Chapter 11
ELEVEN
EVERLY
“Earth to Everly, you in there?” Alex waves her hands in front of my face.
I’ve been leaning against her car for the last fifteen minutes, trying to get the adrenaline that is still coursing through my body to ease up.
What the hell was that? One minute, Hux seems furious with me, embarrassing me beyond measure, and the next, I’m wrapped around him, my body needing his like he’s air itself.
Fire races over my skin with every touch. Instead of feeling self-conscious when his hand slid up my shirt, all I kept thinking was that I needed more, all of him, right there up against the building. For a moment, I didn’t recognize myself and my uncontrollable hunger for him.
“Sorry, yeah, what took you so long?” I ask.
“Well, I was on my way to look for you when Nick and his buddy decided it was a good idea to do backflips off the dock. I didn’t feel like I should leave those two to break their necks and drown.” Alex rolls her eyes. “Kenny is safely driving them home as we speak. ”
“Can we just go home, please? I’m exhausted,” I plead while impatiently waiting for her to dig out her keys and unlock the car.
“Hmm… why so tired, Evie Baby? Have something to share with me?” She laughs, ducks into the car, and reaches across to manually unlock my door.
“Why do you even bother to lock your car? We are in the middle of nowhere, isn’t it a known thing that people from Maine don’t lock anything? And who in their right mind would break into this hunk of junk?” I’m avoiding her question, and I pray she lets my whereabouts remain unknown.
Alex starts the car, but before pulling out of the spot, she looks at me. “Yes, that’s true, but aren’t you the queen of keeping things locked up?” I quickly look away and blush as she snickers and drops the shifter into drive.
“So here’s the deal.” Alex plants her hands down on the table where I am slurping the last of my cereal milk. The morning light creates patterns on the small breakfast nook table, which I trace with my finger.
“I already don’t like the sound of this.”
“My dad needs a ride to his job site this evening. There is a truck up there they need brought back.”
“Okay, so why doesn’t he just carpool up to the site like he regularly does?” I ask skeptically.
“He would, but the guy he was scheduled to ride with got sick this morning. Everyone else is already up there.” She huffs while she pours herself a bowl of cereal.
“He asked me if I could drive him up, and to be honest, I feel bad saying no. I would have to stay the night. Dad says it’s not safe driving the logging roads with no cell service in the dark.
” She huffs again as if her father is being paranoid.
“Uh, ya think?” The fact that she would contemplate driving back alone after the extensive amount of horror movies we have watched is completely certifiable.
She ignores my sarcastic remarks, continuing, “But I haven’t spent much time with him one-on-one since we got here, he’s completely opened his house to us, and he’s been so easy to live with, even fun.”
She isn’t wrong there. He hasn’t been home that much, and when he is, he’s nothing but nice to us, has no rules, and is quite the chef. It’s nice to have a night or two a week off from eating at the resort and dealing with the awful tension and moods of the one and only Hux Anderson.
The thought of him immediately fills my stomach with anxiety. What will he be like after last night? I’d like to think his attitude toward me will have changed, but I’m too scared to find out and prefer to avoid the establishment until my shift tomorrow.
“As much as I hate it, that makes sense, and I think you should go. I still have that stack of movies and romance novels that I’ve been neglecting. I’ll just lock the door, keep a wood axe nearby, and hope I don’t get murdered while you’re gone.”
Alex shifts from one foot to the other, looking apprehensive, and I know it’s not about the logging roads.
“Yeah… so that’s the thing. I have a dinner shift tonight, and you know how the restaurant’s been, they are way too busy to be any more short-staffed. I really need you to pick up my shift for me. Pretty please?” Alex drops her bottom lip and lets out an obnoxious whine.
“Are you serious? I can’t work with Hux! I can’t work for Hux! You know this will turn into a disaster. In the last month, whenever he and I are anywhere near one another, it turns into a complete shitshow.” I practically yell, bits of leftover Cheerios spraying the table.
“Oh, don’t even give me that. Last night, you looked anything but satisfied when you got into the car.” She smirks.
“I’m sorry, but did you completely forget about the meltdown he seemed to have at all of us, especially Nick, before I stormed out?”
“Pretty, pretty, please! I’ve been making really good tips, you could use the extra money. A trip to Los Angeles is in your future, and you’ve waitressed and taken care of crappier people back at the country club. This will be easy for you.”
“After tonight, I will be in the market for a new best friend, so a trip to California won’t be necessary,” I sarcastically say as I stand and put my bowl in the sink.
“Thank you, Evie Baby! Have I told you you’re my favorite lately?” She comes up, hugs me from behind, and nuzzles her face into my neck.
“Uh-huh, finish your breakfast and get ready. It’s going to finally be hot out today, and Nick’s picking us up at the end of the dock in an hour. Would be great if my whole day off isn’t ruined.” I stomp upstairs to change into my swimsuit.
“Look at you, stringing along two guys at once. I’ve trained you well. Pick out something scandalous up there, grandma!” I hear Alex laugh as she heads back to the table to finish her cereal.
Is that what I’m doing? How can I be responsible for Hux’s unpredictable behavior? Today, he’ll most likely act as if he doesn’t even know me. Why should that ruin my chances to explore something with Nick, who, in theory, is exactly what I’m looking for in a guy?
I mean, nothing has even happened with Nick and me yet. Maybe he’s just being a nice guy… or maybe he’s not all that interested .
I check myself out in the bedroom’s full-length mirror, turning one way and my head the other to make sure everything is appropriately covered up.
Why am I even overthinking this? Nothing is going on between Nick and I, and there sure as hell isn’t anything going on with Hux, well, according to Hux, anyway.
Yes, we have kissed… well, twice, but the first time didn’t stop him from being an ass, so why would I even begin to hope this last kiss will?
After a moment’s longer pause in the mirror, I strip the one-piece off and reach into the closet for the stringier bikini I swore I’d never wear in public.
I shake Alex’s arm, which hangs lifelessly off the bow bench she is currently asleep on.
“Five more minutes!” she barks back, throwing her arm over her sunglasses.
“Sorry, princess, but it’s almost four o’clock! I lost track of time, but I need to be at Anderson’s in fifteen minutes to start your shift.” I jab my finger into her side, causing her to squeal and sit up.
“Shit, my dad’s going to be looking for me, he wants to get up there before it gets dark. I’m sure he’s worried about the truck breaking down and us being abducted by the mutant people who live in the wilderness.”
“Trust me, they would return you,” I grumble as the boat slows down and approaches her father’s dock.
When Alex coerced me into taking her shift this morning, I was anything but relaxed.
Getting out on the water today proved to be exactly what I needed.
Soaking in the sun and exploring the lake with Nick and his friends was really fun.
Nobody even seemed shocked at my two-piece, which I quickly realize is a sign of how mentally elderly I might be becoming.
This place may be in the middle of nowhere, with some of the worst black flies I have ever experienced, but I understand why so many people keep returning summer after summer.
The natural beauty, seclusion, and way of life are already starting to feel like home for me.
“Hey, Everly, if you want to grab your work stuff, I can drive you down to Anderson’s dock,” Nick offers as he ties the boat to Alex’s dock.
“Seeing that I have to be there in less than ten minutes, that would be great, Nick!” I jump off the boat and jog up to the house to grab my work shirt and a pair of jeans.
This day has been perfect. I let myself be in the moment for once, and even if only for a few hours, I didn’t allow myself to think about the tension with Hux that’s been putting my nerves in turmoil.
After eating lunch on a secluded beach, Nick and I waded out to a large boulder that jutted out from the shore.
We sat perched on the rock for a long time, taking in the beautiful view and chatting while getting to know one another better.
We talked about our favorite places in Boston and our goals once we graduate.
It was nice to talk to someone whose dreams and plans are so similar to mine.
I even found myself starting to picture a future with him that doesn’t end when August does.
Still, there was a tiny itch in the back of my brain, reminding me that something wasn’t quite right yet.
No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, the itch won’t fade.
It’s as if my brain doesn’t want me to be happy.
Did Austin damage me so badly that I truly won’t ever be able to feel that all-consuming infatuation with another person ever again?
Is this what being jaded does to someone?
What’s worst of all is every time I think about my impending waitressing shift with Hux, it’s not an unwanted itch I get, it’s butterflies, low in my stomach…
anticipation, ma ybe even excitement. And as much as I tried to squash their little wings throughout the day with Nick, the damn things kept fluttering.