Chapter 5

Five Days Pre-Culling…

The following morning, I awake to the sounds of my parents screaming at each other. Honestly, their fighting is so normal now, it doesn’t really bother me anymore. In fact, I think there’s something wrong when they’re not fighting. I hold the pillow over my head in a feeble attempt to block out their voices, but it’s useless. I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling.

“It’s ridiculous to yank Everleigh out of school when she’s graduating next year,” Mom hollers. “Whoever stays in Michigan is getting custody. Period. We will not let our divorce affect her.”

I laugh at how stupid she sounds. Clearly, she knows nothing about me or what this divorce is doing to me. They both checked out of parenting about the same time they checked out of the marriage.

“And what happens when we sell the house?” Dad shouts back. “What do we do with her then?”

I should be flattered, but their argument only reminds me that in the past year, they never once fought about me. And neither of them want me. I’m nothing more than a casualty of their war. I fling the blankets off and get out of bed. I quickly change into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and then in a rush, I pack my duffel bag with toiletries and whatever clothes I can find and slip out of the house unnoticed.

They want me to find somewhere to go for the summer? Fine, I’ll go somewhere, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to tell them where, or with whom. I only hope I’m not too late.

My heart races as I run to the marina. The boat docks are the last place I want to go, but it’s literally my only option. I find Spencer loading supplies onto a boat. I stop and take a moment to catch my breath. I cannot believe I’m here and about to do this.

“Everleigh?” He looks at me like he’s never seen me before. “What’re you doing here?”

“I changed my mind.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Take me.”

His eyes widen like they’re going to pop out of his head, and his jaw drops.

I tilt my head with confusion, and then the unintended meaning of my words hit me. “I mean, take me with you. On the boat.”

As I stand there, staring at him, waiting for him to answer me, I begin to doubt my decision. I can probably find somewhere else to go. Maybe. Heck, I could just spend the summer in the guest house. But in that moment, I realize something—I don’t want to be alone.

“Please?” I’m on the verge of tears.

“C’mon,” he says, nodding for me to join him.

I take a deep breath and reach for his hand.

Spencer takes my bag and tosses it near the bow—that’s the fancy word for the front of the boat. Then he nods at the cushioned seat that curves around the bow. Without a word, I sit and clutch my hands in my lap. My heart is in my throat. What am I doing here?

Spencer lifts a box, and his muscles strain beneath his T-shirt, causing the fabric to pull taut across his back. My breath catches at the sight. He disappears down a set of stairs. I stand abruptly. I still have time to change my mind. I can leave and pretend I was never here. But then Spencer reappears. He tilts his head, the same concern I’d seen in his gaze last night is back, but stronger this time.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I nod. “No.”

He laughs. “Which is it?”

I sigh and sit back down. “I don’t know.” I smooth my hands over my hair and blow out a breath. My knees are wobbly, and there are so many butterflies in my stomach I don’t know if I want to throw up or pass out.

“If you want to get off the boat, now’s your last chance. I’m shoving off in five minutes.”

I take a deep breath and momentarily close my eyes. If I leave, where will I go? Considering I have no idea where my parents will be, I assume I’m completely on my own. Even if I were to stay in the guest house all summer, how will I feed myself? Or be able to go anywhere? What if something happens and I need to go the doctor? I glance up at Spencer and meet his gaze, which is both knowing and sympathetic.

A sense of ease spreads over me, like I somehow just know being with him means I’ll be okay. “No, I don’t want to get off the boat.”

He nods and goes about doing official boating stuff. And then, exactly five minutes later, we’re motoring away from the marina. Both my heart and my stomach drop—with anticipation or regret, I’m not sure. But my choice is made, and there’s no going back.

“So, what changed your mind?” he asks.

I groan. Great, he’s going to want to talk. I should’ve known. I shrug. “I don’t know.”

He glances at me as if he doesn’t believe me.

“I just didn’t want to spend all summer alone. Is that alright with you?” My tone is snarky.

“So, this has nothing to do with the fact that the Terrible Trio is living it up and you’re not?” He keeps his focus on the boat gauges and the water as he effortlessly maneuvers around the other boats.

I roll my eyes. “Okay, first of all, don’t call us that.” I shoot him a dirty look. “And secondly, how do you know what my friends are doing this summer?”

“When you stop calling me Spooky Spence, I’ll stop calling you and your friends The Terrible Trio.” He twists his body to check his surroundings and then makes a hard turn.

I grip the railing, so I don’t go flying off the seat. “I never call you that to your face.”

He glares at me with so much anger, I’m taken aback. “They do.” He says they like it’s a bitter word he can’t get off his tongue fast enough.

I want to be mad, but I can’t. Not when I know how truly awful my friends are toward him. He doesn’t even know the half of it.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I say, hoping to get off the topic of our not-so-nice nicknames for each other.

“They’re all over Instagram bragging about their summer vacations. It’s hard not to know what they’re doing.”

That sounds just like them. I frown at the thought of having to see their constant updates and pictures. Maybe I’ll get lucky and not have cell service, so I won’t be tempted to check social media.

“Okay, so, if it’s not because of them, then it must be because of your parents,” he says, refusing to let this go.

I avert my gaze to my bare feet. I wiggle my toes, wishing I’d had time to paint my toenails before I left. “No. I live with their fighting every day. I can handle dealing with it all summer long, too. My parents have nothing to do with why I’m here.”

But that’s a lie. They’re the main reason I’m here, and I refuse to talk about them or their divorce or the fact that they’re selling my childhood home.

He nods. Strangely, I notice two things when he nods. One, the way the muscles in his neck pulse, and two, the way his hair flops to the side. Both are super adorable and way too sexy. Clearly the air out here is messing with my good sense.

I stand and wander over to where Spencer is. Only then do I begin to appreciate the view. The endless lake stretches out before us, calm and inviting. The shoreline gets farther and farther away until I can barely see solid land.

“Then why are you here, Everleigh?” His voice is deep and raspy, and it sends a tremor down my spine.

I’ve always liked the way he’s said my name—not that I will ever admit that to anyone. “Because you invited me.” I smile sweetly and bat my eyelashes.

He laughs, and I shiver. It’s not cold, though. Far from it. And I know my reaction is solely because of him.

“Right. Like I’m going to buy that. Seriously, Ev, I know you’re not here because you want to spend time with me.”

“Well, you did invite me.”

“And you told me no. More than once. You also made it a point to tell me you wouldn’t change your mind. Remember?”

The tips of my ears burn with anger and embarrassment. I hate talking about my parents and their divorce. Not that he’d know that. We don’t exactly talk like we used to.

“All right, fine. I heard my parents fighting this morning. About me. But it wasn’t the warm fuzzy, ‘I’m going to fight you for custody’ type of fight. It was more of the ‘You take her, no you take her’ variety. I didn’t want to spend the summer with people who don’t want me around, okay?” I cross my arms.

That’s the thing about Spencer—he brings the truth out of me with very little effort. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m always telling him things I would never dream of telling Liz, Whitney, or Mya.

“I want you around,” he says.

I groan, trying not to smile. “Shut up. I really hope you’re not going to spout cheesy pick-up lines all summer, ‘cause if you are, I’m jumping overboard right now and swimming to shore.”

He laughs again. “I’m sorry you find the truth cheesy.”

“Are you done giving me the third degree?” I’m not as annoyed as I pretend to be. Having someone who wants to talk to me and listen to what I have to say is actually nice.

“For now.”

I refuse to admit how much I’m looking forward to the next inquisition. Talking with Spencer is fun, and when I am, I tend to forget about everything else. Our banter is a nice reprieve from my parents’ divorce and the fact that all my friends ditched me.

He moves around the bow of the boat, doing God knows what. “The plan is to stop at the beach towns along the coast. I need to be in South Haven for the fourth.”

“Sounds fun.” I don’t miss his choice of words, though. Why does he need to be there? Is something happening that I don’t know about? I’m about to ask him, but he cuts me off before I can.

“You realize that means you’ll have to be seen in public with me.” He glances over his shoulder again, his gaze catching mine.

My arms erupt in goose bumps. Thankfully, he isn’t close enough to see my reaction. I grin. “I can always pretend I don’t know you.”

“Yes, but you won’t.” His tone is all arrogant confidence as he tosses another wink at me.

Who is this Spencer, and what happened to the awkward, goofy boy I used to play with? I stand and stretch. “You sound pretty sure about that.”

“Because I am. By the end of this trip, you’re going to love me!”

His tone is playful and on the dramatic side, but I know him well enough to know he’s only partially joking.

“So, do your parents know you’re with me?” He lifts the lid on a bench that doubles as storage and pulls out a blanket.

“Well, I didn’t exactly tell them before I left. They probably don’t even know I’m gone yet. Wanna take bets on how long it’ll take them to notice?” My money is on never.

He frowns. “That’s really not funny. You have to tell them.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine. I’ll text them right now. I seriously doubt they’ll even care.”

“I’m sure they care.”

“Whatever.”

I text my parents and literally get a response from both of them within seconds. have fun! My eyes widen. Are they for real? I take off without telling them or getting permission and tell them I’m spending the summer on a boat with a guy, just the two of us, and they tell me to have fun. I could be getting drunk, doing drugs, having orgies and getting arrested, and they wouldn’t even care! Just as long as I’m having fun. Ugh. That is parenting of the year right there.

“Do your friends know you’re with me?” he asks.

“Nope.”

And if I have my way, it will stay that way. But I don’t say that to him. No reason to start a fight and cause trouble. I’m stuck with him for the next three months. Might as well try to act like we’re friends again.

“What about Reid?”

“What about him?” I snap.

He shrugs. “Nothing. It’s just…”

I flop back down on the seat at the bow. “What?” Reid’s still a touchy subject for me. Lying, cheating jerk.

“Well, it’s just… If you were my girlfriend and you decided to spend the summer with another guy, I wouldn’t be too happy about it. That’s all.”

I narrow my eyes. “Good thing I’m not your girlfriend then.”

He sighs. “Not really my point, Ev.”

I rub my arms to rid them of the goose bumps that spontaneously sprang up. Again. It’s going to be a long summer if this is the reaction I have every time Spencer calls me Ev or says something nice.

“Reid’s a non-issue, so don’t worry about it, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

Of course he wouldn’t drop it. “I mean, he’s not an issue for me anymore. He stopped being important when I caught him screwing someone else.”

“Oh…” He grins, then fakes a cough. “Sorry.”

I give him another dirty look. “Glad you find my love life so amusing.”

“You can do so much better than Reid Walker. So, yeah, I’m not sorry he’s a non-issue for you.”

“Like who? You?” I laugh.

He turns to face me, his expression dead serious. “If you gave me half a chance, I know I could surprise you.”

I’m once again speechless.

“C’mon. You’re not getting a free ride this summer. We’ve got work to do.” He waves me toward him.