Left Together (11 page)

I wipe
away a tear or two of my own as he backs up. Jade sees me and smiles. “Hmm.
Maybe Jake’s way of handling it wasn’t so bad after all. Okay, so now that’s
over with, we all move on from here. Everyone agree?” She looks at him, then
back at me. Jake and I both acknowledge her and, for now, this is over. “Good.
So, where are we going tonight?”

“You
want to go out?” Jake asks her.

“Yes. She
isn’t getting ready for nothing,” Jade tells him. “Where do you want to go,
Kacie?”

Knowing
what their reaction will be, I take a deep breath and answer, “Skyline.” 

Evan

How
the hell is it possible that Kacie has been gone for almost a week? Does she
have any idea what she’s putting me through? Does she give a shit? I haven’t
slept more than an hour at a time in days. I’ve barely eaten a damn thing. I’m
worried sick something has happened to her, but knowing she’s able to take care
of herself does make it slightly tolerable. Jade won’t tell me much. She says
she doesn’t know where Kacie is. I’m not sure if she’s telling me the truth.
Part of me believes her, but something makes me wonder what she does know. This
can’t only be about my piss poor judgment with how I handled Kacie’s father. It
can’t be. There has to be something else. I have no fucking clue what it could
be, though. This whole situation is killing me. How do I get the girl who owns
my heart to take me back when she won’t even talk to me?

Jake,
on the other hand, is a whole different story. Where his sister will occasionally
answer my call, he hasn’t picked up once. I haven’t even seen him since Sunday in
front of Kacie’s house when he came out after Jade. Meg ran into him yesterday over
at Danny’s shop, but he refused to say anything about Kacie, other than she
won’t speak to him, either. Meg said he still looked wrecked, so she believed
he doesn’t know where Kacie could possibly be.

After
Skyline closed last night, I did something I’ve never done. I sat at the bar
drinking for over two hours. It was better than going back to my empty condo
where I wouldn’t be able to close my eyes. Once Joe made sure the staff had all
made it safely to their cars, he ended up hanging out with me. Despite being
right about the way Kacie would react, my friend never pointed out how wrong I
was. He only offered support and help to do whatever I needed. For a bit, we discussed
baseball. Both of our favorite teams happen to be division rivals, so we’ve always
talked shit back and forth. We even caught a few games over the last couple of
seasons. Joe ducked out somewhere around five and I caught a few winks on the
sofa in the office.

When I
left the club, I did what I’ve done every day since finding out Kacie split. I
drove by her house, hoping to see her car parked in its usual spot. Why do I
keep doing that shit if it only fucks with me? The last few times I stopped and
waited to see if she’d magically appear, but not this morning. I keep driving
until I get to my condo. I need to take a shower. Seeing how the only two sets
of work clothes that weren’t hanging in Kacie’s closet are dirty, I scoop the
one set off the floor, strip out of the other one, and throw them in the
washer. I used to take this shit to the cleaners, but Kacie insisted on washing
and ironing them.

While
the washer was running, I go into my room to get something to wear after my
shower. When I sit down on the bed, I find Kacie’s shorts and tank top under
the sheet. She must have forgotten to grab them when we were rushing out last
week to get to my aunt’s. Knowing it was going to be a long day around company,
we couldn’t make it out of the door without jumping back in bed one more time.
I bunch her pink tank top up in my fist, ready to throw it across the room, but
don’t. It’s her favorite shirt to sleep in. She probably misses the damn thing.

It
would be so much easier if I could just be pissed at her. How dare she take
off, leaving everyone to worry about her? Acting that way is selfish and
immature. Then I remember how Jade warned me this was the kind of thing she
did. Everyone has their own way of dealing with shit, and running away is
Kacie’s. When it comes down to it, it’s mine, too. I couldn’t deal with the
pain of losing my brother or the hell my parents were putting me through. I
should’ve been the most understanding. For a long time, I lie in bed, holding
her shirt and wishing, more than anything, that she would just come home.

Only
because it’s been two days since last talking to Jade, I decide to stop by her
office on my way to the club. At least she won’t be able to hang up on me that
way. Jade has made it quite clear she blames me for Kacie leaving. I should
probably be terrified of her, but the pain in my chest won’t allow me to be
concerned. The parking lot is small, so I find a spot on the street to park my
truck and walk less than a block to the brick building. Jade looks up from the
computer when I push the door open.

She
rolls her eyes. “What the fuck do you want?” she barks, focusing her attention
back on the screen.

As
calmly as I can possibly manage, I ask, “Have you heard from her?” Kacie’s best
friend types something into the computer, trying to figure out what information
she’ll share with me and what information she’ll keep to herself. She’s taking
her time and I’m losing my temper. “Jade, the faster you spill it, the faster I
get out of your hair.” She glares at me. “I’m fucking falling apart over here.
Please, just tell me she’s okay,” I beg.

“If
she was okay, she’d be here instead of God knows where!” she snaps. “Don’t you
dare come in here demanding answers when you’re the one who caused this shit in
the first place.”

“I’m
so sorry,” I hardly get out. I fall into the closest chair and bury my hands in
my hair. “You have no idea how fucking sorry I am.” She doesn’t say anything or
even make the smallest noise while I collect myself. “And not for nothing, but
it really sucks how Kacie assumed I’d give up what we had so easily. Did she
forget she’s my world?”

“If
she means so much to you, how could you do what you did?” Again, it seems like
Jade knows something I don’t.

“I
told you already. It freaked me out that her dad knew something about me I
never told anyone. Not Kacie. Not Meg. No one.”

She
sighs, almost as if she expected more. “What is it, Evan? What the hell did Sam
Foster know that was so important you had to…?” Jade catches herself before she
finishes her rant. What the fuck is up with her? “What did he know?”

“Don’t
you think Kacie should be the one I tell?”

“Good
luck with that considering she has no plans of ever speaking to you again.”
Jade shifts in her chair so she’s no longer facing me. “Kacie called yesterday
morning. She said she’s fine. That’s all I know. You can get the hell out now.”

Fuck me.
“He found out I used to be an escort,” I blurt out. “It wasn’t for very long.
My brother and I bartended together at this one bar, but sometimes we made
extra cash working for this lady.”

“What
does that mean, exactly? What did you do?”

“Exactly
what it sounds like. Rich, lonely women pay for…”

“Please
don’t say sex.”

“No.”
I shake my head, figuring she’d assume that. Most people do, which is why we
never told anyone. “They want company for functions. Either they have no
husbands to take them or their husbands don’t want to attend. I’m not saying
I’ve never had sex with any of them, but I never got paid for it.”

“Were
you worried what Kacie would think? If you explained it to her, I highly doubt
she’d care.”

“No. I
don’t care if she knows. I don’t care if everyone knows. The shock of hearing
him say it caught me off guard. It was all under the table and I never used my
real name. Then he said his lawyer found a way to take the house from her. I
was afraid he’d do it. I’m telling you, I honestly thought Kacie would figure
all this out.”

“Sam specifically
said he could take the house?” Jade picks up the phone and begins dialing
numbers.

“Yes.
Something about a loophole.”

She
waits for an answer, then rattles the information I just gave her to whoever is
on the other line. “That’s what I figured. Just thought I’d check with you,”
she says. “Okay. Thanks, Mary.” She sets the phone back on the cradle. “There’s
nothing he can do to take the house. Nothing we wouldn’t be able to squash in
court. He may have just been trying to see what you knew because they still
have no idea everything was left to Kacie.” That makes me feel better. If only
I had access to that information beforehand.

I
stand up. She’s going to get annoyed with me if I stay much longer. “If you
hear from Kacie again, please tell her I really need to talk to her.” Jade says
nothing else as I walk out of the office.

No one
will be looking for me for another couple hours, so I opt for a stroll through
this busy part of town. The midday rush is in full swing. There are employees
practically running through the crowd, trying to make the most of their sixty
minutes off the clock. Friends are getting together to eat or go shopping. Some
people are taking advantage of the nice weather and exercising. Children are being
pushed along in strollers by their mothers, who are just trying to get to where
they need to be as quickly as possible. Couples are walking hand-in-hand, not
in a hurry to get anywhere. Those people are already where they want to be.
They’re together. They have no idea how lucky they are.

For
the most part, I go about with my head down, deep in thought. Occasionally,
someone will bump into my arm and I’ll glance over to apologize, regardless of
who’s at fault. For the life of me, I can’t come up with a reason Kacie would
stay away if she knew what was going on. She has to know what she’s doing to
her best friend. Jade may be acting tough, but I could see the uneasiness in
her eyes. Where the hell could Kacie be? The other day, Jade told me how she
called Noah out of desperation. She had just hung up with Kacie and didn’t like
the way she sounded. Apparently, Noah knew where Kacie was, but he refused to say.
He did tell her that Kacie came to him Saturday morning and left shortly
afterward. Kacie has kept in contact with her brother and Addison almost every
day. At least someone is aware of where she is. I was shocked Jade shared that
much with me, especially since she nearly assaulted me the other day.

***

Since
I was so busy, the afternoon has flown by. There was a ton of shit to get done,
as usual. My aunt had made a huge meal for company she was having tonight and
sent some over with Meg for me. She even told her not to leave me alone until I
ate every bite of it. It’s nice to have someone watching out for you once in a
while. When my cousin is satisfied I had enough, she disappears. She has to
find coverage for a bunch of people who are requesting time off for vacations.
I’m glad waitress scheduling isn’t my problem.

I sit
at the desk for a while, browsing through pictures on my phone. Kacie
absolutely hates having her picture taken, but I managed to get a few here and
there. My favorite is the one Jade had stolen my phone to take when I was sitting
on the swing in the garden with Kacie. The angle of the picture only has the
back of my head, but the reason I love it is the look on Kacie’s face. No one
has ever looked at me the way she does. No one has ever cared about me the way
she has. This picture captures that look perfectly.   

A
knock at the office door brings me right back to my hellhole reality. I should
have been out on the floor by now. Hopefully nothing’s wrong. “Come in,” I call
out.

Molly
pushes the door open. “Hey. I guess you’re feeling better now that the world is
spinning again, rainbows are shining, and whatever other bullshit happens when
people are happy,” she says sarcastically, walking into the room.

“Care
to be more specific?”

“That
you and Kacie worked shit out. I knew you would. Not sure why you were
stressing so much over a stupid argument.”

“What
makes you think we worked shit out?” I grumble.

“Stop
fucking around, Evan. Why else would she be here?”

I jump
out of the chair, knocking it backwards into the wall. “Kacie’s here?” I ask. How
can she be here? Jade would have said something this afternoon when I was there,
wouldn’t she? “You’re sure it’s Kacie?”

“I’m
pretty sure I know what she looks like.” Molly rolls her eyes.

“Where
is she?”

“Okay…
Maybe you didn’t know she was here and, judging by the look on your face, you
haven’t worked anything out. Can we pretend I was never in here?” she says,
walking backward.

“Molly,
where the fuck is she?” I demand, meeting her by the door.

She
dramatically throws her head back and sighs. “Damn my big, fucking mouth!”

“You
have a half-second before I fire your ass.”

“You’d
be royally screwed if you fired me.” She laughs. “She’s with Jade, but they’re
in Ashley’s section instead of where they usually hang out. Table twenty-three,
I think.”

“Thanks!”
I yell, rushing past her and out to the floor.

There
can only be one reason Kacie would come to Skyline. She wants to see me. I just
can’t figure out why she didn’t call to let me know she was coming. Did she
want to surprise me? Was she waiting for me to find her? How long has she been
here? Why didn’t Joe call the second she showed up? Some friend he is. Are all
of these people purposely trying to prevent me from getting to my girl? I shove
through all of them, not giving a shit how rude and obnoxious it seems. When I
make it to the opposite side of the bar, I freeze when she comes into view.
She’s really here. This whole fucking nightmare can finally be put behind us
and everything can go back to the way it was. To the way it should be.