Spar (Sweetbriar Lake)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  “We’ll talk about this later,” he said, dismissing his brothers without a backward glance and approaching her.

  Tori continued to hold the railing as she stepped off the last stair. He pulled her to his chest roughly and bent down to brush a kiss on her lips. His hold around her waist was brutal, but his kiss was soft and ended quickly.

  “I’ll be back in two minutes,” he whispered in her ear.

  He took the stairs two at a time and disappeared into the first bedroom.

  “You two got a hot date or something?” Charlie asked.

  She turned to find both guys giving her a smug look. Their easygoing and playful mood helped to ease the tension she’d been holding. They moved to the kitchen and alternated opening and staring into the fridge then shutting it empty-handed.

  She rolled her eyes at them and sauntered into the kitchen.

  Charlie whistled as she got closer. “Da-a-amn.” He gave her a onceover that felt more friendly than sexual.

  Tori twirled, hands above her head, getting a few hoots and hollers and smiles from Charlie and Travis.

  “Maybe you can get him out of the God-awful mood he’s in.” Charlie returned to the fridge and peered in.

  She nudged him out of the way and pulled a foil-covered dish off the bottom shelf.

  “What did you two do to him?” she asked as she uncovered the lasagna she had made earlier today.

  “Fuck yeah!” Eyeing the food, Travis grabbed a fork and shoveled it into his mouth without heating it up, as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  “Dude, at least get a plate,” Charlie said, shaking his head. “Apparently, some dude named Benny stopped by the job site today and wants Chris to fight some guy this weekend.”

  Travis shook his head. “That is the worst recount of the story ever. Not some guy,” Travis said between mouthfuls. “Louis Kay.”

  Tori’s eyes widened at the name. Now she understood the foul mood. Louis had been the one to destroy Chris’ hopes of winning the Junior World Championships, beating him in the semifinals on a split decision.

  “Did you know he was fighting again?” Charlie asked.

  “Yes, she did,” Chris said, appearing in front of the kitchen island.

  He wore dark jeans and a white button-down shirt that was open at the neck, hinting at the tan, broad and defined chest she knew well. His hair was wet on the ends and drops of water had fallen on the shoulder of his shirt like he’d put it on before running a towel through his hair. When he’d said two minutes, he’d meant two minutes. He was ready to go in record time and looking as handsome as ever.

  She was silently cursing her female genetics that had caused her the anxiety to spend hours preparing for the evening and worrying about her outfit when he had so easily and quickly gotten ready. Not to mention he was causing the exact same reaction in her that she had wanted to elicit from him. She was stunned.

  He grabbed her hand and led her toward the door, never taking his eyes off her. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he spoke to his brothers. “Don’t wait up.”

  “You made them lasagna?” he asked once they were settled in the truck. He backed out of the driveway and then moved a hand to her thigh.

  “I was bored this afternoon.”

  She bit the inside of her lip at the half truth. Restless, anxious, nervous — those were more accurate adjectives for how she had been feeling.

  “You keep that up, and I’m going to have to start fighting them off you.”

  The word fighting hung in the air. They both remained silent. Tori struggled for something to say to move the conversation forward, and Chris squirmed in his seat. Was he deciding whether or not to fill her in on his meeting with Benny?

  “So where are you taking me?” she asked.

  He looked at her with a mischievous smile, and she breathed a sigh of relief that they’d moved past the elephant in the truck. At least for the moment.

  He tapped her leg lightly as he spoke.

  “I’m taking you back to where it all started.”

  She suppressed a gasp. “The bar in Carroll?”

  Images of him and the blond hussy at the bar flooded her mind. She clamped down on the door handle where her hand rested. She looked over and caught a frown on his face.

  “No. I mean the very beginning.” The playful look had returned.

  When it was clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, she sat back and enjoyed the ride down the winding road to the heart of Sweetbriar. The days were getting longer and the sun setting later, but only a faint hint of light remained in the dark sky when Chris pulled into Sweet Snow.

  “Sweet Snow was the very beginning?” Tori asked. She chewed a nail as she raked over her many memories of the place, trying to make the connection to Chris.

  She had hung out here a lot as a teen. Everyone had. It was located in town along the cruise strip. It was the place to see and be seen, particularly in the hot, summer months.

  The owners tolerated the noisy and most certainly obnoxious crowd of teens because the kids were loyal to their hangout. They pulled in every Friday and Saturday night, grabbed a snow cone, and sat on hoods and tailgates while they watched cars drive around the strip and eventually come to park alongside them.

  It was mostly deserted tonight. The snow cone stand was closed for the winter months, but a few boys were gathered in the parking lot with their bass pumping and cigarettes hanging from their mouths.

  Chris left the truck running as he pointed toward a corner of the parking lot near the snow cone stand.

  “I was standing right over there with a tiger’s blood snow cone in my hand the first time I realized I had a crush on my best friend’s little sister.”

  Tori listened carefully, hanging on every word.

  “You and Claire showed up, teeny tiny cut-off shorts and matching red bandanas tied around as tops, barely covering more than your tits. Ryan nearly had a heart attack at the sight of you two.”

  She covered her mouth and giggled at the memory. They had only been fourteen at the time and were dying to go to Sweet Snow with Ryan and his friends. Ryan had always let her tag along, but after he got his license, he’d refused to cart her around to high school hangouts. Taking matters into their own hands, Claire had convinced Tori they should ride their bikes and stash them at the grocery store nearby and then walk over to hang with the high school boys.

  “I remember,” Tori said, once she’d recovered enough to speak. “He dragged us kicking and screaming out of that parking lot so fast.”

  “Not fast enough. The guys were making some pretty lewd remarks about the two of you, having a good laugh about all the things they wanted to do. Ryan was laughing right along with them until he got a good look at you and realized who they were talking about.”

  She stared diligently at his eyes, trying to remember the night like he had told it.

  The hard look on his face softened as he continued. “But before all the commotion, I spotted you walking up, and my heart dropped to my stomach, and my dick stood up at attention. I kept those thoughts to myself after I saw the way Ryan reacted.” He chuckled. A smile played at his lips as he stared out toward the parking lot. “I’ll buy you a tiger’s blood snow cone this summer if you promise to dig out those old cut-offs.”

  He winked before putting the truck in drive and pulling out of the lot. He headed to the high school next and pulled into the old gravel lot behind the football field.

  Tori grinned like a fool. She had her own good memories of the games, remembering how hot Chris had looked in his uniform.

  “The football field?” she asked. What possible memories could he have of her in this spot?

  He nodded.

  “It was after a conference championship game my junior year. You charged the field after the game. I think Ryan was hugging on some girl, I’m not sure, but for whatever reason, you couldn’t hug him, so instead, you jumped into my arms with excitement. You smelled of popcorn and cotton candy, and it
took everything I had not to kiss you right there in front of the whole town.”

  She felt her cheeks warm at his admission. She didn’t remember any of it. Back then, she’d thought Chris saw her only as Ryan’s annoying kid sister, so she hadn’t wasted a lot of time worrying about impressing him. She’d probably thrown herself into his arms without a second thought. So different from now, where she worried and fretted over every movement between them.

  “I don’t remember that.”

  She considered telling him he was a large part of why she even bothered going to the games. Between her father coaching the team and Ryan being the star quarterback, sitting through the games felt like another family get together where her big brother was praised for his great accomplishments. Not that the praise wasn’t warranted. Ryan had been unstoppable on the football field. But it was a reminder that she wasn’t quite as good at anything when compared to her sibling.

  She decided to keep her own memories to herself for now, but maybe create a few more for his tour through their relationship. She leaned over and wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling his head closer. She kissed him with the passion and excitement she’d wanted to as a teenager, deepening the kiss and raking her long fingernails through his hair.

  She carefully maneuvered onto his lap, forgetting all pretenses of modesty as her dress hiked up, revealing the tiny scrap of blue material.

  “Mmm.” He groaned, leaning back in the seat. “Nice panties. I see you’re still matching them to your outfits.”

  “Yes, you seem to know me quite well.”

  She thought back to Claire’s party and how he had been the only one to guess her questions correctly. He’d been paying attention over the years. That was clear now.

  “Sweetheart, I’d very much like to continue what we got going on here, but I’m not prepared to share you, and the cars are starting to slow down as they drive by.” Chris said, brushing her hair back out of her face with two hands and pulling her head into his for a swift kiss. He lifted her up and onto the seat beside him before buckling her into the middle seat.

  They stopped at several more places around town. Each location brought a story, a memory from their past. Some she remembered, others she didn’t, but every stop confirmed what she’d already suspected. She was madly crazy, hopelessly in love with him.

  She’d adored him their whole lives. The knowledge was freeing somehow. She’d fought her feelings and their love/hate relationship for so long that to understand it was comforting. It had all led up to this.

  “Here is the last stop,” Chris said, pulling into a familiar spot along the water and killing the engine.

  She smiled, remembering that night as if it was yesterday.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Chris studied Tori, hoping she remembered this place. The spot where he’d finally worked up the courage to kiss her. Liquid courage.

  She turned to him with a big smile on her full pink lips.

  He tightened his grasp on the keys, letting them dig into the palm of his hand. The dull pain kept him from pulling her mouth to his. It was taking a saint’s patience to give her the date she deserved without jumping her in the truck.

  “This place I remember.” Tori scooted closer to Chris, leaning forward and peering out his window toward the lake.

  He grinned at her excitement and enjoyed her warm, soft body pushed up against his. Her touch, her presence was making him as giddy as hell. He needed out of the damn truck. He popped his door and jumped. By the time he got to her side, she had the door open already.

  “So, you do remember our first kiss then?” He helped her to the ground.

  Tori shot him a look that screamed attitude. Her face was scrunched up, eyebrows drawn together. Adorable. She was fucking adorable. “Of course I do. It was the night of your graduation.”

  “Mmm.” He nodded and snagged her hand. He pulled her toward the beach with him.

  He wondered if she remembered the night the same way he did. Long, tan legs in a denim mini skirt… Blond hair pulled up and away from her face in a high ponytail… Rosy cheeks from the humidity and alcohol… She’d tasted like Strawberry Hill wine coolers and had felt like a teenage dream wrapped around him as they’d explored each other’s mouths. It had been the best kiss of his life. He felt the same way even now, when he had so many more kisses to compare.

  He’d been feeling sorry for himself and had sought refuge on an empty boat tied up to the dock. The last person he’d expected to come looking for him was Tori, but it had been the most amazing way the night could have gone.

  She swung his hand as they walked around the bend to their high school party spot. It was on the edge of the lake and hidden from view from the road. The makeshift firepit and a few stray beer cans confirmed it was still being used by the high school kids. Parents knew the spot. Local law enforcement knew the spot. Hell, most of them had partied in the same spot growing up. Yet every generation thought this little stretch of land belonged to them.

  “How did you know where to find me that night?” Chris asked. It was something he’d often wondered. Everyone else had been too busy partying to notice he was gone.

  The smile on her face disappeared and was replaced with a look of embarrassment or maybe guilt. Both were looks that didn’t cross Tori’s confident and stubborn face very often. “I have a confession.” She pushed her wind-blown hair back off her face. “I went off looking for Chip Anderson.” She bit her bottom lip and snuck a look up at him before continuing. “But then I found you on the boat, and you looked like you could use a friend.”

  He nodded in agreement. No doubt he’d looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders that night. His mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer the same week as his fucking high school graduation. Wasn’t that some shit luck. He should have been home with his mom and the rest of the family that night, but his eighteen-year-old brain couldn’t focus on anyone’s pain but his own. He definitely couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that within a year’s time his mother wouldn’t even be around.

  “Well, Chip Anderson’s loss was my gain.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and brushed his lips against her knuckles. “Remind me to thank him the next time I see him.”

  Her pretty pink lips curled up into a big white smile as she turned and looked out at the water. “Is that yours?”

  His heart swelled as he watched her practically burst with excitement. He’d been a little nervous about her reaction to going on the boat, but it was even better than he’d hoped.

  “I underestimated you. You are smooth.”

  Ha. Now that was something he’d never been accused of being. Nah, he wasn’t smooth. Good-looking, tall, muscular body, accomplished athlete — those accolades had made it so that women had come to him. “Smooth? No. Although, I do seem to have a soft spot for a certain stubborn, fiery woman.”

  Once they were settled on the boat, they shared memories from their childhood while Chris pulled wine from the cabinet. Their lives had been interwoven so much over the years. All the big events, wild memories, even the long winter breaks where they’d all claimed to be bored out of their minds, snowed in with only board games and basic television.

  She tipped the wine glass back, staring at him intently as the zinfandel stained her lips red.

  “I would have gotten a bottle of Boone’s Farm for old times’ sake, but I wasn’t sure my stomach could handle it anymore.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. He’d stomach anything for her or give himself an ulcer trying.

  “I haven’t had Boone’s Farm in years. Besides, it seems you were paying attention once again.” She tipped the glass toward him. “This is my favorite wine.”

  Damn straight, he’d been paying attention.

  Tori asked about the apartment, his other current projects, his brothers; she grilled him on every subject. Well, except one. She steered clear of the one topic he knew she was dying to ask about. Louis Kay. Surprisingly, he found
he wanted to talk to her about it. He wanted her opinion, the only one that really mattered to him.

  “So, I assume my big-mouth brothers have told you about Benny stopping by the worksite today?”

  A slight nod of her head was the only indication they had.

  “You gonna tell me what you think or not?” he asked when she didn’t speak.

  “You want my opinion?” she eeked out.

  She seemed surprised. Well, that was two of them. He wasn’t used to caring much about what other people thought.

  “Please.”

  Tori put down her glass and sat a little straighter. “I think it’s a great opportunity to settle an old score with Louis, if that’s what you want.”

  Christ, was that really what she thought? Was that what everyone thought? That he was fighting to settle some sort of score, to prove he wasn’t a has-been? “I don’t give a fuck about Louis. I don’t have some glory-days score to settle.”

  She studied him for a moment. The wind whipping around the boat and the water hitting the sides were the only sounds. “Then what do you care about?” she asked quietly.

  She looked at him with the same hurt expression everyone had been giving him, as if he’d done something behind their backs. Okay, he had done that last part, but what was the big deal? It wasn’t about them.

  “Why have you been fighting for Benny without telling anyone? What exactly have you been trying to prove?” She pushed. A little bit of her fiery tongue was back, and that made him smile. That was his girl.

  He tried to think how to explain it to her. “Honestly, I don’t have a great answer. I just felt bored and restless. I can’t explain it. The construction company has taken off. It’s done far better than I ever imagined. And I love it. I love taking a piece of land and building someone’s dream home on it, or rehabbing a home that’s been standing in Sweetbriar longer than I have. That is a great feeling.”