Two Thousand Miles

by Jennifer Davis

  Two

  Thousand

  Miles

  JENNIFER DAVIS

  Published by Jennifer Davis

  Copyright 2013

  All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13-978-0615773766

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  For my husband, Jamey and our daughters, Julia and Jayme Lee. Thank you for your love, encouragement, and continual support.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 1

  I landed in Slidell, Louisiana on the first Sunday of June at 7:32 p.m., with a knot of nausea rotating in the pit of my stomach like one of those tornados in a jar I used to make when I was a kid. The nausea was mostly from nervousness but held an equal amount of fear. The flight attendant, a plastic looking woman with bleached blond hair, and red, Restylane filled lips, had given me a Pepto Bismol tablet mid-flight and a tiny can of Sprite to chase the chalkiness down—neither of which helped either issue.

  Clutching my favorite Louis Vuitton bag, I stood and readied myself to exit the plane. The flight attendant forced a smile before telling me to have a pleasant night. The captain shook my hand, his grip too tight, and in a breath hinting of black coffee and nicotine gum, he thanked me for allowing him to be my captain. As if I’d had a choice. I smiled and wished him a safe trip home before descending the royal blue carpeted stairway to the pavement below.

  The outside air was hot and so thick with humidity that beads of moisture instantly formed in my hair, and the rouge colored charmeuse dress I wore clung firmly to my body. I lived in Malibu and was use to dry heat. My hair and humidity would not get along.

  A man appearing to be in his early sixties, his skin dark and hard with wrinkles sat a few feet away on a green and yellow golf cart with the only piece of luggage I’d brought laying across the back seat.

  “Ms. Parka, your people are here. I’ll take you to ‘em,” he said, his accent thick— distinctly Cajun. He’d replaced the –er in my last name with an –a.

  “Thank you,” I said, and smiled at him.

  “Alright, climb on,” he replied, nodding to the seat beside him. I boarded the golf cart and took a deep breath, still feeling slightly unbalanced and nervous about what was to come.

  I looked to the sky, admiring the vivid colors mingling around the sinking sun as the old man drove us to the terminal building. Deep oranges and brilliant reds twisted together with the soft white of the sparse clouds stretching across the dark blue of the evening sky. At home, in Malibu, my bedroom overlooked the Pacific Ocean; I never took a beautiful sunset for granted no matter where it was.

  In front of the terminal building was a girl my age wearing a tank top and cut off jean shorts. She was wet, her dark-brown hair piled in a soggy bun on top of her head. She chewed on her fingernails and paced in circles; her turquoise flip-flops squeaking with every step. I didn’t want her to be, but I knew she was “my people.”

  “Katara?” she asked. “Did I say that right?” I’d never met anyone who’d correctly pronounced my name on the first try. “I go by Kat,” I said, eyeing the red polka-dot bikini top showing through her thin, white tank top.

  My dad’s second wife, Isobel, suggested I call myself Kat because it was easier than letting people struggle to comprehend why something pronounced Cetera was spelled Katara.

  I was twelve the summer my dad married Isobel. She was more like a friend to me than a parent—probably because she was twenty-two. After the wedding, we moved from Santa Monica to Malibu, putting me in a different school district, and giving me an opportunity to start over as Kat—with Isobel’s help.

  As we shopped for my new start, Isobel gave me some advice. She told me never to show too much skin because that always attracted the wrong kind of boys. To always smile at people when they looked at me because it would comfort them and help eliminate any preconceived notions they may have had about me because I was pretty and had money, and that being polite and appreciative would take me a long way in life.

  As I got older, I realized just how far that simple tip had taken Isobel in her own life. She and my father had only dated five months before marrying, and even at twelve, I knew she’d just married him for money and wouldn’t be sticking around for all the occasions she’d sworn to in their wedding vows. She made it ten months before leaving us, but still, I consider my time with Isobel a blessing, as she was more of a mother to me than my own.

  “Alright, Kat, I’m Bit,” the soggy girl said. “Or Bitty—depends on who’s talkin’ to me.” I smiled, holding a hand against my stomach, attempting to coax it to settle.

  “Thank you for coming to get me,” I said.

  “No problem,” she shrugged.

  The old man sat my suitcase on the pavement and tipped his dingy cap to us before boarding the golf cart and driving away.

  “You ready?” Bit asked.

  “Sure,” I lied.

  Bit pulled the handle atop my suitcase and jerked it to a bumpy roll behind her. The wheels skidded over the uneven ground, rubbing the plush brown leather against the asphalt. I cringed, thinking of the damage she was doing to my favorite suitcase as I followed her, her feet still squeaking in her shoes. The back of Bit’s tank top was soaked from where her hair had dripped down it. Her butt cheeks took turns peeking out of her shorts as she walked, which temporarily distracted me from thinking about my bag, as I wondered what kind of boys she attracted.

  Bit led me to a jacked up, four door, pewter color Chevy truck caked in fresh mud and full of people. She pointed to a handful of boys in the truck’s bed. “That’s my brother, Russ, and that’s Ben, Cody, and Logan.” The best I could manage was a slight smile and a “hi.” I hadn’t expected the entire city to pick me up.

  “Hey,” Russ grunted, leaning over the side of the truck. He had a wad of tobacco in his cheek and spit out brown goo mere inches from my black suede Jimmy Choo shoes before yanking my suitcase away from Bit and slinging it crashing into the truck bed. I cringed again, wanting to yell out how much Prada luggage costs, and to be more careful with it, but held my tongue instead. Their family was doing my father and me a favor by taking me in, and I didn’t want bitching about suitcase abuse to be their first impression of me.

  Bitty pulled open the front passenger door, climbed up on the sludgy step rail and gracefully slid inside the truck. She leaned across the seat and held her hand out for me. I grabbed hold, and as I tried to place my foot on the step rail without ruining my shoes, the rear seam of my dress ripped. Bit’s eyes went wide while the
girl next to her cackled like a hyena. She leaned forward and smirked at me. “Obviously you’ve never been to Louisiana. You’re way overdressed.”

  “Be nice, Dixie,” Bit scolded. Dixie rolled her eyes and leaned back hard against the seat. Ignoring Dixie’s comment, I managed myself into the truck, sat in the dirty, wet seat, and slammed the door closed.

  The driver reached over Dixie and Bit and held his hand out for me. “I’m Mason,” he said. And I was dumbfounded. Mason was the kind of beautiful that instantly made smart girls stupid. Long, black lashes framed his weighty blue eyes; the color made more prominent by the sun on his skin. His messy dark hair jutted from beneath a slightly crooked purple and gold ball cap.

  Mason smiled at me, and I felt the knot in my stomach tighten. Actually, I think I felt everything tighten. I took his hand; fire seared through me as we shook.

  “I’m Kat,” I said, woozily smiling back. Dixie leaned forward, blocking my view of Mason and shot me an eat shit look. Mason must have been hers.

  I let go of Mason’s hand and cut my eyes away, disappointed that the presumably one bright spot in my situation had just been eclipsed by a semi-cute bully in need of a good haircut.

  A girl in the back seat spoke up, “I’m Shelby, Bit’s sister, and this is Crystal.” She pointed to the girl beside her. “Hi.” I smiled, even though I didn’t want to. I was suddenly tired of smiling.

  Mason started his truck and revved the engine; it growled and popped as he sped out of the parking lot, driving too fast. Bit tried to strike up a conversation with me, but Dixie put an end to that by cranking up a country song on the radio and loudly singing along. Thankfully, the airport wasn’t far from the Broussard’s home.

  Mason pulled off the street into the yard, right up to the front door, which was fine, I guess since ninety-eight percent of the yard was dirt anyway.

  The truck windows were down and had matted up my hair. It looked like a pale gold loop of frizzy yarn. I’d caught a glimpse of myself in the side mirror when Russ opened my door. He leaped onto the step rail, scooped me up in his arms, and jumped to the ground, setting me safely down before I could argue that I didn’t need help getting out of the truck.

  “Thanks,” I muttered, pulling the heel of one of my shoes out of the ground. Bit slid out of the truck behind me. “See, y’all,” she said.

  Ben tossed my suitcase out of the truck bed; it hit the ground with a hard thud. I stared at my pitiful Prada lying in the dirt, imaging my breakables in pieces.

  Mason backed up; slinging the passenger door closed as Cody crawled through the cab’s sliding rear window and licked Shelby’s face. She gasped, and then laughed, smearing her palm across her wet cheek. “I guess I’m stayin’ with them,” she shouted.

  Mason leaned out the window, seemingly looking only at me. “We’ll be back in a little while,” he called, before spinning out of the yard and noisily speeding away.

  Chapter 2

  The Broussard’s one-story house sat on a corner lot, wrapped in wide plank, sea green siding with freshly painted glossy white shudders. Like the others in the neighborhood, red clay tiles covered the roof. Simple wrought iron planter boxes hung empty beneath the windows. The drapes were closed, along with the pull-down shade covering the glass on the front door, keeping anyone from seeing in, or out.

  My house in Malibu was full of windows, all uncovered. For me, having a clear view of the ocean in the mornings was worth giving up a little privacy.

  “Come on, I’ll show you around,” Bit said. I followed her to the back of the house to a sizable covered patio that housed a couple slip covered couches; a beat-up teak table with mix matched chairs, a grill, and several coolers. A dirt path led to a shabby two-door garage at the back of the large, fenced yard.

  Bitty swung the screen door open, and we stepped inside the kitchen; red walls, clear coat maple cabinets, black appliances and laminate countertops. Notes, photos, and magnets covered the refrigerator.

  “That’s the laundry.” Bitty pointed to a nook across from the kitchen overflowing with dirty clothes. She pointed right. “Living room.” Yellow walls, a wood-burning fireplace, couch, two chairs, all covered with white sheets, and a set of brass and glass end tables.

  Bit pushed a door open in the hallway. “Me and Shelby stay in here.” There were two king mattresses shoved wall-to-wall on the left side of the room, and a sofa on the right. Pictures and posters plastered the walls allowing little of the turquoise paint to show through. Yellow, glittery curtains flanked the only window in the room. A long dresser sloppily painted white and cluttered with folded clothes, and knick-knacks sat in the corner behind the sofa.

  “The sofa pulls out,” Bit said. “People crash here a lot. Russ is across the hall.” She swung out on the doorframe, pointing to a closed door behind me. “Never go in his room, it smells like dip spit and dirty socks. Crystal, the redhead is his girlfriend. I don’t know how she stands the stink. This is where you’ll stay,” she said, opening a door across the hall.

  The room was the tidiest I’d seen and held a twin bed without a headboard, a worn plaid recliner, a tall black dresser, and was decorated with everything Louisiana State University. A deep purple comforter with a gold tiger’s head and the letters LSU stamped underneath covered the bed and pillowcase. One purple and one gold curtain hung on either side of the window, and a few pennants and posters had been strategically tacked to the white walls.

  “This was my brother, Garrett’s room. He goes to LSU—plays football. He’s got a place in Baton Rouge, but with it bein’ summer, he could pop up any time to visit. Don’t worry though, the girls ‘round here think G’s a hero and stay lined up for a chance to accommodate him for a night, so if he does come home, he won’t be sleepin’ here.”

  “Is this him?” I asked, pointing to an oversized framed photo hanging above the dresser.

  “Yep,” she said. “He thinks he’s hot shit, gets on my nerves how much he loves himself, but he is a pretty good brother, I guess.”

  The photo was an action shot taken on the LSU field. Garrett appeared larger than life; big, tall, and strong—different from Russ, who was average height and stocky, like a boxer.

  Next, Bitty presented to me the only bathroom in the house. I’d had my own in Malibu. Our guests, too. The thought of sharing a bathroom with strangers kind of made my skin crawl.

  “That’s Momma and Daddy’s room.” Bit nodded to the door at the end of the narrow hallway. “And that’s all,” she shrugged. “I’m sure it’s not as nice as what you’re use to, but it’s home.” Their house wasn’t as nice as mine was, but I had no reason to be a bitch about it. As I’d said, their family was doing my family a favor.

  “It’s a lovely house. Thank you for showing me around,” I said and smiled.

  “Sure. My mom should be home soon. I’ll let you get settled in,” Bit said, and then bounced down the hall to her room and shut the door.

  I went back to Garrett’s room and found my freshly beat-to-hell Prada bag lying on the bed. Russ may not have been my type, but he had good manners. At home, I’d dated boys who didn’t touch any type of tobacco and owned at least one suit. I closed the door and looked around Garrett’s room. I was happy to find the dresser empty and enough space in the closet to hang some of my things. Unpacking didn’t take long. I hadn’t brought much in hopes that my stay in Slidell would be short.

  I shut the closet door and caught my reflection in the dusty mirror hanging on the back. My fitted charmeuse silk dress and Jimmy Choo heels hadn’t been the best choice for flying, or hoisting myself in and out of a monster truck, but that dress had been my go-to whenever I was unsure what to wear, and now it was ruined. Torn and stained. Although I would never be able to wear it again, I hung the dress in the back of the closet and removed my muddy shoes. I thought about cleaning them up, so they wouldn’t be ruined too, but instead I lay on Garrett’s bed and quietly cried, even though I wanted to scream and fall apart.

&nbs
p; Chapter 3

  I realized I’d fallen asleep when Mason’s truck pulled up outside. The rugged sound woke me. I got out of bed and checked my phone. It was 10:30 and still no calls or texts from my friends in California. I hadn’t talked to any of them since Friday night. No calls also meant no news about my father. I dropped my phone back into my bag and put on a pair of shorts and a Polo shirt.

  My eyes were matted from where I’d been crying earlier. I got my makeup bag and went across the hall to the bathroom, which was thankfully empty. I locked the door and examined myself in the smallish oval mirror hanging above the vanity. I looked tired and puffy.

  I washed my face, dabbed Preparation H under my eyes to reduce the swelling, and plucked the bobby pins from my hair. I’d put it in a simple twist before getting on the plane, but the ride in Mason’s truck had turned it into a knotted mess.

  Sharp laughter echoed in the hallway, and then came a hard bang against the bathroom door.

  “Hey! Hey! Whoever’s in there, I have to pee!” The door knob rattled, and there was another bang against the door’s hollow core. I turned the tab on the lock, and Shelby came bursting inside. “Hey, it’s Kat!” she yelped, her eyes wide. Her face warped with surprise. “Kitty Cat,” she giggled, sliding her tall, thin frame past mine. “You should come out and play with us, Kitty Cat!” she exclaimed, yanking her shorts down. “Beer Pong!” she laughed, and sat down hard on the commode seat.

  When I turned to leave she shouted, “No, don’t go!” over the loudness of her urine stream colliding with the commode water. “I’ll see you outside,” I said, without glancing back at her.

  I’d drank before, and had been tipsy, but had never gotten drunk. My friend, Olivia said that getting sloppy drunk was the quickest way to end up on YouTube or date raped. And who wanted either of those things to happen to them?

  Russ, Mason, and a woman I assumed was Mrs. Broussard were in the kitchen picking through a few tins of food on the bar. The woman was taller than Russ and slightly pear shaped. Her short, brown hair had been pushed away from her face with a thin, plastic headband. She looked younger than I expected a working woman with five children would look.