The Red Wing Mansion

Chapter Twenty-Three

Pam and I spend all next day together, talking non-stop and exploring the whole Holiday Park. It's the best day, the weather cleared up and I took some cool shots of the puddles left behind along the trails, floating some wild flowers on top.

We eat a picnic in the afternoon on a flat rock ridge surrounded by ferns, overlooking the pool and waterfall where majority of the holidaymakers swim and hang out all day.

"I'll visit often, otherwise I'm going to miss our chats like this," Pam tells me, rather melancholy as she hugs her knees to her chest while overlooking the river, "I didn't tell you... so don't get mad, but I'm going back home early tonight, there is a family emergency... and before you freak out that I didn't tell you sooner, I have a surprise for you," Pam reaches into her back pocket swiftly, before I can speak, and she pulls out two friendship bracelets she made for us, "You know my aunt is kind of witchy – well this weave will give you protection from ghosts. Maybe it'll stop your nightmares too," Pam hands me the purple one, and she keeps the pink one for her.

I'm speechless as I take it, feeling the love from her in the meaning behind the bracelet and keeping it until our last moments for a long while.

"Oh, and," Pam reaches back into her pocket and pulls out one more thing. She hands me a letter but doesn't say anything about it, "Open it when I'm gone," Pam smiles and I hold back happy-sad tears.

I nod, I put on the purple bracelet and I give her a big hug, "I'm going to miss you like crazy, how am I going to survive in this small country town? I doubt I'll meet anyone like you."

"Pretty sure you already found a new friend," Pam smirks, "Who likes to spank you."

"I regret saying that last night without thinking," I blush deeply.

"And you liked it," Pam makes fun of me, mimicking me, widening her eyes and rubbing her hands together, sounding slightly hysterical like I did last night, "You freak."

"Argh," I groan and put my hands on my face as I lie back in the afternoon sun, "Stop. The cringe."

Pam goes quiet as her chuckle dies off.

Damn it, it hits heavy that these are our last moments together for a long time... damn.

"Alix," Pam whispers.

I open my eyes and I see her staring at someone by the pool below us.

I immediately sit up and follow her gaze.

My eyes nearly pop out of my head.

As the families gradually leave due to the hour, a whole squad of female athletes in bikinis and designer swimwear are heading toward the pool, linking arms.

There's like... nine of them.

They're not alone.

"Your boss is jacked, oh my gosh," Pam murmurs, blushing herself.

Fontaine is leading the pack, half naked himself – in swimming gear, he is ready to join them for a swim. I look anywhere but at his ripped body – which was a little too delicious to be safe to acknowledge beyond a glance. My brain might short circuit.

I immediately scoot back along the picnic blanket to hide under a fern leaf, as I spy down at the new activity.

"What the hell is he doing?" I whisper, feeling myself pale with confusion, jealousy and maybe just a tiny bit of rage. He was an asshole last night, and even though his punishment was perfect poison to my brain to keep reflecting on, he also shouldn't have me feeling this possessive, but here I am, feeling exactly that.