by Sarah Bates
“You fled from him. To a completely different state, halfway across the country.”
I opened my mouth to protest this, but just then realized he was right. Frowning over that, I simply closed the door and stepped up onto the curb.
“Coco,” Kat reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder when I looked at her, and shook her head. “Don’t listen to him.”
“He’s not wrong,” I told her as I watched Jamie drive away. “About any of it. Or at least a lot of it. That doesn’t mean,” I added when her frown deepened, “that he’s completely right, either. Ava’s singled me out because she’s decided she doesn’t like me because Hayden does. And maybe because of what happened with her brother on Saturday. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to walk away from him so she’ll back off.” I straightened my shoulders with determination. “And I’m certainly not going anywhere. I already lost one home because of someone else’s selfishness. I’m not going to let anyone else do that to me again. My dad can have Minnesota, but Ava Humphrey is just going to have to deal with the fact she has to share Treasure Key with me,” I said as I turned toward the entrance of the mall.
Kat stayed where she was for a few seconds, I think probably because she was surprised by my declaration, then she hurried to catch up with me. And grinning proudly, she hooked her arm around me as we headed to the boutique, together.
Twelve
As first days of work go, it went well. At least, in my limited experience I think it had. Since Aunt Nora didn’t seem to have any complaints or words of advice, I took that to mean she thought so, too.
The next afternoon, however, was a little iffy, as I’d managed to screw up a couple of transactions on the register, but for the most part the customers were nice about it and didn’t get too annoyed when it took twice as long as it should have for them to check out. Still, all in all, I caught on quickly, at least when it came to helping customers on the floor, and restocking merchandise.
By my third afternoon I was even allowed to help Kat reset the window displays, which turned out to be a lot of fun.
As for school, it was pretty much more of the same. Hayden walked me to all my classes, and stuck as close as he could during lunch, and both of us did our best to avoid both Humphrey siblings.
This proved particularly tricky on Friday when Ava seemed, somehow, to be everywhere we went, but at least Neal had seemed to back off, and other than some dark, pissed off looks he gave us when, on the rare occasion our paths crossed, he kept his distance from us as well.
Still, even with him keeping a calculated distance, I was glad when school let out, knowing I wouldn’t have to deal with either him or his sister again, at least until Monday.
Since neither of us had to work that afternoon, Hayden and I decided to celebrate by spending an hour lounging by the pool at his grandparents’ motel, before we retreated to his room – a former guest room converted into a small studio style space, complete with a small kitchenette in one corner, and an old, battered blue couch tucked under the front windows; in lieu of a regular table, he had a coffee table in front of the couch, and his TV sat on top of his dresser. The furnishings and over-all aesthetic of the room were a bit dated, but it was spotlessly clean and tidy.
Having lived with two teenage boys for the past few weeks, this was a pleasant surprise. Jamie and Zach were slobs.
But Hayden liked to keep his space orderly, right down to the contents of his medicine cabinet, which I confess I looked through out of curiosity when I went into his bathroom to change back into my shorts and t-shirt after our swim.
We had pizza for dinner as we finished our homework at his coffee table, and after that we had ice cream while we snuggled up together on his couch and watched a movie.
And after that we spent a considerable amount of time stretched out on his bed, kissing.
I have to admit, this last part had been my favorite part of our evening together, and I was supremely disappointed when the alarm he’d set on his phone chimed, reminding us of my approaching curfew. But at least I had the memories of it all to think back on when I was home and tucked in beside Kat for the night.
The following morning, I was still smiling over the memories, and since Hayden had to work all day, at both the motel and the auto shop, I happily joined my mom, Aunt Nora, Kat, Aunt Connie, Maddie, and Lucy on a daytrip to one of the other islands to check out a flea market.
It was, surprisingly, a lot of fun, poking through new and used items that people offered. And there was a lot to pick through.
I wasn’t sure what my mom had in mind for the overall theme she wanted to go with for the bungalow – the sale of which was going through, as it had passed every inspection that my uncles and grandpa could possibly think of – but while we were puttering through the aisles of venders, I decided that maybe I would go with something completely different from what I’d had in my room back in Minnesota.
New state, new house, new me, after all.
So, with that in mind – I was thinking a tropical sea-scape theme would be appropriate, all things considered – I worked my way from vender to vender in search of items that might work.
The last thing I expected to find at a small outdoor flea market, on a small island in the Florida Keys, was a pair of old, well-used ice skates.
My heart lurched at the sight of them.
Though they were clearly older than mine, they were the same brand and size. Without thinking of it, I picked them up and handed the vender the exact change for them. I would likely never wear them, even if I did find a rink, but holding them in my arms I felt a little more like the old me again.
And I kind of missed her, even though I was getting used to the new, more outgoing, more sociable me.
My mom didn’t say anything to me when she saw me carrying them, but I did see understanding in her eyes.
When we got home later that afternoon, Uncle Jim and Grandpa were out back, working on the lawnmower, drinking tall glasses of iced sweet tea and talking while they did.
From the banging noises coming from the shed, I surmised that Jamie was still working on organizing the cluttered space. Since he’d been on his way out to work on it when we left that morning, he’d either taken an awfully long break at one point, or it had been a lot messier in there that I’d thought.
“Hey, baby girl,” Uncle Jim called out when he saw me standing on the lanai. “How’d your trip go? Was it a success?”
“It was,” I replied, sliding my hands into the pockets of my shorts as I crossed over to them. “My mom found a kitchen table and chair set for the new house. It’s kind of beat up looking, but she’s already got plans for refinishing it. The seller will deliver it once the papers are signed.” I looked all around us, at the various bits and pieces of the lawnmower’s motor scattered about. “I found some decorations for my room. And a pair of ice skates.” I shrugged when they both glanced at me. “Anyway. What happened here?” I gestured to the parts around us.
“It died,” Uncle Jim said, reaching for his glass of tea.
“It didn’t die, you killed it,” Jamie called out from the shed. Something loud crashed a second later, and he muttered something to himself.
Uncle Jim made a face as he glanced at the shed, then looked back to me. “It died,” he said again. “I’m just trying to figure out why.”
“It possibly keeled over because it’s older than me!” Jamie called out, then he swore heartedly, and a series of loud thuds sounded from inside the shed. A moment later he stalked out of the shed. “Fucking spiders,” he said, scrubbing his hands through his hair. “Can I please be done now?”
“That depends,” Uncle Jim said, contemplating his glass of tea. “Are you going to beat up Neal Humphrey again?”
“Only if he’s stupid enough to put his hands on Coco or any of the other girls again,” Jamie replied, swiping sweat from his forehead with a bandana he pulled from his back pocket. When Uncle Jim gave him a narrow-eyed look, he shrugged. “At le
ast I’m honest.”
Uncle Jim rolled his eyes and glanced at Grandpa. “Was I ever that smart-mouthed?” he asked him.
Grandpa snorted as he stood up from his lawn chair. “Where do you think he gets it from?” he asked in return.
Uncle Jim gave him a bland look, then glanced at Jamie. “Are you going to engage in underage drinking again? And before you answer that, take into consideration that if you lie to me, I will be more than happy to let you spend the entire weekend in lock-up the next time I find out you’ve partaken of beverages beyond your legal right to have,” he added.
Jamie shifted and slid his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he considered his dad. “Can I plead the fifth?” he finally asked.
Uncle Jim dropped his head forward. “God help me, and I mean that most sincerely. James, you try my patience more than your brothers and sister ever could, combined.”
“I know. It’s a talent,” Jamie said easily.
“That’s not what I’d call it,” Uncle Jim informed him.
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, then Uncle Jim sighed. “Yes, fine. You may go now. Wherever it is, don’t go too far, though. We’re expected at your uncle’s house at six for dinner.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jamie waved this off as he headed for the house.
“That boy is going to drive me into a nut house,” Uncle Jim said as he watched him go.
“Says every father of a teenage boy, since the dawn of time,” Grandpa said. “You survived Scott’s adolescence, you’ll get through Jamie and Zach’s, too.” He patted Uncle Jim on the shoulder. “And if not, we’ll visit you on family weekends and bring you cookies from Cooke’s,” he added cheerfully.
Uncle Jim snorted out a laugh and shook his head. “Gee, thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime, son.” Grandpa winked at me, then headed for the house, his empty glass in hand.
I watched him go, then glanced at Uncle Jim again. “I’m sorry about last Saturday,” I said when he glanced at me. “He only went after Neal because of what Neal did, and he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did if I hadn’t gotten separated from the others,”
“And I’m not sorry Jamie did what he did,” Uncle Jim said. When I blinked in surprise, he sighed and stood up. “Neal Humphrey had no right to put his hands on you that way, Coco, no matter the situation. To think that he did,” he shook his head, his expression fierce with anger. “I might be the chief of police, but I’m still a father and an uncle. I get to be angry over what he did to you. And I wish you and your mom would let me do something about it, let me press charges. I understand why you didn’t and won’t,” he said when I opened my mouth. “I know you’re just trying to protect Jamie and Leo from Neal pressing charges against them. But, God, Chloe, it pisses me off that he’s not going to face any real consequences for what he did to you.”
“I know.” I hugged him, as I thought we both seemed in need of comfort. “I really don’t think he’ll try something like that again, though. With me, or anyone else. Word has gotten around the school about what the fight was about,” I told him as I pulled back a moment later. “Even his friends seem to be putting space between themselves and him the past couple of days. And he’s actually been doing his best to stay away from me,” I added, thinking of the day before.
“And Ava? How are things going on that front?” he asked, bending down for his glass of tea.
I shrugged. “She hasn’t made any move to speak to me since Monday, and other than the locker situation, she’s kept a distance, too.” I thought again about how she kept popping up wherever Hayden and I went yesterday, and frowned. “Although, I’m not sure that means anything when it comes to her. She seems like the kind of girl who’s willing to play the long game,” I added as we turned and headed for the house.
“That doesn’t make me feel overly good,” he said.
“Honestly, it doesn’t me, either,” I admitted. “I don’t know what she’s got planned, but whatever it is, I’m not going to let her scare me off. She’s a bully, and you don’t stop bullies by backing down and letting them win.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. “But you still need to be careful not to provoke her. And with that said, maybe you should consider cutting back on the amount of time you spend with Hayden.” When I stopped and turned to look at him, he sighed. “He’s a good kid,” he said, holding his free hand up before I could say anything. “He went through a really rough time a while back, and got into some pretty bad trouble, but I won’t deny that he’s worked hard to turn his life around, and he deserves a good break. But I don’t like that spending time with him has put a target on your back for Ava Humphrey’s petty vindictiveness.”
“I know,” I said. “But he makes me happy, Uncle Jimmy. And honestly, after everything that happened with my dad, and when my mom and I left Minnesota to come down here, I didn’t think I’d ever be happy again. I don’t say that to hurt you or any of the others,” I added quickly. “Because of course I love you all, and I do like being here with all of you. But after everything my mom and I lost because of my dad’s pettiness and bully-tactics, I’m not about to lose one of the things that makes me happy again to yet another bully. I won’t. I already had everything else taken away from me; my home, my school, my friends, even my skating. I’m not going to let her take Hayden from me. And after everything he’s lost, too, I’m not about to let her drive me away from him, so he loses again.”
For a moment Uncle Jim didn’t say anything, then he simply sighed, and nodded as he leaned forward and pressed a fatherly kiss to my forehead. “Okay, baby girl.”
“Okay?” I asked, frowning when he straightened.
“Okay,” he said. “As in, you win. I won’t say anything else about you backing off from Hayden. But I want the same deal as your mom. If either of the Humphrey siblings does or says anything else to you, I want you to tell me. I’ll be there to back you and your mom up. That’s how family works,” he told me.
I nodded and cleared my throat. “Deal.”
“Good. Now, let’s go see if we can talk your aunt into making her yellow cake with the chocolate peanut butter fudge icing for dessert tonight,” he said, hooking an arm over my shoulders as we started toward the house again.
“Actually, she and Lucy were getting ready to make coconut cream pie when I came out here,” I said, looping an arm around his waist.
“Ooh, even better.”
I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder, and agreed. It was better. Right at that moment, everything was.
☼
Dinner that night was a bit more formal than previous family dinners, but I honestly wasn’t surprised. Uncle Hank, after all, was a lot more formal than Uncle Jim.
Still, it was nice, this routine of everyone getting together and catching up over a shared meal. And after clean up duty, it was fun to spend some time in the pool, while the adults gathered on the lanai with their after-dinner drinks.
Well, all the adults but Scott and Derek. They joined us young people (as Uncle Hank referred to us) in the pool.
With all the responsibilities Derek had at work and home, between running the main office of his parents’ holding company and basically raising his two youngest brothers (I didn’t count Delaney in with Donovan and Duke because he was already eighteen and was one of the most self-sufficient people I’d ever met) while his parents set up their overseas office in Hong Kong, it was good to see him unwind and relax for a few hours. And I could tell Scott was glad to see him relax, too. I knew, as everyone else did, that he worried about him.
As the evening wound down Jamie and Zach were the first to leave, heading out to hang out with Leo and Alec, who lived a few houses down the street, and then Scott and Derek headed home, to enjoy a rare night alone, as Delaney was spending the night at Esme’s, while Donovan was already at the Kanakaris’ house with Alec – likely eating pizza and playing video games – and Duke was spending the night at a friend’s house as well.
>
To escape all the testosterone at her house, Leo and Alec’s younger sister, Paris, retreated to Uncle Hank and Aunt Connie’s house with her overnight bag, and she and Maddie closed themselves off in Maddie’s room for the night.
With the adults still in deep conversation, Kat and I followed Margo up to her room.
It was kind of a shock to find that she was just as much a slob as Jamie and Zach both were (actually, to be fair to them, she may have even been worse) but Kat didn’t seem fazed by it, so I refrained from commenting, and simply cleared a space on the small couch she had, and settled down to talk about…well, whatever either of them had in mind.
Which turned out to be a back-and-forth commentary on clothes, next weekend’s photo shoot – Margo loved modeling, no surprise – and of course boys. Or more accurately, Wes.
Apparently, though they’d been friendly enough to work on trying to clear my locker off back on Tuesday, things were still in a holding pattern concerning the status of their relationship, and the waiting and wondering were driving her crazy. Because she blamed Demi for this standstill, she was not feeling particularly charitable toward her former friend.
Long used to Margo’s rants, Kat simply sat at her desk and painted her nails as she listened to her.
Since I wasn’t sure what else to do, and the heaps of clothes everywhere were starting to really bug me, I began folding the stack closest to me and simply made sympathetic noises whenever she paused for a response.
By the time we finally left for the night, I’d folded most of Margo’s clothes and had them stacked neatly, and by category, on her couch. I had no hope they’d stay that way, but at least it made me feel better to think of them as I’d left them, when I went to bed that night.
The next day Kat declared that we were spending the day at the beach, and tossed a brand-new bottle of sunblock at me – to protect my delicate Yankee skin – along with a beach towel and a beat-up old paperback romance novel.
