by ANDREA SMITH
“It’s called the country. Rural America, Slater. Keeps the gangbanger population down. What is it in particular you’re looking to find?”
“Well, how about a store that sells cigarettes? Or groceries even?”
“No smoking, so no worries about the cigs. And there is a small general store for most everything else you’ll need just through the woods adjacent to the track. You can’t see it from here, but I’ll show you once we get you up to your cottage.”
“Do I get my own, or is it like some army barracks type thing? I don’t want to share with a bunch of losers who spend all night choking their chickens in their bunks.”
“Hmm…sounds like you enjoyed your night in the county jail. But sorry, no. We provide a cottage for each worker. You’ll have to supply your own entertainment, Slater.”
She was out of her truck before I could fire off a nasty response. Just how much did she know about my personal business?
I got out of the truck and grabbed my gear from the back. Avery was already several yards ahead of me, and for a short chick, she could certainly make tracks. I followed her past a horse barn and saw that there was a set of concrete steps that were built into a hill just past it. Once I reached the top of the steps, I followed her down the stone path and saw a wooded area about a hundred yards in the distance. Off to the left of the walk, there were a cluster of small cottages spaced apart from one another, but they were all identical. Some were further back from the path than others, so it afforded each one some privacy.
Each one had a front porch with a couple of rocking chairs placed on them, and she stopped at the third one down, turned around to see if I’d been following her, and then grabbed a key from the pocket of her shorts.
“This one’s yours, Slater,” she said, climbing the two wooden steps that led up to the small porch. My eyes lingered on her ass for a couple seconds too long as she was unlocking the front door. When she whirled back around, she busted me flat.
“Hey, Romeo,” she said, “Here’s your key. Don’t lose it. You’re responsible for keeping it clean and neat both inside and out. No maid service here, sorry. Any questions?”
I shrugged, moving past her to step inside. “Smells musty,” I remarked, looking around.
“Yeah, well it’s been closed up for a while. That’s why it has windows that open. So, I’ll see you at seven a.m. down at the horse barn we passed on the way up here. I’ll give you a tour of the place, along with the plantation and horse track that’s on the other side of the woods. Rest up, Slater. You’ve got your work cut out for you,” she finished, giving me a smug little smile.
“Yeah. Later,” I muttered, letting the screen door slam shut behind me.
This place wasn’t half bad I thought to myself as I heard her footsteps fade away. The main room was L-shaped, combining a small living area with a kitchenette and breakfast bar. The breakfast bar was on the other side of the countertop and had three stools. There was a small bedroom off of the kitchen, with a double bed, dresser, and nightstand next to the bed. Thankfully, the window in the bedroom held an air conditioner.
The bathroom was off the bedroom. There was one of those old claw foot tubs with a shower hose attached to the faucet. Everything looked old, but it was clean and in good shape.
I dumped my backpack and suitcase on the bed and wandered back out to the kitchenette. Sure enough, there was a compact refrigerator under the counter, and when I opened it I saw it had indeed been furnished with some basic grub. Lunchmeat, yogurt, cheese, apples, milk, and juice. There was a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter on the counter. I looked around and didn’t see a coffee maker which sucked, because I needed my morning java to get my ass going.
I opened the cupboard and found some staples, one of which was a jar of instant coffee. Fuck, it would have to do until I got paid and could buy a decent coffee maker of my own.
There was a microwave, and a small stove top that had a copper tea kettle placed on one of the burners. Nothing fancy, but everything I needed to get by it appeared. It was actually kind of dope having my own crib like this without my parents breathing down my neck 24/7.
I pulled my cell out of the pocket of my jeans and texted my mom that I’d arrived. I added a smart ass comment at the end saying if she didn’t believe me, she should feel free to call the little Nazi chick that picked me up at the bus station. I pushed send and then shut my phone off.
I wasn’t in the mood for return text messages or phone calls reassuring me that I was loved, and that they only wanted what was best for me. Heard it all a million times. It got old.
I took a bath/shower combination. Since there was no shower curtain, I actually couldn’t take a real shower, and I hated baths. It seemed to me that baths were simply soaking in your own funk. Not that I allowed myself to get funky, but with spending all those hours on the bus, I definitely felt the need to scrub.
So, I washed myself, and then stood up and let the shower attachment rinse everything off. I toweled myself dry, and put on a pair of boxers and a tee since I wasn’t leaving the cottage until morning.
I went ahead and made a sandwich and checked out the entertainment facilities in my living room area.
It was a television with a DVD player built in.
Seriously? This was it?
There was a selection of some lame DVD’s, so I went ahead and switched it over to the television guide to see what I could find that was halfway interesting.
I learned quickly there wasn’t much of anything I liked since it appeared that these cottages weren’t equipped with anything more than the basic satellite packages, so I found a music station and then went into where I’d put my backpack and dug out the small bag of weed I’d managed to grab before leaving Decatur.
I rolled a couple of joints, and then went outside and around to the back of my cottage to fire one up just in case the little Nazi had hidden cameras in these cottages. I seriously wouldn't have put it past her.
The night was warm and humid. Fireflies lit up the darkness with the help of the full moon. Crickets were in full chirp mode, and after I’d taken a few long tokes, I felt my body and mind relax and slip into that good place where shit just didn’t get to me. Doubts, anger, stress, and rebellion ceased to exist in my head when I copped a mellow buzz.
Like now.
Everything was cool.
Everything was good.
I finished my joint and went inside my cottage and crashed on the bed. It was the first time I’d gotten high since my parents had put me in Tough Love Jail six weeks ago.
They’d watched me like a hawk; my mother in her protective, nurturing mode. But my father, the ever suspicious and untrusting Papa Hawk could barely shield the piercing fangs he was able to bear in a second’s notice if I posed a threat to his authority or alpha position within the nest, fully prepared to take me out if need be.
Christ, I’m stoned.
Chapter 5
“As far as I could see, life demanded skills I didn’t have. - Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted
The sunlight was filtering through the blinds of my bedroom window, but that wasn’t what awoke me with a start the following morning.
As near as I could tell, it was the swift kick of a booted heel to my ass, and the loud vocal directive of one Avery, Queen of the Midgets, that accomplished that. “Get your ass up, Slater! You’re late and I’m not here to make sure your lazy ass is up and ready to work each morning. Babysitting is definitely not my gig, understand?”
I rolled over onto my back, my eyes squinting up in the sunlight streaming in to see exactly what the deal was with this chick. “What time is it?” I asked groggily, trying to shield my eyes with a hand.
“It’s late-thirty,” she snapped. “You’re forty-five minutes late reporting to the barn as instructed. What’s your deal anyway? Don’t know how to set an alarm?”
I perched myself up on my elbows and glared up at her. “Are yo
u bipolar or what?” I asked, running a hand through my disheveled hair. Shit, I had definitely gotten stoned last night. Primo pot. My dudes had hooked me up before I left Decatur for sure.
Now Avery was scowling at me, tapping her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor of my bedroom. The bedroom she’d invaded which gave me pause. “Hey, how the hell did you get in here anyway,” I asked, “I know damn well I locked the door last night.”
She raised a hand, dangling a set of keys on a huge round wire holder in front of me, “I’m management. I have a set of keys to everything here, Ace. And I meant what I said. My job is not to make sure you’re up and reporting in on time every morning. I’ll cut you a little slack this time, because obviously, you’re worn out from the long bus ride,” she said sarcastically, “But strike two and you’re out. Set your alarm.”
I reached over to the small table next to the bed, and grabbed my cell phone. “Shit,” I said, “My phone died. I did have it set, Princess. I just forgot to put it on the charger, no biggie.”
She gave a sardonic laugh, and shook her head. “Only to you is it no biggie, Slater. The rest of the team has to pick up the slack when another member doesn’t pull their weight. Like you. Do you really want to be known as “Slater the Slacker” around here?”
I launched myself up and out of the bed, not about to give her the opportunity to continue to stand over me and unleash a fucking lecture. The fact that I was only wearing my boxers, and my morning wood was most definitely making a bold appearance, served to cut her off immediately. I noticed her eyes widened a bit and her face took on a rosy blush as she turned to leave the room, tossing out one last command as she did. “Be down at the barn in ten minutes, ready to work, Slater.”
I chuckled as I heard the front screen door slam behind her as she made her getaway. Chalk one up for my raging morning hard-on I thought. It worked all kinds of magic.
Less than ten minutes later, I was standing in the horse barn, listening to the string of instructions Avery was ticking off. She was trying her hardest to sound all professional about it, and frowned when I showed no reaction at all. She stopped rambling and gave me a look.
“What?” I asked, giving her a grin. “Should I be taking notes here?” Her amber eyes did not look amused.
“It’s hard for me to know if you’re grasping your instructions for the day, Slater. You seem to wear that clueless look incessantly.”
I chuckled and perched my fist underneath my chin, gazing down at her. She sure was feisty, I’d give her that, especially for as tiny as she was. “I think I’ve got the gist of it, Avery,” I replied. “You see, I start in here, and I shovel shit. And after that, I take the path through the woods that leads to the plantation on the other side, and I follow the signs to the racetrack. Once there, I report to the horse barn located next to the track, and commence to shoveling more shit, is that about it?”
“You’ve got it,” she said with a grin, tossing me a pair of work gloves. “You’ll want to wear these. Wouldn’t want you getting your hands all blistered up the first day. Grab any of those shovels hanging on the far wall that suits your fancy. I’ve got to get going over to the Belle. And don’t worry, Slater. There will be plenty of other people coming in and out of here today. If you start slacking, I’ll hear about it soon enough.”
And with that, she walked out of the barn. I shook my head at her parting words. Where in the hell had they found that little bitch I wondered. Damn, she looked to be my age, maybe younger. She sure as hell had an attitude going on. She was way too young to be taking her little summer job all that seriously in my humble opinion.
I got to work, and sure enough, throughout the rest of the morning, there were different workers in and out of the barn. Most of them just college kids working over the summer. A couple were older guys, been with the Sinclairs for quite a few years. They stopped to introduce themselves, check on my progress, and then they’d depart no doubt to report to Midget Central on my productivity.
It was about twelve-thirty when I finished up in the barn. I had just washed the last stall out when the red haired guy, Marvin, who I’d met earlier, came by carrying a brown bag which I presumed was his lunch, and a couple cans of cold soda. “Lunch time, Bryce,” he called out. “Got enough for two here if you want to join me,” he invited. “The tack room has some AC if you’re ready to cool off a bit.”
“That’d be nice,” I replied, hanging the shovel back up on the wall and following him up to the front of the barn where the tack room was located.
There was a small table with a few chairs scattered about. He took a chair. I removed my gloves and went over to where a sink was hanging on the wall and washed my hands.
“Take a load off,” he said, pushing a wrapped sandwich across the table to where I was taking a seat. “Hope you like ham and cheese. You’ll probably want to start packing a lunch and bringing it with you each day. There’s a refrigerator over there you can store it in. We only get a twenty minute lunch.” He popped the tab on one of the sodas, and took a long draw of it, before nodding to me that the other one was mine.
“Thanks, dude,” I said, pulling the tab back, “Yeah, I was running a little late this morning. I’ll definitely pack something tomorrow.”
He chuckled, taking a bite of his sandwich. Of course he knew that I’d been late this morning. Probably everyone on the bloody ranch knew. “What is it with that Avery chick anyway?” I asked, taking a bite of my sandwich. “She acts like she fucking owns this place and everybody on it,” I commented. “Talk about somebody on a power trip. Do you know she barged into my cottage this morning to get my ass up?”
This brought a loud guffaw from Marvin. “Are you serious, dude?” he asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin, “You don’t know who she is?”
I shrugged. “Our team leader, yeah I know that, but Christ, don’t you think she takes her authority a little too far? I hope to hell her cottage is way far away from mine, because I don’t appreciate feeling like someone constantly has me under some fucking microscope. Watching every damn move I make. She’s worse than my parents in that regard.”
I was cut off by another loud bellow from Marvin. “Dude, she doesn’t stay in one of the cottages here.”
“No? Thank fuck for that then.”
“Remember that huge house you passed on the long driveway in here?
I nodded.
“She lives there,” Marvin continued, “Dude, she’s the owners’ granddaughter. This ain’t no summer gig for her. She lives here full time. She starts college in the fall at Virginia Intermont. She’s kinda the heiress apparent if you know what I mean.”
I must’ve still had a dazed and confused look on my face, trying to digest the info Marvin had just given me. “She’s Avery–”
“Sinclair,” he supplied. “Her father is some big time judge. Her grandparents go to Europe every summer and part of the fall. She runs the show pretty much.”
And to be honest, I was a bit taken aback by this news. “She doesn’t come off as an heiress,” I commented, because she certainly hadn’t displayed any signs of wealth or privilege. In fact, there was nothing about her that seemed different from any of the other workers here other than her obvious position of authority. “She comes off more like, well shit, like some line boss of a chain gang,” I finished with a smirk.
Marvin nodded, “Yeah, I guess it might seem that way to you, but trust me, she’s got a heart of gold. You just got off to a bad start, Bryce. Avery is fair, and hard working. And the thing I admire most about her is that she doesn’t expect the hired help around here to do anything she’s not willing to do herself. From shoveling shit to breaking a wild mustang, she does it all.”
“Are you president of her fan club, Marvin?” I asked, finishing up my sandwich.
He chuckled, “I guess it came off like that, huh? Naw, I just wanted you to know she is a good person. And from what I saw so far today, you have it in you to be a g
ood, hard worker. I just thought I’d shed some light on Avery so things don’t look so grim for you, that’s all.”
I tossed him a genuine smile. Marvin was a standup dude. I liked him I decided. “I appreciate that, Marvin. And thanks for lunch. My treat tomorrow, how’s that?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Now, I better take off and head to–what’s the plantation called?”
“It’s La Vie Belle, officially. But everyone here just calls it ‘the Belle.’ It’s just on the other side of the woods there.”
“Yeah, got it. Don’t want to stay on Avery’s bad side, so I’m headed out. I’ll catch you later.”
And so for the rest of the day, I pretty much did the same thing I’d done all morning, but in a different place. I had to admit, the Belle and the racetrack were pretty damn impressive. The horse barn at the track was three times the size of the one at the Sinclair ranch, but there were three other guys working it with me, so by three o’clock, we were done for the day.
My ass was dragging by the time I reached my cottage, and enjoyed the bath more than I had ever enjoyed one before.
After I cleaned up, I walked over to the general store and stocked up on some more food until payday. Once back home, I packed a big lunch to share with Marvin the following day.
By nine o’clock I was in a dead sleep, having made sure my phone was charging and the alarm was set for six-thirty the following morning.
Chapter 6
Avery
I was just finishing up in the tack room when my Uncle Tristan came into the barn, a big smile on his face. He was my dad’s older brother, but aside from the color of his eyes, and a bit more graying at the temples, bore an unmistakable resemblance to him. It gave me a flash of homesickness at times, but at other times, it was kind of comforting. I knew he’d promised Daddy once I moved away from home to live here, that he’d keep his eye on me, and he wasn’t subtle about it at all.
“How’s my favorite equestrian niece?” he teased, giving a playful tug on my ponytail as he came up beside me.