The Lost Days (Prairie Town Book 3) (7 page)

And no matter how big of a dick Shiloh had been to Valerie, it still hurt to say goodbye.

With his mother gone, Shiloh gone, and Valerie gone, what did he have that would keep him in Virginia?

Not a damn thing.

So he packed up and moved to Prairie Town, his hometown, and decided to focus on a career and saving up money for things that mattered.

He never intended on meeting Kelly Spencer or feeling such a strong attraction to her.

And God above, he definitely didn’t mean to find his potential roommate to be handsome either.

Avoid the problem.
That tiny voice of reason played over and over in his mind as he poured Devin a glass of wine and sat down across from him at the kitchen table. 
If you stop thinking about it, it won’t become an issue.  Don’t make this into another Shiloh/Valerie situation.

But the more he talked to Devin, the more he realized he might not have anything to worry about.  As far as he could tell the guy was as straight as an arrow and that would benefit them both.

I can’t be tempted if he’s not tempted.

But that was a damn lie.  He’d had a crush on the quarterback in high school, and no matter how much the guy claimed to like girls he loved getting sucked off an awful lot more.

I just won’t take any chances.  Why can’t I focus on having a nice time with Kelly and getting to know her?  I can treat Devin like a friend—only a friend.  It won’t be hard.

And that’s what he decided on as they shook hands nearly two hours later and he pulled out the roommate agreement he whipped up on a whim.

“Welcome to your new humble abode.” He shook his hand and gave him another grin, reminding himself that they would be friends, and only that.

“Thanks.  I appreciate it.” Devin nodded.  “When can I move in?”

“Whenever you want is fine by me.  Just remember I’m going to need half the rent by the end of the month.  Will that be an issue?”

“Not at all.  I think I have some money saved up, but if not, I’ll be getting a job soon anyway so it won’t be an issue.”

“You think?” Nick cocked his head to the side.  “How do you ‘think’ you have money without being sure?”

Devin released an exasperated sigh—and damn him, that was cute—and shrugged.  “It’s a long story, really. But—”

A light knock on the door interrupted his explanation and as much as Nick wanted to hear it, he also wanted to know who the hell else was visiting his house.  Since when had he become so popular?

“Excuse me for a second.” He flashed a dazzling smile in Devin’s direction and hurried to the door, quickly pulling the door open again.

What a pleasant surprise it was to see none other than Miss Cuteness herself standing on his doorstep with a plate of cookies in tow.  She peered up at him with those big, beautiful eyes of hers and he was a goner.

“Hi.” Her nervous smile gripped his heart and squeezed it as she held the cookies towards him.  “I made these.  For you.  It’s the neighborly thing to do.  I thought maybe no one else had brought you anything aside from Mrs. Harrington and that’s just unacceptable.  Plus, it was very kind of you to stop by so late last night.  I really appreciate that.”

She was talking a hundred miles a minute and a grin slowly spread across his lips as he leaned against the doorframe and arched a brow.

“That’s very kind of you, Kelly.  Thank you for the cookies.  But I have to ask—what kind are they?”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink as she peered at the aluminum foil hiding the delicious treats from view.  “Well, I wasn’t really sure what you liked so I made chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.  I hope one of those will be okay?”

“Are you kidding?  I love both.” He took the plate from her hands and stepped aside so she could enter.  “Won’t you please come in?”

“Oh.” She seemed to be in a tough debate as she glanced towards the sidewalk and then moved her eyes back to his.  “Well, I probably shouldn’t stay for long.  Mrs. H. stopped by to watch my kids so I could run out and get the supplies you’ll need to fix the pipes in the basement and—”

“That’s unacceptable.” He eyed her, but his gaze was neither stern nor mean.  He hoped she could tell he was teasing her as he nodded towards the living room and chuckled.  “I will get everything necessary to fix that, Kelly, so consider this a free hour—and just in time, too.  I’d like you to meet someone.”

“Oh?”

That seemed to be the only word she really knew at the moment. 

He thought it was the cutest ‘oh’ in history.

“Yes, my new roommate.  Maybe being in the presence of a pretty girl will help him loosen up a bit.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far...”

“Nonsense,” he scolded her gently.  “Don’t even think about saying that.  You are very pretty—no—beautiful.  You’re beautiful.  Now come on in before the rain gets you.”

He watched as she turned to gaze up at the sky and she released a small noise of disgust.

“I’m not sure I can take any more rain this month.” She stepped inside and he closed the door behind her, more than happy to hide the gloomy clouds from their view.  “There’s been talk of a hurricane soon.  I’m not fond of those.”

“I’d say not.” He followed her into the kitchen.  “I’ve been through a few of those myself and—oof!  Why’d you stop?” He nearly knocked her over when she backed up in front of him and he narrowly saved the plate of cookies from a tragic end.

“Kelly?” Devin said in a quiet voice.  “That’s your name, isn’t it?  Kelly?”

“Yes,” she replied with a small nod.  “You’re...you’re the roommate, Devin?”

“Ah, so you two know each other?” Placing the cookies on the counter, he howled with happiness on the inside.  If Kelly and Devin were already acquainted then half the hard work was already done.

No!
  His mind screamed. 
We are not going through this again.

Right.  Lessons learned.  Mistakes made.  Devin was only meant to be a friend, etc.  Even though he knew all of this already, he wasn’t very good at listening.

“Yes, we do.” Kelly turned her head to gaze at him and her lips anchored into an undeniable frown.  “We went to school together.”

“And that’s...bad?” He glanced back and forth between them.

“It’s not really bad.” She hugged one arm around her chest and then shifted her weight from one foot to the other.  “He just doesn’t remember it.”

“How does he not remember it?” Nick almost choked on a cookie as he crammed it into his mouth.  Quickly reaching for his glass of wine, he washed it down.  “As much as I’d
like
to forget most of the people I graduated with, it’s hard to do.”

Kelly’s eyes grew big and she looked to Devin again.  “You haven’t told him?”

Devin hung his head in shame and Nick’s curiosity got the best of him.  “Told me what?”

“Oh, my.” Her small hand rested against her chest and Kelly sighed.  “You may want to sit down for this.”

“Okay, but can I at least get another cookie first?  These are delicious.”

That earned him a smile and he’d happily take it.  Making Kelly smile gave him incredible happiness.

Maybe she would let him make her happy, too.  Someday.

Maybe they both will.

But not before he learned the reasoning behind Devin’s inability to remember going to school with Kelly.  That just didn’t make sense; no man could possibly forget going to school with such a gorgeous specimen.

So he pulled out a seat for Kelly—manners: he had them—and then sat down across from her, patiently waiting for Devin to start his story.

But it was the shortest story in history.

“I was in an accident about eleven months ago and I lost all my memories.” The blue-eyed male pursed his lips together and looked down at his lap, his nervous mannerisms now completely understandable.  “I don’t remember anything.”

“Well, I didn’t see that coming.” Nick’s chin rested against his fist as he peered from one beautiful creature to the other, and then he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.  “Is that it?  You don’t remember how you lost your memories?”

“I don’t.  They had to tell me my name.  I don’t recognize my family, I don’t remember what it was like growing up with my brothers,”—that earned a roll of Kelly’s eyes—“and I really hate it.”

“You’re not missing out on much,” Kelly mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Interesting.” Nick stroked his chin and smiled in hopes of easing the sudden tension that blanketed them.  “Why do you say that, Kelly? I mean it’s obvious you’re familiar with this strapping young lad—why not help him remember?”

“It’s not my place to say.” Her response was short and a little cold.  He hadn’t expected that.

“It’s okay, Kelly.  I know I was a terrible person before that accident.  It’s something people like to remind me of often—like your friend Jeb.”

“Jeb?” Just like a damn cat, Nick had to keep asking questions.

“Jeb is one of my friends from childhood.” Kelly’s smile was nowhere to be seen as she rested an elbow against the table and ran her fingers through her hair.  Perhaps it was only a nervous habit.  “You can’t really blame him for how he’s treating you right now, Devin.  I probably would react in the same way if it was my sister.”

“Sister? What sister?” His eyes darted back and forth between them; he was too curious and even more anxious about the answer he’d receive.  What if he’d just signed a contract with the devil?

All devils are easy on the eyes.

“Laney.  She’s talking about Laney.” Devin’s shoulders slumped and he slowly lifted his gaze to meet Nick’s.  Now, he didn’t know the kid from Adam, but it was easy to see the guilt eating at him as he squirmed in his chair.  It was obvious he didn’t like talking about what little information he did have about his past.

Nick felt bad for him.

“Apparently, I was a huge, sadistic asshole and I got it in my head I could pull off a ransom.  I don’t...I don’t feel I’d ever do such a thing, but those are the facts.  Along with a psychotic girl named Mia—”

“Your girlfriend,” Kelly corrected.

“Right, my girlfriend.  We kidnapped Laney and her boyfriend and held them for ransom.  It’s unforgivable, I know.  I’m downright despicable and I deserve to be hated.  It still happened though and I can’t change that. I’m sorry, Kelly, but that doesn’t seem to matter now.  I don’t think it will ever matter.”

It became so quiet that they could have heard a pin drop from three doors down.  The tension, something Nick despised, loomed in the air, heavy and uncomfortable.

Maybe he was just being really stupid or his mind just wasn’t registering what was said, but he didn’t feel any resentment towards Devin for his confession.

He lost his memories.  He doesn’t remember being that person.  Maybe he’s changed for the better.

His eyes landed on Kelly and he watched her.  She was struggling with something.  He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something told him she wasn’t sure she hated the guy for what happened nearly a year ago.  Had she forgiven him?  Had her friends forgiven him?

Not Jeb, whoever he is.

But Jeb wasn’t his concern.  Hell, Devin wasn’t even supposed to be his concern, but low and behold, he was concerned anyway.

“You know, I’m no psychiatrist or anything, but I’m pretty sure a downright despicable person wouldn’t feel an ounce of remorse for the bad things they do.  Given the fact you’re sorry and you don’t even remember doing it—I think that means there’s hope for you, Devin.  I don’t think you’re as bad as you think you are.”

Devin murmured a quiet ‘thank you’ while Kelly toyed with her hair.  She twirled a strand of golden thread around her finger and released it, her eyes remaining on Devin the entire time.

If Nick only had the ability to read thoughts; he would have loved knowing what was going through her mind.

“So, would you like to join us for some cookies and wine, beautiful?” He asked as he leaned back to grab the bottle, holding it up as if it were on display.  “We’ve got another glass with your name on it.  Just say the magic words.”

Kelly’s head snapped in his direction, caught off guard.

Good.  That’s what he wanted.  He always aimed to do what people least expected, and what better way to diffuse a situation like this?  The element of surprise was always on his side.

“Oh, no.  No, thank you.  I wish I could, but I should probably get back to my kids.  Jamie has been having an awful time with her two-year molars.”

“Molars. Yikes.” He hissed through his teeth and frowned.  “Poor baby.  I’m not good with that sort of pain either.  I remember having my wisdom teeth taken out.  It’s the worst.”

“I agree.  But thank you, truly.” She stood from the table and glanced back and forth between the two of them.  “I’m sure you two have roommate things to get to anyway.” Her attention returned to Nick.  “If you can’t come over tonight to fix the pipes I’ll understand completely.”

“Nonsense.” He spoke against the rim of his glass, his eyes remaining on her.  “Devin can help me.  Isn’t that right, Dev-o?”

“Um.  Sure.  Yeah, I’d love to help.” His tone wasn’t convincing.  “That wouldn’t be a problem, Kelly. If it’s okay with you.”

Please don’t say no.  Please don’t say no.

As much as his mind may have been against it, fate was at work.  If he could get Kelly and Devin to reconcile, they would be one step closer to achieving—

“That’s fine,” she said abruptly.  “Nick,”—her attention quickly turned away from Devin and a look of uneasiness was back on her face.  “I was wondering if you’d like to have that dinner next Friday night?”

“Sure thing.  That sounds like a great time for dinner.” And then his mind, the damned thing, came up with the most wicked idea.  “Do you mind if Devin comes, too?”

Her mouth fell open and he knew she wanted to say no, but a part of him hoped she wouldn’t.  It was the perfect opportunity to get to know both of them, and maybe even start something beautiful. 

“D-dinner?” Devin stared at him quizzically.  “I...no.  No, I wasn’t invited for that. That would be terribly rude.  I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t be silly.” Kelly’s tone softened and she smiled at him.  It was a forced smile—Nick was sure of it—but it was a smile nonetheless.  “You wouldn’t be intruding at all.  I’d really like it if you would join us, Devin.”