Cursed Love: Cursed Love (Cursed, #1) (3 page)

I could really go for a mug of coffee, but I don’t need to hear any shit from Daulton this early on a Saturday morning.

The more distance I can keep from him ’til we make it into work, the better off my day will be.

I move toward the bathroom and turn on the shower. Stripping down my boxers, I step into the hot water and let it run down my face before turning my body to allow it to hit me on the back.

The relaxing feeling of the burn is surreal and reminds me how much the pain takes away all the other thoughts and memories that constantly cloud my mind.

I realize that I’ve been in the shower way too long when I see the pruning of my fingertips. Making quick work of soaping up my body, I rinse off the suds and step out of the shower.

A knock sounds at the bathroom door and I shake my head as I towel dry my body.

“Dude, you know I’m in here. What the fuck do you need?” I ask in an annoyed tone.

“
Someone
woke up cranky this morning,” he says with a laugh.

I wrap the towel around my waist and swing the door open.

“What?” I ask, staring at him as he stands in the hallway with a smug look on his face.

“I’ve got some errands to run before heading into work. Don’t forget that we have the new tenant moving in next door tomorrow and we need to take out the trash and tidy up some other shit over there.”

Fuck! I totally forgot all about that.

“Fine, no worries, I’ll be sure to do a clean sweep of the place before leaving for work. I’ll be there early enough to open, so don’t rush. The first client isn’t due in ‘til one.”

“Good deal, man. I’ll see ya later.”

Shutting the door, I finish getting myself ready for the day.

I pull on my jeans and t-shirt before looking in the mirror. Grabbing my toothbrush and paste, I brush my teeth and then style my hair just enough that all I need to do is throw some gel in it.

I make a quick mental list of the things I need to do next door and head downstairs to grab a mug of coffee. Before all else, I need my caffeine fix to get through this morning. After all, cleaning up next door was the
last
thing I had planned on doing.

Damn it to hell. I don’t know where my mind has been this week, but I completely forgot about getting the other townhouse ready.

I just hope this one isn’t a deadbeat like the last one, that’s what I get for letting Daulton be in charge of screening the people that move in…no more of that shit.
 

Chapter 2

After rummaging through the house from top to bottom, I’ve made sure that it’s spotless for the new tenant. I fill up the last trash bag with some loose items left lying around and lock up the front door.

The last guy I let rent from me made a huge mess of the place. He was a young kid that supposedly came into some money and needed a place to stay. I kind of felt bad for him once Daulton told me his story, so I agreed to let him in for a six month lease.

Little did I know he was a drug dealer and needed the location for his stash. After a few loud parties and a shit crazy brawl one night, he was out on his ass.

The next day, Dault and I went into the house to check it out. Let’s just say there was more than mold growing from the fridge to the upstairs guest room all the way down to the basement.

The stench alone was enough to knock out your worst enemy. I don’t know what the hell he was doing over here, but the entire place needed to have new paint and carpet installed throughout each room.

It wasn’t cheap, and I sure as hell was
not
happy about it.

All I can hope for is that this new tenant takes care of the place and leaves me the hell alone. I don’t need the stress or the drama right now in my life. Hell, I’m still trying to put myself back together.

If I can manage to stay clear of whoever it is that’s moving in and just collect the rent, I’ll be a happy landlord.

I turn from the front door and look out at the front yard. Standing on the front porch of the two connected town houses, I shake my head at the thought of having someone new moving in tomorrow. Every time I think about it I
still
wonder why Daulton talked me into buying these two houses with my inheritance money.

Honestly, it made me feel sick to spend the money of my deceased parents. After all, I hadn’t spoken to them since I left Charleston. I couldn’t believe I was even placed in their will, earning me a huge chunk of cash and a portion of their estate.

It’s been nine years since they died and twelve years since I left home, but I can still remember the pain in my sister’s voice when I answered the phone.

When I got the call from Mimi saying that there was an accident, I didn’t know what to do with the news. Frankly, I was shocked that she even called me at all.

Knowing I would regret my decision to not go back to South Carolina, I put my life on hold here in Alabama and headed back to where I grew up.

It had been such a long time since I stepped foot into that town. The thought of it alone gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

After that night at Daulton’s house, my relationship with my family changed dramatically. I was more closed off than usual and my parents started to pay less and less attention to me as I got older.

I didn’t know if it was the fact that I was getting into more trouble at school, or that I didn’t want to follow in the same political direction that my parents were in for so many years.

Honestly, I needed them to be there for me, to help me deal with my fears. Fuck, I was only nine years old and experienced the scariest thing of my life.

The more I wanted to open up and ask for help, the further I pushed away. Maybe I should have talked to them about how I was feeling. I don’t know that it would have helped, and I can guarantee they would have just sent me to an expensive shrink. My family was downright fucked up. If I wasn’t part of their political lives, I didn’t exist to them at all.

I didn’t know how to cope with the memories of my past; all I knew was that I needed to do something. The only thing that was certain was that I had a difficult decision to make. With all that I was, I knew it was the best choice for me.

I wasn’t a kid anymore; I was eighteen years old—an adult for Christ’s sake. It wasn’t about them anymore. They couldn’t control my emotions, who I was, or who I needed to be. It was time for me to do what I thought would make me happy…and leaving that town for good was the right choice for me to make.

The day after graduation, Daulton and I packed up our cars and made our way to Birmingham, Alabama to start our new lives. We didn’t know anyone where we were going and that made it that much better. We were setting out on a journey with no idea what would happen when we got there. All we had was each other, the only thing we ever really had…we were okay with that.

My family was less than devastated that I chose to leave my life behind. They refused to see that there was too much pain and suffering in that town and I couldn’t bear to be there a minute longer.

Shelton cut me off just as quickly as my parents did, but Mimi insisted that we talk at least once a week. I knew she was playing the big sister role, and I was okay with that for a while, but after a few months I stopped answering her calls and texts.

There really wasn’t a point to our conversations any longer. No matter what I did or said she’d give me the third degree and tell me that I needed to stop being so impulsive.

She didn’t understand that one of the reasons I left was because I didn’t want other people making choices for me. I wasn’t like them; I didn’t want to be a politician or a lawyer. Even though both Shelton and Mimi chose the path of our parents, it didn’t mean that I had to as well.

On the day I left to fly back to South Carolina, my stomach was in knots and I had a pounding headache due to the lack of sleep from the night before.

The flight back to Charleston made me a nervous wreck. It’s not that I had a fear of flying. No, it was the fact that I’d have to step foot in the town that destroyed my life.

As I waited to get off the plane, I took in a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair.

Once the passengers started to get out of their seats and walk off the plane, I followed and moved through the crowded airport. Working my way to the exit, I found my sister and her fiancé waiting for me by the automatic exit doors.

As soon as our eyes connected, Mimi came running over to me, pulling me into her tight embrace.

She looked exactly the same as she did the day I left, just a couple years older. She was dressed in a black pant suit, looking like she just left the court room. Her long, dark chestnut hair was hanging just below her shoulders and her bright green eyes were staring at me with complete loss and sadness.

We held onto each other for what felt like forever until Trevor, her high school sweetheart, came to stand next to us.

He extended his hand without a word and I did what I had to do and shook it in return.

I felt like an outsider that wasn’t welcome, and his harsh exterior didn’t make me feel any better.

The car ride back to their place was in absolute silence. Mimi turned around to look at me a few times, giving me a subtle smile before she faced forward.

It had to have been one of the most awkward moments of my life. I argued with her over the phone that I’d rather stay in a hotel while I was there, but she wouldn’t have it. Instead, I was stuck staying at their fancy, million dollar house for two nights.

Fuck my life.

Rather than dwelling on the uncomfortable silence, I rested my head on the top of the seat and closed my eyes.

A hundred thoughts rushed through my mind as I started to count down the hours ‘til I’d be back at the airport, boarding a plane to head home.

Home. Alabama is my home now. It’s where I planted my feet and wanted to start a future. I bought my first home and started my own business with my best friend.

It’s the place that I want to live for the rest of my life.

My eyes opened the moment the car stopped. Trevor had pulled the Porsche Cayenne SUV into the three car garage and I watched as they both got out of the vehicle.

My body began to cringe at the thought of being in their house, this town, and so close to where hell took my soul of a nine-year-old boy.

I reached for my bag and got out of the back seat. Following them through the spacious garage and into the house, my mouth nearly dropped to the floor the moment I walked inside.

It was though I had been thrown back in time to my parents’ home. I instantly took notice of the pricey flare that decorated the kitchen and living area.

I don’t know why it came as a surprise to me—Mimi was just like Mom. The two of them always needed to have the best of everything.

My head snapped toward them as I heard Trevor clear his throat.  

Mimi nudged him in his side and I laughed to myself as he flinched.

Pussy boy.

She looked back at me and gave a smirk while rolling her eyes.

“Come on, Linc, I’ll show you upstairs to the guest room. We don’t need to leave for the viewing until six. I’ll be sure to have dinner ready for us around five, so you’ll have plenty of time to take a nap or just kick back and relax.”

I nodded my head in her direction and followed her through the downstairs portion of the house.

As we moved through each room I saw a few items that were from our parents’ home. There were framed photos, classy vases and a couple of other things that I knew were Mom’s.

Seeing all of these memories, I thought maybe I’d have a ping of guilt bolt through my chest. My parents are dead and I never got to say goodbye. The more I started the think about it, the more I began to feel like I was the lost sheep of the family herd.

I felt nothing—no sense of remorse, regret, or loss.

I suppose that makes me the asshole of the family, but hell, I already knew that much.

Mimi led me up the stairs and down the long hallway to the left. She opened the door and I followed far enough behind her that I wasn’t within her reach.

I didn’t need any lovey dovey shit while I was here and the further away I kept myself, the less likely she was to touch or hug me again.

“There’s a full bathroom over here,” she gestured with her hand, “in case you want to freshen up before dinner.”

Turning my gaze around the room, I spotted a photo of my parents on the dresser. I walked toward it to get a better look. As I picked up the photo with my left hand, I smirked at the irony of this picture. My parents thrived on a life of political success. They traveled all the time in hopes of reaching voters, encouraging the polls in my father’s favor, and schmoozing with other political men and women. I guess it’s crazy that the travels that meant more to them than their own son also took their lives. The plane that they flew on a hundred times was also the plane that took them away from their family. Nodding my head, I looked into her eyes. I don’t know what it was that I wanted to see, but whatever it was, I didn’t see if for the rest of my stay.