“Okay, you got me. And good thing I was listening.”
“You’re right. As annoying as it was having you witness such a pathetic display, in the end I’m glad you did. I can’t allow myself to think about what could’ve happened. It makes my stomach turn and scares the bejesus out of me. Thank you for taking care of the situation.”
“You don’t need to thank me, so stop. I would’ve saved anyone in that position.”
“Gee, thanks.” Her sarcasm is thick.
Shit. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I got a bad vibe from Kent the moment we met. My instincts told me he was trouble, so obviously I wasn’t gonna let you be alone with him.”
“What would you have done if we were eating inside his house?”
“I would’ve been spying through his windows and then I would’ve found an excuse to get you out of there ASAP.”
We settle into a comfortable silence for the last few minutes of the trip. When the forest appears in front of us, Clover gasps.
“Is this your first time seeing the White Mountains?”
“Uh huh. They’re beautiful.”
“They are. You should see them in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. It’s unreal, like a painting come to life.”
“It looks pretty amazing to me now, all those different shades of green.”
“I didn’t take you for the outdoorsy type, Lucky.”
“I wouldn’t say I am. I like swimming and going to the beach. But I avoid anywhere that spiders and snakes could be. Uh uh. No thanks.”
I smirk, thinking about taking her on a hike. Would she end up in my arms, shaking with fear at all the creatures who live in the forest surrounding the cabin? My soon-to-be aunt and her friends got chased by a black bear last month when they were taking a walk. I’ve never had that happen, and I’ve stayed here a lot.
There has to be a way to get Clover to agree to stay and not return to the beach house. I’m not sharing the black bear story with her, or she won’t even leave my Jeep.
This might be my only chance to spend time alone with her. I can’t lose out on this opportunity.
Chapter Six
Clover
Holy moly. The cabin I’ve heard so much about from Maddie isn’t what I was expecting. When I pictured a modest one story log cabin, I was way off base. This place is massive with an abundance of large windows and multi-leveled decks. It’s an ultramodern take on a traditional log cabin, and it’s gorgeous.
I step onto the driveway, close the door, and look around. “Wow,” I sigh for lack of better words.
Standing in front of his Jeep, Marshall turns, flashing his pearly whites at me. “You’re not the only person to be taken by surprise when they visit for the first time. My future aunt, Danika, had friends here over the Fourth of July holiday and they thought they had the wrong address.”
Moving forward, I stop next to him and peer up at the wood and glass structure. “Who owns this place? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“It was built by my two uncles, and my dad and their youngest brother helped out. My grandpa chipped in on the work too. Officially, it’s owned by my dad and his three brothers. They pooled their money, and since they did most of the work, they had the funds to make their dream vacation home vision come to life.”
“No one stays here year-round?” I ask.
“Nope. It gets plenty of use, though.”
“If you need someone to move in, I volunteer as tribute.” He chuckles, and the deep timbre does funny things to my stomach.
“You haven’t even seen the inside yet. Come on.” He tips his dark head toward the front steps and gestures for me to go first. When we reach the landing, I look back over the front of the property. Large, dense pine trees form a natural frame around the near side of the thick, green lawn. Without a neighbor in sight, and the sounds of nature all around us, it makes me feel unusually calm—even with Marshall next to me. He typically has the opposite effect on me.
Opening the door, he pauses, bowing at the waist. “After you, Lucky.”
“What? No butler? How disappointing,” I jest, walking inside. My eyebrows rise, and my eyeballs open impossibly wide as they scan the interior. I feel like the joke’s on me and I’m being punked. The sheer dimensions of this home are intimidating. Everything’s bigger here, and it’s daunting. Large leather furniture, that looks butter soft, is spread around the living room, which is located to the right of the entry. I think most of the bottom floor of the house I grew up in could fit inside that one room.
Marshall leads me to the oversized kitchen, handing me a cold bottle of water from the state-of-the-art fridge. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.”
“Good. I am too.” He rifles around inside the fridge and freezer, setting out different food items. “How do you feel about burgers and dogs on the grill?”
“That sounds perfect. Can I do anything?”
“Do you want any veggies on your burger?” he asks.
“I like lettuce and tomato. Want me to slice some?”
“Please. I’ll get this stuff on the grill right away.” He loads his arms with supplies. “The grill is on the back patio. Come find me whenever. If you need the bathroom, there’s one down the hall on the left.” He disappears from my sight, and I head to the bathroom. Four hours in the car with no breaks is no joke.
Once my bladder’s empty, I look at myself in the mirror. My face is bare of makeup, and my hair is still tousled from sleep. I finger comb my strands and wash my hands. There’s nothing I can do about my appearance. Besides, there’s no one to impress. Marshall doesn’t count.
Retracing my steps to the kitchen, I busy myself slicing tomatoes, lettuce, and add an onion to the mix too. I find microwave bacon in the fridge and cook some before placing everything on a platter I found in one of the cabinets.
Grabbing my water and the platter, I trek toward the back of the house. Coming upon an entire wall of sliding glass doors, I pause, my eyes scanning the impressive backyard that leads to more forest.
Stepping out onto the large patio, I walk over to the grilling station that Marshall is manning. Setting down the platter on the granite countertop, I move toward the in-ground pool. Shaking off my flip flops, I swipe my toes through the water one foot at a time.
“It’s surprisingly warm, right?” Marshall asks.
I nod. “It must be expensive to heat this all the time.”
“It’s solar energy. There are panels on the roof too. With the way this house is situated, we get sun a good portion of the daylight hours.”
“Yeah, I bet.” I check out the roof panels and squint. The sun is burning hot on my face. I take a sip from my bottle, the cool water quenching my dry throat. I point to the solar panels. “That’s smart and environmentally friendly too.” It seems everything about this place impresses me, and maybe Marshall does most of all. I’ve never seen this chill side of him before. We’ve never really hung out as friends.
When he’s at school, he’s showered with attention from guys and girls alike. He has a magnetic personality, and people are naturally drawn to him. Everyone wants a piece of him, except me. And that’s only because I know better.