Page 86 of Little Fury

Caden puts his bags down and digs into his pocket, dropping $50 on the island for Matt.

“If I knew you were cooking, we wouldn’t have eaten in town,”Matt says.

“I’m sure it was better than what I’m throwing together.”

“Ava, your phone is hooked up to the house systems already. You can talk to the system, and it’ll respond.”Ben informs me.

“Like Alexa?” I ask.

“Yes, but your system name is B.O.B.,”Caden says with a grin.

“What am I missing?”

“Those two old men think they were funny naming the system BOB.”

“Ava, ask him what it stands for.”

“What does it stand for, Ben?”I ask as I turn back to stir the potatoes.

“Fuck off, I’m not telling her. It’s not even funny.”

“Can’t you just change the name to whatever?”

“No, he can’t actually. He lost a bet.”

“Hey Bob, can you tell us what your name stands for?”

“Good morning, Caden; my name is an acronym for Ben, only better. BOB”

I look at the three of them, and I can’t stop my grin. I look at Ben and roll my eyes because he’s right. It's not nearly as funny as Matt and Caden think. I also realize how lucky I was to find them.

“Hand me my phone, please.”Ben slides it over to me, and I open it and connect it to BOB. I select a playlist.

“Psycho Killer”by the Talking Heads fills the house, and I smile. Caden barks out a laugh.

“It seemed fitting,”I say, going back to cooking.

Once the food is ready, Ben and I sit down to eat. Caden and Matt have gone to talk to the guys working on the property and finishing up their homes. I got a text from Matt saying the woman he hired for housekeeping and cooking would be here at 1 to meet me and go over what I would need from her. That gives me a couple of hours, so I grab my headphones and head out to walk along the beach.

My ears are filled with“The Nature of Daylight”by Max Ritcher as I walk along the beach, letting the water lap at my legs. I need to decide what my plan is. I must decide if I want to retaliate or just let it be. Just walk away, let the hurt and the anger go, and let Marcus go. I know he’s been gone for a while, but until a few days ago, I still hoped he would snap out of it. Or Yuri would die, I would kill Alexi, and Marcus would be Marcus again.

I sit down in the sand and stare out at the waves. Waterhas always calmed and centered me and it does so for me now. I realize that I don’t want revenge. I want to be. I want to wake up in the morning and read. I want to sit on my balcony and watch the waves roll in. I want to let Marcus and that life just be. I don’t need the money; I have more than I can ever spend. I don’t want revenge. I want Marcus to find some peace. And maybe me disappearing from his world will do that for him.

I know I will never stop loving Marcus. Our bond will outlast anything he puts me through. I will always want that seven-year-old boy I offered Mr. Waffle to, to find peace, to find a place in himself that his demons both inflicted upon and caused by him to no longer torment him. That beautiful boy with those intense green eyes flecked with gold, who grew into a man with a shattered soul, grew into a man whose past traumas won the majority of the battles that shaped him.

I know I made a mistake when I let our relationship progress from friends. But back then, I would have done and given Marcus anything. He was my family, and I loved him more than anyone. When things started to shift between us, I honestly thought we loved each other enough that we would make it work.

I head back to the house to tell the guys what I’ve decided and meet my new housekeeper and cook.

Marguerite is a lovely older woman who had her only child later in life. She has raised her daughter alone her whole life. Her daughter, Anna, is 17. I loved Marguerite the moment I met her. I’m excited that she will start tomorrow. I asked her if she and her daughter would like to live on the grounds, but she said no, they have a small apartment in town. I introduce her to Caden. She had already met Matt, and I let her know that either of the guys would be happy to pick her up in case of bad weather as she drives a littlescooter, and we are a solid 30 minutes from town on that thing.

We say our goodbyes, and then I wander. I wander around the house looking and learning it. There are three guest bedrooms. Two are occupied with Matt and Caden. There is also a home gym with sparring mats and heavy bags, a treadmill, a rowing machine, free weights and a few other things. It's a well-stocked gym. I did give Matt free rein, and he has his priorities.

Matt BBQs us all steaks with grilled veggies and sweet potatoes that evening. We sit outside enjoying the breeze off the ocean, laughing and talking about nothing and everything. The guys clean up after dinner, and I say good night and head upstairs. I sit on the balcony in an overstuffed chair that makes me feel like I’m sitting in a marshmallow. I grab my Kindle and read for a couple of hours.

Marguerite shows up the following day before I’m even awake. She gets started on many things I never would have thought to ask her to do. When I go downstairs around 10, she smiles and tells me to sit, and she will feed me. Her English is broken, but I know more than enough Spanish so we have no trouble communicating. I like her even more. She is the kind of person everyone should have in their lives. She is just genuine and open and kind. And in my life, that is not something I’m used to. It's pretty much trained out of you by Harry very quickly.

The following four months pass fast. Caden’s house gets finished, he moves out leaving me and Matt in the big house. I like living with Matt. He’s quiet but is always up for a workout buddy, or to play crib, or another board game. We share very similar tastes in music, so that’s a massive plus for me as far as roommates go. Action and sci-fi movies every Thursday night. The guys and I have found a good rhythm. Ben still works, but because of the nature of his work, he doesit under a different name. Matt and Caden have decided to open a gym in town. They need to be busy. We all need to be busy.

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