On the Rocks

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “We’re not friends anymore. You know that.”

  “That’s your own fault. What did you expect him to do?”

  “Back us up. He’s the reason we’re in this position.”

  “Stop saying that. You’re in this position because you’re a jerk.”

  “How am I a jerk? You spent that whole night watching me. You kept giving me those looks of yours, and you wanted me to follow you home.”

  “No. I had absolutely no interest in sleeping with my sister’s husband. I’m not that kind of person, and frankly I can’t believe you’ve become that type either.”

  “Don’t act like I’m a monster. It’s not like I’m sleeping around on her. Although she thinks I am. You went and told and now she’s checking my phone records, and I swear she’s hired a PI.”

  “You came on to me, Jasper. You tried to talk me into having sex with you when you were married to my sister. I never said you were a monster, but you’re a jerk. You tried to guilt trip me, play on my insecurities. You know how much I wish I was Kim, how I wish I could be half as successful and perfect as her, but I’ll never be. Go home. You’re lucky she kept you in her life. She sure as heck didn’t keep me.” Tears spilled down Carly’s face, and I’d had enough.

  “Just admit it, Carly. You’re in love with me.” He stepped closer to her. “You always have been.”

  “No.” Carly wiped away her tears and stood up straighter. “I’m not.”

  He leered at her. “We’ll see what you say when I see you without your boyfriend next time.”

  My fist made contact with his face without me thinking about it. His words were the last straw.

  Security moved toward us at lightning speed. They watched us, clearly deciding how to intervene.

  “We’re leaving.” Carly held up her hand, and they backed off. “He was just protecting me.”

  She grabbed hold of my hand and rushed toward where we parked. We didn’t speak until we were in the car and on our way back home. Fuck the hotel, I just wanted to get away from this place. I could tell she was upset. She tried to hide them, but I noticed the tears. I wanted to give her time before asking any questions.

  She put a hand on my leg. “Thank you.”

  “You never told me the backstory.” I wasn’t mad, she didn’t owe the whole story to me, but I wished she’d trusted me enough to tell me everything.

  “I didn’t want you to think even less of me.”

  “Why would I think less? That just makes the guy even more of a creep. He went after you when you were sixteen.”

  She turned to look out the window.

  “He didn’t. I mean I’m hoping when he said tease that means you didn’t sleep with him back then.”

  “No… we came close, but you heard what he said about Colin.”

  “My respect for your brother just rose again.”

  “I still don’t get why she married him. She’d never liked him growing up. I was the one who did.”

  “Maybe that’s exactly it. She wanted to prove she could have him.”

  She turned to look at me. “But why? What did that matter?”

  “I don’t know Kim, but maybe she feels the same way about you that you feel about her. Maybe she’s jealous of you.”

  “That’s impossible.” Carly slumped down in her seat.

  “No, babe, it’s completely possible.”

  “I’m sorry this night was such a mess.”

  “I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have punched him. We should have just gone back in.”

  “I’m glad you did. I wish I’d had the courage to do that myself.” She stared down at her hands in her lap.

  “You were awesome, Carly. You stood up for yourself and didn’t back down. I’m glad I was able to witness that.”

  “Do you want me to drive? You drove so much today already.”

  “No, I just want to know you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine.” She squeezed my arm. “I have you.”

  My heart swelled. This amazingly beautiful girl found strength and comfort from me. Maybe I wasn’t completely worthless.

  “Tell me about your childhood. It had to have been more interesting than mine.” She traced small circles on my arm.

  “Are you sure about that? Your late teens kind of sound like they belong on a TV show.”

  “Very funny. Come on, what were you like? That first night down on the beach you told me you weren’t always cool. Were you a nerd?”

  I put my arm behind her seat. “A nerd? No. More like a geek.”

  “Is there a difference?”

  “Yes. A nerd is all bookish. A geek is just into geeky things. And I was the kind of geek who didn’t look like one on the surface.” I passed a slow moving truck before settling back into the right lane. I wasn’t in a huge rush, but I was ready to get Carly home.

  “Really? No glasses?”

  “I had glasses, but they made me look cute, not geeky.”

  “So you say.”

  “Just ask Maddy.”

  “I had braces for five years.”

  “Really? I can’t even picture that.”

  “Yup. The first time I made out with a guy I cut his lip.”

  I laughed. “Seriously? You were a dangerous kisser?”

  “I guess so. Looks like you met me at a better time.”

  “I think we met each other at the perfect time.”

  “Me too.” She leaned into my arm, and I turned up the music. We didn’t have to worry about listening to too much Dan Croll.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Carly

  As I stood on the shore preparing for my first dive, I was questioning my unwavering faith in Macon. Brody had come with us supposedly for moral support, but I think he was doing it to make sure I didn’t chicken out. In some things I was fearless, but scuba diving wasn’t one of those. I wasn’t afraid of the ocean and was a decent swimmer, but I didn’t like the idea of my breathing being completely dependent on a tank. What if something went wrong? Macon had reassured me he’d be with me every step of the way, but I was still nervous. I knew I could just say no, but I didn’t want to. Hiding from my fears wouldn’t make them go away. Besides, diving was Macon’s passion. If for no other reason, I needed to try for him.

  “All right. This is a good spot.” Macon started handing me all sorts of gear. It was go time. No turning back. I took the advice Maddy had given me: deep breaths and a positive attitude. I wasn’t sure that advice applied specifically to scuba diving, but it would probably work in most situations.

  “I’m going to be watching the whole time. I promise that even if you don’t trust Macon, I’m here.” Brody was of course joking, but he had to be one of the nicest guys I’d ever met. After a few months of living with him, I still couldn’t quite comprehend how he was single. Maybe it was by choice. I was dying to know what held him back, and I hoped to learn more, but right before diving into the ocean didn’t seem like the best time. I was already panicked enough. Three more deep breaths did nothing to calm me down. I shivered underneath my wet suit even though I was dry and the sun was out.

  “Okay, you have to breathe, Carly.” Macon put his hands on both of my arms. “I already told you that’s the most important thing. Today we’re going to be in shallow water so it’s not a huge deal, but on a deeper dive it’s more important.”

  “What he means is that on a deeper dive it could kill you.” Brody chuckled.

  “Kill me?” I stepped back from Macon, ready to throw the mask and snorkel at both of them.

  “Thanks, asshole.” Macon glared at Brody.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Just kiss her Macon. That might speed up her heart, but it will probably get rid of her nerves.” Brody winked.

  “No. That’s okay. No need to do that now.”

  Macon grinned. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  Two seconds later his lips were on mine, two minutes later I was underwater. Admittedly we were in fairly shallow water, but I was doi
ng it. I was putting faith in Macon and the equipment. He was right, it was remarkably easy to breathe through the regulator when you stayed calm.

  I didn’t see anything at first. The water was murky from the sand, but eventually I got used to the sensation and noticed a few fish. Wildlife aside, I was doing it. I was diving.

  We didn’t stay under for long.

  “I did it!” I wrapped my arms around Macon’s neck as soon as we surfaced.

  He laughed. “Yes you did, babe.”

  “Aren’t you proud of me?”

  “Yes, very.” He rested his hands on my hips. “So proud I’m going to insist you get your certification so we can really start diving together.”

  “You’re pushing it.”

  “Am I?”

  “At least let me revel in the excitement tonight.”

  He laughed. “Okay.”

  We celebrated my first taste of scuba diving by going out for ice cream. We walked down the beach eating overflowing waffle cones. Macon had insisted I get three scoops. I usually didn’t even finish the single. I preferred the cone to the ice cream anyway.

  “I can’t believe it’s August.” I hated to even think about how fast the summer was going, but ignoring it wasn’t going to help either. It’s not that we’d ever really discussed what was going to happen at the end of the summer, but we all knew things were going to change.

  “Tell me about it. This summer is flying by.” Brody polished off all but the last bits of his ice cream. He’d gone with mint chip.

  “Can I just ask the question that no one’s asking?” I licked some of the chocolate chip cookie dough on my cone.

  “You can ask anything, doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” Macon took a bite of my ice cream even though he had plenty of his chocolate left.

  “Is there an eviction date or something? Do I get kicked out on a certain day?”

  “You do realize you’re sleeping with the landlord, right?” Brody half laugh, half snorted. “I doubt you’re getting kicked to the curb anytime soon.”

  “Why are you worrying about this now?” Macon slung an arm over my shoulder.

  “Because I still don’t know where I’ll go.”

  “And you honestly think I’m going to throw you out?” He gaped at me.

  “No, of course not, but if you’re leaving…”

  “Brody, can you give us a minute?” Macon gave him a knowing look.

  “Sure. Meet you back at the car in a few.” Brody took off down the beach.

  “I’m not disappearing on you. I’m not using you. I’m not getting bored. I have no idea what I’m going to be doing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t plan to still be with you.”

  “Okay. That’s what I needed to hear.”

  “Good. Now get back to work on that cone, it’s starting to melt and we’re not going home until you’re done.”

  “I’m not finishing this whole thing.”

  “Why not?”

  I stared at the monstrous mound of ice cream. “Because it’s huge.”

  “I thought you liked huge things.”

  I pushed his side. “Don’t start, Macon.”

  “What? I’m taking about how much you love big cars.”

  “I told you I want a mini coupe.”

  “Okay, bad example.”

  “Stop while you’re ahead.” I licked my ice cream again. “And if I were you I’d help me finish this cone.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because I’m still hyped up over that dive. I want to get out my energy.”

  “Does getting out energy involve me?”

  “I’d like for it too.”

  “Then, give me that.” He grabbed my cone. “Let’s go find Brody and get out of here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Macon

  Get here now. Carly needs you.

  Maddy’s text nearly gave me a heart attack. I’d just gotten in my car to head home after work. Before starting the car I texted back. Where?

  Colin’s.

  I didn’t waste any more time asking questions. I pulled out of the lot and onto the road. I didn’t get far. The traffic was horrible. With only one major road, high traffic times were a problem at the beach. Waiting wasn’t going to work. If Carly needed me I was going to get there—fast. I was still close enough to work I could get my car back. I drove over the curb and parked my car on the sidewalk. It would be quicker to run at the rate I was going.

  My mind ran a million miles a minute. What could be going on? If Carly needed me she normally would have texted me herself. Why did Maddy have to do it?

  I was sweaty as all hell by the time Colin’s place finally came into sight. I ran up the driveway. There was an unfamiliar car parked out front. I ran right to the front door and didn’t even bother to knock.

  “I don’t understand why you’re supporting your sister making such a stupid decision. You know as well as we do that running away is never the answer.”

  I walked into the living room just in time to catch a middle aged man going off on Colin. The familiar resemblance left no question that it was his father.

  Carly stood huddled in the corner of the room with her arms wrapped around her chest. She hadn’t noticed me enter.

  “I support Carly. That’s more than what you can say.” Colin glared at his father.

  I took in the room. The dad had his arm resting on the leg of a woman that I assumed was their mother.

  “We support all of our children, but we can’t just gloss over what she did to Kim.”

  “What I did to Kim?” Carly stood, her eyes blazing with anger. “I did nothing.”

  “Are you really going to keep this up? Something happened with you and Jasper.”

  “Yes. Something did. He came on to me, and I said no.” She clenched her teeth.

  “Are you sure you made that clear?” her father asked.

  I didn’t think. I just stormed into the room. “Are you really going to talk to your own daughter that way?”

  “And who are you?” Her dad eyed me with disdain. I’m sure I looked like hell, but I didn’t care.

  I walked across the room and put an arm around Carly. “I’m Carly’s boyfriend.”

  She glanced up at me. A look of relief crossed her face.

  “Boyfriend? Carly doesn’t have a boyfriend,” her mother said snidely.

  “You’d know she did if you actually bothered to talk to her once in a while.” Colin glared.

  “Is this why you asked to speak to us? You wanted us to see Carly was playing around with some guy at the beach?”

  Playing around? I would have gone off on Carly’s dad if she hadn’t squeezed my hand. She wanted me to stay out of it.

  “No. That’s not what I wanted to talk about, and I didn’t ask you to come here. I told you I’d come to you.”

  “We decided to surprise you.” The mother turned back to Carly and me. “And what do you do? Are you also wasting your time?”

  “I knocked up Maddy.” The entire room went quiet after the words left Colin’s mouth. Maddy looked pale as a ghost.

  “Excuse me?” his mom asked.

  “You heard me. Lay off Carly. Let’s talk about me.”

  Maddy buried her face in her hands. I knew she was annoyed, but Colin had actually just jumped about a thousand respect points in my book. He threw me a look, and I knew what to do. I tugged on Carly’s hand and headed toward the door.

  “Pregnant? Are you really that irresponsible?”

  “They’re getting married. Congratulate them.” Carly spoke just loudly enough that her parents could hear.

  Her mother nodded and a look passed over her, like she was actually seeing her daughter for the first time. She turned back to Colin. “We’ll have to move fast with the planning.”

  Carly headed to the front door, and I followed. Her family situation was seriously messed up.

  “Just get it over with,” She mumbled the words as she searched around in her purse.
/>   “Get what over with?” I stood right beside her, trying to come up with the right words. That conversation with her parents made me mad. I couldn’t imagine how she was feeling.

  “Breaking up with me. I’m surprised you didn’t do it after Jasper, but this was even worse, huh?”

  “What?” I turned her, putting my hands on either of her arms. “What are you talking about?”

  “Now that you’ve seen how messed up my family is, don’t you want to run?”

  “No. I want to wrap you up in my arms and keep everything else away.”

  She gazed up with at me with tear rimmed eyes. “Do you really mean that?”

  “Absolutely, can I have the keys?”

  She pulled her clunky keychain out of her purse and handed it to me. I wordlessly opened her door.

  I didn’t say anything until we were almost back to the condo. “When we get inside go pack enough stuff for a few days. I’ll call Max and my boss.”

  “Wait, where are we going?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She nodded. “One hundred percent.”

  I pulled into her usual spot. “Then just pack. Nothing crazy, just the basics.”

  “Okay…” She opened her door.

  We walked upstairs quietly. I wanted to talk to her about everything, but not yet. I needed to keep us both focused so we could get out of town quickly.

  I threw together a small duffel while I convinced Ralph to cover me at work and called Max.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Max. It’s Macon.”

  “And to what do I owe the honor of this phone call?” He was definitely intrigued.

  “Can you find someone to cover for Carly this weekend?”

  “That depends. Why am I doing it?” His question came from curiosity and concern. He was going to give her the time off no matter what.

  “She needs a weekend away more than anyone, and she deserves it.”

  “I’m going to trust you on this one.”

  “I can tell her it’s fine?”

  “Absolutely, but is she okay?” he asked worriedly.

  “She will be.” I’d make sure of it.