Clover

So it’s not a summer camp. I’m still helping a child, and I get to be with Gage who just so happens to be the hottest man I’ve ever known. I tried to call Freda to let her know I won’t be coming back for a few days, but the cell service has been sketchy all day. I still can’t figure out how he gets service and Wi-Fi all the way up here.

Adley and I played a couple of hands of Goldfish until she informed me Goldfish is a baby game, and she prefers Spades. After a while, the game turned into a full-on tournament with everyone taking turns playing in groups of four and teams playing against each other.

Gage opens the door to find the entire group cheering his daughter and me on in the final round. I look up when I hear the door open and close, and he shakes his head and smiles before heading upstairs to change out of his wet clothes.

He calls out from the stairs. “Nobody beats my baby at Spades.” Adley laughs looking smug while she helps me murder the last opposing team.

“We win!” she yells slapping down her cards. “I beat the grown-ups!”

“You sure did!” I say hugging her when she runs around the table to give me a celebratory high-five.

“What should we do now?”

“I don’t know. I think it stopped snowing finally.”

“It did? Oh my God, yes! Maybe we can get out of here by tonight!” Michelle yells running to the window. She acts like hanging out at Gage’s is a jail sentence. I bet she wouldn’t be singing that song if he was into her.

“It’ll take a little while to start clearing the trail, but if we go out now, I bet we could get it done by tonight,” I say. Being stuck in this house with Michelle for another night sounds like as much fun as a root canal. I’m willing to break my back moving snow to get rid of her.

“We have to clear the path? What the hell, isn’t there someone who does that?”

“Yes, we do. This is the wilderness, Michelle. They don’t have snow-plows up here.

“But, but, it’s like, a long way down the mountain. How are we supposed to shovel that much snow?”

“Together,” Gage says stepping off the last step. I hadn’t heard him come down, but I’m glad he’s here. I could use some reinforcement.

“That’s cool with me,” Blake says from the couch. “Beats having my ass handed to me in spades by a kid.”

“Oh stop, you’re such a baby,” Carly says nudging his shoulder.

“No, seriously, it’ll be good to get out of the house, let’s go,” Blake says.

Everyone bundles up, and we head out into the blinding snow. The sun has come out, and the world is covered in a beautiful sparkly-white blanket. Tree branches, bushes, small buildings full of wood—it all looks like a fairy world. I almost don’t want to disturb it because it’s so beautiful.

I snap a couple of photographs with my phone before we trudge down the steps and toward the path. I haven’t told anyone I’m not leaving yet. I don’t think anyone will care. This part of the semester is broken up into small groups, and I don’t know the people in this group… well, except for Michelle and a couple of the guys.

“I don’t have enough shovels for all of you,” Gage says. “We should probably take turns and give breaks. Let’s start with you five,” he points at five people, including Michelle, who are standing near each other. “Start moving the top layer of snow. Don’t overexert yourself, though. We have plenty of time, so there’s no hurry.”

He’s being nice. There is a reason to hurry. He wants his house and privacy back. He passes out the shovels to four students keeping one for himself. When he hands one to Brandon, Brandon looks at his forearm closely. It’s warmed up considerably, and Gage’s sleeves of his thick coat are rolled up a few inches showing his tattoos.

“Dude, you like Apollo Mercury, too? That’s so cool. He’s my favorite guitar player of all time.”

Gage snatches his arm away and shoves his sleeve down over the tattoo. “Yeah, well, it was a long time ago. I’ve regretted the tattoo ever since I got it.”

“What? Why? It’s badass, man. Whatever happened to him anyway? He just like, disappeared.”

“I don’t know. Come on, we better get to work.” Gage walks away without another word. He starts viciously removing snow from the path. I casually walk over to Brandon hoping to strike up a conversation.

“What was that all about?” I ask.

“No idea, man. He’s got a sweet tattoo of Apollo Mercury’s band logo on his arm, but he got kinda weird when I pointed it out.”

“What was the band called?”

“Denver Revival, you heard of ‘em?”

“Denver Revival, yeah I think I have. Didn’t he sing Massive Love?”

“Yeah, yeah! That’s it. He was epic, and then he fell off the face of the earth.”

“What did Gage say when you mentioned it?”

“Nothing much.”

I start to walk away. “Okay, well, we better get to work.” I pass off my shovel to someone else and excuse myself to go back inside. I have a few questions for Ms. Adley Mercury, daughter of Gage Mercury.

Inside, Adley is nowhere in sight, but I hear music floating down from upstairs. I follow it to her open door and peek around the corner. Adley is sitting at a small piano playing along with the music playing on her phone. Naturally musically talented, of course, she would be. She’s the daughter of a famous rock star.

Adley’s father is none other than the Apollo Mercury.

“Hey there,” I say unable to wait another second to ask her what I want to ask her.

“Oh, hi. I thought you guys were outside shoveling the path so you can go home,” she says sounding gloomy and a touch angry.

“I was, but I wanted to ask you something. A couple of things now that I think about it.”

“Like what?” She stops tinkling on the piano and closes the app playing music on her phone.

“Well, for starters, have you always lived here on this mountain?”

“Uh huh, why?”

“Just curious. And your dad, he’s always lived up here chopping wood? No job, no friends?”

“Nope, just us.”

“Do you think that’s strange?”

She looks up at the ceiling for a second and shrugs. “Nope.”

I walk into the room to her bed. “Mind if I sit?”

“Nope.” I sit and scoot back so I can cross my legs.

“Did your dad teach you to play the piano?”

“Uh huh, and the guitar and the drums.”

“Wow, you have drums and a guitar?”

“Yeah, in the music room.”

“Ah, of course, how silly of me.” A music room in a mountain mansion. It’s all making sense now. Gage is Apollo Mercury. But why is he hiding out away from civilization with his daughter?

“Clover?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re acting weird.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be. I have some news for you that I hope is going to make you happy.”

She takes a deep breath and blows it out physically deflating on the piano bench. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing’s gonna make me happy cuz you guys are all leaving me tonight.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong.”

“What do you mean?” She slips her hands under her little thighs and leans forward.

“Your dad asked me to stay and be your nanny. I’m going to live here for two months until summer when I open my camp.”

“A nanny? Aren’t those for babies? I’m not a baby, you know. I beat all those grown-ups at Spades, and I can play instruments and read chapter books.”

“No, no, nannies aren’t just for babies. Some people have a nanny until they’re a teenager, especially if their mommy is gone.”

“I don’t have a mommy.”

“Everybody has a mommy, honey.”

“Not me. My mommy’s dead.” Oh my God. I hadn’t expected that. A divorce or a loser mom who ditched her rolling-stone husband and baby maybe, but I would never have guessed that she was dead.

“Adley, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“It’s okay, I don’t remember her or anything.”

“I’m still sorry.” She stands up and rushes across the room to hug me.

“I’m glad you’re staying for a while,” she says against my neck clutching me tightly.

“Me, too. We’re going to have fun.”

She pushes away from me. “Tons of fun!”

“Hey, will you show me your music room?” The smile on her face falls, and I feel bad for asking.

“What’s wrong?”

“Daddy says I can’t go in there without him. He doesn’t want me to break anything, I think.” Or he doesn’t want anyone to see his band memorabilia and recognize him. I shouldn’t do what I’m about to do, but I can’t resist.

I use the same logic Gage used this morning when she wanted to go out into the snow. “Well, I’m an adult, and I can make sure you don’t break anything. Do you think it will be okay if we are together?”

She looks thoughtful. “Um, maybe?”

“I’m going to be living here. I’m sure it’s okay.”

“Okay,” she chirps and takes my hand to drag me downstairs, but Gage is coming in at the same time.

“There you are. Trying to ditch us?”

“No, well, yes sort of. I thought since I’m going to be Adley’s nanny, I shouldn’t leave her in here by herself.”

“Now that would make a lot of sense if she weren’t used to taking care of herself whenever I’m working outside. Nice try. So, you told her you’re going to be her nanny?”

“Yes, I hope that’s okay.”

“Thank you, Daddy. I’m so glad she’s staying.”

“Of course, it’s okay, and I’m glad you’re excited. What are you two up to in here?”

I laugh, and it comes out nervous and fake. Gage doesn’t know me well, but he senses something is off. He removes his gloves and switches his weight from one foot to the other.

Adley and I exchange glances, and I man up. “Adley told me she plays several instruments. She was going to show me your music room.”

He looks at Adley, and she looks down at her feet. “No. Adley knows better than that. She’s not to go in the music room without me.” His voice is a fraction cooler, and his posture is stiff. It’s obvious he doesn’t want me in his music room, and I think I know why.

He’s protecting his identity, but why?

“Why don’t we all go together, then? I’d love to hear you play the drums,” I say looking down at Adley who looks uncomfortable. Guilt washes over me for pushing so hard, so I back off. “But, we can do it another time. I’ll be here for two months. I’m sure we will have other opportunities.”

“Come on, both of you. Grab your coats, we have a lot of shoveling to do.” Gage gestures toward the door putting his gloves back on. We follow, and I remind myself to have a better look at his tattoos later when he takes his coat off.

I’m dying to know what makes a man walk away from a successful music career and millions of adoring fans.