I sat outside in the warm morning sun and watched people walk by. Riding bikes. Rollerblading. Cars slowly driving down the street, windows down, different music playing. If it got quiet enough, I heard the rushing and crashing of the waves that were on the other side of the restaurant.
My plan was to do this, enjoy the beach, and then get a final answer out of Travis. Either fly, drive, or stay. It was up to him. Not me.
My phone started to ring. It was a video call from Wren.
I answered the call to see Max’s face blown up on the screen, his nostrils looking huge as he had the phone at a terrible angle.
“Max,” I said.
“Aunt Willow,” he said. “I see you.”
“I see you too,” I said. “Hey, pick up the phone, big guy. So I can see you better.”
The phone took a wild ride, spinning and twisting. I looked away because it was going to make my stomach sick seeing it move that fast.
“Max, let me help you,” Wren’s voice bellowed in the background.
“Don’t let him drop that, Wren,” Mom’s voice yelled. “I bought that phone for you. You’d better not ruin it.”
“Mom, I won’t let him drop it!” Wren yelled.
I looked around and was thankful I was outside and that there wasn’t anyone nearby.
The phone did another stomach churning dance before settling on Max sitting between Wren’s legs.
“Hey there,” I said.
Wren’s hair was a knotted mess and she had bags under her eyes.
She was hungover.
I let it slide…
“Hey,” Wren said. “It looks nice there.”
“It’s beautiful. Probably seventy-five.”
“Must be nice,” Wren said. “Rained this morning. I saw my breath. Yuck.”
“Yuck,” Max said.
“I miss you, Max,” I said.
“Miss you too,” he said. “When are you coming home?”
“Soon,” I said.
“Come home today. Grandma burned my eggs. Mom made me eat them.”
“Hey, stop that,” Wren said. “The eggs were fine.”
“They were burnt,” Max said.
I laughed. “I’m sorry, Max. I’ll make you eggs when I get back.”
“No, you won’t,” Wren said. “I’m capable of taking care of my son.”
“When did I say you weren’t?” I asked.
“The look on your face. You’re judging me right now, Willow.”
I rolled my eyes. “You really want to do this over the phone? You called me for this?”
“Max called you,” she said. “Not me.”
“So, let me talk to Max.”
“He’s going to go and clean up the mess he made,” Wren said.
“Mom…”
“Now,” Wren ordered.
“I love you, Max,” I said. “Clean up and listen. Be good.”
“Love you too,” he said in a pouty voice that always pulled at my heartstrings.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Wren said. “Look at this mess.”
She made the screen flip.
I saw Max walking toward a disaster of cars, trucks, dinosaurs, and plenty of other toys.
The screen flipped back to Wren, who now sat with an eyebrow raised high in the air.
“I didn’t question a thing,” I said. “Sorry he made a mess.”
“Right. Whatever.”
“You know Mom always burns the eggs, right?” I asked. “Even when we were kids.”
“I know that,” Wren said. “But she’s his grandmother. And if we ate burned eggs, he can too.”
“The eggs were fine,” Mom yelled. “You’re supposed to make them a little brown.”
“The kitchen was on fire!” Max cried out.
Wren laughed.
I laughed.
“Oh, the mouth on him!” Mom yelled. “I’m walking away, Wren. I’m walking away.”
“So, I see things are normal there,” I said.
“Yeah,” Wren said. “How’s your vacation?”
“It’s not really a vacation. But it’s fine. Just waiting for Travis to make up his mind.”
“It’s kind of weird, Willow. You haven’t seen him in forever. And you just fly down there because Sam asked you to?”
“I’m just a good friend,” I said.
“Yeah. And you want to show off that grown up body of yours in front of Travis, I bet. A skimpy bikini… waves crashing against you…”
“What’s a skinpy bakeeni?” Max asked.
“Nothing,” Wren said. “Clean up your toys, Max.”
Wren got to her feet and walked into the kitchen.
“I’ll be back soon enough,” I said. “Maybe once you get yourself set up a little with the new job, you can do something like that. Take a weekend and get away. I’ll take Max and you-”
“I quit that job.”
“What?”
“I quit. Okay?”
“Why?”
“Because I did.”
“Wren, you worked one day…”
“And it wasn’t the right fit. So I left. If you have a problem-”
I heard a crash and Max let out a yell.
“Oh great,” Wren said. “I have to go. Bye.”
The video call died.
My lips were slightly parted.
“Um… bye,” I whispered.
I put my phone down and my heart felt heavy.
I paid my bill and drove back to Travis’s place.
I was just going from one mess to another.
Two plane tickets were purchased. We were flying out tomorrow, right around noon. There was a small sense of disappointment that went through me when Travis said we were going to fly. I sort of had this dream of just driving for a day or two. Stopping at little random restaurants and shops. Taking our time. Not caring about time. No worry or responsibility in the world.
But at least I got my mini vacation in. I got to see the beach. I got to enjoy the sun. I got to eat what I wanted, most of it in peace since Travis did all he could to avoid me. I know I screwed up with the notebook thing, but I tried to fix it. Then again, I was certain I made it worse by picking out my favorite one and leaving a bookmark for him.
Whether he liked it or not, the words were great. They were beautiful. They were deep. They had a lyrical sense to them that just hit me in the heart. They were raw and would maybe work as a song.
It’s not your business.
I had to remind myself of that. Which was my own fault. I was so used to being pulled into everyone’s storm that I always had an umbrella handy. Even if it was just dark out without it raining.
Travis left after packing a suitcase and returned an hour later with a pizza box in hand.
“This is the best place in the area,” he said. “It’s a small little dumpy looking place. You’d never guess it’s a pizza place either. They only open three days a week.”
“You got that just for me?”
“No,” Travis said. “I’m leaving town, so I want my last meal to be my favorite.”
My cheeks burned red. “Oh. Right.”
“And I owe you a meal still. So, here’s the makeup meal.”
“Just promise me you won’t throw anyone through a window tonight.”
“Night’s way too young to be making those kinds of promises, bunny.”
I didn’t admit it to Travis, but the pizza was really amazing. He sat on the counter with his heels banging off the cabinets, folded up his slice like a book, and ate it in three bites. I took my plate to the couch and realized I was doing the same thing here that I would be doing at home.
I finished a few slices and threw my plate out and glanced at the clock on the stove.
“What’s wrong?” Travis asked.
“Nothing. Just timing things out.”
“We have time,” he said.
“I know,” I said.
I looked at him and didn’t say anything else.
; “What?” he asked. “You’re so quick to dig into my personal space, right? So, tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Truth? I don’t know what the hell I was thinking coming here. My sister needs me at home. She’s a mess. And poor Max… I worry about him, even though I shouldn’t. And I’m standing here with you. You’re not my business. You’re not my problem. Everything you’ve said is true. You want to go back home, Travis? Man up and do it yourself.”
Travis instantly jumped from the counter. He stared down at me. “Wow. That was a little brutal.”
“Truthful,” I said.
“I respect that. You’re right. I should man up. But I didn’t call for you, Willow. I called for Sam. So he and I could tear apart this town and work our way up the coast.”
“And what’s your plan when you get home?”
Travis grinned. “See, there you go again. Asking questions that don’t matter to your life.”
“Fine. I’m just going to call it a night then. I’ll get some sleep and by this time tomorrow, you’ll be whoever you want to be at home and I’ll be in my apartment. With Max.”
I turned, and Travis slipped a hand to my waist.
I quickly looked down to see his fingers touching me. I was fully clothed (obviously), but I still wanted to see. His long fingers. Short, stubby fingernails. Defined knuckles. Strength that was just there without him even trying.
Shivers ran everywhere. And I mean everywhere.
“Skip the couch for right now, bunny,” Travis whispered.
I felt him closing in on me.
“Why?” I asked.
“We should do something before you leave. I’ve lived here for so long, I forget about all the touristy shit.”
“It’s too late for anything now,” I said.
I turned my head and he was right there.
Eyes beating against mine. It wasn’t a fair fight, but I didn’t ask for one.
“Believe me, Willow, it’s never too late.”
The beach was almost dark, and I stayed close to Travis. A few times I lost my footing in the sand and Travis was quick to touch my back to assure me that I was fine. It was nice to be out at the ocean at night, but I wasn’t sure what we were actually doing.
Travis stopped. “Here we are.”
“What are we doing?” I asked.
He pointed to a ring in the sand. “Fire. We can sit here and chill out. Drink a couple of drinks and unwind.”
“Are you allowed to have a fire at the beach?”
“No. I came here secretly and put this ring here. Then I started a few fires to make it look all charred. Oh, and look over there, bunny, I paid those people to start a fire too.”
I looked and saw a fire had just started not too far away.
“Right. A simple yes would have worked. Jerk.”
“Sit down,” he said. “Relax.”
I was glad I grabbed my hoodie before leaving because the ocean breeze was cool. The crashing of the waves was so soothing though. And it wasn’t all that bad watching Travis crouch down and build a fire. I watched his arms moving, muscles flexing, letting me forget about everything that I should have been thinking about.
He got the fire burning in a few minutes and took out two beers, twisting off the caps, dropping them into the bag so he didn’t litter, and then plopped down next to me.
“Here you go, bunny,” he said. “Cheers to your vacation.”
The bottlenecks clanked.
“Yeah,” I said. “What a vacation. You still never told me why you’re calling me bunny.”
“I never said I would,” he said. “But I have a question for you.”
He looked at me. The reflection of the fire danced in his eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“What’s up with your family? Why are you the one handling all the bullshit?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Bullshit. You know everything, Willow.”
“Says who?”
“Says the way you act,” Travis said. “No offense or anything.”
“Oh, sure, none taken,” I said. I shook my head and told myself that my job was to either look at the fire or the ocean. Nothing else.
“Hey, you’re the one who flew down here,” he said. “I’ve got my shit figured out.”
“No, you don’t,” I said with a laugh. “You’re a mess, Travis. You just try to tough guy it out. Which is fine.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m asking about you, Willow. Ever think of that for a second? That you might be able to ease my mind for a moment?”
I broke my rule already, slowly turning my head. The way the fire moved in his eyes made them look evil. Which he was. He was evil in so many ways. Whether he meant to be evil or not, I wasn’t sure, but the things he did to me a long time ago… and even now.
“You remember what happened to my father, right?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Travis said. “Car accident.”
“Yeah,” I said. I swallowed hard, still able to picture my mother collapsing back to the steps and rushing into the kitchen to get the phone to call my father’s office. And when he wasn’t there, and the police explained what happened again, she put the phone into the sink and turned on the water, and started to scream at the top of her lungs. It had been a long time coming for her to have some kind of breakdown, and I figured it was going to be from a divorce, not my father being crushed by a dump truck.
“What about him, Willow?” Travis asked, breaking my thoughts.
“Well, Mom got a really big settlement from the company that owned the truck. Which was good for her. She needed it. She was never good at holding a job. That’s where Wren gets it from. Funny thing is, Mom is okay with it. She laughs it off that Wren is like her. Except Wren has a kid now. You remember Brendan?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Always the kind of guy desperate to fit in.”
“Well, Wren has been in love with him for a long time,” I said. “I’m talking head over heels, take my life, you can do no wrong kind of thing.”
“Obsession,” Travis said. “Blind obsession.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I try really hard not to judge, Travis. I swear, I do. But she got pregnant by him and he’s never around. He’ll get into a little trouble and come around looking for money. And Wren gives it to him, forever hopeful that it will be the one time that he changes. It kills me inside. I hate seeing my sister in pain. And I hate seeing my sister making these stupid decisions. And there’s poor Max in the middle.”
“Max, huh?” Travis asked.
“Yeah. Named after my father. Well, my father’s middle name. Mom flipped her lid when Wren suggested naming the baby Anthony. My mother has… well… she has problems. Okay?”
I heard the way okay came out and I quickly clammed up. I bit my bottom lip and stared down for a few seconds.
Travis touched my hand. “Hey, it’s okay. Everyone has problems, bunny. You don’t need to be embarrassed or anything. I get it.”
“Yeah. So, anyway, that’s the answer.”
“You really didn’t give an answer.”
“The short answer is that I’m the only one that can handle it,” I said. I looked at Travis again. “Wren started a job right before I left. She has already quit. She showed up at the diner and asked me to pay her rent. Mom just paces the house, thinking of things to worry about, scratching lottery tickets, organizing them into piles of winners, losers, what days of the week she bought them. She thinks she’s going to crack some kind of code.”
“Christ,” he whispered. “Wait, the diner? You work at the diner?”
“I was helping out Cassie. She runs it now.”
“I thought you were going to get a fancy medical degree.”
I laughed. “A doctor? You think I’m a doctor?”
Travis shrugged his shoulders. “You were always smart in school. Way smarter than everyone else. Plus, you’re able to just up and leave when you want. Fly down here. Break my balls for a couple of da
ys. Fly back.”
“Wait a second,” I said. I shifted to pull my hand away from Travis’s hand. “A doctor can’t just do that. I mean, if the doctor has patients…”
“Whatever,” he said. “I didn’t expect to hear that you were working at a diner. Not that it’s a bad thing. Just caught me off guard. Figured you’d be telling me how you saved a newborn’s life or something.”
“I didn’t quite get that far in life.”
“That’s okay. Neither did I.”
I laughed again. “You saving a newborn?”
“No, not that, Willow. Just… in general.”
“Well, to be fair, I did go to nursing school.”
“So, you’re a nurse? A waitress-slash-nurse?”
“Nurse-slash-waitress,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m on a break.”
“A break?”
“Yeah. I…”
“So, you were just ragging about your sister losing a job and you have no job either?”
My heart sank a couple of inches. “No…”
Travis smirked. “Seems like you are judging people, Willow.”
“You don’t know a thing about them. Or me.”
I tried to get to my feet, but what I ended up doing was losing my balance and traction in the sand. I thought I was going to make this grand gesture of standing and charging away. Instead, I plopped back down and kicked sand into the fire, almost killing it.
Travis didn’t move an inch. He just sat there and watched me, enjoying that I was making a fool of myself.
My hands were in the sand as I lowered my head and sighed.
A few moments of silence passed by before Travis touched my cheek. My body tingled from head to toe, my toes curling in the sand and my fingers digging deeper.
He moved the hair out of my face. “Willow, what are you really doing here with me?”
“Something happened,” I said. “Okay? I’m good at my job and I enjoy it. But something happened. And don’t ever say I judge anyone. I was the one who had to sit with Wren when she told Mom she was pregnant. I was the one who went to every doctor appointment. Who bought her prenatal vitamins. Who paid the copays. I was the one who kept track of everything for her. She’s my fucking sister, Travis, and I love her, but she can’t take care of a houseplant, and now she’s got a kid.”
What You Don't Know (True Hearts Book 6) Page 7