Alex
IT HAD BEEN TWO weeks since I had marched round to rage at Lacey and had ended up doing her instead. It was out of control and out of character for me. I had no business still thinking about her perfect naked body and getting hard; I had to keep telling myself that it was never happening again. The issue was that every time I saw her, my body craved hers like it knew she was the one who had made me more rock hard than I had been in years. I had seen bodies like Lacey’s before but only in porn. She took real good care of herself but I also noticed that when everyone else shoveled food in at breakfast, she only drank coffee. She worked out at the cottage, Sara had let that one slip and I bet prior to coming to Celebration Falls, she spent a shit ton on beauty treatments.
Each day she turned up to breakfast, and I’d seen her chatting to Mabel and showing her drawings and sheets of something. I guess I could have asked what but then I’d have to talk to her, smell her scent, be near her and that was tough. Now I knew how beautiful her tits were naked, it was hard not to stare at them pushed up behind her plain t-shirts and not salivate. I had been drawn to women before, but Lacey seemed to awaken some primal need in me that I wish would disappear.
She came to the office, but Johnny showed her stuff more and more and I think she preferred to ask him as he was actually helpful. I kept my eyes down and found a reason to leave the office when she was around. It was the final week in June and the kids had now finished for the summer. They were hanging around the farm and already bored shitless so I was grateful to Eric and Mabel for finding them stuff to do. When I was Sara’s age I was always busy with Grandpa, not knowing I’d only have a short time left with him.
At lunch time I was walking from the office to the house when I saw Lacey approach me. She looked nice, different to her usual jeans and t-shirt she had got used to wearing on the farm. She wore a white sundress; her hair was down and falling over her shoulders and her face was more made up than usual.
“Hey,” she smiled up at me, expensive sunglasses covering her eyes.
“Hey,” I nodded and swallowed hard. She really looked stunning.
“Um... I’m heading out this weekend for the fourth,” she told me, “not that I’m sure you’re interested, but I thought I’d let you know... I’ll be back next week.”
“Okay,” I’d forgotten it was the holiday weekend; things around the farm didn’t tend to change for holidays, we all worked regardless. In the old days my grandpa would have a huge party with a grill, bonfire and invite a ton of people.
“Right,” it was awkward. She sighed, watched me for a second and then turned.
“Lacey,” I said quickly, and she turned back, “you look real pretty.” I said, my eyes washing over her body and then back up to her face. She gave me a wry grin and bit her bottom lip.
“Enjoy the weekend, Alex,” she said as she turned to walk away.
“Have a good one.” I shouted.
I watched as she walked on ridiculous wedged, white shoes to her car. The dress was past the knee and so not much leg was showing but what did show was tan, silky and it was obvious to anyone that a beautiful body rocked it under there. Lacey was not my girl, hell I had never even let her think I liked her much, but a familiar feeling stirred as she left, a feeling that had long since died in me. Jealousy. Shit, I had no idea where she was going, what she was doing and with who. It was absolutely none of my business. However, I hated the thought of some other guy roaming his hands over that body tonight.
She climbed up to her rental, and I jogged towards the SUV. I reached it as she was fastening her seatbelt. I leaned on top of the SUV and bent my head forward. She rolled down the window.
“Alex?” she asked, “did you want something?”
“Where you going? I mean if... you know, anyone asks.”
She pursed her lips in a knowing smirk and removed her sunglasses, her blue eyes were made up making them look an even deeper blue than usual.
“I’m flying out to meet my best friend and her family at the Hamptons,” she grinned, “if anyone asks.”
“Right,” I nodded, “wild parties, huh?” I asked, keeping a straight face.
“She’s married with kids and all her family will be there. The only single person is me so unless the party gets crashed by frat boys after the kids go to bed, I think it’ll be a quiet one.” She grinned, “in case anyone asks.” She uttered the last part.
I nodded and exhaled through my nose, “Well have a great weekend and I’ll see ya when you get back.”
“Thanks, Alex,” she gave a genuine look that didn’t come all too often from Lacey. She usually made a joke or masked her emotions so well they were impossible to read.
“Take care.” I patted the top of her SUV and she rolled the window up replacing her sunglasses. It was absolutely the right thing to not sleep with her again and distance myself, but I couldn’t help feeling a little down watching her drive away. It should have been a pleasure to watch an unwanted guest who had made herself at home leave. But I doubted anywhere Lacey Davenport ever went, anyone wanted to see her go.
“Happy fourth of July weekend,” Mom said as I answered the phone, “are you guys celebrating?” She asked.
“Not really,” I told her.
“You guys could drive out to old man Carey’s and...”
“Mom,” I sighed, cutting her off. “I’ve got an early start and we just...” I didn’t finish, and she didn’t push. Bear had his head laid across my lap and I was sitting in one of the wooden recliners behind the house sipping a beer.
“Thank you, Alex,” she said suddenly, and I felt my heart race. We weren’t a family of sharers and my mom wasn’t the best at acknowledging her faults.
“Mom...” I started to protest.
“No, listen, I know that things haven’t been great forever and I know I’m a terrible Mom,” her voice broke and she started to get emotional, I thought maybe she was crying.
“Jeez ,Mom,” I sighed, “please don’t cry.”
“I’m good. I’ve been talking a lot here, and it’s good for me and I want you to know Alex, my angel, how much I appreciate everything you are doing for the kids and the farm and I’m sorry that... I lost it all.” She took a huge breath at the end of the sentence and I imagined she was wiping tears away.
“Mom, I want to do this okay? Get well please.” I told her.
“Can I talk to the kids?” she asked breathlessly.
“Sure, I’ll go get them.” I walked inside, Bear close behind and called up to Sara and Logan. Logan bounded down first and couldn’t wait to take the phone. Sara had been a lot cooler towards Mom since she left. I guess at fourteen she was starting to see that the crazy carefree attitude our mom had was a front for something a lot more serious. She also blamed her for leaving her with me, which I got. I wasn’t too happy about that either. I sipped the beer and looked up to see Sara’s head peep around the top of the stairs. She looked at me but didn’t smile. I nodded with a hint of a grin and walked away. She needed to make her own mind up about Mom.
The weekend went by uneventfully. We didn’t go out to see fireworks and Sara didn’t ask if she could go meet her friends. Logan played video games and Mabel and Eric stopped by to bring us food to eat on the Sunday after visiting with their relatives nearby. Johnny was constantly trying to get me to go somewhere but I couldn’t bear the questions, “How’s your momma?” from people we saw. It was easier to visit town when I had to and swerve people I didn’t want to see.
When I was in bed, I couldn’t help my mind wandering to Lacey and the kind of weekend she’d be having. We were a far cry from what she was used to based on the dress she wore when she hightailed it out of Montana. I guessed it was better than here. My weekend had consisted of working, feeding the animals, picking up around the house and breaking up fights between Sara and Logan. Things sure were more interesting when I was trying to ignore the boss.