He turned his thoughts back to Lisa and his injury. Could Summer’s mother be right, too? Lisa had a healthy sexual appetite and would get edgy if they went more than a few days without making love. So how will she cope if things don’t improve?
He dragged his left arm over and pushed back the covers. Then he pulled up his boxer shorts. After regaining his breath, he stared at his feet and tried to move them. Nothing. So he concentrated on trying to move the toes on his right foot, then his left. Still nothing. So he narrowed his efforts down to just one toe, and for a second, he thought he saw the tiniest movement. But when he tried to repeat it, he couldn’t.
He hauled the covers back over him and remembered that Lisa’s father was a surgeon. Maybe over the years he had talked about back injuries. So he made a mental note to ask her when she returns. And he decided not to mention what Summer had done. No doubt the girl was embarrassed about it by now, and he didn’t want to add to Lisa’s already considerable concern about the family.
16
LISA
It was late afternoon when Lisa and Luke got back to the house. Ed was out front, stripped to the waist, and wielding the axe with the same ferocity as the previous day. He looked up, rested the head of the axe on the ground by his boot, and watched her as she followed Luke to the veranda, where Erica took the bucket, glanced in at the fish, and nodded her approval. Then Erica raised an eyebrow at her son, as if waiting for an update. Luke shook his head and walked inside.
Erica tightened her lips as she glanced at Lisa, no doubt disappointed with her for not obliging her eldest son. If that was the case, she would have more disappointment over the next few days.
Lisa ignored the atmosphere as she pushed back her hair and asked about Mike. Erica shouted over her shoulder. “Summer, get out here and tell Lisa about her husband.”
Lisa’s heart skipped a beat. “Has something happened?”
Summer emerged from the front door and glanced from Lisa to Erica and back to Lisa. “Why do you ask that? He’s fine. I took him some soup earlier.”
Lisa studied the girl. Her gaze had lingered on her ma a second or two longer than usual. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Summer glanced at her mother again before looking back at Lisa and nodding. “Only that he wanted to show me his thingy.” She pointed down between her legs.
Lisa gasped. “What?”
Summer smiled. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t shocked. I have three brothers, so it isn’t the first I’ve seen.”
Lisa froze for a moment while she digested what Summer had said. Then she shook her head. “He wouldn’t do something like that, and in his condition he couldn’t.”
Summer shrugged. “Maybe I was mistaken.”
“I think so.” Lisa’s head was spinning. Summer had to be lying, but why? What possible motive could she have for making up something like that? But the girl had held eye contact as she’d spoken. No shiftiness, no hesitation, nothing to indicate she was lying. And as for being mistaken. You don’t mistake something like that. You just don’t.
Lisa took a couple of deep breaths and had to consider the possibility that Summer was telling the truth? Because if she wasn’t, surely she would have persisted. She wouldn’t have just given in. Would she? And Summer hadn’t volunteered the information. Lisa had probed for it.
A few weeks ago, Lisa had believed that Mike would never ever be unfaithful to her. But his one-night-stand with their neighbor had proved her wrong. So maybe he was capable of what Summer was saying, and maybe she should give Summer the benefit of the doubt.
But she had to ask, “Could you be mistaken?”
Summer gave her a tight-lipped smile. “I could be… but I wasn’t. I’m sorry, Lisa. It happened like I said.”
Lisa took a moment to think it through. If it had happened, Summer was a victim. And victims shouldn’t be called liars without compelling evidence.
She continued carefully. “I’m sorry, Summer. We were both knocked unconscious in the accident. Maybe he didn’t know what he was doing.”
Erica nodded. “Yes, I’m sure that explains it.”
Lisa stepped back off the veranda. “Excuse me, I need to see him.”
“Don’t be too hard on him,” Erica shouted as Lisa headed for the cabin.
She stopped just outside the door to gather her thoughts. The accident and Mike’s injury had pushed the memories of his infidelity to the back of her mind. But now it was back, center stage, and she was doubting him all over again.
What if she didn’t really know him as well as she thought? They had been together for nearly seven years, but can you ever really know what loved ones are capable of?
She wrung her hands together and paced back and forward. If she tackled him about Summer’s allegation, the anger she had managed to suppress could return with a vengeance, and she wasn’t sure she could handle those same emotions again right now.
Then she reconsidered the possibility that the accident could have affected his judgement. After all, head injuries can mess with someone’s personality and it seems to have affected hers. So maybe she should put her questions and anger on hold and get him to a hospital before making any drastic decisions.
She took a deep breath and walked in. “Hi, Mike, how are you feeling?”
He gave her a warm smile. “As well as can be expected, I suppose. You’ve been a long time.”
“I had to go to the lake with Luke to catch some fish.”
“I know, Summer told me.”
“Has she been looking after you?”
“Yes, she brought me some soup. We had a bit of a chat, but she left in a hurry. I think I offended her.”
Lisa studied him, prepared to hear his side of the story. “How?”
“Just something I said. I don’t think she realized I was joking.”
Lisa wanted to scream at him. No, she’s not used to being flashed at. But she just said, “Is that all?”
Mike nodded. “She told me she would look after me from now on because Erica wanted you to help in the house.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’d rather you did it.”
“But you told me to be nice to them, so I agreed.”
“Okay. Maybe it will give me a chance to make up with Summer.”
She had to probe. “Do you have any more movement in your arms yet?”
“A little. I’m slow, but I just had to pull the blanket back over me and I managed it okay.”
Lisa clenched her teeth together. Mike had broken eye contact with her as he answered. His face had definitely flushed, and his body language had been the opposite of Summer’s. He was hiding something. She was sure of it. “Do you like her?”
“Who, Summer?”
“Who else?”
“She’s sweet in a naïve, countryfied kind of way.” He looked up at Lisa. “But if you’re asking me if I fancy her, the answer’s no. I only fancy you.”
“It’s a shame you didn’t remember that when you were fucking our neighbor, isn’t it?”
Mike lowered his head. “You’re still angry about it then?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Of course not, you have a right to be angry.”
Lisa headed for the door. “I need to check if Erica wants me for anything. I’ll see you later.”
She returned to the house, where Erica and Summer just stared at her as if waiting for an update.
She looked at Summer. “Mike is sorry for upsetting you. He said it won’t happen again.”
Summer grinned at her. “It’s okay, I forgive him.”
Lisa walked away. I’m not so sure I do.
17
LISA
The evening followed a similar pattern to the night before, except Billy wasn’t around to carry the plates to the table, so the task fell to Lisa, and she was happy to do it. Because it allowed her to help Summer again, and even though Lisa had played no part in Mike’s disgraceful behavio
r, she still felt responsible. She had brought Mike to their home, and as a result, Summer, who was probably still a virgin, had suffered an unfortunate experience. And even though the girl hadn’t made a fuss, the incident must have been frightening for her or, at the very least, embarrassing. So now she owed Summer and Erica even more.
But despite her renewed anger at Mike, she needed to suppress her emotions until he was safely in the hospital. So she took him a plate of food and did her best to hide the true extent of her feelings for the few minutes she was in the cabin.
After Mike had eaten and fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted from his night in the woods, Lisa returned to the house.
As before, not long after they finished their meal, the younger members climbed the ladder to the floor above, leaving Lisa alone with Erica and Ed.
They settled down in front of the fireplace, one on each couch, and Erica began the conversation. “So, Lisa, you’ve been with Mike for three years?”
Lisa shook her head. “We’ve been married three years, but we’ve been together nearly seven. You’d think by now I would know him well enough, wouldn’t you? But maybe I don’t know him at all.”
Normally, Lisa was reserved when discussing her personal life with strangers, but the wine and her lack of intimacy with Mike recently had loosened her tongue. And even though she suspected Erica might take advantage of that, she couldn’t hide the recent rift with her husband. There wasn’t the usual affectionate tone in her voice when she spoke about him, and Erica had probably picked up on that.
“Lisa, Sweetie, you know you can talk to us, don’t you?”
Lisa shot Erica a sideways glance. “We are talking.”
“But there’s something wrong. Is it about what Mike did with Summer?”
Lisa shook her head, “No.” She shrugged. “I mean yes... well… it is, but—”
“There’s something else?”
Lisa sighed. She had never been good at hiding her emotions. Her mother would always know if there was something bothering her and would refer to her with all the clichés, like open book, heart on her sleeve, written all over her face.
Erica walked over and filled Lisa’s wine glass. Then gently lifted Lisa’s hand and the glass up to her mouth. “Have another drink, Sweetie, it dulls the effects of painful emotions?”
Lisa obeyed and gulped down a couple of big mouthfuls. Erica was right. The more she drank, the better she felt. “Mike was unfaithful to me.” She drew a breath. There, she’d said it. She had shared the secret she had been keeping from friends and family for the last six weeks, and the sky hadn’t fallen in on them. And right now, a little sympathy wouldn’t go amiss.
But sympathy was not on offer that night.
Erica laughed. “Is that all? For a moment I thought it was something serious.”
“It is serious,” Lisa snapped back. “We’re married. We took vows to remain faithful. He broke them last month and again earlier today when he did what he did with Summer.”
Erica stopped laughing. “Okay, I can see you are a little naïve about men, but you are finding out what most women already know. Men cannot be faithful. It’s not in their DNA. They pretend, conceal, and lie, and eventually they go fishing in a different pond. And even the rare specimen that doesn’t, fantasizes about it.”
Ed shuffled in his seat. Erica tipped her head at the bedroom door as if it was a signal for him to leave. He got up, and without saying a word, left the room.
Lisa waited for the door to close behind him. “Has Ed been…” she hesitated.
“Unfaithful? He’s a man, isn’t he? And since you arrived here, all my boys have got the hots for you. Haven’t you noticed?”
Lisa recalled the twins drooling over her as she showed them her bra, and then scurrying away as she came out from behind the tree after relieving herself, and Luke’s conversation in the boat on the lake, and then, to her surprise, Ed’s face as he stood over her, watching her while she slept on the couch the previous night. But the last image was the only one she was unsure about. The others definitely happened, but about Ed, she couldn’t be sure. The memories seemed vivid, but she had drunk a couple of large glasses of wine and had been stressed and exhausted after that day’s events. “Luke said you told him we would make a nice couple.”
Erica smirked. ‘Don’t you think he’s a good-looking boy?’
“Actually, I thought that as we walked to the lake earlier.”
“There you go then.”
Lisa knew only too well what Erica was getting at, but she asked anyway, “What do you mean?”
“You find Luke attractive. He fancies you like crazy, and I’m guessing he’s only three or four years older than you. Do I need to go on?”
“You forgot something, or someone.”
“No, I haven’t. Your relationship with Mike is over and you know it.”
“I’m pretty pissed at him right now, and maybe you’re right. Maybe it is over. But that doesn’t mean I can just turn to another man just like that.”
“He cheated on you. Then he went and broke his back. What use is he to you now?”
Lisa shifted uncomfortably on the couch, shocked at how blunt Erica was with her analysis of Mike and their relationship. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but all I’m thinking about right now is getting him to a hospital so he can receive medical attention. I’ll decide what the rest of my life will look like after that.”
Erica grinned. “We’ll see.”
“I’m serious.”
“Of course you are… at the moment.”
18
LISA
After Erica had gone off to bed, Lisa slipped out of her dress, stretched out on the same couch as the previous night, and pulled the blanket over her. She made a mental note to use the needle and cotton from the survival kit to fix a couple of two inch long rips in her dress, and maybe Erica would have a button she could use to replace the one she lost in the crash.
She closed her eyes and laughed to herself at the thought of her and Luke together. Then the squeak of a door hinge caused her eyes to spring open again. She expected to see Erica returning for something, but the shadowy figure approaching was too broad to be Erica, which meant only one thing. It was Ed.
She closed her eyes again and held her breath, hoping he would think she was asleep and leave. But a few moments later, he stood right there beside her. Even with her eyes closed tight, she could feel his presence.
She dare not move.
The seconds dragged by and he remained there, only inches away. In the stillness of the night, the only sound was his breathing as it grew faster and deeper. Was he getting off watching her laying there?
She waited as the seconds became minutes, and his breathing continued to get louder. She was afraid to open her eyes, but she had a vivid image of him in her mind, standing there, erection in hand as he stared down at her. Then, to her horror, he tugged the blanket from her shoulders down to her thighs, leaving her naked apart from her panties. She was lying on her back so Ed would have a full view of her body.
She remained frozen in fear, shock, and embarrassment, not knowing what to do. Her heart pounding, she felt his breath near her face, then her breasts. Oh God, is he going to touch me?
Another sound. Further away. Footsteps crossing the floor above. She sensed Ed move away and opened her eyes as the door to the bedroom closed. He was gone, but another shadowy figure was approaching from the foot of the ladder.
She pulled up the blanket and waited for the figure to come into the glow from the fire.
“Luke, what do you want?”
“Just to talk.”
Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t know that his timing had probably prevented her from being assaulted. But she felt as if Ed had already raped her with his eyes. So for now, she was happy to see Luke. She sat up, making space for him to sit down next to her. “Couldn’t you sleep?”
“I was thinking about you.”
Lisa allowed the
hint of a smile to cross her face. She was flattered, but that was all. She was unsure how to respond. When she received unwanted attention back in her hometown, she would show her wedding ring and politely decline any invitations. It usually did the trick, and rarely did she have to follow it up with sterner words.
But she was far from home now, and couldn’t walk away from this encounter. So she would have to ride out Luke’s attention. But at least his presence should keep Ed away.
He reached out and placed his hand on her knee. Although the blanket was between his hand and her skin, she couldn’t help but gasp with surprise. “Luke, I told you. I’m married.”
“But your husband is out in the cabin and you are in here.”
“I’m still married.”
“How long are you going to make me wait?”
“I’m not making you wait. There is nothing for you to wait for.”
“That’s not what Ma said.”
Lisa turned her head to study his face. “What did she say?”
“That you are going to leave Mike and would be available.”
Lisa giggled. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but your ma is presuming one event will inevitably lead to another. Even I don’t know what will happen yet.”
“Maybe she is, but Ma is always right. If she says something will happen, it will happen. You’ll see soon enough. Ma can get anyone to do anything.”
Lisa thought about how to respond without insulting his mother. “Okay, we’ll see who is right and who is wrong. Now, can I get some sleep?”
“I will go, but I want you to do something for me first.”
Lisa’s heart missed a beat. “What?”
“Lower the blanket and let me see your body.”
“Luke, I’ve told you. Me and you is not going to happen.”
“I know, I heard you. So if I’m going to have to wait until you change your mind, I want to have an image in my head to keep me going.”
THE CRUEL SEVEN Page 8