Veer (Clayton Falls #2)(3)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

I parked along the curb out front of Matt’s blue split-level. We always met at Matt’s because he had a nice setup in his basement. I made sure to go around back so I wouldn’t wake his kids by ringing the bell.

“What the hell took you so long?” Tom greeted me as I stepped through the door. We’d been meeting a few times a month to play for as long as I’d lived in town, and if anything, I was always early.

I grabbed a beer from the mini fridge. “You know, just a typical day in my life: helping a girl who was stranded on the side of the road.”

“You really never take a break, do you?” Matt leaned back in his folding chair.

“I couldn’t just leave her there.” When I first saw the car on the side of the road, I knew I’d have to stop. There was no way I could drive past. I figured it had to be a woman. No man would drive a faded yellow bug with flowery initials on the back window—at least not around Clayton Falls. It’s not as if I’d ever leave anyone on the side of the road, but a woman? Forget it.

“So was she hot?” Greg tossed around a few of his poker chips, trying to act disinterested.

Hot? That was an understatement. When I’d knocked on the driver’s side window of her car, I’d expected a woman, but not a face like that. I noticed her large, chocolate brown eyes first, but it was the whole effect that got my attention, and that long brown hair. She was beautiful, and beautiful women were always the most dangerous. I thought about how good Becca’s ass looked in her tight jeans—not something I needed to be focusing on.

I avoided the question. “Isn’t that supposed to be Ronny’s line? Where is he anyway?”

Matt shuffled a deck of cards. “He isn’t coming. Something to do with work.”

“Really? Is he suddenly getting responsible on us?”

Tom laughed. “Maybe, but you never answered Greg’s question about the girl.” Leave it to my best friend and partner to bring it back to her.

“She was attractive, but that wasn’t the important part. She’s Molly’s friend from Boston.”

“Seriously? You just happened upon her? How random is that?”

“I know. That reminds me, I need to call in a tow eventually.”

“To Dale’s?” Greg finished off the last of a bag of Doritos.

“Where else?” I don’t know why Greg even bothered to ask. He worked at the only garage in town.

“So what was she like?” Matt set aside the cards.

“What do you care?” I took a seat next to Tom, throwing a twenty down on the table and grabbing my chips.

Matt played with a beer lid, trying to make it spin. “She’s working for me this summer, remember?”

“And the fifteen minutes I spent with her were supposed to somehow enlighten me about what kind of employee she is?” I couldn’t picture her working at the law office Matt shared with his father.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait until Monday and find out for myself.”

“I don’t buy it. You’re holding back on us.” Tom opened a beer.

“Oh come on. I gave the girl a ride. I have nothing more exciting to report.” I really didn’t, unless they wanted to hear about our argument. I still didn’t understand how that happened. I’d just been trying to make conversation when it all spiraled out of control.

We started to play, but my head wasn’t in it. I still kept trying to wrap my mind around the girl. She reminded me of a song stuck in my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Tom shuffled the cards. “So you guys ready to lose again tonight? Kelly really appreciates the donations.”

Of course Tom had to rile us up before starting. We always played winner-takes-all, and he rarely lost. The rest of us hardly cared unless he became too cocky. It was usually only after his fifth beer that the rest of us had a chance, and luckily that didn’t take long.

I took a long swig from my beer. “If you recall, last week I took the winnings.”

“Everyone gets lucky sometimes. That only puts you a couple hundred dollars in the hole over the last few years.”

“Shut up and deal.” I was in no mood to listen to Tom’s ribbing.

Chapter Three

Becca

“I still can’t believe you’re actually here!” Molly said for the third time. We were curled up on her couch drinking hot cocoa. Even though it was easily ninety-five degrees out, we still drank hot chocolate. It was just our thing from college. We’d spent more nights than I could count sitting up late with cocoa talking about every little detail of our lives—except the important parts. Those talks usually happened over a bottle of wine.

“Yup, I’m here.” I smiled.

She leaned over to hug me, almost spilling my cocoa.

“Sorry.” She apologized, still grinning.

I was trying to get used to this bubbly version of Molly. We’d been friends since freshman year of college, and she’d never been the overly happy type. Even when she’d smiled, there was still the hint of sadness. That only got worse the last year she was in Boston with me. Her fiancé’s death practically destroyed her. That’s why, as much as I missed having her around, I knew she was better off where she was—with Ben.

“It’s all right. My super reflexes saved the day.”

“Haha, I’ve missed my superhuman best friend.”

Superhuman. If only.

She must have noticed my frown. “How are you doing? You sounded so down on the phone the other day.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” For once, I let my façade of perpetual optimism fall. I’d been playing the part for so long, but with everything snowballing around me, I didn’t have the strength to keep it up anymore. “I was just going through some stuff for my mom’s estate with the attorney. You’d think, since I was her only family, it would be easy, but it’s still so complicated.” I ran my fingers over the snowflakes on my mug. We’d had similar ones at my house growing up.

My mom’s death hadn’t been unexpected. She’d fought breast cancer for years, but the loneliness I faced after losing my only family rocked me to the core. My grades slipped, and that’s probably why I lost my coveted summer job. I preferred that reasoning to my bosses thinking I wasn’t good enough.

“I bet. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all of that alone.”

I saw the guilt reflected in her blue eyes. That was the Molly I remembered.