Dancing With A Stranger (Londyn Carter Book 1) Read online

  “Londyn, could you come down to my office for a minute? I want to talk to you,” Dad said, through my closed door.

  I let out a huge sigh, rolling my eyes because I knew what was about to happen. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with one of his life lectures. I put my phone down on the nightstand beside my bed as I took in a deep breath, exhaling as I opened my door. I just prayed that the lecture wouldn’t last long, or that Valerie might need help with dinner for some unexpected reason. I walked down the stairs as slowly as possible to delay the inevitable. I was a few feet from his office when the door flew open and he yelled my name.

  “What?”

  “Oh, I thought you were still up in your room. I want to talk to you for a few minutes while Valerie is still cooking dinner,” he said, stepping to the side of the doorway to let me walk in. “Londyn, I wanted to talk to you about the other day when you left with Jayde and those boys.” Dad walked around his desk to his high-back leather chair, then took off his charcoal suit coat, draping it over the back of his chair. The charcoal color of his vest and dark shirt made the greys in hair more noticeable than normal.

  “What about me going with them? Jayde likes Skyler, the guy that was driving, and the other one was his best friend Hunter.”

  “Well, I don’t want you getting mixed up with those boys. They look like trouble. You have college to think about, and you are going somewhere in life.”

  “How can you even say anything? You don’t even know them.”

  “Like you know anything about them? Wake up, Londyn! You can be someone in the future!” He bellowed, slamming his hand down on his desk.

  “I’m going to see if Valerie needs help in the kitchen, and if she doesn’t I’m going back to my room to start on my homework,” I stormed out of his office and into the kitchen to be with Valerie.

  “Do you need any help with dinner?” I asked, motioning my head in the direction of Dad’s office.

  She looked over my shoulder at Dad standing in the doorway. “Sure, you can help me get the squash, zucchini, and peppers ready for dinner.”

  I glanced over my left shoulder at Dad as I walked over to the island to start cutting up the vegetables for dinner. We cut up the squash, zucchini, and peppers in uncomfortable silence. After I cut up the last pepper, Valerie peeked over at me. “Do you want to talk about it, Londyn? You know you can talk to me about anything, and I won’t say a word to your dad. I know he can be hard on you at times. His heart is in the right place, but the way he goes about it needs a lot of work.”

  “Thanks, Valerie. I’m fine. I’m learning to not listen to him most of the time. Do you care if I go start on my homework?”

  “No, I don’t mind at all. Thank you for helping me cut up the vegetables. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I will let you know when it’s done. You better go before he comes back in here.” She gave me a quick hug. I always loved hugs from Valerie. Her dark shoulder-length hair smelled of strawberries. Then, when she would let go and take a step back, looking at me with her brown eyes, I knew somehow everything was going to be okay. Jules and I thought of Valerie as a second mother instead of just our housekeeper.

  I was a few steps away from the stairs when the doorbell rang. I turned around and saw Gavin’s shirt through the rectangle window in the right of the doors.

  “Hope you don’t mind me coming over unannounced,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.

  “Your timing is perfect.” I motioned my thumb over my shoulder back toward Dad’s office. “He’s already been lecturing at me about this past weekend,” I said, closing the door behind Gavin. We walked into the kitchen so I could let Valerie know that Gavin was here.

  “Hi, Gavin. I hope you are staying for dinner tonight,” Valerie said, getting the salmon ready.

  “If you have enough. I love your cooking, Valerie,” Gavin said, inhaling the aroma that was filling the room.

  “There is more than enough. I will be sure to set a place for you at the table. So glad you are here. Londyn could use a friend right now.” She winked at me.

  I grabbed us something to drink and we made our way up to my room to talk before dinner. Valerie was right about me being glad Gavin decided to come by and see me. Dad liked Gavin, which meant he would be busy talking to Gavin and not lecturing at me about my life. Once we were in my room and the door was closed, I proceeded to tell him about how Dad started in about me leaving with Jayde, Skyler, and Hunter yesterday. I didn’t want to bring up Hunter too much in case by some chance Dad was trying to listen to our conversation through my closed door.

  Chapter 4

  Tuesday morning meant there were only a couple days left until Jules and I were able to go to Mom’s for the week. Mom’s was a breather from having to deal with Dad yelling at us for almost everything we did. I could see Sam and Jayde in Jayde’s car when I pulled into a parking spot. Jules grabbed her stuff and was gone before I even got out of the car to get my book bag out of the backseat.

  “Are you going back to The Loft this Saturday night?” Jayde asked.

  I flung my bag out onto the ground. “Damn it, Jayde! Quit scaring me all the damn time!” I yelled, bending down to pick up my stuff off the ground.

  “Sorry, Londyn. Are we going to The Loft on Saturday, though?”

  “Lucas is driving all of us in his SUV, and his buddies are going to follow us. By the way, have you seen Lucas this morning? He didn’t text me at all last night.”

  “He’s already inside with his buddies. I know I don’t like him, but is everything all right between the two of you?” she asked, wrapping her arm around mine.

  “Yeah. Why wouldn’t everything be all right?”

  “Just wondering. What are we going to wear Saturday? I can’t go shopping again, since we just went last week. I don’t feel like listening to my dad lecture at me about money.” She rolled her eyes.

  I wrapped my arm around Sam’s, pulling her away from Jayde’s car as we made our way up to the school. Once we got in the school, I started looking down the halls to see if I could see Lucas and his friends. I didn’t want to admit it to Sam and Jayde, but I was a little worried about me and Lucas.

  ****

  I had a hard time concentrating in my classes, preoccupied with worrying about why Lucas hadn’t been texting me or wanting to come over after school. I kept watching the clock on my laptop, which only made time come to a complete halt. The minute the bell rang for the last morning class to be over, I shoved my books in my book bag and ran out of the classroom. Gavin caught up with me right as I got done swapping out my books at my locker.

  “Hey, Beautiful. How is your day going so far?”

  “Hey, Gavin. How has your morning been? I haven’t been able to concentrate long enough to tell you what my teachers talked about in my classes. Now, I’m on my way to the lunchroom to talk to Lucas. It’s not like him to not text me or come to the house after school.”

  “I wouldn’t be too worried about Lucas. No offense, but he’s always been kind of clueless.”

  “Well, not all of them can be Gavin Cruz.” I smiled.

  “True. By the way, are we still going to The Loft Saturday night since you will be at your Mom’s house?”

  “As far as I know. I told Jayde and Sam we were going. Now, I just have to confirm it with Lucas.”

  We made it to the cafeteria five minutes later, and Lucas was at his usual table with his buddies, talking and laughing at something that was probably stupid. Lucas was sitting in the middle of his group of friends, his polo hugging his arms, and his blonde hair looking shorter than yesterday.

  “Hey, Babe! You look great today. What’s wrong?” his smile quickly disappeared, and worry took its place.

  “Can we talk for a minute?” I asked, looking at his circle of friends around him.

  “Yeah, sure. Guys, I will be back in a few minutes,” he said, getting up from his chair. He took my hand and led me to an empty table a few feet away. “What’s going on, Londyn? E
verything all right?”

  “Not really. Why have you been avoiding me? Do you want to breakup with me?” The words came flying out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop myself.

  “What? Why would I want to breakup with you?” he asked, caressing my hand.

  “Why have you been avoiding me then? Don’t say I am being paranoid, either. I’m not in the mood for your games.”

  “I wasn’t going to say you are being paranoid. We each hung out with our friends Saturday night, and I ended up sleeping most of the day Sunday. You don’t have anything to worry about. I want to be with you, and only you.” He took a quick look around, then pulled me closer to him and gave me a quick kiss before one of the teachers caught us.

  Maybe I was being paranoid just a little bit, but I didn’t want him to know that. He ignored most of the girls around the school anyway. He walked me over to Sam and Jayde, who were sitting at our usual table. I laid my bag in a chair that was already being occupied with Jayde’s book bag. I made my way over to the salad bar to see if anything looked good today, or if I was going to wait until I got home to eat something. Looked like I was going to wait. Even the salad bar was starting to get neglected at school.

  ****

  Gavin followed me and Jules home after school. I was glad he decided to come over in case, by some strange chance, Dad stayed home to work. I hated going home for the simple fact I knew lectures were going to start the minute I stepped one toe in the house.

  “Well, what happened with you and Lucas? I saw you both were all cozy with one another within a few minutes of your talk,” Gavin said, following me into the kitchen. He sat in the stool on the left side of the island.

  “He assured me that he didn’t want to be with anyone but me. He ignores most of the girls there at school. I’m starving. I’m going to see if there is anything good to eat. Do you want something to eat too?” I asked, walking toward the refrigerator.

  “Yeah, sure. He didn’t try to make it seem like you were being paranoid?”

  “No.”

  “Well, that’s good. What do you have to snack on?”

  “Hi, Gavin, Londyn,” Valerie said, walking in from the laundry room. “Hungry?” she asked, walking up beside me as I stood there with the refrigerator doors wide open.

  “Salad bar was crap today. I’m starving.” I groaned.

  “This is your lucky day,” she said, walking over to the Tupperware container and opened the lid.

  “Oh, Valerie! You are the best!” I said, the refrigerator doors banging together. “Sorry.” I grinned while Valerie shot me a look that meant don’t do that again.

  She got out two big salted caramel cookies and handed them to Gavin, then handed me two. I didn’t care if I would have to work them off for the next couple of days. Her cookies were right up there with her muffins. I’m surprised that me, Dad, and Jules didn’t weigh 5000 pounds from her cooking.

  ****

  I would be lying if I said I was sad the next few days went by quickly. Friday morning came fast, and that meant Jules and I were headed to Mom’s house for the week. Tomorrow I was going to The Loft with everyone, and going to dance the night away with Lucas. I had packed my stuff the night before, so I wouldn’t be rushing around making sure I had everything I wanted to take. This way, I had time to double check everything and grab something I had forgotten to pack the night before. I packed a couple of different outfits in case I didn’t like one of them, I would have a couple more to choose from. I yelled at Jules to make sure she had everything she wanted to take with her to Mom’s for the week. I was done getting ready for school early, which meant I had time to go downstairs for breakfast. The minute I opened my door, I got the faint smell of maple. Valerie was cooking sausage, eggs, and English muffins for breakfast.

  “Valerie, it smells so good,” I said, walking in the kitchen. “I hope you made extra today.” I smiled.

  “I did because I heard you upstairs when I got here about 30 minutes ago.” She smiled as she set a plate down on the island.

  “Thanks! Are you going to be here this weekend for Dad or just going to leave stuff for him to warm up since Jules and I won’t be here?” I asked, savoring a bite of scrambled eggs.

  “He told me he didn’t need me this weekend, and that I could just leave a few things for him to warm up if he’s home. I hope you girls have a nice visit with your Mom,” she said, walking toward the laundry room.

  Jules came down a few minutes later, and got her plate since Valerie was busy in the laundry room.

  “Do you have everything ready for Mom’s?” I asked, walking over to get me and Jules some orange juice.

  “Are we going to Mom’s right after school?” Jules asked, eating her breakfast.

  “Yes.” I handed Jules a small glass of orange juice.

  “After I get done eating, I will check again to make sure I have everything I need for Mom’s.”

  “Hey, Londyn. Are we still going to The Loft tomorrow night? And, are we going to get ready at your mom’s house?” Jayde asked, walking up to me as Gavin and I were making our way to the cafeteria.

  “Yeah. Gavin is going to meet us at Mom’s about an hour before it’s time to leave tomorrow night. Have you decided on what you are going to wear tomorrow night?” I asked, looking over at Jayde as she ran her fingers through her hair.

  “I think I have a couple outfits picked out. I might bring all of them, and that way, you and Sam can give me your opinions on which one looks the best.”

  “Is Skyler going to be there tomorrow night?” I glanced over, trying to read the expression on her face to brace myself for the answer I knew was coming.

  “No. I’m not seeing him anymore,” she said, without conviction in her voice.

  “Jayde! Why did you lead him on, then?” I snapped.

  “Why do you care?” She glanced over at me.

  “Because you lead these guys on, thinking they might actually have a chance with you. Don’t you have any remorse for playing head games with these guys?”

  She didn’t say anything or even acknowledge that she heard what I said to her. I glanced over to the right at Gavin, who rolled his eyes. He looked at me, raising his eyebrow as if telling me he knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I slowed my steps down, lingering with Gavin as Jayde led the rest of the way to the cafeteria. Sam was at our table, sitting in her usual middle seat. She liked sitting in between me and Jayde, so she didn’t have to lean across the table in order to hear us over the banging of chairs, tables and kids around us talking and laughing loudly.

  Sam had her hair up in a bun, playing with the few curly strands of hair next to her face while looking down at her phone. I glanced over the cafeteria but didn’t see Lucas anywhere close. I examined the salad bar on the way to the table to see if anything looked good today, or if I should pass on lunch for the fact that Mom would probably take us out for dinner tonight.

  Gavin walked over with me to get a couple bottles of juice so we could talk about our plans for tonight. Mom was never really crazy about Jayde, and I didn’t want to hurt her and Sam’s feelings knowing Gavin was coming over to Mom’s house tonight too.

  “Is your Mom okay with me coming over tonight?” he asked, getting his wallet out to pay for the bottles.

  “Gavin you know Mom doesn’t care if you come over. She might take us out for dinner tonight, so I would be over there as soon as you can after school.”

  “I will bring money with me for dinner, so your mom doesn’t have to pay for mine too.” He handed me my bottle of juice.

  “Gavin, you know Mom would get mad at you if you tried to pay for your own dinner. Besides, she already knows you are coming over today after school. She told me she wants to hear about your vacation. Go home real quick, then come over to Mom’s.”

  As we approached the table, we started talking about going to The Loft tomorrow night. Sam and Jayde joined in the conversation when they heard what we were talking about. Sam made sure it
was okay if she stayed the night with me, and I told her it was fine. I was still a little mad at Jayde for blowing off Skyler the way she did. He seemed like a nice guy who didn’t deserve to be treated that way.

  I gathered up my stuff because I knew the bell was going to ring any minute, and I had to get to class.

  “Sorry, I had to re-take a test,” Lucas said, as he gave me a quick kiss on my right cheek.

  “We’re still going tomorrow, right? What time do I need to be at your Mom’s to pick everyone up?”

  “I think we decided around eight, so we can get there a little early to find a decent parking spot close to the club. Are you good with that time?” I asked, getting up out of my chair.

  “Yeah. Sure. I will be sure to let Blake know, so they can follow us there from your Mom’s house. I need to get going. I will see you tomorrow. I will text you later. Love you.”

  “Love you.” I said, as I watched him walk toward the double doors.

  I told everyone I would see them tomorrow at my mom’s. I made sure Jayde and Sam knew what time to show up, so we had enough time to get ready. Sometimes, they had a tendency of showing up late to my house, but always expected me to be early or right on time.

  I could see Jules waiting for me out by my car, messing with her phone, when I walked out the side door of the school. I knew she was ready to get to Mom’s and have a break from dealing with Dad and his lectures. I felt bad for her, knowing that when I go away to college in the fall, she’s going to get the blunt force of hearing them all.

  “Hey, Jules, want to get a drink before we head to Mom’s?” I asked, putting my stuff in the backseat.

  “Can we get Starbucks? I’m dying for an iced coffee.”

  “I was thinking the same exact thing,” I smiled, pulling out of the school parking lot.