Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAKE
I have no clue what I’m doing, but all I know is I can’t leave her here, not with him around. I spent all morning debating on whether to come here or not, but something told me I had to see her today. As soon as I saw her, I knew something was wrong, even though she tried to play it off.
That sick fuck overstepped his boundaries for the last time with her, and if I have to make up some fake job position to get her to leave, then I will. Besides, it’s not entirely out of left field. I work a lot of odd hours, and it would be nice not to have to cook all the time or get takeout on the way home.
“Please say yes.” I breathe her in and close my eyes, praying she won’t fight me on this. I don’t know what it is about her, but ever since she came crashing into my life, it’s been turned upside down.
She’s invaded my every thought…made me feel things I’ve never felt before. All I want to do is keep her safe and let her know that she’s not alone anymore.
“Yes,” she whispers so softly that I almost miss it.
“Thank you.” I take in a jagged breath to try and get oxygen to my starved lungs. Every part of me wants to kiss her right now, but I promised I wouldn’t cross the line unless she asked me to. I make myself take a step back and release my hold on her. It’s enough for now that she trusts me enough to quit this job.
“Where are your things?”
“In the back. I need to tell Al and get my purse.” She moves toward the kitchen door. “I’ll be right back in a second.”
“I’m going with you.” I don’t know what Al is going to say when she quits, but she’s damn sure not going to do it alone. I think she knows it too because she doesn’t question me when I follow her.
She gets her bag from a small cabinet in the back and turns around when Al’s voice fills the air.
“Where do you think you’re going? Your shift isn’t over for three more hours.” I give him a look that a normal, sane person would take the hint not to breathe another word. Like a dumb ass, he ignores it and hones in on Lyla.
“I quit.”
“What! You can’t just quit and walk out of here,” he shouts. The color of his skin turns a nasty shade of red as a thick vein starts to appear on his forehead. I want to put him in his place so badly, but I let Lyla take the lead on this one. She needs to feel like she’s in control.
I watch her stand up straighter, and even though I know she’s nervous, she looks him straight in the eye, and her voice never wavers. “I should have done it a long time ago, but I needed the money more than I needed my pride. I put up with your glances that made my skin crawl and your little comments about my body that made me want to vomit way longer than I should have. You treat women with nothing but disrespect, and it disgusts me…you disgust me.”
I feel so damn proud of her in this moment. Her whiskey eyes meet mine briefly before landing back on him. A sheen of sweat coats his face as his beady eyes stare hard at her.
“I knew I should never have hired you. You’re just like all the rest with a pretty face, thinking you can walk around here flaunting yourself,” he sneers. “You give me all the signs, knowing exactly what you are doing.”
I fist my hands at my sides, and my fingernails painfully dig into my palms. He’s really close to getting that smug look wiped off his face. “You’re a tease just like the rest of them,” he spits out seconds before I grab him by his throat and hold him against the wall.
I hear Lyla gasp, but all my attention is focused on the bastard in front of me. “You pushed me too far with that one. You need to apologize to Lyla. If not, you and I are going to have a nice little chat…alone, and I promise you won’t like what I have to say.”
His eyes bulge out of his head as his hands fight to release my hold. I’m giving him just enough air to squeeze by his flabby neck.
“You’re insane. You can’t just come into my bakery and assault me like this,” he wheezes out.
“Apologize. Now.” I squeeze harder, and he starts to gasp for air.
“I’m sorry,” he chokes out. I let go of him, and he doubles over, gulping for air.
“If I ever hear of you harassing another female, I have three other brothers who will gladly join me next time to pay you a visit.”
I look over at Lyla, and she’s staring wide-eyed at her boss. I reach my hand out and breathe a sigh of relief when she takes it. The last thing I want is to scare her, but I won’t have him talk about her that way. Someone needed to put him in his place and I’m glad I was the one to do it .
I pull her to the door with me, and neither of us gives him another glance. The sun hits us as soon as we step outside, and I take a deep breath to clear my head. He’s got me so worked up that I need a minute to calm myself.
I lead us to my truck and stop in front of it. “I don’t know where you’re parked, but I know we need to talk.” I want to run something by her, and I really hope she agrees to do it.
“I don’t have a vehicle. I’ve been taking the bus to work and Ubering if it’s too late for the buses to run.”
I try to block out the image of her riding the bus alone at night as I open the passenger side door for her. It’s just another reason why I need her to agree to this plan. She gets in, and I walk around the black extended-cab truck. My Inked logo is plastered along the door in white as I climb in.
“What is Inked ?” She asks as I start the truck and turn on the a/c for us.
“It’s my business. My brother, Travis, and I are tattoo artists. I run the shop in Blue Haven, and he runs the one in Crystal Isle.”
“You did all your tattoos?” She looks shocked and amazed as she glances down at my arm covered in my artwork.
“I designed it all and did most of it myself, but Travis inked the areas I needed help with. Why are you so surprised?” I smile.
“I just…I don’t know. They’re beautiful. I’m just impressed, I guess,” she laughs softly.
“I’m glad you like them. Do you have any tattoos?” I’ve been dying to know the answer to this question. If she does, they aren’t anywhere I’ve been able to get a glimpse of.
“No. As beautiful as yours are, I haven’t been able to splurge on one yet.”
“Well, when you are ready, I know a good guy that will give you a deep discount.” I grin at her and can’t help but feel some type of way about inking her skin with my work.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she gives a small laugh, and I feel the rest of my tension leave my body.
“I hope you do,” I hold her gaze, and the beautiful red shade creeps into her cheeks. “So, since you don’t have a car, how about I drive us back to my place, and we can go over your new job? I don’t have to be at work until four, so I have a couple of hours to show you around.”
“So you’re really going to keep playing along with this fake job?”
“It’s not fake, I swear.” I laugh when I see her cross her arms over her chest and raise her eyebrow. “Okay, truth?” She nods her head, and I run my hand through my hair. I want to be careful with how I word it because I need her to agree to this. I can’t explain, but it feels right, and I know it’s happening for a reason.
“I did come up with it on the spot, BUT,” I hold up my hand to stop her. “I really have been thinking about it. I work odd hours at my job. Most of my clients work full-time, so I get a lot of late-night inking done. I work around their schedules, so a lot of days, I’m either grabbing takeout on the way home or throwing something in the microwave. You would be the perfect person to hire. I already know you’re an amazing cook, and I’m pretty sure I could trust you in my house unless my radar is way off here, and you are some beautiful serial killer who is skillfully luring me in.” I raise my eyebrow at her, and she fights back a smile.
“I’m definitely not a serial killer.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but either way, I think I would take my chances with you,” I grin, getting a small laugh out of her.
Looking out the window, she bites her lip, processing everything I just said. I’ve just made this a million times harder for me with this friend zone thing we have going on, but I’m hoping I can earn her trust enough for her walls to start to crack. The more time we spend together, the more I can learn about her and convince her to stay if she ever feels the need to leave.
“How about I show you the house and go over everything? Then you can decide for yourself if this job is something you want?”
“Okay. That’s fair,” she says, looking back at me.
“Perfect,” I smile and put the truck in gear before heading through town. “So, how long have you lived in Bayside?”
“Almost a year.”
“What made you decide on Bayside?” I glance over at her, and she’s watching the town go by through the window. She’s deep in thought as she ponders the question I just threw at her.
We have a half-hour drive until we reach Blue Haven, and I plan on taking advantage of her being trapped in the truck with me, hoping I can get more information out of her.
“I just got on the bus one day and went south along the coast. I didn’t care where I was going as long as it was further away than where I was. I’ve always loved the ocean, so I knew I wanted to be as close to the water as possible. After a few stops, we arrived in Bayside, and I don’t know. I just got this feeling that this is where I was supposed to be, so I got off,” she shrugs.
“I found an apartment that day and then found the bakery job. Clara came in three months later and hired me for her catering events, which led me to you, I suppose.” She studies me as I glance over at her. I wish I knew what she was thinking right now. Her eyes have a haunted look to them as her memories resurface.
“I’m glad you got off that bus,” I say quietly, forcing my eyes back to the road.
“I am, too,” she finally whispers before looking back out the window. “So, you never did tell me how you found me. ”
“Well, I planned to ask Bella, who was the bride at the wedding, for the name of the caterers and then beg your boss until she told me where I could find you, but my mom, of all people, told me you worked at Al’s Bakery when we got back from the wedding.”
“Your mom?” Her head whips toward me in confusion.
“She got a text from her friend Laura while I was with her at the beach. She was excited to learn about your meeting today.”
I see the wheels turning in her head as she puts it all together. “Your mom is Meaghan,” she murmurs. “No wonder she looked familiar. I see the resemblance now with the dark hair and eyes.”
“She called me this afternoon and told me Laura hired you. I think she’s trying to play matchmaker now. I was a little too eager to get information from her yesterday, and I think she saw an opportunity and jumped on it,” I laugh. “I wanted to say congratulations in person today and ask you out on a friends-only celebratory dinner. I almost waited until we had a few more talks between us, but I’m glad I listened to my gut and came when I did.” I grip the steering wheel tighter and focus on the road. I know we need to talk about what happened back at the bakery.
“I hope I didn’t scare you back there,” I say quietly. “When he said those things about you and then tried to blame his actions on you…I lost it. I don’t want you thinking I’m some ass that has a temper and enjoys beating people up.”
“I don’t think that,” she sighs. “You were protecting me, and the anger wasn’t directed towards me. I know the difference, believe me.” She says the last part so soft that for a second, I think I’ve imagined it.
“This isn’t the first time a guy has bothered you, is it?”
She avoids my eye contact and fidgets with the hem of her white t-shirt. “Al is a creep. I’m fully aware, but I can handle words. Words only hurt if you let them get under your skin. I’ve gotten good at letting them roll off of me. If he had laid a hand on me, I would have quit on my own. I want you to know that.”
I glance over, and her eyes plead with me to understand.
“I may look weak and stupid for putting up with him, but I did what I needed to do.”
“I don’t think you are weak and stupid. Far from it, actually. You stood up for yourself back there, and I’m proud of you for facing him instead of running. It took a lot of guts to do that.”
“Sometimes running is your only option,” she says quietly, hugging her arms to her chest and looking out the window.
“Sometimes it is, especially if you are alone. But you’re not alone anymore, Lyla.”
She continues to look out the window, and I see her hand come up to swipe the side of her face.
Shit. She’s crying.
Without thinking twice, I grab her hand and intertwine my fingers with hers. She looks down at our laced fingers and grips me tightly like she needs something to hold on to…something to give her strength when she doesn’t feel she has any left.
“You never answered my question. Has someone bothered you before? With more than words.” I hold my breath, praying I’m wrong but feeling deep in my bones that it’s the reason she’s running.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past now.” I feel myself tense. I know I’m gripping her hand too hard, but I can’t help the anger that flows through me at the thought of someone placing their hands on her.
“Who?” I ground out. I need a name.
“That’s a question I can’t answer,” she whispers. She puts her other hand on top of mine and gently rubs her thumb over my wrist. Even when she’s hurting, she still wants to soothe me. Christ, this girl is fucking amazing. “Just please let it go. ”
“Just answer one question, and then I’ll let it go.” There is no way I’m letting this go, but I will for now as long as I know one thing.
“What?”
“Is he still a threat to you? Does he know where you are?”
“That’s two questions.”
“They go together.” Her eyes find mine, and I see the hesitation in them. “Please. I need to know you’re safe. I’m barely hanging on here.”
“He doesn’t know where I’m at,” she says, sounding tired. I notice she doesn’t answer the first one.
I have a million other questions running through my head right now, but I know she’s given me all she’s going to. I squeeze her hand and attempt a smile for her.
“You’re safe with me. Best friends always have each other’s back.”
I see a hint of a smile trying to emerge, and I grin at her, causing her to break out into a beautiful one. God, I love seeing her be free.
“Welcome to Blue Haven, Lyla,” I point at the sign welcoming us to our small town. She sits up and peers out the window as we drive into the downtown area. I point out some of my favorite places to eat on the water and show her my tattoo business when we pass by.
“It’s right by Blue Haven Cafe,” she says excitedly when she sees the sign.
“I know,” I laugh. “I keep Laura in business, which is exactly why I need you. There are only so many times I can rotate through her menu,” I grin.
We come upon Ryder’s Restores , and I point out my brother’s business. “Eve works there too. You will have to stop by and say hi when you do your deliveries. You two seemed to have hit it off.”
“I did really like her. Maybe I will,” she smiles.
It will be good for her to have some girlfriends around her, especially when I can’t be there with her. At least I know she’ll be safe with my brother nearby.
We drive out of town along the coastal road leading to my house. I pull into the driveway of our blue two-story beach house a few minutes later, and I see her jaw drop.
“You live here? Right on the beach?” I grin at her excitement. I’m glad she loves it because it will make my second plan all that much easier.