by Emily Bowie
The sound of logs falling to the ground, chairs folding open, and cans popping take over for those few seconds. I can’t help but sigh. This view, this laidback atmosphere, was exactly what I needed. I had no idea how stressed I constantly felt until I took myself out of it all. I can see why people come here and wish they never have to leave.
CHAPTER 11
“How did you end up owning all your own businesses here?” I eventually ask Crash at the exact second the crowd goes silent, and all eyes are on us. I look to him then all around before everyone starts laughing. There clearly is a story here.
“You’re going to need this!” Danger tosses me a beer, tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.
“Oh no, we’re not doing this.” Crash laughs, looking more amused than anything.
“If you don’t tell her, one of us will,” Danger announces to Crash but is looking at me when he says it.
“You’re a shitty cousin.”
One of their friends whose name is Ruben steps up. “I’ll take one for the team to save your cousin love.” He’s a bigger guy with a booming voice.
“Sit down,” Crash tells him. To my surprise, he does so while laughing.
He pulls my chair closer to him, leaning into me, his breath fanning across my cheek. “This story has had ten years of embellishment.” The way he’s looking at me has a ripple moving across my skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. The old me would have dragged him out into the darkness and allowed him to grind against me. But I’m trying to keep my life hassle-free and get it in some sort of reputable order like an adult should. Sleeping with my boss shouldn’t be on my mind. But it’s all I seem to be thinking about.
“Remember how mad he used to get when I brought up this story?” a redheaded girl named Haven asks the group. I’m the one who severs our eye contact to look over the fire. My eyes are darting from person to person as they continue ribbing Crash.
“That’s because your father is the preacher and you told your mom, who then told my mom!” Crash tries to defend himself.
“Oh hush, they already knew before Haven said anything,” Palmer, a girl sitting next to Haven, comes to her defense.
Crash looks over to me. “You know how small this town is. Now think about what it looked like when no Crash businesses were around. We were so small we didn’t get a school here until after I graduated. One bus would pick up all of Oakport Beach’s kids and drive the hour to Charleston. It was so far that even when we could drive, our parents still made us take the bus.”
I can feel his leg hairs touching me we’re so close. There is less than an inch between our arms that rest on the thin fabric of the fold-up chairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him sneaking peeks at me. I shouldn’t like this little game we seem to be playing, but my body hums with awareness.
“You’re famous for this story, aren’t you?” I tease, glancing at Crash. My voice comes out soft and seductive-sounding in a way I never meant.
“Sadly, he is,” Danger cuts in, reminding me other people are around us. “Even his parents remind him of this story often.”
Everyone around the fire is on the edge of their seat, waiting, and I’m sure this must be the thousandth time they’ve heard it. If they’re not bored of it yet, the tale must be awesome. Crash’s pinky finger brushes against my hand, and my pulse stutters before it picks back up.
Danger stands and continues, “You see, Crash here—” He rests one hand on Crash’s shoulder, his fingers gripping tight as Crash tries to shake him off. “—had to start up all his own businesses, because he was fired from his only job—” Danger looks around the crowd then his gaze finally lands on me. “—for jacking off during work hours.”
My mouth opens, unsure what to say. Crash glares at his cousin while laughter erupts from all around the fire. I can’t help that my eyes go right to his crotch before they fly up to meet his gaze. He’s watching my reaction before he winks. “If you’re going to tell the story, tell it properly.”
Crash stands up, looking in his element. I have a feeling both he and Danger are used to running the show when they’re out with friends.
“I used to work at the video store Saturday nights then open Sunday mornings. They had this secluded section I peeked into one day and decided I wanted to check out what was in it.”
“A secluded section?” I question, causing more laughter. “You mean the porn section.” I bite my lip as he looks down at me.
His head tilts, and his hand pats my shoulder. “Thank you for clarifying.” He takes a sip of his second beer of the whole day.
“One day, I decided to take a video home, but every time I tried to put it into the VCR, someone would come in. It was impossible. So I got this great idea that I would go into work early and watch it.
“I put the video in, placing my legs up on the counter and settling in to enjoy whatever was so good they had to hide it from everyone else. The problem was that as soon as it went up on the TVs around the store, I realized anyone walking by could see it too.”
“Actually, he had no idea. I banged on the front window, telling him that,” Haven informed the group.
“Thank you, Haven.”
“Just wanted to make sure you got all the facts right.”
“Haven’s knocking startled me, and I fell flat on my ass as I fumbled with the remote to turn off the TVs. But I wasn’t deterred.” He pauses for effect. The way his body moves telling the story and the animation in his voice has me glued to him.
“The next weekend, I got a better idea. We had this castle-like kid section that had a small twenty-five-inch TV with built-in VHS player in it—”
“Wait,” I interrupt. “How old are you? VHS?” The crowd loves that, but seriously. He chuckles, turning to look at me. It feels like a lasso has wrapped around us, pulling this zap of electricity tighter. My pulse hasn’t stopped its reckless momentum. No matter how much I should be telling myself he’s off-limits, my body doesn’t seem to be agreeing. Old habits die hard for a reason. I want to get my life in order, but it is harder than just saying the words.
“Again, this is a small town. When the rest of the world had DVDs for ten years is when we finally got them. Like when the rest of the world’s movie stores disappeared, we still had ours for another five years. Small town, it takes a long time to catch up to everything.”
“This is starting to sound like a Grandpa Simpson story. This one time in Shelbyville….” I banter, hoping what I’m feeling never vanishes.
Crash shakes his head but continues. It’s obvious everyone still likes to hear this tale.
“I had this great plan. I found an extension cord, picked up the TV, and brought it into the bathroom with me. This way no one could tell what I was watching. It was before the store opened. This was a master plan. What I lost track of was the time. By the time I found the cord, set it up, and pressed Play, apparently, it was time to open the store. But that didn’t deter me. I sat down ready to enjoy this video, when I heard a banging sound. I thought it was someone wanting me to open the store, so I ignored it.”
“You didn’t.” I feel like I’m reliving Crash’s story, and I would be mortified.
“Oh yes, he did,” Danger responds, busting a gut. “It was his boss knocking on the bathroom door!”
“And that, my friend, is how I got fired from my first and only job in which I had a boss. This story ran through town like a wildfire. There was no way anyone would have hired me after that. I was forced to open up my own businesses.”
Crash sits down, taking another sip of his beer. “You’re all shitty friends,” he calls everyone out. He taps my foot with his in a silent check-in.
“Just keeping everyone honest,” Haven adds.
“That’s because you have no stories.”
“Don’t get mad at her because of your stupidity,” Palmer chimes in.
Crash laughs, taking it all in good stride. He leans into me. “Want to go for a walk?” I can almost feel his lips o
n my earlobe. I have to stop myself from leaning over, wanting his touch.
“Sure.” I put my untouched beer into the sand under my chair.
“Now that I’ve embarrassed myself, I need to take a walk,” he announces to the crowd.
The sun has completely faded; the only light guiding us is from the fire and the few stars not covered by the clouds that are rolling in.
“You still plan on staying, right? I didn’t scare you off?” Crash asks with vulnerability laced in his tone. It makes me wonder what happened for that to be there. In my mind, he seems to have everything. He has a small empire, great friends and family. He has everything I wish I had.
His eyes are incredibly expressive. I’m not sure if I have ever met someone so honest. Minus the stunt he pulled with Aunt Millie, but I can see that was out of love and desperation to find someone for her. The more time I spend with him, the more I realize he wears his heart on his sleeve.
Most guys I’ve met seem to always be hiding something, trying to give you their best possible self that only lasts for two dates, and then it disappears.
The farther we walk, the more the breeze picks up and our light fades. The sound of the waves crashing is heard but can’t be seen. Each step we take is into the unknown.
Crash pulls me into his side. “I’ve walked this beach a million times in the dark over my life,” he says, sensing my thoughts.
I don’t pull away. It feels right. Everything here feels like I belong. I never want to lose this feeling. Crash makes me feel good, like my life isn’t in shambles. It’s a feeling I never want to let go of.
“What are you thinking?” Crash asks me.
“This town is perfect. Everyone is friendly. There’re no fake smiles, no backstabbing. Everyone says what they want in front of everyone. It feels like there is an ‘everyone is part of the family’ vibe going on.”
He stops, turning my body into his. “I hope that family vibe isn’t too strong.” With one breath, all our energy spindles its way into my heart. We stand there, the noise of the waves sounding farther away than they are as anticipation engulfs my nerves.
I can’t see Crash, but I can feel what he’s about to do next. My heart beats faster with awareness, and then slowly, his lips descend on mine.
His touch heats my skin like fire, and I melt into him. Fireworks are going off along every one of my nerve ending as he deepens the kiss. His touch is light yet welding me to him. The sparks rush over me, twisting around my body and pooling right between my thighs.
His hands cup my face as my hands glide into his hair, needing him closer. This kiss is perfect in every sense, making me dizzy with its effects. Crash begins to break apart from me, and we stand there, breathing heavily and not saying a word. This is one of those moments where no words are needed. My hands slide down his strong, muscular arms until my fingers reach his. He interlinks our hands before pulling me down the beach.
Each step we take hand in hand, I begin to worry. This is what I wanted from the moment I saw him. But that was when I thought this could be a fun summer fling. Now, he’s my boss. Ugh, I can’t help but start to stress about what those implications mean. My heart flutter kicks, and my free hand rubs at my chest. Instead of it lasting like it normally does, it quickly leaves, but my mind won’t stop thinking out all the things that could go wrong in this situation.
CHAPTER 12
I watch helplessly as Piper jumps out of my Jeep and practically runs into the barn. Was I reading us wrong? I don’t date women, but not because I’m a player. I’m always starting up something new that requires a great deal of attention. It’s not that I don’t want a relationship; it just seems that I never have time for them. I, honestly, shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of Piper, but she has this draw I can’t seem to resist.
Sighing, I step out of the Jeep. In the end, the women in my life have always thrown my tendency to overwork in my face and leave just like everyone else in my family. I’m the nice guy, and everyone knows how this story ends. Nice guys finish last.
“Crash, Epic.” Our parents sit us down, looking serious.
Something’s not right. My brother and I look at each other, already knowing what they might be telling us.
“Oakport Beach no longer holds what we need,” my mother begins. “Your father is moving to the city. I’ll stay here until the end of the year when you graduate Crash, and then I will be moving too, separately from your father.”
I’ve been looking at an old tow truck and have considered buying it to make some more money on the side. It’s a small step in bringing more opportunity to our town, but it’s a start.
“I can start up some businesses. What do you need?” If it’s a matter of wanting more here, I can do that. It’s what we young people can bring to Oakport Beach.
“There are no opportunities here, Crash. I haven’t worked since Epic was born. I need to have something for myself. This town is holding us back.”
“This town, or your marriage?” Epic asks, standing up. He doesn’t wait for a response and slams the front door on his way out.
“Are you two divorcing?” I’m not understanding what they’re trying to tell us.
“We’ve outgrown each other and need the benefits of the city to see if we can even get back to where we once were.”
I haven’t thought about that day in a while, but it hurts just the same now as it did then. I wanted so badly to prove to them it wasn’t where we lived that was the problem. I didn’t realize at the time it was more than that. A part of me still hopes that maybe they’ll change their mind and move back. I long ago realized they will never be together again, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fall in love with Oakport Beach all over again.
I feel deflated. Piper is a city girl, there is no way she would be happy here. What job opportunities wait for her after Aunt Millie gets better? I could help with that and start a new venture. Even at that, it’s a catch twenty-two. I would be busier than ever and trying to start up a new relationship. It would never work.
But then why can’t I get her out of my head?
CHAPTER 13
“I’m going to check on Millie,” I tell Crash, practically jumping out of his Jeep. I’m scared about what I’m feeling for him. The more time that passed after the kiss, the more time I spend dwelling on it. He’s my boss—reason number one on why I should not be kissing him. I don’t need to be jumping into a relationship so fast; they never work out in my favor anyway. My heart and mind fight against each other. My heart keeps telling me to go for it. I’ll never find this feeling again. I probably look like a crazy woman right now, mumbling to myself as I stalk away. Crash must be thinking, “What the hell? I caught a crazy one.”
What if he fires me now? What have I done? He hired me after the first kiss though.
Frankie comes walking out of the barn when she sees our headlights, and I give her a wave as I scurry closer. Considering she’s spent the last few hours in the barn, she looks perfectly put together. A far cry from what I look like after ten minutes in there.
“Everything good?” I ask, wanting an update.
She shrugs. “She was a doll, but I couldn’t get her to eat anything. She kept looking at the barn door. I think she’s been holding out for you.” That shouldn’t melt my heart, but it does. I love that Aunt Millie needs me.
Am I that lonely that I have succumbed to needing a horse’s acceptance? I brush that thought away. It solidifies my position here; that’s all. My heart is still racing from the knowledge that Crash is the best kisser I have ever experienced, hands down. I just don’t know how to do this whole “hey, you’re my boss, but I’d like to see where that kiss could lead,” thing. I may have just screwed up the best thing for me by giving in.
Shaking my head, I hope to make the thoughts fly away. They dissipate slightly as soon as I see Millie. Her horse tail hits both her sides as soon as she sees me, and her hoof goes up and down, her way of greeting me.
“Hey,
girl, you hungry?” I head to where her food is kept and start mixing it for her. “You staying out of trouble?” I look over my shoulder, and she’s just staring at me, hanging on my every word. The light from the Jeep is gone, leaving me here by myself.
“I had a crazy night.” Pulling out a stool, I sit in front of her. “It was the most fun I’ve had in years. I like it here.” I bring the bottle to her mouth, and she surprises me by taking it without a fuss. I keep on talking to the horse like she’s my best friend, even going about answering for her. If anyone came by, they would throw me out for being crazy.
I take my time, fiddling around in the barn, wanting to make sure Crash is asleep before I head inside. I don’t want to have that awkward conversation of him telling me that tonight was a mistake and it can’t happen again because he’s my boss. I consider sleeping in here, but that would involve me heading into the house to grab myself a blanket.
Looking at my phone, I have missed five phone calls from my sister Bex and two from my other sister. Each one left me a message. I press Play on Bex’s first one.
“Piper, why the hell is a collection agency calling me about you?”
Second message: “Are you okay? Do you need money?”
Third message: “I don’t understand how you get yourself in these situations. What happened to that lawyer you were dating?”
Fourth message: “Should I be paying off your debt?”
I stop listening after that. I’ll deal with this in a day or two.
As I peek out the barn door, the house seems to be black on the inside, the only light on being on the porch. Leaving the barn, I walk across the grass, enjoying being away from the city. I lift my chin toward the sky, the stars shining bright. I have never seen so many stars in the sky before. I don’t know if I can move back to the city after this.
When I open the screen door, it squeaks as my other hand opens the main door. Holding my breath, I wait to hear him moving around. The house doesn’t creak as I step forward before stopping once again, listening for any type of sound. Very gently, I close the door behind me, not wanting to disturb the dark house. Each step I take toward my room, I’m on my tiptoes, hoping to stay silent. Crash’s door is closed, and no lights shine under it as I enter my room. It didn’t take him long to go to sleep.
