Chapter 10
Pulling into their parents’ driveway, Stephanie smelled the lake air and felt at home.
She had spent most of her growing-up years in this house.
For a long time, she had wanted to live as close as she could to water.
But as she grew up, she knew that having a lake house was work.
Now she enjoyed going home after a long day at work to her apartment and not having to do any upkeep.
Maybe one day, when she was in a relationship, she’d rethink having a house. But right now, adding more to her plate wasn’t something she was interested in. She already had too much on her plate as it was.
Knowing better than to leave her motorcycle in the middle of the driveway, she pushed it to the edge of the garage.
She did it because her brother Aaron had run over her first one, claiming he didn’t even see it.
She made sure it never happened again. Sure, she could have driven her car the two-hour trip here, but the day was beautiful and she couldn’t resist getting a few miles on her bike.
Miles that she hadn’t gotten in yet that summer.
Though she felt the two hours was a nice little trip, her parents didn’t think that way anymore. They had once both worked in the city, but now neither enjoyed going into the city at all. Stephanie liked it that way. Her parents never surprised her with visits.
Now with owning her own business, she was too busy for getaways like this no matter how close they were. Though she loved spending time with her parents, they were always hounding her about who she was dating. Or more often, not dating if she was dating.
Her parents hadn’t gotten their heads completely around her being bisexual, which was why she’d let herself drift more towards men than women. It was easier to tell her family she was dating a man than to see their disappointment when she said she was dating a woman. Until last week.
It’d been a week since she had had her night with Court, and it was sadly still on her mind more often than not.
Throwing herself into work hadn’t stopped it.
Yesterday afternoon, she had almost asked Jordan to go with her back to the Button.
Despite not wanting to go earlier in the week, she was getting weaker and weaker the longer they were apart, wanting to see her just one more time.
Walking in the door, she didn’t bother to knock, nobody did around here. She had been raised in this house and, for that reason, it would always be home to her. Letting the door slam, she knew her mom would hate it, but then she’d know someone was there.
“Don’t be slamming my doors.” Marlene yelled and then came out of the kitchen, drying her hands. When she saw her, her mom’s blue eyes lit up. “Stephanie Lynn, you’re early.”
“I managed to talk Jordan into taking my last two classes today and headed out.” She went to her mom and hugged the woman.
Even though they saw each other often, she liked to hug the woman when she could. Her mom looked a little like her since she had always favored her real dad. But it had been her mom who had raised her. Her stepfather had been there for most of it, but her mom had put in the time.
“Tell Jordan thank you for me.” Her mom said as she let her go.
Jordan had only agreed because Stephanie had promised to take her early morning hot yoga class for two weeks.
It was going to be torture to get up by five in the morning, and double torture because Stephanie hated hot yoga.
But it was a price she was willing to pay to be the first one here and to help her mom get ready for everyone’s arrival, since her brother wouldn’t be there until late due to his wife’s job.
Shifting her backpack off her back as she followed her into the kitchen, she asked, “Where am I sleeping this weekend?”
Since her siblings had started getting married and having kids, sleeping arrangements in the house had shifted.
She, being single, almost always ended up on the couch in the family room.
Which was a pain when others in the house started to get up at six in the morning and she wanted to sleep until noon.
Her mom never noticed that she felt more than a little forgotten because of it.
“Couch. Aarons in his room, Dylan in his, and Laura and Shane are in the girl’s room.
Now, if you’d brought Christopher, we would have found a place for you two.
But since you are alone, you are in the family room. Calvin bought an air mattress.”
Her mom had liked Christopher, even if she hadn’t met him.
Christopher had always been busy the few times during their relationship she had come for a visit.
Stephanie was now sure it was because he wasn’t all that serious about their relationship and didn’t want to get too invested in her life. Which was a jerk move.
Shaking off the Christopher comment, Stephane was resigned to her fate. “The couch is fine, always has been.”
Her mom went back to the counter where she had laid out the ingredients for potato salad.
It seemed she was in the middle of making the one side dish Stephanie had never gained a taste for.
Not that her mom cared, all her siblings loved it.
But then again, they rarely had to eat it.
And with it, her dad’s dry burgers from the grill.
Because he only knew how to burn things on there.
Not noticing Stephanie’s annoyed face, her mom went on, “How about the blow-up bed instead? Calvin was thinking Courtney would like the couch.”
“Courtney who?” She asked in surprise, was one of her siblings bringing home an extra person?
Why would they do that? Weren’t there enough in the family as it was?
Or maybe her only single brother Aaron had found love at last. Which would only put more pressure on her to do the same for their mom.
Because she’d be alone in her singlehood.
Shaking her head, Marlene pulled another container from the fridge. “Courtney, Calvin’s friend’s daughter. You remember she used to stay with us during the summers sometimes. He talked her into coming for the weekend.”
Stephanie’s mind raced around the name until it hit her, the kid who spent a few days with them a few times. A girl that never was never there long enough for anyone to get to know her, and never went out of her way to make friends with them.
“I didn’t think they talked.”
“They haven’t in a long time, but Calvin wanted her here.” Her mom didn’t sound happy with the plan, not happy at all.
Calvin, being her stepfather, didn’t register anymore. Her own dad had walked away from his wife and kids years ago, and when Marlene had met and married Calvin, he had taken over that role. Stephanie even called him dad, had for years. So had all of her siblings.
As far as Stephanie could remember, Courtney was three years older than she was, more Laura and Aaron’s age.
The last time she had stayed with Calvin, Stephanie had been maybe fourteen.
That visit had been short, and neither Marlene nor Calvin had said anything about her again in front of Stephanie.
Sitting down at the island stool in shock, she asked, “I haven’t even thought about her in years. How is she? Where is she?”
“Calvin said she lives in the city. He, of course, got little information from her, not that he tried. He was just so excited she agreed to come.” Her mother didn’t understand the question. Stephanie wanted to know more about the woman. It had been sixteen years since she had last laid eyes on her.
The few times she came, there was a war that went on behind their parents’ backs. Neither Marlene nor Calvin ever knew about it, or at least pretended they didn’t know about it. Courtney had turned spunky at times, and she’d even fight back. That was when it was fun.
Looking back now, she knew that Courtney probably didn’t think it was all that much fun.
And now she wasn’t too proud of herself for how she had acted, how they all acted.
Not that she could change any of it now, and maybe there was a chance the woman had completely forgotten what they had done.
Or at least dismissed it as kids will be kids.
“Is she married? Does she have kids? What does she do for a living? Where has she been all these years?” She asked, wanting to know more.
“Calvin doesn’t even know if she was bringing someone with her. He didn’t ask, and she didn’t say. I just hope she’s coming alone. We don’t have room for her to bring someone with her. The house isn’t that big.”
“We’ll make it work, if she brings someone, that is.
They could take the living room for themselves.
Or one of the boys and their families. It’s more important that Courtney have a room.
” She knew it would be easier than her mom made it out to be.
She sort of hoped the woman brought her entire family.
Then she’d have a perfect excuse to leave.
“Where would you sleep?” Marlene demanded.
“My house. I think her being here is more important than me. I can go back to my apartment to sleep at night, coming back during the day. No problem.” She earned a scowl from her mom.
“I’d rather have you here. She’s a stranger.” Marlene grumbled, turning her attention to cutting up fruit.
Confused by her mom’s annoyance, “Why did you invite her?”
“Calvin did that all on his own. I told him not to bother her. If she wanted to be in our lives, she’d have been before now. She made her choice years ago.” Marlene said in a tone that meant she didn’t like the idea but was going with it because Calvin had come up with it.
Rolling her eyes at her mom, she headed down to the family room and tossed her bag into the corner and away from foot traffic. This was going to be a far more interesting weekend than her siblings bragging about their perfect lives.
Not that her siblings didn’t have perfect lives, they did.
Just not the life she wanted. She had always been the black sheep, more interested in having fun than in having a spouse and kids.
Though her mom now treated her like a perpetual college student.
Because even if she had opened her own gym, her mom would have offered her money before she left.
Because in her mom’s eyes, if her daughter didn’t have a man to pay for things, mom and dad needed to help.
Suddenly, she was looking forward to the weekend with Courtney here. Because everyone will suddenly be asking her all the questions, which would take the pressure off Stephanie. They won’t even remember that she was at one time going to bring her boyfriend home for the weekend.