AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I inhale deeply for a count of five and then hold it for four before slowly releasing it. I do it two more times, and my mind calms down. The tiny pinpricks of heat disappear, and my chest rises and falls slower.
Slowly, I open my eyes and remember where I am and why. The laughter and the peace of the last few days surround me. Bit by bit, I begin to let go of the sadness, depression, grief, fear, and despair. All those things slough off me into a pool at my feet. Although I feel relieved when I reach down to pick up the phone, there’s still a heaviness that I can’t escape. All I want to do is return to my room and sleep.
That’s what I do. I creep back into the house, back into my room, and lock the door. I power the phone off and toss it onto the nightstand. Once I’m undressed and wearing nothing but my panties and bra, I pull the covers up over my shoulders and head and cry myself to sleep.
***
“HEY! WHERE’VE YOU BEEN?” Stacey asks as I step into the large living room where everyone is gathered around the fire.
Several pizza boxes are on the table, and a couple remains unopened. Darkness has settled over the land outside, and when I look out the large floor-to-ceiling windows, I see the stars and the moon sparkling.
I didn’t bother to turn my phone back on when I woke up because I feared there may have been more text messages and phone calls. I have no idea the time.
“I took a nap,” I say.
“Must have been pretty tired. We all took a nap and woke up a few hours ago,” Denise mumbles.
Stretching and yawning, I say, “I was.”
I take a seat on the floor by the fireplace.
“We’ve ordered pizza. Meat lovers, cheese, veggie, supreme, chicken, and pineapple. Grab a plate and pick your poison,” Shepherd suggests.
I do as he says, and Kincaid gets up. “Beer or soda?”
“I’ll take a Coke,” I say, forcing a smile.
“The veggie one is over there,” Stacey says, pointing at the box on another table.
“Thanks,” I say, smiling as I grab a couple of slices from that box.
“Skiing is a workout. It wiped you out?” Lauren asks, smiling from where she’s reclined on the couch, and her feet rest on her husband’s lap.
“It did,” I reply, trying to cover the fact that the text messages were more emotionally draining than skiing had been physically exhausting.
“I needed that nap. I’ve been so stressed about contract negotiations for Ryan Miller that I’ve thought about changing careers at least six times in the last few weeks,” my stepsister, Stacey says.
She’s a sports agent, and Ryan Miller is one of her top athletes dealing with a domestic violence case involving the mother of his child and his lover. It was one of those “complicated” situations and had stayed in the news for the last four months.
Stacey said getting the NFL team he played for to agree to the renegotiation terms had been hard. On top of the domestic violence situation, he’d had quite a few physical altercations with teammates.
“I’ve got something that could relax you,” Shepherd says, lifting from his seat and reaching into his back pocket.
Everyone starts cheering and clapping when he pulls a small leather pouch out. I have no idea what’s getting them all wound up until he opens it, and the strong, pungent scent of marijuana reaches my nose.
“What do I look like smoking a joint when I work my ass off to keep my athletes clean?” Stacey whines.
“Looks like your athletes are driving your ass crazy, and you need something to soothe your nerves so you don’t kill them,” Tyler interjects, causing everyone to laugh.
I watch Shepherd roll the joint and light it before he passes it to Stacey. “Here, baby. Take one puff, and I promise that you’ll feel better.”
She pulls her hand through her choppy blonde hair and shakes her head.
“Come on, it won’t hurt. Just one puff,” Shepherd encourages.
Stacey finally accepts it from his hand, giggling as she says, “I haven’t gotten high since college.”
“That’s your problem. You need a little something to take the edge off every now and then,” Lauren says.
