Pieces of Summer (A stand-alone novel)(11)

But he doesn’t slow down. He gets in his truck, slams the door, and the beast of an engine roars as he slams it in reverse and cuts it back, speeding off like hell is on his heels.

“What the hell just happened?” Whit asks me.

“Guess he doesn’t like blood,” I mumble.

My eyes land on the lonely eagle by the entrance, and I swear it’s a bittersweet symbolic statement. This isn’t how my new life was supposed to go. It was supposed to read the end.





Chapter 6


CHASE



I’m drinking a beer when Whit walks in and slams the door.

“Where the hell have you been?” she barks.

I ignore her while staring at the TV, still drinking.

“Damn it, Chase, what the hell is going on? Two days ago you acted like you saw a ghost, then you ran off. Now you’re just sitting here after not calling me or coming home for two days?”

I start to point out it’s my home, not hers, but I think I’ve pissed her off enough. It’s not like I foresaw my worst f*cking nightmare coming true.

“Just needed to clear my head,” I say before taking another sip.

“From what? First you act all kinds of skittish about the bowling alley, then you act like you’re going to tear Mika’s head off for no damn reason, and suddenly you disappear while she’s bleeding? I’m lucky she didn’t just fire me on the spot!”

I disappeared because I was seconds from dropping down and pinning Mika to the floor. Seconds from asking her a thousand questions about what the f*ck she was doing in this town. Seconds from carrying her out of there and taking her to the ER for a simple cut on her finger.

Seconds from losing my motherf*cking mind. That’s what I was.

“Getting really sick of the silent treatment. Talk or I freaking walk.”

As shitty and selfish as it is, I can’t let Whit walk. I’ll go straight to Mika’s if I don’t have an anchor holding me back. No way can I face her. No way do I want to get sucked back into a steel fortress of f*cking misery after finally escaping.

What the hell is she doing here? Why did she do it? Why the bowling alley?

“Do you know Mika or something? She literally wouldn’t speak to anyone after seeing you, and she barely even came out on opening night after you left. She refused to come in the next day, and she’s been incredibly excited about this. Why do I get the feeling there’s something going on between you two? Oh, I know why. Because you both acted shocked to see each other. As though you knew each other in a past life or some shit.”

It feels like a past life. That’s for damn sure.

“I think she used to vacation here in the summers or something. Look, Whit, I just hate that bowling alley. I’ve told you this before.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never told me why. And that doesn’t explain why Mika freaked when she saw you.”

Forcing a smirk, I motion up and down my body. “Tends to intimidate most people.”

She rolls her eyes, but a slow smile starts to curve her lips as she calms down.

“Why do you hate that place?” she asks.

Not answering that.

“Have my reasons. So why did Mika buy the place? She living here or something?” I’ve been trying not to think about her, and now I’m asking questions. Questions I shouldn’t be asking the girl I’m dating. Questions I shouldn’t be asking at all.

“Yeah. She bought her dad’s house or something. She’s a murder/mystery author, but she said she’s been sick of the city for a while. Why are you asking about her if you don’t know her?”

Shrugging, I point my attention back at my beer and ignore the hot sensation on the back of my neck. Fuck. She’s staying here? Living here? Please let it just be for the summer.

“Chase,” Whit says softly, “what’s going on with you?”

Looking up at her, I decide to be completely honest. Well, completely honest without the details.

“I f*cking hate summer.”





Chapter 7


CHASE



11 years ago…



Last summer was the best one yet. This summer is the last time we’ll have to wait. By next summer, she’ll be graduating and moving out here. I’d move there if I could, but she knows I can’t leave my mother. She’d be dead if I wasn’t constantly here to save her life.

Most people don’t consider her life to be a life worth saving, but she’s still my mother. She did what she could until life got too hard and she started drowning it out. Now it’s my turn to take care of her.

It sucks, but it’s the way it is. I’d love nothing more than to get out of Hayden, but I’ll be stuck here for the rest of my life or until Mom finally manages to get herself killed when I’m not in time to save her.

Besides, Hayden has one silver lining. It’s our f*cking nest. And Mika will make this place shine once she’s here.

Annoyed with the fact it’s been four days past the normal time she shows up, I decide to finally head over to her dad’s place. Mika’s parents split up this past winter, which isn’t surprising. I think Jessica hated Milton most days, and he looked more exhausted every time I saw him.

Mika is nothing like her mother, thankfully.