see Kiera stumble slightly on the spot, and Effa grabs her. I lunge forward along with Gran to catch up to them.

  “Kiera,” I call out, running with the pumpkin in my hands. My heart is racing as I dash to get to her. She’s slumped over slightly, with Effa holding her for support as I reach her. I hand Effa the damned pumpkin and scoop Kiera up into my arms. She isn’t heavy with all the weight she’s lost. She looks at me and weakly smiles.

  “I’m okay, just a little weak. I think I need some sugar.”

  I pant hard as Gran finally catches up, and places her hand on Kiera’s wrist to check her pulse rate.

  “You’re a little weak, sweetheart. Do you want to go home?”

  Kiera looks over my shoulder as her arms clutch around my neck and she shakes her head. “No. Let’s go to Kammie’s Diner, and have some pie and a soft drink. That should fix my energy levels.”

  Glancing over at Gran, she nods, but I know she’s hesitant. I head off toward the diner directly across the road from where we are. Looking to Effa, she’s slightly pale, like she’s had the life scared out of her. So I catch her attention as she swallows hard. I give her a quick smile, but she doesn’t smile back. It’s almost like she’s having trouble holding it together. Her eyes are glistening like she’s about to burst into tears.

  It’s only now that I realize she’s not used to this.

  She wasn’t prepared for this.

  I didn’t prepare her for this.

  Fuck!

  She’s probably terrified right now.

  So I try to settle Effa’s nerves and let her know that Kiera will be fine. “Kiera, how are you feeling now?” I ask as we step from the road onto the footpath in front of Kammie’s.

  “A little better. But I know the hit of sugar will fix me right up. Always does. Then I should be okay to keep going,” she replies.

  The tension in Effa’s shoulders seems to lift slightly as she looks over at us while I place Kiera back to her feet. Kiera smiles wrapping her arm around my waist while I continue to hold onto her. We head straight into the diner, and I take her directly to a table. It’s quite busy in here today because of the market, but I know Gran will get a rush on the orders. She knows Kammie personally—the joys of being in a small town and all. Gran used to babysit Kammie when she was growing up, pretty much until she went to high school, and they’ve stayed in touch ever since.

  I sit Kiera down, then sit next to her as Effa takes a seat beside me.

  “This place is amazing,” Effa murmurs as she removes her monstrosity of a hat and shades. Her voice wanders off as she looks around the seventies style diner, complete with retro booths, jukebox, and a milkshake bar. The entire diner is painted in pink and aqua hues, and it’s like cotton candy exploded everywhere in here. Personally, I think it’s overdone, but it’s one of Kiera’s favorite places, and I have to admit Kammie’s creampie is to die for.

  “Isn’t it just? I love Kammie’s, I used to come here all the time before…” Kiera pauses, and I notice Effa appears a little lost like she doesn’t exactly know what to say.

  “Well, when you get better, you can come back more often. Hey?” I suggest.

  “Yeah. Next time when you and Effa come back to see me, we’ll come again.”

  Effa smiles this time. “You betcha. I need one of those milkshakes with all that extravagant cream and yumminess on top,” Effa admits as she stares at the young boy who’s sucking on a straw into a milkshake filled jug which is topped with whipped cream, Oreos, chocolate covered pretzels, ice cream, and syrup.

  Kiera looks behind her and chuckles. “Oh yeah, the Heart Attack… they’re the best.”

  “They’re called… the Heart Attack?”

  Kiera and I nod matter-of-factly as Effa laughs. “I love this town.”

  Gran comes over and sits down carrying a tray of sodas. “Soda for everyone and creampie is on the way,” Gran announces.

  “Thanks, Gran, that’s nice of you. How much do I owe you?” Effa asks.

  Gran waves her hand through the air. “Nonsense, my girl. It’s my treat.”

  “Great. Thanks. If there’s anything I can do for you guys you let me know. Buy you dinner. Anything.”

  Gran puts her hand on Effa’s shoulder. “You’re such a darling, but there’s no need.”

  Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I glance up to see the waitress headed toward us with our pie. My stomach sinks and my body goes rigid. I let out a small gasp as my jaw clenches and I grit my teeth.

  “Mercs, you okay?” Effa asks, reaching out and grabbing my hand as she steps up to our table and places the tray on it.

  “Hi guys, it’s so good to see ya’ll again. And Kaden, I had no idea you were back in town. I’m assumin’ you’ve come back for me?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  EFFA

  Glancing up at the strawberry blonde waitress, I take in her posture. Angled toward Mercs, her eyelashes flutter at him, her tongue dashes out then she licks her bottom lip, while her chest juts out slightly more than necessary and her breathing hitches when she sees him. I study her face. It’s pale, with only a slight spread of makeup, but beneath it she’s a natural beauty. Her cute little nose intimidates me, and her dimples make me want to claw them off her face. The thing that really scares me is the little gasp that took Mercs’ breath away when she spoke just now. He knows her, and the way she said, ‘you’ve come back for me’ makes me think they obviously have a history.

  My eyes dart to Mercs who appears shell-shocked, and he looks from me to her and back to me again. It’s only then that Gran steps up to the plate breaking his ineptitude. “Hi, Lilah, darling, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

  Lilah looks to me with her sparkling blue eyes in an assessing way, then to Gran smiling so wide that even I think she’s stunning.

  “Oh, Daphne, it’s sure nice to see you again. And Kiera how ya holdin’ up, hon?” she asks in a sickly sweet all American accent. But that isn’t the part that gets to me, it’s that she knew Gran’s name. I had no idea it was Daphne, and I guess I should have asked at some point.

  “I’m okay, taking each day as it comes, I suppose, Lilah. Did you know Kaden’s touring with the band Luminous? And this is Effa… their lead singer?” Gran relays bringing me into the conversation, seeing as Mercs is sitting in his chair, white as a ghost, looking like he wants to throw up.

  I glance up at Lilah, and she raises her brow, tilting her hip to the side and clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth in, I guess, approval. “Well, goooooolly, a real-life rock star in sleepy little Ligonier? Who would have thought? Kaden, have you been holdin’ out on me?” she chimes.

  I furrow my brows and glare at him wondering what in the hell that’s supposed to mean.

  Mercs clears his throat as she rests her hand on his shoulder, and he flinches slightly at her touch looking right at me as I gnaw on my bottom lip. My stomach churns waiting for him to say something, anything, to enlighten the situation of how she fits this picture, his life, and is she still a part of it.

  “Lilah, we stopped talking for a reason. Why would I tell you anything about me?”

  My eyes open wide at the animosity in his voice.

  Lilah slumps and sighs as Gran and Kiera both sink into their chairs but say nothing.

  Lilah nods and exhales turning to face him, her back now toward me completely. “Kaden, that thing with Johnny… it was nothin’ more than a drunken mistake. A
one-time error in judgment after our fight. I’ve never forgiven myself for it.”

  I swallow hard looking into my lap not wanting to be here right now. She’s evidently an ex that I knew nothing about, and here she is pouring her heart out to him in front of me. My heart’s racing, my pulse beating frantically, pumping my blood through my veins so fast I feel sick. I try to slow my breathing so as to not make it obvious that I’m freaking the fuck out.

  Jesus!

  “I don’t think we need to talk about this now… or ever. I don’t do cheating, Lilah. You know this. There’s no point to this conversation. Especially not here… not in front of Gran, Kiera and my girlfriend.”

  Well, that made me look up, and now I understand why no cheating was one of his rules. Not that I ever would anyway, but at the time I wondered what it meant. And now from this, I’m gathering that Lilah is the one that did the cheating.

  I watch Lilah’s head snap back to me, her eyes wide, almost bursting out of her head like they might explode at any minute. I actually feel sorry for her.

  “You… oh, shit! Sorry, I… I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have said… I wouldn’t have—” She stops talking, her eyes glisten, and she looks down to the floor. “Enjoy your pie,” she murmurs turning on her heels and scurrying off back toward the counter.

  I look to Mercs whose face is contorted and I’m not sure if it’s in pain, anger, sadness, or perhaps it’s a mixture of all three, but he doesn’t look good. Deafening silence falls over our table, but the general chatter flurries around the rest of the diner as if something significant just happened.

  What the hell is with these people.

  My heart’s thumping in my chest and I feel like I need to do something, but my body won’t let me move.

  “Well… that was damn awkward,” Kiera murmurs.

  Gran lets out a heavy sigh. “Are you both okay?” She reaches out across the table grabbing my hand, and one of Mercs’ in hers.

  I nod unconvincingly, and Mercs wracks his jaw from side to side before he stands abruptly and pivots, storming away from the table and toward the exit while everyone in the diner watches him leave. The chatter increasing so loud, it confuses me. Each step he takes away from me, my heart races faster. “Mercs,” I call out, standing up from my seat and watching him walk out the door.

  I look around, everyone is talking animatedly, and it seems it’s to do with Mercs and Lilah’s interaction.

  What. The. Fuck.

  “I’ll go,” Gran offers.

  Kiera looks at me with sad eyes, and I swallow hard sitting back down while nodding at Gran. She stands and places her hand on my shoulder gently, and after a caressing squeeze she walks off leaving me with Kiera.

  I sink into my seat and shake my head, looking over at the counter to see Lilah isn’t there anymore. She must have gone out the back to get away from the gossiping town folk, and I gaze over to Kiera who’s sipping on her soda as she eyes me suspiciously. So I figure I may as well ask some questions while I can. “So… Lilah?” I ask.

  “I was wondering if you’d ask. Yeah, she’s Kaden’s ex. They were childhood sweethearts, till she was caught in the backseat of Kaden’s car one night with his best friend, Johnny, doing the dirty. It was the biggest news to hit the town for like… a decade. He was so embarrassed. And as you can see by the chattering assholes in here, they’re both still the talk of the damn town.” She lifts an eyebrow. “Yeah, not much happens around here.”

  My heart aches for Mercs. Finding his girl and his best friend together—what a terrible situation to go through. Then being the talk of the town and still is… no wonder he wanted to find a job where he could leave and roam the world.

  “When did this happen?” I ask.

  She sips on her soda through her straw making a slurping sound as she draws back. “Little under two years ago. Kades just started touring fulltime and did his first gig with a band. He went on tour with them, and when he returned, that’s when he found Lilah and Johnny. He came back during a break in the tour to surprise her… with a ring.”

  My eyes open wide and I let out a small gasp. I had no idea that Mercs was in a long-term relationship before me, and that it was so serious that he was going to propose.

  How could he not tell me this?

  Slumping into my seat, I sink down into it further.

  “You didn’t know, did you?” Kiera’s gentle voice asks as she looks at me with kind eyes.

  I shake my head and swallow hard. “I had no idea he’d been in a serious relationship.”

  Kiera slides into Mercs’ seat and sits right next to me, reaching out and grabbing my hand. “Trust me when I say this… if he brought you here to meet us, you mean something to him. Kaden… he’s shut his emotions off to the world. He doesn’t like to let people in or tell them about his life especially after what happened. Once the gossip spread through town about him, Lilah and Johnny, he swore he’d never be the center of attention again. He hates people knowing his business. As for his personal life, he’s closed off from telling people about the things that hurt him, because he doesn’t want to seem vulnerable. Like Lilah… like me being sick… all these things make him weak and vulnerable in his eyes. And the thing about Kaden is… he’s the breadwinner for this family, so he thinks he always has to appear strong. We don’t think he needs to, but he has this stupid idea that he has to be this big tough man for us.”

  Everything she’s saying, I totally understand. So I nod. I get why he’s so guarded. I get why he wants to act tough. But he doesn’t need to be any of those things with me.

  “I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be the talk of the town. He’s obviously not handling it all that well ‘cause he’s just walked out. I just wish I knew how to help him.”

  Kiera turns facing me completely and squeezes my hand tighter. “Just, please, don’t give up on him. You’re so perfect for him. He’s so straight-laced, and you’re just the right amount of quirkiness to balance him out. He needs you, and I see by the way you guys look at each other that there’s a true connection there. I know he’s hard work. I know he’s damaged and broken. But please… when I’m gone, he’s going to need you, more than ever.”

  My heart leaps into my throat, and my breath catches as I’m stunned to the spot. This young, beautiful, amazing girl has just talked about her own death like it’s nothing more than a passing comment, and it’s taken me a second to gather myself from the shock of hearing it.

  I clear my throat and try to hold myself together. “Kiera, please don’t tell me you’ve given up… Mercs said there’s a procedure?”

  She shrugs. “There is, but getting everything in line in time is the hard part. It’s okay, Effa. I’ve come to terms with my death a long time ago. Gran has too. We’ve made all the necessary arrangements, and everything is in place if it happens. But Kaden, he’s not ready nor prepared, and I just need to know that if that day comes, you’ll be there to take care of him.”

  Hot tears pool in my eyes and I try to blink them away while looking at this young girl, so full of life, and I can’t imagine her not being in this world. It breaks my heart as I answer with a simple nod and the words, “I p-promise.” My voice cracks and comes out hoarse and broken, completely affected by my emotions as Kiera leans in and embraces me tightly. I can’t stop the single tear that flows down my cheek. She hugs me so firmly I sense her warmth encasing me, and I feel slightly better knowing for right now, she’s doing okay.

  Glancing up, I see Mercs walking back in with Gran, and I pull back from Kiera and wipe my face hurriedly to try and stop Mercs from seeing. But it’s too late, and he spots me wiping my face as they approach. Kiera looks behind her and shifts back to her own seat as Mercs takes his seat.

  The droning of the town folk is still going on, but I try to shut it out as Mercs looks to me and then to Kiera, who weakly smiles at him. Then he looks back to me, and he reaches out grabbing my hand. A tingle ignites under my skin when he touches
me, and shoots all the way up my arm, kick-starting my pulse into a rapid rate again.

  He sighs. “I made you cry, baby.” He wipes under my eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  I glance to Kiera. She looks scared as to how I’ll answer him. I guess she wonders if I’ll out her and our morbid conversation. But I would never do that, and as much as I hate letting Mercs think he made me cry, perhaps it’s the lesser of the two evils.

  “I wish you would have told me about Lilah, that’s all. I mean, generally, I don’t like surprises anyway. But I had no idea you had a long time partner, and you wanted to marry her. That’s kind of a big deal.”

  “Yeah, I know. Truly, I had no idea she worked here. She must have only started recently, and to be honest, I didn’t mention her because she means little to me now and I didn’t want to upset you.”

  I raise my brow. “Upset me?”

  He shrugs. “I didn’t want you to think I was coming home just to bump into her. I knew she’d be here somewhere, and I was hoping we wouldn’t cross paths. I just… I don’t have any feelings about her other than disdain, and I don’t want you to think otherwise.”

  “You’re a dick,” I say while rolling my eyes.

  Kiera giggles sitting back in her chair and starts sipping on her soda happily again, as Gran looks to her lap pretending not to listen.

  Mercs jolts his head back. “What? Why?”

  “Because idiot… if you’d been open and honest with me in the first place, told me about Lilah and everything that happened with you two, I would have been prepared. I would’ve known what to expect, and none of this awkward bullshit would have happened. I had no idea what these people were talking about, and it rattled me. I know they’re only gossiping, and I don’t give a shit about that, but I was pretty confused there for a moment.”

  He grimaces slightly, as Kiera smiles but is still sipping on her soda enjoying me telling off her brother.