Free Only Love (The Atonement Series) by Elle Chardou Page A

the vanity mirror. My breath smelled like stale coffee and though I’d brushed my teeth earlier, I repeated the process, re-did my makeup and made sure I looked all right in what I’d decided to wear.
    It didn’t take long for my confidence to shatter and I ran to the bedroom where I changed into a pair of black skinny jeans and a white tank top. I grabbed a gray Harvard sweatshirt from my closet just in case I got cold and slipped on a pair of black, comfortable ballet flats. I was completely casual and stylish without feeling uncomfortable but I wasn’t sure whether or not this was to deter Drake or maybe make him wonder what existed beneath my clothes even more.
    As I walked into the sitting room, he whistled out loud. “Nice to see you can be low maintenance as well as high maintenance. Where we’re going, you look perfect and casual.
    I laughed out loud and allowed him to lead me to the door. I hoped what ever happened between us, we had fun and more than anything, it would erase the cruel words my sister had said to my face earlier that morning without a thought to anyone’s feelings other than her own.

     

     
    True to Drake’s word, he drove me somewhere unexpected and fun. We ended up spending the day at the beach and it was much more fun than I anticipated. However, this was no casual outing at the beach because he specifically took me to La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club where he possessed a membership and we were able to walk along the private shoreline of a pristine beach barefoot.
    There were families out and about but everyone minded their own business and it was a wonderful experience. It took an event like this for me to realize I kept attracting the same type of men. Despite his tattoos and “couldn’t give a damn attitude”, he still came from money and it showed. From the way he treated people to his calm, laid-back attitude among people with wealth, power and prestige.
    We ended the evening at The Shores which was an exclusive restaurant within the club located on the beach. I really did feel like we had bonded during that day with all the conversations we had about our friends and family, how we’d grown up and how much my father’s death had affected the dynamics between my mother, sister and I.
    Over steamed Mediterranean black mussels and alcoholic beverages called La Jolla Cove which were made from vodka, Grand Marnier and fresh blood orange juice, he studied me with an intense glare in his pale greenish blue eyes.
    “I am pretty quick on the uptake…why do I feel like part of the reason you left Seattle has to do with your father’s death. Tell me, what did the van der Meer brothers do to you?” Drake inquired in a low voice.
    I sipped from my La Jolla Cove before I replied, “What makes you think they did anything at all? Couldn’t I have just wanted to leave and desire to live somewhere differently? California is another world compared to Washington State and I just needed a change.”
    “Really? And neither one of the brothers had anything to do with your decision?”
    What could I say? I wouldn’t dare tell Drake the truth but I was tired of the lies; they’d actually become mind-numbing and exhausting to be honest.
    “Well, Colin did or I wouldn’t have left him but that’s all water under the bridge, similar to your relationship with Mikayla—”
    “Completely different from what went down between Mikayla and I because we were never engaged.” Drake wiped his mouth with the white cloth napkin provided before he sipped from his drink. “And we weren’t expecting a child…not one I ever found out about anyway. She would have quietly aborted it and I wouldn’t have been the wiser. She’s not the type of woman you would expect me to date, Deirdre, it’s as simple as that.
    “Not to mention Kayla was an unpleasant and unexpected surprise to so many people—mainly my friends and the family I do still communicate with on a regular basis. They certainly didn’t mince