Chapter 21 #2
“Or maybe he just wants us to complete the list of ‘side jobs’ he left us that we promised we would do.” Alex’s dad agreed to help us make up the difference in pay from choosing to work up here this summer instead of the city.
But Mr. Croft isn’t just handing out cash.
Alex and I have a list of things we need to do, and so far, other than keeping the lawn mowed and the house clean, we haven’t started on any of the big-ticket items .
“Yeah, we should probably start in on painting that fence tomorrow after your morning shift, huh?” Alex says with about as much enthusiasm as someone walking into a dentist’s office.
With fifteen minutes to spare before Alex’s dinner shift starts, we finally have the house looking, well, mostly, back to how it did before last night.
One lampshade has been turned so the dent from a beer pong ball is not noticeable, and the living room rug has been moved just a few extra inches to cover a stain that isn’t coming out no matter what we do to it.
We aren’t stupid enough to believe Alex’s dad won’t find the evidence, but we are hoping maybe he doesn’t until we are a good six or more hours south at the end of the month.
We stand in the middle of the living room, surveying our hard work.
“Not bad, Evie Baby.” We look at each other and high-five. I can already feel myself missing Alex. The summer air is starting to shift, and I know this little bubble of time together is almost over, but I shake it off. It’s not over yet.
I ride to the main lodge with Alex. After a day of cleaning, a burger at the bar sounds spectacular, plus Hux’s comment about maybe seeing me this evening has been in the back of my mind.
I would be lying if I wasn’t anxious to see him again.
It hasn’t even been twelve hours, and I can already feel the ache of his absence.
I sit in my usual spot at the bar, which is still quiet. Most guests have gone to their cabins to shower or maybe get a little nap in before dinnertime. Elle is the only one working at the moment.
“Hey! I was hoping you’d come keep me company tonight,” she says as she polishes the glasses that have just come out of the dishwasher. I lean over the bar, grab the clean silverware and a stack of clean cloth napkins, and begin rolling them.
“After last night, red meat and grease are calling my name. Plus, after being here for nearly two months, my movie and book collection is dwindling down.”
“Huh… that’s not what I heard you’ve been doing with all your free time.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at me.
Immediately, my face heats, a sensation I can only imagine is what hot lava feels like creeping up my legs. Has Hux already told the whole resort about our morning? Or worse, did someone see us? Am I now the laughingstock of Anderson’s?
Elle recognizes the sheer panic that has quickly consumed my body. “I just mean I see you out and about with Nick a good amount, cruising about on that fancy boat of his.” She watches me carefully.
I take a breath, letting my blood pressure come back down. I lick away the salty beads of sweat that seem to instantly form on my upper lip.
“Oh, um, yeah, he’s a nice guy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him better.” I look over my shoulder as I hear the screen door open and laughter coming from the other side.
For the second time within two minutes, my heart stops again.
This time, it is the sight of Ashlee walking in, dressed in the shortest tennis skirt ever made, wearing a string of pearls around her neck and her gorgeous drop-dead smile.
A smile that is specifically aimed at the man holding the door for her, the same light, carefree grin plastered on his face as well.
All the doubt, all the fear, all the insecurities I had started to shed today, walk right in with them.
Hux’s eyes meet mine, and then something unexpected happens.
The smile on his face grows bigger. He places his hand on Ashlee’s shoulder, squeezing it briefly before crossing the lounge and coming straight up to me.
There’s no pause or hesitation when his head dips down with his lips meeting mine. I can taste the grin as he deepens the kiss, pulling back right before the PDA becomes uncomfortable for all witnessing.
“I was hoping you would keep me company tonight.”
“Well, actually, I am here to keep Elle company, but you can hang with us too if you want.” I glance over at Elle, who stands frozen, jaw hanging open, with the glass she was polishing still in hand but the rag now lying at her feet.
“What’s with you?” Hux sarcastically asks her.
“I… I…” Color returns to her face, and she laughs, “Oh, boy, you both have so much explaining to do.” She points at both of us like we are going to be sent to detention. Thankfully, we are saved from interrogation when a young couple takes their seats a few stools down.
“I need to check a few things in the office, but I’ll put a burger with extra fries in for you?”
“That would be wonderful.” I smile up at him as he heads to the back office. Ashlee is already gone from my mind until she exits the bathroom, sliding onto the seat beside me.
“I realized we’ve never really officially met. I’m Ashlee.” She gives me a little wave that could be interpreted as both a greeting and a truce.
“I know who you are; I clean your cabin here. We also met once at Hux’s cabin. Everly.” I take a sip of the soda Elle placed in front of me without me even asking her.
A knowing smile takes over her lips. “Did you know, in all the years I have come here—which is pretty much my whole life, you are the only person to fold the toilet paper into a pretty little point every day.” I can tell by her tone that she’s not being snotty.
There’s a friendliness in her voice that makes me lower my defenses.
“Well, you know, it’s the little details that set someone apart from the rest of the cleaning staff,” I joke, finally making eye contact with her.
“Listen, I’m not sure how much you know, or for that matter want to know, about Hux and my history, but I want you to know that in no way am I your competition.
Hux and I have been friends since we were kids, and at times, we have filled voids in our lives for one another.
” She looks toward the office, clearly wanting to keep this conversation between us.
“From the minute you guys kissed on the boat, anything with us ended. He would kill me for telling you this, but that entire night, I sat on his couch eating a bag of chips while he paced his cabin, trying to get a hold of his emotions.”
I fidget with my straw wrapper, trying to tame my embarrassment that Ashlee has known about that kiss.
“Thank you for telling me,” I say quietly.
“It’s been so hard to read him, but I do really care about him.
” I have no idea why I am opening up to the girl I watched having sex with the man I am actively falling for, but I can sense she gets it, in a sisterly way.
“He more than cares for you. I’ve never seen him like this… ever. Hux might be somewhat of a man-whore, but when it comes to love? It’s been complicated and painful for him.”
The girl. The one he mentioned when screaming at Nick. It has to be her.
“He commented last night about something that happened in the past. I asked about it, and he said he would tell me, but I’m still so in the dark. I wish he trusted me enough with whatever has made this place so tortuous for him.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, his story takes vulnerability and requires opening up wounds which he’s been bandaging for a long time.
If I had to guess, he just wants to keep you from it all a little bit longer.
I suspect you’re his medicine. Give him time, and let him tell you how he got here.
I promise it will be worth it, and it’s a part of the healing he needs. ”
It might seem unwise to trust her, but I do, so I will wait for Hux. No matter how long it takes.