Page 51 of Runaway
A particularly off-pitch chord reverberated through the air again. I gritted my teeth as Justin slammed the back door shut behind him.
“When,” he muttered, “are they leaving?”
Atticus slunk in behind him, heading straight for Stella on the floor. She laughed as he licked her face to death even though he'd just returned from the run with her. The dog couldn't get enough of her.
“Tonight,” I said.
“You're sure?”
I wasn't, but I couldn't take away his hope. “I'll make it happen.”
He nodded, then sank onto the couch and rubbed his temples. Stella straightened from where she'd been lunging on the floor and winced when another crash of drums rippled through the forest.
“Well,” I muttered. “At least mountain lions won't be a problem.”
Stella ran a hand along the back of my shoulders as she walked to the ladder. The trail of her fingers against the sensitive part of my neck made me shudder, and it took all my willpower not to spin on my heels and race up that ladder after her. Instead, I contented myself with remembering that we'd watch another 007 movie tonight—our favorite nightly tradition—and then make out afterward.
Amazing how the loneliest time of my life could flip around so quickly.
Once Stella disappeared, I turned my attention to my phone. The driving beat outside didn't help my internal anxiety. None of my contacts had returned my messages. Apparently, no one within my circle of influence, Seiko aside, wanted to rent a crummy cabin on the edge of a summer camp.
Who knew?
My phone buzzed with a text from Lizbeth that set my hair on end.
Lizbeth:Sorry, Mark. I haven't been able to get to the zoning question with the city answered. It's all weird because you're technically between Pineville and Jackson City. I'm not sure which jurisdiction you're under. We need to call but I haven't had the time.
Mark:No worries. I can take care of that.
Lizbeth:Then let me email you some information that you'll need.
Mark:Has the HomeBnB been set up yet?
Lizbeth:No :( We have to resolve this first.
I tilted my head to the side to crack my neck and release some tension.Nomeant that so many things were left undone, and until they were done, nothing could be rented. Lizbeth was helping me because she wanted to help, but unpaid labor was also unreliable, even in a family. Without paying her, I wouldn't ask her to make this a priority over her new marriage.
Still irritated me though.
Mark:Send me everything you have and Stella and I will take it from here. Thanks for all you did, sis.
Lizbeth:Sorry! It's just been so busy.
Mark:It's all good.
The casualsiswas a mental tactic I employed the moment after I found out JJ had proposed and she accepted. My reasoning at the time had been sound. If I thought of her as a sister, I couldn't crash hard into the deepening attraction that felt like a freight train. It hadn't worked, but I kept at it so long it was second habit now.
Tonight, with the smell of Stella's shampoo in the air, Lizbeth was the last thing on my mind.
A stretch of silence seemed to make the air hum. I looked up, shocked at the strange quiet in the aftermath of hours of rock music. Were they done?
Were they leaving?
Anothertap tap tapcame on the door. This time, it was Seiko. She grinned at me, though she appeared tired. When she spoke, her voice sounded hoarse.
“Hey Mark, thanks again. We're all done here. It'll take a while to get the equipment broken down and moved out, probably just a few hours, but the guys and I have to head out to some other things.”
With a quick hug and a wave to the other band members behind her, I shut the door. Justin let out a heavy sigh and rested his head back against the couch. Stella emerged from a steamy shower, her hair wet in sexy strands of blonde and a deeper brown. I blinked.
