I turned and walked away, towel over my shoulder, the scent of eucalyptus and coconut oil clinging to me as my thoughts followed the woman who just shut it all down without breaking a sweat.
I wasn’t about to chase no tantrum, especially not when the only woman I was focused on just reminded everybody exactly who she was.
Chapter twenty-one
Chesteria
“His Eyes? Locked on Me. His Hands? All Over Me. My Pride? Slipping”
Iwoke up to warmth. Not the kind that came from body heat, but the kind that let me know the generator hadn’t failed, and the wood stacked under the fireplace was still doing its job.
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and noticed I had ten unread messages.
I blinked. “Now who the hell died?”
I opened the group thread, and the first thing I saw was:
Bryce(6:12 AM): ??OFFICIAL CABIN RULES THAT WE ARE NOT ABOUT TO DEBATE ??YES, I’M TEXTING Y’ALL… IN CASE ANY OF YOU TRIES TO HAVE AMNESIA LATER!ADRIAN AND ISIS, DON'T ASK ME NOTHING… JUST READ!”
Attached to the message was an even longer list of ridiculous, over-the-top, strict, savage, and, hilarious—clearly Bryce-style survival rules.
I slowly exhaled a laugh.
The day before, Bryce had made sure to get everybody’s number. He said it was“for emergencies only”so folks wouldn’t be banging on doors or yelling names across the halls.
Yeah… that wasn’t the reason. This right here was the real reason.
Of course, Isis was the first to respond… and immediately.
Isis:Bryce, this looks like an HOA contract! My spirit is overwhelmed!
Adrian:Do we have to sign this or what?
Bryce:Scroll back up to the part that says DON'T ASK ME NOTHING! But you sign it by following it.
Isis:I’m with Adrian, because I have more questions!If I poop after midnight, do I need to notify somebody?!
Bryce:Only if it’s loud.Otherwise, flush and face your demons privately.
Adrian:What if it echoandsplash? That’s a two-rule violation?
Bryce:That’s a warning and toilet scrub duty. Don’t test me.
Isis:This is harassment! My bowels have rights!
Bryce:Not after midnight. Then… your bowels belong to the cabin.
I shook my head, smiling. I had heard enough.
I simply replied:
Me:Noted.
Bryce:Good.
And even though his “good” was one word, I felt the warmth tucked under it.
I glanced at the time on my phone: 7:15 AM.
