Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty Three
Landon
My knuckles are bruised and cracked. I haven’t split them open like this in years.
As soon as I woke up, I iced them for a bit before I attempted to scrub off the blood.
Whether it was mine or Noah’s, it’s too hard to tell.
I really don’t give a shit either. I’ve been itching to fight or fuck, and it looks like I got my wish. For a good cause too.
A thunk outside our room woke me up. That’s when I realized Courtney wasn’t in bed.
When the second thunk came, I don’t know why, but I was up and out of bed immediately, then sprinting to the door.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, but I sure as hell didn’t expect to see Noah pinning Courtney to the wall, all but screaming in her face.
I didn’t think, I just reacted. I took him to the ground and started beating his face in.
It’s just as well the others pulled me off him because had I been left to my own devices, I probably would have killed the little fuck.
I knew he was hung up on her still obviously, hence the whole hot-tub thing.
I didn’t think he was the crazy type, though.
He’s lucky he got off as easy as he did.
If he even fucking looks at Courtney or myself again, he’s going to have to worry about a hell of a lot more than a bloody nose and a busted lip.
Of course, there were no crew members on-site last night, but they clearly saw the feed from the cameras in the hallway because I’ve barely finished icing my knuckles when they haul me into the confessional room and sit me down in front of a camera.
“What happened last night?” the head prick asks.
“Karma,” I answer stiffly.
“Why do you say that? What did Noah do to you?”
I don’t answer because I’m getting real fucking tired of this puppet-show shit. I’m tired of them telling me to jump and me being expected to ask how high.
You can tell the head prick is sick of my shit too, though. He lets out an aggravated sigh, then snaps, “If you don’t participate, I will have you removed from the island. You signed an agreement, and confessionals fall under that, so look into the goddamn camera and start talking.”
An idea pops into my head. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, right?
“I’ll tell you everything you want to hear if you do something for me.”
The guy scoffs. “This isn’t a negotiation. You have no leverage here. I hold all the power, motherfucker.”
I nod but don’t react as a woman bends down and whispers into his ear.
The man’s face twists into a snarl before he looks to me. “Fine. What the fuck do you want? An on-staff masseuse? Chocolate chips in your pancakes?”
“A letter,” I say.
This catches him off guard. “What?”
“A letter. I want you to allow Courtney to send a letter to her sister. She’s sick, and Courtney needs to know that she’s okay. She doesn’t need to talk about the show or anything to do with what’s happened here. It won’t spoil anything, but she needs to check on her.”
The man sits back into his chair like he’s too stunned to speak. Then he says: “And I suppose you expect us to allow her sister to write a letter back?”
I dip my head in agreement.
That same woman whispers into his ear once more, and he shakes his head in disbelief before giving me a quick nod.
“Fine. One letter to her, one letter back.”
“Your word?” I ask and hold out my hand to shake.
He looks down at it like it offends him before shaking it begrudgingly. “Now, what happened last night?”
I tell him everything that happened last night, down to how eagerly I’ll beat the piss out of Noah if he ever threatens Courtney’s safety again.
They don’t have much to say in response to that before they hand me a piece of paper, a pen and an envelope, then explain that it’s of the utmost importance she doesn’t disclose anything about the show, the island, or who’s here.
After I agree about a thousand fucking times, they finally let me leave, and I go off in search of the woman herself.
She isn’t hard to find. She’s usually on a daybed by the pool with Luna at this time of day, lounging in the sun. I try my best to fight my amused smile at how she happily pops a chip into her mouth, doing a little shimmy as she chews.
“Hey,” I say as I tuck the supplies behind my back.
Luna and Courtney turn to face me, a softer smile on Courtney’s face than I think I’ve ever seen before.
“Hi.”
Something in me lurches at that soft hi, and I have to blink for a moment to gain my bearings. Then I clear my throat and gesture to the side with my head.
“Damn, Landon, if you two wanna fuck, all you have to do is ask nicely,” Luna says, grabbing her bag of chips as she stands.
“That’s not what I want,” I say.
Luna looks me up and down with a knowing grin, then winks. “Liar.”
I roll my eyes at her, but she happily ignores me and skips away towards Shane, who’s hanging out with a few others in the pool.
I take Luna’s seat, keeping my back to the group as I pull the writing materials out from behind me.
Courtney sits up curiously and leans closer to me. “What’s this?” she asks.
“I made a onetime deal for you to write a letter to your sister. One letter to her and one letter back. Only condition is you can’t discuss the show, the island, or…
anyone here,” I say. “So just keep it simple. Tell her how much you love and miss her. Ask her how rehab is going or went. What she’s up to, whatever. ”
Courtney’s head is angled down slightly, her eyes practically burning a hole into the paper and pen in my hands. I wait for her to respond, but when she stays silent, I try to get a glimpse of her face.
“Are you alright?”
She blinks once, and a tear falls from her face onto the paper before she looks up at me.
Her eyes are swimming with tears that are begging to be released.
Her face looks like it’s ready to crumple, and suddenly I’m worried.
Did I cross a line? I know she’s been worried about Lily.
I was just trying to help. We’ve come to a mutual understanding, and I wanted to show her that I can be more than a cold prick. Fuck.
“You made a deal for me?” she asks quietly, her tone full of suspicion.
I nod.
“But everyone gets to send a letter home?” she questions.
I shake my head.
“Not even you?”
I shrug. I won’t lie. I contemplated bargaining myself in on this deal. I wanted to check in. To make sure things are okay. I knew I didn’t have much leverage, though. I didn’t want to push my luck entirely.
The next thing I know, she’s flinging her arms around me and crawling into my lap.
Then she wraps her legs around me, and I hold her in my arms as she completely falls apart into my neck.
I’m stunned at her reaction. I guess I was thinking she would say thank you.
Do a stupid happy dance or some shit. I didn’t expect… all of this.
When her sobs soften, she slowly pulls away and looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. “Thank you, Landon. You don’t know what this… Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, sincerity dripping off my words.
She gives me a warm smile before all but practically sprinting away to presumably a private place. I smile as she goes, feeling an odd amount of pride that I’m the one that put that smile on her face. It doesn’t matter obviously. I’m glad that she can talk to her sick sister and check in.
A small voice in the back of my head is there to remind me, though, that it absolutely matters, and it makes me feel fucking good to know that I can do something that brings her that much joy.
About an hour or so goes by and there’s still no sign of Courtney.
Frowning to myself, I go in search of her.
I’ve made sure to stay in close proximity to Noah, just in case.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the asshole tries to corner her again, so while she’s taking her space, I’ve been making sure she isn’t interrupted.
I can tell by the shit-scared look on his face that he knows I’m happy to teach him another lesson about keeping our hands to ourselves.
Or, I guess, his hands to himself. I make no promises about my own.
I walk through the house and don’t find Courtney in any of the common areas, but when I push open our bedroom door, there she is sitting cross-legged on the bed, writing on the paper. She looks up at me as I shut the door.
“Hey, I just wanted to check on you.”
She sniffs loudly and wipes beneath her eyes as she gives me a forced smile. “Hey. Sorry I’m taking a while. Do they need it soon?”
I shrug. “They didn’t say. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
She nods as she looks down at the paper again.
“Kinda one of those things where I have so much to tell her and so little time. So much to ask her. Obviously, we can’t talk about what my life has been like for the…
fuck however long we’ve been here now. And thinking about what her life has been like while I’ve been here… ” She winces.
“You feel guilty,” I fill in.
She cocks her head to the side like she’s surprised I understand before nodding.
I cross the room and take a seat on the bed beside her. “You shouldn’t, though, Lily wouldn’t want you to.”
Courtney’s face pinches for a moment before she relaxes.
“What?” I ask.
“I’m just surprised you remembered her name.”
“Why? You think I don’t listen? Or do you assume I have a shit memory?”
She shrugs. “I mean, you are a man. Typically, details aren’t a thing for your species.”
“Species? You really think you can generalize a gender and put it on the polar opposite end of another?”
She nods confidently. “Yes.”
I scoff and shake my head. “I listen, Courtney. Even when you think I don’t. I’m always listening.”
Something like acceptance passes across her face as she nods.
We sit in silence for several moments before she speaks again. “Who would you have written to? If you had the chance?”
I’ve never opened up. I mean, barely. Not to the level she has, and I’m perfectly comfortable with that. I like my privacy. Crave it even. That’s why, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why I open my mouth and let the words pour out.
“Dolores.”
Courtney looks at me expectantly, patiently waiting for more, and for some fucking reason, I give it to her oh so willingly.
“She owns this run-down diner back home. It’s one of the only places open twenty-four hours a day.
It barely breaks even, honestly, because she hasn’t raised her prices in over fifteen years.
She says everyone has to eat, no matter their situation.
I swear to God that woman has more strays hanging around the place than paying customers. ”
“And you used to be one of those strays, didn’t you?” Courtney says like she can see straight through me.
“Yeah. I got tired of being bounced around, beat on, used for nothing but a check from the state. I know there are good foster homes out there, but I didn’t find a single one of them.
So one night I ran. It got cold and dark; I didn’t know where I was.
I ended up finding the diner and sleeping in the bathroom before Dolores came and woke me up the next morning. ”
I let out a rough chuckle as I shake my head. Fuck. It still feels like yesterday that I was that scared and angry kid.
“She took one look at me and took me home. Made me shower because she said I smelled like a sewer rat. Gave me some of her son’s old clothes and brought me back to the diner, where I cleared five plates of pancakes before saying I was full.”
“She looked after you,” Courtney says with a small, understanding smile.
“She saved me,” I correct. “I’m not the first or the last she’s helped, but I am the one that’s stuck around the longest. I was thirteen when I first met her.”
“And what about now? Do you see her much?”
I nod. “Every morning for a plate of pancakes. I insist on paying now. Most of the time I have to sneak the money into the drawer when she isn’t looking. That’s, uh, that’s why I’m here.”
Suddenly, I feel anxious and raw, talking about a time in my life I never speak of. I instantly regret it, but when I see the look on Courtney’s face, empathetic and understanding, something settles in me, at least enough to finish.
“The bank is trying to take the diner. She’s up to her neck in debt with no way out. Forty years of being a goddamn saint has unfortunately come to bite her in the ass.”
Courtney frowns. “What about her son? Can’t he help?”
“That prick wants her to sell,” I scoff. “He’s the one doing deals with the bank. When Dolores’s husband died, she gave his half to their kid. Now he wants his money out of it and to move on.”
She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the irritation leeching off her. It feels fucking validating to have someone as pissed off with Rick as I am.
“So when I heard about the crazy cash prize for winning this reality TV show, I didn’t even think twice.
I put in my notice at work and sent in my application.
I came to win, for Dolores. I want to pay off her asshole son, get her debt free and clear, and retire her.
I know she wants to keep the diner open, and I plan to, but she needs to rest. She’s getting too old and too weak to run herself into the ground the way she has been.
She needs to take care of herself because the community needs her… So do I.”
Courtney’s quiet for several moments. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my gutter-orphan story scared her away or something.
Then she gently leans forward and presses her lips against mine.
It’s a ghost of a kiss. One that sends my heart jackhammering, then plummeting the instant she pulls away.
I crave her instantly, and it takes everything in me not to bury my hands in her hair and drag her back to me.
Her face is still only inches from mine, and her eyes are searching mine desperately, like she’s trying to gauge my reaction.
“Why’d you do that?” I rasp.
“I don’t know…” she murmurs. “I just… wanted to, I guess.”
That’s literally all I needed to hear. Then I’m cupping her face in my hands and bringing her lips back to mine. Right where they fucking belong.