Jaden (St. Sebastians Quartet #1) (4 page)

"Why wait for tomorrow?" Nico said.

Kenda sat up and stared out at the ocean, already knowing how this night would end. A trip into town for drinks, he and Chris would end up alone at some bar because Tyler and Nico would have found poor, lonely tourists to carouse with for the rest of the evening, leaving Kenda to listen to countless anecdotes about Hayley.

Tyler nodded. "I'm in. Things were beginning to get dull around here anyway." Tyler slapped Kenda's knee. "Don't look so forlorn, little brother. It'll be fun."

"If you'd let yourself have fun," Nico said. "Let your hair down for once, Kenda."

Kenda regarded Nico over his beer, eyebrow raised. "Let my hair down?"

"Yeah. Live a little. Have a fling. When was the last time you had sex?"

Chris cleared his throat, laughing. "I don't think he can remember."

"No," Tyler waved Chris off. "It wasn't that long ago. Was it Stacy?"

"Stacy was two years ago."

"It wasn't Stacy." Kenda stood and walked to the deck railing. If they couldn't see his face, they wouldn't be able to tell he was lying.

"Liar!" Chris roared. "It was Stacy. I remember. And I also remember you telling me the sex wasn't all that great."

"That's right, I remember now." Nico pulled a fresh beer out of the cooler. "She was that pretty brunette who worked in the library and lived with her mom, right?"

Kenda didn't respond.

"Yeah, that's the one," Chris said.

"I could have told you that one was doomed. Pretty, but any girl who lives at home at that age isn't worth the effort."

"And before Stacy was Sandy," Tyler added.

"The freak!" they said in unison. For a full minute they laughed so hard they couldn't speak.

Exhaling, Kenda turned to face them. "Are you done?"

Tyler stood and went to him. "Don't be mad, we just want you to act your age for once. You're not an old man."

"I act my age."

"You work all day, you come home and what...what do you do all night?"

"I read. I listen to music."

"It's that face," Chris said. "I know you think you hide it with the stubble and spiky hair and never smiling and all that, but women see that face coming from a mile away. You're just too pretty, bro. And you get attached to every woman you have sex with."

"I know. That's why I'm not having sex with anyone, unless I know..." he petered off. Finishing that sentence was the one sure fire way to get him laughed at. Again.

"Unless you know she's The One," Tyler finished, eying Chris. "But tonight is not about finding The One, little brother. Tonight you're coming out with us and you're having fun. Just fun."

"Fun is overrated. Besides, I picked up the new—"

"You're not staying home and reading a book," Tyler said. "Go change."

"What time is it?" Nico asked. "Bria gets off at seven so I can't go before then. I don't want her home alone."

"Any word?" Tyler asked.

"He hasn't said boo." Nico set his beer on the deck a bit harder than necessary. "I wish he would come here, but he'd never do that. He's too much of a coward to confront a man. He'd rather beat on Bria. I don't intend on giving him a second chance."

"So they still haven't found him?"

"No. And I doubt they will. He could be anywhere by now."

"She any better?"

Nico shrugged. "Not really. Working at the bakery has been good for her. She's started cooking again. It's the only time she seems happy. I haven't eaten so well since I moved out of my parent's house. But she's still scared of every sound. Every creak in the house. And I still hear her crying herself to sleep sometimes. The only bright spot is our parents feel better knowing she's with me. They're at least able to sleep at night. But Bria..."

"Well bring her," Chris said. "Getting out and doing something social may do her good."

Nico nodded. "Yeah. Maybe you're right. I keep telling her she needs to get out and meet people in town, but she doesn't want to."

Chris looked at Kenda. "What about you, baby brother?"

Kenda inhaled. "I'm outnumbered. What choice do I have?"

Nico swallowed the last of his beer, got to his feet. "I better go let Bria know. She'll need at least two hours to get herself mentally prepared."

In a few minutes, Kenda was alone on his deck again. He looked at his watch and saw he had just enough time to shower. After that he'd swing by the bookstore to see when they'd have the new Stephen King book in.

CHAPTER THREE

Jaden poured herself a glass of wine and sipped it as she unpacked. Once all of her clothes were stowed she strolled the house, marveling at everything. She went outside and simply took it all in. The pool, the deck, the trail down to the water, and the sound of the ocean. It was perfect.

It was getting late when she finally thought to check the refrigerator. Aunt Edna had left the previous Saturday. Friday was the soonest Jaden could get here. She'd probably need to go into town for groceries.

Fifteen minutes later she was walking up Main, trying to figure out which fancy building housed the grocery store. The store fronts were beautifully designed, so everything in town fit perfectly together. But seriously, this place had been designed to within an inch of its life. Everything looked fancy and too high end to be a grocery store. Could she even afford to buy any food? She still had a paycheck coming, and there was a few hundred dollars in the bank from her last paycheck. But after that she'd be broke. She had to figure out a way to make money. Her aunt had left her an American Express card, but Jaden refused to use it. It was enough she was living rent free in her aunt's house for three months, she wouldn't spend her aunt's money on top of that.

But if she never found the grocery store she'd never have to worry about spending money.

"You look lost."

She turned at the sound of the voice, nearly gasped in surprise. "I am a little, I guess," she managed to say. She purposefully tried to make her face look impassive, as though she wasn't looking at the most attractive man she'd ever seen in her life.

She'd seen plenty of men like this before, but that had been in movies and on television. She'd figured for a man to look that good required a trick of make-up and lighting. But the man before her was no trick of the lights. He was tall and broad, with pale green eyes and the kind of lips she imagined she could spend all night kissing. She'd never seen a man with lips like that before. And what color was his hair? It was light brown with flecks of blond, or dirty blond with flecks of gold?

"Where are you..." he paused as he was speaking and held up a finger at a group of men who had crossed the street and were waiting for him. "Where are you going?" he said, when he turned back to face her.

"I just got into town today and the pantries are empty." She giggled, she smiled, a moment later she felt stupid. Why was she giggling? She wasn't twelve, for crying out loud.

He was staring at her, his head tilted slightly to the side and his gaze so intent on her face that she found herself unable to meet his eyes.

"Well, you're close," he said. "I'll show you."

"Oh, you don't have to. I see you're busy." She pointed to the men on the other side of the street.

He waved them off. "They're not going far." He turned toward the men and gave them a wave, then turned back to Jaden. "It's just a block this way."

She'd expected small talk, the kind of mindless discussion people make when they don't know each other and are trying to kill time. But when he spoke again, he caught her completely off guard.

"In ten seconds or less, tell me your favorite book."

She wasted at least five seconds staring stupidly at him.

"Times running out," he said.

"It. By Stephen King."

He stopped walking so abruptly that she was two steps ahead of him by the time she realized he was no longer beside her.

"Really?" he asked.

"It's brilliant. The Stand is also brilliant, but I'm slightly partial to It."

When he continued to stare at her, the side of his lip drawing up into a smile, she shrugged.

"What, you're not a Stephen King fan?"

"No, I am. Just, usually when I ask people that question, they give me the name to some literary book no one's ever heard of before."

"I love Stephen King too much to lie."

She started forward, hoping he'd follow.

He did.

"What about you. What's your—"

"The Shining. And I'm not just saying that because you named a Stephen King book."

"Really. Because that's a weird coincidence."

"How long will you be in town?"

"Change of subject. Okay."

"No, I'm heading somewhere with this."

"All summer. I'm watching my aunt's house while she's in France."

He stopped walking again.

"You're Jaden Quinn, Edna's niece."

She chanced a look at his face. He was still gorgeous. "How'd you know?"

"Everyone knows your aunt. Half the town is in her bakery every morning for coffee and bagels, and in there again after work for pastries. I live a few houses down from her." He hooked an arm in hers, and she shivered pleasantly at the unexpected contact. He started forward again. "And since we're neighbors I feel comfortable telling you that you have to come to my house one day and see my library. I have every book Stephen King has ever written, even the Richard Bachman ones. I even have a few first additions and signed copies. I am a fan. Legit."

Jaden turned to look at him. She had to crane her head back to see his face. "Stephen King collection, you say. I might have to take you up on that."

"I don't have a signed copy of It, but I do have a signed copy of The Stand."

"Really?"

"Really." He stopped again, this time pointing at the store they were standing in front of. "Here you are. Farmer's Bounty. You'll be happy to know that the vegetables come from local farms."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. "Good to know."

"I'm at 19. I'm gone all day, but I'm always home in the evening. If you don't have anything to do tomorrow night, I'll be there."

"Tomorrow is no good. I'm going to an art exhibit tomorrow night."

"Are you?"

This seemed to please him, so she nodded. "I am. I met the gallery owner today."

"Hayley."

"Yeah."

"Well, my brother was trying to get me to go. We went to school with Hayley. So maybe I'll see you there."

"Okay. It was nice to meet you," she said. She turned and went into the grocery store. Only after she'd crossed the threshold into the cool interior did she realize she'd never asked him his name.

*****

Kenda could hear the conversation happening around him, but it was like something far off in the distance. He didn't know what it was about the woman that had drawn him, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. Edna hadn't told him her niece was so alluring. Jaden. Yes, he'd go to the opening tomorrow and he'd get to know more about the woman who was his new neighbor.

"Did you hear me, Kenda?"

"Huh?"

Kenda realized Tyler was talking to him. And he had no idea about what.

"That blond outside on the deck. She's eying you. You should go over and talk to her."

Beside Tyler, Nico was nodding vigorously.

"Nope. Not interested." He leaned back on the bar stool and folded his arms over his chest.

"I thought we'd come to an understanding. Tonight. You. Fun."

"I don't need your help finding a woman, Tyler, Nico. I think I met someone." He grinned. "In fact, I know I met someone."

They all started talking at once, so he held up a hand to stop them.

"Her name is Jaden and she's Edna's niece. She's here for the summer, taking care of Edna's house."

Again, they all started talking at once.

"Jaden?" Chris asked. "Is that the woman you went off with on Main?"

"That's her."

"That's Edna's niece?"

"No way," Nico said. "Not Aunt Edna, of Aunt Edna's Bakery. No. Way."

"Yeah. I know," Kenda said. "Who'd have thought Aunt Edna would have a niece that looks like that? And she's a Stephen King fan."

"Who cares what she reads. Did you see that body?"

"Some of us, Nico, care about what's in a woman's brain, not just—"

Nico blew raspberries at Kenda. "Every man cares about how a woman's body looks. We can't help it. That's how we're made."

"So you gonna see her again?" Tyler asked, "or lust after her from afar? Like Chris with Hayley?"

"I'm seeing her again. Tomorrow, in fact. Funny you should mention Hayley."

"Oh no you don't. You've already said you'd go to the gallery," said Chris.