Chapter 5
5
ONE WEEK LATER
A week had already passed at the cabin. Chloe had successfully avoided Jake's attempts, but she could tell he was becoming short-tempered over the situation. He was more aggressive with his advances, something she wasn’t used to with him. The last two years with Jake had been about softly spoken endearments, respecting that she didn’t want to rush things, didn’t want to go to that level.
This new Jake was almost frightening in his insistence to go further.
Trying to push her worries over the situation away, she focused on the fire in front of her. They’d gone boating earlier in the day, and now everyone sat around the fire-pit. Thoughts on other things, she hadn’t heard Jake speak until he nudged her.
“I’m sorry, what?” Turning to look at him, she saw his wide grin.
“I said, would you like to walk with me along the lake a little later? I saw this really romantic little cove not too far from here.”
Chloe knew where he was talking about, and “romantic” wasn’t really what she’d have called it. The “cove” was a bed of fallen, rotten logs and jagged rocks. The only romance she could even picture there was the small, postage stamp sized beach, but even that left much to be desired.
“Sure.” It was getting late, but she wasn’t tired and she would still be able to see the house from the cove. She didn’t like venturing too far from the cottage once it got late.
Her answer seemed to placate him for the time being, and he turned from her, his gaze back on the fire. Chloe reached into the bowl of watermelon, grabbed a chunk and brought the thick, pink flesh to her mouth. Biting into it, she felt the juice slip down her chin. When she lifted her eyes, she locked gazes with Dominic.
He watched her intently as he leaned back in his chair. He brought a longneck beer bottle to his mouth, took a drink, and then turned his attention to the conversation her parents and aunt were having.
Chloe listened with little interest as her parents and aunt talked about the newest breakthrough surgery. This was normally what happened with them. They were always so engrossed in their own conversation that everything and everyone else just fizzled out.
Dominic tipped his beer bottle back and looked at the fire, his brows knitted, this annoyed expression on his face. Chloe glanced at her aunt and saw her looking at him, the same hard, annoyed expression on her face. She had no idea what was going on, but there was definitely animosity between them.
In fact, there had been the entire time they’d been at the cottage. And if she really thought about it, the last time they’d seen her aunt and Dominic, which had been just a few months back, they’d seemed tense toward each other, hateful even.
“Maybe you’ve had enough, Dom?” Clara said with a little bit of spite in her tone.
Everyone stopped talking, and this tension surrounded them.
He slowly looked back at Clara. “Excuse me?” he asked in a deep voice.
“I think you’ve had enough to drink. You’re acting like a fish in need of water with the beer.” She all but spit the words out.
Chloe shifted on her seat, the weirdness of this interaction being felt by everyone. She could see her parents glancing between them, her father looking away as if he didn’t want to be sitting here.
“Well, this beer is getting me through being here with you.”
Shit.
He lifted the beer up, saluting Clara, then tipped it back and finished it off.
Chloe’s dad cleared his throat and was about to stand, but when Dominic did it instead, everyone froze. “Maybe we should just tell everyone? Stop pretending like shit’s good?”
Chloe looked between Dominic and Clara, and she could see her aunt looked pissed. Whatever it is Dominic was talking about wasn’t what Clara wanted.
Clara looked absolutely livid as she slowly stood up, her half-filled wine glass in hand, shooting daggers at Dominic.
“You really want to do this here, now?”
Dominic shrugged. “Why the hell not? I’m tired of pretending.”
Clara’s face got red, and she pursed her lips. “Fine.”
Shit was going down.
“Dominic and I are no longer together.”
There was a collective silence, a heavy void that filled the space between everyone after Clara spoke.
“Meaning…” Chloe’s mother said and trailed off, her tone hesitant.
“Meaning we are no longer married. Meaning we’ve been divorced for three months.”
Chloe felt her eyes widen.
“Divorced?” Chloe’s mother said softly and looked between Clara and Dominic. “But you’re living together?—”
“Appearances,” Dominic said. “You know your sister better than anyone. You know how she has to pretend like things are fine … like she’s been doing since everyone has been here.” He took another swig from his beer. “No offense.” He looked over at Chloe and gave her a sad smile. “I didn’t even want to be here. But until everything is finalized with the financials and all that shit, we are trying to play nice.”
There was more silence.
Dominic and Clara weren’t together anymore. They’d even been divorced for months and hadn’t told anyone. Chloe had sensed something was going on between them, but never had she assumed it was this.
Dominic muttered something under his breath and left the fire, heading inside and slamming the door shut. Clara still stood there, now downing the rest of her wine. Chloe thought maybe her aunt would be sad, but she looked more annoyed than anything else.
“Why the divorce?” Chloe’s mom asked, standing and wrapping her arm around Clara.
“I’m not even getting into that,” Clara mumbled.
The two women headed off toward the lake house. Chloe’s father then got up and went inside.
And then it was just Jake and Chloe by the fire.
“Holy fucking shit,” he whistled under his breath. He got up and disappeared for a short while, but then returned with a duffle bag. He reached inside and pulled out a six-pack of beer, holding it up and wagging his eyebrows.
“Want one?” He held up his half-drunk bottle, but she shook her head.
“No thanks.” She was still reeling from what had just happened.
“Suit yourself.”
The time passed with her staring into the fire and Jake rambling on about bullshit while drinking beer after beer.
Chloe could tell the alcohol was starting to take effect by the glassy look in his eyes. She gripped the iron poker tight in her hand and pushed around the burning logs in the firepit, embers floating up.
“Want to go for that walk now? Shit, I know I need to clear my head from that little shit show that went down.”
Glancing at Jake, she shrugged. “Sure.” Yeah, walking might help clear her head and make sense of everything.
He took her hand and led them away from the light of the fire and deeper into the woods, within the tree line as they walked parallel to the lake.
“Don’t you just love this place?” Absently speaking to herself, she watched as the water gently stroked the shoreline. She turned to look at Jake when he didn’t respond. Before she could get a good look at him, she shrieked in surprise when Jake gripped her waist and pressed her against a tree. “What are you doing, Jake?” She tried to push him away. “Easy.”
He took a step back, his gaze roaming up and down her body.
“You are so hot, Chloe.” His voice was thick, his words slightly slurred. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three small liquor bottles.
She stared, appalled at him. “Where the hell did you get those?” Drinking wasn’t the problem in this situation—well, not the major one. She’d been to plenty of parties, had even gotten drunk herself on more than one occasion. But the way he was acting right now was not the Jake she knew.
“Took them from my parents' mini bar. Want one?” He unscrewed one of the caps and downed it in one swallow.
Never had she seen this side of him before. He was acting so reckless and uninhibited. “What the hell, Jake? Since when did you become a lush?”
His laugh was clipped. “We just graduated. I’m celebrating.” He held a bottle out to her, and she shook her head. He shrugged. “More for me.” Unscrewing the second one, he downed that as well. The stench of liquor wafted around her, and she wrinkled her nose. “Don’t act all uptight, Chloe. You’ve gotten drunk before.”
“Yeah, I have, but not the way you are. We are also at my aunt and uncle's house, and my parents are here.” He laughed and drank the third one. “You smell like a bar, Jake. So not attractive.”
He took a step forward, placing a hand on the tree beside her head. “No? What do you find attractive about me, Chloe?”
“Well, it was your dignity, responsibility, and all-around gentleness, but now even that is going downhill.” The dark look that crossed his expression had her stiffening in response. “I think we should go back to the house so you can sleep this off.”
“Oh? What? You think you’re too good to let loose?”
She shook her head. The conversation was starting to move to dangerous ground. “There's nothing wrong with letting loose, Jake, but I do have a big problem with being irresponsible, especially at someone else’s house.” Chloe placed her hands on his chest and tried to push him back. “Move, Jake. I’m done here.” He was immovable. “I’m serious. Move out of the way.”
“You know how many girls I could have fucked since I’ve been with you?”
Anger made a slow path through her body. “You’re drunk, and you’re going to regret where this conversation is going in the morning, Jake.”
Licking his lips, he dropped his eyes to her mouth.
“I could have fucked Heather, Kallie, and Megan just in the last week of school.” He smirked. “Maybe I did to take care of these fucking blue balls you constantly give me.”
Her stomach turned with disgust. She tried to push him away again but got nowhere. “Real nice, Jake. Any other asinine things you want to tell me?” In the next instant, he had his hand wrapped tightly around her hair. As she cried out in pain, he held her head at an awkward angle.
“You’re a cock tease, Chloe. A fucking cock tease.”
She struggled against his grasp.
What the hell was happening? This was like a bad scene out of a movie. This certainly wasn’t the Jake she knew.
“I am so sick of trying to be someone I’m not. For two fucking years I’ve sucked up to you and your family. I, for one, think I’ve been a trooper. I’ve stayed with you even though you don’t put out, even put up with your mother's incessant bitching. All for what, a few make-out sessions here and there? You won’t even let me touch your tits or finger you.” He breathed heavily. “I am a man, Chloe. I have needs.”
A man my ass.
“Real men don’t try and force themselves on a woman, Jake. Real men don’t say this shit.” Biting the inside of her cheek, she refused to cry out in pain. “Seems you’re a pervert and an alcoholic, too.”
He stared at her, narrowing his eyes.
She used that moment to get out of his grasp. Successfully pushing him away, she started off for the house.
“Asshole,” she said over her shoulder.
The sound of his drunken mumbling had several emotions going through her. She didn’t think Jake would really try to do anything to her, but then again, the way he’d acted was so foreign to her that she really didn’t know him anymore.
She made it ten feet before Jake grabbed her arm with bruising force and spun her around. Chloe lost her balance and fell backward. Jake still had a grip on her arm and fell with her. Pine needles and rocks dug into her back. The momentum had him landing on top of her, the air leaving her on a whoosh .
“Looks like you do want me. See how easily you got on your back?”
“You’re such a prick.” She tried to shove him off, but he was stronger than she was. No matter how hard she pushed, it was no use. Even drunk he was stronger.
“You’re going to regret this, Jake. When you’re sober and realize what a bastard you’re being, you’ll regret this.”
And she’d make sure he did. She just had to get out of this situation first.