by Ivey , Tasha
Will's hearty guffaw echoes down the hallway, so I sleepily creep into the kitchen. "Good morning, you two. Did you just get in?"
"No, silly." Ashton ruffles my hair, her giddy mood apparent. "We came in last night. You were sleeping soundly on the couch, so I didn't want to wake you."
I nod. "So, did you guys get everything out in the open?"
Dark fuchsia immediately flushes Ashton's face as she looks over at Will, so he forces down his bite of toast to answer. "Thanks to you."
"Good. It's about time." I pull an oversized mug out of the cabinet and fill it to the brim. "Will, I was thinking about fishing today. Want to?" His eyes immediately dart over to Ashton, clearly torn between spending the day with his best friend or his new girlfriend.
"Don't answer that," I laugh. "You should hang out with Ashton today. I could use some time alone anyway."
"Are you sure?" Ashton places her warm hand on my forearm. "Will and I can see each other anytime."
"I'm sure. Maybe we can all go tomorrow."
After breakfast and two full mugs of coffee, I take a shower, wrap a towel around my waist, and go back across the hall to my room. Before I can turn to shut the door behind me, Jacqueline appears at my side.
"What?" I ask impatiently.
"Nothing, really. I just need a favor." She holds out a familiar envelope embellished with silver designs at the edges. "This is for Laura. Can you run it over to her this morning? She's expecting it."
"Yeah, I guess so. I didn't think there were any left."
"Not exactly," she says, sickly sweet. "More have been ordered, but I did find a few."
"Jacqueline, I can't help but wonder what you're up to. Why are you so interested in Laura all of the sudden?"
She goes wide-eyed and her mouth drops open slightly. "No reason at all. I'm trying to make peace with you and your friends. Why is that so hard to believe?"
"I can't believe you even asked that question." I reply, just before shutting the door. I know she's up to something, but I also know she's cunning enough never to reveal it.
After getting dressed, I head over to Laura's to deliver the wedding invitation before I go to the marina. Even though Jacqueline is the one who put me up to it, I am still thankful for a reason to see her. And I can't wait to tell her all about Will and Ashton; she'll be excited for them, I know. As I pull in, I notice a strange car parked in the drive, so I immediately conclude that her grandmother has company.
Unfortunately, I was wrong.
Laura is the one who has a visitor, a male visitor. And she seems very displeased that I have arrived at such an inopportune time. I know that she is free to date whomever she pleases, but seeing it first-hand is like a punch in the gut, especially after watching him crawl into her bed and smiling at me mockingly. So, I do the only thing I can . . . I give her the envelope and leave. Why would I put up a fight that I can't win?
Reluctantly, I force myself on to the marina, even though I just want to go back home and sulk. But, fishing has always been therapeutic for me, even when I don't catch anything. As soon as I hear the low purr of the motor, I begin to relax and attempt to force Laura from my mind. Just hearing the waves lapping at the hull and breathing in the moist ocean air immediately calms me like a hypnotic drug.
My love for fishing began when I was young. I would constantly beg my father to take me, just so we could have time to ourselves. If I could ever drag him away from his work, he was actually a fun guy to be around—back then, anyway. He didn't usually require too much coaxing, though. He and my mother have never really been fond of each other, so he jumped at any opportunity to get away for a day.
I remember that we would spend the entire day on the water, from sunrise to sunset. I regularly came back from those trips with sore ribs because we laughed the entire time. Stories of his childhood adventures and mishaps were usually our topics of choice, and I was eager to learn all I could about the man that I looked up to so much. Just as all things do, though, that all changed as I grew and his business grew.
As I putter along the coastline to my favorite fishing spot, gloomy billows begin to seize the blue above, and a low rumble echoes in the distance. I forge ahead, hoping to be able to fish for a while before the storm moves in, but at the first flash of lightening setting the sky ablaze, I swiftly turn around.
Approaching the marina, I slowly pull back on the throttle, realizing I have arrived just in time as a solitary raindrop plummets onto my cheek. The marina has become a high-traffic area in a matter of minutes; boats of all sizes are scrambling to their prospective slips. While I wait my turn, I stare into oblivion, trying to think of something else to do for the rest of the day since fishing is now out of the question.
A dazzling yellow blur catches my attention, and I focus on the swiftly moving object. A young woman in a neon tank top brings her bicycle to an abrupt halt just before she reaches the dock, obviously out of practice. Although, I can't say that I could do much better.
I'm finally able to reach my slip, and just as I pull in, I recognize the woman now walking along the dock in front of me. "Are you looking for me?"
Laura jumps, jerked from her daydreaming. "Uh, no. Goodness, you probably do think I'm stalking you now, don't you?"
"Another mission?" I ask, trying to make small talk as I tie off the boat. The elephant in the room is making it somewhat difficult, though.
"Yeah, as close as I can get to it anyway. Looks like the storm is going to alter my plans, though. I guess while I'm here, I should offer an explanation of earlier this morning."
I shake my head profusely. "You don't have to explain anything. I don't have any right to have an opinion on what you do or who you do it with."
"That was Alex. You know, the attorney from Baltimore."
Considering everything she told me about him, that does make me feel a little better. "Oh, he came to visit?"
She shrugs. "Something like that. He called my friend to get my Nana's address, and he just showed up. He was actually under the impression that he could convince me to come back to Baltimore."
"I'm guessing that didn't go too well for him, then."
She cackles. "You guessed right. I sent him packing."
"Good," I sigh. "I wasn't quite sure what to think about that."
"Sorry. I wasn't exactly expecting a visit from him . . . or you."
A faint drizzle begins to fall as I step onto the dock. "You rode that bike all the way here?"
"Yeah, so?" Laura questions.
"On a flat tire?"
"Oh, geez," she exclaims, spinning around to inspect. "I swear tires have a vendetta against me. Now what am I going to do?"
I closely inspect the black rubber and find a short piece of wire sticking out. "Did you actually think I would let you ride this thing all the way home in the rain? Come on. I'll put it in the back of my truck and take you home. I have some patches out in my garage, if you want me to fix it real quick."
"I'll take you up on that," she says, patting me on the shoulder. "I'd hate to return Nana's bike with a flat."
Ten minutes later, we are pulling into my garage. I set the bike out onto the concrete and rifle through one of the utility cabinets until I find a patch kit. Looking back over my shoulder, I catch Laura attempting to fan away the sweltering heat.
"Let's go in and get something to drink before I get started," I offer, not wanting her to get too hot.
"A giant glass of ice water would be perfect," she chimes.
Oddly enough, as soon as we walk into the house, the den's surround sound system—blaring a classic rock guitar solo—nearly deafens us. Suspecting some type of technical malfunction, we rush down the hall to the den to turn it off, but Laura and I happen upon a scene that neither of us could have expected. Two naked bodies.
No, not Will or Ashton, as one may think. The two completely unclothed individuals are none other than my fiancé and Laura's ex-boyfriend, and they are too wrapped up in their extracurricular acti
vities to notice that they have an audience. One push of a button fills the entire house with a silence that surprisingly seems more deafening than the music, and Jacqueline and Alex whip their heads around to the front of the room.
Suddenly, everyone is frantic. Laura gasps and darts into the kitchen while Alex struggles to slither his way behind a recliner to put his pants on. Jacqueline jumps up and gathers her clothing, holding it to her body as if she could make me think she was wearing it. Meanwhile, I just stand there, unable to process anything I've just seen.
"What are you doing home?" Jacqueline screeches.
"Oh," I shout, "so this is my fault? I think I have a right to come into my own home when I please." I direct my intense glare at Alex, who is now cowering at the back of the room. "And what the hell are you doing here? You were at Laura's this morning, begging her to take you back, and then I catch you naked in my floor. Something just doesn't add up here. Please, do the math for me."
"I met him a few days ago, Brooks," Jacqueline cries out. "It just so happened that he was trying to find Laura's house right as I was pulling out of the drive. We got to talking, and I realized that we could help each other out. You brought Laura around here to make me jealous, so I wanted to make you feel the same—"
"Wait a minute," I cut her off. "The invitation this morning . . . you set us up, didn't you? You wanted me to catch Laura with him."
Jacqueline only nods.
"You're both really messed up, you know that."
"Brooks," she pleads as the fake tears begin welling up in her eyes. "I know I hurt you. I'm sorry!"
"Jacqueline, you didn't hurt me. I couldn't care any less about what you do. But you hurt yourself, that's for sure. I'm calling off the wedding."
"Oh, yeah right," she roars. "All I have to do is make one single phone call to your father, and he'll change your mind for you. I'm not the least bit worried about that."
"Get out of my house, both of you. I don't care anymore. My father can do whatever he pleases, but nothing in this world could force me to marry you. It's over."
"Alex, let's go," she says, pulling her shirt over her head. "I have a phone call to make." She storms out of the room with Alex still cowering behind her, and I hear the front door slam and her car squealing down the drive moments later.
All of a sudden, I remember that Laura is here, so I race into the kitchen to find her. Instead, I find a scribbled note telling me that she took my truck and went home. I dart out to the garage, and it is empty, as expected, with the exception of her bicycle.
I immediately get to work on repairing the tire, knowing that I had to have some way to get to her house; Will and Ashton took off earlier in the other car. But, before I could finish the repair, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket. After pulling it out to identify the caller, I decide that this expected call is one that I am ready to have behind me, so I walk back into the kitchen and answer.
"Hello, Dad."
"Brooks, what the hell is going on up there?" he asks, gruff and impatient. "Jacqueline just called me and told me some nonsense about you calling off the wedding."
Here we go. "That's because I did."
"I believe we talked about this, boy. You know what the consequences are, so you better think long and hard about it before you make some rash decision."
"I've thought about it, and I guess I'll accept the consequences. I'm not marrying her."
"Like I told you before, you can do whatever you want once the contracts are signed."
"No!" I yell.
"I'm on my way up there." He hangs up before I have a chance to talk him out of it, and I hurl my cell phone across the kitchen, shattering a glass tea pitcher. Shards of glass and plastic pieces of my phone litter the counter and the floor, and tea runs off the granite, dripping onto the tile in a steady rhythm.
But I don't care. All I care about right now is seeing Laura.
Chapter Seventeen — It's So Over, Again
Laura:
I grab Brooks's truck keys off of the kitchen counter and race out to the garage; I have to get away from here. I'm not the least bit jealous that Alex is with Jacqueline, and I don't know how they met—nor do I care. I do care, however, about why they dragged me into the middle of it and plotted against me.
The suspicions that I have been harboring about Jacqueline's motives have now been confirmed, and the scene that was just laid out before me was more than I cared to witness. Also, the situation was made significantly more uncomfortable for me, just knowing that Brooks had to see it, too. I could tell that he was about to explode.
As I carelessly whip the bulky diesel pickup into Nana's drive, chunks of gravel pepper the front porch, and it doesn't take long for Nana to scurry out, readying herself to scold Brooks. She opens her mouth to reprimand him, but instead, the words come to a screeching halt at the tip of her tongue once she sees me climbing out of the cab.
"Sorry, Nana. I wasn't thinking."
"Why are you driving that young man's truck? What's wrong?" She holds the door open for me as I come in. "You look upset."
"That's because I kinda am," I admit, dropping down onto the pale blue loveseat.
She sits down beside me and places her bony hand on my knee, tiny blue veins creating a roadmap under her translucent skin. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I tell her everything. I tell her all about Brooks, filling her in on our adventures together: the airborne panties, the night I found him asleep on the beach, the day he revealed his identity, and the times we spent together at the cave, the cove, his home, and the marina. I explain the unfortunate situation that he is in with his father and fiancé. And lastly, I divulge this morning's conversation with Alex and, then, the appalling revelation that Brooks and I happened upon just now. All the while, Nana listens patiently and silently, twirling a loose string from her apron around her finger.
As my story comes to an end, her soundless laughter causes the sofa to quake. While I didn't find anything about my story amusing, she seems to find it full of humor. "Laura, I thought you came here to get away from all the drama!"
"I think it follows me."
"Obviously so. So, what are you going to do about it?"
"I'm not going to see him anymore. There's no other option. I can't continue to put myself through this. Don't you think?"
"I want you to do whatever it is that makes you happy. That's all the advice I can offer you."
"I guess I'll have to learn to be. You know, I still don't understand how my mom did it. How did she stay positive after she and Joe stopped seeing each other?"
She lights up. "Oh, did you finally figure out what happened between them?"
"No, I haven't yet, but there are still a few entries left. I'm not even sure I want to get to that part. It's been therapeutic for me to read her cheerful thoughts. I don't want to get to the sad ending."
"I think you should; you've come this far. And just look at what interesting places she has taken you. You should finish it."
I nod. "You're probably right. I do want to know what happened. I wish she had written a little more about herself, though. It's all about Joe."
"Well, of course it is. She loved him. One of these days, when you find yourself only able to think about one special person, maybe you'll understand. You just haven't experienced that kind of love yet."
"So, what if the one I find is engaged, and I've only known him for five days?"
She brushes my hair back over my shoulder and her lips curl into a knowing smile. "Love has no concept of time. When it happens, it happens, and if it's meant to be, it will be."
"Not if I'm not going to see him anymore," I mutter solemnly.
"That's for the best, at least until he gets some of his life worked out. And if he's still getting married, you don't want to end up heartbroken. Well, more heartbroken."
I lean my head over on her shoulder, smelling her sweet rose perfume. "Nana, would you be terribly upset with me if I decide to go on back to Ala
bama? I think that's the only way to get away from Brooks and keep my sanity."
"You know I love having you here," she gushes, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders. "But I'll understand, if that's what you want. I don't want you to be unhappy here." I knew that she would say that; she wouldn't ever admit it if she was upset with me.
"I'll just plan on leaving within a couple of days, then. Maybe, I can come back after a while, but right now, it's just . . . hard."
"You'll always have a home here, Laura."
I crawl into my bed, wanting nothing more than to sleep and forget about this entire day. Sure, it's only three o'clock, but who cares? I'm tired of this day. Just when I feel like I'm getting some of my life figured out, something else comes along to jumble it up. And now, I feel like I have unnecessarily hurt Nana's feelings because I know she wants me to stay. I just can't.
An abrupt peck at my door rouses me from my restless nap, and I bound off the bed, the sudden shock causing my heart to pound fiercely. Brooks stands outside the entryway, raindrops trickling down his skin into his drenched shirt, and a mixture of fury and exhaustion mask his usually pleasant characteristics.
"Ever heard of grand theft auto?" He attempts to be funny.
"Sorry."
"I don't blame you. Hey, uh, can I borrow a towel?"
"Oh, yes!" I gasp, realizing I've forgotten my manners. "Please, come in and dry off."
I step into the bathroom and pull a towel off the shelf, opting for a manlier brown one instead of the pink. He swiftly smoothes the towel over his exposed skin and pats it over his clothing, realizing quickly that there's no hope. After I toss it in the bathroom hamper, I return to the bedroom just as he begins anxiously pacing the floor.
"I need to apologize to you," he blurts out all of a sudden. "What they did was—"