AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterTen
Icrash through the front door, slamming it shut behind me, and stomp through to the kitchen. Dumping my purse on the counter, I grab a bottle of water and gulp down half of it before I even take a breath. My heart is pumping so damn hard it hurts. I’d like to say it was from the flat out run I just did, but that would be a lie.
Between my run in with Asher and then Deputy Peters, who I’ve never met before, yet who seems to know me and doesn’t like me much at all, my body is emotionally shook.
I don’t know what to do with so many emotions running riot inside me. Asher makes me crazy, and his touch still does things to me that should have died the day I walked away. But there they are. Still as strong as ever, and I can’t deal at all. I place my hand against my cheek, mirroring his earlier action and close my eyes. I can’t afford to let him in, to get close. I don’t think I can say goodbye again. And I certainly can’t afford for anything I’m doing to touch him. He doesn’t deserve that after the way his father and uncle treated him.
My eyes snap open at the ringing of my cell. “Fuck!” I grab my purse and dig around till I find it. Owen. For fuck’s sake when is he going to get the message. Then I remember my promise to Charlie that I’d speak to him so he’d stop hassling her. Not too sure now is the best time, but what the hell.
“What do you want, Owen?”
“Kennedy, thank God. I was getting ready to send out a search party. Jesus. Where are you? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”
I roll my eyes at the sheer stupidity of the man. “I’m ignoring you. Can’t you tell.”
He breathes deeply down the line. “Kenz—”
“Kennedy. It’s Kennedy, Owen.”
“What… Never mind that. Let me explain. It’s not what you think,Kennedy.” He says my name sarcastically, and there’s something in his tone I don’t like.
“Oh really? I’m so happy because for a second there I could have sworn I saw you sticking your dick into some bitch from work. And then, you’re not going to believe this, but I thought you put your hands on me. Are you saying that didn’t happen?”
“Kennedy—”
“No, Owen, notKennedyanything. I don’t know what your last girlfriend was happy to let slide, but none of that shit I just mentioned slides with me. You cheat on me—bye, bye. You lay a hand on me in anger—sayonara. We are done. Stop calling me. Stop calling Charlie and move the fuck on.” I end the call and chuck my cell to the counter with a clatter just as the front door opens.
A moment later, Stu enters the room looking agitated. He pauses when he sees me, then carries on to the fridge, pulling out a soda. Cracking it open, he takes a mouthful then looks to me.
“You okay?”
“I’m good. You?”
“I’m fine,” he tells me, and I wonder if the word fine means the same for men. “How was Everly?”
I watch as a message pops up on my cell, then another and another. “Yeah, we had the house special. Hang on, how did you know about that?”
“I was driving past as you were leaving. Did you manage to eat it all?”
It’s a reasonable explanation, and although it doesn’t sit right with me, I let it go. “Have you seen the house special? I managed two thirds. I’m pretty sure if I’d eaten any more, it would have made a reappearance.”
He nods knowingly. “There’s only a handful of people I know that can manage the whole lot. Your brother was…”—he pauses, looking at me as I wince at the mention of Nolan—“one of them,” he finishes, his voice trailing off slightly. “Sorr—”
“Forget it. I have some things to do before work later,” I say, cutting off his apology because it’s not necessary. I grab my things and head up to my room.
I know I can’t hide away from the ghosts of him and my dad. I’ve had six years trying to do just that. But now it’s time to move forward. They are gone and I have to accept that.
Throwing my purse onto the bed, I drop down next to it, cradling my cell as the messages from Owen flash on the screen. I swipe to delete them without even reading them. He’s a past I’ll have no problem moving on from.
Asher on the other hand seems to be someone I just can’t escape.
* * *
Jason wasn’twrong about tonight being busier. It’s slammed. Work passes quickly, and thankfully, Darryl and his friends don’t show up. During my break, I chat with Penn in the staff lounge and offer to give her a ride again, which she accepts. There’s no sign of her friend tonight, and when I ask her about it, she tells me that her son is sick. She’s a single mom, although she has been dating a guy recently, the one her and Penn were talking about the other night. Who Penn clearly dislikes and thinks her friend can do better. That’s something I can get behind wholeheartedly given the life-sized penis Everly is dating.
Penn tells me that Jason and Luke are cousins and have another casino in Virginia Beach that Luke’s brother manages. Seems like a nice little family business they have going.
At the end of the night after clearing away, Penn and I leave together, and I drop her off like the night before. And again, as I pull away from her house, I’m aware of the same car behind as the night before.
