by Lenna Tate
My phone vibrated from my pocket again.
“Fuck,” I grumbled as I pulled it out. I had been expecting to see yet another call from my mother, but instead the name Peter East stared up at me from the screen. My father.
My fingers tightened around the phone as I reluctantly hit answer. “Hello?”
“Where the fuck are you?” My father rarely cursed.
“Vacation.” I answered dryly, closing my eyes. The migraine was pounding away.
“Very funny.” My father’s voice was raging. I could imagine him, beet-purple face and thick vein protruding out from his forehead from all of his anger. My mother always teased that he would die of an aneurism if he wasn’t careful. I didn’t think she was wrong. “I expect to see you at dinner tonight.”
“You won’t.”
“Axton,” my father breathed slowly into the phone, trying not to explode in a fit of incoherent screams. “This little game you’re playing is not cute.”
“I’m not trying to be cute,” I argued bluntly.
“Then what exactly are you trying to do?”
I sighed. How many times had I explained to him I didn’t want to do the things he and my mother were trying to force me into? Had he ever listened? There was no point explaining myself to him all over again. He was going to be outraged either way, because no matter what, I was not going back home until the summer was over.
“Answer me,” his impatient voice boomed in my ear.
“Like I said, I’m taking a vacation. I’ll be back at the end of the summer.” I wasn’t even lying.
My father groaned loudly. “Fine, you have your little vacation, son. But when you get back we’re taking care of business. No waiting. No messing around.”
“I don’t see why you’re in such a rush to run my life.” I was pacing in the gravel driveway, pinching at the bridge of my nose as I felt the migraine spreading across my forehead, and my anger blossom in fiery rage through my chest.
“Shut up,” my father’s voice was threatening. “The time for your jokes and your bullshit is over, Axton.”
I was silent. Exactly as he told me to be.
“If you don’t come back here and get this shit straightened out at the end of the summer you can kiss your fortune goodbye,” he laid out the ultimatum like an anvil on my chest.
I nearly dropped the phone. “What?”
“You heard me.” There was undeniable joy in his voice. He had found out exactly how to pressure me into doing what he wanted. He was holding it over my head, and relishing the fear in my voice. “This company has no place for little boys who refuse to grow up. You want to spend the rest of your life acting like a bratty playboy? Go ahead. It just won’t be with my money.”
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t find any words to say to him. He was threatening to take everything away from me. The only life I had ever known. The only life I was prepared for.
He took my silence as acceptance. “It’s up to you, Axton. I’ll see you in two months.”
The phone went silent as he ended the call.
I shoved my phone back into the pocket of my pants and paced down to the edge of the gravel, staring into the green forest that extended in front of me. I hated my father. Heat swarmed my face as the anger took over my body and I threw my head back to let out a violent scream. The scream felt gigantic as it echoed off the trees and exploded behind me towards the cabin. But it felt good. Really good.
Benji and Wyatt’s footsteps sounded as they came out of the house and jumped down the wooden steps of the front porch.
“Axton?” Wyatt questioned, almost fearfully, but mostly just confused.
I turned to look over my shoulder at my two best friends. I would tell them later. Maybe. Or maybe not at all. Maybe I just wouldn’t go back to New York City ever again.
“How’s the cabin?” I pretended like I hadn’t just screamed like a madman as I walked up towards the cabin to join my friends.
Wyatt exchanged a quick glance with Benji but then got excited, “It’s so cool. Did you know there’s a hot tub on the back deck?”
I shrugged. “No.” I didn’t know anything about the cabin. I had just found the furthest, most isolated place I could and didn’t take a second to think about it.
“Well,” Wyatt’s face was grinning from ear to ear. “There is.”
“Fantastic,” I walked up the steps and took my first step into the cabin. “We’ll need to make sure to tell everyone to bring their bikinis.” I smirked.
We were going to make this the summer of our lives, because I was pretty sure it was going to be my last.
Chapter Five
Wren
I woke up to a mouth like sandpaper, a swollen tongue, and the stale taste of beer coating my throat. Gasping for water, I shot up in my bed and immediately regretted the fast motion. A wave of nausea nearly threatened to burst out of my body and I immediately leaned back against my headboard, clutching my hand at the bubbling roar in my stomach.
“Fuck,” I groaned and tilted my head backwards.
The last thing I remembered from the night before was crying on my front porch, and disappearing into the kitchen to find all of the beer in my fridge. It had been a pathetic attempt to remove the sadness I was experiencing from George leaving. Leaving me. Over the time I had lived in the cabin next to his, he had become a father figure to me. Losing him had felt like a sucker punch straight to the gut. So I had turned to alcohol to soothe my sorrow, as I had done many times in the past. My relationship with my father had thrown me into a spiral of alcoholism in my younger years – drinking was the coping mechanism I had used to deal with his abuse, as well as to numb myself from the side effects of working in the porn industry.
With the bright light of morning sunshine streaming through my bedroom window I was regretting my decision to drink through the night. I cringed as I slid my legs over the side of my bed, desperate to get to a glass of water.
The walk to the kitchen felt like a walk through the Sahara desert. Every part of my body groaned in protest as I sluggishly made my way to the kitchen sink. I didn’t even stop to grab a glass as I turned the cold water faucet on and stuck my mouth directly under the pour. I gulped down the refreshing water, letting it run over my chin and down my throat without caring. I could feel the water soaking into my tongue, wetting my lips, the hydration no longer making me feel like a piece of dried out paper.
A moan of pleasure escaped my lips as I took a break from drinking.
At least I didn’t have a headache. It wasn’t much of a hangover besides the need for water and the slightly queasy stomach. I had perfected the art of drinking throughout my years. I glanced over the kitchen and noticed a dirty frying pan and a fork sitting inside of it, crusted with dried up egg. I chuckled to myself at the sight. Drunk me had at least decided to cook myself some eggs before bed, I guessed.
“Sorry Meg,” I mumbled under my breath. I wouldn’t be getting any writing done in the condition I was in.
Staring out the kitchen window that overlooked the lake, I decided it was the perfect day to sunbathe. Mostly because I wanted to avoid writing. Hell, I wanted to avoid my computer entirely. I was nervous I would see another email from my father, begging me to perform in Corbin’s next movie. The thought did nothing to soothe the nausea rumbling at the base of my stomach.
Before changing into my bathing suit, I leaned out the front door of the cabin to glance over at the other cabin. There were no cars in the gravel. George’s truck was gone. It was probably empty. The last thing I needed was peeping toms as my new summer neighbors.
I stared at myself in the floor-length mirror in my bedroom after I had changed into the two-piece black bikini I always wore. I pinched at the skin around my stomach, wondering if it was the beer or the Cheetos that had formed a small pudge around my pierced belly button. My hair was crazy, dark brown strands going in all directions from bedhead. I cringed at the sight before sweeping all of the strands into a messy ponytail.
It was about to be noon, the sun at its highest and brightest. Perfect timing.
The lake was completely silent as I stepped out onto my back deck with a glass of water and a pair of black sunglasses hiding my eyes. The bright light was an enemy to my sensitive senses. I was secretly thankful that I had burned through the remainder of my beer, otherwise I would probably be in danger of indulging again to keep away the thoughts of how George Spaniel was no longer a few feet away from me. Not to mention I’d soon have random strangers taking his place.
I groaned at the thought as I leaned back in the lounge deck chair, stretching my legs comfortably out and propping my hands behind my head.
The lake was like a perfect, still mirror. Deep, drinkable blue that reflected the snow-topped mountains that grew in the distance. It was my personal heaven.
Laughter broke the silence. My perfection. I jumped, propping myself up on my hands as I stared in the direction of the noise. There were three men making their way down the dock at the other cabin, laughing cheerfully with one another. Behind my sunglasses I squinted, trying to make out faces. I had been positive there was no one at the other cabin.
Heat washed over my body the second I realized who they were. The group that had gone into the convenience store the other day. The man who had towered over me, and taken my breath away beneath the force of his stormy gaze. I wrapped my fingers tightly around the arm rests of my chair and stared harder, trying to make sure I wasn’t just going crazy. Maybe I was seeing things. Maybe I was still asleep. Hopefully.
The one with the blonde hair turned on the dock, put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun, and then pointed across the distance that separated us. My entire body froze as all three of them turned to stare in the direction of his pointing finger.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I started mumbling under my breath.
I needed to get off the dock. I needed to get away from their sightline. I probably looked like a crazy person, staring at them like I was before they had even noticed me.
At least they were too far away to see the beat red shade of my humiliated face. I lifted myself quickly out of the lounge chair and took off in a speed walk back to my cabin, without looking back at the men on the other dock.
This was the worst possible outcome for the rest of my summer. Three out-of-town boys who had probably never even stayed in a cabin were going to be living right next door for the next few months. And one of them was, as I had already experienced, a total asshole.
I was cringing to get away from them.
The cool air of the inside of my cabin smacked against my sun-warmed body as I slipped inside. “Shit!” I yelled at the walls of the kitchen. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect nightmare for myself.
I turned on my heel and peeked out the glass of the back door. They had already forgotten about me and were staring out towards the mountains. Good.
I needed someone to talk to. Within a minute I had found my phone. To my surprise, it only rang twice before my best friend answered.
“Meg?” My voice was a whimper.
“What’s wrong?” She knew immediately that something was up. Which was exactly why she was the first person I would always call in any situation.
“I think the rest of my summer has gone to hell.”
“What are you talking about?”
“My new neighbors are here,” I groaned. Saying the words aloud made my throat constrict. There were many reasons I had fled from the New York City lifestyle; and the men who were living next door were one of those reasons. To make things worse, I could feel my palms getting sweaty, and a tight coil forming in the pit of my stomach as I thought back to the jerk I had run into at the store. The way the navy blue suit had clung to his broad shoulders, the arrogant glint in his bright eyes.
Megan laughed on the other line. “And what’s so bad about that?”
“They’re jerks,” I spat out quickly. “They came into the Quick-E Mart the other day and just…Meg, one of them is a complete ass.”
“But what did he do? Are you just being dramatic?”
I sighed. “No! He pushed into me. He acted like he owned the place. Like he owned the world.”
“Oh.” She paused. “Is he cute?”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“So he is.”
Despite myself, I laughed. “Yes. He is.”
“I don’t see the problem then,” she teased me.
“Did you forget the part where I said he’s a huge asshole?” I rolled my eyes. When it came to men, Megan was next to impossible. She was always pushing me to be more inviting to men, to go on more dates, to explore. I knew she just wanted to see me happy and in love, but I had never been the relationship type. My father, and my old life, had ruined the appeal of love for me. I didn’t believe it.
“Who cares? You’re going to have to eye candy for the next two months.” She pressed me on.
“I’d be happier if they weren’t here,” I grumbled, almost annoyed by Meg’s persistence.
“You know what I think?”
I didn’t need her to go on. I could guess exactly what she was thinking. But I played into it, like a good friend. “What do you think, Meg?” I couldn’t help but to be a little sarcastic.
“I think you should go introduce yourself.” I could hear the delight in her voice. She had always gotten so much pleasure out of pushing me into the arms of handsome strangers, even though I had never seen anyone she’d set me up with for more than one date. I was guilty of one night stands with strangers. Sex was what I understood. Not relationships.
“I think that’s a terrible idea.”
“No, Wren, it isn’t. You’re the one who lives there. Go be neighborly.” Megan pressured me, the familiar stern tone in her voice.
“He’s a jerk,” I reminded her stubbornly. I didn’t want to go meet him, or his friends, or be nice to them. I wanted them to leave. I wanted the lake to myself for the rest of the summer. For the rest of all time.
“Maybe he made the wrong impression.”
I groaned. “No way. He’s some rich boy, I can tell. He has no idea how to be nice to people, because he’s probably never had to be.” It wasn’t the first time I had met his type. Rich city boys who thought the world revolved around them, and that everyone walking on it was there to serve them. It made me sick to my stomach to think about.
“You should at least try,” she pushed. “I bet it could give you some inspiration with your writing.”
Of course she would take it there. She knew I was struggling to write. She probably didn’t even really believe what she’d just said, she just needed another reason to use to push me towards meeting my new neighbors.
But she was getting to me.
“Maybe,” I caved.
“No maybe,” she wasn’t done yet. “Go do it. Today. The longer you wait the more awkward you’ll feel.”
“I guess.” I had wandered back into my room, and with Megan on speaker phone, I’d changed out of my bikini and into a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top.
“Please, Wren. I really think this will do you some good.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll go over there now.”
“Perfect!” Megan was squealing with delight. “Wren?”
I put the phone back up to my ear. “What?”
“Can you put something cute on before you go?”
I looked at myself in my mirror. “I already did.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
I snickered. “I’m not getting dressed up to say hi to this jerk. You can’t make me do everything you want.”
“Fine,” Megan groaned. “At least you’re going to go. I gotta go to a meeting, Wren. Be a good girl…pretend it’s research for your book.”
Laughing, I gave her a quick goodbye before hanging up the phone and tossing it onto my bed. She was ridiculous.
There was no point in waiting any longer. Delaying the inevitable would only ma
ke me go crazy. I took a deep breath, smoothed the stray hairs of my pony tail, and went to go greet my new neighbors.
I pulled open the front door and he was standing on my porch, his hand raised to knock. I jumped out of my skin at the surprise of seeing him so suddenly.
“Shit!” I screamed and threw the door slammed closed between us.
My heart was pounding in my chest. Through the glass window of the door I could see the thin grin spreading across his face as he stared back at me. There was a tiny dimple in one cheek when he smiled like that. My thighs tensed at the sight.
Trying to keep my composure I reopened the door. I knew I was glaring at him when I muttered a quick, “Sorry about that.”
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” his voice was a deep rumble, a lion’s purr, as he continued to grin down at me.
“Sure,” I shrugged. I wanted to play it off, act like it had never happened. I was suddenly feeling very foolish, and very hot.
He stuck his hand out. “I’m Axton East. Your new neighbor.”
I shook his hand. “Wren Harding.”
A flash shot through the cold arctic blue of his eyes. “I wanted to apologize to you.”
My eyebrows crinkled as I regarded him skeptically. “For?”
“That incident at the store,” he threw a thumb over his shoulder, pointing in the vague direction of the Quick-E Mart.
“Oh,” I nodded. “It’s fine.”
“No,” he interrupted me sharply. “It wasn’t fine. I was a jerk.”
I could feel the heat rising up to my cheeks. He made me feel like I was under the desert sun, my body weak and thirsty. “You were.” I admitted without remorse. I wasn’t going to let him off of the hook that easily.
He laughed, a sound that was rumbling and dark and short-lived. I wanted more. I wanted to be the reason to hear that laugh again. I leaned against the edge of the door, trying to keep calm. But he wouldn’t stop staring at me, his gaze unflinching.
“But you’re not always a jerk?” I broke the silence between us, predicting his own excuse.