12. Options
12
OPTIONS
L ux
We floated in the river for the rest of the afternoon. I was practically a prune when we finally got out to dry off. By the time we all emerged from our tents, the rain had stopped, and the grey clouds had broken up, revealing the blue sky and the timid sun.
Desmond said there wasn’t a whole lot of dry firewood, enough for a fire later but not enough to cook dinner, so we used the propane stoves to heat up the chicken stir-fry Zoey had prepped.
Once everyone had finished eating and we’d cleaned up, the sun had begun to make its descent. We moved our chairs back down to the beach, placing them around the fire pit while Theo and Desmond worked on getting the fire started. It took a few tries and fifteen minutes before they got the flames to take, but I got to enjoy the process of watching Theo’s muscles in his arms work.
“I think we’re going to have to make a run to the marina for more ice tomorrow,” Talia declared, returning with another bottle of whiskey and her speaker ball. “Levels are getting pretty low.”
“I could go,” Desmond offered. “I should turn my truck over.” Desmond’s truck was fifteen years old and didn’t like sitting for long without use. As it was, we’d have to jump the battery before we could leave here in a couple of days.
“I can go with you, if Talia or Theo let me borrow one of their kayaks,” Jasmine offered. “Kayaks move quicker through the water,” she informed me when she noticed my questioning look.
“You can borrow mine,” Theo offered with a grin.
“It’s settled then, we’ll go tomorrow morning.” Jasmine told Desmond, and he gave her a smile that felt like it was just for her. I turned, hiding a smile of my own, and Jasmine knocked her elbow into my arm. “What?!” she whispered incredulously.
“Oh, nothing at all,” I replied easily, my gaze catching Theo’s across the new flames he and Desmond had finally coaxed. He had an amused glint in his eyes too, reminding me about our conversation in the water. I hoped this meant Jasmine was considering taking a chance with Desmond, but I didn’t want to say anything to spook her.
Talia connected her speaker to her phone and started playing music. “Heck yes! She’s charged baby!” she declared, plunking down on her inflatable. “I love the twenty-first century, charging banks are an incredible invention!” she sighed happily, turning the volume to the perfect level.
“I don’t know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, charging banks are convenient. But I sort of envy our grandparents and parents. They didn’t have to worry about social media or staying connected all the time,” Rhiannon remarked thoughtfully, frowning at her phone.
“Fair enough,” Talia amended. “I barely use social media; life is better without it for sure.”
“I need to use it for work, unfortunately there’s no getting around it. I’ve had five inquiries about future weddings, and a few of the brides have already sent follow up emails. I announced on my business page I was out of town camping and wouldn’t have reliable reception, and they still expect to hear from me.” She sighed, letting her phone fall onto her lap.
Rhiannon’s worries made my fingers twitch a little, and I wondered if I’d gotten any emails about job prospects. I didn’t care about whatever I was missing on social media, but hearing back from prospective employers was important—especially if I wanted to get out of my parents’ house.
“Hey Des, have you rented out the spare room in our place yet?” Jasmine asked Desmond. I shot her a look, and she returned it with one of her own.
“Not yet,” Desmond answered, poking at the fire with the long stick that was dubbed the designated fire poker.
“Well, hold off. We might have found a new roommate,” Jasmine declared, putting her arm around my shoulders.
“Jas,” I cautioned, laughing awkwardly. “I have no clue what I’m doing yet.”
“I think it’s a great idea, and I’m not saying that because you’re my best friend and I want you to be my roommate,” Jasmine grinned at me. “There are a lot of medical clinics and even a hospital in Sudbury that you could apply at, and while you wait for something more permanent, there are plenty of restaurants and stores to work at.”
Desmond—and Theo—were watching with interest.
“I don’t know,” I sighed. I wasn’t opposed to the idea of going further north for work, but I didn’t want to potentially take a room off a college student, especially if I couldn’t find a job in my field.
“My sister works at the hospital in Sudbury, I could see if there are any openings coming up, and I’m sure she’ll put a good word in for you,” Baz said. I was touched at his offer.
“Are you sure your sister would be okay with that? She doesn’t know me.”
“She trusts my judge of character,” Baz replied confidently. “I think you’re alright,” he winked.
“It’s settled then!” Jasmine declared happily.
“Not really,” I frowned. But if I was being perfectly honest with myself, Jasmine’s idea didn’t sound half bad.
“Don’t you want to get the hell out of Dodge?” Jasmine asked lowly, arching a brow.
“Well, yeah. But moving twice sounds like a lot of work, and what if I don’t find a job?”
“With your grades and the glowing recommendations you have from your professors, you will. I have complete faith in you,” Jasmine assured me.
“You’re welcome to come check it out,” Desmond interjected. “If you want it, it’ll save me having to find another renter.”
“I thought you rented out to college students?”
“We do, or we used to, but it’s exhausting vetting people that frequently, and with Theo gone as much as he is, it usually falls to me. I wouldn’t mind getting more stable tenants in.”
“We don’t really care, so long as the rent’s paid,” Theo winked.
“You’re the other owner?” I asked, surprised.
He nodded. “Yeah, but I’m hardly around. Desmond works a lot too, so you don’t have to worry about landlords intruding all the time.” His smile put me at ease. “However, we are just next door, so if there’s any issues, we’re on top of it, so to speak.”
“Not that there will be any issues, we’ve done a lot of renovations on the place and pretty much everything is new and up to code,” Desmond added reassuringly.
“I approve, you’d make a great addition, Princess. College students were fun when we were college students. Now, well. That season of time is over, and I don’t think a college student will jibe with us as well as you do,” Talia interjected with a grin. I’d forgotten she was Jasmine’s roommate too, but I felt touched she seemed as into the idea as Jas.
“We could make a pit stop in Sudbury on our way home so you could check out the place and see for yourself,” Jasmine said.
They were all dangling a huge, juicy carrot in front of my face. I had to admit, it’d be a great opportunity to get out of my parents’ house and away from Brinley, and to spend more time with Jas. This trip had made me realize how much I missed having her as a constant in my life.
“Alright, fine. We’ll check it out and I’ll think about it,” I said. Talia and Jasmine immediately let out a cheer, and I shook my head, trying to hide the grin.
As pathetic as it was, it felt good to be wanted . I mean, I knew my parents loved me and enjoyed having me around, but they were consumed with their own lives and Brinley’s antics—and Brinley certainly didn’t like having me around, unless she was actively tormenting me. Then I supposed I served some purpose for her, but that wasn’t something I wanted.
I wanted an environment that felt like home; an environment I could be myself in. One that I wouldn’t be walking on eggshells, constantly wondering when the next hit would come.
Of course, Theo being one of the landlords complicated things a little. It made me hesitate to want to start anything physical with him. Would that be blurring the lines too much? I knew he worked a lot, and was often out of town for work. But I didn’t want him to think I was moving to Sudbury to chase whatever this thing between us was.
“You don’t have to make any decisions right now, Lux. It’s an option to have, and I’d say it’s a damn good one. Call me biased all you want,” Jasmine said quietly, grinning at me.
I shook my head, lifting my apple cider to my lips for a sip. “I do think being roommates with you would be fun, but…” my gaze cut to Theo, who was involved in a conversation with Desmond, Kai and Baz about fishing, and not paying attention to us. “I think it complicates things.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Jasmine batted away my concerns with a wave of her hand. “It makes it more accessible.”
“Exactly, I don’t want him to think I’m considering it because he’ll be there. I’m not following him,” I whispered.
“Believe me, he knows that. Theo is not Scott; he doesn’t believe everything revolves around him.”
“Who’s Scott?” Talia asked, picking up on a little of our conversation.
“My ex,” I frowned, shooting Jasmine a look that told her to knock it off. The last thing I wanted was for Theo to overhear us talking about him and our…situationship, if that’s what it even was. Could a few epic kisses be considered a situationship?
“Sounds like a tosser,” Talia said.
“Oh, he is,” Jasmine snorted. “The biggest tosser I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a fair amount of them.”
“Can I ask what he did to earn The Ex title?” Talia asked, loud enough to garner the attention of Rhiannon and Zoey. Maybe it was the amount of alcohol in my system—we’d been drinking since our dip in the river—or the fact that I felt comfortable enough with this group to reveal a little more, but I found myself answering.
“He slept with my little sister,” I replied curtly, taking another sip of my drink. “She sent me a Snap of them together in bed.”
“Holy shit,” Talia leaned forward, her eyes so wide they were comical. “What a bastard . The both of them, really.”
“It’s okay, I’m over him. I eventually would have broken up with him anyway. He didn’t have any aspirations or goals and seemed annoyed by mine.” I shrugged.
“Yeah, but… your sister ? That’s next-level shitty,” Talia shook her head. “I mean, I’ve had some pretty bad breakups over the years, but that takes the cake.”
“Yeah, that’s exponentially worse than having a boyfriend cheat on you,” Rhiannon said sympathetically. “What an asshole.”
“The biggest, floppiest of assholes,” Zoey chimed in, looking enraged on my behalf. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
Now I was beginning to get uncomfortable, especially because the guys had looked over to see what we were bonding over.
“It’s okay, I’m fine. Totally fine,” I said, smiling to show how fine I was. “Honestly, the only thing that sucks is the knowledge that my sister will always do shit like this to me, and that I’ll have to keep her at a distance to keep that harm away.”
Zoey’s expression softened, like she knew or could really sympathize with that. “I’m sorry, that’s really rough. Not all family deserves the title. Blood isn’t always thicker than water. Sometimes, that blood is poisoned.”
The way she spoke and the heavy knowingness in her eyes had me thinking she’d been through something with her own family, but I wasn’t about to ask. I nodded in agreement.
“Sometimes, your real family is the one you choose for yourself,” Talia added, taking a shot before holding out her whiskey bottle to me with an encouraging smile. I took it from her, thinking what the hell , and took a shot directly from the bottle before passing it to Jasmine.
“Hear! Hear!” Jasmine said, taking a shot herself before passing it to Rhiannon. Rhiannon took a shot and passed it on to Zoey, who tilted the bottle back for her own shot.
“What, we’re already getting into the hard stuff?” Kai asked, his voice full of amusement as he stepped over to Zoey’s side. She offered him the bottle and he took it with a grin. “I’m not one to miss out on a good time!” he took a double shot before passing it to Theo.