One Hot Summer

Chapter 12: The Truth Uncovered

BENNETT

“Try me” Brynn says piling fruit onto her plate.

I smirk at her debating whether or not I should really open this can of worms right now.

“Brynn..” I say trying to think of a way to get out of this.

“No, Bennett. You have always hated Sam and I’m sick of it. He’s done nothing but take care of us. He cares for mom and for me and even you if you’d let him. I’m glad he adopted me” Brynn argues. I laugh, remembering that my sister no longer shares the Madden name.

“Do you know why dad left?” I ask, my frustration getting the better of me.

“Mom said he couldn’t handle being a father and a husband and disappeared. I don’t remember. I was only 4” she says.

“Mom would say that” I laugh.

“What the f**k, Bennett. Mom did her best with us. She was on her own for almost 10 years” Brynn says defending our mom.

“Dad left because mom cheated on him..with Sam.” I say finally divulging the secret that I’d kept locked away for years.

“What? That’s not true..” Brynn says looking at me.

“It is. I was 6 and I overheard them fighting. Dad gave mom the choice to either choose him or Sam..” I tell her. She shakes her head.

“Bennett, if that were true then how come mom was by herself for so many years. If she chose Sam over dad then why did they start dating when I was 12?” Brynn asks.

I chuckle, “because Sam was married and unlike mom, he didn’t want to part with his wife at the time. It wasn’t until we were older than Sam came crawling back to mom. Once he’d finally divorced his wife” I say.

Brynns eyes well up.

“No, that’s not true” she cried. My heart squeezed in my chest. I hated seeing my little sister cry.

“I’m sorry Brynn” I tell her.

“I’m calling mom” she said taking her phone and moving out the back sliding doors.

I watched from a distance as she angrily spoke on the phone. She cried and threw her arms around as the conversation continued.

I sighed and got to work on the dishes.

The sliding door opens and Brynn appears behind me. I turn and see that she’s still crying. My heart aches for her.

“I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you” I say pulling her in for a hug. She sobs into my shirt.

“Why didn’t dad stay for us?” She asks.

I shrug, “I don’t know Brynn. I wish he had” I tell her. She pulls away.

“Mom admitted to everything..” she says sniffling. I nod.

“She feels bad…” Brynn says crossing her arms. Not sure how to respond I stand there and nod again.

“Are you planning to talk to Riley?” I ask, changing the subject.

Brynn furrows her brows.

“What is your obsession with my best friend?” She asks.

“Obsession? She’s your best friend and you did her dirty last night, Brynn. Why does that make me obsessed?” I ask.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. I’m just still shaken up by the whole mom and Sam thing. I’ll talk to her later. I have a few other things to discuss with her anyways” Brynn says turning and leaving.

Obsession? Psh. That made me chuckle. Like I’d be obsessed with Riley. I shake the thoughts from my head and decide to clear my mind and go for a run.

RILEY

“Riley, do you want to go out tonight? There’s this new club that just opened up downtown” Olivia asks as we stack chairs.

“Oh gosh, no. I’m so over people after the last two nights” I say turning toward Olivia and Nick who look incredibly offended.

“That’s not what I mean. I just…” I start. Olivia slaps her hand over my mouth.

“Say no more. We totally get it. Buuut I’m considering this a rain check” she says hugging me.

“Yes, a rain check” I tell her as we walk toward employee lockers.

As I walked into the house I heard a voice call from the backyard.

“Riles, can we talk?” Brynn asked. I made my way to the back.

Brynn sat in one of the deck chairs. As I sat beside her my attention was quickly stolen by Ben who was working out in the open area on the other side of the yard. His body glistened with sweat and I found myself imagining those muscles flexing around my body.

His gaze meets mine for a moment and I quickly look away.

“What’s up?” I ask turning my attention back to Brynn.

“I had a horrible day” Brynn says. I let out a quiet chuckle.

“Sorry to hear that, B” I say pulling my shorts off and laying back in the chair.

“Yeah, I just need to get away” she tells me looking over at me.

“Oh, I also wanted to tell you something” she adds. I take a deep breath and wait.

“I’m sorry about last night, Riles. I was drinking too much but it doesn’t excuse what I did. I know how sensitive you are about that story and it was wrong of me to blab to everyone, regardless of how drunk I was..” she says. I nod.

“I appreciate your apology” I tell her.

“I know that you were or are in love with James and I know I’m not nice when it comes to him. It may not seem like it but I love you so much Riles. I want to see you happy. You’re too good for James” she says.

“I love you too, B” I say.

“Which leads me to what I need to say next” she says smiling. “Some things have happened with my mom and Sam” Brynn says.

“Are they okay?” I ask concerned.

“Yes. No worries but mom asked if I’d want to come spend the whole summer with her in Barcelona” Brynn says as if she’s been asked to privately tour Buckingham palace.

“Oh…do I need to find another place to live?” I ask nervously.

“No! No! Mom made sure to let me know that you are welcome to stay here all summer. If you’re comfortable with it. I’ll leave you a key and Ben will be here if you need anything..” Brynn says.

I glance over at Ben whose now taking a break.

“When do you leave?” I ask.

“Tomorrow when you’re at work” Brynn says giving me a sad face.

“Well, I hope you have a good summer” I tell her.

She hugs me and jumps up.

“I’ll make sure to send you lots of pictures. I’m going to go pack” she says bouncing away.

I walk to the edge of the pool and jump in, letting my body sink to the bottom. I wiggle onto my stomach and let the peace and quiet wage war with my loud thoughts.

Once my lungs have reached their capacity I push off the bottom and make my way to the surface. I open my eyes to see Ben crouched by the edge of the pool staring intently at me.

“You have incredible lung strength” he says smiling.

I chuckle, “it really is peaceful down there” I say resting against the ledge.

“Yeah? Show me” he says slipping his shoes off and hopping into the pool.

I swim to the middle of the deep end.

“Okay. Come here” I say treading water, “so, you just swim to the bottom and lay on your stomach and just enjoy the quiet stillness of the water”

To my surprise Ben grabs my hand.

“Shall we” he says.

I nod, “1, 2, 3” I say taking a deep breath as we plunge into the water. We settle at the bottom of the pool. I open my eyes and see Bens eyes watching me. It feels like we spend an eternity down there just enjoying the silence. Ben pulls me to the surface.

“That was..intense” he says.

I wipe the water off my face and laugh.

“I know. It’s nice” I say pulling myself to sit on the ledge.

“Did Brynn talk to you?” He asks. I nod.

“Yeah..” I say biting onto my bottom lip before continuing, “hey, I think I’m gonna see if I can move into that apartment sooner so I don’t have to take up space here…”

“Why?” He asks pulling up and sitting beside me.

“Well, if Brynn isn’t here I don’t want to impose on your space.” I say. Ben pats my knee making me jerk. He smirks and chuckles at my response.

“Don’t be silly, Riley. The house is plenty big enough for us. You don’t need to be paying money for an apartment right now when you have the opportunity to live here for free” he says.

“You sure?” I ask.

“Positive” he replies with a smile that makes me warm inside.

“Can I ask you something?” He asks scratching his chin. I nod and look over.

“Don’t take this the wrong way…but why are you friends with Brynn?”

I look down before my eyes meet his, “I mean Brynn can be a little much at times but she’s been fiercely loyal and supportive to me. She doesn’t let me sulk when I’m down. Why?” I ask. Ben leans over a little.

“You’re too good for her, Riley. I love my sister but she can be incredibly selfish. You’re not like that. I’ve never seen someone radiate so much light before. It’s a breath of fresh air” he says. I find myself staring at him, unsure if I’ve heard him correctly.

“What?” He asks c*****g his head to the side.

“Nothing” I say shaking my head. Ben stands up and offers his hand. He pulls me to my feet as I continue to stare at him.

“Don’t let anyone cover your light, Riley. The world needs more people like you” he says before turning to go inside.

I stand there like a deer caught in the headlights for a few moments. Every time I feel like this little crush has dissipated, Ben does something to bring it back and I’m not sure how to feel about it.