Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  Book Two in the Finding Trilogy

  SHANE MORGAN

  TSW BOOKS

  Independent Publishing

  Copyright © 2015 Shane Morgan.

  TSW Books

  All rights reserved. Please do not partake in the illegal distribution of this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

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

  ISBN: 978-0692418468

  ASIN: B00WCORCVW

  Cover Image © Shutterstock, Inc.

  Other Books by this Author

  The Right Song

  Our Kind of Love

  The Finding Trilogy

  Finding Julian

  Losing Amber (coming soon)

  Impossibly Duology

  Impossibly Love

  Impossibly True

  The Unresisting Trilogy

  Unresisting

  Unfearing (coming soon)

  Unending (coming soon)

  Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

  -Robert Frost

  Betrayal happened to other people.

  Not to me.

  I believed in Tyler.

  Trusted him.

  So who the hell was in his bed if I was standing in the doorway?

  I stayed there, frozen, slack-mouthed.

  They carried on in their moment of heat. Tyler had his eyes closed, moaning, calling her ‘baby’ while he gripped her waist. Her long, tousled blonde hair danced on her back as she bounced on top of him.

  This couldn’t be real. It had to be a dream.

  A whimper escaped me. I yelled, “You bastard!”

  Tyler opened his eyes. His face paled, the obvious signs of pleasure disappearing. “Shit! Bristol!” He pushed her off and sprang from the bed, putting on his shorts. “Baby, it’s not what it looks like.”

  Outraged, I threw the small box with the expensive Movado watch to the floor. “So that’s why you couldn’t spend your birthday with me. You must think I’m stupid. You’re cheating on me!”

  Tears threatened to fall, but I refused to cry and appear even more pathetic to them.

  I glanced at the large-breasted bombshell still lying on my side of the bed. Bitch! I clenched my fists when she pulled the white sheets over her naked petite body and rested her head on the pillow. There was a brazen look on her face as she watched our drama unfold.

  “I-I can explain,” Tyler stammered, using his best puppy dog impression. He stepped around his gift and touched my arm.

  “Explain?” My palm connected with his jaw. “How can you explain that?” I pointed to the bimbo waiting to finish what they’d started.

  Tyler rubbed his cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said, in a sincere tone. “It just…happened. I made a mistake.”

  “Bullshit!” I lifted my hand to smack him again, but halted at the sound of her cocky giggle.

  His playmate swept her hair to the side and eased up on her elbows, growing impatient. “Is she leaving or what?”

  Ugh!

  “You bitch!” I made to dash at her.

  Tyler grabbed me. He reeked of what must be her perfume and sweat. “Babe, no… Please listen.” Then he said over his shoulder to her, “Jen, you have to go.”

  “Don’t bother! Let go of me you cheating slime!” I struggled in his arms and elbowed him in the chest. He released me.

  Hurt and humiliated, I stormed out of his room, heading for the front door. Tyler hurried after me, begging. “Bristol, wait! Please babe. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” He reached for my arm.

  “But it did!” I shrieked, trying to compose myself and failing. In a strangled whisper, I told him, “We are so done.”

  As I turned to leave he grabbed at me again. In one swift move, I spun and slapped him hard across the jaw. It stung more than the first, so much that my hand shook, and Tyler reeled back from the impact.

  “Shit!” he grunted.

  On the brink of tears, I rushed out the door and bustled down the stairs. Tyler wasn’t chasing after me and I didn’t care. I needed to get away.

  Running out the exit, I jumped in my car and sped away from his apartment. Damn him for betraying me. Damn him for the pain spreading throughout my chest. I tried so hard to make things work between us, to accommodate him, be more giving, more loving. We’d been together a little over a year, and we’d been doing okay—or so I’d thought.

  He’d thrown everything I’d done for him and for us right back in my face.

  What a frigging waste!

  I was wrong. Tyler didn’t love me the way I loved him. I wished I could revoke everything I’d given him, including my heart.

  Unable to hold back any longer, my tears broke free, making it hard to see while driving. My heart ached. How foolish of me to think Tyler was different.

  When I made it to my apartment, I all but crawled across the huge lot from my car toward the building. I bumped into someone as I walked up the entrance but didn’t even lift my head when I mumbled “sorry.” My voice came out low, and I wondered if the person had heard.

  “It’s okay,” he said kindly as he touched my elbow in a gentle way, the intense scent of his cologne burning my nose.

  Ignoring the odd gesture, I continued through the main doors and climbed the stairs. Reaching my apartment, I darted to my room and collapsed on the bed crying. I cried and cried until my sobs turned into hiccups.

  Pain turned to anger when I glimpsed the photos of me and Tyler displayed on my dresser and nightstand. I sat up and wiped away my tears. I had to do something.

  Marching into the kitchen, I grabbed a pair of scissors, and then strolled back to my room.

  Standing in the space I’d shared with Tyler on occasion, I peered around and reflected on the sweet memories. On our moments. The souvenirs he’d bring back from his travels for me. The jewelry box he gave me for our first Valentine’s Day. His clothes. His pillow.

  I wanted it gone. Every. Single. Piece.

  A single red rose lay outside my door, so unexpected after a breakup. I snatched it up by the petals to avoid pricking my fingers. Wow. The least Tyler could have done was remove the thorns. What an ass. He probably stole it from someone’s garden. It wouldn’t surprise me since he was such a cheapskate.

  I stepped back into my apartment and tossed the rose into the trash on top of everything my sleazy ex had left at my place. After cutting up photos and ripping his shirts, my rage had settled down, and I’d crumbled to my bedroom floor nearly lifeless.

  In that moment, I’d stored my feelings for Tyler in an imaginary box and locked them away for good. I would never forgive him for hurting me.

  Never.

  Closing the lid on the bin, I headed out to buy coffee and a donut before work. The little seaside café near my apartment wasn’t too busy. I loved the place. It had a warm and friendly atmosphere with charming French decor that always made me feel calmed.

  While waiting at a table for my order, I called Tyler. He needed to get it in his thick skull that we were done.

  “Hello,” he croaked.

  “You think you’re going to weasel your cheating ass back into my life with a cheap rose?” I snapped into the phone, keeping my voice low enough so no one could hear me.

  “What…” Tyler groaned, sounding half asleep.

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t play dumb. I found the rose you left at my door.”

  The line went quiet for a second, and then he said, “No idea what you’re talking abou
t, babe.”

  “You expect me to believe that?” I hissed. “And don’t call me babe.”

  “Bristol, I don’t—”

  “Shut up and listen,” I cut him off. “When I said we’re done, I meant it. There’s no way in hell I’ll forgive, much less forget, so don’t go leaving me flowers again. O-V-E-R, got it?”

  He didn’t say a word, just sighed. Irritated, I disconnected the call. My order was ready anyway. After retrieving it, I sat back at the circular birch wood table and listened to my voicemail while drinking my coffee. I’d turned my phone off after what had happened that weekend.

  Geez. I sighed and slouched in the chair, pissed at myself for making so much effort.

  “You’re alive,” a feisty voice said. I looked up and saw Amber approaching. She was wearing a striped top over distressed jeans, her long raven hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.

  She took off her shades and placed them on the table as she sat. I dropped my phone in my purse.

  “Did you follow me from the apartment?” I joked before drinking some more coffee.

  She scoffed and folded her arms. “I knew you’d be here for your Monday morning fix. Anyway, I’ve been calling you for two days, Bristol, and you wouldn’t even answer your door. If it weren’t for your landlord I’d have called the cops.”

  “Okay, okay.” I wiggled my fingers and feigned a smile. “See? I’m alive. Relax.”

  Amber dipped her head and peered up at me, her piercing shades of dark green and golden brown taking in my demeanor. “Is that all you have to say? What happened? As your best friend I deserve to know why you became a hermit over the weekend.”

  “Dad was right.” My voice was a near whisper. “Tyler… He’s a jerk.”

  Leaning forward, she wrinkled her brows and asked, “What happened, honey?”

  I swallowed hard before answering. “I wanted to surprise him for his birthday. When I showed up at his apartment on Friday evening, I saw that someone else had beaten me to it.”

  Her jaw dropped.

  “She was naked on top of him.”

  “That douchebag!” she yelped. Heads turned our way. “Let’s go key his stupid car. You know how much he loves it.”

  “Shh.” I patted the air with my hands, motioning for her to calm down. “Forget Tyler. I’m moving on with my life.”

  “What?” Amber blinked in surprise. “The Bristol I know wouldn’t just walk away. She’d teach him a lesson.”

  I managed a titter. “I guess I’ve realized that he’s not worth it.”

  She reached her hand across the table and clasped mine. “You guys dated for over a year, so I know it hurts. No need to pretend. Talk to me, I’m here for you.”

  “It’s not a big deal. Besides, nothing keeps me down for long.”

  Amber could tell I was faking. We’d grown up together. She knew me inside out.

  Shaking her head, she eased back and picked up her shades, fixing them on her smooth makeup-free face. “Fine, keep up the act. Are you working today?”

  “Yeah,” I replied in a dry tone, not enthusiastic about going to work feeling crappy.

  “Good because Julian’s worried too. She kept calling me to ask if I’d spoken to you. She gets anxious, remember?”

  Grabbing my coffee and the paper bag with my chocolate glazed donut, I rose from the chair and got my purse. “Yeah. She still gets edgy. You know, sometimes she zones out. But who can blame her? Jules was sucked into a murder mystery involving her dad and his lawyer, and was almost thrown off a cliff by a lunatic. I suggested therapy but she doesn’t think that’s necessary. She says being with her family and Seven will help her move on from what happened last summer.”

  Sighing, Amber stood and curved her arm around mine as we started out of the café. “The anniversary of her father’s death is coming up. I wonder how she’ll deal with it.”

  “Humph,” I muttered. “We just have to support her.”

  A smile stretched her lips, showing off her adorable dimples. Amber led me down the pavement toward her blue sedan. As we approached, a light spring breeze swooshed by, carrying the salty smell of the ocean.

  Amber moved around the hood of her car to the driver’s side. Before hopping in, she glanced at me and said, “Let’s hang out later. We’ll have a few drinks, take your mind off you-know-who.”

  I considered for a moment. Liquor might quicken the process of erasing Tyler from my system. “Sure. I’ll call you after work.”

  She drove off, and I trekked back to the parking lot at my apartment to get my car.

  Ten minutes later, I pulled into my slot at Vanderson Publishing. My phone rang just as I ascended the concrete steps of the back entrance. Mom’s number flashed on the screen.

  Great.

  Sucking in a deep breath, I exhaled slowly and answered the phone while continuing inside the brownstone building. “Hello, Mother.” I tried to sound nonchalant even though I knew I was in for it.

  “I can’t believe you!” she fired at me. “Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was on Saturday because you and Tyler bailed on me?”

  “Oh, geez, what’s the crisis now?” I stopped walking and leaned against the wall. With the thick glass door to the lobby closed, I couldn’t hear anyone inside the office and they wouldn’t hear me on the phone.

  Mom hissed. “Don’t smart mouth me, Bristol. I made plans with Victoria Hammond and her daughter, remember? I couldn’t give them a reason why my daughter was too busy to spend an evening with me.”

  “Mom.” I massaged my temple. “There was no way Tyler and I would have made it to dinner, much less to any future events as a couple.”

  She asked, “What do you mean?”

  “We broke up,” I admitted.

  “What? Why?” She sounded shocked.

  “He cheated on me, so I dumped him.”

  “Why?” Mom asked again, this time sounding confused.

  I wrinkled my forehead. “What do you mean why? Are you seriously asking me why I broke up with him? Mom, the reason is obvious. He’s a—”

  “You shouldn’t have,” she scolded me. “He was a nice guy; he was going places.”

  Un-freaking-believable.

  Furious, I pushed off the wall. “I can’t believe this. Are you saying I should overlook what he did and keep seeing him?”

  She made a sarcastic sound before speaking again. “Well, he does come from a good family and he’s mentioned that he has plans for you.”

  Of course she’d consider status over my feelings.

  I retorted, “Well, that’s too bad. It’s over. Finished. I’m not taking him back, so don’t waste your breath and please ignore his calls.”

  “I most certainly will not!” Mom countered, aghast. “Tyler will always be welcome. As far as I know, maybe you weren’t taking good care of him, hence why he went out and did that.”

  Ouch. That hurt like a bitch-slap—not that I’d ever been slapped.

  I ended the call and turned off my phone. My mom was a trip, and I didn’t need her nonsense now.

  Julian strolled up to me the second I marched into the busy office. Worry filled her pale blue eyes as she regarded my appearance. “Amber told me what happened,” she said. “I’m so sorry, Bristol.”

  She wrapped me in a tight embrace. It felt good; I needed that. “Why didn’t you call us?” she asked as she released me.

  “I just want to forget him. He’s not worth moping over,” I replied.

  Understanding, a sincere smile curled her lips. Julian and I had become so close since I’d started interning at the company last fall. It was as if I’d known her for as long as I’d known Amber. I could see right through Julian as well.

  Every so often her features twisted with anxiety, like she was remembering her ordeal from the previous summer. Still, I was glad she’d stayed in Rhode Island in spite of what had transpired.

  “Anyway, what’s the latest here?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

 
I indicated for us to go over to my workspace on the left side of the office. A stack of papers awaited me on my desk with a note from Gina, the event coordinator I was assigned to. My workload had increased dramatically since I’d reminded her that my internship was ending in a few weeks.

  I plopped down in my chair and finished my coffee. Julian perched against the rustic hardwood desk as she continued talking. “Not much. Oh, Aunt Bev wants to plan a fundraiser before she takes off for her trip to Rome with David in a few weeks. They’ll be attending a photo expo.”

  “Yeah, I heard about the trip, but what’s this about a fundraiser?” I prodded.

  She explained, “It’s actually a joint venture between us and Wilcox & Co. They’re an advertising company that’s been negotiating with Aunt Bev. It seems they’re interested in merging with us.”

  I perked up at the news. “That’s great. You know, I’ll be looking for a full-time position once I finish my classes this fall. Do you know if there’ll be any openings once the merger goes through?”

  Julian searched her head for a moment. “Um, not in event planning. However,” she mused, straightening off the desk, “Mr. Wilcox did mention that he’ll need a new creative director.”

  That wasn’t too far out from my major. Still… “I’d probably need years of experience to land that position, right?”

  She twisted her mouth to one side, contemplating. “Maybe Aunt Bev could put in a word for you.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. I’ll talk you up to her.” Julian gave my shoulder a light squeeze and then headed to her office across from me.

  It’d be nice to work at Vanderson Publishing full-time once I finished school. If considered for that creative director position, I wouldn’t have to spend the entire summer job-searching either.

  I turned on the computer and nibbled on my donut while checking email. Gina had sent me instructions on what to do with the stuff on my desk. Apparently she’d be out for the day.

  Time marched on while I drowned myself in work. Whenever thoughts of Tyler snuck up on me, I’d tighten the lock on the box in my heart and snap out of it.