Convince Me (Tidal Collection Book 1)

by Chelsea McDonald

  I worked there for nearly three years, and I’m not kidding when I say it was the best job I’ve ever had. Mrs. Cassini was a hard ass but loveable, and cheeky once you got to know her.

  Hmm. Well, if she’s still head librarian, I should pop by to at least say hello. It’d be rude not to.

  “So, what are you up to today? Did you come all this way just to be welcomed home by me?”

  “Hah. Look who’s a comedian.” I search the back booths where Katie and her friends usually like to hang out, but I don’t see her. I’m not mad, it’s what I get for being early. “I’m here meeting Katie for lunch.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Lane says as he looks up. I do the same to see Katie walking through the door. She starts our way when she spots me on the barstool.

  “Hey stranger,” she giggles. Lane slides us two menus before leaving us be.

  “Hey.”

  “My small place seems so big without you there. I actually kinda miss ya, cuz.”

  I let her lead me over to a table and roll my eyes.

  I don’t believe for a second that she’s even noticed that I’m gone, much less actually go as far as to miss me.

  “How’s things?”

  “Things? You mean how is being a jobless, friendless loser who’s stuck living with her parents going? It’s great.”

  “I’m sure things will look up soon,” she reassures me with a fragile smile.

  I burst out laughing. Not only is my life laughable at the minute, but to witness the outspoken Katie try to be comforting is about enough to cheer me up.

  “Shut up.” She bursts into a bubble of laughter, joining me. “No one wants to talk about my life right now, especially me. Tell me, how are you and Evan doing?”

  She sighs dreamily with a massive shit-eating grin. Oh god.

  “Come on, lay it on me, delve into all the mushy details.”

  And she does exactly that.

  As I sit and listen, watching her light up, I’m thrown back to when we were kids and dreamed about falling in love. We were always close, never a secret between us. We would spend hours obsessing over hot boys, and then when we got a bit older, would spend days crying over those same boys.

  She’s so happy.

  And it clicks. She’s found her one. The guy we would dream about marrying one day. I bet every dollar I had that it wouldn’t be long until Evan asks her.

  Seeing as I’m destined to be the family spinster, I better be made a bridesmaid.

  4

  Hayden

  I feel like a goddamn stalker. I have for days, ever since Nellie confirmed that Veronica was a friend of her granddaughter’s. The saint that Nellie is, she sat and answered all of my questions. That day I left work early, going home content.

  I had convinced myself to wait for an online response from Veronica. But it didn’t happen, I’d been driving myself insane for days thinking about her, each day worse than the last.

  Until last night, when my phone buzzed with the notification that I’d been anxiously waiting for. I must’ve typed out half a dozen messages before realizing that I needed to see her in person. Everything that I thought to write in a message just sounded creepy as fuck.

  Creepy messages, more times than not, don’t elicit responses from pretty girls.

  What the fuck am I doing?

  I really need to take a step back and re-evaluate my life. I’ve sunk down deep to get to this level. But, my god, I just couldn’t help myself. It seemed like nothing was impossible or off-limits when it came to her.

  Veronica may well be the exception to every goddamn rule ever written.

  It’s ironic.

  I’m standing across the street, following Veronica as she moves from shop to shop with a redheaded woman on her arm. All because my curiosity has turned more obsessive. I want to know her; I want any chance to bump into her again.

  And yet, if she knew just how deep she had hooked me, she’d probably throw me back into the ocean.

  I can’t understand it. Which is why I won’t try and explain it to anyone. All I need to know is if she feels even remotely the same way about me as I do her.

  The two women stop on the sidewalk in front of a busy bar and grill. For a second, it looks like they’re about to enter but instead they turn to face each other, hug and part ways. The redhead leaves, continuing to walk down the main street as Veronica disappears inside the restaurant.

  Curiosity piqued, I hurriedly cross the street to follow her.

  What the hell?

  Is she dining alone? That could totally work to my advantage. Or maybe she’s meeting someone.

  I peer through the window of the restaurant and sure enough, my eyes find Veronica right away. Here’s the kicker, she’s seated at a table with a man. Another man. As in, not me.

  I don’t know whether I should give up and go home or hang around a little longer. I’m pondering it when I catch a glimpse of the man’s face.

  Oh, fuck no.

  Eons ago, back in high school, Nicky Lane was once my rival. As I storm into the restaurant with the grace of a raging bull, I can’t believe it. Would my Veronica really rather hang around this cocky, sick bastard than be with me?

  No, because she doesn’t know that she has alternatives until I can convince her otherwise. To make her realize she deserves better than Nicky Lane.

  How had I not known Veronica earlier on in life?

  I regret my lack of interest in women. Maybe if I’d been actively searching for love, I might’ve found her a lot sooner than this. Hell, how did I not notice her in high school?

  It didn’t matter. I was here now.

  Lane spots me first, his eyes narrow into slits as he notices that I’m heading straight for them. The next few moments pass by in slow motion.

  5

  Veronica

  What. The. Fuck?

  “Lane!” I scold while pushing away from him. You can’t just kiss someone like that. What the hell was he thinking? One second we’re talking about Evan’s new garage and the next he cuts me off.

  In the next second, I’m yanked up from my seat. I look to the hands gripping my waist and trace them back to the owner. It takes me a second to recognize the face but as soon as I see him my outrage morphs into curiosity. “Hayden?”

  Everything happens so quickly, I think my head starts to spin.

  “What the fuck, Hayden?” Lane cries angrily, standing from the other side of the table.

  I look back and forth between the two men, piecing together their words. “You two know each other?”

  “Yes,” Hayden grunts.

  “From high school.” Though Lane’s smug smirk isn’t directed at me, his words are and I quickly assume there’s some kind of hidden meaning behind them. This doesn’t surprise me; Lane was a handful back then. He was popular because he was on the football team, not because he was likable.

  “Wait, high school? I don’t remember him from high school.”

  Our school was big, Lane was a couple of years ahead of me, but there’s no doubt in my mind that if Hayden ever strolled the halls of Bellemont High, I’d have noticed.

  “Hayden went to Naperville High; he was their quarterback.”

  Ah.

  The meaning behind Lane’s words explains a lot more than the words themselves. It gives me a rough extent of the animosity between the two. Hayden was on the opposing football team - Bellemont’s rivals.

  The Batman to our Superman.

  “What are you doing here, Carmichael? You stalking Veronica?”

  Hayden says nothing, only continuing to glare at Lane. I roll my eyes.

  Honestly. Men.

  I try shrugging out of the hand that is still wrapped around my wrist. That’s when I remember that Lane fucking kissed me. I momentarily forget about Hayden’s hold on me to turn on Lane. He doesn’t even notice because he’s locked in the testosterone match of the year.

  My hand snaps out to slap him across his face, finally getting his a
ttention on me - the woman fuming in front of him. At five-foot-seven, it’s not often that I feel any kind of small, but as I stand between Lane and Hayden, I’m just a bush between two trees.

  “You kissed me!”

  “I know.” He sulks, pathetically trying to sound like he’s actually sorry. I know he’s faking it because he did the same thing the last time he tried kissing me. It was back in high school as he tried to make his then-girlfriend jealous. I slapped him, warned him that if he ever did it again that would happen, and then I slapped him again for good measure.

  This time I’ll let him off with just one. There was no tongue.

  I turn back to Hayden with a crinkled brow. “It’s funny, I was just thinking about you.”

  I don’t tell him that I was thinking about him as Lane kissed me, or that for those few seconds I was comparing notes. His kiss scored off the charts. I don’t know how he’s still single for that matter, with a mouth like that I can only imagine the female attention he must get.

  Well, shit. Is he single?

  That never came up during our one-night stand.

  “Let’s go.” What?

  Uhhh. “Excuse me?”

  “Your date’s over. Come on, I need to talk to you.”

  Oh fuck. What if he has an STD?

  That thought scares me stiff. Did we use a condom?

  We must have. I would have insisted on it. But I’d had a couple drinks on an empty stomach. Hmm.

  The real question is; do I trust myself enough to be sure?

  Hayden’s hand on my arm draws my attention. It’s big and warm, and that warmth seems to spread through my entire body. With a soft tug, I’ve decided to see what he wants.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I say to Lane - who doesn’t look in the least bit happy about this new development. I snatch up my handbag and jacket before turning to follow Hayden.

  The whole strut through the restaurant my eyes were glued to the sculpted ass of the gorgeous man in front of me. Now, I totally understand why men are always offering for women to go first. It’s not such a hardship, after all, it’s more like winning a golden ticket to splash mountain.

  I have no idea where we’re going or why I’m letting him take me, but I follow regardless. With a small shrug and a wave to Lane, we push through the exit, leading us out into the cold night air.

  6

  Hayden

  Wow.

  Why the hell did that work?

  I didn’t expect that to work. I expected a red mark on my cheek as I stormed out. But that wasn’t the case.

  Veronica actually came with me. She doesn’t even know me. This must mean something. That she likes me? That she wants to go another round? That she’s worried I have herpes? Whatever it was, I’d take it because I know that it was her trust in me that allowed her to climb into my car.

  We drive for a while. I purposefully take the long way back to her place just to prolong the time I have alone with her.

  Suddenly guilt washes over me as I realize that she hasn’t eaten. I’d stolen her away from her dinner and then not provided her with a replacement. How thoughtless of me.

  “Are you hungry? We can stop for something if you’d like?” I want to say I’m sorry but I’m not and I won’t lie to her.

  “I have leftovers waiting for me at home.” She easily dismisses my offer and continues silently watching out the window.

  Okay. Nevermind then.

  As we pull up outside the modern double story, I notice she hasn’t asked how I knew where she lived. I think I’ve gotten away with it too until I see her eyes narrow and her eyebrows scrunch together. I recognize that face from earlier, back at the restaurant.

  We sit there in silence. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what she expects to hear. She shifts in her seat, turning to face me. Clearly, she’s not going anywhere just yet.

  What she doesn’t realize is that as she shifted, so did the skirt of her dress. The material having slid higher up her smooth tan skin.

  I struggle to hold back a grunt at the thoughts that flood through my head. I imagine reaching my hand over the console and pushing the material up even further, finding out for myself what she has on under that damn dress.

  For a second, I wonder if she’s teasing me on purpose.

  There’s no way for me to subtly adjust myself, not without her knowing that she has my cock stiff as a post from just looking at her.

  “Are you gonna tell me what the fuck is going on?” Her words surprise me - her soft melodic voice is sweet but her words are spicy.

  If I were being completely honest with her, I would say ‘no’. There’s no way I could tell her that I was more or less stalking her for the perfect chance to ‘bump’ into her. Instead, I decide to take my chances and ignore her question.

  “What were you doing kissing Lane?”

  “Woah. Steady your horse, cowboy. I can kiss whoever I want.”

  “Are you together?”

  “If we were together, I wouldn’t have been sneaking out of your bed last weekend.”

  “Good.”

  “Good? I don’t even know you, yet, you come storming in - you drag me away, you know where I live, you’re acting like a jealous freak…” She huffs, tightens her hand on her handle, and turns to open the car door.

  “Wait.” I finally get some satisfaction as I reach over to touch her thigh, stilling her movements entirely. “I’m sorry.”

  It’s a genuine apology, but all I can think about is how soft her skin is.

  “I can’t even explain my actions…” All I know is that I’ve been acting crazed since I woke up without her on Monday morning.

  “Wait there,” I reluctantly let go of her leg and exit the vehicle. I round the car quickly to open her door, then offer her my hand.

  The door shuts, and she leans against the car, unmoving. And now it’s my turn to convey confusion.

  Veronica sighs and looks me in the eye, “I should be running from you…”

  I hold my breath as she takes a step forward - towards me.

  “You have trouble stamped all over you…”

  Another step forward. She’s in my personal space now, only inches between us.

  “And yet.” Her hand placed on my chest, her head tilted back, her eyes locked on mine. The temptation is real. I manage to wait, holding myself in place. I need to hear her words; more than I think I need my next breath. “I don’t wanna leave.”

  I’ll make sure she never regrets giving me those words.

  I wrap her in my arms and back her up against my car. She’s now trapped between me and a giant heap of metal, she has nowhere to go and no way to escape.

  Lowering myself to her level, our lips meet in a heated kiss.

  “I told you that you were the girl of my dreams.”

  “I didn’t believe you.”

  “I know, but now’s the time I start convincing you.” I wink and start backing away. I’m afraid if I don’t get away from her fast enough, I might do something I might later regret. Like, get arrested for indecent exposure.

  7

  Veronica

  “I’ve made reservations at seven different restaurants, bought movie tickets for two different movies, and bribed a guy down at the winter fair to keep the Ferris Wheel on until late.”

  “Wow. I don’t think we’ll have time to do all of that tonight.” I try biting back my smirk, but I’m not sure if it works.

  “You’re funny.” It sounds more like a revelation than an accusation. He’s surprised to find me messing with him.

  “Yes, that was a joke.” I grab my coat and purse from the sideboard and lock the door behind me. With no idea where we were going or what we would be doing, I dressed accordingly. A silver glittery top, tight - stretchy - jeans, and ballet flats. Not over the top, comfortable and yet, I still feel pretty.

  It’s all about balance.

  Not to mention my brand-new sparkly purse - got to have somewhere to store all thi
s confidence.

  “I wasn’t sure what you’d like. I just wanted tonight to go well, and I didn’t want to chance anything going wrong.”

  Aww.

  Instead of cooing at his sweetness, I smile. It’s been such a long time since a guy’s put any thought at all into our date, and here’s Hayden aiming for perfection.

  At the curb, he opens the passenger side door for me and I slide in feeling like I’m in a Disney princess movie. As he rounds the front of the car, I scan him - slyly checking him out while I have the chance. He looks nice, really nice. His jeans and knitted sweater give me some comfort that we’re not going anywhere too extravagant.

  “What are the choices for tonight?”

  He slips in, shuts the door, and moves across the console in seconds. His lips press softly against mine in a welcome greeting.

  Well, hello.

  “You look amazing.”

  “You don’t look too bad yourself.” So good in fact that I’m considering asking to skip the date and head straight back to his place. But he wanted to spend time getting to know me, not just my body. I predict that we’ll be doing both tonight.

  I press another chaste kiss to his lips before pulling back entirely. “So, where to?”

  “We have a table at Spartan House, Chili’s, Shanghai Garden, Su-”

  “Oh, yes. Shanghai Garden. I love that place.”

  “Shanghai Garden, it is.”

  Dinner was amazing, as it always is at the Shanghai Garden. The restaurant setting alone would be enough to salvage any date, there are both indoor and outdoor seating areas. As we walk back to the car, full and a lot more relaxed than before, I’m sad the date is coming to a close.

  It was one heck of a date. We’ve spent hours talking about anything, and everything under the sun. I learned all about his family, his seemingly boring job, and how, at the age of nine, Hayden had been so obsessed with the Flash that he used to sleep in his costume. After that confession, all bets were off. I even admitted that I had been a cheerleader in high school - and I don’t ever tell anyone that.