What are the Chances? Page 17
“Trevor has said that a thousand times, trying to help me forgive myself. He has always said that some things in life are meant to happen no matter what we do.”
“Well, he’s right. Everything happens for a reason.”
“That might be true, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. What is the reason for me seeing something ahead of time if there is nothing that can be done about it?”
“You know how you said I was meant to be with Cody when he passed away so he wouldn’t be afraid? Maybe you saw the accident so you would have a way to be there with your dad in his last moments. So the last thing he felt was your love.”
Bursts of electricity erupted across the surface of my skin and gave me goose bumps as his words sunk in. I had never thought of it that way before, but it made sense. He was right. It wasn’t until after the police notified us of what happened that I actually saw my dad’s face in the vision. Prior to that I had only seen the view from the windshield. Emotion flooded into my chest and inched up into my throat as I closed my eyes and replayed the images of the accident. It was as if I was in the passenger seat. The semi jack-knifed and my dad swerved. The car broke through the guardrail. And as we flew through the air, my dad reached over and held my hand. He smiled at me one last time. Then I was ripped from the car and viewing the accident from the highway, looking down into the ravine. The car crumpled against a tree, then tumbled down the cliff onto the rocks below.
Mason’s eyes filled with empathy as he watched my reaction.
Oh my God. I had tried a million times to come to terms with the guilt. If that was the reason I didn’t see my dad’s face beforehand that changed everything. It brought me so much peace to know I saw it so I could be close to him and be able to say good-bye one last time. “Thank you, Mason.”
He reached over and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re welcome.”
My relief was replaced with panic when I realized that maybe the reason I had seen Kailyn’s smiling face was so I could be there with her in her last moments of life, too. I stood and paced, pulling at chunks of my hair. “We have to find her.”
My phone buzzed with a message from Trevor: They arrested the guy in Pemberton. Kailyn wasn’t with him. Have you seen anything else that might help?
Before I had a chance to reply, a car drove by with the windows down and the radio playing. It was a song I’d heard Doug sing before. Not one of the band’s songs. One of Riley Rivers’ songs. I saw her smiling face again. It was dark, loud, and crowded. And that song was playing. “Oh my God, I think I know why she wanted to come to Vancouver.” I checked my theory on my phone and then texted Trevor back: I’m going to check something. I’ll keep you updated. I pulled Mason by the hand and hailed a cab from the curb. “I think she might have been headed to the stadium, if she made it safely.”
The cab ride was quick and the driver parked in a loading zone on the lower level of the stadium. Mason paid the fare and I ran towards the entrance gates. The concourse was completely packed with screaming teenage girls. Mason caught up to me. Thankfully, he was taller than all the kids and he scanned the crowd looking for Kailyn. The swarm of girls were already in a frenzy. When Mason walked between them they kind of lost it because he was hot enough to be a teen idol.
Searching the face of every blonde girl was time-consuming and felt futile since they were all moving around and the crowd was continually getting larger as more fans arrived. It took a long time, but Mason finally spotted Kailyn sitting on the ground with her back rested against the wall. She was looking at a picture of Riley Rivers and eating a granola bar.
I wiped the tears of relief that had pooled along my lashes and rushed over to her. “Kailyn.”
“Derian! You came to see Riley Rivers, too.”
“Actually, I came to find you.” I sat down on the ground beside her and stretched my arm across her shoulders. “Your dad and Trevor think you’re lost because you forgot to tell them you were coming here. We were worried you went with the man at the hotel.”
“The bad man wanted to drive me.”
“He dropped you off here?”
“No. I said he can’t drive me unless my dad says it’s okay.”
“What happened after you told him no? Did he hurt you at all?”
“No. He drove away fast before I could ask my dad. I took the bus instead.”
I squeezed her tightly, so thankful she was okay. “That was smart to say you needed to check with your dad first. I’m really glad you didn’t get a ride with him, but you didn’t need to take the bus all alone. You could have asked me. I would have brought you to the concert.”
She frowned when she noticed Mason standing ten metres away. “I’m a grown-up. I can go on the bus by myself.”
“I know. Just maybe tell someone next time.”
“Fine,” she said as she clutched her ticket to the concert.
“Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“The battery died.”
I pulled out my phone. It only rang once before Trevor picked up. “I found her in Vancouver waiting for the Riley Rivers concert. The guy had offered to give her a ride but took off when she told him she would have to ask your dad first. She rode the bus down by herself. I’m with her. She’s safe.”
He exhaled and paused in silence for a second before he choked out, “You’re the best, Deri. Thank you.” Then I heard him pass the phone off.
The voice that came on was Murphy’s. “Hello?”
“Hi, Murph. It’s Derian. Is Trevor okay?”
“I don’t know. He just gave me the phone and disappeared. What did you say to him?”
“I found Kailyn. I had a vision she was at the stadium for a concert. She’s with me. She’s safe.”
“All right. Good job, Deri. Hold on.” He shouted away from the phone, “Derian found her.” Then he spoke back to me, “Jim wants to talk to Kailyn.” I handed the phone to Kailyn and listened to her half of the conversation.
“Hi Daddy. Are you mad at me?… No! I’m a grown-up… No… Okay … No… I’m sorry… No, Derian is going to come with me to the Riley Rivers concert.” She looked over at me to make sure that was right. I nodded and she went back to talking to her dad. “Okay… I know…. don’t be sad. I’m not hurt… I didn’t mean to scare you … Oh, okay. I know, Derian told me I have to tell someone where I’m going… Okay. I love you and I love Trevor. I’m going to marry Riley Rivers.” She handed the phone back to me and said, “Daddy wants to talk to you.”
“Hello,” I said.
“You did good, kid.” He sounded as choked up as Trevor and struggled to keep it together long enough to say, “Thank you.”
I started to say, “You’re welcome,” but he had passed the phone away before I even got it out.
“Me again,” Murphy joked. “These Maverty men can’t keep their shit together. We’ll be here when you get back. Your Spidey senses are pretty impressive. Maybe a hero’s welcome is in order.”
“No. Don’t,” I warned.
“Easy, I’m joking. By the way, you might want to leave helicopter boy back in Vancouver if you don’t want Trevor to snap.”
“I wouldn’t have found her without his help.”
“Exactly. He helped you do what we all wish we could have done. Think about it.”
I hung up and Mason approached us, putting his phone away. He smiled at me and tilted his head towards the private suites entrance. “We have a corporate box if you want to have dinner before the show.” He winked. “And I made some special arrangements for afterwards.”
“Come on, Kiki, Mason has a very big surprise for you.” I helped her get up and arrange all her things back into her backpack. We took a private elevator to the box suites and when we got to the door the usher said, “Welcome Mr. Cartwright, Ms. Lafleur, and Ms. Maverty. Order whatever you would like off the menu. Then enjoy the show.”
Kailyn pressed her fists into her cheeks and squealed.
CHAPT
ER 24
The concert was actually pretty fun. Kailyn was having the time of her life. I had to grab the back of her belt a couple of times because I was worried she was going to lean too far forward over the railing and fall. Mason sat beside me, smiling.
He had arranged for Kailyn to go backstage and meet Riley after the concert. She went absolutely berserk when she got her picture taken with him. He was a nice guy and he signed all her stuff. He also drew a heart on her t-shirt with their initials in it. I thought I was going to have to pick her off the ceiling. Security eventually rushed Riley off, so Kailyn and I went back to where Mason was waiting in the airlock.
Kailyn hugged him. “Thank you Mason Cartwright. This was the best day of my life. I love you.”
“You’re welcome.” He hugged her back and smiled in the most genuine way.
The fact that he was so generous and sweet was actually heartbreaking. It made what needed to come next painful to even think about. I dreaded every step of the three-block walk back to his office. It had to be done. Be honest. Be fair to him. Be mature. Ugh. I wished I didn’t have to.
The helicopter was already on the roof and the pilot was waiting for us. Kailyn climbed in, covered her ears, and screeched as she rocked back and forth in her seat. I paused and turned to face Mason, wringing my hands nervously. Do it now, Deri. Privately. Before we get back to Britannia Beach. “Thank you for the concert and dinner. It meant so much to her to meet him. You are seriously the most generous person I know. And thank you for helping me find her. I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for that.”
“I’m happy I could help. Anytime you need anything just ask.” He leaned in as if he planned to kiss me and I pulled back to dodge it. The smile dropped off his face, then recognition flickered in his eyes when he figured it out. He ran his hand through his hair and looked out at the city skyline. “There is something going on between you and Trevor, isn’t there?”
I exhaled slowly. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
He nodded as if he accepted the truth but wasn’t particularly happy about it. “Well, I’m disappointed, obviously. But I’m not surprised. Thanks for being honest.” He stepped back. “You guys head home without me. I need to get some work done.”
Struck by the change in his tone, I scrambled to make things right and dislodge the guilt that embedded into my heart like barbed wire. “I know this sounds lame but I would really like to still be friends. If it’s okay with you. What you said about my dad is going to change my life. It already has. I feel lucky to know you.”
He nodded, but didn’t actually say he wanted to stay friends.
The silence got awkward, so I reached around to find the latch of the necklace he gave me. “I should give this back to you.”
“Don’t. It was a gift. I want you to have it.”
I frowned because it felt final. Like he didn’t want a friendship. Like we would never see each other again. That wasn’t what I wanted, but it wasn’t really my choice. “I won’t ever forget you. Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. Take care.” He hugged me once more before he turned and walked away. That fast. Like everything between us meant nothing. It was just over. I knew it wasn’t fair to ask him to still be friends when he wanted, and deserved, more. But the selfish side of me wished I could keep him in my life. I watched him disappear through the building door. He didn’t look back and I felt an instant loss. I sighed and climbed back on board.
Kailyn rocked and clenched her eyes shut the entire flight home. When we landed on the dock in Britannia Beach, three flashlights bounced across the highway. It was Murphy, Trevor, and his dad. I thanked the pilot and helped Kailyn get out. Jim almost threw himself at Kailyn and swung her around like a little kid. Trevor kissed her forehead and then walked towards me as Murphy rushed forward and gave Kailyn one of his bear hugs. Trevor glanced briefly into the helicopter, obviously to check if Mason was with us. Then he turned to me, leaned in close to my ear and said, “Thanks for finding her.”
I nodded as the helicopter took off and almost blew us over. Jim and Murphy helped Kailyn climb down off the dock and cross the sand towards the railroad tracks. Trevor’s hands slid up to cradle my face. I couldn’t see his expression, but I could tell by his silence and the tension in his muscles that he was feeling overwhelmed.
Standing there in the dark, surrounded by everything that was familiar and comfortable—Britannia Beach, the Inn, the mountains, the ocean, the dock, and Trevor— I knew that my entire life was about to change. There was a whole other world out there. And no matter what the future held, the one thing that was certain was my time in Britannia Beach was coming to an end.
I closed my eyes to listen to the water lapping against the rocks. My lungs filled with the fresh forest air. And then I ran my palm across Trevor’s chest and rested it over his heart. The beat was strong and steady. Unwavering.
With my eyes still shut, I whispered, “Now what?”
The End of Book Two
Acknowledgements
None of my books would be possible without the support of my husband Sean and the rest of my family. Thank you to my critique partner Denise Jaden, Greg Ng (and the moms from his class who volunteered to read a very early rough draft of this story), Rasadi Cortes, Erica Ediger, Jen Wilson, Belinda Wagner, Lisa Marks, Cory Cavazzi, my mom and dad, my brother Rob, my sister Luan, my editors Charlotte Ledger and Laura McCallen, and the entire team behind the scenes at HarperImpulse and HarperCollins Publishers. I’d also like to send a special thank-you to the real Search and Rescue volunteers and first responders in the Squamish area, and the young adult bloggers and youth librarians who tirelessly introduce books to young readers.
Coming Soon from D.R. Graham
And Then What? Britannia Beach Book Three
Also by D.R. Graham
Put It Out There? Britannia Beach Book One
About the Author
D.R. Graham lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband. She worked as a social worker with at-risk youth prior to becoming a therapist in private practice. Her novels deal with issues relevant to young adults in love, transition, or crisis.
Other books by D.R. Graham:
Put It Out There (Britannia Beach Series)
And Then What? (Britannia Beach Series)
Rank
One Percenter (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
The Handler (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
It Is What It Is (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
The Noir et Bleu (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
Hit That And You’re Dead
www.drgrahambooks.com
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
Romance readers, come and meet the team at our website www.harperimpulseromance.com, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse or follow us @HarperImpulse!
Writers, we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at romance@harpercollins.co.uk.
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