Jolted (Conflicted Encounters #1) (20 page)

It was times like this when I missed home. I missed having my own bedroom in its own wing of the estate. I was tucked away from the noise and my parents. I had my own private space where I could be alone whenever I wanted. Here, I had to wait for the twins to go to their rooms to be alone.
 

I was woken up in the middle of the night by a noise. I shot up and gripped the blanket to my chest. I looked around the dark room frantically, but couldn't see anything.
 

"Easy, Princess," I heard in the darkness.

"What the -," I fumbled around and found the remote. I turned on the TV, quickly hitting mute, to light the room.
 

Ryder sat at the breakfast bar with a bottle of something. His body was slouched over and the clock showed that it was very early morning.

"Go back to bed," he muttered.
 

"What are you doing?" I asked him. I got up and wrapped the blanket around me. I went to the kitchen and sat on the stool across from him. "Don't you have to work in the morning?"

"Yep. Mind your business," he said as he poured a shot from the bottle of liquor in front of him. He slammed the bottle down on the table when the glass overflowed. Liquid sprayed from the force, and I could smell the burn it caused when it ran down his throat.

"Well, you woke me up, so now you have to deal with me," I argued. I was fed up with his hot and cold attitude.
 

He grunted and downed his shot. Without thinking, I grabbed the bottle and poured another shot. Ryder reached for it, but I pulled it away right before he could wrap his fingers around it. I put the glass to my lips and tipped my head back. The liquor burned all the way down my throat and I shivered.

"Better watch it," he whispered. "That's what got you here in the first place."

"No, it's not."
 

"Then what did?" he asked with sudden curiosity. In the dark, I could feel his eyes burning into me. I fidgeted in my stool. It's always the same question from him, always the same lies.

"My. Car. Broke. Down," I said slowly, so he would understand.

He slammed his hand down on the counter. I jumped and looked back to Scarlett's door, waiting for her to come out screaming any second now.
 

"What were you doing at Hank's? Why were you there and drinking all alone? Why did you let me talk to you?" he rushed out. "You ask me questions and expect answers, yet you answer nothing. Probably because you're privileged and think you're owed something. But guess what, Princess? You aren't. Maybe you should think about answering some questions for yourself." He gave me a daring look at the end of his rant.
 

"Fine," I said through clenched teeth.

"Let's play a game," he slurred as he got up and opened a cupboard. He grabbed another shot glass and came back to his seat. "You answer a question, and then I answer one."

My stomach churned at the risk. I was never good at lying, but I would need to for his little "game". I wasn't willing to give away the truth yet. I reluctantly nodded and let him pour me a shot. I wasn't entirely sure what the shots had to do with the game though.
 

"Okay. So, why did you go to Hank's?" he started.
 

"I stopped at the cafe. The guy told me that it was the only place I could eat since Minnie's was closed," I improvised. He nodded and took his shot, quickly refilling the glass after.
 

"Your turn," he said, pointing to me.

I started with the obvious. "Why are you out here in the middle of the night drinking alone?"

"Rough day," he answered, pointing to my glass.

"That's all? Really?" I argued. That shouldn't count, it was too vague. He nodded, so I downed the shot before me. I would remember this for the next questions.
 

"Why did you leave home?" he asked, leaning in on his elbows.

I sighed. "Because they wanted me to be someone I just couldn't be anymore," I confessed.

"And who was it that they wanted you to be?"

"Nope. That was your question." He took his shot. I thought of my next question. "Why do I need to stay away from you?"

He laughed harshly. "Kallie, I'm no good. I ruin everything. I will ruin you. You look like you've already been through enough. You don't need me making it worse. Plus, Scarlett cares for you. If I hurt you, she would kill me."

"Why do you think you'll hurt me?" I said before downing the poison in the shot glass. "What if there is nothing left to ruin?"

"Trust me, Princess, there is plenty left to ruin. You just haven't found it yet," he said in a serious tone, sending goosebumps all over my skin. He took his shot and refilled both of our glasses.

"Your question," I reminded him.
 

"Who is it that you want to be then, if not who everyone else wants you to be?" he asked. His question knocked the air out me.
 

I played with the bracelet and tried to come up with an answer. "I don't know if I’ve figured that out yet. I just lived my whole life making them happy. Everyone. And when I wasn't happy, I couldn't make myself happy. At least not by their standards." That was as close to the truth as I could go.

He took his shot and nodded at me to take my turn. "Why don't you go to your mom's with Scarlett on Sundays?" The question had been burning in my head since the first weekend I stayed here. Every Sunday, Scarlett would ask him if he would go, and he would always refuse. He never spoke of his relationship with his parents, and neither ever mentioned their father.
 

"My mom hates me." When I looked at him with shock and skepticism, he nodded at me to take my shot. I did as I should and hoped he would elaborate.
 

"Tell me more," I whispered.

He sighed. "I was the reason my parents split."
 

"How's that?" I asked before I took my shot, out of respect for the game.

"Because I ruin everything," he said, taking a random shot. "That's all you're getting right now, Princess."
 

He paused to fill both of our empty glasses. My head was swimming and my face was feeling numb. I knew I should be giving up and heading back to bed, but I needed to know more.

"That doesn't explain why you don't see your mother, though," I gently added.

"I think she always blamed me. She took out all her anger and frustration on me. Not Scarlett, or my dad, or even the dog. Just me."
 

I tried to make out his face in the dark. All I could see was his shadow, but I could make out the slumped shoulders and defeated stance. I reached out and grabbed his hand that was gripping the shot glass. His body froze with the contact and I quickly pulled away.
 

"I'm sure she couldn't really blame you, Ryder," I said to the darkness. "She was hurting. People act like they never thought they would when they are hurt."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"Yes," I admitted.
 

"I think you’ve had too much to drink," he said as he grabbed both shot glasses and tossed them in the sink. He put the bottle back in the cupboard above the fridge and stalked right past me. I watched him disappear into his bedroom, closing the doors.

Kallie

The week went by without incident. Ryder never mentioned our early morning drinking game, so I didn't either. We were both becoming pros at avoiding what happened between us. When the two of us were together, it became a black hole where we’d disappear in time and space.
 

The early mornings at Minnie's were becoming easier as my body became accustomed to waking up early. I started to learn some of the regulars and their routine. I learned to carry around a hot pot of coffee with me everywhere, always ready to refill someone's cup. I saved every dollar I made.
 

"I'm thinking of dying my hair blonde Tiffany mused during a lull one day.

"What? Why?"

"Darling, you bring in twice the tips as I do," she said, slapping my thigh. "My hubby probably wouldn’t mind it, either," she winked.
 

"I think it's just because I'm new," I reassured her. "I think they feel bad for me."

"I'm not positive that's it," she deadpanned. I heard the bell on the door ring and hopped up to seat whoever was coming in.

As I rounded the corner, I saw Caleb. His eyes were already on me and ignoring Cindy, who was trying to seat him. He walked up to me and I ushered him to the closest booth in my section. He was a regular now for me, so I poured his coffee and handed off his order to Cindy to take back to the kitchen.

"Morning, beautiful," he greeted, as usual.

"Morning, Caleb," I said back. "Your biscuits and gravy should be out shortly."

"What are you up to tomorrow afternoon?" he asked, stopping me before I scooted off to the next customer.
 

"Probably nothing. Why?" I asked.

"Come to the river. It's gonna be hot. They're calling for the hottest day of the year. Come swim."

"Where at on the river?" I asked. The river was wide and lined the entire border of the town. I didn't know my way around here.
 

"Scarlett and Ryder would know. Ask them," he winked at me. I rushed off to grab another customer that came in the door.
 

I served Caleb's meal and took care of the other diners. My feet were killing me and the morning rush wasn't even over yet. They say Friday mornings were the busiest days of the week here. I believed it. I plastered on a smile and politely chatted with the town's people.
 

When I cleared off Caleb's table and left the bill, he grabbed my hand. "Will I be seeing you tomorrow?" he asked in a low voice.
 

"Maybe."

"I hope so," he smiled as he laid down some cash and took his bill up to the register.
 

By the end of the day, I was covered in sweat. The heat was at full peak for the summer. I walked home and felt the sun burning the bare skin of my back. My feet ached and my arms were sore from carrying the trays of heavy breakfast food. I slipped off my shoes and held them in my hand as I walked barefoot down the sidewalk.
 

I stayed on the opposite side of the street as I passed the shop. I didn't need to talk to Ryder. I also didn't want to be told the timeline for the repair. If I was given a deadline for my payment, I would likely have a heart attack. I knew what I was making here at the diner, and I wasn't anywhere near where I needed to be to leave this town.

A whistle broke my self-wallowing. I looked over to find the source of the sound and saw Logan waving to me from the shop's parking lot. I sighed and crossed the street to meet him. The pavement was hot and burning under my bare feet.
 

"Hey, pretty girl," he said as he wrapped me up in a hug. I hugged him back.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, peeking around him. I knew Ryder had to be here.
 

"Not much. Want a ride home? You shouldn't need to walk," he said, looking at my shoes in my hand.
 

"It's not that far, really," I insisted.

"Kallie," I heard from behind Logan. Ryder stood beside a truck hoisted up on a lift. He set down the tool in his hand and grabbed a towel, wiping off the grease. "Can I talk to you?"

I nodded and followed him to the office with knots in my stomach. He closed the door behind us and his eyes moved from my face all the way down to my feet.
 

"Don't make fun of the uniform," I joked, pointing at him.

"Kinda looks cute on you," he claimed, flashing me a smile. Just as quickly, his face went back to serious and void. He went to the computer and made some clicks. After a few minuets, he handed me a printed sheet of paper.

"Here's what we need as a deposit for the motor," he told me. "Travis wants some sort of deposit to have it shipped here. You know, so he doesn't pay for it, you skip town, and he's out that money."

"Well, I'm not leaving unless you force me to," I said. I opened my purse, pulled out some cash and, counted out what I had. I pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check for the remaining several hundred they wanted for deposit.
 

"Thank you," he said while making notes on the invoice. "It should be in soon, I would think."

"No worries." I turned and walked out of the office. I ignored Logan when he tried to get my attention for a ride home. I needed to get away from Ryder and the talk of leaving. It worked up feelings I couldn't explain yet.

The next morning, I woke up and the sun was already up. I smiled and stretched, glad I was off for the day. Scarlett was already up and I asked her about where they swam at the river. She got really excited and quickly dragged me to her bedroom. She rummaged through her drawers and found a bikini she thought I would fit into.
 

I held it up to my body. "Could you find me something skimpier?" I asked sarcastically.

"Look, that's all I got that I think your tiny boobs will fit into," she threw back at me.

"They're not tiny, are they?" I asked, looking down at myself.

She laughed. "No. But smaller than mine. That's what I got. Unless you want to go shopping," she added.

"No," I quickly said. I was trying to save money and needed to learn not to just buy anything I wanted.
 

"So, Caleb invited you," she said as she put on a pair of shorts and a shirt.

"Yep," I answered. I pulled a light, white cotton dress over myself. I braided my hair and pulled it over the front of my shoulder.
 

"Well, it's hot as hell, so let's go."
 

We rode through the small town and pulled off on a gravel road. A few seconds later, we pulled up to the edge of the river. Several cars and trucks were already parked in the grassy field. Scarlett parked and I grabbed our bags from the back of her car.
 

"There you are," Caleb said as he came toward me. His smile was wide and he was wearing blue board shorts. His skin was tan from the summer, and my eyes were drawn to the V that disappeared under the shorts. His hair was wet and his skin glistened in the hot sun.