CHAPTER SEVEN
Ben
The pounding in my head became more and more focused until it felt like someone was piercing my temples with a knife.
“Son of a bitch.” I winced and slapped the side of my arm. The mosquitoes around here were as big as horseflies.
The campfire I had started last night was a pile of ash. Last night. I rubbed the corners of my forehead. I hadn’t had that many beers in a long time. I kicked one of the remnants out of my way as I headed toward the Sand Dollar. One of Quinn Jansen’s new songs had played on the radio, and that was the last thing I remembered—cranking the music and getting lost in the words.
The bottle rolled. I wanted a shower first, and then I would be back out to clean up this mess. Carl and Flora had been clear about their tidy camp standards.
“Looks like you had a good time last night,” a sultry voice called from behind him.
I stopped and turned to look over my shoulder. I hadn’t noticed anyone else staying in the camper horseshoe, but I knew it was unlikely I would be the only resident all summer.
A woman with white blond hair stood a few yards from the front of my silver refuge. She smiled and smacked her gum.
The beer bottles littered what piece of land I could call my yard. Damn, I must have finished off the case.
“Good morning,” I offered the woman, keeping one hand on the door and hoping she would leave as quickly as she appeared.
“Good morning to you.” She bit hard on her bottom lip, and I saw her eyes rake me over like a piece of candy.
Why in the hell did I have to deal with this right now? I pulled the handle and stepped one bare foot into the camper. I had no interest in talking to a forty-something woman already in a bikini. It was barely daylight.
“See you around? I’m Alice. Staying in Pirate’s Booty right next door if you want to stop by some time.” She waved, only using the tips of her fingers.
“All right.” I closed the door behind me and dropped my head. I would end up next to the cougar on vacation trolling for her next young thing. I knew I was being rude, but some boundaries had to be established right away.
The only thing I had for dinner last night was a bag of corn chips and beer—an entire case of beer. Tom always said habits like that would catch up with me, but I didn’t care. The headache hurt like hell, but it was worth it. When was the last time I had listened to the music I wanted, drank what I wanted, ate what I wanted, and built as big of a fire as I wanted? The higher the flames, the colder the beer, the more I forgot.
I flipped open the mini-fridge. It reached the top of my waist, but had plenty of room for a summer bachelor. I smiled. There was one more cold beer with my name on it. I twisted off the top and chugged a few swallows.
The empty bottle landed in the trash can. I realized I had now spent my second night on the island in a less than comfortable sleeping position. The bed tucked at the rear of the trailer looked softer than a pile of feathers. I stripped my T-shirt and threw myself chest down on the red and white checked quilt. Sleep—I needed more sleep.
***
“Mama, I’m fine.” I tried to soothe my worried mother. “I needed a break from work, that’s all.”
“Darlin’, if you’re in some kind of trouble, then just come on home,” she suggested.
“I’m not in trouble. Everything is perfectly ok. It’s called a vacation.” The last time my mother sounded this worried was when I got caught skipping school. My parents had grounded me for a month after that.
“Ben, I don’t like to get involved with your Hollywood stuff.” I smiled. That’s how she always referred to my work. “But, I want to help you. Why don’t you come home and rest here? I can make all your favorites.”
“As tempting as that is, I don’t need mac and cheese right now as much as I need to clear my head.” I could picture her, hair pulled back in a clip sitting in front of the bay window with a cup of coffee in her hand and a frown on her face.
“It’s that girl, isn’t it? That’s what this is all about.” Her tone was sharp. “You know I don’t like to read those magazines, but her face was all over the stands at the checkout at the supermarket.”
I thought about how to answer that question. Of course Rebecca was part of this, but not in the way my mother thought. It wasn’t heartbreak. It was humiliation and disappointment. One more failed relationship to add to a growing list for the world to tally up for me, one neon headline at a time.
“Rebecca’s moved on. I’ve moved on. I don’t really want to go into it right now.” The pictures of Rebecca looking adoringly into some other guy’s eyes were still fresh. At least last night, with the help of some cold beer, I had forgotten about them.
“Ok, let’s talk about something else, then. Where are you? Is it nice?” Her east Texas accent accentuated the vowels in each of her words.
I gazed out the window as a pelican skimmed across the water. “Yep. It’s beautiful. You would like it.”
I wondered if the set of pirates would be back later today to attack the sand dunes. I knew my mom would get a kick out of them. She frequently referred to her future grandchildren, but always followed it up with “no pressure here.” At twenty-eight I was in no rush to start a family. Hell, I wasn’t in a rush to find another girlfriend. Becs had cured me of that for a long time.
“I bet I would. I’ve been trying to get your father to take me on a trip for months now, but he won’t leave. He says there’s no point in getting out of Texas. For once, I’d just like to take a vacation with him.”
I had invited my parents to my first awards show in Hollywood when my career began to skyrocket, but my mother wouldn’t travel without my father and my father wouldn’t leave Texas.
“Mama, why don’t you take a trip without him? Do something for yourself. I can arrange it for you.” I had offered on several occasions. I knew what her answer would be before the words were out of her mouth.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“I know, I know.” I shook my head. “All right, let me get goin’.”
Eventually, this call would circle back to Rebecca and my whereabouts. I had to cut her short. It was better for her sake if she didn’t know where I was, just in case Rick did call and try to pester it out of her.
“Love you, darlin’. Call me if you need to,” she added.
“You too. I’ll call later in the week.” I wanted to talk to her before Rick tried to reach her first.
“I’ll tell your father you said hello.” The words hung in the air.
I didn’t have anything to say to that.
“Ok, Mama, bye.”
I left my phone on the table. My father wouldn’t return the sentiment. We didn’t’ speak on the phone unless it was because he accidentally answered when I called.
Joe Baldwin hadn’t quite gotten over the fact that his son turned down an opportunity to play professional football for a chance to chase imaginary bad guys and gorgeous women in pictures. It wasn’t that I didn’t love football, but at best I would be a second string quarterback, more likely a tight end on a low budget team. It was the concussions that scared me more than anything. I had had three: one in high school and two in college. And I knew the ones coming from the pros would leave a much deeper impact.
At first, a local department store asked if I would model for them, next it was a national chain store, until somehow I wound up with an agent pitching me for small parts in action films.
I fell into acting as easily as I could read an oncoming blitz. I never knew I needed that creative outlet until I held the first script in my hands. There was something exhilarating about creating life in the words on a page.
I didn’t tell my father right away that I wasn’t entering the draft. I told my mother. We both knew she could soften the blow. The way she handled a crisis was impressive.
I wedged into the shower. I meant to ask Flo yesterday why the water turned off so quickly. I didn’t think the entire shower had lasted ten minutes. I made a mental note to stop by the office later today.
Sufficiently soaped and rinsed, I wrapped a towel around my waist. It was after one, and I wanted to head back into the village. As much as I enjoyed the junk food binge yesterday, I needed to make another store run and stock the Sand Dollar with some proper groceries.
I grabbed the keys to the Jeep and slid my sunglasses on. The blaring sun hit me right between the eyes. Ibuprofen would be first on today’s list. I cranked the Jeep and turned toward the village.