Finding the Magic (Tom Kelly's Boys Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter 15

"I just hate that we did that. I'd feel better knowing he still has his job. Maybe we can go back sometime."

Megan regarded me sincerely. "Are you sure you're okay? You know, with everything that happened last night?"

"Are you asking because I'm overreacting about leaving that restaurant?"

"It's not just that. I just want to make sure you're good. I know you Addie, and you don’t take sex lightly."

"Yes I do," I said.

Megan leveled me with a stare that said she wasn't buying it.

"Okay, you're right. It's a little out of the ordinary for me, but I'm totally fine with it. I mean, I can tell by looking at him and have heard enough from you and your brother to know what I was in for. I didn't expect him to mention me coming back sometime, though, and he did," I said.

Her eyes popped up to meet mine. "He did? What did he say? Are you gonna start going out with him? How old is he anyway?"

"God, Megan, one question at a time."

"What'd he say about you going back?"

"He said he was making my table and would call me when it was done." I shrugged. "And he might have eluded to hanging out again when I picked it up."

Megan squealed.

"It really wasn't a big deal," I assured her. "There's still a significant chance that he won't call me back at all."

"You totally had on his T-shirt when you came home this morning," she said. "That was so cute."

"
He'
s so cute."

She squealed again. "Tell me, tell me. Please tell me."

"First of all, I think your brother might seriously be onto something with the whole pirate thing," I said tentatively.

"Are you serious?" she asked in shock. "And you stayed over there?"

"It's not what you're thinking. They never said anything to prove they were, but I just got the impression by the way they talked. They seemed like businessmen who were more along the lines of the Sopranos than Wall Street, but they kept the conversation pretty clean around me, so it's hard to say for sure. Their dad did have this skull that sits next to his briefcase."

Megan choked on her own spit and started coughing uncontrollably at my casual mention of the skull. "Are you joking?" she asked as soon as she cleared her throat.

"It's not that big of a deal when you're around them. They're nice guys, and Drake said the guy who used to belong to that skull deserved what he got for the things he did to women and children."

"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard," she said. I could tell she was dumbfounded that I was okay with it.

I smiled, reassuring her. "It's not as weird as it sounds."

"Which is it? Are they pirates or is he a furniture builder?"

"Both I think. Like I said, I'm not really sure about the pirate thing. I think they probably juggle the real businesses on the side, though—the furniture and fishing businesses are legit and maybe even successful, but there's definitely something gangsta going on."

"So he's really making you a table even though he's a ruthless pirate. How much is that gonna cost?"

I laughed. "He didn't tell me," I said. "I'm prepared for it to take a chunk out of my savings, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right? He showed me a few of the other things he made. He's a real artist."

"Oh my God, you are so in love."

"I am not."

She gave me another concerned expression. "Addison, you better not put yourself in a position where you let him hurt you, because if he does, I'm gonna have to go after him, pirate or not."

"I won't get hurt. I promise I'm okay with having a little fun. I know that's what he has to offer, and I'm good with it. No regrets."

We talked for another hour or so before she took off for one of her friend's house. She was always really nice about asking me to go along, but I knew she had a life before I moved in, and we both tried to be respectful about giving each other space.

I spent the whole afternoon reading. I read for four and a half hours straight, not stopping until my characters got their happy ending. The book I was reading had a couple of love scenes in it, and I couldn't help but compare them to the evening before. Reading romance novels usually gave me unrealistic expectations for the way sex was in reality, but last night with Drake was at least as good as the ones in my book, and I caught myself getting distracted by the truth being better than fiction.

Don't get me wrong, though—fiction was pretty dang good. The couple in the book had some hot times followed by a happily ever after, and I was left with a satisfied feeling that stuck with me all evening. I went to bed feeling a lot better about the guy at the restaurant and my maybe-questionable relationship choices.

Several days passed, and by the end of that week, I had talked myself into believing that Drake Kelly would never call. Wednesday and Thursday were okay, but by the time Friday rolled around, I started telling myself that was probably the last time I'd see him. I was totally aware of the fact that we were still well within the timeframe he gave me and it was ridiculous of me to give up so easily, but I wanted him to call something terrible. I knew I could peek through the wall and get a glimpse of him if I wanted to, but I wouldn't let myself do it, and that made waiting for him to call that much harder.

Thankfully, I had a busy week. Megan brought me to tour the campus and get a look at where my classes would be and square away a practice room. That just took one afternoon, though. The rest of the time, I was already starting to study since my new major would require me to be proficient in German and know at least a little Italian and French.

I'd earned enough playing in my short career to support myself while I finished school. I was living rent-free and was thankful not to have to get a job since I'd be so busy with my studies. I've never really been the academic type and would have much preferred a long career in performance, but I had to make the best of my current situation, and I was going to have to study my ass off as hard as I used to practice if I wanted to leave my mark.

So, here I was… reluctantly studying Rosetta Stone German on my laptop on a Friday afternoon instead of going out, or better yet, reading a good book. I had been hard at it for a few hours, and my neck and back were sore from staring at the screen. I closed my computer and made a cup of coffee to try to wake myself up.

My mom had an expression for the tired feeling you got later in the afternoon when your feet started dragging. She'd say, "A bear jumped on my back." It might be a common saying, but I said it to a few people in New York, and they had no idea what I was talking about. Anyway, a bear jumped on my back that afternoon as I was studying, so I made myself a cup of coffee, which I decided to enjoy on the stone bench in the backyard.

Maybe I knew it was a bad choice all along, but I was getting desperate to hear from him and couldn't help myself. I decided there was no harm in sitting on the bench as long as I didn't look through the hole. I reminded myself that I'd been on the other side of that fence and knew I didn't want anyone spying on me. I sat on the bench sipping from my favorite coffee mug and thinking about how I was
never
going to look through that hole again.

It was at that very moment that I heard their sliding glass door open. "Hey girl, I haven't seen you in a long time," I heard someone say. I thought it was Drake's voice, but I was so taken aback by hearing it that I couldn't process it accurately. I wondered why I could hear him so clearly, and thought he must have said it pretty loudly. I sat there as quiet as a mouse, listening intently.

I was so curious about what girl
he was referring that it was literally impossible for me to remain on the bench. I knew I shouldn't do it, but I crossed over to the wall without a sound and down to peek into the hole. It had been a while since I looked through it, and it took me a few seconds to remember how to focus. Oh shit. I could see Drake. It was him, plain as day. He was the first thing I saw when I focused past the foliage.

He was standing by the pool looking out into the yard with a big smile on his face. It sure seemed like he was impressed by whatever he was looking at. My stomach sank as I realized it was probably the girl he spoke to a minute before. He was staring out into the yard with such a big smile that I didn't really want to see who he was staring at. It was probably some super-model, and I had no business seeing that.

I knew I needed to look away, but I gave myself a few more seconds to take him in. He was as flawless as I remembered. He had on a pair of jeans and a blue-ish grey tank that hugged his chest and stomach. I stared, remembering what it had been like being close to him. His gaze shifted, seeming to follow the girl he was watching.

Then, out of nowhere, I was shocked by a loud rustling noise. Before I could think, the hole went dark and a great whooshing sound came through it. I literally felt a puff of air and steam hit my eye, and I fell back with a fright. I made a gasping sound, but thankfully held in the scream that almost came out at the shock of having air blown into my eye.

The rustling sound loudened, and I heard the sharp sound of a bark. I sat there with my back against wall feeling petrified with fear. I risked another glance through the hole and could see the shadow of the dogs nose as it repeatedly sniffed and pawed at the crack. She let out another bark and it startled me but I kept looking through the hole.

"Go!" I whispered desperately.

The last thing I needed was for it to draw attention to the fact that there was a hole in the wall. Drake whistled and clapped and the dog stopped for a second then went back to scratching and sniffing at the hole.

"Go dog! Get out of here!" I was utterly mortified and had no idea what to do. Having Drake figure out that there was a hole, and better yet that I was on the other side of it was
not an option
. I had to think of something fast. I took one last look at Drake, who was now walking toward me to investigate what the dog was barking at.

I panicked.

I grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and began to try to fill the hole with it. I quickly figured out that it was too sandy to stay in place, and I felt a crippling wave of fear and dread.
Think Addison, think
. I took the coffee that was sitting on the bench and made the dry dirt and sand mixture into a paste, which I ever so quickly used to fill the hole to maximum capacity. It took a few handfuls of the stuff to fill the hole, and I was surprised by how much of it went in. I made myself stop when I knew it was fully blocked, but before I thought it might go through the other side. What a nightmare it would be if mud started pouring out of their side just as Drake walked up. I let the fourth handful of paste drop from my hand at the thought.

Silently, I wiped the excess sandy mud off of my hand before I situated myself to wait out the drama. The dog must have smelled the coffee because she immediately ramped up her sniffing and pawing. The hole was completely filled from my side and I knew that unless Drake got curious enough to put a stick in it, he'd never even know it was there.

I had no choice but to sit there with my back against the fence and wait for the scene on the other side to resolve itself. There was a chance that he was already close enough to the back wall to hear me if I tried to walk away, so I just sat there quietly.

"What's up girl," I heard him say.

I literally put my hand over my mouth to keep myself quiet. She let out a shrill bark and my shoulders tensed at the sound, but I didn't move.

"What?" he asked.

I heard more rustling that I assumed was Drake investigating the wall in the area where the dog was going crazy. I prayed my coffee mud mixture was enough to block any light from going through. I sat there, cringing for several seconds before I heard a loud clap. That too, startled me, and I was thankful I had my mouth covered so he didn't hear my gasp. Right after he clapped, I heard him say, "Let's go girl!" in a deep, commanding voice.

It must have been enough to distract her from the fence, because they both retreated, and within a moment I was sitting there in silence. I felt like I'd just been in a scene from an action movie with all the adrenaline that coursed through my body. I was completely unable to believe what just happened—a freaking dog for crying out loud. I sat there for a minute, catching my breath and thinking about how much worse that could have been.

I regretted spying on him—especially now that I knew him. Knowing that the hole was blocked and I wouldn't have the choice to look through was a relief and a disappointment at the same time. I was glad the choice to spy on him was no longer in my hands, but at the same time, the hopelessly logical side of me wondered if I'd ever see him again.

Chapter 16

The next day was Saturday, and I had plans to go out with Megan and a few of her friends. I could consider them my friends now, but I still had the feeling that I was an outsider even though they all did their best to make me feel comfortable. I knew I'd settle in eventually.

I stared into the magnifying mirror that sat on my bathroom vanity, putting on mascara.

"Who the fuck did that to the fuckin' wall?"

Clearly it was Steven, and it sounded like he was yelling from the living room. Megan and I were in our respective bedrooms getting ready, and we both came into the living room at his extremely loud entrance. I got a feeling of dread as soon as he said the word
wall
, and by the time I got into the living room, I was expecting a confrontation of some sort. Steven was standing there wearing saggy drawers as usual. He pointed toward the backyard and then slapped his own chest like he was about to fight somebody.

"What the fuck happened to the motherfuckin' wall, y'all bitches?"

"You need to just calm your little self down, Steven James," Megan said. "We don't even know what you're talking about."

"The hole in the wall is gone. Somebody motherfuckin' filled it in."

"It was probably
Dad
," Megan said.

I just kept quiet.

"It was probably the pirates," Steven said.

"They're not pirates," I said. It came out of my mouth before I could stop it, and now I was stuck with Steven looking at me like I needed to explain my statement. I figured he already knew I wanted to go over there, so I really didn't have anything to hide.

"I met him," I said. "I went over there to get him to make me a table. His furniture business is legit. It's custom wood stuff that's more like art than furniture."

"You sound like a fuckin' commercial. But just because he showed you some furniture doesn't mean they're not pirates. They have to have a front for the cops."

"It's not a front, Steven, I saw his shop." I smiled to myself thinking about the skull and how much Steven would love to hear all about it. I just couldn't tell him.

"That doesn't mean shit. They're pirates and I know it. I'm telling you, I have friends who know them. I can't believe you fuckin' went over there. Don't come crying to me when you get yourself killed."

"They're not killers, Steven."

"Oh yes they are, Addison, make no mistake about it. And don't say I didn't warn you if you get caught spying on them and blap, blap!" He held his hand up like a gun when he said it, so I assumed he was imitating the sound of gunfire.

"I wasn't
spying
," I said defensively.

"What were you doing over there then?"

"I was trying to hook up with that guy. The one with the hair."

Steven studied me for a second. "Did you?"

"That's none of your business."

"It was
you
who fuckin' put that shit in the wall, then. I'll bet you went over there and slept with him and then you got all emotional and filled the hole so you'd never have to lay eyes on him again in your whole life." He said the last half of that sentence in a dramatic girly voice that made me instantly annoyed.

"I didn't fill your precious little hole," I lied, "and you don't need it anyway because they're not pirates. They're just normal people."

"Like hell they're normal people. They're having a fuckin' party over there, and I can assure you there's nothing normal about the girls who are in that pool right now."

My heart dropped. "How do you know they're having a party? You just said you couldn't see over there."

"I can't. But I can hear sounds, and the sounds I hear are of music and fine bitches splashing around. Motherfuckin' party sounds are comin' from over there, and I'd like to be able to see what's going on, but
somebody
filled the fuckin' hole. I don't know how I'm supposed to get that shit outta there. I'm gonna have to bring the hose out there one night."

"Just leave it alone," Megan said. "You don't need to be out there anyway. Addie said they're just normal people, and that makes it just weird for you to spy on them. It's kind of gay."

"I was thinking that same thing," I agreed, pretending to study him. "Are you gay, Steven?" I asked. "I don't care; I'm not gonna judge you or anything. I just never knew."

Steven slapped his chest again like he was ready for a fight any time we were ready. "Y'all can both suck me."

"Oh, good one," Megan said.

Steven made a disgusted face at her. "Bitches," he said under his breath as he turned to walk out of the guesthouse.

"Love you too, brother." Megan yelled.

He slammed the door.

"He's such a pain sometimes," she said. She looked at me with a smile. "Did you fill that hole?"

My eyes got wide and I nodded. "I had to," I said dazedly. "Drake was out there, and I was looking through and this dog came up to me, sniffing and going crazy so much that Drake walked over to see what was up.

Megan laughed with a hand over her mouth, giving me an expression that said she was sorry for the panic I must have felt.

"Yes," I said to her regretful face. "It was bad. I think I forgot to breathe when he was over there inspecting the wall. The dog was scratching and barking and all I could do was sit there and pray they'd both go away."

She giggled again, still looking like she felt sorry for me.

***

An hour later, we were on our way to meet her friends to go out. We were meeting at her friend Lee's house. He was a sportscaster for Miami's NBC affiliate. He was in his thirties, but didn't have a wife and kids, so he hung out with Megan and her friends from college quite a bit. She met him through her dad's office when he came in for his regularly scheduled injectable, since he had every intention of keeping his face stuck in time for the next few decades.

We were nearly at Lee's beachfront condo when I felt my phone vibrate in my purse. I fished around for it, and I turned it over in my hand to see who was calling. I stared at the screen, at the name Drake, and felt a rush of nerves hit me.

"I'm gonna answer this," I said. "Hello?" I said, putting the phone to my ear.

"Addie?"

"Yes."

"It's Drake Kelly."

"I know."

He was silent for a second, so I asked, "What's going on?"

"What's going on with you? I was thinking you might want to come over here tonight."

My body literally gyrated with nervous anticipation—it was like teeny-tiny, uncontrollable little shivers that no one could see but I could feel. How did he have this effect on me? I looked over at Megan from across the console, but she seemed oblivious.

"I'm sort of already on my way somewhere. I'm halfway across Miami and my friend's driving."

"I'll come pick you up if you want."

Oh boy, did I ever. I tried not to sound too excited. "Hang on just a second," I said.

I looked at the screen and pressed mute. Megan glanced at me, and I gave her a shocked expression before she turned to look at the road again.

"It's Drake. He wants to hang out tonight and said he'd come get me from Lee's if I want him to."

"What are you gonna do?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

"Would it make you sad if I didn't hang out with you guys tonight?"

"No girl, you do what you want to do. We'll always have next weekend." She glanced at me again. "Do you need a ride over there?"

"No, I don't want you to have to go all the way back home. Besides, it's a good way to tell if I should go through with it. I'll know it's meant to be if he comes to pick me up. Hang on."

I pressed mute and put the phone to my ear. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"It's all right. You coming over?"

"The problem is that I don't have a ride and I'm down in Coral Gables."

"That's only like twenty minutes," he said. "Text me the address and I'll be there within the hour."

"You sure?"

"I just said I'd be there."

"All right, I'll see you in a little bit then."

"Can't wait."

I almost said me neither, but I wasn't able to get it out. I just giggled. "Okay bye," I said.

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and held it to my chest. "Holy shit," I said, looking at Megan. "I think he's coming to pick me up."

"That's so crazy," she said. "I thought Steven said they were having a party."

"Who knows," I said.

"Maybe they are and he wants you to go to it."

"I doubt that's the case because he wouldn't want to leave to come pick me up."

"Maybe he realized you're better than all the other girls at the party, and he just had to come and get you."

"Thank the good Lord I'm halfway decent, huh?" I said, looking in the lighted mirror on the visor.

"Halfway decent? You look hot," she said. "His timing couldn't have been better on that."

"What am I gonna do about getting home?" I asked, just thinking for the first time about how he couldn't give me a ride.

"I'll come pick you up anytime you're ready," she said.

We made it to Lee's a few minutes later. He had a nice condo on the eighteenth floor with a patio that looked out at the ocean. Megan's house had a waterfront view also, but there was just something cool about being so high.

I was on the patio with Megan, Lee, and three other people when I saw someone cross to the door to open it. I was on the look out for him, and waited expectantly to see who would come out from behind the door. Sure enough, it was Drake. He stepped around the door and into the room. There were six or eight people standing around, and I watched as all of them stopped what they were doing to look at him.

I wanted to go to him, but his gorgeousness had me stunned, and I found that I couldn’t move. He smiled at the girl who answered the door and they said a few words to each other that I couldn’t hear. She pointed in the direction of the patio, and he started walking toward me after he said one other thing to the girl.

I had a hard time catching my breath as I watched him approach. When he was about halfway to the patio, Megan caught sight of him and reached over and gave me a pinch. "Addie, look who it is," she said.

"I know. I'm freaking out right now."

"Don't. You're good. You look amazing. He came all the way over here to get you. Oh my God, he's so freaking hot up close."

The last statement came out muffled because he was making his way onto the patio as she said it. I felt a blush threatening to rise to my cheeks and tried to make myself remain calm. Drake smiled as he caught sight of me, walking onto the patio with the confidence of someone who owned the place. He was wearing khaki cargo shorts with a vintage surfer T-shirt and leather flip-flops. He was drastically underdressed compared to the rest of us and yet still the most gorgeous one there.

"Hey," he said, coming out onto the patio.

I took a few steps toward him, and we stopped walking when we were standing a foot or two from each other. He looked down at me with an appraising smile.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi." His smile broadened and I stared at his beautiful, wide, curved lips, wanting desperately to feel them again. I let my gaze shift to his eyes, and could tell within the first seconds of eye contact that it was about to go down. He put a hand around my waist and drew me in, unconcerned with the people standing around who could see us plain as day. I looked around and giggled at the sensation of being pulled into his arms.

Before I knew what was happening, he was whispering in my ear. "Introduce me to your friends so we can get out of here," he said. He helped steady me before dropping the hold he had around my waist, then extended a hand to greet Megan since she was the person standing closest.

"I'm Drake," he said smiling.

"Megan."

"Is this your place?"

"No, I'm Addie's roommate, actually."

"The one she grew up with?"

"Yep. We go way back."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Megan."

"You too," she said, smiling.

I just watched her thinking that sometimes I wish she wasn't so dang beautiful.

"It's
my
place, actually," Lee said, coming over to meet Drake. The two shook hands and made introductions.

"It's nice up here," Drake said. Then he inspected Lee's face more closely. "Are you on the news?" he asked.

Lee smiled. "Channel 8 sports, at your service."

"That's cool," Drake said. "I see you on there all the time. You do a great job."

"Thanks," Lee said, smiling. "Can I get you a drink? Are you coming out with us tonight?"

"No. Thanks for the offer, but I just came to pick up Addie."

"Addie can't leave us, she just got here," Lee said.