Finding You: The Switched Series book one (5 page)

“Of course not, Ash is still gone. He’s not supposed to be back until tomorrow. I will talk to him then and we will try to figure out something then.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I ask Brody realizing how lucky I am to have him here with me through all of this. We may not have started out on the right foot, but I am very thankful to have him now.

“I don’t mind at all,” he says, getting up. “I’ll go get her settled in and let you know where I’ll be tonight,” he says, turning to his parents.  I know they probably wanted me to stay here tonight, but I’m not ready for that yet.  We say our awkward goodbye’s and Body and I get back into his truck. We drive a couple of miles and pull into a long driveway that leads to a smaller house. It’s gorgeous. It has a porch that wraps around the house. There’s a barn in the background and a small dock leading to a larger pond. I may not ever want to leave here.

“Who is Ash and are you sure he would be okay with me staying here tonight?” I ask while we are unloading his truck.

“Ash has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. This is actually his place. I just started crashing here and never moved out. He’s like family to us. He lost his family a few years back and we sort of just took him in. He doesn’t really talk about it so I don’t know details. We are pretty much all he has. Anyway, he won’t mind you being here, but I’ll call and tell him everything in the morning. He had to go out of town for a couple of weeks for a case he’s working on.”

“Another cop, of course,” I say, smiling at Brody. “Thank you for letting me stay here. I know they probably wanted me to stay with them, but I am not ready for that. I’m sure when Molly wakes up she wouldn’t be ready for that either.”

“It’s no problem. We are actually pretty clean around here for two guys. I’ll show you my room and you can stay in there.”

“I feel really bad taking your room. I can take the couch,” I say, hoping he is getting my hint without having to come out and say it. I know it’s crazy to want someone I met a few days ago to stay with me, but I would feel safer with him here.

“My mama raised me right, there is no way I’m letting you sleep on a couch. You are taking my bed. It even has clean sheets and everything,” he says, carrying my bags in the house and into his bedroom. He sets them down beside the bed. He’s right, this is a very clean house considering two guys live here.

“You actually cleaned this house knowing I would come with you, didn’t you?” I ask him already knowing the answer. If you are going to buy someone a plane ticket to come home with you, you might as well clean up your house too.

He just looks at me and smiles.             

“Jax and Collin don’t live too far from here. It’s a very small town so we can all be here in a matter of minutes. There are horses here if you want to look around in the morning. I can also take you back to my parents sometime tomorrow and you can look around there too. I can crash with Jax and Collin tonight. If you need anything, just give me a call.  I’ll give you a quick tour, and then I will give you some privacy,” he says, showing me around the house.

“I have a gun,” I blurt out. He just looks at me with a very confused look.

“Okay, how did you get it through an airport?” he asks.

“I didn’t. I mean I have a gun at home. Actually I have two. They are legal. I have a permit for them both. I just don’t have them with me.”

“Do you need them? Detective Clayton was going to surprise you with your car so you would have a way of getting around. I can call him and if he hasn’t left, he might can break in your place and get them if you want them,” he says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“There is actually one in the glove box. I keep one in my car and one in my purse usually. They make me feel a little safer,” I say, hoping he will understand being in a strange house in a town that is close to the town that causes my horrible nightmares is really starting to scare me. Brody walks over and sits on the couch.

“Do you want me to stay here tonight? I promise you are safe out here, but if you would feel better, I can sleep on the couch.”

“I would feel better if you would stay here, but if you don’t want to, I understand,” I say, hoping he will stay with me after he hears the rest. “I don’t really sleep very well. I have some medicine that helps me sleep I can take, but I might still wake you up during the night and I would really hate to keep you up all night,” I say, hoping this will not make a difference.

“Why would you wake me up?” he asks, looking at me like I have just lost my mind. Suddenly his expression changes when he figures out what I am talking about. “You have nightmares,” he says, looking at me. I just nod my head at him.

“They have gotten better, but after being here and meeting everybody today, I don’t know what will happen,” I say, sitting down beside him. “I’m sorry. I’m a pretty big mess. You should have just left me in Florida.”

“When did they start?”

“The night I found my parents,” I say, really not wanting to relive that night right before bed.

“What are they about?” he asks, looking at me. Why is he asking about this now?

“Blue eyes, that’s all I saw that night, but I will never forget them, probably because I have seen them hundreds of times in my dreams.”

“I’m really sorry you had to go through that alone. I have seen a lot of messed up things in my life, but I can’t even begin to imagine walking into a room and finding my parents that way.”

“I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. Thanks for everything today. You are staying, right?” I ask him. He better not leave me after asking questions like that. I answered them, so I think I deserve to not be alone tonight.

“I’ll be right here if you need anything. I’m just going to call and let everyone know you are okay. I hope you can sleep well tonight and Callie, thank you for coming and giving us a chance. I know you didn’t have to and I really appreciate you taking a chance on us,” he says, walking over to a closet to pull out a blanket. 

I go into the bedroom to grab my bags before going into the bathroom to shower. After showering, I climb into Brody’s bed, which is actually a lot more comfortable than mine, and pray I can get a good night of sleep.

Chapter Six

I wake up later in the morning, after a very surprisingly great night of sleep to an empty house. After throwing on another pair of yoga pants, a tank top and flip flops, I head to the kitchen to look for some caffeine. I am not a big breakfast eater, but I have to have my caffeine. Of course there is no coffee in this place. How do these boys survive without coffee? I open the refrigerator hoping to find some kind of caffeine. I really hope there is a grocery store around here because there is nothing to eat or drink here. There are a couple of bottles of water and a few cans of Ski. I’m not sure what that is, but maybe it has caffeine. I grab one and open it before heading outside to look around. I take a drink and decide I have just found my new favorite drink. How have I made it without these my whole life?

I have never been on a farm, but I think I just fell in love. It’s so calming here. Miami is always so loud and crazy busy. Maybe small town life is the way to go. I walk down the back steps to head to the barn to look around when I am met by a very large black dog. I have never had any pets and don’t know much about them, but this one looks like he could tear me up. I guess this is the dog I’m supposed to stay away from that hates girls. This is great, I haven’t been here an entire day and I am about to be attacked by a dog.

“Hey big boy,” I say, wishing they had at least told me his name. He’s not barking or growling at me so maybe that’s a good sign. He just walks over to me and sits beside me. Maybe this is another black dog. I reach down to pet him hoping he’s going to continue to stay this calm. He opens his mouth and for a split second I think he’s going to bite me, but instead he licks me, all over my hand.

“You’re not so bad, are you,” I say, still petting him.  He is wearing a camouflage collar with a name on it. His name is Scooby, who in their right mind would name a dog Scooby?  Is that even a real name? I stop petting him and start walking toward the barn and pond. It is really gorgeous out here. I look down beside me to find Scooby walking with me. Maybe he likes me after all.

The barn has a big fence around it and inside the fence are three very beautiful horses. I don’t know anything about horses, but I know they are beautiful creatures up close. I climb up on the fence to sit on it and watch the horses. I hope horses don’t usually attack people. I look down beside me to find Scooby lying on the ground beside me asleep. He definitely doesn’t seem mean to me.

“I guess I need to get a better guard dog.”

I turn around to see another very tall and also very muscular man staring right at me, but instead of dark hair, this one has blonde. I can’t tell much else about him, but I can see his eyes. They are very gorgeous and very blue, especially with the sun shining in them. I usually don’t like people with blue eyes. In fact, I try to stay away from them. Other than Clay, I don’t think I have any friends with blue eyes. I know I’m staring, but I can’t stop. His eyes look so familiar, but not in a nightmare kind of way.

“You must be Callie, I’m Ash,” he says, walking over to shake my hand.

“Hi, umm, yes I am Callie,” I say, shaking his hand. I can’t even form a coherent sentence with this one around. He’s going to think I’m crazy. What is wrong with me?

“I see you’ve met Scooby,” he says, pointing at the dog. “He usually hates people, especially women. You must have really charmed him.”

“Oh, yes, Scooby and I go way back. I had been warned of a very big black dog that would hate me. I have been watching out for him, but instead found this big sweet thing that really likes to lick a lot.”

He just continues to stare at me like I have lost my mind. This is a great first impression.

“Thanks for letting me stay here last night,” I say, pointing back at the house. “It’s really gorgeous out here.”

“It’s no problem, stay as long as you need,” he says, staring at me like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to figure out. “Do you ride?”

“Do I ride what?” I ask not having any idea what he’s talking about.

“Horses.” he says, coming to sit by me on the fence.

“Oh, no, this is the closest I have ever been to a horse before. I know nothing about animals. Are all of these yours?”

“They are, we always had horses when I was growing up. When I bought this place, I thought it needed some horses. I couldn’t decide which I wanted so I got all three.”

“Lucky horses,” I say, turning to look at him. He just smiles at me and shakes his head. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing, you are just not what I expected after talking to Brody.”

“How long have you known Brody?” I ask. Maybe he can give me some insight into the Taylor family and I can find out what the deal with Molly is.

“We have been friends as long as I can remember. We have always practically been inseparable. I moved away a few years back and lost my family while I was gone. I moved back here and they took me in. They are pretty much my family now,” he says, looking out over the pond.

“Are you family? A long lost cousin or something like that,” I ask, wanting to make sure he is in no way related to me.

“I am definitely not related to this family in any way,” he says, turning back to smile at me.

“That’s good to know,” I say, trying to remember why I even care. Two weeks. I am staying here two weeks and then I am going back to Florida to try to forget about all of this. I just wasn’t expecting to find this guy here.

“Very good,” he replies, winking at me. He just winked at me. This could be bad. I didn’t come here to meet him. I came here to meet the family I got cheated out of having. He probably just feels sorry for me and flirts with everybody anyway. I need to get away from him…now.

“I should go. It was nice meeting you and Scooby, I’m sure I’ll see you later. I’ll try to find a place to stay and get out of your way soon,” I say, turning to head back to the house.

“Are you hungry?” he asks climbing off the fence to follow me. “I know there is no food in the house. Let me take you to lunch and then we can go get groceries.”

He’s right, there are no groceries in this house and I am starving. I guess if I’m living here, I can’t avoid him.

“You mean there is actually a restaurant around here?” I ask, looking back at him.

“There are two. They are both really good too. I hope you like barbecue,” he says, walking toward the house.

“I love barbecue. Just let me change. I wouldn’t want you to be embarrassed to eat with me,” I say, opening the door to the house.

“Trust me, you look perfect, just get in the truck,” he says, opening the door for me. I walk over to him and get in. I really hope he’s not some random serial killer. I don’t know what these people are doing to me. I don’t trust or talk to anyone, but for some reason I am willing to go anywhere with these people around here. What is wrong with me?

“Has Brody given you a tour of our town yet?” he asks, turning the radio down in the truck.

“It was starting to get dark when we got here last night. I just saw a lot of trees and barns.”

“How about a small tour before lunch?” he asks

“I would like that,” I say, smiling back at him right before my phone starts ringing. This is going to be embarrassing. When you wear pants with no pockets, there’s only one place to put a phone, your bra. I dig my phone out and look over at Ash. He is looking straight ahead with a smile on his face.

“It’s Brody. I guess I better answer. He probably thinks I ran off,” I say.

“Hello,” I answer.

“Hey. Are you okay? I came back to the house, but I can’t find you.”

“I’m fine. I met Ash after you left I guess. We were just going to get some lunch. I’ll be back later,” I say, hoping he will stay away. I need some answers and right now I think Ash may be the one to give them to me.

“Okay, can I talk to Ash a second? I forgot to tell him something this morning,” he says.

“Sure,” I say, before handing the phone to Ash.

Ash winks at me again before taking the phone. “Hey man,” he says.

“I’m just giving her a tour of the town before grabbing some lunch. We have no food in the house. I didn’t want her to starve. I’ll tell her. Okay, I understand,” he says before ending the call and handing me my phone back.

“Is everything okay?” I ask him, putting my phone back up. 

“It’s fine. You may have only met Brody a few days ago, but I guarantee you have a very over protective brother.”

“Oh no, what did he say to you?” I ask, looking out the window.

“He said I better not touch you and I better not let you out of my sight. I’m sure he will decide he’s hungry and show up very soon,” he says, turning onto another road.

“Okay, here’s the town. Don’t blink or you will miss something. This way has all of the grocery stores and other stores you will need,” he says, turning into the grocery store parking lot to turn around. We drive past the road we just turned from. This is a very small town.

“This road has all the important things, a restaurant, one of the two in this town, the funeral home and of course cemeteries.” We drive a few more miles before driving down a curvy hill. At the bottom of the hill is a gas station. “Down here is a few hotels, they are all pretty old and they say one is haunted. I have never stayed there, so I don’t know. There are also a few churches and a park.”

We turn around again and go back to the main road we just came from. This is the town square. There is a city hall, post office, a bank, a pharmacy and a few other places,” he says, driving around it. “If you go up the hill, you will find the school and we are going to turn here and go eat at this restaurant,” he says, pulling into a little parking lot where a white building sits.

              “Wow, big town,” I say, opening the door to get out of his truck. “Did you say school?” I ask.

              “I did say school. Kindergarten to high school all in one place,” he says, opening the door for me. I can’t imagine a school that small. I teach first grade at a school that only goes to fifth grade and we have seven hundred kids. They weren’t kidding, this is a small town.

              “What do you want to eat?” he asks, standing by the counter to order.

              “I’ll have whatever you recommend,” I say, walking over to sit in a booth in the corner. I sit and watch him order and pay for our food. He walks over to the drinks and gets two bottles of Ski out and brings them to the booth.

              “I saw you drinking one this morning, I thought you might like another one,” he says, sitting one down in front of me. He turns back around and brings two plates of food back to the table. I look at my plate, it looks good, but definitely doesn’t look like any barbecue I have ever had.

              “I really liked how you just sat down and didn’t even offer to pay for your own food. I don’t think I have ever had that happen before on a non-date,” he says, smirking at me.

              “You invited me and told me to get in the truck. I had no money on me while I was charming your dog, so you owe me a meal for making me go in public looking like this. I don’t even have makeup on,” I say, taking a bite of my food. It is really good. “You must go on a lot of non-dates.”

              “I don’t know if I have ever been on a non-date with a girl. I usually just eat with your brothers. I make them pay for their own and I like the no makeup thing.”

              I want to ask him how many real dates he goes on, but decide it’s probably better not to go there right now.  I’m assuming he doesn’t have a girlfriend or he wouldn’t be here with me right now.

              “You don’t have a girlfriend that is going to mad that you bought my lunch today, do you? I wouldn’t want to have to worry about some girl being after me.”

              “If I had a girlfriend, I definitely wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now,” he says, taking another bite.

              “Can I ask you a question about Molly?” I ask him. Maybe he will talk about her since no one else wants to say much about her.

              “You can ask me anything, but you may want to hurry. Our chaperones have just arrived,” he says, pointing out the window. Looking out the window, I find Brody, Jaxon and Collin all piling out of the truck. I guess I really did come here to be babysat.

              “Do you want to make them uncomfortable?” Ash asks drawing my attention back to him. “Watch this,” he says, standing up. He walks over to the counter and grabs some napkins just as they walk in the door. “Hey guys, do y’all want to join us?” he asks them. I don’t hear what they are saying to him. He walks back to the table, grabs his food and moves into the booth next to me. “I made room for y’all,” he says, pointing at the empty side of the booth before going back to his food. This is going to be a fun lunch.

              Brody, Jaxon and Collin all order their food and grab a drink before heading over to the table to sit with us. Jaxon and Collin sit in the booth across from us and Brody pulls a chair up at the end of the table after grabbing their food.

              “Hey boys,” I say, looking around at them all. This has just gotten very uncomfortable very fast. I don’t even remember the last date I went on, that’s how long it’s been and now I am sitting at a table with four men that I know nothing about. They are all just eating in silence a like supper last night. It’s very awkward.