Falling Too Deep Read online

  2

  I sat on the steps of the cabin’s back deck that overlooked Lake Michigan and wondered when the party would end. I could faintly hear the music from the yacht. It sounded fun. And I felt even more alone.

  I glanced down at the book in my hand and thought of Dad. Every year at Christmas, he’d buy me a book. It was our tradition. Out of all the presents I received, it was the one book from Dad that always meant the most. This last Christmas, he gave me the small Shakespearean sonnet book I held in my hand. But reading it tonight wasn’t helping.

  A golf cart zoomed up the boardwalk, slowing as it neared our cabin. It had to be a service cart because the only buildings south of our cabin were the workers’ dorms. That’s when I noticed Jayce behind the wheel all spiffed up.

  He stopped in front of our deck. “Why aren’t you at the party?”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  Jayce shook his head, turned off the small engine, and came over to sit next to me.

  “You look nice,” I said, admiring the hunter green dress shirt with black dress pants.

  “Thanks. It’s my first yacht party, at least where I’m a guest and not a server.”

  “You served yacht parties?”

  “Sure. Pretty much every weekend. The tips are insane.” He pushed his glasses back up his nose. “I’m still a little nervous about tonight. I was hoping you’d be there. That way I could hang out with you, in case, you know, things don’t work out.”

  “With Heather?” I asked, putting the dots together. “She invited you?”

  “Crazy, huh? We’ve talked and flirted a little all summer, but she does that with every guy, so I didn’t think much of it. But a couple of weeks ago, she started hanging out more and more at the concession stand. After a couple days of that, I asked her if she’d like to grab a bite to eat after I got off my shift. We’ve been hanging out ever since.”

  I thought about her prank. “That doesn’t sound like the Heather I know.”

  “She feels bad about what happened.”

  “You sound like my mom. Funny how Heather has never apologized or told me how badly she feels.”

  “What exactly happened? I heard her version of it, but there must be more to it if you’re still upset.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I pushed myself up off the steps and headed to the door. “Go to the party. Have a good time.”

  “Brooke, wait a sec.” Jayce turned to me. “Talk to me. It’s obviously upsetting to you.”

  I paused at the door but didn’t turn around. “Her parents told her to hang out with me one night. Mom had talked to them about me just sitting around the cabin, so they pretty much forced her to spend an evening with me. It was horrible. Like I was some charity case that needed a pretend buddy. We sat out here where she texted and snapchatted the entire time.”

  “What were you doing while she was on her phone?”

  “I read a little and tried my hand at some poetry. I told her she could leave, but she said she had to stay or her parents would find out. Finally, around nine o’clock, she jumped up and said that she was going to go.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad. Annoying and rude, but harmless.”

  “That’s not the prank. The same night, I wake up to someone throwing pebbles at my window. It’s Heather and one of her friends. Paige, I think. She said they were having a huge party out in front of her mansion with a bonfire and everything. Begged me to go. Said there was some guy who had the hots for me. I said no a thousand times, but I finally agreed just to shut her up. As you know, the Fairchild massive compound is at the north end of the club. The girls walked with me most of the way. Then Paige said she had to run inside her house to get something. Heather told me the bonfire was just up the beach, and they’d be there in five.”

  “Ah,” Jayce said, understanding. “There was no bonfire.”

  “I walked to where the club ended, searching for the party. That’s at least a mile from the cabin! That’s when I heard them laughing. I looked up to see about a dozen or so friends with Heather, leaning out one of her upstairs windows.” My face heated again thinking about it.

  “I can’t believe she did that to you,” he said. “I’m sorry, Brooke.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said. “But that’s why it’s probably best I stay here. You should probably get going. She’s waiting for you.”

  “I feel kind of uncomfortable going now. You’re my friend. She shouldn’t have done that.”

  I gave a slight smile. “In her defense, she didn’t know you and I were friends at that point.”

  “Come with me.” He stood up. When he saw me shaking my head, he said, “Please? For me?”

  “It’s a yacht…on water…and Heather’s there. It’s too much. It’s better I stay here.” I tried to sound convincing, but I had already been considering going. Maybe being on a secure vessel, like a massive yacht, was a good place to start overcoming my fear of water. But just the thought sent my insides scrambling.

  “It’s not open water. It’s in the harbor.”

  “Open enough for me.” I closed my eyes, embarrassed that my fear kept me from helping my friend. It’s a yacht, Brooke. A really big yacht. Are you going to sit around your whole life?

  “Have you seen the yacht?”

  “Yeah, I know.” I exhaled slowly. “I don’t know why I’m so scared. Or what’s wrong with me.”

  “There’s nothing necessarily wrong with you just because you don’t like open water, especially after what happened. And you’ve had a lot happen to you in the last couple of months. I get it. But I’m nervous about being there. Heather didn’t tell any of her family about us. It’d be nice to have a friend beside me.” Jayce made a pouty face.

  I thought of him sitting next to me at the funeral. The only friend strong enough to stand beside me during my darkest day. Still, I swallowed the lump of anxiety that sat at the back of my throat. I nodded slightly and went inside the cabin.

  “Yes!” Jayce exclaimed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He followed me inside.

  “Stay there.” I shut the door to my room and reached for my duffel bag. Somewhere in there I packed a green summer dress and gold sandals. Not that I had wanted to bring them. In all actuality, I think Mom shoved them into my bag, demanding I take them for the just in case.

  After dumping half the contents of the duffel bag onto the bed, I found the green summer dress. I shook it out and decided against ironing. It didn’t look too bad.

  Fifteen minutes later, my duffel bag was repacked, the dress was zipped up, my long hair was brushed with leave-in conditioner that tamed my auburn waves, and some lip gloss and mascara were applied. There. I might not have luxurious black locks like Heather, but I cleaned up pretty well, freckles and all.

  “All right, Brooke, you can do this,” I said to my reflection. I slipped into the pair of gold sandals and placed my sonnet book into a matching purse. I opened the door and walked into the living room where Jayce waited. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  “Whoa,” he said, ignoring my statement. “You look good, Brooke. I haven’t seen you this dressed up since homecoming last year.”

  I could feel my cheeks redden from the compliment. “It’s only a wrinkled green dress.”

  “Look, we match.” He held out his arm displaying his green dress shirt.

  “Sort of.” I tried not to laugh. Jayce could be such a nerd.

  We left the cabin and climbed into the golf cart. “How’d you get one of these things?” I asked. “I didn’t know you could drive one for personal use.”

  “I won it in a poker game.”

  “Really? Club slaves can bet with yacht club property?”

  “A club slave didn’t bet with it,” Jayce said. “The owner’s son did.”

  “Lucas Fairchild?” I didn’t have a hard time believing it. Everyone knew about Heather’s infamous older brother. There were more stories about him and his hijinks than even H
eather.

  “Yep. He hung out with us a lot. Played cards mostly. Flirted with some of the girls. You know, pretty harmless stuff. He’s a cool guy.”

  “If he’s anything like his sister, I probably won’t like him.”

  “Maybe give Heather another chance,” Jayce said. “Maybe she does feel bad about what happened.”

  “Or maybe she’s a superficial princess who enjoys hurting other people.”

  Jayce slowed as we approached the docks. The twilight of the evening would have made this a romantic picture, but not when my heart slammed against my chest in apprehension.

  “I’m not afraid,” I whispered to myself, staring at the long dock that snaked its way in a variety of directions. Sailboats and fishing boats gave way to sports boats and finally yachts. The bright lights of the Fairchild yacht illuminated against the darkening backdrop. “That’s a long walk.”

  “But I’m right here,” Jayce said. “I’m not going to let anything happen.”

  “Yeah, the last person who said something like that to me was my dad, and we both know how that turned out.”

  I felt Jayce’s hand in mine. I looked down at our hands then at him. “I know how you feel, Brooke. You’re not the only one who’s lost someone.”

  “I know,” I said quietly, thinking of James, Jayce’s older brother. Our freshman year, Jayce’s family received word that James had died in Afghanistan because of a roadside bomb. “But getting over it is hard. You had nothing to do with James’ death. He died serving our country. I was the only one there with my father, which means that I’m responsible for it. And I can’t even remember what it is I’m responsible for!”

  “You’re not responsible for his death.” Jayce held my hand. “Okay, so you don’t remember. It was traumatic. A lot of people would block out what happened. But, Brooke, your dad loved you, and he wouldn’t want you to live life in fear and regret, closing yourself off to other people. He’d want you to live life to the fullest. To get everything out of it that you can.”

  My thoughts turned to my father, how his smile would light up his whole face, how excited he would become while reading a passage from a novel he’d been working on, or how he would stare at mom with such love that I hoped to one day have a husband who looked at me in the same way. “You’re right,” I admitted. “But it’s easier said than done.”

  “I know. But this is a good first step. And we’re taking it together.”

  “Dad used to tell me that I was brave. That’s why he made the protagonist of his book like me. But I don’t feel very brave.”

  “You are brave. You’re here. Right by the water. It’s the closest you’ve come all summer, right? And you’re going to walk across those docks out to the yacht. That’s brave.”

  “That’s a lot of faith you have in me.” Still, I slipped out of the golf cart and walked over to the docks. “They seem wobbly.”

  “This is the Charlevoix Yacht Club. There’s nothing wobbly about these docks.” Jayce came up behind me.

  I stepped onto it and took a deep breath. Nothing to it. “Okay, I think I’ve got this. I just won’t look at the water.”

  My stomach started out shaky, but with each step, I felt more confident. The docks were very solid and secure. Jayce pointed out that cement pillars held them up, which helped even more. I didn’t look over my shoulder back to where land was, I only kept my sights on the yacht. Jayce held my hand, keeping me steady. Once there, I sighed in relief, grinning over at him.

  He smiled back. “See? You are brave.”

  I glanced up at the yacht. “My word,” I said. “This is like one of their mansions on water.”

  “Jayce!” Heather called out from above us. “It’s about time you got here. I’ll be right down.”

  We stepped across the threshold and were greeted by a server. “You clean up nice,” the guy teased Jayce.

  I could see Jayce’s face turn red. “It feels weird not to be in uniform. If you guys need help, I’ll change.”

  Heather approached us. “Of course not. Tonight, you are not working. Tonight, you are my date.” She barely glanced my way. “So good of you to grace us with your presence, Brooke.”

  “I told her to come,” Jayce said.

  “Right. That was so noble of you.” Heather took Jayce’s hand and led him toward the stairs. “The real party is on the next level.”

  Jayce turned to look back at me. “Follow us.”

  I contemplated my next move. Now that I was here, I was proud that I followed through and broke out of my shell, but I wasn’t exactly sold on being the third wheel. The server hadn’t left yet. Instead, he asked, “Are you one of the club members? I haven’t seen you around before.”

  “Sort of. We’re staying in one of the small cabins. My mother and Mr. Fairchild go way back.”

  “Oh, wow, how did I miss you? I’ve introduced myself to every pretty girl at this yacht club. Or so I thought.” He wiggled his eyebrows in my direction.

  A laugh escaped my lips at his flirting attempt. With a gangly body and a shot of red hair on his head, he reminded me of Beaker from The Muppet Show. “It’s nice to meet you now.” I extended my hand. “I’m Brooke McFadden.”

  “The name is Lakely Donahue.” He shook my hand while his other one held a serving tray. “You’re not any relation to Robert McFadden, are you? I heard his family was staying here this summer.”

  I paused at hearing my father’s name. “Yes, I’m his daughter.”

  He let out a squeak. “Oh my God, this can’t be happening. I am meeting the daughter of legendary author, Robert McFadden!”

  “It’s not that big of a deal. I mean, I’m not the author.”

  “Your dad was a supernatural fantasy genius. I can’t wait for the third book in the series.”

  I smiled at the compliment. My dad was a supernatural fantasy genius. I believed it long before any agent or editor did. “I came up with the main character’s name.”

  “Esmerelda?” His eyes widened in apparent awe.

  I laughed some more. This Lakely guy was a definite antidote for chasing away anxiety. Dad had developed a small fan base with the first two books of the Dark World series, but I hadn’t met one face-to-face until now. “I was five, and he asked me what he should call the femme-fatale, demon-slaying, part-dragon female protagonist. I understood none of that other than maybe female and dragon. All I knew was that Esmerelda sounded like a pretty princess name. Dad kept the name.”

  “Brooke?” Jayce called from above. “You coming?”

  I noticed Lakely frown. “I’ll be there in a minute,” I said. “What’s going on with Heather and Jayce?”

  “He doesn’t listen,” he answered. “We warned him about her.”

  “Do you know something?”

  “Remember what happened in chapter seven of book one?” Lakely leaned in closer. “Esmerelda thought Taini desired peace. She lured Esmerelda right into the demon spawn’s lair.”

  I pressed my lips together but couldn’t hide the grin. “You’re right,” I eventually said. “I can see Heather as demon spawn.”

  Lakely nodded in all seriousness.

  Mrs. Fairchild approached us. “Our guests need refills,” she said with an aloof, nasal tone.

  Lakely left without another word.

  “Brooke?” She kissed both of my cheeks. “I’m surprised you left the confines of the cabin.”

  Diane Fairchild might be considered decent looking for an older woman if you considered one too many plastic surgeries and a face stretched tighter than plastic wrap as the definition of beauty. She didn’t hold a candle to my mother’s natural radiance, but there was something powerful about her aura. Like she ran the show, and that was that. “I wasn’t planning on coming, but Jayce twisted my arm.”

  “Jayce? Jayce who?”

  “Jayce Phillips. Heather invited him as her date.”

  Diane’s eyes narrowed and her smile wavered for the briefest of moments. “Yes, she enjoys tr
ying our patience.”

  “Don’t worry about Jayce. He’s the perfect gentleman. Your daughter’s in good hands with him.”

  “His hands better be nowhere near my daughter.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “Oh, I’m teasing.” She swatted at me as if it was one big joke. But her forced smile said otherwise. “Heather and the rest of the young crowd are upstairs.”

  “Thank you. Have you seen my Mom or Bobby?”

  This time Diane Fairchild’s smile vanished. “I haven’t seen her since she arrived.” Then her mask of insincere niceness was put back in place. “Enjoy the evening.” She continued to smile with what looked like very expensive teeth before leaving me alone.

  Taking a deep breath, I decided to stick around. Lakely’s warning and Diane’s less-than-enthusiastic response to Jayce being here didn’t sit too well. “I’m doing this for Jayce.” I climbed the first set of stairs I found.

  Once on the next level, I scanned the area searching for my friend. I found him next to the food tables along the railing. Heather wasn’t with him. As I looked for her, I saw Bobby running down another set of stairs with Zach. I’d have to say hi to him later. “Anything good?” I asked, approaching Jayce. I scanned the spread of food.

  “All of it,” Jayce said with his mouth full. “And there’s a whole other buffet downstairs where we came in.” He handed me a chocolate-covered strawberry. “Try this.”

  I bit into it, then asked, “Where’s Heather?”

  Jayce’s face turned red again.

  “What? Did she do something?”

  “No, no, it’s not like that. She’s…just…she’s got something planned for the two of us. She told me to wait here. It’s a surprise.”

  “Oh.”

  “I told her that I felt uncomfortable leaving you by yourself, but she doesn’t exactly take no for answer.”

  I wanted to tell him to stick around, but I refused to be needy. “Go and have a good time. I’m doing okay.”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah, it’s a little nerve-wracking, but being around people is probably best. But be careful. Your friend downstairs wasn’t too kind about her.”