Authors: Suzannah Daniels
“Chloe
saw Jess touching his hand,” Scarlet added.
My
mind reeled. Jealousy wanted to run rampant, but I took a deep breath and repelled
it. I knew Stone loved me. I needed to give him the chance to explain. Chloe
was my friend, and I had no doubt that if she told Scarlet that she had seen
those things with her own eyes, then it was true. Crimson and Scarlet were my
best friends, so I knew they wouldn’t make this story up, which meant this
wasn’t a rumor.
If
Stone denied it, then I would know he was lying.
But
I couldn’t assume the worst.
“Are
you okay?” Crimson asked.
Tears
threatened to sting my eyes, not because I’d already judged Stone to be guilty
of anything, but because the thought of him losing interest in me was
terrifying. I had allowed myself to be consumed by him, and I had a lot at
stake.
“Yeah.”
I took a deep breath. “Just because Chloe saw them together doesn’t mean that
he’s cheating on me.”
“It’s
hard for me to believe, too,” Crimson said. “I’ve seen the way Stone looks at
you.”
“He’s
devious,” Scarlet hissed.
“Don’t
push your trust issues on Dara,” Crimson warned. “Let’s just try to stay
objective. Maybe things weren’t as they seemed.”
“Yeah,
maybe,” Scarlet said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
I
was already prone to be jealous of Jessie, and this little tidbit of
information wasn’t going to help in that department. I knew Stone had
experienced things with Jessie that he hadn’t with me—not because he didn’t
want to, but because I wasn’t ready.
Up
to this point, I had only thought of myself. It hadn’t really occurred to me
that abstaining from a sexual relationship might affect Stone differently. Not
that it mattered. I would stand behind my choice, regardless, but if he was
having trouble with that aspect of our relationship, then maybe we didn’t need
to be together.
Realizing
that I had allowed my mind to go from zero to sixty in less than ten seconds, I
took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts from my mind. I needed to talk to
Stone before I jumped to any conclusions.
“You
know what? I’m not really hungry, anymore,” I confessed. “I think I’ll head
home.”
“Do
you want me to come with you?” Crimson asked, concern evident in her voice.
“No.”
I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. I just need to sort through this before
things get out of control.”
“I’m
sorry,” Scarlet said quietly. “I’m just looking out for my best friend.”
“I
know,” I replied, standing at the edge of the table. “I’ll call y’all later.”
Stone
I
had just walked out of the eighth hotel when my phone rang. Pulling it out of
my pocket, I quickly answered when I saw that it was Dara.
“Hey,
babe,” I greeted.
“Stone?”
“Yeah.”
Silence.
“Dara?
What’s wrong?”
“Can
you come over?” she asked in a voice devoid of emotion.
“Right
now?” Shit. How was I going to explain my three and a half hour delay?
“It’s
important.”
“Can’t
we talk over the phone?” I asked, wondering what in the hell was going on.
“I’d
rather do it face-to-face.”
I
shifted my feet. Face-to-face? This couldn’t be good. Was she going to break
up with me? Hell, if Chance Murray had anything to do with this, I was going
to beat his ass. He’d been eyeing Dara ever since she and I had gotten
together.
If
that’s what she had in mind, I’d just have to go and talk her out of it.
“I’m
in the middle of my errands. It’s probably going to take me at least three
more hours to finish up. I can meet you at your house then.”
“Please
hurry.” The urgency in her voice made me wish I wasn’t so far away. She
sounded strange…like she was trying to hide her sadness. But I knew her well
enough to know that she wasn’t okay. What I didn’t know was the reason why.
“Baby,
I’ll be there as soon as I can. I promise.”
“See
you in a little while.”
I
hung up the phone. Damn it. As much time as I’d already spent in Oakley, I
was no closer to finding her mother, and I knew after Dara’s cryptic message, I
wasn’t going to spend one more second here. I slid my phone in my pocket,
hopped on my bike, and barreled down the main street toward the Interstate.
As
I rocketed toward Quail Mountain, I wondered what was going on with Dara. Did
it have to do with Chance? Had she heard from her mother? Her father, who was
still doing time for killing my brother while driving drunk? Maybe something
was wrong with Granny. Hell, I hated playing these guessing games, and it was
beginning to mess with my mind.
I
twisted the throttle, urging the bike to go even faster.
By
the time I finally pulled into her driveway, I had been through a dozen
scenarios. I couldn’t take this shit.
I
tugged off my helmet, placing it on the mirror, and ran my fingers through my hair.
Rushing to the porch steps, I was about to ring the doorbell when she pulled it
open.
I
grasped her by the shoulders, looking down at her face. “Are you all right?”
She
didn’t answer, just pulled me into the house and closed the front door. I followed
her to her bedroom, my mind working furiously to figure out what was going on.
Closing
her bedroom door behind us, she twisted the lock and turned to glare at me with
her arms folded over her chest.
“What
the hell’s going on, Dara?”
“You
tell me,” she said, barely above a whisper.
“I’d
love to, but you’re gonna have to give me something to go on. Did you hear
from your mother?” I wondered if someone I’d talked to today really did know
her mom and had informed her that someone was asking about her.
“Not
a word. This has nothing to do with her.”
That
marked one scenario off my list.
“Then
what?” I asked, unable to hide my frustration.
“Chloe
saw you at the café with Jessie.” She clenched her jaw stubbornly.
A
strange sense of relief washed over me. “That’s what this is about?” I asked,
holding my palms upward in the air. “You nearly scared the living hell out of
me, and it was all because Chloe saw me with Jess?”
She
remained quiet, watching me.
“That’s
what you couldn’t tell me over the phone?” I felt slightly irritated. Had I
known what was going on, I could have reassured her over the phone and
continued my search instead of racing back like hellhounds were nipping at my
ankles.
“Don’t
you do that, Stone,” she warned accusingly.
“Do
what?”
“Try
to turn it all on me.”
I
took a deep breath. Clearly, she was upset. I pulled her into my arms,
tracing her jawline with my lips as I left a trail of seductive kisses.
I
heard her softly exhale, and her body melded into mine. Then, she abruptly pulled
away. “I can’t think when you’re doing that.”
I
reached for her. “But I like doing that.”
“Why
were you with Jessie?” she asked, her eyes watching me intently.
“I
wasn’t
with
Jess. I had stopped to have breakfast, and I ran into her
at the café.”
“Since
when do you eat at the café?”
“Since
this morning.” It was the truth, and it sounded a hell of a lot better than
telling her that I ate at the café because I didn’t want to run into
her
.
“I
thought you were running errands for your parents.”
“I
got a later start than I had expected.”
“Why
are you lying to me?”
Shit.
I was beginning to feel ensnared in my tangled web because I wasn’t exactly
sure which lie she was referring to. “What are you talking about?”
“You
told me your parents were out of town, but Scarlet passed them this morning.”
Well,
hell. And this is what happens when you try to pull one over on your highly
intelligent girlfriend who obviously has a friendly pair of eyes on every
corner.
“Are
you seeing Jessie?”
“Hell,
no. I told you that I ran into her at the café.” I rammed my hands into my
hair. So much for trying to protect her while I searched for her mother to
determine whether her mom wanted a relationship or was intentionally avoiding
her.
“If
you don’t want to be with me, just tell me, Stone.”
Her
arms were crossed over her chest defiantly, but her quivering chin warned me
that she was barely holding herself together.
“Dara,”
I said softly, any minor annoyances that I had felt drifting away. “I have
never wanted anyone more than I want you.”
Her
eyes filled with unshed tears, and I could tell that she was trying to stave
them off. I had the overwhelming urge to hold her in my arms and kiss away her
worries.
“Come
here.” I sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for her to sit in my lap.
“No.
I want you to tell me why you were with Jessie and why you’re lying to me.”
I
realized that the only way for me to alleviate her fears was by coming totally
clean.
I
closed my eyes and ran my palms over my face. “Okay, here’s the deal. I hated
seeing how heartbroken you were when your mother didn’t show up at your party.
I didn’t spend today running errands for my parents. I spent it searching for
your mother.”
“You
did?” she asked, clearly surprised by my admission.
“Yes.
I ate at the café because I was afraid I might run into you at Awesome Sauce,
and I didn’t want you to know what I was up to. I wanted to surprise you.” I
didn’t tell her that one of my greatest fears was that her mother had decided
that she wanted nothing to do with Dara. If that was the case, I would’ve
never told Dara in order to protect her from any further heartbreak in her
life.
“Jess
just happened to be at the café. She sat down at my table, uninvited, I might
add. I told her I was on my way to Oakley, and she offered to go with me. I
turned her down, but she did tell me that her brother was in Oakley right now
doing some construction work on a bridge. I told her to text me his number. I
thought he might be able to offer some information that could be helpful in
finding your mother.”
“You
did all of that for me?” she asked as she approached me.
I
pulled her into my arms, loving the way she felt in my embrace. “Dara, I would
do anything for you.”
“I
feel horrible,” she murmured.
I
leaned back, cupping her face. “Why?”
“Because
I didn’t trust you.”
I
laughed softly. “I’m used to not being trusted.”
“But
I want things to be different with us.”
I
kissed her lips softly. “They are, Dara. They are.”
“I
love you, Stone.”
I
pulled her against my chest, my hands groping her ass while my mouth claimed
hers. She felt so damn good.
“Is
anyone else home?” I asked between kisses.
“No.
Granny and Mr. Milton are visiting Granny’s sister in Nashville. They won’t be
home until tomorrow.”
“Good,”
I whispered, pulling her tank top over her head and releasing the hook on her
bra.
As
my hands roamed her body freely, one thought continually resurfaced in my
brain: I wanted to make Dara mine.
Dara
“So,
you want to read some of
Frankenstein
tonight?” I asked Stone as I
leaned against the hood of my car in his driveway. The morning sun shone
brightly from its perch just above the mountains, and I shielded my eyes as I
awaited his answer. Normally, he would’ve picked me up on his motorcycle on a
day like this, but school was letting out early. We had plans to go back to
Oakley and continue the search for my mom.
“You
know I do,” he said sardonically, “but we won’t get back until late tonight.
What little time I’ll have left, I need to spend studying for my finals. In
fact, my dad felt the need to remind me of that right before I walked out the
door.”
“He
just wants to make sure you graduate.”
“Well,
it feels a helluva lot more like he wants to control my life.”
“He’ll
ease up after graduation.”
Stone
laughed. “Yeah, just in time to start on me for college.”
“Maybe
we should just forget about searching for my mother. We’ve got a lot going on
with final exams and graduation. We need to review
Frankenstein
for the
May newsletter and the debut of Luke’s Book Club.”
“So
now you don’t want to find your mom?” he asked, stopping just in front of me,
his well-muscled biceps bulging just below his sleeves.
I
glanced up to find his icy blue eyes watching me, his brow furrowed.
“I
do. It’s just….”
“It’s
just what?” Stone asked, raking his hand through his hair, sending his bicep
rippling into action with the movement.
“I
do want to find her, and I want her to come to my graduation. I want to have a
relationship with her, but I’m nervous. Stone, what if she doesn’t want to see
me? What if she’s perfectly happy with her life like it is? No kids to deal
with. She can do whatever she pleases, and she doesn’t have to worry about
making anyone happy.” I closed my eyes and groaned. Anticipating our drive to
Oakley this afternoon had my nerves tied in knots.
“At
least you’ll know,” Stone said, shifting his weight as he rested his palm on
the hood. “You’ll know whether your mom has some redeeming qualities, or you’ll
know she’s a piece of shit.”
“Stone!”
“Well,
it’s true,” he grumbled. “Maybe not knowing would be worse than knowing. At
least then you’d know that you had done everything you could. You wouldn’t be
left wondering for the rest of your life what would’ve happened if you’d looked
for her.”
“She
could still show up on her own. Maybe it would be better if I waited for her.”
“Maybe,”
Stone agreed. He took my hands in his large, warm palms. “Look, Dara, I wish
I knew what to tell you. The truth is that I can understand it whichever way
you decide. But if you really want to have a relationship with her, then maybe
if you reach out to her, it’ll help her know that you’ve accepted her, you
know? Maybe she’s just as scared as you are. But neither of you will ever
know, if one of you doesn’t do something about it.
“I
just want you to be happy, and I’ll support you either way.”
I
wrapped my arms around his waist, and he pulled me to his chest, his arms
encircling me protectively. “I want my mom in my life.”
“Then
we’ll find her,” he said, squeezing me. He turned me loose and slapped me on
the butt. “Now, let’s go before we’re late to school.”
I
handed him the keys and hopped in the passenger side while he slid behind the
steering wheel.
***
Even
though today was a half day, school seemed to drag on forever. When the final
bell rang, I scooped up my books and raced out of the classroom, eager to
escape the vibrant blue writing on the whiteboard and the dull drone of my
calculus teacher as he lectured about derivatives.
Ready
to begin the search for my mother, I hurried to my locker and sifted through
books, pulling out any that I needed for homework or for studying for finals.
Stone
approached me from behind, snaking his arms around my waist and pulling me
backwards into his lean, muscular chest. Even though we’d been together for
several months, my pulse still raced at his nearness. I smiled, genuinely
happy to be in his presence and excited about our road trip to Oakley.
Pressed
against his body, I tilted my head to the side and glanced up at him. “Ready
to go?”
He
brushed his lips against my temple in a quick kiss. “I’m always ready.”
I
slammed my locker shut, and he released me. Picking up my overstuffed
backpack, he slung it over his shoulder with ease, despite its weight.
“Where
should we start?” I asked, slipping my hand in his as we walked down the
hallway.
“I’ve
already asked about her at half of the hotels in Oakley. Are you sure you can’t
remember the name of the one she worked at?” he asked, weaving a path through
the sea of students.
“I
don’t think she ever mentioned the name.” Clinging to his hand, I stayed close
to his side.
“But
you’re sure it’s in Oakley?”
We
pushed through the exit doors at the end of the hallway. “I’m sure.”
“It
just doesn’t make sense,” he said as we crossed the parking lot.
“What
doesn’t?”
“I’ve
already called all of the hotels in Oakley, and none of them have ever heard of
your mother.”
“Maybe
you missed one,” I suggested.
He
shrugged. “Maybe. I could definitely see one of the hotel owners in Oakley
not being savvy enough to have a listing on the Internet.”
When
we reached my car, he pulled the key fob out of his pocket and hit the unlock
button. I waited for him in the passenger seat while he stored our backpacks
in the trunk. Sliding behind the steering wheel, he reached over and rested
his palm on my thigh. “Dara, are you absolutely sure this is what you want?”
I
nodded. “I haven’t changed my mind. I want to find her.” As soon as the
words escaped my lips, my nerves began to jumble. All my insecurities darted
through my mind like dragonflies zipping through the air. What if she was
avoiding me? What if she was picking drugs over me again? What if she hated
me? Just like my birthday, maybe I wasn’t worth remembering. Maybe….
Stone
squeezed my thigh. “No matter what happens, remember that I love you.”
I
nodded, trying to get my emotions in check.
“Granny
loves you,” he said, his eyes holding steady on my face as if he were determined
to make sure that I understood.
I
nodded again, exhaling loudly. “I know. I love y’all, too.”
Dropping
my eyes to my lap, I slid my finger along the back of his hand. “I just wish
that at least one of my parents wanted something to do with me. My mom was a
no-show at my party. My dad hasn’t written me in years.” I immediately wished
that I hadn’t mentioned my father, not to Stone. He had every reason to hate
him for what he had done, and even though we hadn’t discussed it, I didn’t
blame Stone at all if he abhorred my father.
“I’ll
find her, Dara,” he said. “I can’t promise you what the outcome will be, but I
can promise you that I will find your mother.”
I
pulled his hand to my face, noting how much larger it was than mine, and
brushed a kiss across his knuckles. Touched that he would make me such a
promise, I couldn’t look him in the eyes. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop
the tears that threatened to seep from beneath my lids.
I
lowered his hand back to my thigh. He gave it another squeeze before he
started the engine.
He
stopped at a fast food restaurant and ordered us small burgers that we could
eat in the car. In a matter of minutes, we were on the Interstate and on our
way to find my mother. My nerves threatened to steal my appetite, but I
refused to succumb to them. Stone once told me that the problem was my
mother’s, not mine. Sometimes, it was difficult to remember that, but he was
right.
It
was a quiet ride to Oakley. I supposed that it was because we were both lost in
our own thoughts. When we drove down the main road, I was surprised how old
the town looked. “You think she’s here somewhere?” I asked, looking out the
window as the businesses blurred by.
“I
don’t know, but there’s only one way to find out.”
We
passed a few hotels, and I assumed that those were the ones that Stone had
already investigated. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a
dumpy hotel that looked like it would attract rats and bedbugs. Two, old cars
were parked in the narrow lot that lined the front of the hotel.
I
cringed at the thought of my mother working somewhere like this.
“You
ready to do this?” Stone asked, tapping on his cell phone screen.
“Yeah,”
I said, although my voice lacked conviction. I took a deep breath as I stepped
out of the car.
When
we both had walked to the front of the car, he showed me his phone screen,
which was zoomed in on a photo of my mother and me. “I’ve been showing this
photo when I ask about her, just in case someone recognizes her face and not
her name.”
“That’s
why you wanted me to send you that picture,” I blurted as the reason for his
odd request dawned on me.
He
grinned. “Yeah.”
We
walked into the lobby, and I tried very hard not to wrinkle my nose in distaste
at the worn, dirty carpet and the threadbare furniture. On the positive side,
the air smelled like a floral-scented candle. Stone approached the woman
behind the front desk, showed her the photo, and asked if she knew her.
The
woman took her time studying the photograph. For a moment, I thought she might
actually recognize my mother, but then she just shook her head, and we were on
our way right back out the door.
“I
guess that marks another one off our list,” I said dejectedly.
“There’s
another one next door,” Stone said, cutting through the parking lot to go to a
hotel that looked almost as miserable as this one did.
It
didn’t take long to find out that the desk clerk had never heard of my mother.
As we were walking back to the car, I asked Stone, “Do you think my mother wasn’t
telling me the truth when she said she worked at a hotel in Oakley?”
“I’ve
already considered that,” he answered. “It’s definitely possible, but why
would she lie? You didn’t ask her where she worked, did you?”
“No,
we were just talking on the phone one day, and she brought it up. She said
that she’d been working at a hotel in Oakley, and the owner was really nice.”
“Then,
I don’t see why she’d be lying. If she didn’t want you to know, she wouldn’t
have said anything.”
We
got in the car and continued down the main drag.
It
wasn’t long until we spotted another hotel. This one was nicer than the other
ones, and it actually looked like a decent place to stay. Judging by the
exterior, it couldn’t be more than a couple of years old. The parking lot had
several cars in it, and while there weren’t many people at the pool, it looked
inviting and ready for swimmers. Rows of brand new chaise lounges lined each
side of it, and round tables with closed, royal blue umbrellas sprouting from
their centers filled each corner of the patio area.
Stone
pulled into a parking space and met me at the rear of the car. “Why don’t you
go in and check here? You still have that photo on your phone, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,
good. I’ll try to call Jessie’s brother, Drew, to see if he knows of any
hotels other than the ones on the list.” Stone glanced at the list in his hand
and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “There may be something that’s off
the beaten path.”
“Okay,”
I agreed, hoping Drew might have some helpful information. I pulled the photo
of my mother up on my phone and headed toward the lobby, wondering if this was
the one, if this hotel would lead me to my mother.
Stone
The
hotel looked like a nice place, but just in case we came up empty-handed, I
figured I should try calling Drew again. If he had any new information, then
we could check it out while we were here.
I
dialed his number and decided to walk across the hotel’s driveway to a concrete
bench positioned in the center of a circular stone patio where the pathway
ended. Tiny, trimmed bushes surrounded the patio, and red flowers added a pop
of color.
What
the hell! I rushed across the pavement as a large delivery truck pulled into
the hotel drive and swerved into the lane I was crossing. The driver jerked it
back into the proper lane and pulled up horizontally in front of the hotel,
stopping just short of the lobby doors. Cursing under my breath, I gave a hard
glare over my shoulder and continued toward the stone pathway while I waited
for Drew to pick up.