Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 (8 page)

“I’ve
really missed you girls,” I tell them, smiling. The best times of my life have
been with either Gram or these girls. I’ll always be closest with Jade simply because
we live next door to each other and we have the most in common.

“To
a fabulous summer,” Amber says, holding her glass up. We all follow her lead
and repeat her toast.

The
second round of drinks arrives just as a group of guys stops by our table. “Were
you girls planning on saying hello or just ignoring us all night?” one of them
asks. I’m really hoping my friends know them because that is one of the lamest
pick-up lines I’ve ever heard.

Thankfully,
a look of recognition falls over Danielle’s face. “Hi, guys! I’m sorry. We
didn’t even see you. Pull up a chair. We’re having a welcome home celebration
for our friend.”

“Welcome
home,” one of the guy says, holding up his beer. I nod and smile, resisting the
urge to roll my eyes.

“Guys,
this is Kacie.” Amber takes the lead on the introductions. “That’s Lance, Kyle,
and Gabe. Dani and I work with Lance.”

“Where
have you been that this is the first time we’re meeting you, Kacie?” Kyle asks me,
laying his hand on the back of my stool. He’s kind of cute. Light hair, green
eyes, muscular build. How is it that guys can pull off looking hot in just a
plain t-shirt and jeans when I have to spend hours fixing my hair and make-up,
then still have to put on a dress and heels? Life is totally unfair.

“College,”
I answer shortly.

“Kacie
is going to medical school in the fall,” Brittany offers.

“Impressive,”
he says. “What kind of medicine are you interested in?”

“I’m
undecided right now.” Somehow, my second drink is now gone. How long will I be
able to keep this secret? What will my friends think when they hear I’m
teaching?

“Hey,
Gabe. How’s it going over at Danny’s shop?” Jade changes the subject for me.

“It’s
great. Danny is really cool to work for and I fit right in with the other guys
there. I owe your brother big time,” Gabe tells her.

“Jake
doesn’t look for anything in return when he helps out a friend. You know that,”
Jade assures him. “Excuse us. We’ll be right back.” She practically yanks me off
the stool and through the crowd. Jade is lucky I love her so much or I might
have to hit her.

“Care
to tell me why you’re dragging me through the fucking club?!” I ask. I’m trying
to keep up with her so she doesn’t dislocate my shoulder.

“I
have to pee!” she yells so I can hear her over the music. She says it so loud,
I’m sure everyone around us heard her.

Luckily
for Jade, there’s no line once we’re finally in the restroom. She leaves me
standing in the middle of the room while she goes into the first open door and
slams it. Something’s up. If I’ve learned anything in the last twelve years or
so, it’s not to force Jade to tell me something until she’s ready to. It
doesn’t matter that she demands to immediately know everything from everyone
else. She has always taken her time. When she comes out of the stall, she
washes her hands in the sink next to where I’m checking my make-up. She must
feel me staring at her because she looks the opposite way. This makes me laugh.
She turns back to me and I can tell she has something to say.

“Well,
what is it?”

“What?”
she says, pretending to forget I can read her as well as she can read me.

I
sigh and try a different tactic. “Thank you for what you did back there. I
guess it’s time to start telling people I’m not really going to medical
school.”

“You
don’t have to tell anyone anything you aren’t ready for them to know, Kacie.”
She rationalizes my need to keep this secret.

As
gently as I can, I try to pry out what is bothering her. “What was that really
about?”

Jade
knows she has to tell me now. “Kyle.”

“What
about him?”

I
watch as she takes a deep breath. “I think I like him.”

“Why
the hell is this the first time I’m hearing about him?” I’m a little irritated
and happy at the same time. She shrugs her shoulders. “Why did you almost rip
my arm off to get away from him?”

“He
was flirting with you,” Jade reluctantly admits.

“Jade,
I told you that I’m not here to find anyone.” The second that spills from my
mouth, Evan flashes through my head. Why am I thinking about some guy I only
met briefly? “Does Kyle know you like him?” She shakes her head. “I really
don’t feel like sitting in the bathroom all night. What’s your deal with him?”

“He’s
asked me out three times. I’ve said ‘no’ every time.”

“If
you like him, why did you say ‘no’?” I’m so confused.

“I
don’t know,” she snaps. “I’m afraid, I guess.”

“Why?”
She grabs my arm again to pull me over to the side since other people start to
listen in.

“I
get all flustered when he’s around. It’s almost like I forget how to speak or
something.”

“Jade
Quinn, speechless? I’m not sure that’s ever happened before,” I tease her.
“Let’s go.” I loop my arm through hers and lead her out of the restroom. “What
would you do if I didn’t come home?”

“I’d
either move to wherever you were or live a very sad, lonely life,” she answers.
From the sound of it, she had been considering both of those alternatives for a
long time.

The
club has gotten very crowded since we got here. As we try to make our way back
to the table, something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. Even
though I can’t see his face, I know it’s Evan. He’s walking with a brunette,
his hand on her back. She’s looking up at him adoringly. Evan points to a
hallway in front of them and she leads the way. My stomach tightens at the
sight of it. At knowing what he’s going to do with her.

“His
office is down there. Told you he’s nothing but a whore,” Jade says. The look
on her face is sympathetic as if she knows, despite what I told her, that Evan
got to me.

“Who?”

She
rolls her eyes at me. “You and I both know who. Come on.”

When
we make it back to our table, Jake is there. He climbs out of my seat and
gestures for me to sit down.

“You
can stay there,” I tell him, but he shakes his head.

“Were
you surprised to see them?” he asks.  

“I
was. Did you know the whole time that they’d be here?”

“Maybe,”
he chuckles, drinking his beer.

“Hey,
Kacie,” Kyle calls. “Want to dance?”

“Actually,
I’m a terrible dancer. However, Jade loves to dance,” I come right out and say.

Kyle
looks over at her, then back at me. I tilt my head to her and he smiles.
“Jade.” He holds his hand out and she slowly reaches for it.

“I’ll
order you another drink,” I whisper to her.

“You
better,” she whispers back, but the smile on her face lets me know she’s not
mad. At least not this time.

“Liar,”
Jake says as I’m watching them on the dance floor. He slides into the seat Jade
just vacated.  

“Huh?”

“You
are a
damn
good dancer. What was that about?”

“Jade
likes him.” The waitress comes back and we all order another round because it
looks like we’ll be here for a little longer. 

He
laughs. “I never can figure out the shit you two are trying to pull.” I sigh
and look off in the direction I saw Evan walk a few minutes earlier. “He went
back there to give her paperwork. Nothing else.” Jake is watching me closely so
I try not to react. “I know what my sister has been telling you. I’m not saying
what she said isn’t true. I’m just saying this time…” He pauses. “This time,
he’s giving the girl paperwork. He had two waitresses quit last night. She’s a
friend of someone who works here and she needed a job.”   
 

“Why
would you think I care about what Evan does?”

“Just
the fact you knew who and what I was talking about shows you care, Kacie.” I
look away, hoping he drops it. “Jade was right to warn you, but she can’t make
this decision. It’s only your choice to make.”

“Typical
guy, defending his man-whore friend.” I bump my shoulder into his so he knows
I’m only kidding.

Jake
smiles. “I’d never defend anyone who didn’t deserve it, and I sure as hell
would never be discussing this with you if I thought something bad would
happen.”

Uneasiness
falls over me. “This has disaster written all over it. I know I shouldn’t even
be considering the idea but, for some reason, I can’t seem to shake it.”

“Something
to think about, I guess. Like I said, nothing bad will happen, if that helps
you any.”

“How
do you know?” I ask, desperate for someone neutral to help me.

“Because
I just threatened him,” he says, a serious look on his face.

A
nervous laugh escapes me. “You what?”

“You
heard me. I won’t have a problem delivering on the threats I just made,
either.” He takes a long swig of his beer. “Evan is a pain in the ass, but you have
more in common than you think.”

“Are
you calling me a whore?” Jake starts choking on a mouthful of beer, causing me
to laugh again.

“You
okay, Jake?” Gabe asks from the other side of him. He nods.

“That’s
what you get.”

“I
would never call you that and you know it.” He glares at me.

“You’d
never call her what?” Jade says, coming back from the dance floor. She puts her
arm around me and whispers, “I owe you.” I hand her the drink that was waiting
for her.

“Nothing,”
I say back and wink at her.

Jake
gets up for his sister to sit. When Jade is settled, Kyle comes back to the
table and stands next to her. Guess that went well. Conversation resumes
between everyone at the table. I missed this while I was away. I probably
wouldn’t have been able to stay away for much longer. This is my home. I may
have some of the shittiest parents in the world, but my friends are pretty
awesome.

A
different waitress appears with a tray full of shots for the whole table. “We
didn’t order these,” Danielle tells her.

“I
know. Someone sent them over,” she announces. “Enjoy!” She’s gone quicker than
she showed up.

Everyone
starts reaching for a glass when I hear Amber say, “Eww. What is that? It looks
like a bloody glob of flesh!”

When
I look closer, I know exactly what kind of shots they are. My head immediately
snaps up as I search the room for the person who sent them. Once my eyes find
Evan, I notice his sexy ass smirk even from across a room full of people. Shit.
I’m in trouble.

Evan

Despite
my decision earlier in the day about not pursuing anything with Kacie, she’s
all I can think about. At Jake’s, I realized there’s no way I’d ever be able to
give a girl like her all she needs. Kacie deserves someone better than a
washed-up nightclub manager. Jade was right to tell me to stay away. So if
that’s what I decided, why the fuck is she still in my head?

Typically,
it’s just a physical attraction with me. I find a smokin’ hot girl, then hit on
her until she gives in. Needless to say, this doesn’t take very long. The
longest it’s ever taken to convince a girl to sleep with me was a couple of
hours. That was really only because I was distracted with some asshole causing
trouble at the club, which my security guys had to call the police for, and she
was pretending to play hard to get. It can be fun when they play hard to get.

Then
Kacie Foster walked into the club. My first reaction wasn’t to sleep with her.
Okay, that isn’t totally true. I would have definitely laid her across my desk
if she even hinted it was a possibility, but there was something about her that
made me want to find out more about the girl in the blue dress. When Kacie
smiles, she makes me smile and I have no idea why. The look in her eyes the
first time I saw her made me want to pull her in my arms and make her forget
all about whatever was bothering her. It was crazy the way I felt when she
touched my arm and how she was so damn close to me, I could smell her. Who the
hell smells that fucking good sitting out in the sun?

So
here I am with my mechanic on my office phone, but so damn distracted with
thoughts of Kacie that I can’t think straight. “Pierce!” Danny yells in my ear.
“Did you hear what I just said?”

“Sorry,
man. I was just looking at something,” I lie. “What was that?”

He’s
chuckling. “Some
thing
or some
one
?”

“Some
thing
,
dickhead. If it was some
one
, I wouldn’t have your sorry ass on the
phone,” I tell him.

“Some
friend,” he laughs again. “Anyway, the new clutch and dog box transmission just
went in today. Since we got so far, I gave my guys tomorrow off. Between your
car and the shop’s other clients, they’ve been working overtime. We will finish
up with the upgraded turbo and catless exhaust system on Monday. That means you
can take her for a test drive Tuesday. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be good
to go by Thursday night.”

“Perfect.”
There’s a knock at the door and Jake pokes his head in. I wave him inside and
he comes to sit in the chair across from the desk. He doesn’t usually come back
here. “I’ll let you know when I get a start time for Thursday, if you still
want to put in for the race.”

“Absolutely.
I want a front row seat at the finish line, too.”

“I’m
sure it can be arranged. I gotta run. Jake just walked in.”

“Does
the Camaro need anything before Thursday?” Danny offers.

“Do
you need anything from Danny?” I pass the question along to Jake.

“I
was planning on stopping by Tuesday just to have them take a quick look, if
that’s okay?” Jake says.

“Tell
him that’s fine. I’ll make sure someone is available for him.” Danny must have
heard him. “Later.” He disconnects.

After
hanging the phone up, I glance over to my friend. “Danny says that’s cool.
Someone will be ready.” He nods his head. “What’s up? You don’t look like
you’re here for a social visit.”

“I
am, but I need to talk to you about something first.” He leans forward in the
chair, putting his elbows on his knees. “It’s about Kacie.”

That’s
not at all what I was expecting. “What about Kacie?” As if it’s not hard enough
to get her out of my head, now my friend is bringing her up?

“I
saw the look on your face earlier.”

“Look,
Jake, I get it. She’s like family to you and off limits. She wasn’t interested
in me anyway. I’m backing off,” I confess.

He
starts shaking his head. “You’re right. Kacie is like a sister to me.” The way
he says that makes me wonder if that’s how he really sees her.

“Just
a sister?”

Jake
sighs. “I didn’t always see her like that, but now I do. I asked her out a few
times and she didn’t go for it. She was afraid it would go bad and things would
get ugly. I respected her feelings.” I nod in understanding. “The second you
sat down at my table when you came back from Kacie’s house, I could tell that
something was different. What’s up?”

“Jake,
I just told you that I’m backing off,” I repeat, standing up and fixing the
papers into a pile on the desk.

“Evan,
sit the hell down and talk to me.” If this was anyone else, I would have thrown
his ass out of the club. It’s only because it’s Jake that I sit back in my
chair. “What’s the problem? Since when do you back off, and why the fuck are
you pouting like a little girl?”

“When
I first saw her last night, I admit that it wouldn’t have taken much for me to
pull my usual shit. Then I started talking to her and realized I wouldn’t mind
getting to know her,” I tell him the truth. “But she made it clear she wasn’t
interested.”

“And
how did she do that?” he asks, grinning at me. I respect Jake but, right now,
he’s really pissing me off. It’s hard enough trying to deal with this crap. This
is exactly why I don’t date. Who has time for it? It’s so much easier to have
random sex and be done with it.

“She
ignored me.” He starts laughing. I lean back in my chair. “Glad you find this
funny.”

“Man,
that just goes to show how much you don’t know about Kacie Foster,” he says.

“What
the hell does that mean?”

“Kacie
doesn’t ignore people she’s not interested in.”

“What
does she do?”

“She
tells them. And she’s generally not very nice about it, either. It’s usually
fuck off or, if she’s in a good mood, she’ll say go away the second a guy walks
up to her. I’ve seen her call guys all kinds of names you wouldn’t think most
girls even knew existed. She’s been known to slap guys just for calling her
something as simple as beautiful if she didn’t like the tone he used. But, in
all the years I’ve known Kacie, she has never
once
ignored someone.”

“What
are you saying? She might not hate me after all?” Why does hearing this make me
happy? I should be out walking around the club, trying to find someone to bring
in here and make me forget this girl ever showed up.

“I
don’t know for sure,” Jake tells me. “Here’s the thing. I won’t watch you do to
her what you do to all those other girls. Kacie is much better than that and,
for once in her life, she deserves to be happy. She finally has something good
to look forward to and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you or anyone else
take it from her. I don’t agree with my sister telling you to stay away. Who
she dates or is friends with isn’t anyone’s business but Kacie’s. So, if you
get to know her and it goes well, meaning whatever you two decide works for the
two of you, then fine. However, if you hurt her, I will personally make sure
you never screw with anyone again. I’m not fucking around here, Evan. I love
Kacie like a sister and I would do anything for her that I would do for Jade.
Those two girls are the only family I have left. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,”
I tell him. “I’m not sure what it is about her, but even though you just pretty
much told me she’s Jade’s twin, I want to know everything about her. I rarely
even ask a girl’s name. What the fuck is it about Kacie that makes me care?”

He
stands up. “I have no idea. Let me know if you ever figure that out.”

“Are
you sure it’s cool? You’re not still into her? If that’s the case, I’ll back
off.”

“There’s
no way in hell I’d ever be able to handle not having her in my life so, a long
time ago, I accepted being nothing more than one of Kacie’s best friends. I’ll
never regret my decision.” Another knock on the door prevents me from asking
him if he’s secretly in love with her. Something tells me I’m better off not
knowing the answer to that question.

“Oh.
Hi, Jake,” Meg says, walking into the office. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not
at all,” Jake answers, smiling at my cousin. “How are you?”

“I’m
good.” She gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I just saw Jade. She looks
happy for a change.”

Jake
laughs. “Her best friend is back in town after being away for a really long
time. Those two are inseparable.”

“Kacie?
I just met her. She seems nice. Shame she’s a Foster. Those people were a pain
in my fucking ass last night. I don’t know how her or her brother fit into that
family.”

“Kacie’s
here? Were you going to fucking tell me?” I blurt out.

“Kacie
is nothing like them and has suffered their ruthlessness her entire life, more
than you could ever imagine,” he tells Meg before looking at me. “I’m sure you
would have found out sooner or later.” Jake’s smirk annoys me.  

“Jerk-off.”
This only makes his smirk bigger.

“Before
you go banging the new girl in town…” Meg starts.

I
interrupt. “It’s not like that.” She looks from me to Jake, then back to me.

“Okay.
Before you go anywhere,” she corrects herself, “there’s someone I want you to
meet. She’s a friend of Molly’s and she needs a job. Her boyfriend recently
took off and left her with a kid. Molly said the girl would be available nights
and weekends because her mom watches the baby. She also has waitressing
experience. I figured after you chased off two of our better waitresses
yesterday, you could use her.”

“I’ll
talk to her now. Jake, are we good?”

“We’re
good as long as you remember what I told you.”

“I
won’t forget it.”

“Meg,
it was good to see you. I’ll be hanging out with the girls if either of you
want to stop over and have a drink with us. Jade had some friends meet them
here to surprise Kacie with a small welcome home party.”

“See
ya, Jake.” Meg watches him leave the office. She may even be checking out his
ass. “What was that about?”

“Nothing.”

“Didn’t
look like nothing to me, but whatever. I’ll take over tonight if you want to
hang out with Jake and have a few,” she offers.

“What’s
gotten into you tonight?” She’s never this nice.

“I feel
bad for being such a bitch to you yesterday. You’ll still be here if anything
happens that’s too big for me to handle, so why not?”

“Thanks,”
I say, hesitantly. “Let’s go talk to this girl. What’s her name?”

“Ashley,”
she tells me. “Try not to sleep with her tonight and scare the poor little
thing away. She has a kid to support.”

“I
thought you said you were sorry for being a bitch?” I stare at her.

Meg
smiles. “I apologized for being a bitch yesterday. I don’t recall saying
anything about today.” She wraps her arm around my back, I put my arm around
her shoulders, and we walk out to the bar together. She’s lucky she’s family.

As
soon as the girl comes into view, I understand why Meg was nervous for me to
meet her. She’s gorgeous. Brunette with big brown eyes and a beautiful smile.
She definitely has a nice body. It seems as though Meg really has no reason to
worry. I’m not even thinking about the quickest way to get into her pants.
That’s odd.

“Ashley,
this is my cousin, Evan. He does all the hiring around here. Just try not to
look into his puppy dog eyes and you’ll be just fine.” She pretended to lower
her voice for the last part.

“Don’t
listen to the wicked witch. Want to come with me?” I motion for her to head in
the direction of my office.

“Thank
you so much for seeing me like this, Evan. It’s okay if I call you Evan, right?
I’m sorry. I can’t seem to shut up right now. I talk when I’m nervous.”

“There’s
no reason to be nervous.” I smile at her just before we get to the hallway. “How
long have you known Molly?” Molly has been with us since we opened Skyline and
is probably the best waitress this place has ever had. Just because she
mentioned this girl to us, she’s hired. I trust Molly just as much as I trust
Danny with my car.

“Uh,
I guess about two years now. I used to live in the apartment next door to her.”
A sad look spreads over her face. “I had to move back home with my mom
recently.”

“Okay.”
She doesn’t need to torture herself by telling me about her ex-boyfriend. I
offer her a seat and she takes it. “Meg said you have waitressing experience?”

“I
do. I was at a club not too far from here about eighteen months ago. They let
me go when I got pregnant,” she says, averting her eyes to the side.

My
heart goes out to her. “I’m sorry,” I say and I honestly mean it. She looks at
me with tears in her eyes. “You have nothing to worry about here at Skyline.
We’re like family. We take care of each other.” She looks relieved. “I just
need you to fill out the standard paperwork. Do you want to do it now, or would
you rather come back?”