by Frankie Love
The next morning Courtney, Willow, and I boarded the private ferry to take us back to my car. The three of us seemed to be equally blissed out. I knew why Willow was; she’d come back late last night, after Courtney and I were already in bed, but I woke as she cracked open the cabin door.
She had given me a thumbs up, then covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing loudly and waking Court. She’d slipped into the bathroom and I’d fallen back asleep, happy that she had found a way to explore her wild side this weekend, too.
Fishing for information, I asked Court what she was so happy about.
“I just had an amazing weekend,” she said, not giving anything away.
I knew that was her style, and I didn’t press. But I could read between the lines of her blushing cheeks—and Liam’s story—to infer what she had done.
The Kyle lookalike must have eased her out of her shell.
“Oh, good—I kind of thought you might be annoyed Callie and I were MIA so much,” Willow said, winking at me as she pulled down her beanie. I might have gossiped a bit while Courtney showered that morning.
“Did you have a nice massage?” Courtney asked. “I mean, two in one day—that’s kind of insane.”
“Actually,” I began, a smile spreading across my face. “I sort of met someone.”
Willow’s Story
Chapter Fifteen
Waiting in the empty general store, I looked at the stacks of sweatshirts emblazoned with Eagle Cove, the resort’s name. I’d been dying to come here for months, ever since my co-worker Jenn visited the previous spring.
When Callie’s boyfriend broke up with her, and Courtney announced a weekend off from her magazine internship, I jumped at the chance to come with my two best friends.
Today, the air felt unseasonably cold. Needles had fallen from the evergreen trees covering the island, and I wore leggings under my Free People skirt to keep warm.
Jenn had come here on a kayaking trip, but I preferred hiking. Looking out the window, I saw an eagle swoop to a giant nest high in the tree. I smiled, knowing I didn’t need to get in a kayak to enjoy nature. There was plenty here on dry land.
“Shit,” yelled a voice from behind a rack of coffee cups, as one crashed to the floor.
I didn’t know anyone was in the store with me, so I jumped as the ceramic shards skittered across the wood floor. “You scared me,” I said as a guy stood, revealing himself.
“Sorry, I totally dropped that. Obviously.” He gave me a dimpled smile as I walked toward him. I instantly identified him as a lookalike to the guy Courtney had been majorly crushing on at her work.
“Do you think anyone works here?” I asked, looking around the still-empty general store.
“Someone does. I was in here earlier buying beer.”
“I guess I scared them away,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“I’m sure that’s it,” he said, laughing. He walked to the counter and called for help. “Anyone here?”
When no one answered we laughed again, and I momentarily considered stepping behind the counter and looking for a broom myself. That’s what I would have done at the coffee shop where I worked: step in and offer a hand.
But before I could grab a dustpan, a woman my age opened the door of a back room, wafts of smoke trailing her. She hadn’t taken a regular smoke break; she was getting high. I smiled, realizing exactly why my co-worker Jenn liked this place.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“I broke a cup,” the dimpled guy said. “A total accident. My bad.”
“No worries,” she said. She grabbed the broom and began sweeping. “Happens all the time.”
“Can I pay for the damages?”
“No way, man, it’s all good.” The cashier emptied the dustpan into the garbage can, then put the broom away.
“Thanks, and sorry again.” The guy gave me a little wave and said goodbye.
I couldn’t help but appreciate their laid-back demeanor. I needed more of that in my life, considering I’d just spent five hours traveling with Courtney and Callie.
To be fair, Courtney had been fine, as always. She had focus and drive, but not much got her revved up and out of her shell.
Callie, on the other hand, had been a complete nightmare the moment we got on the interstate.
If she mentioned me getting a “real job” one more time I might claw her eyes out. Apparently, since I was working as a barista I was wasting my talent.
Which was a familiar refrain considering I’d been hearing the same thing from my parents since we’d graduated college in June. Just because my job didn’t offer health insurance or a retirement plan didn’t mean I was flake. It meant I was twenty-two and just beginning to figure a few things out.
BFFs and all that jazz, sure, but Callie needed to stop being such a control freak. And even if I did agree with about fifty percent of what she said, there was no way I was going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that.
“So, how can I help you?” the cashier asked, covering a yawn.
See? I thought. This girl gets to hang out at an island oasis and smoke pot on the clock. Maybe my barista gig in the city was too stifling; if I really wanted to feel free, maybe I needed to get off the grid.
It wasn’t the first time I’d wondered this sort of thing. I was sick of living in the city. My skin was anxious for something different.
“I wanted to sign up for a hike,” I explained. “Are there any scheduled this weekend?”
“Yes, I know for a fact there are. A few guys just signed up. Hmmm, let me find the sheet.” She moved through a pile of clipboards until she found the one she wanted. “Here you go,” she said, handing it to me. “The hike is tomorrow at ten. This one is pretty substantial; it’s a six-mile route.”
“That’s fantastic,” I said happily. I loved hiking when I wasn’t scheduled to work at Cuppa Joe. “Is it a guided hike?”
“We don’t have guided ones; instead, we try and get people to sign up together. Safety in numbers. But we provide maps, and laminated pages listing the flora and fauna.”
“Sounds good.” I wrote my name down quickly.
“So just meet here tomorrow at ten, and pack your own food and camera, of course,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling.
As I handed her back the clipboard, I noticed a sign posted to the corkboard next to the cash register: Full-Time Housekeeper Needed: Apply Within. I couldn’t help but wonder if it would get boring up here year round. Not thinking any more of it, I left the general store to meet my friends back in the lobby.
My skirt fluttered as I moved toward them, and I could tell Callie and Courtney had been bickering. Callie had taken her break-up hard, but she needed to turn it down about three notches.
“What took you so long?” Callie asked.
“There was the hottest guy in the store and I couldn’t help flirting.” I reverted to my go-to conversation tactic. Discuss cute guys to deflect attention from the fact that I have no clue what the hell I am doing with my life. Five months out of college, and already life seemed less than fulfilling.
“How hot?” Courtney asked, which was endearing. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages, but she was still always willing to discuss potentials.
“Like hotter-than-Kyle-at-work hot,” I said, knowing her sweet spot.
“I am so over guys,” Callie whined, once again bringing down the energy level. “I don’t want to be around any this weekend without a ten-foot pole.”
“God, you are seriously depressing, Callie. I’m totally planning on getting laid this weekend,” I said sarcastically.
In all honesty, I hadn’t been with anyone in months. The guys in the city were so redundant. Everyone was a hipster wannabe or a football fanatic. Where were the chill, non-pretentious guys who were just up for a good time?
I had made a vow not to sleep with anyone I’d be embarrassed to stand next to in public. A good rule of thumb, in general. But it also made
Friday nights pretty lonely.
“No surprise there,” Callie shot back.
“Oh, screw you, Callie,” I said, standing up for myself. “This is supposed to be a fun getaway, not a break-up bitchfest.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guy from the general store. “Oh, and you guys,” I said, lowering my voice. “That’s the guy.”
He walked through with a group of three guy friends. Immediately my eyes lingered on two of his friends in particular. They were both tall—taller than me, which really meant something, considering I was five feet, ten inches. One had wavy brown hair poking from the edges of a beanie and bright green eyes. His face looked clean, fresh, bright. He looked, in a word, alive.
The other one had the sleeves of his flannel shirt rolled up, revealing tattoos inked over his forearms. He had a beard and gauges in his ears, and looked rough and the sort of dirty I liked. The total opposite of the guy next to him, but they were clearly friends, laughing at a joke as they passed us.
“They’re all so hot,” Courtney said under her breath, echoing what I was thinking.
“We should go talk to them,” I said, actually really wanting to. They looked like the kind of guys who could shake things up for me.
“Yeah, right,” Callie snorted. “I’m not interested and Courtney would never make a move.”
“Fine,” I said as the guys walked out of the lobby.
The one with tattoos turned before he stepped outside. For a second I could have sworn he was looking at me, and then the bright-eyed guy looked my way. I flashed them both unabashed smiles. Even if my friends were shy or sticks in the mud, I could have fun.
“Anyone ready to get to our cabin?” I asked.
“Yes please!” Courtney answered with a little too much force, stepping between Callie and me.
“Okay, here you go, Court,” I said, handing her the keys, my eyes on the backsides of the guys who’d just walked away.
I wished I could go with them.
Chapter Sixteen
We settled into our space with the casualness of friends who are close. Once we’d changed into comfy clothes and our beds were claimed, Callie poured us glasses of Merlot.
Raising a glass, she offered a toast.
I got that she was attempting to make amends, and I let her. I wasn’t interested in starting some feud over her persistence about 401Ks and my refusal to admit that I was floundering as badly as she suspected.
“It’s all good, Callie,” I said, as she gave my shoulders a squeeze.
“I know, it’s just Courtney pointed out that I was pretty much a total bitch in the car today. I’m a control freak, and … I don’t know, maybe it affects the people I love more than I want to admit.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over Blaine,” I insisted. “He was a douchebag and a money grabber, and he would have kept taking advantage of you.”
“Except he got tired of me first,” she said, her bottom lip pouting.
“Okay, sure he broke up with you, but it’s not about you. It’s about him.” I believed that. Blaine had been a total ass-hat. I was glad he’d broken up with her, because she needed a real man.
As did I.
Well, not necessarily a real man so much as a night of passion—something that would create a spark. Something to make me to get excited about life again. Life, or love—or both.
We shared two bottles of Merlot over dinner. The deep red wine took the edge off the group dynamics.
I had met Courtney in college when we were in a class together, and she had introduced me to Callie. But things between us had changed since we graduated college, and the stress of real life had affected us a bit differently.
“What are you doing?” Callie asked, as she popped open a third bottle.
“I wanted to check out the sauna,” Courtney said, not extending an invite.
“Well, I want to stay here and get shitfaced; do you mind if I stay back?” I asked.
“No, no, not at all. I actually wouldn’t mind some down time,” Court said, holding up a black bikini in one hand and a neon pink one-piece in the other. “Which one you think?”
“Umm, the sauna and tubs are clothing optional,” I said, cracking a smile.
“Well, yeah, I read that online, but I’m wearing a swimsuit.”
“Okay,” I answered slowly.
“What, is that weird or something?” Court pursed her lips, looking uncomfortable.
“No, I just don’t think anyone wears them. If you insist, I’d go with the two piece. Stop hiding your curves.”
“Definitely the two piece,” Callie chimed in. “You’re in the best shape of your life.”
“Okay, I’ll just change then. Carry on,” she said, waving her hands toward our wine glasses and slipping in the bathroom.
A little while later Courtney left, and Callie began cleaning the kitchen. Sleepiness crept up on me fast, and I stifled a yawn.
“Do you mind if I take a bath?” Callie asked.
“No,” I said with my eyes half-closed.
“Get in bed, sleepy head,” she told me. “And thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being a friend, even when I make that hard.”
“Anytime, Mom.”
“Don’t say that,” she said, grabbing her toiletries bag. “I want to loosen up. I just don’t know how.”
“Do you ever watch porn? That loosens me up plenty,” I said, jokingly. I’d never had a real interest in watching videos. I wanted the real thing. Something visceral. Something alive, or nothing at all.
“Oh, shut up,” she yelled playfully as she shut the bathroom door.
“You know I love you,” I shouted, before crashing into bed.
I woke up in a pitch-dark cabin to the sound of my two friends snoring away. Looking at my phone, I saw it was two in the morning. Sitting up, I scrolled through my phone quickly before setting it back down. It was worthless here without Wi-Fi or 4G.
Knowing I wouldn’t fall back asleep, I quietly slipped on my booties and wrapped a chunky orange scarf around my neck. I pulled on an oversized, loose-knit cardigan that hit my knees.
Going into the kitchen, I poured a few inches of whiskey in a ceramic mug and headed outside, knowing the amber liquid would keep me warm.
The night air was cool, and as I walked toward the water’s edge my breath caught at the swollen moon hanging above me. It reflected over the still, dark water and lit the shore with its magic.
I had always been wooed by the moon, by the constant changing she underwent each month. Yet she always came back to where she started. She was grounded in her cycle, yet fluid in her daily transformation.
I wanted to be more like her.
I wanted to be a consistent chaos, a steadily shifting enigma. I wanted to be something I couldn’t quite figure out.
Walking to the edge of the water, I sipped my smooth beverage, inhaling the smell of the salty sea.
“Hey,” a voice called out.
I jumped, startled for the second time today when I thought I was alone.
Turning, I saw the bright-faced guy from the lobby sitting on a log. He had a welcoming smile, and my eyes lifted, taking in the coincidence.
Maybe I’d woken up for a reason, after all.
“Wanna sit?” he asked, patting the spot next to him.
“Yeah,” I said, sitting down. “I’m Willow.”
“I’m Ashton,” he said, offering me his hand to shake. “What are you doing out so late?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” I sighed, touching my hair, wishing I’d tucked the tangled mess of black locks under the safety of a beanie.
“Yeah, me either.”
His hand rested next to mine on the log, and I instinctively wanted to reach for it. I wanted to hold him close. He was a stranger, but the night felt special.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
I laughed, caught off guard by his direct approach. “Thanks?”
“You really are. Sorry if sayi
ng that is weird, but I saw you in the lobby earlier, and couldn’t stop talking to my friends about how gorgeous you were.”
“Well, thank you. I actually thought the same thing about you,” I admitted. I didn’t tell him I had also thought a few more things about him. Namely where he could put his hands.
“Oh, you told your friends I was beautiful?”
“Oh, no. I didn’t tell my friends anything.” I blushed under his stare. His eyes were intoxicating.
“So you want to keep this a secret?”
“What a secret?” I whispered.
“This.” His hands held my cheeks, his fingers brushed against my ears, and then he kissed my lips.
It was so unexpected, such a lovely surprise, that I exhaled, knowing it sounded more like a moan. But I didn’t care. His mouth was soft and firm, his hands wrapped around the back of my head as he steadied me. I sank into the moment.
His tongue found mine and we gently explored the sensation of the collision. It was earnest and intoxicating. Warmth spread through me as we pulled away to catch our breath. He leaned in again, for a small kiss. Then again, and again, as if he couldn’t help himself.
He was confident in a humble way, not desperate and grabby like other guys.
Leaning into him, I let him know that I wanted this to happen. There was a playful quality to our kisses and when his hands found their way under my sweater, and then inched up the hem of my cami, I let his fingers tickle my skin.
A small giggle escaped my lips and I pulled back for a moment, surprised at how quickly my skin warmed up to him, the heat inside rising.
“Come here,” he whispered, pulling me closer. He was straddling the log now, but I wanted to straddle him. I wrapped my hands around his neck and scooted closer. He lifted my ass so I sat on his thighs.
I felt his hard cock under me, and it got me excited. Ashton moved his hands under my shirt, and I encouraged him by bringing his hands around to my breasts. He caressed them as I shimmied against his hardness, imagining our clothes off and me riding him properly.
