Ask No Questions (No Regrets Series Book 1), page 34
Ask No Questions
Brittney Mulliner
Contents
Also By Brittney Mulliner
Exclusive Content
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Thanks for reading!
Sneak Peak
Also By Brittney Mulliner
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
* * *
Copyright © 2021 Brittney Mulliner
All rights reserved.
* * *
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.
Also By Brittney Mulliner
YOUNG ADULT
* * *
No Regrets Series
Ask No Questions
Tell No Lies
* * *
Charmed Series
Finding My Charming
Finding My Forever
* * *
ROMANCE
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Utah Fury Hockey
Puck Drop (Reese and Chloe)
Match Penalty (Erik and Madeline)
Line Change (Noah and Colby)
Attaching Zone (Wyatt and Kendall)
Buzzer Beater (Colin and Lucy)
Open Net (Olli and Emma)
Full Strength (Grant and Addison)
Drop Pass (Nikolay and Elena)
Scoring Chance (Derrek and Amelia)
Penalty Kill (Brandon and Sydney)
Power Play (Jason and Taylor)
Center Ice (Jake and Dani)
Game Misconduct (Parker and Vivian)
Face Off (Mikey and Holly)
Snowflakes & Ice Skates (Lance and Jessica)
A Holiday Short Story to be read between Center Ice and Game Misconduct
* * *
Royals of Lochland
His Royal Request
His Royal Regret
Her Royal Rebellion
* * *
West Penn Hockey
Cheat Shot
Trick Play
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One
I jerked awake, confused. The dream that had been haunting me for the past few weeks began to fade. My therapist told me leaving should help me forget. She also told me I had nothing to worry about.
Just then, two dings rang through the plane, and I remembered where I was.
"Folks, sorry about that little bump. We have begun our descent to John Wayne Airport, where the current weather is sixty-three degrees and sunny. We’ll be arriving at the gate in about twenty minutes. Flight attendants prepare the cabin for arrival, and we would like to thank you for flying with us today…"
Shifting in my seat, I watched out the window as the houses and cars grew larger. The lines of freeways intertwined, interrupting the flat land of shopping malls and houses. I couldn’t rip my eyes from the ocean looming in the distance. It looked so foreign from the city I was born and raised in, without the clutter of skyscrapers.
The plane banked, giving the older lady next to me the opportunity to lean across me and catch a glimpse of the ocean through the window before we landed. I caught a whiff of her perfume and scrunched my nose, trying not to sneeze. Why do all old women smell the same? Was there a specialty store only they knew about? That's probably where they find that oddly unflattering shade of pink lipstick and limitless amount of colorful, stretchy pants.
"Do you live here, dear?” The woman was taking advantage of finally being able to make small talk for the last few minutes of the flight. I had put my headphones on before we left the gate in Chicago and quickly fell asleep after takeoff. Apparently, she didn’t know this was a clear sign of ‘Please don’t talk to me’.
I pulled my headphones off and glanced at the woman. "I do now."
I tried to sit up straight to see the front of the plane, attempting to guess how much longer I had in this recycled air capsule.
"Oh, how exciting! Orange County is such a lovely place. My son and his family live just a few miles from the beach.” The woman babbled on about her wonderful grandchildren all the way to the gate.
When the door opened, allowing the front passengers to make their escape, I prayed for the rows in front of me to move quickly. I wasn't necessarily in a hurry to start my new life, but I couldn't handle the ramblings of this grandma. Not while a hundred thoughts and worries were racing through my mind about the changes in my life that had occurred in the past few days.
How was living with Brandon going to work? Would I fit in here? Was Morgan still thinking about me?
Finally, the row in front of me started forward. I picked up my purse as the granny and I stood up and shifted to side-step our way out of the cramped row to grab our luggage from the overhead bin. A guy about my age standing in the row behind me reached to grab down granny's bag.
She took it from him with a thanks before turning to smile at me. “It was nice talking to you. Good luck!”
I struggled to smile in response before she headed toward the exit.
The guy turned back to me and smiled before reaching for my black bag. It was the last one in the overhead bin and had a dancer embroidered on the front with my name in teal below.
"This one for you... Aubrey?" He asked as he glanced down at the name and back at me with the same smile on his lips. I took in his designer jeans and wrinkled t-shirt and his golden-brown hair. There was something off about his smile, though. It was more of a smirk, the trademark of cocky guys. My eyes dropped to his sandals, and with a furrowed brow I lifted my head to greet him.
"Yeah, thanks for getting that down for me." I struggled to get out of the row gracefully with the boy and the bag now blocking my path. I did my best not to scowl as I reached to meet his hand and take my bag. Mystery boy continued to smile as he held the bag a few beats too long before releasing it to me.
"I’m Tucker, by the way, and it was my pleasure." Still smiling, he picked up his backpack and followed me down the aisle toward the exit door.
I sighed inwardly, noticing him following me closely. I just wanted a few minutes of quiet to pull myself together before seeing Brandon, but I moved here to start fresh with a positive attitude and this was a good opportunity to test it out.
Once we were on the air bridge, I turned with what I hoped came across as a friendly smile and paused to let him catch up.
"So Tucker, isn’t it a little late in the season to be wearing sandals?" He glanced down at his bare toes, then with a lifted brow looked pointedly at the brown leather ankle boots I had paired with tailored pants, a cream sweater, and a fitted blazer. "Aren’t you a little overdressed for the season, Aubrey?"
I smiled to myself at his hint of flirting banter and shrugged as we exited into the airport. "It's September! What do you mean I'm overdressed?"
He laughed at my confused face as he pointed toward the windows where I took in the palm trees and clear, blue skies. "You’re probably used to Chicago weather, but here it’s sunny and seventy year-round. I hope you packed something other than boots and sweaters 'cause you are going to be burning up in a few minutes.”
I rolled my eyes, immediately regretting my decision to be friendly and looked toward the luggage carousels that were coming into view. Panic set in when I didn’t see my ride waiting.
As Tucker and I walked closer, I spotted my brother leaning against a pillar near the carousel. He was taller than the last time I’d seen him. Of course, that was nearly two years ago, so we had both changed considerably. His brown hair was darker than my auburn locks—he took after our father. The sides were cut short, and the top was left longer and swooped over to the side. He wore black-rimmed glasses, similar to the ones he had worn in high school before they were made trendy by hipsters. I grew up watching girls fawn over him and struggle to hold his attention, but he considered himself a computer dork, oblivious to his good looks and charming personality.
A smile broke across his face when he turned my direction, almost looking past me, before recognizing his little sister. His mouth dropped slightly. "Aubrey?" I smirked at his shock as he took me in.
"Is that your boyfriend or something? He's a little old for you." Jealousy streaked Tucker's face as he waited for me to respond.
I’d forgotten he was standing next to me. "No, Tucker. This is my brother. Thanks for getting my bag down and walking with me. Have a great day!"
I didn't let myself look back as I walked away, despite how badly I wanted to see his expression. Boys like Tucker, with their expensive clothes and over-confidence, were what I was trying to leave behind. Besides, I’m pretty sure he would get over it as soon as he spotted another girl to annoy.
“Hi, Brandon.” I smiled realizing he hadn’t seen me in person since I was a scrawny fifteen-year-old with braces.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here!”
I threw myself at him while dropping my bag and purse to the floor, and he caught me in a hug. "Me too! Mom’s been out of control. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you saved me. I promise I will not make you regret this!”
Brandon laughed heartily then took a step back, shaking his head. "I promise nothing you do would ever make me send you back to Mom and Neil.”
He said their names like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “I graduated high school early so I could get away from them as fast as possible. I'm just sorry I wasn't in a position for you to come with me. But now, here we are! Roomies until you leave me for college."
He draped his arm over my shoulders while we waited for the carousel to deliver my bags. When I snuck a glance up at him out of the corner of my eye, I caught him smiling at me. "It’s really good to have you here, Bree."
Once I had all my luggage, I walked close to Brandon as we made our way to the parking structure and found his silver BMW amongst the sea of shiny, silver luxury vehicles. Apparently, there is only one color option for cars costing over sixty thousand. I settled into the soft black leather seat and watched the rows of palm trees passing by as we wound our way through the famous traffic of Southern California.
"So, how close is your condo to the ocean?” Small talk with my brother felt strange, but reality was setting in, along with my anxiety. I had barely seen since he moved out four years ago. Regular texts and video calls kept us close, but I didn't really know what to expect with him and the life he created here.
"Uh, yeah I guess it is. It’s nothing spectacular. It’s just a little two-bedroom condo. I mean, you can see the ocean from the living room and my bedroom which is great, but yours faces inland ... sorry."
"Oh please, I would take a cardboard box to get out from under the same roof as Mom.” Closing my eyes, I tried to block out thoughts of anything from back home.
“I know the past couple of months have been rough, and you're probably nervous. I am too. This is probably the craziest thing either of us has done, but this is your chance to get away from everything that happened and start over.”
“I really hope so.” I dropped my head back and stared out at the cars moving slowly next to us.
A few minutes of silence passed before he seemed to sense my tension and changed the subject. “Are you excited about starting at a new school?”
Coughing to cover my laugh, I shook my head. “Am I excited about being the new girl for my senior year? Really?”
He chuckled, realizing how absurd that sounded. “Fair enough, but at least you already know someone. Mckayla will watch out for you.”
My cousin Mckayla was my age, and we had spent every summer together growing up, though that tradition stopped a few years ago. Our moms were sisters but acted nothing alike. Aunt Diane treated me more like a daughter than mine ever did.
“I know, but we haven’t seen each other for a while. What if we don’t have anything in common anymore?”
“Just trust me. Plus, everyone at school will want to know you since you’re the new kid. People will be fascinated by the cool city girl.” He wagged his brows before looking back at the road.
I snorted at his description. Me? A cool city girl? “Whatever you say, weirdo.”
Since we were stuck for a while, I figured it was time to get some of the awkward items out of the way. “So, should I look for a job? I want to find a new dance studio soon, but I can probably get a part-time one to help out with things.”
He looked confused for a moment before answering. “Don’t worry about getting a job. Mom has taken care of everything for you financially, and Neil even told me to take you to pick up a car tomorrow since he is selling your Jetta. We just want you to focus on school and dance.”
Okay, this was too perfect. What did Mom and Neil want in return? They weren’t the type to give anything without wanting something from me. There was always a catch.
“What else do they want?” I doubted he had the answer, and his frown was the only confirmation I needed.
I should have known they would find ways to insert themselves in my new life. They wouldn’t just let me have my own life away from my them and their twisted expectations. Moving to live with Brandon had taken careful planning and pleading, but I was finally able to convince them after the party that my leaving was in their best interest. They didn’t want to tarnish their impeccable reputations with their circle of friends because their daughter was in a downward spiral. It had been an easy sale, but now what were they up to? Was accepting their money worth whatever they had up their designer sleeves?
Two
Brandon was being modest in the car about his ‘little condo’. We arrived at one of the top floors in a huge tower that had a pool, doorman, and an entire level of amenities I couldn’t wait to explore.
He opened the front door, allowing me into my new home. After walking through the entry hall, the first room we entered was the kitchen. White cabinets and light wood floors added to its modern style.
“Wow, this is beautiful! The kitchen is so fancy! Do you like cooking?” Neither of us were taught to cook, but maybe it was something he picked up in college.
Brandon turned and looked around. “Not really. I just like the look of stainless-steel appliances.”
“You shouldn’t let all of this go to waste. I guess it’s time for me to learn.”
He laughed and shook his head. “I have a drawer full of takeout menus. I think we’ll survive.”
I pulled my bags through the kitchen and into the monochromatic living room. “You seem to really like white.”
“It came furnished and decorated. It was one of the models used to sell the other condos, and I just haven’t felt like anything needed to be changed. Maybe down the road, the all-white will get old.”
I had been in the room for a few seconds, and it was old. How could he stand to look at this place? I felt like I was in an insane asylum. Adding color would be my first task as his new roommate.
“What’s your favorite color?”
He looked at me suspiciously, but I just gave him an innocent smile. Batting my lashes would probably be overkill. “I like blue, why?”
“Just reconnecting. I wanted to make sure it hadn’t changed.”
A painting on the wall was the only color in the room. It appeared to be a blur of blue hues. I moved around the couch to the far wall to examine it. “Wow! You have a Lambert? I love his work.”
“A what?”
“The painting. It’s a Lambert. I had a print of one of his oils in my old room. This is beautiful.” I admired it for another moment before movement caught my eye, and I turned to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows that gave way to an unobstructed view of the ocean.
“It came with the rest of the stuff. It’s cool, I guess.” He came up next to me, enjoying the view. “There’s a patio through those doors. You’ll probably like that. It’s my favorite area in the house.”
I sauntered in the direction he had pointed and opened the doors. Yep, I found heaven. There were a few chairs and a patio table waiting for me.
