Easy Silence (2 page)

I followed suit, getting up on shaky legs. My body was sore and tired from the workout it had just been given. “What the hell is your problem?” I finally snapped.

“Umm…I don’t know. Your dumb ass goes out into the water after a million warnings to stay out. I risked my ass to save you and all you can say is your name.” He began to walk away, and I followed after him.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I was afraid if I thanked you, then you would just jump down my throat like you did earlier.”

“Whatever
Samantha,
I’m leaving, so if you decide to go for another swim, you’re on your own.”

This guy was such an ass. I knew I was wrong to be thinking that; after all, he did just save my life, but I was totally baffled as to how someone so angelic looking could be so nasty. “What the hell is your problem? Why are you so bitter?” I had no business asking him that, and I was pretty sure he was going to let me know that, but as crazy as it sounded, I wasn’t ready to let this disgruntled stranger walk out of my life just yet.

He turned around and got right in my face, and the only thing I noticed were his extra high cheekbones. “Girls like you wouldn’t understand why I’m bitter…
Samantha
,” he said over emphasizing my name.

“What do you mean…girls like me? And, I prefer to be called Sam,” I snapped back.

“Well, since I’m not your friend and never will be, I’ll just stick with Samantha. Anyway, you’re welcome…and it was nice knowing you.” He turned back around and began walking away.

“You shouldn’t make random statements if you can’t back them up!” I shouted, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. I inched closer to him, fully intending to ignore him and exit the beach. He grabbed my arm as I walked past him, taking me a little off guard. What was I doing running my mouth to him? I knew nothing about this guy. For all I knew he could be some psychotic killer. But if that were the case, he would have just let me drown. “Get your hands off me,” I shouted, pulling my arm from his grip.

I continued to walk as he followed behind me. “I know all about girls like you. You look down on everyone else. You spend your summers here and then go back to your mansions in the winter.”

I knew I should just ignore him and keep walking, but he was pissing me off big time with the way he was judging me. My parents may have money, but I didn’t think I was better than anyone. If anything I was the opposite. I would give up all the materialistic things I had been given in life just to have two parents who cared about me, instead of my father’s stupid career. I turned around quickly and banged right into him. “You don’t know me at all! So just keep your opinions to your—
Ouch
!” I cried looking down at the jagged shell I had just stepped on. “Shit…damn it!” I said, fighting the tears that sprung from the excruciating pain. I tried my best to limp away, while noticing the trail of blood I was leaving behind. I bit my lip in an effort to deal with the pain, not wanting to appear weak in front of him.

“Will you just stop!” he said once we reached the sand dune. I did as he said, not because I wanted to, but because I knew there was no way I was going to make it up that hill with my foot feeling the way it was. I took a seat in the sand and examined the sole of my foot. It was sliced straight across and gushing with blood. “Let me see.” His tone was a little less sharp for the first time.

“I’m fine!” I snapped.

“Okay, suit yourself.” He stood up and began to walk off. I sighed deeply, letting the tears roll down my face, wondering how the hell I was going to make it back to my grandmother’s house, which was at least a half mile away. I stood up and hobbled on my good foot, ignoring the blood that continued to drip onto the sand. I had only gotten a few inches when I saw him standing at the top of the hill, watching me struggle. I could do this. I just had to make it up the hill and get past him, and then I could sit down and feel sorry for myself after he was gone and no longer watching. I hopped a few more inches before falling into the sand and completely breaking down. I pulled my knees into me and buried my face. Everything was finally hitting me. I had almost died today, only to be saved by some miserable stranger who didn’t even think I was worthy enough to be his friend. Now, here I was trapped once again. I lifted my head when I felt someone standing over top of me. I didn’t even have to look; I already knew it was him. Without saying a word, he took off his shirt and wrapped it tightly around my foot to control the bleeding. When he scooped me up in his arms, I didn’t protest. I felt safe. It felt right, and as crazy as it sounded…for the first time in a long time I felt loved. I rested my head on his broad shoulder, neither one of us saying a word, thus beginning the journey that would forever change my life.

I peeled open my eyes and was greeted by the sunlight peeking through my blinds. The taste of salt on my lips instantly jogged my memory of yesterday. I didn’t even remember how I got into my bed. My body had shut down the moment that mysterious boy scooped me up in his arms. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, reached for the elastic band on my night table, and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. Layers of salt covered my skin, and I felt the desperate need to shower and wash it away. But the grumbling in my stomach was telling me food was more of a priority at the moment. As my toes hit the hardwood floor, I immediately remembered the cut on the bottom of my foot. I sat back on my bed and pulled my bandaged foot up to me to get a better look, once again, having no memory of it being bandaged or by whom.

As I stood up and walked, I was extra careful in favoring my injured foot, making sure I put all of my weight on my other one. The delicious aroma of Hadley’s cooking permeated the air when I opened my bedroom door. I was hoping that she had made my favorite, chocolate chip pancakes, but at this point I would settle for anything. The short walk to the kitchen was a reminder of the beating my body had taken yesterday. Every muscle seemed to ache.

“Well, well, well…nice of you to join us, Miss Samantha.” Hadley raised her eyebrow at me as she tended to whatever she was cooking on the stove.

I kissed my grandmother on the forehead, just as Doreen, her nurse, helped her up. “We’re going for our morning walk. We’ll be back in a bit,” Doreen announced.

I smiled. “Have fun Grammy. I love you.” She stared at me blankly, and I knew right away that today was not one of her better days.

I watched out the window as Doreen took her hand, and they headed out onto the beach. I finally turned my attention back to Hadley once they were out of sight.

“Chocolate chip pancakes?” I pleaded, hoping she would say yes.

“Nope. Even better, chocolate chip crepes.”

“Oh my god! That sounds awesome.”

I took a seat and poured a glass of orange juice.

“What were you doing hanging around with that Callahan boy yesterday?” Hadley asked turning around from the stove. Hadley had been my grandmother’s housekeeper since before I was born. She was only a few years younger than Grammy and treated me as if I were her adopted granddaughter, doting on me all the time and scolding me when I needed it.

I swallowed the sip of orange juice I had just taken. “Who?”

“The boy who brought you home last night when you were passed out and bleeding.” She held her hand on her hip like she always did right before she disciplined me.

“Oh, I—I didn’t even know his name. It’s a really long story. I almost drowned, and he…saved me.”

Her eyes widened. “Samantha Rose Carmichael! What were you doing in that water yesterday? It was all over the news to stay out!”

“I know. I was kinda daydreaming, and I just went in to get my feet wet. Before I knew it, I was in over my head.”

“Are you sure Jaxson Callahan was the one who saved you?” She seemed a little surprised as she placed my breakfast in front of me.

I nodded, tearing into my crepe like a ravenous lion. “Yeah. It was really weird. I had seen him on the beach earlier that day, and I had offered to get him some ice for his eye. It looked like someone had punched him.”

She shook her head and waved her hand in a dismissive manner. “Doesn’t surprise me one bit. That boy is always getting in fights and causing trouble.”

Even though I did get that vibe from him, I didn’t want to believe that was true. He saved me from drowning and then he carried me all the way back to my grandmother’s when I couldn’t walk. There had to be some good in him. I shrugged my shoulders. “Yeah, I kinda sensed in the few words we exchanged that he was a little angry with life in general.”

“Mmm…mmm…mmm,” she sang with another shake of her head. “Well, it’s no wonder with that mamma of his.”

“What do you mean?” Suddenly my curiosity was piqued.

“I don’t like to gossip, but she is trash. It’s no wonder he is the way he is. Poor kid didn’t stand a chance.”

“Well, what about his dad?”

“Pshhh… His daddy is pure evil.” Her eyes began to fill with emotion, and she shuttered just mentioning him. “If that even really was his father. Who knows with that mother of his…for all we know his daddy could have been gone long before she even knew she was pregnant with him. His mother is the town drunk among other things. She’s had more men in and out of her life than I can count. They use her for one thing, and she uses them for drugs and booze.”

I stared into space. No wonder he seemed mad at the world. “Wow, that’s horrible.”

“It sure is.” Hadley sat down next to me and took a sip of her tea.

“I feel really bad for him.”

“Now, don’t you be getting any ideas, Miss Samantha. He’s bad news just like his mother, maybe even worse.”

“Hadley, he saved my life, and then he carried me all the way back here after I cut my foot.”

She rolled her eyes. “He carried you to your bed without saying a word and walked out. Doreen and I didn’t know what had happened. We didn’t know if you had passed out from drinking or what?”

“Hadley? When have you ever known me to be a drinker?”

“Well, when I see you with the likes of that boy, anything is possible.”

I swallowed down the last bite of my breakfast. “Where does he live?” I asked.

She shook her head and gave me a nervous stare. “Don’t you dare even think about that, Miss Samantha! Those men his mama runs with would see a pretty young thing like you coming over there, and there’s no telling what would happen.”

“Hadley, come on! I never even got the chance to thank him. I at least owe him that, don’t you agree?” She let out a frustrated breath. “Hadley, please.” I inched closer to her and batted my eyelashes.

“Last I heard he was pumping gas at the service station on Fifth and Bayside.”

I leaned over the table and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you Hadley!” She shook her head at me, giving me a look of disapproval. “Samantha—”

I stopped her before she could even give her lecture. “Hadley, relax, I’m just going to thank him and leave. Chances are he’ll probably chase me away before I even get to do that anyway.”

“We can only hope!” She sighed as I got up and put my dish in the dishwasher. I headed off to the shower to wash away the remnants of yesterday and hopefully get a fresh start today.

* * *

I pulled into the service station, ignoring the stares of the employees as I stepped out of my car. “Can I help you?” the older man who was standing around finally asked.

I shifted my sunglasses up to the top of my head. “Actually, I’m looking for Jaxson Callahan.”

The two younger guys, stood silently gaping at me, before one of them shouted, “Yo, Jax, there’s a pretty lady here to see you.”

I felt myself blushing and looked away. “Is that your Lexus over there?” the older man asked.

“Oh…umm. Yeah.” I nodded and looked back down at the ground.

“What’s the matt—” His gaze met mine as I lifted my head. He was dressed in ripped-up jeans and a white oil-stained tee. His hair was once again hanging in his eyes, and his dark lashes were looking even longer. His eye was looking a little better, now a light shade of pink. What was it about him that I found so irresistible? It certainly wasn’t his personality.

He let out an annoyed breath at the sight of me. “Hi,” I managed to get out. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

He looked over at the older man who gave him a nod of approval. “What do you want?” he asked, once we were out of earshot of the others.

“Do you always have to be so nasty?”

He ran his hand through his hair and looked away. “When you’re cutting into my break time…yeah.”

“Oh, so I guess you were on break last night, too?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Because you were just as nasty to me then.”

“Oh, okay next time I’ll just let you drown or bleed to death.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here. Thank you. Thank you for everything you did for me last night.”

“Yeah, sure. Not a problem.” He began to walk away.

“Wait!” I exclaimed.

“What?!” he shouted, stopping in his tracks, and throwing his head back.

“Can you at least tell me your name?”

“Umm…I think you know that already, you asked for me, didn’t you?”