by C. M. Owens
“I actually do some freelance photography. I like the freedom it gives me,” Aidan says absently as he studies me with a wary eye.
“Great,” Whit says quietly.
Worst. Dinner. Ever.
After the waitress takes our orders and brings a second round of drinks, Whit stands up and motions for Aidan. “Help me find a drink at the bar.”
Gee, that’s not obvious.
“I’ll help you find something,” Chase growls.
“You stay put and talk to Mika. I’m sick of this weird tension. I like her. I like the bowling alley. You two find a way to not hate each other. Aidan, you come with me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Aidan says, glaring at Chase.
“Well, since I’m the only one who apparently doesn’t know what the hell is all going on, how about you come give me the details? While I drink. I need something strong now.”
Aidan looks questioningly at me, like he’s asking for permission as Whit walks toward the bar.
“I’m not telling her anything. This isn’t my fucking problem. You don’t talk to him. Find me in ten minutes.” He cuts his eyes toward Chase. “You fucking humor your girlfriend, but don’t even look at my sister. Then tell the pretty blonde all is well, and stay the fuck away from Mika. Got it?”
Chase starts to say something as his fists clench, but I beat him to it.
“It’s fine,” I say, glaring at Aidan.
It’s not fine at all. As soon as they leave, I’m going to get the hell out of here and walk to the house. It’s just across the bridge behind the restaurant and down the street about a mile from here.
Aidan reluctantly allows Whit to pull him away when she returns and grows impatient with his dawdling, and I turn to ask Chase to get up at the same time he cuts his cold eyes toward me.
“What the fuck are you doing here, and why the hell did you build our bowling alley?” he bites out.
Definitely wasn’t expecting him to ask that.
“I just want to go home. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you still lived here, okay? Last I checked, you moved. And yes, I did check.”
“I moved back,” he clips out.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
We glare at each other for several long minutes until I get annoyed with the fact my body is actually reacting to him. His voice is like sex on gravel. Well, sex on gravel sounds painful, but then again, so is hearing the way he speaks to me.
It’s a deep voice with a rough undercurrent. His hair is inky black and longer than the super short strands he once kept. It’s that slacker sexy look, peeking out from under the hat in a messy way. How it makes him look sexier, I don’t know.
His body is strong and toned, but he’s not bulky. It’s like the boy I knew was swallowed up by the man in front of me. The cold man with no trace of warmth left in him.
“What happened to you?” I ask without thinking.
His lips thin, and he cocks his head to the side. “I grew up. Now tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.”
The harsh tone startles the woman in the booth behind us. Several pairs of eyes swing our way, everyone looking at him more than me. His dad used to have a nasty reputation for beating the shit out of Chase’s mother. At least until Chase got big enough to fight for her. Not that she deserved the love or care Chase showed her.
Now everyone is looking at him like he’s going to do the same thing to me. No matter how much he’s changed, that’s one thing I’m not worried about.
“I bought my dad’s house,” I say quietly, not willing to elaborate.
“Why? And why did you fucking buy the bowling alley? Why aren’t you a doctor in New York or something?”
Why the hell would I be a doctor in New York? How does he know I was ever even in New York?
Just the mention of it has a cold chill spreading across my neck.
“Probably because I never went to medical school. Can you please let me out? I want to get away from all of this tension. I have to work with Whit. It’s awkward enough. Why did you tell her I took your virginity?”
I immediately regret saying that so loud when the woman behind us makes a strangled noise. Chase’s lips twitch as he leans closer.
“Because it’s the truth. Saying I should have lied to my girlfriend?” he asks, sounding as though he’s taunting me.
“Well, did you tell her everything? If not, then that part could have been excluded. For some reason, she thinks I’m a hell of a lot more special than I am because of that.” My eyes narrow, and I refuse to inhale through my nose, because his scent is all around me, suffocating me, leaving me lightheaded.
He doesn’t smell like a boy using cheap soap anymore. Not that it was ever a bad smell. It was always a comforting smell. Now he smells intimidating—figuratively. He smells like spice and sex wrapped around a body meant for seduction.
“Why the bowling alley, Mika?” He spits my name out like it tastes bitter in his mouth.
“Why are you the one acting pissed at me when I’m the only one here who has the right to be pissed?”
The tattoo that crawls up his neck draws my eyes to it, and I see the tips of wings there.
“You still haven’t answered my questions,” he says quieter, almost sounding strained.
It takes me a second to realize I’ve leaned in closer in my pursuit to see his neck tattoos, and my breath is blowing back from his neck to my face. Yeah… That close.
I jerk back like I’ve just touched a hot stove, and a small smirk appears on his lips as though he’s enjoying the fact I feel like an idiot.
“You haven’t answered mine either,” I retort.
“Looks like we’re at a stalemate then.” His eyes sparkle with annoying amusement, and I look away.
“Can I please get out?” I ask through gritted teeth.
Anything to do with Chase James is a slippery slope for me. A very, scary, slippery slope that will end like a shit-storm with no disaster relief teams.
He slips out of the booth, and waves his hand with flourish like he’s gesturing, “as you wish, milady.”
Smartass.
Aidan and Whit are nowhere to be seen, which is good, considering I know I’m flushed and furious and annoyed… and…and… There’s another word I’m looking for, but it seems to be eluding me at the moment.
I’m glad I’m in sneakers, but I wish I had worn something other than jeans, considering my body hasn’t gotten as used to the heat and humidity as the natives.
Thunder crackles above, as though the sky is laughing at me, punctuating my shitty day. Sure enough, when the rain starts to fall, it rips free like a hole is torn in the sky, pummeling me as I run toward my house.
Once upon a time, I loved the summer storms in Hayden because Chase was always there to distract me from being scared.
Bad, bad thought process.
By the time I get home, I’m covered in sweat and rain, my heartbeat is in my ears, and I stare at the ceiling above me like it’s going to give me a hug and make everything better.
Somehow I went and made the worst mistake of my life because I couldn’t let go of the past. Well, congratu-fucking-lations, Mika. Now you get to face your past every single painful day. Great decision. Just great.
“Damn, girl.” Hunter’s voice startles me, and I open my eyes to see him looking me over in a bit of shock. “You look like you need a drink.”
“Or something stronger,” I mutter, wishing we had some pot on hand. Well, I’d wish for it if I was allowed to smoke it.
Chapter 12
MIKA
“Thanks for the ride, sweetheart,” Hunter says as we pull up at the auto repair garage.
“This is the second rental car you’ve torn up since you’ve been here,” I tell him, trying to keep amusement in my tone since Hunter has been watching me closely.
Aidan has been staying busy by photographing some of the local landscape. He’s surprised me by not bringing up the Italian restauran
t debacle.
I’ve not been back to the bowling alley in the three days since. I’ve used writing as an excuse to escape, staying holed up in my room or office. Hunter, however, has been overly annoying today and has forced me to get out.
“Damn rental cars are pieces of shit,” he grumbles as I get out.
I walk in with him, soaking in the unusual mild summer day. It’s not sticky hot, and the sun isn’t blaring down on us with a relentless mission.
When we walk in, my eyes collide with a pair of steely blue ones that seem oddly familiar. It’s then I realize it’s the same guy who dropped off Hunter on the first day, but he looks familiar for a different reason.
“Where the hell do I know you from?” the guy asks me, causing my lips to twitch.
He’s tall, nice looking, and has blonde hair. A few tattoos are on his arms, which isn’t surprising since there’s a tattoo shop directly next door.
“I don’t know, but you seem familiar too,” I tell him, stepping closer. “I thought the same thing when you dropped off Hunter.”
Hunter looks between us and rolls his eyes. “Worst pickup line in history and you just fell for it,” he groans.
The guy behind the counter chuckles while handing Hunter a set of keys. “Try to stop grinding the gears or rent an automatic. Not sure how many more rentals they’ll let you go through.” He winks, acting a little cheeky, and Hunter flips him off.
“I drive stick just fine.”
“If you say so,” the guy chirps. My eyes drop to the name that is stitched on his button-down shirt. Blake.
Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.
“How long you in town?” Blake asks me, swinging his eyes back my way.
“I’m living here indefinitely. At least until I realize it was a big enough mistake to cut my losses and return home.”
He snorts, laughing under his breath. “Hayden is always a mistake unless you’re just staying for the hot, muggy, bug-overloaded summer. You doing anything this weekend? The carnival is having a special light show. It’s sort of a big deal in town.”
“Hello. I could be her boyfriend,” Hunter interjects. “Pretty fucking rude.”
“You were fucking Beth, the receptionist next door, just two days ago. Heard all about it,” Blake says without looking away from me.
“Small towns. Forgot why I hated them so much,” Hunter states flatly.
“So this weekend?” Blake prompts.
Dating isn’t allowed, but I could use a friend. Since he doesn’t appeal to me on a romantic level, it would be safe.
Hunter will be gone by the end of summer for a while. Aidan will be gone in large intervals for work. Chuck is married with four kids, so he’s only my friend at work, even though his wife would love to have me over for dinner every night. Whit was really my go-to option for friends after my brother and Hunter left, and she’s currently in bed with the man who ripped my heart out and set it on fire.
Having a friend in town is too appealing to pass up, even if I have to be careful with friendships too.
All the others who work at the bowling alley may eventually be my friends—even though they’ll never be true friends. If I ever go back to the bowling alley, that is. It’s not like I have to be there for it to run. I did what I had to. I fixed it up. I gave myself closure.
So why doesn’t it feel over?
“I think that sounds like a plan. As long as you tell me how to get there,” I say to Jake, ignoring my messy thoughts that are all bumping into each other.
“I’ll pick you up.”
“Hell nah,” Hunter pipes in, shaking his head. “First dates get a meet-in-public arrangement. Not a pick-up-from-home arrangement. Not unless you’re very acquainted with each other. Which you’re not.”
I fight hard not to laugh. Hunter is like a second brother, but he looks utterly ridiculous when he’s wearing pants so tight he’d bust them wide open if he bent over. He loses major intimidation points just because of his wardrobe choices.
Blake just grins, still looking at me. “Fine. Give me your number and I’ll text you the info…” He lets the words trail off, waiting for me to insert my name.
“It’s Mika.”
His grin broadens as I scribble down my number and hand him the paper. “See you Saturday, Mika.”
Shit. I wish I hadn’t agreed to an exact day. That’s stupid.
“You could tell her your name,” Hunter groans, but he eyes me like he’s noticing the pale color on my skin. “Seriously. I thought Southern guys were supposed to be so much fucking better than us.”
“I already saw her peep my nametag,” Blake says, winking at me. “It’s why I invited her out.”
He turns and chuckles as he walks toward the back, and I walk out with Hunter as he mocks Blake’s laughter. At least I’ll have a friend when everyone else abandons me at the end of summer.
A small bubble of sadness catches me off guard, and Chase’s boyish face pops into my mind. He always hated the end of summer, because he had to stay while I went away.
Now he hates summer.
He hates me.
I don’t even know what I did wrong.
I also don’t care.
“You shouldn’t have agreed to an exact day,” Hunter tells me quietly.
“I know,” I say on a sigh. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t give me an exact time even if I have to let you read my messages for me.”
He frowns while glancing over to where his rental car is parked.
“Be careful with this, Mika. New friends aren’t always armed with good intentions, and he’s looking for more than friendship.”
Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “No worries. I’m not interested in that.”
“Because of a certain someone else?” he pries.
Turning my head away, I get in my car and try not to think about anything at all. My head is killing me.
Chapter 13
CHASE
“What are you doing?” I ask Mika, staring at her like she’s lost her mind.
“Putting two blue dots on this wall to match the two blue dots on the other wall. It’s driving me crazy.”
My eyes dart to the other wall to see two small dots there. Hmmm. I haven’t ever noticed them before. I don’t know how she handles my house if something like that drives her crazy. But she never says a word about anything in there, and it’s disgusting.
“What are the two blue dots for?”
“I don’t know. I think someone wrote on it with an ink pen or something. It took forever to match the color and then measure out the exact placement.” She leans back, and her entire body relaxes. “Done.”
She hates things out of order, and she hates things not in sync. It’s one of her quirks that drives her family crazy, but I like it about her. It keeps things interesting. It’s also the reason I can’t fathom how she tolerates my home when we have to go there.
“Why the hell wouldn’t you just paint white over the two blue dots instead?”
She gives me a look like I’ve sprouted a second head.
“Because there’s no way to match the white up exactly with the other white. Time has changed it. I’d have to paint the entire room, of course.”
Of course.
Smiling, I pull her to me, brushing my lips against hers.
“Thank you for not making fun of me for being weird,” she murmurs against my lips, letting me hold her to me.
“Thank you for being weird,” I tell her, loving the smile she gets.
“I just hate the feeling of things being unfinished. You know? It felt like those two dots were waiting on two other dots to join them.”
“Yeah,” I tell her, agreeing, even though I personally would have never noticed the marks. “I know.”
Getting out of my own head, I drop my arm around Whit’s shoulders, but she barely acknowledges the action. I can’t say I blame her for being mad. I’ve been an asshole. She sure as hell hasn’t deserved it. And I still haven’t touche
d her the way she wants to be touched since Mika came back into town.
That changes tonight. Hopefully.
I’ve moved on, after all.
I left Mika so she could be the fucking princess she deserved to be. It’s not my fault she’s here now, but I can tell she doesn’t plan on staying. I can also tell—even if I was stupid enough to get sucked in again—that she doesn’t want anything at all to do with me.
The only thing that didn’t make sense was why she bought the bowling alley. At least until Whit finally said she asked Mika why she’d bought it on the first day she’d met her, and Mika said it was unfinished business or closure or something.
It makes sense. Mika can’t stand leaving anything unfinished, and we spent a lot of time planning out that bowling alley.
She came back to Hayden for closure. Maybe I need it too. We definitely don’t fit together. Never did. Mika writes murder/mystery; I ink skin all day. I love it. It’s exactly what I needed. I get to design and create, then I get trusted to permanently leave my mark on someone’s flesh. Mika tells the world stories.
She was supposed to heal the world.
Regardless, we don’t fit together now any better than we did then. I made the right decision by moving forward and giving her the freedom she deserved, not tethering her to my hell.
If anything, we’re more opposite than ever before. Whit is the right thing for me for right now, and I need to do better at being the right thing for her until this thing between us runs cold.
“You came to a carnival light show?” Blake’s voice has me spinning around, pulling Whit with me. She forces a smile for his sake, but I can tell it’s fake.
“Yeah. Whit loves these things. Figured I’d bring her.”
Whit’s stiffness ebbs ever so slightly after she hears that, and she slides her arm around my waist.
“What’re you doing here?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “Taking out a hot little number. I’ve had to fix her friend’s car twice. She came in the garage with him to get it the last time, and I hit her up about the light show. It’s weird. I swear I’ve seen her before, but I don’t know from where.”
