The Summer of '98 Read online

  Holly didn’t stick around for long. As soon as she had herself in order, she bolted out of the house.

  “This entire situation is fucked,” Leroy said as I followed him upstairs. His footsteps were heavy, and he seemed exhausted. I wondered if that was because of practice, or because of his brother and the drama that followed him. “I need to—”

  His sentence dropped off as loud moaning and the unmistakable squeak of a bedframe could be heard coming from the end of the upstairs corridor.

  Leroy sighed with further frustration, but all I felt was sadness. Cass couldn’t see that their situation was so unstable. Or perhaps she could but she didn’t want to admit it. Whatever it was, it was clear that some sort of insecurity came into place. And whatever it was, Noah played on it. I mean, seriously. Cass, then Natalie, then Holly, now Cass, it made my head spin, and I had to wonder what was going through his head. Was this a sick game to him? Or was it more? Did he have his own insecurities? Maybe. It didn’t make it okay, though.

  “It’s sad.” I wandered into the spare bedroom and sat down. Leroy leaned against the doorframe. “She obviously has some issues over her dad leaving. She told me about that, by the way. Your brother shouldn’t take advantage of her like that.”

  “Trust me, I know,” he said remorsefully. “But whenever I try to intervene, both of them tell me to butt out.”

  I supposed there wasn’t a lot that he could do if she didn’t want to listen. Leroy let me know that he needed to take a quick shower and he wouldn’t be long. I used the spare fifteen minutes to go through luggage and choose tomorrow’s outfits, noting that I’d need to do laundry soon. I was watching the street from the bedroom window, not focusing on much in particular, just daydreaming about the beautiful homes and gorgeous lawns outside, when the sound of a door slammed behind me, and Cass screamed and cursed her way down the hallway.

  “You just wait, Noah,” she threatened with a slurred voice. “I’m telling your mom that I found a girl half-naked on the couch!”

  “Fucking hell, Cass, would you shut up for a minute and let me talk?”

  Noah’s footsteps thudded closer and closer, and when he came into view, he was stark naked. I squealed and averted my gaze.

  “What the fu—NOAH! Put some fucking clothes on!”

  “Shut up, Leroy!”

  “Do what you’re told, Noah,” Cass shouted from downstairs. “No one wants to see that little piece of flesh flopping around.”

  “Little? That’s not how you usually refer to it.”

  Leroy shouted again. “Put some clothes on, you fool!

  I was still standing in the corner of the room with my hands pressed against my eyes, afraid of what I would see if I were to look. The voices of the brothers came closer and it sounded like a little bit of a scuffle was taking place—very close.

  “All right, all right,” Noah grunted. “I’m going. Lord, chill out.”

  “Shit, forgive me if I don’t want my girl to see you naked.”

  “She might want a trade-in.”

  A loud smack against bare skin sounded, followed by Noah’s ouch. Silence settled after that and I was seeing colorful dots in the black from holding my eyes so darn hard.

  A large pair of hands settled over mine and I let them lower my arms. “It’s okay now.”

  “That was, um—”

  “Pathetic,” Leroy interrupted, and I looked at him, realizing that he was in a towel, still damp from the shower. I had been waiting to see him like this again and it was not disappointing. “He has no shame. Drives me insane.”

  I swallowed, a little flustered at how hot and bothered he was making me. “I can tell.”

  The air felt thick as he stepped closer and put an arm on the wall beside my head. “How am I making you feel right now?”

  “Breathless.”

  He dragged his finger down the length of my jaw and took my chin between his index and thumb. “In a good way?”

  “The best.”

  His hold on my jaw tightened as he smashed our mouths together and pressed me against the wall. I would never get enough of this. I loved how equally senseless and overwhelmed I became when our tongues danced together, and his hands roamed over me. He used his knee and pushed my thighs apart, pressing himself against me so that I could feel how much I’d wound him up.

  He dragged his mouth lower, down my jaw, tasting me, sucking on the tender spot beneath my ear as his hands rested on my waist. His fingertips dug in, hard, and I gasped, surprised to feel how good it felt. As he kissed his way back up my throat, his hands glided upwards under the tank top. I whimpered with need when his hands grazed beneath my breasts. I was on fire. I didn’t want to wait for him another moment longer. I needed him so much.

  My hands came to the front of his chest and I dragged them down, feeling his toned, chiseled torso as we kissed with a passion that I didn’t believe existed. His masculine groan reverberated right through me and it felt as though I would combust at the simple sound of his arousal.

  “I’m hungry!”

  We came to an abrupt halt when Cass’s shrill voice sounded from downstairs.

  “No, no, no,” Leroy growled, his hand tucked in the back of my shorts as he cupped my butt. “I thought she’d left.”

  “Ellie? Leroy? Let’s go and get food. I’m starving.”

  Leroy exhaled a long breath, his disappointment evident as he wrapped his fist in my hair. “When am I going to get to pleasure you, Els?”

  His voice was so low, so raspy, and drenched in desire. It felt as though an acrobatic performance was taking place in my stomach and I practically panted as I answered him. “Soon, I hope.”

  “Soon,” he nodded and kissed me again before he pushed away and turned around. I watched his taut back and low-hanging towel, which revealed the plump muscles of his firm butt as he left the room.

  We met Cass at the bottom of the staircase, after Leroy got dressed. She was lying on her back, sunglasses on, a halo of curls around her head. “These cold tiles are so refreshing, wanna join?”

  “Where are we going to eat?” Leroy asked, sounding on the edge of impatience.

  Cass grunted, rolling over and heaving herself off the ground, the back of her shoulders indented with lines from the tile gaps. “Rocky Ryan’s,” she slurred. “I need a burger, I need a milk shake—”

  “If you drink a milk shake,” Leroy pointed at her as he held the door handle, “I’ll be leaving you there.”

  She screwed her face into a guilt-ridden smile, lips pursed and cheeks raised. “I’m lactose-intolerant,” she told me. “But I love a milk shake. Fries dipped in milk shake.”

  “My friend Amber likes fries dipped in soft serve.”

  “Now that sounds good,” Cass said.

  We all headed outside, and Leroy called up to Noah that we were heading out before he closed the door and locked it. He took my hand and glared at Cass with disapproval. “Is it worth the stomach upset after? Think about it.”

  “It is.”

  “You never seem to think so when you’re locked in a stall ten minutes later.”

  I laughed but felt bad for her. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t have ice cream or cheese.

  Cass ended up ordering a peppermint thick shake.

  Ellie

  I’d been in Colorado for a week and it was the Fourth of July. It felt a bit strange to be here, rather than at home with Momma. Not that we ever had big plans. Sometimes we’d go and spend it with her uncle and aunt on their farm. Her cousins were strangers to me—we’d never been the sort of people who were close to the extended family. Most of them were racist, obnoxious assholes, so I didn’t envy Mom when she told me over the phone that that was where she would be spending the weekend.

  Celebrating with the Laheys sounded far more appealing.

  “It’s
like a community gathering at the lake,” Leroy said, holding my hand in the car as he drove. His mom, dad, and Noah had gone separately because we’d had to go into town so I could get a bathing suit first. As organized as I claimed to be, I stupidly hadn’t brought swimwear. “Families go down and have barbecues and fireworks and football. It’s cool. You’ll have a good time.”

  “Sounds fun,” I agreed.

  Chatfield State Park was a half-hour drive from where we were, and when we arrived, the afternoon summer sun was at its peak, shining straight down on the lake. It was a beautiful spot—open, surrounded by green rolling land and flat fields. It seemed to stretch on for miles. There were boats and jet skis on the water, campsites set up along the waterfront, and people engaging in various activities around the place.

  We drove slowly for a while until we came to a semi-vacant spot where Noah, Eleanor, and Jacob were parked, the trunk open while they unloaded the car. They were on the edge of the grass where it transitioned into sand, and in another six feet, it was water.

  “Hello,” Eleanor said as Leroy and I got out of the car with our bags. We went straight over and started helping.

  “Did you find a swimsuit, honey?” Eleanor asked, and I nodded.

  We unloaded the portable barbecue and coolers filled with food and drinks. They had brought foldable chairs, a table, blow-up beds, and a picnic blanket. We left the blankets and bug spray in the car—they wouldn’t be needed until later in the evening.

  “This place is so nice,” I said, standing in front of the lapping water, my toes close to the edge. Leroy and Noah stood beside me. “Is this place a tradition? Do you come every Fourth?”

  “Not every Fourth,” Leroy said. “Sometimes we hang out at home. It was my idea to come this year. I wanted to show it to you.”

  My heart melted until Noah snorted.

  “We could have gone to Robbie’s and got ripped, but we have to hang here with Mom and Dad and pretend we don’t want to drink.”

  “You could have gone to Robbie’s,” Leroy muttered, taking my hand in his.

  “No, I couldn’t. I’m not invited unless you are.”

  Leroy was trying not to laugh, but I felt sort of bad for Noah at that moment. “Where’s Cass?” I asked. “How come she didn’t come?”

  Noah gave me a flat stare. “Why would she?”

  “Oh . . . I don’t—never mind.”

  “Should we swim?” Leroy pulled my attention from his brooding brother. “Before we start cooking dinner?”

  “It’s certainly hot enough,” I agreed.

  We stripped down to our bathing suits, Leroy in his blue-and-white pinstriped trunks and me in the brand-new bikini we’d found at the mall. It was pastel pink with string ties at the hips and a halter-neck bikini top. Leroy watched me while I folded up my T-shirt and set it down with the rest of my clothes, his eyes ravishing me. My heart rate accelerated.

  The water was cool but warm enough not to hesitate when submerging our bodies. We walked out until the water came to my chest and then Leroy swept me up, hooking my legs around his waist so that we could keep going without me drowning.

  “I really wish my family wasn’t twenty feet away from us right now,” he said, the light reflecting off the water and shimmering on his sun-kissed skin. “You look so damn good.”

  “You do too,” I said, my arms wrapped behind his neck. “Maybe we could just drift and drift and drift until we got around the corner over there and we’ll . . . I don’t know . . . never mind, I was thinking we’d find somewhere private but it’s kind of open around here.”

  “I like where your mind is at, though.”

  “We need a little boat filled with pillows and blankets and we could go way out. Total privacy.”

  His teeth sunk into his bottom lip and he groaned, tipping his head back. “That sounds so good.”

  “We could . . . rock the boat.”

  Leroy burst out laughing at my terrible pun as we dipped and bopped, the water soaking and flattening the ends of my curls. We spent a good hour swimming, splashing at each other, and using a rope swing that extended from a tree not far from our spot. Noah had a swim, too, but he kept to himself despite my offer for him to join us. I couldn’t blame him—I wouldn’t want to third wheel either—but I still felt bad that he didn’t have someone here with him.

  When the sun started to set, Leroy volunteered for us to man the barbecue so that his mom and dad could relax. They settled into their beach chairs, facing the sun with a drink each, and Noah lounged on his towel. It wasn’t long before the scent of sizzling meat and seafood was floating through the air.

  “You wanna skewer that chicken for me, babe?” Leroy asked, still standing shirtless with a pair of tongs in his hand while he flipped steaks. Meanwhile, I’d slipped a pair of overalls over my bikini. He pointed at the container of raw chicken strips that were coated with seasoning. I nodded and got started.

  “What’s your favorite food?” I asked, sliding chicken onto the skewers.

  Leroy watched the grill while he thought about his answer. “Burritos.”

  “Can I cook those for you while I’m here?”

  He looked at me. “You want to cook burritos for me?”

  “Yeah. I can’t cook at all. But I want to do that, for you. Like as a date-night idea or something. We might need a backup pizza or something.”

  “How about this,” he said, grabbing me at the waist and pulling me in front of him so that my back was to his chest and his chin rested on my shoulder. “Tomorrow night, I’ll get mom and dad tickets to a movie, send them off for the evening, and I’ll get rid of Noah and we’ll have the house to ourselves for a couple of hours?”

  “You’ll get rid of Noah?” I laughed, taking the tongs from him so that he could wrap his arms around my middle. I flipped the patties. “That sounds menacing.”

  “Force will be used if necessary.”

  “I’ll leave that to you. Can I put the chicken on now?”

  “Yeah,” he said, still not moving from his position behind me. “You taking over the grill?”

  “I guess I am. Don’t leave me, though; I don’t want to be responsible for burning and ruining dinner.”

  He kissed the line of my jaw. “I’m right here.”

  When the meat was done, we laid out the cold salads and sides and sat around the picnic table—Leroy beside me, Jacob at the head, and Eleanor next to Noah. The food was exquisite and everyone complimented Leroy for it. “Els cooked the skewers,” he said.

  “Very nice,” Eleanor said.

  “Oh,” I covered my mouth and swallowed before I answered. “I mean, you seasoned them. I just cooked them. Actually, I’m kind of surprised I managed that, though. I can’t cook at all.”

  Eleanor seemed a bit surprised at that. “Your mom never taught you?”

  “She tried when I was a kid. But she didn’t really have the patience for it. She’d end up doing it herself or getting annoyed if I did something wrong. She’s just like that, you know?”

  I laughed it off, not all that bothered about the fact that Momma was far too impatient to give lessons in anything practical. She’d explained that some parents were better equipped to teach than others and I understood that, but Eleanor gave me a sad smile, as if I’d been dealt a bad hand and she felt awful for me.

  “What about school?” Noah gave me a flat stare. “You didn’t think to take cooking as an elective?”

  “No, I took chem. I want to develop a skincare line. That felt more practical to me.”

  “Leroy mentioned something about that,” Eleanor said.

  “Because starving is practical,” Noah quietly muttered.

  Jacob shot him a warning glare but even I could see Noah’s point of view.

  “What’s the plan for getting that started, honey?” Eleanor asked, bringing my attent
ion back.

  “I’ve studied chem and biology at home and at school for a long time. I have a lot of knowledge on the skin, how certain elements react to certain people, the cells, the regenerative process, that sort of thing. The next step is a business and accounting course. There’s one that they run not too far from home back in Waco. I’ll sign up there when I’ve saved the cash.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” she said.

  “Noah knows a thing or two about business and finances,” Jacob said, gesturing his fork at his younger son, who had finished his dinner and was now slouched in his seat with his arms folded. “He took it as an elective last year. Pick his brain if you want.”

  I smiled but doubted that Noah and I would be gelling over the subject of business anytime soon. Some moments with him were better than others, but for the most part, he didn’t seem to want much to do with me.

  After dinner, Leroy and his dad threw the football around for a while. Jacob had a great arm, considering his age, but that wasn’t surprising. He was fit and obviously taking care of himself. The sun was setting on the horizon, casting a burnt-orange glow across the lake. Dusk was mesmerizing in this open space—everything appeared incandescent and warm, as if warm was an appearance and not a feeling.

  “Come and join,” Leroy said to Noah, holding the football in one hand.

  “Nah,” Noah said, leaning back on his palms. “I’m tired.”

  “Come on, son,” Jacob said. “You too, Ellie.”

  I was helping Eleanor with the dinner clean-up, so I pointed at the paper plates in my hand. “I’m jus—”

  “I’ve got it, honey,” Eleanor said, swiping the plates from me. “Go on. You too, Noah. Join in.”

  Noah made a big show of being exasperated at the idea of getting up, but he did, wiping sand off his hands. The four of us stood in a square, leaving enough room for other people to safely walk along the waterfront without getting a ball to the head. The first thing I noticed was that Noah was a natural, like his brother and dad. It looked like he was barely putting any force behind his throw but the ball traveled so far. After a while, it was obvious he was enjoying himself too—as much as he tried to hide it, the smile that he wore while he cracked jokes with his dad gave him away.