by Harlow James
“I don’t know. I sent her a text yesterday, telling her how much I enjoyed our date, but she was working and got back to me late.”
“Don’t waste time. You only have a few months here anyway, right?” The timeline of my stay here never occurred to me until Grace just mentioned it. What if things progress and I have to make the decision to leave her behind? Or ask her to go with me? Shayla loves it here. Santa Barbara is her sanctuary, where she came to make something of herself on her own. Would she ever consider leaving?
“I can see the wheels spinning in your head, boy,” Grace says through a laugh as she stands and grabs our plates, depositing them in the sink. “Relax, Wes. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. Enjoy the moment. See her again. Explore these feelings you have for her.”
“You’re right. But I’d better not have you cook for us again. She called me out on that,” I joke as lean on the counter of the kitchen island where Grace is washing dishes.
“Then I like her already. So what do you have planned for your next date?”
I stand up, mustering some confidence with my next idea. “I have something up my sleeve. I just need her to say yes to another date first.”
“Then what are you doing standing here next to me? Get going!” She waves me away and I can’t help but laugh. After the rollercoaster of emotions I’ve felt in the last week, talking with Grace always seems to make me feel like I’m back on solid ground.
I go back upstairs and reach for my phone, seeing a text from Chase with the location of a private AA meeting to attend tomorrow. I add it to my calendar and then scroll through more messages.
Hayes texted to check in on my dick, as usual, so I ignore him. My assistant forwarded a bunch of emails before we left the office, but I ignore those too.
But one text has me grinning from ear to ear.
Shayla: Okay, I want you to know that even though I love cheese, if you send me blue cheese again, I will make sure to leave it in your Range Rover the next time I see you so you understand just how stinky this shit is. My apartment smells like five kinds of disgusting and Chloe is threatening to kick me out.
I throw my head back in laughter, loving how her humor can be detected even through her texts. There are so many ways I could respond to her message, but I decide to focus on the one thing that matters and gets me closer to what I want.
Me: So you’re willing to see me again?
Shayla: I love that you chose to focus on that detail of my text. LOL What are you asking me?
Me: Are you busy Saturday?
Shayla: I work at night, but other than that, no. It’s my last weekend before classes start.
Me: Can you get someone to cover your shift?
Shayla: Maybe. What’s in it for me?
Me: A second date. And trust me, you don’t want to miss it.
Shayla: Is that so? Are you going to wine and dine me now?
Me: Am I allowed to?
Shayla: I don’t know. Our hike was pretty nice.
Me: Yes, but I’d prefer to be able to give you a taste of something a little more refined if I can.
Shayla: Hmmmm. I’m pretty sure I told you I can’t be bought.
Me: This isn’t me buying you, Shayla. This is me giving you an experience you’ll never forget.
Shayla: Well, when you put it like that, now I’m intrigued. Okay, I’ll get out of work. But just to let you know, I haven’t played hooky from work in over a year.
Me: Then I feel honored. I’ll pick you up at ten in the morning. Sound good?
Shayla: Yes. And Wes?
Me: Yes?
Shayla: You’d better plan on kissing me again. Because that part of the date is non-negotiable.
Fuck. How can she say something so simple and have me rock hard in seconds?
Me: Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.
She doesn’t respond, so I cast my phone to the side and stare out the window as the sun descends toward the line where the ocean meets the yellow and pink hues all over the sky.
Grace is right. There’s something about Shayla that is making me want to cast aside my notion that I need to be alone to pay for my sins. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe she can help fill the cracks that fissured through my soul years ago but have yet to be repaired.
Chapter 10
Wes
The intercom on my office phone buzzes before I hear Sheryl’s voice. “Mr. Morgan. Your sister is here to see you.”
“Send her in. Thanks.” I finish typing the email on my screen just as my door swings open and Waverly appears in all her colorful glory.
“Big brother!” she exclaims, throwing her purse on one of the chairs and then sashaying her way over to me.
“Waverly.” I stand to meet her and wrap her in my arms, loving how just seeing her feels like welcoming sunshine into my dark, dreary world. With bright blonde hair and green eyes the same hue as mine, my sister is one of the only people in my life that I feel understands the pressure of being a Morgan and wishes we were born into a different family sometimes too.
“You look good. Santa Barbara agrees with you,” she croons as she steps back and assesses me from head to toe.
“I don’t know about that. It’s still weird being here, but I’m handling it.”
She reaches up to cup my cheek. “I’m proud of you. Most people don’t have the strength to go through what you have and come out the other side a better person, Wes.”
“I don’t know about that either.”
She rolls her eyes at me and then flips her hair over her shoulder. “Fine. Don’t accept any of my compliments. At least tell me I look fabulous then.” She strikes a pose in her bright orange dress and purses her lips. Not many people can pull off the color orange, but my sister can.
“You look beautiful. Looks like you’ve been spending time in the sun.”
“Duh, brother. It’s summer. And I don’t have classes for a few more weeks. Gretchen and I have been basking in all that So Cal has to offer and partying like our lives depend on it.”
“Just be careful, Waverly. You know how one wrong picture can create a clusterfuck.”
She reaches for her purse now and avoids my eyes. “Yes. I know.”
“Are you still with that douchebag, Brett?”
She sighs and then acts annoyed. “No. And he just won’t take the hint. He thinks there’s still a chance there, but when I catch you with your tongue down Valerie Stanton’s throat, we’re done, sir. Finished.” She slices across her throat and then whips her hair around. “Anyway, I’m in desperate need of some coffee. The drive was draining. Can you spare a few hours to take your sister out and maybe grab some lunch?”
I take a quick look at my calendar and noticed that Sheryl already blocked out three hours in a matter of minutes since I checked my calendar last, with the note, ‘Take your sister to lunch and stop working so hard’. I laugh and then close down the window on my computer. “Yes. It seems I have time set aside just for you.”
“Marvelous,” she says with a roll of her tongue and then we’re headed out to my Range Rover as we both hop inside and I drive to the one coffee shop I can’t help but go to on instinct.
I wonder if Shayla is there? Will she be mad if I inadvertently introduce her to my sister? Will Waverly be able to decipher that there is something going on between us?
Our date isn’t for a few more days, but I’m dying to see her, so I guess I’ll deal with the consequences as they come. Waverly remembers the last woman I was serious with, and if I would have heeded her advice back then, I probably could have saved myself a mountain of pain and drama. Of course, she was only seventeen at the time of that relationship, so I didn’t know how much of her reaction was concern or just teenage girl attitude.
“This place is so cute.” Waverly steps through the door as I hold it open for her, allowing her to step in first. The olive green walls and white wood make the coffee shop feel clean and inviting, and a few pops of blue add to that o
cean vibe they have going in here.
“The coffee is incredible too.”
“I take it you’ve been coming here since you’ve been back then?”
“A few times a week, yes.”
Waverly inhales deeply and then sighs. “God, there’s nothing like the smell of coffee.”
“I agree.” A voice behind the counter pulls my attention there. And when I see its owner, both of our faces light up with a smile.
“Wes?”
“Hi, Shayla.” I can’t help but stare at her as I take in her gorgeous face. With her dark hair thrown up in some kind of messy bun, light make-up on her eyes, and her black V-neck shirt and denim shorts, she looks so stunningly beautiful and delicious that I forget how to form words for a moment.
“What are you doing here so late in the morning?”
“My sister was in dire need of coffee, so we’re making a mid-morning run before we head to lunch.”
“Your sister?” she asks, and then turns to Waverly as I do the same. Only I see the shit-eating grin on my sister’s face directed right back at me.
“Yes. Waverly Morgan.” She reaches her hand over the register to shake Shayla’s. “It’s nice to meet you. I take it you’ve been feeding my brother’s coffee addiction since he’s been back?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it an addiction. But yes, he’s been a repeat customer for a few weeks now,” Shayla answers before grabbing a marker and then looking back at us. “So, what can I get for you two?”
Waverly taps her chin with her fingers while humming with indecision. “Hmmmm, what would you recommend that would satisfy a sweet tooth without being too heavy?”
“Well, how about an iced coffee with cream, vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon?”
“Oh, that sounds heavenly.” Waverly turns to me as if directing me to order.
“I’ll have my usual, Shayla. Please.”
She grins up at me and then writes our names on the cups. “You’ve got it.”
I hand her my card and then the two of us step aside to wait for our order. My sister gets distracted by the knickknacks for sale in the corner—coffee mugs, decorative signs, and pre-packaged bags of coffee and tea. I take her moment of distraction to slide up next to Shayla as she’s making our drinks and whisper in her ear. “You look gorgeous today.”
She jumps, causing her to spill a cup of milk as her hand clutches her chest. “Jesus, Wes. You can’t scare a person like that.”
I fight the chuckle vibrating in my chest and then apologize. “Sorry. I just wanted to let you know that I’m so glad to see you today.”
Glaring at me from the side while cleaning up the mess on the counter, I see the smile she’s trying to fight as well. “Seeing you was definitely a pleasant surprise. And bringing your sister in?”
“Yeah. I hope you don’t mind. She wanted coffee and I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”
“That’s sweet.”
I lean forward and whisper in her ear. “Almost as sweet as the taste of your lips.”
Her breath catches and I can see the rise and fall of her chest. “Wes.”
“I can’t wait to have you all to myself Saturday.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anticipating that as well,” she whispers back and then finds my eyes with her own. I’m inches away from her mouth. All I would have to do is lean forward slightly and I could get a hit small enough to last me a few more days.
But I can’t do that here—where she works, in front of my sister, and where several pairs of eyes could see.
“Am I interrupting something?” Waverly comes up behind me, catching me off-guard this time. I feel myself jump at the touch of her hand on my shoulder, but apparently Shayla catches it too.
“Serves you right,” she mutters before she hands us both our drinks. “Not interrupting anything,” she says to Waverly. “I hope you guys enjoy.”
Waverly takes a sip and then sighs. “Perfection. Thanks, Shayla.”
“You’re welcome.”
“See you soon,” I say to her before I follow my sister out the door and we head back for my car.
“Alright. Spill it. I may be younger than you, but I’m not stupid. And I’ve never seen you gawk at a woman like that before. Who is she?” She’s bouncing in her seat as soon as I take off for the freeway. The restaurant that I want to take her to is a few miles up the coast.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I prepare for the inquisition I know is coming. “Her name is Shayla, which you know. I met her while she was working there, but the first time I saw her was at a club down in Ventura.”
“You were in a club?”
“I met Hayes there. He was looking at it for investment purposes and wanted my opinion.”
“Typical,” she says with a roll of her eyes. My sister has never been the biggest fan of my best friend—although, part of me thinks the hate between them is riddled with something else. “Okay, continue.”
“Well, you saw her. She’s a bartender at the club and works at the coffee shop during the day. Obviously, she’s gorgeous. And sassy. She fought going out with me. Something tells me she hates the fact that I am who I am, but I can’t stop chasing her.”
With her hands clapping wildly, she screams, “Oh my God, Wes! I’m so happy for you! I like her so much better than …”
“We don’t have to say her name,” I cut her off.
“I know. But still. I know I barely spoke with her, but seeing your face right now tells me there’s something there.”
“I feel something, for sure, Wave. I can’t describe it.”
“Then follow your gut.”
“I don’t know that I trust my gut much anymore. But we’re going out again this weekend.”
“Well, it’s not full of alcohol, so it shouldn’t steer you wrong,” she jokes, but then grows serious. “Are you gonna tell her about …”
“No.”
“If it gets serious, you know you’ll have to tell her everything, Wes.”
The hard truth hits me square in the chest again with my sister’s reminder. “I know. But it’s still new. I’m just taking it one day at a time right now.”
“That’s so exciting. I want to hang out with her! She seems like fun.”
I smile and recall the playful side of her I’ve seen so far. “Maybe once I figure out what’s happening between us. Okay?”
“Fine,” she huffs dramatically before taking another drink of her coffee just as my phone rings through the speakers in my car. I press the call button to answer.
“Hayes.”
“Hey, fucker. How’s operation get-your-dick-wet going?”
“Jesus Christ, Hayes! Do you ever think before you speak?” Waverly spits as Hayes starts laughing through the speakers.
“Well, hello to you too, Beaverly!”
“Don’t fucking call me that!”
Hayes started calling my sister Beaverly when she was about ten. Waverly’s smile gave new meaning to the term ‘buck-toothed’ until some very expensive dental work made the cosmetic problem go away. Sadly, Hayes’ nickname for her did not.
“Oh, but that’s my term of endearment for you, boo.”
“There is no endearment between us, Hayes. Just a heavy dose of loathing and hatred.”
“Ouch. You almost hurt me that time.”
“Bite me.”
“Just tell me where, sweetheart.”
“Alright!” I command as my sister slinks back in her seat and Hayes laughs lowly on the phone. “What do you need, Hayes?”
“I was calling to check up on you. Shoot the shit. It’s been a few days and I miss my man.”
“You know you have an alarming way of declaring your love for me.”
“Yeah, but you love it. Plus, I have another club I’m looking at in Vegas and wanted to get your take on it.”
I glance in the rearview mirror and then change lanes so I don’t miss our exit. “Well, I’m headed to lunch with Waverly right now. I can call you whe
n I get back to the office.”
“Sounds like a plan. How’s Shayla?”
A smile builds on my lips instantly and Waverly shoves me from the side as soon as she sees it. “She’s good.”
“So is your dick satisfied yet? Is that why you sound more relaxed?”
“Even if it were, I wouldn’t be telling you. But no. I’m just feeling things out as I go.”
“Alright, alright, alright,” he says in his best Matthew McConaughey impression. “Well, as soon as you seal the deal, let me know so we can have a party celebrating the loss of your virginity again.”
“You’re such a moron,” Waverly chimes in.
“Don’t be sad, Beaverly. Someone will want to touch your snatch eventually.”
“You son of a …”
“Alright! We’re done! Talk to you later, Hayes,” I declare before ending the call.
“Grrrrr,” Waverly growls beside me as I clench the steering wheel and pull into the parking lot of the restaurant.
“You two are ridiculous. I swear, it’s a good thing I don’t drink anymore, or else you guys would turn me into an alcoholic anyway.”
She sighs and then reaches for my arm. “I’m sorry. He’s such an ass though, Wes. I don’t understand why you’re friends with him.”
“Because behind all that talk and assholism, he’s the most loyal person I’ve ever met, Wave. And I know deep down, you know that too.”
“God, I hate when you’re right.”
We exit the car and go inside, seated immediately once I give the hostess my name. As she unfolds her napkin and places it on her lap, Waverly very graciously changes the subject.
“So, what do you have planned for your second date with Shayla?” She takes a sip of her water while we browse the menu.
“I’m going to give her an experience that she’ll never forget.”
“Yes! I love it! Tell me everything!”
We spend lunch talking about my plans for this weekend, and my sister offers her two-sense where she sees fit. She tells me about some of our acquaintances back home and what the latest gossip is, even though I couldn’t care less. And by the time lunch is over and I’m back at work, my chest feels lighter, my mind more clear, and my heart just a little more open.
