Wildest Dreams: Book 1 in The Redneck Devils Trilogy Page 2

  I felt another blush creep over me as I smiled at him. “I’d like that,” I admitted.

  “Great,” as he handed the cashier his card he added, “I’d also be honoured if you’d join me for a cup of coffee while we discuss Deep Down? Coffee Cafe is right next door, and they serve-”

  “-the best cup of coffee in town?” I finished for him.

  “Exactly.”

  I laughed softly and nodded my head as the cashier handed us our books. “That sounds wonderful.”

  I glanced around the store as we headed for the door, wondering if I’d see Glenda, but she didn’t appear to be around and I let out a small sigh of relief. For now my cover was safe.

  Zander held the door to Coffee Cafe open for me so I led the way inside and over to the counter. I’d been here often enough that the barista recognized me, not by name but by face, and asked if I wanted my usual order. Zander raised his eyebrows in surprise as he added his drink and handed her his card. “You come here often?”

  “I come here enough,” I replied casually reaching for my drink as they called out our order. We found a table by the window and sat down, setting our books beside our cups. The sunshine felt warm on my face as it shone in the window and I closed my eyes for a moment, taking it in: it had been a long winter and although it was only the first week of March I was already looking forward to the impending warm weather.

  “All right,” I opened my eyes and looked at him. My breath caught as I again took in the beauty of his face and I sounded a little breathless as I said, “where do we begin?”

  We talked for hours. Zander was an intellect, he had such in-depth views on James McCloud’s novels that it almost felt like I was talking to the author himself as he explained his take on the characters, the plot, and the meaning behind each book. We shared a lot of the same opinions, and on the ones we differed we engaged in civil debate over it. Time passed quickly and before I knew it I was on my third cup of coffee and my stomach was growling. I knew I should get home and check in as I’d been gone far longer than I’d expected to be but I was sad to say goodbye.

  “This has been an amazing morning.” I stood up, tossed my cup in the trash can, and grabbed Hazard Wave. “But- and I hate to say this- I should get going.”

  “Yeah,” Zander glanced down at his phone which had been buzzing nonstop for the last five minutes. “I probably should go too.”

  I couldn’t help but wonder who was trying to get a hold of him so desperately, then reminded myself that I hardly knew him and that it was none of my business. For all I knew he had a girlfriend and had only invited me for coffee in order to engage in some intellectual discussion about a paper his professor disagreed with him on.

  “Thank you for the book.”

  “It was my pleasure. I hope you think of me whenever you read it.”

  I couldn’t help the smile that stretched across my face but all I could think to say was, “yeah, you too. I’ll see you around.”

  I turned to go but he reached out and stopped me, grabbing my hand gently, and sending shivers down my spine. “Jade.” I glanced back to look at him as my heart began to beat a little faster. “I’m glad I met you there.”

  “Me too.”

  He grinned almost shyly, “I don’t know how to say this exactly but- would you like to have dinner with me some time?” My breath hitched as I took in his words. “I’ve had a really great time with you this morning and I- I don’t want it to end. Not yet.”

  “I-,” my heart was beating harder now as I considered my options. I could decline the offer and try to forget about him- regardless of the fact I liked him, I had lied to him. I could confess that I’d lied and come clean about myself and hope he forgave me and still wanted to have dinner with me (which would be unlikely). Or I could just accept the offer and keep on pretending I was someone I wasn’t. “I would love to.” I finally said, deciding to go with the last option. After all I was curious to see where this would go.

  The smile on Zander's face made my heart skip a beat- he looked genuinely surprised I’d agreed. “I have some things to take care of this week but would Friday evening work for you? I know the perfect place we could go.”

  “Friday would be wonderful.”

  “Where should I pick you up?”

  I hesitated, trying to think of a way to avoid having him come to my house. Finally I shrugged and said, “would it be okay if I just met you there? Wherever ‘there’ is,” I added with a small smile.

  He looked surprised, but nodded. “That would be fine. I’m staying at the Golden Daylight Hotel and Spa, have you ever been?”

  My mouth dropped open and I fought to close it before he noticed. “N-no,” I stuttered. “But I’ve heard it’s gorgeous!”

  “It certainly is. I was thinking we could have dinner at the restaurant there. The food is phenomenal.” I couldn’t believe he was staying at such an expensive place. Who was this guy? Was this really a good idea? I swallowed, hard, but then he reached his hand out for mine and gave it a light squeeze, and my worries and doubt began to fade away as I looked up into his blue eyes. “Is that all right?” He lifted my hand to his mouth and brushed his lips against the back of my knuckles; my knees felt weak and my heart started beating quickly again.

  My mouth was dry causing my voice to sound raspy as I said, “Yeah, of course.”

  He smiled and squeezed my hand one last time before letting it go, reaching to hold the door open for me. My legs were weak as I walked outside and to my car. Suddenly I was itching to have a cigarette, but I was afraid to let Zander see me smoke in case he thought it was a bad habit.

  “I’ll make the reservation tonight. Does six o’clock work for you?” I leaned against my door, clutching Hazard Wave to my chest as I nodded. “Wonderful. I expect you to have finished the book by then. It’ll give us at least one thing to talk about.” He winked and tapped my car gently twice before turning to leave. I stood there and watched as he walked down the street and reached the corner. Before turning he glanced back, saw me watching, and waved. The smile that crossed my face was the biggest and brightest smile I’d worn in a very long time.

  When I walked into the door I was bombarded by my cousins who were home from school that day due to an appointment they had that morning. “Ali’s home!” Lisa and Sarah cried, as if they hadn’t just seen me hours before. I stifled a sigh as I wrapped my arms around them. I loved my cousins, truly I did, but I’d been living with them for almost a year now and their five year old personalities were getting a little irritating.

  “Give me some room,” I groaned as I tried shoving them gently away.

  “Let Ali come in the door.” I looked up to see my Aunt Patty standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a spoon in her hand. “They really do love you, you know.”

  I glanced back down at the girls as they took the smallest step back not letting go of my legs, and saw them smiling back up at me. I felt a tug in my chest and smiled softly back. “Yeah, I know.”

  Living with my aunt this past year hadn’t been my first choice, but after my grandmother ended up in the hospital- and later recommended to move to a nursing home- I was left with few options. I was more than willing to live by myself at her house, after all she wasn’t selling it in case my father decided to show up again, so it may as well get used, right? But according to the judge I was ‘too young’ to be living on my own, despite the fact I had the maturity level of an adult, even then at the age of sixteen. I was more than welcome to the house once I turned eighteen, but that was still a few months away. Aunt Patty stepped up and took me in; she gave me a fair bit of freedom, all she asked in return was that I be a good role model for the girls and continue my education.

  “Your grandmother called,” Aunt Patty said as I kicked off my shoes and set my purse down on the ground next to the closet. I was sure to keep Hazard Wave safe in my hand, lest the twins hands were dirty and grubby. “She says you haven’t been by in a few days.”

  “Sc
hool’s been busy with midterms,” I nodded. “I was thinking of going there tomorrow; I have a mid-term exam and then I’m off for the day.”

  “Are you excited to have the week off next week? I know the girls are excited for our trip to Florida!”

  The twins ran off to watch some television as I followed my aunt into the kitchen and slid into a chair at the table as she returned to the stove to stir something in the pot. I suddenly caught a whiff of spices and chicken: Aunt Patty’s famous chicken soup. My mouth watered as I sat down.

  “I guess,” I shrugged, placing the book in front of me. “I mean, after this semester, school’s done. Then it’s off to university- if I get in, that is.”

  “You’re a shoo-in, Ali,” my aunt said, setting the spoon down and placing the lid on the pot. “You have a wonderful reputation at school. Good grades, class president, and lots of volunteer work. Any school would be lucky to have you.”

  “I guess,” I repeated. “I should be hearing from them after break. No point in stressing about it until then, right?”

  My aunt came to sit next to me at the table, set her hand on top of mine and patted it twice before removing it. “I see you got the book you wanted.” She nodded at Hazard Wave and I felt my face flush as I recalled that morning and Zander. I hoped Aunt Patty wouldn’t notice though as I opened the cover, hearing that fresh crack of a new book and taking in the smell of the pages.

  “I’m excited to read it,” I admitted. “I wish I didn’t have to study tonight.”

  “School comes first,” Aunt Patty reminded me.

  “I know.” But all I could think of was that I had to finish the book by Friday evening and studying for a midterm I knew I would ace was a waste of time. But my grandmother had taught me to always review my notes the night before a test, because you never know what you may be forgetting, regardless of how well you think you know the material.

  With that being said, I made a quick sandwich, grabbed a bowl of soup, and went up to my room to study. By dinner I had made it through all of my notes and felt fairly positive I’d get an A on my midterm, which happened to be at eight am the next morning; that meant that despite the fact I wanted to start the first chapter of Hazard Wave I couldn’t, because I knew I’d get lost in it and wouldn’t want to go to bed. There were other things I could do, though.

  I hadn’t touched my guitar since Nick and I had broken up. At first, it was a painful reminder of what I had done, how much I’d hurt him, and how, despite the fact I’d broken up with him, I kind of wanted him back. After all, Nick had been the one who’d first taught me to play, going as far as to buy me the very guitar that sat in the corner. I’d practised all the notes he taught me until I got them right, even if it meant my fingers bled.

  Music had always been an outlet and coping mechanism for the stressful events that went on in my life. Melodies and harmonies that synchronized together perfectly- that was my favourite kind of music. When Nick and I had first met he played that kind of music. His voice was so soothing and melodic, the sound of the acoustic guitar matching perfectly as he sang; however, once he and his friends formed a band, his voice changed. His songs were no longer soothing, they were upbeat and catchy, the kind of music that made you want to get up and dance. But when it was just the two of us, alone together in his room, he’d pick up that guitar and sing me those soothing melodies, almost like a lullaby, and I’d be taken back to the day we met. I’d insisted he teach me to play, determined to learn the notes; I wanted nothing more than to mimic the feeling I felt hearing those songs on guitar.

  The first song Nick ever taught me was a song he wrote about me, the very first one: 'Everlasting'. A song about how we met, the strength of our love, and the fact we thought it would last forever. For whatever reason it was that song that my fingers plucked on the strings as I picked up my guitar. When I opened my mouth the lyrics came flowing out, sounding as melodic as I remembered.

  It was a sunny day

  A year ago May

  You had a smile on your face

  You took my breath away

  It was impromptu

  The day I met you

  But I knew it was true

  Green eyes and blue

  And the day was warm

  As I took your hand

  And led you away

  You laughed when I asked

  To kiss you

  And said "Okay"

  That was the moment

  The moment we came together

  The second I knew

  We’d be forever

  Oh we’d be one

  Two hearts colliding

  No doubt that we’d be

  Everlasting

  My hands slipped off the strings as I stopped playing, squeezing my eyes shut and forcing myself not to cry. I hadn’t thought about that day in a very long time and I couldn’t, wouldn’t, let it get to me now. Not when I was feeling so good about today. I slammed the guitar down on its stand and began to get ready for bed, determined to put that memory out of my mind for good.

  Chapter 3

  That entire week went by excruciatingly slowly. My two hour midterm felt like it took six, but I finished it confidently, feeling like I passed with at least a ninety. I visited my grandmother, as promised, and found myself taking the long way home many times that week, driving past The Golden Daylight Hotel and Spa, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zander, but every time I drove past he was nowhere in sight. I had no idea why he was staying there, whether he was here on vacation, or for business, or simply just a stop along the way to somewhere else. I don’t even know why I cared so much, but I did.

  There was just something about him I was drawn to. It didn’t matter that we’d only spent a few hours together, I was infatuated and I wanted to get to know him better. I wanted him to get to know me better. The real me. But I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to tell him I wasn’t a mature young adult in university, like he was- instead I was a fairly mature teenager in her senior year of high school, and that just didn’t sound as endearing.

  There was a valet at the restaurant when I pulled up and I handed him my keys before asking for directions to the entrance. Today the March weather was cold and there was a light layer of snow on the ground. I shivered as the wind blew, pulling my long coat closer around myself as I opened the door. It was warm inside; I let out a sigh as I stomped my feet on the mat and looked around. The lighting was dim and I could see candles on the tables giving off a romantic glow. I spotted a hostess stand and, unsure if Zander was going to meet me here or at the table, I approached it.

  She was standing there, back to me, and speaking to someone who I assumed was a waitress by the white shirt and black skirt she wore. They were in the middle of a conversation and I felt a little awkward interrupting them, so I stood there and listened, waiting for the right moment to announce myself.

  “-back for the third night in a row. He’s sitting at a table this time though.”

  “I’m going for it tonight,” the hostess decided, squaring her shoulders.

  “What if he has a girlfriend?” the waitress asked, reaching her hands back to tighten her blonde ponytail.

  The hostess laughed, “if he was dating someone we would have seen her by now. Not to mention he’s staying in that room, by himself. I asked Bill to check the system this morning.”

  “You know he’s not supposed to give out guest information!” The waitress said, sounding shocked yet amused.

  “He owed me one,” the hostess shrugged, turning around towards her stand. “And anyways I-.” She stopped, eyes widening slightly as she saw me standing there. I watched as her eyes scanned my outfit quickly, sizing me up- a beige trench coat with black knee high leather boots; under the coat I was wearing a deep green form fitting dress which accented my eyes and dark hair, but she couldn’t see that. Her eyes narrowed slightly, almost threateningly. “Can I help you?” I opened my mouth, about to speak, when she interrupted me before I could even get a word
out. “We’re completely booked, so unless you have a reservation-.” She trailed off as if waiting for me to turn around and leave. I decided I wasn’t going to take any more of her attitude.

  “I’m meeting someone,” I said firmly, tossing my hair and rolling my shoulders back.

  “Name?” She asked, sounding bored.

  “Zander.”

  Her expression wavered for a split second and then she smiled. “I’m sorry, we only go by surnames,” she smirked, smugly, not even bothering to look at the sheet of paper in front of her. I don’t know what I did to offend this woman I’d never met before, but she was beginning to piss me off.

  “I don’t-.” I began to say when I felt a hand gently touch my back, and the hostess’ mouth dropped open as her eyes widened, and somehow I knew Zander had appeared. The waitress, who had been hovering beside her, glanced at her friend in surprise.

  “Mr. Dionne,” the hostess stuttered, her hands moving up to flatten her hair and brush a stray piece behind her ear. “I thought you were sitting at your table. Is there anything we can do to help you?”

  “Do you need another drink? Whisky on the rocks, correct?” the waitress added eagerly.

  Zander's smile was tight as his hand rubbed my back gently, sending shivers down my spine. “My drink is fine, thank you. Actually I was hoping Rebecca could show my date to our table?”

  The hostess, Rebecca, seemed speechless as she turned her wide eyes towards me. I watched as they narrowed, slightly, on my waist where his arm was now resting. “Of course,” she ground out, forcing a smile. “Right this way.”

  Rebecca and the waitress shared a long look before she turned and walked into the dining room, blonde ponytail bouncing. Rebecca, though, led the way towards a small table in the back. The room appeared darker there and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the soft glow of the candles. Nick had never taken me to fancy restaurants, he always chose the quick and cheap places. This, on the other hand, actually felt like a date, and I liked it.