She reached for me, but I moved to the side of her and walked to the bedroom.
"Cora! What's wrong?" She followed after me. "Hey, talk to me."
"I'm good. Just tired." I stopped at my door and wiped at my nose and eyes. "I'm good. Really. Don't keep Derek waiting. I just need sleep."
"You sure?" She pressed her hand against my door as I walked into the dark.
"Yeah, I'll be out later," I mumbled and pushed the door closed, locking it and leaving the light off as I dropped down into my bed.
How in the hell some dude I'd met a week ago had me wallowing in self-pity like I had with Brandon was beyond me. It was a clear indicator of two things. One, I'd yet to truly heal from Brandon cheating on me, and two, I didn't need a summer fling. They always ended before they began.
Much like this one.
*
The phone ringing just beside my head brought me from my nap. I reached over in the darkness and patted the bed beside me, grumbling at the idea of talking to anyone.
"Hello?" I turned onto my back and cleared my throat.
"Hi, Cora. It's Mom." Her voice was warm and friendly.
I jerked up. Wherever my mother was, my father was close behind her. She was his puppet, which meant that if she was calling... he wanted something.
"Hey, Mom. How's it going?" I wiped my eyes and stifled the need to yawn as I moved to the edge of the bed.
"It's good. Your father and I were talking about some upcoming casework we have that's really unprecedented. It would be a great opportunity for you to see some of these things, but of course, they're happening during your summer vacation that you have planned."
"Right." I got up and walked to the door to flip on the light switch. "Can't I study the cases after they're completed? It would be the same, right?"
"Not really." She wasn't going to force me to come back early, but that's the way my lawyer parents did things. They slowly twisted your arm until you made the conscious decision to do what they wanted, making it your call and leaving their hands clean of the repercussions of your disappointment or anger.
"When are the trials, Mom?" I let out a short sigh, wishing that I could hold myself back from letting her know that their request was a pain in my ass.
"They're mid-July, baby. I understand if you don't want to come back early, we just thought this would be a great opportunity. You know your father is always watching out for what's best for your future. You're going to make lots of money once you're a full-fledged lawyer, and then you can take loads of trips to the lake all the time. Right?" She chuckled as if something she said was humorous.
"How many trips have you and Dad taken?" I dropped down on the edge of the bed and tried to clear the haze sitting over me. I wasn't going to get out of going back early, but giving up any of my time with my best friends before starting to work for my parents was painful.
"We like what we do, Cora. You know that. We don't really need vacations. Do you want to talk to your dad for a minute?"
"No. I was headed out the door. I'll call you guys later tonight, and we can pick back up on this conversation then. Is that okay?" I ran my fingers through my hair as my stomach soured a little.
"Yeah. We can do that. I love you. Have fun, okay?"
"Okay, Mom. I love you, too." I dropped the call and flopped back on my bed, letting out a long groan.
The door to my bedroom opened, and Emily stuck her head in. "Hey, grumpy butt, we're heading out for a ride on the boat. Get on your suit and come with us."
"Yeah, alright." I sat back up and let out a long sigh. I hated fighting with her. We both were good about letting things go when we could. Now was one of those times.
"What's up?" She came in and closed the door behind her as I stood and walked to my dresser.
"Just my parents and their plans for me." I shrugged and pulled out a pink and black bikini. I didn't expect to see Brody, so there was no need for wearing something too terribly sexy.
"Well, you're not supposed to be thinking about that shit. It's the Fourth of July on Monday and we have plans to party like it's 1999, remember?"
"Yeah, but they're wanting me to come back into town in a couple of weeks, instead of the end of the summer like we talked about." I tossed my swimsuit beside her and pulled off my t-shirt and shorts.