Chapter 5
Josephine
I’m sandwiched between Kylian and Locke in the back row of Kendrick’s Suburban as he coasts along the long stretch of highway that crosses over the lake.
It’s late afternoon, but not quite dusk. The sky’s taken on a dreamy, hazy pink and orange tinge as the sun begins its descent.
Locke keeps looking over, his eyes swimming with hesitancy.
Each time I meet his gaze, he offers me a tight smile rather than the enigmatic grin I’ve come to expect from him.
It’s like he’s worried I’m about to break.
As much as I hate that he’s worried, I don’t have the strength to assure him I’m okay—and honestly, his assumptions aren’t totally off base.
At least Kylian isn’t bothering to keep his distance.
He hasn’t stopped touching me since he helped me into the back row and fastened the seat belt around my lap. His hands are everywhere, and although I’ve never been a touchy-feely PDA girlie, the constant reminder of his presence is hypnotically soothing.
Each graze of skin is grounding, a reminder of where I am and who I’m with. Nothing is suggestive, but it’s intimate all the same, like he’s getting reacquainted with the outline of me and reassuring himself that I’m really here.
It’s a reassurance I didn’t know I needed until now.
Decker and Kendrick are in the front of the vehicle, talking quietly. Greedy and Hunter are seated in the captain’s seats in the middle of the vehicle. Greedy’s attention is firmly locked on Hunter, while she looks out the window, body angled toward the door.
She obviously lost their argument, as evidenced by the overnight bag each held when they returned to the hospital. What could Greedy have said or done to convince her to let him tag along when she’s been nothing but standoffish in his presence since I met her?
Decker’s willingness to allow Greedy to come with us is just as surprising. And alarming.
It’s Shore Week. The game is three days away. What’s it going to be like for the quarterbacks of the rival teams to cohabitate under the same roof?
I lean forward, taking in the tightness around Greedy’s eyes as he watches my friend.
“Hey,” I whisper, cupping him on the shoulder. “Thanks for this.” Until today, I don’t think he’s left the hospital since he brought me in on Monday. I can’t imagine what he’s missed out on and given up to be with me over the last few days. Classes. Practice. And now the comfort of his own bed.
My guys hate him because of who he is and where he goes to school.
Hunter has her own beef with him, obviously, but she’s never shared details about the why.
She’s my girl, and I’ll always be Team Hunter, but right now, there’s nothing anyone could say or do to convince me that Greedy Ferguson is anything but a good guy.
Covering my hand with his, he squeezes once and meets my eye over his shoulder. “Anything, Jose. I promised to make this right. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Locke scoffs quietly, and Decker’s got his attention trained on the rearview mirror. It’s not me he keeps looking at, though. I watch him for a moment before I realize what he’s actually focused on.
I slide my hand off Greedy’s shoulder and sink back into the seat.
Kylian traces the hem of the soft cotton shorts Hunter brought for me to wear home from the hospital.
She agreed when I told her to toss the clothes I was wearing when Greedy brought me in.
I couldn’t stand the idea of wearing them again, and not just because of the lake stink I’d never get out of them.
The memories… The way the gauzy linen shirt did nothing to protect me from the cold as I lay in the bed of a truck all night…
Shivering involuntarily, I distract myself by looking out at the highway over Locke’s shoulder.
I’ve only lived in Lake Chapel for a handful of weeks, yet I already recognize so many landmarks.
The occasional missing post separating the highway from the express lanes.
Idiosyncrasies in the curvature of the overpass because of the natural shape of the lake.
The exit for Sam’s Auto Parts and Salvage.
At that last thought, I catch Kylian’s hand.
“Could I borrow your phone? I think I need to call my uncle.”
I’m almost certain my phone is at the bottom of the lake.
Beside me, Locke sits up a little straighter, and before Kylian can respond, he’s interjecting.
“Here—use mine. Kyl’s not real keen on sharing.” With one hand, he fishes his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me.
“Just when it comes to my devices,” Kylian amends, cocking a self-deprecating smirk that showcases that one dimple.
Hunter turns around then, craning her neck to watch me enter the number I memorized before moving from Ohio to North Carolina.
“What are you going to tell him?” she asks.
Shrugging, I consider my options. “The truth, I guess. Or at least as much of it as I can stand to share. He won’t grill me, but I owe him some sort of explanation.”
Decker’s eyes find mine in the mirror again as I lift the phone to my ear.
It rings, then rings again, and again. I let out a relieved sigh at the prospect of leaving a voicemail, then immediately feel guilty for wanting to avoid speaking to him.
Maybe it’s better this way, though.
“Hey, Sam. It’s Jojo. Just checking in to let you know I’m okay.
I lost my phone over the weekend, so sorry if you’ve been trying to call.
And sorry I haven’t been around the last few weeks.
Adjusting to school and work has been a lot.
I’ve been spending time with my friend Hunter, and you can call her cell if you need to reach me until I get a new phone. ”
Hunter quietly rattles off her phone number, and I repeat it for my uncle.
“Anyway, I’ll visit soon. Just let me know which days you’ll be around the shop. Tell Jeannie that I haven’t forgotten about the cleaning and filing. Oh! And check on Scout, please. I just want to make sure she’s okay. Okay. That’s it. Um… bye.”
I end the call, feeling all sorts of awkward about leaving a message in front of an audience. At least he won’t worry now. I owe him that much.
I hand the phone back to Locke, and in return, he offers me another one of those halfhearted, tight-lipped smiles. Before I have a chance to call him out for acting so strange, Kylian pulls me into his side.
“I’ll get you a new phone tomorrow,” he murmurs, his fingers already back to tracing the stitching of my shorts. “And I’ll take you to see the armadillo if you want. Next week? Maybe Monday?”
Yawning, I nod. As if the act is contagious, just about every person in the car yawns, too. I’m not the only one who’s exhausted and sleep-deprived, and it’s really starting to show.
I’m desperate for a good night’s sleep, but before I crash, I need to figure out how to handle the panic that will inevitably wash over me when I wake up.
It happened every time at the hospital—hence the sedation.
Though that didn’t help the inevitable terror that hit when I woke, it quieted my mind enough to allow me to sleep.
It would be silly to think it won’t happen at home. Hunter and I will have to come up with some sort of plan for her to ease me awake if and when I startle in the morning.
Yawning again, I rest my head on Kylian’s shoulder and let his soft ministrations comfort me while I blink to avoid the pull of slumber.
Any concerns I had about falling asleep or getting too comfortable fly out the window of the damn Suburban as Kendrick makes one last smooth turn and pulls into the marina.
Lake Chapel stretches out before us.
On Lake Chapel is the literal last place in the world I want to be.
I agreed to go back to the mansion.
Only I’ve conveniently blocked out one very important part of the trip there.
My heart rate skyrockets, and blood whooshes in my ears.
Panicked, I announce “I can’t do this; I can’t get on a boat again” to no one in particular.
Kylian’s energy ratchets up ten levels and his body goes rigid as he shifts in his seat. He’s assessing me quietly, intensely, like he’s working something out in his head.
Before I can question him, Locke brushes the back of his knuckles along my thigh.
“What if we use one of the ferries? You could sit in the middle, away from the sides. That may be easier since the ferry is so big.”
I hold in a shudder at the thought of any and all floating vessel transportation options.
In my current state, I doubt I could even board a cruise ship without panicking. The few memories I have from Sunday night are still too real and raw, festering right below the surface.
It’s a lesson I learned years ago: at our core, we’re all just animals.
Not even smart animals. We’re reptiles, compelled by our baser needs and survival instincts.
My lizard brain has worked overtime over the years to shield me from memories of atrocities too harsh to bear.
It has perfected the art of repression, and as absurd as it sounds, I’m grateful.
Pulling in a long, shaky breath, I meet Locke’s gaze.
“I can’t do it,” I admit. Turning to Kylian, I make my plea. “Please don’t make me do it.”
Kylian’s eyes are full of a surprisingly smug resolve when he gently catches my chin in his hand and tilts my face upward.
“You don’t have to get on a boat, Jo. There’s another way.” Pride oozes from him as he regards me.
His declaration makes little sense. Their home is across the lake, but if anyone could come up with a way to walk on water or airlift us to the isle, it’s Kylian. Right now, I don’t care what his plan involves. I’m just grateful. So damn grateful.
“Dude,” Locke says, stunned.
“Kylian,” Decker scolds from the front seat with a sigh.
“What?” he snaps, first at Decker, then at Locke. “There is. And if there was ever a time to make the most of our resources, it’s now. Don’t you think we owe her that much, Cap?”
His huffy edict sounds more like a scolding than a question. It’s so not Kylian, and I don’t have the first clue what he’s talking about.
Finally, Kendrick parks the Suburban, unbuckles, and swivels in his seat.
Lifting his chin toward Kylian, he asks, “You got the Sherp ready?”
Kylian smirks, an unexpected cockiness rolling off him. “Yep. Fueled and ready to roll. What do you think I’ve been doing for the last two days?”
The smallest hint of a smile—one I’ve only witnessed when he’s speaking to his sisters—graces Kendrick’s face as he chuckles quietly. “All right, Boy Genius. Let’s fucking go.”
He rights himself in the driver’s seat, buckles up again, and pulls out of the marina parking spot without another word. Decker’s scowl is visible in the rearview mirror, but my attention is quickly diverted when Kylian wraps an arm around my shoulder and combs his fingers through my hair.
I can’t help but gravitate closer, tilting my head toward his.
He kisses my forehead and massages my scalp. “It’s going to be okay, baby,” he murmurs quietly. “We’ve got this.”