Fool For You Read online

  Fool For You

  Megan Noelle

  Since I started writing there was a single quote I wanted to put as my dedication. But after everything has been done for this novel, there is really only one thing that comes to mind. Julie Schneider—This book is to you. Your love, support, and unfailing confidence are the reason for this. I love you very much! Thank you—for helping my passion become more than a dream.

  Prologue

  Serenity. In life people strive for it— ultimate peace and tranquility. So when you hear of a place called Serenity Cove, you’d expect heaven on earth. But for me, it was just the opposite. The summer after I turned 18, I decided to go away and never look back, even if that meant leaving my dysfunctional family behind. It’s been seven years, and I believed I was in the clear, that is, until my Grandma Violet started throwing around phrases like—family loyalty and you have an obligation. I was left with no choice. That day I drove directly into the storm, where the demons of my past lurked around the corners. That day my safety net was yanked out from under me, sending me into the unknown chaos of the life I’d left behind.

  Into the Storm

  Standing outside my apartment complex, misty-eyed with butterflies in my stomach, the time had come. My best friend Gabriella stood with her arms crossed over her chest and obnoxiously big, bug-eye glasses covering half her face. The gloomy mid-August day in New York City, hadn’t called for the use of shades, but that wasn’t the purpose of them. My beautiful, exotic looking friend never left the house—even to get her mail—without dressing to the nines. That day was different. Without a stitch of make-up and her long curly, brown hair piled high on her head, I knew she was as much a wreck as I was. My white Chevy Cobalt was loaded with suitcases were filled to the gills with clothes, shoes and everyday necessities. All my furniture, along with many of my belongings, were safely locked away in a storage locker since I wasn’t sure how long my visit in Serenity Cove would last.

  “You’re coming back, right?” Gabby’s voice caught. A stray tear slid past the shield over her eyes, giving her away.

  “Of course I am.” My arms wrapped around her shoulders, holding her to me. The muggy weather had both of us slick with sweat after doing absolutely nothing, but that hadn’t stopped me. I was going to miss Gabby too much to let a little perspiration bother me.

  “Do you really have to go?” She mumbled. I wanted to say, absolutely not, and proceed to unpack my car, but that wasn’t an option.

  We pulled away from each other; I held her shoulders in my hands. “It’s only for a couple months, Gabby, I promise. My Grandma had been on the verge of retirement and preparing for my mom to take over. The success of that plan went horribly wrong, since it was my mother at the helm. I need to be there.”

  Sigh. Right then, my mother was at the root of my anger. Audrey had been a crappy Mom throughout

  my entire life. She’d loved drugs more than me, and eventually her ‘habits’ had gotten her thrown into

  prison. That had left Grandma to once again run Hamilton Inn—the place she and my Grandpa had built

  from the ground up—and to try and crawl out of all the debt Audrey incurred.

  As much as I dreaded returning to Serenity Cove, I would do it for my family.

  Gabby finally plucked her sunglasses off her face and slid them onto the top of her mess of curls. Her big brown eyes were filled with unshed tears. I prayed she wouldn’t lose it then, because there was no way I could hold my own back if she started.

  “I know, and I promised myself that I would tell you that you need to do this for your family; That I would smile, give you a hug and send you on your way. This is just…” She bit down on her lip to suppress a sob. “…Just so much harder than I ever thought it was going to be.”

  All I could do was nod. A few stray strands of my blonde hair fell from my messy bun and latched onto my neck. Thank goodness the air conditioning in my car was in working order or the drive would be longer than I could bear.

  “I’ll call you as much as I can. It’ll be like I’m still right here.” I offered a hopeful smile. Her lips tugged up at the corner but didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Hurry home, Danielle.” With one final squeeze I climbed into my car while Gabby clutched at her stomach from the sidewalk.

  The humidity made me thankful I hadn’t chosen leather seats. I was wearing a white ribbed tank top and blue cotton shorts. My entire body would have been at the mercy of those seats, if I hadn’t thought ahead at the dealership. After checking my mirrors more times than necessary, I pulled out from my spot into traffic. In the rearview mirror I caught sight of Gabby, tears were covering her face. Instincts told me to whip the car around and comfort my very best friend, but if I had, I’d have never left.

  Serenity Cove, was located in Southern Maine, along the coast, in New England territory; the trip averaged around six hours. I needed the time to wrap my head around what was happening and mentally prepare myself for whatever was going to come my way. When I’d left all those years ago after my High School graduation I wasn’t leaving anything behind that I was going to miss. Audrey was an absentee mother, my father Kole walked out when I was a child, and my Grandma was more concerned with the Inn than me. With the exception of my phenomenal Grandfather, my family was nothing but a letdown in my life.

  Of course I had friends, but even by the end of my stay in that godforsaken place, I’d learned much more about those so-called ‘friends.’ My life had been nothing but a big slap in the face. When I’d had the opportunity to make my future better—I had jumped head first into the unknown. Best decision ever. I never regretted my move to New York City. It hadn’t taken long for the hustle of the city to become a preference for me.

  My eager and willing attitude landed me a job right away as a go-to girl. The pay was bad and the hours were worse, but it was exhilarating. Sooner than I could have hoped I caught a spot at an up-and-coming magazine as a receptionist. That is where I met Gabriella and together we’d moved up the ladder, making the magazine a phenomenon. Well, it still had a ways to go, but someday, I just knew I’d see it in stores everywhere. My boss and creator of the magazine, Erik Wright, just about died when I told him I needed to leave. He’d tried everything he could think of to coerce me into staying, stopping shy of handcuffing me to my desk and throwing away the key. Though, I had a feeling the thought crossed his mind, on several occasions. However, I had confidence in their success and told him—repeatedly—I wouldn’t be leaving if I didn’t.

  I reached over to my glove compartment and fumbled around until I found my new pack of cigarettes. Unfortunately, I was a stress smoker and chances were by the time I made it home, this pack would be gone. A flame shot up from my lighter and charred the end of my cancer-stick. Even on the first deep inhale I felt my tensed body begin to relax, if only a little.

  Truth be told, as anxious as I was about crossing the Maine state line, the trip was coming at a perfect time. A little over a month ago, I’d walked in on my boyfriend of almost a year. He’d been engaged in a threesome with a couple of fake bimbos. From that moment on, I’d been finished with his sorry ass, and even more so when I found out that throughout the duration of our relationship, he’d banged every female with legs. The worst part was how oblivious I’d been to his extracurricular activities. While I thought we’d been reaching the stage of talking rings, white dresses and forever, Vince had been adding one more notch to his bedpost.

  My cell phone buzzed incessantly from the passenger seat, drawing me away from my past disaster. The number on the phone immediately had my body tighten again. It was a number that popped up at least twice a day; it was also the number of the Maine Correctional Center the place my mother would be calling ‘home’ for the next th
ree years. Thankfully, if I chose not to answer the call, she wasn’t able to leave a voicemail, as her automated system would shut off before there was a chance. One day, I would answer but things were bad enough, without adding that on top of my mess.

  Two more drags from my cigarette later and my phone went off again. Daggers shot from my eyes, as I half considered chucking it out the window. The caller that time wasn’t Audrey. It was my Grandma. My thumb hovered over the ignore button, but I conceded with a sigh and pressed answer.

  “Hey Gram.”

  “Dolly, how are you? Where are you?” Dolly was the term of endearment my Grandparents had given me when I was a child. I had the face of a porcelain doll; smooth creamy skin, ice blue eyes that looked too big for my face and full cheeks. The name stuck even as my appearance changed. My eyes and skin were the same but my baby cheeks had disappeared and my hair wasn’t the golden color it used to be. It had turned sun-bleached with darker blonde lowlights adding definition and—in my opinion—looked great next to my summer-tanned skin.

  “I’m only about twenty minutes into the drive and I’m as good as I can be.” There was an unhappy sigh from my end that I hoped my Gram hadn’t caught. She had of course.

  “Oh, don’t act like it is such a horror to come home.” If only she knew. “Well, it doesn’t matter either way, because my car is packed and my gas tank is full; so I’ll be there soon.” My lungs pulled in another drag of my cigarette, before I put it out in the ash tray.

  “Wonderful! Gramps is at your house now making sure everything is ready to go for you! Will you be joining us when you make it into town?”

  “If you don’t mind I’d really prefer to just go right home, unpack and crash, since I need to go into the Inn tomorrow.” My Grandma ran a tight ship, and I wouldn’t get a pass on her expectations just because I spent the entire day driving.

  “Well, you’re always welcome, if you change your mind.”

  “Thank you.” I tried to sound half as enthused as my Grandma was, but came up short.

  “Of course. Now do you know the way to your new place?”

  “Yeah, Grandpa sent me the address last night. It’s programmed into my GPS.” One of the selling points used to get me back home, was the house I was now calling my own. My Grandpa and I have always been the closest in the family, so when he heard I was coming, he took it upon himself to do his part. The wonderful man bought a beautiful little house, in a secluded area, with no neighbors directly beside the place. It was his idea to just let me live there rent free, but there was no way I was going to do that. We hashed out a rental agreement that allowed me to come and go as I pleased, but pay him for the months I was living there.

  Lucky for me, Gramps was able to pay a little extra to have it sold with all the furnishings, so I wouldn’t be walking into an empty house. The thought of being completely alone sent a sickening feeling straight to the pit of my stomach. Sure, I had my own apartment in New York, but I also had Gabby and there wasn’t a day I didn’t see her if only for an hour.

  Lord, this was going to suck.

  “Okay then Dolly, you hang up the phone and focus on getting here safe. Please call me when you are in town, so I can stop worrying.”

  “I promise, Grandma.”

  “Talk to you soon!”

  With that I rolled down all four windows, cranked up the tunes and focused on the trip ahead of me—not the destination.

  * * * * Dusk was just settling into the night sky, when I pulled into the gas station in Serenity Cove. My GPS read that I was only about 5 miles from my new house, but my gas tank was just about as low as it could get. My legs were the consistency of jello as I stepped out to fill up. The sensation coursing through my numb behind made an exhausted giggle escape. After I finished up there, I’d make a pit stop at a drive-thru. After that all I wanted was to throw myself into bed. Every inch of my body was sore, and my mind was exhausted.

  There was one other car at a pump a few over; the only sound filling my ears was that of my car guzzling up. I was vaguely aware of a shiny black car pulling up on the opposite side from where I stood. A man stepped out with a phone to his ear and until I heard his voice, I thought nothing of it. But that voice. It was a sound that still haunted my dreams. My now fully alert body peered over the gas pump to get a look.

  There he stood, in the flesh—Oliver Garrison. Ollie was the root of my memories of Serenity, and arguably the cause of one of my biggest demons. Certainly, he was the reason I’d run far from there. As kids we’d grown up being forced to play together, while our very close Grandparents did their own thing. From an early age, I knew I loved that boy. He was the one to whom I gave my virginity, and the one who broke my heart. Now there he was only ten feet away and I was glued to my spot.

  I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to see Oliver again, and if I did it sure as shit wasn’t going to happen while I looked like a hot mess. Especially when he was standing there looking—sigh—perfect. Ollie had always been one of those naturally attractive guys. Even as a child going through the ‘awkward’ phases, he still looked incredible. Now though, there was no comparison. His tall muscular body was toned looking particularly yummy beneath his white shirt and khaki shorts. The blonde mop of hair seemed slicked over with some gel only making him look better. Whoever he was on the phone with had said something to make him flash that perfectly white smile. My knees felt weak and it had nothing to do with the long drive I had just sat through.

  It was time to go.

  I silently praised myself for pre-paying at the pump so I wouldn’t have to pass him to go into the station. Instead I ducked down and quickly hung up the nozzle, screwed back on the cap and slithered into the driver’s seat. The engine came to life and just as I was about to drive ahead I shot my eyes towards the side mirror.

  Standing there with his eyes wide open Ollie stared back at my mirrored reflection. The recognition was clear but before he could make a move, I peeled out and drove to my new home, without looking back.

  My mind was in such a whirlwind I forgot to grab something to eat. Now it didn’t matter. I no longer had an appetite. The second I arrived, I made my way into the bedroom and crawled under the covers. Originally, I’d planned to unload the car, check out the place and ready myself to return to the Inn. But that would all have to wait. My emotions were on high alert after my unexpected run in with Ollie.

  * * * *

  The next morning my body decided a little before six am, that I had plenty of sleep. The desperate need to return to bed was tempting, but my car was still filled with crap. Besides I hadn’t actually seen my new house yet; not that I had any doubts regarding my Grandpa’s ability to pick something great. The master bedroom alone exceeded my expectations.

  The walls were a soft beige color with deep purple curtains covering the expansive windows. The dresser sat against the wall across from my new queen size mattress with a comforter matching the drapes. In the corner of the room was my new favorite thing, an oversized plush chair and foot rest. My bedroom back in New York I’d thought was a good size but after seeing this room—I’d clearly been living in a box. The rest of the house surpassed everything I’d expected.

  The second bedroom was significantly smaller than the master was but comfortably fit housing a large desk and bookshelf, with room to spare. My new kitchen had state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, a breakfast bar and an island in the middle. There were already a few basic appliances, supplied, so I wasn’t coming in to an empty kitchen. My favorite, I’d have to say was definitely the bright red coffee maker with a bag of my favorite roast sitting next to it. I’ve never been too much of a cook but that was all about to change if this was my new kitchen! A window placed above the sink looked out at my new backyard. In New York City a “big back yard” was if you actually had a patch of grass to call your own. It was a fenced in oasis with a beautiful pond in the corner, a few large leafy trees with a homemade swing hanging from one. It took j
ust about everything in me not to run to the swing and re-visit my childhood. The adult in me knew I had too much to do.

  Before making my way out to my car, I admired more oversized furniture surrounding an electric fireplace and plasma screen T.V. I made a mental note to thank my Grandpa profusely—again—next time I talked to him. Not that I wanted to be there anymore than I had before, but at least now I had a beautiful place to return home to after work.

  For the next couple of hours I unloaded my clothes, toiletries, showered and changed. Next to my dresser was a full-length mirror that I was already in love with. I examined my brown pencil skirt and white collared sleeveless button up before slipping on my white heels. The outfit was lightweight and perfect for the muggy weather that day. After pulling my hair into a high ponytail I was ready to go.

  My phone had been charging all morning and when I turned it on there was about a dozen voicemails from my Grandma. Whoops. I knew there was something I was supposed to do before I went to bed. The messages ranged from a simple: “Is everything okay” to “Danielle Elise Hamilton! How dare you ignore your Grandmother!” With a sigh, I gave her a call back but luck was on my side when her voicemail picked up.

  “Gram it’s me, sorry I didn’t get back to you last night. The drive in was fine I was just really tired when I got home so I forgot to call. I’m on my way into the Inn to meet with my new assistant and check things out. After that I’m heading to the grocery store so feel free to call whenever you have a chance. Love you.”

  The drive to Hamilton Inn brought back a million different feelings. For half a second, I was nostalgic about the familiar ride, but not long afterward came the familiar sensation of dread. The place was a home to staff and guests, along with even more wonderful memories. People had been tying the knot, throwing parties and falling in love on my Grandparent’s beloved property for years. To me, the place was nothing but a prison. I’d always been second to their stupid business. One birthday, my Grandmother had given me a two-dollar Hallmark card but had dropped thousands of dollars that same week on new furniture for the Inn.