Finding Peace (Finding Series Book 1) (5 page)

“I’m thinking your blue jean mini skirt and my pink tank with the sheer white off the shoulder shirt over it.”

“Hmm. I’m not going to pick up guys, Tessa.”

“Well, you never know. Besides, just because you aren’t looking doesn’t mean you can’t look nice.”

“What are you wearing?”

She won’t look at me when she says “Jeans and a fitted t-shirt.”

“Oh no, no, no. If I’m dressing up so are you.”

“Fine. I’ll wear a mini skirt too. You are impossible you know that.”

Laughing at her, I proceed to get ready. Curling the ends of my hair and pulling my sides up so that my blonde curls fall down my back. Applying some light make-up, I line my light green eyes to make them pop even more. After some light lipstick, I’m done. Sliding into my short blue jean skirt and pulling the tight tank top over my head. I’m ready. My upper body is a little more blessed than Tessa’s, so this shirt is really showing off my curvaceous top.

I look over at Tessa, who is standing beside me as we share the large bathroom mirror. She looks at me and then herself. “We look hot.”

“We do, but I’m rethinking this top. I think it’s a little too small.”

“Nonsense. When you put the sheer top over it, it will look fantastic.”

“If you say so. How do I let you always talk me into these things?”

“Because you love me and you know I’m always right.” She smirks and spins then shouts. “Let’s go!”

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We pull into a parking lot of what appears to be an old small strip mall. Out front of the very last building I see some guys and girls milling around talking to one another. Tessa parks the car. I turn and grab her arm before she opens the door. “Do not for any reason leave me standing alone with no one to talk to.”

“Girl, come on. We are going to have fun. Just relax.”

She opens the door and gets out. I sit there staring at the door to the game room watching the girls shamelessly flirt with the guys. I can hear them giggling even though I’m still in the car with the windows now up and the doors shut. Tessa stops and turns around. She takes both hands and waves in a come on motion for me to get out of the car. Here goes. Maybe it won’t be so bad.

“Did you plan on spending the night in the car?”

“No. I was being entertained by the girls flirting with the guys. I thought I’d watch for a while.”

“You’re crazy.” She grabs my arm and pulls me with her.

“Great.” I reply sarcastically.

We walk over and Tessa is greeted by some of the guys and girls who she must know from coming here before. We walk inside and I’m blasted with the sound of music and people talking excitedly to one another. There is a counter to the right as soon as you walk in. Behind the counter, a middle-aged couple are manning the post. Looking around at the younger crowd, I'd assume they own the place. Against two walls were various video games. A juke box at the very back of the room along with a few tables and three pool tables are lined up side by side in the center of the room. It’s not a very big place at all.

Tessa and I stand over by some video games. A few girls that know Tessa, stop by and talk to us. I’m not really paying attention. My eyes keep scanning the room. There are just so many people in this small space, it’s unreal. Tessa nudges my side with her elbow saying “Kayla, you need to loosen up a little.”

A guy with short dark hair walks up to play the video game that Tessa and I are standing next to.

He looks at us and then asks, “Are y’all gonna play this game?”

Tessa shakes her head no. We move over one machine. The guy steps up to the machine and says “Hi, I’m Maxwell but my friends call me Max. I’ve never seen y’all in here before. Did you just move here?”

Tessa looks at me cautiously before she answers him. “Hi. I’m Tessa and this is Kayla. No, we didn’t just move here. I’m visiting my mother for the week and Kayla came with me.”

“Oh well, nice to meet you.” He is just looking at us with his eyebrows raised waiting for us to respond.

“You too.” We both say. I roll my eyes. He scratches the top of his head and puts his coins in the game and starts to play.

We stand there in awkward silence for a few minutes. The bell over the door rings signaling the arrival of yet another person into this already very full place. I hear people laughing and there is a huge commotion in that direction. I lift my head and look that way. There’s a guy standing just inside the door now and everyone seems to be trying to get his attention.

“Hey man. You want to play some pool.” Someone calls. The guy shakes someone else’s hand as he yells back to someone else across the room.

“Yeah, give me a minute.”

A couple of girls have walked up and are leaning on him, talking to him, but he doesn’t seem to even notice. I haven’t gotten a good look at him yet, but for some reason I can’t stop watching this scene unfold. People are surrounding him and talking to him. He’s just smiling, shaking his head and answering and trying to talk to each one of them. Talk about an entrance.

He turns in my direction and the world just seems to stop.

Kayla

Our eyes locked and I think my lungs have actually forgotten how to work. I can’t breathe. We are staring at each other for what seems like forever. It’s as if everything else in the room has disappeared. My heart is racing and my hands are shaking.
Stop looking at him for goodness sake. You probably look like an idiot right now.
He slowly smiles at me. Well, I shouldn’t say smiles. It’s a slow, deliberate smirk that has my brain screaming at me to run as fast as I can, but I can’t move because I’m paralyzed.

This weird feeling fills my stomach and has now sent a warmth over my whole body.  My skin begins to heat, more on my face than anywhere else, letting me know that I'm now blushing. This makes him smile even bigger.

Someone walks up and shakes his hand. He lifts his chin and says, “Hey man. What’s up?” But he never breaks eye contact with me. He continues to talk to the guy. This gives me the opportunity to break this intense staring contest we have going on.

I blink a few times, shake my head and I am able to break from his stare but not from him. My eyes trail over him and he seems to be enjoying himself. From the heat that courses through my body, he knows exactly what I'm doing and he's doing the same to me. The guy has a mustache and almost black hair that's a little on the longer side. It's messy as if he's been running his hands through it. His tanned skin speaks of someone who's been working in the sun. Okay, I'll admit it, he's handsome. But the problem is, he knows it. Smirking to myself, I know his type all too well. He’s wearing some snug jeans, a tight gray T-shirt that’s stretched to its limit across is muscular chest and work boots. He has the sleeves rolled up, his biceps have me wanting to run my hands up and down those marvelous muscles. I’m now starting to think he has to be a lot older than me. Maybe he’s married and has kids somewhere.

Unconsciously, I follow him with my eyes as he walks over to the pool table. He'll throw me a smirk every now and then, but I'll quickly look away. This only seems to encourage him to keep going. Now that he's closer, I can see his eyes better. They are these gorgeous hazel eyes that seem to be able to see exactly what I'm feeling. Oh, this is bad, really bad. I twirl the engagement ring on my left hand. Wishing like everything, that I didn’t have it on.

“Hey, did you hear me?”

“Hmm? What?” I shake my head and look at Tessa.

“Where were you? I said do you just want to go? I mean, you aren’t talking to anyone and we are just standing here. We can go grab some food.”

“I’m good; I’d like to stay for a while.”

Tessa looks at me like she doesn’t know who I am. I shrug. “What?”

“Nothing. I just figured you’d be ready to go.”

Biting my lip, I sneak a glance over at Mr. Sexy. Looking back at Tessa, she's watching some girl play a race car game next to us. Maxwell is still playing the same game he was before; I completely lost all sense of time and my surroundings.

“Tessa?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know who that is?”

“Who?”

“The guy playing pool at the table in front of us.”

“Which one?”

“The one with the dark hair and muscles and….” I trail off just as he lifts his head and his eyes to meet mine.

He’s bending over the table to sink the eight ball into a corner pocket. His muscles in his arms flex as he prepares the pool stick to make the shot.

“No, I’ve never seen him before.”

Max clears his throat. He’s now turned around facing us. I guess he finished his game and he thinks it’s perfectly fine to eavesdrop. “That’s Blake McGinnis. He’s a buddy of mine. He’s an amazing pool player. We usually play together. We are an unstoppable team. You want me to introduce you?”

Oh no! I’m humiliated. I can’t believe he was listening to us. I, quickly and with way too much force, protest. “No!” I shake my head. “I mean no. I was just wondering who he is.”

“Whatever then.”  Max walks over to Mr. Sexy, who I now know is Blake. I smile to myself. I like that name. It fits him. I’m staring at him again, dang it. Tessa slaps my arm.

“OH MY GOSH! What are you doing?”

“Nothing! Keep your voice down. What is wrong with you?”

“If you’re not doing anything, then why do I have to keep my voice down? Hmm?”

“Shut up Tessa. I’m warning you. If you embarrass me, I will never speak to you again.”

“Right. Like that will happen.” She rolls her eyes. “He’s cute.”

Cute? He’s not just cute. He is so beyond cute. Mr. Sexy, bad boy, confident, muscular, dominate, charismatic, or just mmm. Yes, any of those will work. Of course I wouldn’t expect Tessa to see that. She has her Mr. Right. I risk looking in his direction again and now Max and Blake are looking this way talking. I don’t know this Max person, but right now I would really like to hurt him.

Max heads back in our direction. It appears that Blake is involved in yet another game of pool, but I keep catching him watching me.

“Hey! It’s Kayla, right?” Max says as he approaches us.

“Yes.” I answer with a puzzled look on my face.

“My buddy over there,” Max says, tilting his head in the direction of Mr. Sexy-and-knows-it, “Would like to meet you.”

“Well, why doesn’t Mr. Blake come and say so himself?”

Please, let Mr. Sexy come over here, but I will not go over there. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

“Hmm. Blake’s the kind of guy that the girls go to. Not the other way around.” Max is looking at me like he is dead serious.

You have got to be kidding me. Ok, this guy has some nerve. He thinks he’s all that. Well, I’ll show him.

“Hmm. Well, I’m not the kind of girl that just walks up to random guys I don’t know. And Mr. Blake looks like a hoodlum to me.”

Max covers his mouth, trying to muffle his snickering. He presses his lips together and nods his head. “I’ll let him know.”

What is this middle school? I roll my eyes as he walks away. Oh, this Blake guy may be hot, but who does he think he is? Like I’m going to come running because he has snapped his fingers. He doesn’t even know me and although I’d love to walk over there and run my fingers through that thick dark hair. I won’t run over and fall at his feet. I’m not one of the groupie girls that are now hanging around the pool table where he is still playing pool, just hoping that he will give them some attention.

“Why won’t you go talk to him?” Tessa asks.

“Because that is no way for a guy to ask to meet a girl and I’m engaged or did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget. Did you? The way you keep looking at Blake, I don’t know, I think you might have forgotten. Besides your engagement is just a technicality. You just haven’t officially broken it off.”

“Exactly, which means I’m technically still engaged.”

“You’re killing me, Kayla.”

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Blake

I’ve had my eye on this girl since I walked in. She is beautiful. She’s petite with a tiny waist and assets that I can definitely appreciate.
Mmm, yeah, those are definitely some nice curves to appreciate.
Her eyes are magnetic. I can’t really tell what color they are, maybe a light green, but not a green like I’ve ever seen. She’s been watching me too. We keep locking eyes and I can’t deny that the pull between us is like nothing I’ve ever felt. She’s got on a short blue jean mini skirt that is just short enough to drive me crazy.

I had planned to walk over and talk to her, but as usual when I walk in this place everyone starts trying to pull me here or there. So I’ve been stuck playing pool since I walked in. These girls, that are over here, keep trying to get my attention. Normally, I’d be glad to talk to them, but right now all I want to focus on is this girl. Who is she? She’s never been here because I definitely would have noticed.