Break Away (The Moore Brothers Book 4)

by Brooks, Abby

  After asking Juliet, Willow, and Ellie about their first jobs and discovering that Juliet and Ellie had been waitresses out of high school and Willow—who was a ballet dancer and already earning a salary by the time she was eighteen—had lots of dancer friends who took up waitressing jobs, Lilah had proudly proclaimed that she would get a job waiting tables.

  So, here she was, four days into living on her own and she hated every fucking second of it. She was almost out of clothes and since she wasn’t allowed to bring her washer and dryer, she was going to have to find a laundromat within the next day or so. Dishes were piling up because it turned out doing dishes was awful. And cooking sucked. And the job situation had turned out pretty dire, too.

  In her mind, if she got a job at one of the higher end restaurants in one of the bigger cities, not only would she fit in better with the clientele, she would make bigger tips. So, she would have to drive a little farther to get there. That wasn’t such a big deal, if she made better money. But surprise! The higher end restaurants want to hire waitresses with experience and since Lilah had no experience in any job of any kind, they had all pretty much laughed her out of the interview. And, of course, Ellie’s junker had broken down on the way home from the last interview and Lilah had needed to call a tow truck and pay for the cost of getting it fixed.

  Which sucked.

  So, here she was, living in a ratty apartment, driving a ratty car, without a job, and her bank account was draining like a leaky boat. This was so not fun and she totally wanted to move back into the guesthouse in her parent’s backyard. So wanted her luxurious pj’s back. Wanted to eat meals cooked by people who knew what they were doing. Wanted a closetful of gorgeous clothes that she didn’t have to wash herself because someone else did it for her. And good god, she wanted her car back.

  But that would mean admitting she was wrong. Admitting that her brothers were right and she couldn’t handle life out here in the ‘real world’—whatever that meant. Her old life felt real enough—and she just couldn’t do that. They would never let her live it down. Besides, she was Lilah Moore and that meant she could do anything she wanted.

  She glanced at the dirty dishes in the kitchen the pan from this morning’s breakfast caked with scrambled eggs, the pile of plates that had migrated out of the sink and crawled onto every bit of counter space. They would have to just keep waiting because it was noon and she had an interview at four and the pool was calling her. That was the one decent thing about living here. The pool. Even if she did have to share it with all the other people who lived here at Seaside Apartments.

  Ha! Seaside. She couldn’t even smell the ocean they were so far away from seaside.

  Oh well. Time to make the best of the day and that meant it was bikini time! Lilah ran upstairs and changed into her bikini—a hot pink thing that just gleamed on her sun-kissed skin—and pulled her hair up into a high bun. She grabbed her sunscreen, a towel, a bottle of water, and her Kindle and trudged over to the pool in the oppressive July heat. Dear lord, was it ever hot. Any hotter and her cheap ass flip-flops would melt themselves right to the pavement.

  Lilah pushed through the gate that was somehow supposed to keep non-residents out of the pool and cringed at the sheer number of people already there. The water seethed with children splashing and screeching and swarms of parents had claimed just about every single available chair. Lilah made a beeline to the last free one, eager to have a place to stretch out even if there were towels on the chairs on either side. She would have preferred finding a seat that was a little more isolated, but, since this was the last one, it would have to do.

  She pulled her towel out of her bag and laid it out. Sat down and started lathering sunscreen on her legs. Her gaze settled on the water and the one adult occupant swimming laps, somehow oblivious to, and completely not bothered by the herd of children sending the water into a great frothing mess.

  He attacked the water with a singular focus, his long arms reaching out in front of him and pulling his body forward. His legs kicking out with a confident determination behind him. From what she could see, he was tanned a dark brown and his body had the long muscles of an Olympic swimmer. Lilah leaned back in her chair, keeping her eyes on him. Her mom had always told her it wasn't polite to stare, but Lilah had never let that stop her.

  He didn’t seem like he was a parent to any of the rug rats in the pool. Nor did he have the same, at ease appearance of the adults lounging around the water. He was determined. Single-minded in his exercise. And somehow, the children stayed out of his way, leaving his path clear, as if they knew better than to get in the way of where he wanted to go. As Lilah watched, the man came to a stop, grasping the wall and shaking the water out of his sun-bleached hair. He ran his hands over his face and took several long breaths before pulling himself out of the pool.

  His muscles flexed and stood out like long cords across his body and Lilah’s jaw dropped open. Holy shit, this man was built! Hot damn! If his face was as jaw dropping as his body, she was going to have to figure out a way to introduce herself.

  The man walked right towards her, his long strides causing the muscles in his torso and legs to twitch and flex. As he got closer, she thought maybe he was just a few years older than her, his face tanned and rugged, almost weather-beaten somehow, although that didn't make a whole lot of sense on someone in their mid to late twenties. His arms looked powerful and his hands looked strong and she could just imagine them running along her body, setting her skin on fire. He shook out his hair again as he plopped down on the chair directly beside hers, rubbing a towel over his head to finish drying.

  Of course, he looked up just as she was staring directly at him. Their eyes locked and she gasped at the … what was it? Hardness? His eyes were a stormy blue, like the color of the restless sea, but they glinted with something she couldn’t understand. She felt exposed as they raked over her body. Like he cut through to the very essence of who she was and cast judgment on all her doings, past, present, and future.

  It was raw. Personal. Almost crude. It set her teeth on edge and Lilah didn’t like it. She scowled at him, her eyebrows and lips pursing together in a pout. People didn’t look at her like that. When people looked at her, they smiled. The look in their eyes practically begged her to like them and smile at them and want to be with them. This judgmental hardness wasn’t going to fly.

  To make matters worse, the man actually smiled at her discomfort. A broad, vibrant grin stretched across his face, transforming his eyes from stormy to vivid. His straight, white teeth stood out from his tanned face and Lilah noticed just a hint of blonde stubble across his chin and jaw.

  Great smile or not, Lilah was not impressed. She turned her gaze out to the pool, yanking it away from Mr. Chiseled Abs McJudgy-pants and pulled her phone out her bag. What this moment needed was a soundtrack. She opened up Pandora, flipping through her stations until she found one perfect for sitting out in the sun on a lazy Sunday. As the swimmer strutted past her chair on his way out of the pool, Lilah popped in her ear buds and stretched out, keeping her eyes plastered on his fantastic ass as he walked away. Just because she didn’t like him, didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the view.

  * * *

  The time at the pool was fantastic, right up until one of the rug rats decided to do a cannonball into the water right in front of her. Water rushed out of the pool, drenching her bag and everything in it, and shocking her right out of a delightful dream that spotlighted powerful blue eyes, tanned skin, and hard muscles that felt damn good under her hands. In comparison, the cold pool water hitting her sun-warmed skin felt pretty damn awful. She gathered her soaked stuff and left the pool in a huff.

  The dishes in the sink taunted her as she walked in the front door, but she ignored them and grabbed a handful of Cheez-its and a bottle of water before she went up to get ready for her interview. She didn’t have a lot of hope about this one. Not only had she bombed the last several interviews—apparently, I’m Lilah Moore, yes the
Lilah Moore wasn’t enough to land a job—but this particular restaurant was local and not very high-end. Okay. Not at all high-end. In fact, it was at the complete opposite end of high-end.

  Lilah sighed at her empty closet and full laundry basket. Not only was she not exactly overwhelmed with choices, but she wasn’t at all a fan of the clothes she had been allowed to bring. With a roll of her eyes, she plucked a cheap blousy top off a hanger and paired it with a jean skirt and the one pair of sandals her brothers had deemed acceptably cheap for their little experiment. She took a shower with her Walmart soaps, just imagining her skin drying out under the harsh additives or whatever they put in there. She washed her hair and hopped out of the shower, missing her straightener for like the millionth time since she moved in here. Apparently, since the thing had cost more than the average straightener, it was also deemed unworthy of the experiment and her brothers had put it on the Too Good to Bring list.

  Lilah shook out her hair and ran some gel into it, resigning herself to another day of dealing with her somewhat unruly waves. It’s not that they were bad, she just preferred to tame them, straightening them into shining submission. She took the time to swipe on some mascara and eyeliner, some light shadow and a bit of blush, then finished up the look with a simple gloss. The woman in the mirror looked fresh and natural and totally not like the styled into perfection fashionista Lilah was used to seeing.

  Whatever. It’s not like she was going to get this job anyway. And maybe that was for the better. This whole experiment was dumb. Lilah sucked in her lips and rubbed them together before letting them go with a little popping sound. Her stomach rumbled as she ran down the stairs to grab her purse, reminding her that Cheez-its weren’t exactly considered a meal. One look at the pile of dishes in the sink was enough to help her decide that she would just grab a meal at the restaurant. It couldn’t be that expensive, right? Just a couple dollars?

  She grabbed her purse and headed outside, the heavy July heat taking her breath away as she locked the door behind her. She sighed at Ellie’s rust bucket.

  The thing was ugly as sin. It stank. And ever since it broke down and left her stranded on her way to an interview the other day, she didn’t trust it. Not at all.

  The door groaned as she pulled it open.

  “Believe me,” she said as she sat down and yanked the door shut. “I’m looking forward to this about as much as you are.”

  She put the key in the ignition and gave it a twist, waiting for the embarrassing spurt of exhaust and the somehow way too loud roar of the engine to blare through the parking lot, alerting her neighbors that she was leaving.

  Nothing.

  She frowned and twisted the key in the ignition again.

  Still nothing.

  “Come on,” she said, giving the key another twist. “Not now.”

  More nothing. Not a click. Not a whirr. Not one single sound that would make her think the car had any intention of starting.

  She pounded on the steering wheel. “Come on, you gorgeous, wonderful car. You start for me and I promise I won’t say anything bad about you ever again.” She twisted the key in the ignition again. Nothing.

  She growled in frustration. Now what? Did she need to call the damn tow truck guy again? Then what? Pay another couple hundred dollars to get the thing running? Again? What about her interview? This was so not the time for this!

  A knock on her window made her jump. She spun to see Mr. Sexy McJudgy smiling at her through the glass.

  “Need some help?” he asked, all white teeth and blue eyes and blonde hair shining against tan skin.

  Lilah just stared for a second, appalled at the condescending humor in his eyes. Who the hell did this guy think he was? She shook her head and turned her focus back to the key in the ignition. “I’m fine,” she said, loud enough for him to hear through the glass and gave the key another futile twist. It was getting hot in the car and sweat started to bead at her brow.

  Great.

  Just what her hair needed.

  “I bet it’s your battery,” said the guy, still peering through the window. “I can give you a jump. Won’t take a minute and you’ll be good to go.”

  Well, since she had no other idea as to how to get the damn car running again, Lilah sighed and cracked open the door, waited for the guy to step back before she pushed it all the way open, embarrassment surging through her at the heavy whine of metal on metal. Stupid rust bucket.

  If this guy looked good all wet and bare in his swimsuit, he looked fan-fucking-tastic in his blue jeans and worn t-shirt. Lilah stood up and caught just the faintest whiff of his cologne. Tried not to stare at the way his jeans hung just right off his hips. I bet his ass looks amazing, she thought.

  “Thanks,” she said as she stepped out of his way.

  “We’ve all been there.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Pop the hood?”

  “Ummm…” Lilah leaned into the car, totally aware of how her skirt rode up, showing more of her legs than what was appropriate. But when had Lilah Moore ever been appropriate?

  She found the handle to release the hood and gave it a pull, straightening in time to see that this guy had definitely enjoyed the view. The look on his face almost made up for all the judgment she had seen from him at the pool. “I’m Lilah, by the way. Lilah Moore.”

  “Cole Bennett.” He held out his hand and Lilah took it, amazed by his rough skin and the way his hand dwarfed hers. She looked up at him, realizing for the first time how tall he was. He had to be six-three at least. “Lucky for you, I’m parked right here.” Cole indicated an ancient pickup truck in immaculate condition. It had to be ten years older than Ellie’s rust bucket and Lilah was sure that it started without a problem every single time.

  With a smooth confidence, Cole lifted the hoods and pulled a set of jumper cables out of his truck. Got things hooked up and in no time, the rust bucket was chugging away in that oddly off beat way it had.

  Cole lifted an eyebrow. “Sounds healthy.” He unhooked the jumper cables and got everything put back to rights, closing the hoods of both the truck and the rust bucket without slamming them.

  “Thank you,” Lilah said and meant it. She had no idea what she would have done if Cole hadn’t come out to help her.

  “Might want to get that thing into the shop. Wouldn’t trust that battery to do anything but let you down,” Cole said and without another word, climbed into his truck and drove off, leaving Lilah to stare after him.

  3

  Things were looking so much better today than yesterday. Lilah had a job. The manager had seemed a little dubious when she said she would give her a shot, but that was okay. She would show her just how smart she had been to hire her. She would be the best damn waitress Lou’s Diner had ever seen!

  And what better way to celebrate having an income than by going out for a little retail therapy? Lilah bought herself a brand new outfit on the way home from her interview. And we’re talking new from the ground up, new shoes, matching nail polish, new bra and panties, all on top of the cute little dress she found. Sure, they weren’t the kind of high quality stuff she was used to, but damn, it felt good to have something decent on. Plus, that meant she had one more day to put off going to the laundromat.

  Lilah dug through the pile of dishes cluttering the sink and counter for a bowl and rinsed it out, scrunching up her nose at the bits of crusted food she had to chip off with her fingernail. I should really clean this shit up, she thought as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. She decided she would do just that after a quick trip to the pool. She didn’t start work until tomorrow. Today was going to be all about enjoying herself.

  After eating, Lilah changed and grabbed her still soggy swim bag and headed out into the already sweltering heat. She was locking her door behind her when the neighbor's door swung open and a disheveled redhead staggered out.

  “Fuck you, Cole Bennett,” she screeched as she slammed the door shut.

  Lilah couldn’t help but stop and stare.
This was an obvious walk of shame. The redhead’s clothes were too fancy for a Sunday morning and were wrinkled from a night spent in a ball on the floor. Her hair was wild and her makeup smeared. The girl turned and caught Lilah staring.

  “You see that bastard, you can tell him he can go straight to hell!” She stabbed at Lilah with her finger, her eyes wild and blazing. Without waiting for a response, she staggered off, teetering in her high heels like Bambi on ice.

  Well, chalk that up as a brand new life experience. Having a stranger in last night’s clothes shriek at her on the sidewalk was definitely something she hadn’t run across before. Lilah chuckled to herself as she walked to the pool, her flip-flops flipping and flopping underneath her. The first thing she saw when she pushed through the gate into the pool was the infamous Cole Bennett, swimming laps. She scanned the lounge chairs and found one sporting a towel that looked like the one Cole had used yesterday and, even though she had her choice of multiple empty chairs this morning, chose the one chair right beside the one she thought was Cole’s.

  She told herself it was because she wanted to thank him again, but she knew it was because she wanted to tease him about the crazy woman coming out of his apartment. She didn’t have to wait long for him to finish his swim. In fact, she got the distinct impression that he caught sight of her and ended his swim early. He grasped the edges of the pool and pulled himself up and out, water streaming over his body. Damn, he sure was easy on the eyes.

  “Hey,” he said, as he walked her way, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him.

  “Your girlfriend seems pissed.” Lilah skipped the thank you and went right for the jugular.