Chapter 2 Kinsley
Warm wind threaded through my hair as I sang loudly to my road trip mix, a huge smile on my face as I belted out, “Born to be Wild.” Goat had his head stuck out the window, looking like he was grinning from ear to ear as well.
More than an hour into the trip and the excitement still thrummed through my veins. The moment I left the San Diego county line, I felt a weight slide off my shoulders, a terror and thrill I hadn’t felt in a long time bubbling in my stomach.
Adventure.
It terrified me. My biggest journey so far had been moving across the country to go to San Diego University. That was where my adventure began and ended, burying my head in schoolwork, books. I studied hard, trying to make my parents proud, but also because it was where I felt safe. Comfortable. I avoided parties and dating, preferring quiet nights with a book or being tugged out by Sadie a few times to a low-key bar.
All my relentless studying did nothing more than prove I was the black sheep in the Maxwell house. I had no clue what I wanted to do, graduating with a degree in finance because my father thought it would be a good base. Kasey had started up and owned her own flower shop, which was expanding next year and was already voted as one of the best small businesses on the East Coast, while Kyle was on the road to be a CEO of some huge tech company.
Our family dog even graduated from dog school with honors.
Then there was me.
“This is going to be awesome, Goat. I feel it…” I rubbed his head, his sweet brown eyes peering over at me with utter adoration. “This is going to be exactly what we need, right, boy? You, me, and the open road.”
It was as if a force in the atmosphere heard me…
Riiinnnggg.
My cell, like a harbinger, buzzed from its holder on the dash, my gaze catching the name flashing across.
“Of course,” I groaned, wanting to ignore it, but I knew she would call until I picked up. She was persistent like that. I swear she could sense my relaxed mood and had to intercede.
My finger hit the green button. “Hey, Sis.”
“Kins!” Her animated voice broke through the speakers. “Have you left yet?”
My sister always had ambition, like an Energizer Bunny. She kept going… and going, to the point you wanted to find the off switch. I adored her, but my introverted nature found her A-type personality exhausting.
“Yeah, I just turned off on Highway 60; gonna stop in Joshua Tree for lunch.” It was early June and already too hot to hike in the desert, especially for Goat, but it was a place I still wanted to check off my list. As much as this trip was wild and crazy for me, I had every stop researched and reserved. The van life had become a huge movement and a lot of places booked quickly. Plus, my parents liked knowing I was safely in an RV park every night.
“No, you’re not! Stop right now.” Her tone crossed with excitement and a cold demand. “Seriously, Kins… wherever you are. Pull over.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Why do I need to pull over?” My brows furrowed as I peered around at a long stretch of highway, just passing through the town of Moreno, with nothing much here except gas stations, a strip mall, Walmart, and dry fields.
“Pull over!”
“Why? You are freakin’ me out, Kasey.”
“Just do it,” she exclaimed. “Now!”
“Okay… Damn!” I yanked the wheel, almost missing the turn off, the van bouncing as it swerved down the off-ramp, lurching into the Walmart parking lot as I slammed on the brakes. Goat’s harness kept him in place, but his paws tried to keep him steady, his eyes wide, looking at me like I lost my mind.
When it came to my sister, he was probably not far off.
“Sorry,” I whispered to Goat, scrubbing his ear. “Okay, Kase, I pulled over. Now tell my what the hell is going on?”
“Soooo, I got a call from Amie.”
“If you seriously made me pull over about wedding—”
“Kins, let me finish,” she scolded, clearing her throat. “Amie called me because Kyle was on the phone with someone else. She thought I’d want to know.” She giggled. My sister never giggled. She was happy, full of energy, and could be sweet, but she usually channeled it into controlling everything, especially her need to be the best at everything. She always was, even being gorgeous with a perfect body. Guys loved her, girls wanted to be her, and she always got whatever she set her mind on. So, she was not someone who giggled like a schoolgirl. This made a strange knot twist in my gut. “I still can’t believe Kyle kept in contact with him and didn’t tell me.” She puffed out a stream of air. “I hear his name and I become…” I could almost imagine her fanning herself. “I mean, he was the only guy who could do this to me… who still can do this to me it seems.”
The knot coiled tighter.
Just one person made her act like this. Even years later. The one she was never able to get pining and drooling after her, no matter how much she pursued him. Kasey told everyone they were boyfriend and girlfriend, and they even went to prom together. But from what I recalled, he looked tortured the entire time and never called her his girlfriend, leaving immediately after graduation without a word.
“Kasey…” I swallowed, sweat trickled down my spine as my skin was covered with goosebumps, sensing doom heading my way.
“I guess Kyle invited him to the wedding, and he was going to come, but his bike broke down right outside of Pasadena. Do you know where that is?” She barely paused before she went on. “Anyway, I told Amie you were driving right by there.”
“Not exactly by there,” I muttered. Technically it wasn’t far, but in traffic? It could be well over an hour from where I was.
“And you would have no problem picking him up since you were driving this way as well. I mean, what are the odds?” She chirped with thrilled awe. “Kyle called him back and told him you are coming to get him. I’ll text you the address where he had to take his bike.”
“Kas—”
“I can’t believe he will be coming. I haven’t seen him since graduation. My stomach is in knots. It’s been so long. Like, nineyears.”
“Kase—”
“You know how much I liked him, Kins? I still think he’s the one. I think about him all the time. The one that got away…”
I tipped my head back onto my seat, my fingers pinching my nose. The one? The guy was an asshole. He treated her and every other girl who fell at his feet like trash. He even had a nickname, which seemed to only encourage his behavior. I was five years younger and did not see what the fuss was about. He was the total bad boy with all the charming personality traits that went along with it. Gruff, arrogant, rude, and a total womanizer. The friendship between my brother and him was an odd-couple kind of thing. They met playing football, and for some reason, became really good friends. My sister was gaga over him, embarrassing herself by flirting outrageously, while I gagged and rolled my eyes. I felt I was the only one who saw him for what he truly was.
A genuine pig.
“Please, please, please, Kins,” Kasey pleaded into the phone. “He won’t come otherwise, and I feel this is kismet. I’m supposed to see him again.”
“Kismet?” I snorted. “Come on. He was a jerk to you. Why do you seem to forget that part?”
“He wasn’t. He just didn’t want to do anything to screw up his friendship with Kyle. But we’ve grown up. Things are different.”
“He might be married with kids by now.” Though I couldn’t see the guy I remembered ever settling down with one girl.
“No. He’s not. I guess he recently broke up with someone.” Her voice went up two octaves. “See? Kismet. I just ended things with Peter. Please, Kins. Do this for me.”
Ugh, Peter. Someone my sister dated for four and half years, after meeting him at college. He was so cookie cutter he made my skin crawl. It felt like he was playing a role in a cheesy Hallmark movie. When she found him cheating with his secretary, she realized he wasn’t so perfect. This only emphasized that he was so unoriginal his affair was even cliché.
“Kase, this isn’t picking up someone for a few hours’ drive. I was planning on taking my time getting there. A vacation.” I didn’t want an unwelcome passenger for a ten-day journey. I would not let him disrupt my plans. This was my holiday.
“That’s another thing I’d like to fight you on, since I need you here, but if you do this for me, I will forgive you for not helping me with Amie and Kyle’s wedding.”
“Why can’t he fly there?” I tossed out my arms, startling Goat, his eyes fluttering, still appearing bored with my conversation. “He’s not joining me for ten days.”
“I don’t know, but I guess it wasn’t an option. Kyle had to beg him even to come, and it took some time for him to agree to have you come get him.”
“See, neither of us wants to do this.”
“This is your only brother’s wedding. Don’t you want Kyle to have his friends there with him? Don’t you think he deserves this?” I could hear what was not being said, Don’t be so selfish, Kinsley.
My phone beeped, two texts coming through.
Can you do this favor for you brother? He really would like him here. It would mean so much to him. Love you—Mom
Hey, twerp! I know Kase is talking to you but want to add my plea. I haven’t seen him in years. It would mean the world to me. Thanks, Sis--Kyle
Fuuucck.
“Kins. Please.”
I sighed deeply, feeling my will crumbling; making my family happy overpowered my plans. What I wanted. What this trip meant to me.
Like my sister could smell blood in the water, she spoke quickly. “This would mean everything to Kyle. And, of course, to me as well. I’ve dreamed about seeing him again. That we would have this second chance. I feel in my gut we are meant to be.”
I glanced over at Goat, my shoulders sagging.
Shiiiitt.I couldn’t believe I was about to do this.
“What’s the address?”
?
During the entire drive to east Pasadena, I changed my mind every few minutes. One time actually turning around before pulling into a gas station and banging on the steering wheel until I circled back toward Pasadena again.
When I got close to the exit, I stopped to stretch and let Goat do his business, not in a hurry to get there. “He better not think he has a ride all the way there.” I kicked a rock, talking to my dog, watching him sniff and pee on every bush we passed. “Doesn’t he realize I’m planning to take my time getting there? Knowing Kasey, probably not. He probably thinks this is a straight shot there. I will gladly drive his ass to an airport.”
Goat looked up at me, tilting his head like he was thinking, Girl, get it together.
“Stop judging me.” Goat cocked his head the opposite way. “Yeah, I feel your judgy eyes.” I sighed, heading back to the van. Grabbing an iced coffee for me and water for Goat from a nearby cafe, I took a breath, climbed into the van, and headed for my destination down the street.
Seeing the name of the garage, nerves danced in my stomach, pirouetting and sashaying across, causing acid to burn in my gut.
Pulling into the drive, I parked beside a motorcycle, a nervous fluttering vibrating in my throat as I took in the saddlebags attached to the sides.
S.B. monogramed on the side, told me there was no doubt I was in the right place. And inside, waiting for me, the infamous Smith Blackburn.
A.k.a.
Smug Bastard.