The Keys to Jericho

by Ren Alexander

  Dash spins around again. “Kat, according to your horoscope today, you’re in for an eye-opening experience. So, make it count.”

  With my heart stinging from earlier, I roll my eyes. “I can’t imagine that happening here.” Brushing my ponytail over my shoulder, I surreptitiously glance at Jared, whose mouth twists, and eyebrows furrow at me. That somewhat makes me feel vindicated for his leaving the room, as well as Annapolis again. However, when his eyes drop to the counter and he clenches his teeth, I wonder if he’s even marginally regretting using me like he did.

  I doubt that.

  Dash says, “Don’t let any man sweet talk you just to get in your pants, and don’t sleep with them on the first date.” I glance at him as he knowingly smirks, but when I see Jared’s reaction at the counter, his expression says he didn’t find it funny.

  Jared irritably pushes off the counter and yells, “Quit telling her that shit, Calder! Jesus!”

  Dash fakes ignorance. “What, Jericho? Just some sage advice.”

  He snaps, “From a moron. She shouldn’t be going there alone. I’ll go with her.”

  “I’m standing right here, and I’ll be fine. You’re not my boyfriend anyway. I can take care of myself,” I calmly say, but I’m anything but on the inside. I glare at Jared, and then putting on a smile, I say to Dash, “I hope I find a man with a slick ride. And yes, no sex on the first date. I’ll save it for the second, just as I normally do.” I keep my gaze on Dash, so Jared doesn’t see through my act.

  Dash laughs, approving my dig. “Good girl, Merrick.”

  The back patio, sliding door slams, rattling living room walls, and Dash and I notice Jared is no longer in the kitchen.

  Smiling, Dash says, “That went well.”

  Rio sighs. “He’s going to be a joy to be around, fishing today.”

  “Well, have fun with that,” I say, going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water.

  Dash asks, “You’re not going to go talk to him?”

  Taking a granola bar from the counter, I look at him, confused. “About what really?”

  Dash scratches his head and glances at the kitchen doorway. “He’s jealous.”

  I grimace. “Of what? Not wanting me when I offered? Makes total sense.”

  Rio chuckles. “You have a point, but both of you, go easier on him. He’s already sinking and taking on water. Don’t throw him another anchor.”

  Making sure I have my phone, Dash grabs the keys from the counter, handing them to me. “We’ll take the spare hidden in a rock outside.” He turns back to Rio. “What the hell does that mean, Yoda?”

  Gathering my beach bag, I say, “I’ll try not to, Rio. Good luck fishing, guys.”

  Hearing Rio and Dash debate his comment, I go out the front door, hoping Jared isn’t hanging out on the porch, waiting for me. When he’s not, I’m strangely disappointed.

  I wish I could get my shit together.

  “Hey, there!” I lift my straw hat to peer up at Liberty, not immediately recognizing her because of her new pixie cut, which reminds me of Jared not recognizing me, either, and it tugs on my heart for being so upset with him about it.

  Her bright smile rivals the sunshine, and makes me smile in return. I don’t have any close girlfriends. I’m single, but can’t drive to meet anyone for drinks or to go to a movie, and I hate bumming rides all the time. It gets tiresome, on both sides, I can imagine. As much as I don’t want to admit it, Jared is right about how crippled my life has been. However, it’s not just the no-driving thing, it’s because I’ve been pining for him all these years, wondering what happened to him, and wishing I didn’t have to wonder from afar.

  “Hi! You were supposed to text me!”

  She waves her hand. “I just stopped to eat something, and pee. I wanted to get to the beach as fast as possible.”

  I laugh. “Well, have a seat! I love your hair!” I scoot over, but she sets her bag down and takes out a beach towel.

  “Oh, thank you, and thanks for the offer, but my ass will steal your towel. It always happens when I share a seat.”

  I laugh. “Right.

  “No lie!” She plops down next to me and stretches her arms over her bent knees.

  “Has Rio seen your hair yet?”

  She contorts her mouth. “No. I told him I was getting a trim. Oops.”

  “He’ll love it.”

  She runs her fingers through the short, blonde strands. “I don’t know. It’s shorter than his.”

  “But you look so cute with it!”

  “I guess we’ll find out if he likes it. He may ask you who your new boyfriend is, or I may even be bunking with you.”

  I giggle. “Stop.”

  “I’ve been doing some research about things to do this weekend, besides watching fireworks. There’s a wine tasting at a local winery. Sounds like fun. We should all go.”

  “I’ve never been to one.”

  “Shit. Me neither, but if one of the guys agrees to be the DD, we can take the opportunity to get trashed again. I had fun with you at the club.”

  “Yes, that was fun.”

  “So, it’s settled. Let’s do it!” Liberty wrangles her phone from her pocket and sighs at the screen. “I’m waiting on a phone call. I’m hoping that I get a job I interviewed for at a big hospital, and they’re supposed to call any day now. So, if I’m extra jumpy, smack me.”

  I laugh as I brush sand off my leg. “I’ll do that.” If Jared doesn’t beat me to it.

  She drops her phone onto her towel and covers it from the sun. “Are you enjoying your time here with The Lost Boys?”

  Laughing again, I shrug. “It’s been…fun.”

  She jokingly raises her eyebrow. “Oh, no. What did River do?”

  “Yep. It was all him.”

  She shakes her head as she opens the bottle of Sprite she brought. “You’re right. He is cute. What did that dickhead do then?”

  “Dash?”

  She nearly chokes on her drink. “Dash is such a sweetheart!”

  I snap my fingers. “Oh, I guess that leaves Jared.”

  “I wish River would leave him. Ugh.”

  “Jared’s nice, but only in small doses and only to a select few.”

  “I haven’t been recruited.”

  “I don’t get why he’s so mean to you.”

  “He grates my nerves. I’ve tried being nice to him. When River and I started dating, he immediately introduced me to his best friends. Jared was hostile right from the get-go. I mean, I know his mom left him when he was a kid, but River lost his mom to ovarian cancer when he was a teenager, so I don’t understand why Jared’s past gives him the green light to hate everyone.”

  Not knowing the answer to that myself, I shrug. “There has to be more to it than just his mother leaving.”

  “Yeah, a rock has more heart than he does.”

  I suddenly feel protective of him. “Jared has one. He just has it hidden under lock and key somewhere.”

  “He’s like one of those 3-D hidden pictures. You have to look really hard, until your eyes and head hurt, to find anything. Maybe it’s a trick, though, and there isn’t a picture to find, and he’s just a bastard.”

  Seagulls squawk over a piece of bread near us, and I shake my head. “He has his really sweet moments.”

  “Kind of like the moment before you swallow a candy bar, and it goes straight to your hips.” I giggle before taking a drink of my water. She says, “I did notice something at the club.”

  “What?”

  “Jared is undeniably infatuated with you.”

  I frown. “How do you know that?”

  “You’re all he looked at, except during his song rant. I swear Jared was singing that song to Dash and me. But every other time, when you moved, his eyes were following. And when you were slow dancing, same thing.”

  “We went to high school together, meeting when I was 15 and he was 16, but we lost touch. He’s back in town, and was helping my mom rebuild her house
. We’re just friends.” Every time I say that, it’s like another stab to my heart.

  “From the way he was staring at you, I’d say he wants to be more than friends. I’d also say that’s why he’s so grumpy, because he’s sexually frustrated, but I met him before you were around him again, and he’s been a consistent jerk.” She laughs and runs her fingers through her short hair. “Maybe you should just sleep with him. Getting him laid might improve his disposition.” Shit. What is with everyone pushing Jared and me to fuck?

  I casually shrug. “I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship.” I realize there’s truth to that superficial lie.

  “But you could build a relationship, based on the friendship. That’s what River and I did. We were friends for a couple years.”

  “Jared doesn’t want a girlfriend. He doesn’t even want to get married or have kids.”

  “Wow. Though, if anyone could put up with his shit, my hat’s off to them.”

  “He really is a nice guy.” Why am I fucking defending him now? He had sex with me and left. Most likely, so I don’t get too clingy or affectionate.

  “I still need more convincing of that. What was he like in high school? An asswad then, too?”

  “No. I didn’t see him around his friends, but he was super friendly to me. He always seemed to be around, playfully teasing me.”

  “Was he good looking then?”

  I probably nod too fast. “He is hot, but yes, he was back then, too.”

  She grins. “Ooh. Do you have a secret crush on him?”

  My head goes from nodding to shaking as I shift my gaze to the ocean. “No.” I don’t want to admit to it because I don’t need more interference on how to handle Jared. Hell, maybe it actually would be the right advice to take, though.

  “River said Jared is helping you get your license. How’s that going?”

  “Good.”

  “The only thing he’d help me do is pack a bag.”

  I laugh as I dig my toes into the sand. “I think he’s afraid you’re going to steal his Rio away.”

  “Good Lord. I could never pull River away from his BFF. River has grown to love Dash, too, but River and Jared have a special bond. They remind me of those magnetic bears you see around Valentine’s Day. I’m afraid he’d pick him anyway.”

  Doubtful, I laugh. “Are you serious?”

  She nods. “I mean, not attached at the lips, but I am serious. Their friendship means the world to River. I don’t measure up.”

  “I don’t believe that, either. Rio would never dump you for Jared.”

  “I don’t think he’d want to have to choose, but ultimately, I’d be the one getting the boot if I told him it was Jared or me. That’s why I tolerate Jared, because if I don’t, I’ll lose the love of my life. I also really don’t want to pit them against each other. I wouldn’t want to be that kind of bitch to either one, even if Jared is an asshole to me.”

  “Jeez, Liberty. It’s good that they’re so close, but then you’re left, caught in the middle.”

  “Oh, I’m not in the middle. I’m on the sidelines of their bromance. I’ve known that from the start, so it’s my own fault.” She shrugs. “I can’t help it, though. I love River and I want to marry him someday, so as much as it annoys me, unless they break up, Jared is going to be a permanent fixture in my life.”

  I sigh, envious of Liberty for being a part of Jared’s life, when I won’t be, even if he just used me.

  I’ll never learn. He’s going to hurt me again, but like my own car accident was to people, I can’t look away.

  When Liberty’s phone buzzed with a text from Rio saying they were back, we packed up and walked to the house. Liberty suddenly was nervous about her hair and I reassured her that Rio would like it, reminding her that my hair is also different.

  Walking into the unlocked front door just as Dash walks into the living room, he does a double take at Liberty. “Whoa, there, girl! Look at you! Nice!”

  Smiling, she seems to relax a bit. “Thank you.”

  Dash shouts, “Rio Duquesne, get down here!”

  Rio bounds down the stairs, and when he sees Liberty, he almost trips down the stairs as his eyes bug out of his head. “Lib! Wow!”

  “A little drastic, but I like it.”

  “I do, too.” Speedily walking to her, he sweeps her into his arms and kisses her. I go into the kitchen with Dash following me.

  Glancing around the kitchen, I nonchalantly ask, “How was fishing?” I couldn’t care less about fish.

  Dash clears his throat and points to his head. “Don’t you notice my wet hair?”

  “Oh. Sorry.” I laugh, but then quietly ask, “Where is he?”

  His blue-eyed gaze points to the ceiling. “Upstairs. He’ll probably be up there the rest of the night. Not surprisingly, he was not in a good mood. He bitched me out for this morning, telling me to stop trying to marry you off.” What?

  I’m flabbergasted. “He actually said those words?”

  “Yep, aside from other not-so-nice words.”

  I lean against the counter and cross my arms. “Tough shit. I don’t belong to him, and even if I did, he could shove that notion up his ass.”

  Dash sighs with an eye roll. “He’s just in a bad mood. He did catch more fish than me, though.”

  “I’m confused. I thought he only shoves you into the water if you catch more?”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Liberty walks into the kitchen. “River said he’ll be our DD if we want to do the wine tasting.”

  Dash asks, “Wine tasting? Sign me up!”

  Liberty says, “I’m going to get changed.”

  “Same here.” I take the opportunity to follow her upstairs so I’m not accosted by Jared when I’m alone, but he doesn’t even crack open the door.

  I need to forget about what Jared did this morning, or what he said to Dash, when Jared doesn’t even want to be my boyfriend.

  I take a shower, scrubbing my body thoroughly, cleansing as much evidence of Jared on me, and in me, using a loofa to erase the feeling of Jared’s touch. My skin prickles in irritation, but it’s a departure from the ache in my heart.

  Before I go downstairs, I peer down the hall to Jared’s room, but his door is still closed.

  Entering the kitchen, Dash says, “I texted Jared to come out of his room, but he won’t answer.”

  Liberty frowns. “Really? He can’t be bothered to answer his door?”

  “I didn’t want to try. I just fixed my hair and he might have a bucket of water.”

  She says, “He’d use clean water for you. If I went up there, it’d be from the toilet.”

  Rio says, “I knocked on his door, but he didn’t answer, either. Maybe he’s taking a nap.” He did have a tough morning, taking advantage of me.

  I pick up my purse from the counter and say, “Well, I guess we’ll have to go without him then.”

  Dash unwraps a blue and white, swirled sucker, taking a lick of it before popping it into his mouth just as something behind me catches his eye. With a mouthful, he says, “Hey, Jericho.” Keeping my back to Jared, Dash pulls the sucker from his mouth to ask, “You going with us?”

  He irritably replies, “What else am I going to do?”

  “You could go to the beach and push people into the ocean.”

  “Done.”

  Dash pulls on my arm, and when I turn around, I see Jared with his hands gripping the edge of the counter, looking out the window over the kitchen sink. Unable to help it, I covertly check him out, noticing his khaki shorts and bright blue polo shirt. As he shifts, I hurriedly look down to my purse as I let Dash tow me to the living room.

  Liberty grabs Rio’s arm when Dash opens the front door, jingling the house keys, waiting for us to leave. As Rio and Liberty go out the door, Dash says, “Liberty has shotgun, since I hate when Diet Dr. Pussy grabs my leg.”

  Going down the stairs, Rio says, “Dream on.”

  As I follow them out the door, D
ash grins. “Save me a seat, Merrick.” I smile at him and as I step out onto the porch, he says, “There’s enough of me to share. You like the window seat, right, Jericho?”

  “Whatever.”

  As I climb into the back of Rio’s truck, I pray that Dash takes the center seat. How ridiculous to pray for something so juvenile. I know I may be pouting, or licking my wounds, but that doesn’t ease the humiliation I still feel.

  From the other side of the truck, Dash slides into the backseat, purposefully smashing me against the door, earning him a pinch to his thigh. When Jared gets in and shuts the door, Rio backs out of the driveway.

  Liberty and Dash spend the beginning of the drive debating the best way to get to the winery. After five minutes of their going back and forth over shortest versus fastest routes, Jared says, “Jesus Christ. With Dash’s directions, we’ll end up in fucking Rhode Island in 15 minutes.”

  “Stop being dramatic, Jericho.”

  “Stop being annoying, Calder.”

  Beyond them finally choosing a route, the truck is quiet, with only the sound of the radio to fill the awkward silence. Well, it’s awkward to me, at least.

  Each time Dash leans forward or shifts, I subtly glance behind him to Jared, observing him looking out his window or staring at the back of Liberty’s seat. I have to remind myself not to stare too long, but it’s rather a feat. I told Liberty the truth. Jared is hot. He always has been, but now that I’ve seen a different side of him, literally, he remarkably looks different. His muscles seem more defined and his facial hair is more conspicuous. Even his ruffled hair is more noticeable, and every move he makes, be it just leaning his head back on the headrest, or mindlessly tapping on the door handle, are sexier.

  As much as I try not to think about having sex with him, it’s all I can think about, and every thought is amplified now that we have. I know the feel of his hands all over my body, the feel of his lips and tongue fighting mine, and having the scent of him lingering on me after he leaves my room.

  When we arrive, Jared is out of the truck before anyone else. With Jared in the lead, I walk with Dash as we head to the ticket table underneath a white tent.