Anyone But Her

by Everhart, Allie

  "I don't have time for this." I go past him toward my car. "Just text me the guy's number."

  "You might wanna listen to me, kid."

  "I'm not interested in whatever you have to say."

  "Even if it affects your chance of playing that stupid game?"

  What the hell does that mean? Why is he talking about my golf career? What is he planning? Or did he already do something?

  I don't want to listen to this but I have a feeling if I don't, I'll regret it.

  I turn around. "What is it? What'd you do?"

  "I didn't do anything, at least not yet. But I will if you don't cough up some cash for your old man. And don't try to tell me you're broke. I'm not stupid. If they got you on TV you're making money, and since I raised your lazy ass, I deserve some of that money."

  I want to scream at him and tell him he did nothing for me other than ruin my childhood and try to destroy my future. But instead, I stand there and say as calmly as possible, "I told you. I don't have money. If I did, I'd have my own place. I wouldn't be living with Cal's family."

  "Guess I'll just have to convince you to be more generous."

  "Dad, I'm telling you, I don't have anything to give you. You have no clue how expensive it is to golf. And preparing to go pro is...never mind. I can't explain it to you. But trust me, ask anyone who knows anything about golf and they'll tell you it costs a lot of money."

  "Then why the fuck are you doing it? Go get a real job. Come back and work at the shipyard. They'll pay you more now that you're older."

  "I'm not working at that damn shipyard." I bite out each word, my anger showing despite my attempt to hide it.

  "You're a spoiled brat, you know that? I offer to get you a job and you turn me down?"

  "Because I don't want to spend my fucking life at that goddamn shipyard! You made me work there when I was a kid and it was wrong. I should've been out with my friends, having fun, but instead I'm working alongside grown men in dangerous conditions. And then you took what little money I made."

  "To pay for all your shit. You know how much it costs to raise a kid?"

  "Then you shouldn't have had me."

  "That was your mother's idea. Not mine."

  I knew he'd say that. When I was a kid he'd tell me all the time that my mom tricked him into having me.

  Why am I arguing with him? I'll never win. In his mind he's always right, no matter what.

  "Just tell me what you want," I say. "I know you want money but I don't have it so I don't know what you want me to say."

  "That lawyer said you own the house next door. Your mom and I want it."

  "You already have a house."

  "We could rent the one next door and make some money."

  "Maybe I don't want it rented out. If it's my house I get to decide what happens to it."

  "Okay, then." He nods and laughs to himself. "You know what's funny?"

  I don't respond.

  "The other day your mom was flipping through the channels and she stopped on that golf channel you always used to watch. They were doing a story on what it takes to be a golfer. How to do what you're trying to do. Make money at it."

  "That's not why I'm—"

  "Anyway, they went over all these rules. Apparently you can get in big trouble if you don't follow the rules, even if you're just one of them guys that plays but doesn't get money. That's you, right? What's that called?"

  "An amateur."

  "Amateur. That was it. So after the show I went online and looked up all the rules. Did you know you're not allowed to take money from anyone?"

  "Yes, which is why I never have."

  "You see, that's where you're wrong. That old man you lived with paid for you to golf until the day he died. Isn't that right?"

  I keep quiet.

  He comes closer, getting right up in my face. "If I tell the right people that the old man paid your expenses I could ruin any chance you have to play in the big leagues."

  My heart is pounding, partly from anger, partly from fear. I know the rules and I was careful not to break them, but what if I did? Albert gave me money for doing chores around the house and I'd use that money for tournaments but does that qualify as breaking the rules? It shouldn't, but what if it did?

  What if my dad is right? What if I broke the rules without realizing it?

  "Why would you do that?" I ask. "Why would you try to take away what I've worked my whole life for?"

  "Listen, kid, I really don't give a shit what you do as long as you pay back your mom and me for all that we've done for you."

  I take deep breaths through my nose, a technique I use to calm myself down during tournaments but it's not calming me now. I don't think anything would. Not when my dad's threatening to take it all away. Everything I've worked for.

  "If I had the money," I say. "If Albert left me some and I gave it to you, it wouldn't be enough. You'd keep asking for more. It would never end."

  "That's how it should be. Your mom and I used our money to raise you and now you turn around and pay us back. You support us during our golden years."

  "That's not how it works."

  "Well." He gives me a smile. "I'll let you get on with your day. I'm staying with a friend tonight here in town. We're going to one of the casinos. If you want to talk some more, give me a call. Oh, and—" He pulls out a scrap of paper and hands it to me. "There's the number for the lawyer." He gives me a wink, then walks past me. "Good seeing you, son."

  I watch as he goes to the other side of the parking lot and gets in his truck. He drives off and I look down at the scrap of paper. There's a name and a number. I call the number but get a voicemail message saying the guy's out of town today and won't be checking messages until tomorrow. I leave a message, asking him to call me.

  As I'm driving home my phone rings. It's Taylor.

  "Taylor, I'm really sorry. I'm running late."

  "It's fine. I was just worried when you didn't show you. Is everything okay?"

  "No. It's definitely not okay."

  "What happened?"

  "I just talked to my dad. He's here in town. He was waiting for me in the parking lot."

  "What did he want?"

  "Money. That's all he ever wants."

  "Did you tell him no?"

  "I tried but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

  "But you don't any have money to give him. Did you tell him that?"

  "Yeah, but I actually might have some. I just don't know how much."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I'll tell you when I get home. Stay there, okay?" I take a breath, my heart still pounding from the fear that I might lose everything I've worked for. "I need you, Taylor. I need you more than anything."

  "I'll be right here."

  Stepping on the gas, I speed all the way back to the house.

  When I told Taylor I needed her I wasn't talking about sex. I was talking about being with her. Holding her in my arms. She's the only person in the world who can make me feel better.

  I start to calm down, realizing that no matter what happens, if I still have Taylor, I'll be okay.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Taylor

  When Luke got home he was completely panicking over what his dad said. As he told me the story he held me in his arms and wouldn't let go. I wanted to stay with him but my parents were on their way home so I snuck back in the house and waited for them.

  The past couple months Luke and I have become experts in sneaking around. We had to. It's the only way we could be together. A couple weeks ago Cal almost caught Luke and me in the guest house but I snuck out the back right before he opened the door. Other than that, we haven't had any issues. When we're together in the house we basically ignore each other and do our own thing.

  "I don't think you have anything to worry about," my dad says to Luke. "You might incur a penalty but I doubt it'd be anything too serious."

  My parents got home an hour ago and we've all been in the kitchen
discussing the issue with Luke's dad.

  "It could hurt my chances to qualify for the pros," Luke says. "That's what you said earlier, right?"

  "It's possible but we have no idea what we're dealing with here. You said Albert told you the rules were being followed, and you know he'd never do anything to jeopardize your career so—"

  "But Albert was old and wasn't as sharp as he was when he was younger. He might've done something unintentionally that could've harmed me."

  "True, but how would your father know about it?"

  "That's the thing. I don't know if he just said all that stuff to scare me into giving him money or if he knows something he's not telling me. Maybe Albert's daughter put him up to this. The woman hates me. Maybe she looked through Albert's finances after he died and saw how much money he spent on me and decided to punish me for it."

  "It's possible, although if that were the case she'd want you to give her the money, not your father. Have you heard anything from Sandra lately?"

  "No. Last I heard she was still fixing up Albert's house, getting it ready to rent out."

  "Now that it's yours, you're going to have to call her and tell her to stop doing that."

  "I'll deal with her later. Right now, I have to figure out how to handle my dad."

  "This really sucks, man," Cal says. "I'm sorry he's putting you through this."

  "We all are." My mom reaches across the table and puts her hand on Luke's. "We'll do whatever we can to help."

  We're all sitting at the kitchen table and Cal is beside me with Luke on my other side. Normally, Luke and I don't sit next to each other but tonight I purposely sat beside him because I know he feels better when I'm next to him.

  We spend the rest of the night going over what to do but we just keep circling back to the fact that there's really nothing we can do until we find out what Albert did and if it really will result in penalties that'll hurt Luke's career.

  Later, after everyone's gone to bed, I sneak out back to the guest house like I've been doing almost every night since Luke and I got together.

  "Hey," he says as I crawl in bed beside him, into his waiting arms. "I need you so much right now."

  I kiss him. "It'll work out. I promise. My dad knows how this stuff works and he has connections with the right people. He'll do whatever he can to fix this."

  "Your family's been so great to me. It makes me feel guilty for doing this."

  "Doing what?" I sit up. "You mean us?"

  He brings me back down beside him. "I love us. I love YOU. I just wish we didn't have to sneak around. I wish your family was okay with us being together. Lying to them just doesn't feel right. I get a knot in my stomach every time we're all in the same room and I have to pretend there's nothing going on between us. I'm lying to their faces and I hate it. It's wrong."

  "I know, but we can't tell them, especially now. You need my dad's help and you're not going to get it if he finds out about us."

  He brings my head to his chest and kisses it. "I'm so tired."

  "Then let's not do this tonight. You need to sleep." I start to get up but he holds onto me.

  "Could you stay? Just for a few more minutes? I'm not ready to let you go."

  I lay back in his arms and snuggle against his chest.

  His arms tighten around me. "I love you, Taylor."

  "I love you too."

  Moments later, my eyes fall shut and I feel myself drifting in and out of sleep. I wake up to loud beeping sounds. Opening my eyes I notice it's light out.

  "Shit!" I shove the sheets back and stumble out of bed.

  "Taylor?" Luke says, groggily.

  "It's morning! I have to go!" I race to the window to see if anyone's on the patio or around the pool.

  "Taylor, wait." Luke shuts off his alarm and hurries over to me.

  "I can't. By now my parents are up. They're probably getting ready. I have to go!"

  "Just let me say goodbye." He holds my face in his hands and gives me a kiss, then smiles. "And good morning."

  I smile back. Even in my panicked state I'm able to relax just seeing Luke's smile. Those dimples. Those eyes. I love him so much, and I really wish I didn't have to hide it.

  He smooths my hair. "We had a whole night together. I wish we could always do that."

  "Me too." I glance at the house. "Luke, I really have to go."

  "Go ahead." He steps back. "I love you."

  "I love you too."

  I sneak out the back door and go around the perimeter of the pool to the patio door and into the kitchen.

  "Where were you?"

  I look up and see Cal sitting at the kitchen island. My heart pounds and my mind goes blank. Did he see me coming out of the guest house? In my pajamas?

  "What do you mean?" I say as casually as possible as I make my way to the fridge.

  "What were you doing outside? In your pajamas?"

  "I was just trying to figure out if I wanted to go for a swim." Facing the open fridge, I move stuff around, pretending to search for something.

  "You want to swim at six in the morning?"

  "I like to swim when it's not too hot."

  "Since when? You always go out there during the hottest part of the day. You say it's when you get your best tan."

  "That was when I was younger." Taking out the carton of orange juice, I close the fridge and go over to Cal. "Now I'm more interested in getting in shape than getting a tan. My coach said swimming would be good to add to my conditioning workouts."

  Cal eyes me, pausing long enough that I know he's suspicious of my story.

  "Is Luke up yet?" Cal asks.

  "Luke?" I shrug. "How would I know? I don't know his schedule."

  "I thought maybe you saw him when you were out back." He keeps his eyes on me as I pour my juice.

  "Why would I see him? He's in the guest house. He's probably still asleep."

  "He usually gets up at six. You know you probably shouldn't go wandering around wearing next to nothing with Luke back there."

  I look down at my sleep shorts and matching tank top. "I'm wearing pajamas."

  "I can see your ass in those shorts and you're not wearing a bra. You can't walk around like that with Luke here. You need to cover up."

  Rolling my eyes, I say, "You shouldn't even notice what I'm wearing. And Luke isn't here. He's in the guest house. I'm going upstairs." I take my glass of juice and go past him toward the living room.

  "Taylor, wait."

  "What?" I turn back to face him.

  "You don't um...like Luke, right?"

  I laugh but it's too loud and sounds fake. I quickly stop laughing and say, "Of course not! Gross! Luke's like a brother to me."

  "Then why do you always act so weird around him?"

  "I don't act weird. I don't know what you're talking about."

  "When he's around it's like you try to avoid talking to him. Sometimes you won't even look at him. I get that you might've been uncomfortable around him when he first moved in but he's been here for two months. By now you should be used to him."

  "I am. I just have nothing to say to him. He's your friend, not mine." I turn and walk away.

  Racing up to my room I take deep breaths trying to calm down. That was close. Really close. Cal knew I was hiding something. But did he believe me when I said I think of Luke as a brother?

  "Hi, honey," my mom says as she comes up to me in the hall. "Did you just get up?"

  "Um, yeah. I was going to head down to breakfast but thought I'd shower first."

  "I checked your room earlier but you weren't there."

  "Oh, um, yeah, I went downstairs to get orange juice." I hold up the glass.

  She stares at me a moment. Why is everyone staring at me today? I'm acting totally normal, at least I think I am. Maybe I have a guilty look on my face, although I don't know why it would show up now. I've been secretly dating Luke all summer. My guilt should've shown up before now.

  "Did you see Luke?" my mom asks.

&
nbsp; "Luke?" I scrunch up my face like I have no idea who he is. I'm overcompensating, making myself look even more guilty. I need to get control of myself. "No. I didn't see him. Why?"

  "I thought maybe he'd be up by now. I'm sure he didn't sleep much last night. He was so upset about his father."

  "Yeah. It's too bad. I have to shower. I'll see you at breakfast." I continue down to my room and close the door. My phone rings. It's Birdie.

  "Hey, aren't you at work?" I ask. She works mornings at the coffee shop and her shift starts at five.

  "I'm on break. I called to see if you want to hang out after your coaching session. Maybe lay out by the pool."

  "I can't. It's supposed to be really hot today."

  "Which is why I want to hang out by the pool. I might even get in this time."

  Birdie doesn't swim. She's afraid of the water because when she was five she almost drowned in a pool and the trauma of it has kept her out of pools ever since. She'll stick her feet in and on rare occasions will go in as far as her waist but she won't swim.

  "Like get in all the way?" I ask.

  "Maybe. I'm trying to conquer my fear of the water. I really want to go on spring break next year which will most likely include pool time and I don't want to look like an idiot for not being able to go in the water."

  "You're going somewhere for spring break and you didn't invite me?"

  "Spring break is for single people looking to hook up. You're already taken."

  "I could still go. I could be your wing woman."

  "It wouldn't work. You're hotter than me. All the guys would want you instead of me. Anyway, why don't you want to hang out by the pool today?"

  I lower my voice. "Luke and I almost got caught this morning."

  "Caught what? Doing it?"

  "No! Cal almost got caught me coming out of the guest house this morning. I fell asleep last night with Luke and accidentally stayed over. When I got up I snuck back to the house and Cal was in the kitchen. He asked me what I was doing out there."

  "What'd you tell him?"

  "That I was thinking of going for a swim. I told him I don't like swimming later in the day when it's really hot."