What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9)

by Kristine Cayne

  Finally pulling out of Randy’s arms, she shot him a grin. “Damn right I’m game. Let’s do it!”

  Chapter Nine

  “I can’t believe this place is still open!” Blaine laced up her bowling shoes. The scent of popcorn, fries, and all things greasy filled the air. Even for a week night, the place was abuzz with teens and adults alike, tossing the balls down the lanes. Harmony’s Echo Lanes hadn’t changed much. The place needed fixing up, but the atmosphere was the same. Upbeat music blared from the speakers and little disco ball lights shot off colored glittery spots on the hardwood floor. The perfect bowling atmosphere.

  “You’d be surprised at what we still have. The town’s grown, but some of the old favorite hangout spots are still here.” Randy finished lacing up his own shoes, then shot out of his seat to find a ball.

  Blaine looked around, taking in the familiar sights of one of her old stomping grounds. No way could you get this kind of atmosphere back in Hollywood. They had the glimmer and lights, but only in small towns like Harmony’s Echo could you find a little hole in the wall place full of secrets, memories, and good times.

  Home. This was home. She quickly wiped a tear away. On her way to grab a ball, she passed Randy. They exchanged a grin. As she searched for the perfect weight and size for her long, slender fingers to fit, her mind went to Randy and what he tried to say the other night.

  He didn’t have to finish for her to realize just what he wanted to say. He loved her.

  Not that she understood why. Blaine hadn’t been the best to to him as a teenager, and certainly not the past fourteen years. Why hadn’t he ever found anyone else who could give him what he deserved? There was so much she didn’t know about Randy’s adult life. He’d certainly grown out of his gawky teenage years into a handsome man. Music changed him. He used to be so shy. Being in the band seemed to have helped him grow as a person. He had more confidence.

  “Ladies first.” Randy gestured at the lane as she made her way back with her ball.

  “How kind of you,” she shot back playfully and prepared to bowl. Just as she’d done all those years ago she focused on the pins, pretending they were all faces of the person she was frustrated with the most.

  Frederic.

  This is for all the years I wasted with you. All the empty promises. For all the effort I’ve ever put into anything and only shut down in return.

  With ease, a momentum of anger, and the desire to kick ass, Blaine poised herself and made her first shot. The ball hit the floor and rolled with a vengeance down the middle.

  “And there it goes!” Randy clapped as all ten pins fell.

  Take that, Frederic the asshole. Score one for her.

  Randy held out his hand for a high five as she passed him. His first attempt didn’t fare as well. Still, he knocked down eight pins and picked up a spare.

  “Can she do it twice in a row?” she heard Randy call behind her as she focused again on her next turn.

  Oh, she could.

  This is for being a jerktard husband. For taking my dreams and shattering them in the ground. For never making me feel part of a family like a husband and wife should do.

  Bam! There it was. Two in a row.

  She was on a roll. The anger, rage, and hurt that had coursed through her for so long seemed to fly out with each turn. By the end of the first game, Blaine hadn’t quite picked up a perfect score, but she’d gained well over two hundred points. To top it off, she felt better. The guilt and other feelings she’d carried were slowly falling away. She was having fun.

  “Damn woman, you can kick some bowling butt even to this day. Are you sure you haven’t bowled in fourteen years?” Randy teased. “I’m impressed.”

  Blaine pumped her fists. “I’m revved up. I did exactly what I used to. Those pins became my target with Frederic’s wrongdoings.”

  After a few more games where she easily surpassed the 200 mark, Randy admitted defeat. Blaine crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. “Hold on, you’re saying you quit? Really?”

  “Don’t be such a brat about it,” he shot back. “I knew you’d win. You had pent up energy you needed to get out, and it worked. Feel better?”

  “I do, actually. A lot better. I had a blast. Thanks for this, Randy.” Blaine almost leaped into his arms again, then realized what she was thinking. She and to stop this impulsive need to hug him, to touch him now that she knew what he felt. The last thing she wanted was to lead him on, especially in her emotional state.

  “Any time, Blaine.” By the look in his eyes and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve, she knew how he felt about her, and it scared her. If she didn’t watch herself, Blaine would find herself falling for Randy, no matter how much of a difference her heart and head felt.

  The one thing Randy didn’t count on was bowling being too much for Blaine because of her back. By the time they made it to the house, she was hurting. Typical Blaine brushed it off, but he insisted on making sure she was inside and content.

  “If I take something for it, promise me you won’t listen to anything I say?” Her eyes danced with amusement, but he also knew she was at least partly serious.

  He laughed, reaching out to mess up her hair. “I’ll consider it. Or I can head home and leave you to your strange conversations. You could probably get away with talking to the wall and they won’t spill your secrets.”

  “Jameson and Melody might come home and hear me. No, maybe it’s best if you stay until I fall asleep.” Blaine tossed her purse on the table. “Actually … I just don’t want to be alone. I’ve been alone for too long and I’ve been enjoying your company.”

  She didn’t have to ask twice. “I’ll stay if you want me to.”

  Blaine pulled the clip from her hair. Her long blonde locks flowed down her back. God, this woman was beautiful. She’d always been a gorgeous girl, but the way she looked right now with just a bit of vulnerability, Randy couldn’t help but feel even more for her. He’d dated and had been in love a few times, but nothing compared to the way he felt about Blaine.

  “I want you to,” she said softly. “Maybe you could talk to me and spill your secrets.”

  “I have no secrets.”

  “Bet I could uncover a few.” She gestured for him to follow her.

  Randy tried to ignore the way his pulse quickened as his need for her drove a spike deep in the core of his body. He followed her to her room. Memories of being in this house with Jameson, Avery and Blaine played like a movie in his mind. The days where they’d been younger. Way before real life took over and showed them the true ways of the world. Growing up, it had been the four of them.

  He snapped out of his thoughts and realized Blaine had left the room. He peered past the doorway and realized she’d gone to the bathroom. The door was closed with a sliver of light bursting from beneath. Minutes later, the door opened and Blaine excited, wearing a pair of shorts and blue tee shirt. “I’ll probably pass out soon. These things do have one heck of a drowsy effect. I only take one when absolutely necessary.”

  “Is the pain getting better at least?” He hated to think of permanent damage.

  She nodded. “I used to take one every night weeks after I fell. Now it’s as needed, and even that’s on the low scale. I think now that I’m not overworked maybe it’ll have a better chance of healing.”

  “I still stand by my offer to help you relax. I didn’t even think about how bowling would affect you,” he apologized.

  Blaine pulled back the covers on her bed and climbed beneath them, scooting towards the wall. “Don’t apologize. I needed that more than I knew. For the first time in a long time, I had real fun.” She patted the spot beside her. At his hesitance, Blaine laughed. “Come on, I’m not going to bite.”

  Her biting or lack of it wasn’t the problem. Randy sat at the edge of his bed, slipped off his shoes, and climbed in beside her. “What if I wanted you to?”

  “Maybe another time.”

  “Is that a threat, or a promise?�
��

  Blaine laughed. She made herself comfortable and rested her head down on the pillow. “It’s a warning.”

  “Duly noted.” He laid back and turned to face her. Tired sky blue eyes met his.

  “Tell me what you’ve been doing. Other than music. I missed out on so much,” Blaine pleaded. “You never married?”

  “Nope. Came close once, but she decided a life with an aspiring musician wasn’t good enough for her.”

  “Did you love her?” Blaine’s eyelids fluttered closed.

  “Enough to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me. We were just a few months away from the alter when she broke it off.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. I mean, I was back then, but we had different dreams. I’m sure if we married, we would have divorced soon after. I only want to marry once.”

  “Wish I’d thought about that before I let my heart get in the way. I don’t even know what I saw in him!”

  Randy reached for her hand under the covers. “He probably used a lot of charm, then showed his true colors later. It’s easy for that kind of thing to happen.”

  “Maybe, but I’ve always thought I was better than that, not to fall for that kind of line. Most people you can see right through their lies.”

  “You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. Mistakes happen.”

  “I wish my mistake would leave me alone. What does he want with me? I can’t believe after everything that he actually thinks I want to go back and work with him.” Blaine’s voice drifted low.

  “Once he realizes you’re serious, he’ll stop eventually. Just ignore him as much as you can until then.”

  She snuggled closer, resting her head on his shoulder. Randy slid his arm underneath her pillow and pulled her to him. She nestled in the crook of his arm.

  “You definitely grew up. You used to be so gawky. Not any more,” Blaine mumbled, her voice now sleep-filled.

  He laughed. “Gee thanks.” He loved her blunt honesty. If it weren’t the truth, he just might have been offended.

  “I meant that in the nicest of ways.”

  He leaned over, brushing a kiss to her temple. “Go to sleep crazy woman.”

  “Kay. I still want more secrets from you. I keep spilling mine.”

  His biggest secret was the way he felt about her, which she must have guessed now after the other night. “I’ll dig deep down and find a few for you, then we’ll call it even.”

  All he got in response was a deep sigh, signaling she’d pretty much given in to sleep.

  As he laid there with Blaine all cuddled up against him, he knew he should get up and go. She was vulnerable. For once, he felt needed for real. Even though Blaine didn’t know how she felt, she still needed him. After all these years, he had a feeling she might just start seeing him the way he saw her.

  I’m crazy to think it could happen. She’s just in a rough place.

  Or maybe not. Maybe there could be something after all.

  Blaine stirred, scooting even closer to him. She slid her arm over his chest.

  Oh hell, he was in way over his head. He shouldn’t be here right now, but he couldn’t force himself to get up and walk away.

  “Blaine Grant, you have my heart and I don’t know how much you know it,” he whispered.

  He had every intention of getting up, but he closed his eyes as he held her and must have fallen asleep. When the sound of a phone ringing startled him awake, he practically shot out of bed. Blaine’s pill really must have had her knocked out. She didn’t stir a bit. Curious, Randy studied the caller ID on her phone and noticed it was Frederic. Oh, how he wanted to pick up that phone and give that jerk a piece of his mind. But the good in him decided against it. Until Frederic didn’t get the hint and tried a second time. Randy snatched up the phone and answered. Taking a peek over at a still sleeping Blaine, Randy walked out of the room. “Leave her alone, do you understand? Haven’t you done enough?”

  “Who the hell is this?” That voice. Randy already disliked it. He’d dislike it even not knowing who he was and what he’d done.

  “I’m someone who actually gives a damn about Blaine. More than I can say about you,” Randy snapped.

  “You tell her to get her ass back here. We’re not finished yet.” There was noises in the background. Randy wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard a woman’s laugh. Maybe even more than one. “She won’t like it if I come down there to bring her home.”

  “The nerve! You stop calling here. Go back to your fancy parties and your women and leave Blaine alone. Home is right here in Harmony’s Echo. If you dare show your face I’ll make sure every sorry bone in your body feels something, and it won’t be good. I could kill you for what you’ve done to Blaine.” Without another word, Randy ended the call. He leaned against the wall, staring at Blaine’s phone and wondered what the hell he did that for. He had no business intercepting the call. He had no business making those threats, even if it was how he felt.

  The sound of the back door opening alerted him that someone was home. Jameson and Melody, or Mrs. Grant? Randy quickly rushed back into Blaine’s room to put the phone back where he’d found it. His heart racing, he slipped his shoes on. He gave one last look at Blaine, turned off her light and left the room.

  He came face to face with a surprised Jameson. “What are you doing here?”

  “Blaine wanted company, and she asked me to hang out with her.”

  “I thought she wanted some time to relax. What’s with the two of you?”

  “I think I’ll get ready for bed.” Melody slipped past Jameson and Randy. She must not have wanted to get caught up in anything.

  “I’ll be there in a bit,” Jameson called.

  Randy heard Blaine’s phone go off again. He stiffened.

  “Who would he calling her so late?” Jameson mused.

  Randy shrugged. Probably Frederic.

  “You know something, don’t you?”

  “I-” Damn. Yeah, he knew stuff all right, but it wasn’t his place to say.

  “Randy. What do you know?”

  He pulled Blaine’s door shut, hoping not to wake her. “I can’t say.”

  His friend folded his arms over his chest. “Why not?”

  “Ask your sister. When she’s ready to talk, she will.” Oh boy, this wasn’t going to go down well.

  “Why do you know things when she won’t tell anyone else?”

  “I wasn’t meant to. I’ll leave it at that.” Randy hated keeping things from Jameson, but these were per Blaine’s request.

  “How long, Randy?”

  “What?” His gaze snapped up, meeting Jameson’s eyes finally.

  “How long have you been in love with my sister?” His voice lowered.

  “Since I was a gawky teenager who didn’t stand a chance,” Randy admitted, thinking of her words from earlier.

  “How did I not see this before?”

  “I hid it well.”

  “Randy…” Jameson sighed. “Wow. Really, I never had a clue. All these years. For that, I feel bad. It should have been obvious. I had a feeling something was up when she came back last year, but I left it alone. Tell me, have I been a screwed up friend? I realize that with the past few years, after losing Dad, the whole thing with Lea, Avery and I breaking up, and Mom’s drinking that I shut people out. I started making amends, but I haven’t done that with you.”

  “You don’t have to make any kind of amends with me, Jameson.” Randy wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from him.

  “Do you want to go have a night, just you and I and shoot some pool or something? Catch up? I really do feel like a crap ass friend right now. As for you not having a shot, I bet you do. Apparently, she can talk to you.” Jameson sounded a little hurt.

  “Trust me, she didn’t mean to. It’s not like I don’t want to tell you, but she’s struggling and isn’t ready to talk yet.”

  “It’s not … she’s not sick or dying, is she? If that’s it, you have to t
ell me!” Jameson pleaded.

  Randy shook his head. “Nothing like that.” He noticed the immediate wave of relief wash over Jameson’s face. “Even though I don’t think you need to make amends, I won’t turn down shooting some pool with you sometime. I’m going to head home. Have a good night.” Randy made his way down the hall. He was just at the door when he heard Jameson call his name.

  “Thanks for being there for her. I’m glad at least she has someone to talk to. I hope she opens her eyes and sees you the way you want her to. I think you two would be good together.”

  Randy considered that Jameson’s blessing. He nodded and waved. “I appreciate it. Give her time, Jameson. She’ll talk when she’s ready.”

  Jameson stared at the door Randy had just walked through, still taking in the revelation. So he’d been right last year when Randy and Blaine were spending a lot of time together. Randy had a thing for her. He sure as hell did hide it well. Since they were teenagers? Not like he had room to talk. He’d had his own feelings and hid them from everyone until most started to see through him the last year of high school.

  Shaking his head, he headed for the fridge to grab a couple bottles of water. The house was quiet tonight for once.

  Two slender arms slid around his waist from behind. “I couldn’t help but overhear.” Melody’s voice was soft.

  He put down the waters and shifted so he could wrap her in his arms. “What part?”

  “Both. I had a feeling something was going on with Randy and Blaine last year. He always watched her when they were in the same room.”

  “I don’t know how I missed it all this time. Back when we were younger, many times it was Blaine, Randy, Avery and I. We did a lot of things together.”

  “Does it bother you?” Melody threaded her fingers around his neck, the depths of her blues full of curiosity.

  “No, it doesn’t bother me, actually. Randy’s a good guy. I’m glad Blaine found someone she can talk to, although I wish she’d tell me what’s going on. I worry about her. I have ever since she came home. She’s different. I wish I knew what was up.”