A Hope and a Chance(19)
Author: Jennifer Foor

10

For the next week I begged my mother to reconsider her arrangement with my father. I could tell that it was the hardest decision she had ever made, but she wouldn’t budge on the outcome. I’d even asked Rylee’s parents if I could live with them, but my mother refused the offer when they made it, claiming I needed this time with my father.

I attended my high school graduation with my head held high, even though the world was crumbling amongst me. My life was about to become a disaster, and I wasn’t even sure how in the world I was going to manage to get by.

Once my vehicle was filled to the brim with all of my belongings, I hugged my mom a final time. We’d shed enough tears in the last week to fill a river. When I got into the car and pulled away, she waved until I could no longer see her in the rear view mirror. She was only a phone call away. I could visit her whenever I wanted.

Why did this feel like forever?

I couldn’t be mad at her. My grandmother’s Alzheimer’s had gotten so bad that she didn’t know us anymore. She needed to be under full-time supervised care.

My mother had managed to get a job at the front desk of the nursing home. She said the hours were crappy, but the pay was good. She would be able to easily afford a one bedroom apartment on her own. That put my mind at ease for the time being.

When I finally arrived at my dad’s house, the welcoming committee had come out to greet me. Buffy and my father stood in the driveway.

“Eeeek! I am so excited about you staying with us,” Buffy exclaimed.

My father, surprisingly, took me in for a hug. “You’re going to love it here, honey. I promise.”

I started grabbing my things out of the car when I felt someone standing behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. I could feel his eyes burning into my back.

“Hope, I want you to meet my brother, Chance. Chance, this is Hope,” Buffy said as she stood between the both of us.

I had no choice but to look at him. If I didn’t they would suspect something. I knew he didn’t want to see me as much as I loathed the idea of seeing him, but we had no choice in the matter. I turned my attention to his welcoming (fake) smile. He brought his hand into mine. “Nice to meet you, Hope.” That half-smile and those gorgeous eyes were irresistible.

I tried so hard not to feel something as we touched. “You too!”

Chance acted like we’d never met before, and as much as I wanted him to be that way, it made me angry. How could he be so comfortable around me after what had happened between us? Was he born without a heart?

I had to be cordial. I wasn’t eighteen, and my parents had the final say in where I lived, whether I liked it or not. I had to make the best of things. It wasn’t like I would see him all the time. I could stay in my room and he could stay out back. It would work. It was only until the end of the year.

When the vehicle was almost unpacked, Buffy and my dad went back into the house. They said they were going to cook on the grill to celebrate me moving in. That left Chance and I to grab the last two boxes from the back of the car.

He leaned in and obtained one of them. “Here, this one seems lighter.” He placed it into my arms. I started walking away before he grabbed the last box and managed to close the trunk. Once we made it upstairs I sat the box down and stared at the walls. They were white, just plain white. Chance started to say something to me, but Buffy came rushing in. “Before you get upset, your father and I decided you could choose what color you wanted to paint the room. Maybe tomorrow we can head to the hardware store and pick it up together. I think you should paint it bright pink.” She said as she strolled back out of the room.

Chance didn’t speak at first, but instead he let out a heavy laugh. “I am sure you’ll love a pink room.”

I rolled my eyes. “Asshole.”

“Look, about the other night…”

I put my hand up. “Forget it. We obviously have to live here together, so let’s just pretend it never happened.” I hated saying it out loud. There was no way I could ever forget how he’d made me feel. I’d never wanted anyone like I did him, and now I was being punished having to see him constantly.

“Fine by me.” He marched out without saying anything else. It was difficult to fathom being around him when all I wanted to do was be back in his bed, in his arms again.

I had to get out of that room. That girl should have been named Trouble, not Hope. There was no hope for me when she was around. I kept telling myself that she was a minor, but the truth was, we were only a few years apart in age. It was just another excuse I was telling myself to get past what we’d done. Things were different now. We had to act like it never happened. She must have understood, because she went along with the introduction like she’d rehearsed it. The night we spent together had been amazing. Maybe she didn’t think so, or maybe she hated me now for the way I had acted that morning.

When I got downstairs, Mark and Buffy were out on the patio. He had the grill fired up and started cooking the steaks. “Need any help?” I offered.

“Actually, Buffy can you give us a minute alone? Guy talk.”

“What’s up, Mark?”

“I wanted to talk to you about my daughter.”

Stay calm. He doesn’t know anything.

“Sure.”

“I just wanted to remind you that she is my only child, and I expect you to be on your best behavior when you’re around her. I know you’ve experienced a lot in college, and I just don’t want her to be influenced into frat life.”

I had to smile at how he’d put it. I understood, but that part of my life was over. I was content with sitting home, drinking a beer and relaxing. “No problem, man.”

“And, Chance…you can look, but don’t you dare take it any further. She’s off limits.”

“Alright, no problem.” Too late!

After he said that, he turned back to his normal laid back self. I headed to the pool house to grab a cigarette while I waited for dinner to be ready.

There wasn’t any way around it. I had to ignore Hope. Just thinking about her made me crazy.

When I saw her walking out of the main house, I noticed she had changed into her bathing suit. I took a drag of my cigarette as I ducked back behind something so she couldn’t see me. She was stunning. I stood there remembering how every inch of her body felt against my skin. I closed my eyes and found myself visioning our time together.

The outdoor kitchen faced the main house, which meant that Mark’s back was turned to me. Hope looked down at her chest and readjusted her two piece bikini before diving right into the pool. It was like slow motion when her body lifted out of the water. Her skin glistened from the combination of the sun and the water as she ran her hands though her long wet hair.