Overdrive (Santa Lena Sizzles series Book 3)

by Jessa York

  Just then there was a knock on Dean’s side of the truck. We both turned to the open window. There was our waitress standing with what I presumed was our food all packed up. What an angel.

  “Thanks, we really appreciate it,” he said brusquely before handing her some cash. He leaned around me, setting the food on the seat. I didn’t know what I’d do without him.

  I calmed myself down as much as I could. “I screwed up, Dean. Bad.” Then I gave him the shortened version of what went on yesterday, with a few sobs and nose blowings thrown in for good measure.

  “Why’d you lie? That’s not like you at all. You’re as straight-up as they come,” he inquired, squeezing me tight.

  “I figured it’d be easier than having to explain about Jared. We barely know each other. I didn’t want to complicate things.”

  “And then he shows up with Mr. Wonderful, right on your doorstep,” he said, starting to chuckle, his chest bouncing my head up and down.

  I raised my head up, glaring at him. “What the hell?” I snapped back, wondering why the heck the end of my love life was so freaking hilarious.

  “You don’t see the humor in that?” He peered down at me with a questioning look in his eyes. I kept on scowling at him. “I guess not. Well, one day you will, trust me. One day we will sit down to a beer and laugh our asses off at it. But not today.”

  “Not today,” I grumbled, leaning back in his arms.

  “Look, all you need to do is talk to him. Grovel. Apologize your ass off and bake him some of your apple pies. No man can resist your apple pies, honey.”

  “He won’t even answer my calls. How am I going to apologize? And I don’t have his address. How stupid. We always just—uh, hung out at my house.” Again, Dean started laughing. Louder this time. “What is your problem?” I asked, pushing off his chest. “This isn’t funny.”

  He wiped his eyes and choked out, “You are hilarious. And if this idiot doesn’t see what a wonderful person you are, then that’s his problem.”

  “Um, it’s kinda my problem, too, if I can’t even get a hold of him.”

  “You’ll figure it out,” he said, grabbing my shoulders. “Look, we all make mistakes and regret shit we’ve said and done. You’re human, too. You’ll find him, apologize...‘hang out’ and everything will be fine.”

  I hoped he was right.

  “Now, tell me about your appointment. You haven’t said a word about it.”

  I sighed and then told him all about my appointment. Needless to say, I needed more tissues.

  17

  Jason

  “Dude, you look like hell,” Eddie yelled at me as he stumbled through my door unannounced, not even bothering to knock. Jinxy bounced down from the back of the couch. She should be used to Eddie’s sudden arrivals by now, but even this took her by surprise.

  He was right, though. I looked like complete shit. I also felt like complete shit.

  I’d been staring at a blank computer screen for hours now. It was frustrating the fuck right out of me. Bang! went one of my cupboard doors, then another. Silently, I wished him luck with finding any sustenance at all in this place. All I’d been inspired to do lately was lie in bed, staring at my water-stained ceiling. Trips to the grocery store just hadn’t happened.

  One final wham and Eddie stomped over to my desk, hands on his hips. “What gives? There’s nothing to eat. Where’s all of your food?” I was tempted to tell him it was in his gut, but I refrained.

  Instead, I gawked up at his crazy bedhead—Ed always had crazy bedhead, the man spent a lot of time napping. “I haven’t been to the store in a while, but I’m happy to give you directions if you’d like to go.” I knew I was being an asshole. The sleep deprivation drove me insane. Anytime I did go out, I kept seeing Vivienne everywhere.

  Obviously, it wasn’t her. It was never fucking her. But still, I saw her everywhere. My dreams were torment and torture. Vivienne starred in each one. So beautiful, I couldn’t stand not touching her. Whenever I reached out, she disappeared. I woke up each time in a cold sweat, wanting her so much it killed me.

  How I continued desiring someone who betrayed me, I’d never understand. She cut me deep with her actions and I hated her for it. The constant yearning for her that burned inside me controlled my every thought, even in my dreams.

  It was over. I knew that in my head. We were over. I continually repeated that all day long. Nothing seemed to help. So many times I’d reached for my phone to call her, just to hear her voice one more time. There was nothing she could say to rectify what she’d done. Even if she promised to leave that douche, I’d still never be able to trust her again.

  I didn’t call. I didn’t text. I just sat here, missing her so bad it hurt. The constant ache in my chest hurt so bad sometimes, it was all I could do to breathe.

  “What the hell? You need to get out from these four walls. You’re starting to go bat-shit. Three weeks like this is too much, man,” he said, throwing his arms out. He was right, but I really didn’t give two fucks. “Go shower and we’ll get out of here for a while.”

  “What I need is sleep. But thanks for the invitation, man. I really appreciate it. Maybe tomorrow night?” Tomorrow night sounded so fucking far away.

  I ran my hands through my greasy hair. “I’ve got too much going on. I can’t go out right now.” It was a total lie, but I just needed him to get off my ass.

  “I’m straight and everything, but I’m confident enough in my manhood to tell you that you’re a good-looking guy,” he said, hands on his hips.

  “Uh, thanks?” I questioned, not knowing where he was going with his odd flattery. I was good-looking and I’d used it to my advantage whenever I could. I just didn’t know what his point was.

  “You’re welcome. But you look and smell like a skanky homeless dude right now. You need to get your ass in the shower before this becomes a way of life. I’ve seen shows on TV about this shit. People like you get used to living the way they’re living and then they never leave their apartments again. Like ever. Their skin starts to fuse with the couch and the firefighters have to cut a hole in the wall to get them out. Then they have to go to the hospital to have their couch surgically removed from their ass.”

  “That sounds painful, Eddie,” I responded, trying my best not to laugh. He looked so fucking sincere and worried I didn’t want to poke fun at him.

  “It is, and it’s painful for the people around them who are watching them grow into their couches. You need to stop this craziness and get in the shower,” he said, pointing toward my tiny bathroom. He was right about that, too. I could barely stand to be in the same room with myself right now. But the bathroom was like six feet away. It took a ton of effort to not only get in the shower, but use all the soaps and razors and things.

  It was easier just to sit here, staring at my nightmare of a white screen. No effort needed there. Nope.

  “I’ve got shit to do. I told you,” I said as I leaned forward, putting my head in my hands. It was taking up too much of my strength to hold my head up.

  He slunk around behind me. “Yeah, I see you’ve done a bunch of work today so far. Save all that and you can get right back to it after you shower.” Condescending bastard. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll even take you out for something to eat. I’m fucking starved. How can you live like this?”

  Wow, now this right here was a momentous occasion. Someone needed to build a statue or proclaim a national holiday. Eddie had not once in the year and a half that I’d known him so much as offered to buy me a bag of chips, let alone an entire meal. I must be in worse shape than I thought.

  Inconspicuously, I lifted up one butt cheek to make sure I hadn’t fused to the seat beneath me. Nope, I was still good.

  18

  Jason

  Wasn’t it absolutely amazing what a hot shower could do for your attitude? It completely changed my outlook on life. Amazingly, I found myself looking forward to going out into the big world with Eddie.
He drove, so I was at his mercy.

  We stopped at a familiar apartment block around the corner. It was a bit nicer than ours, but still not exactly five-star accommodations. “Are we picking up Sam, too?” I asked him, even though I already knew the answer. We didn’t know anyone else who lived here. Of course, it would be Sam.

  “Yep. Sam’s bored and I told him about your situation. He wants to talk to you,” he said, nodding in my direction. Great, an intervention. I tried to convince myself that it could be worse, but at the moment I couldn’t think of anything. Eddie glared over at me. In a very serious tone, he said, “He’s really worried about you, too.”

  Sam came strutting out, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. He was a ladies’ man if there ever was one. Sam never stayed with one girl for longer than a few nights before he was off to find another heart to break. Trust me, it never took him long to find another willing victim.

  “Yo, boys,” Sam said as he slid into the back seat, a place I was sure he was comfortable with. “I hear you’ve had some girl problems, mio amico?” he said in his Italian accent, leaning between the front seats, grabbing my shoulder. “No worries. I know how to deal with that. We’ll fix you right up.” He shook my shoulder hard, laughing so loud I thought my ears would burst. Nice.

  My hopes of going to a sit-down meal were dashed when Ed pulled into the drive-thru at a fast food joint. I should have known he wouldn’t spring for something decent. Oh well, beggars couldn’t be choosers. He ordered us burger combo meals and asked Sam what he wanted.

  “From here? Nothing. I don’t want to smell like nasty burgers when I’m around the ladies,” he responded with a grimace, fixing the collar on his shirt. See? Sam was all about the women, even in a car filled with men.

  “Suit yourself,” Eddie said, then pulled up.

  As we ate in the parking lot, Sam remained leaning over the seats from the back, his huge bicep nearly knocking me out every time he stole a fry. “Here, take mine. Jason hasn’t eaten in days. I’m surprised his clothes still fit,” Ed said as he offered his fries to Sam. Another one for the books—Ed sharing his food with someone.

  “You got it bad, man. This ever happened to you before? Locking yourself up in your apartment over some volpe femmina?” he asked loudly.

  “What?” I replied with a mouthful of burger. I didn’t care about formalities right now. This cheap burger was absolutely the best thing I’d ever tasted.

  I mulled over his words as I chewed. Hmm, I’d been in relationships and ended relationships, but nothing had turned me into the walking dead after it was over. This time was different. This time crushed me.

  “No, I guess not,” I answered him as I chewed, but fuck was it hard to swallow. I grabbed my drink, the ice sloshing around as I took a few draws on the straw. Somehow, I got that mouthful down, but it just sort of sat there as my throat tightened. Placing the remaining half of my burger back in its box, I wiped my hands on the thin, bright white napkin.

  “You gonna finish that?” Eddie asked, already eyeing my discarded meal like some kind of prey that was going to run off any second.

  “Nah, go ahead. I’m really not that hungry anyway,” I said, and it was true. My appetite vanished as thoughts of Vivienne invaded my mind. I’d love to press delete to clear my brain of all the Vivienne information it kept using to harass me.

  “A shame to let good food go to waste,” Eddie said as he scooped up the burger, downing it in two big, disgusting bites. It would never cease to amaze me how much food a skinny person like that could down in a day. It wasn’t like he was active and burning off a ton of energy jogging or shit like that. He pretty much just hung out, ate, and wandered around.

  Must be nice to have that kind of metabolism. I, on the other hand, spent more than my share of time at the gym. Of course, I had to switch from my “all the perks” gym to a plain Jane gym when I decided to cut costs, but I was still there a lot.

  “We’re gonna fix you right up, buddy. Don’t you worry about a thing,” Sam repeated, scaring me a bit. The look on his face was a devious mix of you have no idea what’s going to happen next written all over it.

  “I’ll be fine, but thanks,” I told him, hoping to reassure him that I would in fact be fine.

  I wouldn’t be fine, that I knew. My world had been rocked, and I wasn’t exactly sure how you ever recovered from that.

  After Eddie slurped back the last dregs of his drink, he threw it onto the floor in the back seat. “Hey, watch it, man,” Sam yelled, trying to dodge the flying cup.

  “Let’s get on with it,” Sam said to Eddie, poking his shoulder. I turned to them, frowning, not understanding what was going on. Eddie quickly put the car into drive. Off we went to God knows where.

  “It’s for your own good. Trust us,” Eddie said as we sat in the parking lot of a club. No way in hell was I going in there. My stomach tightened. The little food that was in there protested.

  “Man, it’s time. The only way to forget a dead horse is to go get on another one.” He laughed, punching me on the shoulder. I’d have a bruise by the end of the night if he kept it up.

  “I’m not completely sure that’s an accurate saying, Sam. And thanks, but no thanks for the night out. I’ll take a rain check. You guys go have a good time, though. Don’t let me be a Debbie Downer.”

  “Oh, Debbie’s goin’ down, all right,” Sam jested, hitting me on the arm again. Fuck, that was starting to hurt. I rubbed my poor, abused left arm. “Look, take it from someone who knows. You need to get back in the game, Jason. No joke. Sitting around doing Jack shit, crying all day does nothing for you. She chose to fuck you around. This shit is not your fault. Do not for one second think it has anything to do with you. She picked the slutty way out, not you. Man, you deserve better. Trust me, there’s better out there. Much better. But you need to take a chance. Put yourself out there again. It’s the only way to get over her.”

  I rubbed my hands on my face, praying for someone to beam me back to my bed so I didn’t have to deal with these two clowns right now. I was not in the mood to deal with this shit.

  “Look, guys, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here. Believe me, I really do.” It was a nice gesture. “But I’m not into this tonight. Just drop me back at home, then you guys can come back.”

  “Sorry, buddy. Not gonna happen,” Sam said, placing his giant hand on my head, tussling my hair. Nice.

  “Okay, I’ll call for a ride back. You guys go on in. I’ll sit here until someone comes,” I pleaded, hoping they’d go for this last option. No way in hell did I want to go in there tonight. Or any night, really.

  “Not gonna happen,” Sam repeated himself. “We’re going in there to find you a way to forget about this woman. Now, let’s roll.” He exited the car.

  I could feel the heavy bass of the music throbbing in my still tight throat. It appeared like I hadn’t missed much since I’d been here last. Still the loud music. Still the scantily clad women looking for Mr. Right. Still the horny idiots looking to get laid.

  If I thought this scene was tiring a few years ago, it was damn near exhausting now. Nothing about this atmosphere turned my crank in the least. I couldn’t wait to get home to stare at my blank fucking screen. Squeezing my eyes shut once again, I hoped this was just a bad dream and I’d wake up anywhere but here.

  “Painful, isn’t it?” I immediately opened my eyes to a cute brunette who was standing in front of me. Her tight black dress left nothing to the imagination, which I was sure every other guy in the place would love. Definitely pretty, but really not my type, even if I was looking.

  “You can say that again.” I smiled politely, taking another pull on my beer, hoping she saw my coldness as a turn-off.

  “I hate these places, but my friends dragged me out,” she said, closer to my ear this time, her breast grazing my arm. By accident I was sure...

  Either way, it had no effect on me. I paid her little attention except to nod again out of politeness. Sh
e stared at me as a sexy smile crossed her face.

  “Do you come here often?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her lame attempt to pick me up. It was flattering, yes. But I wasn’t feeling it.

  “Uh, no. My friends forced me out, too,” I admitted to her. There was no reason to be a total dick, after all.

  “So, we have that in common. Our friends are assholes.” Again, I laughed at her boldness. She grinned back at me with her tiny hand out. “Janine, and you are?”

  She left me little choice but to accept her hand, which I did. “Jason. Nice to meet you, Janine.” Her hand was soft and warm. It felt nice to touch someone again, even if it wasn’t the person I wanted to be touching. I attempted to take my hand away. She held on to it, wrapping it around her waist as she pressed up against me. Here we go. Now to let her down gently.

  “That was quite a handshake.” I tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. She really was cute. No need to be a jerk.

  She giggled, inching up tighter to me so her body was practically fused to mine. “Did you like it? I just made it up. How about it’s our new secret handshake?” she said as her fingers brazenly grabbed my bicep, wrapping her hand around it.

  “I’m not really into shaking hands these days, sorry.”

  “Bet I can change your mind.” She rose up on her toes, then pressed her lips to mine.

  19

  Vivienne

  “See? This was a great idea,” Harper said once we sat down in the noisy club. No, it wasn’t. It was possibly the worst idea ever. I couldn’t believe I let these two drag me out. They were worried about me. One of them got the great idea to go out for some fun.