Simple Beginnings

by Janelle Stalder

  When I came back up, I let myself float on my back for a second, looking up at the cloudless sky. Why had I stopped coming here for so long? I knew the answer to that, but it seemed silly now. Except this place just hadn’t felt the same without her. Too quiet. Too empty. Maybe the only reason I was enjoying it so much now was simply because she was here with me again.

  Righting myself, I tread water, looking over to the shore to see what was taking her so long. She’d just shimmied out of her shorts to reveal what she’d put on underneath at some point. I’d never been so thankful to be emerged in water as I was at that moment.

  Dear God, the woman was trying to kill me.

  Smooth skin mocked me against the bright red of her tiny bikini that seemed to fit her like a glove. It left little to the imagination for the parts it was covering, and yet my imagination was going wild with thoughts of removing the irksome remaining pieces. Her body was even more gorgeous than I had thought. She wasn’t super skinny, nor did she have a stomach sculpted with abs. No, she was all soft curves and rounded hips.

  I swallowed awkwardly before dunking my head under the water again just to cool off. Not that I thought it would really help. By the time I came up for air, she’d made her way to the rope and was getting ready to swing in. I suddenly had an urge to call out for her to be careful, not wanting anything bad to happen to a body like hers. Ridiculous, I know.

  She squealed, splashing me as she landed close by. When she came up, she was smiling in a way that told me she’d done it on purpose.

  “A little devil in red,” I said, wiping the water from my eyes.

  She giggled. “Why, Gage, I do believe you’re looking a little flush,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

  I raised both eyebrows, unable to stop myself from smiling at her teasing. “Who me? Nah.”

  She laughed, swimming away from me and dipping her head back into the water. “This was such a good idea,” she said after a moment.

  I glanced down her neck, suddenly extremely jealous of the droplets of water running slowly down her skin. This was a damn good idea, I thought. My silence caused her to look over questioningly. I don’t know what my face looked like, but whatever it was it made a blush spread out over her cheeks. I cleared my throat looking up at the sky again as I floated onto my back.

  “Yeah, I’m usually full of those,” I said finally.

  “You’re full of something,” she murmured making me laugh and breaking whatever tension had built between us.

  I spotted him as we drove back toward the house. Ella was using the towel she’d brought to dry off the ends of her hair, but I knew from the way her body straightened that she saw him too. Slowing, I rolled down the window, stopping just beside the porch.

  “I hope you weren’t planning on leaving with that girl again without coming in to say hi,” Dad said, giving me his stern eye.

  “Well, yeah, kinda,” I admitted.

  He shook his head. “Shame on you boy. Bring that little thing inside. I just made some iced tea.” And then he turned and went through the door, the screen banging loudly behind him.

  I looked over at her with a sigh, relieved to see her lips twitching into a smile. “I apologize ahead of time.”

  “For what?” she said, letting the smile take form.

  “For whatever is going to come out of my dad’s mouth, and for his iced tea.”

  As soon as we stepped through the front door I knew my dad had tried to “tidy” up. It made me want to laugh. It wasn’t often that Dad cared what anyone else thought. We walked through to the kitchen where he was getting cups out of the cupboard.

  “Little Miss. Ella Page,” he said with a smile. “It’s been too long, darling. Come on over here.”

  Ella didn’t miss a beat, walking right over to dad and into the big embrace he had waiting for her. I rubbed at my chest absently, watching them.

  "Where have you been, little girl? We've missed you around here."

  They pulled apart but Dad kept her close by clasping onto her shoulder. My parents always loved Ella. Seeing the two of them together was bittersweet. It was nice having her in our home again, with my family. But the absence of my mom was hitting me harder seeing Ella with just Dad.

  "I've been around," she replied hesitantly. "We moved a couple of hours away so we didn't really come up this way a lot."

  That was a lie. I knew she'd still visited her grandma, we just hadn't been here, and when we were she'd never made an effort to visit.

  "Well, you're here now," Dad said with a smile, finally releasing her. "I'll tell you what, Gage there could have definitely used you around these past years. I bet you could have kept my youngest in line."

  I glared at him, schooling my features just in time as Ella glanced back at me.

  "Oh I don’t know about that," she said, giving me a doubtful look.

  I winked at her, leaning forward as I braced my arms on the counter. Her eyes trailed down the lines of my arms, a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

  “I’m with Dad on this one,” Chris said, entering the room and tearing away her attention. I wanted to smack him. “Look at you, little Ella,” he said, walking up to her and instantly enveloping her in a bear hug. I heard her squeak as he squeezed.

  “Don’t break her,” I said.

  Chris just laughed, looking down at her. “You sure grew up,” he said. “Well, maybe not too up.” He patted her head, which only reached to just below his collarbone.

  She smiled, her eyes taking him in like they always did, even when we were younger. Not that she’d ever admit it, but I knew Ella had always found my eldest brother attractive. Most girls did. It made it worse that he was such a nice guy. I wasn’t even sure he realized how easily he could get the girls around here.

  “How have you been?” he asked.

  “Good, thanks,” she said, her voice slightly lower, shier than it had been before.

  Chris finally looked over at me, grinning. “It’s nice to see you two rug rats together again. Place has been boring without your shenanigans.”

  I scoffed. “We’re nineteen, Chris, not eight. We don’t cause shenanigans.”

  “Uh huh,” he said with a laugh, walking toward the fridge, his head disappearing in it as soon as the door was open. “Keep telling yourself that. The only difference now is the type of trouble you’re going to find yourselves in.” When he stepped back he shot me a wink.

  I opened my mouth to say we’re just friends, but I didn’t want to embarrass Ella any more than she obviously already was, if her red cheeks said anything.

  “Ella’s here!” Cam barreled into the room the way he always seemed to do. I doubted he could ever enter a place without calling everyone’s attention to him.

  “Keep it down, son,” Dad scolded.

  Cam locked his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. His fingertips toyed with the ends of her wet hair. “Swimming again?” he said, eyebrows raised. I knew he was picturing what she’d looked like the last time, and for that I wanted to pummel him. Thankfully he didn’t know just how much better the view today had been. Thank God. If Cam had seen Ella in her bikini I never would have heard the end of it.

  “It’s pretty hot out there,” she replied, fidgeting under the weight of my brother’s arm.

  “I bet it is,” he said with a smirk.

  “You boys better stop teasing that girl. You’re still young enough for me to whoop your asses,” Dad said, brows pulled together in a frown.

  Chris and Cam both laughed.

  “You’d have to catch us first, Dad,” Chris said.

  “Yeah, and we all know that will never happen,” Cam added, his arm still around Ella. “So, Little Ella, are you coming to the party tonight? Friday nights are the only nights I actually get to hang out with my little brother. It would be a heck of a lot more fun if you were there too though.”

  “Uh …” she trailed off, looking to me. I didn’t know what to say. Obviously I wanted her to come o
ut, I was just afraid that some of the other guys would do something to piss me off when it came to her. It was pretty hard to maintain a strictly friends relationship when you’re beating in the heads of any guy that looks her way. I could see from the way she bit at her bottom lip, her eyes growing disappointed, that she thought I just didn’t want her there. What was I supposed to say? Especially with my entire family standing around watching us.

  “I’m not really sure yet,” she finally said, looking away from me. I felt like such an ass.

  “Well you think about it,” Cam said, stepping back. “I’m sure everyone,” he said pointedly, looking toward me, “would love to see you there. You should come with Jaiden, I’m sure she’ll be coming.”

  “I’ll see,” she replied, non-committedly.

  “We should probably be heading back,” I said, changing subjects. “We don’t want Nan getting mad at us for taking too long.”

  Chris, my Dad, and Cam all blanched at the thought. No one liked Nan’s anger. She was a force to be reckoned with.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Ella said. I hated that she seemed sadder now than she had before we came in here. Why couldn’t I just tell her to come tonight? Was I really so selfish. I thought back to her in that bikini and knew the answer was a definitive yes, yes I was that selfish. And that made me a complete bastard. “It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Hunter,” she said, giving him a small wave goodbye.

  “See you later, Ella,” Cam said loudly as we walked back down the hall to the front door.

  “Bye, Ella!” Chris called out just as the screen slammed shut.

  “Sorry about that,” I said, stopping at the top step of the porch, rubbing the back of my neck.

  She smiled, the gesture not reaching her eyes. “No need to apologize, I’m used to your family by now.”

  I laughed softly. “Yeah, I guess you are.”

  She started down the steps, hitting the broken one. I could see her falling as if it were in slow motion. Moving as quickly as I could, I reached out to stop her from tumbling down the entire thing. My arms wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her back sharply so that she was firmly held against me. Her hands gripped my biceps as we both took a moment. Her laugh vibrated through my entire body, her chest pressed against mine.

  I looked down, brushing her hair off her face. “Shit, Ells, are you okay? I forgot to warn you about that step.”

  She shook her head, her face turned upward now, that sadness not as prominent in her blue eyes anymore. “It’s my fault,” she said. “I saw it when we came in. I guess I just forgot to avoid it.”

  “I really need to fix it,” I murmured. “Nan would have killed me if you’d gone and broken an arm or ankle because of this old place.”

  “I’m fine, Gage. No harm done, thanks to your quick reflexes.”

  She smiled up at me, but I couldn’t manage to return it as I took in every inch of her face, so close to mine now I could count each freckle that dotted her nose. She was just the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. There was nothing I would change about Ella, not one thing. My arm kept her against me, even though I knew she’d regained her balance and I could let her go. I just couldn’t seem to do it, my body at war with my head.

  My one hand that had brushed back her hair still played with the ends that hung down her back, rubbing the silky strands between my fingers. Slowly her smile began to slip as she looked back at me, her eyes roaming over my face in return. They focused on my lips and it was like every nerve in my body was lit on fire. Awareness like no other filtered through me, highlighting every point where our bodies touched. I wanted to kiss her – badly.

  “We should really head back,” she said, her voice a bit hoarse.

  “Yeah, I know,” I said softly. Reluctantly I slowly released her, stepping back enough that I could get my body under control again. This whole friend thing was getting harder and harder as the days went on. We both looked at one another for a quick moment before she turned to get into my truck. I took an extra second to breathe in deeply through my nose, forcing every part of me to relax before getting back in the vehicle with her.

  Thirteen

  Ella

  It was ten o’clock and I was standing in front of the mirror in my bedroom looking over my reflection with a critical, unsure eye. Was this stupid? Clearly Gage didn’t want me to go to the party tonight, but as soon as I’d called Jaiden after supper, she all but threatened me with bodily harm if I didn’t go, so I had agreed. I really, really, didn’t want to show up there and have Gage be mad at me, or see him with another girl.

  Just the thought made me grip my stomach, a feeling of sickness washing over me. It was so silly and yet something I couldn’t control. Knowing that Gage had been with so many girls was already something that had haunted me over the years, for reasons I didn’t like to look too deeply into. When it was right in my face, it was like facing one’s own worst nightmare. I’d done it once, and I had no desire to do it again.

  Jaiden had mentioned briefly once that he wasn’t nearly as bad as he used to be, but that didn’t mean much to me. I could still show up tonight to find him sitting there with some perfect model-looking girl seated on his lap. What would I do? How stupid and pathetic would it look if I turned and left again? There was no way I’d get away with reacting that way twice. Jaiden would be suspicious for sure, and I had a feeling Gage would question me about it too when we saw each other next.

  So what was I to do? Be forced to stay there and witness it for an entire night? Maybe I just needed to get so drunk that it wouldn’t bother me. I just needed to numb my reactions. That might be the worst idea you’ve had yet, my inner voice argue. It was true. Get some alcohol into me and I was bound to make a bigger fool of myself. Knowing me, I’d go right up to him and say something I could never take back. Plus, I hated hangovers. It was why I didn’t like to drink to the point where I was no longer in control of my tongue.

  Sober and miserable. Yup, this was sure to be a great night. Why was I even putting myself though this?

  “You look beautiful, Peach,” Nan said from the doorway.

  I startled, catching her reflection in the mirror. “Thanks, Nan.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  I sighed. “Nothing. I’m just not sure I’m feeling up to going out tonight.”

  “Psshh, don’t be silly. You’re young and gorgeous, you need to go out. I appreciate all the work you’re doing around here, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your summer.” She stepped further into my room, stopping just behind me.

  I gave her a narrowed look through the mirror. “What happened to you not wanting me around boys? Premarital sex and all that.”

  She laughed. “I know you won’t do anything stupid, Ella. I trust you. Plus, Gage will be there. He won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  “Nan,” I sighed. “What are you up to? Just because Gage is going to be there doesn’t mean anything. We’re just friends.”

  “I know you are,” she said in that way that said she didn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth. Typical.

  “I mean it,” I insisted. “Nothing is going on between us, and nothing will.”

  She had the audacity to look affronted. I knew it was an act, a damn good one at that. “I’ve never suggested any differently. I’m just saying that I know he’ll look out for you. As a friend would, of course.”

  “Mmm hmmm,” I hummed, unconvinced.

  She played with the few strands of hair I’d curled, smiling at me. “I’m sure he’ll think you look beautiful tonight too.”

  “Nan,” I said warningly.

  She held up her hands, backing away. “I’m just saying,” she replied, laughing as she turned to leave the room.

  I looked back at myself one more time, wondering if the baby blue dress was nice enough. Or maybe it was too nice? What did people wear to a party in a field? Now that I thought about it, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I’d nev
er actually been to a field party, I’d just heard about them from Jaiden from time to time.

  The dress was simple, the front coming down into a V, a few buttons decorating the front to my waist, the fabric tight until it flared out a bit from the waist down. It wasn’t anything special, but now I wondered if this was a jeans and t-shirt sort of affair.

  A loud honk outside told me the decision was made for me, whether I liked it or not. If I stood out and looked stupid, well that was just one more con to add to the growing list for this evening. Grabbing my handbag from the bed, I ran downstairs to meet Jaiden before she started honking again.

  There was a line of cars and music blaring from somewhere as we made our way down a dirt driveway, surrounded by an empty crop field. I bounced around in the seat, holding on for dear life as Jaiden drove us closer to the party. The nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach was only getting worse as my eyes took in the groups of people.

  “You’re going to have so much fun, trust me,” Jaiden said, cranking the wheel to park her jeep at the end of the line of cars. She turned to look at me, her face serious. “We’re going to find you a hot dude, and add a bit of spice in your life.”

  I groaned. “What if I don’t want any spice?”

  “Too bad,” she said, exiting the jeep.

  I guess what they said about karma coming back to bite you in the ass was true. I always knew I used to push Olivia to do things she didn’t want to do, but I never realized how annoying it was when on the receiving end. Jaiden popped up on my side and caused me to squeak in surprise.

  “Move it, girl,” she ordered, opening the door.

  “Geez, I can get out myself you know,” I grumbled.

  “I don’t trust you not to take off on me again.”

  I cringed, hating that she remembered that night too. Following behind her, and thankful I had chosen to wear my cowboy boots again considering how uneven the ground was out here, we made our way to where lights were set up around a make-shift party. Bales of hay provided areas for people to sit, while another area had kegs of beer set up on folding tables. Another part had what looked like a dance area, where a few girls were bumping and grinding to the loud beat coming from the speakers in the back of a pick-up, their eyes continuously going to where a group of guys stood, obviously hoping they all noticed how hot they looked.