Chapter 5 #2
Somehow, I know I would never do that. But alcohol makes people do things they wouldn’t normally do, lowers inhibitions.
Still, I didn’t want Chase like that. I admit, I am a little obsessed with the idealistic nature of their life together.
I envisioned having something like it someday.
So maybe I did crush on Chase in some indirect way.
I didn’t think I did, though. Again, is this just what people are telling me so I’m adopting it as truth?
And I could’ve asked Chase point-blank if I’d had the chance.
But I never did. And I didn’t dare call or text him for fear I would give them evidence of my “misdeeds.” The biggest question of all though was why Chase didn’t clear it up.
Because it made him look guilty? But still, was he so afraid of Kendall he’d let a whole town vilify and cancel me?
Is he that much of a coward? I mean, I wouldn’t call him a humanitarian or anything, but I’d not personally seen this self-serving side of him before.
And since there was no way to prove my virginity, I sat in silence while they shamed, smeared and bullied me.
I guess it doesn’t even matter now. I left town and my life as I knew it, hoping to diffuse the situation.
It wasn’t fair to Olivia to have her life turned upside down because of me.
She practically raised me the last few years while our mom traveled for work.
Not that I needed raising exactly. I’m pretty self-sufficient and have been since I turned twelve.
But Mom needed to work. I was glad she found an exciting job to keep her busy, if not happy.
Losing our dad in Afghanistan when I was twelve threatened to destroy us all.
But it didn’t. He was a soldier since before I was born.
He was deployed somewhere almost all my life.
Most of our quality time with him existed through a screen.
When we got the visit, it shook us, but the daily trajectory of our lives didn’t change much—or at all.
At least for me. I lost myself in books and school even more than I did before and tried hard not to need anyone.
Via lost herself in Ryan and Mom traded in her regular flight attendant job for a VIP one.
She’s at the beck and call of some of the richest people in the world, traveling to the coolest places, and she loves it.
She can’t even tell us who she works for most of the time.
My propensity for perfectionism grew exponentially after that so my mom wouldn’t feel guilty for all the time she spent away.
I kept overachieving so Mom had nothing to worry about.
Olivia and I both did our best not to need her.
And truly we didn’t. The bills were paid automatically, and Ryan happily did some of the boy jobs around the house, like mowing the lawn.
He and my sister behaved like an old married couple almost since they began dating.
Old souls, everyone says. Eventually Mom made enough money to just hire a gardener to come every two weeks.
Our house is modest compared to our friends’ but nice.
It has a built-in pool and each of the three bedrooms is a master suite, so we all have our own bathrooms. Well .
. . had. I liked my life there, even though it was boring by most teenage standards.
But after that night—The Night—I had a social hit out on me and Via started to become collateral damage.
I got bullied on social media, including online death threats, until I deleted it all.
Harassed wherever I went, the final straw was my car getting vandalized.
That was when Via called Allie. Not Mom. Allie.
Today, I’m scheduled to meet Julian at Brew, the seasonal café/marina, to learn the lay of the land.
Spring break is coming, then summer, and I’ll need to know it all so I can keep up with the diners, campers, boaters and day trippers.
This is the first time I’ll be on the other side of the crowd.
And I’m honestly looking forward to it. Staying busy means less time to overthink and analyze my life.
I’m not ready to address whether my new work buddy has anything—or everything—to do with my excitement.
But I know it does. At times I think he’s intrigued by me too.
Other times, he seems utterly annoyed with my mere existence.
I leave early enough so I can walk the short distance around the edge of the lake to Brew.
The air is brisk, but spring is making its appearance.
The ground is a blanket of green velvet, sparkling in the morning dew, winking at me like stars at night.
The air is so clean and crisp it almost hurts my lungs but in a good way. Healing indeed.
As the lakeside of Brew comes into view, I see him sitting on the patio, gripping a steaming mug in one hand, not using the handle.
His feet are propped up on the chair in front of the one he’s seated on—much like I was the other day.
My steps falter and I stop to take in the picture of him.
I’m still a good twenty-five yards away, but my presence must disturb his peace and quiet because he doesn’t turn but says, “Morning, Ever.” Almost as if he were talking to himself, except he says my name.
“Hey, Julie. Beautiful morning. This place . . .” My words crash into the tranquility. I trail off and take another deep breath.
I see his crooked half smile, even in profile—at my use of the nickname.
He stands, tosses the last of the liquid from his cup over the railing, and reaches his arms to the sky while still holding the mug in one hand.
I hold my breath and watch. His legs are spread slightly as he tilts from one side to the other.
His muscles, clearly defined through the thin fabric of his shirt, ripple across his back with the small movements.
I swallow, my mouth suddenly desert dry.
Rolling his neck, he turns to face me fully as I continue up the stairs to the patio.
His eyes land on mine and I see the shutters come down.
All business, Julian smiles at me politely, nodding. “You ready for the day? Gonna be a long one.”
“Yep. Got any more coffee?”
That lazy half smile beams again. “Yeah, I just made it.” I follow him inside.
***
Learning the routine of the café and marina wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought.
Julian is a good teacher, patient and straightforward.
He also has a knack for short-routing things to get them done in the quickest, most efficient manner possible.
I respect this. It appeals to my super-secret deep-seated impatience and gives me another reason to admire this guy and look forward to the time we spend together, even if it’s just for work and strictly professional.
And I think he feels the same way. Throughout the day, he would give me a hard time, playfully.
And he still “messes up” my name, calling me Ever.
No one has ever called me that before. I was always Ev, Evvie or Everly.
And secretly, I love it. But I pretend I don’t.
In retaliation, I call him Julie, arguably a girl’s name, when he is anything but girly.
The highlight of the day is when he tells me we should meet here every day for the next two weeks to make sure we’re prepared for the early spring break campers.
Spring break typically falls sometime in April.
Blue Brew boasts five cabins and ten tent sites that stay booked solid through spring and summer.
The first campers are arriving mid-April.
Blue Lake is a small lake that doesn’t allow motorized watercraft.
Paddleboards, paddle boats, kayaks and canoes were allowed, and the marina even offered a few that campers could check out for day use on a first-come, first-served basis.
It’ll be our job to make sure the cabins and tent sites are rent-ready and the water equipment is inspected and safe to use.
It sounds like a lot of work for two people, but I’m not about to complain and let Julian—or Allie—think I can’t handle it.
I’ve handled a lot worse. And I sense Julian knows I have too.
He gave protective vibes throughout the day.
Especially when he reveals the first campers of the season are from Oak Valley, reserved under Young, and they’d be here in just two weeks.
I feel the color drain from my face, and I sway.
He must see it too. He grabs my arms and pulls me to him, staring down at me. “Whoa, Ever, easy. You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I just got dizzy for a second. Probably just need to drink more water.” I know that’s a sure way to distract him. He and Allie are always harping on about hydration and water intake.
Mission accomplished. He sits me down on the nearest chair and disappears into the kitchen for a glass of water.
I hate that I played that weakling card, but I need a minute to get a grip.
Young is a common name. It can’t be Chase and the crew.
Although they have been known to camp up here occasionally on school breaks, there are plenty of other campsites besides Allie’s.
If it is Chase, he isn’t coming here for me.
It’s a coincidence. A shitty, unfortunate one.
Maybe I could just hide out at Fit and take those shifts while Lilly, Noah and Julian take care of the campers.
Besides, it probably isn’t even him. If it is his crew, that would likely include Ryan and possibly Via if the girlfriends are joining.
And Via would’ve mentioned it to me or Allie or both. Right?
As if on cue, Allie walks in at that moment. She always looks like she’s just stepped out of a spa session, quite literally flawless. “Hey, Evvie, how’s it going in here?”
“Great. Just taking a quick water break.” She opens her mouth to no doubt question where the water part of that break is when Julian walks out of the kitchen with two glasses.
She pauses, then says, “Oh good, you’re both here.
I’ve got some . . . uh . . . unexpected news.
” She hesitates with a nervous smile, uncharacteristic, which gets my full attention, my heart jumping in my chest. “I got accepted to this certification/retreat program. It was full when I applied but they had a cancellation in the session coming up. Bad part is the timing. I’d leave this week and be gone for three weeks.
“Noah and Lilly said they could pitch in and take extra shifts during spring break. And Letty already agreed to man the office part of Fit. I know clients will miss not having my classes and training sessions, but I’ve only taken time off three times in ten years.
And only for some training or certification to improve the club.
This training would be another great addition.
I’d also be networking with some of the top trainers from all over California.
” When she realizes she’s rambling, she trails off and just stands there like she’s asking our permission.
I selfishly think, There goes my plan to hide out at Fit.
Julian is the first to speak. “Of course. Of course, Allie. Whatever you need. I know the ins and outs of both places. You know that. Do it. Don’t worry about a thing.
We can handle it. And we’ve got Pete to man the grill.
Shelley to wait tables. If it gets too crazy, we’ll hit up Lilly’s and Noah’s younger sisters to buss and wash dishes. Right, Ever? Uh, Everly?”
What did I stumble into? Both Allie and Julian appear to be chomping at the bit to make everything okay for the other.
I look back and forth between them like I’m watching a tennis match, then chime in.
“Yeah, totally. I just learned the ropes. It all seems straightforward enough. And it’s early in the season.
Seems like it’ll be slow for a bit, which gives me time to get into the groove before campers. ”
Allie stays silent for a moment, watching us, considering. “We could do holiday hours at Fit, activate the key app entry and give limited access—equipment area only. Or . . . we could close it for the weeks I’m gone.”
“No,” we both say at once.
“Allie, we can do this. And more importantly, you should do this,” I say with growing confidence. “You said it could really help the club. And that you never take time away like this.”
“There’s one more thing,” Allie looks back and forth like she’s at the tennis match now.
“I worry about leaving you alone when you just got here, Evvie. This isn’t Oak Valley.
There is some crazy country shit that happens up here.
Not dangerous exactly but stuff you might not be equipped to deal with.
I mean, if Julian could maybe . . . check in on you .
. .” She trails off and stares at the far wall contemplatively.
“This is probably . . . I just need to wait for the next one.” She looks like she’s holding her breath.
I look from Allie to Julian, who’s looking down at his hands still holding the two glasses of water. He looks up as he hands me a glass and says in a subdued tone, “Of course, Allie, whatever you need. I’ve . . . we’ve got this.”
I take the glass from him and meet his eyes; he clinks his glass to mine and downs his water in one gulp.
I raise my glass to my lips as I watch his throat move with the effort.
My throat desert dry again, I down mine.
I don’t look at Allie. Every nerve ending is tingling at the idea of Julian “checking in on me” for three weeks, and I’m afraid it shows.
Part of me wants to be insulted. The other part of me has sweat gathering in my pits imagining what “crazy country shit” entails.
Maybe I’m sweating about Julian. Maybe he is the crazy country shit.
Allie looks relieved. “Ev, Julian is probably the person I trust most in this town. He knows the ins and outs of both businesses. He knows this area and all the CCS.”
“CCS?”
“Crazy Country Shit,” they say in unison.
“Snakes, raccoons, weather, fire, whatever,” Julian clarifies. “Don’t worry. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.”
“Right. Well, thanks, I guess, for handling the . . . CCS portion of the program.” I put up my finger quotes as I say it, hopefully conveying calm assuredness to them that I don’t totally feel.