One Simple Step (Journey Series) (3 page)

“Dude, get your ass down to Clammy’s. There’s a beer calling your name, Grant and Riley are on their way.”

“Now’s not really a good time, Danny.” I heard a loud grunt come through the phone, and then he mumbled something as a barstool squeaked loudly, the sounds of the bar fading away.

“What’s the matter fuck head, need to get permission first? Do I need to come over and ask Kara if Nicky’s allowed to come out and play for a little while? I promise not to get you too fucked up. C’mon, dude, it’s been too long. Does she only let you out like once a month?”

“That’s not the problem this time,” I replied, before hearing a long pause and him laughing loudly, gulping in a few deep breaths of air before he was able to finally calm down.

Danny and I had been best friends, really, since before we were born. Our moms had went to school together and ended up pregnant within months of each other, so according to them, we were destined to be best friends and that’s pretty much how it happened. So, I didn’t even need to ask what was so funny because I already knew that he had figured it out that quickly. How, I have no fucking clue, since I clearly hadn’t seen it coming.

“Well…about time,” he managed to finally say. “You know I never liked that bitch, all emo and shit. I still swear to this day she has a voodoo doll of me hidden somewhere. And now, you can come have that beer and cry about her leaving you. Do you really want to sit in your apartment all alone, drowning in misery? You were always too good for her, dude. You’ll still find someone right for you one of these days.”

I had to double-check my phone to make sure I was actually talking to Danny. I had never heard anything like that come out of his mouth before. In high school, he was the hotshot jock that played every sport, had every girl, and never once was serious about anything. It actually seemed like he…cared? Or maybe he was just happy that I was finally free to drink with him whenever he hit me up.

I blew out a breath, knowing I would probably regret it in the morning, but a drink or five really sounded good right about now, and the silence in the apartment was almost deafening. “Fine, I’ll be down that way in five.”

Chapter 3

Ally

Growing up, everyone had always teased me that I was too calm about everything. Almost any situation that was thrown at me, I was able to keep my head on straight, let things roll off my back, and always come up with some kind of solution to solve the problem.

Maybe it was all of the “Zen bullshit,” as Leah liked to call it, that I had picked up over the years. Breathing was sort of my thing; it calmed me down and brought relaxation. I had even dabbled in yoga for a bit, but being on the road almost constantly in a cramped bus didn’t leave me with much opportunity, or room, to keep up with it.

If I had ever had any breaking points in my life, last night was one of them. I kept replaying the past four years over and over in my head. Where had it all gone wrong? What had
I
done wrong? Was this the first time something like this had happened, or had I been ignoring some kind of signs that Teddy had been doing this all along behind my back? I
knew
the kind of guy he was when we had our shotgun wedding, but I thought I could change him, or really, that he had already changed.

If any of my family or friends ever found out what I had done last night, they would probably be locking me up in a mental institution this very minute.

After demanding Bobby drop me off on the side of the highway, which I quickly figured out wasn’t exactly the best idea I’ve ever had, I had a bit of a mini meltdown. By the time I finally managed to push myself up from the overgrown strip of grass that was the only thing separating me from the six-lane highway, I was a complete mess.

Without looking in a mirror, I knew makeup was running down my face, my hair probably looked like a giant rat’s nest, and to top off all of that lovely mess, I was shoeless. So what did I do?

Stuck out my thumb like most sane people would.

Really, I was pretty damn lucky that an elderly man, who really reminded me of Bobby, was the first to pull over. I’d like to think it was Bobby’s way of sending a guardian angel out to save me, because let’s face it, I could’ve ended up locked in some pervert’s trunk, never to be seen or heard from again.

I still hadn’t called any of my family or friends. Leah had called multiple times, probably since I was supposed to have checked in with her. I knew I was going to have to return her calls eventually or she would be sending out a search party, but really, I didn’t
want
to tell her what had happened. Leah would never say I told you so, but I knew she would be thinking it. She had never been Teddy’s biggest fan, even after we were married. She was constantly asking me about living on the road, and if it was all really worth it.

I was hurt, embarrassed, ashamed…pretty much any emotion you could think of, I had felt it over the past twelve hours. But right now, I needed to wrap it all into a tiny little box with a pretty bow, put my brave face on, and move forward.

I pulled the expensive rental car, which I had charged to Teddy’s credit card, into the parking lot and took in my surroundings. I could hear the waves at the nearby beach crashing onto the shore through the open windows, the saltiness of the air felt cleansing as I took in a deep breath. Something about this place just felt so right, like I belonged. It felt almost like home.

Or maybe it was just a way of my body telling me that it was about to shut down after going so long without sleeping, and being emotionally drained.

Now, I had never been money hungry and had always been thankful for what I had in life, and I had always given back by volunteering in endless amounts of charity work. Every once in a while I would be able to convince Leah to tag along, but it didn’t matter if she did, it was just something that I liked to do.

Teddy had made good money over the years, and really, I had never splurged on anything. But I couldn’t help but be a little vindictive when George, the nice elderly man that had given me a ride, dropped me off at the closest car rental agency. Sure, I could have gotten the cheap economy car, but there was just something in me that said, “Just do it, Ally. He screwed you, you screw him.”

He probably wouldn’t even realize the money was gone, and I had already considered going on a little bit of a shopping spree before he noticed. Was that really so wrong of me?

The apartment complex that sat right on the shore was clean and modern looking, but had just a little bit of charm to make it feel homey. I double checked my phone before punching in the number for the top floor, which I’m sure had one of the best views, and tried to smooth my hair into somewhat of a clean looking bun. I didn’t want to look like as big of a mess as I felt on the inside.

I knocked on the door of the apartment that, luckily, I had saved in my phone for some reason. I had never made it to visit before, but I guess now was the best time. After a few minutes of knocking with no answer, I started to get a little nervous. I hadn’t thought to call ahead, and I wasn’t sure that I would really be able to make it somewhere else right now without collapsing into a heap.

I heard what sounded like a muffled voice from inside right before the door popped open, and I instantly smiled at the sight that was at least a
little
comforting. Her shock of red hair looked almost messier than mine, almost, and judging by her puffy eyes and silk pj’s, I had woken her up.

“Oh my God, Rem. I woke you up, didn’t I?” Her emerald eyes blinked back at me rapidly, before she finally refocused on me without saying a word, probably thinking she was dreaming my impromptu visit. “I totally forgot you worked third shifts now at the hospital. You know what? I can come back, or maybe I’ll just drive a little bit further, check myself into a hotel. Just forget I was here. I’m so sorry I bothered you,” I rambled on, trying not to let myself break down.

Remy blinked once more before throwing her arms around me, a giggle bubbling up as she buried her nose in my hair. “You aren’t going anywhere, missy. Just give me a sec, it’s not every day one of my best friends randomly shows up on my doorstep, and normally it would take a hurricane to wake me up once my head hits the pillow.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and ushered me into the surprisingly bright apartment, which looked to be decked out in a nautical theme, shutting the door quietly behind us. “I’m so happy you’re here and all, but to what in the hell do I owe this little visit to?” She paused, scrunching up her nose at me as I dragged in a suitcase behind me. “And no offense, but why do you smell like you haven’t bathed in a week?”

After a much-needed shower, and a change of clothes, I knew I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. Remy had been burning holes in my head the whole time that I messed with my hair and makeup, and the poor thing looked ready to pass out, so I couldn’t keep her waiting any more.

She listened intently as I gave her all of the details, reliving them once again, which really was almost harder than the first time. I skipped over the part of how I eventually got myself a rental car. “And so I ended up here. I’m really not ready to head back to Indiana yet, and face all of
that
. I think I just need a little bit of me time before I have everyone judging me for the mistake that I clearly made. I feel like such a dumbass.”

Remy’s red brows shot up for the first time since I had arrived, clearly indicating that what Teddy had done really hadn’t been that big of a surprise to her, but at least she hadn’t said I told you so, yet. “Al, you know that everyone loves you and just wants you to be happy. I highly doubt Leah, or any of your family, is going to think badly of you. If anything they’ll all want to hunt Teddy down and beat his ass, which really doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea.”

“I know,” I replied quietly, knowing that what she had said was exactly the truth. “I just can’t go back there right now. So, for the moment, I just need to figure out what to do with myself. Maybe I’ll find a job around here for a bit, find a place to stay for a while, and I guess deal with Teddy.”

I wasn’t going to say the “D” word yet, or even think about it, even though I knew it was inevitable. There was no way in hell I was staying married to him, or “working” things out like he had suggested. I wasn’t aware that anything needed to be worked on in the first place until…no, I wasn’t going back to that place right now. It was bad enough that my marriage would be over before I was even 30, no need to dwell on something that was clearly unfixable.

“Ally, you know you’re more than welcome to stay here. In fact, I would actually love it, it gets pretty lonely around here sometimes.” Remy popped up to her knees, looking fully awake for the first time since I had arrived, and I could finally see that usual glitter in her eyes that had been absent. Here I was, going on and on about my problems, and I hadn’t even noticed that something had been a little off with Remy who Leah had always compared to me nonstop, never knowing between the two of us who was the perkier one.

“Rem, I really don’t want you to feel—”

“Stop.” She held up a hand, not letting me go any further, and I really wasn’t going to argue with her, because honestly, I didn’t know where else to go and I didn’t want to be
completely
alone. “It will be awesome. I already have an extra bedroom all set up, but we can go shopping and add whatever little Ally touches you want.” She must have noticed how hesitant I was because she gave me another reassuring smile, and stood up to give me a hug. “It’ll be fun, I promise. We can have some much-needed girl time, and I’ll be there for you whenever you have a bad day. Please?”

“Okay,” I answered simply, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever, even though it hadn’t really been that long. How long was it going to take me to feel happy again? “But I’m not going to be a bum, I’ll get a job, help out with rent and all that. It will definitely be fun.”

“Don’t worry about a job for a little bit, I think you need time to heal…and to make sure you’re not a big, giant mess that no one will want to hire. I know you like to put on a brave face, but it’s probably going to get worse before it gets any better.” I stewed over Remy’s words as she gave me another hug, and then padded silently down the tiled hallway back to her bedroom to get the sleep I so desperately needed. I could feel how heavy my own eyelids were, but I wasn’t so sure sleep would come to me as quickly as I liked.

Chapter 4

Nick

“Well, look who finally decided to show back up to work.”

Coming from your boss, most of the time this wouldn’t be the best thing to hear on your first day back to work after taking a much-needed week off. But luckily, Leo was pretty easy going, and from the giant smile on his over-tanned face, I knew he was probably just glad to have me back.

I had been his most reliable employee since starting at the resort right after finishing up my business degree, and up until now hadn’t missed a day of work. Probably one of the reasons Kara had left me. I wasn’t like her. I didn’t skip from job to job and miss days because I was out partying the night before. That just wasn’t me. That wasn’t to say that I was some boring asshole like she thought I was, but still.

In fact, Kara probably wouldn’t have even recognized me in the last week, and really, I didn’t even recognize myself. For the first time in a while, I felt this weight lifted off my chest that I hadn’t known was even holding me down, and just let go.

Danny was overjoyed.

To have his best friend be his drinking buddy for the past week would do that, I guess. Clearly, I wasn’t over Kara, no matter how quick she had forgotten me, but eventually I would get there. Just like Danny said, I couldn’t be a pussy about it. I think that was about all of the advice I was going to take from him now, though. If I had listened to him anymore, I would’ve already slept with a dozen girls who he had tried to literally push onto my lap, and I would still be hung over from all of the shots he had bought last night when he knew today was my first day back to work.