The Chosen

Chapter 1-1

Chapter One

Maybe I should just give up driving. Maybe then, Elizabeth Summers would stop having her nightmares, and she’d never have to watch herself die over and over again.

Elizabeth stared at her car’s key fob in her hand. Will it work?

“I said decaf. This clearly isn’t decaf.” The shrill voice at the counter drew her attention.

“It is, ma’am,” Laura Green, the barista, said while wiping her hands on her dark blue apron.

The woman in a maroon yoga pants and white tank top rolled her eyes. “I know it isn’t. I can taste the difference.”

Laura’s chest rose as she angled her face down. It seemed her favorite barista had had a long day.

“I want to see your—”

“Why don’t you make her another cup and get her one of those gluten-free cookies?” Elizabeth interjected. “On me.”

She had dropped by the café for a slice of cake and another shot of unnecessary caffeine. A decaf would have probably been the better option for her, especially with the nightmares.

Yoga-lady adjusted the shoulder strap holding her mat. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” she said. “I feel like you deserve a treat.” More like needed it.

Yoga-lady scowled and opened her mouth, seemingly ready to make a bigger deal of things.

“And you’ll have to tell me where you got your yoga pants,” Elizabeth continued. “They look so good on you.”

Yoga-lady’s mouth snapped shut.

Laura took the chance to slip away, and Elizabeth asked yoga-lady about her class. They chatted until Laura came back with a fresh cup of coffee and a brown bag. “Here you go.” She handed the things to yoga-lady with a bright smile.

Elizabeth waved as yoga-lady left, then moved forward to pay for the additional purchase.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Laura whispered.

Elizabeth knew she did. This was one of Laura three jobs, and she needed every penny from her jobs to take care of her five younger siblings. Her parents loved having children. They just didn’t like to take care of them.

Elizabeth and Laura were both eighteen, but lived completely different lives.

Elizabeth had every advantage given to her.

But despite all the advantages, she hadn’t achieved anything. She had turned out … ordinary.

She shoved the thoughts from her mind and brought her phone close to the scanner. “I don’t know what the yoga studio is teaching, but it definitely isn’t helping her release stress.”

Laura laughed. “Thanks, Liz.”

“It’s nothing.”

Her family had more than enough money. Elizabeth had a trust fund that would make sure she and her children never had to work a day in their lives. She could write a check for Laura and solve all her problems. It wouldn’t even make a dent in Elizabeth’s accounts, but Laura had adamantly refused.

Don’t you dare, Laura had told her. I can make my own way in life. I’m not looking for a handout.

So, this really was the least Elizabeth could do for her.

They continued chatting while Laura made her coffee. It was already after nine at night. The café had several customers spread across three tables, but there wasn’t anyone else in line.

“Big event coming up?” Laura asked. “You’re here later than usual.”

“Yeah. We have a charity ball coming up on Valentine’s Day.” And today had been one of those days. Everything that could go wrong did.

The venue was flooded with water from a broken pipe. A few of the items on auction had to be pulled, which meant she had to search for new auction listings.

“Are your parents forcing you to marry someone you don’t know?”

“What?” Elizabeth’s parents would never force her to do anything she didn’t want.

“I don’t know. What problems do rich people face?”

Elizabeth glared at her.

“Here.” Laura handed her the coffee. “Decaf.”

She arched a brow.

“You look tired.”

“Haven’t been—”

“Sleeping well.” Laura folded her arms across her chest. “Are you ever going to tell me why?”

Elizabeth shrugged a shoulder.

“Liz.”

“I’m fine.” She flashed her signature sweet smile—one she’d mastered through years of charity balls and company functions. How could she complain about a nightmare when Laura had actual problems to worry about? “Don’t worry.”

Laura held up her finger. “One minute.” Then she disappeared into the back, coming back with a cake box. “Mango cheesecake.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “I only ordered a slice,” she whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear.

“And it’s only half a cake in here.”

She frowned.

“We discard all cakes three days after delivery. Today is the third.” Laura pushed it across the counter. “It’s still good for at least three more days in the fridge. I’ve kept a cake in mine for a week.”

“Are you sure you won’t get into trouble for this? I can pay for it.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “It’s going into the trash anyway.” She leaned forward. “But don’t go around telling anybody.”

Elizabeth grinned. She had a coffee machine at home, but she loved the cheesecakes here. It was just what she needed after a day like this. “Yes, ma’am.”

Laura held her gaze for a moment. “Seriously, Liz. Are you okay?”

No. Elizabeth struggled to keep the smile on her face.

Since turning eighteen, Elizabeth had been plagued with nightmares of a car accident. At first, she’d just pushed it from her mind. But seeing herself die over and over again for six months straight was seriously messing with her head.

“I’m fine.” She jerked her chin toward the counter. “Customer’s waiting.”

Laura nodded. “If you need to talk …”

“I know.” She waved and headed for the door.

For months, Elizabeth had been wondering. Was her nightmare trying to tell her something? Was it a premonition? A warning?

And the man in her nightmares. The man with the light gray eyes. Who was he? Why was a stranger in the car with her?

Elizabeth shook her head. Stop. She was obsessing again, which wouldn’t help.

If you need to talk … Perhaps she should find a therapist. Maybe she had some unconscious trauma that was causing her nightmare.

Elizabeth almost laughed aloud. Hidden trauma. What hidden trauma could she have? She’d been sheltered her whole life. She hadn’t been abused, hadn’t been lacking.

She skidded to a stop when a man cut in front of her as he exited the café.

Elizabeth glanced up at him.

Their gaze met.

Those gray eyes.

Scenes of her nightmare flashed across her mind.

She could hear herself screaming as her car flipped.

The man with the light gray eyes, the shade of clouds right before a storm, was right next to her in the car. He would reach out for her. He always did.

But he never reached her.

She was always thrown from the car.

Elizabeth tightened her grip on her coffee cup. She felt her heart drop as if she was on a rollercoaster ride. She knew what was coming next, but she couldn’t stop the fear from overwhelming her as she saw herself plunge into the icy lake.

A rush of cold wind against her face woke Elizabeth from her trance.

She sucked in a breath and swallowed.

“Liz.”

She whirled around to see Laura. Her brows knitted together, and her gaze swimming with concern. It was the same way her parents had started looking at her.

“Are you okay?” she asked and picked up the cake box Elizabeth dropped.

That man is the key.

Elizabeth turned, but the man was gone.

“Liz.”

“Sorry, Laura, but I’ve got to go.” Elizabeth pushed opened the glass door and ran out of the café.

She took two steps to the left, then turned abruptly to search the other end of the street. “Ah!” she screamed as hot coffee spilled over her hand and onto the man she’d slammed into.