2. Chapter Two ~ Mia
Chapter Two ~ Mia
“Top one hundred again! You are killing the charts, Mia.”
“It’s so surreal. I can’t believe I'm doing exactly what I set out to do.”
Tasha, my agent, and I were at our hundredth book signing when the reality of my life finally hit me. I was a successful author with books skyrocketing all across the board. I had fans all over the world and more money than I could count. But there was still this empty void in my life.
As I looked around the room and saw all the smiling faces there in support of me, there wasn’t a single person I knew. Except Tasha. I was grateful for all of the support and for those who were eager to have me sign their copy of my book, but I was saddened too. I wished my family were there. A boyfriend. Someone.
“Mia! Mia!” fans screamed from every direction. “Sign mine!” they shouted out.
In the depths of my soul, I wanted to cry. But there was no time for tears. I had to put on a smile, grab my pen, and make the best of the life I wanted so badly.
“To whom should I make this one out to?”
“Oh my goodness! Thank you very much. You can make it out to Tabatha. That's me!”
The woman stood in front of my table of books with her hands clasped together like an excited child. Her cheeks were rosy with excitement and joy. That made me smile a genuine smile. The praise was exhilarating to say the least.
“Here you are, Tabatha,” I gleamed as I handed her back her signed copy. “Thank you for being a fan.”
One after the other, I autographed each book in the venue. By the time I got to my last supporter, my hand was cramped, and my pen’s ink was halfway out. It was a long morning that bled into the afternoon, but I pushed through.
“Damn girl,” Tasha said once all were gone, “I thought you would never get through this crowd. This one was even bigger than the last venue we booked.”
“Whew!” I sighed. “I’m happy to be finished for the day.”
“Yeah, but are you ready for this trip back home? It's been a long time since you’ve gone back to Big Bear.”
The truth was, I wasn’t ready to return home to Big Bear, but I felt like I needed to. The more I elevated my own life and career, the heavier the burden from back home became.
“I’m not,” I said. “But I have to. My mom and baby brother are there, and I need to find out what prison the state has my older brother housed in. It's been so long since I've spoken to him, I’m afraid he won't even remember me.”
“Please!” Tasha scoffed. “As much as Trent loves you, I'm sure he finds a way to keep up with what you’ve got going on. But yes, a trip home is needed. As hard as it is, I think it’ll give you some kind of closure.”
My family weren’t the only loose ends in Big Bear. Brayden was there as well. After what happened with him and Trent, I told myself I never wanted to see him again. But as much as I couldn’t stand him, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
My flight wasn’t set to board until late that night, so I decided to go for a drink with a fellow writer and do some catching up since we were both in New York. Todd was a guy I met on the road after my first book was published. Our books fought for the top spot which I occupied in the end.
He was great about it. He even let me treat him to dinner one evening to celebrate. Ever since then, he and I remained close and helped each other out whenever one of us had writer's block.
“Another Top Shotter, huh?” He stood for a hug as I approached where he sat at the bar. “How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks.” I smiled and hugged him, taking in the scent of his YSL cologne. “How about yourself? Feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been in the same place.”
“I know right? I took a break from writing for a while. Got too wrapped up in healing and figuring out my personal life.”
Todd was a man of many women when we first met. He was charming and handsome, smart and funny. Although he had the biggest crush on me and never let the opportunity to show me pass him by, he and I never crossed the lines of friendship. I was still stuck on my past relationship with Brayden after all those years, so dating someone new wasn’t on my to-do list.
“I’m getting ready to take a break from it all now,” I said. “I have a flight back to Big Bear tonight. Not too excited about it, honestly.”
“Oh man, that’s a big deal for you. After that autobiography of yours, we all thought you’d never go back home.”
I didn’t think I'd ever go back either. That was what I told myself, at least. I felt that after my success, Big Bear wasn’t a place for me anymore. It was a place where I lost a lot of time, had terrible memories, a place where my mom lost herself trying to fit in with everyone else. The place that took my brother away from the family.
My one drink with Todd turned into three drinks and a ton of laughter. We talked about life, family, relationships; everything under the sun. He was a great conversationalist and knew how to make a girl smile. Yet and still, the spark that was there for him wasn’t there for me.
After leaving the bar, I stopped at my hotel room to grab my things for the airport. I had a bittersweet feeling as I prepared to leave New York. Although I had settled down in Los Angeles, New York was a favorite of mine. I got my first book deal there. The food was amazing, and I loved the weather. A lot of people I knew hated the snow and cold, but I loved it. All except the traffic.
Due to the many cars on the busy NY streets, I got to the airport just as my flight was boarding. Had it not been for my long legs and ability to stretch them in stride, I probably wouldn’t have made the flight at all.
“Mia Norway,” the ticket agent wide eyed as she read the name on my ticket. “I know you! You're the lady who wrote Where I Belong.”
“I am,” I nodded. “Have you read it?”
“Have I?” she rolled her neck. “About three times, and each time I do it’s like I catch something I didn’t catch the first time I read it.”
More praise to carry with me back home. I had a long flight ahead of me and a long list of compliments to think on to hold me over. Flying first class helped out a lot. I could have been like everyone else I knew and flown private, but I enjoyed the humbling reminder that I was still Mia Norway.
“Goodnight, ladies and gents, please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for an enjoyable flight to Big Bear Lake, California. I’m your flight attendant, Gabriella Braxton and I'll do my best to ensure you all have an easy flight. Please be kind and thoughtful of the people around you, the bathroom is at the rear of the plane, and feel free to order from our menu if you’d like. We're set to take off shortly and thank you for flying Delta.”
I fastened my seatbelt and stuffed my air pods into my ears and prepared for takeoff. I had a good audiobook on my playlist that was nine hours long and a ton of miscellaneous thoughts running through my mind about Big Bear. It had been seven years since I left and if things didn’t go as planned, I said I would stay gone for good.
Seven hours later, my plane landed, and my feet touched the pavement in Big Bear. I hiked over to the rental car entrance, picked up a car for the time I would be there, and headed on my way. No one knew I was home. Not my mom, not Nick, and especially not Brayden. He was the last person I wanted to know anything about me.
As I passed through the mountains of the place I once called home, I remembered how beautiful it was. Tall trees, green grass, gorgeous views of the mountains and lakes. It was nice; peaceful in ways I didn’t realize when I was younger.
The house I bought my mom with my first large sum check sat nestled between two homes that looked exactly like in a deed restricted community. It was a beautiful home the day of the purchase. Sadly enough, it looked rundown and older than the rest when I returned. The lawn was unkempt. The windows were stained, there was trash on the ground instead of the garbage can, and a huge dent in the garage door.
“This place looks a mess,” I sighed.
Nick must have heard my car pull into the driveway because he came outside before I had a chance to get out. I figured he was expecting someone. When he saw it was me, he fought hard to keep a smile off his face but lost due to the smile that came across mine.
“What’s up baby bro?”
I approached him with my arms spread for a hug even though he always hated hugs.
“What’s up?” he asked. “I didn’t know you were coming to town.”
“It was a last minute thing,” I said. “Look at you, looking all grown up. Eighteen now, huh? You know that doesn't make you a grown man yet though.”
Nick laughed and brushed me off like he always did. He was eleven years old the last time I saw him in person and although I felt guilty for leaving him behind, it was something I had to do for the greater good.
“What’s up with the house?” I asked as we headed inside. “How come it looks like no one cares to take care of it?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Moms never around, maybe that’s why.”
I had hoped that my mom would have gotten her head on straight while I was away. If not for herself, for Nick at least. He deserved a better parent than Trent and I had growing up. If it weren’t for Trent, there was no telling what my life would have become.
“I guess I'll be staying at a hotel while I'm here then,” I sighed.
“What, our home ain’t good enough for you now that you’re this big shot writer?” Nick asked.
His question went over my head the minute I saw the inside of the house. It was more of a wreck than the outside. There were old food bins and empty soda bottles all over the living room. The air was stuffy, and the curtains were drawn so the place was almost pitch black.
“Nick, you’re old enough now to know how to clean,” I said. How come you don’t at least pick up the trash?”
“I’m nobody’s clean up boy,” he scoffed. “I’ve cleaned this place up a thousand times and mom always messes it up with her company. I'm not cleaning it again.”
I couldn’t blame him. I knew how my mom was. Especially when she had company. She cared nothing about keeping a clean home. The only thing she cared about was having a good time.
I waited around for a while to see if she would show up, but there was no sign of her. Nick had gone off with his friends and left me in the pig's den alone. When I got tired of waiting, I headed over to the Five Points hotel for a room, and there I ran into old Uncle Joe.
“Is that my girl, Mia?” His hefty voice was full of joy and excitement. “Well, I'll be! That is her! How the heck are you?”
Uncle Joe rushed over to me. His large arms wrapped me in a tight bear hug and lifted me off my feet at the same time.
“Hey Uncle Joe,” I laughed and hugged him back. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? The better question is what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in years, girl!”
“Oh, I’m just here for a visit. I got some time off from work, so I thought I'd come home and make amends with this place.”
Uncle Joe was Brayden’s uncle, but everyone in town called him Uncle Joe. He owned every five-star hotel in the town and was an elite, to say the least. He was well respected in his line of work, and also feared. Before he became a big time CEO, Uncle Joe was into some illegal things with some well-known mobsters.
“How long are you here for?” he asked.
“I haven’t decided,” I said. “At least a while.”
“A while, huh?” He looked back toward the check-in desk and made a funny face at the clerk. “Well, if you’re here for a room, I hate to tell you that you’re out of luck. We're all booked up for the summer. And so is every other stay-able hotel in the area.”
I was immediately bummed out. I didn’t want to stay at my mom’s place, nor did I want to travel out of the way or stay at some Rinky dink motel for the summer. I didn’t even think about it being summer and everything being booked. I forgot how much of a tourist trap Big Bear could be.
“Aw man,” I huffed. “Do you have anything at all available? I don’t mind going to another location.”
“I’m sorry sweet pea. Nothing at all,” he said. “I’ll tell you what though, my cabin is free for the summer. I normally rent it out to the tourists during the summertime, but I kept it open this time around. You're more than welcome to stay there if you’d like. It's a little bit of a drive into the mountains, but it’s well worth it. You remember.”
Uncle Joe’s cabin was the best. I spent some of the best days of my life there. Me, Trent, Brayden, we’d all pile up there with our friends and have a ball over summer vacation. I missed it almost as much as I missed Trent.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I don’t want to intrude at the last minute.”
“Nonsense,” he waved me off. “You’re no intruder, you're family. You know just because you and Brayden are on bad terms, doesn’t mean you and I have to be.” I smiled and thanked Uncle Joe for his hospitality. He was always good to me and my family. I thought him and my mom would end up together at some point, but Uncle Joe was a man of standards, and he was true to his word. He wanted someone of the same caliber as him and since mom couldn’t get her act together, he moved on.
“I know, Uncle Joe,” I nodded. “You and I will always be family.”
“Have you two spoken at all since you've been gone?”
“No,” I shook my head. “We haven't talked since the night Trent went away. We’ve been too angry with each other to speak our peace. To be honest, I think it's better that we don’t.”
The damage between Brayden and I was extensive, it didn’t all stem from Trent. It stemmed from him not being mature enough for a real relationship. I wanted more than what he was capable of giving me. It was partly my fault for accepting what little he did give, but mostly his for swindling me into accepting it.
“Maybe you two can work something out while you're here. If not for a relationship, at least the friendship. Remember, you were friends before anything. And I know he misses you. My nephew is a tough old dog, but he’s got a soft heart underneath it all.”
“I won’t hold my breath on that,” I chuckled. “At this point in my life, I need someone who already knows how to be gentle and express their emotions effortlessly. I don’t want any more tough old dogs. I want a soft life with my one true love.”
He handed me the key to the cabin and told me to stay for as long as I liked. At first glance my vacation home looked sort of promising. There was still a lot to settle into with my mom and my brother, Brayden too. However, as long as I got to stay at the cabin tucked into the mountains where it was peaceful and quiet, I thought it was a good deal.