Burned

by Hope, Amity

  “Probably,” he said with a laugh. He turned to Holly who was sitting next to him. “What do we have planned for the first night back?”

  “Dani sent a text the other day. She and Felicia want to get together. They thought a girls night out would be fun. So if you want to make plans with Mike or see if any of your friends are around, that would be a good night to do that,” she said.

  “Sure, that’ll work. I’ll see what Mike has going on,” he said before taking a bite of his burger.

  “I don’t think we have definite plans though.” She swung her gaze to me. “Unless you’ve talked to them lately?”

  Dani and Felicia were high school friends of ours. We’d all kind of drifted apart the past year. Time and distance tend to do that. Of course it didn’t help that I was actively avoiding Chamberlain and everyone who lived there.

  I shook my head as I pulled a fry through my puddle of ketchup. I avoided looking at Holly, paying a great deal of attention to my meal. “Nope. I haven’t talked to either of them for awhile.”

  “It’ll be really fun to see them again, won’t it?” she asked.

  I stuffed my fries into my mouth and nodded so I wouldn’t have to fake cheery excitement. I wanted to change the subject to anything other than the impending trip. I glanced around the crowded café. The dinner rush was in full swing.

  And Jake Thompson had just walked through the door. He was one of Max’s best friends from high school. He was a year old but it was a small town and they’d played football together. He was the perfect excuse for a topic change.

  “Mmm,” I hummed. “Jake’s here.”

  He was over six feet of male perfection. He was completely uninterested in me and that was just perfect too. I’d sworn off guys indefinitely and he made it easy to keep that vow. For now, I was perfectly happy with my self-imposed “look but don’t touch” policy.

  Apparently Holly thought I was looking a little too much because she cleared her throat, demanding my attention.

  “What?” I asked as I begrudgingly pulled my eyes from him. “He looks delicious. Like a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top. Yummy.” She rolled her eyes at me, just like I knew she would. That’s what I got for being purposefully obnoxious. At least I had succeeded in redirecting the conversation.

  Max cringed and immediately pulled his eyes away from Jake too. “I’m going to try really hard to forget I heard that.”

  “Hey guys,” Jake said as he stopped at our table. “It’s kind of crowded in here tonight. Mind if I sit with you?”

  Before I could answer he slid in, gently hip checking me over to the window.

  “Have a seat,” I muttered.

  He bumped my shoulder with his. “I knew you wouldn’t mind.” He reached over, intending to swipe some of my fries. I slapped his hand away, more than a little surprised by his brazenness.

  “I will share my seat but I will not share my food,” I said as I held my hands protectively over the diminishing stack.

  He shrugged good-naturedly and feeling secure, I reached for my cheeseburger. The moment both of my hands were preoccupied, his hand darted to my plate. He grabbed three fries and shoved them into his mouth.

  “Hey!” I said around a mouthful of food.

  He grinned at me as he chewed. I couldn’t even pretend to be mad. I didn’t know Jake well. But from what I’d seen of him, and the fact that he was Max’s best friend, I was led to believe he was a pretty decent guy.

  Even if he was a fry thief.

  “I’m starving and I haven’t even ordered yet,” he said, as if that gave him the right. “I’ll make it up to you. Get you a hot fudge sundae or something.”

  “Oh, please, do that,” Holly said with a laugh. “Make sure she gets a cherry on top.”

  Jake flagged over the waiter, placed his order and added four hot fudge sundaes to it.

  “You’re in a good mood,” I said. He almost seemed playful. The Jake I barely knew didn’t do playful. Or fun. Or even sociable. He did aloof, standoffish and oh-so-serious. He even gave off this don’t look or touch vibe.

  I knew this because during the short time I’d spent working at the café, Jake had been here a lot. As in an almost every night kind of a lot. He always chose the back, corner booth if it was available and unless he was with a study group, he always sat alone.

  Not a real sociable guy, this Jake.

  And he’d certainly never been playful or given off any type of flirty vibe whatsoever.

  So the fact that his bare knee was resting against my bare knee felt like a bigger deal than it was. Because really, it was just a knee. So it wasn’t a big deal at all. Never mind that it was Jake. Jake, whom I may or may not have been safely crushing on from afar.

  And who I may or may not now be crushing on up close, skin to skin. In the form of knee to knee. I cleared my throat, readjusting myself slightly to put some distance between us. I mentally rolled my eyes. It had obviously been w-a-a-a-a-y-y-y too long since my last date if I was getting all worked up over his damn knee.

  Or maybe it was the scent of his cologne. That could definitely be the problem. I fought the urge to lean over and let the spicy scent wrap around me. Instead, I lifted my burger to my mouth, taking a big whiff of it before taking a bite. Very ladylike of me.

  Holly noticed. She raised her eyebrows, clearing asking What the hell?

  Jake turned to me, either surprised by my earlier statement denoting his good mood, or by the fact that I was sniffing my burger. The fry stealing was probably the most interaction that had ever taken place between the two of us.

  “Lanna’s right,” Max agreed. “What’s going on?”

  He peeled his eyes from me. It was probably pretty easy to do. I probably looked disgusting with the big bite of burger in my mouth. He turned to Max and nodded. “Yeah, it’s been a good day. I just found out that I was accepted at McMillan and Sons, over in Grove City. I got the internship.”

  “Congratulations,” I said, not sure exactly what that meant, just that it was obviously something he was happy about.

  “Awesome,” Max echoed. “I was wondering if you’d heard back yet.”

  He blew out a loud sigh, obviously relieved. “I was starting to get worried. I really need that internship.”

  Max nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah,” he said, “I know you do. I’m glad things are finally working out. It’s about time something goes your way.”

  I glanced at Holly, wondering if she knew what Max was saying between the lines. Things hadn’t been working out for Jake? What kind of things? Was that why he always seemed to be on edge?

  She was no help. She was busy swirling a fry through her ranch dressing. No worries, I’d just quiz her later.

  “Here you go.” Our waiter placed Jake’s double cheeseburger in front of him. He then slid four hot fudge sundaes our way.

  “Thanks, Jake,” I said. “You really didn’t need to do that.”

  Max and Holly echoed my thanks.

  He shrugged. “Call it a mini-celebration.”

  “So what is McMillan and Sons?” I asked.

  He peeled back his bun and proceeded to drown his burger in ketchup.

  “They’re a brokerage firm,” he explained. “The best in the area. They had nearly a hundred applicants. They only accepted two of us.”

  “Wow, impressive,” I said with raised eyebrows.

  To my surprise, he flushed slightly. Then he shrugged. “I got lucky.”

  “I doubt that,” Max said. “You got it because you deserve it.”

  “So when are you all heading out?” Jake asked. I got the distinct impression he wanted a change of subject.

  I could add modest to the list of appealing characteristics this guy held.

  Not that I was keeping track of them.

  “Tomorrow after lunch,” Max answered.

  “So you’re around tonight?” Jake asked and Max nodded. “Hey, we should go golfing.”

  Max looked at Holly and Jake turned
to me. “Do you golf?”

  Me? Golf? Me do anything athletic? Pfffttt. “No.”

  “I don’t either,” Holly chimed in. It was just one of the many things she and I had in common. “But you and Max should go.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Max said.

  We finished our meal and the guys took off.

  Holly and I declined a ride from Jake. The café was within walking distance. As we neared the beach house, Holly gave me a nudge.

  “You know, we could’ve gone with them,” she pointed out. “We could’ve made fools out of ourselves together. It would’ve been the perfect chance for you to get to know Jake a little better.”

  I laughed at that. “I don’t think holding him and Max back from their game is a good idea. And I really don’t want him to see how uncoordinated I am.”

  “Ahhh,” she said with a laugh. “I knew it.”

  “Knew what?” I demanded as we turned into the driveway.

  “You like him,” she said smugly. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t care if you made a fool of yourself golfing or not.”

  I’d gone on a few dates since landing myself in Harmony Bay. But only a few. And I’d known at the start that they weren’t going to go anywhere. I had never been terribly interested in any of the guys I’d gone out with. But Jake? I could definitely be interested in him.

  I shrugged. “He’s nice. What’s not to like?”

  Her head bobbed in agreement. I waited for her to say more but she didn’t. I realized I was disappointed about that. I was curious about Jake. Maybe it had something to do with seeing the lighthearted side of him for a change. Or maybe it had to do with wanting to keep my mind off the airline ticket resting on my dresser. Either way, I wanted to know more.

  “What do you know about him?” I asked as we bypassed the house and headed down to the beach.

  I glanced at her as she bit her lip. The teasing look had disappeared. She was taking my question seriously. I could tell she was sifting through her knowledge of Jake, trying to come up with something to give me.

  I already knew a little bit about him. I knew he’d been engaged. Max had shared that much. Obviously something like that was common knowledge, among the right people. I could see why, then, he would be aloof around girls. Getting out of a serious, long-term commitment was likely to do that to a guy. It was probably a good thing he was taking some time to himself and not jumping into another relationship.

  “What do you want to know?” she finally asked. We dropped down onto the heavy, wooden beach chairs that were always left near the ocean’s edge. “You probably know almost as much as I do. Is there anything specific you were wondering?”

  “Do you know what Max was talking about?” I asked Holly. “When he said that he was glad things were finally going Jake’s way?”

  She shrugged. “Not really. I know that there’s been some big rift in his family. I’m not sure that’s what Max was talking about but I think it’s likely.”

  “Family trouble? Like what?”

  She shook her head. “Max has never gone into detail. I guess I never thought to ask. I do know he moved off his parents’ estate. I also know that he was supposed to intern at his dad’s firm. But that changed. That’s why he was really counting on the internship at McMillan and Sons. I heard him and Max talking once. Jake mentioned he didn’t know what he was going to do if it fell through. I do think that somehow, it all ties together with his fiancé calling off the wedding.”

  I winced. “You make it sound like he got kicked out of his family. I can’t imagine what he could’ve done to deserve that. Not to mention,” I said as I reached down to sift some sand through my fingers, “what’s wrong with his fiancé?”

  Why would she ever let a guy like Jake go?

  Topping the list of his great qualities was the fact that the guy was smart. I only had to listen to him and Max talk about some of their tougher classes to ascertain that.

  She nodded. “I know. One or the other would be bad enough. Between the two, it’s been a rough year for him. I think his family cut him off. And Darby called off the engagement shortly after that. On the other hand, I met his ex-fiancé once. I know she’s the one that called everything off but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. She wasn’t very…” She scrunched up her face, trying to come up with a nice way to say something negative. “She wasn’t very likeable. We all went to dinner at the café and you could just tell she thought the place was totally beneath her. She barely said a word to Max or me. And you know how easygoing Max is. He couldn’t get her to engage in conversation at all. I just got the impression she really didn’t want to hang out with Jake’s friends.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. My head was crammed full of questions. What had happened with Jake and his family? I couldn’t imagine him doing anything to get himself kicked out of his own family. He seemed like the smart, ambitious, level-headed son most parents would wish their children to be.

  And Darby?

  Something must be wrong with that girl.

  Chapter 3

  I was a coward. And a liar. I admit it.

  I left the house the following morning before Holly and Max were out of bed. I slipped into my car and cruised down the coastal highway. It was something I did often. It was something that always helped calm me. The expanse of endless ocean, its rippling waves and the vast sky always made me feel as if maybe, just maybe, my problems weren’t so big after all.

  I had lost track of how many times I’d taken this mini road trip since I’d moved here.

  I’d always roll the windows down. Let the wind have its way with my hair. I’d press my luck with the speed limit in my Camaro. It was a modern car, only a year old, painted a subtle dark blue. I thought my dad would approve. When he was my age, he’d had a Camaro too. I’d do just about anything to track down that car, even shave my head bare. But that car was long gone. Dad sold it when he and Mom found out she was pregnant with me so they could buy a practical sedan.

  My slightly flashy mode of transportation was in homage to my dad, a man I didn’t even know. Had never even met.

  Shortly after I left I sent Holly a text telling her and Max not to wait for me. They should head to the airport without me. I didn’t expand upon my explanation simply because I didn’t have one good enough to give her. I already felt deceitful enough. I’d led her to believe I was heading to Chamberlain. I’d packed my bags last night, sort of. I’d engaged in conversations about our plans when we returned to Minnesota.

  I’d lied because it was easier than telling her the truth.

  I had no intention of going back.

  Not today.

  Possibly not ever.

  I’d driven until I was sure that Max and Holly would be gone, their flight already in the air. When I finally returned to the beach house there was a note on the counter. Holly’s neat, sharp looking script on a piece of notebook paper made one demand:CALL ME!

  With a grimace I crumpled the paper and tossed it.

  I fixed myself a lunch that I barely touched.

  Even lounging by the ocean didn’t make me feel better.

  My stomach was a knotted tangle of nerves.

  How long until Holly found out why I had come to Harmony Bay in the first place? The last few months, while my secret had been safe, I’d been able to live in a blissful state of denial. Well, not a blissful state, maybe an adequately comfortable state of denial. But denial all the same. Once Holly knew, she would make me talk about it. She would make me rehash it and worst of all, she would probably try to convince me that it really wasn’t my fault.

  No, I recalibrated my thought process. Even worse, she would admit that yes, I was very much at fault.

  Lying by the ocean proved to be the opposite of relaxing. My mind wouldn’t stop wandering. I thought it was pretty inconsiderate of Jarrett to not show up the one time I really wished he’d provide a distraction. Hell, I’d even pet his mangy mutt if he’d just keep me company for awhile.


  But he was nowhere in sight.

  With a growl of agitation I finally rolled off the chair I’d been plastered to for over an hour. I trudged through the sand up to the house. I was feeling restless, agitated, and downright miserable.

  I briefly contemplated calling Paige. She was a friend of Holly’s and now a friend of mine by default. I knew she was always game for just about anything. She could be over in twenty minutes or less if I gave her a call. However, I also knew that if I did that, she’d want to know why I had stayed behind.

  Best to just simmer in my boredom all alone.

  The air conditioner hummed as I padded across the cool tile of the kitchen floor.

  I opened the fridge, thinking maybe I could drown my sorrows in…I wasn’t sure. We didn’t keep brownies or copious amounts of chocolate in the fridge. In fact, in preparation for our supposed time away, the shelves were pathetically bare.

  We did, however, have a few rogue bottles of wine. Sure, Max was a minor. We all were. But when your grandparents owned the freaking vineyard, exceptions were made. Villette thought it was criminal to deny Max of the wine he so diligently helped to create, market, and sell.

  We never went overboard. Though this afternoon…I was making no promises. I reached for the chilled bottle of chardonnay. Villette Vineyards was embossed in black on the cream colored label. A curlicue of vines wrapped around the name.

  I hesitated only a moment because it felt just a smidge like stealing.

  I’d pay Max back. Actually, I knew he wouldn’t take my money. Maybe I could make him dinner. Scratch that. I wanted to thank him, not torment him. Guess I could always buy him a couple of pizzas.

  The cupboard provided a few more choices. I lined them up on the counter; three reds and one white. I was in the mood for something sweet so I settled on the chardonnay.

  I poured myself a glass and then leaned against the counter. I took a sip, and then a bigger sip, and then something that was suspiciously close to an unladylike guzzle. When the glass was empty I clenched it in my hand.