CHAPTER 3

 

 

Cole sat back with his beer on the perfectly manicured lawn of the Matthewson Estate. It hasn’t even been an hour since he arrived at the family reunion and already he remembered all the reasons why he moved to New York.

He couldn’t help but hide a grin behind his beer as his geriatric Aunt Primrose slipped Cayden her number. He had begged Cayden to come, if only for the guarantee of sane conversation, but now he couldn’t help but feel guilty for letting the wrath of the Mathewson’s loose on Cayden.

From the corner of his eye he noticed his mother’s wine spritzer’s had started to kick in, she was re-telling the same old stories with a high pitched voice and glittering eyes.

Cole saw his cousin Jason approach and couldn’t help but sigh. He swallowed the rest of his beer as Jason started talking.

“Hello Cole! Haven’t seen you in a long time, you moved back from the city?” Jason was the epitome of a rich spoilt brat. Not that Cole wasn’t, but Jason was different. Jason looked down on anyone that didn’t have a trust fund or who didn’t come from old money.

“Hi Jason. No, just back for the reunion, mom said I should come.”

“That’s right when mommy calls little Cole still keeps running.” Cole could hear Jason’s words were slurring together, the punch bowl was probably spiked again. He’d tell his mother to have a talk with her sister’s teenager daughter who spiked the bunch bowl at every family event.

Cole loved his parents, even though they could be ostentatious, but his extended family was another affair. His uncle had been married five times, each wife younger than the previous one. His Aunt Primrose was a self-proclaimed unsuccessful cougar.

But his cousin Jason had been his best friend until middle school when Jason had started looking down on everyone and became the school bully. Ever since Cole had given him some of his own medicine they didn’t have much to talk about.

Cole placed the empty beer glass on the table and nodded at Jason. “Jason, pleasure as always.” He said through gritted teeth before heading for Cayden.

Cayden met him with a shocked expression. “Cole I think your Aunt just propositioned to me?”

“I saw, I hope you’re not taking her up on it.” Cole grunted as he pulled Cayden towards his parents.

Cayden burst out laughing. “She’s old enough to be my mother, no.. make that my grand-mother.”

When Cole just kept walking Cayden nudged him before speaking. “Although I must say she’s quite fit for her age, maybe she could teach me a few tricks.”

That stopped Cole dead in his tracks; he turned to Cayden with daggers shooting from his eyes.

Cayden laughed holding his hands up in surrender. “Dude that was a joke!”

“Come on, let’s get out of here. I just want to greet my parents before I leave.” Cole said stiffly before walking to his mother.

“Cole, perfect timing. I’d like to introduce you to Emmaline. I believe she’s your neighbor.” Cole’s mother urged him towards an older lady sipping on a martini.

“Emmaline, this is my son Cole I told you about.”

Cole vaguely recognized her from across the road, and realized this was the neighbor Rose had spoken about. Amidst a sea of pastels and beiges Emmaline wore a bright orange dress with a royal blue scarf. Cole couldn’t help but smile at her boldness. “Pleased to meet you. I believe you live across the road from me?”

“That’s right dear.” Emmaline answered surveying him up and down. “Good to finally put a face to the house.”

Cole smiled at Emmaline before turning to his mother. “Cayden needs to get back to Rosa’s mom, so we’re going to head off. Thanks for inviting me.”

“I appreciate you coming out honey. Hopefully it won’t be another year before you come out again.” She proceeded to hug him before turning to Cayden. “I still can’t believe you’ve made such a success of Rosa’s Cayden. It was good seeing you.”

“Good seeing you too Mrs. Matthewson.”

Cayden and Cole dodged anymore family members by following the path alongside the house instead of walking through it.

As soon as they were both seated in the car Cayden burst out laughing. “I need to get back to Rosa’s? You’re a very good liar.”

Cole shrugged as he gunned the engine. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Want to go for a drink?”

Cayden secured his safety belt before turning to Cole. “Stupid question! Let’s go to that new place on the beach, I hear the talent there is as good as the drinks.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Cole said before speeding out of the estate.

 

 

Cayden had heard right, Cole thought as they walked into the bar. Although it was early fall and most of the summer visitors had left, the bar was teeming with people. More than half of them young and beautiful women.

Cayden slapped him on the back. “What did I tell you?”

Cole surveyed the talent and grinned at Cayden. “What do you say we get some drinks while we decide who we’re going to buy the next round for?”

It was Saturday night and the bar was packed. Cole and Cayden pushed through the crowd until they reached the front. The music was loud; Cole recognized his friend Seth’s girlfriend Faye’s voice thumping through the speakers.

“Beer?” Cayden shouted as he reached the bar first.

Cole nodded and moved outside to find an empty table. As soon as he sat down a couple of blondes at the adjacent table waved. They were both beautiful with platinum blonde hair. The one licked her lips as Cole lifted a hand in acknowledgement, giving him an open invitation.

He waited for the thrill of the chase to kick in, but it didn’t. These were exactly the type of women he usually dated and yet as he watched them, he found himself uninterested.

“Who crapped on your porch?” Cayden said setting the beer down in front of him.

“No one.” Cole said as he took a sip of beer, reminding himself after this one he needed to switch to soda since he was driving.

The blondes waved at Cayden, who eagerly returned their wave. “I pick them.”

“What?” Cole asked confused. For some reason his thoughts had run astray to Rose. His short and curvy neighbor with her chocolate brown hair had been popping up in his mind all day.

“We should buy them the next round. What’s up with you?” Cayden asked, frowning at Cole.

“Nothing.” Cole grunted, wondering what Rose was doing this time on a Saturday night.

“Great, I’m going to invite them over.” Cayden said as he stood up and headed to the blondes.

Cole watched as a few words were exchanged before the girls grabbed their drinks and followed Cayden to their table.

Cayden’s smile was a mile wide as he winked at Cole when they approached the table. “This is Stacy,” he said smiling at the blonde with the brown leather jacket. “And this is Claire.” Claire wore low riding jeans with a lace camisole. From Cayden’s tone it was clear he had earmarked her for himself.

“Hi, I’m Cole. Grab a seat.”

“It’s great to meet you Cole.” Stacy said pulling her chair closer to Cole. “You never know who you’re going to meet when you go out. I must say I’m glad I met you.”

Cole merely smiled at her glib comment. She didn’t even know him and already she was complimenting him. He doubted Rose would be like that. Then again he couldn’t even picture Rose in a bar like this. She seemed more the homebody type. Definitely not Cole’s speed.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Cole forced a smile. Across the table Cayden and Claire were getting to know each other better with lowered voices.

“So do you want to get out of here?” Stacy asked, her tone sweet as sugar.

Wow, that was fast Cole thought. Normally he would jump at the opportunity, but something was off tonight. Even if Stacy was a little too eager for his taste, he doubted it was that.

Something was off because his mind kept running back to Rose.

“I’d love to but I need to get back to the city. Urgent business to attend to.” He shrugged apologetically.

Cole stood up and nudged Cayden. “I’m heading out. Talk to you soon.”

Cayden raised his brows in question, but knew once Cole decided something there was no arguing. “Okay, drive safe.”

 

As Cole took the freeway to the city after he collected his bag from home, his thoughts returned to Rose again.

Her windows were all dark except for one when he pulled up to his house, presumably the bedroom. He wanted nothing more than to go and knock on her door and invite her over for that beer she’d declined the day before. Luckily he came to his senses and left before he changed his mind. A girl like Rose didn’t do one night stands, and that was the only thing Cole was interested in.