Call It Unexpected (Sterling Mill)

1. Emalee

Emalee

I was seriously going to die.

“I…have…to stop.”

If this is what it took to lose the extra calories I’d gained lately, I’d rather quit eating.

My calves burned, and my chest compressed so hard I thought for sure I’d throw up my pounding heart. I dragged to a halt, collapsed, and sprawled dramatically on the ground.

The last thing I needed was to drop dead in such an undignified manner on the prestigious campus of Edonton University, where my cousin attended.

I already looked out of place wearing a pair of loose athletic shorts that were part of my high school gym class gear and a faded strawberry festival shirt.

The other girls who were out exercising wore tight, colorful leggings and matching sports bras, showing their toned stomachs.

“I said…I wanted…to get in better shape, not practice… for a marathon.”

Bristol turned around and laughed as she continued to jog in place. “We’ve barely done two miles. We’ve got three more to go.”

Was she serious?

“You,” I gasped, pointing a finger at my cousin before my arm flopped back to the ground, “are a monster. What have I ever done to you?”

Her hands leaped to her hips. “You’ve caused me to gain five pounds since you moved in, that’s what.”

Ignoring the sweat dripping into my eyes, I glared back at her. “Then stop eating my homework!”

“I can’t help it.”

“Not my fault.”

“Brat.”

“Whiner.”

We both burst into giggles, which did nothing to ease the stitch in my side.

Bristol gave up her movement and plopped to the ground, stretching out her lithe frame beside mine, crossing her hands behind her head.

She nudged my ankle with her toes. “You don’t have to cook for us every night, you know. ”

I knew. But cooking meals for Bristol and her dad seemed like an easy way to pay them back for giving me free room and board, especially when Uncle Brock insisted on paying for the food.

I’d worked right out of high school and saved almost all my money to go to culinary school, but even with my savings and a scholarship, my mom had to scrimp to pay the rest of the tuition.

But she supported my dream of learning to be a chef, skills I would bring back to our family’s bed-and-breakfast.

Bristol and her family were my distant relatives; our great grandfathers had been brothers and had been descendants of one of the founding families in Sterling Mill, Tennessee.

Rather than getting caught up in how many times removed or figuring out the number of generations separating us, we simply considered ourselves cousins.

However, in reality, she and her older twin siblings were more like the brother and sister I’d never had.

Bristol’s side of the family had grown and retained property and businesses over the generations, whereas somewhere my family had fallen on harder times, and no matter how hard we tried, we could never get very far ahead.

I was hoping to change that. I had ideas I couldn’t wait to try if only I could talk my mom into them.

In the meantime, I used Bristol and Uncle Brock as my tasting guinea pigs.

“I enjoy it, plus it gives me good practice.”

“You’ll be a hit when you return to The Dogtrot. Everyone is going to want to eat there, not just guests.”

“That would be nice.”

At least, I thought so. My mom and I ran The Dogtrot, our family’s bed-and-breakfast in downtown Sterling Mill. Generations ago, it had started as a family home when my ancestors settled in The Smokey Mountains, but they converted it when the family fell on hard times.

I loved the mountains and the quaint but friendly town where I’d been born.

I adored our quirky traditions and how families knew and looked out for each other.

I didn’t know any different, having lived there my whole life.

Other than school field trips or our one family vacation before my father died, I hadn’t seen much beyond my mountain home.

Being here in Charlotte, away from home for the first time, I began to wonder what else I could do other than take over the bed-and-breakfast someday. I wanted cooking experiences outside of the inn’s kitchen.

“You don’t sound so sure.” I should have known my cousin would catch the doubt in my voice.

“Sometimes…” I had a hard time giving a voice to my thoughts. It felt like a betrayal of everything I’d come from.

“Sometimes…” Bristol prompted.

I closed my eyes against the beautiful Carolina blue skies and blurted, “I feel like my life was all planned out before I even had a chance for any input into it.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I blanched.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love where we grew up, and I love The Dogtrot.

Sometimes I just wonder what else is out there, you know? ”

She squeezed my hand before laying back down and staring at the sky. “I get it.”

And she did. Bristol had never been content in Sterling Mill.

Her dad, Brock Allen, was a race car legend.

With his growing career, it had become too hard for him to raise three children on the racing circuit after his wife left him.

He moved Bristol and the twins, Chase and Cameron, back to his childhood home in Sterling Mill, and during the racing season, Uncle Brock left his children with their grandparents, returning during the off-season and any other breaks he had.

Bristol hadn’t been happy being left behind.

She’d worked to get back to her dad in the city as soon as she was old enough, causing mild disturbances in the town too small to contain her big dreams. She hadn’t come back since and was now pursuing her engineering degree with the goal of becoming her father’s racing engineer.

Unlike me, Bristol traveled all over the country when she wasn’t in class, joining her father on the racing circuit.

Since my arrival in Charlotte, Bristol and Uncle Brock had not only made me feel welcome, but they’d also brought me to a few local races and introduced me to several of Uncle Brock’s crew.

They were like their own tight family, and their enthusiasm for the racing world was contagious.

Listening to their exciting tales, I had an urge to explore and unearth my own unique stories.

We were quiet for a few minutes, allowing my breathing to slow back to normal.

My left thigh twitched, and I worried my leg was still protesting until I realized it was my cell phone’s anemic vibration.

I worried someday it would give out entirely.

Carefully plucking it from my pocket, I saw J&W Bus Off on the screen.

Crap.

I shot Bristol an apologetic look and accepted the call. “Hello?”

“Miss Dalton?” a female voice asked.

“Yes.”

“This is Dolores Briscoe from the business office. I’m sorry to inform you that your account is past due. Do you know when you will be able to complete your payment?”

I closed my eyes and turned my back, not wanting Bristol to witness my humiliation. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Briscoe. I’m sure the check has been sent. Perhaps the mail is slow.”

I cringed at the overused excuse, but Mama had promised she’d send it after she finished paying for the air conditioning unit that had to be replaced at The Dogtrot.

Her sigh was long and drawn out. “Very well, Miss Dawson, but I need to make sure you understand you cannot register for next year’s classes until payment is complete.”

“I understand.”

The call dropped. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my cheap phone or her lack of concern.

I plastered a smile on my face and turned back to my cousin. “If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to skip the rest of the run.”

Her hazel eyes were bright with sympathy, obviously having put together the gist of the problem from my end of the conversation. “You know, Dad could—”

I held up my hand to stop her. I loved her for what I knew she was going to say.

It wasn’t her first offer to help, but while our accounts were short on cash, they were full of pride.

We always found a way, and this would be no exception.

I only had one more year to graduate, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.

“You guys already do more than enough to help. We’ll be all right.”

Bristol jumped to her feet with natural grace. “Are you sure you don’t want to run off some frustration?”

I shook my head. “Positive. There’s no way I’m ready to keep up with you. I think I’ll go soak up some Vitamin C over there instead.” I waved my hand in the general direction of a grassy field. Hopefully, no one would care that I wasn’t a student here. “I’ll meet you back at the house.”

I could tell she was warring with herself about leaving me, but I plastered on my best smile, and she seemed to relax.

With a wave, she took off. I headed in the opposite direction toward a patch of sunshine in the middle of the park.

It might not burn off the extra calories I’d been consuming lately, but it sure as hell would feel relaxing. And it was free.