Remembering Everly (Lost & Found #2) (4 page)

“The name’s Trent. I’m a junior.” He held out his free hand.

I took it, shaking it firmly. “August. Freshman.”

He grinned, a knowing look in his eyes as we surveyed the crowd.

“Have you pledged yet?”

“To a fraternity?” I asked, as my eyes fell on a group of girls huddled around each other. I recognized a few from classes—one especially. She sat a few rows in front of me in English and I think I’d spent the majority of the semester observing the way her sweater always seemed to fall off her beautiful shoulder than anything the professor had said.

My parents would not approve.

“Yeah—I’m a brother of Kappa Sig and we’re always looking for new members, if they’re the right kind, that is,” he said with a laugh. “Someone like you? You might be just the kind of guy we’re looking for.”

“I’m not sure I’m the frat boy type,” I answered honestly, my eyes never leaving the group of girls I’d discovered. He’d obviously caught on to my new fascination because at that moment he leaned over, pointing to the long-legged girl of my dreams.

“If you were—a frat boy, that is—you wouldn’t have to be sitting here on the sidelines wondering what a night with her would be like. You could just have it. You could have it all.”

My eyes widened as I turned to him.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. Go over there. Introduce yourself and tell her you’re a pledge. It’s going to change your life, August.”

Trent disappeared into the crowd as I downed the rest of the beer he’d given me. Liquid courage. I hadn’t had much experience with girls in high school. A few steady girlfriends, but actual dating and flirting? I had no clue. I was just the good-looking smart guy, like Trent had pegged me for. I had no game, no angle, and absolutely no idea what I was doing. The girls I’d dated in the past had always made the first move.

You could have it all.

I guess it was my turn to step up to the plate.

Feeling a bit brave, with the cheap beer running through my system and after the pep talk from Trent, I made my way to the other side of the room. Her back was turned as I approached and I took those last remaining moments to appreciate the way her bikini bottom hugged her round, curvy ass. Her long legs definitely still held my attention, going on for days as she stood among her friends in a large circle, drinking beer and bouncing around a beach ball.

A beach party in winter.

Fucking brilliant.

One of her friends caught sight of me first, and signaled my approach, causing her to turn as I took the last few steps toward her.

Shit, what do I say?

“I’m August. I think we have a class together,” I tossed out in a rush, the courage I’d brought with me fleeing faster than a dog with its tail between its legs.

She smiled, amusement painting her delicate features as she casually looked me over. She must have liked what she saw because she took a slow, sensual sip of her cocktail and replied, “Oh yeah? Which class might that be, August?”

“English.”

Her smile widened, as recognition washed over her. “You’re the one with all the answers.”

“Well, not all of them,” I admitted. “I’ve been a bit distracted.”

“Why’s that?”

“I can’t seem to keep my eyes off you,” I answered honestly, blush creeping up my heated complexion.

“Aren’t you a sweet talker, August. What’s your last name?”

“Kincaid. I’m a freshman. From the city—on a full ride and…” I hesitated before deciding my fate. “I’m pledging to Kappa Sig.”

Her eyes widened in interest as she slowly wrapped an arm around mine. “Smart and sexy. Well, I’m Jodi and if you’re good, maybe I’ll give you my number by the end of the night.”

“Deal.”

We spent the next two hours laughing by the pool over old childhood antics, sharing high school stories, and just getting to know one another. It was easy, and natural. The heat and passion I felt for her all those days I’d spent staring at her from across the room was still there—in spades, but now I saw her as the full package. A girl I could date, and someday really care for.

The night held possibility.

“I’m going to go refill my drink,” she announced, rising from our spot by the pool.

“Do you want me to come with you?” I offered, beginning to rise.

“No way. Save our spot. With all the crazies around here, it will be taken in seconds and then we’ll be standing for the rest of the night.”

Chuckling, I nodded. “No problem.”

“I’ll be back,” she promised.

I started to worry when thirty minutes passed and she still hadn’t returned. Self-doubt kicked in ten minutes later when there was still no sight of her. Had I misinterpreted the last couple of hours? Had she been bored? Was she just dying for an opportunity to escape me?

I got up and decided to search for answers. For all I knew, she could have fallen and twisted an ankle and I was out here, sitting around like a dumb ass while everyone rushed to her aid.

Or she could have bailed on me…

Passing through the living room and kitchen with no luck, I headed into the front room where I’d introduced myself, finding her group of friends in the same spot where we’d started.

Jodi wasn’t there.

Feeling frustrated and defeated, I went in search of my coat. It was California, but walking across campus in my shorts and flip-flops in fifty-degree weather didn’t sound very appealing. I’d been told our coats would be dumped in an empty bedroom at the end of the hall, so I was surprised to hear voices as I turned the door handle and entered.

Not as surprised as Jodi was when her eyes met mine.

Shoved against a wall, her bathing suit top was askew. A large male hand covered her naked breast. She rushed to cover herself as her partner adjusted himself and turned to greet me.

“Hey August.” A sly smile spread across his face.

“Trent?”

“I’m so sorry, August. I don’t know—” Jodi stumbled over her words.

Turning, Trent gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Why don’t you give us a minute or two alone, sweetheart?”

She nodded, her eyes rounding at the near sight of him as she quickly fled the room.

“What the hell, Trent?” I said angrily.

He held his hands up in surrender, a gentle chuckle falling from his lips. “Easy, brother.”

“I am not your brother,” I gritted through my teeth, beginning to stalk from corner to corner.

“No, but you will be if I have anything to say about it.”

Silence followed as I paced.

“You know, I did you a service here tonight.”

Trying to keep my chin from falling to the floor, I looked up at him in curiosity, waiting for him to explain.

“She wasn’t good enough for you—for a brother of Kappa sig. I saw the way you looked at her—you were already falling for her. I only did what any other brother would do for another. I put her to the test, and she failed miserably. Would I let a girl like that date any little brother of mine?”

I had no words. Was he for real?

His arm wrapped around my shoulder as he laughed. “Welcome to my world, August.”

“August!” Trent’s voice pulled me from the abyss. The normal gradual return I felt when tumbling back to reality was more like a free fall, and I suddenly felt nauseous and sick.

“What?” I answered as I quickly tried to get my bearings, looking around the office as my vision came back on board along with the rest of my senses.

“Where the fuck were you, man?” he asked, taking a seat in front of me as he fiddled with his phone. His fingers hitting the screen made a sharp sound as he tapped a message or e-mail. He’d made it a habit to never give one hundred percent of his attention to any one person or thing, unless you were a client and money was on the line. Then, you got the fucking world.

“Sorry, didn’t sleep well last night,” I lied, still blinking several times to adjust to the bright overhead lights.

“Well, do it somewhere else. This isn’t your fucking bedroom. I don’t pay you to sit around.”

I ignored those comments.

It was hard, but I did.

This business was a partnership. Trent had started this company and brought me in as an equal to build it from the ground up. I’d worked my ass off for this company, and because of my two year
vacation,
I was now thought of as an employee. Nothing more than a peon. Someone he could maneuver and boss around. I was starting to wonder if I’d been that all along and just hadn’t realized.

“So,” he began, setting his phone down on the desk in front of him. He sat back in the seat, making himself comfortable. Suddenly I had his full attention.

Shit
.

“Did you think you could get away with seeing Magnolia Yorke without me knowing?”

“How did you?”

He just smiled. The little shit had had me followed.

“We’re just friends.” I answered, keeping my expression blank.

“You’re just friends with the daughter of a multibillionaire?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I replied, “We met at a bar several months ago. Went on a few dates.”

“And you never thought about all that money…just ripe for the taking?”

“It’s not like that,” I answered firmly.

His expression hardened as his eyes locked on mine. “Then make it. Jesus fuck, August, don’t you get it? An account like that could set us up for the rest of our entire lives. Stop pussyfooting around and do what you have to do.”

He pushed off the chair and stalked toward the door, pausing before he exited. “Or I will.”

His haunting last words echoed through the small space long after he left.

I should never have called her.

I should have never gotten her involved. Because now, whether I liked it or not, Magnolia was going to end up smack dab in the middle of my shitty mess.

Welcome to my world, August
, I remembered Trent saying during that party in college.

He’d been ruling over my life for well over a decade.

Somehow, some way, he had to be stopped.

I
t had been a quiet day at work so far, but that didn’t keep my feet and back from aching more and more over the hours of endless standing. I was the commander of the coffee today—barista extraordinaire, so in addition to my sore, tired feet and aching back, I was also a sweaty mess from the steamer. I was pretty sure my half-assed attempt at vanity this morning, when I’d tried to apply makeup at 5 a.m., was currently running down the sides of my face. I probably resembled something close to one of those women in the horror flicks right before she bites the dust. I kind of felt that way, too.

We hadn’t had a new customer in over thirty minutes, though, and after cleaning every piece of equipment to a high polish, I decided to reward myself with a double espresso. In my current sweaty state, something iced probably would have been a better choice, but I was jonesing for something with a little extra buzz.

As Trudy refilled the bakery case and jabbered on about her latest conquest—a waiter down the street at one of the restaurants we liked to frequent—I danced slowly from one foot to the other, waiting for my espresso to brew.

“So, I look at him and go, ‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ and he just glances down at me with this dopey smile. Was that not clear enough? How dumb are men?”

Shaking my head, I snorted out a laugh. Trudy was always hopeless when it came to dating. Always moving from one man to the next, she was notorious for hopping into bed too soon, latching on too quickly, and finding out she’d picked the wrong one just as fast.

“Have you ever considered not laying it all out there, Trudy? Maybe just a little flirting to let him know you’re interested and then seeing where it goes?”

“Like, go on a date or something?”

As the last drop of my double shot trickled from the espresso machine, I tried not to giggle.

“Yes, like a date. One that doesn’t end in your bed. Or his,” I clarified.

“So, how will I know if I like him?”

The sad part was she was asking this question with sincerity. The even sadder part was I was the orphan girl, who’d practically raised myself because my dozen or so foster parents had been too self-involved to do so themselves. Trudy? Her parents were amazing. They came in every weekend like clockwork to visit her at work, give her money if she needed it, and pat her on the head on their way out, affirming their love and affection for their only daughter.

How she’d managed to come to the conclusion that sex was the only way to a man’s heart was beyond me. The fact that I was the one trying to set her straight was slightly ironic.

Grabbing my cup, I made my way up to the front so we could speak face to face. Her lovely bright eyes found mine as she rose from the bakery case, closing it tightly as she brushed off her apron. “You talk to him—he’ll hopefully listen, assuming he’s not a jackass. Then you do this same process, in reverse. He’ll talk, you listen. Somewhere in between all this, you’ll eat, and worry about every piece of food you put into your mouth, wondering if you have bits of lettuce in your teeth or if there’s sauce around your lips.”

“That sounds horrible.”

“It can be,” I answered honestly. “But if you’re with the right person, it can be absolutely amazing.”

“Amazing enough to give you that dopey smile you’ve got right now?” she laughed.

Grabbing the towel I had slung over my shoulder, I threw it at her, snickering. “Yes, exactly. Just admit it—you want the dopey smile, don’t you?”

“Maybe…” she began to answer, but stopped abruptly when we heard a rumble race through the shop.

“What was—” I said.

“Earthquake!” she yelled. Like trained soldiers, the few locals we had inside jumped under tables, some moving away from the windows to seek shelter together. Earthquakes weren’t everyday occurrences for Californians, but happened often enough that we knew what to do when that familiar roar came tearing through a building.

Trudy and I ducked beneath the front counter, covering our heads as we huddled next to each other. The quake wasn’t major and barely lasted the time it took for us to find a safe spot to hide. As soon as the ground fell quiet, we waited, wondering if it would come alive again.

A minute or two passed in silence before we rose.

“Everyone okay?” I asked, looking around to see our loyal patrons rising from the floor.

Each nodded, standing and brushing their pants and bare knees.

“How about another round of coffee for everyone?” Trudy offered, “On the house?”

Of course this perked everyone up and helped ease the jitters as they settled back into their normal spots. Some pulled out cell phones to check in with loved ones, while others just carried on with what they were doing before all the commotion had started.

After a quick hand rinsing, I got started on everyone’s coffee. These were my customers, so I knew what they liked. A half-calf cappuccino, a caramel macchiato, and an Americano with room. Easy.

I noticed Trudy was busy in the front, pulling a few things out of the case, and I smiled. She may not have the whole dating thing down, but her heart was always in the right place.

Tiptoeing out from behind the counter, she carefully began setting down little treats in front of each customer, with a little kiss and hug to top it off. While some of us might retreat into our shells after a startling event, she did the opposite, stretching out wide to help anyone within reach.

Maybe that’s why she couldn’t find love. Perhaps her overeagerness was always placing her in a false path—always causing her to seek love in the wrong way. I only hoped that one day she would find someone lucky enough to be deserving of everything she had to offer.

“Well, that was something, huh?” Trudy commented as she came up beside me to help finish up. She grabbed the whipped cream and topped off the macchiato, adding a touch of caramel drizzle for decoration.

“Yeah, definitely didn’t expect that when I woke up this morning.”

“We never do. But they come anyway. Really makes you think, doesn’t it?” she said as I watched a shot of espresso brew.

“About what?”

“Life, I guess. I mean, if this had been the big one—the end. It would have been just me and you,” she smiled.

“Is that a good thing?” I asked.

She laughed. “It’s a great thing, but it definitely makes me think more about your dating comments. It’s time I start doing things differently. God knows, when and if the big one comes, I want to know I have more than just you to reach for at the end of the world.”

I handed her the cup of coffee as she sauntered off to serve everything, leaving me reeling in thought. I knew she was just thinking theoretically, but it sent my mind in a tailspin.

When those tremors had started, I hadn’t thought about Ryan at all. For one brief second, when the shop shook and tremors shook my bones, there was only one face I saw.

August.

I shook my head, realizing I was probably making a big deal of nothing.

If it had been something major, surely I would have reached out for Ryan.—called out his name as the world crumbled around us?

Right?

Or was I giving my love away for all the wrong reasons…just like Trudy?

I felt in a bit of a daze the rest of the day, as I tried to process everything.

The news said it was a minor earthquake—nothing to worry about.

Yet, in my mind, it felt anything but.

Was I marrying Ryan for the right reasons? Looking back, I remember believing I was making the right choice when I’d asked him to take me back.

It had all seemed so clear. But was it?

My head was swimming with a million different emotions as I drove toward the bridal shop. I felt like I was going through the motions rather than living them as I parked a few blocks away and just sat there, still and silent, trying to muster the courage to get out of the car.

Go pick up your wedding dress, Everly
, I chanted in my mind, and yet my feet stayed firmly planted on the floor of the car.

Dear God, what was wrong with me?

Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as the air left my lungs. I could feel the sobs just about to break through. I would not do this.

Not again. I couldn’t. I’d made a promise. I’d said yes and given this man my heart.

I couldn’t walk away again.

Just as I was choking back tears, fighting myself for control, I saw a sign that stopped me dead in my tracks.

Grand Opening.

Squinting, I tried to make out the letters through my blurry, tear-soaked eyes.

“He did it,” I whispered, a smile replacing the tortured frown I’d had.

Getting out of the car, I quickly wiped away my tears and jogged across the street, the familiar smell of burgers and fries lulling me into a wonderful feeling of security as I pushed open the door and looked around.

Everything looked different yet oddly the same.

The location had obviously changed, which was a vast improvement. This part of town was known for its vibrant young crowd of shoppers and tourists. With the updated decor he’d chosen, I knew he’d do well this time around.

“Hey, hey—there’s my girl!” Joey exclaimed, his familiar Boston accent full and thick, as he came out from what I assumed was the kitchen. He looked different, but again, the same. There was a vibrancy in his eyes that hadn’t been there that long ago afternoon when he’d made me my favorite birthday burger as a favor to August. He’d cleaned up since the last time I’d seen him, too—gotten a haircut—but was once again dressed in chef gear, ready to grill and fry in his own kitchen again.

“I can’t believe this!” I said, giving him a big hug.

“Fancy, huh?” he said, smiling widely, pride beaming from his eyes.

“How did you manage this?”

“You, and your wealthy boyfriend,” he explained.

I looked at him oddly, ignoring the boyfriend comment, and waited for him to explain.

“The designer watch and the huge chunk of cash August gave me was enough to convince the suits over at the bank to give me a business loan.”

“That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you!”

“Well, I wouldn’t be here without your help. So, why don’t you take a seat and I’ll make you a burger?” he offered, pointing to a sleek corner booth near my right.

My mouth watered just thinking about eating a burger and a pile of fries.

“I would love to, but I actually have an appointment down the street to pick up my wedding dress. Can I take a rain check?”

His eyes lit up and he smiled. “August didn’t mention you two were getting hitched. I guess you’ll be coming in for an anniversary burger once a year too?”

I gave him a sad smile. “Actually, August and I broke up a few months ago. I’m marrying my former fiancé Ryan. It’s all a little complicated.” I explained. My focus fell to the polished floor, rather than to his falling expression.

“Oh. Okay. Well, that’s just too bad. I didn’t know,” he answered, clearly embarrassed.

“Wait,” I interrupted his mumbling as my head shot back up. “You said August didn’t tell you? Are you still talking to him?”

“What? Oh yeah. All the time. He helped me set this all up. Went to the bank with me and everything—even bought me a suit for the meeting. He’s been my lifesaver.”

I was stunned.

“I see.” I had no idea what else to say.

“You two are really over, huh?” he asked softly.

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask why? I mean, if you don’t mind. It’s just that a guy who would do something as crazy as what he did for you—you just didn’t seem like the type to fall apart.”

Taking a deep breath, I gave a ghost of a smile as I tried to steady my emotions. “He didn’t love me enough to stay.”

“Or maybe he loved you enough to let go?” Joey offered with a friendly pat on my shoulder. I gave him one last hug before leaving as I made my way down the street.

If only that were true, Joey.

If only that were true.

I’d just finished stuffing the giant white garment bag in our closet when I heard Ryan shout his arrival.

“Honey, I’m home!” he said playfully from the living room.

I hid the ivory satin shoes I’d bought to go with my dress and promptly closed the closet door, feeling like I’d just hidden away some deep dark secret in the belly of our closet.

“Hey!” he said from the doorway. “Whatcha doing in here?”

“Secret wedding stuff,” I answered with a smile.

“So, shoving your wedding dress in the closet, then?”

“Hey, how did you guess?” I exclaimed, folding my arms across my chest.

“Because you had an appointment to pick up said wedding dress today. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you’d need someplace to put it.”

“Oh. Right.” Looking around, I bit my lip and finally said, “Well, don’t peek at it. It will give us seven years’ bad luck in bed or something.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true. But, don’t worry. I want to be surprised when you walk down that aisle.”

“Oh, you will be. Especially when you find out I’m wearing a burlap sack. So sexy.”

“Oh yeah?” He took a few steps closer, until we were nearly touching. “And how does this burlap sack fit? Is it really tight around here?” His hands wrapped around my backside, curving around each shapely, round cheek.

“Totally. Chafes like a bitch, but fits me like a glove.”

“I’m trying to woo you here,” he laughed, shaking his head as his shoulders shook.

“Oh, okay. My bad. I’ll try to be more accommodating. Try again.” I immediately went blank in the face, looking up at him with doe-like eyes.

His deep, unfiltered laughter was all I heard as he threw me over his shoulder and we both toppled onto the bed.

“You’re insane, you know that?” he said as his fingers gently swept away the few pieces of hair that fell in my face.

“Yeah, I know. But you love me,” I said.

“Yes. I do.”

I froze, instantly. The words coming back to me, as quickly as the memory. The smell of thousand-year-old trees and the sound of laughter as August repeated the same exact words to me beneath the redwoods.