Bought by the Boss

“Just me.”

I give a quick look. “Brave move.”

“At the time, it was scary as shit.” She stretches out her legs, resting the rod on the side of the canoe. “Back then, it seemed like the fun and exciting thing to do. I wanted an adventure. I wanted a big city. So after I finished college I came out to L.A.”

I note a bit of longing on her expression. “And now is it still all those things?”

Her eyes soften with her sweet smile. “Now I miss Wisconsin and the quiet kind of life it afforded.” She glances out at the view, obviously lost in a nice memory. “I miss the trees, the fresh air, and the peace that comes from places like this.” She blinks and faces me again. “Isn’t that always the way it is, though? You miss what you don’t have.”

I nod agreement. “That is how the saying goes.” Though it so happened that I had the best of both worlds. Without my cabin, however, I’m not sure I could stand the big city. The rush hour, the noise, the crowds. The one thing my mother instilled in me was the importance of nature.

Silence falls between us, and I can’t help but regard Mallory as she’s keeping a watchful eye on her bobber. She reminds me a lot of Aria. She’s down-to-earth. Simple. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and a certain type of sweetness about her. That’s why I’ve always felt a connection to Aria, protective over her for sure. Though what I have with Aria is purely platonic. She’s good, kind, and loyal, and because of that I would protect her with all that I am. Though, with Mallory, I’m far more curious about her than I think I should be. “Tell me more about your family in Wisconsin,” I ask, breaking the silence.

Her eyes meet mine. “It’s not as exciting as yours, I’m sure. My mom was a homemaker and my dad worked in construction.”

Most people I’ve met love talking about themselves, being at the center of attention. It’s like pulling teeth here. “You said that you spent a lot of time in the national parks. Did you do that as a family?”

“Oh, yeah, my parents are that family,” she says with a laugh. “You know, the type that do everything together. Honestly, think about the Griswolds, you know that movie.”

I nod. “Christmas Vacation?”

“Yup, that’s the one. Aria makes me watch it all the time during Christmas, and I can’t help but laugh every time because that’s my family. Honestly, they are just like that. We played board games every Friday night. Camped in the summers. Stuff like that.”

“So, they were very hands-on with their parenting?”

She nods. “Very.”

“Is that why you moved away?” I take a guess.

“I guess that’s probably why,” she says thoughtfully, glancing back out at her bobber. “I mean, it wasn’t like a conscious choice or anything. I just needed to be me without them.” She lifts her gaze to mine. “If that makes any sense at all.”

I incline my head in agreement. “It makes complete sense. I can understand the need to get away to breathe.”

She smiles sweetly in response. After a moment, she asks, “What about you, are you close to your family?”

“My mother and I were incredibly close.” I reel in my fishing line a little more, keeping it snug, waiting for the bite. “She died a few years back. Cervical cancer.”

“I’m sorry, Jackson,” Mallory says softly. “How terribly sad.”

“It shouldn’t have happened,” I explain, still feeling that slight bite of anger over my mother’s death. “My mother wasn’t the type of woman who fussed over herself. By the time they found the cancer, it was too late to do anything about it. She died within months of her diagnosis.”

Mallory’s eyes warm, and obviously understanding that it’s not a subject I want to discuss at length, she moves along. “What about your father?”

“I don’t see him.”

“Ever?”

I shake my head. “My parents divorced days after my fourth birthday, and he got himself a new family. He never really bothered with us after that, except for the yearly birthday and Christmas calls and gifts.”

Her eyes widen. “Even now?”

I give my line a tug, hoping to hook a fish. “He doesn’t send the gifts anymore, but he still calls on holidays and such. Which honestly is fine with me. My mother never wanted to admit it but I’m sure my father was only with her for her money. Once he got half of what her family left her in their estate when my grandfather passed away, and invested it all into his entertainment law firm, he left my mom. He got himself the fame he wanted, a trophy wife, and the 2.2 kids to go along with it.”

“Well, he’s certainly a shithead.”

“He is that.” I laugh easily, glancing out at the bobber bouncing on the water.

“You know, they might seem perfect on the outside but you never know what goes on behind closed doors.” When I look at Mallory again to clarify what she means, she gives a soft smile and adds, “No family is perfect.” She hesitates and then giggles. “Okay, well, maybe my parents but they are totally not normal people. Seriously.”