Slow Burn - a Novel: The Elite (4 page)

My heart squeezed tight and I forced out all the anger and frustration I’d been clinging to since she’d arrived. “I’m sorry, Leash. I didn’t know things were so bad between them.”

She shrugged again, doing her best to downplay her obvious pain. “It’s fine. I’m glad to get some time away from them. Maybe Dad’ll knock her up and she’ll stop bitching at him.”

“Not sure that’ll solve the issue…” I muttered, raking my long hair up, my fingertips digging into my scalp. With a sigh, I released the strands and they fell back around my shoulders. “Listen, Leash, I’m happy you’re here, it’s just that I can’t have things go to shit like they did last summer. I know you know that. I’ll stop threatening to ship you off to Grandma’s retirement home as long as you promise to get it together and help out around here.”

Alesha considered me for a moment, her full lips pursed in her signature pout. After a long pause she nodded. “Okay, Carly. I’m sorry too.”

The grip of panic that was clamped around my gut since she’d arrived started to subside and I smiled over at her. “Okay. So, let’s get you an apron and get to work. I have a huge order to work on. You wanna help me get everything packaged up?”

“Whoopee. Sounds like a party,” her tone was glum, but a tiny smile played at her lips as she rounded the counter to follow me into the back.

In the kitchen, I had twelve pastry boxes laid out, each one waiting to be filled with an assortment of pastries. I’d taken the order weeks ago, one of the largest of the year so far, from a corporation that was holding their company retreat in a neighboring town. The guy arranging everything had found my reviews online and ordered enough pastries to feed a small army. I got Alesha working to fold the teal boxes and line them with ivory parchment paper. Then, we worked as an assembly line, filling and wrapping the finished boxes with matching ivory and teal ribbon.

“So…what did you think of Aaron’s new mechanic? Nick?” Alesha asked once we found our rhythm. She glanced up from tying a bow and caught me rolling my eyes. “What? He was a hottie!”

I laughed. “And about ten years older than you.”

She scoffed and went back to her work. “That doesn’t stop most guys.”

“Right. Like your
friend
from the plane the other day?” I scowled at the memory of her tangled up with the man who was old enough to be her father one and half times over. Alesha was a beautiful girl, with an easy smile, and an affection for shiny, expensive things that could get her in to a lot of trouble.

She didn’t look up at my snarky comment. “That was just for fun. A joke mostly.”

“Hmm. So, let’s say I hadn’t been there to pick you up. What was the plan? Go out and have him buy you drinks and then what?” I stared at her, willing her to meet my gaze. “Alesha, guys like that would have expectations…”

She threw her hands up, dropping the bow she’d been working on. “Oh my God. Carly, I’m not ten, okay? I know what guys want and what they so-called
expect
. That doesn’t mean I have to give it to them.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, but sometimes, you poke the wrong bear and it’s gonna come after you.”

She rolled her eyes and then went back to working on the box in front of her. “I’m not stupid, okay? It’s not like you’re Miss Innocent or something. You seem to think I didn’t know what you were up to back when you were in high school.”

My pulse jumped at her statement. She was right. I certainly hadn’t set the bar very high in the role model department. At least not in high school…or the following years for that matter. “Alesha,” I sighed. “I’m not trying to be prudish. If you’re having sex, that’s your business. I’m not going to tell you what’s right and wrong. I’m just saying that you have to be careful or you could end up getting hurt. That’s all I care about, okay?”

She shrugged, not meeting my stare.

We worked in awkward, thick silence for another handful of minutes before the bell on the door called her away to the front of the store. She’d learned everything there is to know about operations the previous summer—in between binge watching TV on my couch, shopping sprees with Dad’s emergencies only credit card, and the time she ran off to Santa Monica—and was actually a very talented barista. A quick study and she could charm the customers with ease.

I finished the boxes, silently lecturing myself for ruining the moment of peace we’d come to by butting into her sex life. If someone had tried to give me the same talk at seventeen, I’d have reacted in the same way. But, that was the exact reason I was so desperate to get through to her. I had to stop her from making the same mistakes I had.

“Carly? Do we have any more chocolate chip scones back there?” Alesha called back into the kitchen.

“Yeah. I have another tray. I’ll bring it right up.”

I dusted my hands off and went to the bakery rack of fresh goodies I’d made the night before. It had been another long night while Alesha had slept off what she called jet lag—but what I suspected was more of a hangover—since her trip from Phoenix to LA was hardly likely to screw with her internal clock enough to need a second full night off. I couldn’t watch her full time and wasn’t sure where she was getting the booze since she hadn’t left the house since arriving, but figured that searching her luggage would provide the answers.

Not that I was going to search her stuff. I wasn’t that girl.

And she was on paper thin ice as it was. I figured she’d get herself in enough trouble without my help.

* * * *

The next morning, peace had returned to the coffee shop, and to my surprise, Alesha had actually shown up before the shop opened, dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt bearing the shop logo, and her bob pulled back into a tiny ponytail, ready to work.

“You look great,” I told her, pushing the keys into the lock on the back door. “Did I wake you this morning?”

My house was a two bedroom, two and a half bath bungalow that I rented from the man who owned the only grocery store in town. The two bedrooms were on the upper level, each with their own bathroom, which left little opportunity for the two of us to cross paths in the morning routine. I hadn’t heard her moving around, but she must have been getting ready at the same time as I was.

“No,” she answered, shaking her head slightly. “Just couldn’t sleep. Figured I might as well get up and get on with the day.”

I smiled. “Okay. Well, you don’t have to stay all day. Thursday’s are usually slower than most days. If you want to duck out at noon and go hang out on the beach or something, that’d be okay.”

She nodded, not looking too enthused about my offer. But then neither of us had taken our first dose of caffeine yet, so I blamed her lackluster energy on that and set about getting a French press brewing for us to split. When it was ready, I poured a cup for her and then went to the back to pull the cash drawer from the metal safe in my small, makeshift office that was so overrun with supplies—it was more of a closet.

When I came back, she was leaning against the counter, staring down into her coffee cup that looked untouched. “Leash? What’s wrong?” I set the cash drawer down and went over to her, lifting my hand to check her brow, before she backed up a step. “Are you sick?”

“No. I’m just…” I watched in heartbreaking stillness as her blue eyes brimmed with tears. “My stupid boyfriend broke up with me last night.”

“What?” I braced a hand against the counter. “I didn’t know you were…well…that you even had a boyfriend.”

She nodded and sucked in her lower lip. “His name is—was—Brian. We met last year, when he was a senior. He’s in college now.”

“What happened?”

She shrugged and a tear slipped past her lashes and made a streak down her face. She wasn’t wearing her normal face full of make-up and her cheeks were red and blotchy. “He texted me that he didn’t want to be long distance all summer. This was supposed to be when we could finally spend time together and instead…I’m here.”

“I’m sorry, honey.” I pushed off the counter and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. To my surprise, she collapsed against me and seconds later, her body was trembling with sobs. I smoothed her hair back as it fell from the ponytail, the strands too short to stay contained, and tucked it behind her ears. “Maybe he’ll change his mind when you get back home. It’s only a couple months. Sometimes distance is a good thing…”

My sentiments echoed back to me and I realized how shallow they sounded. I was at a loss though. I’d never been in a long term relationship—well, at least not one that I’d count as successful or healthy—so while I was long on life experience, I fell short on helpful advice.

“I don’t know…” Alesha replied, her words punctuated with fresh sobs.

I backed up and took her face in my hands. “Leash, it’s all going to be okay. I know it doesn’t help right now, and that it hurts like hell to go through this, but trust me when I tell you, it’s going to work out in the end. If not with him, then with someone else. You’re gorgeous and smart and determined. You’re going to be all right. I promise.”

She nodded but her eyes were still flooded with unshed tears. She sniffled and I left her long enough to grab a wad of paper towels from the dispenser above the hand washing station. “Here. How about you go back to my place, listen to music, watch TV, take a bath. Do whatever will make you feel better and tonight we’ll go out and have dinner. Your choice.”

“Is it okay if I stay here? With you?”

My heart twisted and I offered her a small smile. “Of course it is.”

She nodded and wiped at her eyes, trying to get herself under control. “I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

“Okay, then. Go get washed up and I’ll make us some breakfast sandwiches. How does that sound?”

She smiled and gave me another hug. “Thanks, Sis.”

Nick

Twenty-four hours had passed since my visit to Carly’s coffee shop and I hadn’t been able to get her bright blue eyes out of my mind. As eager as I was to get up to the air museum and start tearing apart the F-4, I made a detour through town and pulled into a spot right out front of
The Siren
. I pushed out of my truck and my jaw nearly hit the ground at the massive line of people that were pouring out the front doors of the shop. I glanced around, looking at the parking spaces beside my truck, and wondered where the hell all the other people had come from. From the look of the parking lot, the shop should be empty.

I heaved a sigh and went to join the crowd, ending up halfway in and halfway out of the coffee shop until the line moved and I could fully wedge inside. The place smelled so good, it practically soothed my irritation. A sweet, cinnamon infused with a nutty, rustic blend of coffee. My mouth was watering already, but when I saw Carly, hustling back and forth behind the counter, her blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail that hung halfway down her neck, it made it hard to breathe. Her cheeks were flushed, but her bright smile never left her lips as she handled each order, each customer with precise, but affectionate care and attention to detail.

She knew all their names and their orders from memory. It was a small town, but damn, she was impressive. Her hips swiveled and rocked with each step, her moves lining up with the steady, pulsing beat coming through the speakers and made the entire thing like a performance.

And a sexy as hell one at that.

She was so lost in her routine that she didn’t pay any attention to me in line, but when she finished serving the couple ahead of me, her eyes locked with mine and her perfectly pink lips parted in a silent “oh” of surprise.

That little mouth did things to me. And made me want to do a whole lot of things to her.

“Good morning, Carly,” I said, stepping up to take my place at the counter. I towered over her small frame. I probably had a good seven or eight inches on her. My body was hard lines and muscles, and it would fit perfectly with her lush curves and feminine shape.

We’d be a perfect fit. There was no doubt about it. Something about her told me she’d know just what to do to make me a very happy man.

“Morning, Nick,” she replied, smiling up at me. A hand absently went to tuck a flyaway strand around her ear and I noted the row of triple piercings. I couldn’t help but wonder what else she might have pierced…

“Settling in at Aaron’s?”

“Yeah,” I grinned. “He’s a pretty chill guy, but you know that already.”

On the way back to the museum the day before, Aaron had cleared the confusion in regards to his and Carly’s affectionate nicknames with each other. He’d assured me that they were—and always had been—strictly friends. I didn’t know why it mattered, I’d have been interested in her either way—but knowing that Aaron wasn’t going to get in my way or fuck up my chances was a huge relief.

“Yeah. He’s one of the best. I’m glad he finally got some sense knocked into him and hired out some help in the shop. That was probably Gemma’s doing though. She’s done wonders for straightening him out.” She laughed and took a step to the left, spreading her arms over the display case that was undoubtedly picked over but still managed to be brimming with delicious looking options. “What can I get for you?”

I couldn’t tell her what I really wanted—her on a silver platter—so I settled for a lemon bar and the biggest cup of joe she could get for me. “Anything else?” She asked, handing over the small pastry bag and the cup of coffee.

There was a line of people behind me and I didn’t want to make any new enemies by taking up their time chatting it up with her. No matter how much I wanted to. “No, ma’am, this’ll get me through till lunch. Thanks.”

She rang me up and when she passed over the receipt she added, “You know, we’re open for lunch too. In case you need a pick me up.”

I’ll be damned. Rosen was right.

“See you this afternoon then,” I replied, grinning at her as I turned away and strode past the rest of the line to the doors, feeling her eyes on my backside the entire way.

* * * *

“Aha. I called it,” Aaron boomed, walking into the hangar. “Gemma owes me ten bucks.”

I laughed. “Do I even wanna know?”

He shook his head, grinning like a fool. “She bet me ten bucks that I was wrong about you and Carly. I told her you two were gonna hook up.”