Build

by Gillian Archer

  “You’ve reached Jase Henson. Leave a message.”

  “Jase, it’s Austin Burns. I’m out at Cole’s cabin in Tahoe, and I’m snowed in. No one’s been by to clear the road. Can you find out what’s going on? Or text me the number to the plowing company? I’m fucking stuck here until it’s sorted out.” I ended the call and curbed the impulse of chucking my phone across the room. My shitty luck kept getting shittier.

  Although, technically, we weren’t stuck here. I was sure Cole had a few of snowmobiles here somewhere given his toy collection, but that wouldn’t help Rachel get to Sac.

  Son of a bitch.

  I took a second and looked through the unread texts on my phone. My business manager wanted to talk about some magazine interview. Some rando chick wanted to hook up last night or whenever she could track me down. My brother, Nathan, wanted to know where the hell I was. I still hadn’t told him about the shitstorm that was waiting for us in three months’ time, when our fucking father would be released—and there was the shitstorm that would rain down on us when the media inevitably found out.

  I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. I wasn’t looking forward to any of it. It was starting to feel like every fucking person wanted a piece of me. Ever since we did that tv special, the media had been relentless. We’d become this weird pseudo celebrity thing. Sure, it’d helped us sell bikes, but I was getting really sick of the interviews and probing questions about our fucked-up family. Or the pushy paparazzi who followed me from time to time, seemingly eager to pick a fight. I swear to Christ if one more photographer brought up my dad—or my mom—I’d gladly spend the couple nights in jail pounding on them would cost.

  But I couldn’t do anything about that now. I guess I could call my brother back, but I was chickenshit enough to know I could put that off for another day. Or twelve. The fucking amazing smells coming from the kitchen kept distracting me. Even if that meant I had to have the awkward morning after talk with Rachel. With a heavy sigh, I left the media room and headed for the kitchen.

  Where I found Rachel sitting at the counter eating her breakfast.

  “Hey,” she jerked her chin at me as she reached for her coffee. “I made your eggs over medium. There’s another dozen or so in the fridge if you don’t like them that way. Help yourself.”

  She hadn’t waited for me. All her earlier subservient behavior was gone. No apologies for starting without me. She didn’t even ask me how I liked my eggs. Who the fuck was this, and what had she done with my Rachel?

  I stood there for a second, but she didn’t look up from her plate. She took a bite of potatoes and hummed a happy little moan.

  She’d made the same sound last night when I’d been licking her delicious pussy.

  Christ.

  I stomped across the kitchen, grabbed the plate of eggs, and piled the plate high with the rest of the potatoes and bacon. She didn’t even make toast. Or put out any condiments. Who the hell didn’t have ketchup with their potatoes? Or hot sauce on their eggs? I set my plate down next to hers with a thunk and then searched the fridge for condiments. It felt like five minutes later when I finally sat down next to Rachel. She scraped her fork against her plate as she gathered up the last of her potatoes.

  As I took my first bite of my cold congealed eggs, Rachel pushed away from the bar and carried her plate to the sink. I watched her prewash her dishes and the pans as I ate the cold—but still delicious—breakfast she’d made for me. Neither of us said a single word.

  I stewed over her lack of fawning over me. What the hell kinda game was she playing? I’d perfected the practice of scraping clingy women off me the morning after. Hell, most of the time I made sure there wasn’t a morning after in the first place, so I could avoid all the awkwardness that came with it. Now I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

  Rachel grabbed the last pan.

  “Leave it,” I snapped.

  She looked over at me with wide eyes before carefully setting it back down on the stovetop. Still not saying a word, she grabbed a kitchen towel and dried her hands off then made for the hallway without even once looking my way.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  Rachel froze with her back to me and seemed to take a deep breath before she turned to face me. “With what?”

  “You. The attitude. The silent treatment. And where do you think you’re going anyways? You think maybe you should ask permission before you touch anything in someone else’s house?”

  “I’m the one with the attitude? You haven’t said one pleasant word to me today. You didn’t even have the decency of thanking me for cooking breakfast for you this morning. Is that the way it’s going to be between us?” Rachel put a hand on her hip as she stared me down.

  “There’s no ’going to be.’ That’s the way it is. Period.” I know I sounded like an ass; she was just getting under my skin with this sudden change of behavior. And that wasn’t fucking okay.

  “Got it.” Rachel nodded tightly then turned to leave again.

  “You didn’t answer the fucking question.” I pushed away from the bar; the barstool making a harsh scraping sound before teetering over with a crash. We both ignored it as we stared each other down.

  “Which question was that again? The one about my attitude or the one about me asking permission before I touch anything?”

  “The one where I asked you where you think you’re going?”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah. That one. Well, Mister Burns, I’m going to put my pants on, and then I’m going to go dig my car out. And if the fucking plow service isn’t here yet, I’m gonna call my own while I wait in my car. Because if I have to spend one more minute with you being such an asshole, I’m gonna lose it.”

  “Oh, so I’m an asshole now? Funny. That’s not what you were saying last night.”

  “Wow. Thanks for proving me right.” Rachel shook her head like she was disgusted with me.

  Fuck, at that moment I was disgusted too. “Rachel, wait. I didn’t—”

  “No, it’s fine. Clearly you’re used to being the one doing the scraping off when it comes to one-night stands. Sorry I stole your thunder. If you want, you can tell everyone you were the one who broke things off.”

  I snorted. Like I needed the ego trip. “I’m not telling anyone anything about us.”

  Rachel flinched. “Right. Wouldn’t want anyone to know you lowered your standards.” Shaking her head, she sent me another disgusted look then headed for the hallway. “Got it.”

  “Rachel, wait!” I jogged after her, through the grand entry way and up the stairs. I finally caught up to her just outside my bedroom. I grabbed her arm and forced her to turn and face me. “I didn’t mean that. Any of that. I’m sorry. I’m an ass.”

  She jerked her arm out of my hold and folded her arms across her chest. Taking a step away from me, she rested her shoulders against the wall. A muscle in her jaw flexed as she debated what to say to me.

  I laughed nervously then ran a hand over my head. “It’s been a really bad couple of days for me. I’m sorry I took it out on you this morning. I was a dick. I’m sorry.”

  Rachel relaxed slightly. “Thank you.”

  “And in case you can’t tell, I’m really not a morning person.”

  Rachel snorted. “I’m not either.”

  “Ditto. If I can, I sleep straight through till noon. Nothing worse than a cheerful morning person.”

  “Unless it’s a grumpy asshole who’s spoiling to pick a fight.”

  “Touché.” I tipped my head at her scored point even as an arrow of pain pierced my black heart. If ever there was a series of words that’d describe my father to a tee, it’d be ’asshole spoiling to pick a fight.’ I really didn’t like that Rachel saw me like that. “Sorry about everything.”

  She lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “Do better next time.”

  I nodded slowly. That sounded like a hell of an idea.

  Rachel gave me another smile then pushed away
from the wall. “Well, I’m gonna go get my pants on and dig my car out.”

  “What? I thought we straightened everything out.”

  “I still gotta get down the mountain today. My little boy needs me, and I have a shift at my other job tonight.”

  “It’s a waste of effort to do anything about your car before the plow gets here. You’ll just end up digging it out again if they pile a bunch of shit in front of it.”

  “Well, when are they getting here? I really can’t wait all day. There’s another storm due to hit this afternoon. I gotta be down the road before then.”

  “They’re usually here around six in the morning. I’ve got a call in to Cole’s business manager to find out what’s going on. I expect he’ll call me back soon.”

  “So, in the mean time we just…what exactly?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I could really use a shower.” I raised my eyebrows.

  9

  Rachel

  “Really? You think I want to get into a shower with you after all your shit? Excuse me, but I do have some self-respect.”

  “Ouch.” Austin’s hands covered his heart like I’d stabbed him or something. I was sure he was going for cute and disarming, but I was still simmering from his hissy fit.

  I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. I didn’t care what he thought—I wasn’t taking it back.

  “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll just…” Austin trailed off as he nodded toward his bedroom.

  “Sure. Just let me grab my stuff.”

  Austin raised his hands in surrender. I dodged past him and gathered up my shoes and clothes. I don’t know what I’d been thinking, cooking him breakfast in only a shirt and panties—his shirt technically. He wasn’t my boyfriend. This wasn’t a relationship. We were one-and-done and now awkwardly passing time until I could get home to my family. And then I’d never see Austin or his ripped body again.

  Or at least not in person again. With my luck, the very next magazine I’d see would have a staple in the middle of his navel.

  I gave him an awkward smile as I ducked under his arm to leave.

  “Feel free to use any bedroom or bathroom you like. And you’re always welcome to join me in my shower if you’re feeling lonely.”

  Shaking my head, I ignored my unsteady heartbeat and the way his smile caused my nipples to tingle and instead made a quick getaway. That man would tempt a nun.

  After a quick shower in a room on the other end of the house from Austin, I sat on a pristine white duvet and pulled my phone out of my pocket. My mom still hadn’t replied to my text from this morning. Concerned, I dialed her number and waited impatiently for her to answer.

  But she didn’t.

  The call rang through to the voicemail that she’d never bothered setting up. Crap. Okay, I know I shouldn’t panic. What was the worse that could happen overnight in our apartment? I would’ve heard if the whole building burned down, right? Oh God. What if the building burned down? Oh God. Oh God! I was looking up our neighbor’s phone number in my contacts when my phone vibrated in my hand with an incoming call.

  I answered with my heart in my throat. “Mom? Are you okay? What’s going on? Is Wyatt okay?”

  “Yes, honey. Everything’s fine. I just forgot to turn my ringer on this morning and never saw you’d texted. Wyatt’s fine. He’s sitting at the table eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich right now.”

  I had to lay down on the bed as I went boneless with relief. “Oh, thank God.”

  “What worse case scenario had you leapt to this time?”

  I laughed softly. My mom knew me so well. “Apartment fire.”

  “Honey. You need to knock that crap off. Maybe my phone battery was low? Or maybe I was in the bathroom? Why’s it always gotta be death and dying with you?”

  Because I’d gotten that phone call four years ago. I’d lived it when my mom ran off the road in her car during that horrible snow storm. Now I lived in fear that that moment was coming again. We’d been lucky. Well, as lucky as you can be when your mom gets paralyzed and you accidentally conceive a child in all the crazy aftermath. Not that I regretted my mom being alive. Or Wyatt.

  “Rachel? You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I said softly. “I just wish I was home with you two. But like I said in my text, the road here still hasn’t been plowed, and I don’t think my car could make it over this much snow.”

  “Okay. Do you know when the plow is expected?”

  “That’s the thing. Austin, um, I mean, the client said that they usually come early in the morning. He doesn’t know why they haven’t been by. He’s calling some people, but it might be a little bit before I can get on the road.”

  “I see. Are you okay where you are? Are you comfortable at least?”

  I snorted. “It’s a freaking millionaire’s cabin in Tahoe, Mom. It’s kinda the definition of comfortable.”

  “That’s not what I meant. It’s hard to be comfortable if the guy’s an ass. Is he treating you okay?”

  I bit my lip and ducked my head like my mom could see the flush heating up my cheeks. “Yes, Mom. He’s treating me okay.”

  Silence stretched over the line for a moment before my mom spoke. When she did, I could hear the smile in her voice. “So, it’s like that, is it?”

  I swear to God she was psychic or something. How the hell did she do that? But of course I didn’t cop to it. Instead I played dumb. “Like a nice guy letting me sleep free of charge in house? Like that you mean?”

  “Rachel, you know I would never judge you for letting loose. You’re a twenty-five-year-old woman who’s been living like a nun. You deserve to have a little fun and enjoy your life.”

  She might claim to never judge me, but she sure as hell loved to remind me of my nun-like social life. I swear if I had a dollar for every time she’d said as much… “Mom, I love you, but I’m not talking about this with you.”

  “Okay, okay. Just promise me that you’re being careful.”

  “Mom!”

  “I don’t mean safe sex. Well, not just safe sex. Please, please use condoms, but I also want you to protect your heart. Don’t forget that men with fancy cabins in Tahoe are usually the kinda guys who have a girl in every city. Have fun, but protect yourself too. Please.”

  “I am, Mom.” Not that I needed the lecture. I’d seen my mom bounce through one relationship after another and never settling down. The number of men she’d asked me to call Uncle So-and-So. The number of times I’d heard her crying herself to sleep... I didn’t need a lecture about protecting myself against hopes and dreams. Those had died a long time ago. Now I was too busy trying to survive. Besides, I didn’t want to be that example for Wyatt. I’d be damned if I taught him that love or women were disposable. “Can you put Wyatt on? I need to talk to my boy.”

  “Okay, honey. Text me or call when you get on the road. And be careful.”

  “I will.”

  “Love you. Here he is.”

  “Hi, Mama,” my little boy chirped. He was always so happy in the morning. I could picture him with his sticky smile and sparkling hazel eyes.

  “Hi, baby. How are you? Are you being good for Nana?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “What are you having for breakfast this morning?” I knew the answer, but I had to hear his little voice for just a little longer. The way my morning had gone so far, hearing Wyatt talk was like manna—food for my soul.

  “Nut butter and jelly.”

  I smiled. I could already picture it. PB and J and chicken nuggets were the only things that kid would eat. Oh and cookies. Never anything green, or heaven forbid different. “Wow, sounds yummy. Nana makes the best sandwiches.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Listen, honey, I gotta work a little longer today, so I don’t know when I’ll be home to see you. Maybe after your nap. Okay? I miss you and love you.”

  “Love you, Mama.”

  Tears burned the back of my eyelids. No matter how many times I’d heard that litt
le voice say those words, it still got me. “You be good for Nana, okay? And I’ll see you later.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye, Wy—”

  He ended the call before I could finish. That little stinker. He always had to be the one to end the call, otherwise there’d be tears. With a broken little laugh, I tossed my phone onto the bed and buried my face in my hands. I fought against the tears burning my eyes. I didn’t want to cry. Not here. Not anywhere Austin could hear me. I didn’t want to explain to him of all people why I was so sad. I could almost hear his snarky tone, “it’s a free vacation in a rock star’s cabin. What’s got your panties in a twist now?”

  Something wet pushed against my arm, and I shrank back. Blue whined as he licked at the exposed skin on my arms.

  “Hey buddy,” I whispered huskily. Reaching out with a very shaky hand, I patted his head cautiously.

  Blue whined again and looked up at me with his liquid dark eyes. He pushed his head against my hand, effectively petting himself. I had to laugh at that.

  “You’re just a big ol’ sweetheart, aren’t you?” I gave in to his unspoken but clear demand and pet him. His fur was silky, like velvet. So smooth and soft. And he was looking at me with his very human-like eyes that made me feel like—at least with Blue—I had a friend in the house. “What am I going to do, Blue?”

  He blinked up at me and didn’t say anything.

  I laughed softly. I don’t know why that’d surprised me. “It’s just…I feel like I have so much weight on my shoulders. I’m working two jobs—barely making ends meet—I hardly ever see my kid, and I know I’m leaning on my mom way too much. She does so much for me and she never complains, but sometimes I wonder if it’s all too much for her. I just…” I sighed. “Really wish you could make all my worries go away. Hell, at this point I’d settle for someone making all that damn snow disappear out front. I really need to get home. Today was supposed to be my day with Wyatt. Instead I’m stuck here. I should be cuddling with my kid and giving my mom a well-deserved break. Why didn’t I go home last night before all that snow fell? And why did I sleep with him last night? What the hell was I thinking?”