The Prize: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Diamond Lake Romance Book 3)

by K. L. Middleton

  Blair and I both snorted.

  “Rory, seriously?” Blair said, shaking her head. “Are you really that shallow?”

  “Hey, I’m a guy. When it comes to breasts, deep down we’re all that shallow.”

  “So, were they?” Blair asked.

  Adam rubbed his forehead. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”

  “Since he’s not going to answer, I will. No. They were fake as shit,” Rory said.

  “And how do you know? Did you sleep with her too?” Blair asked.

  He snorted. “No. You couldn’t pay me enough money to get in bed with that chick.”

  “You’d better not let Penny overhear this conversation. She’ll be sending you a friend request before we leave the diner,” Blair joked.

  We all laughed.

  “What about you two? Boyfriends?” Rory asked.

  We both replied ‘no’.

  “What about you, Rory?” Blair asked. “Any big-breasted Berthas in your life right now?”

  Adam and I both laughed.

  “Nope. My last girlfriend got fed up of me traveling all the time and broke up with me,” Rory said with a sad smile. “And for the record, she was a ‘B’ cup. I’m not that shallow.”

  Blair’s eyes softened. “Sounds kind of selfish.”

  Their eyes met. “Her or me?”

  “Selfish on her part. It’s your job. She should have understood that,” Blair replied.

  “Well, she didn’t look at it that way. She thought I was wasting my time.” He shrugged. “But, it’s what I enjoy doing and it pays the bills.”

  “You’re obviously better off without her. If she doesn’t support you doing what you love, then she doesn’t deserve you,” Blair said.

  I could tell by the look on Rory’s face that he was touched by what she’d said.

  “Thanks, Blair,” he said softly.

  She nodded. “Of course. I mean, we all need to have people in our lives that get us, right? Life is too short.”

  “My dad would love you right now,” Adam said.

  “Yeah, his old man is like the most motivating guy I know. He’s constantly pep talking everyone,” Rory added. “You guys would get along perfectly.”

  “Is he single?” Blair joked.

  Rory raised his eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re into silver foxes?”

  She laughed. “No. Hell no.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Good. I was almost thinking I might have to stop at the drug store on the way home and pick me up some silver hair dye.”

  Blair looked pleased. “Nah. You definitely don’t need to change a thing.”

  This time it was Rory who looked pleased.

  Adam started perusing the menu. “We should order an appetizer. I’m starving.”

  “Good idea. What are you girls into? Wings? Nachos? Cheese curds?” Rory asked.

  “I like it all,” Blair said.

  “Me, too,” I said.

  “How are the cheese curds?” Adam asked. “Has anyone tired them?”

  “I’ve had ‘em. They’re great. My cousin works here. She brings food home a lot too,” I replied.

  “Who’s your cousin?” Adam asked.

  “Her name is Mackenzie. She’s a year younger than me.”

  Adam nodded slowly. “Ah. That’s who dickhead was giving you shit about last night. I’ve met her. I think she’s waited on us.”

  “Speaking of, did you hear what happened to our garage door last night?” Rory asked.

  “No, what?” Blair asked.

  He told us.

  “It had to be Terry,” I replied. “He called us the ‘C’ word and it’s obvious he was pissed when he left.”

  “Yeah, we’re pretty sure it was him, too,” Rory replied. “Earl swears it wasn’t, but who else would it be? We haven’t had any trouble in the neighborhood before. Then those two bozos show up last night and that happened. It’s obviously more than a coincidence.”

  “Did you call the police?” I asked.

  “Yeah. They interviewed them but it didn’t get very far, from what I was told on the phone,” Adam replied.

  “You should put up some security cameras. In case it happens again,” Blair said.

  “It’s not our place, but I imagine the owner probably will when he finds out what happened,” Rory said.

  Penny appeared again and we ordered our food. I ended up choosing a chicken sandwich, along with a side salad. Blair ordered a Caesar wrap. The guys both chose burgers and shakes.

  “So, what’s the big deal with this hotel you two want to stay at?” Blair asked.

  We actually knew why they’d chosen it, but wanted to hear it from them. We’d done some research on the place and had learned there’d been rumors about it being haunted.

  Rory shrugged. “We just heard it was a nice place to stay. Plus, it’s in Santa Barbara. I’ve always wanted to go there.”

  I smirked. “So, it has nothing to do with the ghosts?”

  Rory looked at Adam and the two laughed.

  “You caught us. We’ve been dying to check the place out and thought this would be the perfect opportunity,” Adam admitted.

  “But, it’s freaken haunted,” Blair said, who was not thrilled at all.

  “That’s what they say. Honestly, though, most of the places we’ve investigated are not haunted. There is almost always a logical explanation,” Rory said.

  I looked at him. “What, like old pipes?”

  Rory nodded. “Exactly. Anyway, there’s only one area of the hotel that is said to be haunted. So, you two will probably never even encounter anything supernatural.”

  “I don’t mind if we go there,” I admitted. “I think it will be kind of fun.”

  “It is. That’s why I enjoy it so much. Not only that, but we’ve been earning bank with our web show,” Rory admitted.

  Now Blair looked interested. Anything to do with making extra money had her attention. “How do you earn money?”

  “Through advertising. And now that we have tons of viewers, we’re making more than ever,” he replied.

  “I’ve always thought about having my own channel, but wasn’t exactly sure how to set it up,” Blair said.

  “What would your channel be about?” Rory asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought I might do some makeup tutorials?”

  “Makeup?” Rory said, studying her face. “You have beautiful eyes and perfect features. I doubt you even need to wear makeup.

  Blair blushed. “Thanks.”

  “Seriously, though, if you ever want help creating your own channel, I’m your guy. I can show you how to get started.”

  “Cool. I might take you up on that.”

  “I hope so.”

  The two were definitely hitting it off. I knew that once we were in Blair’s car, she’d be going on and on about Rory.

  “So, you two are cool about going to the hotel then?” Adam asked, changing the subject.

  “Yeah, I think we’re fine with it,” Blair said, smiling nervously. “As long as I’m on one end of the hotel and Casper is on the other.”

  We laughed.

  “I definitely want to go,” I said. “The place looks really nice.”

  “Awesome.” Rory pulled out his phone. “When should we do this? You girls are in school, right?”

  “Yeah. I think we’re both pretty much free most weekends,” Blair said.

  “Spring break is in a couple of weeks. How about then?” Adam suggested.

  “Won’t it be super busy?” Blair asked.

  “I can call and find out,” Rory said. “After we eat.”

  “And if that doesn’t work, we could wait until the end of May. When school lets out,” Blair suggested. “If, that’s okay?”

  “That would be fine, too.” Rory put his phone away. “Whatever works for you two.” He looked at Adam. “If we have to wait, we’ll go and visit that haunted mansion in Lancaster again.”

  “The Monr
oe?” I asked.

  “Yeah. They kicked us out last time we tried filming. We’re just going to have to be sneakier about it,” Rory replied.

  “They don’t want you taking video coverage?” I asked, surprised.

  “No. Now they even make you drop your cell phones off at the front desk. If you get caught recording anything, they threaten to sue,” Adam said.

  “Did you ever see any spirit activity there?” I asked.

  “No. It’s very rare. We haven’t,” Rory said.

  “I honestly don’t think it’s even haunted,” Adam said.

  “My cousin was there in October,” I replied. “You probably heard about what happened between her and Jason Sharkey?”

  Both guys nodded.

  “I read about it in the paper. It must have been pretty frightening for Mackenzie,” Rory said.

  “Yeah. She handled it pretty well though. She’s been through so much. I don’t know what she’d do without Chase. He’s been such a big help.”

  “Chase? Does he work at Lenny’s Garage?” Adam asked.

  I nodded.

  “He seems like a nice guy,” Adam said.

  “He is. I didn’t like him in the beginning.” I told them how they first met and the guys didn’t seem too surprised.

  “I’ve met Gus’s older brother,” Adam said. “He’s the same way. He doesn’t race but he’s really into gambling.”

  “You should tell them what Mackenzie did to Gus after she learned what he was really about,” Blair said.

  “Maybe another time,” I replied, as the waitress returned with our food. I still wasn’t sure how much I trusted Adam. Telling him our family secrets wasn’t anything I felt comfortable with either.

  We talked about the trip during the meal and then the conversation turned toward Adam again.

  “So, why aren’t you racing anymore?” Blair asked, as we were finishing up our meals.

  “My back injuries keep haunting me,” he joked.

  “From the crash?” Blair asked.

  “Yeah.” He told us about the accident.

  “Do you miss racing?” I asked, almost feeling sorry for him after he described the injuries and how long it had taken him to recover.

  He took a sip of his Coke and then nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure I’ll get back into it someday. I’m pretty happy chasing ghosts right now, though. It’s less dangerous.”

  “So, you think,” Blair said. “I mean, what if you run into a demon?”

  “If that happens, I’m calling a priest,” Rory said, chuckling. “Usually, you won’t find them haunting old buildings though. That’s what we’re mostly investigating.”

  Adam nodded. “Exactly. We definitely won’t be checking out anyone who claims to be possessed.”

  “Has that ever happened?” Blair asked.

  Rory wiped his mouth and set his napkin on the empty plate. “I’ve had a couple people email me before, asking for help. They seriously thought their family members were possessed. We’re not trained in the art of demon cleansing. I directed them to the church.”

  “That’s scary,” Blair said.

  “Exactly. Which is why we don’t mess with that stuff,” Rory said.

  I was going to ask him more about spirit investigation, when someone approached us. When I noticed who it was, I felt like crawling under the table.

  Stephen Fisher.

  “Hey, Rory. What’s up?” Stephen asked, looking genuinely happy to see him.

  Rory grinned. “Not much. I didn’t know you were in town.”

  “Yeah, I moved back last weekend.” Stephen looked at Adam and then saw me. His expression didn’t change, but I noticed something in his eyes. Disappointment.

  “What’s up, Knight? Still racing?” Stephen asked, his smile cool.

  “Nah. I’m taking a break. What’s up with you?” he replied.

  “Just school and work.” Stephen looked at me and nodded. “Chloe.”

  I smiled. “Hi, Stephen. Nice to see you.”

  “You, too. I heard you were living at your grandmother’s.”

  I nodded. “For now.”

  “Cool. So, what’s going on here? You guys dating?” he asked, bluntly.

  My eyes widened. “No. No,” I laughed nervously. “We won a trip together and just ironing out the details.”

  Stephen’s face brightened. “Oh. Cool. We should get together and talk about old times.” His eyes flickered over to Adam briefly before returning to me. “Catch up, you know?”

  “Yeah. For sure,” I replied.

  He grabbed a napkin from the table, took out a pen from his pocket, and wrote down his phone number. “What’s yours?”

  I told him.

  He tore off his number and handed it to me. Even though the gesture seemed friendly enough, it almost felt awkward accepting it.

  “I’d better get back to my table. See you guys around,” Stephen said.

  After he disappeared, Blair stood up. “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

  Rory got up to use it too. I watched the two walk away, suddenly anxious about being alone with Adam. I pulled out my phone and pretended to be busy with it.

  “Stephen hasn’t changed much,” Adam said, after a few seconds of awkward silence.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s… obtrusive.”

  I raised my eyebrow. “In what way?”

  He shrugged. “He sees we’re together and has to put his nose into our business.”

  “I think you’re over-reacting.”

  “Really? We’re having a nice meal and he just had to come over and start feeling shit out.”

  Adam sounded jealous. I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. “You still don’t like the guy do you? After all these years.”

  “He’s always been a prick. You just never saw it.”

  “And you weren’t?”

  He sighed. “Yeah, but I admit my faults and grew out of it. Obviously, he hasn’t.”

  “Let me get this straight – the guy just came over to say ‘hi’ and you think he was doing it just to irritate you?”

  “No. But, I do think he was asking for your number, in front of me, to piss me off.”

  “And why would that piss you off?”

  His eyes held mine. “Maybe… I want your number.”

  I looked away, flustered.

  The guy was actually flirting with me…

  I didn’t know how to process it. Adam Knight, flirting with the same girl he’d tormented back in school. Was this just another form of torture? Hell, maybe he had a bet with Rory to do more than kiss me.

  No. Rory was a nice guy. I couldn’t see him participating in something so devious.

  But that didn’t mean Adam wasn’t up to something.

  Before I could figure out a way to respond, Rory returned to the table. He sat down and gave us a curious look.

  “Everything okay over here? I feel like I just interrupted something.”

  “No,” I replied.

  Adam’s lip twitched. “Chloe, was just about to give me her phone number. So we could stay in touch.”

  I looked him. “You guys already have Blair’s. She can just relay the trip information to me.”

  “What if she loses her phone?” Adam replied. “How ever will we contact you?”

  Rory smiled and looked away.

  I smiled coolly. “Fine.”

  He picked up his phone. “Okay, shoot.”

  I gave him my number and he texted me the word “Hello”.

  “There. Now you have mine, too,” he said, looking happy with himself.

  “Oh, joy,” I replied dryly.

  Both of them chuckled.

  12

  Adam

  After dinner, we walked the girls out to the parking lot and promised to keep in touch.

  “I’ll let you know if we can get in the weekend you have spring break,” Rory said, as we stopped next to Blair’s car. “If that doesn’t work,
you mentioned you could do it after the semester was finished?”

  “Yeah. We’re free the last week of May through the middle of August,” Blair replied.

  “Sounds good. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait that long,” Rory said, staring at Blair. “I’d like to see you before then.”

  Her cheeks turned pink.

  “Maybe we could get together in a few days again, to go over our travel plans?” he added.

  “Jesus, just ask her out already,” I said, shaking my head in amusement.

  Rory shot me a dirty look.

  “I’ll go out with you,” Blair said, smiling. “If, you want to, that is.”

  Rory relaxed and grinned widely. “Yeah. For sure. Call you later?”

  “Okay,” she replied, looking pretty pleased herself.

  Chloe and I looked at each other for a moment and then she quickly averted her eyes. I was dying to ask her out, too, but there was no way in hell she’d say yes. Getting her phone number had been hard enough.

  “See you later,” I said, as the two girls got into the car.

  They said “goodbye” and then Rory and I headed to my truck.

  “Chloe is definitely a tough nut to crack,” Rory said, when we were in the cab.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I don’t think she’s ever going to forgive you, dude.”

  I turned on the engine. “Feels that way.”

  We watched Blair drive out of the parking lot.

  “Maybe we should try having another party, this time just a small one?” he said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe if she has a couple of drinks she’ll loosen up a little.”

  I nodded. “Might be a good idea.”

  He pulled out his phone. “Once I figure out the hotel thing, we’ll plan a get-together.”

  “Cool.”

  “I’d like to see you two iron out your differences. It’ll make the trip a whole lot better.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” I stared out at the parking lot. “I was a real bastard though. It might not ever happen.”

  “Why were you such a dick to her anyway?”

  I told him what had happened with Stephen.

  He chuckled. “So, she gave you a bloody nose? Is that what it was all about? Your ego getting wounded?”

  I smiled grimly. “Pretty much. Plus, I was full of myself.”