Page 90 of Fighting the Tide
I quickly pull away, my tires squealing with the force, and put the desperately needed distance between us.When I get back to the cottage, I find Avery out on the front porch, a lit cigarette hanging between her fingers.
“Shit,” I hiss as I get out of the Range Rover.She only ever smokes when she’s stressed.“What happened?”I call out.
“Nothing, really.Just living vicariously through you and decided a cigarette was needed after spending alone time with Colette.”She smirks as she takes a drag, letting the smoke slowly seep from her nostrils.
“I was just driving her home.”I roll my eyes and stand in front of her, waving away the smoke.
“Oh, yeah?What about both of you changing together in the guest room?”Her eyes twinkle with mirth as she drags the cherry of her cigarette along the siding, then throws it into the flower bed.
“Hey!”I point at the butt.“Pick that up!”
“After you tell me what you two were up to.”She crosses her arms across her chest, not willing to budge.
“We were talking about the test tomorrow,” I lie.“She was having second thoughts.”
“That’s weird,” she muses and turns to open the door.“She told Monica she was looking forward to getting it done and putting it behind her.”
I don’t bother to say anything as I pick up the butt from the garden and we both step inside.Avery knows I’m lying.She just doesn’t know to what extent and that’s something I’ll never admit.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ispentthenighttossing and turning, then gave up on trying to sleep at four in the morning.Now I sit in the parking lot of the hospital with a coffee in my hand and wait for the minutes to tick by until noon.Twenty-five more.My stomach is twisted with anxiety as I continue to stare at the main entrance, my lungs unable to fill to capacity with air.I have never been this nervous before and it has everything to do with not knowing what will happen next.
Monica explained the buccal swab procedure and nothing about it is invasive or nerve-wracking.It’s the fact that we’re finally getting it done and I will finally have concrete answers.They can’t come soon enough because I feel like I’m falling for my ex-girlfriend’s daughter, who may also be my daughter.
When my thoughts begin to take a darker turn, I get out of my vehicle and walk toward the entrance of the hospital.The mornings are no longer cool, spring having completely given over to summer, and the humidity becoming denser as noon approaches.Summers in Chatham feel like a tropical vacation.The air is ripe with the scent of the ocean and the heat is intense until the sun goes down, the night bringing with it a cool breeze.
Loud bass music has me pausing as a convertible drives past.The top is down and the vision of wavy hair blowing in the wind takes over my sight.I see nothing else.I’m thrown back in time, so far back that my body almost feels foreign to me.My eyes deceive me as Colette morphs into Brooke and the guy from the beach, Jeremy, becomes Sean Clark.My body locks in place as I watch her lean over and give him a hug, his not-so-subtle attempt to kiss her thwarted by her hand coming up between them.
She steps out of the car and as soon as she turns to face me, she’s back to being Colette.She’s not Brooke, and it makes every muscle in my body relax so I can continue toward her, but I’m fucking teeming with jealousy.Did he spend the night with her?Did she call him to her place after I dropped her off?Was she so hot and needy that her own fingers and imagination couldn’t finish the job?
Colette’s eyes narrow on me as her mouth turns down into a frown.She’s still pissed and there’s nothing I can do about it.I can’t compromise on this.I need proof before I let things get that far again.I approach her and she turns, her hair sending the familiar scent of the ocean and freesias my way.I watch as she walks inside, her legs looking long and tanned in her short jean shorts, and her arms toned as they swing at her sides.Her hair swings in the ponytail tightened on the back of her head, and the waves a tangled mess.I really hope this test comes back negative because I will not be able to stand myself if I’m her father.
She stands at the desk and leans over, pressing her palms to the tabletop.I nearly trip over my feet with her ass on display right in front of me, the perky globes begging for my fingers.
She speaks to the gentleman behind the desk, and when he peeks around her to look at me, I’m vibrating with anger.She’s flirting with him.I know she is.What other reason would she have to bend over in front of him like that?Probably giving him an excellent view down her top too.She finally straightens and heads toward a corridor as I point at her back and tell the guy, “We’re together.”Sounds innocent enough, right?I mean, we are here to get the same procedure done, but that’s not how I meant it at all, and he knows that.His head drops as he picks up his pen and continues filling out whatever documents are there on the desk in front of him.
My attention goes back to the girl who’s held me hostage from the moment I came face to face with her at the beginning of the week.Her sandaled feet click along the tiled floor, the golden tone of her skin looking radiant against the stark white of the walls, and her scent lingering just enough to stay wafting under my nose a few feet behind her.
A few minutes later, we find Monica standing at a desk, speaking to a few nurses as we approach.She has a stethoscope wrapped around her shoulders, the metal gleaming against her pristine white jacket worn over pastel green scrubs.Her red hair is twisted into a tight bun at the back of her head, and her face looks tired but content.This is what she’s worked so hard for and I’m so proud of her success.
“Hey, you two.”She waves and then points at a room across the hall.“You can wait in 331.I’ll be over in a few minutes.”Colette nods and heads to the door as Monica’s eyes meet mine, a single eyebrow lifting in question.I shrug my shoulders and turn to follow Colette, taking in a deep breath of her scent-infused air.
If I’m being completely honest with myself, I don’t know how I will ever go back to New York and live the rest of my life without that scent.This is my first reservation about leaving Chatham and it leaves me feeling like the kid I once was.The boy before the girl who crushed him.
Colette sits in a chair and pulls out her cell phone from her crossbody purse sitting against her hip.I know she’s shutting me out and that’s okay.We need the space and time to deal with whatever is about to come our way.I’d rather have this than try to put off her advances.My will may be made of iron, but I can feel it crumbling, and soon I won’t have the strength to keep her at arm’s length.
“Okay, guys,” Monica announces her presence with the shaking of two tubes of liquid and packets of swabs.“This will literally take five minutes.I just need to scrape some tissue off the inside of your cheeks and then you’re free to go.”
“And how long until we get the results in?”Colette asks as she finally looks up from her phone to give Monica a sweet smile.Now I’m finding myself jealous of my good friend, wishing Colette would look at me like that.
“Right now?Anywhere from seven to ten days.That’s if I put it in top priority,” she says as she pulls on a pair of gloves, snapping the latex to her wrist.
“Please do that,” Colette huffs as she puts her phone away, her eyes still not looking my way.“I need this done and over with.”
“Why?”The word flies from my mouth before I can even think of a reason not to speak.“Because you want me out of the picture so you can spend more time with that beach asshole?”I sound like an adolescent.
“His name is Jeremy,” she snaps as Monica clears her throat and then turns away from us to set up the swabs.“And I’m just tired of having you around.”
