Paxton Legacy 1.5 – The Man in Black

THREE YEARS AGO

Dishes clattered as a bus boy cleared a newly vacated table, idle chit chat mingled from every direction as hungry customers dined and enjoyed each other’s company, sizzling sounded from the kitchen as the cook started another order of crispy bacon, and the wonderful sweet smell of it filled the neon lit diner. The smells and sounds of the place created a perfect symphony, to my ears at least. That is, when I wasn’t working the night shift.
Mornings were the best time to work at Randall’s. Our customers were generally the elderly coming in to eat their cheap breakfast platters, drink their coffee, and maybe read a newspaper. The sounds, the smells… it was home to me. But it was my turn to work the night shift. A time when our customers, if we had any, came to sober up because nowhere else was open. A group of young, sleazy looking guys who smelled faintly of sweat and shimmered beneath the glow of the neon, not bothering to hide the body glitter that clung to them in compromising places. Suspicious looking customers who hid any distinguishable features beneath black hoodies as they met someone in the parking lot and not so discreetly slipped them a plastic baggie of what I could only assume was marijuana based on the pungent odor after he came inside for a to-go coffee and paid with cash. The occasional “couple” meeting for a milkshake before an exchange of bills under the table and the woman runs her hands up the man’s thighs with a serpentine smile on her face. Deplorable, my mom would say. Degenerates.

But tonight the diner was empty save for myself and my mother, who has worked as a cook at Randall’s for as long as I can remember, as I wiped down a particularly dirty counter top. Or maybe it was just permanently stained that way. Hard as I scrubbed, I couldn’t get the reddish-brown stain to come off the counter. Forty hours of every week I spent serving people food and drinks, mopping up spills, and occasionally scrubbing toilets when it had been left too long and someone complained about how nasty they were. Randall, the owner, wouldn’t let anyone clean them until there was a complaint. Otherwise it was a waste of cleaning supplies, or so he said. I wasn’t really sure how the health department hadn’t shut this place down a long time ago. But here it stood, open 24 hours a day for the convenience of all but those who worked here.
From the outside, it probably looked like any other cheap, greasy fast food diner that most decent people wouldn’t bother spending their hard-earned money at. The linoleum floors were stained with ages old spills, and the red vinyl coverings on some of the booths was dried and cracked from years of use that the owner refused to replace because he claimed he couldn’t afford it. Though we all suspected he could, he just didn’t want to spend the money to fix them. Tables were chipped, silverware and dishes were mismatched, and depending on who was washing that day, they weren’t always perfectly clean. But it was my favorite place to be.

I didn’t mind the work really. The atmosphere was familiar and welcoming. Everyone who came here to eat or work were generally good, down to earth people. No one thought they were better than anyone else, and everyone liked it that way. This diner was like a second home to me, and it’s staff like family. At the young age of fifteen, Randall hired me to bus tables and clean when necessary. I was cheap labor, and I needed the cash to help my mom pay the bills. My dad had died when I was four of lung cancer, and my mom did everything she could to give me the best life possible. Of course, that wasn’t easy for a single mother whose only source of income was working as a line cook. After I graduated high school, I became a full-time employee at Randall’s Diner waiting on tables. I’ve been doing that for two years now, and it’s been good honest work. Not glamorous, but I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given. My mom feels otherwise. She hates that I’m living the same life she has. As any mother does, she wants a better life for me than working at a greasy, 24-hour diner serving the elderly during the day and the degenerate after dark. Her hopes are that I will one day meet a nice enough man who makes a decent living, get married, and have a family. All of that sounded wonderful really, but I wanted more than that. I didn’t just want a nice enough man. I wanted to fall in love, preferably with someone very handsome. Love mattered more to me than financial stability. We had struggled my whole life, and I wasn’t afraid of that the way my mom was. But I couldn’t ignore the appeal of a life without financial worries.

Those were the thoughts drifting through my head when the little bell over the door to the diner tinkled, and a tall, red-haired gentleman walked in. It was pouring outside, the rain fogging up the windows and glass doors leaving small trails in their wake as they ran down the glass. The weather was most likely to thank for our lack of customers. Not even the morally questionable were willing to brave the storm. But the man who walked through the door wasn’t our usual sort of customer. I looked up from the mystery stain that hadn’t lifted a bit, my knuckles red and raw from the scrubbing, just in time to catch his gaze as it drifted distastefully across the diner taking it all in. But he stopped looking when his eyes met mine, the look of disgust changing into one of silent appraisal. He looked away first, taking a seat at one of the booths along the far wall. He looked entirely out of place with his expensively styled hair, dampened from the rain, and fine dress suit. What was a man like that doing here at this hour?
Leaving the rag on the counter top, I smoothed my apron down cringing at the stains and overall dirty looking uniform. I lifted one hand to my lackluster hair, messily pulled back into a pony tail, and let out a sigh. There was nothing special about me. Unlike that man, I looked like I belonged in this place. So I brushed off my apron and held my head high as I walked up to the table the fine man was seated at. His eyes lifted to watch my approach, and my back straightened a little more.

“Welcome to Randall’s. What can I get for you?”
The man’s eyes flitted around the diner taking in his surroundings, obviously displeased with them before turning his attention towards the pictures on the wall next to him. Again, I wondered why he would come into a place like this one. “I’ll just have a coffee. Black.”
“I’ll bring that right out,” I flashed him my best smile and hurriedly made my way behind the counter. Most of our mugs were chipped or dirty or both, so I picked the cleanest looking one of them all and filled it with coffee. No sugar. No creamer. Black. I exhaled through my nose. Why was the man drinking a black coffee so attractive to me? I had never really cared about that sort of stuff before. But that man… I looked back to where he sat examining his nails, really looking at him this time.

His crisp suit looked expensive, like he was a lawyer or some sort of business man. His nails were clean and well-manicured, but not in a feminine way, just in a way that showed he liked to keep a neat appearance. The man exuded confidence even in his tiniest movements as he flipped through the newspaper, his dark brown eyes full of knowledge. From up close, his eyes were the color of chocolate. Dark, but beautiful in their own way. And his red hair, a color you didn’t see very often in this town at least, was styled messily while still looking professional. My gaze moved over his sharp facial features and alluring full mouth. He was extremely attractive.
The mug clinked against the tabletop’s surface, and the black liquid sloshed inside the cup nearly spilling over I was so distracted. “Let me know if you need anything else,” I said to the man who didn’t bother to look up from the tabletop.

From behind the counter, I snuck glances at him as I rinsed out the coffee pot, started brewing another carafe, and busied myself with other menial tasks. Truth be told, I didn’t get any real work done. I was too busy watching him. Lost in my own silly fantasies of a life I would never have. He looked young, maybe not much older than myself. But with looks like those and an income I assumed was more than enough to make ends meet, he had to have a girlfriend or fiancée somewhere. A man like him wouldn’t give a plain diner waitress like me a second look. That didn’t stop me from daydreaming what that woman’s life must be like, and what it would be like to be her. Fancy clothes, nice cars, a cute house that was big enough for our growing family, but not too big that it didn’t feel like home. Beautiful children, a boy and a girl. I always wanted one of each. And a handsome adoring husband who would kiss me as soon as he walked through the door when he came home from a long day of work at the firm- or whatever it was he did for a living.

“You should go talk to him.”
I jumped at the sound of my mother’s voice just behind me. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, hot from doing to prep work for tomorrow’s breakfast rush. Her face was lined from years of stress and hard work, her hair streaked with gray, but she wasn’t unattractive in the least. My mom was beautiful. I was envious of her good looks and wished I had received more of them and less of my father’s.
“What would I even say? We have nothing in common. It would just be a waste of his time,” I answered her without a hint of pity. It was the truth.
She made a sound in the back of her throat indicating that she thought I was being ridiculous. “I saw him when he came in. Fine man that like doesn’t belong in a place like this. It isn’t right. You could see his thoughts plainly on his face soon as he walked through that door. But I also saw the way he stopped looking for a second when he saw you. If that isn’t a window, I don’t know what is.”

I looked at my mother trying to decide whether to believe her or not. The man did pause when he looked at me, but that doesn’t mean anything. “You don’t know what you saw. Besides, I’m just a waitress. He probably thinks of me as dirt beneath his shoes. Barely worth a thought,” I said flatly.
“You are more than just a waitress at a greasy diner,” she jabbed a finger at me. “You are beautiful and smart and any man with half a brain would see that. Go talk to him and prove me right! You deserve so much more than this life.”
I shook my head, ignoring the advice of my mother just like most children do. “What’s so wrong with this life? Why do you hate it so much?”
“Every mother wants more for her daughter,” she replied simply her face softening into a smile. “You’ll understand when you have a child of your own.”

She patted me gently on the arm and went back to her griddle in the kitchen leaving me with my thoughts. The coffee pot finished brewing, so I grabbed the carafe and walked over to the man’s table to quietly refill his drink. He didn’t bother looking up at me, and I decided to leave him alone with his thoughts.
After putting the carafe back in its place, I busied myself with small menial tasks to keep myself from staring at the handsome stranger. There was a clatter and a crash that nearly made me jump out of my skin. I turned to see that the man was now standing as he had been making his way to leave, with a few bills placed on the table, and the front of his nice suit was soiled with black coffee, the mug in shattered pieces on the floor. I moved quickly to grab the previously abandoned rag off the counter top to clean up the spill. The man was patting the wet spot on his suit with a handful of napkins from the table, a somewhat sheepish look on his face. It was actually quite endearing how almost embarrassed he seemed to cause such a commotion.
“Great. Just great,” he spoke to himself with an exasperated tone. “First my car, now the coffee. Could anything else go wrong?”
I was on my knees making one last swipe with the rag over the spill and answered him despite the fact he wasn’t actually talking to me. “You shouldn’t say that you know. Bad luck.”

He chuckled humorlessly, low and throaty. “I might actually be concerned if I was at all superstitious, but I’m not.”
“Me either,” I smiled at him as I stood looking over the stain on his clothes. “It’s something my mom always tells me, but I don’t really believe it. I’m really sorry about your suit. Is it ruined?”
“Probably.” His dark brown eyes met mine giving me the same appraising look I thought I had imagined when he walked into the diner. A blush heated my cheeks at the attention. “Know of any good dry cleaners?”
“No, sadly.” I replied gesturing to my own stained outfit. “Don’t we make a pair?”

A charming smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I suppose we do.” His gaze moved from my eyes to my toes and back again no doubt taking in my disheveled appearance. “I never did catch your name.”
“It’s Bethany, but my friends call me Beth.”
“Are you doing anything tomorrow evening, Beth? After your shift is over, I mean? I would like to take you for dinner to thank you.”
I blinked, surprised by this turn of events. “Thank me? What for?”
“The coffee. Cleaning up the mess I made,” his eyes twinkled.
“You don’t need to thank me for that,” I responded shaking my head. “It’s my job.”
“It would be my pleasure. You wouldn’t reject a man after the rough day he’s had in front of an audience, would you?”

Whirling around, I spotted my mother peeking around the doorway to the kitchen, but she didn’t try to pretend that she wasn’t watching. I could almost see the approval shining in her eyes from where I stood. She nodded her head vigorously at me, urging me to accept the man’s offer.
I was too stunned to reply with anything other than, “That would be lovely.”
“Meet me at The Bistro tomorrow night at 8pm. I look forward to seeing you again.” There were a few murmurs from my mother at the mention of the five-star restaurant, a place we could never dream of affording to dine at. I reached hesitantly to touch the man’s arm as he turned to leave.
“I never got your name either.”
He flashed me a smile that gave me butterflies. “Caleb.”

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A/N: Oh wow you guys. I feel like ReShade looked waaay better in game than the screenshots do. All of my pictures were super dark and even bringing up the brightness on them leaves them too dark or with too much glare. These are so heavily edited too, so don’t worry they won’t be this bad for the next chapter. I’m just too lazy to retake/edit all of these pictures right now haha. It’s a work in progress, but I still can’t decide if I like ReShade or not. I figured this chapter was the best time to use it since it is the first flashback and the pictures being dark would make sense since we know Bay’s past was troubled. It gives them a nice contrast I think to the present day pictures. I’m glad Chapter 1.6 will be present day again because I really prefer that style to the one I’ll be using for the flashbacks. Also, you may have noticed that Bay looks different because I changed her looks… again. She just looked too pretty, and I wanted her to look a little more plain without being too plain. An understated beauty. If any of that makes sense lol. A huge thank you to Lila Remonn for the Neon Diner download. It looks amazing and was the perfect setting for this chapter. 💜

P.S. – I must be dead inside because I watched Endgame with my husband, and I didn’t think it lived up to the hype. 🤷🏻‍♀️ My husband thought it was so good, and I’m not saying it was bad, but Infinity Wars was so much better IMHO. Maybe my expectations were too high going into it but yeah. The other Marvel fans who read this are probably going to want to fight me now. 😂

Paxton Legacy 1.4 – Burying the Hatchet

Trigger Warning/Disclaimer: The topic of abortion is touched on briefly at the beginning of this chapter. If this is a sensitive subject for you, I recommend skipping the first four paragraphs. Just a friendly reminder that this story remains purely fictional, and as such, I hope no one is offended by it. The thoughts and views of my characters in no way reflect my own.

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My feet pounded against the sand as I tried to purge the troubled dreams that continued to invade my sleep the only way I knew how. When I looked at my reflection this morning, there had been dark circles beneath my eyes and a shadow of that darkness within the shallow blue gray pools of my eyes that stuck with me even after waking. I carried it with me wherever I went, and I hated it. Soon I wouldn’t even be able to run away from my problems because the growing reminder in my womb would take even that one last thing that was mine away from me. I hated it, too. And I hated myself for hating it.

I knew if anyone could hear them out loud they would be appalled by the thoughts in my head. Maybe it was time I stopped feeling so damn sorry for myself, and start thinking about this fragile person that I would soon be responsible for. Just because its father was a monster doesn’t mean it will be too. But still, I hated it. Mostly because I feared it just as I feared everything and everyone else. How can I love something that was forced on me? It was like an alien had invaded my body, and part of me wished I could get rid of it. But then, I had already tried that once. I hadn’t been able to do it the first time, and I wouldn’t be able to get rid of it now. There was a part of me that wanted to believe something good could come out of all of this. This baby could be that good.
A few days after discovering I was pregnant, I searched for the nearest clinic to terminate the pregnancy. I was ashamed of myself, but even greater than that was the overwhelming dread that filled my entire being at the mere thought of carrying Caleb’s child. Of making that abhorrent monster a father. I had taken his abuse over and over again, but I would never put an innocent child through that. I convinced myself that an abortion was the only way to protect it, and I honestly believed it was the right thing to do.
I only made it as far as the front entrance to the building. I didn’t even make it over the threshold before the doubt set in, and in an instant, I realized this wasn’t what I wanted. This baby was half his father, but it was also half of myself. Not evil. Just a baby that had no choice in who its father was. In that moment, I made the decision to leave. Over the years I had saved loose change in the couch cushions and dollar bills crumpled in the pockets of Caleb’s jeans, so that I could leave him when the time was right. But I was always too afraid to leave knowing I had nowhere else to go. My mother passed away nearly a year ago, and Caleb had isolated me from all of my friends. This baby, however, changed everything. Before I couldn’t leave to save myself, but I could to save my baby from a life of abuse by an alcoholic father.

The world was waking around me, boats and jet skis flying across the water filled with tourists enjoying the final days of summer. Though summer was coming to a close, the islands never experienced true winter. The days here were always sunny, truly a tropical paradise. So very different from back home where you could experience all four seasons in their glory. Home sickness washed over me, and I was surprised by the feeling. While I grew up there, that place now held nothing but bad memories for me. Not that it was all bad, but I could never go back as long as Caleb was around, waiting for me to return.
At first, I didn’t notice the sound of another set of feet pounding the earth, but a lull between speeding boats allowed me to hear them drawing closer. I slowed to glance behind me, and of all the people to run into, Ryan Church jogged along the beach to my side matching my pace. Twice. I had now encountered my neighbor while jogging on this beach twice now. I need to start running somewhere else.

“Hey, neighbor.” He flashed me a grin in greeting. “Come here often?”
I stared at him blankly not in the mood for flirtatious banter. “I run out here every morning,” I panted, answering him between breaths.
Ryan chuckled. “It was a joke, Bay.”
Instead of answering him, I focused on the sand beneath my feet, putting one tennis shoe clad foot in front of the other hoping to avoid as much conversation with this man as possible. When he didn’t offer up another lame attempt at a joke or a discussion, I peeked sidelong at him still running alongside me. The morning light lit up the sharp angles of his face, and I huffed out a breath at my ridiculous feeling of attraction towards him. His golden-brown hair practically glowed in the sunlight, and my fingers itched to run them through it and feel for myself if it was as soft as it looked.
“I didn’t ask for a running partner,” I remarked hoping to clear the nonsensical thoughts from my head.

Ryan came to an abrupt halt, and it took me a second to realize he had stopped running. Skidding in the sand, I turned on my heel to face him. That heart stopping smile of his pulled at his lips. “Bay, I know we don’t really know each other that well. We’ve only spoken to each other a few times, and those conversations didn’t last very long. But- look, I’m just going to say it, and if the answer is no, I understand.” He looked as if he was about to speak, then hesitated as if rethinking what he was about to say. Whatever it was it seemed important, so I waited for him to work up the nerve to say what he obviously chased me down to tell me. “Are you free tomorrow night?”
I blinked. Then I blinked a second time. “For what?”
He huffed out a laugh, still a little breathless from our run. “Would you like to join me for dinner tomorrow evening?” My mouth hung open, but words wouldn’t form on my tongue. Ryan found them before I could. “I think you are beautiful and that you are a genuinely nice person-”

“You don’t even know me.” I blurted, my voice coming out breathy and a bit incredulous.
“KK had a lot of great things to say about you, and I think she’s right when she says that we could have a lot in common. And I would like to get to know you better. You know, like on a date,” he smiled shrugging his shoulders.
KK was Ryan’s strange pet name for Korie, and after a moment of confusion, I began to understand. “Wait. Wait. Are you saying that Korie convinced you to ask me out?”
Ryan’s smile faltered. “Is that a bad thing? I thought you two were good friends. I’m sorry, I was under the impression that you were interested in getting to know me too. Korie made it sound like-”

“I can’t believe her!” I interrupted Ryan’s train of thought talking more to myself than to him. Looking up, I noticed his usual smile had fallen from his face, but I felt too betrayed by my best friend to care too much. “I don’t know what Korie has said to you, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I promise it isn’t you. I just can’t complicate my life any further right now. I have to go.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, I took off running towards my beach rental with a fire burning in my belly. I had explained over and over again to Korie that I was not interested in pursuing a relationship with anyone, especially Ryan Church. How many times had I told her that no man would want to be with a pregnant woman? And that she was banned from trying to set me up with anyone even if she did believe that Ryan wouldn’t care if I was carrying the child of another man? Her betrayal of my trust blurred my vision, and I let the tears fall not caring if anyone saw. I needed to have a talk with my supposed best friend.

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It has been well over a month since I was forced to spill my secret to Korie, and so far she had kept her word not to tell another soul. We were becoming incredibly close, as she predicted the first time we met, and it was nice to have a close girl friend again. Someone to talk to when I needed an ear to listen, and her tell-it-like-it-is personality has been exactly what I needed. If I needed someone to tell me the truth, Korie never failed me. I was finally beginning to trust someone other than myself again, and she went behind my back without a second thought. I think that’s why her deception affected me so deeply.
By the time I arrived at the café for my shift, the hurt I felt had deflated somewhat and the guilt I felt for leaving Ryan standing rejected on the beach rose. I should have been more sympathetic towards him and not so callous of his feelings, but my own feelings of anger and hurt had made me oblivious of anything else. The words I had directed towards him had been nothing but cruel to hopefully push him as far away as possible. Our conversation on the beach played itself over and over in my head, and each time sounded worse than the last. I decided after my shift that I would go over to his house and apologize to him in person.

Work at the café was slowing with the decrease of vacationers, so more often than not the place was empty. Usually around lunch and dinner, every table would fill with customers, but between those times we might get the occasional couple or individual stopping by for a drink or appetizer to kill time. Now was one of those times that we weren’t busy, so I made quick work of finding Korie, who was already talking to Fletcher in the kitchen, and pulled her aside so I could find out what she said to Ryan about me.
“Did you tell Ryan that we have a lot in common and that he should ask me out on a date?” I hissed to avoid being overheard by any prying ears.
“Yes,” Korie answered without missing a beat.

The anger building back up inside of me deflated at her outright admittance to trying to set me up on a date. I wasn’t sure what I had expected. Korie wasn’t the kind of person to beat around the bush, so of course she owned up to what she did without any excuses or evasions. With the anger gone, all that was left was the stinging hurt of her deception.
“Why?” I breathed the one-worded question, unable to come up with anything better to say.
Korie held up her hands in an apologetic stance. “I know you said that you weren’t looking for a relationship right now, and I went behind your back and did exactly what you asked me not to do. I’ll own up to that. You might think that I am being a bad friend, but I promise my intentions were the opposite. You are single and seem to be in a lonely place right now, and Ryan is single and a great guy. I’ve known him forever, and I just want my friends to be happy. Even if it didn’t work out, you know romance wise, I think it would do you both some good to at least get to know each other.” She sighed dropping her hands.

“Look, B. I don’t know your exact situation, from before.” Korie stressed the word, referring to my past that I hadn’t completely trusted her with yet, and I shifted my feet trying to avoid her gaze. “But,” she continued, “I know it has something to do with whoever did this to you.” She gestured to the concealed bump beneath my hideous bright yellow work shirt and lowered her voice when one of the wait staff walked past. “Whoever he was, whoever hurt you, Ryan isn’t like that. I think you should consider giving him a chance. You don’t have to date him, but he’s a really good listener and an even better friend. Just, don’t push him away yet.”
I was stunned by everything Korie had said, and once again surprised by how easily she saw right through me. The only response I could give was, “I can’t make any promises.”
Korie shrugged. “Fair enough. But give the guy a break will you? He’s got it bad for you. And he’s headed this way, so be nice!”

I turned to look in the direction Korie was looking in as she walked past me and toward an elderly couple seated in her section. She waved and smiled to Ryan as she walked by and pointed at me directing him to where I stood. By the look on his face, he didn’t seem to be at all bothered by our conversation on the beach earlier that morning or how quickly I had cut it short and ran off. Guilt for being so careless of his feelings ate at me.
“Hey,” Ryan greeted me with a ghost of a smile on his face. “I had a feeling this is where I would find you.” He seemed less enthusiastic to see me than he did this morning, but at the same time, he was happier to see me than I thought he would be after the way I treated him.
“Hi, Ryan.” I greeted back slightly embarrassed.
“I’m sorry I-”
“I shouldn’t have said-”

We both started to speak at the same time then stopped when we realized the other was talking. In unison, we let out self-conscious laughs waiting for the other to continue. I twisted my fingers together in front of me nervously, and Ryan ran his fingers through his already wind tousled hair before his full mouth cracked into one of his trademark grins.
“Please, let me go first.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and held the other palm up in front of him contritely. “I’m sorry if I came on too strong earlier. I honestly believed you knew that Korie talked to me about us.”
“I’m sorry that I reacted so badly,” I admitted with remorse. “It came as a- surprise to me.” He’s got it bad for you. Those were the words that Korie used. Were they true? We barely knew each other. I internally admonished myself. I already knew that Korie was always truthful. At least she was until she tried setting us up after I made her swear that she wouldn’t. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. “I shouldn’t have said those things. They weren’t considerate of your feelings.”

“Ah, it’s alright. No need to apologize.” Was I imagining things or did he just blush? His cheeks appear redder, but it’s hard to tell behind that tan and the blistering heat. He cleared his throat. “Just to uh, be clear. That was a no to the date, right?”
“It was a no,” I answered him truthfully hurrying to explain myself by the slight dejected look he gave me. “And I was being honest when I said that it had nothing to do with you. Really. You seem like a really nice guy, and you are very- handsome.” I made myself say the word despite the heat burning in my cheeks. “I’m just coming out of a bad relationship, and I’m not looking to get into anything else right now.”
“You think I’m handsome?” Ryan lifted a brow teasingly at me, and a genuine laugh escaped my chest.
“Don’t let it go to your head.” I smiled, gently teasing him back, and he returned it.

Ryan let out a throaty chuckle, and warmth flooded my body at the sound. “So, friends then?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “I would like that.”

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A/N: Today is my birthday, but you guys are getting the present! *makes awkward finger guns* Aha, just kidding lol. It really is my 24th birthday though, and I wanted to get this chapter posted before the day was over. I’m barely squeezing it in, but I did it. I had some delicious TexMex takeout for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert courtesy of my awesome parents since my hubby is out of town working – boooo. Just an update for everyone, I downloaded ReShade a little while back and have been tinkering with it. I posted a picture to my Tumblr account that I rarely ever post to, so I think maybe one or two of you have seen it there. I’ll post it below for the rest of you to admire haha. It took me FOREVER to get this crap installed and somewhat working, but so far it has been a giant pain in my butt. I’m having trouble getting it to work, so this chapter’s pictures obviously were taken without it. I hope here soon I will figure out how it all works. Until then, enjoy my normal unedited pictures. Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to read and comment on my story. It means the world to me! The next chapter is our first flashback so stay tuned. 

Paxton Legacy 1.3 – You Again

After she correctly guessed about my pregnancy, Korie and I sat at an empty table rolling silverware into napkins far enough away that we couldn’t be overheard by either Max or Rebecca. There I told Korie the bare minimum of my situation. Only what she needed to know – with a few lies sprinkled in – and nothing more. The dark story of my past was nonessential at this point in time. I told her that after I found out I was pregnant, I left my hometown to raise my baby in a place where no one knew me and therefore I wouldn’t care if they judged me for having a child without a husband. Not entirely a lie, but not entirely the truth either. When she asked about the father, I simply responded that he wasn’t in the picture and that I definitely did not want to talk about him. She understood and didn’t press me any further on the subject, but all of the questions she was dying to ask me were swimming in her dark brown eyes. It wouldn’t be long before she needed more answers to satisfy her. I swore Korie to secrecy, and she promised not to tell another soul.
And I needed a favor. In exchange for that favor, I had to give up another of my secrets. There was no way I could give Rebecca an ID, so I confessed to Korie that Bay Paxton was not my legal name. It terrified me to put so much trust into a person I had just met, but I had no other options. I needed this job. I needed someone I could trust. If Korie wasn’t that person, I had just ruined everything for myself and I would have to leave town. Choose another name. Run away – again. But I tried not to dwell on that fact. She acquired a fake ID for me though how I don’t know. Korie promised not to ask questions if I didn’t either, so we left it at that. One day maybe those truths would come to light, too.
That had been nearly a month ago now, and so far Korie had kept my secrets. She taught me everything she knew about working at the café, and I finished my training fairly quickly. Waitressing was the only job I had ever had, and it isn’t so different working at the café than it was at the diner. The customers were mostly friendly but liked to ask too many questions. Thankfully, they were easily appeased with generalized answers.

It was after lunch rush, and before dinner rush, so the café was nearly empty save for a cluster of teenagers that were sipping on refreshing drinks on yet another sweltering day in paradise. The teens were sitting in Korie’s section, but I gave her a hand with refilling their lemonades and other non-alcoholic fruity beverages to keep myself busy. “Thanks, girl. I got it from here.” Korie sighed wiping a bead of sweat from her brow, and grinned waving at someone behind me. Despite the fact that summer was over, it was still warm and temperate on the islands. I had a feeling the heat would last even through the winter. “Go ahead and take his order, and once you’re finished you can head home. Five bucks says he orders the surf burger with fries and a Diet Coca Cola.” She threw me a wink before walking away with a tray of empty glasses, and I turned to see the man, and neighbor I reminded myself, that I met at the beach a month ago sitting at an umbrella table watching Korie as she walked away.

His gaze left her landing on me, and I hesitated when he smiled at me before I slowly approached his table. My sweaty fingers nervously grasped at the hem of my work shirt pulling it down as if that would disguise my growing belly. There wasn’t enough of a bump yet that I looked obviously pregnant, but he had seen me before and it was possible he would remember me and notice I had grown bigger around my middle in the past month.
“Aloha, welcome to Rebecca’s Café,” I recited the standard greeting that Korie taught me. She had rolled her eyes and complained about how cheesy it was but that Rebecca was a stickler for the rules, so we had to greet all of our customers that way. “My name is Bay, and I’ll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?”

“Hey, stranger.” The corners of his mouth lifted into a charming smile that would make most girls blush. As if confirming my thoughts, hushed giggles rose from the table of teen girls who whispered behind their hands to each other and glanced his way. “I didn’t know you worked here.” The way he said it, sounding pleasantly surprised, he must eat at the café on a regular basis.

“Yeah, I started waitressing at Rebecca’s about a month ago now. Do you come here often?” I wanted to cringe at the way I must sound. As if I had asked the question out of anything more than politeness and a simple curiosity that even I didn’t quite understand. My teeth snagged on my bottom lip, a nervous habit, and Ryan’s eyes lowered from my own catching the movement. A twang of some long-forgotten emotion shot through me at the sight of it.
“Not as often as I used to. I let myself have one cheat meal a week, and I used to spend that meal here.” Ryan scratched absently at the back of his neck. Then continued on without going into any further explanation. “But I might have to start coming back now that I know you work here.”
“Oh.” I eyed him warily, and an embarrassed blush heated my cheeks. I hoped it was hot enough outside that I was already flushed making it unnoticeable.

“Listen,” he ran his hands through his already wind tousled hair and huffed a breath as if buying himself time to figure out what he would say next. “I know we don’t know each other that well, but-” I froze, unsure of where this conversation was headed. Ryan opened his mouth and met my slightly widened eyes when a boisterous, feminine voice interrupted from behind me.
“Hey, Ryan! Long time, no see.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as his eyes shifted from mine to the redhead who appeared at my shoulder. “Hey, KK! How have you been? It’s been awhile.” I quirked my brow at the pet name but continued to observe my co-worker/newfound best friend and my neighbor chat in silence.
“I’m good, just same old, same old. I see you’ve met my new bestie. Bay, this is Ryan. We went to school together, and now I only see him when he’s craving our famous surf burgers and sea salt fries,” she replied flippantly with a teasing edge to her voice.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. “What can I say? I’m addicted. No place has better burgers than Rebecca’s.” His gaze flicked from Korie to me and back again. “New bestie, huh? Small world.”
“What do you mean?” Korie asked quizzically looking from Ryan to me.
“We met on the beach when I first moved here,” I answered finally speaking up. “I tripped during my morning run, and he helped me up. Ryan and I are next door neighbors actually.”
“Really.” Korie’s too observant gaze rested on me, glancing just one between the two of us before landing on me again. “Why didn’t you mention that before?” Ryan raised his brows and leaned forward resting his elbows on the table top.
I shrugged my shoulders ignoring the deflated look I saw on Ryan’s face out of the corner of my eye after I answered her. “I honestly didn’t think it was anything worth mentioning.”
“Ouch.” Ryan half-heartedly laughed it off, and a pinch of guilt settled in my gut.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that I didn’t think it was a big deal or anything- or anything that anyone would even want to know.” I snapped my mouth shut with embarrassment, chewing on my bottom lip. “This isn’t coming out right.”

“It’s okay. I get it.”
His words were more understanding than I would have expected, a kindness in his honey gold eyes that made me want to squirm and put me on edge. It was a little annoying honestly, how genuinely nice he seemed. The guilt I had felt disappeared as if it had evaporated in the island heat. Korie looked between the two of us watching our exchange with amused scrutiny. There was a look in her eyes as she watched us that I didn’t like, and a knowing curve of her lips made me uneasy. “Interesting,” was all she said.
I didn’t fully look at him as I spoke and turned to leave. “I’ll go get you that surf burger and a Diet Coca Cola.”
“How do you know that’s what I want to order?” He asked forcing me to stop.

My back stiffened, and I reluctantly met his gaze. “Isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“No problem,” he grinned.
“Right,” I sighed and walked toward the kitchen without a backward glance.
I put in Ryan’s order and covered my face with my hands trying to collect the remaining pieces of my dignity. Why had I let him get under my skin so easily? I barely knew the guy, and here I was completely frazzled by his effortless smiles and carefree good looks. All men are trouble, I reminded myself. The reason I was here in the predicament I am in the first place is because of a man, and that is something I can never let myself forget. Dropping my hands from my face, I turned to see Korie approaching me quickly with a determination on her face I had no hope of avoiding.

“Well, that was entertaining.”
“I didn’t think it was all that interesting.” I shrugged hoping I could convince her there wasn’t anything more to it. But nothing was ever that easy with Korie.
“Uh uh. I’m not buying it, so you can give up the pretend act right now, B. There was so much heat between you two that it put this ungodly island weather to shame.” Korie fanned herself dramatically with one hand.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I responded as nonchalantly as I could while staring at my feet.
“Of course you don’t.” I looked up in time to see Korie rolling her eyes. “So tell me the real reason why you haven’t mentioned meeting Ryan before now, hmm? Because I definitely think that meeting a hot guy on the beach is something best friends would talk about.” Heat that had nothing to do with the weather warmed my cheeks.

“You think he’s hot?”
“Um, am I blind?! Yeah, girl! He is smoking hot, and he is obviously into you.”
“You think so?”
“I’m not blind, but you must be if you can’t see it,” Korie groaned completely unaware that my question hadn’t been one of a girl wanting to know if the guy she liked liked her back. But that it was spoken out of fear of a man paying that much attention to her. The last man that had given me any attention like that… I shuddered.
Korie continued to talk without stopping for a breath. “I’ve known Ryan since we were in middle school, and he is the nicest guy I know. He’s hot, but like, not like those guys who know they’re hot so they act like total douchebags. Ryan’s a good guy, so as your official bestie, I give you my blessing. I can even give him your number for you if you want me to.”
“No!” I gasped, and Korie looked at me with confusion. Inhaling through my nose, I tried to keep my voice calm. “No, Korie. Please don’t. I’m just not ready to date anyone right now, not in my… condition. It wouldn’t be fair to him or me.”
“Oh, right. That.” Korie glanced at the slight roundness of my belly. “That could be a problem.”
“No kidding,” I gave her a small smile.
She bit her lip as if trying to stop the words from coming out of her mouth, but if there was one thing I had learned about Korie in the past month of our friendship, it was that she always spoke what was on her mind. Which wasn’t always a good thing. “Maybe it wouldn’t be such a problem if he got to know you better. Ryan doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would care about something like this. If he really cared about you, nothing else would matter.”

I silently reminded myself that Korie meant well, in her own way. “It’s just not what I want right now, Korie. I don’t need any extra drama in my life.”
“Okay, I hear you loud and clear.” Korie raised her hands in surrender. “No boys.” She glanced over her shoulder and stepped away. “After your little- chat? Whatever it was- I’ll take this to Ryan. Save you another sexually charged confrontation,” she offered picking up Ryan’s order from the counter.
I made an incredulous noise and watched as Korie took the meal to his table. They spoke for a couple of minutes before she moved on to the table of teens who by now were needing more refills. What Korie said about Ryan being interested in me floated unwelcome into my thoughts. Could she be right? It did seem like he was about to ask me something, though what I wasn’t sure of, before Korie had thankfully interrupted. It had been so long since anyone had been interested in me… No, that’s not true. It had been so long since I had let myself notice that anyone was interested out of pure fear of what Caleb would do if he saw me with anyone else, even platonically. How he would react.
I didn’t realize I was staring until Ryan looked up from his meal and caught me looking at him. An amused grin tugged his lips upward, and my breath caught in my throat. Again, I was reminded of just how handsome he was. But I had already made the mistake once of letting a man fool me with his charm and good looks. I knew better now, and I knew if I let it, that smile would be the end of me.

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A/N: Alright, so you may have noticed that this chapter is almost a week late. I just wanted to explain why this chapter was a little late. I’ve had this chapter and a few of the future chapters already written, and I had the pictures for this one as well. Just as I was doing my last read through before posting it, I decided I didn’t like it. Like, at all. I really hated the interactions, and it just didn’t feel right to me. So I scrapped the whole thing and rewrote it. Then I had to retake pictures. And I don’t know if anyone noticed, but all of our main characters look different because before I took new pictures, I decided that I needed to tweak my characters appearances. I still have some tweaking to do, but of them all, I think Korie turned out the best. They all look so much better now. The most improved would be Fletcher, who we didn’t get to see in this chapter, but who suffered from major pudding face. Anyway, six days later I’m able to post 1.3 haha. I think this version is a lot better, and now I can start working on taking pictures for 1.4 which I am excited for because Bay is going to have her first breakthrough! I won’t go into anymore detail than that because of spoiler reasons lol. As always, thank you for reading and please let me know what you thought of this chapter in the comments below. ❤

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Paxton Legacy 1.2 – She Knows

My hands gripped the edges of the toilet bowl as I heaved my breakfast into it. It appeared to me that the baby in my womb didn’t like me to eat this early, yet I was practically starving every morning after waking up. Once the sudden wave of nausea had passed, I leaned back to sit on the cool bathroom floor and took a shaky breath wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand. The morning sickness was my only outward symptom of pregnancy, but it wouldn’t be for long. I counted on my fingers trying to remember how long it had been since I had taken that first test and that damning positive symbol had appeared.

Caleb had been remorseful about losing his temper the night before and kissed me gently before leaving for work that morning, and I watched him pull out of the garage and drive out of sight before grabbing the pregnancy test I had hidden where I knew he would never find it. Three minutes later, I was curled up into a ball in the floor of our bathroom and cried until I had no tears left to shed.
There was a slight curve forming where once had been a perfectly flat, toned belly. Not enough of a curve that anyone would notice it but me. My hand paused on the bump, and I ran my fingers over it gently. I needed to see a doctor. I knew that much for sure. Before coming to Isla Paradiso, I had been too scared to seek out a doctor’s help afraid that they might call home and reveal the pregnancy. I shuddered at the thought of him knowing about our child, and what he might have done once he found out.

I pushed off the floor standing up to look at my pale reflection in the mirror. Despite the nausea still churning in my stomach, I brushed my teeth and started to get ready for my first day of work at the café. The warm water surged from the shower head running down my body in rivulets, and I bathed quickly since I was already running late thanks to my abrupt onset of sickness. Korie, the waitress who helped me get the job at the café, had brought over a uniform last night after her shift using the address I put on the paper application. Her unusually friendly personality made me wary, but the man who helped me on the beach a week ago, Ryan, had seemed too friendly also. I mentally chided myself for being suspicious of everyone I met, for creating monsters out of nothing.
Locking the front door behind me, I began the short walk to my new place of employment. I couldn’t afford the cost of a taxi at the moment, so without a car or bicycle, I would be hoofing it until I had the money to purchase transportation. Friendly or not, I kept my head on a swivel watching the locals who waved or gave me inquisitive looks wondering who the new arrival might be, searching for the face that followed me everywhere I went. Thankfully, no one approached and I made it to the café without being stopped to answer any prying questions about my personal life.
A large sign with a vibrant cartoon of a parrot and Rebecca’s Café written in cursive adorned the empty outdoor restaurant. It was a cute place, and I had a feeling I might enjoy working there. There weren’t any customers yet since the café wouldn’t open for another hour, but I spotted Korie almost immediately talking animatedly to a man with shaggy blond hair. A heavily tattooed woman with dark colored skin and ebony hair twisted into a green, polka dotted scarf stood behind the bar wiping out glasses, and when she caught my eye, waved me over.

“You must be Bay,” she stated without stopping from what she was doing. “I’m Rebecca, the owner of this café. Korie tells me you have experience waitressing? Where have you worked before here? I didn’t see any previous employers or references listed on your application.”
A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down. Korie didn’t know anything about my time working as a waitress back home. I hadn’t told her about it, so she must have fibbed to this woman to get me the job. Even I wasn’t paranoid enough to think that Korie had actually found out anything about my past. “I waited on tables at a diner back home, but I quit just before the one-year mark of working there. I didn’t list any references because the place no longer exists. It went out of business, and that diner was the only place I’ve ever worked. But I promise that I am a hard-worker, quick learner, and I always show up on time.”

Rebecca nodded accepting my story for what it was as she had no reason to believe it was a lie. Which, of course, it was. It felt like I would be lying to people for the rest of my life to prevent anyone from finding out the truth. Yes, I had worked in a diner as a waitress for almost a year before I was forced to quit. But the diner didn’t just go out of business, it was burned to the ground in a supposed grease fire. Even I didn’t know all the specifics of how the diner caught fire, but I knew it wasn’t an accident.
Caleb had been so furious that day when he left the house, slamming the door behind him hard enough to rattle the windows. Hours passed before he returned, drunk and handsy. He told me I didn’t need to work anymore, that he had taken care of it and would allow me to stay home from now on. When he reached out to pull me into a sloppy kiss, I didn’t resist knowing what the consequences would be if I let him see the disgust I felt towards him. That job was my only reprieve from my husband, and now I had nothing. The next day I read in the news that there had been a grease fire at the diner burning it to ashes with two fatalities. I have no concrete proof, but I know Caleb had something to do with it.

Rebecca’s voice pulled me out of the depths of my memories. “You will be shadowing Korie today. She’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
“Thank you.” I nodded and moved to leave, but Rebecca’s next words froze me in place.
“We will need a copy of your ID before you leave today,” Rebecca looked up from the glass she was cleaning to smile. “No hurry. After your shift come find me, and we will get it taken care of.”
“My ID?” I turned to look at her with wide eyes, and my voice was barely louder than a whisper.
She nodded. “You know, like a driver’s license or your social security card would work fine, too.”

“Of-of course.” I descended the steps from the bar, and a welcome breeze fluttered against my skin helping with the sweat beading on my brow that had nothing to do with the rising temperature of the day and everything to do with the panic clutching at my chest. My breaths came shallowly, and I closed my eyes tight against the crushing despair I felt. Everything was hopeless. I couldn’t give Rebecca an ID because I didn’t have one I could give her. The name I had given her wasn’t my real name, and if anyone were to find out I was lying about who I really was it wouldn’t be long before the whispering began. And if those whispers went further than this oceanside town, he would know exactly where to find me. I would have to quit and leave town. To protect myself and my unborn baby.
A hand landed on my shoulder gently, and I flinched opening my eyes to see Korie standing in front of me with a worried look on her face. “Are you okay? You’re crying.”
Hastily wiping the tears from my face, I nodded. “I’m fine.”
“You know,” she said softly with a smile. “I can tell that there’s something you aren’t telling me. I’m good at reading people, remember? You don’t have to tell me why you are upset, but just know that I am here if you ever need someone to talk to.”
It was a nice gesture. An offer I would love to take her up on, but I just couldn’t. “Thanks, Korie. I’m okay.”
By the look on her face, I knew she didn’t believe me, but she let it go anyway. “Well, as long as you are okay, I’d like to introduce you to our co-worker and my bestie since we were in diapers. Fletch, come here!”

Korie waved over the blond man who she was speaking to when I first arrived, and he ambled over to where we stood. His hair was disheveled in a purposeful way, and he had sage green eyes that looked at me now with friendly curiosity. I almost wanted to smile because he reminded me of the stereotypical guy you would see surfing on the beach. Like the poster child for a sun and surf magazine. “Bay, this is my old bestie Fletcher. Fletch, this is my new bestie Bay.” Korie grabbed my hand excitedly and leaned in close to wink at me. Close enough that I could smell her perfume. Vanilla and lavender. My stomach turned at the scent of it. “You better get used to seeing each other ’cause we are going to be inseparable!”
“Ignore her.” Fletcher grinned. “Korie doesn’t understand the meaning of boundaries.”
I smiled back timidly. “I’m beginning to realize that.”

Korie smacked Fletcher in the arm playfully, and they began to banter back and forth like an old married couple. I looked between these two strangers who had immediately accepted me into their lives, and an ache developed in my chest. Friends were something I hadn’t had in a long time, and it was something I realized in that moment that I wanted desperately. It was amusing to watch them tease each other oblivious to my inner turmoil. This closeness was what I wanted. Someone I could talk to and share my problems with. Having sleepovers, going to movies, and spending days on the beach without a care in the world. But as much as I wanted to open myself up to the two friends standing in front of me, I knew in my heart things could never be that way for us. Because I had secrets I wasn’t able to share with them. If we became friends, they would want to know more about me and about my life before. Things I couldn’t share with them. And secrets destroyed everything. Even the strongest of friendships.

Korie was looking at me with concern again, and I realized she and Fletcher had stopped picking on one another and were now focused entirely on me. “Sorry?” I asked snapping out of my thoughts.
“You look really pale. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”
“I-I think I’m going to be sick,” I murmured. My gut churned, and I felt the contents of my stomach bubbling and rising. I bolted for the bathroom, but settled for the bushes when it became obvious I wasn’t going to make it that far. Heaving and shaking, I felt gentle hands brush the hair back from my face keeping it from getting soiled. Once I was finished, I felt the pair of hands release their hold on my hair, and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand turning to see Korie watching me with sympathy. Fletcher was nowhere in sight, and I felt momentary relief that he hadn’t seen me vomit. “Thank you,” I muttered and brushed the dampness from my eyes.

She waved a hand in the air. “Don’t thank me. That’s what friends are for, girl. But if you’re sick you shouldn’t have come in today. Go home and come back tomorrow when you are feeling better.”
The words spilled from my lips before I thought about the implications of them. “No, it’s fine. I don’t need to go home. I get sick like this every morning, but it usually passes by noon.”
“You get sick like this on a daily basis?” The gravity of what I had said sank in, and I met Korie’s puzzled gaze. I felt my eyes widen and opened my mouth trying and failing to think of anything to say to fix my mistake. Stupid. I was so incredibly stupid. If only it were possible to grab the words out of the air and shove them back into my mouth as if I had never spoke them. But it was too late for that. They were out there in the open hanging between us like a hangman’s noose. I silently prayed she wouldn’t figure it out. Her gaze changed from confused to searching, and I swear I could see the pieces clicking into place behind her eyes. She lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “Bay, I think you might be pregnant.”

I blinked stunned by her casual and utterly correct assumption. There it was. My secret now hung in the balance, and my fate lay in the hands of a small-town café waitress. A complete stranger who had no reason to keep it. If she wanted to, she could tell everyone in Isla Paradiso exposing my secret and being responsible for the newest hottest gossip. Then people would really begin to ask questions. “How did you know?” My voice was barely a whisper and tears threatened to spill down my cheeks.
“Throwing up every morning is usually a good sign. Plus, the tears. I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on.” She continued to speak quietly, and for that at least I was thankful. But my body tensed waiting for the moment that she would declare my secret to the world. “And based on your reaction, I’d say you already know it too.”
All I could do was nod in response.
“No one was supposed to know about this, were they?”
I shook my head, and she took a deep breath. “I think you need to tell me what’s going on.”

•  •  •  •  •

A/N: Hi guys! So I think I’ve landed on a posting schedule that is realistic for me. I am making it my goal to post a new chapter on the second Sunday of every month for the time being. If I can start to post more often than that in the future, great. But for now, once a month is what I have time for. I’m sorry if that doesn’t sound like much. I realize that means I will only be posting approximately 12 chapters in a year unless I can pick up the pace, but I hope you can all continue to bear with me. I really, really love this community, and I hate that I have had to take such a big step back from writing, reading, and commenting on your stories the way I used to. Just know that I appreciate all of you who take time out of your days to read what I post and for all the work you put into your own stories that I get to enjoy whenever I can steal some time for myself. Thank you all for reading, and since I most likely won’t be posting again until January 13th, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Paxton Legacy 1.1 – Running

Darkness closed in suffocating me like someone had thrown a heavy blanket over my face and was holding it there without any hope of escaping it. I could feel it pressing against my throat. Cutting off my air. I thrashed and clawed at the fingers digging into my skin, squeezing the life out of me, and stared into those unforgettable dark brown eyes that shone with sickening pleasure at my pain. Eyes that held not a single drop of mercy in them. The color of his eyes shifted from dark murky brown to a bottomless pool of black, and he kissed me roughly. He broke contact and whispered into my ear with a husky, dangerous tone. A threat. A promise.
“You can’t hide from me forever. I will find you.”

Gasping for air, I sat up straight in the bed bringing my hands to my throat only to realize it was all a dream. I took several deep steadying breaths while surveying the room. I was alone. My entire body felt stiff, on edge as if waiting for the attacker in my nightmare to appear out of thin air. Climbing out of bed, I quickly dressed and pulled on my running shoes. There was one thing that always seemed to calm my nerves, and a run would give me the chance to check out the surrounding areas of my new home.

It was quiet on the beach aside from the hushed sound of the waves lapping at the sand and the occasional call of a hungry seagull searching for its next meal. At this early hour, locals and tourists alike were most likely still asleep in their beds or just now waking to go to work, school, or whatever else there was to do in a place like this. I preferred the emptiness of the beach and not having to worry about running into anyone who might ask questions. Being alone gave me time to think, and if I was truly being honest with myself, memorize the area in case of emergency.
I nimbly stretched to release some of the built-up tension in my muscles then ran my fingers through my hair braiding it away from my face and fastened it in a loose bun with an elastic hair band before beginning at a steady pace. Going for a run in the early morning always put my mind at ease especially after a difficult night. It was my only escape before I came here, and now it had become habit. Last night couldn’t even be considered difficult compared to the nights I’ve had in the past, but my nightmares still bothered me. A jog was exactly what I needed right now to take my mind off of everything.

The island was the most beautiful place I had ever seen with my own eyes. The water itself was crystal clear and almost glass-like in appearance without speedboats racing by and leaving wake in their path. I inhaled the crisp, salty ocean air letting it wash over me like a cresting wave. Life was everywhere here from the birds gliding gracefully above to the tiny little crabs scurrying from their hiding places in the sand below as I ran past. Everything here was pure bliss, and it actually lifted my spirits a little. This place that teemed with life could be a new beginning for me. A new life in a new town.
Once I had run far enough down the beach that my new residence was a mere speck in the distance, I knew it was time to turn back. As much as I would love to stay out here forever and admire the scenery, I needed to make my way into town and find a job today. The thought of being seen and recognized struck a deep chord of fear within me that I wasn’t able to fully shake, but this was a fear I had to face sooner or later. What little cash I had left wasn’t enough to survive the week, and I felt annoyed with myself for not taking more with me when I left. But had I taken any more money with me than I did, it would have raised too many red flags. No, it was much safer taking small unnoticeable bills the way I did than taking too much at once.

A loud roar erupted from behind ripping me out of my thoughts, and the sudden noise startled me enough to make me trip in a small hole that I would have seen had I not been so distracted. My knee landed hard in the compacted sand, but I ignored the twinge of pain to turn and see where the sound had come from. A middle-aged couple was driving past in their shiny red speedboat and out of sight as fast as it had appeared. I scowled, angry at myself for being too on edge and overreacting.
“Hey, you alright?!”
The man’s voice was familiar, and it froze me in place. I felt like I was thrust into my nightmare from this morning unable to breathe as if some invisible hand had enclosed around my throat right here on the beach. Frightened, I raised my gaze in the direction the voice had come from and let out a shaky sigh of relief. It wasn’t him.

“Are you alright?” the man asked again concern in his voice as he jogged over stopping where I kneeled in the sand, but he hid an amused smile behind one hand. “I saw you trip when that speedboat drove by. They can be obnoxiously loud sometimes, but you’ll get used to the sound.” When I didn’t respond, he continued to talk unperturbed. “You must be new around here. Either a tourist or just moved. My guess is just moved. Most of the tourists don’t come to this beach, they tend to frequent the larger beaches with more activity. This place is pretty quiet since only the people who own properties around here spend any time on it. So, do you live around here?” He extended his hand out unaware of how unnerved I was by him.
I pushed past the suspicion creeping its way into my thoughts. Even though their voices were similar, this man obviously wasn’t the same as the one that haunted my dreams. He was just the first of many locals who would be curious of their newest resident, and I knew I would have to answer personal questions sooner or later. I just didn’t expect to be ambushed on the beach.

Inhaling deeply, I forced myself to take his offered hand and allow him to help me to my feet. Once my feet were firmly beneath me, I dropped his hand as if burned by it. “I just moved here. Yesterday, actually. I live there,” I pointed to my little rent house behind him.
He followed my gaze and grinned a lopsided smile. Looking at him, he didn’t appear to be dangerous. He had light brown hair and brown eyes, and judging by his clothes, he was out for a jog same as myself. A part of me couldn’t help but notice that this stranger was handsome with his easy smiles, sun kissed skin, and wind tousled hair, but I ignored that part of me that found him attractive. “That place has been vacant for a while, it’ll be nice to have someone living there again. I live right there in the house next door. Looks like I’m your neighbor. Name’s Ryan Church.”

Ryan held his hand out to me again, and I swallowed nervously taking it. “Bay Paxton.”
“Bay, like the body of water? I like it. It’s different. Much more original than mine.” The smile never left Ryan’s face, and I wondered to myself if it hurt to smile so much. I can’t remember the last time I smiled like that.
“Oh, uh, thank you?”
Ryan glanced up at the sky, and his eyes lit up when the sunlight touched them reminding me of the color of honey. I never realized how beautiful brown eyes could be. A flash of memory, of dark brown eyes turning to black, made a shiver run down my spine despite the rising temperature of the day, and I pulled my hand from his a little too forcefully. He didn’t seem to notice. “I have to go, but it was nice meeting you. Are you sure you’re okay? We can walk back together if you need any help.”
“No,” I blurted. “Really, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.”

“I’ll see you around then?” He asked, and he seemed genuine. But no one could be as nice as this man was pretending to be. I had already learned my lesson once how easily it is for a man to pretend to get what he wants from a woman.
I chose to ignore this question. I had answered enough of them already. “It was nice meeting you, too,” I said instead.
“See you later, Bay,” Ryan called as he jogged off towards his house. I watched him run leisurely into the distance, and the further away he got the more my racing heart slowed. This stranger’s false nice guy act got beneath my skin more than it should have, or rather, the nagging feeling that he wasn’t being false at all. If I had anything to do with it, I would never find out. We would never see each other again.

•   •   •   •   •

Almost a week had passed since my run in with my next-door neighbor on the beach, and during that time I had visited what felt like every place of employment on the island. After this morning’s run and hours spent looking for hiring businesses, my feet were killing me. I had put in plenty of applications, but without a valid ID it was tough finding anyone willing to hire me. My old ID had my legal name on it, so I couldn’t use it at the risk of being tracked down. A few places may have given me a chance, but because when they asked about my situation I wouldn’t give up any further details, they simply said they couldn’t help me and to try somewhere else. I couldn’t blame them really.
There was an outdoor café a couple of streets away from my rent house, and that is where I chose to sit and rest my aching feet. The day was already sweltering hot, and I wished there was even the slightest of breezes to cool me off. A waitress with curvy hips and deep red hair came over to take my order, and I asked for a plain water which she brought over in a glass immediately. Taking a look around the café, I noticed the place was empty save for the wait staff and myself.

“Let me know if you need anything else, okay?” The waitress placed the cold drink on the table in front of me, small beads of condensation already pooling along the bottom of the glass. I nodded, and she gave me a smile before turning to leave. “Wait, actually-” I called out to stop her, “-I’m looking for a job. Do you know of any places around here that are hiring?”
“It’s almost the end of tourist season, so most places aren’t hiring around this time. Not enough business,” she gestured to the vacant tables around us. The disappointment that I felt must have shown on my face because her azure eyes softened. “Actually, Rebecca was just telling me this morning that one of the other waitresses quit, so I’m sure she’ll be looking for a replacement for her ASAP. Why don’t I get you an application? You can fill it out and leave it here, and I’ll make sure she gets it.” The waitress flashed me a bright smile and held up her index finger. “I’ll be right back.”

She brought me a paper application with Rebecca’s Café scrolled across the top in a pretty cursive font and a pen, refilled the water glass I had nearly emptied in one gulp, and left me to fill out the form. The pen hovered above the space asking for my driver’s license number, and I left it blank moving on to the next piece of information it asked for. Even though it was pointless to continue, I filled in the rest of the application and left it there with a few crinkled dollar bills for the red-haired waitress. The last of the money I had brought with me, I noticed dismally. I didn’t expect a phone call, and even if they did call me for an interview, it would go much the same way as the others did. Once the hiring manager realized I didn’t have a valid form of ID, that would be the end of it.

Accepting defeat for the day, I started the short trek back home on foot. Tomorrow I would wake up and start again hopefully with a little better luck. Somewhere in this town there had to be someplace that would hire me even without proper identification. I tried to ignore the voice in my head that said I most likely wouldn’t want to work in any place that would hire me without it. Kicking at a pebble along the road to take out my pent-up frustration, I sighed and fought against the despair taking hold in my chest. I didn’t make it very far down the road before a female voice called out to me.

“Bay! Girl, slow down!”
I turned to see the red-haired waitress from the café chasing me down and waving her hand frantically in the air. Her breath came in pants, and I waited patiently while she caught her breath. “I showed your application to Rebecca, she’s the owner of the café, and she asked me to catch you and see if you would like the job.”
The surprise I felt must have shown clearly on my face. “Without an interview?”
She shrugged with a satisfied smile on her lips, “Rebecca hates conducting interviews, and I vouched for you. So, you better not make me look bad.”

“Why would you vouch for me? You don’t even know me.” I asked astonished, but I couldn’t help the relieved smile that touched my lips.
“I’m a really good judge of character. I pride myself on it actually, and I just had this feeling that you and I are going to be good friends. Besides, you can’t be any worse than Simone.” The waitress rolled her eyes at the mention of what I assumed was her former co-worker’s name.
This girl confused me with the way she talked to me as if we were already the best of friends and had been for years. “Thank you, uh-”
“Korie.” She flashed another smile and pointed her finger at me. “I will see you tomorrow at 9 a.m., bestie.”

•   •   •   •   •

A/N: I would like to apologize for the length of time it took me to get this chapter out. Three months have passed by since I posted the teaser for this generation, and my only excuse is that real life crap got the best of me. Just know that I have not and am not abandoning this story. I am still very excited about it and have a lot of ideas and inspiration for it. Finding time to sit down and write, take the pictures I need, and post them has been difficult, but as my 11 month old gets older, it’s becoming easier to find some extra time to do the things I enjoy. I wish I could say that will be a permanent change, but I know it is only temporary until we decide to add a second (and hopefully last) child to our family. (Side note: Hudson is going to be a year old on December 1st! What?! That’s crazy lol.) Thank you guys so much for hanging in there! Y’all are the best. 😊

Generation 1 – Teaser

A/N: I didn’t want this to be the first chapter in Generation One because it’s too short with too little information to be considered a chapter, but neither is it a prologue. So every generation beginning with the first will have a teaser like this one to prepare you for the story. Forewarning, this teaser may confuse you, but you are meant to be a little confused at least for now until more of our founder’s background is revealed in upcoming chapters and flashbacks.

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When I was a child, I was scared of the darkness. I used to hide beneath my blankets screaming for my mother to come hold me tight and ease my fears. Without fail she would come into my room, scoop me up in her arms, and reassure me there was nothing to be afraid of. But she also said that it was okay to be afraid. That everyone is afraid of something. Even the strongest and bravest person I could think of had something that terrified them whether it was a fear of spiders, heights, or the finality of death. It would ease my mind a little, but every night when she turned out the lights my chest would constrict with fear and panic. I would scream, and she would come again and again and again no matter how tired she was. Back then I didn’t realize that my mother had fears of her own. Fears much more real than the darkness of my bedroom.

It wasn’t until she died two years ago that I realized just how deeply they effected her, and I wish more than anything that I could rewind time and pay more attention to what worried her. If I wasn’t so wrapped up in my own descent into hell, maybe I could have learned something from my mother. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t be in the position I am now. I could have learned to be brave like her and stopped things before they got this far. But here we are.

I stared emotionless out the window of the cab barely noticing the breathtaking tropical scenery before me. I was surrounded by warmth and beauty, but inside I still felt cold and empty. Unable to help myself, I glanced out of the rear window and let out a small sigh of relief. Of course no one was following me. I was careful not to leave any traces behind of where I had gone. Where I had run away to. I was safe. But yet… I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that I would never feel safe again. Not after everything that had happened to me in the past few years. Not after him. After what he did.

“Are you okay, honey?” The cab driver asked glancing at me through the rear view mirror with a concerned look.

Quickly wiping at the tears I didn’t realize I was shedding until now, I nodded avoiding her probing gaze. “I’m fine.”

By the look on her face I knew she didn’t believe me, but when I didn’t offer up an explanation she simply nodded and slowed to stop. “Alright. This is it.”

Through the shrubbery and tall swaying palm trees, I could make out a small green house built on a platform in the water with a cheery yellow and white railing along the front deck. The colors reminded me of summer, sun, and happiness, and I allowed myself to hope that this was the first good sign that everything would finally be okay. That I would be okay. I paid the cab driver who smiled and kindly welcomed me to Isla Paradiso. I attempted a smile back, but it felt more like a grimace. As she drove away, I walked down the sloped hill to the beach and my temporary rent home. It was little, but all I could afford given my circumstances. My cash funds were getting low, and I knew soon I would have to brave the town and find some kind of employment. But employment meant questions from nosy, but well-meaning, locals who would want to know my name, where I came from, and what brought me here. Questions with answers that I couldn’t give them. That I wasn’t ready to give to anyone just yet.

The inside of the beach home was just as brightly colored as the exterior, but it did nothing to brighten my mood. It was as if a dark cloud of doom and gloom loomed over my head following me wherever I went. A part of me thought as soon as I left that godforsaken place that the cloud of despair would stay there leaving me in peace, but that was childish and naive of me. Deep down I knew it might never leave. I might never have the peace of mind to stop looking over my shoulder always in fear that he would be there.

Pushing open the sliding glass door leading to the back deck overlooking the ocean, I stepped out into the sunlight letting it warm the chill in my bones. The view was the most stunning thing I had ever seen. Sunlight glittered off the gently moving water like jewels, and locals and tourists alike drove past in shiny speedboats. A man waved at me from his sailboat as he glided by, and I frowned bothered that I had drawn attention to myself all the while hating myself for feeling this way. I couldn’t avoid people forever, and certainly not the attentions of men. Though the thought of any man ever looking at me again sent a rush of cold dread through my veins.

I cast my eyes downward looking at my hands that I had absently placed on the flat plane of my stomach. Soon enough there would be evidence of the darkness I carried with me, and the locals would start to whisper about the strange newcomer who spoke nothing about her former life, without a husband, and the fatherless infant in her womb. How long until the questions started? How long could I hide the fetus growing inside of me at this very moment? I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply trying to drown out the thoughts and worries swirling around in my mind before opening my eyes again with a new determination.

Who I am and where the father of my baby is is no one’s concern but my own. No one needs to know anything about me other than my name. Or rather, the new name I chose before coming here. Bay Paxton.

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