Easy Silence (3 page)

“Maybe I do, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

He stood there silently as if he were debating telling me. “Jax Callahan,” he mumbled.

I moved closer to him and extended my hand. “Well, Jaxson Callahan, it’s so nice to meet you, and thank you for saving my life.” He looked down at the ground and rubbed his eye before looking at me once again, and reluctantly shook my hand.

“It’s Jax, not Jaxson,” he corrected.

“Hmmm, that’s funny because I prefer Sam, yet some people still insist on calling me Samantha.” I leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

The smallest of smiles formed on his face before he caught himself, and my heart began to melt. “So,
Jaxson,
I would love to repay you with lunch sometime.”

“Umm…no. That’s okay.”

I raised my eyebrow at him. “Suit yourself. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

After staring at me blankly, he finally blurted out, “Just because I know where to find you, doesn’t mean I’m gonna come lookin’ for you. Now, if you don’t mind
Samantha,
I have to get back to work. You should try it sometime.”

He was impossible! Part of me wished that he had just let me drown. Then at least I wouldn’t feel indebted to a miserable asshole.

“Wow! Who is that hot piece?” one of the guys shouted when Jaxson returned to where they were standing.

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” he replied as he walked past them, ignoring their teasing.

Hadley was right in her depiction of him. All the signs were there. He was a total jerk. Yesterday was probably the first and only good deed that he had ever done. For some reason he hated me, and he wasn’t going to change his opinion…not with a thank you…not with a lunch date…not for anything.

* * *

I spent the rest of the morning sitting on the beach with my grandmother, holding her hand and listening to her tell me about how she had met my grandfather. I had heard this story a dozen times before, but I still listened as if it were my first time. It astounded me how she could remember things from years ago but had no recollection of things that had just happened moments ago. I knew that it was all part of the disease, but it never ceased to amaze me. I never knew my grandfather; he died when my dad was a teenager, so I loved hearing her stories about him. It made me feel like I knew him.

"What's your name, honey?" my grandmother asked once she was done talking.

"I'm Sam. I'm your granddaughter."

She shook her head and laughed. "Oh sweetie, I don't have a granddaughter. My Max is only five years old."

It hurt to hear that, even though I knew she didn't know what she was saying. I wanted my Grammy back. I wanted to tell her all my doubts and fears about starting college. She had always been so supportive of my dream to become an actress, and now the one and only support system I ever knew was an empty shell of the woman she used to be.

"Are you ready for lunch, Caroline?" Doreen asked as she approached us.

"Oh, yes. I'm hungry. Does this lady here want to join us? What was your name again, Miss?" she asked me.

Doreen looked at me sadly as I sighed deeply. "I'm Sam…and thank you, but I'm not hungry. Have a good lunch," I said as Doreen helped her up, and then they walked inside. I threw my head back on the chair and closed my eyes with way too many thoughts going through my mind. I couldn't sit there any longer. I needed to do something to keep myself from going crazy. I walked off the beach and into the garage adjacent to my grandmother’s cottage, making my way through the spider webs to get to the old bicycle in the back. I grabbed the air pump sitting next to it, wheeled the bike out of the garage, and gave each of the tires some air. Once I was satisfied that they were pumped up enough, I was on my way. I didn’t know where I was headed, but the warm breeze blowing through my hair felt freeing as I zipped down the road. I was that five year old little girl once again who had just gotten the training wheels taken off her bike. My Grammy wasn’t sick, my parents were still in my life somewhat, and I wasn’t stressing over college. Life was simple. Why did it all have to change once I got off that bike?

I rode for miles until I finally felt the need for a break, so I turned down the dirt road that led to Jenks Pond. This pond held a special memory for me because it was the one and only time my father had taken me fishing when I was younger. I didn’t even enjoy fishing much; I just loved the fact that he actually took time away from his job to spend one-on-one time with me. I walked the bike into the woods as far as I could and set it against a tree before heading down the embankment to the water. I found a clearing and sat down, resting my back against the trunk of a huge weeping willow. The water here was so much calmer than the ocean. The slow soft ripples reminded me of a person who was at peace with himself. As I stared out at the water, I began to think that my life was somewhere in between. Not quite as calm as the pond but nowhere near as boisterous as the ocean. Maybe I was more like a lake. I leaned my head against the tree and closed my eyes. The shade it provided from the afternoon sun, and the warm breeze blowing was just enough to put me at ease and lure me off into a deep sleep. I wasn’t quite sure how long I had been sleeping when I was awoken to the sound of voices. When I opened my eyes and found Jaxson standing over top of me, I wasn’t quite sure if I was dreaming or having a nightmare. Judging by how he acted during the few encounters I had with him, I was going to say…nightmare. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying my best to focus with the afternoon sun hitting me in the face.

“Were you sent here just to be a pain in my ass for the rest of my life or something?”

I narrowed my eyes. I had said nothing to him and done nothing to him this time. I was sleeping, so why was he still being such a jerk? “What the hell is your problem? Just because you’re pissed off at the world doesn’t mean you should take it out on me!” I shouted.

“Yeah, well this is
my
spot!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see the sign that said that! Last time I checked it was a state park!”

“Okay, I’ll be blunt with you since you don’t seem to get anything else. I could be getting laid right now instead of standing here arguing with you! But because
you
were here she took off.”

“Ugh.” I shook my head in disgust and stood up. “Really? Well, that’s just gross! You know there are other places to do those things…ones that aren’t so…public!” I shouted.

“Yeah, well sorry, not everyone can afford a five star hotel.”

I moved closer to him and got right in his face. “You are the most judgmental asshole I have ever met.” I walked up the embankment and turned around, stretching my arms out to the side. “It’s all yours! Go find your banging buddy and have fun!” He tried to hold back a smile, but unlike last time I was too angry to care about how cute he was. I was beyond annoyed. “I hope you get poison ivy,” I muttered under my breath as I walked further away from him. My injured foot was throbbing, and the sweat was pouring off me by the time I reached the top of the hill. I looked down at the dirty bandage half hanging off my foot. What was I thinking wearing flip flops instead of sneakers? I was relieved once I reached the bike. All I wanted to do was pedal off, feel the warm breeze in my face, and get as far away from that jerk at the bottom of that hill; I hoped I would never see him again. I couldn’t believe that I actually felt drawn to him yesterday when I was on the beach. I clearly wasn’t thinking straight.

When I pulled the bike from the clearing and onto the dirt road, I prayed that I was wrong when I saw that the front tire was completely flat. “Damn it!” I whispered as I bent over to examine it closer. I took in a deep breath and prepared myself for the long walk ahead, just me and the bike.

I was a few minutes into my walk and halfway to the main road when I heard a car coming up behind me. My imagination was getting the best of me. I didn’t turn around, not wanting to admit that I was a little freaked out being alone in these woods; hopefully it was just a family out here picnicking or an old fisherman and not some psychotic rapist. When the vehicle slowed down, and I saw who it was in that old pickup truck, I was ready to take my chance with that psychotic rapist instead. “What’s the matter? Don’t you know how to ride a bike?” he shouted out the window. I looked straight ahead, totally ignoring him.

He pulled up ahead of me and slammed his truck in park. I took a deep breath when he got out and moved closer. He lifted my bike with ease, and threw it in the back of his truck. “What are you doing?!” I snapped.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Just get in the truck.”

“No!” I shouted.

“Yes!” He raised his voice even louder. I began to walk away. At least he did me a favor and saved me from dragging the bike all the way home.

“Let go of me!” I screamed as he came up behind me and placed me over his shoulder. He totally ignored my demands and walked to the passenger side of his truck as I hung over his shoulder like a cave woman. I pounded on his back, trying my best to get him to put me down, but he remained focused on the task at hand, opened the door, and placed me on the seat as I struggled to get out.

He grabbed my wrist to stop my flailing and moved closer to me, so close that I thought his lips were going to touch mine. “You can keep fighting me or you can take your chances with Bo and Lyle Felix.”

“Who?” I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

“The two biggest rednecks in this town, who at the moment are about a half a mile up the road, drunk off their asses with shotguns in their hands. Believe me, they would think nothing of doing whatever they pleased with you.”

My stomach dropped, and I instinctively looked out the back window to see if there was anyone coming. “Why?” I asked, turning back around and staring into his eyes.

“Why, what?”

“Why do you care so much about what happens to me?”

“I don’t.” He slammed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

If this was his way of not caring then I wasn’t fighting it. I would just be silently grateful that I had accidently crossed paths with this beautiful, miserable, troubled soul.

The ride back to my grandmother’s was silent as expected, except for the blaring radio. I stared out the window, ignoring the screaming that he considered music, coming from the speakers. This was another day that I’d just as soon forget. Maybe I would try my luck again tomorrow.

“Oh fuck!” he shouted as his eyes shifted to the clock.

I was half tempted to ask him what the matter was, but I thought it would be better not to. He probably wouldn’t tell me anyway.

“Where are you going?” I finally broke my silence when he turned off into an older neighborhood on the bayside with smaller rundown houses.

“Don’t worry, I’m not kidnapping you. I forgot I had to be at work at three instead of four today. I need to change.”

“But I thought you were already at work this morning?”
Shut up Sam, shut up! Why are you setting yourself up for some wise ass comeback from him?

I took a deep breath, preparing for it, judging by the look on his face. “Would you believe some people actually have to work two jobs? I know that may be hard to understand for someone like you.”

“Oh you know what! Fuck you!” I shouted when he pulled up to the small bungalow type home. I didn’t care how far I had to walk or how badly my foot hurt; I was done dealing with this asshole. I jumped out of the truck as soon as he put it in park.

“Jax, who’s the pretty lady here?” I turned around to see the same older man from the service station this morning. His long dark hair with strands of grey was pulled back in a ponytail. As he got up from tending to his garden, I got a closer look at his olive colored skin, and he appeared to be Native American.

“Oh, this…is
Samantha,
and I believe she was just leaving,” Jaxson replied popping a piece of gum in his mouth.

“Well, why is that?” Jaxson shrugged his shoulders and headed in the house. “Would you like some ice tea, Samantha?”

“No thank you, and actually, it’s just Sam.” I corrected him. Was this guy one of the many men in his mother’s life? If so, he wasn’t so bad. In fact he seemed kind of nice. “Are you Jaxson’s mom’s boyfriend?”
What was wrong with me? I was never this nosey, and why did I even care?

His eyes widened and he let out a loud chuckle. “No, I’m not. I’m Pete. I’ve known Jax since he was a little boy. He works for me at the service station and has been staying with me for a while now.”

“Well, lucky you to be honored with such a
lovely
house guest.”

He laughed at my sarcasm. “Jax…he’s a little rough around the edges, but deep down he’s got a good heart.”

“Hmmm…maybe.” I knew that was true, just by the things he had done for me in the past two days, but why did he have to be so angry all the time and act like he hated me?

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No. I live in Maryland, but my grandmother has lived here her whole life.”

“Oh, who’s your grandmother?”

“Caroline Carmichael.”