Page 25 of My Return to the Walter Boys
“Yeah, and a gallon of coffee,” he grumbled. After three months of lying about and sleeping in, Nathan was out of shape. Not only did he nod off during stretches, but he barely kept pace with me on our run. We had to stop for a break halfway through so he could catch his breath, but I didn’t mind. It gave me an opportunity to update him on the Cole situation.
Which was why he backtracked as soon as we reached the kitchen and discovered Cole was the only person up. “On second thought, I need a shower,” he muttered, spinning around before I could stop him.
“Coward,” I hissed at him quietly, but Nathan had no qualms about abandoning me.
The moment he was gone, I could feel it—the tension building inthe room, filling the space between me and Cole. How was I supposed to live with him if this was our new normal? I couldn’t stand it, so I took a steadying breath and faced him with a smile.
“Morning, Cole.”
He was leaning back against the counter in nothing but gray sweats and sleep-mussed hair, a fresh cup of coffee steaming at his side. When he dragged his gaze away from his phone, the indifferent expression on his face doused the hope flickering in my chest that this time would be different. He surveyed me for a single moment before returning to whatever he was doing without acknowledging my greeting.
I mentally sighed. Cole’s attitude was disappointing but not unexpected. I’d hoped we could at least be polite to each other if not friends, but I could handle the silent treatment. Realizing it would be more pleasant to enjoy my breakfast on the porch, I grabbed a muffin and thermos before turning toward the coffee maker, which Cole was still standing in front of.
“Excuse me,” I said with more courtesy than he currently deserved.
It was if I hadn’t spoken at all, because he didn’t budge.
“Cole,” I snapped, losing my patience. “Get out of the way.”
He continued to ignore me.
So this was how it was going to be? Fine. As I reached around him for the coffee pot, I made a point of elbowing his ribs. Not too hard but enough for him to feel my frustration. He let out a quiet grunt but otherwise remained silent.
Just as I finished stirring milk and sugar into my thermos, Alex stepped into the kitchen.
“Morning, Alex,” Cole said cheerfully. “Want some coffee?”
Oh, what a petty bastard.
Alex froze midstride and slowly turned to stare at his brother. It took him a solid three seconds to recover his composure. “No thanks,” he replied, opening the fridge. He shuffled some Tupperware out of the way and extracted a can of Kickstart. “I’ll stick to this.”
Cole shrugged, unbothered by Alex’s response. “Hey, you busy on Saturday?”
“Why?”
The response Cole gave was cryptic. “The waterfall.”
While I knew what he was talking about—I’d visited the waterfall on the far end of the Walters’ property a handful of times before—Cole’s response lacked enough context for me to followwhyhe’d mentioned it. What made the situation even more frustrating was the fact that he was doing it on purpose.
Alex understood, though, because he tilted his head in consideration. “Who’s all coming?”
“Isaac and Lee are in, and I’m sure most of the little monsters will tag along too.”
“So pretty much everyone, then.” He cracked the tab of his drink and took a sip as he deliberated.
“No.” Cole glanced at me and then quickly away again, his lipspressed into a flat line. “Mom mentioned Nathan has a checkup with his neurologist.”
Not Jackiewas left unsaid. Being excluded stung, but I refused to rise to the bait, since last time, it resulted in me losing my bedroom.
It took Alex a moment to realize what was happening, but as I squared my shoulders and headed toward the door, his eyes finally lit with understanding. “Yeah, sure,” he told Cole. “Sounds fun.” Then he turned to me with a smirk. “Hey, Jackie, you want to come with us?”
***
Two days later, I learned that at the end of every summer, right before school started, the Walters planned a day trip to the waterfall. It represented a final moment of freedom before the onslaught of homework, extracurricular activities, and endless practices began. Though I’d always seen the waterfall as a little slice of paradise, I had a feeling that today it would be nothing less than pure magic. There was something in the air, a giddiness shared between the Walter kids that made me feel weightless as I watched them race up the path toward the clearing.
Sunlight burst through the gaps in the trees overhead, dancing across the surface of the water. I paused for a moment to admire the view and breathed in the fresh Colorado air. Meanwhile, Cole, Lee, Jack, Jordan, and Parker were a flurry of moving limbs as they shrugged out of their clothes and tossed their bags to the ground. Lee was the fastest, letting out a whoop of victory as he dove into thewater. The others followed suit, all letting out sighs of appreciation as they surfaced.
It was a cloudless day, blue skies for miles in every direction. The heat of the sun felt like warm silk against my skin. I laid down a towel on the edge of the sand alongside Isaac, who’d begrudgingly admitted he wouldn’t be able to swim due to his new tattoo. He pushed his shirtsleeves up over his shoulders, grumbled something about not being able to perfect his tan, and rolled onto his stomach, phone in hand. Alex had invited Kim, and the two lovebirds set up their towels on the opposite end of the small beach so they could flirt in private.
