The men clapped in unison, chanting Thom's name. Softly at first, getting louder as they went. Within seconds, they were pounding on the table as they chanted. "Thom, Thom, Thom!"
Thom re-enacted my Rocky stretch session.
"Copycat." I sneered at him. He shrugged and winked at me. His confidence was starting to piss me off. But, he was awfully cute. The alcohol in my system was making that fact harder and harder to deny. Damn it.
Making it look like the easiest thing in the world, Thom eased his fingers through the handles of the steins and lifted them up so that they were even with his chest.
Again…damn it.
With a smug look upon his hot face, he walked down to the other end of the table and placed the steins easily in front of Pete, who gave him a high five and turned back to me.
"Look at how many steins he was able to fist, Auden."
I sneered at him, grabbing my beer to take a sip. I had lost. Time to pay the price.
"You're all assholes," I muttered. The guys near me chuckled as each person at the table took turns using the word fist. It was going to be a long night.
An hour later, I'd finished off another stein and a half of beer. My legs were tingling and my head was spinning. So unprofessional. But, I didn't even care. I was feeling good and having fun.
Thom called a cab for us once all of our tour members had continued on with their evenings. Many of them were heading to a nightclub, but there was no way I could handle that. I needed to get back to my room.
"You keep surprising me," Thom said, placing his arm around me in the back of the cab. The hair on my arms stood at attention as my skin tingled from his touch.
"How's that?" I said, trying my best to sound sober. Even though I knew I wasn't kidding anyone.
"I thought you were this spoiled American chick."
I let out a small burp before covering my mouth with the back of my hand. "And?"
"You're actually a bit of a dag."
"Um…what the hell did you just call me?" I was more than just a little confused. I'd never been to Australia and had no idea what he was saying.
"Sorry, I mean. You're um, a character. You're interesting. Don't worry, though. I'm not cracking onto you."
"Excuse me?" I recoiled.
"You know, um, I'm not trying to get in your pants. I'm just pissed." He closed his eyes, resting his head back on the fake leather seat of the cab. I knew what pissed meant. We were both pretty drunk. Probably better to drop it, Auden.
"So, what…I'm not hot enough for you to crack on?" I don't drop things easily.
A hearty laugh left his lips as he opened his eyes back up. "Crack onto you."
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "You still didn't answer my question."
"I'm avoiding it," he said, putting his head back on the seat.
"Why?" I asked, turning my body in a confrontational stance, placing my hand on his knee.
"Look, you're hot. Don't get me wrong. But, right now, I'm your Supervisor. Can't happen."
"I understand," I said, stroking his knee with my fingertips.
"You really are a dag."
"You'd better tell me what that really means."
"You're a goof," he said with a chuckle.
"I am not," I hissed.
"Yeah," he nodded, "you just don't realize it. You try to be all serious and smartass, but you're not. Deep down, you're a dag, just like the rest of us."
Our cab pulled up at the hotel and Thom paid our fare. I slammed the cab door on him as I escaped the confines of his rejection. I hate being rejected. It has to be the worst feeling in the world. My tingling skin was aching for him to touch me. I wanted his lips on mine. But, he didn't want me in return.
Slowly, I found my way to my room. I dug through my purse, trying to find my key card. Finally, I grasped it between my fingers, just as I heard my name being called down the hall. It was Thom.
Great, just what I need.
"What?" I snapped at him.
Thom jogged to where I stood, stopped only inches away from me and kissed me hard, backing me into my hotel room door. The number on the door scratched into my neck as Thom pressed his tongue to my neck, licking and sucking as I moaned.
"Let's go in," he said.
"You think it's going to be that easy, huh?" I laughed as he sucked on the skin at the base of my neck.
"Isn't it? I mean, in the cab—"
"Shh," I said, placing my fingers on his mouth. "Do you really think I'm a goof?"
"Yeah," he admitted with a shrug. I scrunched my nose in irritation.
"You act like it's a bad thing," he said, running his fingers through my long, strawberry blond curls. Every touch was making me ache further.
"It is," I snapped. "I don't want to be a goof. I want to be irresistible."
"You're that, too. Why do you think I'm here? I should be in my own room, sleeping off the night, getting ready for tomorrow's commute."
"But, you're not." I flirted.
"That's right. I'm not."
I kissed him again, not knowing what I felt or what I wanted. All I knew was that it felt really good. It felt good to be wanted, to be kissed and desired. Stumbling through my small hotel room, we fell onto the bed and Thom stripped me of my clothing, completely forgetting the definition of the word 'foreplay.'
The sex was fast and sloppy. It was over almost immediately after it began. I stared up at the ceiling, realizing how desperate I was acting. I was comforting my loneliness with meaningless, mediocre sex with my boss.
What in the hell was wrong with me?
Thom looked embarrassed as he pulled the condom off and tossed it into the garbage can. He ran his fingers through his choppy sandy locks, scratching his scalp with his fingernails.
"Uh, do you want me to stay?"
"Doesn't matter to me," I said, shaking my head, not making eye contact. I knew I was being a dismissive bitch. But, how else was I supposed to act. I didn't want him sleeping here. When I sobered up the next morning, the last thing I needed was to see my boss in my bed. No way that was going to happen.
"I'll be going then," Thom said, pulling his cargo shorts back on. "Look, Auden—"
"It's not a big deal, okay? We'll just pretend this never happened."
"And you won't feel…awkward?"
"No," I said, doing my best to look shocked that he'd even ask. But, my non-chalance was coming off way too dramatic.
"Look, we filled a void. We were drunk and things happened. It's no big deal."
"Are you sure?" he asked, his brow wrinkled.
"I'm not going to say it again," I glared at him. "Eight o'clock is going to come real quick, ya know," I hinted. He glanced at his watch and grimaced.
"Okay, then, goodnight."
"Night."
I got ready for bed, pissed at the world as I switched off the light and got under the covers. Auden the drama queen, Auden the spoiled brat was at it again. The next day was going to be awkward with Thom and I had no one to blame but my own goddamn self. Eventually, I was able to drift to sleep, totally dreading the eight days remaining on the tour. Eight more days of Thom. I couldn't wait to be back in London.
Also coming in 2013…
"Mooooooooooooom, Piper is bothering meeeeeeeeee!"
I rolled my eyes and looked up from my nursing textbook. Lucy was sitting at the kitchen island scowling at Piper, who was poking her with a fork.
"Good Morning, girls!" my mom called out cheerfully as she came into the kitchen, pausing to plant a kiss on top of each of their heads. "How about later, we make bead necklaces together?"
"Yay!" They chimed in unison, all traces of the brewing fight evaporating.
Mom looked over at me and winked, then looked down and nodded toward my book. "Getting a lot of studying done?"
"Not so much. I can't seem to focus today. I wonder why," I replied sarcastically, sticking my tongue out at the girls. They giggled, making silly faces back at me.
I had a y
ear of nursing school left and hoped to graduate the following spring. When Zach and I lived in Minneapolis, I worked overnights at the hospital—the front desk in the emergency room, to be exact. From the moment I started working there, I fell in love with the chaotic, high-paced environment. I would sit and daydream watching the nurses, completely envious of their jobs. I wanted that so badly. As soon as we moved in with my mom and I saved up enough money, I enrolled in nursing school.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I asked, pouring myself a second cup of coffee.
"Have you watched the news yet?" Mom pulled her brows together, hooding her dark emerald eyes. She started twirling her already curly hair, something she only did when she was worried.
"No."
She glanced toward the girls then back at me, leaning in close to make it difficult for two nosy five-year-olds to hear.
"Well, they're talking about the rain storm of the century coming our way tomorrow morning. Torrential downpours, flooding, possible power outages. They've already called off school for tomorrow because of all the flooding they're expecting."
"Yes!" Lucy and Piper hissed as they high-fived each other at the news of no school.
"So, I'm heading into town to stock up on some things. I want to make sure we have enough for the week, just in case. You know how it gets out this way when it rains a lot, especially this close to Snake River. Roads are always closing around here."
Mom grabbed her purse and keys off the kitchen counter and turned back to me.
"Do you need anything while I'm out?"
"Nope, I think we're good, thanks," I answered, thankful that I stocked up on coloring books and crayons last month.
"Gigi!" Lucy called, causing my mom to halt in the doorway and turn around.
"Yes, honey."
Lucy bit her lip, looking nervously at my mom, only snapping out of it when Piper nudged her side.
"Can you get us popsicles?" Lucy asked sheepishly.
"Red ones!" Piper blurted out on the tail of Lucy's question.
"Maybe. I'll see what I can find. You girls behave for your mom, please. I'll be back in a few hours." She turned back to me one more time. "Kacie, some of the guests might decide to check out early and be on their way before the rain starts. Can you help me out with that today?"
"Sure, but it will cost you extra," I tease her.
She winked and returned my smile before disappearing into the hallway.
My mom's generosity was beyond measure. Four years ago, when a tornado in the form of a piece of paper on my kitchen counter picked up my entire world, spinning it out of control, she didn't think twice about taking the three of us in. Once the dust settled, I packed up the few possessions I cared about and numbly drove the hour home to Pine City where my mom owned and ran an Inn. Not only did she not charge us anything to live with her, she also gave me a small salary, and lots of freedom, to cook for the guests.
"All right girls, let's clean up your breakfast, please. You guys can come up front with me and help hold down the fort while Gigi's gone."
A couple hours later, the girls and I curled up on the couch in the front room and said bye to the last couple to leave.
"Bye, Dr. Richardson, Mrs. Richardson! Drive safe," I called out, waving.
"Bye, Kacie dear, we'll be thinking about you guys. Stay safe in this storm." Mrs. Richardson waved back. "See you in a few weeks."
"How are my three favorite girls?" Alexa bellowed as she came through the front door of the Inn. Piper and Lucy hopped off the couch and ran over to hug my best friend.
Alexa had been my best friend since the eighth grade. I had just moved here with my mom after my parents divorced, I was the new kid and also pretty shy. Add that together and you don't exactly head straight to the "cool kids" lunch table. Alexa was definitely a permanent fixture with the in-crowd. She was beautiful, even for an eighth grader. She had stick straight, jet-black hair that she wore very long, all the way down to her waist. The boys practically drooled when she walked by, even the high school boys.
She sat at the table behind me in science class with a couple of jocks. One day, the guys were bored and decided to pass their time by harassing me. I think it was the fifth spitball I felt bounce off the back of my head when I heard Alexa pipe up.
"Jesus, guys, do you think you'll ever grow up?" she scolded them. I was thankful to her for saying something, but didn't turn around to acknowledge her.
"Relax, Alexa, we're just goofing around," one of them snorted back.
"Well, if you're going to continue to act like immature assholes, I'm moving."
I heard papers rustling, a book slammed and finally her chair scraped across the science lab floor.
I was dying to turn around and watch what was happening, but I didn't dare. Not to mention, I was incredibly bummed that the girl who got them to stop was now switching seats. I just about jumped out of my skin when her large science book crashed onto the open table space next to me. I looked up just in time to catch the rest of her papers from sliding off the other side of the table.
"Hi New Girl, what's your name?" she asked, smiling sweetly at me as she sat down. She oozed confidence and I was instantly envious of that about her.
"Kacie. Kacie Jensen," I replied, trying my hardest not to sound like a scared little mouse.
"I'm Alexa Campbell. Those two jerk-offs back there are Mark and Max. Apparently they have yet to learn that the way to get a girl to notice you is to be nice to her, not pick on her as though we're still in second grade."
She glanced back at them and gave an over-exaggerated fake smile, batting her eyelashes. I finally felt confident enough to turn around and take a peek. Two giant football jerseys sat there with their shoulders hung, looking down like scolded toddlers.
From that day on, Alexa and I were best friends. At first, I was pretty sure she was using me to cheat off of, but we were inseparable and everyone knew it. I wasn't as openly self-confident as she was, but I was getting more comfortable in my own skin. I even ended up being very good friends with Mark and Alex. When Zach left and I moved home with the girls, Alexa told me they offered to find him and beat him up for me.
"You guys ready for all this rain tomorrow?" Alexa handed the girls each a sucker.
"Eh, I'll believe it when I see it," I said, waving her off nonchalantly. "These weather people never know what the heck they're talking about."
"I don't know, last I heard they were calling for over ten inches of rain just in the next twenty-four hours." Her dark cobalt eyes were big and serious.
I sighed. "This is one of those times when living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes isn't so wonderful. Nor is it great living on one, not with this much rain coming. We'll be lucky if the gazebo doesn't float away."
"No shit." She quickly looked down at Lucy and Piper and then back up at me and grimaced.
"Sorry."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Girls, ignore Auntie Alexa and her potty mouth."
"Mommy, you say that word sometimes too!" Lucy said with a big grin.
"Okay, let's not talk about that right now." I turned to Alexa, promptly changing the conversation. "So are you closing the shop tomorrow?"
Alexa owned a cute little flower shop in town called The Twisted Petal. She had an amazing eye for detail and was magnificent at the designs she created. People called from all over the county to place orders with her.
"Yeah, but hopefully just for tomorrow. Wedding season is just around the corner and I have a million things to do to get ready. But, no work for tomorrow!"
She locked arms with Lucy and Piper and danced around the foyer. "Oh wait," she stopped suddenly, "I did bring a bouquet for your mom, though." She went over by the front door and took a beautiful bouquet of roses, tulips and lilies out of their paper cone.
"Suck-up." I shoulder bumped her, taking the flowers. "I'll give them to her when she gets back."
"Oh, I just saw her. She was in the garage talking to Fred. Something about san
d bags."
Fred was our maintenance man who lived in the apartment above the garage. He helped my mom with most of the outside chores and various repairs around the property. He'd been there as long as we had. He and my mom worked well together and I was ecstatic when the girls unofficially adopted him as their surrogate grandpa.
"They're probably freaking out over nothing. I'm still hoping those crazy weather forecasters are wrong and we won't get as much as they think," I said, crossing my fingers in the air.
"Psh, you keep thinking those positive thoughts. I, on the other hand, am heading out to get some gas for the generator, grabbing a case of beer for Derek and heading indoors. Bye girlies!" she yelled on her way out the door.
"Bye, Auntie Alexa!" they called out after her.
I left the girls munching on their suckers in the living room, while I went to the kitchen to put the flowers in water. I loved the kitchen in the Inn. It was not only huge, but also warm and inviting. My mom made a point of telling every guest to please make themselves at home, so she left the kitchen open at all times. The cabinets were full of mismatched antique dishes and every small appliance imaginable. She also kept the larger-than-normal pantry stocked with all sorts of snacks and kitchen staples for people to use as they pleased. There were shelves in the pantry lined with mason jars full of fruits and vegetables that she had preserved.
I had just finished up putting the flowers in a vase when the back door flew open and Mom came, along with a huge gust of cold air.
"Whew! It's already getting windy out there" she said, trying to close the back door with an armful of groceries. I set the vase on the island and hurried over to take the bags from her.
"Fabulous," I answered sarcastically.
She glanced at the flowers on the island. "Those are beautiful!"
"Yeah, Alexa brought those for you. She actually just left, she said she saw you in the garage."
"Oh, right," she said. "Fred and I were debating whether to put sand bags down by the shore or not. Did all the guests leave? Any problems?"
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