14. Archer
Chapter 14
Archer
Archer stood on his porch the following day, cup of coffee in hand, listening to the pure nothingness of a Minnesota morning.
The air smelt of pine tree sap and the dew that blanketed the grass.
He sipped his drink, his eyes moving to Cabin B next door.
The back window on the second floor was cracked open, the room still dark.
He’d given her the rest of the week off, so he knew she would be sleeping in today.
Besides, after the way she’d tackled her to-do list the past month, there really weren’t many other administrative tasks for her to complete.
But that didn’t stop him from brainstorming other ways to keep her around, tasks that would keep her in his cabin, sitting at his desk when he returned for lunch, crinkle in her brow as she concentrated on whatever was on her screen.
Yesterday with her felt like stepping back in time.
He watched her come out of the timid, reserved shell she arrived in earlier that summer, showing sides of herself he hadn’t seen in far too long.
The playful, teasing sides of her.
His mind ran through all of the things she said to him— traditions hold us together, we need each other.
Even the smallest traditions with her, like sitting with a drink watching the sunset every night or playing corn hole, made it even more obvious how much he missed her.
Worse…it made him realize how much he still craved her.
He couldn’t deny that his mind was constantly playing through the few moments when she touched him.
Holding his hand at the outdoor bar, or squeezing his arm yesterday before the ceremony.
He instinctively went to reach for her hand yesterday at the picnic table, then caught himself before he could do something embarrassing, placing his hand next to her leg instead.
He yearned to touch her skin, almost refusing to let go when he threw them into the lake.
He watched her come up for air, her red hair slicked back, black paint a mess on her cheeks, and he felt the violent urge to grab her waist under the water and kiss her wet, pink lips.
Draw his tongue down her neck and rip the strap of her tank top with his teeth.
Archer closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath, doing his best to ignore the tightness in his pants.
God , he wanted her.
He knew it was a terrible idea.
He wanted her, yet he wasn’t sure if he could trust her again.
Not after how she ended things the last time.
Not when she ran away from him and said she never wanted to see him again.
“You look far too stressed for this gorgeous morning.”
Archer blinked his eyes open.
His father stood before him, holding his Babe the Blue Ox mug.
He gave Astor a shy smile.
“A lot on my mind.”
“Well, of course there is.” Astor tipped his head to the Adirondack chairs across the lawn.
“Want to talk about it?”
Archer hesitated.
No , he did not want to talk about it.
He’d been able to keep his father at a distance all summer, and would prefer not to dive into the details.
But Astor didn’t even wait for a reply and walked toward the chairs, expecting his son to follow.
So he did.
The two of them sat in silence for a couple of moments, eyes out on the water and the early morning golden sun.
Astor let out a contented sigh, like sitting in this chair overlooking the lake, next to his son, was where he was meant to be.
Archer couldn’t help but think it was the wrong son, though.
“Let me guess,” Astor started.
“You don’t want to be here.”
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Here, at Wild Pines.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Austin talked to me.”
Archer exhaled, dropping his head back.
“I will kill him.”
“But he didn’t have to tell me, son. He was only confirming what I already saw.”
He looked back at his father.
“And what’s that?”
“Your heart’s not in it. You don’t love the lake like you used to.”
Archer frowned.
“Dad, it’s kind of a stressful time.”
“I know it is. I wonder if I screwed up by handing things off to you. I feel like I’m the reason you don’t love it.”
He shook his head.
“No, that’s not it—”
“Then what is it?”
He swallowed.
Was he really about to do this?
He knew he should tell his father that managing Wild Pines hadn’t ever been his dream.
Astor wasn’t wrong; he did love this place.
He loved water skiing and sailing on the water, cold drinks at sunset and late nights around the bonfire.
He missed the way everyone walked in and out of each other’s cabins, like it was one giant party, a never-ending summer camp.
He also loved having his favorite person back home, making him laugh while also making him think deeply.
Even if that person was a major source of his stress.
Yet his father was also right.
Managing this place was taking the joy out of it.
He knew that would be his fate though.
Austin was adamant about not wanting to take it, and when Astor announced he was ready to retire, Archer didn’t want to hold his father back from finally getting his well-earned rest. So he said yes, packed his things, and left Minneapolis.
Besides, he had nothing else holding him back at the time.
He cracked his knuckles, resigning to it.
He could talk to his father.
Thanks to his fuckhead of a brother, it was already out in the open anyway.
“This job is exhausting and hard to manage.”
“Oh I know, I did it for years.”
Archer scratched his neck.
“Some days I feel like I’m not good enough for it and wonder if Austin would have been the better choice.”
“No he wouldn’t have.”
He eyed Astor.
“Dad, we both know Austin was made for the job. He’s equally good at physical labor and all of the administrative shit. It’s why he does so well at John Deere.”
Austin landed his job as an engineer at John Deere before he even graduated college, which moved him and Riley to Fargo shortly after.
Archer acted like he didn’t care, but his brother had always been naturally smart.
He would plop down with Tea and her textbooks and solve equations with her, while Archer bent over their books and couldn’t read the language of numbers and lines that came so easily to them.
“I don’t agree,” Astor commented.
“I actually think Austin would have been terrible at it.”
Archer coughed out a laugh.
Never once had he heard his father make a negative comment about his brother.
“Funny, good joke. Stop lying to me.”
“I’m not.” Astor took a sip from his mug.
“Sure, your brother has the technical skills and is good with numbers, but he isn’t the best with people.”
“That’s not true. Did you see him yesterday? He practically had Joel eating out the palm of his hand. He would have never been mad at him for not catching the damn fishing cabin culprit.”
“A charmer, sure. But what about empathy?”
His shoulders slumped.
“Empathy?”
“Do you really think Austin would have fixed Jorge’s boat for free? Or set up payment plans so people didn’t have to stress about paying association fees outright this summer?”
“The second one was Tea’s idea—”
“Sure, but the only reason you were delayed is because you didn’t want people worrying about it quite yet. You care for everyone here.”
He worked his jaw, not able to meet his father’s eye.
“Son.”
Archer blinked up at his father.
“If you really hate it, I don’t mind hopping back in—”
“ No. ”
“Are you sure?”
Of course he was sure.
The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his father completely and give up.
He’d seen what his father was like without the stress of constantly having to work while he’s here.
He’d laughed and enjoyed himself yesterday, even kissed his mother square on the mouth in front of everyone, her playful slap in response slightly sickening to watch—but also delightful.
He couldn’t take that away from them.
Plus, what else did he have right now?
It wasn’t like Hermes Lounge was open.
He wasn’t even sure if they would take him back.
Not after…
He shook his head, ran his hands down his legs.
“Yes, I’m very sure.”
“We could also look for new management, if you’re not.”
Archer’s eyes widened.
“New management? Dad, no. This is your life’s work. Our family’s legacy.”
“It is. But it’s not my only job.” He sighed.
“My first job and top priority has been to my kids. I worked hard because I knew how much you loved this place, and how much it meant to our family. But that doesn’t mean we have to keep it in the family.”
He hesitated.
“Won’t that make you sad?”
Astor shook his head.
“It would make me even more sad to see my son unhappy every single year.”
Archer swallowed, unsure of what to say.
It’s not like managing the resort was an all-year thing.
He planned on living in Minneapolis during the off season, and he could still have a future in cocktails…
if Hermes Lounge let him come back.
But that did mean giving up his whole summer, for a job that in the deepest parts of his heart he knew he couldn’t do all on his own.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now, but I would consider it and bring it to the owners by the end of the summer if you decide it’s time to move on.”
Archer rubbed his neck.
“You really think I should give it up? Didn’t you say I was doing a good job?”
“You are. You’re excellent for the job. But that doesn’t mean it has to be yours forever. Not if you’re not passionate about it.”
He took a minute to think it through.
The truth was, once Tea began to help him, his feelings about managing Wild Pines had shifted.
It was easier to have a partner to handle the tasks with.
“Tea has been a really big help,” Archer replied, not sure how else to respond to his father.
Astor scratched his beard.
“If you stayed, do you think she would come back to help next summer?”
His forehead wrinkled as he shook his head.
“No. Her dream is to work in New York, to be closer to Molly.”
The thought of not seeing her every day left a pang in his heart.
Astor shrugged. “The pandemic changed my perspective on a lot of things. Who knows, maybe she’ll find herself with a new dream.”
Hope flared in his chest at the thought.
Could her mind be changed…
and could he be the one to change it?
No, I couldn’t do that to her.
He wouldn’t hold her back from being close to her mom, from following her dream.
Not after losing Gareth way too soon.
But that didn’t stop him from letting the hope take shape, and for the most dangerous word to take root in his heart.
Maybe.
Archer didn’t have time to work through his conflicting emotions about Tea, so he ended up carrying them onto the boat.
He and Austin promised the girls a day out on his father’s motorboat before their long drive back to Fargo, just like old times.
The four of them swimming and tanning, picnic lunches and beers.
This time they were ice-cold in coolers, not warm from the box, hidden inside wrapped-up towels.
Tea was the first to show, wearing her denim cut-offs and that striped one-piece suit he couldn’t take his eyes off weeks ago.
Her wavy hair hung loose by her shoulders, tucked inside a fading Silver Falls cap.
Her nose was pink from being out in the sun yesterday during the party.
He felt like he couldn’t breathe.
She didn’t seem to notice as she stepped in, plopping her bag down on the bench seat.
“Need a hand with anything?”
He blinked, then shook his head.
Snap out of it. “Nope, all good.” He tossed life jackets into the lazarette, then snapped it shut a little too loudly.
She flinched.
“ Sorry .”
“Are you still stressed about yesterday?”
The party and all of its risks hadn’t even crossed his mind.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
On his conversation with his father and the maybe that clanged around his head…
and that damn blue-and-white-striped swimsuit.
He couldn’t unload any of it, though.
She’d asked to be friends, and he said yes.
He would have to swallow whatever he was feeling.
He finally had Tea back in his life, and he really didn’t want to lose her again after taking things too far like last time.
He shook his head. “You’re right. I think everyone needed yesterday after these crazy, fucked-up five months.”
“Completely agree.”
They stood there in the boat, underneath the canopy, staring at one another.
A strand of her hair was out of place, blocking the corner of her eye.
He wanted to tuck it behind her ear.
Then tip back her hat and—
“ I’M DRIVING! ”
Archer closed his fists, turning toward his brother.
“No, you’re not. Also, you and I have beef.”
Austin frowned as he helped Riley into the boat.
“Is it a good kind of beef, like Omaha steaks? Or we talking Hy-Vee chuck roast—”
He reached the helm of the boat, grabbing the dangling remote and sinking the boat into the water.
“You talked to Dad about the resort.”
“Dude, I thought it was a known fact,” Austin defended himself, looking befuddled as he stepped into the boat.
“Why didn’t you tell him anything?”
His eyes were slitted.
“Do I really need to spell this out for you? Dad finally retired, I couldn’t just—”
“Archer, it’s your goddamn life. You can’t live it doing something you don’t love.”
“Watch me.”
Archer ignored the way Tea’s eyes went wide at his response, or how she pressed her lips into a thin line and moved to the back, taking a seat next to Riley, who was already pulling on her vape.
“Jesus, Archer. You can’t possibly think I’m going to let you—”
Archer cut him off.
“You will. You made your decision, and I made mine.”
The four of them remained silent as Archer backed the boat out of the dock, then turned it to open water.
Austin popped into the passenger seat and crossed his arms, shaking his head.
“You know what, no.” Riley popped up and stepped between the two boys.
“If we’re going to act like this all day, we’re turning this boat around and going back. I’m not dealing with this shit.”
Austin sighed, then turned to Archer.
“Okay, I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place.”
“It wasn’t.”
“But if this is going to hold you back from actually pursuing your dream, then I will make it my place.”
“What dream?” Tea asked behind him.
Riley’s brows shot skyward as she looked between Tea and Archer.
She settled on the latter with a face that clearly stated You haven’t told her yet?
Archer reached for the key to crank up the engine.
Austin grabbed his wrist. “Give me a timeline.”
He glared at him.
“How long do I give you until I make it my place again?”
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Tea pleaded.
He, Austin, and Riley didn’t respond to her, the three of them in a silent war.
He yanked his wrist back.
“Five years.”
“ Five ? That’s—”
“A reasonable amount of time to try to do what I want to.” He reached for the key.
“If it doesn’t work out, then so be it.”
Before he could hear what Tea was saying behind him, Archer turned the key and took off, the boat soaring down the lake.
“Fine, fuckface, I’ll leave you alone for five years!” Austin screamed over the motor.
He plugged in his phone.
“Now for some Dua Lipa!”
“Levitating” blasted through the speakers of the boat.
Riley took a seat on Austin’s lap as they made their way to Silverstone Lagoon.
She held up her arms, her sunglasses gleaming under the sun.
“ Just like old times! ”
Archer sneaked a glace at Tea.
She already had a beer popped open and was moving to the music, a smile on her face.
He turned back to the water, allowing his mind to drift to what his life could look like five years from now.
In every version he envisioned, he couldn’t deny the truth: Tea was a part of them all.
The lagoon was quiet when they arrived, but that was to be expected.
Silverstone Lagoon was usually where boats congregated during the summer, but no one was out the day after the Fourth.
He cut the ignition, then walked to the back of the boat and let down the ladder.
Austin already stripped off his T-shirt and hat before stepping up the edge of the boat and cannonballing in.
Riley squealed and did the same, stripping down to a black bikini he heard Austin make inappropriate sounds over earlier.
He turned away from his brother and sister-in-law, now attached at the mouth in the water, and looked toward Tea.
She was in the process of shimmying out of her shorts.
His face flushed, unable to keep his eyes from her creamy-white freckled legs.
When her face lifted he jerked his head in a different direction.
“Are you going to swim in that T-shirt?” she teased.
“Yes, I actually think I might.”
She tossed her hat on the seat, then stepped right up to him, her body practically flush with his.
His cheeks burned. “What are you doing?”
“Um, you’re kind of in the way of the ladder?”
“Oh, right.” He sidestepped.
“Sorry.”
Tea smirked as she stepped around him, then climbed her way down, letting out small breathy gasps with each step into the cold water.
He was in way over his head.
“ Take it off, Vincent! ” Austin screamed from the water.
Archer shook his head as he reached for his back collar, grabbing a fistful and tearing it off in one motion.
Before Tea could get a proper look at the tattoos on his chest, he stepped up and jumped, somersaulting into the cold water he prayed would cool him off from the heat crawling up his thighs.
The afternoon went by as it usually did—dips in the lake, beers in hand, music blasting as they lay out in the sun.
At one point Austin and Riley were back in the water, leaving him and Tea alone on the boat.
She was reclined in the helm seat beside him, her face to the sun, her cheeks even more pink.
Archer dotted sunscreen on his pointer finger, then reached out and swiped it on her nose.
“You’ll thank me later.”
She smiled.
“Or I’ll just thank you now.”
He lay back in his chair, ignoring the squeezing feeling in his chest from her smile.
Another book about loons was open and face-down on her belly.
Her arm was outstretched beside her, her hand dangling off the chair.
He felt the aggressive urge to touch it.
Archer reached his arm out, his fingers practically brushing hers.
But he didn’t move further.
He stared at their hands, imagining what it would be like to lace his fingers with hers.
She blinked her eyes open and turned to face him.
A knowing expression crossed her face, like she could read his mind.
She closed her eyes again, and after a beat, her arm moved an inch, her knuckles bumping into his.
Damn the consequences.
Archer brushed his fingers inside her palm.
Her skin felt dry and warm and soft.
He turned his palm, and sealed their hands.
The smile on her lips widened.
Her face was back to the sky as she let out a satisfied sigh.
He brushed his thumb against her hand, giving himself only a moment to rake his gaze over her body.
God , she was stunning.
Her curves, her red hair dried from the sun, those pink lips and the freckles he wanted to bite into.
She hadn’t flinched from his touch, and it filled his chest with hope.
Maybe. The word hammered in his mind.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.