Resilient (4 page)

Dad and I walk outside and everyone else follows. I see a beautifully polished wooden deck with a built-in stone barbecue and a wood burning pizza oven. To my right, I see a guesthouse. We have a nice-sized yard covered with fresh sod. The Northwest landscape is infused with the tranquil feel of a Japanese botanical garden, and that odd local charm is extremely noticeable here. The roses hang heavy with blossoms and a flowery smell drenches the air. There is even an inviting koi pond that is catching a bit of the afternoon sun. I want to sit on the bench and soak it all in, but Dad isn't finished.

“So, you see anything interesting?” he asks. 

“Are you serious?” I laugh. “It’s beautiful. We have a hot tub? I can’t wait to get in it!”

Dad laughs, too. “I am glad I got a big tub enough for all of us. But I want you to look past the backyard, Livia, a little further down, to your left.” 

Puzzled, I turn around, searching for something to my left.

My mouth falls wide open once again as I take in the sight of a barn—a horse barn—and two horses standing outside.

“Oh my God,” I barely get the words out. “You didn’t! That barn is big enough for a whole team of horses!”

He’s laughing and his emotional filter fails—he’s full of radiant joy at my surprise. 

“There are just two for now,” he explains. “One for me, one for you; eventually, I’ll get one for the boys, too. Your mom didn’t want one, but the barn has five stalls in it in case she changes her mind.”

This is more than I ever wanted. I can’t believe I actually have a horse now. I give my dad a tight hug, mumbling into his shirt, “Thank you so, so much. I can’t wait to ride them with you.”

“Not so fast, Livia,” he scolds not unkindly. “They are young, and they still require training. The black one is a male and he is four and a half years old. His name is Sicilian. The Appaloosa is five years old. Her name is Aphrodite.”

I pull back and look at him. “When will I be able to ride her?”

“Soon,” he smiles reassuringly. “She is almost fully trained. I bought them from Mr. Cooper. Their older son, Adam, trained her himself, and he’s coming over next week to help you out. We’ll have him and their horse trainer, Alo, to work with the horses, and a helper to feed and keep up with the barn, but I do expect you to take care of your horse as much as you can.”

“I will!” I nod ecstatically. “I absolutely, positively, one-hundred-percent promise.” 

I am so happy that I wish my dad had my empathic abilities so he could know just how happy. Words aren’t enough. 

*                            *                              *

The next morning, I wake up to a bird’s song. It feels like I’ve slept way too long. I grab my phone from my nightstand, but it’s only nine a.m.—my body is still on New York time. 

I sling myself out of bed anyway and head downstairs to find my mom in the kitchen. 

“Hey, Mom, what are you doing holding that pan?” I tease. She has a smile on her face and she’s proud of herself. I’m proud of her for trying; I don’t remember ever seen Mom cooking before. Whenever Annette wasn’t working, we had to get takeout.

“Oh, give me some credit, Livia! I do know how to cook.” 

“In that case, maybe that does smell good,” I play along, “or I just might be really hungry.”

“Well then, this is for you!” Mom hands me a plate—the sight of eggs, bacon, and a pancake makes my stomach growl. “I went all out.” She can’t hide the widening grin on her face. It does smell good, and I am starving, and she knows it. 

“I need you to go to the store for me when you’re done,” she says, sparing me from more messing around, and presents me with a list from the kitchen drawer. “There is a market down on the main road. It’s big and should have everything we need. I have to take the boys to an orientation at their new school, and your dad won’t be home ’til dinnertime.”

My good mood had dissipated further with her every word. Mom is always trying to find a way to take me out of my shell and face my demons, but it doesn’t mean I want to go along with it. I give her a wary glance and say, “No mom, really? A market is full of people.”

“Livia, it won’t take long. Besides, you can’t lock yourself away forever.”

“How am I supposed to get there? Walk?”

Mom’s features set in a stern look. “Your car is in the garage. It arrived here early this morning. Now go on.”

I scarf down my breakfast without another word and head back upstairs to my room. I put on jean shorts, a purple polo shirt, and flip-flops. 

In my car, I set up the GPS to take me to the grocery store. I have a new S40 Volvo. I got it for birthday present a year ago, and it still smells like the coconut body spray Alyssa spilled in the backseat three months ago. The scent makes me nostalgic, and I’m suddenly very eager to get out of the car. 

When I pull into the parking lot of the market, I park in the first spot I see and head inside. I open the list my mom gave me and it’s like a mile long, and I don’t even know what a Coriander is. I am going to be here for a while.

After an hour and a half, I have everything but the Coriander. I walk to the vegetable aisle, searching the names on the signs. 

“Can I help you find something?” a male voice asks.

I glance up to see a pair of green eyes twinkling at me. The boy with those eyes has a warm face and spiky blond hair that looks like it requires a lot of work. 

“Uh, this is embarrassing.” I smile at him. “But I’m looking for a Coriander, and I’m not sure what it looks like.” 

The request catches him off guard. “Coriander, huh?” he asks, scratching the back of his head and grinning. “It would be with the spices, but I think we’re out of them, actually, we should get some by the end of the week. Sorry.”

“That’s all right.” I couldn’t care less, really. I’m relieved that I’m finally done with what seems like an endless shopping spree. I start to turn my cart toward the registers, but can feel him looking me up and down, trying to be discrete while totally checking me out. My cheeks are getting hot.

“You here for vacation?” he asks.

“No, I just moved here from New York.” 

He narrows his eyes. “Oh, are you the Coopers’ new neighbor?”

“Word travels fast, huh?” 

His grin returns at my answer. “I’m Kyle.” He offers me his hand, which I shake and introduce myself. 

“If you’re ready, I can ring you up,” he adds.

We walk to the cash register and I sense his emotions shifting. He’s getting anxious in my presence. When I was younger, I used to think that boys felt anxious when I was around because they didn’t like me. In time, I learned it was completely the opposite. Alyssa said that I should take their feelings as a compliment.

“So, did you grow up here?” I ask, trying to put him at ease. 

“Yep, born and raised.” He smiles, but his emotions contradict his expression. 

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” 

“It’s a small town, but the island gets tons of tourists in the summer. We have a lot of outdoor stuff to do, so yeah, that part is nice.”

“Are you in high school?” 

“Starting senior year next week,” he says as I pay for the groceries.

“So am I. How exciting,” I add with my not-so-great sarcastic humor. 

Kyle’s lips curl into a smirk. He walks out of the cashier’s area and toward my shopping cart. “Let me help you out with these bags.” He doesn’t wait for me to say no, he just takes my cart and walks out to the parking lot. 

“Where’s your car?” 

“Right over here.” I lead him to it and open the trunk.

“Nice ride!” His eyes rove the vehicle. “Yours?”

“Yeah, it’s a really safe car.”

He lifts an eyebrow, “Was that the line you used to get your folks to buy it?” 

“No, that was the line they used to get me to drive it. Believe me, you don’t want to drive in New York City traffic.” 

“I can imagine.” He shakes his head in agreement and sets the last of the bags in the trunk. 

“Hey, thanks for the help and all,” I say, feeling a bit more comfortable around him. 

This perks him up. “No problem.” 

He turns to leave, but he stops short and faces me again. I feel his nerves spike. “We’re throwing a party at a friend’s house tomorrow,” he begins hesitantly. “Most of the seniors will be there. It would be a chance for you to meet people before school starts.” 

“That’d be fun,” I tell him. “If you give me the address for the party, I’ll try to stop by.” I doubt that I’ll make it. It would be awkward to show up at a party where I don’t know anyone. Besides, too many people and their emotions in one place is a recipe for a migraine.

“I’ll text you.” Kyle pulls his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me. “Just dial your number and I’ll add to my contacts.” 

I type it in and hand his phone back to him. There’s a shot of triumphant relief that goes through him for getting my number so easily. 

“See you later,” he says, and turns around to head back into the store, acting like his heart isn’t beating way too fast. I smile at that. He’s cute and nice. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to go to this party, after all.

*                            *                              *

I get home and the boys are playing in the front yard. They swarm the car when they see me driving in. “Hi, guys,” I say as I step out. “How was the school?”

Gabe rolls his eyes. “Yeah, you know, just a school.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Help me carry these groceries in, will you?” 

“Mom cooked breakfast today, and it was really good,” Ian says.

“That’s right!” I smile down at him. It is nice to have her home, but I wonder how long it will take for her to get bored and start missing her job. 

After I’m done putting the groceries up, I change into my running clothes and put my bikini on underneath, hoping to find the lake Dad said we have on the property. When I’m about to step outside, Mom calls me back.

“Livia, where are you going?”

“Just a run—I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Be back before five o’clock. I want everyone here for dinner.”

That gives me plenty of time to find the lake. I should be able to find it quickly if I run fast, but I promised my uncle I wouldn’t risk exposing my abilities, so I just take my time.

After thirty minutes and four miles, I finally find the lake, and I can’t contain the smile on my face. It’s beautiful, secluded, and inviting. There are evergreens all around, giving it privacy. I see an open space in the trees that leads to a floating dock. I assume it’s for a paddleboat or canoe, because the lake is definitely not big enough for a motorboat. I shed my running clothes and take a running dive off the dock and into the water.

I love floating. It encourages a dreamlike state that is even better than sleep. It is where I find mental clarity—intensifying all my senses and deepening my meditation. That’s what I always did at Lake Placid—just floated for as long as I could, gaining perspective on whatever was going on in my life at the time. Floating is all I do for the time I have before I have to be home for dinner. 

By the time I check my watch, it’s 4:30. 

I swim back to the dock, and as I haul myself onto land, I realize I forgot a towel. I get my shirt on, but my shorts won’t come up over my soaking wet skin.

“Do you need a hand?” 

I turn around as fast as I can, given my legs are bound in wet fabric. I stare him down and he stares back. His dark eyes don’t leave mine for one second. He’s taller than me, slim, fit, and I can see his strong arms under his black t-shirt. He rakes his hand through his thick brown hair, scratching his head in mock confusion. Something about him puts me on the edge—I bite my lip to keep my mouth from dropping open when I realize it.

I can’t read his feelings.

He raises his eyebrows and moves his lips as if he’s going to say something, but I don’t give him the chance to. 

“Who are you?” I ask. 

He tilts his head, his mouth slowly curving into a grin. “I am the owner of the lake you were just swimming in, but don’t worry, I’m not calling the cops; unless, of course, you do it again.” 

“What?” I snap. “This isn’t your property. As far as I know, it belongs to my father.” 

He shakes his head, letting his hair fall into his eyes. He walks in my direction; his eyes are set on me, making me a little intimidated. He’s closer now, and he keeps slicing down the comfortable distance that separated us. I take a step back. 

Why can’t I read him?

“Well, it seems you don’t know much, do you? Because if you did, you’d know that this isn’t on your property.” The grin returns to his face, like he’s just scored a point in a game.

“I’m pretty sure that I’m not invading anyone’s property.” My tone is nowhere near as nice as his. I don’t like the grin on his face and I surely don’t like him staring at me like he can see right through me.

“Look,” he says, stuffing his hand in his pockets. “You don’t need to worry. I know you won’t make the same mistake again. You’ll ask for my permission to swim in my lake, and if you’re nice enough, I might just say yes.” 

I wish I could slap the cockiness right off of his face. My gaze falls to my legs, and I realize I’m still holding on to my running shorts, which are stuck to my thighs. I manage to pull them up in one fast yank. I tie my shoes and walk past him without another word.

“Already leaving?” he asks. “You don’t like talking much, do you? 

I turn around. Even though I’m burning with anger, I very calmly tell him, “I have no interest in talking to jerks like you.” 

As I’m walking away, he calls out, “My name is Adam, by the way.” I just keep walking until I’m far enough to run as fast as I can. 

I get home five minutes late, and I head straight upstairs, hoping nobody sees me to question why I am soaking wet. 

“Livia, is that you?” 

“Yeah, Dad, I’ll be right down. Just need to change my clothes.” With that, I slip into my room.

*                            *                              *

After dinner, I find Dad sitting in the living room, watching the news. 

“Dad,” I sit next to him. “Do you mind if I interrupt you for a second?”