Page 1 of Behind the Cascades
Prologue
Charlie
Six years prior?—
The grass is already dewy and wet against my bare legs as I stare out at my favorite pond. It belongs to my godmother, Connie, and her late husband, Roger.
I've spent my entire life chasing my older brother and his friends out here—our friends, really. We've had countless barbecues, birthday parties, and late-night bonfires by this pond. It normally holds memories of laughter and joy, but today is different. Today, it's filled with only memories of sadness and loss.
The sun set what felt like hours ago; the only light is from the full moon's reflection off the pond. Lightning bugs flew around for a while, hypnotizing me into a rhythmic lullaby, but they’ve since stopped. I have no idea what time it is, only that it must be the middle of the night.
At some point, someone draped an old quilt over my shoulders to keep the evening chill at bay. I don't know who it was or if they're still here, but I don't really care.
I haven't moved from this spot since I fell here hours ago. I ran out here by myself to get away from everyone and everything falling apart around me.
Last night, my parents left to pick up dinner for us and never returned. A driver swerved into their lane, hitting them head on. The man who decided to have a few too many and then drove took them from us in an instant. Killing them and himself in the process. They won't get to see my brother, Drew, graduate from high school next year. My mom won't help me get ready for my senior prom, and my dad won't get to walk me down the aisle for my wedding.
Drew is angry. So, so angry. Storming around the house on a warpath of self destruction.
Connie hasn't stopped crying since yesterday—big, loud sobs that threaten to drown me.
Hayes, Connie's son and Drew's best friend, constantly assessed the three of us, like we are about to break. He bounced between us, trying to offer comfort and support, but his efforts only seemed futile.
Our lives had once again changed forever. It was the same when Roger first got diagnosed with cancer and then passed away only a few short weeks later.
I couldn't take it anymore—feeling all of their emotions while trying to deal with my own. So here I sit, alone. Avoiding the anger, the sadness, and the worry.
"Sunshine." A low timber voice breaks through my thoughts.Maybe not alone.
Of course, it's Hayes here. He's called me Sunshine for as long as I can remember. The worrier of our group of five. The protector. The one who makes sure everyone else is okay, even when he's not okay himself. The one I've been in love with since I knew what a "crush" was.
I glance toward where his voice came from. He's sitting onthe grass a couple feet away from me, shivering. I hadn't even known he was there.
"Come here, you idiot." I extend my arm out so that he can get under the blanket.
"Rude, considering I'm the one that brought that blanket." He doesn't move from his spot, though. His beautiful brown eyes searched my face, trying to read my emotions.
All that I can see is the pain and exhaustion etched in his young features, and it feels like my heart is breaking even more.
"Please, just come here," I plead, my voice filled with concern. He finally relents, slowly inching closer until he tucked his large frame beside me under the blanket.
The signature smell of peppermint mints enveloped me, and I snuggled in closer to his side. He’s carried around his dad’s antique tin of mints since he passed away a few years ago. Uncle Roger called it his good-luck tin, saying he made it home every deployment because he had it with him. He’d buy the same brand of mints, refill his tin, and toss the new box into the garbage like it had insulted him.
"What do I do without them?" I asked him softly, barely maintaining my composure.
He doesn't respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the pond.
After a moment, he takes a deep breath and leans his cheek against the top of my head. "I don't know," he admits, his voice filled with uncertainty. "But we'll figure it out together."
Chapter One
Charlie
Wednesday, September 28.
"Dess, they're going to freak out when they see us here. I can't believe you talked me into this." I say as I rub my temples in a circular motion, leaning against the check-in counter of the hotel. It's late, we just took a last-minute flight, and I worked all day.
Odessa, my best friend of nearly ten years, insisted we fly to Las Vegas to surprise the guys for Hayes 24th birthday. My brother, Drew, and Hayes have been friends since before I was born. They became friends with Everett, Odessa's brother, when they were in middle school. Ev always brought Dess with him wherever he went, and Drew and Hayes were mandated to bring me. Odessa and I joke that we were destined to be friends but really we didn’t have any other choice. Our overprotective older brothers wouldn’t let anyone else around us.
