Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 (12 page)

I
step aside, giving him room to enter. “Hey,” I return his greeting with a
smile.

Nate
hands me the flowers as he comes in. “I got these for you.”

“Thank
you. They’re beautiful,” I say because they are, but is it too much to ask for
someone to know the type of flowers I like?

“I
picked up lasagna. Hope you still like it.” He sounds nervous.

“Who
doesn’t love lasagna?” I reply. “I’m going to put these in some water. Do you
want to eat inside or out?”

“Outside
okay?”

“Sure.”
It takes me a second to find a vase. There are some pretty ones in the China
cabinet in the dining room, but I’m not ready to disturb it yet. I fill the
vase up with water and place the flowers in it. “I set some plates and
silverware over on the table next to the door. We can just grab them on the way
out.”

He
looks around the house. “Other than the new furniture in the living room,
nothing else has changed.” Nate is still as handsome as when we started dating.
He even keeps his blonde hair cut short like he always did.

“That
and Gram isn’t here.” I only bring it up to get it out of the way, not to make
him feel bad.

“I’m
so sorry, Kacie. I know how much she meant to you.”

I
briefly consider correcting him. She
still
means the world to me, but I
know what he’s trying to say. “Thanks. I’m still trying to deal with it. Maybe
someday it will be easier.”

“Maybe.”
He pauses. “I was at the funeral.”

“You
were?” I ask, surprised.

“I
was. You were sitting in the front row because you were too upset to stand with
your family. Jake held you as you cried. I never saw you cry before that day.”
He seems disturbed at the memory.

“I
don’t think I stopped crying for a few weeks.” The day of the funeral plays
over and over in my head.

“You
didn’t need me or anyone else coming up to bother you, but I made sure to sign
the guest book because I figured you should know I was there.”

“I
never saw anything from the funeral home. My mom took everything.” He sighs,
letting me know he understands.

After
a brief pause, I ask, “Hungry?”

Nate
visibly relaxes. “Starving.”

“Want
a beer?”

“Sounds
good,” he answers, picking up the food. I grab two beers from the refrigerator
and the stuff I had ready, then follow Nate outside. The umbrella is already up
and the table is clean. We both sit on the shaded side of the table because the
sun is still pretty warm this time of day. Nate dishes out the lasagna for us.
“How’s everything with school? Did you graduate?”

“Yes,
only you won’t believe what I did,” I say. Telling people the truth seems to be
getting easier.

He
takes a bite of his dinner. “This place still has the best lasagna. Don’t tell
my mom I said that.”

“Your
secret is safe with me,” I chuckle.

“So,
what did you do that I won’t believe?”

“I
changed my major. I’m going to be teaching next year.”

“I’m
not surprised,” he says, completely unfazed.

“You
aren’t?”

“Nope.
You’re not doctor material, Kacie. You never were. Remember the time I was
showing off in front of you and I fell off my bike? My knee was busted up. You
looked like you were going to pass out. I was actually a little scared,” he
laughs. I shudder at the memory of blood and missing skin. “Or there was the
time we were at the park up the road and some kid fell off of the monkey bars.
His head was bleeding and you threw up in the trash can.”

“Okay.
You can knock it off now,” I say, slowly putting my fork down.

“You
don’t look so good.”

I’m
squeezing my eyes closed, hoping the horrible feeling in my stomach subsides
quickly. “Thanks to you,” I declare.

“I’m
sorry.” He’s trying to stifle his laugh. “Take a sip of beer. Wash it down.” I
open my eyes to see Nate holding the bottle out to me. After taking a drink and
concentrating solely on the grass in the yard, the feeling goes away. “Feel
better?”

“Yes,”
I utter.

Nate
shoves a forkful of food into his mouth. “You better hope your students don’t
get hurt or sick in front of you.” He smirks and it reminds me how much I wish
Evan was here.

“You’re
a comedian all of a sudden.”

“Just
proves how well I know you, Kacie. The way you react to…,” I shoot him a
warning glare to think hard about what he says, “…
stuff
isn’t something
that changes. I was the only person to tell you back then.”

“All
I remember you telling me was how much I’d be losing by going to school so far
away.”

Nate
sighs. “I may have foolishly said something like that,” he admits. “Look, I
didn’t ask you to have dinner with me so I could make you sick, or so you could
tell me how much I fucked up by not supporting you. I know that was what you
needed. When I saw you the other day, everything I ever felt for you resurfaced
the moment I felt you in my arms.”

Panic
sets in. “Nate.” I shake my head. “Please don’t do this.”

“Hear
me out. What we had was amazing and I have no doubt that if I wasn’t such a
selfish bastard, we’d still be together. I should have just admitted how afraid
I was of losing you instead of pushing you away. No one has made me feel the
way you do.”

“We
wouldn’t have lasted.”

My
honesty shocks him. “Why not?”

“You
never trusted me. Relationships without trust never last.”

He
knows exactly what I’m referring to. “It wasn’t you I didn’t trust. It was
Jake.” Nate glances over toward the Quinn’s backyard.

“Either
way. Jake is one of my best friends.”

“His
flirting still hasn’t gotten to you?” he asks.

“He
learned it would never get him anywhere, just like I told you he would. We’ve
only ever been friends. That’s all we’ll ever be.”

“Who
was the guy you were with the other day?” I’m shocked it took him this long to
bring it up.

I
hesitate. “Another friend.”

“That
didn’t sound very convincing.” I shrug. “Want to talk about it?” How does he go
from trying to get me back to offering to listen to my problems?

“Nothing
to talk about.”

“What’s
going on?”

“My
parents don’t know I’m a teacher yet. Once they find out, I’m going to have one
hell of a fight on my hands for Gram’s house.” My eyes look at the garden as I
think about losing all of this. “My mom is ready to sell it because I won’t
date the guy she picked out for me.”

“Why
does she care? She’s never cared about you. You aren’t asking her for anything,
right?”

“It’s
about her image. Always is. Noah is dating a professional cheerleader. She
wants to make sure she has a good story to tell about both of her children. She
doesn’t actually give a shit if we’re happy or not.”

“I
told my parents about us having dinner.”

“How’d
that go?” I grin, knowing his answer.

“My
mom wanted me to invite you to their house, and my dad asked if we were back
together. I think he still has a crush on you.” I roll my eyes and he smiles.
“You always were his favorite.”

“Only
because I paid attention to him,” I tease.

“A
little too much, if you ask me,” Nate mutters.

“No
one asked you.” I stick my tongue out at him and start to clean up. “I’m going
to run this stuff inside and grab dessert. Want another beer? Or something
else?”

“I’ll
help you,” he offers, standing up.

“Don’t
worry about it. Just sit there and relax,” I insist. Nate helps pile the plates
for me to carry in. Thankfully, the pile stays in place all the way to the
kitchen sink without falling over. There aren’t that many dishes, so I quickly
rinse them and throw them in the dishwasher. Something tells me the reason I’m
stalling to go back outside has to do with not wanting Nate to have any of the
cake Evan helped me make. Without another thought, I grab the ice cream roll
from the freezer and take it outside.

Nate
is leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed. He didn’t hear me come out
because his eyes pop open when I set everything down on the glass table.
“Thought you got lost in there.”

“Sorry.
I cleaned up the dishes,” I say, handing him another beer.

“You
should have let me help you.”

“Nate,
I sit home all day staring at the walls.” And baking cakes with a hot guy, but
that’s my little secret. “The least I could do is clean up dinner that I didn’t
even have to make.” I slice dessert and hand him a piece.

“Thank
goodness. I was afraid you were going to tell me you made dessert. Doesn’t
matter how fancy of a college you went to. There isn’t anyone who’d be able to
teach you how to cook.” He winks at me.

“I’m
thinking about taking up baking.” I take a sip of my beer, recalling events
from earlier this afternoon. His puzzled expression amuses me. “Just seems like
it could be a lot of fun.”

Evan

Walking
out of Kacie’s house this afternoon was not what I wanted to do. However, if I
didn’t get the hell out of there, she was going to be bent over the damn
counter screaming my name. This girl drives me fucking crazy. Just thinking
about her has me wanting more. How am I supposed to get this shit done before
the race tonight if she’s all I can think about? I launch my pen across the
room and my forehead falls onto the desk in front of me. That’s how Meg finds
me when she comes into the office.

“What
the fuck is your problem?” she asks, pushing the door closed.

“Get
out,” I mumble, not lifting my head.

“Seriously,
Evan. Obviously something’s going on. You aren’t acting normal. Before a race,
you’re usually running around here like a lunatic trying to get everything in
order so you aren’t distracted.” She makes herself comfortable in the chair.
“I’m going to sit here until you tell me.” I look up to see my cousin glaring
at me, her arms extended along the sides of the leather chair. She’s not
kidding.

“Do
you have any idea how annoying you are?”

She
grins at me. “I learned from the best. Now spill it.”

“Nothing’s
really wrong,” I begin. “I’m just not sure what to do about Kacie Foster.”

Meg
looks as though she’s trying to place the name. “Oh, Jade’s friend.”

“That’s
her.”

“What
happened?” Meg is examining her fingernails, obviously disappointed the story
isn’t more interesting. “No. Don’t tell me. I want to guess. You had sex with
her, blew her mind, and now she won’t leave you alone.” She actually put that a
lot nicer than she normally would have.

“I
didn’t sleep with her,” I confess.

Her
eyebrows shoot up. She suddenly became more interested. “Really? Why not? She’s
cute.”

“Meg,
she’s more than cute,” I exhale, leaning back in the chair. “Other than being
the hottest girl I’ve ever met, Kacie has a badass attitude that turns me on
like no one else ever has.”

“Sounds
like the girl of your dreams.” I’m not sure if she’s making fun of me or not.
“What’s the problem then?”

“Having
sex with her won’t be enough.” Did that just come out of my mouth?

“What
did you just say?” she asks.

“I’m…not
sure.”

“Holy
shit!” Meg yells. “You like her. Evan Pierce really is a human being with
feelings. Who the hell would have thought?” she laughs. Why does she find this
funny? “Did she cut you off or something?” I don’t answer. “Come on. You have
to tell me the rest.”

“There’s
nothing to tell,” I snap, pretending to turn my attention to the shit waiting
for me on the desk. The act of moving papers aground isn’t enough to distract
my younger cousin.

“Evan,
if you don’t start talking, I’m going to hunt her down and torture her until
she tells me. Did you ask her out?”

“How
old are you?”

“Age
has nothing to do with it. Did you ask her out?”

“No.
Well, we went out to lunch the other day and I went to her house twice this
week.”

“Did
you kiss her?” Meg leans forward like a teenage girl gossiping with her
friends.

“You’re
getting on my nerves. Knock your shit off before I kick your ass.”

“I’m
not afraid of you,” she blows me off, as usual. “Did…you…kiss…her?”

“No.”
Why am I answering these questions?

“Why
not?”

“Meg,
you’re seriously pushing your luck,” I warn her for the last time.

“Will
you knock off the tough guy act for one fucking minute?” I sigh. “Why haven’t
you kissed her?”

“Because
I don’t know if she’s into me.”

She
looks at me with an odd expression. “You don’t know if she’s into you? Who says
that?” When she doesn’t get a response, she continues, “Explain.”

“Kacie
doesn’t act like other girls.”

“Oh,
you mean like a cheap whore who will screw you just to make every other female
in the room jealous?” How pissed would my uncle be if I fired his only child
from his club? “That’s because she’s an intelligent, classy girl, Evan. How
many times have I told you to look somewhere other than here for dates?”

“I
never wanted this before, and I don’t want to have this stupid ass
conversation, either.”

“What
do you want, exactly?” she probes further.

Frustrated
at my cousin’s badgering, I jump out of the chair and pace behind it. “I don’t
know what I want! I’ve only known her for a week. All I do know is this isn’t
only about random sex. Don’t get me wrong. It’s part of it. I’ve fucked her in
my head more times and in more ways than you can imagine.”

“Yuck,”
she says, covering her ears.

“But,”
I ignore her comment, “it’s fun to be around Kacie. When it’s time to leave, it
feels like part of me is being left behind. She’s smart, athletic, and funny.
Hell, she has more comebacks than you do.”

“She’s
not that good,” Meg mutters, lounging back to listen.

“I’ve
said shit purposely to try to get a rise out of her and the girl doesn’t even
squirm. She’s never shown any interest other than in the fucking milkshakes I
bring her,” I rant. Getting this off my chest may be good for me.

“You
bring her milkshakes?”

“Yeah,”
I answer defensively. “She likes them.”

“Wow,”
Meg says, lifting herself off the chair. “Looks like the only thing left for
you to do is grow a set of balls and ask her out.”

“I
can’t.”

“Afraid
she’ll say no?”

“She’s
already mentioned how she has too much bullshit going on to get involved with
anyone,” I say.

Meg’s
about to reach for the doorknob, then turns and looks at me. “If she’s really
who you want, I guess you need to give her a reason to change her mind.” She
opens the door and is ready to walk out, but stops. “Did you invite her to the
party on Sunday?” Meg throws an awesome party at her parents’ house every year
for Memorial Day.

“No.
I forgot about it.”

“So
call and invite her.”

“I
don’t have her number.”

Meg
is shaking her head as if I’ve disappointed her. “Maybe you should
ask
her for it. Why are boys so dumb?” If girls were so damn smart, why didn’t she
just give it to me? She has a look on her face like something just occurred to
her. “When was the last time you had sex?”

“Really,
Meg?” I say instead of giving her the information she wants.

“Yes,
really, Evan. Answer me.”

Only
to get her to go away, I tell her the truth. She’ll know if I’m lying, anyway.
“The night before I met Kacie.”

My
cousin smiles. “I can’t believe you are finally falling for a girl. Hopefully
Daddy’s club doesn’t suffer because of it.” She winks and disappears down the
hallway. I really want to fire her ass.

For the
next few hours, I’m buried under mounds of paperwork and phone calls. I order
the liquor. If the order isn’t right when it comes tomorrow, I’m calling my
uncle, wherever the hell he is, to get me a new distributor. I’m not tolerating
the same bullshit as last Friday. Payroll always takes the longest to do and
it’s the one thing I’d really like to delegate to someone else, but can’t. The
only good thing about it is that everything gets done online. One less person
for me to have to deal with on the phone. The last thing I need to take care of
is calling the guy we picked to be the club’s guest DJ Wednesday night. We’ve
never used him before, but he comes highly recommended from a friend of mine.
If all goes well, I’ll be able to use him whenever Nick, our normal DJ, needs a
night off.

It’s
almost time to go pick up my car from my aunt and uncle’s house. I keep it
there because they have room in their huge garage. No way in hell am I leaving
my brand new car, which needed to be imported from another country, in my condo
parking lot. Some scumbag would lift it before my front door gets unlocked. My
normal rounds around the club take a fraction of the time they normally do.
Everyone knows Meg is running the show tonight and to go to her with any
problems. They were warned when they came in this evening. I just like to make
sure everything is under control before I go.

My
cousin is waiting for me by the employee exit. “You okay?” I ask. She’s leaning
up against the wall, watching me walk toward her.

“Yes,”
she sighs. I know what she’s going to say next. She always does this. “I really
wish you wouldn’t race anymore.”

My
arm goes around her and I kiss her head. “I’ll be fine, Meg. Stop worrying.” It
would be nice if she didn’t need to know about my hobby, but if she didn’t,
she’d never cover for me. She always stresses when I race because of what
happened with my brother. Meg and Ethan weren’t very close. Actually, Meg and I
weren’t even close until I moved here, but aside from our parents, we’re the
only family we have left. “You’ll get a text as soon as I cross the finish
line.”

“I’ll
be waiting.” She gives me a sad smile. Before I’m all the way through the door,
she calls out, “Hey, Ev?”

“Yeah?”

“Please
be careful and make sure Jake watches out for you,” she pleads.

“Anything
for you,” I promise her and head out.

Forty-five
minutes later, I’m pulling up to the road closure where the first cop is
stationed. His name always escapes me, which is fucked up because the dude
always bets on me. At first, he doesn’t recognize the new car. When I reach
him, he realizes who it is.

“Hey,
man. What happened to the Mustang?”

“It
was time for something new,” I say. “Don’t worry. She’s been rebuilt on the
inside and is ready to do this.”

“Good
because I already placed my bet,” he laughs. “I doubt Chris would let me change
it.”

“You’re
probably right.” I wave as he sends me around the barricade.

The
best thing about racing here is that it’s an industrial park, so everybody is
long gone for the evening. There shouldn’t be anyone back here who isn’t
associated with the race. The cops do a sweep around the place about an hour
before Chris gets here to make sure all of the employees have left. Then, Chris
will send out his own guys to survey the area and set up. Their main job is to
keep watch for cops not involved or any other people that shouldn’t be there.
They are supposed to report back to Chris if they see anything so he can give
us a heads up to disappear. That’s only the shit we know about. All of these
companies along this road have security cameras, but nothing has ever been
reported in all the years Chris has been running this. I try not to think about
what those guys are actually doing or where they are.

The
starting line is just around the second bend to make sure it’s not visible from
the main road. When my car rounds it, I can see there are already three cars in
their designated starting locations. One of them happens to be Jake’s Camaro.
Chris is at his usual spot off to the side, leaning up against his Porsche.
I’ve always wondered if he does this racing gig just to pay for that car. He
looks up to see who’s pulling in. There’s no need for Chris to check the tablet
he’s holding in his hand because he already knows which space he wants me in.
He holds up one finger indicating I should pull into the first spot, which is
to the left of Jake. My car creeps up to the starting line while Marco, Chris’
friend, makes sure it’s in-line with the other cars. When he gives me the
signal to stop, I kill the engine and open the door.

“Danny
has been bragging about this for over a month now,” Marco calls out, pointing
to the Scirocco. “Can’t wait to see it in action.”

“I’ve
been waiting a long time for this,” I say. It’s the truth but, right now, the
only thing running through my head is Kacie being with her ex-boyfriend. What
if she realizes there’s still something between them and she goes back to him?
Why has it been impossible to stop thinking about this since leaving her house
this afternoon?

Making
my way over to check in with Chris, I see a group of girls standing in the
parking lot next to the starting line. It’s still pretty dark out here, they
won’t turn the street lights on until it’s time to race, so I can’t really tell
who it is. They are pretty loud, making it obvious they’re already tanked. With
any luck, none of them will recognize me. I’m not in the mood tonight. Why
someone tells them about the races is beyond me. The only place they should be
is at the bar everyone meets at when it’s over.

“I
was starting to worry. You’re usually the first racer here,” Chris says,
reaching out to shake my hand.

“Shit
at the club took longer than it should have.”

“Real
work blows. Wouldn’t it be nice to do this for a living?”

“Yeah,”
I sigh. “How many cars do I have to beat tonight?”

“Six.
Three of them are newbies. I hope they don’t wreck your new ride.”