Page 80 of Stolen Dreams
The morning sun warms my skin as I trek down the road toward the park hosting the main event. I pay the attendant and enter the lavish festival. Scout the area and look for the best place to loiter while I wait for more people to arrive.
Pausing near a cluster of trees on the outskirts, I unlock my phone, go to my photos, and tap on the one with his picture. Music plays from strategically placed speakers as I study the image. Memorize it one more time.
Once I have the details of his face burned in my mind, I close the app, stow the phone in my pocket, and mosey about the event. Blend into the crowd and partake in activities. Act as though today’s festivities are what brought me here and not the man I’m told will pay handsomely for someone else’s mistakes.
Several songs, games, and fake conversations later, I spot him through the crowd. Genuine smile on his face, he shamelessly gawks at the woman with him, a young boy between them.
A wicked grin tugs at the corners of my mouth as I follow them with my sunglasses-covered eyes. I don’t just have one meal ticket in this town. Now I have three. And the best way to get all three is the path of least resistance.
Oh, how I love learning people’s weaknesses. What I love more is the way they break as I rob them of what they hold dear, of what they love.
This man will shatter when I take what he loves. He will fold so easily. And I’ll relish every moment, a pile of cash in my possession and devilish smile on my face.
TWENTY-THREE
RAY
Five hours of sleep,and I’m more awake and revitalized than usual.
Mom drops Tucker at the house a little after eleven on her way to the diner to help Dad with the influx of patron traffic. Tucker and I shower and dress in record time, fill a couple bottles with water, and make it out the door in under an hour. Before I back out of the driveway, I message Kaya.
I know we agreed to meet at the festival but I’d like to pick you up. Is that okay?
I connect the phone to the car and shift the gear into reverse. As I exit the property, a ding echoes through the car and I tap the screen for it to read the message.
Yes. Should be ready in ten.
With most of the residents on the opposite end of town, it isn’t long before I turn onto Kaya’s family’s property and park in her driveway. Seeing her house in the full light of day, I enjoy the simplicity of it. Stone, wood, and stucco with several windowsand tucked into the trees. Quiet, peaceful, and very much her style.
As one of the wealthiest families in Stone Bay, the Imalas live as if money isn’t something to pride themselves on. As if it could vanish in an instant. Which it very well could. Nothing in life is promised, regardless of who you are.
The front door opens and Kaya steps out, the sun glinting her braided hair through the trees. In a flowy, juniper-green sundress, the skirt ending inches beneath her knees, Kaya strolls to the car with a breath-stopping smile on her face.
Damn, how I love that smile.
“Hi,” she says, voice soft as she slides into the passenger seat.
“Hey.” I meet her sparkly gaze and mirror her smile.
“Hi, Miss Kaya,” Tucker greets with more enthusiasm than me and Kaya combined.
She peeks over her shoulder to the back seat. “Hi, Tucker. Excited for all the games and food?”
I watch Tucker in the rearview mirror. A dreamy look takes over his face a beat before his eyes widen. “I want to eat as many fried things as possible. Grandma says it’ll upset my tummy, but I don’t care.” He shrugs as if a stomachache is no bother. “And I want to win the biggest prize at the games.”
“No pressure,” I mutter as I back out of her driveway and steer us off the estate.
Knowing traffic will be insane, I take the scenic route, drive farther north than the event, and loop back to the employee parking at RJ’s Diner. Partial ownership perk.
A short trek down the street, we weave into the crowd within minutes. Animated chatter and delighted whoops marry with carnival game sounds and music playing through large speakers. The scents of fried foods, sweet confections, and hickory smoke float through the air.
Tucker grabs my hand and yanks me left and right to play games, pausing on occasion to eat excessive amounts of deep-fried, sugary food. Kaya and I indulge in a few, too.
Everything about today is perfect. Easygoing. Ordinary. Something I didn’t know I craved until now.
At the ring toss game, I take Kaya’s hand as we watch Tucker. Warm and delicate, her fingers curl around mine. An unfamiliar, desirable sense of security and peacefulness washes over me. The delicious hum I only feel with her courses through my veins. But it’s when she leans into me and rests her head on my shoulder that everything clicks.
She said I’d have to work hard for her affection, for her. And I have every intention of doing so. But is it reallyworkif all I want is her happiness?