Page 31 of How to Get Revenge on a Cheating Ex
“Family is family, huh?” Her voice holds a hint of laughter and I turn in time to catch a little smile. “Sounds like something your mom would say.”
I laugh because... Yeah. She called it.
“So, you’re still close with your dad’s side?” she asks.
I shift in my seat, readjusting my grip on the wheel. Why the hell we’re talking about this, I have no idea. “I wouldn’t say we’re close.” I shrug. “I see them a couple times a year.”
“Must be hard.” She says it so softly I’m not sure she meant for me to hear.
I stare straight ahead and ignore it. There’s no way I’m going to have some heart to heart about my family drama with Bailey freakin’ Tucker.
We stay quiet the whole rest of the drive. I have no idea what she’s thinking about as she glares at the dirt road like it’s just insulted her outfit. For my part, I’m just trying to keep cool as we draw closer and closer to the lake.
I hate this place. Not the lake—the cabin. I used to love it here. Back in the days when Bailey tagged along with me and my parents, this place was my own personal heaven on earth. Which is probably why I hate it so much now.
It’s a reminder of another time. Another life.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that my dad left, he had to go and ruin my favorite spot while he was at it.
As I pull off the main road and head down the narrow dirt strip that leads to my uncle’s place, I see the familiar cars and trucks. There’s Uncle Bill’s dirty old Ford, and my cousin Jesse’s red pickup truck.
The gang’s all here. The only cousin missing is me. I’m late, as usual. And my mom will be even later because she has to work a double. Not that anyone here will acknowledge that my mom is busting her ass to keep a roof over our heads because their precious Derek ditched us to go ‘find himself.’
Nope. That’s a topic the Myers clan excels at avoiding.
Bailey leans forward in her seat and cranes her neck for a better look at the wooden structure hidden in the trees. The old tree fort. It’s dilapidated and sad to see now, but once upon a time Bailey and I thought it was our own personal castle.
Another twist in the road and we can see the cabin, along with a bunch of my older cousin’s kids who are running around in swimsuits and shrieking at the top of their lungs.
Ray’s cabin is just that—a cabin. Some of the places they call cabins up here in the touristy lake area are actually second homes. Vacation mansions for the rich.
My great uncle’s is an actual cabin. It has running water and electricity, but that’s where the amenities end.
I park next to my Aunt Ruth’s old beater and we sit there in silence for a full minute. Neither of us makes a move to get out of the car.
“They must have seen us pull up.” She shifts to face me. “You can’t stay in here forever.”
Her tone is unbearably preachy, so I ignore her. She hates to be ignored, especially when she’s being a bossy know-it-all.
I might have slid by with straight D’s in school, but there’s one topic I’ve always done well in, and that’sAnnoying Bailey 101.
She huffs. “Zack, we’re being rude by just sitting here.”
“Nah, they’ll just think we’re a couple of horny teenagers who can’t keep our hands off each other.” I wink, and a bright pink blush works its way up her neck, into her cheeks.
It’s kinda cute. And a hell of a lot better than the ghostly pale look she was sporting earlier.
“They won’t think that,” she mutters. But she doesn’t sound convinced.
“Won’t they?” I keep my voice bland and she wiggles in her seat, wildly uncomfortable that anyone might think we’re getting it on in here.
For the first time since we turned onto the dirt road, that tightness in my chest starts to ease. “Would it be so bad if my dad’s family thought we were hooking up?”
She narrows her eyes. “It’s interesting that you refer to them as your dad’s family. They’re your family too.”
“Thank you, Dr. Bailey.” I lean in toward her. “But don’t try to change the subject.”
“You’re the one trying to embarrass me.”
