Page 7 of Revived

Chapter 2

Rachel

“It appears that I should have stayed out a little while longer, huh?”

My best friend, Pfeiffer, comes walking down the hall in nothing but Cash’s t-shirt and sex-crazed hair. “Shit. I’m sorry, Rach,” she blushes instantly as Cash scurries behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He buries his nose in her hair, finding her neck and nibbling as she squeals.

“I’m not. At least you know now that your best friend is getting railed within an inch of her life and loves it,” he declares, kissing her temple before scooting around her and heading for the kitchen.

“Believe me, I heard enough over the phone and details in person after she returned home. But now I have the audio confirmation, so thank you for that.” I flash Cash a tight-lipped smile of annoyance before taking a sip of my water.

“Yeah, she’s loud. I fucking love it.”

“Cash!” Pfeiffer admonishes, smacking him upside the head and then falling into his arms in the kitchen.

“It’s okay, baby. Rachel doesn’t care.”

“Correction,” I say, putting one finger in the air. “I don’t care that I know how great your sex life is, but hearing it takes things to another level. One, it only reminds me of how long it’s been since I’ve seen any action. And two, it only clarifies that I need to find my own place, and soon.”

Pfeiffer, who changed her name to Piper Davis when she was forced to leave home, is my best friend from back in New York. She goes by Piper to everyone here, but I still call her Pfeiffer. We grew up together and always had each other’s backs from the moment we met. Almost every memory of my childhood has Pfeiffer in it in some way and being separated from her for almost all of last year was torture. But when her fiancé threatened her safety, her parents forced her to take on a new identity and leave home. She was gone for eight months, ultimately ending up in Emerson Falls, Oregon, where she met Cash and fell in love with him. Then she was shot, had to return home at her father’s demand and figure out what she wanted out of life. Ultimately, she knew her happiness was here in Emerson Falls with Cash, so she moved back here permanently at the beginning of the year.

I didn’t follow my best friend because I couldn’t stand to be away from her anymore after going so long without seeing each other. The truth is, I needed a change in my life just as much as she did. When Pfeiffer moved back to Emerson Falls, I realized how content she became being away from the high society life we were immersed in back home—country club parties, philanthropic gatherings used as an excuse to flaunt money around and drink, and men who were just as shallow as the holes they shucked their golf balls into.

When she said she was moving back here, I contemplated the move myself. And after about a month, I decided to take the plunge. There was nothing holding me to New York besides my family. But I can see them any time. Plane rides aren’t that expensive and face time is a marvelous invention. I just knew I needed to create a life for myself that was all mine, and teaching has always been my calling. So with Pfeiffer’s encouragement and the not so enthusiastic support of my parents, I vowed to move here and finish my teaching credential in Oregon, hoping to find a place where I belonged.

“Any luck at the college today?” Pfeiffer asks while munching on a few chips straight from the bag.

“Well, yes and no. It seems their credentialing program is very popular, so they won’t be able to fit me in until the fall. But I did enroll, so I’m ready to go when the time comes.”

“That’s good.”

“And I stopped by Tony’s, like you said, Cash. He was thrilled to take me on as a bartender a few nights a week.”

Cash nods in affirmation. “Good. Tony’s the best. If anyone we vouch for is in need, he’s quick to help,” he says, referencing his close group of friends that I’ve briefly encountered over the past two weeks.

“Yeah, he seemed like a stand-up guy—a little rough around the edges, but secretly a teddy bear. Unfortunately though, bartending isn’t going to help pass the time quickly. Money isn’t the issue, although I’ve always had some form of income of my own. But I’d love to get some hands-on experience working with kids, you know? Is there a daycare or preschool hiring that you know of?”

Pfeiffer shakes her head back and forth as Cash glances in her direction, raising one eyebrow. “Not that I know of, but I could always call Olivia, right, babe? She might know of something…”

Cash clears his throat before moving closer to me as I rest in my seat at the counter on a stool. “Um, I actually may know of a nanny gig, if you’re interested in something like that?”

That makes my ears perk up, especially after the few hours I spent with the little boy at the college today. God, I couldn’t help the instant love I had for that child. He was such a ball of energy and inquisitiveness. It amazed me at how intelligent he was, yet still so naïve and innocent. I laughed so hard chasing him around and then listening to him tell me all of these facts about the human body. Grayson stole a piece of my heart today, and I don’t care if I never get it back—it’s his for all eternity.

So, I can’t lie and say that the idea of forming a bond with a child like him for a few months or even longer doesn’t instantly brighten my future prospects.

“Oh, my God. Are you serious? I would love that!”

“Are you talking about…” Pfeiffer starts before Cash cuts her off.

“Yeah. A good friend of mine was thinking about hiring someone to help with his son. The kid is great and he’s one of the best guys you’ll ever meet. Want me to call him?”

“Absolutely! Oh, Cash! Thank you!” I jump from my seat and make my way around the counter, pulling Cash in for a hug. His torso is bare and he has on nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants. But I’m so excited right now, I don’t even notice he’s half naked.

“I think you’d be perfect for something like that,” Pfeiffer says when we part. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that…”

“It’s because you were too busy thinking about my dick, babe,” Cash whispers in her ear, making Pfeiffer’s cheeks turn pink again before she playfully swats him away.

“You know, I might have just hugged you, Cash, but don’t think I’m not above smacking you around too. Seriously, can you tone down the dirty talk around me, please? My poor dried up vagina can’t take it!”

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