Elastic Heart: (The Happy Endings Resort Book 6)

by Evelyne Stone

  I couldn’t believe that, unless he’d been in a long-term relationship. My curiosity got the best of me. “And why is that?”

  He leaned back in the chair, and looked out the window.

  “I’m sorry, I’m nosy,” I quickly added seeing he was uncomfortable.

  He looked back me. “It’s fine. I was in a relationship for a while. Actually, it was a long while. We had been dating since high school. She was my first girlfriend.”

  “What happened?”

  He leaned forward again, taking my hand in his. “You know how you don’t want to talk about your day?”

  I nodded.

  “I don’t want to talk about it, either.”

  Not wanting to upset him, I nodded. His eyes didn’t hide the pain, and no matter how curious I was, I respected his need to keep the pain to himself.

  I perked up, hoping to salvage the evening. “Catch me up on some of the kids from the resort. I know there’s a least one good story out there.”

  He smiled, and proceeded to fill me in on everyone we used to hang out with, along with some of the residents I hadn’t met before. We laughed, ate, and laughed some more. By the time we finished eating, I felt almost relaxed.

  The wind was blowing much harder than it had when we’d arrived, just an hour previous. The thin layers of clouds from earlier had grown into powerful billows of thunderclouds. Their darkness pressed down on me. Excitement built inside, as I remembered the powerful claps and lightning storms like this would bring.

  “Do you think we’ll be okay walking down on the beach?” I asked, pulling my hair up into a bun.

  “We’ll be fine,” he said, reaching out for my hand.

  The chills I felt weren’t from the air.

  There were only a handful of other people walking down by the water. We picked a spot far enough up the beach that the water wouldn’t reach us.

  Glorious waves formed tubes surfers only dream of before crashing into the belly of the ocean to begin again. The sound was loud, but it calmed me. Lightening could be seen through the sheets of rain out in the distance.

  “I’ve missed the storms,” I said over the wind.

  Zack moved in closer, putting his arm around me. He looked at me for a reaction.

  I leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his body against mine.

  We sat in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. Light raindrops came down from the sky.

  “Do you want to go, before the rain comes down any harder?” he asked.

  I shook my head. The rain didn’t bother me at all. I loved the way the drops felt when they hit my body.

  The waves were becoming taller, and the water they brought in was getting closer to us. When it receded, it left behind shells of all different types. I noticed a starfish.

  “Why did you call me starfish last night?”

  I felt his muscles tighten up.

  “You remember that?”

  “Yes,” I said, pushing away so I could look at him.

  He hung his head like I’d embarrassed him. “The very first time I saw you on the beach, you were with your parents.”

  I couldn’t remember how old I’d been when we first started coming here, but I knew it had to have been over ten years ago.

  “You walked down to where the water stopped, and picked up a starfish,” he continued. “I watched you examine it like it was the most fascinating thing you’d ever seen.”

  “How do you remember so much? I barely remember what I was doing last week.”

  He smiled, looking out towards the ocean. “I don’t know how, or why, I remember the things I do, but I remember you and that starfish. I never called you that to your face, but it was my nickname for you, even before I knew your real name.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I wished I could remember more about him, and have some memory I could share, but the truth was, I didn’t pay enough to attention to him.

  “I’m sorry I was such a stuck-up bitch,” I said.

  He brought his arm back around me, pulling me towards him. He kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry you were a bitch, too.”

  “Hey!” I pulled away, only to be picked up, and placed in his lap. I straddled him, our faces only an inch apart.

  A gust of wind blew, knocking us both down. The clouds opened up, spilling rain all around us.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, helping me sit back up.

  “No yet.” I pulled him against me, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him.

  I don’t know why I took that first move. He was right in front of me. I was sad. He was sad. I needed to feel someone close to me.

  Our kiss felt desperate, as if we both wanted to crawl into each other. Our tongues collided as we explored each other’s mouths. It wasn’t slow or romantic. It was needy and passionate.

  I pulled back to catch my breath.

  “I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he said, just as out of breath as I was.

  The rain came down harder around us. I didn’t care.

  I pushed him down into the sand and kissed him again. My hands roamed down his sides and around to his chest. His muscles felt amazing. I wanted to lick them, but I wouldn’t pull away from his mouth.

  His hands traveled down my back to my ass. He cupped my cheeks, pulling me down against him. Feeling how hard he was, I couldn’t help but grind my pelvis against him.

  We both moaned.

  “Hey,” someone yelled. “You two may want to get out of here before the storm gets worse.”

  Zack sat up, holding me close.

  “Hey, man!” the security guard said to Zack. “I didn’t recognize you with that girl stuck to your front.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  I wanted to punch him, and tell him to go away, so we could carry on. Much to my disappointment, Zack stood up. I groaned.

  “We’re leaving,” he told the security guard, not hiding his annoyance.

  He grabbed my hand, leading me back to his truck.

  “Sorry, I didn’t bring towels,” he said, trying to brush off some of the sand off my shorts. “Actually, I’m not sorry. Good excuse to touch your ass.”

  My body felt flush despite the coolness of the rain. I pulled him closer, running my hands up and down his backside. “Excellent excuse.”

  His chest rumbled against me. “We should go.”

  “Okay,” I said, pouting.

  He turned the heater on once the truck started up. The warm air against my wet clothes made me shiver.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I smiled, thinking about his lips on mine. “Uh huh.”

  “Are you going back to your cabin?”

  “No. I’m staying with Brooke tonight.”

  “Bummer. I could have tucked you in,” he said, grabbing hold of my hand.

  If my mom hadn’t shown up, I would have let him. Anger boiled back into my stomach.

  He must have sensed my reaction. “Can I see you again tomorrow night?”

  “I may have to go home tomorrow.” Reality was waiting for me, and I couldn’t think of enough excuses to avoid the lying bitch any longer. The man sitting next to me could help me escape, but I knew, without a doubt, she would follow, gaining momentum the further away I ran.

  Zack turned to face me instead of pulling out of the parking lot. “I only just got you back, and now, you’re leaving?”

  “You know I’m only here to get my dad’s stuff out. Besides, someone already bought his trailer, and I need to get my ass in gear.”

  He looked down at his lap. “I have to tell you something.”

  “Okay...”

  His eyes met mine with concern. “I’m the one who bought your dad’s trailer.”

  I let go of my breath and smiled. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid some asshole was going to move in. Promise me something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Take care of it?”

  “Of course,” he said, leaning towards me. He put his hands on the side
s of my face, coaxing me towards him.

  I didn’t fight it. I kissed him. Everything in my mind drifted away for that brief moment. I felt like I should thank him, but how do you thank someone for making you feel whole again?

  When he pulled away, he said, “I tell you what. I’ll come help you again tomorrow at your dad’s, and you can buy me lunch?”

  How could I turn that down? I needed help, and if I could avoid asking Hunter, that’d be a bonus. Plus, I’d get to stare at Zack’s arms all day.

  “Sure,” I agreed, the fact that my mother was in town not entering my mind.

  He walked me to Brooke’s front door. We dodged the heavy raindrops, and hid under the porch awning.

  “Thank you for tonight,” I said, looking up into his eyes. I didn’t feel like I could invite him in since I was a guest, but I really didn’t want the night to end so soon. I loved the way he made me feel.

  “Thank you,” he responded, kissing me one last time.

  Could I ever get over how his lips felt on mine? I wanted more than his lips, and if I’d been staying at the resort, I knew for a fact I would have taken more.

  I watched him drive away before sneaking into the house. I tried to stay quiet, in case anyone was asleep.

  “So? How did it go?” Brooke asked. She was sitting next to Michael on the couch, reading while he played some video game on the television.

  “Great,” I replied, smiling like a dork.

  “Did anything happen?”

  “We may have kissed,” I confessed, feeling my body flush.

  “Oh! I’m so jealous!” Brooke said.

  “Hey!” Michael said, smacking her leg.

  “Sorry, babe, but Zack is hot.”

  I laughed. Michael pouted, but went back to playing his game.

  “I want details,” Brooke said, patting the couch next to her.

  “And I want my bed, and dry clothes.”

  She stuck her tongue out at me, but didn’t say anything else, as I made my way down the hall. I would give her details tomorrow, after I got to dream about everything, experiencing it one more time.

  Chapt

  er 8

  I woke up feeling more confused than ever. I immediately reached for my phone giddy to see a text from Zach, but all I saw was the million texts I had ignored from my mom. Reality came smashing through amazing, mostly naked dreams.

  Ugh! Caffeine.

  “Good morning,” Brooke greeted me. She was in the kitchen, dressed, and ready to go for the day. It was barely eight o’clock. I wanted to hate her for being a morning person.

  “Good morning,” I told her, looking around for a coffee maker.

  “Oh, shit, I forgot to pull out the coffee maker,” she said, immediately bending over to pull it out of the bottom cupboard.

  I watched her fumble around, putting it together.

  “How long has it been since you’ve made coffee?” I asked. The machine looked industrial. It had way too many buttons. There was no way I could mess with a machine like that first thing in the morning.

  “Oh, ya know, a couple months. Michael drinks coffee at work. He’s not a big fan of the way I make it.” She shrugged, grabbing coffee beans out of the freezer.

  “Maybe you should get one of those individual cup makers?” I took the bag from her, and scooped out the right amount into the filter. I couldn’t take the chance of having her making it, if Michael wouldn’t drink it. Coffee was too precious.

  “You aren’t the first person to suggest that,” she sighed.

  Brooke pushed the buttons for me, after I cursed the machine for not having a “brew” button.

  We sat at the kitchen table together…me with my hot goodness and Brooke with her orange juice.

  “Where’s the baby?” I asked, noticing how quiet it was.

  “He’s still in bed. After the night we had, I won’t be surprised if he sleeps until noon.”

  “Was he up a lot?”

  She laughed. “Did you not hear him?”

  My dad used to say I could sleep through a tornado. “Nope.”

  “You suck.”

  I smiled. How did she manage to look so good after a rough night? If I missed out on my required sleep, I looked like hell.

  She simply raised her eyebrow up like a detective about to question a suspect. “Tell me about last night already!”

  “There’s really not much to tell. We talked, ate, sat on the beach, and made out a little.” I took a sip of my coffee, hoping the movement would distract my body from blushing.

  “That’s the part I want more information about, lady. The part where his lips touch yours,” she winked. “Was there touching?”

  My traitor body got hot. Even though most of what happened was PG, the R rated thoughts left me hot and bothered.

  “There totally was! Tell me!” she yelled, right before a little person with a set of pipes that would put opera singers to shame began yelling and crying down the hall. “Ah, shit. This isn’t over. I hope his fever didn’t come back,” she said, poking her finger into my arm. Her eyes closed, and her chest expanded three times before she walked down the hall.

  Brooke was occupied with her son after I finished my coffee. I didn’t want to interfere. Truthfully, I was afraid of her son. I wouldn’t know what to do, or say, to him. Instead of peeking into his room, I went straight to mine.

  I pulled out my phone, knowing I had to call my mom. I closed my eyes, and counted to ten, before I hit the call button.

  She picked up after two rings. “Where the hell are you?” she shrieked into the phone.

  This woman was not my mother. “At a friend’s.”

  “You need to get your ass over to your cabin, right now. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “No,” I replied, wanting to keep some form of control.

  “No?” she asked and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what it is you think you found out about, but we need to talk, and it needs to be right now. I have to go back tonight, because unlike you, I have a job.”

  The bitterness and resentment confused me. Just last week, she’d told me to take my time figuring out what I wanted to do for a career. She’d given me the summer to chill out before getting into the work force, where I’d be stuck for years. Even Matt had been supportive, telling me to take my time, and make the right decisions concerning my future.

  I was way past feeling defensive. “Look, I want answers, but you don’t seem to want to give them to me. I’ll find out everything on my own if that’s what it takes. Until then, you should go back home, and leave me alone.”

  “Oh really? And whom do you think will pay for your little vacation here? I can promise you that won’t be me.”

  Her threat should have scared me, since she was the one supporting me, but I refused to back down. “Why don’t you save us all the trouble, and just tell me the truth, then?”

  She hung up.

  My little space between my eyes pounded, shooting pains into the back of my head. I had no idea what to do. My life was quickly falling apart at the seams, and I had no way to hold it together.

  The door to my room creaked as it opened. I looked down and saw a little man standing in the doorway, staring at me.

  “Are you living here?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  “She’s staying as long as she needs to,” Brooke said, picking him up, giving me an apologetic smile for the intrusion.

  Tears stung my eyes. I knew she meant what she said, and it just happened to be exactly what I’d needed to hear at that moment. She was my light in the dark. I could have kissed her, but settled for a hug. Her little man stayed squished in the middle, giggling.

  ~*~

  Brooke called Ross to ask him to drive by my dad’s trailer, and make sure no one was parked out front. She had no trouble getting him to do it. The girl could literally rule the world with her charm. He gave us the all clear, and we left the minute the babysitter arrived.

  I felt sil
ly hiding from my mother. Knowing I would have to confront her, made me nervous. Having to look at her while she admitted to what I already knew wasn’t what terrified me, though. She not fessing up, and continuing to jade the truth was my greatest fear.

  When had I reached this point? The doubts and mistrust must have been there all along, if I felt so sure she would try to cover her lies with more lies. How would I know the difference?

  “Let’s do this,” Brooke said, throwing her van into gear.

  “I need to text Zack. He said he’d help.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he will help,” she said, winking.

  I smiled. Could I get through this ordeal without her? No. Absolutely not.

  She drove us a different way around the resort. I slouched as far down as I could in the seat. There was no sign of my mother’s car anywhere. I had no clue where she was staying. For all I knew, she’d convinced the front desk clerk to give her a key to my room.

  Zack and Hunter were standing by Hunter’s truck when we arrived to the trailer. Zack had his arms crossed in front of him, glaring at Hunter.

  “How does Zack put up with him, without punching that smug look off his face?” I asked Brooke, as she parked on the side of the trailer.

  “I think he’s just used to it. Even best friends get to a point where they want to kill each other. You just stop yourself because you’d be killing your alibi.”

  Before I could respond, my door was opening. Zack held out his hand, reaching for me.

  “Good morning,” he said, helping me out.

  “Hey,” was all I managed to say. He had a way of turning me into a mush even science wouldn’t be able to explain.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Awww,” Brooke gushed, staring at us.

  “Let’s go!” Hunter called out, ruining my moment.

  “Who the hell invited him?” Brooke asked, raising her eyebrow at Zack.

  He shrugged. “I needed some muscle to get the bed out.”

  I didn’t let go of his hand as we walked towards the front door. I shouldn’t have let Zack affect me like that. Leaving was going to be that much harder with the complications of actually having feelings for someone. In fact, I wasn’t sure how I was going to leave Brooke. She’d become my courage. I would need more of her amazing support going forward.