Page 10 of Need for Speed

“You sure about that? Nine times out of ten I don’t. You have the worst taste in men. I swear you have a douchebag magnet in your body.”

She holds her hands up in surrender. “Okay, I get it and I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I know you’ll approve of this one, trust me.”

I give her a questioning look “That’s easier said than done when it comes to your love life, but I’ll try.”

The rest of the day had been chaotic. I have never been so glad to see my shift end. I say goodbye to Lyndsay then head for Seth’s house to catch up with him before Kynlee’s bachelorette party. I pull into the parking lot of his beach side apartment. Before I can knock the door swings open and Seth gathers me in his arms. “Nice to see you too,” I tell him.

He puts me down and ushers me inside. “How have you been? I’m sorry I haven’t been around; work and surfing have been crazy.”

“What’s so crazy about it?” I ask him, while taking the bottle of water he extends toward me.

“Well, you know how I go surfing just about every morning after I get off from work?” he asks, and I nod in response. “Well, there was a talent guy there the other morning watching us all surf. He asked me if I’d be interested in trying to go pro.” Seth’s face is beaming in pride.

“Wow, that’s great but don’t most people try to become pro before they’re thirty?” I ask, then realize I sound unsupportive. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean that to come out the way it did.”

Seth waves it off in his normal Seth fashion. Never taking anything to the heart. “I know what you mean and to answer your question, yes, but this could be a real shot.”

I smile at him because I couldn’t be happier for him but that does put a damper on what I had to ask of him. “Well, I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, so on the phone you said you had something you wanted to discuss.”

I had told him that, but I knew it would be a long shot even before the surfing opportunity, now there’s no way he’ll say yes. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“Like hell it doesn’t. Tell me,” he demands.

I sigh heavily. “Mom called me and told me she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure a while back. Now, they’ve only given her a few weeks to a couple of months to live. Given everything that is in South Carolina, I was going to ask you if you would go down and kind of take care of things but now…”

Seth’s demeanor completely changes when it has to do with our mom. I get it but it’s not easy to see. “Sadie, even if I didn’t have the surfing I wouldn’t go, and you know it.”

“But Seth, she’s your mom,” I try to reason with him.

He shakes his head. “No, she’syourmom. She left me and never looked back. She hasn’t tried to contact me since she took you and hauled ass when you were four. Dad and I were left to fend for ourselves, while Dad did everything he could to find you and her. It wasn’t until she wanted to ship you off to dad that she appeared out of thin air. The only reason she surfaced was because she wanted something. So, I’m sorry Sadie, I know that she’s your mom and you love her. I’m sorry she’s sick and I’m sorry that your history is about to catch up to you, but I can’t and won’t go.”

I figured this would be his answer, but I had to try. I’m terrified of losing the life I have now because of a lie I let go on too long. “I understand. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

Seth gives me a sad smile. “Yes, you do. You tell Axell, face the consequences, go back to South Carolina and do what needs to be done and hopefully while you’re gone that will be enough time for Axell to forgive you.”

“What if he doesn’t forgive me?”

Seth reaches across the kitchen island and pats my hand. “He will. It might take a bit, but he will. Axell loves you too much.” That’s the thing; Axell loves the part of the girl he knows but he doesn’t know all of me. What if the rest of me is too messed up to love?

“I’m going to run to the restroom,” I tell Seth as I head down the hallway. As I enter the bathroom, I can’t help smell the lavender smell lingering in the tiny room. That’s not Seth’s normal scent, he must have had some “friend” as he likes to refer to them over. It isn’t until I’m washing my hands that I see the black travel makeup bag that looks all too familiar. The silver etched eyelashes standing out against the black. I reach for it and open it up to find what I already suspected. All of Lyndsay’s go-to makeup items. It all starts to make sense. Why Lyndsay didn’t tell me she was seeing someone, but insisting that I’d approve, why Seth’s bathroom smells like lavender and he’s been harder to reach than normal? The bag was something I bought for her a couple of birthdays’ ago. I grab the bag and make my way to the kitchen. I toss the makeup bag on the kitchen island, startling Seth, but I see the shock on his face as he looks down at the bag. “What the hell?”

“It’s not what you think,” he says while standing up.

Seth is my brother and I love him. I’d do anything for him but he’s a horrible boyfriend. He hasn’t even been in a relationship since high school. He knows how much Lyndsay means to me, he knows she’s like a sister to me. Why would he do this to her? Hell, she knows what Seth’s like so why is she putting herself in this position? Lyndsay needs someone dependable and good. Not my fly by the night brother.

“I think it’s exactly what I think. The only thing I don’t understand is why her, Seth? Out of all the girls, why do you have to screw with my best friend? She deserves better than this!” I tell him, as I grab my purse and make a beeline for the door. I sit in my car for a moment trying to gather my emotions, but the stress hits me all at once. Everything in my life is blowing up and I can’t stop it. All I can do is sit back and watch.

****

As I’m getting ready for Kynlee’s bachelorette party Axell gets home from work. He has a great way of distracting me from all the crap going on and it brightens my mood. Now, I’m sitting in the limo with some of my favorite girls, but I can’t help but let my mind wander back to everything else going on. Seth and Lyndsay, going back to South Carolina after all this time, how to tell Axell; I feel like the hits just keep coming.

“You okay?” Hollis leans over and whispers in my ear.

Hollis and I always have had a good friendship. I always rooted for her and Bowie to beat the odds. Hollis is just one of those people that deserved more than what life had given her. I was so happy when she finally got it. Hollis knows me better than the rest of the girls in the limo, so of course she would pick up on my mood. I see the concern in her gray eyes. “Yeah, just got a lot on my mind.”

“Well, when we get to the show, we can talk if you want,” she offers, and I give her a smile. Maybe, I should talk to her. Maybe not about everything, but at least Seth and Lyndsay.

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