Page 45 of Wayward (Wrecked #4)

Course Change

C alvin

For such a modern, open, Floridian house, there’s a lot of hallways. I inch around the corner to the foyer.

“Calvin,” Maya, the house manager, says. Though she’s less manager and more dictator. She stabs the last flower into a giant arrangement by the front door and turns to me. “Can I get you anything to eat? You should eat.”

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

“No, you’re not. I’ll make you a snack.” She fluffs the flowers one last time and hustles off toward the kitchen, leaving me and my no thank you in the huge foyer.

That’s when I hear Haley and Emily in the living room.

I pivot my way to the sprawling room with the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the Atlantic ocean.

“Hey.” I wave to Emily and give Haley a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re finally up. I thought I might have to call Dr. Titus.” Haley smiles. Dr. Titus is an overrated quack who charges two thousand dollars an hour to come out and treat yacht owners on their boats so they don’t have to leave the boat. “How’s your book?”

“Done. I’ve missed reading.” I sink down next to her, our legs touching. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Dante’s out at the market. Zane and Sam are visiting Charlie, who pulled into port last night. Easton’s . . . I don’t know where he is. Do you know, Em?”

“I’m not supposed to tell. But he’ll be back soon.” Emily stands. “I’ve got to get going to the airport.”

“Oh,” Haley’s voice drops. “Where are you off to?”

“I’m going to New York. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve given Maya a vacation.

And she promised me she would really take it.

It’s been a whirlwind for you guys, and you could use some time alone.

I better get going. My ride’s due in ten minutes.

” She stands, and the leather swivel chair she was sitting in swings back around to face the ocean.

Emily puts a small beaten-up backpack on. “Do you think I need a coat?”

“In April in New York? Maybe,” I say, and Emily dashes off down the hall to her bedroom. I put my hand on Haley’s knee. “You doing okay?”

Her nose crinkles up. “I’m okay. I’m resilient, remember?

” She is, but it sucks that her dad is being an asshole.

Haley had a long chat with him on the phone the day after we landed in Miami.

He’s too busy to come to Florida. So she told him about all of us on the phone.

He cut her off and now won’t return her calls.

Easton had Rocky call Haley’s dad, but he hung up on Rocky too.

“You are.” I need to change the subject. She’s twisting the short hairs above her ear. I grab her foot and squeeze. “This is the longest I’ve not had a job.”

Her eyes widen. “A year?” she asks.

“Fuck, no. Two weeks.”

“Since you were eighteen.”

“No, like ever.” I shake my head.

“But when you were little?”

“Chores on the farm from the time I could walk. I started feeding the chickens when I was three. I suppose I was helping my grandmother feed the chickens, but still.”

“What type of job do you want to get?”

“I . . . I don’t know. It felt weird taking the back pay that Rocky put in my account, but it’s there, and with us living here for now, I don’t exactly need any money. How are you feeling about it?” I have an idea, but I need to wait for Sam.

“I’ve had at least one job since I was sixteen.

I had two in college. Waiting tables and work study .

. . Zane suggested we both take online classes together.

Though I’m not far from graduating. I need a little over a semester of credits.

But I don’t think I can take the level of classes I need online.

Most of them are upper-division classes.

And it would be hard for me to do. Unless I can get a waiver. ”

“So we move to Pennsylvania to your old school until you’re done.”

She nods but stares at the floor, and I can’t help myself. I pull her onto my lap. “We’ll make it work.”

“You think Sam’s going to move inland?”

“For seven months? I think Sam would do anything for you. And we won’t know until we ask him.” There’s a flutter in my stomach. I want to tell her now. But Sam and I agreed we’d talk about it with everyone at the same time.

She nods again.

And I take my thumb and tip her chin up to me. Her blue eyes twinkle in the setting sunlight.

“I’m leaving now. I see nothing,” Maya yells from the entrance to the room.

I crane my neck to see her. I’m not lying when I say I’m a little scared of the five-foot-nothing fifty-year-old. Four-star generals have nothing on the Rockwell house manager.

“Goodnight, Maya,” Haley says.

“Goodnight. I will see you tomorrow.” Maya pivots on her flats.

“No, you won’t. You’re taking five days off.” Emily slings her arm through the crook of Maya’s elbow. “Now, let me give you a lift home on the way to the airport. Bye, guys.” Emily waves.

“Bye,” Maya says. “He isn’t going to use my kitchen.”

“He’ll clean up after . . .” Emily’s voice trails off, and the front door slams shut.

“We’re alone.” I run my hand down her back. My mouth is hovering over hers when a door slams.

“Was that my sister in the car, driving away from the house?” Easton comes down the hallway from the garage.

Haley gives me a light kiss before she leans back. “Yes, she’s off to New York,” Haley projects into the hall.

Easton rounds the corner. “Hey guys.” He gazes out onto the lanai. “Maya’s gone?”

“Yes,” Haley says.

“Thank fuck.” Easton drops down on the other side of Haley, his hand on her leg. He leans over and kisses the nape of her neck. “I’m not wrong in thinking we’re alone?”

“No, you’re not wrong.” Haley turns in my arms and kisses Easton. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too. I fucking hate lawyers.” Easton pulls off his suit coat and tosses it on the arm of the sofa. “Almost as much as I hate these straitjackets. It’s ninety degrees out there.” He undoes his tie and throws it at his coat, but it misses and tumbles to the floor.

“World-class athlete.” I laugh.

“Swimmer,” he shoots back.

Haley relaxes back, her head on my chest.

“I shouldn’t have to put one of those on again for a while. My will is completely updated and in a private trust like I should have had it all along.”

“That’s good. Another step toward getting Susan out of our lives.” Until the trial. When they find her. I pull Haley closer to my side.

There’s another slam from the foyer. “Honey, we’re home,” Dante yells.

“I’ve got enough groceries for the weekend, and I’ve brought pizza for tonight.

Both gluten-free and gluten-full.” Dante pokes his head around the corner, a tall stack of boxes in his hand.

“I got Emily’s text. Is the kitchen Czar gone? ”

Haley tries to jump up to go help Dante, but I wrap my arms around her waist and hold her on the sofa. Easton’s on the same train of thought as I am. “You’d be the same way if it was your kitchen.”

“That’s different, Sassy,” Dante yells on his way to the kitchen.

Easton stands. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

Zane and Sam pass by the living room. “Don’t worry, Viking, we’ve got the mountain of food from the car.”

“I’m doing something important, Zane.” My fingers roll around Haley’s shoulders, and she moans but quickly covers her mouth. Not quickly enough. Heads appear in the opening.

“Sorry,” Haley says and points back at me.

“Never be sorry for making that sound, Sassy. We’ll be right back. Move.” Dante bosses Sam and Zane to the kitchen. It’s not long before they return with the pizza, beers, and plates.

“Hey, Little Bird.” Zane hands her a beer and a plate with pizza before dropping in front of the sofa and pulling one of her legs over his shoulder.

“Where’s mine?” I ask as I’m getting up to get it myself. I was hoping to eat something else. I glance over my shoulder at Haley. She’s turned a lovely shade of red. And I’m hoping she’s thinking the same thing.

“I’ve picked out the movie. And no criticizing my retelling when we watch this one. I did my best.” Zane turns on the TV.

“Yes, but you missed the whole subplot. You told it as an action movie, and it’s really a love story.” Haley runs her foot down the side of Zane’s arm.

“Potato, potato,” Zane says, turning up his British accent. “This is good pizza, mate. I can hardly tell it’s not real.”

“It’s real. You have to reframe the way you think about food, Zane.” Dante sits on the floor next to him.

Sam’s the last in the room. “Excuse me.” He pushes between Haley and Easton.

“I kind of miss the days where you had to have your personal space.” Easton laughs but moves over.

The sun starts to set beyond the television.

There’s a massive blackout curtain, but we’ve never pulled it.

Having the crashing waves outside the lanai makes me feel more relaxed.

It’s still hard being here. We’ve gone out a few times, but the second we’re recognized, we all want to head home.

At first it was just Easton being noticed, but we’ve been on enough media now that we’re all getting it.

The ones that survived, they’re calling us.

And Gilligan’s Island , which is even worse. But whatever.

I haven’t told anyone other than Sam about the email I got today—it said that they were offering it to him too. But we didn’t have to negotiate as a group. I’m still not sure I want to do it. Though it sounds interesting.

There’s a lull in the movie. I’m not telling Zane, but he made this one way better than it is. Maybe he shouldn’t go to school for architecture but for script writing.

Sam leans forward, his eyes connecting with mine, and I give him a nod.

“Pause it for a second, Zane,” Sam says. When the movie is off, Sam rolls his shoulders. “So . . . today Calvin and I got an interesting offer.”

“Really?” I can hear the dread in Haley’s voice.

“It’s nothing bad, Chiefie. It’s good. In fact, really good. Sam and I have been offered a publishing deal to write a survival guide. Well, I’ll do the part on surviving off the land, and he’s doing the marine section. Two books.”

“That’s fantastic.” Haley turns to me and then back to Sam.

“Amazing,” the guys echo.

“It is, but there’s a catch: they want to put our faces on it and use all of us as marketing.”

“Oh.” Haley nods. “That’s fine. It’s something we’ll get used to. Right Easton?”

“Uh, you never get used to it. But it will be different as time goes on. I think it’s a great opportunity if you want to do it.

” Easton stands. “This calls for the good stuff.” He vanishes down the hallway to the wine cellar, which isn’t a cellar because this is Miami, so it's a room off the dining room.

“Do you want to do it? I think it’s fantastic, but I don’t want you doing it just . . .” Haley trails off.

“Haley, I want to do it,” Sam says. “Zane and I chatted in the grocery store about the two of you going to school. We can move back to the ocean again later. Plus, Pittsburgh has rivers. You and Zane can go to school. We’ll write the books, and Dante?—”

“I know at least three restaurants that would love to have me. There might be one or two that I’m not allowed in as well.” Dante takes the bottle of champagne from Easton. “Let me do that.”

“And I can work from anywhere.” Easton picks up his tie from the floor. “Even better if we don’t have an office in the city. Though we have a Pittsburgh branch.”

“Then it’s settled.” Haley raises her glass of champagne and sips from it. “Whoa, this is good.”

“I know something that’s going to taste even better to celebrate with, Chiefie, but you’re going to need fewer clothes.”

Easton grabs a remote, and the blackout shade makes its first appearance. I hate waiting to pull her shirt off, but early last week, Maya pointed out a photographer floating in a speedboat. They took off when one of the security guys headed outside.

When Rocky left for New York last week, we sent most of the guards with him. There were too many people around. Funny, I would have said the same thing about right now a year ago—four other guys in the room with me and my girlfriend.

“What are you smiling about?” Haley runs her finger over the shell of my ear.

I huff out a laugh. I didn’t realize I was. There are bubbles in my stomach, and I haven’t had a sip of champagne.