Pieces of Summer (A stand-alone novel)(15)

“Don’t feel that way.” I snort derisively. “You look like a model, Whit. You’re beyond beautiful. You’re also smart, sweet, incredibly strong… We had our moment in time back when I was young and stupid. At the end of the day, we burned out.”



“She’s burning out. She’s sleeping more and more. I don’t want her here. You’re not helping her. If anything you’re hurting her. You have to let her out.”

“Aidan, she can leave anytime she wants. She’s served her time here, but she’s refusing to leave. It’s not up to us.”

“You’re the *s inside her head and making her believe she can’t survive outside these walls. That’s it! I’m getting a court order. I’m over this bullshit. You’re f*cking with her head and letting her make the decisions when she’s not capable of it.”



Damn memories. They need to leave me alone. All this emotional stress is not good, and it’s awakening issues I’ve moved past. Strong emotions in general are not allowed.

“You still got to be his first. That’s important to a person. I know my first was important, and if he gave me a look, I’d be in his arms,” Whit goes on, not noticing my distraction.

Not sure how I like hearing that, since she’s supposed to be in love with Chase. Or I assume she’s in love with him…

“It was just a summer,” I assure her. “One summer. I got the boy; you got the man.” Well, one summer for sex. The rest of the summers were spent falling more and more in love. Definitely not telling her that. This is uncomfortable enough.

She forces a smile, and I decide there’s no way I can go back to writing about killing Thomas right now. Thomas is a character, by the way. I’m not actually killing anyone for real.

Fortunately, Aidan walks in, and my smile spreads as he makes his way toward me to relieve me from this incredibly awkward conversation.

“Hey, you done here? I’m f*cking starving and we haven’t got a damn thing to eat at home… obviously. Feel like that Italian place by the water?”

Home… That word hasn’t felt right on my tongue in years.

Whit turns around, and her eyes almost bug out of her head when she takes in Aidan. Did she just lick her lips? Ew.

“Yeah. Italian sounds good. I’ll be right there. Just finishing up.”

He nods. “Fine. Don’t keep me waiting long. You know how I get.”

He smirks before walking off. That *. If he has to wait too long, he’ll go through everything in my car. That’s how he gets. Nosy bastard. I have all sorts of notes from my latest book in there. He’d have me put in a straitjacket. Again.

That was a shitty joke.

“Dayum,” Whit says while fanning herself. “I didn’t believe you were over Chase until right this moment. That man would definitely be a way to get over someone.”

I throw up in my mouth and am forced to swallow it back down as Whit stares after Aidan. Sick.

Before I can correct her, a horn blares from outside the window.

“He won’t even come in and get me,” she mutters under her breath.

My lungs try to collapse, but I can’t fold now. I have to show him and Whit that I’m perfectly f*cking fine, even though I’m anything but fine.

“Can I ask a random question?” she asks as we walk out of my office and near the front entrance.

I’m worrying about my heart hitting my spine and ribs with each thunderous beat while she casually makes conversation. Looking through the glass front doors, my eyes rake over the red truck, finding him in the driver’s seat. He’s changed so much.

“Yeah,” I whisper hoarsely.

“Why is the second eagle in the storage room out back? I thought you wanted it up here.”

Clearing my throat, I shake my head. Telling her this entire place is essentially a shrine to her boyfriend would just be humiliating and painful. Telling her about the bald eagle statues… that’s just down right pathetic. As much as it pains me to only leave one out, I can’t force myself to put the other one with it now.

“I decided only one worked. The other didn’t belong.”

She studies the pretty bald eagle before turning her attention back on the door.

Mustering up all my energy, I walk out the door with her, leaving Chuck to lock up. I watch as Chase glares daggers at me from his truck. Those eyes… They were haunted when we were kids. They were constantly weighed down by the life he’d experienced and seen. Now they’re just burning with anger. I used to think those eyes could never look at me with that much hatred. How is it right that he hates me?

His windows are down, his arm is casually hanging out of it, and he’s wearing a black hat backwards. His sculpted shoulders are shown off, along with all his tattoos, considering he’s wearing a sleeveless shirt.

“Let’s roll,” Aidan calls from the car, putting an abrupt end to my gawking.

Chase’s eyes snap away from mine to stare at Aidan who is three parking spaces down from him. Something akin to fury crosses his features, but I ignore it as I make my way to the passenger side of my car.

“Asshole,” I grumble, slipping inside.

“Me or him? Because he’s still glaring this way. Is that who I think it is?”