things _ I finally feel like they’re falling into place for me. Lana even trusted me with the house key again after she needed access to it and she had plans for the weekend.
Even the packaging has been going smoothly for the last week. Most of my grandfather’s items were taken out of the attic, and the only thing left to pack is my old bedroom. It is located in the far corner of the house, far away from the children’s laughter that occurs on the other side of the second floor.
Walking into my childhood bedroom feels like I’ve been thrown straight into the past. Aside from a few taped-up boxes stacked in the corner, the place appears untouched. Even the glow-in-the-dark stars that Lana and I taped to the ceiling more than two decades ago remain, although some are missing or hanging from a single point. The window facing the lake catches my attention in the same way it did years ago when I chose this room as my own.
My brothers never understood why I wanted the smallest room to be located in a tight corner of the house, but I thought the answer would be obvious if they took a moment to look out the bay window.
It feels strange to come back here after six years away. I’m not sure why my grandfather and Mrs. Castillo kept the room the same, but it feels like she’s been trapped in time.
The floor-to-ceiling shelves that line each of the other three walls display the ship models I built during my summers here. From my first sailboat to a mini version of the Titanic , each boat holds a fond memory of a summer spent on Lake Wisteria. Of Lana and I staying up too late working on them in the studio.
A lump forms in my throat as I look at the last boat we started building the summer of my accident. The USS Constitution that Lana bought me for my birthday sits unfinished on the lowest shelf, looking abandoned with her incomplete hull facing the ceiling.
They never had the chance to finish it together.
My chest beats. “Wow”.
I turn on my heel to find Cami staring at the shelves with wide eyes. “You did that?” She points to a replica of La Candelaria that sits on the highest shelf, away from anyone who might accidentally knock it over.
My throat tightens. “Yeah.”
“Actually?” She looks at me with a strange expression. I nod.
“What about that one?” She directs my attention to the shelf above the window, where a model of the Elizabethan Navy’s Rowan warship sits, the wood dull from the amount of dust and cobwebs covering the hull.
“Yeah.”
“And that one too?” There is a special sparkle in her eyes as she watches the Viking ship.
“I did all this with your mom.” Hopefully that answers any lingering questions you may have.
She gasps. “My mom? How?” Her brow furrows at her tense expression.
You speak too soon.
I run a hand through my beard, considering how best to explain the process. “Have you played with Legos?”
“Yeah!” She nods her head with a smile. “It’s like that but more difficult.”
“Because?”
Instead of explaining the process to him, I pull out my phone and show him a time-lapse video of someone building a model sailboat. It’s the first time I’ve been able to keep her quiet for a full five minutes, so I consider my idea a victory. Even I get carried away by the familiarity of the process and the therapeutic aspect of boat building.
And that’s why your brothers teased you incessantly for being a nerd.
Once the video ends, she looks at me with a big smile. “Cool!” I retreat. “Actually?”
His head moves up and down. “I want to try it.”
She may not look like Lana, but she’s 100 percent her through and through.
“You do?”
“Yes! Can we do one together?
I blink twice, focusing on how he grouped us together. “That?”
“Please, can we make one, Cow-l? Precious Precious Please.” His bright eyes pierce my resolve, tempting me to say yes. “Ummm…”
She bats her eyelashes. “I will be your best friend.”
Don’t you dare fall for that.
Except it’s pretty hard not to with the way he looks at me with a radiant smile full of hope. The thought of killing his budding interest makes the acid in my stomach bubble.
Stay strong.
“They are quite difficult.” My excuse may be weak, but it’s honest. I didn’t start my first kit until I was twice his age, and even then, I struggled until my grandfather stepped in to help.
“I don’t give up.” She lifts her chin.
I can tell by the way he pushes me to say yes. I am tempted to do so, solely because of his tenacity, but one thing stops me.
“You have to ask your mom if she’s okay.”
“So, can we build one?” She bounces on the balls of her feet.
“ If your mom says yes—” Lana is sure to say no, and I wouldn’t blame her one bit. It was something of ours before she wasn’t. No chance in hell. I hope she wants Cami and I to build one.
Cami interrupts me with a screech before running out of my room, leaving me to wonder if I made the right decision.
There is no turning back now.
 |
I spend the rest of the day carefully packing each of my ship models into individual moving boxes. The last one I have left to pack, which I debated all afternoon whether to throw away or put away, is the boat that Lana and I never finished.
Before I reconsider my answer, I put it away with the box of unfinished parts.
My phone rings a couple of times, mostly from my family group chat, which I’ve ignored since my fight with Declan. I know I’ll have to deal with it eventually, but I’d rather deal with it once I’m officially done with my task.
I don’t check my phone until I hit the last box.
Wool
Would you mind explaining why Cami has spent the last two hours watching boat building videos on YouTube?
Wool
It doesn’t matter. I finally got the answer from her.
AND?
It takes me a whole pathetic minute to find an answer. His response comes a second later.
Is it true that you offered to build a boat with her?
Wool
My fingers fly across the screen before I press send.
More like they bribed me.
Wool
So don’t worry about that…
Shit. As nervous as I was about Cami’s request earlier, I’d hate to disappoint her after how excited she looked.
She offered to be my best friend if I agreed. It would be stupid to say no, especially with the amount of enemies I have in this city.
In an act of desperation, I send a quick text message without a second thought.
Bubbles emerge before disappearing, only to reappear. It happens twice before a new message appears on my phone.
Wool
What’s the worst that can happen?
Don’t make me regret this.
Wool
The options are endless when you’re worried.
I can always count on you to bring me down.
Wool
At least I’m coherent.
Also send an upside-down smiley face and a woman shrugging emoji. With a smile, she responded with a middle finger emoji.
I spent the rest of the afternoon with a stupid smile on my face, long after our conversation ended. The pressure in my chest is replaced by a lightness I haven’t felt in a long time, and my usual need to drink while sorting through my personal items is absent.
It’s a small victory for an addict like me, but a victory nonetheless, so I’ll take it.
|
On my way to drop the last box off in the garage, I pass through the living room. Cami is lying on the couch, fast asleep while she wears a sailor costume. An adult-sized captain’s hat is lying on the floor next to her, right next to an empty juice box.
The kid is stupid cute. No wonder Lana never had the chance to say no to building a boat with me. Who could?
“Oh, no. She fell asleep before dinner. I turn to find Lana standing next to me. “Are you going to wake her up?” I ask.
“Hell no.”
I laugh softly. “Do you plan on me sleeping down here?” “No.”
“What are you waiting for?”
She presses her palm against the small of his back. “I’m mentally preparing my back for the pain I’m going to feel tomorrow once I carry it up the stairs.”
“I can carry her,” I offer before thinking.
Surprise. Surprise.
His eyebrows shoot up. “You can?”
I put the box on the floor. “She probably weighs what… forty-five pounds soaking wet?”
“A little less, but yes.”
“No worries. I got her. I walk over to Cami and put my arms under her head and legs. Cami’s head rolls, but Lana is quick to readjust it so her cheek is pressed against my chest. Cami growls something under her breath. before snuggling further into my shirt.
A strange tug in my chest makes me look away from Cami’s face and directly into Lana’s. Her gaze travels from Cami to me, the skin around her eyes softening.
She is quick to break eye contact first. I’ll show you her room.
I’m conscious of not waking Cami as I follow Lana up the stairs and into Rowan’s old room. The dark wood furniture and navy paint are gone, replaced by lavender walls and a white four-poster bed shaped like a princess carriage.
The Dreamland themed quilt makes me smile. “Nice-“
“No.” Her nervous tone matches the roll of her eyes. Some of the princesses from our most famous movies are glued to the fabric, all smiling towards the ceiling. Lana throws him back before giving me room. I’m careful not to wake Cami when I put her in bed. She doesn’t move, so I step back and let Lana do her thing. My feet remain glued to the floor as Lana tucks Cami in and whispers something about herself against her forehead before kissing her.
The pulling sensation comes back stronger this time and wraps around my heart like a lasso, tempting me to escape.
So I just do that.
|
Since I feel like running away, I put on my training clothes and take advantage of the afternoon breeze. I don’t stop running until I’m heading down Main Street in search of food and something to occupy my mind.
The warm light coming from the windows of One More Chapter makes me take off in the direction of the bookstore.
“Back so soon?” Meg closes her book with a sigh.
“I need a new book.” I wipe my wet face with the bottom of my shirt.
“Already? You just bought three a few days ago.
I run my hands through my slick strands of hair. “It’s not like I have much else to do here besides read.”
“What are you looking for this time?”
I pull out my phone to check Zahra’s list, only to remember that I’ve already bought all the books she recommended. “Hey.” My eyebrows draw together. “Do you have any recommendations?”
His eyebrows furrow. “For you?” I look around the empty store.
“Are you looking for something similar to what you read last time?” she asks. “Or whatever you recommend.”
His eyes shine for the first time in his life. “Actually?”
“Of course? Just don’t cheat on me with some shit because you don’t like me.”
Her laugh doesn’t exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy, but my uneasiness fades when she bounces around the store with a smile as I
throws books until the pile is over the top of my head.
She motions me toward the counter. “That should keep you busy for a while.”
“Or a week,” I mutter under my breath.
“You know if you have a lot of free time, I heard that the team in charge of the Strawberry Festival is still looking for volunteers.”
“Do what?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know, but if you’re interested, you can stop by City Hall and sign up.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He put his hands in his pockets.
She raises an eyebrow. “What’s the worst that can happen? Does the city really have a reason to start liking it again?
Well, when she puts it that way…
I would prefer to spend the rest of my weeks in Lake Wisteria without the city doing everything they can to make my stay miserable, so if that means volunteering for a weekend, so be it. What could go wrong?
