Never Let Me Go (6 page)

He walked with me toward the door after I grabbed the bags with the food, and he held the door open for me.

“Will do,” he replied. “It was
really
nice to meet you, Michele Taggaro.”

“Likewise, Hayden Jax,” I told him.

I grinned, strutting back toward the truck where Rory sat, waiting for me. I placed the bags of food on the floor of the passenger seat, then hopped in the car. I buckled my seat belt and smiled at Rory, giving him the okay to drive away.

I reached for my cell phone, surprised to see that there was a text message from an unknown number. I opened it, grinning like a fucking idiot when I read what it said.

Unknown: Hi, Michele. It’s Hayden. Is it Sometime yet?

I turned up the radio, singing aloud again as I typed out my response.

Me: Yes, it is.

I smiled, saving his cell phone number and waiting for his response. Rory was driving in silence, and I wondered if he was as preoccupied as I was.

Hayden: So, since it’s Sometime, I wanted to know when’s the next time I can see you? Maybe we can go to a movie, and then afterward, we can go to this awesome place in town called Buck and Doe’s.

I laughed aloud at his playfulness. He was cute, witty,
and
incredibly charming.

Me: Oh, really? I’ve never been. I’m not from around here, you know.

Rory pulled into the driveway of the Westwick estate, and he opened the door for me as I stepped out of the car. I placed my cell phone in the pocket of my sweats, walking up the stairs with the food from the restaurant in my hands.

“Hello!” I called out. “I’m back, and I come bearing food!”

I walked into the kitchen, finding Nic and Colin at the island, playing Jenga. Colin had just pulled out a wooden block, yelling in frustration as his move toppled the entire structure down.

“Dammit!” He cursed. “You win again.”

Nickayla grinned, taking the bags of food from me and setting them on the table. She went to the refrigerator and grabbed a carafe of orange juice. She poured the juice into three glasses and brought them over to the dining room table with ease.

I pulled out my cell phone once more, setting it on the table and opening my takeout container of breakfast.

It buzzed once, and I clicked the home button on the screen, satisfied to find that it was another text message from Hayden.

Hayden: Oh, it’s the best place in town! In fact, I met the most gorgeous little blonde girl there this morning, with eyes like the ocean and a heart-stopping laugh. I think you’ll love it.

I blushed, taking a bite of my cinnamon roll as I sighed with contentment. He was
really
laying the charm on thick, and I loved it.

All that I could hear around me was the faint scraping of forks against Styrofoam, but I wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on around me.

Me: Oh, wow, she’s a lucky girl, to have been noticed by you.

So, since it’s Sometime, I guess you can see me whenever you’re free.

He texted back within seconds.

Hayden: Later today, maybe?

I grinned, flattered by his enthusiasm.

Me: I have plans later today, but if you’re free tomorrow…

I took another bite of my breakfast, then took a sip of my orange juice, holding the cup suspended in mid-air as I stared off into space.

Hayden was the first person I’d had a reaction to since Brody. Brody was my first…everything.

I’d lost my virginity to him at sixteen, and I’d lost my heart to him
long
before that. I had convinced myself that we were going to be together forever, and that no matter if Brody was my first, I wanted him to be my
only
. Obviously, that hadn’t worked out the way that I wanted it to, but how long was I going to let myself dwell on that? I couldn’t stay hung up on Brody forever. I know that.

I wasn’t the type of girl who quickly bounced from one relationship to another. That didn’t mean, however, that I couldn’t at least see what else was out there and go out with someone else.

With Brody, maybe I had bad judgment, but I was done being stupid.

“Earth to Michele!” Nickayla said, waving her hands in front of me. “What is going
on
with you today?”

I shook my head, looking down at my cell phone and reading Hayden’s latest text message.

Hayden: God, I can’t wait until tomorrow. I’m REALLY looking forward to getting to know you, Michele.

“Baby, look at her,” Colin said. “She’s been texting nonstop since she got back in the house, and look at that smile on her face.”

I shook off his teasing, replying to the text message I’d just received.

Me: Likewise.

“Babe, you’re right!” Nic exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands. “I haven’t seen you smile like that in…well, ever. Either you met a guy, or…you met a guy.”

I blushed, grinning like an idiot.

“I met a guy,” I admitted, softly. “I’ll give you the details later.”

I hoped that by the end of the summer, I’d be able to look back on my visit to Big Springs with joy.

Chapter Four

“Mich, your phone is ringing!” Nickayla called from outside the bathroom door.

I had just gotten out of the shower, and I was getting dressed so that I was presentable for when Colin’s family came over. I was drying off my hair with a towel after I’d pulled on my jeans when she told me.

“I’m coming,” I replied, wrenching the door open and accepting my cell phone from her.

The number was unknown and since I’d saved Hayden’s number in my contacts, I assumed that it was Pat calling me about an interview. I quickly answered the call and muttering to Nic that I would get back to her soon. I made my way into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I plopped down on my bed, grabbing a nail polish off of my dresser and holding it in my hand.

“Hello?” I asked the person on the other line.

“Hello, my name is Pat Lewis, and I’m the owner of Buck and Doe’s. Is Michele Taggaro available?” she asked.

I bent my knees, leaning forward and painting my toenails
Cupid
pink by Revlon.

“Speaking,” I replied.

“Hello, Michele,” Pat greeted me. “I’ve spoken with Melanie—she’s one of my best waitresses—and we could really use some help at the restaurant. Would you be available on Monday afternoon for an interview?”

I stopped, topping up the nail polish and reaching for a notebook in my suitcase.

“Yes, I am definitely available on Monday,” I said, writing it down. “What time would you like me to come in?”

Pat cleared her throat on the other end before she spoke. “Two p.m. will be great,” she told me. “We get quite the rush at lunch time, and people start dwindling out around one-thirty. So I’ll see you Monday at two. Do you have any questions?”

“One, actually,” I replied slowly. “After my interview, how long will I be waiting before I’m notified if I’ve been offered the job or not?”

Pat gave a quick laugh as I scribbled down the details of my interview.

“After your interview, I’ll tell you right away,” she assured me. “I’ll let you know your start date, your starting salary, your shift, and I’ll provide you with your apron and name tag before your first work day.”

“That is great, Ms. Lewis! Thank you so much!” I exclaimed.

We hung up, and I didn’t skip the opportunity to jump for joy at the prospect of getting a job. It was exciting to have somewhat of an entirely different life in a new place.

I padded out of my room and down the halls, my toenails still wet as I raced down the stairs toward where Colin was preparing dinner for his family.

He was in the kitchen, chopping up spicy Italian sausage and sautéing it in a mixture of onions, herbs, and spices. He had already browned the ground beef, and he was preparing his “famous” spaghetti sauce for what was quite possibly the world’s largest batch of spaghetti ever made.

“Hey, Mich,” Colin said at the sight of me, pulling away from his pot of sauce and holding the wooden spoon out for me. “Taste this.”

I grabbed the spoon from him, placing the end of it toward my lips and tasting a little bit of his special sauce. I closed my eyes, reveling in the taste of the tomato sauce that was slightly laced with a hint of lemon and a subtle hint of chili.

Colin was the kind of person who liked to do things hours ahead of time, just so that he wouldn’t have to rush to finish anything later, which explained why he was making spaghetti sauce at 10 a.m.

“This is amazing,” I told him, smiling. “Will any of this be ready before I leave for my date, perhaps?”

He chuckled, shaking his head as he poured oregano into his open palm and sprinkled it over the sauce that I’d thought tasted perfect already. “No. But it’ll be ready when you get back, so don’t stuff yourself while you’re out today. And by the way, I wanted to talk to you about this…date.”

I groaned, not sure of what exactly he wanted to say to me. Colin wasn’t really the type to judge anyone—in fact, Colin was the kind of person that everyone naturally gravitated to. He was the kind of person who would always hear you out and always give you a chance, no matter what anyone else might have said or thought. He was kind.

“Please don’t tell me you’re about to pull the big brother thing,” I groaned again, taking a seat. “Because if you are, can we reschedule? Hayden is coming to pick me up in about thirty minutes, and my hair isn’t even done yet.”

Colin chuckled, lowering the fire on what he was cooking. He came and sat next to me, shaking his head in amusement.

“This’ll only take a second. I’m not gonna give you a sex talk or anything, so don’t look at me like that!” He gave me a light smile, his way of reassuring me that he was just trying to be my friend, and that was something that I desperately needed at the moment. “Where are you guys going?”

I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know where Hayden was planning on taking me. When I’d talked to him on the phone the night before, he was adamant on the fact that he wanted our first date to be a surprise. I didn’t have time to bug him even more about where we were going because my mind was thinking:
first date, first date, FIRST date!

Anyone else would think it was stupid, but in girl world, when a guy referred to a date specifically as a
first
date, that usually indicated that he was already thinking about a
second
date.

“I dunno,” I said. “He didn’t tell me where we were going, but I’m assuming that it’s gonna be somewhere touristy and what not. I’ve already been to the square, but I haven’t explored yet, so that could be an option right? And I doubt he’ll take me to the mall.”

Colin moved in his seat, tapping his fingers on the table. “There’s always the pier. I mean, we’re right off the beach, but if you look from mine and Nickayla’s room, you can see the pier from there. He might take you to visit the small shops and booths, or something. That’s
definitely
touristy.”

I laughed, running my fingers through my hair to check if it was dry. I really didn’t want to have to blow dry it, since I’d made it a point not to over-process my hair. I was a natural blonde, and the only thing I’d ever done was add highlights to it every six months, and curl it on special occasions.

I looked up at the clock on the wall in the kitchen, noting that it was 10:15. “Colin, can we please do this later? I
really
need to do my hair and makeup.”

“I only wanted to say that I’m proud of you. You could be in your room all day crying, or reading, or dwelling on what happened, but instead, you’re getting yourself out there and not letting anything hold you back. That’s
exactly
why I invited you on this trip, and I’m happy that you’re going out on a date.” Colin stood up from his chair, then walked over to me and wrapped me in a hug.

I hugged him back, then gave him a forced smile as he pulled away.

“Thanks, Colin.”

I wasn’t sure how to react to all that he’d said to me. He was the first male friend I’d had—since I didn’t consider Brody a friend because I’d had a crush on him for as long as I could remember. Colin was more supportive than I’d ever expected him to be. I wasn’t sure what our actual relationship would be like when Nickayla introduced us, because I didn’t think best friends and boyfriends mixed well. What I never expected was for me to become as close with Colin as I had. I’d found that I could talk to him about anything, that when he asked how I was doing, he
really
meant it—that he cared about me as a person, and not just because I was Nickayla’s best friend, and that he was unfailingly sweet despite the hardships he’d dealt with.

That boy was like the brother I never had, and I’d forever be thankful for him.

“Have fun on your date,” Colin said, returning to his pot of spaghetti sauce and flashing me a smile.