CHAPTER 20
“Hey! Are you almost ready?” Axel leaned against the counter in the small kitchenette, his arms folded across his chest as he waited on his sister, who was still in the bedroom getting dressed.
Izzy was supposed to be downstairs at the main house twenty minutes ago to take pictures with Ryder and their friends before they went to the Halloween Festival. Apparently, it was a really big deal in Whisper Lake, just like the Christmas Festival, New Year’s Festival, Valentine’s Day Festival, Spring Festival, Beginning of Summer Festival, Fourth of July Festival and End of Summer Festival. He’d heard of other towns that had three, maybe four, festivals per year, but eight seemed excessive to him. He’d mistakenly admitted that sentiment to Mrs. D during one of her interrogations disguised as small talk. She informed him that the festivals brought in the tourists that contributed significantly to the economic stability of the town. Then, she stretched out her arm and with a closed fist, opened it, and said, “Mic drop.”
She was a trip and, he had to admit, she was growing on him.
“Iz, it’s five past,” he prompted again.
“I know,” she sounded totally unfazed by her tardiness. If anything, she seemed irritated that he’d brought it up.
He’d never understood how people could reconcile being late for things. In his book, there was no excuse for it. But his sister had never considered punctuality a priority and it had only gotten worse since she hit her teenage years.
Agitation bunched in his shoulders as he waited. He knew that there was no reason he should be anxious about her tardiness. It wasn’t his friends that were waiting on him.
His head turned and his gaze went to the window, as it always did. He could see Brynn in her kitchen with Ali and Jess. Ali had brought the twins over and Jess had come over to do hair and makeup.
Axel watched as Brynn opened a bottle of wine and poured it into three glasses. She was laughing.
“Is it okay if I stay at Fiona’s tonight?”
Axel’s first instinct was to say no. He wanted her here, under his roof where he knew that she was safe. But if she had to stay anywhere, he supposed Fiona’s wasn’t a bad second choice. Each time he saw her mom, Chrissy, he was surprised that she wasn’t wearing a cape with an M on it, because that woman was Super Mom. He hadn’t met her husband, but he did feel comfortable that Izzy would be safe over there.
“Did Mrs. Caldwell say it was okay?”
“No.” His sister stated flatly. “In fact, she said I wasn’t allowed in their home. But don’t worry. I’m just going to sic one of my dragons on her.”
He found himself rolling his eyes for at least the third time that day alone. It was something that was becoming somewhat of a habit while raising a teenager. “You’re so funny.”
“I know. I’m thinking about taking my act on the road. Who wouldn’t want to go see standup from The Mother of Dragons?”
The bedroom door opened and Axel felt his jaw actually drop. His baby sister was dressed in a light blue, flowing dress with a thick gold belt that she and Brynn had sewed together. And earlier in the day Jess had styled her long blonde hair in waves and it had braids running through it.
“Wow.”
She didn’t acknowledge him as she walked slowly from the room, hands clutched at her waist, her head held high with an air of royalty about her. It was exactly the way the character walked on Game of Thrones.
Axel knew that it was just a costume, but he couldn’t believe that this was the same little girl that he’d walked the halls with when she was teething. Those nights had been torture and he remembered thinking they’d never end, but now time felt like sand slipping through an hourglass. No matter how much he tried to stop it or slow it down, granules just kept dropping down.
It wasn’t just how much older than her thirteen years she looked, it was the maturity that she exuded. Which shouldn’t surprise him because this was the same girl that he’d accidentally woken up when he’d tried to leave a dollar under her pillow when she lost her first tooth. He’d told her that the Tooth Fairy was sick and she’d asked him to fill in for her. Even at five years old, she’d known that he was full of it. Her little lips turned up in a smile and her eyes twinkled as she said, “I know you’re Santa, too.” Then she lay back down and went to sleep.
She’d always been bright and mature beyond her years. It used to be a cute quirk. A precocious little girl that had a crazy vocabulary. But now, now that she was actually becoming the adult version of herself, that little girl was gone and he knew there was no way he could get her back. Axel didn’t just want to slow down time, he wanted to stop the sucker all together.
“You look amazing.”
“I know, right!” She exclaimed as she spun around, morphing back into an excited teenager before his eyes.
When Izzy had shown up in Whisper Lake a month ago, he’d wrestled with whether or not letting her stay was the right thing to do. But in the time she’d been here, he’d gotten his sister back. She’d embraced the town and the town had embraced her right back.
She’d found a great group of friends and was excelling at school, which was no surprise. What was a surprise was that she had her first boyfriend and Axel couldn’t be happier about it. The kid was smart, funny and respectful. He couldn’t ask for a better kid for his baby sister than Ricky Walsh.
When she started for the door, he stepped in front of her, halting her path.
“Is your phone charged?” A rule he had was that she always had to have her phone charged and on her so that he could reach her at any time.
“Yes.”
“And you know the rules.”
“No drinking. No drugs. No prostitution. No murder.”
She was really living up to her nickname and being a huge pain in the ass. He glared at her, waiting for her to answer him seriously.
Now it was her turn to sigh, and her head fell back in exasperation. When she raised it, she also lifted her hand so she could count things off on her fingers. “Tell you where I’m going. Be where I say I’m going to be.” She lowered her forefinger and extended her middle finger, flipping him the bird briefly before she smiled re-lifted her forefinger adding her ring finger as well as she said, “Tell you if any plans change. Answer if you call and message you back if you text within five minutes.” She held her hand up, all of her fingers extended. “Happy? Can we go now? You’re making me late.”
“I’m making you late?”
“Whatever, can we go?”
He nodded and followed behind her. The two walked down the steps, across the deck and into the house. The moment Izzy stepped inside the girls shrieked, ran over, and threw their arms around her. The three girls had become fast friends. Yesterday they even bought matching friendship bracelets. Not the ones that he remembered people having when he was a kid, the kind that were handmade, with thread braided together. No, the ones his sister and her friends had were silver bands engraved with the words “side by side, or miles apart, we are friends connected by heart.”
It amazed him how much Izzy fit right in. Like she’d known this group her entire life. She talked to her friends and the adults with a familiarity that he’d only seen his baby sister share with him.
Izzy and Brynn were working closely together on the play and had bonded in a way he’d never witnessed, even between Izzy and her own mother. And his little sis worshipped Jess. She couldn’t stop talking about her punk pinup style and how cool she was. And she and Ali shared a corny sense of humor. The two of them cracked each other up.
Ryder treated her like a little sister. KJ was as protective of her as he was the rest of the group. And Ricky was totally smitten.
Axel watched as Jess, Ali, and Brynn all ordered the kids into different groupings and poses. Their costumes were impressive. Brynn had been staying up until the early morning hours for weeks now making them at her kitchen table. He’d given Izzy the bedroom, so he was camping out on the Murphy bed next to the window that overlooked the main house. Each night he’d watched her work tirelessly to get each of the costumes completed. He’d offered to buy Izzy’s dress, but Brynn insisted that it was some kind of tradition for her to make everyone’s costumes.
Izzy included.
His chest ached with emotions he didn’t want to address.
He’d been worried about how he would deal with leaving this place once the assignment ended. But now it wasn’t just him that he needed to worry about. Izzy was going to be devastated. He hadn’t told her the real reason he was here, but she knew it was temporary. The problem was, none of this felt temporary. It felt like the most permanent thing he’d ever experienced.
* * *
“I can’t believe how old they’re getting,” Ali sniffed as Jess fixed the beard that she’d put on Ricky while Brynn took pictures on her phone.
Between Ali and Brynn, they’d probably taken a couple hundred today. They’d had some of all the girls, some of all the boys, several of each individual couple, and a bunch of the whole group together.
“Okay, mom. That’s good. We’re gonna go.” Ryder had been really patient with her considering he was thirteen and his girlfriend was there. A lot of kids wouldn’t have indulged their parents for this long and she appreciated it.
“Do you have your bag?”
“Yeah.” He showed his mom that he had his backpack beneath the Night’s Watch cloak that she’d made him.
Ryder was going to be staying over at Ali’s with the twins after the festival and she’d heard that Izzy would be staying at Fiona’s, which meant this would be the first time she and Axel would be alone since the night they’d hooked up.
“All right, guys. Have fun. Be safe. Make sure to watch out for the little kids.” Last year there were some issues with grade school kids getting scared by high schoolers. She remembered thinking about how Ryder would be a freshman in a year and now he was. It was crazy how fast time went.
The group agreed, or at least humored her, and Ryder gave Brynn a quick hug before they all headed out the front door. She watched as the group started toward downtown and snapped one more pic of them all walking together from behind. She just couldn’t help herself.
When she closed the door and headed into the kitchen, she noticed Axel was already halfway across the deck and heading up to the apartment. A twinge of disappointment pinched in her chest. She knew that he probably wouldn’t want to hang out with her and her friends and share a glass of wine, but she’d at least wished that he would’ve spoken to her.
The only conversations that they’d had in the past few weeks had been initiated by her, surprise-surprise, and they’d all centered around Izzy. All of his sister’s teachers were absolutely floored by just how gifted she was. She was also incredibly sweet and ambitious. In the short time she’d been in Whisper Lake, she’d spearheaded a buddy lunch program so no kid ever had to eat by themselves and was currently collecting signatures for her healthy lunch initiative.
She truly was a remarkable young lady.
“I mean, that’s a view I just don’t think I’d ever get tired of seeing.” Jess commented and Brynn realized that all three women had been standing at the sliding door watching Axel go up the stairs.
Ali shook her head in mock disapproval and tsked. “Must I remind you that you’re almost a married woman?”
Jess didn’t miss a beat. “Must I remind you, you are already a married woman?”
Ali’s hands flew up. “I didn’t say anything!”
“Maybe not, but you were thinking it,” Jess challenged.
“Fair enough,” Ali conceded.
“You’re awfully quiet on the ass-gawking front,” Jess pointed at Brynn. “Any more nudity or groping?”
Brynn hadn’t filled her friends in on the night she’d spent with Axel. At first, it was because she was still trying to process everything. Then, she didn’t see the point since the main reason she shared things with her friends was to ask their advice. But she didn’t need their advice. Axel was leaving soon and he’d made no effort to spend any kind of time with her. What had happened was practically a one-night stand.
“Nope.” Brynn crossed to the fridge and pulled out a rosé that she’d picked up a few nights ago as her reward for finishing all six costumes. It hadn’t been easy. She’d averaged about three hours of sleep a night, but seeing them all tonight had made every sleepless night and exhausted day worth it.
She pulled out the utensil drawer and grabbed the wine opener. When she looked up, she realized that both Ali and Jess were staring at her with odd expressions on their faces.
“What? Did you guys want red? I think I have a—”
“So,” Jess leaned her hands on the counter. “Mrs. D came in for a blowout today and she mentioned seeing Axel climbing out of your bedroom window a few weeks ago.”
“Hmm?” Brynn tried acting oblivious as a question that had been bugging her was answered. She’d wondered how Axel had made it to the backyard so quickly that morning.
“You didn’t know?” Jess’s face grew very serious.
“No,” she answered honestly.
“I’m going to kill him.” Jess turned for the slider and Brynn launched herself over the counter and grabbed her friend’s arm.
“What? Why?” She wasn’t able to get out full sentences.
“I knew there was something that he was hiding, but I didn’t think it was that he’s a pervert. I’m gonna kill him.” Her friend repeated.
“He’s not a pervert!” Brynn shouted.
“Yes he is! He was in your bedroom and you didn’t know.” Her friend’s face scrunched in disgust. “He’s probably one of those guys that gets off on watching women sleep.”
Oh crap.
Brynn knew that she had to come clean. “OK. Calm down. I knew he was in my room. I just didn’t know how he got out of my room.”
Jess’s head tilted to the side while Ali’s brows wrinkled in confusion.
“You knew he was in your room.” Jess repeated slowly.
“Yes. I did. And then you showed up, and then Izzy showed up and I guess he must’ve woken up and snuck out the window so you two didn’t see him.”
A look of realization bloomed as Jess said, “Ohhhh, that’s why you looked over your shoulder like you saw a ghost!”
“What?” Brynn didn’t know what she was referring to.
Her friend smiled and pointed her finger at Brynn. “Remember, you said you thought it was Lucy, but I knew that was bullshit because your face drained of the little pigment your beautiful, porcelain doll complexion has.”
“Oh, right.” Now she remembered.
“I’m sorry, what is going on?” Ali lifted her hand. “What noise? What about Lucy?”
“When I came over to bring Brynn breakfast in bed, she wasn’t alone in that bed.”
“Ohhhh,” Ali’s eyes lit with understanding and a wide smile spread on her face.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. It was just the one night and he’s leaving—” Brynn started to defend herself but both her friends cut her off.
“Never say sorry for getting some.” Jess shook her finger at Brynn.
“Don’t apologize, it’s none of our business anyway.” Ali added.
“Right,” Jess agreed. “You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.”
Brynn nodded, thankful that she had such good friends. She took a deep breath as she opened the wine and started pouring. The silence was heavy and she felt like she was being watched. She glanced up and saw that both Jess and Ali were, in fact, staring at her expectantly. “What?”
“That’s it? You’re really not going to talk about it?” Jess questioned in disbelief.
Brynn had to laugh as she finished filling the glasses. “There’s not a lot to say.”
“Really?” Ali looked genuinely surprised.
Jess’s expression was disappointed. “I really thought Axel could put it down.”
Once again, they were getting the wrong idea. She felt her cheeks heating as she explained, “That’s not what I meant. He can and he did. There’s not a lot to say because that was it. Just that night. We haven’t really talked about it since.”
“Because Izzy is here?” Ali’s voice was hopeful.
Brynn lifted her left shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t think so. We’ve seen each other a few times when the kids haven’t been around. And, I mean, he’s staying a hundred feet from me, we work at the same place, and he has my phone number. If he wanted to talk about it, he would’ve.”
“Are you okay?” Ali’s eyes were filled with concern. “With…everything?”
Not really.
“Yeah.” Brynn forced herself to smile. “It was a great night. And I’ve always known his time here is temporary. It’s not like I ever thought that there was a chance for something more.”
She hoped her nose wasn’t growing because she was lying through her teeth. She hadn’t just thought there was a chance for something between them, she’d spent hours of her life fantasizing about it.
But she didn’t want her friends to know that. She hated when people felt sorry for her. In her childhood, she’d seen the look of pity in people’s eyes because her mother was eccentric. As a teenager it was because she was pregnant. In her twenties, it was because she was a single mom trying to juggle motherhood, school, and work.
She’d worked hard to build a great life for herself and Ryder, and the last thing she wanted to do was have that be undermined by some guy that wasn’t going to be here in a month. As much as she’d tried and failed to put him out of her mind, she knew she needed to try one more time.
Brynn handed her friends their glasses. “Let’s take this out on the deck.”
As the three ladies sat around the table, Ali lifted her glass in cheers, “To good drinks.”
“Good friends,” Brynn recited.
“And good sex!” Jess declared happily.
The girls chuckled as they clinked glasses and the conversation turned to Jess’s wedding plans. Brynn was listening, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. When she glanced up at the apartment window, she fully expected Axel to be staring down at her. But he wasn’t.
Yeah. It was definitely time to take back control of her mind and her life. No more letting him consume her every waking and sleeping thought.
Her new plan lasted all of sixty seconds because one minute later her mind had wandered to what tonight was going to be like since both the teens were going to be at friends’ houses.
What would Axel be doing?
Would he go out?
Would she see him?
Apparently taking control of one’s mind was easier said than done.