Caught Up in You Read online

  Books by Colee Firman:

  The Unbinding Fate Series:

  Dissever (Unbinding Fate Book One)

  Sanctify (Unbinding Fate Book Two)

  Chasing Darkness (Unbinding Fate Book Three)

  Twisted Memories (Unbinding Fate Book Four)

  Hellfire (Unbinding Fate Book Five) - Spring 2015

  The Silver Tower Saga:

  The Silver Tower

  The Silver Phantom - Summer 2015

  Caught Up In You

  http://www.coleefirman.com/

  Copyright © 2014 Nicole Firman

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction

  in whole or in part in any form.

  Cover design by Adrianna Stepiano

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  One

  Brantley

  After two days of searching, I’d reached the last stop on my quest for a new place to live. Not because I’d found my final destination, but because it was the last one on my list. As I strolled through the kitchen looking at the new appliances and large window over the sink, I was completely disappointed. Not because it wasn’t everything I hoped it’d be—it absolutely was.

  My disappointment stemmed from the fact I couldn’t have it. It was more than a little out of my budget. The single reason I decided to put myself through the torture of checking out something I knew I couldn’t have was because it was only about a mile from my job. If money got too tight, I could always sell my car and walk to work.

  Unlike everything else I’d checked out, it was in a great neighborhood. The other potential new homes I’d looked at had either been on the cusp of being too expensive, or in the right price range but situated a sketchy neighborhood.

  This place was a one bedroom upper apartment in a house that had been converted into two separate living areas. It was on the historic side of Baylor Grove—the most desirable neighborhood in the small Pennsylvania town with a population of roughly two thousand. The apartment was exactly what I wanted.

  “Well?” Lou, my prospective new landlord came waddling through the kitchen, holding an empty paint can in one hand and a broom in the other. “What do you think?”

  “It’s nice—really nice,” I said, taking another long look around at the antique white walls. “If I want it, how soon could I move in?”

  “As soon as you give me the first and last month’s rent,” Lou said, winking at me as he started down the stairs. “C’mon, I’ll show you the rest.”

  “Ok…” I could definitely swing the money to move in, but it would mean handing over every penny I had to my name. If I did that, I’d be stuck begging to pull double shifts for the next few weeks and praying the tips were good.

  “Where do you work, Miss Prescott?”

  “Puckett’s Pub,” I said, “over on sixteenth street. I’ve been there for almost two years.”

  He looked back at me over his shoulder. “Aren’t you a little young to be working in a bar?”

  “I’m twenty. I can serve, just not drink.” Although I usually had my fair share of booze after the doors closed while the other employees and I clean up the place. I called it job training. How could I effectively make and serve drinks if I’d never actually had them?

  Lou just nodded his head as he continued down the steep stairway. I followed him out onto the covered brick porch and down the stone steps. He headed up the driveway and opened the garage door.

  “Just like the washer and dryer in the basement, the garage is shared with the downstairs tenant,” he said, placing the paint can in the trash and propping the broom against the wall.

  I nodded as I took a look around. One side of the two-car garage had what looked like a motorcycle covered with an off-white drop cloth and a workbench littered with tools. The other side, which I assumed would be mine if I moved in, was empty.

  Lou pointed to the back corner where some landscaping equipment and a snow blower were stored. “There’s a kid up the block that comes down to do the lawn once a week in the summer. He also clears the snow in the winter.”

  “Great.”

  I walked over to check out the backyard. Trumpet vines covered the wooden privacy fence surrounding the property. The orange flowers against the green leaves made it look like a little piece of heaven.

  The place had all I wanted and then some. I loved everything about it. But who was I kidding—there was no way I could afford it. I needed to get away from there before I made a mistake and got in over my head.

  Moving to one of the cheaper places was probably smarter anyway. I just hadn’t wanted to settle for something I didn’t like. The other issue was for the first time in my life, I was going to be living alone. Finding somewhere safe was a huge deal considering I came in the door from work at three in the morning most of the time.

  The movers were coming to clear out my current home bright and early the next morning. I didn’t have time to keep searching for somewhere I both liked and could afford. It was going to have to be one or the other. As much as I loved the place around me, my life was stressful enough without piling on the pressure of figuring out how I was going to pay my rent.

  I sighed as I walked further into the garage and looked down at Lou, who was fiddling around with the spark plug on the lawn mower. “Thanks for showing me around, but I’m going to have to pass.”

  Lou tipped his head back and looked up at me. “Not what you’re looking for, huh?”

  “No, well—yes,” I said, stammering, “it’s great.”

  Lou winced as he stood up and turned to me. “But you’re not interested?”

  “It’s just a little more than I can afford. I’m really sorry for wasting your time.” I felt like a complete moron as I turned to leave. “Again, thanks for showing it to me.”

  I seriously needed to hurry back across town if I was going to get over to the second place I’d looked at that day before the rental office closed. It was the best of the worst but it would have to do until I could find something better.

  “I pay the kid down the street $160 a month to take care of the lawn,” Lou said, following behind me.

  I smiled back at him as I continued down the driveway. “That’s pretty good for a kid.” He was a nice guy but I had absolutely no time to chat if I was going to make it to the other place before they closed.

  “Look at what I get for my money,” he said, grabbing onto a tall weed and pulling it out.

  I hadn’t noticed on my way in, but there were large flowerbeds full of weeds and overgrowth along the front of the house. “I’m sure if you tell him what you want, he’ll do better.”

  “It’s hard to find good help,” he said. “The owner of the place you work—John Puckett, I’ve known him since we were kids.”

  “Everyone around Baylor Gro
ve seems to know Puck.” I smiled politely at him, trying not to show how stressed his insistence on keeping the conversation going was making me.

  The pudgy man crossed his thick arms over his broad chest and looked me up and down. “You know what’s tougher than finding good help?”

  “What’s that?” I continued to keep a smile on my face even though I needed to get the hell out of there. If I missed my chance to nail down a place that afternoon, I was going to be living in my car.

  “Finding good tenants. I’ve shown this place to seven different people this week.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re the first I even considered letting move in.”

  At that point, I had no idea what the man wanted me to say. I’d already apologized for wasting his time. “I’m sure the right person will come along.” I placed my hand on the driver’s side door handle as a hint I needed to go. “Again, thanks for your time.”

  “That’s a pretty nice car,” Lou said, pointing at my grey BMW. “Odd choice for a girl your age.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t actually pick it,” I said, taking a long look at my car. “It was a gift from my parents for my sixteenth birthday.”

  He nodded his head slowly as he gave me a long, assessing stare. “How much out of your price range is this place?”

  His question brought fire to my already hot cheeks. I hated discussing money—mostly due to my lack of it. “About a hundred bucks.” I turned around to face him, knowing I probably needed to apologize again for burning an hour of his day. “It’s just so close to my work that I thought—”

  “If I let you move in,” he said, holding his index finger up, “would you be willing to do the lawn and snow?”

  “Uhm…” I was confused and decided the man had completely missed everything I’d been trying to tell him. “I can’t afford the—”

  “I heard you the first time,” he said, waving his hands in the air at me. “What if I knock what I pay the kid off your rent?”

  “I don’t…” I collapsed back against my car, totally caught off guard by his offer. Nothing that good came without a catch. My immediate thought was that he was some creepy pervert who was going to toss in the stipulation that I had to let him watch me do the lawn in my bikini top and short shorts. “Why would you do that?”

  “I know Puck,” Lou said, shrugging his shoulders. “If he hired you then you’re good people—the kind of person I want as a tenant.”

  The three words I know Puck had me sold without any further thought. “Yes, then.” I was smiling so widely that it actually hurt my cheeks. I probably looked like a complete idiot. “I can absolutely take care of the outside maintenance.”

  “Alright.” Lou extended his arm to me. “It’s a deal.”

  “Thank you.” I reached out and shook his hand, completely shocked at what had just happened. “Thank you so much.”

  We went inside the house and stood in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs leading up to what was now my apartment to get the paperwork squared away. The door to the lower apartment was behind us. Other than the fact I knew I had to share the laundry area and garage with them, Lou hadn’t mentioned any details about the tenants who lived there.

  I glanced at him as I flipped to the second page of the lease. “So anything I should know about my new neighbors?”

  “You won’t even know anyone lives there,” he said. “If I didn’t get the rent check every month, I might think it was empty.”

  “I guess that’s good.” It was actually great. The last thing I needed were nosy neighbors in my business and asking questions about my life—the less interaction, the better.

  After I handed over the money for my first and last month’s rent, Lou held up a key ring and started pointing out what each key went to one by one. I was so preoccupied mulling over what was going to happen when I got home that I was tuning out practically everything he was saying.

  I spent the entire drive back to my soon-to-be former home running through what I was going to say. By the time I pulled into the driveway, I had my entire speech all laid out.

  “Aunt Jen?” I kicked off my shoes and walked down the hallway toward the sounds of glasses clanging together.

  “In here,” she shouted from the kitchen. “Where have you been? I thought you and Livvy were going to help me get the rest of the kitchen packed up today.”

  “I’m sorry.” I avoided her eyes as I walked over to the cabinet and began pulling down what was left of the glasses, placing them on the counter. “Livvy had to go into work because one of the other girls called in sick. I just got sidetracked today. Something came up…”

  “Well, the movers will be here early,” Jen said, jamming pieces of crumpled up newspaper into each glass. “You should probably put anything you’re going to need for the drive to Boston in your car.”

  I swallowed hard as I closed the empty cabinet and moved on to the next one. “I need to talk to you about that.”

  “So talk.” Jen handed me a stack of newspapers. “Wrap those plates for me while you do it.”

  I unfolded a few sheets and laid them out in the counter while I tried to make the words form. “I’m not going to Boston with you.”

  “Very funny, Brant,” Jen said, smiling at me. “Of course you’re coming.”

  “No, Aunt Jen, I’m not.” I placed the plate she’d just wrapped in the box on the floor and hoisted myself up on the counter to sit.

  Jen stopped what she was doing and just stared at me for a few moments. “You’re not joking, are you?”

  I shook my head, hating the look on her face. I didn’t expect her to understand why I needed to stay. I just needed her to accept it. “I appreciate how much you’ve done for me since everything with my parents. It’s been three years though—you’re getting married in a few weeks. It’s time for you to start a life with David and have a family.”

  Jen took my hands and held them with the palms up, looking down at the fading scars. “Having you around doesn’t stop me from doing any of those things.”

  “It’s just time.” I pulled my hands away and folded them in my lap. I hated people looking at them, even Jen. “I need to do something for myself. I mean look at you, you’re twenty-eight with a law degree from Harvard. You’re engaged to a doctor. All I’ve done so far is squeak through two years at the community college and a score a job at the pub.”

  “You’re only twenty years old, Brantley.” She turned back to the dishes and started wrapping plates again. She always kept her hands busy when she was upset. Everyone had a tell and that was hers. “Considering all you’ve been through—all you’ve lost, that’s quite an accomplishment. As far as a job goes, I’ll need an assistant once I get settled at the firm. You can work for me.”

  “I don’t want a mercy job.” It came out sounding a little bitchier that I’d intended. I slipped off the counter and started wrapping dishes again, trying to keep my tone even. “Don’t set the bar lower for me because my life sucks.”

  “Your life doesn’t suck.” Jen sighed and looked over at me. “Certain aspects of it have been rough, but you’re past all that. When your dad gets—”

  “I don’t want to talk about him.” I turned away and started packing up another box so she wouldn’t see the pain on my face. “I don’t want to talk about any of it.”

  “Brant, just—”

  “I’m staying in Baylor Grove. Now let’s just finish getting you packed.”

  Myles

  Being kept awake by the relentless stomping up and down the stairs all day had me in a pissy mood already. When I sat down at my computer and discovered all the files I’d started transferring the night before had failed, I practically blew my fucking top.

  At least it looked like Lou had finally rented the upstairs apartment out. It was about time. That meant he wouldn’t be in and out all day banging around and dragging people through the house.

  The guy who’d moved out of the apartment two weeks earlier went to school during the day and w
orked at night. The only noise I ever heard out of him was when his out of town girlfriend came to visit. Even then the headboard banging against the wall didn’t last very long—an apparent drawback of only hooking-up once every couple of months.

  I really hoped the new chick that was moving in didn’t turn out be a complete pain in the ass. The girl looked like she could be a pain in the ass. She barely looked old enough to drink and she was driving a BMW—if that doesn’t scream high maintenance, nothing does.

  There was no way she from Baylor Grove. I definitely would’ve remembered seeing her around town. The first thing I thought when I saw her was how hot she’d look on her back in the middle of my bed with those long legs wrapped around my waist. A couple of years earlier I would’ve already been working to make that happen. Hell, it probably would’ve already happened.

  Lucky for her things had changed—I’d changed. Nothing even remotely like that was going to go down. Still, I was going to enjoy watching her walk through the hallway every now and then. Long wavy light brown hair and incredible legs—it was like Lou picked her just to torture me.

  If I was lucky, which I usually wasn’t, she’d be at school or work all day and the house would be quiet. Maybe she’d even have a boyfriend whose place she’d crashed at most of the time. The new girl just needed to mind her own business and keep quiet. If she did that, we’d have a perfectly happy coexistence.

  Two

  Brantley

  The moving trucks arrived at six in the morning. The seven men hauling the boxes and furniture out of the house had it emptied in under an hour. By seven-thirty, my aunt and I were hugging and crying out in the driveway as we said good-bye.

  Everything I owned fit into my car. It was convenient, yet pathetic. All the furniture I’d had in my bedroom belonged to my aunt and was packed into the moving trucks bound for Boston. Not having many worldly possessions made moving much easier, but life was going to suck royally until I was able to get some of the basics like a bed and coffee pot.

  I carried everything I had up to the porch of my new place and stacked it by the door. Then I dug the keys Lou gave me out of my purse and started sticking each into the lock, trying to find the right one. With each failed attempt, I regretted not paying better attention to what he was saying about the keys.