by Rye Hart
Of course, given that I'm the only one who's actually done something to continue honing my body and my brains, I'd have to say that I've pulled ahead in the game. Yeah, Quinn is still in great shape and he still kicks my ass down at the gym, but his days as an athlete are over. I still play ball whenever and where ever I can. Quinn just seems content to work out, and not really do anything with his life.
And Cason – always the smartest of the three of us – hasn't done a damn thing to better himself. He never went to college. Hasn't done anything but work at the Driftwood for most of his life now. And yeah, we own the place and we're doing pretty well, but back in the day, I'd always expected bigger and better things out of Cason.
“Seriously, bro,” Cason called again. “You gonna do any actual work today?”
“Nah,” Quinn said. “He's probably got a hair and manicure appointment.”
“Probably booked himself a spa day,” Cason said.
They laughed together like they thought they were the funniest guys on Earth. What those clowns know about running a business though, I could probably squeeze into a thimble. Without me, we would have been out of business a long time ago – not planning for expansion.
And part of running a business was having a face to put to it. Public relations. Looking and acting like a professional. Neither of those two clowns could pull it off. That responsibility fell to me. And yet, they're going to sit there and bust my balls about me doing my job? It's shit like that, that pissed me off about them.
Walking over to the truck, I grabbed a couple of boxes and walked over, tossing them into the back of the food truck at Cason's feet without a word. Both of them looked at me, a surprised look on their faces.
“What's up with you?” Quinn asked.
“I'm just doing a little actual work,” I snapped. “Gotta help out before my spa appointment, right?”
“Dude,” Cason said. “What's your deal? We're just giving you shit.”
I turned back to them, my anger flaring. “Yeah, well maybe I'm getting sick of you two giving me shit,” I say. “Maybe, I'm sick and tired of you assholes walking around acting like you do all the work around here and I don't do shit.”
“Dude, c'mon,” Quinn said. “It's not like that –”
“No?” I turn on him. “Then how is it exactly?”
“C'mon, bro,” Cason said. “We're just screwin' around like we always do. We know you work hard to keep the Driftwood going.”
I look at both of them and see that my little outburst bothered them. Good. I get sick and tired of the both of them acting like I'm not doing anything just because I'm not lugging shit around to one event or another. The work I do for the Driftwood is important. And it's every bit as critical to keep it alive as Cason's cooking is. And it's high time both of them realize that – and appreciate all the shit I do for all of us.
“C'mon, man,” Quinn said, wrapping his arm around my neck. “Don't be such a whiny little bitch. Not today. Today's supposed to be fun!”
“Seriously, bro,” Cason said. “It's all good, man. We're just bustin' your balls.”
Slowly, the anger dissipated and then faded away completely. I couldn't stay mad at these assholes for long. It's just how we were wired – the Three Musketeers. We were always there for one another, through thick and thin. “Yeah, fine,” I said. “Just stop being such douchebags for a change.”
Cason shrugged. “It's in the McCormick blood, man,” he said. “I don't know what to tell ya.”
“Yeah, and Ben here seems to have gotten a double dose of it.”
I gave him the finger, but laughed, the tension that had saturated the air between us completely evaporating. I punched Quinn in the shoulder and shook my head.
“Come on,” I said. “Let's finish unloading the truck already. I have an appointment to get my hair cut in an hour.”
“I knew it,” Quinn said. “Such a prissy little bitch.”
CHAPTER FIVE – HAILEY
At the Bonfire...
The incredible aroma of the Driftwood BBQ filled my nostrils and made my mouth water. And my tummy growled loud enough that Jenn turned and looked at me with an amused expression on her face.
“Hungry?” she asked. “Maybe you should get you some good old-fashioned Driftwood BBQ.”
“Maybe, I should,” I said, taking a long sip from my sweet tea – something else I'd missed when I was in California. “Maybe, I'll do that.”
I looked over at the food truck, and as delightful as it sounded, the idea of running into familiar faces – other than Jenn's – filled me with a deep sense of unease. Especially, if those familiar faces belonged to the brothers who now owned the truck.
The McCormick brothers had never been mean to me – not like some of the others in my little hometown had been. We'd just never been exactly close. Cason was my age and had been my lab partner in Biology my sophomore year – not that I expected he'd remember that. And I'd had brief interactions with all three of them over my high school years.
But, it's not like we'd ever been friends. They ran in different circles than I had. They were the popular boys and I was the invisible girl. Hell, if I walked over to the truck and put in my order, they probably wouldn't even remember me. That's what I said to reassure myself once the hunger pangs got to be too much for me to bear any longer.
“Want anything?” I asked Jenn.
“Nah, I already ate,” she said. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye and her lips were pulled back in a salacious little grin. “But help yourself, darling.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“You'll see,” she said giving me a suggestive little wink.
Shaking my head and chuckling to myself, I walked over and got into the long line of people waiting to place their order. Keeping my head down, I did my very best to avoid making eye contact with anybody or drawing attention to myself. I simply kept to myself with my hands in my pockets, and I slowly made my way to the front of the line.
The smell from the grill got stronger as I stepped closer to the window of the food truck and my stomach growled even louder and was more persistent than before. I was dying for some authentic Driftwood BBQ – yet, still a little reticent about seeing my old schoolmates. But I did my best to keep my emotions in check – and stop myself from bolting at the first sign of somebody I knew from back in the day.
I glanced over the heads of the people in front of me and saw two of the brothers working hard inside the truck. I could tell it was them just from the dark reddish-brown hair. The overhead fluorescent lights in the truck, danced off their hair, making the red stand out more than in natural light. One of them – I assumed it was Cason – had short clipped hair. It was almost a buzz cut really, with just a little on top. The other, which I thought had to be Quinn, had shaggy, choppy chin length hair that he had to keep pushing behind his ear – the same hairstyle he'd had back in high school.
I only saw them in profile at first and was staring pretty intently, trying to determine who was who. But then, Cason looked up from what he was doing and caught me staring at them. I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks flushing, but it was too late. He'd caught me. Dammit.
When I turned my head, trying to salvage something of my dignity, my heart sank when another familiar face caught my eye. This time, it was a woman that called out to me from the crowd.
“Hailey Roberts?” she called. “Is that really you?”
I cringed at the familiar, sing-songy, saccharine-sweet voice of Rebekah Henderson.
She came toward me with a full head of springy blonde curls bouncing around her still perfect face. She grabbed my hands in hers and stared deep into my eyes – her striking blue eyes appearing kinder than they ever had when we were teens. She was wearing a sundress that clung to her very pregnant belly, and a silver cross laid flat against her neck.
She was still every bit as gorgeous as she'd been back in our high school years. I hated her back then and I didn't see tha
t changing anytime soon.
“My lord,” she chirped and then laughed. “I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Where have you been all these years, Hailey? You're like the girl who just – poof – disappeared one day.”
“Uhh well,” I said, desperately trying to come up with something on the fly.
Rebekah was bright, chipper, and seemed nice. Like, genuinely nice. Which of course, is the polar opposite of what she'd been back in high school. She'd been the stereotypical mean girl – sugary-sweet to your face, and then she'd stab you right in the back a moment later.
Back then, it had been easy for me to see through her forced bubbliness. But standing there with her, I didn't get a sense of that mean girl she used to be. She'd either gotten really good at hiding it, or she'd actually changed. If she had, it might be the very first case of a tiger changing its stripes in human history.
I scratched my head waiting for the other shoe to drop when, all of the sudden, I realized that everyone was looking at me. Or at least it felt that way. The knots already in my stomach constricted painfully and I grew increasingly uncomfortable beneath their scrutiny. Almost as if operating of their own volition, my eyes darted this way and that, looking for an avenue of escape.
But I took in a breath and let it out slowly. Forced myself to calm down and act like an adult – and was barely able to manage the feat.
“I’ve been living in California for the last couple of years,” I managed to croak out.
“Oooh, how exciting,” she beamed. “So, what brings you back to Black Oak? Why would you leave a paradise like that?”
My stomach dropped. The dreaded question.
“It was time,” I said and shrugged, forcing a smile onto my face I hoped looked more genuine than it felt.
“C'mon, I need the details, girl,” she said, her smile as wide as her face. “You married? Any kids?”
I clenched my jaw tight, cursing my stomach for leading me over to that damn food truck to begin with.
“No. To both,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Ah, well you're a pretty, young thing, I'm sure one of these fine Black Oak men will be linin' up to snatch you right up,” she said, scrunching up her fast as she squeezed my hands. “You should come into my daddy's church next Sunday, we'd love to have you. Maybe, we can even introduce you to some of our eligible bachelors.”
She looked at me with wide blue eyes that – unlike when we were younger – didn't hold a trace of malice in them. She looked and sounded like Rebekah Henderson, but it was like I was talking to a completely different person. Had the body snatchers visited my hometown?
It was completely disconcerting, and before I could stop to think about it, an entirely inappropriate, maybe even cruel, question came flying out of my mouth.
“Umm, Rebekah?” I asked. “Why are you being so nice to me? You were always so mean back in school. It's not like we were friends or anything.”
We'd been the exact opposite, in fact. Bennett McCormick had taken her to homecoming, and when they found me walking home alone – after my date had ditched me – Bennett kindly offered to give me a ride.
Rebekah was clearly furious that I'd intruded on their date and had glared and made spiteful comments to me the entire ride home. It was about the most uncomfortable I'd ever been in my life and she just kept piling on, making me feel like absolute garbage. From that day forward, she would only glare at me when we walked in the halls and whisper about me behind my back. She acted as if I had been the reason the two of them split up.
Staring at her belly, I couldn't help but wonder if that child was Bennett's. They were the perfectly beautiful high school couple everyone assumed would get married someday. It had been shocking when they split up. But, looking at her belly again, I wondered if maybe they'd gotten together again at some point.
“A lot has changed, Hailey,” Rebekah said, stroking the cross at her neck. “I've found God. Back then, I thought I knew Him, but now – well, now I really do. And I can't even begin to tell you how ashamed I am for how I behaved back then. I know I'll never be able to take it back, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Her eyes glistened as she spoke and she rubbed her swollen midsection like it was an unconscious reaction.
“I'm happy for you,” I said, motioning to her stomach.
And I meant it. As much as I hated her in high school, if she was willing to turn her life around and be a better person, good for her. Maybe, it was a lesson I could stand to learn from as well. Again, my eyes fell on her belly.
“So, you're married then?” I asked.
“Oh no,” she laughed nervously.
Suddenly, there was an awkward tension in the air and it was as if our positions had switched. She was no longer eager to keep talking to me, her eyes flitting around wildly like she was looking for an escape route. She quite obviously didn't want to talk about her pregnancy.
“Listen, it's been great seeing you again, Hailey, but I really should get going.”
She hurried away just as I made my way to the front of the line. Of all people to greet me, Bennett McCormick smiled down at me from the food truck window. His chocolate brown eyes crinkled at the corners as his smile was brighter than the moon.
“Hailey Roberts, huh?” he said. “Decided to come back to Black Oak after all.”
My heart skipped a beat. I couldn't believe he not only recognized me, but remembered my name after all this time.
Bennett's face was masculine, chiseled, and beautiful beyond perfection. High cheekbones and a strong jaw dominated his face, but his eyes – a rich brown that reminded you of milk chocolate drizzled with caramel – softened his otherwise rugged face. His hair was short on the sides, long on top, and he'd obviously used plenty of product to give it an actual style.
As always, he looked impeccable, stylish, and entirely handsome.
“I guess I couldn't stay away,” I said, chuckling, my heart threatening to burst right out of my chest.
I half expected the usual line of questioning, but instead, Bennett asked something much easier for me to answer.
“What can I get ya?” he asked, a twinkle in his eyes.
I ordered a BBQ chicken sandwich – always a favorite of mine when the old owner ran the joint – and a side of coleslaw, because according to Bennett, it was the best ever made.
“Our secret is that it has bacon and bleu cheese in it,” he said. “Nothing in the world like it.”
“You had me at bacon,” I said and laughed.
Reaching for my wallet, Bennett waved me off. “It's on the house. Consider it a welcome home gift. It's really good to see you again, Hailey.”
His eyes looked right through me, and I stared for a moment, speechless. His lips were full and thick, and when he smiled, there was a dimple in his left cheek. It was an infectious smile, one that made me grin like a fool right back at him – at least, until I realized how awkward and dopey I must have looked.
And then, over the buzz of conversations in the crowd, I heard someone call out, “BBQ chicken sandwich for Hailey? Order's up.”
“Uhh wow, you guys work quickly,” I said.
I turned toward and found myself face-to-face with Quinn McCormick. My breath caught in my throat as I stared into his soulful eyes, big and golden brown with specks of green mixed in. His face, like Bennett's, was chiseled to perfection with the classically high cheekbones and strong jaw that marked McCormick men. But his hair fell gently around his face, softening the look. And he too, smiled with a dimple in his cheek, as he handed me my plate.
“Well, look who it is,” he whistled. “Cason, you won't believe who's back in town. The prodigal daughter returns.”
My cheeks flushed with color. I never knew I was apparently that popular – that not only Bennett, but Quinn and Cason remembered me too. I never would have thought that possible back in the day.
“Hailey? Is that you?” Cason said, peering at me from ov
er the grill. “Wow, you've – you've grown up.”
“As have you,” I said. “Though honestly, you guys haven't changed much at all. You still look almost exactly the same as you did when I left. It's unreal.”
“You've certainly changed a bit,” Cason said.
His gaze never left mine, and like Quinn, his eyes were a soft, golden brown. He used to wear glasses back in high school, but now his eyes were completely unobstructed – and as beautiful to look at today as they had been back then.
“In a good way, of course,” he added quickly, as if just realizing how bad that could have sounded. “Not that you were ever –”
Quinn punched his brother in the arm and laughed. “It's nice seeing you around again, Hailey,” he said. “Don't be a stranger, you hear?”
“I'll try not to be,” I said, my heart fluttering in my chest as I turned away from them.
I was grinning like an idiot by the time I got back to Jenn's booth.
“Liked what you saw over there I take it, huh?” she teased me.
“Oh yeah,” I laughed, sitting down again. “And they even seemed to be flirting with me. Who'd have guessed that? I totally didn't see that coming.”
“Your fresh meat,” Jenn said with a knowing smile. “It's rare that someone new comes into town.”
“But I'm not new,” I said.
“You might as well be,” she laughed. “I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous.”
I felt my cheeks flush at Jenn's words. All this time, I wasn't sure I had changed enough from that gangly awkward girl I used to be. My transformation wasn't anywhere near as radical as Jenn's and I worried that I'd only thought I changed more than I actually had.
I was afraid that I'd still be that dorky girl everyone knew and picked on in high school. But hearing Jenn say that, and seeing the response from the brothers, made me think otherwise. My ego, which had been deflating since the moment I set foot in Black Oak again, suddenly found itself full and bursting at the seams again.