Chapter 5 Heat In The Walls
heat in the walls
Lana had gotten a barbecued sausage burrito at Aunt Mae’s, and it was well worth the twenty-minute wait.
The parking lot was now converted to outdoor seating with picnic tables, and she opted to eat there with the rest of the patrons.
She didn’t know where Kayden was, but wanted to avoid running into him at the house at all costs.
After wiping the last of the sauce remnants from her mouth and tossing the plate in the garbage can, she took a minute to observe her surroundings.
She really didn’t know anyone there. Most of her other visits consisted of spending time alone in the house, curled up with a book.
She considered going to the library, but she was still pretty tired from the day before.
All she really wanted to do was go to the house and take a long nap, but she couldn’t if he would be there taking up residency and ruining her quiet time with more gazes and talk.
Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she fished it out.
One text message appeared on the screen, from Carmen, her friend and fellow ER Nurse from home. The message read:
CARMEN: Hey, hun... I’m worried about you. Call me.
Lana knew the gossip must’ve had the walls of the hospital on fire, but decided she wouldn’t respond.
She knew anything she texted back would ultimately lead her to relive the grocery store debacle, followed by an hour-long call and more self-loathing.
She slid the phone back into her pants pocket instead.
She’d call her in a couple of days. As she glanced around the parking lot, resigned to head to the house, she overheard a couple talking about the accident.
Lana sat back down and pulled out her phone to pretend she was texting, not to appear as if she was obviously eavesdropping.
“Can you believe that boy? Shame he hasn’t a bit of respect for this town,” said a man to a woman who looked like his wife.
“He has zero respect for anyone other than himself. That’s how he’s always been. Makes me sick,” she replied, in between bites of her eggs and ham.
“After all that family’s done for this town. He’s giving them a bad reputation. Can you imagine what that idiot would do to that company if he ever took over?” he asked.
“I don’t even care. As long as he leaves here, and goes somewhere else to do it,” she replied, sipping her iced tea.
They really don’t like him. Soon, others began to chime in around her, and the consensus was the same.
She never knew much about Paula’s family, only that her father had died.
Lana did attend the funeral a few years ago, but she couldn’t recall Kayden being there.
Lana was fully aware that Paula didn’t really get along with her mother, and of course, she knew about the real estate business, but Lana took that to mean single-family homes, not multi-million-dollar towns.
Paula’s married surname was Smith, and Lana had been accustomed to it after six years, so when Kayden showed up, she didn’t connect the dots then either.
Sitting in between all those gossiping people, she stuck out like a sore thumb and made her way back to the truck.
Although it was eleven thirty and the sun was almost at its highest in the sky, it was only around thirty degrees.
Tonight would be colder than the last, with the weather in the single digits and snow flurries expected by morning, according to the weather app on her cell phone.
She wanted to be well-warmed and cozy by then.
Perhaps even catch a movie on the eighty-five-inch TV in the living room.
As she climbed into the truck, Lana couldn’t help getting upset at the scratches and dents on the side of it.
She was supposed to go to Mason’s, but there would be time later in the week, she rationalized.
For now, she just wanted to get in the house before he did and relax.
CAPTAIN HEATHCLIFF JACKSON sat in his office in the Hamby police station, holding the phone away from his ear.
Chief Powell was currently screaming at the top of his lungs about Kayden and the fact that no charges would be pressed against him from Aunt Mae, Rachel, or the state.
Heathcliff understood his frustration. That kid was slippery and always seemed to get a free pass.
Once the Chief took a breath, Heathcliff began to speak again.
“I agree with you, Chief, it’s just that in spite of all that, they have friends in high places—the Mayor, for one, who is vouching for him. You know the Capshaw family, sir,” he replied.
“And you know my patience with all of them has run out,” he replied, and the line went dead.
Heathcliff hung the phone up, and although he was pissed, he had prepared himself for the call.
This wasn’t the first time they had used their position to enlist the help of higher-ups, but he knew for a fact it would be the last. He remembered Kayden as a boy.
He was quiet, reserved, and never got in any trouble.
But as a teen, he was wild and loud when he realized what his money and things meant to those who didn’t have them.
That persona only grew as he became an adult, and it has since gotten him into a great deal of trouble.
It just seemed that everyone else around him paid the price.
Five years ago, to be exact, was the worst the town had ever witnessed, and he hoped it would be the last incident.
He picked up his stained coffee mug and took a gulp of the bitter bile the precinct passed for joe.
He then thumbed his fingers through a Rolodex on his desk and flipped the card for “Capshaw, Maureen”.
He picked the phone handle up again and began to dial the numbers. He was excited to finally hear her voice, just not necessarily for this reason.
WHEN SHE PULLED up to the house, the Lamborghini was parked in the driveway.
He has a lot of nerve, she thought as she pulled in behind him.
Lana jumped out of the truck, upset that not only was he there before her again, but now she would probably be confined to her room the entire day.
It was unfair! All she wanted was solitude, and everywhere she went, he was there.
It may have been his sister’s house, but Paula had asked her to house sit, not him.
Her phone vibrated again as she reached the porch, and she rolled her eyes.
Lana already knew it was Carmen again before pulling the phone out of her pocket.
She looked at the screen and hit “open” on the picture message.
Her heart stopped for a second as a picture of her sprawled across the grocery floor was made into a meme.
The caption reading: “WIPEOUT AUDITION ANYONE? LOL.” Then she read Carmen’s message.
CARMEN: I’m so sorry, I just didn’t want you to find out about it on Facebook. Joanna’s a bitch. Call me, please.
Lana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, immediately wishing she had never opened the message.
This “vacation” was becoming impossible, and her pride had taken two serious beatings today.
She entered the house cautiously. Not a sound.
She walked down the foyer and straight into the living room and kitchen area.
Kayden wasn’t there either. She ran up the stairs to the guest bedroom, ready to give him a piece of her mind, and knocked on the door.
No answer. She had a sinking feeling and walked to her room down the hall, cracked the door, and peered in.
Luckily, he wasn’t there either, although what would she have done if he were?
Through the window next to the bed, she could see movement down below and went over for a closer inspection.
There he was, shirtless, chopping wood in the backyard garden.
Is he insane? It's freezing outside! He did look good doing it, though.
He stopped swinging his ax and picked up a bottle of water.
As he drank, he looked up at the window and winked at her.
She ducked out of the way and instantly felt foolish.
He just saw you, idiot. What was the point of that?
She rushed down the stairs, whizzing by all the ornate picture frames and sconces, out the patio door, and into the yard.
The space was landscaped to the nines and still mostly green despite the weather change.
Flowers still clinging to what little life they had left lined the lawn edge, and manicured hedges made up the rest of the greenery.
A beautifully sculptured birdbath was in the middle of it all, although no bird in its right mind would use it this time of year.
She stomped towards him in her flip flops, the cold blades of grass stabbing at her toes, making it very uncomfortable and reminding her she needed to go shoe shopping soon.
Besides the black boots that pinched her toes, the flip-flops were her only other pair.
He swung the ax once more, and the large chunks of wood fell into even piles on the grass.
“Hey!” She yelled and nudged him on the shoulder.
He spun around, his wet hair cascading down his face. The sun shone behind his head, so he looked like some angelic portrait you’d buy in an art gallery or some cheesy perfume commercial actor.
“What’s up?” he asked, breathless and smiling.
He dropped the ax on the stump again, and she watched as the sweat beaded down his neck and traveled to his chest. She forced herself to look at his forehead and dared not look into his eyes again. Lana was not in the mood for another “episode.”
“Why are you still here? Aren’t you leaving town?” she asked, focusing on his forehead. He frowned.
“No, I told you I was staying. Besides, I intend on keeping my promise to Rachel.”
At least he was trying to keep his word, but did he have to do it here? Kayden was moving his head around trying to lock eyes with her, and she avoided his attempts by looking everywhere but at him.