When I stepped inside the living area, I heard her banging around in the kitchen. “Mom?” I announced my arrival, walking into the kitchen to find her bent over, digging in one of the junk drawers.
She was in her uniform for her shift at the steakhouse, which meant she was running really late. For her shifts at the steakhouse, she was supposed to be there at three, but her shift at the gas station every other day she didn’t have to be there until four. After setting the stuff on the counter, I leaned against it to watch her scramble through the drawer in a frantic fashion.
“Hey, Cade.” She didn’t spare me a glance while she continued rummaging. She huffed and growled, continuously shoving loose strands of hair from her face, before sitting back on her feet.
Her gaze jerked in my direction when I rested my hand on her shoulder. A smile tugged at my lips at the sight of her hair—the same dark color as mine—sticking out in every direction. She had me when she was seventeen, so she was barely thirty, but the worry lines between her brow, which I was mostly the cause of, made her look much older.
“Looking for something?” I asked.
Her glower told me I wasn’t supposed to ask. “I can’t find my card for the restaurant.” After pushing off the floor, she brushed her legs off as if they were covered in dirt, which had to be impossible with how spotless the floor was.
“Your clock-in card?” She nodded, then ran her fingers through her hair again, trying to flatten it back out. “Did you check your purse?”
This earned me a “duh” look. “Of course, I did.”
“Do you really need it in order to go to work? You’re already pretty late.”
She planted her fists on her hips, which wasn’t very intimidating since she was a good foot shorter than me. My height was one of the few things I appreciated from my dad.
“Don’t you think I know I’m late?” Her green eyes flashed with anger, making them appear almost iridescent. “I already gave them a call. They said they would be fine until I get there.” She moved around me, heading toward her bedroom, before glancing over a shoulder. “Why don’t you help me, rather than standing there smirking?”
Being pushed around usually made me reluctant to help. “Mom, I have to get to work too.”
“Then you should hurry up and help me, so we aren’t both late.”
While she continued to her room, I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. Being late to work was not an option. I loved my job way too much to jeopardize it.
My mom was a mess on a good day, so I was almost certain I would find the card in her purse. If only she could keep her life as cleaned up as she kept the house. She crashed around in her bedroom, while I went back to the living room where she hung her purse on the coat rack. The thing was filled with receipts, makeup, and lady things I didn’t want to see, and the card was in one of the side pockets along with something that had rage blurring my sight.
With the card and pack gripped in my hand, I charged for her room. Clothes scattered the floor while she searched through her dresser, but she must have felt my presence since she spun around to face me. It took everything I had not to shout or start throwing things.
“I thought you quit.” I tossed the crumpled pack of cigarettes and the card on her impeccably made bed.
Before she could catch herself, she cringed. “You weren’t supposed to go through my purse.” After picking the pack and card up, she came to stand toe-to-toe with me.
My jaw twitched while my hands curled and uncurled at my sides. “So I wouldn’t find out you were smoking again?”
“Oh, like you don’t have one every once in a while.” She made a big show of rolling her eyes like any teenager would.
Being the grown-up all the damn time was getting on my last nerve. “No, Mom, I don’t smoke at all anymore. We agreed it would be something we left behind in Seattle, along with all the other shit. How’s it feel, having a son who has more self-control than you?” Tears glistened in her huge eyes, but I continued to glower. “You need to get to work, and I can’t be late. I’ll see you when I get home.”
I left her standing there and went to my room to turn my laptop on. She moved around the house some more before the front door slammed. It was easy not to feel bad about being a jerk to her due to her broken promise and secrets.
We both smoked when we lived in Seattle. The habit was picked up from her when I was thirteen—thinking I was a badass—and it led to smoking pot, drinking, and partying way too much. When she decided to move us to Portland, I was sixteen and hated her with every fiber in my being. I was forced to leave behind my entire life, all my friends, but she made a good point: she wanted a clean slate, wanted to start over somewhere new, and kick our bad habits in the process.
The promise was one I took seriously because she wanted me to be better. Being a screwup wasn’t an option any longer. Plus, I certainly didn’t want to end up like my dad, who was the real reason she wanted to leave. It was important to me to kick the shitty habits and stick to this healthier lifestyle after moving. The fact she had started smoking again made me want to break something or even smoke a joint to get even.
With the music list ready on my USB, I headed out. The Black Keys blasted from my speakers, egging on my fury, the whole drive to the station. One of the nicest things my douche dad had ever done for me was get me a job at the local alternative rock radio station. Being an agent for musicians, he knew a lot of people, so it wasn’t hard for him to make one phone call to get me the job—though that didn’t stop him from rubbing it in my face every time we spoke.
It had only been a month after we moved when I started working there, and they recently promoted me from maintenance to creating the evening lineup for the DJ, Rick. I made the playlists and kept the show running smoothly for him, which may not have been much, but I loved it.
When I parked in front of the brick building with the enormous KAR sign on the side and the station’s white van parked out front, I was almost late. Rick would give me shit right when I walked through the door, which had me sneaking inside, happy to see he wasn’t in the front room. After clocking in on the office computer, I went back to the main room, which was lined in shelves upon shelves of CDs and even old vinyl records. The station was in the process of catching up with the times, so part of my job, when I wasn’t helping Rick with his show, was to sort and download the CDs to their main system.
Rick was sitting at his station with his headset on over his long, curly blond hair when I stuck my head in the sound room. His torn jeans and ratty band T-shirt made him look a lot younger than his forty years.
“It’s about time you showed up.” Taking the headset off, he held a hand out. “You got the list?”
I handed him the USB, along with a list of the songs and artists downloaded on it. He scanned it over with a skeptical eye. “Numbers eight, seventeen, twenty-six, and thirty-four are all new local bands.” Crossing my arms, I leaned against the doorframe. “Cranium is playing tomorrow at The Coffee Shop.”
With a cynical look, he asked, “They any good?”
“I think so.” I shrugged. “I’ll actually be going to their show. I can talk to them if you want to do an interview—if you decide you like them.”
“We’ll see,” he grunted, before putting his headset back on.
I slumped in the seat across from him. He would like the band, but he had to act as if I didn’t know shit about music. Doing all the legwork for him, scouting the new bands so he never had to make the music list, even taking the phone calls for him, could easily get on my nerves. The joy of my job had very little to do with working with him. He treated me a lot like an intern and got paid for all the work I was doing.
After looking over the equipment and making sure the phone was ready to take calls, I went to text Ava but got a text from my mom instead.
Sorry I suck sometimes.
I swear I’ll try harder.
Rubbing a hand over my neck, I stared at the screen. What could
I say to her? Just because I was eighteen didn’t mean I always wanted to be the adult. I should have been able to trust she could handle things if I wasn’t. But I couldn’t ignore her after having made her cry right before work.
I need it to stick this time.
I know. I love you, C.
U 2. C u tonight.
Once that was sent, it was time for Rick to start, so I didn’t have time to text Ava. Rick's amused gaze almost made me groan.
“Trouble in paradise?” His smile widened when I gave him a dead stare.
“No. I don’t have a girlfriend. It was my mom.”
With his hands clasped behind his head, he laughed. “Your mom is hot,” he guffawed. I grit my teeth, wishing I had kept my mouth shut. “If she wants a good time—”
“I’ll be sure to send her in the opposite direction,” I interrupted. He let out a booming laugh when I put my headset on. “Can we get started?”
He continued chuckling while we got set up and started our segment. We went through the show smoothly, as we usually did, and got a lot of good responses to the new band I spoke about. Rick admitted they were good, asking that I talk with them at their show, so he could do an interview. If he hadn’t made pointed comments about my mom throughout the night, it would have been my best shift ever.
At eleven, he wrapped things up and we closed the place down. Once out the door, he pulled a joint out and lit it. The skunky scent with a hint of mint had a million memories flying back, making me grit my teeth against the lure of it. He smoked all the time, especially right after work, and I usually didn’t have a problem with it. The fight with my mom put me on edge and at a much higher risk of gladly diving off the wagon.
“You could wait to do that until you get home.” My glare was to cover up how badly I wanted to take it from him, finish it off.
After a long drag, he held it out to me with a lazy smile, like my own personal devil. “You look like you could use a drag, kid.”
The taste, the burn, the high that would come with it lured me in. Swimming back into my old life would be a cinch, but I could control it. I had to.
“Nah, I’m good. See you later.” Before I could make any mistakes, I bolted to my car.
The house was silent when I got home, which wasn’t a surprise since my mom usually worked well past two on Fridays. I thought about waiting up for her to talk some more, but my brain was too tired for another fight. After grabbing some chips to snack on, I went to my room to play some video games and veg out. Not getting the chance to text Ava was irritating, but now it was too late, since she usually went to bed around eight. Though I would have thought she would text me. Wasn’t she excited to hang out with me? Or did she feel like this was another one of her obligations?
I sighed, annoyed with myself for stressing about it. Things generally came easy in the girl department, them usually being the ones to chase me. It was bound to be more difficult, now having found someone I wanted, someone I was willing to put the effort into. It was important to be sure she still had a thing for me, before I got in too deep.
You’re already there, Cade.
Chapter Four
Ava
My alarm went off at six thirty the next morning, and I was out of bed, getting my running clothes and shoes on. Even though it was a Saturday, I still got up to run every single morning, no matter what the weather was like. The decent body was a plus that came along with my love of running. I got my headphones ready, then stuck some cash in the little inner pocket of my pants, in case I wanted to grab something from a coffee shop while I was out. My brighter mood made a run even more appealing.
While brushing my teeth, my thoughts wandered to my duties as prom coordinator. The second museum I went to the night before was exactly what I was looking for, and the events coordinator, Hilary, took the time to walk through the museum with me. The convention center, where they usually did events such as this, was decorated as an old western saloon with swinging doors, a wooden stage, and an old piano in the corner. It wasn’t extravagant but was perfect for what I had in mind.
The best part was how much cheaper than the hotel it was, which would add to our decoration budget. Hilary set the date aside for us, and I told her I would get back to her on Monday to let her know for sure. I even set up a meeting so I could bring the rest of the student council to look at it as well.
I swung the bathroom door open to be met by my sister still in her pajama shorts and tank top with a fist raised and a blank look in her eyes. “Mia?”
For a second, she was unguarded, looking so young, slightly scared. But then she shook her head, glancing at her raised fist, before immediately dropping it to her side.
She just continued to stare, so I asked, “You okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” With her arms crossed over her chest, her gaze hardened, though her bottom lip quivered. Barely, but it was there.
Before I could say anything, she spun and beat feet to her room, slamming the door behind her. I gaped for only a second before running after her. “Mia, open up!” I tried yelling over the gawd-awful rap blasting from her room and pounding on the door, but she didn’t answer.
“Everything all right up there?” My dad’s voice rang up the stairs.
A glance down the stairs revealed his head sticking out around the corner. His dark curls were in a rumpled mess, much like mine, and his dark-framed glasses hung low on the bridge of his nose.
“Yeah, it’s okay.” With a half smile, I shrugged. There was nothing to do for Mia if she wasn’t willing to talk, no matter how worried I was for her.
“You sure?” he asked, giving Mia’s door a worried glance.
“Yeah, she’s just being stubborn.” I gave him a quick hug before moving into the kitchen.
“You going for a run?” he asked while making himself some tea.
With a goofy smile, I held my arms out. “Did my clothes give it away?”
“Well, you could have been going out somewhere else like that. Have you heard back from Kai about graduation yet?”
Him changing the subject to my big brother threw me off, causing me to toy with the hem of my shirt, rather than meet his ice-blue eyes that could see through any facade—a trait that made him a great lawyer. “He didn’t say in his last email. It was mostly just small talk, which consisted of questions about me.” To brush off the sadness, I rolled my eyes before finally meeting his probing gaze. “Did he say anything to you?”
“He said he’s trying. He has to go through the chain of command. If they don’t approve it, he won’t be able to come. But he hasn’t used any leave this year, so it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s both your and your sister’s graduation. He’ll do whatever he can to get here.”
“Don’t say that.” My heart wrenched at the thought of actually getting to see Kai “I don’t want to get my hopes up. He only used like three days of his leave last year. I miss him.”
“We all do, Av. You should tell him about Vanderbilt. He’ll be as proud as I am.”
He was right—we all missed my brother. My parents were one-hundred percent about peace and love, but that didn’t stop him from joining the Air Force the second he graduated from high school with an associates degree already under his belt four years ahead of Mia and me. They still supported his decision with all the care and enthusiasm they could muster. Being stationed in Germany made it so we barely ever got to see him, but he emailed me pretty often and called whenever our schedules lined up—which wasn’t very often as things went.
It hadn’t occurred to me to tell him I got accepted to Vanderbilt, but my dad was probably right that he would be excited for me.
“Okay,” I conceded, wanting to talk about anything else so my heart would stop aching. “I’m gonna get going.”
He followed me when I headed for the door, leaning against the archway that opened into the entryway. “Are you busy today?”
“I’m going to try to get some things done this afternoon.” I grabbed my c
oat, zipped it up, and pulled the hood on, ready to embrace another wet day in paradise. “But I’m supposed to keep tonight free.”
“For what?” Gaze scrutinizing, he tilted his head.
“More like ‘for whom,’” I corrected, fiddling with my zipper, hoping like hell my face wouldn’t turn bright red. “Cade asked that I take the night off to do something with him.”
“Hm. I always liked that kid.” He nodded his approval with a smile, the total opposite of what I imagined any normal dad would do when their daughter said they were going out with a guy. “Is he taking you out?”
“I have no clue. He said he was going to text me, but I haven’t heard from him yet.”
“Well, I’m sure it will be worth it. Be careful, okay?”
“I will be.” I gave him a peck on the cheek.
Rain sprinkled down while I ran up three miles of soggy hills, with Florence + the Machine pounding through my ears. Sweat dripped from every one of my pores in a very unattractive fashion when I finally stopped at The Coffee Shop, deciding I could walk back to the house with some goodies. Out of the rain, inside the large coffee shop with the scents of baked goodies and ground coffee beans hanging in the air, I got in line. The walls were covered with artsy displays and shelves covered in cute knickknacks and overpriced clothing. While waiting in the long line, my phone dinged. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach, a smile tugging at my lips at the sight of Cade’s name on the screen.
Thought I told u to
take the day off?
How he knew I was out or why he would be awake this early on a Saturday had me reeling. Apparently, I wasn’t the only crazy teenager who got up early on the weekends.
What r u talking about? U said to take one night off… This is the morning.
I didn’t realize I needed
Ava (A Hart Twins Novel Rx Book 1) Page 3