?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?
?EPISODE 57 ?
Hunter just raised a brow at her. “Go knock yourself
out,” he replied and then left us to disappear through the
glass doors.
Denise rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t even care!”
“Why does he need to come anyway?” Ben asked.
Obviously, he wasn’t fond of Hunter either.
“Because Dad thought there should be somebody older
than me who should be in-charge.
I don’t completely agree
because Hunter is only a few months older. But then again,
this is actually Hunter’s house.”
“Isn’t he too young to own a house?” Ross asked.
“He’s eighteen,” Denise replied. “After his operation, he gained access to his trust funds and inheritance from his
mom. Part of that inheritance is his own place. He chose this
one. Yet he barely comes here.
And when you guys came,
Mom thought it would be a good idea for this house to have
visitors.”
Chaise rolled his eyes and I had to nudge him with my elbow.
Denise led us all towards the glass staircase that led to
the second floor of the house.
It had five massive bedrooms.
Denise announced the room assignments. The master’s
bedroom, of course, would be occupied by Hunter.
According to Denise, she’d seen all the parts of the house in her previous visits, but nobody was allowed inside the master’s
bedroom.
Denise and I would be sharing the room opposite
Hunter’s.
The two girls would room together while the two
guys got another room. Chaise got the room nearest to the
staircase. Chaise’s room was almost empty save for the sofa
bed lying on the corner.
“Hunter planned to turn this into a game room. But I
hope you will find this cozy enough,” Denise told Chaise
apologetically.
“I’ll be fine.” Chaise winked at her.
Denise and I went to our room to freshen up and change
into bathing suits.
“Denise, how are you cousins with them?” I asked.
“They’re my mom’s brothers’ kids. Ben, Ross and April
are siblings. Mica is an only child. You have to excuse her.
She’s seventeen and quite a brat.”
“So Hunter is…”
“Not related to them at all. But they’ve met him plenty
of times when we were growing up,” she said.
That explained why they were drooling over him. Not
related by blood. I was almost afraid that something was
wrong with Denise’s family.
“What do you think of the house?” Denise asked.
“It’s a dream,” I whispered.
“Hunter has a certain preference for lakes, I guess.
I don’t know why. He was so obsessed with getting a lake
house after his surgery.”
I smiled to myself. I knew why Hunter liked lakes.
For almost a year since he lost his mom and eyesight, that garden by the lake was what made him feel safest. It had
been his refuge… a place where he found a haven.
“There’s a smaller cabin on the opposite side of the
lake. It’s part of this property.” Denise said, interrupting my
thoughts. “It only has one bedroom and a fireplace.
The water on that side is much more suitable for swimming. We
will go there in a while.”
I emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of white
shorts and a decent blue bikini top.
I had this swimming
outfit for more than a year as a gift from Meredith, but I
never wore them. There was no need for me to go swimming. I couldn’t even swim to save my life.
Denise gave me a smile of approval. “See? That’s one of
the reasons why Chaise is crazy about you!”
“Denise!” I groaned at her.
“I’m just saying. You’re pretty. And your body… rocks!”
Okay, in a way, that wasn’t really a lie. I didn’t always show much skin but I did have a slender figure and a flat belly.
I didn’t exercise much but since I was so careful about spending money, I got to walk a lot, which had its own advantages too.
I took a smaller bag with me and stuffed it with one set
of clothes that I could change into. The others were already
in the patio, all dressed in their swimming outfits.
Chaise was staring at me as I walked towards him, I actually felt self-conscious.
“Stop that!” I hissed at him.
He laughed and pushed a lock of hair away from my
face.
“You never cease to take my breath away, rock
princess,” he said.
“And you never cease to make me feel guilty about it,
Chaise,” I said evenly.
He smiled at me but that smile did not exactly touch his
eyes. “Maybe someday, babe.”
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