Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 (9 page)

“I’ll
do it now, if that’s okay?”

“Absolutely.”
I open the bottom drawer of the desk and pull everything out that I need her to
do. “I had two girls leave recently so there are plenty of hours available.
When you’re done here, I’ll take you back to Meg and she’ll show you the
schedule. You can have as many hours as you like.”

“Thank
you so much, Evan. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re
welcome. I’m glad we could help each other out.”

I
sit there, fiddling around on my phone until she finishes all the papers and
hands them back to me. Meg ends up coming into the office to see how things are
going. “She’s all yours.” I smile up at her. “She can have any of the open
hours she wants. Ashley, if you have any questions on concerns, here’s my card.
It has my cell and the office’s direct line. Call whenever you need to.” I
leave the two of them to work out the rest of the details. One problem solved.

“Thank
you again.” She stands up to shake my hand.

“Welcome
to Skyline. I’ll see you again soon. Meg, if you need me, you know where to
find me.”

Just
as I step behind the bar, Molly comes up. “How did it go?” she asks.

“I
hired her. I know you wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t someone you trusted.”

“Thank
you. She’s a good kid,” Molly tells me.

“Hey,
do you know who has Jade Quinn’s table?”

“I’m
not sure. Want me to find out?”

I
shake my head. “Could you come back in about ten minutes? I need you to do me a
favor.”

“No
problem.”

I
set to making up a tray full of the brain hemorrhage shots that I made for
Kacie last night. My mind is still not made up about what to do, but there’s no
ignoring how I haven’t stopped thinking about her. I tried. Man, did I try.
She’s friends with Jake, though. So if I see Jake, I’m more than likely going
to see her, at least for as long as she stays in town. We’ll just have to see
how it goes.

When
Molly comes back, I instruct her to take the tray to the table, but not tell
them who it’s from. Standing behind the bar, I watch as she walks across the
room to deliver the shots. Kacie still hasn’t noticed what they are. It looks
like she’s talking to one of the girls. Someone must say something because she
turns to look at them and her head pops up. She knows they’re from me. The huge
shit-eating grin that spreads across my face can probably be seen from all the
way over there. It doesn’t take her long to spot me. Once our eyes lock, I can
feel my smile start to fade. Suddenly, the distance between us feels entirely
too large.

Someone
calls my name. I didn’t want to be the one who breaks our stare first, but I
have to see who it is in case it’s important. It turns out to be a regular just
wanting to talk. When my eyes look back in Kacie’s direction, she’s no longer
sitting at the table. Her chair is empty and Jake is watching me from the spot
next to where she was. Where the hell did she go? I go to run out from behind
the bar to look for her, only to almost knock her over. Just the sight of her
so close leaves me breathless. Tonight she has on a gray sundress. She must
have been outside for most of the day because her skin has a lot more color
than it did yesterday. Her hair is pulled up with a few of her natural curls
hanging on either side of her face. Then she smiles at me. I’m not sure what
that feeling is in my chest, but I’ll worry about it later.

“If
you’re going to send over shots for the whole table, the least you could have
done was come over and have one with us,” Kacie tells me, placing a full shot
glass on the bar next to my hand. I didn’t even realize my hand had gripped
onto it.

She’s
holding her glass out to me. I pick up the one she set down for me and tap it
to hers. “Welcome home,” I tell her, since that’s what she’s celebrating.

“It’s
good to be home,” she says as we both down our shots. “That’s good and
disgusting all at the same time.” Kacie holds the back of her hand up to her
mouth and shakes her head. She makes me laugh with the expression on her face
when she drinks those.

“They’re
definitely a conversation starter.”

“That
they are.” Kacie looks over at her table, then back to me. “Thank you for
sending them over.”

“No
problem. Did your friends like them?”

She
looks down at her shoes and then back up at me. “I didn’t wait around to find
out.” My smile may have just gotten a little bit bigger. “You looked like you
were busy before I walked up here. I’ll let you get back to work. Thank you
again.” Kacie starts to walk away.

“Actually,
my cousin just offered to take over for a bit. Looks like I have some time to
kill.”

Kacie
bites her bottom lip, almost as if she’s trying to hold in a smile. “Want to
come over for a drink? Jake’s there. I’m sure he would like some company.”

“You
don’t mind? I wouldn’t want to crash your party.”

“Crash
away,” she insists.

“I’m
going to grab a beer. You want one?”

“Sure.”

I
grab two bottles from behind the bar and we walk over together. Jake moved over
a spot so I could sit next to her. I hold out Kacie’s stool and offer her a
hand onto it. She lays her hand in mine. It’s hard to let her go once she’s in
place. Jade whispers something to her, but she only answers with a look. Jake
introduces me to everyone. One of the guys I recognize as someone from my
mechanic’s shop. Two beers later, I’m still talking more to Jake and the guys
than to Kacie, but that’s really to be expected when there are a bunch of
people around. She’ll ask me a question every now and then, or I’ll get her
attention with some stupid shit. However, watching her interact with her
friends is very helpful in getting to know more about her.

Out
of nowhere, this guy appears in between Kacie and myself. His back is to me and
it’s evident he’s about to hit on her. My first thought is to grab him by the
back of his shirt and strangle his ass. Jake taps my arm and when I take a
quick look at him, he shakes his head. Then he tilts his bottle of beer in
Kacie’s direction. He wants me to watch her, but not say anything? Is he for
real? I’m sitting right here and this douche bag has the balls to come up to
her. I know we aren’t together or anything, but what the fuck?

“So,
I was…,” douche bag starts to say before Kacie cuts him off.

“Get
lost,” is all she says. She’s dead serious, staring right at him. To be honest,
if a girl ever did that to me, I’d probably laugh. But if Kacie ever did that
to me, I’d be afraid. Dude leaves with his tail between his legs. I smile into
my bottle of beer and Jake starts chuckling next to me.

As
if nothing happened, Kacie turns to me. Her eyes are pretty glazed over. She’s
such a lightweight and is probably going to feel this tomorrow morning, if not
before. Molly happens to be walking by, so I ask her to bring some water to the
table. “Why did you leave New York?” Kacie asks me, leaning her chin on her
hand. She’s probably having trouble holding it up on her own. Wow, that’s a
tough question to for me to answer, considering I don’t know her very well. Not
yet anyway.

“It
was time to move on,” I tell her.

“Did
you run out of girls there?” She’s obviously teasing by the look in her eyes
and her cocky grin.

“No,
smart ass. What kind of shit have you been telling her, Jade?” I joke around.

“Only
the truth, handsome,” Jade slurs and winks at me. She’s loaded, too.

“I
hope they don’t throw up in your car, Jake.”

“Me,
too. I drove the Camaro. I just might throw them both in the bed of your
pickup. At least you can hose that shit out.” We both start to laugh, but mine
disappears the second I start to say something else to Kacie. There’s another
guy leaning on the back of her chair. I don’t need Jake’s warning this time. My
curiosity takes over at how this will play out. Does she always have this many
guys hitting on her when she goes out? Probably.

“My
friend and I were watching you from…,” idiot number two begins.

“Seriously?
That’s
what you decided to go with?” Kacie suddenly looks completely
sober. “Did you not think this through on your way over here? Is that what you
practiced in the mirror before you came out tonight? Go the hell away.” 

Jade
and the other girls burst out laughing. “Kacie, I’ve seriously fucking missed
you!” Danielle tries to say through her fit of laughter. Kacie doesn’t look as
entertained as her friend. She actually looks very irritated at the intrusions.

Jake’s
chuckling again. “What was I telling you earlier?” he whispers. “
That’s
the Kacie Foster you get when she’s not interested. Being ignored doesn’t
really seem so bad now, does it?”

“No
shit,” is all I can say.

“Come
on,” Kacie leans back on her stool. “If a guy’s opening line is admitting he’s
a stalker, you know damn well I’m getting rid of his ass as soon as possible.”

“That
poor guy was nervous as shit. Did you see him? He was covered in sweat,” Gabe
adds, laughing.

“It’s
fifty damn degrees in here. I’m freezing. He shouldn’t be sweating. That’s
nasty.” She finishes off her glass of water.

“You’ll
never get any if you chase off every guy after only a few words,” Amber teases.
“You know how dumb they are. You should at least give them a chance.”

 “If
the guy is worth getting any from, he won’t be using stupid ass lines to get my
attention.”

“What
was wrong with the first guy?” Gabe’s friend Lance asks.

“The
first guy stepped between me and my new friend, Evan,” she says, putting her
hand on my arm and turning to me. “That’s just rude.”

Yeah,
that’s what I thought, too.

Kacie

There
may be a slight possibility I drank a little too much last night. The pounding
in my head is as loud as a jackhammer on a crowded city sidewalk. It’s probably
best not to think about the feeling in my stomach because only something bad
will come of that. My entire body feels like I’ve had the flu for a month. The
knocking at the door hurts my head even more.

“Stop
banging so loud!” I call out.

Jake
comes in, laughing. “That wasn’t even loud,” he informs me.

“Yes,
it was,” I mumble, pulling the blanket over my head.

“Are
you going to get out of bed sometime today?” Jake sits down beside me. He was
afraid to let me go home by myself last night, so I stayed at his house.

“No.”
I realize someone is missing. “Where’s Jade?”

“She
woke up a few hours ago and didn’t want to disturb you with her moaning and
groaning. Fortunately for me, she fell back to sleep on the sofa downstairs.”

I
pull down the blankets to see he’s dressed and ready for the day. “What time is
it?”

“Three
o’clock.”

“No,
it’s not,” I say.

Jake
laughs again. “Yes, it is. Here’s your Coke.” He hands me the familiar red can
and two aspirin.

“You’re
so good to me,” I tell him, slowly sitting up.

“Evan
called me twice to check on you.”

“Oh
no! Did I do anything completely mortifying?” I ask, suddenly worried I made an
ass out of myself.

“No,
but I think you might have scared him when you so rudely sent those other guys
away.”

“They
deserved it.” I crack open the can and slowly drink some.

“I
think Evan likes you,” Jake announces.

“He
likes girls who scare him?”

“Guess
so. Who knew?” He’s careful when he continues, “I also think you like him.”

I
start to disagree, but stop myself. “Doesn’t matter. I didn’t come home for
that shit.”

“Sometimes
things happen when you least expect them to, Kacie,” he says, standing up.
“Come downstairs after you’ve cleaned yourself up.” He’s laughing at me yet
again, so I throw a pillow at him. He catches it easily. “I’ll make you
something to eat for your upset stomach,” he says, over his shoulder. He leaves
the room and quietly closes the door behind him.

Dropping
back onto the pillows behind me, my aching head begs me not to think about Evan
right now. The only thing I should be pondering is how to keep my parents from
taking the house. The money Gram left me and my job at Shining Stars should be
enough to pay the bills. The worst thing that could happen is I find a
roommate, but that probably won’t be necessary. Being a grown-up really isn’t
all it’s cracked up to be.

By
the time I shower and make my way to the kitchen, Jade is already finishing up
the soup her brother made for us to eat. “Next weekend, I’m staying home,” I
inform Jade, dropping into the seat across from her.

This
perks her right up. “No, you are not! That’s Memorial Day weekend. We’re doing
something fun.”

Jake
sets a steaming hot bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of me and sits down at
the table. “Thanks,” I say.

Jake’s
cell ringing on the counter behind me interrupts us. He sighs. “I should make
you
answer this time,” he says, giving me the evil eye. He walks over to pick up
his phone. “Or, better yet, I’ll just give him your number,” he mutters,
answering it. “Hey, Evan… Yeah, she’s finally up… Define okay.” Jake gives me
another nasty look. “She’s showered and attempting to eat something but, by the
look on her face, it doesn’t look promising.”

Jade
throws a cracker at me. “Did you really need to encourage him last night?”

“Don’t
start with me, Jade.” I push the noodles around the bowl with my spoon. “He
sent over shots for all of us. I was polite and asked him to hang out.
Obviously, we’re going to be seeing each other around. I’m not going to make it
awkward for myself.”

“I’ll
tell her,” Jake says, loud enough for me to hear. “Sounds good. Later.” He
returns his phone to the counter and comes back to the table. “Evan wanted me
to let you know that you can call him if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”
I don’t make eye contact with either of them.

“You
need to let this go,” Jake says to his sister.

“Excuse
me?”

“You
heard me. Evan hasn’t done anything wrong. If you think about it, he hasn’t
acted like himself since he met Kacie. Maybe you should cut him some slack. And
I guess you should know. He and I had a little chat last night. You have
nothing to worry about.”

“What
did you say?” She’s irritated by this piece of information.

“He
said he wants to get to know her and I let him know that his usual bullshit
won’t fly. You know he called three times today to check on her, right? He
didn’t have to hang out with us last night or help me get the both of you to
the car. I really think something’s different.”

“I’m
not convinced,” Jade says, crossing her arms.

“You
guys know I’m sitting here, right?” I snap. “Why are you acting like I’m a
helpless child who’s unable to make decisions?”

“Kacie,
I’m just looking out for you,” she defends herself.

“I
know and I appreciate it. Don’t forget, Jade. We’ve done exactly what you’re
worried about him doing to me a few times ourselves.”

“We’re
nothing like him.”

“We
can be.”

“Do
you like him?”

“I
don’t really know him. He’s been very nice and hasn’t even tried to hit on me.
Let’s just not worry about it, okay?”

She
sighs. “Okay.”

“Has
Kyle called you?” If we can get the conversation focused on her, maybe she will
let this go.

“He
texted me a little while ago,” she gloats. “He asked me to go out one night
this week, but I said I wanted to double check with you first.”

“You
don’t need to check with me. Just because I’m home doesn’t mean you have to
entertain me every night.” I smile at her.

She
looks excited. “I’ll talk to him later. Want to watch a movie?”

“Sure.”
I’ll do anything if it’ll get me out of talking about Evan.

***

For
the rest of the afternoon and some of the evening, Jade and I lie around and
watch a couple of movies. Jake’s probably sick of babysitting us because he
took off a while ago and hasn’t come back yet. I’m going to have to be more
careful when I drink. Jake shouldn’t feel like he has to give up his life to
take care of me. Just as I’m getting ready to walk out of the Quinn’s backdoor,
Jade’s phone buzzes. The gigantic smile on her face lets me know it’s Kyle and
she’ll be busy for the rest of the night. I blow her a kiss before heading
home.

Walking
through the yard at sunset reminds me of all the evenings Gram and I would
spend out here together. We would sit in the swing over by the garden, trying
to decide what to plant next. Sometimes we’d walk down to the dock and watch
the boats coming in. There were also times we’d lounge by the pool, waiting for
the stars to come out. That’s when the two of us would have our more serious
talks. We’d be out here for hours at a time. “What I wouldn’t give to have one
last night with you,” I say out loud, even though there’s no one to hear me.

Once
safely inside the house, I decide to try and eat something. I start rummaging
through the cabinets, only to discover it’s time to go grocery shopping. A bag
of pretzels and a bottle of water will have to do for tonight. Before I leave
the kitchen, sight of the hallway which leads to Gram’s room brings me to a
halt. Eventually, I’m going to have to go in there, but not now. I’m going to
go upstairs with my snack, find a book, and pretend, just for tonight, that
everything’s okay.

***

The
new morning brings a refreshed me. My hangover from yesterday is gone and I
feel great. After making my bed and relaxing on the balcony, a nice long run is
exactly what I need. My exercise routine has gotten way off track since
graduation day a week ago. Getting back on a schedule is what’s most important.
I function so much better that way.

Running
through the neighborhood is therapeutic. The familiarity of it is very
comforting, even knowing the big house that awaits me at the end is and will
always be empty. There’s my best friend’s house, the park around the corner
where all the kids play, the house of the boy Jade and I used to have a crush
on, and the road that leads to the middle school we went to. Even though my
parents live about twenty minutes away and they could pop up at any time, it’s
still home.

After
my run and a quick shower, I find myself in the kitchen looking around to see
what I need from the store. My list quickly becomes quite long. I loathe
grocery shopping. It’s one of my most hated chores. As I’m looking in the last
cabinet, the shiny key in the juice glass catches my eye. I take a deep breath
and grab it. My legs take me down the short hallway to Gram’s master suite.
“Just go in, take a look around, make sure everything’s there, and get out,” I
whisper.

The
key slides into the lock and the click of it opening echoes in my head. Very
slowly, the door opens and I hesitate before stepping into the sitting room.
Thanks to the large windows at the far end of the room and the light yellow
paint on the walls, the room is ridiculously bright. It was also Gram’s
favorite room in the whole house. Right in front of the windows are two large,
plush chairs, separated by a table with a ceramic lamp on it. The chairs are
white with yellow accent pillows. On the wall next to them is a double-room
fireplace encased in gray stone. To the left of the room is the doorway into
the largest bathroom I’ve ever seen. Just inside of the room, on my right, is
Gram’s desk. This is where she’d work for hours on end, grading students’ work
or dealing with other paperwork for Shining Stars. Her laptop is still sitting
closed on top of it. I walk over to it and wipe the dust off of it with my
fingers.

The
wall above the desk is covered with framed pictures of every class Gram has
ever taught. She would say that looking up at them was her motivation to keep
going when things got rough. Immediately, my eyes fix on the one she purposely
put at eye level. I lean over the desk chair to get a closer look of my third
grade class. A younger version of me is standing right next to the best teacher
I’ve ever had. She was also the hardest teacher I’ve ever had. Occasionally,
she would give me a more difficult assignment than the rest of the class. One
day, I came home crying, thinking Gram didn’t love me anymore. Later that
night, she stopped by my parents’ house to tell me the only reason she assigned
this particular project was because she knew I could do it. She told me how it
was her job to challenge the students who needed it. I remember working on it
for an entire weekend. Gram had given it to another teacher to grade so there
was no conflict of interest. I got an A.

I
make my way over to the set of closed double doors that lead to my
grandmother’s bedroom. Placing both my hands on the knobs, I turn them and push
the doors all the way open. This room is decorated completely different than
the sitting room. The walls in here are a deep purple and go well with her dark
wood canopy bed. The bed, two nightstands, and one long dresser are the only
pieces of furniture. A walk-in closet bigger than the average bedroom is on my
right. There are two sets of glass French doors, which lead outside. One opens
to a garden, and the other opens to a patio that overlooks the pool.

My
eyes fill with tears when I remember the last time I was in this room. It was
the night I was left behind.

The
private nurse we hired to take care of Gram in her final days had just ushered
my parents and my brother out of the house at my grandmother’s request. I had
been waiting in my room for them to leave, so she came in to tell me they were
gone and Gram was still awake. I hurried down the stairs and knocked lightly on
Gram’s open bedroom door before going in. The door was always open because
Linda, the nurse, would sit right outside of it.

The
fireplace was blazing because Gram was always cold. There were machines set up
next to the bed that Linda had brought in two days prior. I walked over to the
bed and Gram looked up at me.

“Please
tell me they’re gone,” she whispered.

“They’re
gone,” I told her.

“Thank
goodness.” I remember smiling at her. “Kacie, could you please stay with me
tonight?” I had slept with her every night since I had come home for winter
break and I’d fly home every weekend.

“Sure,
Gram.” I walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled in beside her, underneath
her huge comforter and fuzzy blanket. I laid on my side, holding her small,
fragile hand in mine. Then I put my head on the pillow next to her shoulder,
careful not to hurt her.