Wrecked for You

by Mayer, Kristin

  Without meaning to, I drifted inside toward the laptop Hayden had left on the counter. He’d mentioned I could use it any time I needed. I went to the web address and logged into my general mailbox. Taking a deep breath, I waited for it to load.

  I had two new messages; one from my mother and one from Landon.

  I hadn’t thought much about Landon through all this. Maybe I should have. I felt a little guilty having not given much thought to the shitstorm he was probably dealing with at home.

  Which do I open first?

  I stared at the two messages while I chewed on my lip. Opening the email was harder than I expected. I’m sure one was a reprimand from my parents. But Landon would be kind.

  The worst one first.

  I opened the one from my mother. The shouty caps in the subject line irritated me. I hated shouty caps. I took a deep breath before I started to read.

  Remember, they are no longer in control. You don’t have to respond.

  Subject: WHERE ARE YOU?

  Dear Kory,

  We arrived at your home after you failed to show up at brunch to find you’d left. To say we are disappointed is an understatement. This is your duty as our daughter. Please call me or your father. Not all is lost. We can get back on track with the schedule with some moderate changes. Your father and I need you.

  Please contact us.

  Your mother.

  I sighed. The moment I told them where I was, they would be here within forty-eight hours. Guaranteed. And I wasn’t ready to deal with the drama until I knew Hayden would be around. Plus, I wanted Hayden and I to have just a little more time together as a couple.

  If I was a little more established with a job and a plan, I might feel more confident. If I could show them I could make it on my own, it might help convince them to stop this sham marriage with Landon. Maybe then they would respect my choices, and we could find a way to be an actual family. While doubtful, I remained hopeful.

  Next, I opened the email from Landon.

  Subject: I heard…

  Hey Kory,

  Heard you stood me up. You know I’m kidding. Just wanted you to know you have my support. I respect what you did. Wish I had the guts to do the same. If you need anything let me know. My parents are having me stay around for a bit as your family is convinced you’ll change your mind. I’m hoping you don’t. I met a girl in Europe. For the first time… I have hope. Don’t be a stranger. If you want to catch up, reach out. I’ll keep it on the down low.

  All the best,

  Landon

  I smiled at Landon’s email. He’d always been a nice guy. But that’s all he had ever been… a nice guy. There had never been a spark that made my toes curl or the anticipation of when I would see him next. Yes, he was good-looking, some would say extremely good-looking, but he wasn’t the one. He never had been or would be the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

  At some point I would reach out to him. But if his parents were monitoring his account like my parents were monitoring mine, they’d tell my parents in a second to help bring me back to my former prison of a life.

  I would rather die than go back to that life.

  Never ever again would I be controlled.

  Never.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hayden

  I let out a deep breath as I got into the spare truck we kept at the hangar. Normally, we kept it as a courtesy vehicle for the summer when tourist season was high. But it wasn’t something I advertised. Now, I needed it. Until we got Kory’s car situation figured out, it would help us get by. Kory had about five thousand dollars to her name, and that wasn’t going to get her a safe car for the snow and ice. This truck would be good. It wasn’t as big as mine, but it was safe.

  Anthony walked out of the hangar. “Hey, man, got a second?”

  Shit. I’d meant to talk to him before I left. I was anxious to see Kory.

  I shifted the truck back into park. “Sure, what’s going on?”

  “Well, I was thinking about Kory and her offer to help. Would she be interested in helping us clean up the files? It’s a mess in there.”

  I smiled. “I’ll ask, but I’m sure she would.”

  “Great. Since Sarah went back to school, things have gone to shit.”

  They had. Sarah had been a nice college student who wanted to spend the summer in Alaska. She’d made some serious improvements in our filing. “I’ll check. Do you need anything for the flight this afternoon?”

  “No, I don’t think so. It should be easy. Just flying up to Misty Fjords National Park to do a lake landing.”

  I nodded. “If you need anything, let me know.”

  “Sure thing.”

  He rapped his knuckles on the hood of the truck before heading back inside. It had been a long couple of days, and I was ready to relax and just be with Kory. Eric and Scott were at the hospital with their mom. Before I’d left, they made the difficult decision about hospice. Her heart was giving out, and she was too weak to survive surgery. Eric’s mom had decided she wanted to live out her days as comfortable as possible. She’d be buried in Skagway when she passed.

  Life was a bitch at times.

  I rolled my neck as I turned left to drive through town. I wanted to pick up some flowers for my girl. Last night, in the group text, Alexa hinted Kory was ready. One, she was drunk. And two, it felt too soon. I wanted it to be special. It might take some planning, but I’d figure it out.

  Romance wasn’t my thing. But for the first time, I wanted it to be everything Kory wanted. What do I do? Fuck. This must be what my mom referred to as courting. Hell, I was out of my league. Before I showed up to the house, I needed a game plan.

  Otherwise, my dick would win.

  There was one person who knew about this sappy shit. Hell, he’d built Alexa a cabin on the off chance she’d return to Alaska after she’d broken up with him. I dialed my brother.

  “Hey, man,” Drake answered.

  “Hey, you busy?”

  “Lex is finishing up lunch here before she goes out to talk to Kory about the wedding. What’s up?”

  Wedding? The last I’d heard, when Drake and I talked last night after the drunk texts, Alexa hadn’t set a date. “So you’ve set a date?”

  “Three days before Christmas.”

  “Congratulations, man. I knew you were stressing about that.”

  Drake sighed. “Yeah, thanks. Just a couple more months. What’s going on?”

  “Can I come by? I need some advice.”

  “Sure thing. Just come on back to my office. Want anything to eat?”

  “Burger. Fries. And probably a beer.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll get it ready.”

  I tried to focus as I drove to the Red Onion. Drake was so much better at this shit than I was. From the moment he met Alexa, he’d never hidden how much he cared for her. My other brother, Kane, refused to even acknowledge he had feelings. He was a brute, but loyal to the core. And I ended up somewhere in the middle. Feelings scared me, but deep down, I always wanted what Drake had. Up until Kory, I’d refused to admit it to anyone. The forever bachelor was mostly for show. I used sex to block out my real feelings.

  A few minutes later, I pulled up in front of the Red Onion. Elvira and Sylvia spotted me and started walking my way. I dragged a hand down my face.

  The last thing I wanted was to deal with them, but if I dodged them, they’d be after me like flies on shit. They were in their late sixties, but these women were full of pith and vinegar. At the same time, they were the heart of this community. Even though tourist season was over, they still had on what they deemed authentic gold digger uniforms in case anyone new came through town.

  I got out of the truck and casually nodded to the Twiner sisters. “Afternoon, ladies.”

  “Hey, Hayden, how are you doing?” Sylvia asked with a sweet smile. Oh, she was trying to butter me up.

  “Good. About to have lunch with my brother. How are you doing?”

&n
bsp; She pulled out her pencil from her satchel and grabbed the notebook that dangled around her neck. “I’m glad I ran into you. You’ve been mighty hard to get ahold of lately.” She paused, waiting for me to say something. I just tipped my head, hoping to get this over with sooner rather than later. “So, word on the street is you’re taken now.”

  Yep, I was going to be in another newsletter. Shit. That would make two this week. Double shit. Now I knew how Alexa felt after first arriving. She’d made it in a couple of red hot Twiner Tellings emails. Keep it casual. I leaned against my truck like I had nowhere else to be.

  “I’ve been seeing Kory for a while, but a man has to keep some secrets to himself.” I gave them a wink, and they giggled.

  “We can’t wait to meet Kory. The poor dear. Alexa told us she has no family. We’re glad she came to Skagway.”

  “Me, too.”

  They made a few notes. “Well, thanks for the interview. We just wanted to make sure we had our facts straight.”

  That was easier than I’d imagined. I owed Alexa big time for keeping the story uninteresting. I was about to say good-bye when Elvira asked, “Do you have Kory’s email? We figure she’d want to be added to the Twiner Tellings.”

  There was no escaping it. I pulled out my phone and gave it to them. If I didn’t, they would hunt Kory down.

  “Oh, perfect. Thank you, dearie. It’s a shame you aren’t going to be in the bachelor auction this year. At least we have that yummy doctor.” Elvira tucked her pencil into her gray bun.

  Oh shit, poor Hollis. Each year, I had to fly out of town to avoid that damn bachelor auction.

  “Anytime, Elvira. The ladies are going to have a real treat this year at the auction.” I tipped my head. “Have a great day.” I glanced across the street and saw Ol’ Man Rooster. He’d be the perfect diversion in case they wanted to keep chatting. “Looks like someone may want to speak to you.”

  They giggled and headed across the street. “Bye, Hayden.”

  “Bye, ladies.”

  Ol’ Man Rooster was the male version of the Twiner sisters. He knew everything about everyone. And he’d put his sights on Hollis, too. Poor Hollis was now the man Ol’ Man Rooster wanted his granddaughter Marlena to marry. And she seemed to like that idea a lot. The Twiner Tellings had already matched them together and expected Hollis to go for a pretty penny in the auction. Throw in the Devney issue, and Hollis had quite the drama.

  The Twiner sisters sashayed over to Ol’ Man Rooster, who appeared happy to see them.

  Crisis averted.

  Hell, those women were tenacious. No one wanted to see them, much less talk to them, but everyone loved reading the newsletters for whatever antics they uncovered.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hayden

  I nodded to Drake’s bartender, Crete, as I walked through the bar toward his office. “You feeling better?”

  “Yeah, much better. I asked Drake if I could come in for a couple of hours to work. Doc Fritz said I wasn’t contagious. Just some sinus issues.” Crete was a good guy. He’d lost his dad in the same logging accident that had taken Alexa’s father. Now he helped support his mom and siblings. The guy had a heart of gold.

  “Good to hear. Keep feeling better.”

  “I will, man. Thanks. Drake is in the back.”

  “Thanks.”

  When I opened the door, Alexa was grabbing her purse.

  She gave me a grin. “Hey, Hayden.”

  “Hey, Lex.” I scooped her up, eliciting a laugh. When I turned to face Drake, he had a scowl on his face. One, he hated anyone else calling her Lex, and two, he was a bit possessive and didn’t approve of the over-the-top hugs… which is why I did it as often as possible.

  I set Alexa down and draped my arm over her shoulders. “You’re engaged to the man, and he still can’t stand it.”

  Alexa laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Stop being an asshole.” Drake pointedly stared at me.

  I raised an eyebrow. “I’ll stop on one condition.”

  Drake folded his arms across his chest. “And that is?”

  “No more Boo Boo Bear. And make sure Kane stays off my ass about it, too.”

  Drake said nothing, just sat there with a smirk.

  I pulled Alexa in for another hug. “I think I might just start calling you Lex all the time.”

  Alexa mashed her lips together, and Drake shook his head. “Deal. But you stop all that shit from now on.”

  “Deal.”

  That was easier than I’d expected. The nickname was funny coming from Kory… not my brothers, who would give me shit until the day I died.

  Alexa patted my shoulder. “I’m going to let you boys have some man time. I have a proposal for Kory and want to talk to her about her wedding ideas. We’re doing a Christmas wedding.” She pointed at Drake. “Behave yourself.”

  He walked around the desk. “I’ll walk you out. I’ll be right back, dickhead.”

  “Okay, princess.”

  He flipped me the bird as he walked out the door. Getting under his skin never got old. Never. Taking a seat, I waited for Drake and let Kory know I had stopped to see my brother first. A couple of minutes later, he walked back in with a tray of food. The smells reminded me of how hungry I was. The last time I’d eaten was yesterday at lunch.

  Drake set it down in front of me. “You’re lucky I didn’t spit in it.”

  “Dude, you make it too easy to aggravate you.”

  “Yeah, well now that you’ve got a girl, you’ll see how it feels.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Drake took a seat, nodding in a way that clearly said, Yeah, we will. Shit. “So, you’ll be a married man in about two months.”

  “It can’t come soon enough. Thank fuck Lex finally told me why she was stalling on picking a date.”

  I was ravenous. I took a bite of the burger and sighed. Amazing. “Why’s that?” I asked around a mouthful of food.

  “She was nervous about asking Dad to walk her down the aisle since I’d mentioned asking him to be best man. I should have realized it. We asked Dad, and he said he’d be honored. And we’re keeping it simple. Kory suggested we get married at Lex’s family’s house. We love the idea.”

  “Wow, a lot happened while I was away.”

  “Yeah. I got to meet Kory last night and saw her again this morning. I like her. Lex adores her.”

  I had forgotten Drake stopped by to meet her. He was protective of Alexa and probably wanted to check out Kory, which I understood.

  “I’m glad you like her. Means a lot to have the support of the family.” Before things got too emotional, I changed the subject. “Hell, those text messages last night.”

  Drake laughed. “Fuck, they were funny.”

  “Yeah, they were.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “So, what’s going on?”

  My brother was never one to beat around the bush. He said what was on his mind and didn’t mince words. Drake had been an old soul for as long as I could remember.

  I took a swig of beer to wash down the burger. “This thing with Kory has me in knots. I don’t know… it’s just… I’m a wreck. I’ve never had a girlfriend—not like a real girlfriend, where it mattered. When she came back here, we started over. After last night, she’s giving signals to move forward, which is a hell of a lot faster than I planned. She might think she’s ready, but I think we need more time.”

  “Her parents sound like assholes. How’s she coping?”

  “They are. Everything about us isn’t conventional. Yes, we like each other, love each other. But we’re not to marriage proposal stage yet. I don’t know. It’s just so complicated.”

  Drake took a drink of his own beer. “Relationships are like that. Lex and I had to deal with her mother and sister, who hated me. Then all the shit when Lex’s dad died. Are you afraid about what could happen if things don’t work out?”

  Maybe that was what scared me. I hadn’t thought about it. “W
ell, yeah… I mean, I love her. She loves me. But we’ve never been in love before. Hell, I’m not making sense. I want her to see how much I care about her. Make it special. Then I worry she’s not going to find what she’s looking for here. What is she going to do here in Skagway? I mean… I just don’t know what I mean.”

  For a second, Drake leaned back in his chair and steepled his index fingers under his chin. Finally, he said, “Lex has a proposal she wants Kory to hear. It has potential to be a job—a career.”

  “What is it?”

  “I can tell you, but do you want to know or do you want to let Kory tell you?”

  He had a point. If I already knew about it, she might think I orchestrated it. I’d wait for Kory to talk to me. “I’ll wait. So… what do I do about my other issue?”

  Drake ran his hands through his hair. “When Lex came back to open the clinic, I had no idea how far I should push. How much help I should offer. When I should take it to the next level. What I did know was that Lex had to know I was there for her to support her dreams any way I could.” Drake leaned forward. “You guys will figure it out. And you’ll know when it’s time to take it to the next level.”

  “How do you make sure it’s not all about the sex?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. That wasn’t an issue for Lex and me because we had a history. But maybe… you keep waiting for a bit. Plan something that has to wait until a certain date.”

  Drake had confirmed what I’d figured I should do.

  He added, “If you want to see… take it out of the equation. You’ll either get stronger or…”

  We’d fall apart.

  I let out a long breath before standing to shake my brother’s hand. “Thanks, Drake.”

  “Anytime. Like I’ve told you before… the risk is worth it.”

  Chapter Eighteen