Page 22 of Pressure

Did that mean for nothing?

“That sounds great. I loved being here this summer. But, how much?” I asked again for clarification.

“Lots of employers cover the costs of living as part of their employment contracts. We’ll work that into your contract, Cash,” Joel confirmed.

The offer sounded good. Living on the calm and quiet lake was amazing all on its own. But throw in a decent paying cakewalk type of job for two hotter than fuck men who saw talent in my sketches was something else on a whole different level.

“Where do I sign up?” I asked. It was my way of telling them that I accepted the job. My acceptance confirmation was met with smiles and handshakes.

11

CASH

Braxton and Quinn were all packed up for the trip back to L.A. My decision to stay behind was very real this morning. Was I nervous? Maybe a little bit, but Braxton was my safety net. If things didn’t work out here, I could go back to L.A. and stay with him until I got a job and on my feet. Under no circumstances was I going back to Indiana to my parents and sheep siblings.

“Don’t be a stranger, Cash,” Quinn told me as we shook hands.

“I won’t. Don’t let Brax drive the entire way.”

Quinn laughed and then promised he wouldn’t as we watched Braxton toss the last of the bags into the back of his car. Quinn walked around the car to get into the passenger side, leaving me on the steps of the cabin.

“Okay, I think we have everything. Let me know if you find anything of ours,” Braxton said as he walked toward me.

“Nah, I’ll just sell it,” I teased.

“Punk,” Braxton said as he slapped his hand on my shoulder and pulled me into a quick hug. “So what’s your plan for the day?”

“I’m going to get my stuff packed up, and then I need to be over at the rental office at 10:00 to see the other cabin I’ll be staying in.”

“I’ll text you along our drive back, and I want all of the details on the six-foot-fuck-me-three Daddies.”

“I’ll give you all the scandalous details,” I replied sarcastically.

I watched them drive away until I couldn’t see their car anymore and then headed inside. I pulled my phone from my pocket when I felt it vibrate from an incoming text. A tiny part of me hoped it was my parents. It turned out to be nothing other than a notification from my bank saying access had been restricted on my savings account. Another alert came in from the bank saying an account holder had been removed from the checking account.

“Fuck,” I said out loud as I headed back inside.

I’d texted my parents the night that I accepted the job offer from Joel and Tristen, and told them that I was staying in Lake Tahoe for a job with Equinox Resorts. While my father said nothing at all, my mom was at least replying, though still hanging onto hope that I’d come to my senses and return to law school “maybe next semester.” I guess the notifications from the bank was my father’s way of responding.

I sat alone in the oversized cabin and stared outside at the lake. The cold reality of my decision was making me second guess everything. I finally pulled myself out of the trance I was in and forced myself to do something to take my mind off things. I grabbed the last energy drink in the fridge, picked up my sketchbook and pencil, and went out onto the deck.

The noise from opening the aluminum can seemed so much louder on the quiet deck. I took a sip and flipped open the sketchbook to a blank page. My pencil immediately began sketching Joel. It was extremely calming and relaxing to sit on the deck and sketch. There was no noise of Braxton and Quinn fucking or arguing. No noise from the city. Only the sounds of nature and the pencil stroking the paper surrounded me outside.

As my pencil made marks that mimicked Joel’s broad shoulders, I replayed parts of the dinner I had the other night with him and Tristen. I planned to draw both Joel and Tristen from that night when I saw them in the lobby. While shading in Joel’s pants, I decided to give him a large obvious bulge by adding just the right amount of shading in the right places. I took another sip of the drink and then smirked at my handiwork. I left Joel’s shirt white without a tie and then paused as I thought back to that night.

Without a tie.

Tristen didn’t have a tie on either that night. Joel wore black pants and a black suit jacket over a white shirt, but no tie. Tristen only wore black pants and a light gray long-sleeved button-down shirt. I’d imagine that was dressing down or maybe even casual for guys who owned mountain and beach resorts. Had they done that on purpose? Was it because they knew I was traveling and didn’t have nice clothes? During the initial interview for the job I knew I wasn’t qualified for, Joel and Tristen wore suits with ties that looked sharp. As I drew Tristen, I couldn’t help but think that they dressed more casually on account of me so I wouldn’t feel so out of place.

And I liked that feeling.

I shaded Tristen’s shirt and gave him a goatee. I gave both of them intense eyes and decided the only color in this sketch was going to be their eyes. After I finished drawing them, I set the sketchbook down and ran inside to grab my plastic zipperbaggie of colored pencils. As I walked back outside to the deck, I rummaged around for the perfect blue to match Tristen’s eyes. I colored in Tristen’s eyes with care and then picked up the light gray pencil. While I put the finishing touches on Joel, his compliments of my drawing quickly overtook the loud silence of my parents. Doubt was replaced with confidence.

I was proud of what I’d sketched and stared at it in admiration. I should frame this sometime. Of course, it would look weird to frame a picture of my bosses with bulges in their pants and hang it on a wall of a cabin that they owned.

“Totally weird, Cash,” I said out loud to myself.

I carried everything inside and set it on the table in the living room. I needed to head over to the rental office to meet Tristen and Joel. Before I began my short walk to the rental office, I glanced at myself in the mirror of the bathroom to make sure I looked presentable. I had on jeans and a dark green t-shirt and thought that would at least be good for the first day.