On the Rocks (Mixology #2)(46)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“That depends. Why am I doing it?” His question came from curiosity and concern. He was going to give her the time off no matter what.

“She needs a weekend away more than anyone, and she deserves it.”

“I’m going to trust you on this one.”

“I can tell her it’s fine?”

“Absolutely, but is she okay?” he asked worriedly.

“She will be.” I’d make sure of it.

“Good. Take care of her.” He hung up.

“I’m all packed,” Carly called from outside my room.

“Great, let’s go.”

“You really aren’t going to tell me where we’re going?” She leaned against the door frame.

“Nope. I’d rather show you.” I took her small suitcase from her and led her to the front door.

***

After a quick stop to move my car back into a parking space at the shop, we got on the road. We drove through a heavy rainstorm, but otherwise it was an uneventful trip. I hoped Carly enjoyed the surprise.

I’d never brought anyone to the cabin before. My grandfather had left the old place up in the Blue Ridge Mountains to me, and even though my parents suggested I sell it, I knew I never would. Bringing a girl there had never crossed my mind, but I had a feeling it was just what Carly needed, and I wanted her there. I wanted to show her my little sanctuary that even Maddy hadn’t ever seen.

“Wow, this place is awesome.” Carly looked around at the small cabin with awe, and I knew instantly I’d made the right decision. On the surface Carly didn’t look like an outdoorsy girl, but she also didn’t shy away from it. She seemed right at home in the rugged place. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah, my grandfather left it to me.”

“It’s great.” She surprised me by hugging me from around the waist. Her eyes were brighter again—she was back to being Carly. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

I closed the door and set down our bags. “Ready for the tour?”

“Sure!” Most girls would have made a comment about not needing a tour of a two room cabin, but not Carly.

“This is the kitchen, sitting room combo, and the bedroom is through here.” I gestured for her to walk through the small archway. The small room was filled with a queen sized bed and a dresser. Nothing fancy, but that was the whole idea.

“Perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better surprise getaway.”

I pulled her into my arms. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better girlfriend.”

She rested her head on my chest. “I guess we should unpack the groceries.” She headed back into the kitchen.

I started unpacking the paper bags. We’d stopped for dinner on the way up that night, but I wanted to make sure we had food for the rest of the weekend.

With the food unpacked, we went to sit out on the porch swing. I opened one of the bottles of wine I’d remembered to tuck in with my stuff. My grandfather would have laughed, but when given the option, Carly wasn’t a beer drinking kind of girl.

“Do you come up here a lot?” Carly’s voice broke through the nearly silent night. One of the reasons I loved the cabin was the quiet. The only sounds came from the crickets and rustling leaves at night. I liked the solitude, but having Carly’s company was even better.

“I try to come up a few times a year when I need a break.” I pulled her legs up onto my lap. She kicked off her flip flops.

“Do you usually come alone?”

“Always. This is the first time I haven’t.”

“I’m honored you brought me.” The light breeze blew the tendril of hair that had escaped her ponytail.

“It feels right to have you here.”

“I feel at home if that makes sense.”

“Perfect sense.” I ran my hands down her jean clad legs. As much as I wanted to touch her skin, I was glad she was wearing pants. The one downside of the place was the bugs.

“Do you want to talk about earlier?” I didn’t want to push it, but I needed her to know she could tell me anything.

“What’s there to talk about? My parents hate me.”

“They don’t hate you.”

“Ok, they don’t hate me. They just love me less than Kim.”

“Not that I have any interest in defending them, but I don’t think that’s it. And I’ve already weighed in on my bet about how Kim feels about you too.”

“Then what is it?” She pulled her legs from me. Not what I wanted.

“They’re confused. They don’t understand what happened. Maybe they do view Kim as more successful than you and somehow can’t accept her husband screwed up. Have they always liked Jasper?”

“They love him. He was the perfect friend for their son.”

“They don’t want to believe they were wrong about him. They’re angry at themselves for supporting the marriage. At least that’s what I think.”

“Maybe. I guess it doesn’t matter. I just wish they didn’t view me as the loser all the time.”

“Let me guess. Kim was the one who won awards for everything.”

“I thought you were an only child?”

“I am, but I had a cousin who was more like a brother. He was also better at everything.”

“Had?” She eyed me warily.

“He died when we were in college.”

“Oh. That’s where the pressure comes from. He was your uncle’s son.”

“Yeah…”

She moved behind me and slipped her hands underneath my t-shirt and started to run her nails gently down my back. I’d never had someone give me a back scratch like that, and it felt really good.

“Was that around the same time you stopped dating girls seriously?”

“We weren’t talking about me.”

“You’re right. We were talking about us. Both of us.”

She was right. “Yeah. His death changed me I guess. I didn’t want to keep searching for the one when I wasn’t even sure who I was.”

“But you’re dating me.”

“Because it’s different with you. There’s no searching. I can be myself with you in a way I’ve never been with someone before.”

“I feel that way too.”

A slap of thunder had Carly jumping behind me.

“Looks like that storm followed us up here.”

“I guess so.”

Even with her behind me I could tell she was tense. Was she afraid of storms? “We can go inside if you want.”