by Sandi Lynn
“I only have a hundred bucks to my name. Remember I told you that my purse with all my money was stolen.”
“Oh yeah. I’d Venmo you some but I don’t have any money in the account that’s hooked up to it. Maybe find a Walmart parking lot to crash in for the night.”
Was he freaking serious? It wouldn’t be the first time I’d done that.
“Yeah. Maybe I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I have to go. The doctor walked into the room.”
I was driving down the two-lane road, when I noticed a car behind me. It wasn’t hard since their headlights hurt my tired eyes in the rearview mirror. I had looked at the GPS for a moment to see where the hell I was and when I looked back at the road, the only thing I could see were two beady eyes staring at me as my headlights shined on the raccoon who had a death wish. After slamming on my brakes, the raccoon made it safely to the other side. As for me, not so much when the car behind me slammed into the back of me, deploying my airbag. It took me a moment to process what had just happened. Shit. After removing my seatbelt, I opened the door and climbed out slowly as I could feel the achiness starting to settle in.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?” A man came running up to me.
“What the fuck?!” I yelled. “Do you not know how to drive?” I shouted at the man who stood about six foot three.
“Me?” He pointed to himself. “Why the hell did you slam on your brakes for no reason?!”
“There was a raccoon in the road, and I wasn’t about to hit him!” I shouted.
“A raccoon? Are you serious? Look at my car! And for what? A damn raccoon?”
“You weren’t paying attention. Because if you were, you wouldn’t have hit me! Admit it!”
“I looked down at my phone for a second. But you slammed on your brakes!” He angrily pointed at me. “Okay. Let’s both calm down and take in a deep breath.”
“Absolutely not! You ruined my car. It’s the only thing I own and have left! Oh my god, what am I going to do?” I placed my hands on my head and paced around.
“Listen, the most important thing is that we’re both okay. We need to report this, so I’ll call the police. Just make sure your insurance information is ready.”
“No. Don’t.” I turned and looked at him.
“What? We don’t have a—”
“Please. There has to be a way we work this out without calling the police.”
He stood there and stared at me for a moment.
“I’ll call my brother. He’s a detective with the LAPD. He’ll know what to do.”
He dialed his phone and walked away from me. What the hell was I going to do now? I had no money, no car, and no way to get to Ryan.
“Simon is on his way. By the way, I’m Stefan.” He extended his hand.
“Alex. Sorry if I don’t shake your hand. You basically just ruined my life.”
When another car pulled up, a man who stood about six foot three wearing jeans and t-shirt stepped out of the vehicle.
“What happened here?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you what happened,” I snapped. “Your brother smashed into the back of my car because he, and I quote, ‘I looked down at my phone for a second.’”
“She slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting a raccoon!” Stefan shouted.
“Okay. The two of you need to stop right now. You need to call this in, Stefan.”
“She won’t let me!” He pointed at me. “I’m sure she’s afraid of getting a ticket since it was her fault.”
“Sorry to break the news to you, brother, but you’ll get the ticket.”
“What? How is it my fault that she slammed on her brakes out of nowhere?”
“It’s called duty of care.”
“Ha! See, it was your fault!”
“If you want, I’ll call the tow trucks to pick up your vehicles and you two can decide how you want to handle this. By the way, I’m Simon.” He extended his hand.
“Alex.” I placed my hand in his.
“Really? You’ll shake his hand but not mine?”
“He didn’t ruin my car!”
“Alex, if a report isn’t made, your insurance company will not cover the damage.”
“I don’t have insurance anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” I placed my hand on my forehead. “I’m so screwed.”
“So, are we all in agreement that you’re not reporting this?” Simon asked.
“As much as he deserves a ticket, I don’t want to report it,” I said.
“Thanks for that, Alex,” he spoke in a snide tone.
“Okay. I’ll call the tow company and get two trucks out here.”
I inhaled a deep breath as I leaned against my damaged car. Panic settled inside me because I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I sent a text message to Ryan.
“I was in an accident. Is there any way you can come get me?”
I stood there and waited for the message to be delivered, only it wouldn’t go through. He probably didn’t have any service in the hospital.
“They’re on the way,” Simon said. “Alex, I’ll drive you home.”
“I don’t live here.”
“Are you staying with a friend or at a hotel?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then where were you driving to?” Stefan asked.
“Walmart. Okay? I was trying to find a Walmart parking lot for the night. But now that plan is ruined since I no longer have a car.” I folded my arms and walked away from them.
Chapter 4
Stefan
Was she serious? She was really going to sleep in her car. I walked over to where she stood and tucked my hands in my pants pockets.
“I’m sorry, Alex. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. I have a hundred dollars left to my name. Do you know of any motels around here? I’ve been driving for fourteen hours, and I’m so tired,” she began to cry.
“Hey, don’t cry.” I placed my hand on her arm. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Even though she slammed on her brakes, the fact was I still hit her, and I was responsible for her not making it to a Walmart parking lot.
“Do you have any friends here or anyone at all you can stay with?”
“If I did, why would I be looking for a Walmart?”
I inhaled a sharp breath for I couldn’t believe what I was about to say and do.
“I’ll have Simon drive us to my house. You can stay the night and we can figure things out in the morning. I have two really nice guestrooms you can choose from with really comfortable beds.”
“You want me to spend the night at your house?”
“It’s the least I can do since I ruined your car. And the way I see it, you don’t really have a choice.”
“You’re not going to harm me in any way, are you? Because I swear to god—”
I let out a laugh. “I’m harmless. I promise. You can ask my brother. Plus, it’s late and we need to talk about how we’re going to handle this in the morning when our heads are clear.”
“Okay. Just for tonight,” she said.
“Just for tonight.” I gave her a small smile. “Go get your things from your car.”
The tow trucks pulled up and I walked over to where Simon stood.
“She’s coming home with me and staying the night.”
“What? Are you serious? Bro, she was going to sleep in her car. I’m not sure you should let her. Especially with Lily. Just pay for a hotel room for her.”
“Nah. It’ll be fine. It’s just for tonight.”
“And what if she steals from you?”
“I’m not a thief,” Alex spoke as she walked over to us.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just—”
“I know what it looks like, Simon. A woman who was going to sleep in her car with a hundred bucks to her name. Trust me. I’d be thinking the same thing. But things haven’t been running smoothly for me since I left Seattle.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said as she climbed in the back of Simon’s car while I put her suitcases in the trunk.
She wasn’t talkative, so I didn’t bother asking her anything else on the drive home.
“This is your house?” Alex asked me as Simon pulled in his driveway.
“No. This is Simon’s. I’m right next door.”
“You live next to your brother?”
“Yes.”
We both climbed out of the car.
Simon popped his trunk and I walked over and grabbed her suitcases from it.
“Thanks, bro.”
“Thanks, Simon,” she spoke.
“You’re welcome. Get some rest.”
We walked across to my house, and I slid the key in the lock. Opening the door, I rolled one of her suitcases inside and flipped on the lights.
“Wow. This is really nice,” she said as she stepped in behind me with her other suitcase.
“Thanks. My brother Sam lives on the other side of me, and my other brother Sebastian lives in the house next to his.”
“Wait a minute? How many brothers do you have?”
“Three. We’re quadruplets.”
“Oh my God. Seriously?” She cocked her head.
“Seriously.” I gave her a smirk and showed her to her room.
“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”
“Water would be good.”
She followed me to the kitchen and picked up a framed picture I had sitting on the counter of Lily and me.
“You have a kid?”
“I do. Her name is Lily, and she’s nine.”
Reaching in the refrigerator, I grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.
“Thanks. She’s adorable.”
“Yeah. Sometimes.” I sighed. “She’s at her grandparents for the night. We really should get some sleep.”
“I agree. I’m exhausted.”
“You have your own bathroom if you want to take a shower.”
“Thanks. That can wait until the morning. I’ll just probably fall asleep standing there.”
“Okay. Well, goodnight,” I said.
“Goodnight. I appreciate this.”
“No problem. Like I said, it’s the least I can do since I ruined your Walmart plans.”
The corners of her mouth curved upward as she walked into the bedroom and shut the door. I went to my room, stripped out of my clothes and climbed into bed. My phone pinged with a text message from Simon.
“Everything okay over there?”
“Everything’s good.”
“She’s hot, bro.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I replied.
“Just be careful. You never know who you might be dealing with.”
“I know. I have a feeling she’s hiding something.”
“I got that impression too, and you know my instincts are always on point. Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I set my phone on the nightstand and pondered how Simon was right. Alex was a beautiful woman, even when she was yelling at me in the middle of the road.
She stood about five feet six inches with her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. The first thing I noticed about her when she stepped out of her car was her face. Deep brown eyes, high cheekbones and lips that were full and pouty. Her slender figure wasn’t hard to miss as she wore a pair of black sweatpants with a cropped zip up hoodie that exposed her lean waist. Closing my eyes, I just wanted to forget about tonight and her.
Chapter 5
Alex
I never thought this was how my day would end when I headed on the road this morning. In a warm comfy queen-sized bed with a down comforter in a stranger’s house that wasn’t Ryan’s. But not just any stranger. Stefan was one hell of a sexy stranger with his tanned skin, blue eyes and stylish dark brown hair that he kept shorter on the sides with a medium length textured top. His masculine jawline was framed with a five o’clock shadow that complimented his chiseled cheekbones. His lean stature was muscular, and the way his navy-blue shirt hugged his biceps caught my attention.
He looked around early thirties. Way too young to have a nine-year-old daughter. He said she was with her grandmother, so I got the impression he was divorced, and it was his weekend with his kid. That right there told me something was off. Because why would he leave his kid with his mom to go out when it was his weekend to have her? Maybe he wasn’t a very good father and only cared about going out then spending time with his kid. I was exhausted and couldn’t think anymore. Come tomorrow, I’d ask Ryan to pick me up or I’d figure out some way to get to him.
I opened my eyes, not only to the sun that filtered in through the sheer curtains, but also to a child with long blonde hair standing over me.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Alex.” I furrowed my brows. “You must be Lily.”
“Why are you sleeping in our guestroom?”
“Where’s your dad?” I asked.
“He’s in the shower. You need to leave,” she spoke in a serious tone.
“Lily, what are you doing in here?” Stefan asked as he stood in the doorway shirtless and in a pair of jeans.
I swallowed hard at the six pack he sported.
“I don’t want her here! She needs to leave!”
“Lily, that’s enough. I’m sorry, Alex. Lily, go the kitchen, and I’ll get you a snack.”
“She better be leaving soon.” She folded her arms and stomped out of the bedroom.
“I’m really sorry about that,” he said.
“It’s okay. I get it. She doesn’t like some strange woman sleeping in her house. I’m going to hop in the shower.”
He gave me a nod and shut the bedroom door.
After my shower, I unzipped my suitcase and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a black tank top. After dabbing on a bit of makeup, I ran the brush through my long brown hair and tossed it back in my suitcase. I needed coffee, and I needed it bad. I couldn’t deal with a bratty kid until I had caffeine running through my veins.
When I walked into the kitchen, Stefan looked at me and smiled.
“Coffee?”
“Please.”
“Now that you’re dressed, it’s time for you to leave,” Lily said.
“Lily, that’s enough!” Stefan loudly voiced. “You will not be rude to our houseguest. You know better than that.”
“Whatever.” She shot me and Stefan a look and walked out the sliding door off the kitchen.
“Where are you going?”
“Down to the beach!” she shouted.
“I’m sorry. Do you take anything in your coffee?”
“No. Just black. You seem to have your hands full with her. Is your ex picking her up today?”
“Uh, no. Lily lives with me full-time. Her mother dropped her off for my weekend visit six years ago and never came back.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” I frowned for I didn’t know what else to say.
“Thanks, but I’m not. I love my daughter very much and she’s better off with me.”
Okay. I had this guy pegged all wrong.
The sliding door opened, and an incredibly sexy man stepped in.
“Hey, bro—” he glanced over at me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” The corners of his mouth curved upward. “I’m Sebastian, one of Stefan’s brothers.” He extended his hand.
“Alex. It’s nice to meet you.” I lightly shook his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alex.” He looked over at his brother. “Anyway, I just stopped over to borrow a couple eggs.”
Stefan narrowed his eye at him.
“Right. Go ahead and take some.” He shook his head.
I couldn’t help but snicker to myself as I took my coffee cup to the table and sat down. After Sebastian left, Stefan grabbed a plate with three apple turnovers on it and set it in the center of the table.
“Have one. My brother
’s fiancée made them and they’re amazing.”
“Which brother?” I arched my brow as I grabbed one.
“Sam. I’m sure he’ll be strolling in soon. How did you sleep?”
“Great. You were right. That bed is very comfortable.”
“Good.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“It must be tough being a single dad and raising a nine-year-old.”
“Lately it has been. I had a nanny for five years who took care of Lily while I worked. We called her Nanny Kate. Three weeks ago, she was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer and moved to Maryland so her sister could take care of her.”
“Oh gee. I’m sorry.”
“She and Lily were very close, and Lily is having a hard time adjusting without her. She normally doesn’t display that kind of behavior. She’s a terrific kid.”
His phone rang and when he pulled it from his pocket, he told me he had to take the call and he’d be right back. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Ryan’s number and a message came on stating that the number was no longer in service. Suddenly, a sick feeling rose in the pit of my belly.
“Everything okay?” Stefan asked as he walked back into the kitchen.
“Yeah,” I spoke with uncertainty. “So, what are we going to do about my car? I need a car.” I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes.
“I’m going to pay for all the repairs. I already called the body shop when I got up and told them to go ahead and fix it along with mine.”
“And how long is that going to take?”
“They said most likely three weeks.”
I placed my hands over my face.
“Is there anywhere you can go?”
“Yeah. I need to get to my boyfriend’s house in Oceanside.”
“You didn’t mention a boyfriend last night,” he said.
“It’s a long story. Listen, I appreciate everything you’re doing and have done already for me, but is there any way you can drive me to Oceanside? I mean, it’s your fault that I can’t get there.”
“Have you forgotten that I also don’t have a vehicle at the moment?”
“Shit. Right.” I placed my hand on my forehead.
