“Thanks,” I replied, once again torn between not wanting to sound like a bitch yet needing to be firm with him. Dakota was one of the sweetest guys I’d ever met. He was handsome, a hard worker, and a fun guy. But there was nothing between us. Never had been. I loved him, but like a brother. Attempting to deflect his attention, I pointed to my friend. “This is Addison.”
Dakota eyed her. “She’s not the one you’re shacked up with, is she?”
“What?” I looked to Addison and actually considered lying and saying we were a Lebanese couple. Why the hell not? It might get everyone off my back about Dakota for a minute.
“I can assure you Dylan and I are not shacked up,” Addison said, stepping forward. “We’re roommates, but we have separate bedrooms. She’s my friend, but that’s all.”
“Whew, that’s a relief,” Dakota replied. “Your grandma must have been messing with me.”
Before I could respond, Dad hugged me and kissed my cheek. “It’s good to see you, sweetie. I missed you.”
The familiar scent of whisky wrapped around me like an old blanket, and I was once again torn between guilt for staying away and a desire to leave and never come back. Dad looked rough. The bags under his eyes had a permanent look about them, his nose and cheeks were a bit red, and his hands trembled slightly. It broke my heart, but I knew there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“I missed you too, Dad. You remember Addie, don’t you?”
Addison gave him a little wave. “Hello, Mr. James.”
He grunted. “Yep, I remember her.”
“Be nice,” I chided, releasing him.
“You wanna grab some lunch with me and Dak?” he asked, obviously not including Addison.
“Can’t. Addie and I need to go over our case notes and put our heads together...see if we can’t get these ladies back their jewelry.”
He frowned. “Will I get to spend any time with you at all while you’re here?”
Worst daughter ever award goes to yours truly. “I don’t know. Time’s gonna be tight, but I’ll call you.” I kissed his cheek and gestured for Addison to follow me.
We made it all the way to her car before Addison turned on me. “That’s Dakota?” she asked.
“In the flesh.”
She looked from me to the door where Dad and Dakota were emerging. “Are you sure you’re not Lebanese, Dylan?”
I rolled my eyes. “Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, buddy. Always yours.” As we climbed into her car she added, “But I still don’t understand how you could walk away from that fine piece of—”
“Nice guy,” I interrupted, not even wanting to know where she was going with that one. “He’s great, but there was never anything between us. Dak knows it too, but he’s worried about letting our parents down.”
“Whereas you don’t care,” she said.
“I do care, but I’m not gonna get with some guy I don’t like just to make my dad happy. He couldn’t even put down a bottle long enough to raise me. Where does he get off expecting me to sacrifice my life for his happiness?”
“Whoa.” She pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the main road. “That escalated quickly.”
“Yeah.” And I was annoyed with the emotions it brought on. “I guess I still have some unresolved daddy issues, huh?”
Addison giggled. “Might be a slight understatement.”
“Look who’s talkin’,” I replied. There was no heat behind my words, though. Addison was already making me feel better.
“Tell me something. You rejected that sexy specimen and fell head over heels for my brother. Why?”
“Addie, Asher is mighty fine.”
“Duh, we’re related,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “But spill. Tell me what really made you fall for him.”
“Are you sure you want to hear this right now?”
She cocked her head and glared at me. “I asked, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but with everything going on between you and Jake, maybe now isn’t the best time to discuss—”
“Dylan Linn James, I am having a bit of a crisis of faith in love here. I need my best friend to reassure me that there is still some form of real love out there, or I swear to Buddha I will join a nude commune and stop waxing.”
All righty then. It appeared Addison was going to learn all my secrets today. Seeing no way out of telling her, I started with, “Do you remember Ms. Hiatt?”
“From seventh grade? The one who hated you?”
The beginning of seventh grade had been brutal because of my teacher. She was from a wealthy family, the favorite teacher of all the wealthy kids, and she treated me like the scholarship kid I was. It seemed like the harder I worked in her class, the meaner she was to me. “Yep. She almost failed me, you know?”
“She did?” Addison asked. “What happened?”
“She said I didn’t turn in a midterm paper, but I did. I was so upset I left to hit the bathroom, but ended up walking out of school. I was ready to give up that day. It was so difficult and Ms. Hiatt was horrible.”
“I had no idea,” Addison said. “I mean, I know she hated you, but I didn’t realize she was bullying you.”
“That makes it sound so dramatic. She was just a grown-ass adult who was trying to fit in with the cool rich kids.” I snickered. “Looking back, I bet she was a total loser in high school. But anyway...Asher found me on his way to the library to study for his midterm. It was so embarrassing since I’d always had a crush on your hot big brother, and then he caught me crying in the bushes like a baby.”
Addison giggled. “He’s always had the craziest timing. It’s like he knows when someone needs him.”
I nodded. “Must be a lawyer thing. Anyway, after he coaxed me into telling him what was going on, he gave me some ideas for how to solve the problem and asked me what I wanted to do. It was the first time a guy—especially a drool-worthy guy—had ever asked me my opinion on anything.”
“He gave you ideas?” Addison asked.
“Yeah. He said I could pack up and go home, or I could do something about it. He even offered to help. He said he could get me out of the class if I wanted, or he could remind Ms. Hiatt she was a teacher.”
“What did you do?”
“Ash respected me, Addie. He didn’t force his solution on me like my dad or Dakota would have. I chose to stay in the class. He called the school and spoke to Ms. Hiatt, pretending to be your dad. He let her know I was important to your family and told her he was invested in my well-being.”
Addison laughed. “Ohmigod, that sounds just like Ashey. I can’t believe you two never told me about this.”
“He swore me to secrecy. And I knew right then and there I would do anything for him. I was done, Addie. After that, I knew he was it for me.”
Her eyes misted over and I felt like the biggest ass on the planet.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you all that,” I said.
“No. I needed to hear it.” She forced a smile. “Now, tell me where the heck we can go to eat? I’ve made three loops around this town and I’m starving.”
I laughed and directed her to the Happy Horse.
* * *
Addison
After we ate at the Happy Horse, a quaint deli and antiques shop in a house right on the highway and complete with plastic lawn furniture for the rustic outside dining experience, we headed back to the motel. By the time I walked into my room, I was wrecked. I couldn’t seem to pull myself out of my melancholy.
I told Dylan I was going to take a nap while she transcribed our notes and made a few phone calls, but the minute my head hit the pillow, tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dylan and Asher’s story. The way Dylan knew Asher was it for her...that’s how I’d felt about Jake. How could I have been so wrong about him? I checked my phone, but there were no missed calls or messages. Apparently he hadn’t felt the same.
“Asshole,” I grumbled, tossing my
phone on the bed.
“Addie?” Dylan knocked on the adjoining door and pushed it open. “Hey, do you want—what’s wrong?”
I shrugged, looking away. “I don’t know, I’m just...blue I guess.”
She sat beside me and nudged my shoulder. “Missing Jake?”
I burst into tears, which was so totally unlike me, but I couldn’t seem to control myself. Dylan wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Oh, buddy, this is bad.”
“I love him, Dylan. I don’t know how I’m going to live without him...not that I plan to off myself or anything...”
“That’s good,” she grumbled.
“But I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest, and I just want him to hold me, but first I want kick him in the goo-goo,” I sobbed, and buried my face in my hands. I heard Dylan snort quietly and I glared at her. “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.”
“Goo-goo? Babe, it’s kind of funny.”
“You’re laughing at my devastation? Nice, Dylan.”
“No, I’m laughing because you said you want to kick Jake in the goo-goo.”
“Well, I do!” I snapped. “He’s a butt.”
She gave my shoulders a squeeze. “I know, buddy. He’s a total asshat.”
“Should I call him?”
“No, you should absolutely not call him.”
“But maybe if he hears my voice, he’ll realize how much he loves me and that he can’t live without me either.”
“Addison, I understand the desire to talk to him, but he’s got to be the one who calls you or you’ll look like a desperate and crazy stalker type.”
“But I am a desperate and crazy stalker type!”
“Crazy maybe, but you’re not quite at the desperate level yet. And I’ve never known you to stalk a guy.”
I slapped my chest. “You don’t know Dylan. It feels icky in here. I don’t like it.”
“I know,” she whispered.
I decided I’d had enough of my pity party, so I wiped my cheeks, shrugged off Dylan’s sympathetic arm, and rose to my feet. “Well, that’s enough of that. I’m going to distract myself from him and read something happy and romantic.”
“You do that, Addie. And I’m going to go finish working on this fat surprise I have planned for you. It’s guaranteed to cheer you up.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I hate surprises.”
“I know you do, but you’ll love this one. Now read your lovey-dovey mushy crap and let me get back to work.” She walked to her room and closed the door.
Dylan
I HEADED INTO my bathroom just as my phone rang, and I smiled to see Asher’s name pop up. “Hey there.”
“Hey, beautiful. How goes the investigation?”
“Slow.” I sighed, plopping down on my bed. “Please reassure me that we don’t totally suck at this.”
He chuckled. “You guys took down one of the biggest players in Portland before you were even licensed. Small-town criminals don’t have a chance.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He always knew the perfect thing to say. “If you were here right now, I’d kiss those smooth-talkin’ lips right off you.”
“Promise?”
“Yep.” I glanced at the note pages spread out behind me on the bed. “And maybe you could help me piece together the shoddy clues we’ve collected, because I got nuthin’.”
“I’m sure you’ve got something. It’ll come to you.”
Sometimes his faith in me made a mockery of reality. “So far I’ve learned that Mrs. Rogers is trying to get into the pants of a guy who graduated the same year I did, Grandma thinks Addie and I are either Lebanese or lesbians (the jury’s still out on which one she meant), and Ms. Samuelson—my kindergarten teacher—doesn’t remember anything. Including me.” I paused, looking for the notes I’d written on Ms. Samuelson. “Which is really weird, because Dad said she was just asking about me the other day.”
“Hmm. Maybe that’s a clue,” Asher said.
“Maybe. I don’t know what it has to do with jewelry theft, but it did upset me a little. She was my favorite teacher ever. I used to mow her lawn for her and help her grocery shop after her hip replacement surgery. She was such a nice woman, always got me a card for my birthday. Never forgot.” Yet today she looked at me like I was a complete stranger and it broke my heart.
“Dylan, you still there?”
“Sorry. Yeah. I was just thinking. We still have to interview Ms. Long, but after Ms. Samuelson and Grandma we needed a break.”
“I bet. How’s Addie doing?” he asked.
“Not good, Ash. She’s totally devastated by this Jake thing.”
He sighed. “Yeah, it’s probably why she’s not answering my calls.”
“She’s ghosting you?”
“No, she’ll text back, but I haven’t heard her voice since you guys left.”
“It’s bad, Ash,” I admitted.
“Can I tell you something but you have to keep it from her?”
“Probably not.”
He chuckled without mirth. “I’ve seen Jake a few times since this all went down and he looks like shit.”
“Good.”
“Yeah, I’m with you, honey, but I think he’s just as busted up as she is.”
“And how does this help anything, Ash? My best friend is sobbing in the next room—”
“She’s crying?”
“No, she’s sobbing. As in wracked with sobs. I have never seen her like this.”
“Damn it. Addison doesn’t cry when she’s sad.”
“I know. She only cries when she’s pissed, but she’s really sad, Ash.”
“Okay, baby. I hear you. I’ll call her again.”
“That would be good.” I opened my laptop and sat down on the bed. “I’m working on something to cheer her up, too.”
“Oh really?” he asked.
“Yeah. I think a little horseback riding will do the trick. We have to—” I clamped my mouth down on what I was going to say, knowing it wouldn’t be wise to admit that Addison and I needed to train for our competition. No need for him to worry about the new level of stupidity we’d gotten ourselves into. “We have to do some more investigating, but I think a nice horse ride will be good for her.”
“Yeah, she’ll love that. Good idea. Do you know when you guys are coming home yet?” He sounded a little too curious, making me wonder if he was onto our buddy barrel antics after all. No, that was ridiculous. Asher probably didn’t even know such things existed.
“Tuesday at the earliest,” I sighed. “Too long.”
“Agreed.”
Yet he sounded relieved. Probably because he didn’t have to worry about us hunting down cheaters for several more days. Fearing what I was doing to my poor boyfriend, I pulled up the yellow pages and started looking for local ranches.
“I should get going so I can call around and find us some horses,” I said.
“You do that. I’ll give Addie a call and see if I can begin the cheering up process on my end.”
“You’re pretty much the best ever, you know that, right?” I asked.
“I keep tellin’ you, I’m the shit,” he replied, making me giggle. “Love you.”
“I love you too.” I hung up and got back to work.
I’d pulled up a possible option when my phone rang again, only this time I didn’t recognize the number. “Dylan James.”
“Hey, it’s Wyatt.”
“Oh, hi, how are you?”
“I’m good. I got your number from Dakota and I—”
“Dakota has my number?”
“Yeah. Of course. But I was calling to see if it would be cool to call your friend.”
Dakota hadn’t called me since I left town. All this time I’d assumed Dad had actually honored my request and kept my number private, but clearly that wasn’t the case. So what the heck was up with that?
“Dylan?”
I shook myself and tried to remember what Wyatt had just asked me. “Addison?” I set my laptop
aside. “She left her card, right?”
“Yeah, but I’m not needin’ to call her about the missing jewelry.”
“Oh...ooooh, it’s like that, huh?”
“Like what?” he asked, chuckling.
“Like that summer you asked me to take Suzie Knight to the caves so you could ‘talk’ to her.”
“Damn, girl, you remember everything.”
Even though he couldn’t see me, I tapped my head. “Steel trap right here.”
“I’m counting on it. I need you to find that thief before they steal from my grandma.”
“Oh, so that’s what this is about,” I joked. “You don’t need to whore yourself out to Addie, Wyatt, we’ll look out for your grandma anyway.”
Wyatt was such a great guy. Like Dakota, he was like a brother to me, but come to think of it, I could say that about most of the guys I knew growing up. Every guy felt like a brother until Asher. Which was probably why my grandmother was questioning my sexual orientation.
Wyatt laughed. “I see the city hasn’t taught you to pull your punches. Good. Okay, I’ll be straight with you, your friend’s a looker and I’d like to get to know her better if she’s available.”
I bit my lip. “Well, she’s technically free, but she’s just out of a pretty heavy relationship, so I don’t know how available she is.”
“Let me worry about that,” he said.
“I have always liked your confidence, Wyatt.”
“Appreciate that.”
“While I have you on the line, do you have a place you’d recommend to ride?”
“You don’t want to ask your dad?”
“I’d rather have my eyeballs plucked out by crows,” I admitted.
“Don’t blame you. I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but his drinkin’ is gettin’ worse. Lots worse. And he’s a mean drunk, Dylan.”
I dropped my head to my hands. “Thanks for telling me. I appreciate it.”
“But you knew,” he said.
“Yeah. It’s why I’ve distanced myself from him and from this place. I can’t deal with it.”
“I hear ya, but you gotta remember there’s good folks here too. We’re not all like your old man.”
That made me smile. “Yeah. I see that. Thanks for the reminder.”
“Why don’t you come out to my place?” he asked.
Throw Dylan from the Train Page 10