Crosswinds: Episode 3

by Elisabeth Naughton

  “Hey.” She rounded the table and stepped next to him, wondering if she should kiss him or hug him or...what. She still wasn’t totally comfortable with their greetings and they’d been going out for months.

  Finally deciding kissing him was a smart idea—especially considering the chat they needed to have—she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek.

  He looked down at her and smiled wider, and a few of those nerves settled. No matter what they decided, she knew they were in a good place.

  “Are those chocolate chip?” she asked.

  “Yep.” He added the last of the cookies and set the Tupperware container on the kitchen counter behind him. “How was work today?”

  Mallory worked part time at the bed and breakfast in town—mostly cleaning rooms and doing laundry. It wasn’t a glamorous job by any means, but it was a paycheck. And with things tight at home now that her dad was gone, she was glad for it. “Good. Slow. That reporter who was doing a story on Senator Rush left today. Those reporters are always trying to dig up dirt on the guy.”

  “Jeffry would probably give them plenty of dirt if they asked.”

  In their circle it was widely known that Jeffry didn’t think too highly of his dear old dad. They got along okay, but Senator Rush was always back and forth between Storm and Austin, and he’d missed a lot of Jeffry’s life growing up. Jeffry could never count on him to make the big game or even be there when he needed to talk, and because of that, he’d just stopped expecting anything other than a “Well done, son” pat on the back now and then.

  “Yeah.” Mallory smirked. “Probably. Goes to show they’re asking the wrong people. Though now that he’s working at The Storm Team Weekly News for the summer, he could write his own story if he wanted.”

  Luis shook his head and smiled. “So very true.”

  He moved around the room, gathering napkins and a few snacks from the panty, and as Mallory watched, those nerves jingled all over again.

  When he came back to the table and set out a bag of Doritos, she told herself to quit beating around the bush and grasped his hand. “Um. I was wondering if we could talk for a minute.”

  “Okay.” A nervous look crossed his features, then he took a breath and turned to face her. “I was thinking that too.”

  He was? Oh, man. Her stomach rolled with both fear and excitement.

  “Luis, I—”

  “I think we should wait.”

  Mallory eyes widened as she looked up at him, unsure she’d heard him right. “What?”

  He grasped her other hand. “I like you. A lot. And I’m not saying I don’t want to. I do. I just...” He glanced toward the refrigerator, then refocused on her. “I think it’d be better if we waited until we’re both a little older.”

  Older... It was exactly what she’d been thinking and was too afraid to say. But for some reason, dread filled her stomach just the same.

  Her hands grew sweaty, and she gently pulled them from his, not wanting him to notice. “Older like...end of the summer older or—”

  “Mal.” He reached for her hands again. “Don’t read anything into it. I just want the first time to be special, and I don’t want to rush it. Okay?”

  Relief that he wasn’t breaking up with her filled her chest, but then she realized he’d said “the first time,” not “our first time.”

  The front door opened and closed. “I heard there was a party happening in here.” Lacey’s voice echoed from the front room. “This doesn’t look like a party yet.”

  Luis leaned down and kissed Mallory’s cheek. “Let’s have fun tonight. We all need it. We’ll talk more later.”

  Before Mallory could respond, he let go of her and headed into the front room. His voice echoed back to her when he said, “Hey, Lacey. I knew you couldn’t say no.”

  “Well,” Lacey answered. “You wore me down. How could a girl say no to this face?”

  Alone, Mallory leaned back against the counter and drew in a steadying breath. Talk later. What did that mean? He’d said not to read anything into it, but if there was more to talk about, it meant there was something else on his mind, right?

  From the front room, Luis said, “What the heck is that?”

  “Something to make sure we all have a little fun,” Lacey answered. “Come on. Don’t be a stick in the mud. Live a little.”

  “Does your mom know you took that?” Jeffry asked.

  “No. But trust me, she’ll never find out. She barely even knows I’m alive anymore.”

  All Mallory wanted to do was sit in the kitchen until she pulled herself together, but curiosity got the best of her. She moved into the living room, then drew to a stop when she caught sight of Lacey, popping the top off a beer and leaning back against the cushions on Luis’s couch. “There’s my very best friend in the world.”

  Shock rippled through Mallory. Lacey never drank. But more than that...her hair was curled all around her face, her makeup dramatic to play up her eyes. And she was wearing heels—something else she never did. Heels, skinny jeans, and a low-cut sleeveless blouse that accentuated her cleavage so much, Luis and Jeffry were practically drooling.

  “What are you doing?” Mallory demanded.

  “Unwinding.” Lacey held up a beer. “Looks like you could use some unwinding too.”

  Mallory’s gaze shot to Luis, standing behind Lacey with a deer in the headlights look, then to Jeffry, trying hard to look anywhere but at Lacey’s tits.

  Neither boy was going to do anything, Mallory realized. Which meant it was all up to her.

  She crossed the room and grabbed both beers from Lacey’s hands.

  “Hey.” Lacey sat forward and reached out for the open bottle, but Mallory twisted it behind her back. “I was drinking that.”

  “Now you’re not.”

  Mallory slid the unopened beer back into the carton, then grabbed the six-pack and headed for the kitchen.

  “Oh my God.” Lacey lurched to her feet and followed. “Who made you the party police? What’s wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me?” Mallory dumped the open beer down the sink, slammed the bottle on the counter, and turned on her friend. “What’s wrong with you? We’re all under age. Do you not even care that you’re in your boss’s house?”

  Lacey rolled her eyes. “What does my boss have to do with anything?”

  “Marisol could get in big trouble if anyone found out we were drinking.”

  “No one’s going to get into trouble,” Lacey said in an it’s no big deal voice as Luis and Jeffry stepped into the room quietly behind her. “And Marisol will never know. She’s at my house. I saw her before I left.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Mallory’s eyes widened. “She could go to jail.”

  Lacey shook her head as if Mallory was an idiot, then turned to grab Luis’s arm. “God, she’s such a party pooper. I don’t know how you put up with her. I want to jump on your old trampoline for a while. Come outside with me.”

  Luis looked over Lacey’s head toward Mallory, and Mallory tensed, waiting to see what he would do. They were all friends, but lately, the way Lacey touched Luis whenever he was close was grating on Mallory’s nerves. Most days, she told herself Lacey was just a touchy-feely person and that her flirting was harmless and unintended. But right now, watching Lacey hang on his arm and bat her eyelashes up at him as if he were the man of her dreams didn’t look innocent. Or harmless. It looked dangerous.

  Luis shrugged toward Mallory, then looked down at Lacey, and didn’t—Mallory noticed—pull his arm away. “Okay. But only for a few minutes. That thing’s so rusty I’m afraid if one of us falls we might get gangrene.”

  Lacey laughed, slid her hand down to his, and pulled him toward the sliding glass door. “You’ll catch me if I fall. I’m sure of it.”

  They disappeared into the backyard, and though she told herself not to look, Mallory turned to watch them through the kitchen window.

  A sharp pain lanced her chest, as i
f someone had pierced her with a knife. Luis had said no to sleeping with her, but she’d never once heard him say no to Lacey. Though this wasn’t the same and he and Lacey weren’t having sex, Mallory wasn’t stupid. She’d gone to school with Luis all her life, and she’d always known he had a crush on Lacey. Knew because she used to watch him the way he watched Lacey. She thought he’d gotten over that crush when he’d started dating her. Now, the knowledge that Lacey would always be his “first love” was all Mallory could think about.

  “He’s just being nice, you know,” Jeffry said softly at her back. “That’s what Luis does. Tries to make everyone feel better. He’s the peacemaker in the Moreno family. Always has been. Luis and Lacey...it doesn’t mean anything.”

  Tears filled Mallory eyes. Tears she fought because she didn’t want anyone to see her greatest fear. “I know it doesn’t. They’re just friends.”

  But something in the back of her mind didn’t believe that.

  Remembering the alcohol, she looked away from the window, reached for a beer from the carton, popped the top, and dumped it down the drain.

  Jeffry leaned back against the counter next to her and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s okay to be mad at her, you know. Just because she’s your best friend doesn’t mean she can do whatever she wants.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She reached for the second beer.

  Jeffry sighed. “Yes, you do. You don’t have to act like it doesn’t bother you, because I can see that it does. It pisses me off too.”

  Mallory’s hand shook against the bottle, and she looked up at Jeffry, relieved and even more scared that someone saw the same thing. “What can I possibly do about it? He’s had a crush on her since the second grade.”

  “He’s with you, not her.”

  Mallory closed her eyes against the sting of tears. “For how long? Lacey’s always gotten what she wanted. Always.” She opened her eyes. “Did you see her new cell phone? She told her dad she wanted it and he gave it to her this morning. She made the drill team without even trying out. She gets straight A’s without studying. She only works at the bakery because it’ll look good on her college applications. If she wants Luis, all she has to do is tell him.”

  Jeffry pinned her with a hard look. “Then stop her.”

  “How? I’m just...me.”

  “Yeah, you’re you. Which is the exact opposite from Lacey. She’s been given everything because she’s a Salt, and you’ve been given nothing because you’re an Alvarez. And yet, even though you come from the wrong family on the wrong side of town, you’ve made honor roll every semester for the past two years. You work a part-time job, and everyone who steps foot in the Flower Hill Bed and Breakfast loves you. And you volunteer at the hospital, where Dr. Rush tells everyone who will listen that you’re going to be an incredible doctor one day. Everyone in Storm knows that you’re not like the rest of the Alvarezes. You work hard for what you have, and you earn it. So work for Luis if he’s what you really want. If you don’t let Lacey take him away, she won’t be able to. But if you sit back and do nothing, I guarantee she will.”

  The sliding glass door opened while Mallory stared at Jeffry and his words swirled in her head. Lacey’s laughter filled the kitchen, followed by Luis’s chuckle.

  “You guys ready for the movie?” Luis asked.

  “Yeah.” Jeffry glanced toward the others. “We’re more than ready. Right, Mallory?”

  Mallory swallowed hard, unsure if she was ready for anything.

  “Cool.” Luis headed for the front room, and Lacey quickly followed. “Let's get it going.”

  Jeffry sent Mallory one more pointed look, then followed the others into the next room. Alone, Mallory drew in a deep breath as she thought through Jeffry’s advice.

  She did want Luis. She cared about him deeply. And she wasn’t about to let Lacey come between them.

  The opening credits were already rolling when she stepped into the room. Someone had turned the lights down so an eerie blue light from the television shone over the furniture and each face. Jeffry was seated in a chair near the window. Lacey had already claimed a spot next to Luis on the couch, not too close, but close enough to tick Mallory off.

  Luis looked toward the doorway and smiled. Patting the cushions on his other side, he said, “Come here. You’re going to like this.”

  Oh, Mallory knew she was going to like this. She crossed toward the couch, but she didn’t sit next to him. Instead, she sidled onto his lap, glanced once toward Lacey to make sure she was watching, then brushed her hand along Luis’s jaw and kissed him. Passionately.

  By the time she was done, she was breathless. Luis looked confused and a little light-headed. Lacey, to Mallory’s delight, was pissed.

  “Um...what was that for?” Luis asked.

  Mallory leaned in. “Just because.”

  Before she could kiss him again, he drew back, then quickly scooted her off his lap so she dropped onto the cushions beside him. Reaching for her hand so she couldn’t climb back on top of him, he nodded toward the screen. “Oh, it’s starting. You don’t want to miss this.”

  But Mallory didn’t care about the movie. All she saw was the fact Luis was more interested in the TV than he was in her. And that Lacey was watching them from his other side with a very self-satisfied smirk.

  * * * *

  Luis hit the power on the remote when the movie ended and glanced toward Mallory at his side. “Awesome, huh?”

  Mallory shrugged and pushed to her feet as Jeffry flipped on the lamp, illuminating the room in a warm, golden glow. “It was fine, I guess. Not very realistic.” She looked around the living room. “Where are my keys?”

  A whisper of disappointment rushed through him. “Do you have to leave already?”

  “Yeah. I have to be at the B&B by seven tomorrow morning, and if I don’t head home soon my mom will call wondering where I am.”

  Luis frowned up at her. “I wish you could stay.”

  She didn’t answer as she moved away, searching for her keys, but he hoped she knew he truly meant it. Tonight had been odd. Not just because they’d had that conversation in the kitchen but because of Lacey. She’d fallen asleep during the movie, leaning against his shoulder. But more than that, she’d been acting strange the whole evening, flirting with him, touching him, drinking—which was so unlike the good Salt girl the town knew her to be. He just hoped Mallory didn’t get the wrong idea because there was no idea to get.

  Carefully, he shifted Lacey so she was lying on the couch, then moved toward Mallory. Thankfully, Jeffry disappeared into the kitchen with the empty root beer bottles so they could have a moment alone. Capturing Mallory’s hands, he turned her toward him and laced his fingers with hers. “Sorry this wasn’t the great night I had hoped for.”

  Mallory darted a look toward the couch where Lacey slept softly snoring. “I know she’s going through a rough patch right now with Jacob’s death and all, and I know I’m her best friend and that I’m supposed to be supportive, but I don’t like the way she was acting tonight.”

  “I know.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. “Let’s just cut her a break on this one, okay? It was probably alcohol. I bet she drank some before she came over.”

  Mallory muttered “Maybe” and slid her arms around his waist. Then she pressed her cheek to Luis’s chest and relaxed into him, and all the worry he’d had about the night slipped away. She felt good against him. Warm and sweet. Exactly what he loved most about her.

  He drew back and looked down. “Let me walk you out.”

  “I’ll do it.” Lacey popped up from the couch and stretched. “I have to go home too.”

  Mallory tensed against him as Luis glanced Lacey’s way, and a little of that worry came rippling back. “Why don’t I get Jeffry to drive you home, Lace?”

  Lacey rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse from the floor beside the couch. “Why? I’m perfectly fine.” She hooked her arm in Mallory’s a
nd tugged Mallory away from him. “Come on, Mal. I’ll protect you from the scary, possessed children of the night.” She winked Luis’s way. “Catch ya later, handsome.”

  Luis wanted to reach for Mallory and tug her back, but Lacey had already pulled her to the door. And though it was clear in Mallory’s eyes she didn’t want to be alone with Lacey right now, Luis knew she’d never say no to her bestie.

  Damn, this night had not gone at all as he’d wanted. He’d have to make it up to Mallory. Soon.

  “Call me tomorrow,” he said to her.

  Mallory nodded. “Okay. Bye.”

  The girls disappeared out the door. He watched through the front window as they crossed the path, then stood next to Mallory’s car, but he couldn’t hear what they were discussing. Was Mallory laying into Lacey for her erratic behavior tonight? Or was she letting it all go for the good of their friendship?

  Luis bet the latter. Mallory was a true friend. The kind who supported a person through anything and was there when you needed her most. As he watched her talking to Lacey under the streetlight, he told himself that was what he wanted. Stability and strength. Not someone like Lacey Salt, who changed her mind about what she wanted every ten minutes.

  He turned away from the window and reached for the bowl of chips and dip. Water ran in the kitchen where Jeffry was cleaning up. He made it halfway to the arched doorway when the front door opened.

  Excitement leapt inside him, and he turned toward the door, happy Mallory had decided to come back. But instead of his girlfriend, Lacey walked into the house with a Cheshire grin on her pretty face.

  His brow dropped. “Did you forget something?”

  “Yep.” Something dark sparkled in her eyes. Something hot. “One thing.”

  Before he could ask what, she crossed to him, rested her hands on his chest, then rose to her toes and pressed her lips against his.

  Time seemed to stop. The room spun around him. Still holding the chips and dip, he froze, unable to move, unable to think, unable to react.

  Because Lacey Salt was kissing him. Kissing him.