Behind the Stick Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Behind the Stick

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Excerpt of After the Night

  Also by Sandra

  About the Author

  Copyright

  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it or win it from an author sponsored giveaway, this book has been pirated. Please delete it from your device, and support the author by purchasing a legal copy from one of its many distributors.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.

  Behind the Stick

  Published by Sandra Marie

  https://sandramarieauthor.wixsite.com/sweetsandra/

  Cover Design: Makeready Designs

  Editing: CookieLynn Publishing Services

  Formatting: CookieLynn Publishing Services

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2019 Sandra Marie

  All rights reserved.

  Lauren kicked off her ballet flats after a long day of working in the children’s section of the local library, slipped on her black framed reading glasses, and plopped on her bed. Reaching under her pillow, she pulled out her latest read. It was a historical romance where the heroine ran away from home to avoid an unwanted marriage only to be swept up into a love affair with a pirate. The story was exhilarating and more romantic than anything Lauren had ever experienced by far.

  It was why her relationship with Dylan didn’t last. He simply failed in comparison to the heroes in her books. She knew she shouldn’t hold men to such ridiculous standards, but why the hell not? He complained she always had her nose between the pages of a book, yet he never did anything interesting enough to make her put the book down. Besides, he was one to talk. He had his eyes glued to his cell phone, entirely obsessed with scrolling through social media or playing some stupid casino game. At least Lauren got to experience adventure every time she turned her attention to her book.

  Though, the breakup still stung. It was just another failure on her list. Another reminder that the great love affair she always dreamed about would never happen.

  Dylan was a good guy in the beginning, and she wanted to love him, but it never happened. They weren’t compatible, or it was possible Dylan was right and their failed relationship was all because she cared more about spending time with a book than having a conversation with him which he reminded her of multiple times while he ended things.

  If only their conversation was interesting and engaging, instead of him complaining about life, then maybe she would have put the book down.

  She was beginning to think that whole thing about butterflies in the stomach, heat coursing through her body, and an overwhelming desire to be close to someone was nothing more than pure fiction.

  “Abigail, I will just have to live vicariously through you,” she said to the cover before flipping to the page that held her bookmark.

  She snuggled under her fleece blanket and rested against her pillows. At the end of the day, this was the only place Lauren wanted to be. She placed the bookmark on her nightstand and dove into the story. A few minutes later when things were starting to really pick up, there was a subtle knock on her bedroom door.

  Just as Abigail fell into the arms of her pirate, Lauren looked up from the book and spotted Ginny, her old roommate and closest friend, awkwardly waving from the doorway. She had moved out only a few weeks ago to live with her boyfriend across the street. Lauren had told her to keep the key since it would always be her home—at least as long as Lauren continued to rent a room.

  “Hey, Gin,” Lauren said. She grabbed her bookmark and placed it between the pages before putting the book down and sitting up. “What’s going on?”

  Ginny rested her hand against her thigh, dog hair sticking to her black tights. “Lily May invited us to meet up at the Hole in the Wall and you should come.”

  Lauren smiled at the ease in Ginny’s speech. For so long, Ginny stuttered, not having the confidence to speak. Once they became close, it wasn’t as noticeable, but there were still times when she’d get stuck on a word. Now she looked at Lauren as she spoke, not darting her eyes to the floor. Confidence looked good on her, or maybe it was just the high of being head over heels in love. But ever since Ginny opened her heart to the boy next door, she was happier, almost lighter. It couldn’t have happened to a better person even if Lauren was a bit envious.

  “It’ll be fun,” Ginny added. “Everyone is going to be there, Frankie and Alex, Rae and Tommy, Cassidy and Jon.”

  As the only single friend in the group, it sounded about as fun as a root canal. They would try to include Lauren into the conversations, but the couples would have their inside jokes that would have them lovingly smiling at each other as if no one else existed. It’s not that it would be done on purpose either, it was what happened when you were in love with someone. She’d bet money they didn’t even notice when they were doing it. Besides, she didn’t have any homework, so she had even more time than usual to spend reading for pleasure.

  Lately, by the time she’d get done with the work for the master’s program she was taking so she could become a librarian, she was only able to get in a few chapters before falling asleep every night.

  “I’m going to stay in and read.” Abigail and her sexy pirate were the only company Lauren needed tonight.

  “I think going out would be good for you.” Ginny tucked a newly dyed green streaked strand behind her ear. Though it was only a single strand of color, it was Ginny’s mark of rebellion. Sometimes the color coincided with the next holiday. Green was perfect since Saint Patrick’s Day was just around the corner. Her finger lingered at the bottom of the strand, tugging at the ends. “You could use a little fun after…” Ginny’s sentence died off.

  Lauren didn’t need her to finish. She could use a little fun after Dylan dumped her, told her she was boring, and she would never be happy with her fiction-based standards.

  I’m sorry, but I want someone a little less… well boring. Dylan’s words echoed in her mind, and she bit back the involuntary wince as they dug at her like a sharp knife to the back.

  She smiled at Ginny, grateful for a friend like her, but tonight she wanted to wallow in self-pity for a little while longer while reading about someone else falling in love and if that made her boring, she didn’t care.

  “I appreciate the invite, but I’m fine. Really. You go and have a great time. You can even leave Cocoa here with me.” Lauren knew Ginny hated leaving her beloved pup alone, even if it did have two hyper companions in the aptly named Batman and Robin, but really, Lauren wouldn’t mind a little fuzzy company to curl up with. Besides, Cocoa never thought she was boring.

  The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the house. Steven, Ginny’
s boyfriend, breezed in and came to a stop next to Ginny, tossing his arm around her shoulders.

  “We going?” he asked. “I corralled all the dogs in the kitchen and fed them, then slipped out the back. Batman spotted me and almost made a break for it, but luckily he was more interested in his kibble.”

  “Lauren doesn’t want to go.” Ginny shrugged, and Steven’s arm fell from her shoulder. He cocked a dark eyebrow and stared Lauren down. Ginny would have been easy to get rid of, but Steven was a completely different story. Proving his character, he stepped toward the bed and plucked the book right out of Lauren’s hand.

  “Hey, give that back.” She attempted to grab it, but he held it above his head and even if she were to try and get it back, she’d never reach it. She flumped onto the bed, and he tucked the book inside his jacket.

  He smirked. “I will give it to you when we get home.”

  “That’s a dirty play,” she said.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  “It is not desperate times.”

  His eyes softened, concern pulling at the corners. “Since Dylan broke up with you, you go to work and come home. You’re going to be permanently imprinted in that mattress soon.”

  “Am not.” She appreciated his concern, she did, but it wasn’t like she went out much when she was with Dylan anyway. Maybe she did leave the house a little more often, but sheesh, she just got dumped. Couldn’t she have a week of moping? “I go to book club still.”

  “The book club held right there in your living room.” He pointed behind him. “Another room in the house does not count.”

  She stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, it should.”

  “Come for one drink, and if after one drink, you’re not feeling it, I’ll get you an Uber, and you can come back here and read until your heart’s content.”

  “I’d rather just do that now.”

  “You’re killing me!” Steven threw his hands up in an overly dramatic gesture.

  “Let’s just leave her be,” Ginny said.

  Steven let out a sigh. “Fine.”

  “See you later.” With a sympathetic wave, Ginny followed Steven out the door.

  Grateful Steven didn’t sit there until she agreed, she repositioned herself and reached for her book. Only problem was it wasn’t there.

  “Steven!”

  A loud laugh belted out from across the house. “You have five minutes to get dressed.”

  If she wanted to find out if Abigail would ever tell her sexy pirate the truth about where she came from, Lauren had no choice. She was going out whether she wanted to or not.

  Lauren’s idea of getting dressed was slipping back into her ballet flats. She didn’t even bother to look in a mirror to see if her eye makeup had lasted through the day or if her hair needed a good brush. If she was a little less self-conscious, she would have changed into a pair of cozy pajamas and slippers. Unfortunately, the no mirror thing was the extent of her going out when she didn’t want to protest.

  Her dress had wrinkles in it from curling up in bed, and her black tights had shifted awkwardly giving her a permanent wedgie. She did a bit of weebling to get those suckers back in alignment before walking out the front door and slipping into the backseat of Steven’s car.

  Ginny handed her a lint roller. “You’ll need this when you get out. We took the dogs to the dog park, and someone forgot to vacuum the backseat.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Steven said as he pulled out onto the street. Ginny smiled adorably at him.

  Ginny and Steven fell into a conversation about work for the ASPCA and Lauren, not able to add anything to the conversation, pulled out her cell to scroll through her Kindle app.

  She had about four books started that she jumped between whenever she had time to kill. She decided on a non-fiction book about building confidence. Not that she felt she really needed to build her confidence, but after the breakup, she thought it wouldn’t hurt. When she was ready, she would have to put herself out there again, and since she veered on the side of socially awkward, any little bit of advice was helpful.

  Fifteen minutes later, they drove by the bar and found a spot on the street. Steven parallel parked with ease, and Lauren took the time to thoroughly go over her black tights with the lint roller before passing it to Ginny.

  The Hole in the Wall was exactly that—a bar front with no bells and whistles, just a sign above the door with its name and a free-standing sign on the sidewalk that listed the happy hour specials. Lauren had heard of the place now owned by Gavin Mills, the brother of Seattle’s richest man, Ashton Mills, who was Lily May’s boyfriend, but she had never met Gavin. Though if he was Ashton Mills twin, then he was definitely good looking. Lauren couldn’t imagine the world being graced with two men with that bone structure.

  She followed Steven and Ginny through the door, the place was small, a few tables scattered about and black leather stools lined the bar. There was a random roped off corner under construction with a half taken down wall full of wires. The rest of the décor looked like it hadn’t been updated since the Space Needle was erected.

  Lauren scanned the rest of the place, taking in the old wood planks beneath her feet as they made their way away from the door and closer to the bar. She spotted the man behind the bar just as he spotted her. His eyes turned to her, bright green and beautiful, and he smiled. It was warm, friendly, and welcoming, and though she imagined he greeted all the guests with that exact same tilt of the lips, for some reason an excited jilt rushed through her. Her cheeks heated, and her head darted down.

  There was no question the gorgeous man was Gavin Mills and the world had definitely been graced twice when he and his brother were born.

  He looked different than Ashton though, not nearly as proper or rigid. He had an ease with the way he moved around the bar like it was almost a part of him. His face was clean shaven unlike Ashton who liked to keep a permanent five o’clock shadow.

  “Hello there,” he said and Lauren smiled as if she suddenly forgot how to speak. She cleared her throat ready to force the words out when Steven reached across the bar and shook Gavin’s hand.

  “Hey man, how’s it going?” Steven asked and after a beat Gavin took his eyes from her and answered Steven.

  Lily May hurried over to them from where Rae and Tommy were at a table, in her bright pink dress pants with a white sheer shirt tucked in. Not many people could pull off such a bright color, but when someone looked like she walked right out of a Barbie box, it was as if clothes like that were made for her.

  “You made it!”

  “We did.” Ginny gave Lily May a hug before Lily May smacked a kiss on Steven’s cheek.

  “Lauren!” Lily May exclaimed with a little too much exuberance, her voice echoing through the entire place. The other people in the bar looked in their direction briefly before going back to their conversations. Lily May didn’t even notice as she drew Lauren in for a hug. She pulled back, resting her hands on Lauren’s arms. “I can’t believe you came!”

  Lauren shot a glance in Steven’s direction, then down to the inside pocket of his coat where he held her book hostage. “I didn’t really have a choice,” she said. “But now that I’m here, I’m happy I came.” She glanced over at the bar where Gavin was handing over a pint glass. He caught her eye and gave her a wink. Lauren quickly snapped her attention away, but it wasn’t quick enough. Lily May’s eyebrow shot up, a spark ignited in her big blue eyes.

  “Let me introduce you to Gavin.” Lily May grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bar. For a petite thing she sure had an iron grip. Defenseless, Lauren followed, plastering on a smile.

  “Gavin!” Lily May called and waved.

  He excused himself from the conversation he was having and strolled over to where they stood at the bar. “I wanted you to meet my friend Lauren.”

  Lauren gave an awkward wave.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said, holding his hand
out.

  She swallowed, then reached out to accept. His hand dwarfed hers as he gave it a strong shake. Their eyes met, and now that she was close, she could see the different shades of green that made up the beautiful color.

  “Isn’t she just as cute as a peach?” Lily May said, and Lauren froze, heat creeping up her neck.

  Gavin smiled. “Cuter,” he said, and to keep herself from looking like a pathetic school girl with a crush, she yanked her hand away and forced herself to get a grip.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she said finally remembering how to form words, then glanced around the bar and watched as Lily May sneakily left them alone. “Great place you have here.” Though it was a lie considering the eyesore that was the construction, she could see the potential.

  Pride shown in the deep green of his eyes. “Thanks. It needs a little TLC, but I’m working on it.”

  The bell above the door sounded, and the infamous Ashton Mills stepped inside. He looked around the bar, a glint in his eyes like he was desperate to find someone, but then his gaze lingered on the construction. His eyebrows furrowed and he changed direction, heading straight to the bar.

  “This place looks like a shithole,” Ashton said to Gavin before he even sat down on a stool. “What the hell happened?”

  Gavin’s friendly disposition distorted, and Lauren thought it best to remove herself from the glaring eyes and tight jawlines.

  She excused herself and found a stool at the end of the bar. Steven’s coat hung on a hook, and she reached inside, grabbing her book.

  It was time to forget about her own loveless life and catch up with Abigail. She opened the book and glanced toward Gavin again. His shoulders were tense and she imagined what it would be like to massage the tension away. She quickly swatted that thought away. She was fresh off a breakup and the last thing she needed was to start fantasizing about another guy, who with that charming wink he’d given her, had heartbreaker written all over him.

  Gavin suppressed the desire to throw his rag at his brother’s smug face and took a deep breath instead. “It’s called construction,” he said through clenched teeth. It was so typical of Ashton to shoot him down right as a pretty girl was lifting him up. Ashton was so good at it he didn’t even know when he was doing it.