Lies of a Makeup Junkie

Chapter 10: Set romance with powder and a kiss

Lenox and Callen parked the four wheelers in the barn when the sun dipped, and it was too dark to see. She expected them to hop in the car, but Callen grabbed a rusted lantern instead and led her around back. The lantern gave a soft glow as they walked over rolling hills that peppered the landscape.

"I didn't realize how big Ashwick is," Lenox commented as she looked around. There were only two exits off the highway, yet the town went on for miles.

Callen gently swung the lantern back and forth as he walked. His unhurried gait was much for him as it was for her. One of his strides equaled two of hers. "There isn't much to see because Ashwick is so spread out. Most families own acres of land," Callen explained.

"What about this?" Lenox asked, gesturing at the grass under her feet.

"It's my grandparents. Well, I guess that's not true anymore. They used to own it, but they died a couple of years ago and left it to Kaylie and me."

Lenox's head swung around. "You own this? The barn and the four wheelers and all of—" She waved at the hills and trees and rocks.

"Half. Not that Kaylie cares. She'd give everything to me if I'd let her."

"And you're stopping her?" Her voice sounded as incredulous, and she felt.

Callen glanced up at the night sky, his eyes shining as brightly as the stars. "It's our history. I get she doesn't want to stay in Ashwick but doesn't mean she should erase her roots either. She deserves this land as much as I do. She may not want it, but that doesn't mean her kids won't."

"You're a good brother." Looking out for his sister, even if she didn't want it, was noble. Lenox didn't think she'd be as understanding. Maybe that made her a selfish person. But then again, she didn't have a sibling. Didn't understand the dynamics.

"Don't paint me a saint. I'm hoping that by making her keep the property, she'll change her mind and stay."

Lenox thought of the maps on Callen's walls. "And staying is important?"

Callen drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's important to our parents."

She wondered if he knew his shoulders tensed every time he talked about his parents. "And you? Is it important to you?"

"I...It's complicated. I love this land. I love Ashwick. But I also know there's more out there. Kaylie knows it too."

Then why was he so critical of Kaylie leaving? Lenox thought he of all people would understand Kaylie the most. Perhaps it wasn't Kaylie's leaving that bothered him, but that she left him behind. Abandonment cut deep. It was a wound Lenox was still wrestling with. Her parents had deserted her and Molly had all but forgotten her existence.

A frustrated laugh left his lips. "I'm not making any sense, am I? Loving something and hating it at the same time."

"No, I get it." When she took away all the fluff and got to the heart of the problem, she understood. "It's like being torn between two worlds. You want something, yet it would take you away from what you love."

"It's exactly like that," he murmured, seeing surprised by her insight. He cast a thoughtful look. "What worlds are tearing you apart? Is it that friend you mentioned before? The one you got in a fight with?"

Now it was her turn to be surprised. He remembered. They'd barely touched on it before the movie in the park. "She's part of it. Molly—that's her name—and I have been friends since we were little. I thought she was the forever-soulmate-type of friend but ever since our fight things have changed between us. I don't know how to go back to what we were. Hell, I don't know if I even want to go back, but at the same time, she's my friend. I love her. How can I give up something so special?"