Miss Trailerhood

by Carina Taylor

  I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a hint of a smile on Wren’s face.

  If Nate wasn’t careful, I’d be climbing all over him when we got back to the trailer. There was nothing sexier than a kind man. He might as well have had a tattoo across his forehead that read Marriage Material.

  “It’s a shame you’ll have to hang out with us tonight,” Nate continued. “I mean, look at Riley. Who would actually want to spend time with her? Ugh.”

  I slammed the brakes on, Nate’s forehead slamming into the windshield.

  “Jokes! I was joking!”

  Wren smiled fully in the back seat. “You’re weird. It’s a miracle you still stand a chance with her.”

  He turned around to face her, still rubbing his forehead as I turned into the trailer park. “You’ll help me keep her, won’t you?”

  “She’s all yours, buddy.”

  Nate turned to me. “Ha! She called me buddy. She likes me, and she said I can keep you, so I like her, too.”

  Now, Wren was doubled over, laughing at Nate’s antics.

  I parked the car in front of our trailer. “Well, guess what? If you want to keep me, you’re going to have to put on some swim trunks.”

  Nate furrowed his brow as he looked at me. “But I thought you said it’s bonfire night...”

  “Technically, it’s Weiner Night.”

  “Should I put on a Speedo instead?” He waggled his eyebrows up and down.

  I smacked him in the chest, and he began wheezing, causing Wren to laugh again.

  “Hey, Wren, have I ever told you about Nate’s full name?”

  A large hand clamped over my mouth.

  “No—tell me! I need something funny.” Wren grinned.

  I bit Nate’s hand. He pulled back with a yelp. “His name is Louis Nathaniel Mercier. You know his sister's name is Nola, right? Sebastian and June are obsessed with all things New Orleans. That’s where Nola came from. As well as Louis, after the St. Louis cathedral. They even got married there!”

  “What? That’s awesome! I can’t wait to meet his parents!”

  “Trust me, they’re going to love to be around you, too.” Nate admitted through his embarrassment. His eyes were glued to the street where trailer park residents were filing down the road in all types of swimwear. Elise was wearing a sarong, complete with her cigarette dangling from her lips. “Do we have to go to Weiner Night?”

  I shut the car off after I pulled into my driveway. “Okay. We’re going to put on our swimsuits. You can get ready and go with us, or you can stay home like a wimp,” I told him sternly.

  He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m going, I’m going. Geez, no one can take a joke tonight. Nobody!” he yelled dramatically as he stepped out of the car. “Oh, what a sad world I live in...”

  His words trailed toward us as he continued speaking in an orator voice as he crossed the street.

  “He’s good stuff, Riley. You have to keep him.” With that, Wren jumped out of the car and jogged inside.

  But what if I wasn’t good enough to keep him?

  Because I wasn’t. Maybe in another couple years we could be something, but right now? This? It couldn’t go anywhere. I was still the same trailer-park girl I was when I’d first met Nate and Nola. Maybe that was something that would never change, in spite of my five-year plan. As a matter of fact, I was on year three, and though I was on track with my plan, I didn’t feel any better about my life. It didn’t make sense.

  But right now, I had other things I needed to worry about—like why my little sister had been so angry, and why her date had been cut short.

  Just as I opened the trailer, Wren came dashing down the steps.

  “Wait, I thought we were going to walk there together!”

  “Marni said she has some new lip stain for me to try. I’ll walk over with her!”

  “But I wanted to talk with—“ I stopped talking because she was already jogging down the street toward Marni’s house.

  “Ouch!” I stubbed my toe as I stepped through the doorway. Hobbling toward the bathroom, I changed into my swimsuit that was still damp from washing the car earlier. I grabbed my selfie stick, my giant beach bag that I had stuffed a couple towels and sweatshirts into, then hobbled to the door.

  My toe was still stinging when I knocked on Nate’s door. He opened it, and I enjoyed the shirtless sight of him.

  “Quit objectifying me.” He pinched my nose—which he knew I hated—and I smacked those delicious abs of his.

  He asked, “Are we going to Weiner Night or not? Where’s Wren? Did you find out what happened?”

  “She’s avoiding me. And trust me, no one is as good at avoiding as Wren is.”

  He shut and locked the front door. I shook my head. “I just can’t even with you.”

  “What? Are you going to mock me again for basic safety precautions?”

  With an exaggerated sigh, I tapped the door with my middle knuckle. “I could kick this door in right now.”

  “No, you couldn’t. It’s dead-bolted.”

  “Hold this; I’ll show you.” I shoved my purse at him, determined to prove a point and show him how ridiculous he was for thinking he could find a modicum of safety in a trailer.

  Instead of taking my purse, he bent down and lifted me in his arms. We were nose to nose as he carried me down the porch steps.

  “Ha ha, hilarious, put me down.”

  We were skin to skin. I could feel his abs against my stomach.

  Instead of putting me down, he lifted me higher until I wrapped my legs around his waist, my giant bag banging awkwardly against both of us.

  “I don’t want to replace a door just because you want to prove me wrong. I believe you when you say it won’t keep people out. But guess what? I want to know if someone’s been in there. I don’t want to be surprised by them.”

  I rested my chin on his shoulder. His walk was steady and sure-footed even though he carried me. “I guess I hadn’t thought of that.”

  He sighed. “You know, sometimes, Riley, people do things that don’t make sense to you. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

  “That’s true,” I whispered, thinking of my own reasons for leaving and not telling anyone. Though, the more I thought about it, the less my fears seemed rational, even in my own mind.

  “I don’t know where we’re going.” Nate’s voice and rumbling chest jarred me from my thoughts.

  “I can walk. We’re going to the empty lot again.”

  “I know you can walk, but this is more fun.” He planted a kiss on my head, and I couldn’t find anything in me to disagree with him.

  He walked around the corner, following the noise level.

  “Oh wow.” He stopped and set me down on my feet. I turned around to see what he was looking at.

  “Welcome to Weiner Night!”

  “You just...you just didn’t do it justice.” His eyes flitted around, taking note of the giant bonfire in the middle of the street, the beer pong, the makeshift hot tub in the back of Dean’s truck, and then, of course, the weiner roasters.

  “Sensory overload.” He shook his head. “Is Nascar Jim wearing a Speedo?”

  I followed his pointing finger. “That would be a yes.”

  “There are people swimming in Dean’s truck.” He rubbed at the crease in his forehead.

  I waited for him to turn around and head home in disgust. Instead, he grabbed my hand and said, “Come on, let’s get in on that weiner-throwing contest.”

  I was in love. “Only if we can be on the same team.”

  “Are you afraid you’ll lose?”

  “I’m afraid I’ll be drying your tears after I mop the floor with you...”

  He planted a kiss on my forehead. “Maybe we should start with the redneck hot tub then.”

  He pulled me through the crowd, and I set down my bag close to the bonfire. We’d be wanting those towels after the hot tub.

  Nate waved and chatted with each person he passed. There was no conde
scension in his voice. Only friendliness. And I was beginning to wonder if he was right. Maybe I had been projecting my own perceptions onto him.

  He really was too good for me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nate

  I’d survived Weiner Night. I’d successfully survived Weiner Night with my girlfriend.

  She didn’t break up with me. She’d been coming around to the idea—I could tell. She’d seemed more comfortable with me last night. Like she’d finally relaxed enough to simply enjoy being there. Enjoy being with me.

  When I checked my social media while drinking coffee, I spotted Riley’s picture of her sandaled feet near the bonfire with a tagline, “Summer nights with good friends.” The photo was strategically taken to where the bonfire was the central focus, and dark blurs consisted of the people. I wondered what her followers would think if they saw the full picture.

  Nascar Jim taking off his shirt. Sam and Elise arguing over beer pong. Johnny trying to get chummy with Gunrunner Gabe. Marni and Dean making out in the middle of everyone. (That lipstick really did last from what I could see.)

  Riley had a hard time turning her mind off and not thinking four steps ahead. While I’d thought she was relaxing at the bonfire, she’d been focused on getting a picture-perfect shot. She didn’t realize that, in thinking ten steps ahead, she was missing out on the life right in front of her. Right now, she was so focused on creating an alternate life, she hadn’t bothered to do any of the things she pretended to do.

  Which was why I’d been especially happy that I was able to talk her into a date again tonight. She’d been hesitant, as if she were trying to summon up her reasons why we wouldn’t work. I used her pause as an assent.

  I needed my sister’s help again. I really needed to drive over and see her in Riverly, but it would be a little difficult to explain what I was doing in Burnside.

  Nate: A) Sushi B) Food carts C) Voodoo Donuts D) Melting Pot.

  Nola: Are we deciding which one we should eat at first when I come to Portland?

  Nate: Noooooo. Which of these is a good casual date option?

  Nola: What kind of car does she drive?

  Nate: Jeep.

  Nola: Voodoo Donuts.

  Nate: You can tell that by the car?

  Nola: No, but I thought it'd be fun to ask.

  Nate: You're the most annoying sister in the world. I hope you're happy with yourself.

  Nola: I am. Besides, no donuts or food carts without me, so unless you're planning on a third wheel...

  Nate: I never understood that saying. Tricycles run wonderfully with a third wheel.

  Nola: And you're fundamentally strange. But I like you.

  Nate: I like you too. I'll save you a donut.

  Nate: P.S. Dad says to tell you he loves you.

  I didn’t want to give Riley time to change her mind, so I hurried over to her trailer and knocked on the door. Wren opened it, looking only mildly annoyed to see me.

  “Why the long face?”

  “I swear, if you make some joke about a horse, I’m going to punch you in the throat,” she promised.

  I grimaced. “Bad day?”

  She sighed before she admitted, “Got stood up by a boy.”

  “Ah, I see.” I walked past Wren so that I could yell in the trailer. I couldn’t see Riley anywhere, so I had to assume she was in the bathroom. “Well, let’s go, kids! We’re eating donuts.”

  “What, me too?” Wren looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

  “Of course you too.”

  “Ew, nooo.” Wren pulled a face. “I’ll stay home. You two have fun.”

  “I don’t think so.” I ruffled the top of her perfectly wavy hair.

  She smacked my hand and narrowed her eyes at me. She looked scarily like Riley in that moment.

  “The donuts at the shop in town are disgusting.”

  I shook my head at her and gave her my crazy eyes. “I didn’t say we were going to eat the donuts at the shop in town, did I?”

  She frowned. “You didn’t?”

  “Almost ready!” Riley called from the bathroom at the back of the trailer.

  “We’re going to Voodoo Donuts in Portland.”

  Wren smiled. “Well, why didn’t you start with that?”

  She grabbed her purse and headed outside. That took a lot less convincing than I thought it would. I would have preferred some more time alone with Riley, but I couldn’t leave Wren behind when her boyfriend had stood her up.

  Riley stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was braided down the side, and she looked summery in a light-orange pantsuit thing. She had on a pair of high heels with lots of straps on them.

  “I like your cork shoes.” Ugh, smooth compliment, Nate. Way to remind her you’re not stuck in middle school.

  “They’re called wedges, but thanks.” She smiled at my discomfort then glanced around. “Where’s Wren?”

  “She’s already in the car.”

  Her eyes softened, and she beamed at me. “Thank you. She’s been really down lately. I’ve been worried. And you actually convinced her to come. How did you manage that?”

  “I mentioned Portland and Voodoo Donuts.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, thank you.” She stopped next to me and tilted her chin toward mine, kissing the corner of my mouth.

  Her soft perfume drifted around me. I breathed in deeply and reached out a hand to pull her close when she tried to pull back. I leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth.

  “Don’t think you can get away with those little kisses,” I whispered against her lips.

  She smiled and rested her hand against my chest. “Maybe I was testing you.”

  “Testing me?”

  “To see how much self-control you have.”

  “None,” I answered quickly. “I have none where you are concerned.”

  I bent down and kissed her again, savoring the moment. The door slammed open.

  “Do I have to drag—oh, geez, put a sock on the door next time,” Wren said sarcastically.

  Riley chuckled as she pulled back. “Next time, Wren. I’ll use one of yours.”

  “Ugh. We’re going to need a bigger house if you two keep dating.” She turned around and marched out of the trailer.

  I bent down to kiss Riley again. She pushed me back with a grin. “She’s just going to march back in here, you know.”

  “Why?” I whined as I followed her outside and down the steps. “I thought the sock idea was great!”

  We climbed into the car and began our drive to Portland. I didn’t have a chance to have a deep talk with Riley, but spending time with her was enough for me.

  On the way home, Wren finally opened up to us about her boy troubles. “I broke up with Jadyn.”

  “Good for you!” I said. Riley squeezed my hand in warning. I mouthed an apology.

  “Are you all right?” Riley asked her.

  “Yeah. You both were right. Some guys just aren’t worth your time. He kept getting mad if I didn’t text him back right away. He got mad when my ex-boyfriend, Mason, held the door for me on a group date.”

  Mason was winning my vote.

  “I don’t like older guys, I’ve decided.”

  I nudged Riley’s arm where it rested next to mine. “See? Those young guys are where it’s at.”

  Riley fought a smile but didn’t win.

  Wren continued. “Anyway, I’m not a puppet. If he can’t respect me and the fact that I’m independent, he doesn’t deserve my time.”

  “Preach,” Riley said. “You’ll find a good one someday. I promise.”

  Riley squeezed my hand, and I almost drove off the road as I tried to look into her eyes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nate

  It had been a hectic few weeks. I’d been gone for three days for a shoot in eastern Oregon. When I got back, I had lots of editing to do and a few quick sessions in Portland. I hadn’t been able to spend as much time with Riley as I would have liked.

&nbs
p; Riley told me she and Wren had been spending more quality time together. I guessed it was the girls’-night stage of Wren’s breakup.

  But I also wondered if Riley was using it as an excuse to pull back again.

  I walked down the street, studying the surrounding houses. I wanted to see what the draw was here without Riley by my side. I wanted to know what she saw in this place. This was where she had run to when she learned she’d be raising her sister. She’d returned to the familiar, even though it didn’t hold good memories for her. It was interesting how people always felt safe in the familiar.

  She didn't have to keep living here. She could be part of our family, and this time, I hoped that she’d be part of our family in a more permanent way.

  “Nate! How you doing?”

  I glanced up and waved to Nascar Jim. He was wearing pants, thank the good Lord above. He also wore a T-shirt with a picture of a potted plant on the front.

  “Doing fine, Jim. How are you?”

  “Great! You got some extra time?”

  “Er, maybe?”

  “Perfect. I could use a little help. I’m trying to mount my bike, but I sprained my wrist the other day, and it keeps giving out on me. I need to change the front tire on it.”

  If I couldn’t help a man lift a bicycle when he had a sprained wrist, then I was probably the worst type of human. At least, that’s what Nola would say.

  “Alright! Where is it?”

  “Oh, I keep it inside. I don’t want the weather to rust it.”

  I nodded. A lot of people kept their bikes inside, especially in Oregon, if you didn’t have a garage or anywhere to park it out of the rain.

  “Want me to take my shoes off?” I asked when I reached the top of his small porch.

  “Nah, don’t worry about that.” He waved me inside.

  I stepped inside the black single-wide and laid eyes on a Nascar museum. Aha. So, he was a die-hard, through-and-through fan. Nascar memorabilia and potted plants lined the shelves and walls. “Wow,” was all I managed to say.

  “Yup. Riley has really helped me with my green thumb. That girl can get plants to grow.”

  I nodded as I stared at the life-size cardboard cutout of Dale Earnhardt Jr. I was having a hard time looking away from his scarily lifelike eyes.