Purple Rain (The Rain Series Book 2) Read online

  PURPLE RAIN

  TJWest

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and resemblance to persons; living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Purple Rain

  All rights reserved.

  Published by: Rain Publishing

  Copyright © 2015 by Tiffany Salcedo

  Copyright Poem: Purple Rain © 2015 by Joey Salcedo

  Cover art by: Sara Eirew Photography & Design

  Photographed by: Kruse Images & Photography: Models & Boudoir

  Edited by: Kendra Johnson

  Cover model: Justin Smith

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author

  Dedication

  For My Hero, My Inspiration, My Son -

  Joey

  CHAPTERS

  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

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Sandy

  I had to be meticulous, and mindful with who I brought into my life. I couldn’t just invite anyone into it because my son was my number one priority. I was a single mom whose son was only ten, and had High Functioning Autism. My son needs routine, emotional support, a stable life. Anyone who was important to me would meet him. - I haven’t found that person yet. I’m not one to dwell on finding that special man; if he happened to come the next day or when I was in my mid-fifties, then that’s the way my life was meant to be. I didn’t have time for broken promises or anyone who couldn’t handle having my son be a part of their lives. You either wanted all of me or you could walk right back out of my life. That’s just the way I have to deal with things.

  I thought Matt Cooper was the one for me. I was almost ready to introduce him to my son, Joey, when I had felt our relationship was falling through the cracks; his mind was always on someone else, and I finally had to accept that fact and break it off with him. We left on good terms, with no hard feelings. He’s a good friend and great person. I was so happy for him when the love of his life came back. He was now married and had a baby on the way. I couldn’t be more thrilled for him. I really adore his wife, Marty; she’s beautiful, and has such big heart. Matt, Marty and their friends Chuck, Mitch and Amy are regular at Reds - I’m usually the one who waits on their table and pretty much know what everyone likes.

  That’s what I do - I’m a waitress at Reds. It’s located in Del Mar, California. Reds is a brewery/restaurant. It’s pretty upscale if you ask me. We have local bands that come and play - it’s a favorite with the customers. I usually work the outside patio during the week. I now have the weekends off; I finally was able to work it out with the manager, after seven years of working there. Spending more time with Joey was now coming true. Speaking of management, I’m hoping I will get a promotion in the next few weeks. Managing Reds would be a dream come true. I love working there; great employees turned into great friends and the owner, Red, himself is such a sweetheart.

  Unfortunately Red was ready to retire. It won’t be long until his brewery is taken over by his son - the son I’ve never encountered in all these years of working at Reds. I find it so strange that this man has never stepped foot into the place and not once had Red mentioned him. I’m wondering if they were on bad terms? Well, I just pray he’s as sweet as his dad, because I’m counting on getting the managers job. I need the extra income since my rent will be going up soon. I make great tips, but sometimes that is just not enough.

  I was only eighteen when I had Joey. I was three months away from graduating high school when I found out I was pregnant. I hooked up with one of the football jocks, Blaine Sullivan, and made the mistake of giving him my virginity. When I had told him I was pregnant he asked the most unoriginal question: “Are you sure it’s mine?” I should have known he was a jerk. He wanted nothing to do with me or his son. He went away to college on a football scholarship. No child support. I couldn’t afford a lawyer to help get the support, so I had to forget college and get a job. My parents were not being supportive either; they were not on board with me keeping Joey and wanted me to give him up for adoption. They had my life planned out for me, but I was tired of being their puppet and moved away. After two years of being a young mom I left Seattle, came down the coast, and into sunny California.

  My parents weren’t too thrilled that I wanted to start fresh away from home, but I just couldn’t be around them anymore. They expected me to take care of Joey, get a job, and go to college, but I couldn’t do all three. They wouldn’t help me with Joey because I made the decision of keeping him so that left me with no one - after two years I left. I was able to save some money while working to afford a place. I found a two bedroom apartment in Mira Mesa - just having that little space was all I needed.

  I loved coming down to the beach with Joey; every week we took little drives down to La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach and spent hours playing in the sand and water.

  A month went by and I knew I had to find a job. I found a help wanted sign in front of Reds one day; it was a blessing. Red was there when I dropped off my application and hired me. I had Joey with me, which may not have been the best idea, considering I was applying for a job, but Red adored him. He helped me by getting someone to take care of him while I worked. Red was my angel, and promised me that one day I would be able to work my way up to being manager. I am determined to get the position, but I just pray Reds son will see me the way his dad does - I need this more than anything.

  My neighbor, Vivian, has also helped me with Joey. She lives downstairs from us and is a widow. When I first moved into the apartment I thought Vivian wouldn’t accept us because she’s in her early seventies, and wouldn’t appreciate the noise from upstairs. I was so pleased when we had met and she fell in love with Joey - I was so relieved. Vivian is very kind and gentle with Joey; she understands he has special needs and loves spending time with him. Joey seems to enjoy her company as well. She brings a certain calmness to him, which he seems to thrive on - Vivian is another angel brought into my life. Now that my son is in elementary school Vivian helps out by picking him up and bringing him home. She is like the grandmother that Joey has never really had.

  My parents never visit, so Joey doesn’t know them like he should. They call every holiday, and birthday and tell me they are thinking of us, but never make the effort to travel down to see us. They’d rather travel out of the country then cut over to the coast to visit their only grandson - I’m tired of their excuses and have given up trying to make them have a relationship with Joey. It breaks my heart that his grandparents are missing out on such a sweet little boy, and it’s sad that Joey doesn’t speak of them and wonders why they don’t visit - it’s just the way things are, and I can’t worry about such things. My main focu
s is my son and making sure he is happy and taken care of.

  My job doesn’t consist of a typical waitress uniform; I usually wear jeans, black boots, and a red v-neck t-shirt with the logo “Reds” on it. It’s nice to go to work in something comfortable to wear.

  After getting dressed for work, I put my hair up in a ponytail, apply my face with makeup and brush my teeth. I make sure Joey is all ready for school; we go through his daily chart, making sure he has everything he needs for the day and we head to school. We live right across the street from his school, so that makes things very convenient for me as well as Vivian.

  Joey is my big hugger. Usually children with Autism don’t tend to like a lot of touching, but my son is the biggest hugger ever. When I drop him off outside his classroom I wrap my arms around him and tell him how much I love him.

  “I love you too!” Joey replies.

  “Have a great day. Remember to focus, listen, and work hard, okay?”

  He nods his head and says “Mmmhmmm! Okay! I will! Bye!” He turns around and walks into his classroom. My beautiful blonde, blue eyed boy, is the most precious gift. I watch him until the bell rings, then I turn toward back home.

  I was told to come into work early because we are meeting Reds son. Funny thing is, I don’t even know his name - none of us do. I still think it’s strange I haven’t met him yet. I haven’t even seen a picture of him. Well, all will be revealed today, that’s for sure.

  I park in the employee’s parking spaces, behind Reds, and knock on the door leading into the kitchen. One of the cooks lets me in. We say our good mornings and I continue walking toward the dining room. Only a few employees have arrived. I guess I’m a bit early, but I view my good friend Peta, across the way.

  Peta is gorgeous; she’s got long, luscious auburn hair, legs that go up to her throat, while her torso is nice and lean. As I am only five-two, with below shoulder length, brown hair, she ranks me by a good few inches. While I should feel self conscience next to her I really don’t. I always remember that good things come in small packages, and my small package now has bigger curves and a wider torso - curves I never had before getting pregnant.

  I sit next to Peta in one of the booths, as others are scattered around the room.

  “Hey! So any idea who this so called Reds son is?” Peta asked me in a hush tone.

  “Have not a clue.” I responded.

  “Well the suspense is killing me! It’s like waiting for Santa to arrive.”

  I laugh, “Oh my God you’re so funny.”

  “But it’s true! I sooo hate any kind of change, you know that.”

  “Stop worrying, Peta.” I squeeze her hand.

  Peta gets out her phone and starts to text someone. I leave her be and get out my phone as well. I’m not one that likes to sit around and wait for anybody so I check for any incoming messages. Nope. Not one. I’m feeling a bit anxious as well, yet I don’t want to freak Peta out since I’m the most calm one of the two.

  “So I just got this text from that guy, Vincent, from two nights ago? Remember the one who had that cowboy hat on looking like he walked right out of a western magazine? I’m mean this guy was super hot!” Peta reminded me.

  “Oooh yeah, sure, I remember him. He was definitely all cowboy and definitely into you. What does the text say?” Just as Peta was going to show me her text, the front doors to the restaurant open.

  Our manager, Shawn, stepped in first. He said good morning to all of us and went straight for the bar to get a coffee. The door opened again and the first thing I heard in my ear was, “Holy Shit!” from Peta. And she wasn’t saying that for nothing because the person who came through those doors was the sexiest, hottest man I have ever laid eyes on. There were no other words than - “Holy Shit.”

  This man must have been over six feet tall; I’d say a good six-five because he towered over everyone. His build was taken over by muscles - biceps that were bigger than my thighs, and a chest that looked as hard as steel. He had on a black t-shirt that showed every God given lump, and if I had a choice I’d go up to him and rip that shirt in half to just look at his abs. You could also see some tattoos on his upper arm, sneaking from the bottom of his shirt sleeve - that was hot. To top that off, he had on a pair of dark jeans that accented his butt, very nicely, and black boots. He had dark black hair with a tease of gray - it was a messy, sexy look. It was long enough to grab with both hands and hung a little over his ears, yet short enough to the point where it was perfect. His face had that nice two day, no shave, look going on and black eyes to match - my God this man was beautiful.

  My mind was no where near being on track after seeing this GOD. How will I manage working with this ever so gorgeous being? I know I’m not the only one feeling this way; I could hear all the girls whispering - they were just as much distracted and aroused as I was.

  We were in for a real change, that’s for sure.

  Chapter 2

  Quinn Baker

  I never wanted to take over my Pops place. When he told me about retiring he begged me to come back home and take over. I tried talking him out of it, saying I was a bad choice, because I’m a fuckin’ dick. I like working alone. I like my space, and having tons of whiny little waiters and waitresses complaining about this and that is certainly not my idea of a dream career.

  But my Pop needed me and I couldn’t let my old man down - again.

  I really didn’t know shit about running Reds; as a teenager, I did work occasionally, bussing tables, but I never ran a fuckin’ brewery.

  A few weeks prior to taking over for Pop I traveled home so he and his manager, Shawn, could train me; they had Reds closed down for a day just so I could get the feel of things without anyone around - thank fuck ‘cause I was not in the mood to meet his loony bin staff.

  After the training was over Pop and I hung out in his office. He said there was someone he wanted to talk to me about - someone important to him. Her name was Sandy - he needed me to keep an eye on her since he wouldn’t be able to as much anymore. Who the hell was Sandy?

  Pop explained: “Sandy is a special gal. She came in one day lookin’ for a job. She had her baby son on her hip, askin’ for the waitress position. I couldn’t say no to that sweet face of hers and that little bundle she was carryin’. She’s become my best gal in that place and you need to make sure she’s in good hands.”

  I sighed. “Fuck, Pops, she’s sounds like a grown woman who can take care of herself. I don’t wanna be baby sittin’ her and her son.”

  “Now you listen to me boy, I have never asked you for very much in this life, but this one time is very important to me. Do your old man a favor and look after her, ya hear me?”

  “Fuck. Fine, okay Pops, I hear ya.” I grunted. And that was that.

  Now here I am - back home, walkin’ through the doors of Reds. All eyes were on me. Fuck, I hated the attention, but all I could do was put up a front and act like an ass. That’s what I’m good at. I don’t smile. I don’t say good morning. I stand up in front of all the wanderin’ eyes and tell them like it is, “I’m only here for Red. Not for you, not for me, but for Red. My least favorite thing is whining. I don’t wanna hear any whining from anyone if I decide to make changes. You can either work with me or you can walk out those doors, right now.” I said pointing to the front doors. “I don’t play any fuckin’ head games. I do what I wanna do and I say it the way it is. You don’t like it, leave. Any questions?” Of course some little fuckin’ blondie raises her hand.

  “Um. What is your name?” She asks shyly.

  “Quinn.” I immediately say. “Anything else, blondie?” Her eyes open wide and shakes her head no. “Good. All other questions can be handled by Shawn. I’ll be in the office.” I was about to turn towards the office when another chick, one with brown hair and big green eyes decided to chip in a question.

  “Excuse me, Quinn? I’m curious to know if the changes you might make will cost us our jobs, because we have families who depend on what littl
e income we bring home.”

  I stare at this woman - she stares back at me and is waitin’ for my response. If there is one thing that stands out in this green-eyed beauty is she’s got guts. Her voice is confident and she doesn’t lack in speakin’ up for everyone in the room. I see that everyone’s eyes are just as curious and just as worried. But she doesn’t look worried, just concerned. I don’t give her any form of sympathetic response, but this “As of right now, Shorty, not a fuckin’ clue.” Unlike the blonde, this green-eyed beauty had a look of fire in her eyes. She hopped out of the booth, and swayed her ass closer to me; she was petite, but full of sexy curves. I usually don’t go for small women, but this lady was a spitfire - I wanted to pick her up and smother her with my big cock.

  Fuck, she was beautiful.

  “Shorty and blondie? Seriously? You do realize we all have names, right?” She had a scowl on her face and her hands on her full hips; hips I could spread just wide enough so her sweet pussy would land on my tongue. I could feel my dick gettin’ hard just thinkin’ about it.

  “Like I said, I’ll be in the office.” I turn away and leave her standin’ with her mouth wide open. When I turn away I hear all the commotion I caused. I should feel bad, but right now I couldn’t fuckin’ care less. I then hear Shawn take over and things quieted down.

  When I get to my Pops office I sit down and relieve a big gust of air and swipe my hands through my hair. This whole thing was just bullshit. Why my Pops chose me was fuckin’ nuts. It didn’t make sense! He has known my entire life that I hated being tied down to other people and that I liked workin’ alone. Why couldn’t he just sell the damn place to someone who liked this sort of shit? Already, I’m feeling like I can’t breathe.

  Chapter 3

  Sandy

  I couldn’t believe what just happened! Who the hell does this Quinn guy thinks he is? How dare he come in here and insult everyone! Why would Red put his jerk of a son in charge of something that he loved? Quinn, sure as hell, does not love this place. He’s going to ruin the business and then we’re all going to be looking for new jobs.