Eden Cove Vol. 6

"The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go."

Justin pulled Foxy, his old Beagle, up the old driveway towards the front door to his old house. Unlike most kids his age, Justin wasn't in a big rush to move out of his parent's house, which was his grandparent's house before that. His parents, Patrick and Sadie, had gotten married when they were both 30. They wasted no time starting their family, Adalyne was born just before their first wedding anniversary. Sienna barely a year and a half later, the perfect "Irish twins", as they looked very similar both taking after Sadie, fair skin, with light brown eyes, and hair. The actual twins followed three years later, Blake and Brighton, looked like the perfect mix of Patrick and Sadie, with a much deeper brown skin tone and eyes, like Patrick, but the same light brown curly hair Sadie had. While some people may have assumed the kids were accidents or that they never wanted more with four kids so close in age, Pat and Sadie shared the mindset that the Lord would give them the children that they were meant to have. After a few years, they assumed they might be getting too old to have more. But at 40, Sadie got a surprise when she continued feeling sick at odd hours and decided to take a pregnancy test. Justin, their only baby boy, would complete their family and be doted on by both his parents and his sisters. When Justin was only eight, Sadie tried explaining to him that she was a little sick, nothing to worry about, but she may be more tired than normal. By the time Justin was nine years old, he understood what cancer was and how it attacked someone's body. Right before his tenth birthday, Sadie died at home, surrounded by her family.

Two years later, Patrick would take all five of his children out to dinner at an expensive restaurant in a town about an hour outside of Eden Cove to meet a woman named Charlotte. Justin noticed right away she looked younger than his dad, she also looked very nervous but happy to be there, she smiled a lot and he liked that. Addy had just turned 22, finished her second year at the local community college, and was headed to Georgia for a summer job as a camp counselor for the next two months. She asked Charlotte a few basic questions about herself and managed to get in a few snide comments like "oh well Dad has never mentioned you before so I didn't know". Sienna, just a few weeks away from her 21st birthday, was not pleased to be ambushed with "date night with Daddy's new friend" and she made it very clear. The twins, 17 years old and about to start their senior year at Eden Cove High, were oddly quiet. Blake and Brighton had a habit of saying the opposite thing at the same time. Blake was watching Charlotte carefully, just like Justin but Brighton just looked close to tears and seemed focused on her food. After a lot of rude and personal questions asked by Sienna, Charlotte confessed that her husband had left her because she wasn't able to have children. She had wanted to adopt but he said no. Even though he was a 12-year-old boy, Justin understood what Charlotte was not saying out loud. She could love children that she didn't give birth to and she wanted to be a mother. And while he knew no one could replace his mother, Justin fell in love with Charlotte that night at dinner. Even though his sisters were harder and slower to win over, a family was born.

"Justin? That you?" Charlotte called when she heard the door close.

"It's me, Mom". Justin answered as he let Foxy off the leash and slipped his shoes off.

"Courtney and Travis both called for you, babe. Must have been some opening night. I think Dad and I are going to go tonight". Charlotte called out again and Justin could tell she was in the kitchen. Probably baking something.

"You should! You'll love it. Pretty sure Brite and Blakes are going tomorrow night. Jessa's sister went last night, I didn't see her though." Justin told his mom. He had started calling Charlotte "mom" a few years after she married Patrick, it had just happened that way. Patrick had to work late one Friday and Justin needed a ride home from track practice, when the coach asked if that was his mom and pointed to Charlotte, he said yes. She had playfully put her arm around his shoulder and said "come on son" but he saw the look in her eyes and he had called her mom every day after that. Blake started calling her mom soon after he started and Brighton slowly tried it out too. Neither Addy nor Sienna had ever called her mom, and neither of them lived at home anymore. Addy had gone to that camp, met a guy, and eloped. They still lived in Georgia. Sienna worked at a children's hospital and lived a few hours away. Blake, Brighton, and Justin all still lived at home. Blake was a manager of a local arcade and mini golf course while Brighton was the front desk supervisor at a local hotel.

Justin checked the clock, he would call Travis and Courtney back real quick, he debated ringing Jessa but maybe she was already at work? Or with her sister? Probably work if he knew Jessamyn. Maybe Courtney would want to grab lunch before they went in today? Travis was his entertainment supervisor, both for this show, A Decade of Hits, and for the maze. Courtney was also in the show, she was 26 and had worked on a cruise ship, singing in a show! Justin thought that was pretty badass, not that he wanted that for his life but still cool. Better than Karol's Karnival. He knew most kids his age thought what he did was a joke. The singing, the rapping, the dancing, and especially his juggling. But he had a real passion for entertaining people and hell, maybe Courtney could get him on a cruise ship? Maybe he would travel a little, and meet some new people. He'd have to leave this life behind but who would even notice?

*****

Jessamyn was busy, as was typical for a Saturday morning. She was running around Kiddie Korner, getting her crew in place for the first breaks of the day and refilling water cups for them. The weather was perfect for a September day in Virginia, sunny, breezy, and a high of 79. She took a little extra time with her make-up today, she put on her tightest fitting pants that she could get away with wearing at work and went to the costumes department to complain that her shirt was too loose and got a size small! Ha! She actually thought she looked pretty damn good. In truth, Jessamyn did look very nice, she had a nice figure, a pretty face, and a beautiful smile. She rushed out of costumes to meet Freddy on the dock this morning and he had commented on how pretty she looked. Now, if only guys her own age would notice! That cute Logan guy from the maze had been being flirty last night but she got the impression he was like that with every girl. And she did not want to date someone in high school. Basketball star or not.

"Hey Jessa, can we talk?" Ashley was suddenly next to her and Jessa actually jumped as she had been daydreaming again.

"Hey! Sorry, yes, I was lost in thought. Is everything ok?" Jessa answered, trying not to sound stupid.

"I guess so. This is private, can we go to the shed or something?" Ashley said.

"Yeah, of course". Jessa said, nervous now because what would Ashley need to talk about privately?

She followed Ashley to the shed, which was empty, thank goodness, and closed the door beside them, she didn't have a chance to speak before Ashley blurted out exactly what was going on.

"Taylor called me last night and said he wants to get back together. He said that he regretted kissing you that night and it only happened that one time, at Boardwalk Nights. I need you to tell me the truth. Was that it between the two of you? Because I really do care about him. And even though I felt like a complete idiot when I found out what you guys did, I'm over it. I know I acted like a total bitch but he was my boyfriend and I loved him and to hear about you guys together made me crazy. I'm not saying sorry to you because what you did was wrong but I could have acted better afterward. If it was just one kiss, maybe I should give Taylor another chance". Ashley said all this in a voice loaded with emotion and looked both upset and hopeful at the same time. This meant Jessamyn had a decision to make, she could lie and say it was one kiss and get rid of Taylor for good. Or she could tell the truth and maybe have Ashley hate her.

"Ashley, that night was a mistake, Boardwalk Nights I mean. I wasn't drunk but I did have two drinks, I was dancing and letting loose and when Taylor grabbed me and kissed me, I certainly didn't stop it. I'm really sorry for that. But he's lying to you now. After I broke up with Adam, Taylor and I kept hooking up. We never slept together, because I didn't want to but he tried. I'm so sorry! I don't want to be saying this at all. But you deserve someone better than him. He's a liar". Jessa spoke fast so she wouldn't lose the courage to just say it.

Ashley sat very still and then to Jessa's surprise she started laughing.

"Of course!" she said, "he's a liar! Always has been! I should have known. I feel dumb for even asking you. Shit. You're not the first girl he has messed around with, there was another girl, over Spring Break".

"Wow. I didn't know. Well, I don't know him at all I guess. I thought I was being a friend to him at first because he was upset about you guys breaking up but then..." Jessa trailed off, not wanting to say the rest. Because when she thought about it, maybe Taylor didn't seem that upset at all. Had Justin been right? Had she been the stupid girl and Taylor played her and Ashley?

Ashley started to cry. Jessa wasn't sure what to do when she felt partly responsible for the tears but she hugged her anyways. And Ashley let her.

*****

A few hours later, Jessamyn found Finn sitting on the bench outside of the Waking Nightmare exit, working on the rotation.

"You look hot". he said giving her a smile.

"What?" she said with genuine surprise.

"Hot, smoking hot. I don't want a bunch of random dudes trying to hit on my partner, like damn". Finn answered while looking her up and down and nodding.

"Shut up". she said because she didn't know what else to say, she never expected him to say that to her.

The conversation wouldn't go any further because they both heard a male voice shouting Jessa's name. Jessa got up and started down the exit path and then saw Taylor walking at a quick pace towards her.

"Jessa! What the hell did you say to Ashley?" Taylor demanded.

"Me? What did you say to Ashley? That nothing ever happened between us and it was all a mistake? You just called me yesterday begging to hang out!" Jessa realized she was pissed. She understood that Ashley felt stupid but so did she.

"You didn't need to tell her that! You hurt her for no reason! You're the one who didn't want a relationship, I did! I tried to work that out with you and you said no, over and over. So yeah, I went back to Ashley. Why do you care? You didn't have to try to mess that shit up for me!" Taylor was getting louder and more upset. But so was Jessa.

"Mess it up for you? You messed it up for yourself by lying to both of us!" she yelled.

"I didn't lie to you!" Taylor replied back quickly. She noticed he didn't mention Ashley and she had to wonder, did he lie to her? Finn decided to step in now that things were sounding a little heated and the crew would be arriving soon.

"Listen up, Taylor, right? I don't know what's going on here but we have work to do. And I don't appreciate the way you're speaking to Jessamyn. I get that some stuff went down and you need to sort it out, but take my advice. Leave, cool down and give her a call when you want to discuss it calmly. Because if you raise your voice at her again, I'm gonna knock you on your ass, kid". Finn delivered the message in a calm and rational manner.

Taylor turned and walked away without another word to either of them. Jessa was stunned by the whole interaction and she sat down hard on the bench.

"Thank you, Finn. You didn't need to do that". she said quietly. "My hero".

"Jessa, are you okay? And I don't just mean with this. With everything". Finn said seriously.

"Yeah, of course. Nothing was going on with Taylor". she answered.

"Didn't sound like nothing". he said.

"It wasn't a thing. It was nothing". she insisted. She felt stupid, Taylor was a huge mistake. She had known from the start.

"And the whole Justin thing?" Finn asked.

"There is no Justin thing!" Jessa insisted in a high and tense voice.

"Jessa, come on. Jason told me he spent the night with you the other night. And now, he's hooking up with Courtney. Are you okay?" Finn looked dead serious but Jessa burst out in laughter.

"Oh my God! Justin only slept in my room because Jason was over and he didn't want to sleep on the couch. There was a pillow between us". Jessa laughed again while explaining. "Nothing is going on with that Courtney girl, he just met her!"

"Whatever. That Courtney girl was in his lap last night after we closed the maze last night". Finn said, then he got up and walked inside to begin set up while Jessamyn sat on the bench with her mouth wide open.

In his lap? Justin? Seriously? Did she know anyone?