Chapter Three – Addison
The road was bumpy as I ascended the mountain. It had been a few years since I traveled this route on my own, usually riding with my parents to the cabin. Even then, it had been a couple of years.
I’d considered mentioning it to my mom when I returned from my R&R trip, but I was really hoping that she didn’t know I had been here on my own. But who was I fooling? I was pretty certain that the alarm sent a message to them whenever it was disarmed. The optimist in me was hoping that they were so busy on the tour that they wouldn’t notice.
As the bend in the road approached, I peered over the edge of the road and gazed at the small town below. There were only about three blocks of brick-and-mortar buildings, with a park gracing one end and a church on the other. It always reminded me of a Hallmark movie. Those Christmas ones where the woman moves back to her small town and falls in love with the nerd, now hunk, that she never paid any mind to.
Yeah, those were always my favorite. I might have grown up with famous parents, but the kids in my high school weren’t always the kindest. Sometimes I liked to think of myself as that nerd moving back home; a reversal of the story. Maybe I’d see Bradley, the guy I had crushed on so hard from middle school all through high school, and he’d fall madly in love with me. It was actually the main reason I didn’t go on any social media. I never wanted the people I went to school with to see what I had become. But I considered seeing if I could reach out to him while I was here since Carson was only an hour away. There were enough wineries and breweries along the main road to meet up.
My family had always told me that I was beautiful, but I never saw it. And, well, weren’t all parents pre-disposed to tell their kids that they were the most beautiful things on the planet?
As my gaze passed over the town, I noticed that a huge chunk of land seemed to have been cut back. My dad used to tell me that sometimes the park rangers would burn parts of the forest for wildfire control. I never understood how that worked, but I hoped that it was the reason for the burnt brush. I hate to think of a wildfire in the Appalachia Mountains destroying such a picturesque town.
As another turn along the mountain range came up, I noticed a few cars slowing ahead of me until we all came to a stop. Ahead there seemed to be a mother bear with her cubs trekking across the road. Fall was quickly cooling and I knew that the mother bear was trying to find a warm place at the base of the valley to keep her and her family safe.
It took about ten minutes for the animal to cross, then finally, traffic started up again. I only had a bit more to the drive before the gated community came into view. The moment I laid eyes on those black metal bars, my mind went at ease. This place was so much more than a family cabin. It was where I imagined all of my dolls living while I played. It’s where I had my first kiss – Deacon Deluca, who lived down the street. It was where I watched my grandma Amy and grandpa Joseph renew their vows. It was where I hoped one day to marry the man of my dreams. This house was just. . .more. And as I steered the car down the cobblestone streets that appeared to have been there since the early 1900s.
I traveled another five minutes down the road and noted the light of midday dimmed to dusk. I’d noticed that the lights were on most of the homes. Only the neighbor closest to my parent's cabin was bathed in darkness. By the time I reached the end of my parent's driveway, the sky was washed in oranges and pinks. As the house came into view, it gave off the most picturesque image with the gleaming lake in the background.
I couldn’t describe the overwhelming sense of relief the moment I put the car in park in front of the garage. This was exactly what I needed.
I didn’t have the opener for the garage, so I’d have to go inside to open the bay door. The house was usually closed up for the fall until my parents returned for some time around Christmas. Mom usually had someone come in to clean up the place, but I knew where the extra sheets were, so I wasn’t worried.
Turning off the car, I popped open the trunk and snatched my suitcase before heading up the main stairs. With a deep breath, I inserted my key into the lock and twisted the knob. The security alarm beeped and I knew that I had roughly twenty seconds before the full-blown alarm would sound. My fingers shook as I pressed the five-digit code that my parents engrained in our memory when we were young. It was the same digits for all of our alarms but in different sequences. Closing my eyes, I prayed that the alarm didn’t sound and let out a sigh of relief when the system was disarmed.
Flipping on the hall light, I gazed up at the two-story foyer admiring the artistic wooden spindles, but instead of walking up the wrapping stairwell, I decided to leave my luggage at the door. I walked toward the back of the house, my eyes drawn to the view out of the floor-to-ceiling windows along the back of the house.
Just as I murmured to myself how beautiful the sunset was over the mountain, my phone buzzed from my back pocket. Pulling it free, I saw a message from Katy asking if I had arrived safely. I quickly replied that I had made it safe and sound, then shoved the device back into the pocket of my jeans.
Stretching my arms above my head, I extended my body, loosening the muscles tight from the drive. My cropped Exoneration T-shirt rose, the loose hem skimming the skin of my stomach, causing me to giggle. I’d always been ticklish, knowledge my older brother Ryan loved to abuse.
I took another moment to bask in the setting sun before regaling myself to my designated bedroom and unpacking. The process didn’t take nearly as long as I had expected, but it did cause any lingering hunger to skyrocket. The rumbles in my stomach were so loud they echoed in the expansive foyer as I made my way back downstairs.
The one thing about my parents was that they always kept the pantry stocked with non-perishables. Taking a quick glance at the walk-in butler’s pantry, I noted some canned tomato sauce and packs of noodles. Usually, I’d add some ground beef or Italian sausage to the sauce when I made my spaghetti, but I didn’t have enough time to defrost any meat, even if my dad had some in the large freezer.
Grabbing the large pot from the lower corner cabinet and a smaller sauce pan, I set them on the stove, then moved the wall-mounted pot filler right where I needed it. With a flick of my wrist, I twisted the knob and waited for – nothing.
I stared at the elegant tap and turned the nozzle over and over, flicking it back and forth, hoping it would do something more than the invisible waterfall it was showing me.
“What the fuck?” I grumbled as I gave up and went over to the main sink faucet with the large pot. I stuck the steel container in the sink and turned the knob for the hot water. I groaned as the faucet remained bone dry, even as I did the same with the cold water.
This was supposed to be my time of quiet and solace; instead, I was met with a dysfunctional house. Anger simmered beneath the surface of my skin as I stomped around the house, testing each and every sink and shower.
Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I dialed Katy’s number.
“Why isn’t the water working in the house?”
“Wait. . .what?” Katy replied in confusion.
“None of the faucets are working. How am I supposed to eat or take a shower?”
“Oh. Um. . .hold on.”
I paced back and forth in front of the window I loved so much, waiting for Katy to respond.
“Got it. So they probably shut off the water while they aren’t there. Makes sense.”
“Sure, but how do I turn it back on?”