Restored by Kari Alice Read Free Book Online

furniture had seen better days, but Lexi’s lack of reasoning dictated that she sit down anyway. She fell onto the empty chair, and she fumbled through her small handbag until she felt the smooth rectangle shape that she recognized as her cell phone. She stared at it. Her new cell phone was more modern and bigger than what she’d used in Florida. Before this, she’d had a basic one, so she still hadn’t mastered the new technology she held in her palm. Eye makeup flaked in her eyes—as if mascara made that much of a difference on her stubby lashes. She blinked away what she could. Her finger edged down the phone, and a screen popped up that she hadn’t prompted. She had the number for a taxi service, which Ashley had labeled Cabby.
    Lexi slid her strappy shoes off her feet and then splayed her toes to relieve the soreness. She squinted as she scrolled through the C s on her phone’s contact list. She tapped the phone icon and was surprised when the call was answered on the first ring. “Hi…I need a cab please, to the Rocky Tavern as soon as possible. My name is Alexis Lindsay,” Lexi said while the room spun.
    “What? Lexi? I’m coming,” said the voice on the line.
    She looked at her phone, unsure of what to make of the voice. It was oddly familiar. Whatever Missy had last given her to drink had left her ears ringing. She slowly stood and made her way back to the group, the straps of her shoes dangling from her fingers. Miles eagerly rushed to her side and took her arm to physically support her. He grasped her tightly, which gave her little room to move on her own accord.
    “Do you want to go home?” Miles asked as if he would drive her himself.
    His wiry frame wavered as he supported Lexi’s movements. “I’ll be okay, Miles, thank you though. I’ve got a cab coming for me now,” Lexi said. Miles’s grasp didn’t weaken.
    “At least let me wait with you outside,” Miles said as he walked her toward the exit.
    Lexi squinted her eyes, but the bar was too dark, and so she held on to Miles since he was her only way to the outside. His grip tight, he held on under her arm and around her waist. “I’m okay,” she protested as she tripped over her own bare feet. Once outside, her eyes were able to see more clearly.
    ***
    Caleb disconnected the call. Lexi needed a ride? Was she drunk? He rushed to ready himself after having fallen asleep on the sofa. He considered calling Mike to pick her up from the Rocky Tavern, but no, it had to be him. Lexi’s pull was something he’d tried to deny, but it was real. Her voice on the phone was confirmation that maybe she needed him too. How could he go to her with what he’d discovered? The news was a dead fact now, but still. She’d never accept him…
    He scrambled to the door with keys in hand. Despite its size, his SUV was fast when he pushed it. He ran his fingers through his hair as he drove, taming the mess it’d become from sleep. He’d showered before his nap, which left his hair pliable to manipulation. His scruffy facial hair bristled at his touch.
    The cobbled street was narrow but still car accessible. His heart pounded like he was on the scene of an accident. His eyes scanned the sidewalks, and he slammed the brakes when he saw her loose blond hair. The color of her hair was burned in his brain—spun gold. She pushed against a man there with her. Caleb jumped out of the SUV, motor still running.
     
    The street lights put off more light than was inside the bar. Lexi’s feet curved downward like inverted crescents as she stepped on the chilly brick. She wasn’t prepared for the coolness, which clung to her skin. The hairs on her arms rose in response to the brisk air that gently blew. Miles rubbed his warm hands down her arms, but his touch was foreign and unwelcome. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Miles. He seemed friendly enough. She could see him as a friend, but nothing more.
    Lexi bent to vomit, and her body spasmed as she dry heaved.