by Lucia Franco
"You're so thoughtful and caring. I don’t have an appointment set up, but I will when I get there. I already know who I'm going to call. It won't be an issue for me to get in."
And it wouldn't. My dad would make the call for me.
I patted Hayden's arm. "I need to get going. I have about a three-hour drive ahead of me."
He gave me one last squeeze and said, "I'll miss you." Releasing me, he bent down and grabbed the small suitcase I was bringing home. We turned off all the lights and left my condo.
As I was locking the door, Hayden shifted from one foot to the other.
"What is it?" I asked, pulling the key out.
"Is this considered the walk of shame?" He looked down at his clothes, then met my gaze. "I mean, I am wearing the clothes I came in, and I slept with you."
A smile spread across my face and a laugh escaped from me as I shook my head.
"I'm pretty sure the walk of shame is supposed to include more than just sleeping next to me."
We walked side by side to the elevator. "True, but I had a boner when I woke up," he said so casually, pressing the button to take us to the lobby.
I burst out laughing, not expecting that. "Did you just say boner? Who says that anymore?"
Hayden shrugged. "Woody. Hard-on. Erection. A stiffy. Full salute. Morning glory. Pitch a tent. Throbbing member. Which would you prefer?"
My eyes widened and I laughed harder as he rattled off more nicknames. "I guess if I had to pick, boner would be the best choice. Do people really say morning glory?"
"I don't know, Aid. I don't talk about boner names with my friends," he said, flashing me a wry smile.
"Yeah, I guess that would be weird."
Stepping outside, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, considering it poured yesterday. For a December morning in Florida, it was breezy with a slight bite in the air. Goose bumps broke out over my skin as we made our way to my truck.
I opened my door and Hayden dropped my luggage into the back seat. He turned toward me and pulled me into a bear hug. His head dropped to the curve of my neck and I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around him. He lifted me up and hugged me tightly, and without thinking, I wound my legs around his waist and locked my ankles together.
"You're so light," he mumbled against my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut at the familiarity of those words. Kova had once said that when he held me.
Lowering me to the ground, Hayden kept me close as he looked down at me. His eyes crinkled around the corners and the intensity of his troubled gaze locked on to mine. He was worried.
"Are you okay?" I asked. "I did dump a pile of shit onto your lap last night that would take years of psychotherapy to sort and process." Even then, I wasn't sure if he'd ever see it through my eyes.
Hayden pressed his lips together and stared at me. He took hold of my side ponytail and curled it gently around his knuckles before letting it fall to my chest.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"
"I think you've asked me enough."
I repeated my question. He sighed and looked above my head.
"Not really."
My heart dropped. I had a gut feeling it was too much to take in. No human with morals and dignity would be able to swallow something the size of a horse pill and act like it was nothing. Not even the vodka had helped.
The guilt began to eat at me. I knew I shouldn't have told him everything. He wasn't Avery.
"I'm so sorry you're involved in this mess."
"It’s done. I'll learn to deal with it, even though I don't like it, so long as you promise me not to sleep with him again."
"I'm fairly certain that won’t ever happen."
He looked down and his eyes narrowed. "Not fairly certain, Aid. I need you to be one hundred and fifty percent certain."
I gulped down the lump in my throat. "I'll be okay." It was all I could muster. I couldn’t promise anything. The side of his mouth tugged up and he glanced away.
"Be careful. Text me when you get home?"
I nodded. Hayden gave me one more bear hug, then pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek before he released me.
"Thanks for everything. I'm not sure how I would've made it this far without you."
"I'll always be here for you." I smiled in appreciation. "See ya later. Drive safe."
My stomach twisted into a giant slipknot as I watched him walk away. I didn't need to ask the question I was about to because I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I still did to be sure. It was a girl thing.
"Hayden?" I chewed my lip. He stopped walking and glanced over his shoulder.
I'd shed a layer of skin when I came clean last night. I had divulged my deepest, darkest secrets to him in a risky move. I’d kept nothing from Hayden, I had told him everything. No one knew exactly what I'd been through since moving to Cape Coral, and I planned to keep it that way. While I trusted Hayden, I had to be sure.
"Don't worry," he said, easing my fear. He'd read the look on my face. "Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell a soul. I promise."
My eyes searched his. I found nothing but genuine sincerity. I released a ragged breath, the panic subsiding. He nodded and turned around and continued to his car.
I couldn't find it in me to smile. To find relief. Not when he walked away carrying the weight of my secret on his shoulders.
Chapter Eight
I drove for over two hours listening to depressing songs as I made my way across the state of Florida. I'd called Avery numerous times to let her know I would be home early, but she never answered. She was my absolute best friend in the entire world and I wanted to spill every little detail. But after Hayden's reaction, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't petrified to tell her.
Exiting I-95, I headed east and drove for a few minutes until I reached one of two long and narrow bridges that sat parallel to each other. Growing up, I'd been terrible with directions. My dad always said, "The beach is east, Ana," which made it easy for me to learn navigation.
I crossed on to the island and rolled down my window to breathe in the salty air. Lavish cars lined the streets. Porches, Mercedes, BMWs, and Ferraris were the choice of cars driven here along with Lamborghinis. People of all ages strutted the sidewalks, their arms heavy with posh named bags. Every single person dressed to the nines, scarves donned their necks to protect them from the seventy-degree chilly weather. Noses held high in the air, an aura of money surrounded the uppity, entitled people of Palm Beach Island.
My smile faded. That was the one thing about being on the West Coast of Florida I really enjoyed. I never got the sense of privilege over there as I did here.
Thick garland swooped from store to store, red and gold fat bulbs arranged on wreaths topped with giant red bows. Trees expertly wrapped with white lights—never the gaudy colored ones—and leafy palms garbed with green lights. Christmas decorations were everywhere and the holiday spirit was all around. I had to give it to the town, it was a winter wonderland and looked stunning at night.
Veering on to North Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach Island was small, and it was only a matter of minutes as I drew closer to Avery's house, a large Mediterranean villa home like mine. Her car was vacant from the pebbled driveway where she always parked. I knew school was out for the winter break, but seeing as it was the weekend, I had no idea where she could be since she still hadn't answered her cell phone.
I continued past her house and flipped on my blinker and turned left, pulling into the long winding driveway of my home. The lush lawn, a manicured vibrant green, with two inclined palm trees lined the sides of the purposely weathered front door. I smiled as I parked my Escalade and glanced around, appreciating my home.
Walking toward the side door I'd used since childhood, I caught a glimpse of a BMW. It wasn't abnormal to see this kind of luxury car in my parents' driveway, but what caused me to stop were the jet black twenty-two inch rims that looked awfully familiar.
I strained my neck to see if there were necklaces hanging
from the rearview mirror. The windows were pitch black, I couldn't see in unless I peered through the windshield. If there were—
There were, which left me even more stumped. Blue and orange beaded necklaces hung from the rearview mirror, the colors of the college she dreamed of attending.
I wracked my brain trying to figure out why Avery was here when she refused all my calls in the first place. She couldn't have known I was coming home.
The scent of the black currant and vanilla fusion candles Mom was obsessed with crashed into me as I pulled open the door. My eyes popped from the aromatherapy that promised relaxation. Designed in mind to soothe, all it did was give me an instant headache. I'd forgotten how strong this aroma was. This time she'd gone a little overboard.
"Dad? Mom? I'm home!"
Noise from every corner of the house caught my attention, but it was the familiar click-clacking of Louboutin heels that turned my head in the other direction.
Mom walked under the arched foyer looking as radiant as ever. She had her face painted on and not a hair out of place. Dressed to impress. Our eyes met, and the corner of my lips hesitated to pull up.
"Ana!" she exclaimed with her arms open. With Mom wearing heels, it put her just under six feet, so she had to bend down to hug me. Despite the many differences between us—and not just in looks, but also our views on life—she was still my mom and I loved seeing her.
"It's so good to see you, honey!" Her Chanel perfume engulfed me and I wrinkled my nose, too many smells going on. She placed her hands on my upper arms and my stomach tightened. I prepared myself for what would come next, yet I couldn't stop the hammering of my heart.
Mom's shrewd eyes moved down the length of my body. I held my breath. "Aside from your arms and shoulders starting to resemble your brother’s, you look absolutely amazing. So skinny!" A backhanded compliment. I'd take it. "But those clothes…" She clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Oh, Adrianna. You know how much I hate that style, but you look like you're positively glowing."
I bounced on the balls of my feet. "Thanks, Mom. I missed you."
Her sparkling blue eyes softened. "I missed you too. It's so good to have you home."
"Is that my daughter I hear?"
I turned around at the sound of Dad’s baritone voice rebounding down the foyer. He strolled toward us at a leisurely rate. A crystal tumbler filled with an amber color liquid clutched in one hand, and a delighted smile across his seasoned face.
"Dad!"
Dad placed his glass down on the counter and Mom hissed behind me. The table was Purple Heart and considered one of the most expensive woods in the world. Found in the tropical rainforests of South Africa, when cut, it swiftly went from dark brown to a deep, rich purple. It was my mom's favorite piece of furniture in the house and she made sure to keep it in the welcoming room for all to see. She adorned it with a monstrous vase of pure white exotic flowers.
"Sweetheart."
I met my dad halfway and threw my arms around his shoulders, jumping into his hug. He lifted me up and my knees bent behind me. He squeezed me tight and I feigned lack of air.
"Dad… Dad." I tapped his shoulder. "I can't breathe."
"You can breathe just fine, don't exaggerate. Let me hug my only daughter another minute or so."
I smiled into his neck, but he really was starting to suffocate me.
Placing me back on my feet, he beamed down at me. "I wasn't expecting you home so soon. Last I spoke to Konstantin, I figured another few days before you came back."
I bit the inside of my cheek. "Well, some things changed at the last minute, so I was able to come home early."
"Speaking of Konstantin…" Mom said, picking up the glass and handing it to Dad. She eyed the table for a wet ring. "He called a few days ago about the meet you're no longer competing in. We lost a few hundred dollars on that. He said something about you not being ready. After all that time away to train, Ana, you're still not in tip-top shape?"
Dad slanted his head to the side. His inquisitive eyes caused deep creases to form between his brows. "Konstantin didn't mention anything like that to me when we last spoke. In fact, he seemed very pleased with your progress. Now that I think about it, he was raving about you."
Pleased with my progress? Raving about me? No way. Kova had to be lying, or Dad was trying to protect me. In the past year that I'd been at World Cup, not once did he wear a smile around me, let alone show that he was pleased during practice. Either it was his way of giving me constructive criticism, or he was lying to my parents.
I twisted my fingers together, hot heat spread to my ears. "Well, Coach and I spoke about it, and he felt that I should wait just a little longer. Given my Achilles strain, and changing up my routines, he wants to be one hundred and ten percent sure I'm solid. That way I start off competition season with a bang and make a name for myself. I really need to make it count." I put a lot of weight into my words, hoping they picked up the importance of them. "Let's just say Coach is a little obsessive compulsive. He doesn't like to lose. He wants to make sure that when I go in, not a finger is out of place and I come out on top. While I can appreciate his attention to detail, sometimes it gets annoying."
Dad nodded his head as if he knew what I was talking about. "He still has that trait about him? Not surprised." He laughed under his breath and my shoulders loosened. "The couple of times we did house flipping, or when he bought property, he was particular about every little thing. He'd walked around and slowly inspected every square inch of the property. As a businessman"—he placed his hand over his heart—"his keen eye was welcoming. He picked out things I hadn't noticed. I once tried to bring him on to my company, but he refused."
"You did? I don't recall that."
I looked at Mom, bemused by her constipated looking face and narrowed eyes, she didn’t like being kept out of the loop.
"This was many years ago, darling. Ana was just a young child."
She plastered on what I knew was a fake smile—her social event smile. The one she taught me. "Well, things worked out how they're supposed to, right, Frank?"
"Yes, darling."
Mom clapped her hands together. "I have a meeting I need to get to. This year we're doing a silent auction to help benefit the people of Zimbabwe. We're trying to raise enough money so everyone can have mosquito repellent tents to sleep under. Next week we have a gala at the Four Seasons. All donations will go to the Children's Hospital in Boston. I trust that you will be there, Ana?" She dragged her critical eyes down my body for the second time today. "Appropriately dressed? Yes?" She nodded with her statement and walked away. "Oh, Avery is here somewhere," Mom said, before exiting the room.
"Avery is here?" I asked my dad.
He shrugged his shoulders. "She comes and goes from time to time."
I stared, thoroughly stumped. "You mean she comes and goes with her brothers?"
"Couldn't tell you. I don’t pay much attention." He swirled his glass and then took a sip. "It's good to see you, but I have to get back to work. See you for dinner, sweetie. I have a business call, then I'm flying out late tonight on a red-eye."
My face fell. I should've expected this, but I'd been gone for so many months that I assumed he'd take time off to see me.
"You're leaving? But I just got home."
"I'm off to Colorado for a few days. It won't be a long trip."
"With Michael?"
Michael Heron was his business partner and Avery's dad. They usually traveled together.
"Not this time. I'm meeting a potential new client." His eyes lit up as he raised his half-empty glass of alcohol, like he had tricks up his sleeve to win this client over. I sighed. He either traveled for a potential client, or to close a deal, which meant he was always gone. Money was his biggest motivator.
Dad dropped a kiss to the top of my head, then turned and made his way back to his office.
Pulling my cell phone from my back pocket, I checked my notifications. Still nothing from Avery yet h
er car was outside. She and Xavier fought like siblings. I couldn't imagine she'd be at my brother's pool house…unless her twin brothers were there and she was with them.
Curious, I walked through the kitchen to look out a window. Overgrown tropical plants edged the backyard, blocking the view of the pool house my brother had moved into after he graduated high school. It was like his own little hidden bungalow. Sliding open the glass door, I stepped outside and walked past the pool and under the archway that lead to one of two impressive guest houses on our property.
A string of high-pitched, fiery profanity carried through the air. I stopped walking and crouched behind the nearest pillar. Peeking through an abundance of plants, I caught a flash of blond hair that dashed behind the leafy palms.
Avery?
A door opened and then slammed shut. Multiple footsteps pounded on the pavers. I stood up to get a better view and spotted Xavier.
"Get back here," he growled, storming after her. He was shirtless and in a pair of jeans that sat low on his waist. I was close enough I could hear what they were saying and luckily small enough to hide behind a stone column to watch.
I hadn't seen my brother in months, but there was a noticeable difference in his appearance. He had to be hitting the gym. He was much more muscular and way leaner than I remembered. He filled out and was in the best shape I'd ever seen him in.
"Avery!" Xavier roared. He had a black eye and a dried up cut on his lip. "I'm calling your name. I know you can hear me!"
"The dead can hear you," she snapped over her shoulder. "Go fuck yourself, you conceited bastard."
His eyes flared to life. Xavier reached out and yanked Avery by her elbow. He spun her around and she fell into him with a huff. He had her pinned against his bare chest, one hand on the back of her neck, the other on the small of her back. Xavier took after both my parents and got the tall genes of the family. He towered over Avery, she had to crane her neck to look up at him.
