Someone Like You (Someone To Love Series) (29 page)

13

BURN FOR YOU

Ally

T
he sky above Carrington spins
like a kaleidoscope in blues and swirls of early evening pink, as Kendall and I drive to Starbucks to meet with Lauren.

“It feels like enemy territory,” I whisper. I glance behind the counter. There’s no sign of my former supervisor, Gretchen, which I’m totally glad about. Today was pure torture, and I have no plans to add to it. Kendall and I melted away precious hours buying things for Morgan’s going-away party. One thing is for sure, Morgan’s going-away party is going to suck. Not having him around is going to suck even more.

“I can tell he’s on your mind.” Kendall pushes her cheek in and looks decidedly like him in the process. It’s not only going to be a living hell without him, it’s going to be impossible to be around Kendall. She’s basically him in female skin.

“He’s always on my mind,” I lament.

Penelope greets us with an uneasy smile.

“The usual?” She bites down on her lip as if a narcotics exchange were taking place.

“Yes, and one more for Lauren.” I shake my head. “You know, I can still come here. I’m not breaking the law.”

“I know.” She frowns as she scrawls our names on our respective cups. “Did you know Gretchen is gone? You should totally try and get your job back.”

“No way! What happened?”

“She went ballistic and one of the employees, who shall remain anonymous”—she blinks a smile—“filed a complaint. Melinda’s in charge now.”

“Really?” Melinda loves me. “I’ll totally talk to her.”

“She just got in. I’ll get her.” She speeds off as if that was the plan all along.

Lauren walks in just as our drinks are ready.

“Go ahead and take a seat,” I tell them. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

Melinda comes around the counter and offers a robust hug as if we hadn’t seen each other in decades. Melinda is older, and wiser, and has always reminded me a lot of Janice in her own maternal way. The blonde pixie cut sort of helps cement the connection.

“Al, this place isn’t the same without you.” She pulls back and examines me for a moment. “What’s going on? You look like your dog just died. You don’t have a dog, do you?”

“No, worse. I have a boyfriend and he’s leaving me.”

Her tiny mouth elongates in an
O
. “Guys are such jerks. Come back and work for me, and we’ll dish about this while slogging down lattes.”

“Work for you?” I wrap my arms around her neck. How I miss those apron-wearing, paycheck-riddled Starbucks days. “I accept, but do you think there’s any way you can up my hours?”

“Done.” She gives my hand a quick shake.

And with that, my dancer days are firmly behind me, even though they sort of were to begin with.

She hands me a smock and adds my name to the schedule as I make my way back to Kendall and Lauren.

“I start next week!”

“Cheers!” Lauren holds up her cup. “Everything’s falling back into place.”

I shrug.

Everything but Morgan.

“Ally”—Kendall clears her throat, her affect falling flat a moment—“I hate to even bring it up, but after the wedding, when you apologized to my brother, I have to say I’m happy that you did it but I was also kind of hurt.”

“You were?” My heart sinks like a boulder. For some reason I thought she was going to say it was sweet or just
,
well, anything but hurt.

“I was.” She looks indignant that we’re not on the same page. “Morgan is kind, caring, and gorgeous. The thought of you thinking less of him because he doesn’t come from money, actually…” Her voice grows small before disintegrating to nothing. “It made me really sad.”

“I get it.” I swallow hard and nod.

“Ally had it rough growing up.” Lauren is swift to come to my defense.

“So did I,” Kendall counters. “Welcome to the club. But I would never judge anyone because of how much money he can pamper me with.”

“I’m so sorry, and I
beg
your forgiveness.” I blow a breath from my cheeks. “Okay, here it goes. When I was fifteen my mother died. We were always broke,
always
. Tess sort of took over and made me promise I would aim financially higher than our mother did when looking for a mate.” I pause. “My dad took off before I was nine.” I can feel a knot building in my throat but I press through it. “Anyway, Tess said it was just as easy to marry a rich man as it was a poor one, so of course, being young and rebellious, I refused to listen.”

Kendall blinks back in surprise.

“I fell in love with an idiot. And, honest to God, I fell harder because he gave new meaning to the word
broke
. He was everything Mama Tess warned me about and then some. Anyway, flash forward a year later, I was knocked up, and he was staring down the barrel of an attempted murder charge.”

She gasps.

“It gets worse,” I assure you. “The day he went out on the hit, I was supposed to go with him, but I ended up sitting on the bathroom floor puking my guts up for hours with morning sickness. It turns out Ruby was already saving me.” I pan the two of them with their matching wide-eyed stares, their mouths rooted to the floor as I pour my life story over the table easy as spilling coffee. “Rory, her biological father, and the people who had the misfortune to be in his presence—they all went to prison.” I pause to keep from crying. “They tried to cover for him and ended up doing time. That would have been me. I know for a fact I was dumb enough to tell a lie or two to try and help a friend out. Not that he was much of a friend. He was a constant nightmare in my life. Turns out he was cheating on me the entire time. Anyway, I did an about-face on my poverty dating stance ever since and didn’t give a slow blink to anyone Tess wouldn’t approve of. That’s actually why I ended up at Garrison. Tess swore I’d meet someone special there as opposed to the other schools I was looking into—
and
she was right. Because of you, Kendall, I did.”

“
Aww
,” Lauren and Kendall sing in unison.

“I’m really sorry I acted like an imbecile. Do the two of you accept my apology?” I shrink a little when I ask.

“Of course!” Kendall lunges at me with a hug that feels like a balm over my judgmental soul. Kendall is Morgan’s flesh and blood, and she already feels every bit like family to me. At least with Kendall around I’ll always have a little piece of Morgan here.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I fish it out. It’s a text from Morgan.

I’ve got a big surprise for you sweetheart. Meet me at the club.

“You mind catching a ride home with Lauren?” I ask Kendall and flash the text at the two of them.

“Not at all.” She presses out a sweet dimpled grin.

“Just so you know”—I secure my purse over my shoulder—“Morgan is more than enough for me. I could live happily on canned soup for the rest of my life just knowing I have his killer smile to come home to night after night.” I lower my lashes because that’s the very thing I don’t have.

“Go on, get out of here.” Lauren averts her gaze. “You’re going to make me all weepy-eyed and ruin my mascara.”

“I’m out of here.”

And unfortunately, tomorrow, so is Morgan.

Rock Bottom is dark and empty. The faint odor of something caustic overcomes my senses as soon as I step inside, and I can’t quite put my finger on what that stench is. Smells like industrial cleanser, or turpentine. Maybe that’s the surprise? Maybe Morgan painted a giant mural over the wall asking me to marry him. Now that would be the best surprise ever. Not that we’re even close to the matrimonial phase of our relationship. We’re more at the
I hope to see you at Christmas
phase, which is alarmingly close to the
thanks for the hookup, see you around
phase. Face it, we’re all but over. Summer and Morgan both came and went in a blur, and all I have to show for it are bad tan lines and heart-stopping memories.

“Morgan?” The sound of my voice echoes through the basement. It’s too dark to properly see anything down the hall. I bet he’s in that Poker Room with his clothes off just waiting to give me a special good-bye. Perv.

As I head in that direction, a smile twitches on my lips because I totally approve of the perv in him. I hope he’s buck naked just waiting for some much-needed oral attention. God knows I’m ready to give it. In fact, I say we cancel the going-away party, which was looking to be a downer anyway, and I hold him hostage with my body until he complies with my demands and stays in Carrington forever.

“Ally?” A man calls from behind me.

“Morgan?” I whisper. Funny, it didn’t sound like Morgan. In fact, it didn’t sound
familiar
. I spin on my heels and freeze.

A tall man with scraggly hair and a lewd smile stares back at me—Dell.

“Hey there, sweetie. Bet you’re real glad to see me.” The light catches his greasy locks, with their brown and blonde skunk highlights. His clothes are filthy with splotches of mud caked over his jeans. His face is slicked with sweat.

“Been working out?” I say, sidestepping my way toward the exit. I’ve never seen Dell at the club before. I doubt he’s got a membership to Cal’s health club. The only thing Dell does for his health is cardio by way of the smallest organ of his body, and according to Tess,
small
is the operative word.

“Do you like what you see?” He taps his stomach. The light shines down over him, revealing cherry-stained eyes. He’s stoned out of his mind, and this panics me. “I can give you a piece of this if you like.” He comes in close and touches his hand to my cheek.

“I have to go. Someone’s waiting for me.” I try to jet past him, and he catches me by the elbow.

“What’s your hurry?” A greasy smile slides up his cheek, and my heart starts in on a death rattle.

“Morgan?” I cry out, trying to break free from Dell’s hold. “What the hell are you doing here?” I pant. “Let go right fucking now. The club is opening in just a few minutes.”

“No, hon, it’s not.” He tightens his grip on the soft underbelly of my arm before relenting. “You see, I’ve been observing your little joint venture with that sleazebag boy toy of yours. Opens at ten, closes at three.” He glides into a malicious grin before his features harden without notice. “I should have never let you into my club. I should have thrown you and that trash sister of yours out a hell of a long time ago.”

I shoot an open-palmed slap across his face without thinking.

“The only piece of crap here is you.” I spit it out with venom. That’s one judgment I won’t be taking back anytime soon.

Dell brightens a unique shade of crimson. He seizes onto my arm with a vice grip.

“A fucking slap?” He spits in my face as he says it. “I guess that’s what I get for doing gutter trash like you a favor.” He jostles me to the center of the room and slams me against a supporting column that’s thick as a telephone pole.

I push past him harder than before and make it five feet out before he drags me back by the hair.

A harrowing scream rips from me—so loud and shrill, it catches even me by surprise.

“Shut up.” He knocks me into the pole head first, hard enough to send a vibration reeling through the metal.