Page 28 of Whiskey & Honey
Caffeine buzz my ass. Just like when we were kids, both girls are fast asleep before we are more than a few miles outside of town. I’m going to enjoy the silence while the girls sleep; Ashton is a lot louder than I remember.
I sent an email to the realtor this morning and put in an offer on the dream house. Piper’s dream house. I can’t see there being much of a bidding war for a house that is barely standing so I’m pretty confident I will be a home owner when we get back to town on Sunday.
The look on Piper’s face as she stood in that knee-high grass has been consuming my dreams the last few nights. Those dreams are likely to find their spot in the archives and be replaced by the version of Piper today. Watching her walk down those stairs about did me in. Short, cut-off denim shorts show off her amazing legs and the loose-fitting tank she has on compliments her in ways that have me thinking thoughts I shouldn’t have. Her long hair is in some haphazard bun that makes me want to tug it loose, allowing her hair cascade down like a waterfall.
Obviously I didn’t forget to pack my vagina. Good lord, I need to get a grip or it’s going to be a very long weekend.
An hour after we left Piper’s house we pass the sign that indicates we’ll be at the lake in a few minutes. I nudge Ash awake and instantly regret it. I forgot how violent she can be when she’s woken up and my arm pays the price. The ruckus of my near-death experience at the hands of my sister wakes Piper up and the moment I glance at her stretching I regret my peek in the mirror. Her tank barely lifts but it’s enough to show me a sliver of her bare belly. I wonder if it’s too late to suggest the girls wear wet suits this weekend.
“Finally! I thought we’d never get here!” Ashton frustratingly exclaims as I pull up next to Jameson’s truck. I shake my head at my sister’s dramatics. She’s acting as if her nap was hours long instead of minutes.
“Ben, you should really talk to J about that monstrosity of a truck. What is he compensating for? Small dickitis?” Ashton asks as she hops out of the truck and heads to the back and starts pulling bags out.
I laugh and meet her at the tailgate along with Piper.
“Yeah, I’m not having that conversation with him but knock yourself out.”
“What conversation?” Jameson asks as he walks up from around the cabin to help us.
“The one where Ben tells you that your little dick is showing with your need to drive that truck,” Ashton says as she stomps off. It’s a stomp for sure. I don’t know why she has so much hostility toward Jameson but I just shrug and pull the cooler out before closing the tailgate.
“What’s up her ass? I almost regret putting the tents up, should’ve made her do that herself.”
I look at Piper and she shakes her head and smiles before turning to Jameson. “Don’t mind her, she was sleeping before we got here. You know what a pill she can be when she wakes up against her will.”
That seems to pacify Jameson as we head toward the cabin with all of the bags and food. The girls start emptying the bags and boxes of food while Jameson takes me on a tour of the property.
“I can’t believe you bought land out here. It’s pretty cool, man.”
“Yeah well, it’s not much but it’s mine. If it wasn’t such a drive for work, I’d live here, that’s for sure.”
Once we walk over to where Jameson has set up the tents, the girls have made their way over to where we stand. Ashton seems to have relaxed a little and is more herself. We’re all in agreement that food is the number one priority. A quick loss in a game of Rock Paper Scissors finds Jameson and I tasked with cooking breakfast while the girls ice the beers for later.
Contemplating simply pouring cereal in a bowl and declaring breakfast served so the girls won’t have high expectations from our cooking skills, we reluctantly prepare a feast of a breakfast.
Once we’ve all finished eating and the mess is cleared, I change into some workout gear and start out on a hike around the lake. I’ve never considered myself a loner, but being back in the thick of things with this group has made solitude and quiet something I yearn for.
When I return to Camp Shenanigans, as it has been deemed, I notice that Owen’s truck is parked next to mine. In the distance I hear laughs and splashes coming from the water. I lost my shirt early in my hike as the sun beat down on me making it feel more like a blanket. I pull the shirt from my waistband and wipe my head as I grab and down a cold water. Tossing the bottle in the recycling bin, I turn toward the cabin. Before I have an opportunity to open the door, it comes flying open and a bikini-wearing Piper slams right into my chest with an audible oomph.
“Whoa there, where’s the fire?” I ask while I reluctantly peel her from my body.
“Ss … sorry. I was just using the restroom and didn’t see you there. So uh, yeah how was your hike?”
I smile, noticing she hasn’t looked at me yet. Not true, she seems to be quite interested in the waistband of my shorts, but she hasn’t looked up at my face.
“The hike was good. Hot, but good.”
“Wow, it is crazy hot today. I should get down to the water; you should join us, ya know, after you, umm, change or whatever. I mean you don’t need to change if you didn’t want to so yeah I should go okay bye,” she rattles off in a rambling sentence and takes off in what can only be described as a stumbling hustle toward the water.
Laughing to myself, I go inside where it is slightly cooler and embrace the temperature change. Once I’ve changed into my trunks I grab a protein bar from my bag and another water before I head down to the lake. The closer I get, the louder the hoots and hollers get. I missed these kinds of weekends since I’ve been gone and the realization hits me again. I am the outsider in this group. Funny how Ashton seems to have moved into my place with my friends. It makes me happy to know they embraced and protected her while I was gone even if I do have a twinge of jealousy.
As I take a seat next to Jameson I notice that the girls are in the middle of an intense game of chicken. “Wow, that looks pretty serious. They do know it’s a game of chicken, right?”
“Yeah, it’s how they decided to determine who is on dish duty tonight. You know Ash, she’ll do anything to get out of dishes so she’s determined to win,” he says as he takes a long drink from his beer.
“Beer already? Is it even noon yet?” I ask and recognize how old I sound.
“Relax, bud, we’re on vacation. There aren’t any clocks here. Besides, it’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” he asks as he finishes off that beer and hands one to me that I waive off.