Addicted to You (9 page)

I gave him a once-over. Disheveled hair. Nose raw and pink. Eyes watery. Skin pale. Yet still completely gorgeous. “Hm, if you say so.” I raised the bag in my hand. “I heard you were sick and brought you some of Grandma's
caldo.
Oh, and orange juice, per her request.”

“You. Are. The. Best.” Landon stared at the bag, looking like I could pull out a live chicken and he'd still eat it.

“Have you eaten anything?”

“Didn't really feel up to cooking. Pizza didn't really sound appealing. But your grandma's soup? That I'll take.” Landon began shifting to stand, but I stopped him.

“Just keep resting. I'll heat you both some up and bring it to you in here.”

“You don't have to do that.” Colby shook his head. “I'd honestly hate for you to get sick.”

“I'll take some vitamins when I get home. Now just lie down and I'll be right back.”

The guys didn't put up much more of an objection, probably because they were equal parts hungry and lethargic. I found a pot and heated Grandma's soup on the stove, since I knew for a fact it was best warmed the traditional way versus a microwave. And while I waited for it to warm, I went ahead and loaded their dishwasher and tidied up the kitchen.

“Isla, if you're cleaning in there…”

The warning in Colby's tone only made me smile. “Nope, just looking for dishes.”

“Uh-huh.” He clearly wasn't buying my story.

“Almost done.” I reached into the cabinet for two glasses and poured them each juice. Nothing about beef soup and orange juice sounded good together, but Grandma knew best, right? Then I got two bowls, filled them up, and set a spoon in each one. I carried the soup out first.

“It's a little hot. Be careful.”

I handed Colby his and his eyes met mine. “Thank you.” And I felt the sincerity to my core. Little did he know how much I wanted to take care of him.

I moved to Landon and he gave me the widest grin. “Thanks.”

I smiled back, knowing exactly how much he loved Grandma's cooking. “No problem. I have juice for you too.” I grabbed the juice and set one near each guy, then settled in the recliner. “How long have you guys been sick?”

“About three days,” Colby said. “But I really am starting to feel a little better.”

Landon blew on a spoonful of soup. “I'm a day behind him. He got me sick.”

Colby shook his head. “Nobody told you to eat my leftovers. The way I see it, that's what you get.”

Landon chuckled. “Lesson learned.” He glanced at me. “So how did you know we were sick?”

“Taylor mentioned it.”

“Are y'all hanging out more?” he asked.

“Not much. We were trying to make plans but seems like our work schedules don't want to cooperate. I think we may hang out at the beach Saturday.”

“Maybe we'll join you. We should definitely be better by then.”

“I sure as hell hope so,” Colby muttered. “But I may have to work. Dad promised not to tell Mom I was sick if I ran this weekend's charter and picked up a few more shifts at the Bait 'n' Tackle.”

“I've noticed the boat isn't moving much lately. Has it been pretty slow?”

He shrugged. “The fall always slows down to weekend-only runs, but add in the weather we've had lately and we're getting a lot of cancellations and reschedules. People even hear the word hurricane and they freak. But the stormy season is almost over. Then, of course, it'll be winter. It probably won't pick up again until spring.”

“I bet you miss the summer.”

He opened his mouth to say something then glanced at Landon. “It's nice to have a little break. And Dad has plans to keep me busy at his store. I'll be back to waking up early every morning and being out on the water before sunrise in no time.”

He was guarded with his answer in front of Landon, though I had no idea why. I decided to file that away as something to discuss later with him. “Well, you're both welcome to meet us at the beach on Saturday if you want. Maybe you can mention it to the other guys and we can have a bonfire or something.”

“Hell, if you want we can just do it here.”

“Will your neighbors mind a bonfire? It can get pretty smoky. And they're, like, old.”

Colby and Landon both burst into laughter.

“God, that sounded awful! I meant they are elderly and the smoke might bother them, breathing-wise or something.” They were still grinning at me. “You know what I mean.” I settled back in my chair, deciding silence was my best argument at the moment.

“I know, and you're probably right.” Landon set his empty bowl down on the coffee table. “Let's just stick to the public beach.”

“If I can make it, I'll bring you s'mores stuff.” Colby smiled at me.

“Oh my god, that would be perfect.”

Landon glanced at Colby. “I can pick it up, just in case.”

Colby looked at him, his smile faltering slightly. “Yeah, that'd be good. Never know.”

“Or I can bring the stuff myself?” I glanced between them, trying to figure out the unspoken words they were exchanging with those looks.

“No.” Colby was quick to shoot down my suggestion. “Let me…us do this. After all, you brought us soup. We can at least provide your favorite food.”

“It's your favorite?” Landon asked.

“Second to french fries,” Colby and I said in unison.

“Whoa.” Landon laughed. “That was creepy. Word for word. Exact same timing.”

“I talk about food a lot. Half the town probably knows how much I love to eat.”

“Yet I had no clue.” Landon studied me. “Clearly, I need to pay better attention.”

This time I laughed. “It's okay, Landon. I don't care if you know my favorite food.”

“But maybe I do.”

And there it was again. The awkwardness I'd sensed on the phone. Problem was, it seemed one-sided. Like only I felt uneasy with our conversation. My gaze flicked to Colby, hoping I could find something in his expression that also suggested the confusion I felt, but instead he had that look again, that weird sad-and-defeated combo, as he stared at Landon. Then his eyes shifted to mine and he smiled. It was like déjà vu from the other night. The expressions were exactly the same. What in the world was going on?

“I guess I'm going to let you two get some more rest. There's plenty of leftover soup in the fridge.” I stood. “If you need anything else, call me.”

“You've already done too much.” Colby stood and I considered telling him to sit but decided against it. “I'll walk you out.”

Landon, looking guilty over not offering, started to rise.

Colby pointed at him. “You still have a fever. Lay your ass back down.”

“And I thought Mom would be annoying.”

Colby smiled and nodded for me to walk ahead of him.

“Bye, Landon. See you Saturday.”

“I'd hug you but, you know, germs.”

“Please keep them to yourself. But I hope you feel better.” I made my way down the short hall to the front door and pulled it open. I stepped over the threshold then glanced back at Colby. “I hope you feel better too.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Isla. Really, you didn't have to, but it means a lot that you did.”

“No problem.” I stared at the ground then looked back up. “So, Saturday, can we talk? If you make it to the beach, of course.”

“You can always talk to me.” His chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “But yeah, let's talk Saturday.”

I nodded, and stared into Colby's eyes a second too long. Not that it was my fault. I mean they were such the perfect mixture of blue and gray, kind of like the sky after a rainstorm but before all the clouds had passed. But staring into them always made me mentally relive our night together, which was never a good thing. It'd be a great thing if it didn't carry so much baggage, but unfortunately it did.

I forced my gaze to drop. “Okay, well, I'll see you then.” I peeked back up and his eyes were still locked on me.

“Yeah, I'll be there. No matter what, I'll get there.”

I bit my lip to avoid blurting the only question pounding through my mind:
Why don't you love me?
Mostly because it was pathetic, but also because I worried what his answer would be.

So instead I said, “Okay.” Which was equally lame. I could have said that I was glad we'd get to talk or I looked forward to seeing him, but, no, I decided to basically grunt a one-word reply.

I turned and walked to my car, needing to put space between us before I started rambling in an attempt to save face, which would probably just embarrass me more because once I gave my mouth free rein to speak, it never seemed to know when to stop.

When I got to my car, I glanced back. I wasn't surprised to see Colby still watching. He always made sure I was safely in my car, not that anything bad would happen in Senior Citizen Cove, but it was just the way he was. Always thoughtful.

With one last wave, I hopped in my car, and headed home. I'd gotten my Colby fix but somehow that had only made me crave it more. It was like each little taste only fueled the need.

But truth be told, I'd never get enough of Colby, because I was completely and hopelessly addicted to him.

Just as I pulled into the parking lot of Eddie's my phone chimed with a message.

Colby:
Thanks for bringing soup over.

Me:
You're welcome!

Colby:
Hope you didn't catch whatever we had.

Me:
I feel fine. No worries.
How are you feeling today?

Colby:
Much better. Just in time to head out on the boat with Dad this weekend.

Me:
You excited?

Colby:
Yeah.

Me:
Well, that's good. I've missed seeing you pull into the dock every day.

Colby:
Oh, has Eddie's been slow without the boat bringing in the day's catch?

Me:
It's slow either way this time of year.

Me:
I just miss the summer. Felicity and me at the restaurant, You and Mason on the boat. It was a good summer, wasn't it?

Colby:
It was. We had a lot of fun.

Me:
It was our last.

Colby:
What do you mean?

Me:
She's moved away, and in a few months, I will too.

My chest tightened as I glanced at my previous message.
It was our last.
Our time was running out. We'd already had our last summer together. My stomach sank.

Colby:
You don't think you'll move back after you finish?

Me:
I'd love to come home but it just depends where I can find a job. Port Lucia isn't exactly full of nursing positions.

Which was an understatement. We had one medical complex that housed a handful of doctors and a tiny hospital.

Colby:
Guess that's true. It's weird to think you won't be here next summer.

Me:
I know.

It was quiet for a moment. No response or follow-up text came through. I stared at the phone, hoping for more but not sure what to say that would continue the conversation. But then it dinged in my hand, and my mouth tugged into an involuntary smile when I saw the message.

Colby:
I'll miss you.

Me:
I'll miss you too, Colby.

Colby:
We'll still hang out. You'll visit your grandma and I'll make a trip up there. It'll be fun to get away and visit.

Me:
Yeah. That would be fun.

Though I didn't want to end our conversation, I'd be late if I didn't.

Me:
Well, I'm heading into work now.

Colby:
Okay. Have a good day.

Me:
Thanks.

I stared at the phone for a few seconds more, not really waiting for anything in particular but hoping for a little more of something, just the same. Finally, with a sigh, I dropped my phone into my bag and started heading inside. Just as I reached the door, my phone chimed. I dug it out while my mouth tugged into a hopeful smile, only to quickly be smothered by a very unexpected message.

Luis:
Coming to town for Grandma's birthday.

I stared at the message. Then typed the only reply that came to mind.

Me:
Why?

Luis:
Don't need a reason or your permission.

Me:
Just wondered why considering you've missed the last three.

Luis:
It's her 70th.

While that was true, it didn't mean any of the birthdays leading up to this one had been any less important. Nor Christmas nor Thanksgiving nor any other occasion he'd missed that he could've spent with Grandma…and with me.

Me:
Okay, when will you be in town?

Luis:
A few days before.
Dad's already made all the party arrangements so don't worry about it.

My shoulders tensed and I stared at the message, the words getting blurry behind the rage filling me. How dare they think they could swoop in and plan a party for someone they'd ignored for years? The occasional phone call didn't earn them the right to pretend they cared. And to top it off, they didn't know her interests or her friends, or hell, anything about Port Lucia anymore.

Me:
It's two weeks away. When were you going to tell me? And Dad's coming?

Luis:
He's traveling and won't make it. And I'm telling you now.

Me:
But I would've liked to help with the plans.

Luis:
As you said, it's two weeks away. If you haven't made them yet, you weren't intending to.

I stared at the phone, anger making it impossible to even formulate a decent response. Of course, I would have made plans; they just would've included a nice dinner with friends. Nothing that took months of preparations.

But before I could even attempt a coherent response, my phone buzzed again.

Luis:
It's taken care of. More details to follow.

Luis:
And please don't go into one of your childish fits.

My steam dissipated as I reined in my emotions, now embarrassed like a reprimanded child. He'd called me out and like always, it had silenced me. What Colby referred to as feisty, Luis referred to as childish. With nothing left to say, I typed a one-word response:
Okay.

What more could I say? Dad had made plans. Luis intended to oversee them. And if I complained, I'd be reminded that I was the baby of the family. Hotheaded, impulsive, and the source of our family's problems…as Luis liked to remind me.

Luis wouldn't have more to say, and though I had a ton of questions about the party details, I didn't ask. Like Dad, he enjoyed controlling things and I knew he'd tell me what I needed to know when he felt like it. There was no point in asking now.

And here I'd thought my Colby-drama was actually worth stressing over. Leave it to my family to swoop in and really flip things on their head, which was the absolute last thing I needed to happen before work today. I was filling in for a server on vacation, but when it came down to it playing hostess was the only place I flourished.

Most of my coworkers felt as if I'd only been hired for two reasons: my best friend gave a recommendation for me, and Eddie thought I looked good greeting diners. Thanks to those not-so-quietly-whispered rumors, it never failed that when I had to cover for someone on the floor, I screwed up. It was almost like I'd set myself up for failure, trying to prove them wrong and probably just ultimately overdoing it. I'd spend half my shift apologizing for something I'd screwed up.

It only took an hour into my work shift to know that today was no different. God forbid I made it through one shift as a server without living up to the “all looks and no brains” stereotype. Which was just that, a stereotype, because not only did I have the G.P.A. to prove otherwise, I was also the only one here working
and
going to school, which was no easy task.

“Hey, Eddie,” I called to him as he passed with a tray of drinking glasses effortlessly balanced on one hand, a skill I couldn't even pretend to have. “I'm sure you're getting complaints, and— well, I'm sorry.” I mean what more could I say? I didn't have a good excuse, so all I could do was offer an apology. Wasn't like I would or could blame stress, considering this was pretty much how every shift as server went for me.

His mouth tugged up in this effortlessly lazy grin he'd mastered. For a business owner, he had the most laissez-faire attitude of anyone I'd ever known. And if given the moment to chat—which he did frequently and enthusiastically—he'd talk all about his life “before.” The one where he lived in a big city and worked some boring corporate job. Then he'd tell you all about cashing in his retirement to start his own restaurant. And his story always finished with his famous last line: Who needs money in the bank for tomorrow, when there is so much life to be lived today? And that was Eddie, the man who existed in the moment and somehow made it all work. Grandma thought he was smart. Colby's dad thought he was insane. Yet they both loved him. Everyone in town did.

“Haven't had one all day. You're doing a great job.” He hiked the tray over his shoulder. “Keep it up.” Then he headed off to deliver the drinks…to one of my tables?

Yeah. Such a great job he was covering for me. Dammit. I turned to the computer to print the check for table seven just as a customer entered. Since Eddie was off filling in for me, the least I could do was cover the hostess stand for him.

“Hi, welcome to—Oh, hey Landon.”

He smiled and lifted a white bakery box. “Got something for you.”

“Oh? What's this?” I reached for the box. “Lucy's?”

“Yep.”

I opened the lid just enough to peek inside. “Oh my god, chocolate croissants. These are my favorite.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Just wanted to say thanks for the soup and stopping by the other day.”

“Oh, no problem.” Which it really hadn't been, considering it served completely selfish purposes. “Glad I could help a little.”

“Well, I really appreciated it and I hope you enjoy those half as much as I enjoyed the soup.” He grinned.

“Oh, I will. Trust me. I'll be sure to tell Grandma and, oh my god, I can't wait to eat one.” I practically salivated over the box.

“Yeah, I know how much you love them.”

I did love these croissants…and he knew that? Why did that come as a surprise? Landon was always there, almost like background noise to Colby. Had he been paying attention to me while I was preoccupied with his brother? First the flowers, which he'd totally nailed. Now my favorite treat?

I smiled, appreciating the unexpected treat on such a crappy day.

He returned my smile and his eyes sort of lit up. I'd always considered them a dull shade of blue, but I realized right then it was actually just that they had a lot more gray than Colby's. They weren't a muted blue, but instead almost a slate color, and kind of intense. Huh. Crazy—after all these years, I'd just then noticed.

“Well, I'll let you get back to work.” He scratched at the facial scruff he'd acquired over the last few days and added, “You should come by the bar sometime. I'm back at work tonight through the weekend. Stop by. You can keep me company.”

“Like you need it.” I shook my head and grinned. “You're like the epitome of hot bartender.”

His eyes focused on me, his head cocked a bit then he looked down. “Well, yours is company I'd actually enjoy. If you want to hang out, that is.”

“Of course! I'll see if maybe Taylor wants to stop by with me.”

“Cool.” He glanced up then looked away again. “I'll see you around.”

I gestured to the box. “Thanks again.”

He nodded and ran his hand through his hair, looking as if he'd considered saying something more, but then changed his mind.

He mumbled a quick bye, then disappeared out the door.

Someone cleared their throat from inside the dining area. “Um, miss?”

Crap. I stashed the box under the hostess stand and hurried to grab the check I'd printed. My table was probably annoyed I'd taken so long.

I rushed over, sliding the paper into the black tray as I went. With a smile plastered on my face, I slid it onto the table. “Sorry for the wait. Is there anything else I can get you?”

One of the two elderly women smiled up at me. “Oh, don't you worry. I just needed a refill, but we're in no rush.” She smiled, her eyes slightly unfocused as if lost in thought. “I remember when I was your age and my boyfriend would visit me at work. Those were the days, weren't they, Betty?” She sighed. “Of course, he never brought gifts, yet I
still
married him.” She laughed.

“Oh, he's not my boyfriend.”

The other woman smiled. “Well, that explains the gifts.”

The first nodded. “I should have made him work for it.”

“Oh, he's not.” I offered a polite smile. “It was just a thank-you gift.”

The women exchanged a glance, then the first one tilted her head and patted my arm. “Honey, he is most definitely working for it. Now whether or not he is successful is up to you, but trust me, the effort was there.”

I glanced back at the entrance as if Landon would magically reappear, then shook my head. “We're just friends…” My words trailed off for two reasons: I had no business arguing with my future tipper, and second, it was an argument I clearly wasn't going to win. Everything in her expression was set. From her slightly raised eyebrow, to her pursued lips, to the creases pressing into her forehead, her expression screamed “Don't be stupid.” So I did the smart thing and shut my mouth.

Sensing my defeat, her expression softened.

“Well, I hope you enjoyed your lunch. I'll get you another iced tea and if you need anything else, just wave me down.” I gave them both a big smile, then darted back to the kitchen to check on my orders and grab her a refill.

Of course, I knew she'd been wrong. Landon really just wanted to thank me for my kind gesture with one of his own. No big deal. And the invite to see him at the bar? That was just him being friendly as well. An open invitation to suggest I was always welcome. I'd done something nice; now he had too. No big deal. Right? But what was that feeling creeping through my stomach? Dread? Or butterflies?

Regardless of which, they'd both need to be stifled since neither one had a place in my life when it came to Landon. He was just Colby's brother…one who seemed to know an awful lot about me.

My gaze traveled to the door again and I yanked it back to the order slips hanging above the prep window. What was wrong with me? I couldn't even entertain the idea of Landon having feelings for me, or vice versa. That'd be…wrong. Very wrong. The Callahan boys were all off limits. Colby because he chose to be, and the other two because they'd never be Colby. And he was the only one I'd ever want…right?