by Smoke, Lucy
I staggered away, nearly throwing myself off the bed with that thought. My butt landed awkwardly on the carpeted rug. He sucked in a breath and stood up, reaching down to help me. I just kissed Knix. I had kissed Bellamy. What was I doing?
“It’s going to be okay, Little Bit.” Knix reassured me, taking my flustered panic for fear. He leaned down to kiss my forehead again. Perhaps he thought that I was just confused or that I thought he had moved too fast, but he pulled away, giving me space. “I’m going to go make us something to eat. Why don’t you sit on the bed and I’ll bring it to you.”
I watched him go, his hips drawing my attention. I could have slapped myself. What was I thinking? How did I let that happen? Did this mean he liked me? Did this mean we were dating? No, at the reminder of Bellamy I calmed down a little more. Bellamy hadn’t said anything about dating me. One kiss did not a boyfriend make. Otherwise, I would have two boyfriends in the course of less than a week. I sat back down on the bed and sighed. Guys were hard to understand, but I was sure if they really liked me they would have told me. Sometimes guys got heated and when they got heated, they got turned on. It was just a reaction. Bellamy had been angry, Knix had been thinking about his mom, which also made him angry. It didn’t mean anything. Right?
Chapter 16
When the guys came home – it was odd how much I was beginning to consider their little apartment home – I was sitting on the couch reading the Perks of Being a Wallflower, with Cleo purring in my lap. I had been excused from training for the day. Knix had set himself up to draw another set of blueprints for a separate property and was working at the small kitchenette’s table. He immediately got up and pulled Marv aside, as the guys piled in through the front door.
Texas and Bellamy’s eyes lit up when they saw me, turning my insides to mush. While Bellamy hung back, Texas bulldozed right over and crash landed on the couch over my lap and Cleo. She hissed and batted at his face. He just leaned down and kissed her furry little head. I was glad that Texas seemed to have gotten over his shyness with me. Before, he had held himself apart as though I were a coworker. Now that the rest of the guys had decided I was alright and in it long term, he was just as friendly. Or maybe he just really liked Cleo.
“Guess what I did today,” he urged, tilting his face up to look at me with his soft, brown eyes. A lock of dark hair fell over his forehead and I brushed it back grinning.
“What did you do?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nuh uh. You have to guess.”
“Hmmm,” I hummed, glancing over him for any potential clues. His usual jeans were replaced with khakis and instead of a t-shirt, he wore a much nicer green polo tucked halfway into his pants with a brown belt to top it off. His feet were bare, but I caught the pair of brown suede loafers sitting by the front door. “A job?” I asked.
He blinked in surprise before turning his head to Bellamy. “Did you tattle?”
Bellamy shook his head back and forth quickly, grinning. “Nope. Not a word.”
Texas rounded back to me, sitting up on his knees. “Did Knix tell you? Marv?”
“Full guesswork.” I smirked.
He huffed, indignant. “Well, that blows. I was looking forward to making you sweat for that.”
“Next time don’t give it away with your reaction,” Bellamy advised as he ambled over to the table, looking over Knix’s work.
Texas laid back down in my lap, and sighed. “Well, yeah, I got a job,” he said. “You’re looking at the on call, IT guy for Sweratt Inc. Resort and Retreat for the next week. I’m on loan,” he paused, raising his hands to put air quotes around the word ‘loan’. I giggled. “–from another company that they associate with.”
“What company?” I asked, curious.
He grinned, poking my nose. I batted his hand away, but still, I liked how playful he was today. “Goode Construction.”
“Huh?” The name wasn’t familiar.
“It’s Knix’s company,” Bellamy explained.
“Knix has a company?” Why hadn’t I known that? Thinking back, it made sense though; the blueprints, the information about his dad, the guys at the worksite that had followed his directions.
“Yeah, he sort of took over his dad’s company and then made it his own,” Bellamy explained.
“Yup,” Texas agreed, “and it’s useful in situations such as these. So, I’ll be on the island with you and Marv. Knix and Bellamy will likely not be able to make it on. At least not for the first twenty-four hours.”
“Why?”
“It’s lockdown time. Sort of.” Texas scratched Cleo under her chin, earning a rewarding purr and lick. “See, all of these people are business men and women. Their entire lives revolve around work and the first twenty-four hours require them to give up cell phones, laptops, and anything else that can link them to the work world. Their security is actually pretty good, so you and Marv won’t have any either.”
My eyes widened. What if something bad happened? How would we get in touch with them? Texas caught my eyes and sat up, hugging me to his side reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right there and unlike the guests, I am there to work. Cell phones are required for me and I’ll be giving Marv one when we meet up on the island. You two shouldn’t be separated and you won’t be without one for more than the time it takes you to get through security to the first dinner.”
I relaxed, knowing that my panic was unwarranted. I hadn’t relied on a phone until I met these guys. It really wouldn’t be so hard to go without one for a few hours. Then again, we were going into a potentially dangerous situation. Suddenly, I was more appreciative of the training Knix had put me through, and I wished we had practiced more again today. I must have still looked concerned because Texas took the arm he slung around my neck and pitched me forward, locking my head into his side. I squirmed and pushed, but the more I did, the harder he chuckled until he was enveloped in a full-blown laugh. His chest vibrated and I could hear his lungs squeezing in air as he held me like that, and I struggled playfully to get away. I poked him in his side and he finally released me, rolling to the floor to escape my flying fist of revenge.
He gripped my wrist and twisted me until I landed on the floor with him hovering over me. He pressed down, his eyes sparkling, lighting a fire within. I gasped, staring up at him. His smile was wide and friendly, filled with amusement. I relaxed, slumping back on the floor, and grinned back at him. A pair of feet, covered in smooth black dress socks stopped just above my head and both Texas and I tilted our necks to look up. Marv stood, feet spread apart, hands on his hips, squinting down at us.
“What are you two doing? Don’t we have work to do?”
The groan that rumbled from my chest was echoed by Texas’ and we glanced at each other before we broke into another peal of laughter, causing Marv and Bellamy to shake their heads and smile.
Hours later, I was back at the outlets where Marv had bought my first dress, this time with only Texas as my escort. We had been instructed to purchase two daytime outfits and another cocktail dress for the retreat. Marv had to do an errand for Knix, while Bellamy had remained behind to prepare for the coming weekend on Sweratt Island, or so that’s what I was calling it. Apparently, the island didn’t actually have a name. It was barely a mile long and about two miles wide. It was only large enough for a resort and spa owned by Sweratt Incorporated, a few VIP guest houses, lodging for employees, and not much else.
“So, where are we going first?” Texas flipped a glance up from his phone.
I stopped mid stride. “Um…I thought you knew where we were going?”
“I’m just the ride. I figured you would have a few stores you wanted to try first,” he replied, tucking his phone away in his front pocket. “Which stores do you like?”
“I don’t know. I don’t go shopping all that much, but if you’re just my ride, why couldn’t I drive myself.”
“You can drive?” he raised a brow.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “I took D
river’s Ed in school.” We stood there a moment, glancing around at the different stores until I found one with a name I recognized. “How about that one?” Texas followed my finger and nodded, trudging towards the red and white display windows.
My phone buzzed when we got into the car not long after the store had closed with everything we needed. I was feeling proud of our accomplishment, and more than a little tired as the day had wound down. I slid the phone out of my pocket and answered on the third ring. Texas took the bags from me and stored them in the backseat of the SUV.
“Hello?”
“Harlow?”
“Erika? Hi! How’d you get this number?” I was surprised. This was a new number rather than the first one I gave her. I hadn’t had a chance to message her from this one. I also hadn’t heard her voice in so long. She sounded different.
“Oh, we gave it to her,” Texas whispered. “Just in case.” I smiled to let him know I wasn’t angry.
“I got it – it doesn’t matter,” she interrupted herself. “You have to get home now.”
“What’s wrong?” She sniffled and I realized why she sounded so different, she was crying.
“I just came by to find you. I knocked on the door, but when you didn’t answer…” She sniffled again, hard, as if she was holding herself together. Someone started talking to her in the background. “No…I’m on the phone with her now – hold on.”
“Erika?” I was growing increasingly nervous. Texas pulled out of the parking lot, throwing glances my way, concern etched into his features.
“Harlow, your mom’s hurt. I-I went in. I haven’t seen you in a while and I was worried. They’re taking her to the hospital now.”
“What? How? What happened?” I demanded. Before she could answer though, I ripped the phone away and turned to Texas. “Can you drive me to the hospital?”
His eyes widened. “Which one?”
“Which one?” I barked into the phone.
“Triton Hospital.” The tone of Erika’s voice shook and I didn’t want to think of what had happened. I didn’t want her to tell me. I needed to see for myself.
“Okay, I’m on my way. Can you meet me there?”
“She–”
“–don’t!” I snapped. I swallowed. “I’m sorry, just…don’t tell me. I’ll…I’ll see you at the hospital.” I ended the phone call and turned to stare out the window. All of the calm I had cocooned myself in was gone. Everything Knix had done to convince me that all would be right with the world, if I let them help me, had dissolved.
“Harlow?” Texas’ voice permeated by dazed thoughts. “What did she say?”
“She said that she went to my house because she hadn’t seen me in a while and…my mom’s hurt.”
Texas didn’t ask any more questions, but I noted that the speed of the SUV increased, and we flew through the interstate towards Trident Hospital. I closed my eyes and tried counting down from a hundred as slowly as I could manage in order to keep myself from going insane. When I reached -150, I opened my eyes to Texas pulling off the interstate and into the parking lot for the emergency room of the hospital. Erika waited by the entrance. I struggled to command my limbs to move.
“Stay there for a minute,” he said, jumping out of the cab and running in Erika’s direction. She backed away when he approached, quite obviously startled and confused. I watched as he spoke to her, his hands making small gestures as he explained something and motioned back to the SUV. Erika’s eyes followed his hands, but she couldn’t see me through the tinted glass of the vehicle. I pulled the lever on the car door and slid out. She visibly relaxed when she realized that I was there with him.
“Harlow!” Erika rushed to me, and threw her arms around my neck. She didn’t say anything else. Her arms squeezed me tighter, and she burrowed her face into my hair. It was meant to comfort me, a hug that told me things were bad, very bad. Erika pulled away after a few moments, her eyes glittering with tears she continued to hold at bay.
“Where…” I tried to speak, to ask where my mom was, but my voice failed me.
“I’ll show you to her room.”
She had a room. She was staying. My insides shriveled and collapsed as Erika held my hand to lead me inside. Texas pulled out his phone. The stoic expression on his face was the last thing I saw before the emergency room doors closed us into the smell of antiseptic, bleach, and illness.
* * *
My mom’s room was enclosed, the blinds drawn across the long window stretched across one wall, with the lights turned down in deference to her sleep. Erika stayed with me for a while, both of us taking a seat on the couch against the window as she explained what happened.
My mom had been found passed out in the hallway. My eyes strayed to the gash on her forehead she had incurred on her way down. While her external condition appeared minimal, and she didn’t have more than a mild concussion, the doctors had decided to keep her overnight.
The ER doctor, who had been the first to see my mom when she arrived, stopped by to let me know that a new doctor would be in soon to discuss further diagnosis and treatments. Erika had informed them of my mom’s medical history – she knew it as well as I did. Nurses came and went, some talking quietly, asking if either of us needed anything, some slipping into and out of the room like ghosts. After a while, as the sun began to set, Erika had to leave to return her father’s truck. I told her I wouldn’t be returning to school, but I would still see her at the graduation, and I let her know that I would be able to make it there on my own – I assumed one of the guys would be able to drive me.
Texas entered as she exited, his brown eyes trailing from my mom’s beeping heart monitor to me. When he sat, I latched onto him, startling him momentarily when I buried my face into his chest. I let out a ragged breath and tears leaked onto my cheeks. I inhaled the scent of vanilla that always seemed to soak into his clothes and skin, allowing it to calm me. His hand rested on my hair, pushing the strands back as he tilted his chin to sit on top of my head.
“They’re on their way,” he whispered.
I nodded, grateful. I closed my eyes and sunk into Texas. I touched the fabric of his shirt, and breathed in his vanilla scent, trying to ground myself in the present, rather than the future as an orphan. I was old enough that I could take care of myself. I was eighteen. That wasn’t the problem. What I was really terrified of was being alone. Mom hadn’t been the best companion to live with in her more recent years. She hadn’t always been herself, or particularly kind in certain instances when her hormones had taken over – but she was a constant, she was my mom.
It wasn’t until the door opened and light spilled in from the hall, and the scent of peppermint floated to me that I cracked open my eyelids to look up. Marv stood behind Knix, who stood next to Bellamy. They entered, and closed the door quietly behind them. Knix knelt at the end of the couch in front of me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I couldn’t answer because I didn’t want to lie to him and the truth was just too painful. I kept hoping that if I didn’t admit it then it wasn’t true. He stared at me, his blue eyes searching, hunting for anything to make me better. I wanted to crawl into his arms and cry. I wanted to stay with Texas. Marv was standing right there. Bellamy too. I wanted them all. They understood. They knew.
We stayed at the hospital that night, all of us taking turns sleeping on the couch and a cot the nurses had brought in. Knix and Marv disappeared regularly throughout the night. Bellamy and Texas stayed with me, ever vigilant. I appreciated the support they gave me, though I probably didn’t act like it. I didn’t even want to imagine how I might have reacted had I not had anyone else. Erika had to go home, but she promised that she would text me for updates. I tried calling my brother, but he didn’t answer. If she died, I would have to tell him. I dreaded that conversation.
She woke late afternoon the next day. The guys vacated the room when she cracked open her eyes and her heart rate monitor sped up. She was dizzy, nauseated,
something the new doctor, Dr. Mason, informed me might be likely. She would have to stay in the hospital longer. This terrified me. I didn’t know why I only associated death with the hospital. I knew, even if we left, she could deteriorate even faster. Logically, I knew my fears weren’t grounded. I just wanted her out of the hospital. I felt like if they released her, then she wouldn’t die.
I sat with her, talking about anything I could think of, and after several hours I was relegated to the weather and whatever I had managed to glean through the hospital magazines. I was horribly inept at talking when all I felt like doing was crying. She slept a lot more than usual. Even though I hadn’t been at the house as much, I would notice small things moved around that told me she had been up and about. At the hospital, she would wake for several minutes, eat with me – always something small and light – while I talked, before drifting back to sleep. The guys always seemed to know she was out because they would trickle back in, gathering around me. Bellamy forced me to go with him to the cafeteria more than once just to get out the room.
I would find Marv talking to nurses outside of the room and even the receptionist down the hall. I suspected he was paying for the room. I knew she should have been somewhere less private, cheaper. He was there though, and I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t accept that. I dreaded having to pay back every penny, but I knew I would. I just couldn’t do this by myself right now. I needed them.
The weekend drew nearer and Knix pulled all of us out of the room, promising me that he had a nurse watching over my mom. She would call if anything changed. He drove us in their SUV back to the apartment to prepare for the retreat. I wasn’t feeling up to a job, but we had promised to dedicate our time to help these people and, if I was being honest, I would rather do something to get my mind off my fear. Sitting around and waiting for my mom’s health to finally fail, and waiting for the impending pain of losing a parent to destroy me wasn’t doing me any favors. When Knix tugged me aside and told me that we could give up the job, that he and the others would still help me, I had refused. My mind was a wreck, focusing it would help. Marv and I left for Sweratt Island Friday evening, not long after Texas had checked in for his new IT position.
