by Fiona Keane
“Sophia! You’re okay!” Michelle pulled me against her, almost taking the wind from my lungs.
I turned around, noticing she wasn’t alone. Luke and Derek were standing behind Michelle, their hands nervously tucked into the pockets of their shorts.
“What’s going on?” I asked, returning Michelle’s hug.
I didn’t realize how excited I would be to see Luke and Derek. In the blur of everything during the storm, I hadn’t stopped to think of them.
“Guess we get that coffee date after all.” Derek laughed, quickly hugging me.
“Yeah.” I smiled, remembering one of our last conversations before the storm. “I guess so. What are you guys doing here?”
“It’s one of the only places open today.” Luke nodded. “Our houses are okay, so…we met up. Can’t reach Owen or Jamie, though.”
I watched Michelle violently jab Luke in his chest. Right. They have no clue about what’s happened. In Michelle’s mind, Jameson was an arrogant creep who destroyed me. Luke had no idea about why Jameson was mute to anyone’s inquiry. I glanced over at Jules, regretting it while I felt Michelle’s eyes follow. Her face was awash with confusion when it returned to me.
“That’s…”
“They’re good friends,” I interjected. “I should probably go over there.”
Shrugging, I was split between my friends and joining Elizabeth and Jules. The heavy weight of the secret bond Elizabeth and I now shared twisted in my heart while I realized it had to be kept from Jules. We had to lie to her. We were actually keeping her from Simon’s so Jameson and Thomas could snoop. I was full of guilt; so full that my heart felt heavier than my body, sinking down to my knees and pulling every over-analytical fiber of my introverted brain with it, wrestling while it tumbled to the floor.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JAMESON
“How do we get back in there?” I questioned Thomas, catching my nerves as they raged with the adrenaline screaming through my veins.
“Jameson, we need to get back to Elizabeth and Sophia. We need to figure this out together.”
I looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. Together was hardly the term Thomas used to describe any decision made regarding me, or any of this, and now he wanted to decide things with Sophia. My brain must have been on some other planet because it wasn’t correctly processing what my ears were hearing.
“What? Since when do you even care?”
“I’ve always cared about you, Jameson. I always will care about you. You’re not—” His speech of loyalty was cut short by Simon’s approach while we stood on the sand.
“Mr. Bellini.” I cleared my throat.
Thomas looked to our side, stealthily hiding any sign of wracked nerves that I knew were firing off within his mind while Simon stepped out of his house and walked toward us—an enormous smile on his face.
“You…” He pointed at me with a smile. “…what’ve you done with my girls?”
My eyes danced to Thomas, who broke out into a throaty laugh before responding for me.
“Jules came by this morning and scooped up all of our girls.” Thomas shook Simon’s hand when the vagabond was within arm’s reach.
I could have leaned forward and strangled him—and I didn’t even have all the evidence yet. I just knew Soph’s privacy was neglected, ruining what innocence she thought was left in her life. Shit. My mind and heart were battling over Soph, both wanting to erase her trauma and both wishing to clear a path for her to be happy. I can make her happy. I will make her happy. I have to.
I knew my smile was slightly uncomfortable, but maybe Simon would only assume I was shaken from the storm. When his hand locked with mine, I imagined snapping his wrist. Get it together, man.
“How’s your house?” Thomas inquired, nodding toward Simon’s house.
We knew exactly how it was. The walls were standing, containing a room of dishonesty and secrets.
“Eh.” Simon glanced back quickly. “It’s got damage on this end. Some windows are lost. Sand in a lot of the rooms. My bedroom and study look vandalized. That’s a hurricane though. Do you two want to come in? The kitchen’s functioning.”
“Ours is barely,” Thomas replied. “Palm tree in the living room.”
“We should probably find Elizabeth,” I announced, stuffing my hands into the pocket of my sweats.
It was quickly getting far too warm to be wearing those on the beach. The midday sun was baking my skin. My hair was crispy and fried from the sun and saltwater. I had only been outside for the walk to Simon’s house, but having been in the water with Soph and not showering since left me feeling like I had already spent the day at the beach. Salty, sweaty…I need a shower. Soph must be feeling terrible. I’ll fix this. I’ll figure this out. She needs to be spoiled. She needs safety to relax. I need to talk to Elizabeth.
“I was going to head out to check on some of my properties,” Simon said, probably covering for himself. “Other areas got it worse than us, believe it or not. Things look out of sorts everywhere. It’s truly awful.”
“Indeed,” Thomas replied, his arms crossing against his chest.
Closing my eyes, my mind went to Soph. Listening to the waves, their melody deceptively calm after the storm, I tried to relax, but all I thought of was the fact her aunt’s boyfriend put a damn tracking device in her cellphone.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll accompany you two back to your place. We can begin the search party for the ladies.”
Search party. You prick.
Thomas nodded, stiffly agreeing to Simon’s company while eyeing me cautiously. We started to move; I was reluctantly following their meandering footsteps.
The amount of rubbish washed up along the beach was daunting. My ankles nearly snapped in half trying to climb over random chunks of crap creating hazards along the sand. I tried to calm myself or, more accurately, not punch Simon’s smile from his face, by tightening my hands into fists within the protected confines of my pockets. Soph, Soph, Soph. Think of her.
“Any word about graduation?” Simon questioned, calling over his shoulder as I lagged behind them. I noticed Thomas glance quickly at me, a brief nod before turning away.
“Nope.” I barely moved my lips in response, knowing anything else might be too venomous at that point. Simon’s head shook, his lips pressed into a thin line while he sighed.
“It’s a pity. I know Jules was really looking forward to the ceremony for Sophia.”
“I don’t think she would’ve gone,” I blurted. “She doesn’t like people.”
“She is sort of reserved,” Simon replied.
Reserved? No. You prick. She isn’t reserved; she is peaceful and hurting. She is beautifully introverted and consumed by trauma that you are now exploiting. Reserved. What the hell?
“She’s a sweet girl,” Thomas interjected. “She’s a good influence on Jameson. She and Olivia Hart both are. Speaking of, I called to check in on the Harts this morning. All is well.”
I watched Simon’s reaction at the mention of Olivia, but he was calm. Too calm. Disturbingly passive. We were so close to our house, but the entire landscape had changed. Familiar landmarks were missing, gardens were destroyed, or boats from the marina now replaced patios. I kept my head down, carefully stepping around five pink plastic flamingos.
“I don’t think Jules will want to stay here,” Simon mumbled, his expression scanning the marina. “And Sophia hasn’t chosen a school yet. Maybe this is the fresh start both of them need. I could go without hurricanes.”
His laughter was like mold floating in dirty dishwater. Was this his passive aggressive way of threatening me? Threatening Thomas and me?
“I thought she wanted to go to Florida International with Olivia,” Thomas said.
I could feel his eyes on me, anticipating any thought or action conceived within me. I lifted my hands to the top of my head, intertwining my fingers and pulling my palms against my scalp so I wouldn’t beat that smirk from Simon’s
face.
“No,” Simon sighed. “That girl is so indecisive. She’s lacking the drive it takes to apply. She’s been working with that psychologist at your school. What’s his name?”
“Fitz,” I replied, my words spewing from gritted teeth.
We walked through the sandy side yard between our house and the neighbor’s, approaching our driveway. My heart was frantically pounding, about to explode once I noticed Elizabeth’s car in the driveway. Turning the corner, I saw Jules and Elizabeth in conversation, but no Soph.
“Fitz.” Simon nodded. “He’s been pressing her to apply all over. Mobile, International, Eastern Florida State, Tampa, and the girl won’t decide. I just see this as a sign, you know? Maybe the three of us should just go somewhere and start over.”
My nostrils couldn’t flare any wider. Elizabeth noticed our arrival, already on her way to Thomas. She clung to him, possessively attaching herself to Old Moneybags himself. Simon patted a hand against Thomas’s back and left, hurrying toward Jules. Their embrace sickened me, knowing what I knew about Simon now.
“Jameson,” Elizabeth whispered, stepping from Thomas’s side. “I’m really worried about Sophia.”
I turned to her, still pressing my palms against my beach-crusted hair. “What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious the poor thing is traumatized,” Thomas snarled under his breath.
I hoped, for once, he was actually supporting Soph and not being a dick. Elizabeth slowly shook her head, her eyes closing for a moment before focusing on mine.
“Where is she?” I asked, my hands dropping back to my sides.
“She’s in the car,” Elizabeth mumbled. “She wants to leave, Jameson.”
Leave? I gazed beyond Elizabeth, past Jules and Simon to where Soph sat in the backseat, her legs hanging from the opening while she watched me with her beautifully hopeless eyes. She wants to leave? I had to talk to her, hold her, something…I started walking toward Soph, my heart beating a mile a second with panic, but I froze. She climbed from the car, her eyes pulled away from me, and approached Jules and Simon.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SOPHIA
I almost ate my thumb. I wasn’t an actress. Pretending I was comfortable sitting with Jules and Elizabeth while my friends watched before leaving the coffee shop was agonizing. I couldn’t drink the coffee in front of me. I could only anxiously gnaw my knuckle, hoping time would pass and I would only be left with a minor stomachache.
“Darling,” Jules whispered. “You hardly spoke to your friends.”
“What? Oh. Um…they’re just doing their own thing…they’re mad at Jame—uh…”
“We should probably get back. Sophia isn’t even touching her croissant.” Elizabeth tried to smile at me while she changed the subject. “And heaven knows we could all use a shower. Being locked away like that was pure torture.”
I glanced at her, wanting to thank her for enjoying my company while locked away in her safe room.
“I suppose. So, you’re really okay staying with them, darling? You don’t want to stay with Simon and me?”
“Honestly…” I was staring out the window of Elizabeth’s car once we climbed in, hardly paying the ladies any attention while we drove away. “…I just want to leave.”
I abandoned my friends in the coffee shop. Michelle, Luke, Derek. People who cared for me unconditionally, and didn’t have a clue about my past, and I just left them sitting there like they were meaningless to me. I felt pathetic. I was pathetic. I regretted even opening my mouth when I noticed the uncomfortable silence and saw both Jules and Elizabeth had turned to stare at me from the front of the car.
“What?”
“You just want to leave?” Jules repeated my words, a hint of sadness in her voice, as though I had entirely shocked and betrayed her. If she only knew.
“I, uh…” I froze, swallowing my nerves and trying to build confidence to talk so bluntly with Jules and Elizabeth. “…I just need some space.”
“I hadn’t thought of what impact this would have on you, darling,” Jules said after a brief silence. “You’ve been through so much in the last year. Yes. Of course, go wherever you need to be to find peace.”
She looked at Elizabeth, who was observing me in the mirror. Where would I find peace? Jameson? Oregon? A rickety boat in the middle of the sea on a rainy day? My mind. My mind was the only place that would bring me peace because it held my mom, freezing the good, positive, happiness I had lost…and kept losing.
“I’ll book a room for her at the Ritz.” Elizabeth smiled at my reflection, but I had nothing to give her in response.
The Ritz? Is she kidding me? I just wanted a room at a motel, somewhere nobody would find me. Not the Ritz Carlton.
“It has a view of the water…if there’s any view left.” Jules shrugged, turning to look at me again from her seat.
“That’s fine. Whatever. Thank you, Mrs. Kerry.”
I want my mom. If we were together, she would have done something amazing to eradicate the fear and nerves of this hurricane. She would have found some way to make it beautiful. She always found beauty in tragedy.
The tightness returned to my lungs, pulling inward and suffocating my weak heart. I imagined Jameson was in the backseat with me, holding me and helping me count, but even that was useless. The sudden wave of emotion came over me, flooding my mind and numbing all remaining emotions.
Jules stroked my cheek, slowly pulling me from the blank daydream that held me prisoner in the back of Elizabeth’s car. Blinking, I realized we had returned to the Kerrys’ home and I had sat, staring at the blackness in my mind for the entire ride.
“What do you need, darling?” Jules whispered, squatting in the doorway so she could reach my faded eyes. “Did something happen to you last night? Is this something about Jameson? Are you okay?”
Jameson. My head lifted at his name, a small fire returning to my heart. If I closed my eyes and tuned out all sound, I could feel it begin to burn again. It was still faint, but there. His name alone was enough to pull my soul back from the brink. But Jules was more right than I could tell her. It was all about Jameson. Something happened.
“It’s just a lot, Jules,” I mumbled, keeping my head to the ground. “My mom and being here, now this…I just want to be alone.”
“I’m worried about you, Sophia.” She placed her palm against my cheek.
Her hands were soft and warm, filling my senses with the pungent aroma of her rose hand cream.
“You’ve lost some light,” she continued. “What hap—” She was cut short by the vibrant sound of men approaching from behind her.
Jules’s head swung around. Her frame lifted from beneath me, and her hand quickly abandoned my face while she ran toward Simon instead of supporting me.
I guess I truly am alone in this world.
With my head hanging, my eyes lifted upward to watch Jules and Simon embrace. As their display of affection slowed, their movement revealed an anxious pair behind them. Thomas was stiffly erect, his arms woven tightly against his chest and Jameson…Jameson. Maybe I’m not alone. His fingers were intertwined atop his head while he spoke to Thomas, both uncomfortably rigid.
Thomas turned toward Elizabeth as she slowly meandered to him, wrapping her arms around his body and resting her head against his chest. The three of them could have fooled anyone, just like they had fooled all of us. I noticed Jameson’s hands drop to his side while Elizabeth spoke, his jaw tightening in response to whatever she said. His dark eyes met mine. Now what did I do? It was a look of disappointment; a feeling I never wanted to see reflected at me. His feet slowly, hesitantly, stepped toward the car. It was difficult to pull my eyes away, but I quickly did so and climbed from the car, walking toward Jules and Simon.
“Sophia.” Simon pulled me against him.
I looked over his shoulder, watching Jameson freeze. His mouth snapped shut, tightly adhering to itself, while the muscles of his defined jaw told me exactly how angry he wa
s. I just don’t know at what or whom.
“I was so worried about you,” Simon pressed. “Jules and I were frantic. When Thomas called to tell us you were here…that was the only comfort we had in that storm. Knowing you were with the Kerrys…”
Sure, Simon. That was just what you wanted.
“Sophia,” Elizabeth called, approaching Simon, Jules, and me. “Let’s go make your reservation.”
Her short bob bounced with each step. I looked over Simon’s shoulder, receiving painful expressions from Thomas and Jameson. Even Thomas was giving me the death stare, but that wasn’t new. He would hate me forever for coming to Florida…and sometimes I felt the same way.
“Reservation?” Simon inquired, glancing between Jules and I as he finally released me. My body was boiling, as though his touch was acidic.
“She needs some space,” Jules mumbled, appearing ashamed. “Elizabeth’s booking a room for her. She’ll be fine, Simon. She’s a strong girl. She just needs some space. This is a lot for her. Poor darling…”
“Alone?” Simon inquired, his eyes alight. “Should we come with you, Sophia? It’s not safe out there for a young woman after a storm like this. There are looters and thieves…”
“Thieves are everywhere.” I looked at Simon, my nerves finally confident enough to communicate with the people around me.
Biting my top lip to stabilize myself, my eyes caught Jameson’s movement to the side. His head hung low, even shaking, as he followed Elizabeth and Thomas into the broken home.
Thieves were closer than I had ever thought. One had stolen my safety and the other had stolen my heart.
***
Elizabeth was standing against the front desk, somehow managing to appear entirely put together despite a hurricane. How can this hotel even function now? How are these rich ladies finding their pearls and diamonds? And seriously, how can those people be sitting out at the pool? I don’t belong here. None of this. None. It isn’t me.
