“She’s awesome,” Sophie said. “But she’s a control freak. Don’t ever try to change the radio if she’s driving.”
“That’s it. You’re done,” I said to my sister and gave her a gentle shove in the direction of her room.
“See what I mean?” Sophie did the giggle and cough thing and Kyle half-dragged her back into the bedroom. She didn’t seem to mind.
“Goodnight, Sophie,” Devan said. I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“Goodnight, Captain Bossy Pants,” he added, saluting me with two fingers. I wanted to salute him with just one, but somehow managed to refrain.
I took a few steps down the hall but decided to let Sophie and Kyle have some time to themselves. I headed back into the kitchen where Devan stood quietly leaning against the counter. “Did you need something?”
“No, I wanted to . . .” I examined my cuticles, hoping they held some answers about what to say, but all I found was dirt from the evening’s exploits. “I mean, Caroline told me about your parents being in Syria, and I just wanted to say that I’m glad they’re okay.”
He lifted a surprised eyebrow. He probably expected a snarky quip or a sarcastic comment from me. “Thanks.” He played with the spinning spice rack on the counter and avoided my gaze.
“Yeah, you seemed pretty upset earlier today.”
“I overreacted,” Devan said. There was a long pause before he continued. “I should know better than to worry so much. This isn’t the first time they’ve been near that type of danger. They’ve been all over Iran and Pakistan, and other places, too.”
“It doesn’t sound like an overreaction to me.”
“Perhaps, but they travel constantly. I should be used to it by now.” He rubbed his forehead and plunked down on a stool at the kitchen counter. I hadn’t expected our conversation to continue. I had been planning on going back to bed, but he seemed so sad. I wanted to help.
I sat down across from him.
He sighed. “Usually when I’m at school they text or call every day, just to check in, so when I don’t hear from them, I worry. But a lot of times they’re somewhere without Internet or phones.”
“Wow. I don’t think I could handle my parents being away so much. Don’t you miss them?”
“Yeah. Of course, but it’s fine. I know they’re busy doing important work. I don’t want them to worry about me, especially when they’re in dangerous situations and need to focus. As long as my grades are good at Netherfield and I don’t get into too much trouble, they can concentrate on work.” He choked out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know why I worry about them so much.”
“I can’t imagine ever getting to the point where I wouldn’t worry,” I said.
“I’m surprised,” he replied, knocking over the red pepper flakes from the rack. “You seem pretty unfazed by everything.”
I snorted, which was kind of rude, but his assessment of me was beyond absurd. Devan’s forehead creased slightly, and for a moment I thought I’d really hurt his feelings.
I quickly explained. “I’ve made worrying into an art. A fine art. I practically have an MFA in worrying. I worry constantly about everyone and everything. Ask Sophie. She’ll tell you.”
His face relaxed and he almost smiled at my rambling monologue while he cleaned up the spices.
“So when I’m stressed out, I usually find something ridiculous on television and gorge myself with junk food.” I flashed him a conspiratorial smile. “Bad for the diet and the brain cells, but good for the soul. How ’bout it?”
“What?” he asked, looking at the wall clock. “Tonight? It’s already pretty late, and I don’t want to keep you up. You’re probably exhausted from fighting a wolf with a baseball bat.”
“You saw that?”
He nodded. “I can see the yard from my window.”
“Why didn’t you run out to help?” I smacked his arm harder than I meant to.
“You seemed to have it well under control.” Devan grinned, but rubbed his arm, attempting to cover his embarrassment. “I’d admire your bravery if you weren’t so utterly frustrating.”
Huh, what the hell did he mean by that?
Unsure how to answer his backhanded compliment, I changed the subject.
“So, movie?” I said, grabbing some pita chips from the counter, ripping open the bag, and taking a handful out.
Devan opened his mouth, and I thought he was going to protest my stealing his chips.
“Hey! I totally saved your lives, I deserve a few chips,” I said with my hand in front of my mouth, which was full of the aforementioned snack food.
He stretched a long arm past me to the cabinet behind. He was so close I could smell the woodsy scent of his cologne or deodorant or aftershave. It was intoxicating. He pulled a big bowl from the cabinet and poured some of the chips into it.
“Oh, a bowl. Aren’t we fancy?” I said.
He sat back down.
“Nope, just well-mannered.” He crunched extra loudly and handed me a paper napkin. “See, super posh.”
“Well, I approve of your snack food choices,” I said. “You have frozen pizza, chips, and salsa. All good. But where’s the chocolate?”
“The pizza is Kyle’s doing, I’m really more into spicy snacks, and Caroline only eats organic food. We weren’t expecting any other guests, so there’s nothing sweet,” Devan said.
“Except me,” I chuckled. “Kidding. I’m pretty far from sweet. Obviously.”
Devan folded his hands and leaned on them. “That’s not really true, is it? You may act like a hard-ass, but I see how you are with your family. You’d fight a wild animal for them. Barehanded.”
“I’d at least need a baseball bat,” I snickered. It wasn’t even that funny of a joke, but the stress of the last few days and the wolf encounter released all this anxious energy and I couldn’t help it. I cracked up and in a few moments he was laughing too. My giddiness was contagious. We laughed until we both had tears streaming down our faces.
It was the first time I had seen Devan actually enjoy himself for more than a few seconds, and much to my dismay, he was kind of gorgeous when he was grinning like a fool. I stared at him and we caught our breath. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and smiled. I glanced away, but not soon enough. My stomach did the mother of all back flips and the butterflies flew back in swarms. It was a butterfly infestation. I sighed and reminded myself that butterflies were insects, even if they were attractive.
I grabbed the chips and beelined it for the living room. “How ’bout that movie?”
“Sure.” He followed me to the couch. He stood back, though, unsure where to sit. I scooted over on the couch so that he knew it was okay for him to sit next to me. If he wanted.
I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “So, what’ll it be? Something spooky?” I flicked through the digital menu. “Ooh or how about Shark vs. T. Rex?”
“Sure, whatever you want.” He sat on the couch with a shallow smile. His posture was very stiff and he was as close to the opposite arm as he could get. I was reminded of my first junior high dance, in which the boys stood on one side of the room, staring at the girls on the other side of the room with a vast chasm of awkwardness between them. Unfortunately, I never got past that phase and it seemed like Devan hadn’t either by the way he drummed his fingers on his knees.
“You definitely need some shark and gator battle scenes to help you relax,” I said.
“I thought you said T. Rex?”
“The gator just has a cameo. But it’s amazing. Just watch. All will be revealed.” This time his grin was genuine, and he made himself more comfortable on the couch, hugging a pillow to his chest.
My heart beat a little faster. It was probably because I was so glad that I could cheer him up a bit. Because that’s what I did, I helped people who were sad or sick. It had nothing to do with the way his hair flopped in front of his face, or the fact that his shoulder looked so inviting next to me. Nope. I was just being a buddy by
hanging out with him on the couch. Sharing a snack. You know, like friends do. As I reached for some chips, my hand brushed his, making me blush.
I gulped down some water so I wouldn’t get even more flushed.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yup. Just thirsty.” I put the glass down and tried to concentrate on the movie, but the storyline wasn’t getting through my Devan-filled brain. Eventually, though, as the shark and the T. Rex duked it out in the swamps of Louisiana, the adrenaline from my wolf encounter wore off and my eyes grew heavy. I tried not to sleep through the rest of the movie, but failed.
Music partially woke me up, but I snuggled against a warm pillow. My eyes fluttered open to find that it wasn’t a pillow. I had fallen asleep on Devan’s shoulder and he hadn’t moved me.
“Oh. Uh. Hi.” I stammered, still a little confused. There was some reason why I wasn’t supposed to be sleeping on his shoulder like that, but it felt so nice, I couldn’t for the life of me remember what that reason was. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I didn’t want to wake you. You seemed so tired. I don’t mind. Least I could do. You know, in return for taking my mind off everything tonight.” He gazed down at me with a tentative smile.
Then the fog parted and I remembered that we were on opposite teams, and we weren’t exactly on cuddling terms. I sat straight up and inched away from him a little. “Yeah. I’m very distracting. It’s one of my charms.”
He leaned closer to me. “I noticed.”
Hypnotized in my flustered state, I found myself leaning toward him too.
Devan’s lips parted slightly and he placed his forehead close to mine like he was preparing to kiss me. Oh my god. Did I want him to? My heart did a double-time tap dance in my chest, making me think I did, indeed, want him to kiss me.
Until I remembered the cameras. Shit! We had no privacy in the cabin and I completely forgot. I glanced around and spotted a small blinking light in one corner of the room, which would perfectly capture us on the couch. Oh, yeah, and there was one in the kitchen, too, which was no doubt recording the backs of our heads.
Kissing the captain of the competition on camera, even if he was completely dreamy, was a bad idea. A horrible idea. The worst idea ever. I leapt up and gave him a super awkward pat on the back, tripping on the coffee table as I tried to make my escape.
He stood up too and gave me a small smile, and nodded formally, shaking off his own fogginess. “Goodnight, Sam.”
I backed away a few steps, not sure what to think. “ ’Night.”
Devan paused for a moment, looking at me as if he had never seen me before. I stared at his beautiful lips, waiting for him to say something. He just tilted his head with a puzzled grin and turned to go into his room.
I went to mine, also pretty damn puzzled. I lay awake for a long time, confused, replaying the late-night conversation with Devan over and over. Why did he let me sleep on him? Why did he almost kiss me? He must have been trying to play with my mind before the next challenge. I couldn’t help but assume the whole thing was just a game—a battle of wits like Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty. That made the most sense, right?
Unless he liked me. It was bizarre, but I could have sworn there were forest-fire sized sparks on that couch. I sighed. What would it have been like if we had met in some other circumstance—if we weren’t sworn enemies?
Sworn enemies? I scolded myself. This wasn’t Romeo and Juliet. It was reality TV, and there was a big prize at stake. A prize my family was counting on. Even if we weren’t enemies now, if my team won this ridiculous contest, I was pretty sure the only sparks he would be feeling for me would be angry sparks.
Chapter 18
“As American Squatch hunters, we don’t like to admit it, but the term Sasquatch was first coined by a Canadian, J.W. Burns, in the 1920s. Other than bacon, and maple syrup, the name Sasquatch is the best thing to come from our northern neighbors.”
—“50th Anniversary Handbook,” Northern Ohio Bigfoot Society
I never thought indoor plumbing, hot-water heaters, and microwaves were luxury items, but it turned out that living in a muddy forest, even for only a week and a half, changed everything. The morning after the great German Shepherd Incident, I towel-dried my hair, thinking about the previous night with Devan and what had happened or almost happened.
He wasn’t up yet, which just led to more anxiety about seeing him in the cold light of day.
I pulled on my freshly washed T-shirt and stepped into my now mud-free jeans. I was glad to be back in clothes that fit. When I was dressed, I wandered into the living room and waited on the couch, fiddling with the remote control, nervously waiting for the rest of the cabin to wake up.
Sophie walked in, looking a little pale, but definitely healthier. “I feel so much better today. I barely even coughed last night.”
“I know. I was in the room with you. But you did hog the covers, so you must be almost back to normal.”
The sound of mud splashing and someone kicking their boots on the front porch suggested that we had a visitor. A brisk knock confirmed it. I jumped up to open the door.
“Hi, Sophie.” Dr. Sawyer wiped his feet on the doormat and nodded at me. “Samantha.”
Colin, Hal, and the rest of the crew were behind him. Hal’s shadow, Dave, was holding a huge boom mic, which got caught in the doorway. I waved at Hal who took the camera off his shoulder and frowned.
“Cut! Samantha, you need to pretend we’re not here,” Colin said.
“Oops. Sorry.”
“Also, before I forget,” Colin added, “we are holding off on shooting the next challenge one more day, just to let the ground dry up a bit. The base camp is basically a lake right now.”
“Got it.” I turned my attention back to the doctor and Colin indicated for filming to continue.
“Okay, Sophie,” Dr. Sawyer said as he went over to the kitchen sink and washed his hands with the lemony antibacterial dish soap. “You seem like you’re feeling a bit better. Yes?”
Freezing in front of the cameras, Sophie nodded but didn’t say anything.
Dr. Sawyer warmed up the stethoscope in his hands, and placed it on Sophie’s back. “Breathe in and out as normally as you can.”
He whipped out a tongue depressor from his kit and unwrapped it. “Ahhh.” He opened his mouth and Sophie did the same. “To be safe, I’d like you to take one more day off, but after that I think you’re good to go. But don’t push it.”
“Can my mom come visit?” Sophie asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Dr. Sawyer said. “I’ll have Beth arrange a time to bring her here later on today.”
He held out his hand for Sophie to shake, and then for me.
“Bigfoot doesn’t stand a chance next to you girls.” Dr. Sawyer waved goodbye, but the camera crew didn’t follow him.
I sank onto the couch next to my sister, trying to ignore Hal and friends standing in the middle of the living room, taking panoramic shots of everything. It was hard to act normal.
“So, what next?” Sophie asked.
“I guess we wait for instructions.” I gazed out the window. The sun was shining, as much as it ever did in this area of the country, meaning the sky was a light gray as opposed to a scary dark gray. “I don’t think they’ll hold off production for much longer. It’s got to cost a ton of money to shut everything down.”
Sophie sighed. “You’re probably right.” She lowered her voice, even though the guy with the boom mic had made his way down the hall. “I hate the idea of having to compete against Kyle again.”
“What I hate is the idea of giving up indoor plumbing.” I nudged her shoulder with mine, feeling guilty I didn’t tell her about my almost kiss, but there wasn’t really anything to tell at this point.
Sophie rubbed her shoulder even though I hardly made contact with her. “I bet Mom and Lyssa are about ready to kill each other without us to mediate,” she said.
“No doubt. That’s t
he exact reason why we never had to join model U.N. We lived it at home. It’s sad when I’m considered a diplomat.” I snorted.
“Actually, I’m the diplomat,” Sophie said. “You’re the enforcer.”
She nudged me back until we were both laughing.
When Sophie finally caught her breath, she said, “On the bright side, it will be good to get out of these pajamas. They’re cramping my style.”
“What style?” I asked.
Sophie playfully smacked my arm, then put her head on my shoulder and we stayed like that for a good ten minutes, thinking and relaxing and tuning out the noises coming from the other rooms. Even when we were children, we got along, for the most part. Other kids would complain about their siblings, but I worshipped Sophie. She was always patient with me even when I ate all the good cereal or broke one of her toys. We were still quietly resting when the boys came out of their caves, followed by Hal and friends.
My skin got all clammy when Devan entered the room. He stretched out his arms and put them behind his head, showing off surprisingly sexy muscles. “Morning,” he said, with a brief nod. His eyes found mine and then quickly darted away.
I glanced away, utterly embarrassed. Imagine what a mess I’d be if I actually had kissed him.
“I’m going to wake Caroline,” he told Hal. “You may not want to go in there, if you value your life.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Hal said.
Devan knocked lightly.
“Go away!” Caroline said through the door.
Devan opened it anyway.
I giggled to myself. Caroline was not going to like being filmed with bed head and circles under her eyes, not to mention the glasses and retainer.
“Sophie’s stuck inside for another day,” I said to Kyle who squeezed onto the couch next to my sister.
“The doctor said I’m almost back to normal,” Sophie replied.
“Well, he must not know about your Golden Girls fixation. That’s far from normal,” I said.
Kyle beamed. “That’s great!” He played with the fringe on the pillow and gave her a sideways glance. “I mean, I’m glad you’re getting better but I wish you didn’t have to go so soon . . .”
Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things Page 14