Take Me Away (Everly Place Book 1) Read online

  by Rachel Kirwin

  Copyright © 2019 Rachel Kirwin

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the copyright owner, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the author.

  For permissions contact: [email protected]

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  www.rachelkirwin.com

  Cover Design by Rebeca Covers

  Book Design by Kelsey Clayton

  ISBN: 9781070323619

  Acknowledgement

  For my husband, my number one supporter.

  Thank you for believing in me on this journey.

  I love you.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty One

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Chapter Thirty Six

  About the Author

  PLAYLISTS

  Iris

  1. "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves

  2. "Water under the Bridge" by Adele

  3. "Keep it to yourself" by Kacey Musgraves

  4. "Miss me more" by Kelsea Ballerini

  5. "Speechless" by Dan & Shay

  6. "Girl" by Maureen Morris

  7. "Small town boy" by Dustin Lynch

  8. "7 rings" by Ariana Grande

  9. "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

  Clay

  1. "Red Ragtop" by Tim McGraw

  2. "Whiskey glasses" by Morgan Wallen

  3. "Round here buzz" by Eric Church

  4. "Hurricane" by Luke Combs

  5. "Girls like you" by Adam Levine

  6. "Chlorine" by Twenty One Pilots

  7. "High Hopes" by Panic at the disco

  8. "A reason to fight" by Disturbed

  "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."

  Margaret Mead

  Chapter One

  Do you ever feel like you don't belong? Not in school or in your family, but in the universe?

  I've lived my life inside my books, inside my house, inside this small, pacific town and it's all I've ever known. It's not that I don't have dreams—I do. I have big dreams, but there is a difference between having a dream and a goal. I know that there is more to life, but I don't feel like life would welcome me anywhere else.

  I graduate high school in one week, and while I can't wait to get out because I don't fit in, I can't help but wonder if I will always be stuck in this in-between.

  Sitting on my bed, I look out my window and see the oak I planted when I was five years old that sets between my house and the farm. I remember watching it day after day and becoming so discouraged when it didn't grow. Eventually, I stopped paying attention to it, and it grew. Now it is this big beautiful tree with so many branches and leaves. I wonder if I stop thinking so much about growing up and my future if it will just happen. One day at a time, the way it's meant to be.

  "Iris, your sisters will be arriving soon," I hear Dad yell from downstairs.

  "Be down in a minute," I yell back.

  My sisters are embracing this growing up thing better than I am. I'm so excited for Lily and Rose to come home for the summer; I can't wait to hear all about their last semester at college. I'm also looking forward to having more help around the house. Since Lily and Rose left, it’s just been me and my dad. He works almost every day at the farm and I spend my days helping around the house and cooking.

  Growing up in the small town of Leavenworth hasn't been extremely hard, but it also hasn't been easy. I can't complain too much because I grew up with parents who love me and two wonderful sisters. I have a couple “friends,” if that's what you call them, but I have never really connected with anyone. Except Clay, but time changes people. I can only hope someday that time changes me.

  "Iris!" Dad yells again. I throw down my pen on top of my notebook and jump off my twin-sized bed, giving myself a glance in the oval-shaped mirror overtop my vanity to make sure I look decent when my sisters arrive. I run my fingers through my hair, snagging them on a long blonde snarl and put on some lip balm before making my way downstairs.

  "Dad, it smells great. I'm sorry, I lost track of time; I planned to make dinner." I walk over to the stove and lift the lid on a pan to see chicken and rice simmering. I inhale the delightful smell and put the lid back on.

  "I thought you fell asleep." He kisses my forehead and the stubble on his chin prickles my skin.

  "No, I was just reading," I lie, making my way to the refrigerator and pulling out the apple pie I baked this morning.

  "And what book is it today?" he asks as he lifts the lid to stir our dinner.

  "I'm actually reading Little Women again."

  It's sad I connect to novel characters more than real human beings. My dad says I am a dreamer. I like to think I'm more of a realist.

  "Have you been doing any writing lately?" he asks as he grabs a stack of plates from the cupboard. I help set the table with our old floral print china we’ve had since I was born.

  "A little bit, here and there."

  Books have always been my passion, but writing is what keeps me sane. There is something about the way you can escape into a novel and forget about the reality around you, but writing takes it to another level, because you can create the escape. You can go anywhere you want and be whatever you want to be without worrying about everyone else and what they may think.

  "Iris, did you hear me?"

  "I'm sorry, what did you say?" I lift my head to face him.

  "I said the Kellers invited us over for dinner next Saturday. I ran into Mrs. Keller this morning at the bank. Clay and Luke came home from college yesterday; she thought it would be nice if we all got together."

  "Daddy, please, no. You know that I can't stand those boys." The thought of them instantly makes my heart race.

  "It's just dinner. Can you make an exception?"

  I drop back down into the wooden chair with a sigh.

  Growing up, the Kellers were our neighbors, and we spent our childhood fighting back and forth with those boys. They would always tease me and intentionally try to make me feel like I didn't belong. They picked at Lily and Rose, too, but not like they did me. Clay was my friend when he wanted to be and for that I was grateful, but as soon as his brother would notice us playing together, he would ditch me, no matter what we
were doing.

  I remember one particular Keller number with special distinction. I was eleven, we were all at the lake near our house, and—like a typical day—they were making fun of me for reading. Everyone was swimming and having fun, except me; my face was stuck in To Kill a Mockingbird. Clay, just a year older, came and sat beside me.

  "I really like your dress. You look really pretty today."

  My face felt warm and I knew I was blushing. "Thank you, my mom made it."

  A boy had never given me a compliment before—except my dad, of course. It was in that moment my childhood crush on Clay took root. I looked at him in a different way. My stomach did flips, and I swear there were butterflies inside.

  Just as I was about to close my book, I looked up at Clay and noticed his eyes were closed; his face was moving closer and closer to mine; my heart may have even stopped in this second. I shut my eyes, realizing that I was on the verge of my first kiss.

  And that's when he stuck a toad on my head. Everyone started laughing, even my sisters.

  "Knock it off, you guys, just leave her alone," Lily told them as she continued to swim, ignoring the tears in my eyes.

  I ran as fast I could down the trail and back towards my house with my arms wrapped around my book—tears were falling, now, and next thing I knew, I was tripping over a big branch and hurling to the ground, scraping my knees pretty bad.

  I looked up, and there was Clay with his hand extended. I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up and into him and he kissed me. Not just any kiss— the best kiss. I still remember the warmth of his lips and the way my stomach really did have butterflies in it.

  Then he turned and walked away, and I was OK with that. I turned and headed home with the biggest smile on my face, completely oblivious to the blood running down my leg.

  After that day, things were awkward with me and Clay. I felt like he was purposely trying to avoid me. I sort of missed having him as a part-time friend, and there were days I wished the kiss had never happened, and other days I wanted it to happen again.

  Two weeks later, Mr. Keller was voted in as mayor of Leavenworth, and they moved to the other side of town. Even if it was only ten minutes away, it felt like more.

  The day the trucks came and moved their stuff, I sat at my bedroom window and watched. Clay looked up and smiled and I felt that smile in my soul. It felt like a small part of my heart was going with them. I had never liked a boy before. I wasn't sure if it was the crush I had on Clay or the change taking place that hurt me the most.

  The sound of a honking horn startles me, and I jump out of the chair.

  "They're here!" I throw my hands up in the air and run out the door barefoot.

  Lily and Rose just finished their second year at Bellevue. College has really been good for them. We all grew up pretty sheltered, myself more-so, and you could tell even by their appearances that my sisters had thrived while away. Lily and Rose are twins—you can't tell by looking at them, but you can tell by the way they act. They do everything together, so much so it is sometimes as if they are one person.

  I run to the car and Lily opens the door and I jump into her arms. Rose joins us and we hug for what feels like minutes. Dad makes his way to the middle of the driveway where they parked their old white Honda Civic.

  "My girls, all together again." He wraps his arms around all of us. I missed this, I think to myself.

  After our reunion in the driveway, we carry in the twins’ bags and throw them in a pile in the living room so we can go have dinner.

  "There's a bonfire at the lake tonight,” Lily says across the table, hunkered over our old family china, taking a bite of chicken and rice. “You should come?"

  "Are you talking to me?" I ask, pointing at myself and then looking at Rose, hoping the statement was directed to her. But she was looking right at me.

  "Yes, you. We haven't seen you since Easter. I'd like to spend some time with my little sister."

  "I don't know, maybe." I shrug. The idea of a bonfire doesn't excite me at all, but I do want to spend time with my sisters, too. "Maybe I can go for an hour. I have to work after church tomorrow."

  I've recently started waiting tables at the diner on Sunday afternoons. I'm trying to save enough money to buy my own car. Not that I have anywhere to go, but it would be nice to have something that is all mine.

  "Clay and Luke will be there. We ran into Clay at the gas station before we got here. He asked about you."

  "Me?" I point to myself again in confusion. "Why would Clay Keller ask about me?"

  Clay hasn't even noticed my existence since the end of last summer. It was the day before he left for college at Washington State; I was walking to the lake to write a little, and he was texting while he walked in the opposite direction, and he walked right into me, dropping his phone. I leaned down and picked it up and read the words I love you across the screen. I assume it was to his girlfriend. He was dating Lexi that whole summer and I would often see them around, but we never talked. A smile here and there; that's about it. He didn't know, but I watched him from afar.

  When I handed Clay back his phone, he made a little joke about my books and told me that I should really wear shoes when I walk on the trail because there was glass in spots from all the summer partying. And that was all. He was with his family at church over Christmas break, but he didn't see me. I saw him, though.

  "He just asked how you were doing and said to tell you hi," Lily informs me casually, like it's no big deal.

  It's not, really, to her. This is a small town, granted; everyone knows everyone. But why would Clay Keller bring up my name?

  My stomach does a little flip, and those butterflies I felt six years ago return.

  Chapter Two

  After we finish eating dessert and hear all about the twins’ last semester of college, we clean up the kitchen, and I go to my room to lie down for a while.

  I can't shake the rush of Clay asking about me. I know I'm thinking too much into it, but it makes me happy to know he hasn't completely forgotten about me. Somehow, I push the thoughts to the back of my head and decide to get ready for the fire tonight.

  Even though it’s almost summer, the nights still get chilly in Leavenworth, so I grab a pair of jeans from my dresser and pull on the blue and gray Bellevue College hoodie Rose got me for Christmas last year. Sitting at my vanity, I throw my hair into a ponytail and call it good. Rose peeks around my door.

  "Almost ready?" she checks, holding onto the threshold.

  I take in a deep breath and my head is telling me no; my nerves are at an all-time high.

  I say: Yep.

  "Can I do your makeup?" This she asks with a smile on her face.

  I shake my head. "No, no, absolutely not."

  "Oh, come on,” Rose begs. “You won't even notice it."

  "Not happening."

  Makeup is foreign to me. I haven't put anything except lotion on my face since I was a little girl and that was just playing around with Mom’s makeup.

  "Fine," I hear her yell as she exits my bedroom.

  Downstairs, Dad gives me a lecture about making good choices and drinking. I don't know why he bothers; I don't even drink. (Last fall, after a football game, I went to a party with Amber and had my first drink of beer. It was disgusting. I spat it out and have no interest in trying it again.)

  "You have nothing to worry about," I assure him, and sit on the couch to wait for Lily and Rose.

  My dad and my sisters have always treated me like a little girl. After Mom passed away, Dad became more protective, and his rules became stricter. I didn't really do much, in the first place—but I did like to go for my walks down by the lake, sometimes not getting home until after dark. Even this worried Dad. He had just lost the love of his life, and didn't want anything to happen to his daughters.

  I was thirteen when Mom got sick. That whole year is kind of a foggy distant memory that I try not to think about. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever known. Her
heart was so full of love, and she had the voice of angel. When she wasn't taking care of us girls, she was volunteering at school or at church, where she sang in the choir. Everyone loved my mom.

  When I was fourteen, the cancer progressed, and she passed away that spring. Even her funeral was beautiful; the whole town came. I stayed next to her casket during the entire viewing. I made a promise to Mom that we would take care of Dad. He told us a couple years later that he made a promise to her that he would take care of us, and he has. We all look out for each other.

  "OK, let's rock and roll,” says Rose when she and Lily finally come into the living room. I slip on my plain flip-flops and walk out the door.

  Lily drives, which is probably best, because I imagine Rose will be drinking; she's always been the more carefree one of the bunch. Sitting in the back seat, I can't help but think about how different we all are. I'm the most reserved one—plain and blonde and, as you know, I don't like change at all. The twins are both brunettes, growing and maturing before my very eyes. Lily is very smart—she’s more outgoing than I am, but not as much as Rose. Rose is drop-dead gorgeous and she knows it. Her confidence gives her a very loud personality, you could say. Our differences definitely show.

  "Do you have any plans for the summer?" Rose asks me from the passenger seat.

  "Just working at the diner. I think I may pick up a couple days after graduation. I want to save up for a car."

  "And maybe a cell phone? So we can text you and keep updated on your life when we are gone." Lily looks at me in the rearview mirror. She’s right; it probably is about time I get a cell phone, but I don't feel like I have much use for it.

  "What life?" I chuckle at her.

  "Oh, Iris, eventually you will come out of your shell and you will experience things you never thought possible. Just give it time," she swears with a smile.

  Time is something I don't like to think about. It makes me think about the future, and it's something I avoid like the plague. With time comes change, and with change, you risk loss. Losing the people I love is a fear instilled deep in me. I still haven't even opened the letter from Washington State that is sitting on my dresser. Not that it matters—I'm not going to college this year, anyway. I need to be here for my dad. No one else is.