Chapter 34 Jovie
It was the beginning of my fourth month on Ashwood Farm. Now that I was on my own, the days felt longer and lonelier than I had anticipated.
Although the Cameron boys were back full-time working on their father’s ranch, they still dropped by for dinner each night, enjoying Gloria’s cooking and our easy banter.
Weekends were spent by the pool, grilling out as the cooler days approached, along with the anticipation of the upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving loomed around the corner, and despite my desire to visit my mom and sister back in Houston, leaving the ranch just wasn't feasible. This was the reason grandpa had missed holidays with us for years after my mom stopped our annual visits.
In the past month since Nash and I had talked, things had shifted. Nash had become more tender, gentle, and loving, extending beyond the physical aspect of our relationship. We’d spend our evenings watching movies, and each night, he’d join me in bed, his eyes never leaving mine as he eased in and out of me. I sensed he felt something more, despite his words, but I didn’t dare bring up our conversation again.
Nash had been right; our time together had an expiration date. Unfortunately, that end was approaching faster than I would have preferred.
On Wednesday evening, I found myself in my grandfather’s office, working on accounts payable and sorting through past due bills. The boys were set to visit later for a pre-Thanksgiving meal, prepared by Gloria, before the grand feast I planned for the following day when Gloria would be off work.
As the clock struck 4, I heard an unexpected knock on the front door. As I walked to open the door, I caught a glimpse of long blonde curls blowing in the wind.
“Stevie?” I asked, surprised.
My sister squealed, embracing me tightly. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said, kissing my cheek. “I couldn’t stand the thought of a lonely Thanksgiving without you.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were staying in Houston for Thanksgiving with mom?”
She waved her hands, “Mom’s having thanksgiving with our neighbor’s family, and it sounded so lonely and boring without you. I figured I’d come down here and see what’s kept you occupied for the past three months. Wow…” her voice trailed off as she strolled through grandpa’s old home. “It’s just like old times.”
She smiled a sad smile as she looked back at me, “I hope you don’t mind me crashing. I just missed you so much. Houston and our apartment are lonely without you.”
I grinned crossing to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and pour us both a glass. “I'm thrilled you're here, Stevie. But Daniel isn’t keeping you company anymore?” I asked teasingly. Daniel was one of our neighbors in our apartment complex, and someone Stevie had casually hooked up with on and off for the past two years. It was mostly a relationship of convenience.
She wrinkled her nose, “Ew, no.”
“Well, this makes my Thanksgiving weekend so much better, but I must warn you, I still need to work tomorrow and Friday. You don’t really get days off on a ranch.”
She waved her hands, “that’s fine. I’ll hang out by the pool or watch Netflix while you’re working. Still beats sitting alone in our apartment.”
She plopped down on one of the chairs at the island as she savored the glass of wine. “Mmm that was a long, boring drive. So, what do you have planned for tonight?” she asked.
I opened my mouth to explain the Cameron brothers’ situation but before I could, Wylie, Nash and Clay burst through the front door.
“I’m hungrryyyyyy Jovie.” Wylie’s deep booming voice called as he entered the kitchen, he froze in spot, his eyes locked on Stevie.
You know those moments where two people meet, and you can instantly tell there’s a mutual attraction beyond anything you could see?
That was the meeting between Wylie and Stevie.
It felt as if the air crackled around them, and time itself might have paused. The sensation was akin to intruding on a private moment exclusively meant for them. For perhaps the first time in his life, Wylie found himself at a loss for words. Thankfully, Clay stepped in to alleviate the tension.
“Hi, you must be Jovie’s sister, Stevie,” Clay greeted, approaching Stevie, and embracing her while planting a kiss on her cheek. “I told Jovie I was the most handsome of the Cameron brothers, but for some reason, she still fell for Nash.” He rolled his eyes playfully with a grin. “I, however, am still single.”
Stevie smiled in response. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, shooting me a look.
It was evident that I owed her an update on the Nash situation, and now she was realizing I was in much deeper than I had admitted via text regarding my feelings for him.
“Hi Stevie, I’m Nash,” Nash introduced himself. Stevie stood up to hug Nash while wearing a big grin.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re even more handsome than Jovie let on,” she teased.
Nash responded with a smile as he walked to the other side of the island behind me, wrapping his big arms around my waist protectively and pressing his warm body against my back.
This left Wylie, who still was at a loss for words as he gazed back at Stevie.
In an unexpected gesture, Wylie cleared his throat, causing the room to collectively hold its breath, half expecting one of his usual inappropriate comments. However, Wylie surprised everyone.
“Hi, Stevie, I'm Wylie,” he greeted, extending his hand. Stevie looked down at it and then up at Wylie, shaking his hand with a warm smile.
“Nice to meet you, Wylie.”
The room was silent after that, the tension, sexual tension, could be cut with a knife.
I cleared my throat. “Ok, so the food Gloria prepared for us is all in the dining room if we want to head in there?”
The group filed into the dining room, and the atmosphere became more relaxed as Nash, not typically a big talker, effortlessly kept the conversation flowing. Clay contributed with his usual silly antics, and I quietly observed the subtle tension between Stevie and Wylie.
During one of Clay’s stories, where he recounted my ordeal with the scorpion sting to Stevie, Nash reached under the table and squeezed my thigh reassuringly while casting a tentative glance my way. I returned the gesture, squeezing his hand back and offering a reassuring smile.
As the evening wound down, Stevie and I found ourselves in the kitchen, washing dishes and tidying up while the boys engaged in a lively game of poker before their departure. Catching Stevie’s eye, I motioned for her to join me in one of the guest rooms where she’d be staying tonight.
“Kind of weird vibe out there tonight, huh?” I asked once we were alone.
Stevie shrugged, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that piqued my curiosity.
“What’s going on, Stevie?” I pressed.
Meeting my gaze, Stevie nodded knowingly. “I remember Wylie,” she confessed. “And I think he remembers me too.”
“How’s that possible? I don’t remember them, and you’re only a year older than me,” I questioned.
She shrugged, “I think I was about 6 years old. I didn’t remember this memory at the time, but we came down here for Thanksgiving, and you and I were playing with rocks by the pool. We were making these weird towers out of them, seeing who could make theirs taller, then going to get mud from the field and using it to try and mesh the structures together. Do you remember? We used to do that.”
I thought hard; the memory sounded familiar but couldn’t quite recall it. “I’m not sure, maybe?”
She nodded, “Wylie and Nash walked up, and Wylie kicked my tower over. I got mad and was going to tell Mom and Grandma, who were making Thanksgiving dinner. But instead, I pushed Wylie into the pool. It was November, and the water was freezing. He was so mad and went and told on us. Mom and Grandma wouldn’t even listen to the fact that he kicked over our tower, and we both got in big trouble.”
“Wow, I don’t remember that at all,” I said, my voice trailing off.
Stevie shrugged. “It was the same year you fell out of the treehouse and knocked yourself out. I remember, mostly because of Wylie. I thought he was the cutest boy I’d ever seen. Figures he’d grow into the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”
I chuckled, “I don’t know if you want to go there, Stevie; he’s got a crazy on again off again girlfriend and seems to have a reputation.”
She shrugged, “Ex-girlfriend, huh?” she grinned but then noticed my frown. “Alright, guess I’ll just look then. Watching him is enough of a turn-on for me.”
She stood up to head back out to the kitchen but paused, “Hey, you, okay? I didn’t realize things were so serious between you and Nash.”
I raised an eyebrow, “Who said they were serious?”
She chuckled, “No one had to; just the way Nash looks at you told me everything I needed to know. He’s possessive of you and you’re in love, Jovie. So is he.”