Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Forrest
Friday, 5:05 p.m.
AppleMtnMan43: I love working with my best friend and hope one day we can expand even more. Without much family of my own, his family and friendship have always been really important to me. His parents are like parents to me, same with his younger sister. Without them, I’d probably be lost. What about you? Do you come from a big family?
ApplesNotSweet: Not a big one, just my parents and older brother, but I’m thankful we’re close. I’m sorry for your hardships
AppleMtnMan43: I never knew my dad, and after my mom died when I was eighteen, they were all I had left
ApplesNotSweet: I’m so sorry. I wish I could give you a big hug. I’m glad they are there for you.
AppleMtnMan43: A kiss for me? I feel special
ApplesNotSweet:
Friday, 11:31 p.m.
ApplesNotSweet: What’s your favorite position?
AppleMtnMan43: As in sexual position?
ApplesNotSweet: Of course, what else is there lol
AppleMtnMan43: Getting a little frisky tonight, are we?
ApplesNotSweet: It’s Friday. I need some fun after a long week
AppleMtnMan43: Oh, I could definitely think of some fun…
ApplesNotSweet: Do tell
AppleMtnMan43: I’d show you my favorite position
ApplesNotSweet: Mm-hmm...describe it to me
AppleMtnMan43: I’d lay you down on my bed and remove each piece of clothing one by one
AppleMtnMan43: Using only my mouth
ApplesNotSweet: *drooling* tell me more!
AppleMtnMan43: Then I would…
Saturday 2:17 a.m.
AppleMtnMan43: What are you wearing?
ApplesNotSweet: Nothing
AppleMtnMan43:
ApplesNotSweet: Should I send a pic?
AppleMtnMan43: No. I need to meet you. Now.
ApplesNotSweet: And we both need some sleep. Talk to you in the morning, stud
ApplesNotSweet is now off-line. Send a message for when they return?
I groaned and rolled over in bed, sliding my phone under the pillow. I should be exhausted, yet my thoughts were stuck on a roller-coaster ride, spinning and twisting me every which way.
Bailey looked at me from the foot of the bed, groaned, and then laid her head back down. Even my own dog was tired of my crap.
Hours and hours I’ve spent talking to the mysterious Joanie, a.k.a. ApplesNotSweet , then dragging my ass to work, only to think about her all day, come home and talk all night again. This morning was the latest we’d ever stayed up, and I wanted more.
No, I wanted her here. Next to me. In my bed.
Or so I thought.
When I tried to picture it in my head, I saw not the woman in the picture I’d stared at for days but Adalynn. Her warm smile and happy demeanor melted all my troubles away.
Adalynn. My heart beat for her.
But maybe it could beat for Joanie too. Our connection was unmatched, and I could only hope it would be the same in person.
It had to be, right?
I finally dozed off at some point and woke up to Jack’s loud voice booming through my cabin, his footsteps loud on the stairs.
What the hell? Wasn’t it Saturday?
Bailey barked and followed him, and I could just imagine her going nuts when he showed up.
“Dude, what the fuck? You’re still in bed?”
“More like what the fuck are you doing here?” I moaned and pulled a pillow over my head.
“Uh, did you forget you said you’d work out with me this morning?”
Shit.
I tossed the pillow aside and watched while Bailey sat in front of Jack, begging for his attention. “Dammit. Sorry, man. I totally spaced out.”
Jack shot me a questioning look while he patted Bailey’s head. “That’s not like you. And it’s not like you to still be in bed at noon. What’s up?”
“Meet me downstairs in a few, and I’ll fill you in. And start a pot of coffee, will ya? Make yourself useful or something.” I smirked, and he flipped me off with a shit-eating grin before disappearing downstairs.
After throwing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and stopping by the bathroom, I made my way to the kitchen, the smell of coffee awakening my senses. Slightly.
Jack sat on one of the barstools at the kitchen island, sipping on a steaming mug. Bailey lay at his feet, chewing on a bone. One I didn’t recognize. Jack loved to spoil her.
Mornings like these made me thankful I installed a doggie door on the back door so Bailey could let herself out into the fenced-in yard. It made me feel better on the days I didn’t bring her with me to work.
“There’s the sleepyhead. Glad to see you joined the land of the living.” Jack nodded in my direction.
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled while making myself a cup of coffee. My voice was gruff, and with how tired my body felt, I probably looked like shit.
I sat down across from him and took my time sipping my coffee before I spoke.
“Well?”
“I’ve been talking to the girl I told you about. Pretty much all the time when I’m not working, and last night, we stayed up late. I think I really like her, Jack.”
He looked at me with skepticism. “Listen, I’m here for whatever comes of this. Just be careful. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
“Aw, does Jack actually have a caring bone somewhere in there?”
“You know I do. You’re a brother to me. This chick better not be playing any games.”
“I hope not. That would suck.”
“So what’s she like?”
“She lives in Apple Falls, from a close-knit family, has an obsession with shoes and has a closet full of them, loves to write, and enjoys bingeing true crime documentaries.”
Jack stared at me over the rim of his coffee cup, lifting one eyebrow in question.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Nothing, it’s just...” He paused and shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Just say it, man.”
Jack shrugged. “It sounded like you described my sister.”
I froze. Wait- what?
Unsure how else to react, I laughed and shot him a look like he’d lost his mind. “Your sister? What? That’s crazy. Adalynn doesn’t like—” But then I stopped myself. Jack was right.
Adalynn was obsessed with shoes and had a closet full, she loved to write, and loved true crime…but no. No. It was just a coincidence. “Guess they have a lot in common, then.”
“When are you going to meet her?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully, soon. Seems like she’s avoiding it.”
“Uh-oh, that’s never a good sign.”
“I know. Maybe I should go back to the traditional way of dating—hanging out at the bar.”
Jack laughed. “And exactly who would you find there?”
“You know who. The regulars. No thanks.”
“Are you still going to work out with me? I need to get some weightlifting in.”
“Maybe after another cup of coffee. And we take Bailey for a walk first.”
“Alright, fine. But hurry up. I don’t have all day,” Jack grumbled.
“Yeah, you do.” I patted him on the back and stood for another cup of coffee. Yet my mind was on high alert.
I kept thinking about what Jack said. It sounded like you described my sister.
No, it couldn’t be. Maybe I’d finally gotten lucky enough to find someone like her.
Even if it would only cause me more pain in life.