May 22nd #4
I’ll never forget when I first saw her. It was that summer when Chase and Dani got together. She was working at the resort and came to the house to babysit our younger siblings while everyone else had dinner at the resort’s nicest restaurant.
I met up with Chase, and we plopped on the living room couch while Jennifer answered the door.
I’m talking to Chase and stop speaking in the middle of my sentence—literally stunned into silence—when she walks into the room.
Long legs. The perfect amount of curves. Long brown hair. Big green eyes.
“Holy shit. Remember this day, man,” I say to Chase. “I just met my future wife.”
Jennifer greets her. “Thanks so much for coming.” Then she turns to us. “Everyone say hello to Ainsley Archibald, Tripp’s niece, who just finished her freshman year at Notre Dame.”
The family smiles and waves in her direction.
“She’s smart too,” I whisper.
“And you’re working here for the summer?” Jadyn asks, rising to meet her as well .
“Yes, I’m a camp counselor for the kids program,” this Ainsley says.
Did I mention her voice is perfection too? Like she could make big bucks doing phone sex. It’s a little husky. A little breathless.
And I want her. Now.
“I think I need counseling,” I say to Chase under my breath.
“What’s your major?” Jennifer asks her.
“Well, it was engineering,” the gorgeous girl says. “Turns out, working with all those numbers isn’t really what I want to do. I’ve decided I want to make the buildings pretty after someone else figures out how to build them.”
“She can make my building pretty, if you know what I mean,” I whisper to Chase.
“I’m going to K-State this fall. They have a good interior design school, and I’ll get to spend a semester studying in Italy,” Ainsley continues.
“That sounds like so much fun,” Jennifer gushes. Then, she says, pointing at Jadyn, “Do you know that’s what she does? Well, sort of. She designs them and makes them pretty.”
“Yes, I’ve heard all about the Jadyn Mackenzie from Uncle Tripp. We were here for the big family reunion in May. You thought of every detail when you planned this place. Seriously, we were all in awe.”
“Well, thank you,” Jadyn says graciously.
I need to meet her. I need an excuse. Then I suddenly come up with a plan.
“I need to go talk to her. Give me the baby,” I tell Dani .
“You’re not going to use our sister to try and get laid. Besides, that girl is going to be a sophomore in college. She’s nineteen.”
“And I’m fifteen. That’s only four years.”
“And right now, you’re jailbait,” she argues.
“So what? We’ll do our thing now, and when it doesn’t matter how old we are—”
“How old would that be?”
“Um, when I’m eighteen or nineteen probably. Or maybe I’ll wait until I get drafted. I’ll hire her to help me decorate my new house, specifically the bedroom, and she’ll fall for me.”
“By then, she’ll probably be with someone, if she isn’t already now,” Dani counters.
I just shake my head at her. Because I know. Deep within my heart—and possibly a few other body parts. “She isn’t already now because she just switched schools. Besides, once she meets me again then, it won’t matter who she’s with. She’ll dump them immediately for me.”
“You are confident,” Chase says with a grin.
“Damon, how can you say that?” Dani counters. “If Dad had done that with Jennifer when he and Mom were first married, you wouldn’t even be here.”
“Que fucking será, será. Whatever. You’re ruining my moment here.”
And she is. I need to focus. But it’s like looking at the sun. Too long, and your eyes go blurry.
Jennifer and Jadyn are still giving the girl instructions when my dad and Phillip come in, closely followed by the grandparents and the dogs.
“I think I’m going to have to skip dinner,” I tell my dad.
If anyone will understand my predicament here, it’s him.
Dad looks at me, his eyes narrowed, then glances at the babysitter and chuckles. “Sorry, son. She only signed up to babysit two babies, not three.”
“I could stay and help her. Because it would be a lot, watching two boys, two dogs, and two babies. Plus, I think I got too much sun today. I’m feeling a little woozy.”
“You probably need food,” my sister offers.
“Or to get laid.” Chase chuckles under his breath.
But they were both wrong.
I knew right then. Someday, she’d be mine.
Lusting after.
Ainsley
As I slip my hand around Damon’s arm and let him lead me to the buffet, I think back to the first time I saw him. I was working at the resort the summer after my breakup. Not only would I make good money, but I wouldn’t have to see Brad.
One day, Uncle Tripp called and offered me a bonus if I would babysit Danny Diamond’s younger children while the rest of their family enjoyed dinner out .
I said yes. Partly because of the money, but mostly because I was excited to meet Danny and his wife, actress Jennifer Edwards. Not only am I a Kansas City football fan, but I loved Jennifer in the Sector movies.
But as I stood in their living room while Jennifer introduced me to the family, I locked eyes with a guy with a devilish grin. Sparkling eyes. Blond hair. And even though he was sitting, I could tell he was tall. That he had washboard abs. That his arms were buff and his body quite fit.
And for the first time since Brad and I ended, I thought, Maybe this summer might not be so bad.
Because it felt like we had a moment.
The kind you read about in romance novels.
I was horrified to later learn the guy my nineteen-year-old self was lusting after was Danny’s fifteen-year-old son.
Since Van and Damon’s mom got married last summer, I’ve gotten to know his sister, Dani, because their mom throws the most amazing birthday parties for my cousins.
But they are usually girlie spa days or luncheons and teas.
I’ve only seen Damon in passing since that day.
Our family has never spent the holidays with my uncles and their families because my parents never wanted to.
And it really makes me wonder why he wouldn’t want to be here to experience this with his brothers. I feel like he’s missing out on so much fun. And so much love.
As we walk toward the buffet, I notice that Damon is quite social. While I’ve been thinking about the past, I don’t think anyone has walked by that he hasn’t spoken to, fist-bumped, or smiled at.
When we get to where the food is, I look at it curiously. “Buckets of fried chicken. Huh? I thought you were joking about that.”
“Nope. Welcome to one of the Mackenzie traditions that is about to become all our traditions.”
“Tell me about the tradition,” I say while we go through the line.
He grabs a bucket of fried. I’m contemplating between fried and grilled when he says sexily, “Go for the fried instead of the grilled. It’s okay to be bad for just one night.”
I gulp because I’m not sure if he’s talking about food. Or maybe it’s just that his voice makes me hungry in a different way. Because he is definitely all grown up now.
“You’re right. It’s a celebration. Can I just share some of yours?” I ask.
“You can have anything of mine,” he flirts as he hands it to me. “Why don’t you carry this while I get us some champagne?”
When we get back to our spot, just in front of the stage where the band is playing, Damon spreads out a blanket between Dani and some of their family.
I watch as Dani pops her and Chase’s bottle of champagne, pours them each a glass, and toasts to making traditions for their future family.
Which, I’ll be honest, surprises me. I know they are dating seriously, but I mean, Dani is nineteen .
And when, instead of drinking, they kiss, Chase’s youngest brother, Madden—who they call Crusher—goes, “Ugh. They are kissing again.”
Ryder—who seems very tall for a fourteen-year-old—puts down their blanket and laughs. “You won’t say that when you are older.”
“Agreed,” Damon says, high-fiving him and grinning at me.
“Agreed,” I add.
A smile plays on Damon’s lips, and I can tell he probably has a smart-ass comeback for that when Tripp, Van and Lori, Danny and Jennifer, and Phillip and Jadyn go out onto the stage.
Tripp starts by saying, “Howdy, everyone! We are so happy to have you all here! My name is Tripp Archibald, and I’m the owner of this resort.
As a kid, my family used to come here for a week every summer.
But then it changed hands a few times and suffered a bit from neglect both in hospitality and accommodations.
What hasn’t changed is the way I feel every time I step foot on the property, and six years ago, I was lucky enough to acquire it with the dream of keeping the charm while updating it to fit the needs of today’s families. ”
I can’t help but look at him in awe.
“You look happy about what he said,” Damon whispers to me.
“He’s got a lot of money, but he doesn’t seem to be driven by it. And I love that about him. ”
Damon nods in understanding while Tripp continues.
“I’m sure many of you know the talented Jadyn Mackenzie, who has been my partner in crime over the last few years.
We’ve been working on what I call passion projects together, bringing former gem properties back to life.
What you will experience this weekend at our grand reopening is the culmination of our efforts here. ”
He hands the microphone to Jadyn and says, “Why don’t you say a few words?”
“I’d love to, Tripp,” Jadyn says. “My family, along with the Diamonds, stayed here for the first time three years ago. We spent glorious weeks with no electronic devices, which about killed all of us the first few days, but after that, we grew to love it. Grandparents fished with their grandsons at sunrise. Kids learned to ski. We played in the lake. Ate amazing meals together. When it was time to leave, we weren’t ready to go home. To face reality.”
Damon says, “That was the first time I saw you.”
“Yeah, I remember,” I reply, mesmerized by his eyes.
I know words are being spoken onstage, but all I can do is look at him.