Page 45 of Take the Blame (Seaside Mergers #3)

Chapter Twenty-Four

AUGUSTUS

I’ve grown pretty sensitive to long bouts of silence, probably because of the unpredictability of them.

Mar’s disappearance wasn't something grand or theatrical right away. It was the culmination of one too many missed calls in a day; an extra hour past curfew without hearing from her, then another and many more and the gradual realization that this was not just a stunt or a phase or some kind of rebellious teenaged message she was sending us–it was an escape. Maybe because of that, Alta’s sporadic responses and long droughts of silence worried me.

Had I come on too strong this weekend? Had I been needy? Had I scared her off like I had such a knack of doing?

Two canceled appointments and nothing other than polite but short text responses was making me think the worst. And it was already Thursday! If she wasn't avoiding me, then the sky wasn’t blue. Because just days before, we’d been–what?

Something special?

Well hell yeah, after the weekend we had I would say it was pretty damn special. And now I was worried that maybe I was the only one who felt that way.

Maybe this was my fault. Over the weekend I had been slightly rough with her. I couldn't help myself. When I saw her at the door, so cute and there just for me, I had to have her for myself.

Yep. Definitely came on strong. But hell, I was already coming on strong as ever. Offering to be at her service wasn’t exactly a subtle way to put myself out there.

But maybe it was time to put that arrangement aside?

It had worked for a while, breaking the ice between us and allowing us to see each other past those first impressions.

And once we did, I wasn’t surprised to find that she was the perfect release for me too.

That she was perfect, period. I thought we’d been that for each other… But maybe I was wrong?

It wouldn’t be the first time I wasn’t as important to someone as they were to me.

As the days passed with no Alta, my mood worsened.

I stomped around the shop, glared at my phone, and faded in and out of attention during conversations with clients.

Withdrawal was a sickness, and my current symptoms consisted of annoyance, agitation, and speaking before I think.

.. So not that far off from my regular idiot behavior, but it felt more dire as I waited and wondered what the hell had happened to her.

And to top everything off, the calls had stopped.

Clay had been right. I put too much hope into the mystery caller being some kind of miracle, and now that it turned out to be nothing, I was disappointed. It was like she was abandoning me all over again .

Was I always meant to be alone? To be left and forgotten by the people I cared about most?

God . Who was I and what the hell was up with all these depressing thoughts?

And where the hell was she? Alta, I mean. I’d stopped torturing myself with that question on my sister's behalf a long time ago. But where was my girl? Even if she was done being mine for the short time she’d allowed it, I still wanted to see her.

I enjoyed having her smile at me, but I’d take the frown too. I’d take anything if it was coming from her.

“Is there a Harper here?” I heard someone ask from up front.

I was slouching over my chair, staring at the same drawing I’d been trying to work on for hours as I tortured myself over thoughts of her. The sound of my name didn’t even stir me. People came in here for me all the time, Jules could handle it.

“Can I ask what for?” J asked the stranger.

“Yeah, Alta sent me to drop this off for him,” he answered.

I was out of my seat in a second, coming up beside Jules and face to face with whatever fuck had her name on his tongue.

Said fuck was some floppy haired kid with too loose clothes and a manicured look about him. I must have been glowering, judging by the way he looked behind himself and then at me with a confused expression on his face.

“Got something for me?” I asked. My eyes fell to the envelope he was holding, the scrawl of my name written in familiar handwriting. All I could think was how it was from her. She’d sent something over here for me and he had his hands on it.

“If you’re Gus Harper, then yeah,” he said, eying me strangely. “Are you him?”

“Yeah, I am. What’s it to you?” I asked, not liking his tone.

“Nothing, nothing,” he said, eyes appraising me. “I’m just surprised.”

Yeah. I didn’t like this kid. “What did you say you wanted? ”

Reaching between us he handed the envelope to me. “From Al.”

Al . Like she was some trucker or something. I took it, tucking it aside to look at when I was alone. Then I looked back up at him. “You know her?”

“Alta?” he asked and when I nodded, he laughed a little. “Yeah, I know her.”

My chest constricted painfully. “How?”

He shrugged. “Known her all my life.”

My eye twitched, my hands balling into tight fists along the countertop. “And what’s she to you?”

The smartass smiled. A slow, cheeky thing that encompassed his entire face, his eyes alight with the humor of his own joke. Stepping forward, he outstretched his hand.

“Mateo,” he said cheerfully. “I’m Al’s brother.”

Well, fuck me .

Silence fell over the room. That was until my idiots couldn’t hold it in any longer and the sound of muffled laughter began to float around. Shaking his hand, I glowered. He knew what he was doing and judging by the shit-eating grin on his face, he’d enjoyed it.

“Hey,” I said, clearing my throat awkwardly. It was kind of hard to hold my head high after that one.

“Hi,” he said easily. Excited eyes bounced around the surfaces of the shop before returning to me. A wary feeling washed over me by the way he was taking me in. “So you must be the bad company my sister’s been keeping.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Is that what I am?”

“Apparently.” He smiled, his head shaking. “Oh, this is so good.”

My eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to go make trouble for her like that other one, are you?”

“Me?” he asked, the most insincere smirk on his face. “ Never .”

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Well, that was just great. Didn’t she have any normal family? Or did they all just have too much time on their hands and nothing better to do than cause trouble?

“Shop’s pretty cool man,” this Mateo said, his eyes filtering around the room again.

“Really?” I eyed him. “Thought you’d turn your nose up like the other one.”

He huffed a laugh that told me he knew exactly who I was talking about. The shrug he gave seemed to hide something deeper than his simple words. “Yeah well, I’m no Ox.”

Maybe I didn’t hate this guy after all. Lifting my chin I said. “You got ink?”

“A bit,” he said. “I hide most of it. Still afraid of my mom, you know?”

“Word? Where from?”

“Heard of Tore Tattoo before? He—” he stopped, his grin pulling apart again. Damn, I must’ve been making a face, not to mention the five other groans that went up around the room. “Not a fan?”

I decided not to comment. However, I did toss one of the shop’s business cards his way, not so discreetly offering, “If you ever want to add something better to the collection.”

He laughed but took the card anyway, pushing off the counter as he turned toward the door. “Thanks, I’ll think about it. See you around.”

“Hey,” I called, rounding the table to follow him out. He looked at me as I caught up to him. “Where is she? Why’d she have you drop that off instead of coming herself?”

“You don’t know?” he asked, eying me. “I thought you two were close.”

“We are, I just—” I didn’t know what to say because, were we? Sure, we’d slept together a few times. But did that mean we were together? Close? Anything special at all? I scrubbed at the back of my neck and sighed. “I just haven’t heard from her. ”

He studied my awkward movements and after a while an earnestness seemed to cross his face. “She’s not feeling well.”

Minutes later I was stepping back into the shop and being welcomed by a slow clap.

“All hail the biggest idiot in Seaside,” Ryan called out grandly.

“ Hear, Hear! ”

“If there’s a way to make himself look stupid, this guy’s going to find it.”

“ Hear, Hear !”

“Trying to intimidate not one, but two guys who ended up being her brothers .”

“ Hear, Hear! ”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’m going to need a chart of those fuckers at this rate.”

“Yeah, or you can just stop being a dumbass,” Jules snorted.

“Yeah, or that,” I trailed off, biting my lip as I looked out the window of the shop. “Hey, J? What’s on my schedule for the rest of the day?”

“You finally got that full side piece coming in. They called and confirmed they were making it this time and everything.”

“Shit, really?” My heart sank. This client had been dodging and canceling our appointments for the better part of a season. If I could finally get them done and squared away, it would be a big strain lifted off my schedule.

“What’s up?” Quis asked, lifting his head from some guy’s arm. “Thought you’d be more excited. You’ve been trying to get that piece out the way for months.”

“Yeah, I know.” I scratched at my neck, my eyes drifting to the little packet Alta’s brother dropped off.

Whatever it was, it was sealed so neatly in its envelope, it reminded me of her.

So organized and put together and driven.

And if all her siblings were all working, then who was making sure she had enough fruit and cucumbers right now?

The thought lifted my head, turning my attention back to Jules.

“I hate to be this guy, but J can you contact them to tell them I can’t do it today? ”

“Yeah no problem…” she said, snatching up the phone but paused before dialing. “But why?”

She didn’t know that the why wasn't important. The important part was who . Because when it came to this girl, she could stub her toe, and I’d be there.

“Ally’s sick,” is all I said.

The entire shop didn’t need to know how I’d signed my sanity away to Alta Fernandez weeks ago. They couldn’t know that my heart was in the fine print of the deal, either. Or that she had me, body and more.

I wouldn’t let them know it yet. Not when she still had no clue.