A Healing Story (Stories Book 3) Read online

  “I don’t think so. Maribelle’s show isn’t until November so we have a few months before we have to worry about that.” Rhys turns to me, “I heard that you’ll be joining us this time.”

  I shrug, a blush heating up my cheeks. “She managed to talk me into it.”

  “I’m glad. You have talent, you need to show it off.”

  ***

  The girl standing on the other side of my desk looks as fresh faced as a high schooler, but her resume says she’s twenty-two. Recently graduated, Kelly Price was recommended by the head of the art department at UNC.

  “Rhys and Jamie will be right with you.”

  “Thanks.” She smiles and brushes her long, sandy blonde hair over her shoulder.

  We were all surprised when Jamie made the call to his university contact last week and there were several candidates to choose from. Kelly was the one who seemed perfect on paper, so Rhys had me set up an interview with her.

  “Are these family photos?”

  I look over at the wall where we display photos that are rotated out on a regular basis. “Yes, it’s Jamie’s turn to be displayed and he has an abundance of these kinds of photos.”

  “They’re quite good. None of my candid photos look so professional.”

  “Thank you,” Jamie says from the doorway. “I would like to think it’s one of my specialties.”

  “Did you just get back?” I ask. I was so focused on Kelly that I didn’t hear him come down the hall.

  “I did. Kelly? I’m Jamie,” he steps into the room and reaches his hand out to her.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too. Sorry for the wait. Are you ready to head back?”

  “It’s no problem, Neil was more than accommodating.” She picks up her portfolio from my desk. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “Same.” I give her a small smile.

  When Jamie takes Kelly back to see Rhys, I grab my phone and check my messages. Nothing. It’s been two weeks since Matthias walked out on breakfast. Though I know better than to go chasing after someone who doesn’t want help, I don’t want to leave him alone.

  I started out texting him once a day like a creepy stalker, but now I’m down to every other day. I hate that I can see when he reads my messages but doesn’t respond. At least he knows that I’m still here for him. Even though he is the biggest dick ever.

  Matthias.

  After avoiding my parents for the last three weeks I can’t put it off anymore. Not unless I want Marta to show up at my office for a friendly lunch. Actually, I’m surprised she hasn’t already.

  I’m shocked when instead of Rodney opening the door like he’s been doing since before I was born, my father does.

  “Nice to see you, son.”

  I wince because his tone is the ‘you’re in deep shit’ one from my childhood.

  “How bad is it?”

  “I told her earlier that getting thrown out of your building wouldn’t be a good look.”

  I bite back a sigh.

  “I needed some space.”

  “I understand, but your mother…” he doesn’t need to go on. Marta Harthorn is overbearing on a good day. After three weeks of dodging her? This is going to be the longest dinner ever.

  We walk into the dining room where Marta is already sitting, glass of wine in hand. “Glad to see you joining us, Matthias. I’ll admit, I was surprised when your father told me you called him.”

  “Evening, Mother.” I move around the table to kiss her cheek before taking my seat.

  “Is there a reason you’ve been avoiding your family?”

  “There are some things I’ve been working through, that’s all.”

  Marta cocks her head, shrewd blue eyes narrowing. “Such as?”

  “With all due respect, Mother, it’s personal.”

  “We’re your family, Matthias. If you cannot trust us with personal things then who can you trust?”

  “Leave him be, Marta. He’s an adult, able to figure his own problems out.”

  Vincent is on a roll tonight. Standing up for me once, fine, but twice? Unheard of.

  Marta takes a sip of her wine, her icy blue eyes not leaving mine. My stomach twists. I’ve heard my whole life how I look like my mother, but I pray that my eyes have never looked as cold and dead.

  The meal is silent, oppressing. I wait on pins and needles for the next blow. It comes as the dinner plates are cleared away and Marta is poured another glass of wine.

  “I met a lovely mother and daughter at the country club last week. The girl just graduated from Harvard and has moved back with her family. She seemed warm to the idea of companionship-”

  “Stop, Mother,” I interrupt. “Just stop. You sound ridiculous. Companionship? What is this? The eighteen hundreds? I am more than capable of finding myself a date, thank you very much. One that does not include someone who is way too young for me, honestly. Do you not have anything better to do than try to set me up?”

  She sniffs, “I do not appreciate your tone, Matthias.”

  “I do not appreciate your meddling, Mother. If I wanted a nice girl I could very well find my own.”

  Marta stills and I curse myself for not watching my words. “A nice girl as opposed to what? Do not tell me that you have caught your brother’s affliction.”

  My hands begin to tremble and I fist them in my lap. It takes all of my control not to react. “I think it’s time for me to leave.” I push away from the table. “Please let Aggie know that the meal was delicious, as always. I will see you soon, Mother, Father.”

  “Sit down, we’re not finished here.”

  “Yes we are, Mother. I don’t owe you a thing, especially when it comes to my personal life.”

  Every step I take to the door makes the stone in my gut sink lower. I almost turn back but know I can’t show that kind of weakness around them. If this is a fraction of what Jameson felt when he left our family for good, I don’t blame him. I know it’ll take more than my walking out to leave them behind, too much of my baggage is wrapped up in this bullshit. But as I get into my car and take my first full breath, I feel something snap into place.

  This small taste of freedom almost makes every ounce of pain worth it.

  Neil.

  Kelly has been settling in nicely the past week and a half she’s been working here. She’s shadowing Rhys at the moment since Noah and Jamie still work together frequently on the bigger shoots they do.

  The only problem any of us have seen so far is that she’s still unsure what to think of River. Most of the time River’s quiet and sits out in the front of the studio with me, doing her schoolwork or whatever else entertains her. Sometimes she’ll hide out in Jamie and Noah’s studio set or in the office, but she likes being able to see who comes in and out during the day.

  “Hey, Neil,” Jamie leans against my desk. “How’s the schedule looking for next Thursday?”

  I look down at my calendar and find it relatively open with only one out of studio shoot for Jamie, and Rhys taking walk-ins with two appointments.

  “Should be an easy day, why?”

  “River has therapy so Noah can’t go out with me, but I want an extra set of hands on deck just in case. You think you’ll be able to get out of here? With Kelly on board, Rhys should have things here under control.”

  “I’ll talk to Rhys about it before I leave but that shouldn’t be an issue.” I make a note on my to-do list.

  In truth, it’s been a few months since I’ve left the studio to assist and I’ve never done it for Jamie alone before. The few times I’ve worked with both him and Rhys, I rubbed him the wrong way. Even after knowing Jamie for years, it was hard reminding myself that I didn’t need to try to get him to like me, he already did. Hazard of my childhood.

  “What time is Bas coming in today?”

  I check the time, “should be any minute, unless they got held up at the office. Do you and Alex want to go out with us tonight?” I look up at Jamie as he shakes his head.<
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  “Nathan is coming over and he’s bringing our little sister. Rhys and Noah are coming too so the girls can hang out while we drink.”

  I nod, I knew that they host dinner and drinks at their house most of the time. Rhys prefers it over going out and it makes sense for them to stay in since Noah has problems leaving River with anyone. I met Alex’s brother-in-law a handful of times, Elsie and I worked his wedding and we’ve had drinks together at Alex and Jamie’s.

  “Invite Kelly out, see if you can get her to open up a bit.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “You worried about her fitting in?”

  He shrugs, “a bit. Plus, I want to see what you think of her away from all this. You’re better at being a people person than Rhys and I.”

  I lower my voice, “this is about River?”

  He nods, “Rhys is worried, more so than Noah if you can believe that. He’s really taken to this whole parenting thing.” Jamie chuckles, “not something I thought I would say a year ago. But he’s protective of them both, so just check in, okay? I like her, but family comes first.”

  “I got it.”

  The door opens and Bas rushes in, “sorry I’m late. Ran into a little HR issue but it should be all squared away now.”

  I frown, “that dickbag again?”

  “Little ears, Neil,” Jamie chides.

  I cringe because I said that a little louder than I should have. Glancing over at River, I find her looking over her iPad at us. “Don’t tell your brother.”

  She smirks and goes back to what she was doing.

  Bas looks at River and makes sure she’s not paying attention before coming over to where Jamie and I are. “In a nutshell. Apparently he didn’t like my skirt.” They pout.

  “Bas.”

  They roll their eyes. “I’m taking it seriously, Neil. Don’t worry. That’s why I’m late, I reported it.”

  “Good.” I give them a look, making it clear that this conversation isn't over.

  “Let’s go on back. Rhys is with a client right now, but I have everything we need. Did Neil inform you that we hired someone?”

  Bas snaps right into work mode, “he did. I have all the necessary paperwork and we just need to go over the budget one more time before I’m satisfied.”

  With Jamie and Bas locked up in the office, and both Noah and Rhys with clients I decide it’s my turn to choose the music playing overhead and change it to one of my favorite playlists.

  My phone buzzes and I scoop it up only to almost drop it when I see who the text is from.

  Matthias: Has the offer expired yet?

  It’s been almost a month since he left me in the diner. I never thought he would speak to me again. Bas and I haven’t ran into him at our usual bar, though there are others in the area that he could be frequenting in an attempt to avoid me.

  Neil: No. But there are new terms and conditions.

  Matthias: Care to discuss the update over dinner?

  Well this is a surprise.

  Neil: I’m going out with Bas tonight. Tomorrow?

  Matthias: I can do that. Let me know when and where. My treat.

  Neil: I’ll let you know in the morning.

  Kelly and the client come up front and I walk Kelly through the paperwork they need for payment and when to expect their photos. When the client leaves I turn to Kelly, “would you want to go out with me and my sibling tonight?”

  “I wouldn’t want to impose.” She blushes.

  “No imposition. We go out every week. It’ll be nice to see someone else’s face but theirs.”

  She laughs, “okay. That sounds nice.”

  “Great,” I beam, “I’ll text you the details.”

  “Perfect. Do you need me to do anything else?”

  I shake my head, “I’m just about finished here, go see if Rhys or Noah need you.”

  Bas finishes up with Jamie and I let them know the plan. “Pick me up?”

  “Yeah, I want to shower first, so I’ll be there around seven-thirty.”

  “Okay, you want me to grab you some food?”

  “Nah, I still have leftovers from dinner the other day. I’ll eat those before I get you.”

  “See you in a few hours then.”

  ***

  “Great, you snagged a table,” I smile at Kelly and motion to Bas, “Kelly, this is my sibling, Bas. It’s them you should thank for your job, they gave the okay to Jamie and Rhys.”

  Bas laughs, “please, I was just doing what I do best. It’s nice to meet you. Glad you could come out with us.”

  “What’s your poison, Kelly?” I ask.

  “Oh, I can get my own drink.”

  “Please, I invited you, let me get this round.”

  “Okay, then I’ll have a Jolly Rancher please.”

  “Coming right up,” I ignore Bas’s face, they’re such a snob, and head to the bar.

  It’s not too busy yet, but it’s still early. It doesn’t take too long to get our drinks and when I make it back to the table Bas is laughing at something Kelly said and the girl is tomato red.

  “Do I want to know?” I ask, setting the drinks down.

  “Probably not but I’m going to tell you anyway.” Bas’s blue eye twinkle with mischief.

  “Oh god, please don’t,” Kelly groans and covers her hands with her face.

  “No need to be embarrassed, honey, it was an honest question. I might try it sometime?”

  Kelly groans again.

  “Our sweet pea over here asked if I wear skirts like the Scots wear their kilts.” Bas smiles impishly, “I’ll be honest, the thought crossed my mind, especially when I go on dates, but I happen to like my lacy panties too much to leave them at home.”

  “Lord,” I take a healthy swallow of my vodka soda.

  “Like you haven’t gone commando,” Bas scoffs.

  “Not when there was a chance a strong breeze could show off my dangly bits.”

  Kelly and Bas giggle like school girls. Seems they get along swimmingly.

  When it’s Bas’s turn to buy drinks I also get up, “I’m going to use the restroom.”

  The bar’s filled up in the past hour or so and I have to weave my way around tables and people to make it to the bathroom.

  I shake my head when I see there’s a line five people deep waiting for the women’s restroom. I feel bad for the girls, but I can’t help but wonder why they can’t all just be like Maribelle and use the men’s. I dare someone to say something, especially to my five foot two firecracker sister.

  Pushing open the door I don’t register what I’m seeing until someone says, “fuck, man, a little privacy?”

  I ignore him as I watch Matthias rise to his feet from his knees. His blue eyes are wide, blond hair a mess from where this random dude was tugging on it.

  We stare at each other for a few long moments before the dude Matthias was blowing lets out a long, suffering sigh, removes the condom, and zips up.

  “Thanks for nothing, I guess.” The asshole pushes past the both of us and leaves the room.

  “Getting sloppy,” I say before internally kicking myself.

  “Everyone knows that the last one in is the one who locks the door.” Matthias replies. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and I try not to stare.

  “Right.” I move to the urinal because this is just a million times more awkward and I want to do what I came in here for so I can get the fuck out of dodge.

  “Who’s the girl?”

  “New coworker. I invited her out to get to know her.”

  “She’s cute.”

  I choose not to respond until I go to the sink to wash my hands. “I suppose she is. If you’re into the barely legal thing.”

  “She can’t be that much younger than you.”

  I shrug, “three years.”

  “I’m sorry,” his words stop me in my tracks.

  “Are you?” I ask, trying hard to keep my tone even.

  “Yes,” he breathes, stepping up behind me he meet
s my eyes in the mirror. “I’m an asshole and an idiot. I know I hurt you by ghosting you. For some fucking reason you still care. Why?”

  “I don’t know,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t.”

  “No,” he shakes his head in agreement, “you shouldn’t. I’m a dick and I don’t know how to stop.”

  “Neither do I,” I admit. “I don’t know how to stop liking the person you are under everything else.”

  “You’re too good for me,” he wraps a hand around my hip. “We can’t be friends. Not when you’re so scared of getting hurt.”

  “I know the risks. I don’t want you to be alone.”

  Matthias spins me around and I gasp as the hard edge of the sink meets my back. “I deserve it.”

  “No one deserves to be alone. Call me stupid, but I want to be there for you.”

  “You’re anything but stupid. Which is why this is such a bad idea.” He leans down and kisses me.

  Wrapping my arms around his neck I pull him into me. He might have started this kiss but I easily take it over.

  Opening my mouth I nip his lip with my teeth. On his moan, I slip the tip of my tongue into his mouth and am met with his.

  Matthias grips my waist with sure, firm hands. His bulge rubs against my dick and it responds quickly.

  This shouldn’t be happening. The thought keeps trying to take purchase in my brain but Matthias’ lips and tongue and hands steal it away.

  I’m going to have a bruise on my back from how hard he’s pushing me into the sink, but I don’t even care as his dick is right fucking there, rubbing against mine.

  His hands move from my waist to my ass and he hoists me up so I’m sitting on the edge of the sink. I’ll have ass bruises to go with my back ones.

  My legs automatically fall open so he can get closer. “Fuck,” I breathe into his mouth.

  Matthias groans, his lips moving from mine down to my neck, biting and sucking along the way.

  This is such a bad idea.

  He bites at my collar bone and a moan escapes my throat. Reaching down, I grab his ass, pulling him flush against me. There’s not an inch of space between us.