Never Let Me Go: Chapter One
When Chase Carlson pulled the door to the Bean Bag open, he was greeted with the same familiar combination of jingling and clacking of the old bells that hung over the glass door that had been there for years. The sound, accompanied by the rich, overpowering scent of freshly roasted coffee beans that hit him when he stepped inside, was just as he remembered it. He paused, the door held open to the stifling late summer heat a moment longer than was necessary as he looked up at the bells and inhaled deeply.
Some things never changed.
Then again, he thought as he looked past the bells and the doors to the bustling plaza outside, crammed with tourists and maybe a few locals who were brave enough to wade into the throng of people, some things really changed.
The last time Chase had been to his hometown of Trickle Creek, the idea of tourism still hadn’t fully caught on. The golf course was still in its infancy, there was only one beat-up motel on the side of the highway, and no one had even conceived of the idea of vacation home rentals, let alone entire condo buildings devoted to the tourists who most of the townspeople couldn’t believe would ever come.
But they had come.
And judging by the amount of no-vacancy signs and out-of-province license plates, a lot of them had come. He shook his head as he closed the door behind him and turned to face the inside of the cafe.
If he thought there were a lot of people outside, there were even more stuffed into the small space. Almost every table was full. A few people milled about by the doorway, either coming or going. Chase wove his way through the crammed tables and found an empty seat at the counter next to the coffee station.
It would have to do. Besides, the noise and utter chaos of the place would be good for him. A sharp contrast from the somber scene he’d just left. Not that a funeral should be any other way. Yet somehow Chase had expected his father’s funeral to be…well, if he was being truthful, he didn’t really know what he expected because he hadn’t given it much thought.
He was there out of duty for the man who put a roof over his head and gave him his name when he’d married his mother when Chase was just a boy. Michael Carlson was technically his stepfather, but he’d been the only father Chase had ever known. Not that he’d ever really known him well. For far too long, Chase had felt like an afterthought, an extra, an unwelcome addition that came as part of the package with his mother and younger sister.
For some reason Chase could never completely figure out, Charli, two years his junior, had found a special place in their stepfather’s life. But not Chase. Not ever. And especially not when their mother died when Chase was only twelve.
Which was why he’d asked to go to boarding school. Maybe insisted was a better word. Either way, he was just shy of his thirteenth birthday when he’d left his sister Charli as well as his half brothers and sister—Asher, Craig, and Kat—behind.
There’d been a few visits back to the mountain town over the years, for holidays and a few summers, but it didn’t take long for Chase to realize his presence hadn’t been missed, so pretty soon, even those had dwindled completely. It had been almost fifteen years now since he’d been back.
Which probably had a lot to do with why he felt so out of place. And why he hadn’t stuck around after the service. He needed a few minutes alone and a strong cup of coffee before the will reading.
Coffee.
Chase glanced around for the waitress, who still hadn’t been by to check on him or take his order. Her back was turned to him, her notepad out as she frantically scribbled the orders for a table of six. A bell rang, indicating an order was up in the kitchen. Chase couldn’t see any other waitress working.
Shit. He didn’t have time to wait for her to have a free minute.
He slipped from his stool and moved around the counter, where a fresh pot had just finished brewing. Casually, Chase filled a mug for himself. He was about to replace the pot when he noticed the gentleman sitting next to him also needed a refill. As did the woman on the other side of him. Quickly, he moved behind the counter, refilling the coffee cups of a handful of customers. When a nearby table noticed and waved him over, he shrugged. Might as well.
Chase found himself smiling for the first time all day as he made small talk with the customers as he provided them with their refills. Caught up in the moment, he was about to visit another table when a small hand clamped around his arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
He turned to see the waitress, a pretty brunette, her hair tied back in a clip against her head, with two pencils shoved into the top. Her face was bare of makeup. She was cute, in a very girl-next-door kind of way, despite the dark smudges under her eyes and the obvious exhaustion that she seemed to wear like a scarf around her neck. Something about her was vaguely familiar, but that wasn’t unusual considering he’d grown up in town.
Chase held up the coffeepot with a small smile. “I’m pouring coffee.” He gestured to the table who’d noticed the pot and was looking hopefully toward the potential of a refill.
“Well, you need to stop,” the waitress said. “You don’t work here.”
“It doesn’t mean I can’t help.” Chase surprised himself that he even cared. After all, he’d only wanted a cup himself. And it was currently growing cold at the counter. “You seemed a little—”
“I’ve got it.” She took the pot from his hand and moved toward the waiting customers. As an afterthought, she turned and said, “Thank you for helping.”
Her gratitude, no matter how minor, brought the smile back to his lips. “Anytime.” He nodded toward his seat at the counter and held her gaze.
“I’ll be over in a second to take your order if you want lunch,” the waitress offered, and then the moment was gone as she got back to work.
* * *
Annie delivered the last of the lunch rush meals to her hungry customers, did a quick check on the remaining tables, and finally returned to the counter to set another pot of coffee to brew. If she was lucky, she might be able to sneak in a few sips of water before duty called once again. Monica had called in sick. Again. And with no one else to cover the shift because they were short-staffed, just like every other place in town, Annie got to handle the lunch rush on her own for the second time that week.
To say she was exhausted was an understatement. She was so tired she could hardly remember what day of the week it was. Not that it mattered. All her days looked more or less the same: work her shift at the Bean Bag, change clothes and grab the list of vacation rentals she needed to clean and turn over for the next guests before picking up—
“Hey.” A friendly and somewhat familiar voice snapped her from her thoughts. “I could use a refresh, but I don’t want to overstep.”
Annie turned to see the man who’d helped her out earlier by refilling coffee cups. He was tall and his broad shoulders filled out his dark-navy suit and crisp white shirt very nicely. Even so, the suit, as sexy as it was, stood out in the mountain tourist town of Trickle Creek known for the world-class golf courses that dotted the valley, a vast network of mountain biking and hiking trails, and stellar fly-fishing in the summer months, as well as one of the best ski resorts in the Rockies in the winter months. Not that Annie ever had a chance to partake in any of Trickle Creek’s offerings. Still, she knew her sales pitch inside and out from years of selling it to throngs of tourists.
“Sorry.” Annie reached for the coffeepot that had just finished brewing. “I was waiting for a fresh pot.” She winked and grinned.
His smile reached his blue eyes that flashed with humor. He was handsome and—it didn’t matter. He was a tourist. She hadn’t seen him around town before, and having spent her entire life in Trickle Creek, she knew almost everyone. Annie had a rule: don’t get mixed up with tourists. No flings. No one-night stands. No free drinks. No nothing.
Sure, there were plenty of local women who took advantage of the all-men golfing groups that swarmed the plaza almost every night, looking for a good time away from their wives and lives for a few nights. Most of the women used the opportunity to have a few free drinks and a little entertainment. But a handful took it even further, and out of those few, there were a few more who then had to live with the consequences of those choices. Like her sister.
Annie may not have learned much from her older sister, but she’d definitely learned what she didn’t want for her life. Now she just needed to figure out how to get what she did want.
“Thanks, Annie.”
The man put his hand on her arm. It was a light touch, barely there at all. She looked down at his hand, then back up at the man.
“You’re welcome.” She took a step back. “How did you know my name?”
He laughed and nodded to her name tag. “I just assumed it wasn’t an alias.”
That made her laugh, too. “You assumed right.” He was friendly and something about him made her relax, so despite her first instinct, she leaned back against the counter and made conversation. “What brings you to town? I have to say, you don’t look like you’re here to golf.” She pretended to think. “And I’m going to guess you’re not biking or fishing. So unless you’re hiking in that suit…”
“I’m here for a funeral.”
“Oh.” The smile fell from her face instantly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“Don’t be. My father and I weren’t close.”
He picked up his cup, and it was only then that Annie put the pieces together. To be fair, she was working on only a few hours of sleep and there weren’t really that many pieces to the puzzle.
“Chase Carlson?”
He almost choked on the hot coffee when he heard his name, but somehow managed to swallow and still look perfectly in control when he set his mug down, crossed his arms on the counter in front of him, and answered her. “Do I know you?”
“Yes,” Annie answered quickly, realizing that she may have sounded creepy. “I mean, no. You do, but you—”
“But I don’t?” He raised an eyebrow and his lips twitched. “Which is it?”
She sighed and placed her palms on the counter behind her, leaning back. “You used to know me,” she started. “Or at least, I used to know who you were. I’m Annie.”
“We’ve established that.” His eyes drifted to the name tag on her chest, which was currently shoved out and on display because of the way she was reclining.
Annie quickly stood up and wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist.
“Annie Darling.” She said her full name, not that it would help. “I’m friends with your little sister, Kat. I was probably only about six or so when you moved away, but Kat and I are close.”
“I’m sorry to say I had a lot going on,” Chase said. “Not much time for paying attention. And really, I have to admit, I probably wouldn’t have remembered my baby sister’s friend.” He extended a hand to her. “Let’s start over,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you, Annie Darling. I’m Chase Carlson.”
She took his hand and blinked hard against the heat that flashed through her body at his touch.
Was he always so handsome?
No.
He was a kid. So was she.
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry about your—”
He stopped her condolences with a hand. “Please,” he said. “Save your condolences for Kat. As I said, we weren’t close.”
She knew that much. Kat had talked about her oldest brother for years and the way he’d more or less run away from the family. When she mentioned him at all. Which, truthfully, wasn’t often.
“Well, how long are you in town for, Chase?” She switched the subject and found herself really wanting to know. Something about him made her want to forget all her responsibilities, lean up against the counter all day, and—shit. “Hold that thought.” Annie held up a finger to silence him before he spoke and grabbed the notebook from her apron pocket. “Table three is probably ready to pay and table six will need water refills and—no. You can’t help,” she added with a wink, as he moved to get up from the stool. “I’m pretty sure I’ll get fired if I keep letting the customers do my job for me.”
Chase didn’t move to return to his seat, so Annie tilted her head, ready to press the issue, when he chuckled and said, “I won’t help. But I do need to get going.” He glanced at the watch on his wrist.
A real watch, Annie noted, not a smartwatch like she would have expected.
“I have this thing.” A shadow crossed his face, but it just as quickly disappeared when he met her gaze again. “But to answer your question, I’ll be in town for a few days. Maybe we can grab a drink or something?”
She stood mute and stared at him.
Had Chase Carlson just asked her out? On a date?
No.
It was just a friendly thing to say because you’re his sister’s friend. He doesn’t even know how to—
“I’ll ask Kat for your number.” Chase tossed some money on the counter. “It was nice to properly meet you, Annie.”
He flashed that killer smile one more time, and then he was gone, leaving Annie to wonder what the hell had just happened. Because it had been a very, very long time since she’d ever felt any of the feelings that were currently flowing through her body thanks to Chase Carlson.
