Chapter 7
SEVEN
HUX
“Take shotgun, Ev. The knight in shining armor over here will crank the heat for you. You’ll warm those tits up in no time.
” Alex hip-checks Everly out of the way and climbs in the back seat of my truck before she can protest. A chuckle escapes my lips when I catch a glimpse of both the embarrassment and anger that washes over Everly’s face.
She’s too easy and fun to get all spun up.
My truck is old, as in an antique-old. But not the kind that causes people to all turn their heads in awe when it pulls into a parking lot.
It’s a 1974, rusty, dented-up, two-tone Ford truck.
It’s always reliably unreliable and has rattles I doubt I’ll ever be able to fix.
But it was my grandfather’s truck and then my brother’s.
It never was supposed to be my truck.
I used to daydream about making enough money working in the city so that I could restore something like this.
Not because I needed it to get me around town, running errands for a rundown resort, but for actual fun—a hobby.
I would have time for hobbies like car restoration in that life.
I would take my classic beauty out on Sundays for long drives, windows down, winding through upstate New York.
A dream that now feels like a mean joke.
The truck heat barely starts to kick on when we pull up to Mr. Croft’s house.
I can see the goose bumps that still freckle Everly’s exposed skin.
I put the truck in park, and for a reason unknown to me, I wish for a little more time with this clumsy and frustrating chick.
I can’t help this weird feeling of wanting to be where she is.
I had no desire to go to Nick’s lame-ass party tonight.
Even Ashlee and her very persuasive mouth couldn’t convince me.
Still, I have seen Nick and Everly flirting around the resort, and even though I should care less about what some nineteen-year-old housekeeper is up to, the image of those two cozying up with Nick trying to cop a feel makes me nauseous.
And well, I’ll be damned, that’s exactly what I fucking found.
The three of us are sitting in awkward silence, no one making any moves to get out of the truck and call it a night. The only sound I can hear is nearby crickets and a loon out on the lake.
“Okay… So I really need to pee, and I am sure you would rather me not do it back here?” Without further warning, Alex flings herself over the front seat right onto Everly’s lap, her hair and sneakers going in all directions.
Everly squeals in surprise. “Seriously? You couldn’t wait for me to get out of the truck?”
“Emergency, but take your time!” Alex quickly pops out of the truck, shutting the door again before Everly can even unbuckle her seat belt. The awkward silence returns, but I notice she doesn’t reach for the door handle .
“So, how would you rate your first party here in Silsby?” I glance over at her.
Her hair has started to dry in soft waves, the ends still slightly dripping onto my shirt I have loaned her. All that is left of her makeup is a bit of smudging around her eyes, and still, she looks refreshed and more relaxed than I have seen her since she got here.
I expect her to answer the question in a series of stumbling and stuttering, followed by the look of aggravation that she usually gives me whenever she can’t seem to get her thoughts out.
I secretly love how easily I fluster her, but instead, she laughs.
Holy fuck. Her laugh might be the sexiest thing I have ever heard.
“Well, leave it to me to fail at making out on a dock under the stars and then take it literally one step further by falling into a damn lake.”
“Nah, trust me, it wasn’t you who failed when it came to the make-out session.
What idiot leaves you, looking like that, on a dock alone?
” Her cheeks immediately flush again, and she looks down at her hands.
I’m still not sure what my attraction is to this girl.
She’s a college freshman who, most days, has difficulty walking, talking, and knocking, but there is a tiny spark of something there that keeps me wanting to push her a bit more.
I am about to make another bold comment about her legs when a blood-curdling scream comes from the house, interrupting what is by far the most authentic moment the two of us have shared yet.
I immediately jump out of the truck. At the same time, Everly flings open the opposite door, and we start to race up the steps when Alex lifts open a second-floor window.
“False alarm. I thought it was a rat, but it was just a dust ball; no need to panic.”
Everly puts her head in her hands and laughs as she walks onto the porch. “Thank you for the ride home. Oh, and the whole pulling me out of the lake thing.”
“No problem.” I turn and walk back to my truck. “Everly?”
“Yea?” She looks so natural and innocent, standing on the porch backlit by the house lights, her guard down.
“You need to watch your step, it’s getting fucking embarrassing.” I smirk as I hear her huff and slam the screen door behind her. Mission accomplished. It’s too easy.
I step out onto the resort’s expansive wraparound porch and wipe the sweat from my forehead.
Today has been the hottest day of the summer yet, and the sun is finally starting to disappear behind the mountain range across the lake.
Almost every Adirondack chair is taken, which is great for business but stressful for me.
Thanks to the annual Silsby golf tournament, the bar has been slammed since early afternoon.
The end result is affluent jerks from apparently all over New England flocking to the restaurant for victory drinks.
Thankfully, Elle had just arrived for her shift, as she’s a monster behind the bar and makes me look like an amateur.
I’ve had a rough day and am in no mood to deal with customers, which is not great in my line of work.
Nightmares found their way into my cabin and my head last night.
I haven’t been able to shake them, mainly because they aren’t just dreams but also my reality.
I console myself with the thought you have to push all that aside when the family’s livelihood is at stake, no matter how much it sucks.
“Slacking off on the job?” a peppy voice calls out.
Everly walks up the porch steps. I almost mistake her for a local, looking lovely in cutoff jean shorts and a fitted tank top, making my eyes linger on her chest a half-moment too long, and my flannel shirt from last night draped across her forearm.
Her hair is pulled up in a messy ponytail.
“You know, Rhonda docks people’s pay for shit like this. ”
Usually, I would be a bit turned on by her newfound sass, but not today. “Nice to see you too.” I take my flannel from her and sling it over my shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
As cute as she is, I don’t have the time or patience for her calamities tonight.
I’m exhausted from putting on a fake smile and waiting on drunken pricks while I congratulate them on a game I couldn’t care less about.
I just want to focus on getting through the next several hours of this shift so I can meet up with Ashlee for the night.
“I thought I would come grab a bite to eat. I’ve been home all day and felt like a change of scenery.” Her eyes dart around the porch, landing on anything other than me. She’s picked up on my foul mood, and I can tell she regrets approaching. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop me from being an ass.
“Edward and Bella weren’t enough company for you? Sorry to disappoint you, but you won’t find much sparkle here.” I head back into the bar, holding the screen door for her not bothering to look back.
“Clearly,” she says under her breath as she brushes past me, and I feel my blood pressure rise again. I have felt like exploding most of the day, and now I have a target.
Returning to the bar, I grab a bottle of whiskey for Mr. Appleton, who is taking his last swig.
Everly sits at Elle’s end of the bar, putting as much distance between her and me as possible.
When did those two become such good friends anyway?
She found a way to lay claim on my friends now too, it seems, fueling my animosity.
“I know most men like to look at that pretty thing down there,” a shaky finger points in Elle’s direction, “but you, son, pour a good whiskey on ice.” Mr. Appleton lifts his third glass and tilts it toward me before taking a large sip.
I always overpour him just a bit. First of all, he doesn’t have a driver’s license because his eyesight is so bad, and his sister Alice will pick him up by eight thirty.
Second, because of that unfortunate vision, he’s extra shitty at golf, and today is always a hard day for him.
“Well, you’re my favorite customer, that’s why.” I grin as he waves me off.
I reach for a clean glass and realize I’m out, meaning I need to travel down to Elle’s territory for a clean rack.
I don’t know what my deal is, but for some reason, Everly and Elle laughing and gossiping is irritating the hell out of me.
I glance in Everly’s direction in time to send my irritation spiral into full anger.
I see Nick has joined them, a beer in his hand as he leans on the back of Everly’s barstool.
“Hey there, bud,” I say sarcastically as I walk up to the trio. “Going to need some ID.” I try but fail to keep the anger out of my voice.
“Dude, don’t be a narc. My dad’s letting me celebrate a bit. I fucking killed it today on the course.” He smiles, and I know he’s not trying to be a dick.
But I am.
“Good for you, but our liquor license is a bit more important than your killer scorecard.” I reach to take the bottle.
His smile slightly fades, but he makes eye contact with me as he begrudgingly hands over his beer, his hand still firmly planted on the back of Everly’s stool.
Too bad. I was hoping for more of a fight.
Elle must be picking up on the impending shit show that’s about to go down. She knows me well and has seen what happens when I reach my breaking point. She changes the subject quickly .
“Hux, are you coming over tonight? I’m having a little fire to celebrate this hellish night’s end.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything we can bring?” Everly cutely whines at her. I grind my teeth.
“Yeah, we have to stop at the store on our way anyway; I need more beer.” Nick’s shit-eating grin burns a hole between my eyes. I slam my fist on the bar hard enough that a few glasses rattle. The friendly trio and a few curious guests look in our direction.
“No, Ashlee is coming over as soon as we close. Typically, we’re busy all night.” I stare directly into Everly’s eyes and watch her smile completely disappear.
I thought so. Good.
I turn to grab a rack of glasses as my father walks around the bar. Fucking great. I love my dad, but I also love being left alone.
“What’s up?” I ask as he gives me a stressed-out look.
“I need you to take the boat and go look for Big Earl.”
“Seriously! Who let him take a boat out? Haven’t we learned by now?
It’s busy as hell here!” Earl Iverton is eighty-seven years old and an avid fisherman.
The only problem is that he tends to fall asleep in the early evening.
Letting the tin boat drift all over the lake with the old man snoring away inside.
“Somehow, he persuaded Roger into believing that he would be back long before the sun went down.” We look out the window at the rapidly darkening skyline over the lake.
“We’ve been swamped all night, I can’t leave. Why don’t you go?” I start to wipe down the bar, removing empty glasses and sliding my rag over the remnants of liquid as people depart and new customers sit down.
A pretty blonde who I haven’t seen before and two of her cute girlfriends slide onto some empty barstools.
I notice bikini strings peeking out beneath their tank tops, and I flash a forced smile in their direction.
Right now, the idea of untying the blonde’s strings and finding the warm skin beneath with my mouth sounds almost too enticing to handle. I need a damn escape.
“You know my vision is terrible at night. Plus, you have a knack for finding that old son of a bitch.” He looks around to see if anyone heard him swear and spots Everly.
“Everly! Any chance you’d help your boss out? I’ll pay you double?”
“No way!” I protest. “I’m not leaving the bar with her behind it. I don’t care if she is only bussing. We don’t have the budget to replace all the glasses.” Everly shoots me a glare that makes me laugh despite my crappy mood.
“Of course, Mr. Anderson, what do you need?” Her tone is sickly sweet. Too sweet. Suck up.
“Be an angel and accompany my dumbass son out on the lake. We have a longtime guest who hasn’t returned from fishing. Hux will need someone to work the spotlight.”
“Are you kidding?” I choke out. I used to think my dad truly loved me, but right now, I am starting to wonder what kind of evil spirit has taken over.
Since I was in diapers, I have been speeding up and down this lake.
There is absolutely no need for Everly to tag along, but as I’m about to open my mouth to argue my case, I catch a glance at Nick’s expression.
That shit-eating grin has been wiped clean, and he looks pissed. Maybe my dad isn’t the devil.
“It’s darker than a pocket out there, Hux.
For once, don’t argue with me.” I catch his eye as he winks at me.
He’s up to something; I’m just not sure what.
I huff dramatically, throwing the towel down onto the bar and walking toward the back door.
Everly hasn’t made a peep; she hasn’t moved a muscle except for her eyes darting back and forth between my father and me during our exchange .
I reach the back door, holding open the screen, and look back at her. “Hellooo? Let’s go. We don’t have all night. I have plans… Remember?”
I let the screen door slam behind me, not bothering to see if she follows.