by Nicole Marsh
It took half of lunch to convince him I would be fine riding the bus home today, just for some space to think about life, about everything. Also, to make sure Derek didn’t intercept us outside while I made my way home. Even after relenting, Collin made me agree that he could pick me up at five to bring me to his house for dinner, so I didn’t have to ride my bike.
Thinking of Collin slightly distracts me from the thought of having to map out his house, but doesn’t do much to relieve the tension in my shoulders. My deal with Derek has constantly been on my mind since school started and this dinner isn’t helping. I have dual concerns, either Collin’s parents won’t like me, or they will immediately see through my façade, identifying me as an imposter before I have the chance to tell Collin the truth. For once, I’m not stressed about money, I’m concerned about ruining the new life I’m slowly starting to build.
Tabling the Derek Deal/Franzen Con problem for later, I focus on the bag of clothes Katie gave me. I left the entire overflowing mess, sitting on my tiny closet floor. The bag is filled with designer labels and beautiful fabric. Pieces I never imagined owning, that don’t fit in with the rest of wardrobe, but they’re mine just the same.
Digging my hands in, I spread out a few, laying them reverently across the bed. After a couple of minutes, I successfully sort through the dozens of items, slowly sifting through the bag, admiring each new piece. I place them into drawers or onto hangers until only four dresses that seem pretty fancy remain.
There’s two that look like they could be worn to a club and I immediately rule them both out. The other two I ponder a few minutes longer. One is a floor-length black dress with short sleeves. It has a V-neck top that cinches at the waist and flares a bit at the hips. Although I love how it looks on, it almost seems too formal.
Eliminating that option, I hang it in my closet and move to prepare for dinner. I take my time, curling my long dark strands and swiping mascara on each individual lash. I settle for a clear gloss, then snag the remaining dress off the bed.
I carefully pull the soft, cotton fabric over my head, reveling in the cool, silken feel of it on my heated, nervous skin. Striding into the bathroom, I strike a pose in the mirror. Snorting a laugh, realizing Katie is already rubbing off on me, I admire my reflection. The dress I chose is deep red, with a pattern of large, white flowers. It wraps around my body like it was made with me in mind, showing just the right amount of cleavage and ending two inches above my knees. Paired with sandals, it appears classy, yet understated. Like I tried, but not too hard.
It’s perfect.
I’m ready sooner than expected and spend my spare time pouting at my reflection, wishing I had an upgraded phone to take a selfie. A knock sounds on my front door, interrupting my fun and I scurry out of my bathroom towards the noise. Expecting Collin to be just a few minutes early, I answer without checking out the window hanging above the kitchen sink. Upon opening the door, I’m greeted with Derek’s cool, dark gaze.
“Kenzie-girl,” he purrs.
My warm smile instantly falls, my lips fading to a straight line. “Derek. I don’t have time for your shit right now, Collin is on his way over here to pick me up for dinner at his house.”
Derek instantly smirks as he processes my words. “Things are movin’ along, that’s what I like to hear. What are you doing later?” Following his words, he steps forward to wrap a thick arm around my waist and yank me against his him, melding our fronts together.
My body immediately stiffens, and my tone is flat when I reply, “Let me go, Derek.”
“Ahh come on… loosen up. I think we could have some fun together. Give me a chance, Kenzie-girl,” he replies with a smirk, tightening his grip in a way that’s painful. His eyes skim the exposed skin of my chest before returning to my face.
I swat at Derek’s side with my trapped hands, then resort to pushing against him in an attempt to free myself, but he doesn’t even flinch. This time my voice is louder, I annunciate each word, trying to penetrate his thick skull. “I’m serious Derek. Let. Me. Go.”
The next thing I know, Derek’s arm is being ripped away and I stumble down the steps leading to my trailer behind him. Before I can regain my bearings, I’m shoved behind a tall, warm body. Collin’s unique sunshine scent washes over me and my tense shoulders immediately relax. As the tension leaves my body, I feel Collin’s muscles clench, and I lay a palm against his back to reassure him I’m okay.
“Just get out of here, Derek. She said to leave her alone.” Collin’s voice is a low growl, a sound I’ve never heard from him before. His tone should be menacing, but it causes a small pit of warmth low in my belly, he’s protecting me, and I like it.
After a few seconds of silence, Derek grounds out, “Whatever, Franzen.” Then he strides away, his footsteps crunching across the dead grass as he leaves my trailer.
Collin remains in front of me, his broad build blocking out the scene and Derek’s retreat. When he finally turns around, his gaze is laced with concern as he scans me from head to toe. “Are you okay?”
I nod, mutely. I’m fighting the urge to wrap my arms around Collin, which is not a normal reaction for me. Clearing my throat, I finally croak out, “Yes. You arrived just in time.” I avoid meeting his gaze, embarrassed for the position he caught me in, even though it was Derek that initiated it. I feel his eyes burning into my skin, then he holds out his hand in front of me.
Hesitating, my eyes jump to Collins face. The concern is no longer visible in his gaze, replaced with affection and a warm smile instead. I place my palm into his and he draws me in. His arms wrap around my body, low around my waist, resting gently against the backs of my hips.
The movement mimics Derek’s, but the feelings it invokes is the exact opposite. Instead of feeling uncomfortable and wanting to escape, I feel warm and cared for. Comforted. He tips his head forward, keeping our gazes locked.
Emerald eyes flit to my mouth, then return to my eyes. Chocolate brown and emerald green collide. “You look beautiful tonight, McKenzie,” he drawls quietly.
I smile at him, appreciating the warmth he always seems to offer at the right moment. My gaze roams over his body, taking in his white button up and clean, light-wash jeans. It’s almost like we coordinated, with our splashes of white. “You clean up well yourself, Franzen,” I whisper back, the intimate positions of our bodies making it feel like we shouldn’t talk loudly.
“Are you ready?” He asks, leaning closer and brushing his lips over mine.
I’m not sure if the movement was intentional or not. The contact definitely not enough to label it as a kiss, yet it’s the closest we’ve ever gotten to one. Either way, it distracts me from my nerves, and I nod. My eyes scream kiss me, but my lips say, “Let’s do this.”
His lips tip up and he drops one arm, leaving the other wrapped around my waist. He tugs me into his side, gently squeezing me, steering us in the direction of his car. We stroll to the passenger side of the SUV connected, not separating until Collin opens the door and I’m climbing inside.
Through the windshield, I watch him jog around the hood and jump in. Unashamedly, I stare at him while he starts the car and reverses from his typical spot on my lawn, the one gaining indents from how much time he spends parked there. He meets my gaze briefly, our eyes connecting and I see his happy sparkle glint at me. His attention refocuses on the road, but mine remains on him.
The drive passes quickly, and we reach his house prior to my nerves renewing. We exit the car and enter his massive foyer with a surprising calm washing over my body in waves. Something about Collin’s presence makes it hard for me to be stressed. Maybe it’s his sunshine scent or his kindness. Whatever it is, I’m grateful to be around him tonight.
Inside, we find his parents, and, brother standing next to the sweeping staircase, like they’re welcoming the pope, instead of little, ole me. While Collin shuts the door, his mom steps forward, her blonde hair pulled into a tight, tidy bun at the back of her neck, she’s dres
sed in a pale blue sheath dress with thick straps. Her heels clack against the beautiful flooring as she approaches.
“Hello, McKenzie. It’s good to see you again. I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself last time, I’m Irene Franzen,” she drawls, her tone polite and refined, with a hint of the warmth her son typically speaks with.
“Hi Mrs. Franzen,” I respond shyly. Is everyone rich this formal? As an afterthought I tack on, “Nice to meet you.”
She hovers for a minute like she wants to give me a hug, but isn’t sure I’ll accept it. Instead, she steps back and gives me a warm smile, the movement an echo of the expression that seems so familiar on Collin’s face.
Collin’s dad doesn’t move but his genteel tone fills the air, “I’m David Franzen.” He leaves his introduction short and simple, punctuating the words with a nod.
My eyes take him in, noting the similarities to Collin in both height and broad shoulders. He has a darker, blonde hair, and the same striking green gaze. “Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Franzen.” Moving my eyes, I look at Luke who’s dressed similarly to Collin in a pale green button-up and jeans. “Hi Luke,” I say, giving him a small wave.
As if channeling his father, he simply nods in return, non-verbally acknowledging my greeting.
We stand around in the foyer, Collin by my side and the rest of his family in a straight line beside the staircase. I resist the urge to shuffle my feet or fidget my hands, despite the slightly odd silence. Should I ask how everyone is doing?
“Why don’t we get seated?” Mrs. Franzen suggests, finally ending the awkwardly formal introductions.
She turns on her heel, heading in the direction of the kitchen. Making a hard right into another room, rather than continuing to the kitchen I had waited in last time I was here.
Their dining room is massive, hosting a large, dark-stained table already laden with food. Place settings with two forks, a spoon, a knife and two glasses are set before half the spots and I begin to feel my nerves thrumming all over again. Collin is from money, the kind of money that has a formal dining room, and cares about what fork you use… and I’m from a trailer park.
I shouldn’t be here.
Collin keeps me from fleeing by placing a hand low on my back, using it to steer me to the opposite side of the table. He pulls my chair out and settles me, then pushes it in. Thankfully, he chooses the chair beside me. Across the table sit Luke and Mrs. Franzen, with Mr. Franzen at the head of the table, to my left.
Food is quickly dispersed, dishes passed in a clockwise rotation, allowing us to serve ourselves. We load our plates with each dish, I try not to be greedy in my servings, but everything looks homemade and delicious. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone else to cook for me and I’m not very experienced in the kitchen. Tonight, I’m eating better than I have in at least the last year, maybe my entire life.
With a full plate in front of him, Mr. Franzen raises his fancy looking goblet into the air. Afraid to commit some sort of faux pas, I observe Luke across the table, copying his every move. I mimic the motion of raising the goblet before me, clinking my glass in the middle against everyone else’s, pretending like, I too, am the kind of person that cheers when I have guests over. After he puts down his glass, I watch Mr. Franzen as he takes a bite of his meal. Surveying the table, I see everyone focused on their plates and I finally begin to eat.
Silence lingers, like no one is quite sure how to bridge the gap with the strange girl Collin has brought for dinner. Half of me regrets accepting the invitation, the other half wants to ask to take leftovers home, especially after a succulent piece of chicken touches the tip of my tongue.
“Collin tells us you’re good at math…,” Mrs. Franzen finally begins, trailing off her sentence for me to pick up the string of conversation.
“Yes, it’s one of my favorite subjects,” I reply with a smile, then return to my plate. Trailing my fork through the potatoes and gravy piled high in one corner, wanting to continue eating, but not wanting my mouth to be full if another statement is directed my way.
I glimpse Mrs. Franzen’s nod from the corner of my eye. I’m no longer looking directly at her, but she continues her thoughts anyways. “Well, Luke is in need of a tutor. Math isn’t one of the strong Franzen genes,” she says, her laughter tinkling lightly after, sounding like a soft chorus of bells.
“Oh,” I respond, trying to be polite, but not sure how one continues that statement. Do I say, sorry your family is genetically blessed, but sucks at math?
That seems inappropriate.
“Would it be something you’re interested in, Dear?”
“I…” I open my mouth to respond, then hesitate. Is tutoring something I would be interested in? Finding a new job could mean no more Mr. Mouchard or nasty motel rooms, but what about my deal with Derek? Once Collin finds out, he could tell his parents, then his parents would ditch me faster than I can blink.
I allow myself a few seconds to organize the thoughts fighting for my attention before formulating a response. I reply firmly, “I’ll think about it. I’ve been working at the Breezy Motel for a couple years… I would feel awful leaving them hanging if I quit without any notice.”
“Okay, Dear. Well try to get back to me soon,” she says lightly.
I nod my head and we all turn back to our plates, thankfully Collin saves me from more stinted conversations by engaging his brother. “Who else made the soccer team, Luke?”
Chapter 19
Collin drives me back to my trailer in an easy silence; the tires of his SUV eating the distance between our homes quickly. By the time he pulls onto the dirt road of the park, I’m wishing the distance was further so the drive could last longer. I’m not ready for the night to end, to leave Collin and return to my trailer alone.
The vehicle slows beneath me, leading me to believe the same thoughts are running through Collin’s mind. He stops a ways from my trailer, just off the side of the bumpy dirt road, placing his vehicle in park and twisting to face me. He props himself against the console to get closer, his face nearing mine before he drawls, “I think you should do it.”
His closeness had me gravitating in his direction, but his words have me reeling back in surprise. I was expecting a kiss, not a cryptic statement. “You think I should do what?” I ask, confused.
“I think you should tutor my brother,” he replies, a warm grin turning up the corners of his lips.
“Oh, do you now?” I ask, wanting to hear his reasoning.
“Well, yeah. How much do you make at the Motel? Minimum wage? My parents will easily pay double that, maybe more if you negotiate,” he explains, slowly. After a beat, like he’s mulling over his words, he continues, “Plus we could spend more time together, if you were at my house every day helping my brother.”
“But I’ve never tutored anyone,” I protest, feebly.
Meanwhile, my brain processes the idea of being paid double my current wage to sit in the Franzen house and teach math. I could work half as many hours and still earn as much as I do at the motel. I’d lose my tips, but those are barely a pittance anyways.
First the conversation with Katie, then the offer from Mrs. Franzen, It’s like the universe is screaming at me to stay a good person and earn my money honestly.
“McKenzie, you’re great at math. I was in your class last year, remember? I think you can do anything you put your mind to… at least think about it, okay?”
His words fill me with warmth and I allow myself a few seconds to bask in his praise—in the brief glimpse of what Collin sees in me. I open my mouth to respond but am interrupted by a surprisingly angry explosion of words from the man next to me.
“Is that Derek, again?” he asks, his words a vicious snarl.
I follow his gaze through the car window, to my trailer just visible down the road. Derek’s dark hair is noticeable, once again glinting in the light as he waits next to my trailer under the small porch lamp, leaning against the aged tin side. I’m guessin
g he wants to ask how things are going, especially now that he knows I’ve spent time inside the Franzen house.
I can’t tell Collin that though, not yet.
Instead, I hedge around the truth. “He’s been coming around a lot more, since my mom’s been… out of town. He’s pretty harmless,” I explain. Placing one of my hands against Collin’s arm, I rub up and down hoping to soothe away some of the irritation Derek brought forth.
“It didn’t seem harmless earlier,” Collin argues, although with a little less vitriol in his words than before.
He captures my hand with one of his, bringing it to his mouth to lay a soft kiss against the palm, then places it against his muscled thigh. Like always, his soft acts of affection steal my breath away.
“I don’t feel comfortable with you staying here alone with that guy around all the time,” he says, his voice almost back to his normal, warm drawl.
“I’ll be okay,” I respond. Though, I wish I could avoid Derek’s more persistent advances and presence. Unfortunately, living within a half a mile of each other makes encountering him unavoidable.
“How long is your mom gone for?” Collin asks, softly.
“Err, a couple of weeks,” I blatantly lie, keeping my gaze fixed out the windshield. I’m hoping Collin can’t read my shuttered face, since he’s become so adept at interpreting my expressions recently.
“I want you to come stay at my house,” he states abruptly, shocking me into a stunned silence.
Without a moments pause to allow me the time to formulate a response, Collin changes gear on the SUV and conducts a three-point turn. He’s driving at a much faster speed out of my neighborhood than he drove into it, his tires spitting up small rocks embedded in the dirt with quiet pings echoing as they ricochet off his tire wells. If it wasn’t dark out, I’m sure we would see a plume of dust billowing up as Collin high tails it from the trailer park back towards Golden Oaks.