Toxic Secrets

by Jill Patten

  No sooner than I turned away from him, I found myself standing right in front of Kendra. Quickly, I unlinked myself from Jaxon.

  “No need to stop on my account,” Kendra mumbled under her breath.

  My face instantly flared up, and I could feel the red flashing from my face like a stoplight. I gave her a wicked stare mouthing the words ‘shut up’ for only her to see.

  Reed came wobbling up, pulling several suitcases behind him and a couple of handbags flopping from his shoulders. I hurried over to help him, feeling even more embarrassed when I became aware that I had left him to handle my luggage while I was hugging it out with Jaxon.

  “I’m so sorry, Reed. I found Jaxon,” I smiled pathetically.

  Jaxon released Kendra from a hug that had no comparison to the one he gave me, before walking over to help Reed with the rest of our bags. “What’s up, cuz?” Reed huffed, giving Jaxon one of those manly hugs where they only used one arm. Men… heaven forbid them to ever show an ounce of the feminine side they all have.

  It was nice to be in our little group of four again, however, I remained quiet as Jaxon, Reed, and Kendra babbled on about our flight and plans for the week. Jaxon filled Reed in on what to expect at Zack and Joey’s Bar and Grill. My thoughts were caught up with worrying about what kind of sleeping arrangement we would have at Jaxon’s place. I had no idea if he lived in a house, an apartment, or on the streets. I couldn’t ask Kendra these things in front of everyone, so I made a mental note to text her when were on the road, to stress how much she better not leave me alone to shack up with Jaxon.

  The California air was warm and dry on my skin. The sun shone bright without a cloud in the sky. It was enough to put anyone in a cheerful mood. As we walked through the parking lot, I was a little overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of people and cars. I had never seen so many people swarming around a confined area in all my life. I thought Charlotte airport was crazy with people, but LAX had it beat. This country girl sure had a lot to learn about the city life.

  When Jaxon approached a jet black Jeep without the rag top, I wanted to squeal with excitement. I had always wanted to ride in a Jeep, but to ride in one in California, close to the beach, with a super-hot guy? It was a teenage girl’s dream come true. I couldn’t wait to take a few selfies and post them on Facebook and Instagram.

  Kendra and Reed hopped into the back seat, leaving me up front with Jaxon. I would’ve scolded Kendra for her little trick, but, since we would have the wind blowing through our hair, conversation would be difficult to carry riding down a noisy highway, or as they called it—freeway.

  We pulled into the parking lot of a two-story stucco building placed right in the middle of a beautifully landscaped lot. Palm trees lined what appeared to be the property line, and it looked like a walkway was settled in the back that took you down to the beach. All types of exotic plants and colorful flowers bordered the sidewalk and the outer edge of the building. The entire set-up was gorgeous. The words Zack and Joey’s Bar and Grill sat high right under the roof covered with red clay tiles. When Jaxon told me he owned a bar, I was expecting some rinky-dink hole-in-the-wall type of place. A lavish, state-of-the-art restaurant that looked nothing like a bar at all wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

  The parking lot was deserted other than a white Range Rover parked in a VIP spot by the front door. I didn’t know a lot about bars but I was assuming the place was closed since it was ten thirty in the morning. In this instance, I was loving the three-hour time change.

  As soon as Jaxon turned the engine off, he stretched his arms out in front of him, showcasing his restaurant. “Welcome to Zack and Joey’s,” he grinned proudly. “Let’s head in. I want you guys to meet my business partner and best friend, Troy.”

  We all hopped out of the Jeep, and Reed made a beeline to catch up to Jaxon. “Dude, you didn’t tell me how awesome this place was,” he said with excitement. Reed threw his arm around Jaxon’s shoulder giving him a manly squeeze. “Cuz, please tell me the one I’m gonna be managing will be as pimped as this place?”

  “Reed, you saw the blueprints, and you’ve seen the progress of it. Did you really think I was jerking you around?”

  “Nah man, but damn, it doesn’t look like this one.”

  Jaxon gave that smile that showcased his dimples. “And it’s not going to look like this one.” Jaxon was totally playing around with Reed.

  “And why the hell not?” Reed’s eyebrows furrowed.

  Jaxon stopped at the door, and we all waited for him to go inside before entering. “Because this one is on the beach, and yours is in the hills. It’s got to integrate with its location. You can’t put a place like this out in the country,” he laughed, twirling his keys around on his finger. “I promise you, Reed, it’s going to be nice. Stop sweating it.”

  Jaxon stood at the door, holding it open for us as we walked in. I avoided eye contact with him when I passed through, but I could feel the electric vibes radiating off of him as he hovered close behind me. I should have made sure I walked in first instead of last. I didn’t like the tingling sensation he was causing, so I excused myself to the bathroom. Jaxon pointed me to the back corner where the restrooms were located.

  Taking my time, I made my way to the bathroom. I was in such awe of the stylish decorations. The place was immaculate. Everything inside was made of what looked like driftwood? There were surf boards hanging from the ceiling, and it made me wonder if Jaxon surfed. I made a mental note to ask him later. The bar was equipped with enough alcohol to intoxicate a small town. I wondered how much and how often Jaxon drank.

  Once I reached the bathrooms, I let out a laugh when I saw the sign “clams” on the women’s door and “clam diggers” on the men’s. After just witnessing the trendy dining area, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I walked into the bathroom. It was laid out with marble countertops and a vanity in the corner equipped with an array of lotions and body spray. Completely freaked out was an understatement. I wanted to text Kendra and tell her to come in here to check the place out, but I didn’t. I would somehow usher her in here later though.

  After spending way too much time in the bathroom, I joined everyone else sitting at a table close to the bar. Jaxon jumped out of his chair as soon as he saw me approach them. “Courtney, glad you could finally join us. Is everything okay?” he said, pulling the chair beside of him out for me to sit in.

  My face heated at his insinuation.

  “Sorry, I had a little too much fun playing with the vanity,” I smirked.

  Taking the attention off of me I asked, “Where’s your friend Troy?” Before Jaxon had a chance to answer, a tall, muscular guy with a similar build to Jaxon, but with shaggy, blond hair came walking out of what was probably an office.

  Jaxon turned to face him when he heard the door close. “Well, speak of the devil,” he grunted followed by his excessive throat clearing. His funky noises were really beginning to grow on me.

  Troy didn’t say anything as he joined us. He just smiled at Jaxon with a look that said “sorry.” Troy walked over to Reed and Kendra first. “So this is the studly cousin that will be handling things for us in North Carolina?” he asked, shaking hands with a warm welcome.

  “I don’t know about the studly part, but yeah, that’s me,” Reed smiled, gripping his hand tight. “Man, this place is kick-ass! I’m eager to get this training started as soon as possible,” Reed exclaimed.

  Jaxon stood in front of me, making it hard for me to have my turn at greeting Troy. Every time I would move to the side, he would shift his feet to block me. I wasn’t sure what kind of game he was playing, but I was about to call him out on it.

  After Troy greeted Kendra with a kiss on her cheek, he focused his attention on Jaxon. I was still unable to get a good look at the guy. “So, Jax, am I finally going to get to meet Courtney, or are you going to keep her hidden behind your back the entire trip?”

  Jaxon was really acting weird, almost like he was nervous. T
he way he repeatedly cleared his throat was starting to get out of control. I know he said it was a tic or something like that, but it seemed to get worse when he was nervous or in an uncomfortable situation. My mind was spinning, wondering what he could be so worked up about.

  “Don’t worry dude, I promise I won’t make any moves on her… yet,” Troy laughed, pushing Jaxon out of the way. The laughter quickly died in his throat when our eyes connected. I wasn’t one hundred percent positive, but I was almost sure he mouthed the words ‘what the fuck?’ He stood there gaping at me, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. Glancing over at Jaxon, I saw he had a look of pain on his face.

  Confused as hell, I had no idea what their problem was. So, after a few uncomfortable minutes of no one speaking, I persevered through my discomfort and introduced myself to Troy. “Hey, I’m Courtney. It’s nice to finally meet you,” I said awkwardly with my hand out to shake his.

  He eyed my shaky hand then blinked a few times, coming back to earth to join us. “Umm… I… I’m… uh… Troy. It’s… umm… nice to finally meet you too. I’ve… uh… heard a lot about you,” he said, his eyebrows pulled together in question.

  Jaxon told me a little about Troy, but he didn’t tell me he had a stuttering impediment. He also didn’t tell me just how much they looked alike, minus the hair. Troy looked like more of the surfer type than Jaxon. Maybe that’s who decorated the place up with the surfboards.

  “Umm, could you guys hold on a second? I need to discuss an important business situation real quick with Jaxon,” Troy asked looking at me. Was he asking me or everybody? I wasn’t positive so I nodded, “Sure.”

  Troy gave Jaxon a serious look of anger, or was it disappointment? I wasn’t quite sure, but he didn’t look pleased with Jaxon at all. Jaxon followed Troy toward the door that I now knew was an office. “You guys feel free to look around and check the place out, especially the outside patio. We won’t be long,” Jaxon yelled out to us before closing the door.

  I turned to face Kendra and Reed. “Awkward,” I sang.

  Kendra gave me a quizzical nod. “Very.”

  Reed and Kendra shrugged it off and took Jaxon up on his offer to explore the place. Following along, I couldn’t brush off the bizarre reception I received from Troy. All three of us stopped when we heard raised voices echoing from the office Troy and Jaxon just stepped into.

  “Are they fighting?” I whispered. Reed and Kendra both shrugged their shoulders.

  We stood there eavesdropping, but never able to catch onto a single word they were saying. Their voices would escalate, then quickly drop down to a hum.

  We scrambled for the exit door to the patio like a bunch of sneaky kids when we heard the office door open. Jaxon walked out by himself. His face was contorted, thick veins popping from his neck and forearms. His walk was stiff, and his hands were clenched tight into a fist. “Come on guys, we can look at all of this later. We’ll have plenty of time,” he said, his voice strained. “I’m sure you guys are tired from the long flight. I apologize for my rudeness… and Troy’s,” he mumbled.

  Immediately, I felt uncomfortable. Something went down between him and Troy, and I had an odd feeling it had something to do with me. The first thing that came to mind was my age, but surely Jaxon told him that beforehand. Besides, I was only a month away from being eighteen, so my underage issues shouldn’t really be an issue at all.

  Everyone remained super quiet in the Jeep. Even Reed and Kendra felt the tension. Instead of doing their usual PDA, they sat ramrod straight in the back, taking in the scenery around them.

  My mouth fell open when we arrived to a gated community with houses worth well over a million dollars. I knew this because I watched The Real Housewives of Orange County, and we just entered the Coto de Caza community. Whoever’s home we were pulling up to was absolutely breath-taking.

  Jaxon parked his Jeep in front of the grand entrance of the multi-million dollar home. He hopped out of the Jeep and started pulling our luggage out without speaking a word to anyone. Reed, Kendra, and I all looked at each other in disbelief. I couldn’t contain the big grin spreading across my face. I was all giddy with excitement. I couldn’t believe I was going to be spending the night at this posh pad.

  Jaxon left Kendra and Reed’s bags by his Jeep, but had my suitcase in one hand and my carry-on bag draped across his shoulder and chest. “Welcome to Vaughn Estates,” Jaxon stated in a flat tone, squinting up at his mansion in the bright California sun.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, man?” Reed exclaimed. “You make that kind of money running your bar to afford something like this? Hot damn!” Reed had dollar signs in his eyes.

  Jaxon stopped in front of the door, his shoulders sagging. “Don’t get too excited, cuz. This kind of money doesn’t come from that bar. I inherited the money from Gramma Z,” he revealed with so much melancholy dripping from his voice. When he told me he opened his bar with the money his gramma left him, I wasn’t expecting it to be this much.

  “Oh.” Was all Reed could say. It was all any of us could say. I was beginning to learn Jaxon ran through emotions as quickly as a cheetah chasing an impala. He had started with flirty arrogance, switching to happy, then to nervy, followed with anger, and finally sad in approximately four hours. I wondered what emotion the spinning wheel would land on next.

  Chapter 27 ~ Pieces from the Past

  Thirteen bedrooms and seven bathrooms, and the majority of the house was decorated in black. Aside from the gothic color scheme, was I the only person to notice those numbers to be an odd combination? Another mental note I made to text Kendra about later.

  What single person needed a house with that many rooms? I’ll tell you who—nobody. Jaxon had surprised me on so many levels. He pulled off the whole normal, average Joe persona very well. Never would I have guessed him to be loaded. I had to admit, it made me crush on him even harder. Most guys were quick to brag about being rich, but not Jaxon. I liked how he was so humble in that way.

  Jaxon remained quiet as he navigated us through the house. When he did speak, his tone was monotonous, and it was only to give details on the room. He was causing us extreme discomfort, and none of us knew what to do or say. Jaxon had to sense the awkwardness he was putting us through. The tension was too obvious. Although he and Reed were cousins, they had never really had that close of a family bond. They were slowly working on it, but about ten years had passed without them seeing or speaking to one another. It was not because they didn’t want to, but because they had been too young to have the opportunity. Until recently, their relationship had been mostly about business, so Reed didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk in depth with him yet.

  Jaxon gave Reed and Kendra an overly-large room that looked more like a suite at a hotel. And here I always thought Kendra’s house was over-the-top big, but that room had nothing on hers. I could easily live in that room itself. After dropping off Kendra and Reed at their room, I followed Jaxon down the never-ending hallway. Eventually, it had led to a couple more adjoining hallways. Then it reached an open sitting room with a balcony overlooking another room that was decorated in a sophisticated, but manly, style. It looked more like a waste of space to me. Once we stopped outside the door, I was completely lost. Panic struck me when I thought about how I was supposed to find my way back to Kendra’s room… or even my way outside in case of an earthquake or something.

  He opened the door to another bedroom. “Here’s your room. It has anything and everything in it. The bed, of course, and here are some drawers if you don’t want to leave your clothes in your suitcase. Over here is the closet,” he said, walking around pointing everything out. “Here’s the bathroom, and it’s stocked with everything you should need.” He picked up two remotes, handing them to me. “This one is for the TV, and this one is for the fireplace, in case you get chilly at night.” He inhaled a deep breath then released with a loud blow. “If you need me, I’m right next door,” he said, his lips pulled in between his teet
h, making his dimples sink in deep. He shuffled his way out of my room with his head hung low. Before he walked out of my sight, he stopped at the doorway, barely lifting his head to look at me. Frustration was written all over his face. I couldn’t handle seeing him in such misery any longer. I wanted to hug him, to comfort him, but mostly I wanted to talk to him, to get him to let me inside so I could maybe help him. He needed to tell me what was going on.

  “Jaxon, are you okay?” I asked, honestly concerned. “You can talk to me, you know. I promise I’m not asking because I’m curious either. I’m asking because I care.” I wanted to walk over to him and hug him, but I’d learned he could be an odd character at times, so I didn’t want to force any unwanted affection on him. The way he reacted in the bathroom at the chalet was still fresh in my mind.

  He cocked his head up, looking at me with a forced smile. “I’m good, don’t worry about me. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” He shoved his hands in his pockets looking like a man who’d been defeated. “I… umm… I’m gonna go… so… you can get settled. I’ll be next door in my room… uh… yeah.” He hastily disappeared around the corner. I heard his door close quickly after. Just like that. He cut me off short, just like he had before, never wanting to reveal any more than what he wanted to give.

  Standing there in the middle of the room, I was running through the day’s events in my mind. My first day here was already turning out to be a disappointing one. I didn’t come this far to spend a week with Debbie Downer. Not meaning to sound insensitive, but I’d had enough sorrow of my own to deal with. I didn’t need any more negativity in my life at this point. This was supposed to be a vacation for me, a time to have fun, to live life to the fullest. I could be someone else here. I could do whatever I wanted without a watchful eye lurking about. I could tap into my inner goddess and invite her to come out and play for a little while, like for a week. I could…