Chapter 7
Nick
It felt like a date. It wasn’t a date, but it felt like the best date I’ve had in years.
Maybe ever. Lia’s young, sure, but she’s full of life.
She loves all the things that I love. She’s vibrant and open to new experiences in ways that a lot of women my age aren’t.
In ways a lot of men my age aren’t as well.
When forty starts approaching, I think you get set in your ways.
“This was fun,” Lia says when we head back to the car. “Though it sucks that we missed out on pulled pork. It smelled delicious.”
“I think we needed to give Dean a little time to settle down.” And sober up. “And they better not have eaten it all. There was easily enough for ten people in there. I meant for it to last the weekend. I thought we could pack leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”
“If there’s any left, maybe you can leave some for me to eat for lunch tomorrow.”
She says it with hope, not malice, but it still makes me feel like I shouldn’t be leaving her all alone. As much as I love fishing and hanging out with my friends, and as much as being around Lia’s a little bit of torture, I think I’d rather stay home with her.
“I’m sure we can arrange something,” I tell her when I realize that she’s waiting for a response.
The sun is moving toward the horizon when we get back to the cabin. It’s a two-bedroom cabin. I was going to make my friends share the spare room and take the main bedroom for myself. Lia's being here makes everything a little more complicated.
It’s my house. I can choose who sleeps where, but I already know that I’m going to end up on the sofa.
Not because I want to, but because which of my friends will I kick out of a bed?
And also, even though Dean probably deserves the sofa for drinking all the beer when he knew we had an unexpected guest. But he’s also the last person I’d want in the living room, which is situated between both of the bedrooms.
When we get back to the cabin, everything seems quiet and in order.
I open the door and let Lia go in first. It still smells like pulled pork.
We find Steve on the sofa watching some action flick on the TV.
I raise my eyebrows at him in silent question.
He rolls his eyes in return and tips his head toward the second bedroom.
Lia’s phone starts playing a song I don’t recognize.
“Hey Dad,” she says when she answers. She points toward the sliding glass door. I nod, so she heads outside.
“What happened?” I demand as soon as she slides the door closed.
“He took more beers on the boat than I thought. So what I thought was one beer in his hand was probably a six-pack by the time I realized what was happening.”
I sigh. “At least he wasn’t driving the boat.”
“Yeah, well, while I was out there talking to you, he broke open one of my bottles of Scotch.”
“Fuck,” I breathe as I rub my hands over my face.
“The good news is there were no witnesses other than me. I cleaned up the bathroom — you’re welcome.
He’s now passed out and will most definitely sleep like the dead all night.
The bad news is there’s no way he’s going to be able to wake up early enough to go fishing tomorrow.
And he drank so much that if we try to drag his ass out there, he’ll scare the fish away by puking over the side of the boat. ”
I sigh. “So the weekend is shot, is what you’re telling me.”
“Unless we want to leave him here and go without him,” Steve says.
No way in hell am I leaving Dean here to sober up with Lia.
She didn’t sign up for this. And I don’t like the smirk he gave her when he said she’s all grown up.
The last thing she needs is someone trying to fuck her after everything that happened with her ex.
Which is exactly what I’ve been telling myself all fucking day.
“I’m really sorry, man,” Steve says.
“Not your fault. You shouldn’t have to regulate Dean’s alcohol consumption.”
“Maybe someone should, actually.”
“What do you want to do?” he asks.
“Why don’t you take the boat out in the morning?” I suggest.
“While you stay here and babysit Dean?”
I shrug. “Lia wanted to use the kayak. I’ll take her out on the lake?—”
“I’m sure you will.”
I roll my eyes. “Seriously. If you don’t mind being alone, it would mean that Lia doesn’t have to be alone. And we could check to make sure Dean doesn’t choke on his own vomit.”
“Which is what I’ll be doing tonight,” he says with a sigh.
“And I’ll be scrunched up on the couch.”
“This weekend is not ending up like we planned,” Steve says.
I look out the window and see Lia talking to her dad as she walks back and forth across the deck. It didn’t end up like I thought, but I can’t say I regret the way it ended up.
“Well,” Steve says as he stands from the sofa and stretches. “I’m going to try to get some sleep. If Dean stays dead to the world, I’ll abandon him to your care in the morning. I’ll try not to wake you when I leave at the ass crack of dawn.”
“If I’ve even gotten any sleep by that point on this tiny sofa.”
It’s not that tiny. It can fit three men comfortably to watch a movie, but it’s still shorter than I am, length-wise.
“Why don’t you ask Lia to share the bed?” Steve asks.
I shove him as he walks by me.
He laughs. “She’s into you. As much as Dean was trying to flirt, she only had eyes for you.”
“Go to bed,” I tell him.
He doesn’t know that her ex pressured her for sex.
That’s the last thing she needs from me.
Still my eyes move to where she’s still pacing and talking to her dad.
She shakes her head, says something, pulls the phone away from her ear, then taps it.
That’s when she turns and catches me watching her.
Her smile doesn’t drop away as she opens the sliding glass door.
“Everything okay with your dad?” I ask.
“I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon enough.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Lia and I both laugh. It’s comfortable and light between us, but then the moment drags out, our eyes still locked. It doesn’t become uncomfortable, but there is definitely more tension in the air.
“With Dean out of commission, I think Steve’s going to head out on his own in the morning. I’ll stay here to make sure Dean’s alive. But he won’t be up for doing much, so I was thinking that I could go with you if you wanted to take out my kayak.”
Lia’s face lights up. “Really? That would be great since you’re more familiar with the lake.”
And yet again, I find myself wishing she were a little older and a little not related to my best friend. What would Ray think if he knew the dirty thoughts I’m having about his daughter?
I clear my throat. “How about I go get the kayak ready for tomorrow?” I ask her.
Lia nods. “I’ll go get ready for bed.”
With that tempting thought in my mind, I head out to the garage. It doesn’t take me long to get things ready. Getting the kayak down wasn’t the real goal, anyway. It was to get outside and cool off.
Before I head back inside, I pull out my phone. I got two text messages. One from Ray and one from Kim. Ray’s message tells me to disregard Kim’s message. Kim’s message has me dropping my phone.