Page 7 of A Mountain to Climb
“Where’d she go?” The look on her face drops. She looks crushed.
I’m not sure how to handle a distraught woman. Since Roxy left, I’ve only been involved with women who know the score—one night at a time and nothing permanent.
“Why don’t we go talk where we can sit and have some privacy.” I lay my hand on her lower back and lead her off the porch, circling around the right side of the clubhouse.
Her body starts to relax a little, so I’m guessing that’s a good sign. I point at the picnic table in front of my cabin. It’s under the shade of a bunch of trees, so we’ll be protected from the sun overhead. This is still my favorite place on the compound. The stress just goes away when I sit out here. We sit on the same side of the table facing the open yard.
“Since I’m the reason we’re out here, I guess I should tell you who I am,” she begins with a small laugh. “My name’s Lana. Roxy is my older sister, and I haven’t seen her in almost twelve years. Not sure how much you know of her past, but I haven’t heard from her since she sent me that letter ten years ago.”
I straddle the bench, turning to face her. “I know a little bit, but she’d always shut down when I asked too many questions. I just stopped asking.”
“Sounds like her.” Lana laughs again and gives me a peek of a smile. I can’t say I don’t like it. “Do you know where she went?”
I have no idea how to tell her the truth. The truth isn’t a happy story. It won’t end with a reunion and happiness.
“It may make me sound like an insensitive asshole, but I think I just need to rip off the Band-Aid and tell you the truth.” She turns to straddle the bench and face me back. I just hope when I drop this bomb, she doesn’t fly off the handle like Roxy did when she heard things she didn’t like. “I didn’t know it at the time, but she left me for her drug dealer boyfriend. She then killed them both when she crashed their car into a tree.”
Lana is silent. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s blinking, I’d be worried she wasn’t breathing. She’s showing no emotion. There’s no crying or yelling. She’s nothing like her sister. She may have similar features, but if I didn’t already know, I’d never think they were related.
She has the same blue eyes as Connor. That must be a strong family trait. Her eyes are so blue, they’re like the sky on a winter day. Almost clear. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail and there are a few wild, loose strands around her face. The color is a deep brown, but the sunlight shows it also has streaks of a richer walnut color and brighter highlights mixed in.
To put it in words for a simple man like me, Lana is absolutely beautiful. I’m not sure why I’m feeling like this for her, but it’s something I’ve never experienced before. I feel like a creepy asshole just sitting here, staring at her while she’s lost in her funk. I need to snap out of this and make sure she’s okay.
Her left hand is resting on the table, so I slide my right hand forward and place my palm on top of hers. The second our skin makes contact, she jolts as if struck by lightning, breaking the trance that she’s under.
“Whoa. What was that?” Lana squeaks.
I shake my head. I have no words.
She pulls her hand back and I immediately miss the softness of her skin. “Would it be too much to ask if I can meet Connor? Then I’ll leave and you’ll never have to see me again.”
“That’s fine. He’s at school right now, but will be home in a couple hours. Where are you staying?” She mentioned she was disowned, but I don’t know what that means for her.
“I’ll find a hotel nearby. After that, I’ll figure something out.” Lana stands and wipes her hands down the front of her jeans.
Do I be honest and give her directions to the nearest motel? Or do I use her unfamiliarity with the area and say there’s nothing close? This could be my way to keep her close and get to know her better. We just finished a few more rooms on the main floor of the clubhouse. I could offer her to stay here, then convince her to be mine. She could be in my room and sharing my bed in no time.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there isn’t anywhere to stay in this neck of the woods. You’d have to drive for awhile and I don’t feel right letting you go off when we have empty rooms here.” She starts to shake her head, trying to turn down my offer. “You can stay here for a few days and get to know Connor, then go from there.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
“It wouldn’t be a problem. I promise. Why don’t I show you the rooms, then you can decide?”
I walk her inside and give her the choice of two rooms. She picks the first room on the left. When I find out she drove here all the way from Florida without stopping, I walk her back outside to grab a duffel bag of clean clothes, then she goes back in so she can shower before Connor gets home, and I head back to the picnic table. Images pop in my mind when I think of her showering in my clubhouse and they’re damn sexy. Who knew soapy bubbles could be considered dirty?
About twenty minutes later, I hear the bus pull away. That means Connor, Adam, and Zach are home. It doesn’t take long for them to come walking around the side of the clubhouse.
“Hey, Pops,” Connor yells as he jokingly pushes Adam, and Adam pushes him right back.
“Connor, can I talk to you?”
He waves goodbye to the other boys and jogs over. “What’s up?”
“Not sure how to say this, but someone’s here to meet you.”
“Who? Someone from another club?” Ever since we had our little chat a few months ago, he’s been showing more interest in the business of the club.
“Sorry, son, no other clubs are here. It’s actually your aunt, Lana, and she wants to meet you.”