by Lucy Snow
Contents
Howdy!
Chapter 01 - The Homecoming
Chapter 02 - The Show
Chapter 03 - The Party
Chapter 04 - The Reunion
Chapter 05 - The Fight
Chapter 06 - The Kissing
Chapter 07 - The Touching
Chapter 08 - The Morning
Chapter 09 - The Shower
Chapter 10 - The Support
Chapter 11 - The Decision
Chapter 12 - The Afternoon
Chapter 13 - The Outdoors
Chapter 14 - The Return
Chapter 15 - The Police
Chapter 16 - The Night
Chapter 17 - The Station
Chapter 18 - The Interrogation
Chapter 19 - The Mall
Chapter 20 - The Labor
Chapter 21 - The Dinner
Chapter 22 - The Confrontation
Chapter 23 - The End
Chapter 24 - The Beginning
Chapter 25 - The Love
Chapter 26 - The Next
Afterword
Hi! I’m Lucy Snow, and I wrote the book you’re about to read. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you read the rest of my books!
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Chapter 01 - The Homecoming
“A party? For Harrison?” Ugh. Where was my party? No one ever threw parties in my honor. Stupid Harrison. What made him so special? I caught myself before saying anything else. While it might feel good, it definitely wouldn’t help the situation.
Keep it together, Laurel, keep it together.
It was just a few days. Soon I’d be back in New York, free to be myself again. Summitville would be a distant memory one more time.
That was how I liked it anyway. I didn’t want to spend any more time here than I had to. Summitville and I didn’t really get along. Most of that was because of Harrison.
“Yeah. I was thinking of it as more of a small reception, of sorts,” my father said, genially, as if nothing was wrong. “Just to welcome him back, congratulate him on his service, nothing too fancy. Something nice for him. But your mother-“
“Stepmother.” I don’t know why I still did that. Force of habit, I guessed. It just felt wrong to call her my mother, like I was taking something away from my real mother.
“-Your mother, Laurel, has made it a bigger deal, but I’ve tried to keep the guest list low. It should be maybe ten people.” Ten more than ever came to my non-existent parties. I couldn’t help but fume, but again managed to keep myself in check. I’d just arrived a little while ago, now was not the time to start things off on the wrong foot.
I was sure there’d be plenty of time for wrong feet later. Wrong feet and me were old friends by now.
So much for my plan to avoid Harrison the entire time I was here. It wasn’t exactly the most well-thought out plan, actually. More of an idea, a concept, than a plan. But now it was out the window even before I’d begun to flesh it out. I might be able to avoid him under normal circumstances, but not at a party at home in his honor. Our house was big, but not that big.
“What time?” I shifted on my feet, hoping there was some way I could still get out of this. Maybe I could invent another pressing engagement, something that really really needed my undivided attention. Were there any recent local natural disasters I could clean up? Any local crimes I could solve singlehandedly before the perpetrators committed more dastardly deeds?
Of course not, because Summitville was the most boring place on Earth. Nothing ever happened here, and the people who lived here liked it that way.
Ugh. Why did I come back here again? I could have just spent the holidays in New York. Sure, most of my friends were out of town visiting family, but that it wouldn’t have been so bad to stay behind and explore the city by myself. I’d been there for a couple years and now and still had barely scratched the surface.
Meanwhile, the very deepest depths of Summitville hadn’t exactly yielded much in the way of either good memories or exciting times. Serves me right for not finding a reason to avoid coming here.
My father checked his old watch. Everyone else on Earth used their phone for that, but he still liked having something that only told the time on his wrist. As if that made any sense. “About 4 hours from now.” He looked back at me, hopeful, his big bushy eyebrows wide. I loved how caring and affectionate they made him look. “You can make that, right? I know you’ve probably made plans with your friends already, and I know you probably don’t want to go-“
“You’re right, I don’t.” There was no love lost between Harrison and me, and my father knew it. Though often, he conveniently liked to forget it. I let him most of the time, but I still had to reassert myself occasionally.
“-But it would mean a lot to your mother and I if you at least showed up for a bit.” There was that hope in his voice again. Ugh. He really knew how to lay it on thick at the right time. No wonder he’d been so successful in business - knowing how to talk to people, how to get them to slide in the direction he wanted, it was a huge skill.
And it worked on me, his daughter, all too well.
I sighed. This was not how I wanted to spend the few days away from school and work I had left. I didn’t get around to Summitville very often by choice, but this sounded even worse. I didn’t want to disappoint my father, though. He looked so happy to see me. I was happy to see him too, we didn’t do that often enough since I’d moved away.
“I just wish you’d told me a little sooner.” I relented, like I knew I would. Typical Laurel.
“Yeah, it was a last minute thing.” A likely story. My father wasn’t given to last minute things. He was a planner, and liked to stick to decisions once they were made. A little of that had rubbed off on me, though I know my tendency to go off-script from time to time caused him great heartburn when he found out about it.
“It’s not a surprise, is it? Harrison doesn’t like surprises.” I don’t know why I was looking out for Harrison’s feelings all of a sudden. I gave it a 50/50 chance Harrison would turn on a hose to put me out if I was on fire. Maybe if the hose was close by he’d consider it. Only if turning it on wasn’t too strenuous and he was in one of his very rare charitable moods.
“No, not a surprise.” My father’s tone suggested he understood the implication and agreed with me.
I pounced. The edge in my voice was clear. “Ah, so only a surprise to me.” The barbs flew out, and their aim was true.
He grimaced. “Look, Laurel, we just forgot, I’m sorry about that. I’d really like you to come, though. It’s important that we do things together as a family, and this is the perfect occasion to come together. Harrison’s been through a lot and we should support him as he figures out the next steps.” I knew he was telling the truth, but it still hurt. I didn’t like being left out, but that was nothing new. In fact, it was all par for the course in this family. Didn’t mean I had to like it, even though I went along with it.
I pulled back, not wanting to get into it right now. I didn’t visit often and I didn’t want to start a fight, just to let him know that I noticed what was going on. When my father married Harrison’s mother six years ago, Harrison’s troubles became my father’s troubles, and I ended up on the losing end. I was used to it by now. I sighed, letting the fight welling up inside me dissipate. “That’s alright. I’ll be ready.”
He looked relieved. “Thanks, Laurel, I really appreciate it.�
� His voice softened, and he stepped closer. “Harrison hasn’t always had the best of it, and we’re really proud that he’s made some changes in his life. I’d like to think you two can work out whatever past…history-“
I snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”
“-you’ve had and become closer. It would really make your mother and I happy.” He sounded so earnest and plaintive, my heart opened up to him. I could tell that my father wanted few things more in the world than to see Harrison and I get along, but as much as I wanted to make him feel better, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. We were just too different and there was just too much bad blood between us.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll try, but no guarantees.” This was not going to go well, I could already tell. But, of course, for my father I’d give anything a shot. He’d been through a lot, losing my mother, and even though it was years ago I still felt like I needed to take care of him a little more than usual, be there for him, and at least make a good faith effort to do the things he wanted, when they weren’t too nuts.
This was approaching too nuts, but not quite there. I’d give him this one. Now, if Harrison was similarly inclined…I had to stop myself from laughing at that.
He stood up taller, more confident. “Good, that’s all I’m asking.” He pulled me in for a hug, and I hugged him back. Despite our sometimes strained relationship, I’d missed my father. “I’m really glad you’re here, Laurel. It’s so good to see you again.” My father wasn’t big on emotional speeches, so this was impressive, small as it was - it must have been difficult for him to get all that out there, and I could tell he was a little embarrassed. I didn’t want to make it any worse.
“Thanks, Dad.” I pulled back. “I’m gonna take a nap, it’s been a long drive.” I turned away and started to head toward my room.
“Sounds good. There’s food in the kitchen; your mother’s been cooking up a storm.”
“Thanks, I ate on the way.” She tried hard, but for some reason I’d never been a fan of my stepmother’s cooking. It didn’t have the same touch, the same love, that I remember of my mother’s cooking. Some things can’t be replaced, I guessed.
“Great. Party’s at 7. People will be dressing up, but nothing too fancy.” Seriously?
“Dressing up? Come on!” All of a sudden the fight was coming back. A last minute surprise party for my hated stepbrother Harrison…and people were dressing up, and I just found out about it? Way to make a girl feel appreciated around here. I turned back so my father could see the steam coming out of my ears as I turned red with fury, but he didn’t seem to notice.
Oh, how well he knew me. I couldn’t help but admire his grace. I needed to learn to handle people that way, it might do me some good.
“Nothing too fancy, I said! I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of clothes here, something nice will do.” His voice changed, almost pleading. “It’s for Harrison, Laurel. Please, just do this for me.”
I relented, unable to stay mad at him for too long, but mad at myself for that very reason. “Sure, Dad, I’ll be ready.”
Great, now I had to dress up too? Blergh. Coming home was the worst. I hoped I still fit into the dresses in my closet. I turned away from my father’s genial glance and trudged up the stairs, thankful to get away from everyone for at least a little while.
I had a couple hours before I had to start getting ready for stupid Harrison’s stupid fancy party with his stupid guests and I meant to take every advantage of it. My room and most importantly my bed wouldn’t judge me - we’d been best friends for years now and the reunion would be tearful and joyous at the same time.
No distractions allowed.
Chapter 02 - The Show
I woke up a couple hours later. It felt great to be back in my childhood bed, but the room itself felt a little weird. I mean, all of it was mine, but nothing in it had changed except me. The posters on the wall, the albums on the rack, the clothes hanging in the closet, it felt like someone else’s stuff, but I felt a twinge of connection to every little piece.
They were all a part of me, once, but not anymore. They were all packed with memories, but some of them felt like they’d happened to a different person who’d told me about them before. Levels of disconnection were interesting beasts indeed.
I sat at my desk and looked at the albums in particular, remembering when what I was going through when I bought each of them. They were time capsules to specific moments of my past. I used to listen to a lot of angsty unhappy stuff as a teenager. It felt good to see how my tastes had changed.
A little more upbeat nowadays. And maybe a little lighter on the makeup. No need these days to take my inner emotions and demons and wear them on my face, the world was interesting enough without everyone staring at me. Not that they, you know, had stared at me, but when I was young and naive and weird I’d thought they were.
Except for Summitville, of course. The least interesting little town in the world. I wasn’t surprised they hadn’t put that on a banner over the main route into town, Reno-style. It didn’t have quite the same ring to it. Maybe they were just trying to find the right wording.
I was still waltzing down memory lane, looking around my room, when my eye caught the old digital clock I kept on the nightstand. Shit. I had 90 minutes before the party started and I hadn’t even begun to get ready. No time to waste, Laurel, get moving. I could be a few minutes late, but it was difficult to be fashionably late when the party was one floor below. Also tough to find an excuse for tardiness. ‘My car wouldn’t start’ wouldn’t work this time.
I got up and set my bag on the bed. I’d packed something a little nicer than usual for the anniversary party. I couldn’t wear that twice, so unless I wanted to do a little shopping while I was here, I’d have to to investigate my closet for a dress for tonight. That might be a little bit of a problem. I liked shopping just as much as the next girl, but these days I wasn’t exactly flush with cash. I hoped I’d be able to find something nice that wouldn’t send my credit card company running to the bank with glee.
Rummaging through the closet, I found something - a dark blue dress, short but not too short with a bit of a plunging neckline. Just a little risqué for a family event, but I could also wear it out later tonight with Maggie. The trouble was, I’d managed to get a little curvier since I’d bought the dress a year ago, and now I wasn’t sure how well it would fit.
Maggie! That reminded me, I hadn’t checked my phone since I woke up. I wasn’t even sure where I’d put it. Not attached to my phone at the hip? I was the worst college girl ever. I giggled as I tried to remember where I left it. Maybe I needed to chain it to my wrist.
When I found it, I thumbed the screen and saw Maggie had left me a couple messages. Looks like she was planning on picking me up at 830. Whew, that would work out. I could show up at the family thing, shake some hands, give some hugs, make small talk about school for a little while, avoid Harrison completely, and duck out just in time to catch up with Maggie and have a couple drinks.
Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad night after all. Seeing Maggie would make it all better. She had that effect on me, and I loved her for it. That and many many other reasons.
I gathered up my toiletries and clothes. I didn’t have my own bathroom here. In high school Harrison and I had developed a complicated set of rules for the bathroom’s use, which worked really well. I figured since we were adults now I could just head over there and take my shower with no problem.
Since only my father and stepmother were home when I arrived, I hadn’t actually run into Harrison since I got back. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him and I was sure the feeling was mutual. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d had a conversation that wasn’t barely civil, as much as I’d tried to be nice to him. Harrison just didn’t seem to care, and eventually I got used to it. In fact, caring in general seemed to be what turned Harrison off in the first place. The feeling was infectious.
I took a deep breath and open
ed the door. The hallway was clear. I made my way first to the closet next to the bathroom. I didn’t have any towels in my room, so picking one up was first on the list. Opening up the hall closet brought yet another wave of nostalgia my way. The towels were on top, the sheets, extra blankets and pillows on the bottom. Just like they’d always been.
I remembered my stepmother trying to change that setup soon after they’d moved in, and I remembered how I’d gone through each time and rearranged things, putting them exactly back the way my real mother had kept them. My stepmother had asked me about it once, but I hadn’t explained, saying something vague and totally dancing around the issue. She got the hint, thankfully, and things stayed the way they were. The way they ought to be. No reason to change a good thing that worked.
Once I had had my favorite towel in hand, I was carrying way too much stuff. I could barely see where I was going, but luckily I knew the layout of this house like the back of my hand.
I’d managed to precariously balance everything I needed, and stumbled my way to the bathroom door. After a little bobbling between my hands, I lifted one of my legs, pushed the door handle down with my knee, and entered the bathroom, not registering that the light was already on. That meant someone was probably in there, but I wasn’t paying attention so much as trying to keep from exploding in a cloud of fabric and bathroom supplies. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.
I walked in and dropped my stuff on the counter before I realized someone else was in the room with me. I turned to my left and my jaw dropped open.
Oh. Shit.