In The Grace of Liars

And then Andi grabbed my hand and lifted it to her lips, my arm pressed between her breasts as she kissed my knuckles.

"Good morning," she said.

She didn't move. There was no doubt in my mind that she could feel my hardness pressed against her. But she didn't move.

"Good morning," I returned.

"You're up early this morning," she joked. I felt her body shake a bit as she laughed to herself.

"I'm, uh... well, it's a morning time thing, you know?" I awkwardly tried to play it off.

She pushed her ass against me ever so briefly before turning over on her back to look at me.

"So it's not me?" she asked.

"Well, I..." Shit. How was I supposed to answer that?

"Chris."

"What?" I asked.

"I'm fucking with you. Lighten up," she said as she rose from the bed and headed for the kitchen. I watched as she walked out of the room, her hips swaying in that deliciously hypnotic dance that kept me leering at her until she was out of sight. My cock ached. It was already promising to be an interesting day.

###

I was still having some guilt issues surrounding the feelings that I was having for her -- the things I wanted to do with her. The things I wanted to do to her. There was no longer any question about attraction -- I wanted her. I wanted her badly. Yes, she was my cousin and my friend but she was also a woman. A very beautiful, very sexy woman. I was a man -- not a saint. And it wasn't like she was making it very easy for me to ignore those qualities. She was quite obviously doing this on purpose. It took me a bit to catch on to it but I wasn't dense; I just wasn't expecting it from her.

But was it just lust? If it wasn't just lust wouldn't that be worse? We could blame a one night tryst on alcohol, or over stimulation, or any number of other things but I couldn't have a real relationship with her. What if we got into a fight? She was the person that I always went to to vent. Would I lose my friend if things didn't work out? Was I even ready for this? I thought that I didn't love Jennifer anymore but after the way I reacted to her the day before, I simply wasn't sure anymore. Did I really need to involve Andi in my rebound?

Andi and I were weaving a tangled web. I was at once apprehensive about where things might be heading and brimming with desire for her. I had to put it down for a while. I'd pick it back up and look at it again but we had work to do.

The time line for getting my things out of my apartment wasn't really pressing, so I could put that off. I phoned Jesse to find out how things were coming along with the purchase of the camp.

"Chris, I'm glad you called. I got some things expedited with the purchase. If you're up for it we can meet with your Aunt today and sign the finalizing documents."

"You saved my ass again Jesse. One of these days I'm going to have to return the favor."

"Forget it. So how do you want to do this?" he asked.

"What was the final purchase price?"

"Well, I padded the offer a bit, like you asked. She'll be able to cover the mortgage and walk away with about ten thousand in her pocket. That's still significantly under appraisal so you're coming out way ahead if you ever sell it."

"I wouldn't ever sell it," I said.

"No, I know it's a family property, I just want you to know where you stand."

"Ten thousand is perfect. So where do I need to be and when do I need to be there?"

"Let me call your Aunt and make sure it works with her schedule, but lets say three o'clock this afternoon at her place? It's a long drive for me so afternoon works best. I've got a few other things to take care of before I get on the road. We'll have to hurry the process along a bit I'm afraid. I'd love to visit with you a bit but I've got to be on a plane for seven."

"Yeah, where you headed?"

"The fatherland my boy. I've got a client in Germany that needs some personal hand holding. Kinda like you only his English is better."

We both laughed at that.

"Alright, three o'clock sounds fine, I'll see you there."

"Great. I'll call you if anything changes."

###

It was time to start getting Andi packed and ready to move out. She was right -- she didn't have a lot of stuff to move but I had wasted a whole day crying over Jennifer and we still needed boxes. I suggested going to the grocery store and begging some from the manager but Andi said there should be plenty for the taking at the Black Jack Bar.

"With all the money that Dempsey owes me he won't care if I lighten his trash load," she said as I pulled the Jeep around the back of the building.

"They keep the trash locked up so I'll need to get the key. I don't know who's... damn it!"

"What?" I asked.

"It's Collin."

A tall, lanky guy with a black mop-top wearing an oversized hoodie closed the gate behind him and locked it with a padlock and chain.

"Who's Collin and why is it a bad thing that he's here?" I asked.

"Remember I told you about the guy that wouldn't leave me alone after I slept with him?" she asked.

"Oh, no. That guy?" I couldn't believe she slept with this guy. He looked like he just fell off a skateboard into a vat of grease.

Andi sighed. "C'mon. I gotta get the key from him."

I followed behind her as she took the lead and approached him. He leaned against the gate and lit a cigarette, grinning widely as he saw Andi approaching. He glanced at me briefly but otherwise didn't acknowledge me.

"Hey Collin. I need some boxes, can you open the gate for me?" she asked.

Collin shook his head, "Dempsey said you quit."

"I haven't yet but it won't be long," she replied.

"Sorry Andrea, I can't. Dempsey said you don't work here anymore. I don't think he'd be too happy with me letting you dig in the trash, you know?"

"Jesus, Collin. It's not like he's paying you. Why are you even here?"

"Are you fucking kidding me now? Do you know how much free booze he gives me just for bar-backing? Tip-outs from the bar tenders too. I don't do too bad here if you add it all up."

Andi was getting impatient. "I just need some boxes. With as much money as he owes me you can tell him he can take it off my tab. Trust me, he won't care. Can you please just unlock the gate?"

Collin took a puff from his smoke before answering. "Depends."

"Here we go," she said. "What do you want?"

"Whatcha doin tonight?" he asked, smugly.

"Give me a break Collin. I told you I was seeing someone." That bit was news to me but from what she told me about him she was probably just trying to get him off her back.

"Yeah, that's right. What'd you say his name was? Tim?"

"Collin, I really don't have time for this."

"No, it was Ken, right?" he was prodding her and amusing himself greatly in the process as evidenced by the toothy grin on his face. I should have stepped in right then but I thought I'd let her handle it.

"Collin, just give me the fucking key."

"No, no, no. Chris! It was Chris." That caught me a bit off guard.

Andi put her hand to her face, but her back was to me so I couldn't see her expression.

"So is this Chris?" he motioned to me.

Andi didn't answer right away. I thought I should break the uncomfortable silence, if for no other reason than to spare Andi this embarrassment. As it turned out, there was no need as she eventually answered Collins question. "Yeah," she said slowly. "Yeah, this is Chris," she turned slightly to me. "Chris, Collin. Collin, Chris."

He looked at me now. "So you two are... together?" he asked.

I knew Andi well enough to figure out what was happening here. I had no choice but to play along. Honestly, I'd have done it for her even if she hadn't spent the last few days teasing me. It's what friends do.

"Yeah, we're together," I said.

He puffed on his cigarette again and slowly shook his head. "Nope. I don't think so."

I was at the end of my rope with this moron. I was ready to tear into him for putting her on the spot like this. I stepped forward to up the tension, "She doesn't have to prove shi-"

My sentence was cut off as Andi pressed her lips to mine and I forgot all about Collin. For days now, I had been thinking of the way she kissed me when I first showed up at her door. That kiss lingered with me and haunted my dreams, both day and night. Those feelings of her lips on mine, her body close to me, her arms wrapped around me -- they didn't compare to how she was kissing me now.

Her tongue shot into my mouth, it's soft, warm, wetness exploring mine; seeking it out. It may have been for show but I decided if it was happening, I might as well go all in. I poured all of my pent up lust from the past three days into that kiss. I kissed her back, fiercely and tenderly and without another thought in my head other than making this woman melt on my lips. It lasted a short, few seconds and was over far too quickly.

When she broke the lip lock my head was spinning. She turned back to Collin as I tried to steady myself enough to go back to acting tough. "Does that spell it out for you clearly enough? That night between me and you? It's never going to happen again. Now give me the fucking key and get out of my way, Collin."

Collin looked deflated, defeated, and suddenly very tired. "Fuck. Whatever," he said as he tossed the keys to her. "Leave the key in the lock. I'll come back for it later." With that he walked off towards the bar, puffs of cigarette smoke following him on his way.

I thought of saying something to Andi about the kiss. She was already embarrassed and it wouldn't make her feel any better to put her on the spot. I had no idea if she knew how very much I wanted what happened. I decided the best thing to do would be to play it off. Be cool. The pained look on her face told me that we should get busy with something or get into a very deep and uncomfortable conversation. I opted for the former.

"We were getting boxes, right?" I asked.

"Chris, I-" she started.

I didn't let her finish. "Forget about it Andi. It's cool. Hopefully that guy will leave you alone now, right?"

Andi stared for a moment and seemed to be lost in her thoughts, but then came back to reality and seemed to perk up some. "Yeah. Exactly." she said. "Thanks, Chris." I'm not sure if she was thanking me for playing along with her ruse, or for changing the subject so that we didn't have to talk about what just happened.

We loaded as many boxes as we could fit in the back of the Jeep and headed back to her apartment.

###

Later that afternoon I left Andi to pack her things and drove over to meet Jesse and Aunt Marjorie over at her place. It was then that I discovered that Jesse and Aunt M. knew each other. I knew that Jesse was a friend of my fathers but I never put it together that he was also a friend of the family. During the paper signing those two exchanged a few glances and more than a couple of apparently inside jokes that I didn't catch on to. I felt a bit like an outsider as I realized that they probably knew far more about each other that I did about either of them.

"Marjie, have you been to the camp to check things out and clean up at all?" he asked her as we were finishing up the paperwork.

Aunt M, who had been pretty laid back and casual throughout the process visibly tensed and her tone darkened. "No, I haven't. Not since Terri."

Jesse glanced at me briefly and then back at Aunt M, questioningly.

"Alright," I said, "enough of this. Would someone tell me what the hell is going on? Why has no one been to the camp since Mom died? Why have you been keeping me away from there?"

"Christopher, you watch your language in this house. I know you have questions but you'll not sit at my kitchen table and disrespect me, young man."

"I'm sorry Aunt M.," I said. And I was. But there was something going on here and apparently Jesse knew something about it but had never let on. Maybe I could get some information from him when Aunt M wasn't around. "But there's some big secret here that everyone seems to be in on except for me," I glared at Jesse. Jesse, who had always been there for me, sat back in his chair and looked at me apologetically, but held his silence.

"You're exactly right about that Chris and it breaks my heart that it has to be that way." Then, to Jesse, "Are we done here? Is there anything else to sign?" she asked.

Jesse shook his head, "Nothing left to sign. I have to file some papers at the court house to make it all official but for all intents and purposes -- Chris owns the camp now."

Aunt M pulled a small key ring out if her purse that sat in the chair next to her. Four keys dangled from it, jingling as she hefted them in her hand. She reached across the table and pressed the keys into my hand. "Chris, I love you. I don't know if you'll find your answers there or just more questions but the camp is yours now."

###

When I arrived back at Andi's apartment, I was surprised to see that she had boxes stacked in the living room. She had been working hard while I was gone. Before I left we had at least a dozen boxes half filled but she topped those off and closed them up while I was gone and was now working on filling several more.

"I'm in the bedroom," she called.

When I walked into her bedroom where she was still busy packing, her back was to me. I admired her ass as she leaned over to put something in a box that sat on the floor. "You've been busy, huh?" I asked as I enjoyed the view.

"Yep, and I found something," she said, suddenly turning on me and firing a shot from an old wooden rubber band gun.

"Gotcha!" she yelled as a rubber band hit me square in the chest at high velocity. It didn't hurt much and the only way she managed to hit me was because she caught me off guard. It was an old game we played as kids and though I usually came out on top, she made it count when she did hit me.

"Hey, haven't seen that thing in a while." She handed me the gun, sans rubber bands of course. "I can't believe you still have this," I said, turning it over in my hand and smiling as I remembered the fun we had as kids firing barrages of rubber bands at each other.

"You don't still have yours?" she asked.

"I don't know where it is. Haven't seen that thing in years. Mom took it away from me one day for shooting rubber bands at her butt. I haven't seen it since."

Andi laughed, "Buyers remorse, huh?"

"Probably," I said as I handed the wooden gun back to her.

"So how did it go? Is the deal done?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's done. It went... well strange to say the least."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, remember how Aunt M was acting all weird the other day when we were over there?" I asked.

"Yeah, how she rushed us out of there?"

"Yeah. So I asked her again why no one has been to the camp in all this time."

"What did she say?"

"She gave me the brush off again. Then she handed me the keys to the camp and sent me on my way."

"That's so strange." And it was strange. Aunt Marjorie was always the one that told us things. She was the one that had 'the talk' with Andi and I. She had given us our first drink of alcohol. She was always the one slipping us money with a wink and a nudge to buy candy with. She was the 'cool Aunt', and now she was clamming up on us. "What do you think it is?" Andi asked.

"I don't know, but it's obviously got something to do with Mom. I have a feeling we'll find out something when we get to the camp. Do you feel like taking a ride up there?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, right now. Looks like you've got a good jump on the packing."

"Sure, I could use a break anyway. Why don't you grab the box of cleaning stuff out of the kitchen. I'm sure the camp is pretty dusty if no one has been there in a while."

I nodded and turned to walk out of the bed room, heading for the kitchen. I hadn't made it through the doorway when I heard the snap-pop of the rubber band gun and felt a sudden stinging sensation in my butt.

"Gotcha!"

###

The camp was a nice place. Between my father and Andi's dad it had been updated and renovated over the years and though there were few 'modern' appliances it had a wood burning stove for heat in the winter and a few window units scattered about to keep it cool in the summer. A conventional oven and a microwave rounded out the kitchen but no dishwasher. That was our job when we were kids. There was talk of installing central heat and air some years back but I guess they just never got around to it. It did have running water and fully featured bathrooms though and a small gas powered back up generator for when the power went out as it was want to do during a storm.

Even though it wasn't far from town, 'far' was still a relative term. What it lacked in distance it made up for in solitude. Sitting not far from and facing a small lake it was the only structure for miles around, the nearest neighbor being Mr. Gebhardt, a good three miles down the road. During the day it was quite picturesque, sitting just off the lake with an old wooden boat dock extending about thirty feet into the water. A thick mass of shrubs skirted the house, planted just under the eves. At night time, with all the lights off it would have been foreboding and even creepy if it wasn't such a familiar place to me.

We pulled up in front of the camp and parked in front of the enclosed garage -- an addition that Andi's father built just a few years before my mother died. I had to work the key into the lock on the front door. Six years of neglect didn't leave the mechanism in very good condition but eventually with enough jiggling and waggling of the key, the lock finally turned and the deadbolt slid back into its home with a loud clack. I pushed the door and it swung open, the hinges screaming in protest the whole way.

"I hope Aunt M has kept up the light bill at least," I said as I reached inside and felt along the wall for the light switch and flipped it on. The room lit up and I was transported back in time. Everything was exactly as I remembered it.

"Wow!" Andi said as she followed me into the house. "I can't believe it's all the same."

"Well, Aunt M said no one has been here."

"She wasn't kidding."

The front door led to the living area -- an old TV sat on a small table next to the wood burning stove surrounded by two couches and an old rocking chair. All the furniture was covered with sheets, presumably to keep to keep the dust off. Farther in, the living room was separated from the kitchen by a large island that doubled as a snack-bar. Behind the kitchen there was the largest of the three bedrooms along with it's bathroom and off to the side of the living room, a stair case that led up to the second floor where there were two more bedrooms. Under the staircase there used to be a closet but that had been removed to accommodate a doorway to the add-on garage.

Andi and I made our way through the living room, pulling sheets off the furniture carefully to minimize the clouds of dust that they shed. We both walked around the room, taking it in and silently reminiscing while looking at old family pictures that hung on the walls. I turned the old tube TV on just to see if it still worked. It did, but only barely and made a high pitched background noise as long as it was on. Slowly we made our way to the kitchen, where we encountered the first of several mysteries that would present themselves.

"What's this about?" Andi asked as we reached the island.

Whoever had been here last was apparently having a drink. An open wine bottle covered in dust sat near the edge of the island, its cork sitting neatly beside it accompanied by a delicate and expensive looking, if dusty, wine glass on either side of it. Through the dust I could see the purple-black stains of dried wine on the inside of each glass about a quarter way from the bottom of the glasses.

"Someone didn't finish their wine." I said.

"Two someones," Andi corrected as she walked past me. She flipped on the kitchen light and walked over to the far corner of the kitchen. "Aunt M give you the key to this?" she asked, regarding the liquor cabinet and grinning widely.