“Morning!” Ashton’s voice pulses through the room. There’s too much cheer in that voice for this early in the morning.
“Bro, too early for all your happiness,” Carson says, sliding his bacon on a plate and cracking two eggs into a pan.
“You making breakfast for us all? I could use a good scramble.” Ashton saunters over to me, taking the mug from my hand and pouring coffee into it before returning it to my waiting grasp.
“No time. We’re going to be late. It’s seven-thirty.”
“Shit! I gotta shower. Can you be ready in ten?” He turns to me with an apology in his eyes.
“Sure, no worries. I don’t even remember how we got here.” I take a seat at the kitchen table, pulling the milk over from the center of the table.
“I drove. You were pretty wasted . . . again.” The way he says it tells me he doesn’t disapprove, but I hear the hurt laced in his voice.
“Then I imagine we had a good time.” I waggle my eyebrows as I bring the steaming mug up to my lips.
“Told you, darling. I don’t take advantage of drunk chicks.” He kisses the top of my head before rushing out of the room.
I take a moment to shove the embarrassment deep into my gut. I was never like this before Tilly’s death. Now, I can’t stop myself.
Carson snorts as he comes to sit at the table.
“What?” I ask, placing the mug on the table and straightening the imaginary tablecloth with my hands, suddenly more nervous than I was before Ashton left the room.
“I was just thinking how typical you are.” He smirks as he bites into his bacon.
My mouth forms an ‘O’ and I clutch the side of the table as if it’s holding me into this chair. “What the fuck does that mean?” I start to tremble, knowing his next words are going to hurt more than they should.
“You’re a princess, party girl. More concerned over where the next Barney’s sale is than the people around you. You drink too much because you’re bored and have no real friends.”
He shrugs like he’s got me all figured out. Tears form in my eyes, but I don’t dare let them fall.
I push out of the chair so fast it almost topples over, then storm out of the room. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how truly he’s hurt me.
CARSON
Hot leather scorches my skin, adding to the already uncomfortable feeling inside of me.
I shouldn’t have said those things to Bliss, but it was as if I couldn’t hold back. Like I was getting back at my parents for what they did to Eli.
The way she talks, walks, looks brings it all back for me. I’m still raw over the loss of my brother.
I get out of the car once I pull into the beach parking lot, slamming the door a little too hard. I ran from that life for a reason. I don’t need a princess pulling me back into it. Besides, she’s with Ashton. I shouldn’t let her get under my skin.
“Carson, you’re on duty in the White Tower, dispatch. Mather is taking the day,” Billy, my co-worker, yells from across the parking lot.
I give him a thumbs up, groaning internally. I hate working dispatch. I’m not the type of guy who likes to sit idle and watch the action.
The boardwalk is already filled with morning beachgoers. The regulars wave or say hello as I walk to my post.
The tower is crowded with everyone who’s on shift.
“Morning, Carson,” Kelly says, eyeing me up and down. She’s been after me since I started. She’s the type who doesn’t take no for an answer. Her persistence is becoming laughable.
“Hey, guys,” I reply, addressing the room. “Anything going on today?”
I sit down at the desk and switch on the computer. The whirl of the internal fan signals the startup, and I swivel in the chair to look at the rest of the team.
Billy hands me a piece of paper, and I breeze through it, searching for all of the goings-on for the day.
“Volleyball contest in section three. That’s Rodgers and Parson. Section one chairs are Lewis and Smith. The rest of you cover your sections on rotation. Anything else I need to know?”
Heads shake around the room, then they disperse, leaving through the door. The only person who remains is Ashton.
I know exactly what he’s stuck around for.
“What the fuck, bro,” he says, taking a seat across the room.
I cringe and hold my breath for a second. “It was a little harsh, but girls like that, they don’t listen to anything else.”
“That doesn’t give you permission to be a dick. She’s my guest, she deserves some respect. You’re better than this.”
I groan, running my hands through my hair. The light from the computer distracts me for a moment, and I spin to face the monitor. “It’s not like that. It’s just . . . I know her kind, all right. She’s not a good person. Trust me on this.”
I type in the username and password, the sound of the keys the only noise in the room. Ashton is so quiet that the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He’s never this quiet.
“You’re my best friend, but right now, I don’t know who you are. Get your fucking head out of your ass and start acting like the guy I know. You don’t like her? Fine. But there’s no reason to be a rude asshole.”
He throws the chair back and storms out the room, the door slamming behind him.
I wish I could tell him the truth. Make him see what they’re all like, but I can’t risk it. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to prevent me from going back there. I can’t, and I won’t—not even for Ashton.
CHAPTER FIVE
BLISS
I walk down to the beach at
