eighteen | will
EIGHTEENWill
I don’t have things to do. At least, not this early in the morning.
Would I rather watch Emberly make herself at home in my kitchen? Sit together at the table and eat the fish she caught?
Yes.
And it’s because I want those things that I lie through my teeth and retreat.
I pause to snag an orphan sock off the floor and toss Juni’s ratty but beloved stuffed squirrel in her toybox on my way to the bedroom. She’s curled up in her bed and cracks open one eye long enough to give me some side shade, but I shake a finger at her.
“You’re supposed to let me know if a stranger walks into the house!”
She gives me a doggy shrug and it’s clear that, like Cab, she’s accepted Emberly’s presence in our house.
Once I’m back in the bedroom, I finish getting ready for the day. The walls are thin, so I catch bits and pieces of the conversation going on in the kitchen.
“Take time … breakfast?”
This from Emberly.
“Yeah, but sometimes the guests need something and he has to help.”
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I’m the “he” they’re referring to.
Cab has grown up at the resort, so she understands I’m always on call. Unless there’s a crisis of some sort, we do eat breakfast together, but I wonder if Emberly thinks the guests are my top priority.
That’s what people don’t always get. Pinehart the resort is also our home. We can’t separate the two. If the business fails, we lose everything. And Cab’s lost enough.
I hear the crunch of tires against gravel and look out the window. A delivery truck is backing up to the door.
Which gives me a legitimate reason to escape. I sneak through the living room. The smells wafting through the air make my stomach sit up and beg. I ignore it.
The driver is already rummaging around in the back of the truck when I step outside. I can’t remember ordering anything, but it isn’t unusual for Brighton or even Lexi to ship things to the resort, although they usually give me a heads-up first.
He hops to the ground, a cardboard box tucked under one arm like a football.
“Hey, Stan.” We’re on his regular route, but he also drives bus for the middle school part-time, so we know each other pretty well.
“’Morning, Will.” He hands me the box. “How’s it goin’?”
Well, Stan, funny you should ask …
“It’s goin’.” Like a freight train off its rails. “What about you?”
“Can’t complain.”
I smile, because it’s always the same response.
“Thanks.” I start to turn away but Stan calls me back.
“Hold on! I think you got a couple more in here.”
There’s six of them, all in various shapes and sizes. I stack them up like Jenga blocks and carry them inside.
Cab’s face lights up when she sees me. “Are those birthday presents?”
“I don’t think so.” But her question reminds me that I haven’t bought her anything yet. Brighton will be here to do the birthday shopping and she’s way better at it than I am. “But just in case, close your eyes, okay?”
I pull out my jackknife and cut through the seal. The interior is divided into smaller compartments and I pull out a glass bottle.
“Maple syrup?” Cab looks disappointed.
“You weren’t supposed to peek.” I recognize the label immediately. Marnie’s Sugar Shack is a ten-minute drive away.
“Oh!” Emberly rises from her chair. “I think those are for me.”
“You ordered … five bottles of maple syrup?”
“One for each of the Suite Sixteens—I put together swag bags for them every year—and one for Hazel.”
I look at the tower of boxes in the center of the table.
“Are all of these for you?”
“Maybe?” Her cheeks flush. “I hope you don’t mind that I put the resort’s address down. I usually buy everything before the retreat, but I was in Nashville and didn’t have time to shop.”
Declan Murphy is from Nashville.
I’m not sure what bothers me the most. That Emberly’s visit might have had something to do with him, or that I know where the guy lives.
“Should we open the rest and find out for sure?” When she nods, I grab another box and slide it across the table.
Emberly sifts through the paper and extracts five small, velvet boxes.
Cab pushes her plate out of the way and leans closer, her eyes bright with curiosity. “What’s in there?”
I shoot her a “remember your manners” look, but Emberly smiles and hands her one.
“It’s all right. I’d love your opinion.”
Cab pops the lid and squeals. “Eden has one of these!” She extracts a silver bracelet and dangles it in front of my face. “She collected a lot of charms already.”
“I haven’t ordered the charms yet. What do you think would be a good one to start with?” Emberly tips her head. “A pine tree? There was a cute acorn, too.”
She doesn’t seem to notice that a lock of red-gold hair has escaped from her ponytail. It curves around her cheek like a satin ribbon and my hand twitches. Not because I want to tuck it back into place. Because I want to reach out, dispense with the elastic band, and set the rest of it free.
The only offense is a good defense, so I thread my fingers together to keep them out of trouble and sink back in the chair.
“How about a bear?” I mutter.
Cab shoots me the same look I toss at her when I hear the crinkle of a gum wrapper during church.
“A tree would be super cute.” My sister, who’s one of the only twelve-year-olds I know who has zero interest in jewelry, nail polish, or lip gloss, is taking this as seriously as picking out a new fishing lure.
“Or maybe …” Emberly looks at me. “A wolf?”
Her eyes sparkle as if we’re sharing a private joke and something shifts inside of me.
I could like her.
I can’t like her.
My cell phone rings and I grab it like a lifeline.
“This is Will.”
Two words stick out in the rambling dialogue on the other end of the line. Broken and pipe.
Under any other circumstances, I’d be dreading a project that will most likely tie me up all day. Now I send up a silent prayer of thanks.
“I’ll be over in a few minutes.” I end the call and glance at Cab.
“It’s fine.” She’s so easygoing it makes my heart hurt. “I’ll see if Riley and Rider want to take out the kayaks.”
I hesitate. There’s no good reason to say no other than the fact it would make me feel good.
“Or you could help me,” Emberly says. “Putting together swag bags for the Sixteens?”
I know my sister. As much as I appreciate the intervention, there’s no way Cab will choose an activity like that over spending time outdoors with her friends.
A grin breaks across Cab’s face. “Sure!”
“Great.” Emberly smiles. At me. “We can get started right after this morning’s paddleboard class.”