This Summer At The Lake

by Daphne James Huff

  He didn’t know what she told her parents. Maybe they didn’t even notice when she wasn’t home. He’d avoided his aunt’s questions more than a few times, telling her he was hanging out with friends. It wasn’t technically a lie, but she’d still purse her lips and narrow her eyes. If she asked him outright if he was with Cassie, he told himself he wouldn’t lie. But his aunt never asked. So…

  They sent messages back and forth like breathing.

  So this hammerhead thing you have, she sent one day when he was cleaning houses. It was a constant stream of connection. The longest they ever went without messaging when they weren’t together or sleeping was probably five minutes tops. Hideki had tried to institute a no phone rule during their video game sessions, but it hadn’t lasted more than a night.

  What about it? Logan was still embarrassed he’d told her about it. It was one thing to like a random artist, but sharks weren’t cool. Were they?

  Have you ever seen one in real life? she asked

  I haven’t even seen a fish other than what’s in the lake, he admitted.

  What?? How is that possible??

  Now he was really embarrassed.

  No aquariums in Helena. He sent a shrugging emoji along with it; it wasn’t his fault their town was too small for anything bigger than a petting zoo.

  A few minutes went by before she sent another message.

  Where can you even see hammerheads in the wild?

  Costa Rica, came his immediate reply.

  He didn’t even have to look it up. While his mind and money were all focused on New York, when he’d started pulling in bigger tips from bartending, he’d let himself dream a little bit about what else he might be able to do. There were so many places he’d like to see, and sharks in Costa Rica were top of the list. He’d never have enough; school would eat into all of it he was sure, but that’s where his mind would drift off to as he scrubbed toilets. A beach somewhere where the water was actually warm.

  If we go, will you tell me all about hammerheads and their mating dance?

  Now when he daydreamed of sandy beaches, Cassie was right there beside him.

  One night they were in her bedroom, curled up on the bed. It was raining hard outside, or they’d have been at their usual spot at the lake. It was extremely cozy and comfortable, but Logan couldn’t relax.

  They were so close, every single part of their bodies that were touching sent little shivers of electricity through him. The fruity smell of her shampoo was invading his senses, making it impossible to concentrate on anything. He didn't even know what movie they were watching. Something action, not romantic, so she wouldn't think he had any grand plans for her. He was still getting used to the idea that he was allowed to kiss her anytime he wanted.

  Well, not anytime. The only reason they were at her house tonight was because Cassie’s parents and sister were out and she’d pretended to be sick to stay home. He knew it was rare for her parents and sister to all be together at the lake house, so he was surprised and thrilled that she’d wanted to spend the time with him instead. Still…

  "I don't like sneaking around," he said. His gut was shouting at him, telling him to just shut up and enjoy what he had. The past month had more than he could ever have hoped for. BSE did not even begin to describe it.

  "It'll be fine once we're in New York." She snuggled against him, and his chest tightened. She sounded so sure of herself when she talked about the future. It was easy for her, knowing what to expect. As excited as he was, the thought of leaving everything he knew still freaked him out more than he wanted to admit.

  But having Cassie there would make it feel more like home. He reached down to place a kiss on her head, and she turned her face up to him. A deeper kiss started, his arms curving around her back, the feel of her skin hot beneath his hands. The tiny tank top she was wearing suddenly took up an enormous amount of his attention, and he tried to make sure his hands only ventured where there was fabric. He didn't dare attempt anything else but she shifted beneath him and when he ran his hand down her arm she let out a soft sigh that made his heart beat ten times faster.

  Maybe tonight he would slide his hand a little higher. Maybe tonight they would—

  "Cassie! Where are you?"

  They broke apart, their ragged breaths hot on each other’s face as her wide eyes stared into Logan's.

  "Hide!" she hissed, and he rolled off the bed in a move worthy of the spy film they were watching. He scooted underneath the bed, her panicked face peering down at him. Even over the beating of his heart he noticed her lips were still red from kissing.

  So beautiful.

  She smiled and he flushed; he hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

  Safely under the bed, hidden from her family and his own embarrassment, Cassie arranged the covers so they hung over the side. It was dark, but he was safe.

  "What are you watching?" A girl's muffled voice reached Logan's ears.

  "Nothing, Di. What's up? I thought you were all out to eat.”

  She sounded so calm, so natural. Hideki needed to learn her secrets.

  “Well we’re back. Mom and Dad want to talk to you."

  "About what?"

  “I’ll let them explain.”

  Logan worried the intense pounding of his heart would give him away. There was no way they couldn’t hear it.

  "Is he finally going to explain this whole sexual harassment thing?"

  Di sighed.

  "That’s not really what it is.”

  Cassie snorted.

  “It’s a wrongful termination suit and he's taking care of it. That's what he wants to talk to you about. You might need to give testimony."

  "What? Why?" Her calm veneer cracked and she sounded panicked.

  "You were on work sites with him this summer. You can tell them he treats his employees with respect."

  The ice cold silence seeped under the bed and trickled down Logan's spine.

  "But just because Dad didn't do anything while I was there doesn't mean—”

  "You really think he's like that? That he's horrible to his employees?" Her sister raised her voice to an angry yell that had Logan sweating and cowering in his hiding spot. Cassie had mentioned she was in law school but he hadn’t pictured someone quite so intimidating. And he couldn’t even see her!

  "I don't know,” Cassie answered, her voice low.

  Di clicked her tongue and sighed again.

  "He's your dad, Cass. After everything he's done for you, you have to help him."

  There was a pause, and the bed sank down above Logan’s head as Cassie sat down.

  “Speaking of helping…How did the Huntingtons help him?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The night Spencer and I broke up, he said we should be grateful to his family…when I asked Dad what it meant he said it was just business contacts."

  What was that about? She’d never mentioned that to Logan, but they didn’t really talk about Spencer. Logan held his breath, not wanting to miss a single word.

  "Why?"

  "If I'm going to lie for him, I want to know everything."

  "It's not lying, Cass. Did you see him do anything inappropriate this summer? Or ever?"

  There was a pause. She must have shaken her head.

  "See? You know this whole suit is a bunch of crap. I see it all the time in case studies for school. People trying to game the system, make the most they can from employers."

  Spoken like someone who’d never had to work a day in her life. She could leave law school tomorrow and live well the rest of her life. Logan bit down on his tongue to keep an annoyed growl from escaping his lips.

  "What did the Huntingtons do?" Cassie’s voice was stronger now.

  "They just introduced him to some lawyers. Good ones. And kept a lot of stuff out of the papers. His business was suffering a lot earlier this year."

  “Because of the suit?”

  Another pause.

  “And other things. With Mom and
everything.”

  “She’s here tonight.”

  “She made up her mind to stick with him.”

  Cassie sucked in a breath. She’d never mentioned any of this to Logan. He let out a shaky breath, as quietly as possible. All they’d done for weeks was make out and dream about New York. Her mom, the Huntingtons…what else had she avoided talking about with him?

  “So? Will you help him?” Diana pressed her.

  There was another pause. Logan shifted underneath the bed, his heart racing.

  "I'll think about it,” was all Cassie said.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When Cassie leaned over to help Logan out from under the bed, she wasn’t sure who looked more upset.

  They’d avoided talking about her dad ever since that morning after the Fourth of July. It was easier to focus on New York and dreaming of a new life far away from all of this. They both wanted to escape, for different reasons. Logan wanted a new life, and he deserved one; he’d worked so hard to get where he was. Cassie wanted to leave behind the mess of a family she was a part of.

  But she knew she could never escape, not really. Di was right. If her dad wanted her to do something, she would do it. The entire reason she was with Logan now was because her dad had asked her to be nice to him. Guilt washed away the pure bliss that had been shooting through her just ten minutes ago. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted Logan to hear about her parents’ problems. Would he guess that she was hiding other things?

  Now at least it made sense why her dad had known who Logan was. And why he didn’t want Logan to suspect his bike accident had anything to do with her. Her family didn’t want another legal battle with his. She thought back to her mom’s comment on how expensive an apartment in New York would be. While Di had made it sound like their parents were working things out, a divorce would be expensive, if it ever came to that. Could they not afford another legal battle? The thought of not having enough money for something was completely foreign to Cassie.

  Even if they could afford it, what would happen if Cassie refused to testify? How could she face her dad, her family, knowing that she’d stood against them? Would Columbia even be an option for her? Would any college?

  There was no rebelling possible, no way out. She had to support her dad, or he wouldn’t support her. It was what everyone expected her to do.

  “What are you going to do?” Logan said as he took her offered hand and stood up.

  “I don’t know yet.” Her voice trembled.

  Logan took a step back and dropped her hand.

  “You’re going to help your dad.”

  “I said I don’t know yet!” Her eyes flashed. “This is hard for me. I don’t know what to think.”

  “It’s not really that complicated.” He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed. “He’s not a good guy. You’re an adult, you don’t have to do what he wants.”

  “But he’s my dad, you know?” Tears glittered at the edges of her eyes. All month he’d never said a word about her dad, and while she knew he probably hated him for what he’d done to his mom, he couldn’t expect her to feel the same way, could he?

  “Actually, I don’t know.” Logan set his jaw. “Mine left when I was four.”

  Cassie’s eyes widened and raised a hand to her open mouth.

  “Logan, I had no idea—”

  “It’s fine,” he said quickly, waving a hand. “We don’t have to talk about it. He’s not a part of my life.”

  “Not at all?” Cassie sat down on the bed and looked up at him. Logan started to pace.

  “No,” he said firmly, his arms swinging beside him as he walked back and forth. Had they been talking about anything else, she might have teased him about how much like a shark he looked right now, with his angry gaze and puffed out chest. “He made so many promises…”

  Cassie held her breath, not sure she wanted to hear more. Logan had already been through so much. How much more pain could one person have in their life?

  “Every year it would be the same. Birthdays, holidays, all he would send were cards with promises of phone calls and visits. He never called. He never came.”

  His eyes shone with tears that she knew he’d never let fall.

  “He sent stuff all the time when I was little.” He made a weird harsh laughing sound. “He was totally loaded. My mom told me later he never sent any child support though. And she didn’t have the money to go after him for it. She told herself the presents to me were enough. But all I wanted was to see him.

  “When I was twelve I finally got him on the phone and told him to stop sending me stuff. I didn’t want anything else from him if he couldn’t keep his promises and visit.”

  Cassie’s heart was breaking for the stubborn little boy that had grown into such a strong young man who never wanted anyone’s help.

  “And that was the last I heard from him. No more presents, no more calls, nothing.”

  “Oh, Logan.” Cassie made to stand up, but he put out a hand.

  “Don’t, okay? I know what I went through is totally different than this. And I may be a little biased and assume all dads are assholes.”

  “I don’t know what mine is like with other people,” she said. “I only know him as my dad. That’s what makes this so hard.”

  Logan sighed and collapsed onto the bed next to her, covering his face with his hands.

  “My whole life is hard,” he mumbled into his hands. Cassie hesitated for a brief moment, but put a hand on his back. She felt him relax a little underneath her touch.

  “It’s nice to know we have something else in common now,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “Even if it’s just complicated feelings about our dads.”

  He let out a chuckle.

  “Of all the things for me to have in common with Cassie Hart, a rich jerk for a dad wasn’t what I thought it would be.”

  Cassie let out a giggle. Laughing wouldn’t change anything, but what else could they do?

  With a sigh, Logan leaned back on the bed. Cassie followed suit and curled up against him. He had been through so much and had still turned out so smart and hardworking and…perfect. Her heart filled with the strongest desire to help him, in every possible way.

  “I guess if everyone is back, I’ll need to sneak back out?” he murmured into her hair. His arms were wrapped tightly around her. She snuggled even closer against his chest, needing to feel every part of him.

  “Or you could just stay here until they all fall asleep,” she said, turning her head to look up at him. He gazed down at her through half lowered lids and she bit her bottom lip. “Or you could hide in my bed all night and leave tomorrow morning.”

  He sucked in a breath and leaned over for a kiss. It started out so softly, his lips just barely brushing hers. Then he pressed himself against her and his arms gripped her even tighter. She opened her mouth, their tongues swirling together as she sighed into him. Her hands went to his hair, pulling him tightly to her.

  Despite the past few weeks of doing this same thing, tonight she wanted more. Needed more. Everything was falling apart and he was the only thing that seemed steady in her life. And she knew she was inches away from losing him. As soon as he found out what she’d done to him, her father wouldn’t be the only one he thought was a rich jerk.

  Her whole family was such a mess. She couldn’t wait to get away from them. Maybe once they were in New York she’d tell him. Once they were far away from everything else making their lives crazy.

  She let out a soft moan as Logan’s hand slid under her shirt, caressing her skin. Her entire body shivered against him. He pulled out of the kiss and looked into her eyes.

  “Cassie I…want to tell you something.” He took a deep breath. “I think I’m…”

  He swallowed hard, his gaze intense. Her heart skipped a beat.

  Could he really feel that way about her? With everything that was happening?

  She didn’t want him to say it, not out loud. Not until he knew every
thing. She leaned in and kissed him again, praying that she’d get a little more time with him before it all came crashing down.

  “Cassie, where are you?”

  For the second time that night, they pulled away from each other, breathless and panicked. It wasn’t her sister outside the door this time.

  It was her rich jerk of a dad.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Cassie your mother and I need to talk to—”

  Cassie’s dad burst into the room without knocking. When he saw them both laying on the bed, Logan’s hand halfway up Cassie’s shirt, he stopped short, his eyes narrowing as his face turned bright red.

  Logan shot up in bed, but Cassie was a bit slower to rise. She crossed her arms over her chest, while Logan stared wide-eyed at her dad seething in the doorway.

  “I guess you’re not feeling that sick anymore.” His words were a simmering quiet volcano ready to burst.

  “I was just leaving,” Logan said, standing up.

  “No, don’t go,” Cassie said, and grabbed his arm. She turned to her dad, her brows furrowed and her eyes flashing. “If you were Spencer he wouldn’t care.”

  “If he were Spencer you wouldn’t have lied to us,” her dad said, crossing his own powerful arms over his chest. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

  His eyes flicked to Logan, who swallowed hard. His palms were starting to sweat as he tried to keep his own rage under control. He’d gone back and forth tonight from having Cassie in his arms to her being ripped out of them, and back again. The ups and downs were starting to take a toll. He’d been about to tell her how he felt. He’d been thinking the words for days; they’d been on the tip of his tongue a hundred times. Was he actually a little relieved for the interruption? If he’d said it and she hadn’t said it back, it would have been more than his poor tortured heart could handle for one night.

  “Di already talked to me,” said Cassie, still holding on to Logan’s arm. He wanted to stay, to help her somehow. She wasn’t used to standing up to her parents, and didn’t seem to really know how. Not that Logan did either, but at least he knew what a good relationship looked like. An honest one. He’d seen her cry more than once over all this drama. He couldn’t leave her now.