Episode 31
EPISODE 31
CHOICES
River
Twenty Years Earlier
“All right,” I say to Brett, finally giving in to the plan.
“You won’t regret it,” he says. “I’ve worked it all out. Nothing will ever lead back to us or anyone else.”
I don’t doubt his words. Brett’s a freaking genius, and I’ve heard all the details of what he’s cooked up. God knows it’s what each of us—and our families—need. Especially Jake, apparently.
“You know what’s going on with Jake?” I ask.
He sighs, removes his baseball cap, and runs his fingers through his blond hair. “No.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m curious, but I’m not going to pry. If he wants to tell us, he’ll tell us.”
“I suppose.” I pet Ernie, who’s sitting on the stoop obediently as Brett and I talk in front of his house in town.
Brett, Alex, Seb, and Jake are all townies. I’m the only one of us who lives on a ranch, but my ma does a lot for the town. That’s how Brett and I met, through the town book club where our moms are members.
Brett tucks his hair inside his hat. “Promised Ma I’d mow the lawn before dark.”
“Yeah. Got it. See you.” I walk away from Brett’s place, Ernie loping along next to me. “What do you say, boy?” I look down at my dog. “Should we pay Jake a visit?”
Ernie looks at me with those big brown eyes, and I swear to God he’s saying, “Yeah, let’s go.”
I walk a few blocks to Jake’s house—a cracker box half the size of Brett’s, and Brett’s is half the size of my family’s modest ranch home.
I knock on the door.
No answer.
I knock again. “Jake? You in there?”
His mom’s no doubt at work, but this is Jake’s day off. I turn the knob, and the door opens. Ernie and I walk inside.
“Jake?” I call.
No one’s in the small living area or the tiny galley kitchen. I look out back. No Jake.
I head to his bedroom and knock again. “Jake?”
“Who’s there? River?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Come in.”
I open the door. Jake is lying on his bed, a box fan whirring next to him. This summer is hot as hell, and Jake and his mom don’t have AC. Ernie jumps onto the bed and pimps for pets.
Jake scratches the mutt behind his ears. “Hey, Ern.”
“Why didn’t you answer when I knocked on the front door?”
“Didn’t hear you.” He shakes a clump of Ernie’s hair off his hands.
The poor thing’s shedding like crazy. Like I said, it’s hot. “Come here, boy.”
Ernie hops off the bed and lies down at my feet.
“You want to go into town? Get a burger or something?”
“Can’t.”
“My treat.”
He pushes his light-blond hair off his forehead. “I can pay for my own burger, Riv. But I can’t. Not right now.”
“Okay.”
“Did you want something?”
I sit down in a rickety wooden chair that Jakes uses for his small desk. “Just checking in.”
“Why?”
“Christ, Jake, you fucking know why.”
He sits up and raises his eyebrows. “I do?”
“Yeah. This scheme of Brett’s. You’re usually the voice of reason. Why not this time?”
He shakes his head, the shock of blond hair falling back over his forehead. “Only about a hundred damned reasons, Riv.”
“Care to tell me?”
“Nope.” He rises, opens the door. “You can go now.”
That’s that. When Jake doesn’t want to talk, he’s not going to talk.
“Come on, boy,” I say to Ernie.
He follows on my heel as we leave Jake’s room.
Then, Jake’s voice. “Fuck, Riv. Come back.”
Ernie and I return to the room. “Yeah?”
“There’s so much going on, and I’m going to go crazy if I can’t confide in someone.”
“Whatever you say, man, I’ll take it to the grave.”
“Look.” He speaks quietly. “I can only tell you one part of it, and you need to fucking swear you won’t tell the others. Not until I say it’s okay.”
“You got it. You know you can trust me.”
“I know.” He shoves the lock of hair out of his face again. “There’s so much shit, and I was dealing with it, trying to come up with solutions, and then something unexpected happened that threw it even more out of balance.”
“Out of balance?”
“Yeah.” He clears his throat. “I had something of my own in the works. Ma and I, we’re struggling, man. I do what I can, but it’s not enough. She lost her job, and?—”
“Wait, wait. Where is she, then?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t tell you that.”
My heart drops to my stomach. What the hell is going on? I draw in a breath. “All right. What can you tell me?”
He lets out a sigh. “It’s Marnie, Riv. She’s pregnant.”
Damn. Marnie is Jake’s girlfriend, and I didn’t even know they were fucking. I open my mouth, but he gestures me not to speak.
“I know what you’re going to say. Please don’t. I’ve said it to myself a million times. I fucked up. She fucked up.”
“You didn’t use…?”
“Just the one time, Riv. We got hot and horny and we forgot the condom.”
“One time’s all it takes,” I say softly.
“Don’t I know it. I’m just… I don’t know if I should be happy, sad, angry, scared. I’m feeling all that shit, and it’s like my emotions are on overload and I’m about to fucking explode.” He paces around his small bedroom, Ernie following him. “I mean, a baby is a happy thing, right? And I love Marnie. She doesn’t want to terminate, and I don’t want her to. But we’re so young, and Ma and I are strapped, and then this…” He draws in a breath, lets it out slowly. “I’ve already said too much.”
Damn. How much else is there? A lost job and an unplanned pregnancy are a lot to deal with, but there are resources available. Whatever he isn’t telling me is bad. Really bad. “I get it. I get why you said yes to Brett so quickly.”
“I don’t like it.” He shakes his head. “I don’t like it at all, but I don’t see how I have any choice.”
Present Day
Misty’s body is rosy all over, and her eyes are closed. The orgasm definitely agreed with her.
“Mmm,” she moans. “You are something, River. The first time Evangeline showed me your photo, I wanted you. You certainly don’t disappoint.”
“Neither do you, sweetheart. You’re the hottest woman here.”
Not a lie, exactly. I’d be hard-pressed to say which woman is the hottest physically. They’re all amazing in their own way.
“I’m glad you think so.” She sighs and stretches her arms above her head, her eyes closing again.
“I do. Now I gave you a treat. You ready to give me one?”
She opens her eyes and smiles. “With pleasure, but you’re going to have to take those trunks off.”
“That sounds wonderful,” I drawl, “but I was thinking about something else. What were you drinking with lunch?”
“Rum runners.”
“You want another?”
“Is there time? Another couple needs to use this room.”
Fuck. She’s right. My time is limited. I have a date with her tonight, though, so I’ll have another chance to get information out of her.
“You’re right,” I say. “We can talk more tonight.”
“And I’ll give you that treat I promised.”
“Looking forward to it.” I give her my best grin, which is difficult.
But she seems to respond.
She sits up, grabs my arms, and pulls me down on the bed beside her. “You should be,” she whispers in my ear. “I give head better than porn stars and gay men. Or so I’ve been told, anyway.” She grabs my dick, which is only semi hard at this point, and rubs it through the fabric of my trunks.
I respond. How can I not? Men are physical creatures, and when someone rubs your cock, you respond.
I jerk when someone knocks on the door.
“Time’s up,” Evangeline says. “Misty, do we have a winner?”
Misty rises, trots to the door, and opens it stark naked. “We do indeed,” she says to Evangeline. “I’m one satisfied customer.”
“Nicely done, River.” But Evangeline doesn’t meet my gaze. “We’ll get the linens changed so our next couple can have their fun.”
Misty looks over her shoulder at me, grins, and then leaves the bedroom.
I follow her, adjusting my groin.
“Did you get what you needed?” Evangeline asks.
I take one more look around the room, at the crumpled bed linens, at the dent where Misty was lying. “What makes you think I needed anything?” I ask her.
“You’ve requested her twice now,” Evangeline says.
“Maybe I’ve chosen her.”
She raises her eyebrows.
I let her think what she wants as I leave the bedroom and walk back up the narrow stairway to the deck.
Sebastian pulls me aside. “Did you get anything?”
“I got her to trust me, I think. I’ll get the rest out of her tonight. I don’t have a choice.”
“Good, because I got a text.”
I widen my eyes. “You brought your cell? How is there even service out here?”
“I’ve got a satellite phone, and yeah, I brought it because I’m expecting some news from my agent. Anyway, the text has me worried, Riv.”
“Why?”
“It’s from Shelley.”
Shelley? Damn. She knows not to bother us unless it’s important.
My heart sinks to my stomach.