Mackenzie (Heritage Bay Series Book 2)

by M. A. Foster

  I nearly choke on my water as I jerk my attention to the conversation. “What the hell did I miss?”

  “Hannah tried to hook up with Brice,” Zach tells me through a laugh. “She crawled into his bed, grabbed his dick, and said, ‘Let’s see how gay you really are.’”

  I throw my head back and laugh as Brice continues his rant, hands flailing in the air. “As if. Not even a bottle of liquid curiosity could get me near that cat,” he finishes with a disgusted look on his face, and everyone within earshot bursts into laughter.

  Brice turns his attention to Jay. “I’m Brice Manning.”

  “Hi. I’m Jay.” She lifts her hand, offering him a small wave.

  “Oh, I know who you are, gorgeous.”

  Fucking Brad.

  “Zach,” Lindsay calls as she walks up, carrying one of those big keg cups with a handle, almost as big as her head, and her friends trailing behind her. “We’re going down to the beach. You wanna come with?”

  Zach stills. His gaze swings from me to Grayson before settling on Jay when he says, “Sure.”

  This is getting ridiculous.

  “I’ll meet you down there in a minute. I gotta take a piss first,” I tell them as I turn and head inside.

  “COLE,” A FEMALE voice calls out, and I look over to see Reagan Vaughn weaving through the crowd, just like the snake she is.

  As Reagan makes her way toward me, I let my eyes trail over her tight, bikini-clad body, looking for… I don’t know, something to stand out. Toned arms and legs, and a flat, muscular stomach. Ashton and my ex, Claire, both have a similar build. Cheerleaders carry themselves a certain way: head straight, shoulders back, chest out, and a stick up their ass.

  Her long blonde hair is twisted into a braid and draped over one shoulder. As she comes closer, I take in her features. She’s pretty, with a heart-shaped face, pouty pink lips, and big brown doe eyes, portraying an innocence that clearly does not exist.

  It’s all a façade.

  She’s just another basic bitch who screwed over my best friend in the most humiliating way.

  “What?” I bark, annoyed to even be standing here wasting my time talking to this girl.

  “I texted you last night,” she says all innocent and flirty, blinking those big brown eyes up at me.

  “I know.” I scowl. “Why?”

  Her eyebrows pull together in confusion. “I, uh… I was hoping we could hang out,” she replies, tilting her head, twisting the ends of her braid between her fingers.

  Reagan bites down on her bottom lip in an attempt to look sexy, but I find it irritating. I don’t like her. And I certainly don’t have any respect for a girl who chases dick like it’s an Olympic sport.

  Fuck this girl.

  “Why are you biting your lip? Do you need to use the bathroom or something?” I wave my hand, gesturing in the direction of the bathroom.

  Rolling her eyes, she releases her lip and drops her hand from her hair, knowing her flirty bullshit isn’t working on me.

  I lean in close to her ear. “Not interested.”

  My eyes flick to the patio doors to see Jay watching me curiously, but she quickly looks away, pretending to engage in conversation with Lexi and Brice. I should probably make sure she’s okay.

  “Who’s she?” Reagan asks.

  “Who?”

  “Her.” She jerks her chin toward Jay. “I saw you out there with her earlier, introducing her to your friends. Ashton’s gonna have a fit.”

  “She’s my cousin.”

  I don’t miss the way her eyes widen before she swings her gaze back to Jay. Something about the way Reagan is looking at Jay doesn’t sit right with me.

  “And since when do you care about Ashton’s feelings?” I ask, bringing her attention back to me.

  “Where’s she from?” she asks, but something tells me she already knows.

  “California,” I tell her, but add with a warning tone, “You and your little bitch crew better not fuck with her either, or I’ll make your lives hell.”

  Jay and Reagan will never be friends for one main reason: Zach. Reagan will always see Jay as competition. Unfortunately for Reagan, there is no competition. Zach might’ve been a little obsessed with her at one time, but Jay is the one he loves. Despite his little mantrum, it’s only a matter of time before he goes after Jay. I’m not a fairy tale, ‘happily ever after’ kind of guy, but I do believe if people truly love each other, they’ll end up together.

  “Cole,” another female voice calls out, and I’m surprised to see Claire making her way toward me.

  Leaning in once again to Reagan’s ear, I growl, “Don’t text me again. No one is interested in fucking you.” I snap my fingers as if a thought just occurred to me. “Except maybe Derek. He’ll fuck pretty much anything. You want me to hook you up?”

  “Fuck you,” she huffs before turning and storming off.

  “You wish,” I call out as she shoves her way past Claire and disappears into the throng of bodies.

  “I THOUGHT YOU hated me,” I murmur against Claire’s neck as we stumble into the nearest empty room. Her back against my chest.

  “I do.” Reaching behind her, she snakes an arm around my neck and with her other hand, she cups my dick through my board shorts.

  “No you don’t.” I chuckle, sliding my hand down her flat stomach into the front of her bikini bottoms. “You know you miss this.”

  “I do miss this,” she admits, rocking against my fingers. “And this.” She gives my dick a squeeze and involuntarily, I thrust into her palm.

  Turning her head to the side she offers her mouth and I happily accept, slamming my lips down on hers.

  Damn, I’ve missed these lips; this body.

  Pulling her lips from mine, she drops her head back to my shoulder, breathing out a soft moan before collapsing against my chest. So fucking hot.

  Then suddenly she jerks out of my arms and spins around, facing me wearing a satisfied grin.

  “Thanks for that,” she says as she moves toward the door.

  “So that’s it, huh? You’re just gonna leave me like this?” I gesture to my hard-on.

  “Yeah.” She laughs, opening the door. Then over her shoulder she asks, “How does it feel to be used, Mackenzie?” before slamming it shut.

  Damn.

  “MACKENZIE,” DEREK SLURS, hooking his arm around my neck, holding a red cup in the other hand. “Dude, your cousin is so hot.”

  “Don’t even think about it, Derek,” I say, shrugging his arm off. A sly grin tugs at my lips as I say to Derek, “Hey, I bumped into Reagan earlier and she asked about you. You should totally hit that.”

  Carter masks his chuckles behind his cup, shoulders shaking. Derek’s face screws up in… disgust? Really? He shakes his head. “There isn’t nearly enough alcohol at this party. I’d rather have alcohol poisoning than let my dick anywhere near that.”

  Carter barks out a loud laugh.

  Grinning, I smack Derek on the back. “Smart man.”

  “COLE, I THINK your cousin is leaving,” Brad says, looking toward the beach. “Is she leaving with Grayson?”

  I shield my eyes to see Jay walking arm in arm beside Brice, wearing her cover-up with her bag over her shoulder. Grayson is on her other side, and Evan and Lexi are trailing behind them.

  “What the hell?” I mumble, then look at Zach. He’s pissed. I grin. “It’s killing you, isn’t it?”

  “You’re a dick,” he snaps, then quickly turns his head to check on Lindsay, who’s passed out on the other side of him.

  “You’re the dick. You barely said two words to her, yet you’ve been staring at her all fucking day like a creeper. Man up, Zach.” Pushing off the raft, I fall back into the water. “I’ll be back,” I tell them before swimming to shore and making my way up to the bar where Jay sits between Brice and Grayson.

  “Hey,” I say. “What are you doing?”

  “Waiting for B to pick me up,” she tells me as she unscrews the cap fro
m the bottle of water. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, and the sun is making me tired.”

  “I can take you home if you want.”

  She shakes her head. “B’s already on his way.”

  “Who’s B?” Grayson asks.

  Jay hesitates, her gaze flicking to me. I answer for her. “He’s your dad’s newest client.” I smirk.

  Grayson nods once in understanding. Yeah, dude, she’s off-limits.

  I don’t have a problem with Grayson personally, though I do think what he did to Zach was pretty shitty, and he deserves a punch to the dick. I surely wouldn’t trust him with my girl, much less my cousin.

  Zach walks up carrying Lindsay on his back and sets her down on an empty barstool. Keeping his back to us, he grabs two waters from the bar and passes one to her. My attention shifts back to Jay, who’s busy talking to Grayson.

  “Hey,” Lindsay calls down the bar, pointing at Jay. “I don’t know you, but I feel like I should warn you.” She aims her finger at Grayson. “He is a douchebag.”

  A deep laugh rumbles from my chest. He deserves that and more.

  “Aren’t they all?” Jay smirks. “But thanks for the heads-up.”

  Grayson snorts. “Ignore her. She’s my ex, and obviously she’s jealous and drunk.” He lifts his chin to Zach. “You need to take better care of your girl, Zach.”

  I shake my head. Here we go.

  Zach takes a step forward with fury blazing in his eyes, but thankfully Evan steps between them. Zach isn’t a fighter, but Grayson isn’t making it easy on him.

  “She’s not my girl,” he growls. “But she is my friend. And she’s right, you are a douchebag.”

  “My ride’s here,” Jay announces, cutting through the tension as she slides off the stool and pulls her bag over her shoulder. Her expression tells me she’s uncomfortable.

  “You should’ve told me you wanted to leave,” I tell her. “I would’ve taken you home.”

  “It’s fine,” she says, waving me off. “Stay and hang out with your friends.”

  Grayson leans over and whispers something about how it was nice to meet her. I turn to see Zach watching Grayson. His gazes shifts to me and I give him my biggest shit-eating grin.

  Jay says her goodbyes to everyone before she makes her way over to Lindsay and holds out her hand. “It was nice to meet you, Lindsay.”

  “You, too.”

  “Take care, Zach,” she says before she turns and leaves.

  “She seems nice,” Lindsay says.

  “I think she’s a little pissed at you, Cole,” Lexi pipes up.

  “What did I do?”

  Brice scoffs and rolls his eyes. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, Mackenzie.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re clueless,” Lexi explains. “You brought her to a party where she knows all of two people, and you just left her by herself.” She shakes her head, then points at Zach. “And you acted like you couldn’t stand to be near her, but you were staring at her all day.”

  “I was not.”

  Bullshit.

  “Yes, you were, Zach. You’re supposed to be the good guy, but you’re all jerks and now I’m pissed off,” she chides, then turns to Evan, who’s doing his best to hide his grin. “Evan, Grayson, let’s go. I’ve had enough sun for the day.” She slides off the barstool, grabs her bag, and walks off.

  Evan smirks and shakes his head as he follows Lexi.

  Grayson opens his mouth but I cut him off. “Don’t even think about it, Gray. Jay’s not that girl.”

  “Chill, Mackenzie. I know she’s off-limits.” He slaps me on the back and turns to look at Lindsay. “See ya, Linds.”

  “Eat shit, Grayson.”

  “SUP?” I DROP onto the lounger opposite Carter and extend my hand to the blonde he’s been hanging with all day, sitting beside him. “Hey, I’m Cole.”

  Carter doesn’t “hang out” with girls, like, ever, so I’m curious to see what’s so special about this one who’s caught my best friend’s attention for longer than a quick bang in the bathroom. She’s cute without trying to be. Her white-blonde hair is in a messy bun on top of her head, and her eyes are hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses, but they don’t hide the freckles across her nose.

  “Olivia.” She smiles. It’s a sweet one, not flirty. I like it. “We’ve actually met,” she adds, “once or twice back when Lindsay was dating Grayson.”

  I wince, not remembering meeting her. “Sorry.”

  She waves her hand. “No worries. It was at a party like a year ago.”

  I nod and make polite conversation. “So you go to school with Lindsay, then?”

  “I did, but this year I’m going to Heritage Bay Academy. I got accepted to the Project Mayhem class on scholarship.”

  Carter gives me a wide-eyed look. He knows the scholarships were funded by Uncle Marcus. “Oh that’s cool. My cousin Jay is in that class, too.”

  “Is she the girl with the dark hair you were with earlier?”

  I nod. “Yeah, that’s Jay. Too bad you guys didn’t get to meet but I guess you will soon.” I stand and stretch my arms over my head, then hold out my fist to Carter. “All right. I’m out.”

  “You’re leaving?” he asks, bumping his fist to mine.

  “Yeah, I’m headed over to Jay’s. I came to see if you needed a ride home.”

  “I’m good.”

  I eye him because I know he’s been drinking.

  He raises a hand in defense and laughs. “I haven’t had anything to drink but water for the last few hours.” With his other hand, he holds up his bottled water and looks over at Olivia.

  “I’m the designated driver today,” she tells me, holding up her own water bottle. “I’ll make sure he gets home safe.”

  “Thanks,” I say, giving Carter another fist bump. “Text me when you get home,” I call over my shoulder as I head out.

  “Sure thing, Dad,” he calls back, and I respond by flipping him off.

  “You’re leaving?” a female voice calls out as I round the hood of my Tahoe.

  I turn to see it’s the blonde chick from earlier. What was her name?

  “It’s Nikki,” she offers.

  “I know,” I lie.

  “Would you mind giving me a ride?”

  I flash her a wicked grin. “Sure.”

  DYLAN IS AT the hostess station when I walk into Mac’s ready to work the lunch shift.

  “Hey, Harper.” He smiles. “My dad wants you to stop by his office after you clock in.”

  “Sure,” I reply with a smile of my own as I head to the employee break room to drop off my stuff.

  I’ve only been working at Mac’s for a couple of weeks, but I already love this job: the staff, the customers, the atmosphere, and the money is good. Not quite as good as JC’s, but I didn’t belong there.

  After dropping my stuff off at my locker, I make my way down the hall to Max’s office. Stepping in the open doorway with my hand raised to knock, I freeze as all the breath leaves my body in a whoosh. A little girl is perched on Max’s lap. Her dark hair is up in pigtails, eyes cast downward, eyelashes fanned across her cheeks as she scribbles on a piece of paper while Max’s attention is on his computer screen.

  Willow.

  I know it’s her because she’s the spitting image of Jade. Slapping a hand over my mouth to muffle the gasp, I move out of sight and pull myself together.

  My heart is pounding so hard in my chest it hurts. Tears fill my eyes.

  I never thought this day would come.

  I’d given up.

  I’d moved on.

  And now the only thing I’ve ever wanted is right there in the next room.

  I swipe the underside of my eyes and heave a deep, shuddered breath before stepping inside the doorway again.

  “Hey, Mr. Mackenzie,” I say with a shaky voice, then quickly clear my throat. “Dylan said you wanted to see me.”

  “Hey, Harper. Call me Max.” H
e waves me in.

  I move farther into his office, my eyes trained on Willow, whose bright green eyes watch me curiously. She’s so beautiful. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I force myself to stay calm and hold it together.

  Seeing Willow for the first time since she was born has stirred up a lot of emotions I’ve avoided for a long time, making me a little unsteady on my feet.

  “Well, hi there,” I coo, dropping into the chair in front of Max’s desk, clenching my fists in my lap. “What’s your name, pretty girl?”

  “Lillow,” she tells me shyly before turning her head and burying it in Max’s chest.

  Oh my God. Her sweet voice. I can’t.

  Keep it together, Harper.

  Max chuckles and readjusts her in his lap. “Harper, this is Willow. Willow, can you say hi to Harper?”

  “Hi, Ahpee,” she says quietly, and I can barely hear her over the pounding of my heart. I just want to grab her and kiss her all over her adorable face.

  I snort a laugh to keep myself from bursting into tears.

  “Harper,” Max says, pulling my attention from Willow. “My sister, Emerson, and my niece, Jayla, just moved to town a couple of days ago.”

  “I see JJ,” Willow interrupts, looking up at Max with excitement.

  Max smiles. “Yes, you’ll see JJ.” He returns his attention to me. “I had Dylan close off the bar area for a couple of hours for a private family lunch, and I’d like for you to be our server.”

  “Of course, Mr. Mackenzie.”

  He smiles. “We’re all family here, Harper. Call me Max.”

  “SO, HAVE YOU met Cole yet?” Amelia asks for the hundredth time this week as she assists me in setting the table for the Mackenzies’ lunch.

  “No.” I tilt my head. “Amelia, we work the same schedule. If I’d met him, you’d know it.” Amelia is going into her junior year at Heritage High. Apparently the highlight of her workday is whenever Cole pops in. She’s a little bit obsessed.

  “Oh.”