Can you see me? Read online

  Can You See Me?

  Regina Bartley

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Other Books by Regina Bartley:

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Short Note from the Author

  Title

  Can

  You

  See

  Me?

  Trinity series book ii

  REGINA BARTLEY

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2017 Regina Bartley

  All rights reserved

  www.reginabartley.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a work of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity between actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any uses of locales, or events are used fictitiously.

  Cover Design by: Emily Wittig Designs & Photography

  Dedication

  For my son- Christopher

  One

  Jude

  A pile of ashes was all that was left of my home after the fire. It burned completely to the ground, all twenty-five hundred square feet of it. Looking at that fiery pit was like staring an angry bull in the face. It scared the shit out of me all the same.

  The air was cool and still thick with the smell of charred wood. Just off the south end of the property where the woods were heavy, I could hear the sound of the wind howling through the trees. It used to be a sound that settled me. It used to give me that comforting feeling of home.

  Not anymore.

  The sound was eerie, almost empty. It gave me a troubling feeling, deep in the pit of my stomach. I felt lost in the one place that I shouldn’t have.

  I rolled my neck and craned it upwards, letting out a deep breath. I wondered why it happened. Why there was nothing left? It felt unreal, like I was in the middle of some crazy dream or nightmare that I couldn’t wake from.

  A sickening sensation washed over me and wouldn’t go away. We lost everything inside the house. All the pictures, the furniture, and even our clothes - it was all gone in the blink of an eye. Not a single trace of my life in that house remained.

  I tried telling myself that everything that burnt up in that house, they were just things, just objects that could be replaced. But I knew I was just lying to myself. Feelings were irreplaceable and so were photographs.

  We were lucky to be alive. I knew that.

  If we hadn’t gone to town that morning, we could’ve burnt up too. All that was left were some scorched memories and one half-burnt pile of bricks that used to be our fireplace.

  After the fire, Momma and Pa had gone to live with my Aunt and Uncle until our house could be rebuilt. It just wasn’t a good idea for them to stay since they’d be forced to stay in a hotel. There was no way they could do that. Not with Dad sick, and Mom unable to see and slowly getting worse herself. It bothered me a great deal, angered me even, that I couldn’t take care of them the way I had been. Just the thought of all the time that it would take to get them back made me feel even more helpless and upset. It could be months or even a year. They were more than an hour away without me, and too sick to care for themselves. It was killing me not having them home.

  Despite all of the heart-wrenching havoc, there was one bright side to all of the turmoil.

  She was about five-foot-three inches tall with long dark hair, and deep brown eyes. She was the prettiest thing this side of Texas, and she was willing to let us start over. She was the light in all of this darkness that I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around.

  Paislee Cooper.

  I’d had my sights set on her since the first moment I saw her. I still remember the way she looked at me when I came down the steps in my house the night of Fox’s party. She had these big brown doe eyes that would stop you in your tracks. I remember wishing that she’d look at me the same way she looked at Josh.

  And when she finally did…

  My heart belonged to her.

  We had a few bumps along the way, but we were good now.

  Under unwanted circumstances and gloomy skies, she was the brightest light I’d ever seen. I was probably bat shit crazy for falling for someone so fast, but I just couldn’t help it. I wanted her so desperately that I was willing to stand in the rain whenever she wanted. She need only ask.

  And boy did that girl love the rain.

  I smiled just thinking about her dancing around in it, like it was the greatest thing in the world. The way it fell onto her face and rolled down her skin. Now that would make a man jealous.

  You heard right. I was jealous of the rain.

  Trust me. It was a sight to see.

  She consumed my thoughts most days, but so did my parents. I needed to get them home.

  Kicking up the dirt under my boots, I contemplated my next move. With only eight weeks left in this semester at UTN, I had a lot on my plate. Once the insurance claim settled I’d have to start construction on the house. I had weeks to prepare for the rodeo. I had schoolwork and I somehow had to manage to pass my classes. It was going to take a miracle to get things done and besides that, I wanted to be with Paislee every chance I got.

  She was important to me. I couldn’t screw things up and lose my shot with her. My heart couldn’t take it. I was only hanging on by a thread.

  Come hell or high water, I was going to figure it all out.

  I had to.

  Break time was over, and the sun was starting to rise up over the horizon. I’d been shoveling ashes since three a.m. using only the headlights from the jeep. The morning sunlight was just what the doctor ordered if I actually wanted to get some real work done.

  I started the Jeep to give my battery a little break, and cranked up the radio. I had three hours to make some progress before I needed to feed the horses and get to class.

  You’re only given what you can handle right?

  Too bad there weren’t two of me.

  Could you imagine?

  Two of me was probably a bad idea.

  Come to think of it… It was a very bad idea.

  The sudden vibration of my phone in my pocket scared the shit out of me. Who the hell would be calling so early? None of my friends would be up at this time, unless they had to be.

  Garrett’s name popped up on my screen. That was odd. I hit answer quickly before he hung up.

  “Hey. What’s up?” I answered.

  “Hey, Tex. Just checking in,” was his response, though his speech was all over the place. He was breathing heavily, and his words were slurred. Must’ve been a good night.

  “Are you still drunk?”

  “Nah,” he replied. “Just tired. That’s all.”

  “How much sleep did you get? You do know it’s five in the morning, right?”

  He laughed. “I haven’t been to bed yet. I’m heading there now. Fox had a big end of spring break party, and I celebrated.”

  Like he needed a reason to celebrate. “So I take it you’re not ready to work?” Not that I’d ever get Garrett to stop drinking long enough to help. He always had my ba
ck, but physical labor wasn’t even in his vocabulary.

  “Rain check.”

  All I could do was shake my head. His heart was in the right place. “Call me when you’re sober, man.”

  “Sure thing, buuuudy,” he slurred.

  There was a loud thud, which I assumed was his big ass hitting the mattress. He’d be out for a good ten hours and useless as hell to me. “Goodnight, G,” I whispered into the phone before hanging it up.

  The boy was sloshed more than he was sober. It was his way of coping with everyday life. If he had too much going on at school or too much pressure with his parents, he’d just drink those problems away. It seemed to help. I’d never met a more loveable drunk in my life.

  Me, I couldn’t function if I drank that much. There were always too many important things going on which left little time to drown myself in a booze fest. Don’t get me wrong. The thought of having one night to party all my cares away sounded amazing, but it was never going to happen. Priorities.

  Sometimes I worried about Garrett. I worried that he’d get carried away or that he’d take it too far. He was my cousin and one of my best friends, but the last thing I needed was to add “babysit Garrett” to my long list of things to do.

  Maybe if I put his ass to work, it wouldn’t be so bad.

  The thought of Garrett doing manual labor was pretty damn funny, and pretty damn smart.

  I sent him a quick text telling him to rest up because we had work that needed to be done. That would teach him. If I could get him to show up sober.

  While I was at it I texted Paislee too. Told her good morning, and that I’d see her later in class. I couldn’t wait.

  I shouldn’t wish the hours away, since I needed every single one that I could get, but there was a beautiful girl that I needed to see.

  Two

  Paislee

  Crap!

  Letty’s laughter filled our dorm room as I hopped around, trying hard to get my leg into a pair of extra skinny jeans. It looked more like I was fitting a hippo leg into a drain hole. I tripped over my feet and banged my elbow against the wooden nightstand. I was a hot mess to say the least.

  Glaring up into Letty’s tear-filled eyes, I growled. “Screw this.” I shoved the jeans off, and slammed them down onto the floor.

  She snickered and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Maybe you should buy a bigger size.”

  “Can it, would ya?”

  “I’m only trying to be helpful. I could always butter your thighs.” She maneuvered her hands in wide circles, mocking me.

  I reached for the pillow on my bed and tossed it at her. “Today is Jude’s first day back to class since the fire. I just wanted to look cute,” I pouted.

  “You could wear a trash bag and a pair of slickers and still look great.” She rolled her eyes at me. “Stop being so dramatic.”

  “Tell me how you really feel?”

  She laughed and I couldn’t help but laugh too. She was as straightforward as anyone could be, but I loved that about her. There wasn’t a filter within fifty miles of that girl.

  I sauntered across the room, my ass cheeks hanging out of my underwear, to our shared closet and grabbed a different pair of jeans, a pair with a lot more stretch to them. College life was widening my thighs.

  Pulling them up with ease, I glanced back at Letty from over my shoulder. “Well?” I questioned.

  “Nice ass,” she implied as she rose from her bed quickly. Her hand slapped my butt causing me to squeal.

  “You little shit.” I didn’t see that coming. She grabbed her messenger bag from the bathroom door and bent down to rub Shadow’s head. The little immigrant still hated me. He hissed at me if I got too close. The feeling was mutual. “I’m off to lab, and I have to work tonight.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “See ya,” she said as she walked out the door. I heard her say hi to Josh as she made her way out.

  “Lee,” Josh’s loud voice echoed throughout the common room.

  “In here,” I replied and waved to him as he peeked his head around the doorway of my room. If he hadn’t spoken I would’ve smelled him, that’s for sure. Sheesh.

  He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

  “Did you spill the cologne?” I waved a free hand in front of my face. His scent was strong enough to make my eyes water.

  “I didn’t use that much.”

  “Bull crap!” I inched away from him. “You smell like you took a bath in it. Open a window and air yourself out.”

  He growled. “You’re in a good mood,” he said sarcastically as he cracked open the window. It squeaked as he lifted it higher.

  “Whoa,” I called out when I finally got a better look at him. “Who are you trying to impress?”

  His eyes narrowed in my direction.

  “Doc Martins, and your favorite Diesel jeans. Who is she?” There was no fooling me. I knew him better than anyone.

  “Nobody.”

  I tossed an unopened tube of mascara in his direction, aiming for his head. “You’re a big fat liar, Joshua Landon. I’ve known you way too long. You don’t pull out your two-hundred dollar Diesel jeans for just anybody.”

  “There may be a girl involved, but I don’t want to talk about it.” He shrugged.

  He was being serious. I knew that look.

  “Okay,” I replied, backing off. “Hold your pits out the window too, just in case,” I winked and quickly dropped the subject. Josh didn’t keep much from me, so I knew he’d tell me about this girl when he was ready. “What are your plans tonight?” I asked him.

  “Garrett and I are going to grab a bite to eat at that sushi place downtown. I think Obi is going to meet us there, if he gets back in time. After that I have to work on a paper for my English class. What about you? You got big plans?” He questioned.

  “I don’t know yet, depends on how my classes go. Letty has to work late tonight so I could get some studying in, but I’m thinking plans might change after I see Jude,” I said. At least that was what I was hoping for, but I knew how busy he’d been.

  “So things are good?”

  “Yes,” I smiled. “We haven’t seen each other since the day after the lake party when we buried his dog. Which was the worst day ever. Remind me to never tell you that story.” I sighed.

  “You got it.”

  “I’ve been really missing him, but he’s been working so hard trying to clear out what’s left of the house.” I explained with concern, while clasping my bracelet on. “From what he told me, there is a massive amount of work left to be done.”

  Josh sat down on the edge of my bed. “I know it’s been hard on him. I’m supposed to go over there and help out this weekend with Garrett. He needs some extra manpower.”

  “That’s nice of you guys to help.” I reached for my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. “Make sure you tell Bear that I miss him, and we need to go out for cheeseburgers soon.”

  “Cheeseburgers sound good. I’m starving.”

  “It’s nine in the morning, Cow Lover. Come on. Let’s go get coffee before I have to go to class.”

  “Cow lover?” He glared at me.

  “What?” I rolled my eyes. “It was the best I could do. I haven’t had my coffee. Now let’s go.”

  He slung one of his heavy arms loosely over my shoulder and the two of us walked side by side out of the room. It was funny thinking about how much his touch used to affect me, and how little it did now.

  The heart wants what it wants.

  And I had my sights set on a sexy country boy in a cowboy hat.

  Was it weird that I had a fluttery butterfly feeling in my stomach, and I hadn’t even seen him yet? I was just standing outside the classroom door about to go in, and the mere thought of seeing him made the butterflies descend. I was anxious, in a good way. After taking a deep breath, I pulled the heavy door open and walked inside. The class was already filling up. I quickly scanned the room in search of that cowboy hat, the light b
rown one that he never left home without, but I didn’t see it anywhere. Maybe he was running late.

  I walked over to the far left-hand side and grabbed an aisle seat before they were all taken, making sure that I placed my bag in the seat next to me. Class was minutes away from starting and I was starting to get worried so I fished my cell phone from my bag. After all the crazy things that had happened to him, I found myself thinking the worst.

  “Hey, Darlin’.”

  That voice.

  Those words.

  Be still my heart.

  Could a heart be made of liquid? I was pretty sure that mine had melted and was sloshing around in my chest. Those two simple words were what I’d been waiting to hear.

  I peeked up from my phone and there he stood. Those cocoa colored eyes took my breath away. Biting down hard on my bottom lip, I waited.

  I waited for that tiny dimple to appear on his cheek.

  His lips slowly turned upwards and there it was.

  “Hey, Jude.” I smiled.

  My breath hitched as he leaned down. “Thanks for saving me a seat.” I closed my eyes as his lips gently grazed my cheek. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Ah.

  Sweet baby Jesus!

  I wanted to tell him that it was okay, but the words never came out. Thinking straight was out of the question. If one little kiss on the cheek could have such an effect on me, I was more than ready for him to kiss me other places.