Unbreakable Currents

Chapter 13

Two cops surrounded me and shined their flashlights in my face.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I am sure you saw the No Trespassing sign." The officers southern accent made him sound more sweet than stern.

"I saw it but figured the house was vacant, so it didn't apply." My tone was bitchy.

Usually I wouldn't be so rude but there was still a lot of tequila running through my blood.

"Ma'am, if you don't go freely, I will have to put these handcuffs on you and arrest you." The second officer dangled the cuffs in front of my face.

"Well, lucky for you I like handcuffs so do what you have to do." I shot both officers a pouty and seductive look and winked at them. Wow, that must have been some strong tequila.

The second officer lifted me up with force and cuffed me. I stood there tired and annoyed while they asked me questions. As we started walking up to the front of the house, I heard a familiar voice coming towards us.

Anyone but him right now, please.

"That won't be necessary, I'm not pressing charges." Nick, the man himself, walked up the drive and stood in front of us. His eyes were glaring at me, clearly angry.

At least I wasn't going to jail. Though dealing with Nick might be worse.

The officers exchanged a few words with Nick, unlocked my handcuffs, and left. Nick and I remained in the driveway in silence. He wouldn't even look at me. He paced back and forth rubbing his forehead, nostrils flaring. I kept my mouth shut because I was still tipsy, and I didn't need to be reprimanded by him. I hadn't had a father in eleven years, and I didn't need one now.

I managed to take two steps towards the sidewalk before Nick blocked my path.

"Get out of my way. We don't need to hash this out right now. I have no idea how you knew I was here and honestly, I don't care. I'm not going to jail, so thanks for that, but I am leaving." My pitch was high and bad tempered.

"First off, be quiet and let me finish before you interrupt. You're coming with me. I am not going to have you walk back to the condo in this condition and risk you getting arrested again due to public intoxication. So, either you're going to get in my car yourself or I will carry you to it." His voice was rigid.

"You are not my father so kiss my ass. I don't have to get in the car with you and if you try to make me that's kidnapping. Let me go and we can act like this never happened."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

Nick scooped me up, threw me over his shoulders, and took me to his car. Gracefully he sat me on the seat, closed the door, and jumped into the driver's seat. He started the car and turned left off of the street instead of going straight into the condo complex.

"My house is the other way. God, you are such an ass!"

"I know where you live but we're going to my house. You've been drinking a lot tonight, it seems, and clearly can't be trusted on your own." His voice was steady.

I slouched down in my seat and crossed my arms around my chest. I stared out the window and didn't speak to him. There was no way I was going to win this battle.

By the time we got to Nick's house I peered at the clock and saw that it was already two in the morning. I was going to be useless at work tomorrow. At least it was Friday.

Nick went to the kitchen grabbed an ibuprofen and a bottle of water for me.

"Thanks."

"So, do you mind telling me what the hell you were doing walking the streets on a work night piss drunk?" His expression was cold, unreadable.

"Well, dad, if you must know, I went out with Natalie and had some fun and then I decided I wasn't ready to end the night. I had a shit day and needed to take my mind off things." I took the medicine and a sip of my water.

"Abby, stop calling me your damn dad! Where in your mind did you think it was a smart idea to trespass and almost get arrested?"

"Thanks to you I'm not spending the night in jail, so if you want, I can keep saying thank you or we can forget about it. I saw the sign, yes, but it looked vacant and I admit my head wasn't on straight. Let's get something clear, I am not going to plead for your forgiveness on this so if that's what you want, you're going to be waiting a long time."

"I don't need you to plead, I need you to go to work and make Gulf Breeze money. And when you're out gallivanting until early in the morning your work will slack."

"Holy shit, you are the most frustrating man I have ever met! That's what this is? It's not about the trespassing or almost getting arrested, it's about your precious bank account. You need me in control so you can sit in your penthouse and collect the money while everyone else around you does the hard work." I threw both my hands in the air.

"You don't know anything about how I make my money so don't pretend to."

"Whatever. I am done arguing with you for the night. Now are you going to drive me home? I can take care of myself, trust me. I've been doing it a long time now. My anger and annoyance with you and this conversation has sobered me up."

"There are two guest bedrooms up the stairs to the right. You can pick whichever one you'd like, and I will take you to work tomorrow. Make sure you set your alarm. I'll leave a shirt and a pair of gym shorts on the bench at the top of steps for you to sleep in."

And with that, he got up and left. When I heard his bedroom door shut I made my way up the steps. I took the shirt and shorts and opened the door to the first bedroom.

The walls were stark white, and it had a queen size bed. It was plain with only one picture hanging over the bed of a palm leaf. Outside of the window was the side yard and the house next door.

Well, this room was disappointing.

I closed the door and made my way to the next bedroom. It was at the end of the hall and directly opposite what I was guessing was Nick's bedroom door. I opened the door and gasped in awe.

Straight in front of me was floor to ceiling windows leading out to a balcony. The bed sat on the left side of the room and had a light blue comforter with white flowers. The walls were painted white with a light blue accent color on one of them. The wall opposite the bed had a bright opal fireplace with an arrangement of assorted flowers cascading out of a blue vase.

The color scheme was perfect. I was a fan of palm trees and beach décor but something about this room was so fresh and the blues reminded me of the water. I would definitely be sleeping here tonight.

I stepped out on the balcony and realized I was facing towards the front of the house. I couldn't see the Gulf in the darkness, but I could smell the salt in the air. The surf was rough, and the waves roared up against the shoreline. The sound was pleasant and soothing.

The view must be why Nick bought this house. Living here you would have to love the water. But that was just a guess; I really knew nothing about him. Will I ever know this man, and do I even want to?