Finding Serenity (Serenity Beach) (2 page)

“This is Boomer,” Cassidy explained, as if that could actually be his real name. “These are my friends, Kennedy and Jordyn.”

“Any friend of Cass’s…” he said, twirling the bottle in his hand as he filled three plastic cups. “I’m making you a Boomer special. This is going to change your life.”

“I’m resistant to change,” I said, cautiously taking the cup from him.

“You’re funny.” Boomer winked at me and smiled again. “I like funny women.”

“Speaking of funny, how’d you get the nickname? Or is that a story I really don’t want to know?” I took a sip of the mystery drink and was pleasantly surprised. “This isn’t bad.”

“Try not to sound so shocked.” Boomer played offended and then smiled. “I like fireworks.”

“Fireworks?” It took me a second to realize he was answering my question about his name. “Oh, so things that go boom?”

“Something like that.” He winked at me.

I found myself not entirely annoyed by him, which was more than a little surprising. The nearly empty drink I held in my hand might’ve had something to do with that. “Are you a professional bartender, Boomer?”

“No way. That would be too much work.” Boomer nodded toward the other girls who were deep in conversation. “I’m a screenwriter.”

I hid a smile by taking another drink. Boomer saw it anyway.

“What? Is that funny to you?”

“No, not at all.” I shook my head in disbelief. “It just figures that everyone at this party has lives way more interesting than mine. And jobs that aren’t nearly as pathetically boring.”

Boomer laughed. “My life really isn’t that glamorous, I promise. I’ve barely written anything good. And you aren’t the only one here that has a normal life. Some people here have legitimate jobs. That guy over there, he’s a lawyer and agent.”

“An agent?” I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What kind of agent?”

“Sports agent. He represents some pretty high-profile athletes.”

Boomer refilled up my cup.

“Let’s go over by the bonfire and I’ll introduce you to some people.”

The other guests were nicer than I expected. Some of them were models like Kennedy. And some of them seemed to have no jobs at all. But the vast majority of them were from the city and seemed to be part of the sports agent’s entourage.

“What about you, Jordyn?” Boomer’s friend, Tim, asked. “How do you spend your days?”

“In a constant state of denial,” I joked. Then I remembered that I should be trying to make friends. “I’m a waitress at the Seaside Bar & Grill.”

“Waitress?” Tim smiled. “A working girl. I like it.”

I didn’t get the impression that he was being patronizing. He seemed genuinely impressed that I had a job that required me to do more than look skinny and pouty.

“Tim!” Boomer yelled from the makeshift bar. “Flip cup!”

Everyone around the bonfire cheered and jumped to their feet.

“You in?” Tim asked me.

I feigned regret as I shook my head. “I don’t want to make all of you feel bad with my flipping prowess.”

“Right.” He smiled knowingly; I wasn’t fooling him. “Keep the fire warm for me.”

I suddenly found myself alone in front of the fire, slightly tipsy. I had lost Kennedy in the crowd hours ago and the other people I had just met were all lining up their red plastic cups.

Whatever Boomer had put in his drinks, it packed a punch. Things were getting a little hazy, so at first I thought I was seeing things when a shadow passed over me.

“Feeling antisocial?” a voice asked, confirming that I wasn’t hallucinating.

I half-turned in my chair to face the owner of the voice. “Just taking a break from all the fun, thank you for asking.”

“Right. Can’t risk having too much fun.” The voice laughed.

I squinted and shielded my eyes from nothing. The voice moved closer, into the firelight, and I could see that it belonged to a very attractive young man.

“Why aren’t you at the party?” I said.

He shrugged and smiled. “I was having too much fun. Thought I could use a break.”

It was pretty obvious he was making fun of me, but I didn’t mind. He had a nice smile.

I pointed to the chair next to mine. “Would you like to sit while you’re not having fun?”

“I would. Thank you.” The chair squeaked as it absorbed his weight. “So Miss Antisocial, do you have a name?”

“I do.” I paused, suddenly feeling speechless. “I’m Jordyn.”

“Jordyn.” He nodded thoughtfully. “I like it. I’m Nolan.”

“Nolan.” I turned the name over my tongue and repeated, “Nolan. That’s a nice name. Nolan.”

He chuckled softly. “Have you been drinking tonight, Jordyn?”

“A bit.” I held up my empty cup. “Boomer juice.”

“You’re going to regret that in the morning.” Nolan settled back into his chair. “What brings you to the party?”

“My friend, Kennedy. She knows Cassidy. Cassidy knows people, and they know people…” I trailed off, trying to remember if any of us actually knew the host of the party. “I just go where I’m told.”

“You and me both.”

“Are you a model?” I asked abruptly. Nolan was good looking enough to compete with Boomer and the others.

He looked at me quizzically. “No. Is that a problem?”

I smiled. “No. That’s good.”

“What about you? Model? Actress? Superhero?” Nolan slipped his feet from his shoes and dug his toes into the sand.

“Purveyor of food and beverage.”

“Come again?”

“I provide meals to the hungry tourists at a place called Seaside Bar & Grill.” I was beginning to sober up just enough to realize how lame that sounded. “It’s not as glamorous as superhero, but it’s a job.”

“Working on a beach all day? Doesn’t sound too bad to me.”

I studied him closely to see whether he was joking. “How about you? What’s your superpower?”

Nolan studied his toes, digging them deeper into the sand. “I’m taking a break from work right now. Thinking about switching careers.”

Something in the way he said it made me sit up straighter. “Thinking of hanging up the cape, huh?”

“Something like that.” Nolan looked toward the water. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

“The ocean?” I asked and he nodded. “It’s breathtaking.”

“I always wanted to live by the ocean. There’s just something about it that is so…cosmic.”

“Deep thoughts.” The air had gone still and quiet around us except for the occasional crackle of the fire. “You sound a little like a poet.”

He chuckled. “That’s the first time I’ve ever been accused of being poetic.”

We were both quiet for several minutes. It was strange that I didn’t feel the need to fill the quiet. I was comfortable in our silence.

“It’s so peaceful,” I said quietly. “Sometimes I just want to dive in and let the waves pull me out until there’s nothing but me and the sea.”

“Now who sounds like a poet?” Nolan said with a small laugh. “If you ever decide to give it a shot, let me know. I’d like to go with you.”

“Have you ever swam in the ocean at night?” I asked. He shook his head. “You should. It’s very therapeutic.”

“Sounds nice. I can get onboard with the idea of leaving everything behind.”

“Is that a warning sign?” I tossed a twig into the fire and watched as it immediately began to crackle. “Should I get you some help?”

“Please don’t. I don’t want you to go anywhere.” He gave me a shy look. “I think I might enjoy your company.”

“You won’t,” I said fairly certainly. “I make a good first impression, but that will pass soon and you’ll grow sick of me.”

“I’m not entirely sure that you are kidding,” he said with a confused smile.

“Enough about me.” I picked up a long stick and poked it into the fire. “Where are you from originally?”

“Nebraska.”

I was surprised. “Farm boy?”

“Born and raised.” He grinned. “I can rock a farmer’s tan like it’s nobody’s business.”

“I’m sure you can,” I said without thinking, then immediately blushed. “I take it you don’t still live in Nebraska?”

“I have a home there, but it’s not where I spend most of my time.”

“Aren’t you fancy!” I joked. “Where do you prefer to spend your time?”

“Right now? On the beach with you.”

He certainly was a charmer. “Cute. Now the real answer, please.”

“What’s your story, Jordyn?” He asked, again avoiding giving a real answer. “You aren’t from Serenity.”

“You sound so sure of that.” As was always the case when someone started digging into my past, I felt uncomfortable. “Serenity is my home.”

“Fine.” His piercing eyes held on for one more second before flitting away. “I used to love to go outside and look at the sky. On the farm, you can see so many stars at night.”

“You can see quite a few of them here,” I said. Looking up, hundreds of them twinkled overhead.

Nolan’s arm brushed mine lightly. “This is nothing. Sometime I’ll take you to the farm and show you.”

“Oh you will?” I laughed. I couldn’t tell if he was being serious. “That’s not exactly a short drive.”

“We’ll take my plane.” Now he looked at me and smiled. “You free next weekend?”

In a bit of perfect timing, the high pitched squeal of someone yelling my name echoed down to us. It had to be Kennedy.

“I should go. Kennedy probably thinks I abandoned her.” I pushed out of the chair and was pleased to find that the world didn’t spin too fast around me.

“I’ll walk you back.” Nolan offered me his hand.

I thought about refusing, but my head was still a little hazy from the mystery drink and the uneven sand wasn’t helping matters.

“I’m not usually such a lightweight,” I said, leaning against him for balance.

“Everyone misjudges Boomer juice the first time.” Nolan’s hand tightened when my ankle twisted beneath me and I nearly fell. “You’re holding up better than a lot of people.”

As if on cue, Kennedy stumbled in our direction. “Where’d ya go?”

“I was on the beach with Nolan,” I said.

“Nolan?” she glared suspiciously. “Do I know you?”

“You don’t,” I said quickly. “I think we need to get you home.”

“I’m fine.” She tried to take a step forward and stumbled, landing in my arms. “Be careful. The ground is dangerous.”

I laughed. “Thanks for the tip.”

“I’ll drive us home.” Kennedy looked around in a panic. “As soon as I find my car.”

“Maybe we should call Brian.” Kennedy’s oldest friend was a long-time resident of Serenity and because he wasn’t a big drinker, he was also our favorite designated driver.

“I could give you a ride,” Nolan said.

Kennedy held up her phone triumphantly. “Wait. I already called Bry.”

I took her phone to see if that was true. Sure enough, Brian had texted to say that he was just a couple of minutes away and that we owed him big time.

“Thanks for the offer,” I said, showing him the text. “Looks like someone else gets to be the lucky chauffeur of two drunk girls.”

“The universe is always conspiring against me,” he said with a smile.

It was a slow walk to the front of the house, Nolan and I carrying Kennedy between us. She kept insisting that she was okay to walk, but her body seemed to think otherwise. By the time we got to the driveway, Brian’s beat-up Jeep was waiting with the engine running.

“This is why we don’t get invited to parties,” Brian said as Kennedy threw herself across the backseat.

“
We
get invited to plenty’a parties,” she grumbled back.

I shut the door quickly to cut off any further bickering. They were best friends, but they fought like an old married couple.

“Thanks for the help,” I said. “I’ll let you get back to actually having fun now.”

“You mean the party?” he frowned. “I can’t think of anything I would rather do less than be surrounded by a bunch of drunk strangers.”

“Well, have a good night anyway.” I opened the passenger door.

Nolan nodded. “Maybe I’ll see you around?”

“Sure. If you make it down to the beach, stop by the Seabag. Drinks are on me.”

“Deal.”

As Brian drove away, I fully expected that to be my last encounter with Nolan. It would be the perfect way to remember the night, parting with a promise to meet again but no obligation to make it happen. Empty promises were the best kind because they had no real currency. Unlike promises that were made loaded with intent, which held immeasurable value. Those promises were the ones that could break you.

So if I never saw Nolan again, that would be just fine with me.

Sundays were one of my days off, and I was glad for the extra rest when I woke up after the party. My head was consumed by a dull ache, so I popped some pain killers and downed a glass of water. Kennedy and I had plans to meet at the beach later, but I had kept my entire morning free so that I could run errands.

My bike was old, like it had probably been around in the fifties, but it was still a deep shade of blue. The large basket over the back tire was perfect for holding my groceries. Best of all, I had gotten quite a deal on it at a yard sale and it had already proven to be worth the investment.

Serenity’s downtown was in the very center of town, north of the ocean, which meant it wasn’t really downtown at all. Since it was relatively early on a Sunday morning, most people were still at home or on their way to church. I was able to bike down the middle of the road without meeting any cars along the way. Most of the shops were still closed, but I knew for a fact that the place I was headed would be open.

I left my bike leaning against a light pole without securing it- Serenity wasn’t just a name. The beach community had a very low crime rate. The shop door chimed merrily as I entered and I was greeted by a wave and a good morning from the shop owner, Callie.

This was at least my tenth trip to the store since I had discovered it a week after moving to town. Callie and I had since become good friends. Aside from Kennedy, she was the only female my age that I had gotten to know beyond a polite wave.

“Anything in particular you need today?” she asked.

“Nope, just looking around, Callie.”

She left me alone as I browsed, understanding that I couldn’t hunt for the perfect book while chatting about the latest town gossip. In the end, I approached the counter with two books.

“Did you do anything shameful this weekend?” Callie asked as she handed over my change. “I want to hear all of the details.”

“Nothing scandalous to report.” It was the question she always asked me, and my answer was always the same. Eventually she would catch on that I was about as boring as they came.

“Nothing at all?” A questioning eyebrow lift. “We need to find you a man.”

I smiled and placed the books in my bag. “I’m doing okay on my own.”

“Yeah, but you’d be doing even better if you were getting laid regularly.” Callie grinned.

“Can’t argue with that.” In my head, I found myself picturing Nolan’s warm smile. “Hey, do you know who is renting out the Estate this summer?”

“I don’t. Hopefully it’s a hot celebrity.” She winked conspiratorially. “Planning your next conquest?”

“Right.” I laughed. “See you around, Callie.”

“Go get into trouble!” she called after me. It was how we always ended our conversations, and it always made me laugh.

The town grocery store wouldn’t be open for another hour, so I crossed the street and entered the Coffee Beanery. One of the best things about being a local in a small town was that everyone knew your usual order. I had my vanilla latte in hand in less than a minute. In three months, the barista had learned how I liked my coffee; in a year, she would probably know my shoe size, favorite color, and middle name.

Only one table was occupied- a group of older men arguing politics and sports. I took the table at the front so I could people-watch through the large, bay windows. Since no one was milling about yet, I opened one of my books and let myself get swept away in the story. The door chimed several times while I read, but I didn’t look up because I was lost in another world. When a second coffee cup was placed on my table, I looked up in surprise.

“You seem to be recovering well.”

I barely recognized Nolan in the daylight, especially with the baseball cap he wore low over his eyes. If it hadn’t been for his trademark crooked smile, I might not have connected him with the stranger from last night. “The morning is certainly improving. Join me?”

He pulled out the chair across from me and folded his long body into the seat. He gestured to my book. “What are you reading?”

I lifted it so he could see the cover. “It’s a memoir about a prisoner of war.”

“Sounds deep.” He lifted his coffee and pursed his lips, blowing cool air into the cup. “Not exactly light reading on a Sunday morning.”

“What brings you downtown so early?” It was unusual to run into anyone in my age bracket until at least noon.

“I’m a bit of a morning person.”

“Really? After last night, I would’ve mistaken you for a night owl.”

“It’s pointless trying to go to bed early in that house.” He took a long sip.

“So you’re staying in the Estate?” I hadn’t even considered that possibility last night. Somehow I’d just assumed he had been a guest like me. “How many people are staying there with you?”

“Officially? There’s four of us. But we’ve added some people in the last couple of days.” He sounded annoyed.

“You don’t like your new friends?” I teased.

“I came to Serenity to get away. I needed some time to think.” He looked out the window, lost in thought. “I didn’t come here to get drunk with strangers and make new friends.”

I could tell I was treading on sensitive ground so I tried to lighten the conversation. “I have the opposite problem. My winning personality hasn’t made me many friends.”

“No boyfriend?” he asked directly.

“Nope.”

Nolan exhaled dramatically. “That’s a relief.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. I was about to feel bad about how shamelessly you were flirting with me last night.”

“Oh really? You thought I was flirting with you?” I pretended to be offended. “It must be hard to navigate life with such little self-awareness and such a giant ego.”

He ignored my insult. “I’m not saying I didn’t like the flirting, I just think we should talk more about where this relationship is going.”

I reopened my book, pretending to dismiss him. “It was nice seeing you again, Nolan. Have a nice stay in Serenity.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.” He tugged the book away. “Don’t deny this thing that’s happening between us.”

“Annoyance?” I nodded. “I won’t deny that.”

“Please. You’re enjoying this salty banter as much as I am. You totally want me right now.”

“I
want
you?” This time my incredulous tone was not fake. “You missed a couple of words. I
want
you to leave.”

“You can stop, okay?” He shook his head. “Playing hard to get… Denying your feelings…Those are tactics directly from the pages of my own book.”

“I don’t read books of fantasy.”

“Well played.” He chuckled loudly. “You’re a witty woman, Jordyn.”

“I have my moments.” My coffee was almost gone and the grocery store had been open for fifteen minutes, but I wasn’t in a hurry to leave. “So you never answered my question last night. What are you doing in Serenity?”

“Vacation.” His face became serious. It was rare to see him without a smile and I studied him closely. He hadn’t bothered shaving and his hair stuck out in messy tufts beneath his hat, but with his defined jaw and sharp nose, he could give any model a run for their money.

I remembered that I hadn’t even bothered brushing my hair before leaving the apartment. Hopefully, the messy beach-hair look was still trendy. “How long are you staying?”

“This trip is open-ended.” He tugged at the brim of his cap. “What about you? Have you lived here long?”

“A couple of months.”

“Where did you leave before that?”

“Elsewhere.”

His smile returned. “Are you always this difficult?”

“I’ve been told that I am.” I noticed that he was slowly rotating his left shoulder, wincing almost imperceptible. “Old sports injury?”

He looked at me in surprise. “Why do you ask?”

“You need to work on your poker face.”

He looked at me, still slightly confused. “You’re very perceptive.”

“I like to study people. Figure out their secrets.”

“Really? So what else have you learned about me?”

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. “You used to be an athlete. You’re tall, but lanky. Not football. I would guess baseball. You have enough money that you were able to pick up and move to Serenity for an indeterminate amount of time. And you are used to getting unwanted attention which is why you haven’t shaved or gotten a haircut recently, not to mention that hat. You’re trying to keep people from approaching you.”

“That’s pretty good.”

“You should know it won’t work.”

“Why’s that?” He tilted his head curiously.

“Your smile. It’s too memorable. One glimpse of that smile and they won’t be able to look away.” At this, his smile grew even wider. Something warm began to build in my chest and warning flags started to fly. I reached for my bag. “I really need to get going.”

Nolan’s face fell. “Of course. Thanks for letting me join you.”

“It was nice to see you again.” A little too nice, actually. He looked like he was about to ask me something, probably the very thing I longed for him to ask, but I didn’t give him a chance. “See ya around.”

I skipped out of the coffee shop without looking back. My bike was still waiting for me, and as I pedaled away, I told myself that I had done the right thing. If Nolan had asked for my number, or tried to make plans for us to see each other again, I would’ve said yes. But when I made the decision to move to Serenity, I had made a deal with myself that I wouldn’t make any more rash decision. I wouldn’t let myself leap before looking. More importantly, I swore that I wouldn’t let the innocent people in my life become victims of my past.

Kennedy disagreed vehemently when I told her an abbreviated version of events later at the beach.

“You just walked away? Are you crazy?” She sat up in her lounger. “Do you know how rare it is for a decent guy to wash up on these shores?”

“We don’t know anything about him. He could be a serial killer.”

“If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it in the ocean last night. Your body would’ve washed away and no one would’ve been able to connect him to the crime.”

“Wow, you came up with that murder scene awfully fast. Should I be worried?” I pushed my sunglasses up my nose and settled back in my chair.

“Why don’t you want to see him again?”

“Because I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”

“You haven’t gone a single date since I’ve known you. It’s like you want to be a nun.”

“I’m not Catholic.”

“So?” Kennedy took a loud sip from her drink.

“Go back to your magazine,” I advised. While shopping for groceries, I had also stocked up on Kennedy’s favorite trashy magazines. They made excellent beach reading material.

She happily reached for the next one in the stack and thumbed through the pages. I closed my eyes as she filled me in on celebrity news.

“It’s such a shame,” she said with a sigh.

“What is?” I asked automatically.

“Kiki Lawson broke up with her gorgeous boyfriend. He was, like, this star pitcher in baseball and then he got hurt.” She let out another even more dramatic sigh. “She says it was too much stress on their relationship, but I would’ve had no problem nursing him back to health.”

I took the magazine with no intention of getting sucked in. But that was before I saw a picture of the ex-boyfriend. “This is him?” I asked, just to be sure.

“I know. He’s gorgeous.” Kennedy smiled knowingly.

She was right. He was striking- dark hair, piercing eyes, and a stunning smile. A smile that I had gotten to know quite well in the last sixteen hours or so. But only one pictured showed him smiling- the before picture. The rest of the pictures showed a much darker side of the baseball player. Glaring, drinking, and flipping off cameramen. In those pictures he had no trace of a smile. “You don’t happen to know his name, do you?”

“Yeah, let me think for a sec.” Kennedy snapped her fingers. “Something Meyers. I think it starts with an S? No, wait. Nolan! His name is Nolan Meyers.”

Nolan. My Nolan. The same Nolan that I’d had coffee with just hours ago. The same one that had held my hand and walked me to the car last night. The same Nolan whose smile could light up a room, but who also had guarded, impenetrable eyes.

“I know him,” I said, more to myself than to Kennedy.

“You know Nolan Meyers, the most sought after bachelor in America?” she asked dubiously.

“No,” I shook my head furious. I didn’t know that man at all. “I know Nolan. I had coffee with him this morning and hung out with him at the party last night.”

“Nolan Meyers is your mystery man? The guy that helped put me in Brian’s car was Nolan Meyers?” Kennedy’s voice hit a pitch that was nearly painful. “You ran away from him this morning? What’s wrong with you? How do you run away from that?” She slapped a hand over a picture of Nolan.

“I didn’t run away,” I said, dropping the magazine. I didn’t like this version of him. “And it’s not like he told me about his identity.”