Completely Captivated Read online

  One specific visit from Patti stood out in her mind.

  “Christa,” Patti called out as she entered The Sweet Spot. “I have something for you.”

  Christa pasted a smile on her face and was careful to keep up appearances. She knew by her singsong tone Patti had a present for her from Jared.

  “Hi, Patti. It’s good to see you.”

  Christa would rather he deliver it personally. Using his mother as a courier robbed her of any joy over the thought behind the present. In this case, the thought was not all that counted. Not once did he tell Christa when he’d planned to come home, but Patti always delivered a gift for her from Jared—after he’d left again. The gifts were bittersweet since he’d thought enough of her to send her a small token, but not enough to give her a minute of his time. He didn’t think enough of her to pick up the phone and call her or come by to see her. All those times had delivered one crushing blow after the other.

  “Jared said to tell you hello, and he’s sorry he couldn’t come by to see you while he was home. But this is from him. Merry Christmas!”

  Inside the expertly wrapped box was a silver frame that held a picture of the two of them from high school. She was riding on his back, leaned over his shoulder, and they were both laughing. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, his hands on her bare thighs while he carried her over the small creek. He’d joked with her over the ankle-deep water, telling her she’d drown if he didn’t carry her.

  “Tell him I said thank you. If I’d known he’d be here, I would’ve mailed a present to your house for him.”

  Patti’s smile faltered for only a second before she turned it up again. “I will definitely pass the message on to him.”

  But suddenly, after seven long years of no-shows, he simply walked back into her life and directly into her business. He offered no real explanation for why he’d stayed away from her, other than the lame excuse of how much he missed her, and she hadn’t demanded anything more of him. She scolded herself for simply letting him back into her life with open arms only because she was happy to see him again.

  She watched him drive away and felt that old familiar pain in her chest, and she wondered how long it would be before he showed back up again.

  * * *

  Jared reached his new condo and found it exactly as he had suspected. The movers were unable to discern the boxes marked “kitchen” should, in fact, be left in the kitchen. The same could be said for every other room and every box that was carefully labeled. He spent the rest of the day and well into the night moving, organizing, and unpacking the mountain of boxes. When his stomach growled loudly, he realized he’d been so busy that he hadn’t eaten since Christa had made lunch for him earlier in the day.

  Christa. Just the thought of her evoked a multitude of emotions in him. Seeing her, then leaving her, had been so much harder than he’d ever thought. During their conversation, the first thing he noticed about her was how much she’d changed in the time he’d been away.

  It wasn’t anything physical because she still looked much like a teenager to him. But her whole presence had changed. The air around her held more confidence; she seemed more secure in herself and her abilities. Her beauty, brains, and poise combined to make her even more attractive than when he’d seen her last.

  The musical tone of his cell jarred him from his thoughts. Glancing at the face on the screen, he answered his phone. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Did you see her today?” Patti immediately questioned.

  “I’m fine, Mom. Thanks for asking. No, the movers didn’t put anything where it should be, so I’ve been working on that all damn night. And I just realized I haven’t eaten at all since around noon.”

  “You’re a big boy. You’ll be fine. Now answer my question.” Patti pushed with her determined tone.

  “I think I’m close to passing out from lack of sustenance. Can you die from not eating for several hours? I may be dying.” Jared continued teasing her.

  He knew she wanted nothing more than to marry him off and have grandkids as soon as possible. She hadn’t hinted about it at all. She’d downright demanded it of him and even set a timeline before she cut him off from all his favorite foods at family meals. She played dirty, and he loved her for it. She’d been his biggest supporter, and she’d also been the first one to tell him when he was being a royal fuck-up.

  “Jared Benjamin Miller!”

  Jared had to laugh at that. There he was, twenty-five years old, and his mother calling him by his full given name still made him snap to attention, even over the phone.

  “Yes, Mom. I went to see Christa. She even made lunch for me, and we talked for a while,” he finally answered her, knowing that small amount of information would never placate her. She was relentless when she wanted something, and what she wanted was for Jared and Christa to hand over their firstborn child to her.

  “And? What else?” The frustration in Patti’s voice increased with each word, along with the hard edge in it that meant she’d had just about enough of his teasing.

  “And, that’s all, really. We talked, caught up as much as we could. I told her I had to get to my condo because of the movers, and I left. What did you expect, Mom?” Jared replied, honestly trying to figure out what else she thought he should have done.

  “I expected you to spend more time with the one girl who has always loved you but you took for granted. Your boxes could’ve waited. They’ll still be there later. You don’t know that Christa will be there for you tomorrow.”

  The finality of her tone and the very real possibility that Christa could be taken already shook Jared, even if he tried to hide his uneasiness from Patti. Jared ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more, and then scrubbed that hand over his face. His mother had a good point. Christa may very well be involved with someone.

  He didn’t see a ring on her finger, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t in a serious relationship. He didn’t ask her and she didn’t offer it, but then, he’d given her no reason to even bring it up. He’d approached her as an old friend, the same way he’d always kept it because of their age difference.

  “I’ll go see her again first thing in the morning, Mom. I promise,” he assured her solemnly.

  “You didn’t even ask to see her again. Did you?”

  Jared contemplated for half a second if he should ask who wrote the Mom’s Book of Code Language, because she’d technically asked a question. But the way she said it left no room for a response. It also held a suspiciously inherent reprimand without the need for saying it aloud. Just as quickly as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it, knowing it would only result in a real tongue-lashing.

  Patti sighed loudly, signaling her deep displeasure with him and his lack of advancement on her plans for his future. “Son, I don’t think you understand how serious this is. Christa was so young when you left for college, but she always kept in touch with me and asked about you every time we talked if I didn’t bring you up first.

  “She was so hurt all the times you came home and didn’t bother to go see her. You haven’t even tried to fix the pain you’ve caused that sweet girl. Your actions today just proved to her even more that you don’t deserve her. If you don’t treat her right, someone else will. And we both know how you would feel about that.”

  Patti had never been one to mince words or hold back what she thought, especially from her sons and about how they should treat the women in their lives. She also knew Jared had always carried a flame for Christa, even though he never once allowed himself to act upon it. At first, he’d protected her because she was so much smaller than everyone else. Truthfully, he quickly saw she didn’t need his protection—she was fully capable of taking care of herself.

  She was quiet and reserved to those who didn’t know her. But to those who provoked her anger, she was aggressive and even a little scary at times. Christa had been a pleasant puzzle to Jared. He’d tried to figure her out, tried to box her into one category to define her,
but she’d defied his attempts at every turn.

  Her family was nonexistent, even though they were somewhat around. She’d grown up with a deadbeat father who only showed up when the gambling money ran out and a drug-addicted mother who was high or drunk more than she was sober. Despite the challenges she faced, Christa rose out of it and made life better for herself, never making excuses or accepting defeat.

  Christa spent more time with Jared and his family than she did her own. His family took her in, and she stayed with them for days at a time before going back home. Not once did Christa’s mother call to check on her or show the slightest bit of concern about where she’d been. He knew Christa craved the family life his family could offer her—the closeness, the certainty that they would always be there for one another, and the bonds that were unbreakable.

  “You’re right, Mom. As always. I’ll fix it tomorrow. I promise.”

  “Jared, for your sake, I hope your ‘tomorrow’ isn’t too late. I love you, son.”

  “Love you, too, Mom.”

  With that, they hung up, and Jared dropped down on his couch. The gnawing in his stomach had been replaced with a tightening in his chest. Patti certainly had a way with words—and with making him feel about an inch tall. But as a grown man, he knew he couldn’t place the blame on his mom. No, that problem fell squarely on his shoulders. He knew he should’ve asked Christa out when he was with her. He came close once, but, as usual, he counted on her waiting for him. Until tomorrow.

  He glanced at his watch and winced at how late it was. He contemplated calling her anyway but then realized aloud, “I didn’t even get her fucking phone number!”

  Pushing up from the couch and pacing anxiously, he angrily kicked an empty box and sent it flying across the room. Grabbing a beer out of his refrigerator, one of the few things that he did have in his nearly bare kitchen, he took a long swig out of the longneck bottle, walked out onto his balcony, and propped his forearms on the rail.

  It’ll be a long fucking night, he thought wearily.

  A Day Late

  Jared arrived at The Sweet Spot just after the lunchtime crunch. He’d spent a sleepless night, looking at the clock every hour, tossing and turning. He finally got up and made a bigger dent in unpacking his boxes and getting his condo halfway arranged. He thought about what he’d say to her, revising and rehearsing his speech over and over, until he finally felt somewhat confident he’d nailed it. He’d walk in, tell her how he felt, and see where it went from there.

  “Christa, I’ve waited a long time to say this to you,” he began. No, that’s not right.

  “There’s something I need to say. I moved back here to be with you.” No, that’s not it, dammit!

  “In all the years I’ve been gone, you are the one person I’ve missed the most. I’m here now, and I want to give us a chance to be more than friends. I hope you want that, too.”

  Yes, that’s it.

  Reciting those words in his mind over and over, he walked down the street toward The Sweet Spot just after the lunch crowd had dispersed. He’d planned it that way, hoping to find Christa available to talk to him. He didn’t want to wait another day to tell her how he felt. He’d waited long enough, stayed away from her for too long as it was, and he felt like shit for hurting her over and over.

  He walked into the café and looked around, not seeing Christa anywhere. The girl behind the counter was a little taller than Christa and had long brown hair with curled ringlets throughout. She offered him a full-on flirty smile as soon as she saw him.

  Her name tag read “Allie,” and he remembered Christa had called that name out when she was wrestling with the life-size bag of flour. He approached the counter with a smile.

  “Hi, Allie,” he said, making a point to look at her name tag. “How are you today?”

  “I’m great. How are you?” she asked, meeting his gaze directly then raking her eyes over him without hiding her salacious intent.

  “I’m good, thanks. I’m actually looking for Christa. Is she around?” he asked, leaning his hip onto the counter, crossing one foot over the other and his arms across his chest. He gave her his best smile, still openly flirting with her in hopes of getting some information out of her.

  “No, she’s not. She won’t be in at all today. She took the day off. You want some coffee or anything else?” She tilted her upper body toward him, leaned on the counter, and lifted her eyebrows.

  Quite the flirt, he thought. But she’s also sizing me up. She’s obviously protective of Christa.

  “Sure, a cup of coffee would be great. Black.” He tried to hide his disappointment. He’d built the scene up in his mind all damn night and morning, only to find she wasn’t even there.

  Allie handed him a steaming mug of coffee. “You sure I can’t get you anything else?”

  “Very tempting, but I’ll have to take a rain check. My name is Jared, by the way. I’m an old friend of Christa’s. Do you know how I can get in touch with her? I really need to speak to her.”

  Allie tapped her finger against her lips and narrowed her eyes at the stranger inquiring about her best friend. She didn’t know him, and she had no way of knowing if he was a friend, as he’d claimed. His name wasn’t familiar, and she’d never seen him around. He wasn’t someone a woman with a pulse would’ve forgotten. He was a gorgeous man—tall, muscular build, blondish-brown hair, and soulful brown eyes. But since Christa’s safety was at stake, Allie decided to play it safe.

  “Sorry, I can’t give her number out. But if you want to leave yours, I’ll make sure she gets it.”

  “Fair enough,” he responded, his best smile still intact. He accepted the paper and pen Allie offered and wrote his name and number down. He handed it back to Allie and intentionally grazed his fingers across hers. “Don’t go selling it on eBay,” he joked.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Allie retorted in a playful, sarcastic tone.

  He took his coffee and sat a table close to the door. He couldn’t help but hope Christa would decide to come by and check on her business, even though it was her day off. He picked up a newspaper left on a nearby table and tried to catch up on the news. Every time the door opened, his eyes lifted to see if it was her. After more than half an hour, his coffee had long gone cold, and he had no excuse for waiting around any longer.

  His phone rang just as he reached his car. Mom. She seemed to have a sixth sense about whatever he was doing, and it became stronger the closer he was to home. The option to ignore the call crossed his mind, but he realized she was the one person who had Christa’s number and would give it to him. He took the call reluctantly, knowing what was coming.

  “Hey, Mom,” he answered casually.

  “Don’t ‘hey, Mom’ me, young man. You know why I’m calling,” she chided.

  “I’m leaving her shop as we speak, but she’s off today. I was hoping you’d send me her number so I can call her.” He used his best I’m-your-favorite-son voice to get his way.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing when you talk to me like that. The only person you’re fooling is yourself, young man,” she laughingly replied. “But I will let you get away with it this one last time. I’ll text it to you right now.”

  “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, son.”

  A minute later, his cell buzzed with Christa’s cell phone number and a message from his mom telling him not to screw it up. After saving it to his contacts, he immediately called her. His call went straight to voice mail, indicating her phone was either off or she was out of range of the cell towers. With his frustration at epic levels, Jared climbed back into his Volante and sped away toward his condo.

  Evening the Odds

  Allie was cleaning up in the kitchen when she heard the bell jingle over the front door of the café. Since she’d locked it at closing, she knew it must be her friend. “Christa, is that you?”

  “Yes, Allie, it’s just me,” she yelled back.
>
  Allie grabbed a towel to dry her hands and continued talking, loudly, to Christa as she walked down the hall to the front of the café. “There was some hot guy here to see you earlier. I mean, he was fucking hot, Christa. He asked for your cell, but I didn’t give it to him. If you’re not going to tap that, let me know. I’ll jump on him like he’s my own personal pogo stick.”

  When Allie reached the end of the hallway, she saw a noticeably shocked, deeply red-faced Christa. Then her eyes lifted slightly to see a different extremely hot man standing behind Christa. She instantly recognized his expression—the gritted teeth, the muscles ticking in his jaw, and the way his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. He attempted to project a calm appearance, but Allie knew intuitively he felt anything but calm at that moment.

  Unable to stifle her laugh, Allie chuckled lightly. “Oops, didn’t know we had company. Sorry about that.”

  Christa tried to avoid talking about the obvious pink elephant sitting squarely in the middle of the small room. “I don’t know of anyone who’d be looking for me. Did he say what he wanted?”

  “He just said he’s a friend of yours, and he acted like he really needed to talk to you. He left his name and number over there by the cash register,” Allie answered while still watching Aaron with amused curiosity.

  His reaction to another man showing interest in Christa intrigued Allie. He seemed genuinely threatened. Not in a crazy, jealous way, but in an insecure, endearing way. As if he was afraid of losing Christa to another man. She watched his eyes dart nervously over toward the cash register, where the competition’s number waited for Christa to retrieve it.

  As Christa picked up the paper, Allie watched Aaron take a deep breath and place his hands on his hips. Wondering how long he could hold his breath before he passed out, Allie broke the silence. “Well, do you know him?” Aaron’s eyes snapped to Allie’s, and she smiled when he finally released his breath.