Soulsearch (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Soulmate Series: Teen Paranormal Romance Book 2) (7 page)

“Michael!” Jessica marveled as the tall, well-built man got out of the car and approached her.
 
His clothing was understated but expensive, with lines that hugged his masculine form in all the right ways.
 
His dark, curly hair was combed back on top but left to curl just a little in the back.
 
It was highlighted with a few strands of silver that weren’t there the last time she saw him.

Michael Andrews was the love of Jessica’s life, but he never stuck around long enough for her to tell him.
 
She met Michael her second night working at the Night Out.
 
They said she would be a waitress, but she was really more of a dancer, strutting her barely clothed body on stage and around tables full of randy men, trying to sell liquor and fending off demands for other things.
 
Michael wasn’t crude like the others, but she could see his eyes following her as she hustled to serve the other patrons.
 
When she finally got to him he asked for a beer and nursed it slowly while his eyes continued their admiring perusal.
 
After several hours, he left a generous tip and disappeared when she wasn’t looking.
 
The next night he came back and Jessica teasingly told him he better buy more than one drink if he was going to occupy the table all night.
 
He asked her what her favorite drink was and she saucily suggested the strawberry margarita.
 
When it was almost time for her break, he ordered the fruity cocktail and offered it to her, on the condition she sit and talk to him.

She was hesitant, but his handsome face and boyish charm persuaded her, and by the end of the night she had offered to take him home.
 
He said he traveled a lot on business and he was planning to drive all night to get back home, but her bed was a lot more tempting than a cheap hotel room and he quickly took her up on her offer.
 
The next time she saw him was six months later, long after she had decided to end the unexpected pregnancy.
 
Barely staying afloat as it was, she couldn’t afford to lose a good-paying gig like waitressing at the Night Out.
 
It was her figure that raked in the high tips, and the long hours on her feet were not conducive to pregnancy.
 
Her parents had kicked her out and cut off her allowance at age 19 when she was arrested for drug use and expelled from college, so she didn’t have much hope that they would help support her if she brought home a child.
 
Her abusive, alcoholic ex-boyfriend came around again wanting to be with her, but she knew he would be as terrible of a father as he was a boyfriend.

When Michael showed up again several months later, Jessica wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
 
She could hardly blame him for what had happened; she was the one who had instigated their unprotected sex.
 
He had made no promises after their night together, in fact, she didn’t even get his number.
 
He was just a flash of light in her otherwise dreary existence, a momentary pleasure to take the edge off the monotony of her daily life.
 
She intended to ignore his advances the second time he came around, but he wooed her again and she soon found herself wrapped in his embrace.
 
They exchanged phone numbers this time and he promised to call when he was coming to town, but she didn’t have the courage to call him when she found out she was pregnant again.
 
Berating herself for her foolishness, Jessica immediately aborted the second child too.
 
Her pregnancies became her deepest secret, one she never shared with anyone, and the guilt plagued her so much she decided she didn’t deserve to ever parent a child.

Michael showed up every six months or so, sometimes staying for a few days.
 
When time permitted he would take her out to fancy restaurants and buy her presents.
 
He always left her generous tips when he came to see her at the night club.
 
He offered her more but she was hesitant to take it.
 
He never mentioned a wife or a family but Jessica wondered if he had one somewhere.
 
Instead, they talked about books and movies.
 
He was an avid reader and he encouraged her to broaden her horizons.
 
He brought her his favorites and she read them late at night when her shift was over and she was lying in bed, wishing he was there.
 
He seemed well-educated, so much smarter than her, but he never talked down to her or indicated he found her less than his equal.
 
He had seen the world and experienced the finest pleasures, but he seemed happy just to be with her.

With her beautiful face and hourglass figure, Jessica had her share of interested suitors, but no one came close to offering the thrill she felt whenever she was with Michael.
 
They didn’t talk about the future, he made no promises and she made no demands, but she never considered seeing anyone else as long as Michael still wanted her.
 
She saw him frequently for the first several years, but after that his visits dwindled.
 
It had been 2 years and 11 months since his last.
 
She probably could count the days and the hours, but she didn’t let herself.

“Jessie,” he murmured, gazing hungrily at her and taking her into his arms.
 
“You look lovelier than ever.”
 
He pulled away from their embrace to admire her.
 
“I missed you so much, darling.
 
I know I’m no good for you, but I just can’t stay away from you,” Michael admitted longingly.

“What do you mean, Michael?
 
There’s no one better for me. There never has been.”

“I know, Jessie, but there should have been.
 
You shouldn’t keep waiting for me.
 
You should find someone better than me, someone who deserves you.
 
Every time I give in to myself and come to you, I expect to see that you’ve found someone else.”
 
His hands traced the lines of her back through the silky curtain of her hair.
 
“Why do you always look so happy to see me?”
 
His face was soft with love but stern at the same time.

“I can’t help it, Michael.
 
There’s only you,” she replied with a happy smile.
 
He responded by taking her mouth with his and kissing her till they both were left gasping for air.

“So who were those people in the driveway when I pulled up?” Michael questioned when their lips finally parted.

“Oh, just some kids doing a survey for a school project.
 
They had the weirdest questions!
 
They were asking if I believed in superpowers.
 
What kind of question is that?!
 
Then they asked what I believed about the soul.
 
What kind of projects do they do in school these days?
 
I don’t think I gave them the kind of answers they were hoping for, but they were nice enough.
 
Very polite,” Jessica explained.

Michael’s whole body tensed at her description.
 
“You say they were students?
 
Do they live around here?
 
Have you ever seen them before?
 
What were their names?” He asked tersely.

“Yeah, that’s what they said.
 
No, I’ve never seen them before.
 
I don’t know where they’re from, but I assume they live around here.
 
Why else would they come to this neighborhood?
 
I think the boy’s name was Rider or something strange like that, but I can’t remember the others’ names,”
 
Jessica replied, curious about his reaction.

“Did they go to other houses, or just yours?”

“I don’t know.
 
I assumed they were talking to everybody.
 
They said they needed a ‘cross-section of society’ or something like that.
 
Why?
 
You seem worried,” Jessica asked, looking for answers in his dark brown eyes.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, darling.
 
Don’t worry about it,” Michael soothed, purposefully relaxing his tense muscles.
 
“It just seems kind of strange, like maybe they had an ulterior motive.
 
Make sure you lock your doors, okay?”

Jessica laughed.
 
“You think they were scoping out my house for a robbery?
 
Well, I’m sure they know now that I don’t have anything to steal.
 
They were just innocent kids, Michael, nothing to worry about.
 
If their goal was reconnaissance I think they would have asked different questions.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Michael agreed.
 
“Since you let them in, do you think I might still be welcome?”

“You’re always welcome, Michael, no matter how long you stay away.”

chapter six

Rider drove aimlessly through the streets of Allendale, his mind churning over the disappointing visit with Jessica Reynolds.
 
If she was his biological mother, she would be no help to him in solving the mystery of his unusual existence.
 
Her reactions held surprise but no suspicion and her answers seemed too sincere to be lies.
 
His theory was so tenuous he didn’t know if it was even worth pursuing any further.
 
The girls could sense his frustration.

“There’s still Pasquetti, Rider,” Paige offered weakly.
 
“I think I saw him working at Sundae’s one time.
 
Maybe he’s there?”

“I could go for some ice cream,” Rachel replied encouragingly.
 
Rider looked back and forth between the girls, their cute faces turned up in expectation.
 
He lifted his lips in a smirk.

“They better have Sriracha Swirl; I’ve always wanted to order that and somebody was too chicken to try it,” Rider declared and turned the wheel in the direction of Allendale’s favorite ice cream shop.

Unlike a lot of the other ice cream shops around Michigan, Sundae’s was open all year ‘round.
 
The owner, Marco Pasquetti, had the forethought to open his ice creamery inside the Allendale mall where the temperature was always perfect for enjoying ice cream, even when the outdoor temps dropped low enough to turn ice cream, and ice cream eaters, into blocks of ice.

After years of living with a teenage girl, Rider knew exactly how to get to the mall.
 
In a few short minutes he pulled into the mall parking lot and found a spot under the sign that said, “Sundae’s Scoops ’n Shakes” in hot pink neon.
 
The trio exited the vehicle and made their way through the maze of brightly painted tables set up outside the door to Sundae’s.
 
The matching umbrellas were still wrapped up for the winter, but it wouldn’t be long before the milder temperatures of May tempted ice cream eaters to enjoy their scoops outside.
 
For now, only the tables inside were filled with happy customers, licking and crunching their ways through cones piled high with Mr. Pasquetti’s unique variety of flavors.

“There he is!” Paige whisper-shouted as soon as they walked in the door.
 
She quickly covered her mouth with her hands as Rachel, Rider, and several of the surrounding customers swiveled their heads to look at her.
 
“Behind the counter, sweeping the floor,” she muttered behind her hands.
 
Rachel and Rider turned their eyes towards the teenage boy holding a broom.
 
The muscles on his arms popped out of the snug shirt he was wearing, a neon green tee featuring a dripping ice cream cone and the word “Sundae’s” on the front.
 
Anyone else would’ve looked atrocious in that color, but somehow Zach Pasquetti pulled it off.
 
His dark red hair had been perfectly tamed, the natural curl only noticeable at the very tips.
 
His pale skin and freckles made him look Irish and Rider wondered how he had inherited an Italian last name.

“Whoa, nice muscles,” Rachel quipped, admiring the way his arms flexed as he swiped the broom across the floor.
 
Rider’s pinched lips and squinty eyes made it clear he didn’t appreciate Rachel’s opinion.
 
“What?
 
Can’t a girl enjoy a nice piece of art?”
 
An elbow to her ribs gave her his answer.

The trio approached the counter and bent their heads over the glass to examine the day’s flavor offerings.
 
Mr. Pasquetti made his own specialty flavors in house and was always concocting new and exciting combinations, some that became favorites and others that were never seen again.
 
Rachel had her favorites and rarely tried anything new, but Paige never ordered the same thing twice.
 
Living with Rachel, Rider had always wanted her to branch out and try some of the more exotic combinations, so he was looking forward to making his own choices this time.
 
They kept an eye on Zach, sweeping at the other end of the counter, and Paige was mentally rehearsing possible lines as they waited to be served.

“What’llyahave?” Mr. Pasquetti asked jovially, wiping his sticky hands on his apron.
 
A hands-on type of guy, he always preferred scooping the ice cream over managing the books.