Page 26 of Pressure

My sketchbook was closed, which meant he would most likely have seen what I’d been drawing. Did he look closely enough and realize that he and Tristen were my subjects? Or was my sketch work so poor that he wouldn’t be able to tell?

No. That wouldn’t be the case. My drawings were damn good. Joel had even said as much when he saw the sketch of Frank and Trudy’s deck. But would he think it was weird that I had been drawing them?

“Do you have anything else anywhere down here that you need to take?” Joel asked.

“Just a windbreaker in the coat closet,” I said. I quickly went to the closet and pulled out the light jacket. The only things left in the closet were hangers and an umbrella that had been in there when we arrived at the start of summer.

“Is there any food left that you want to bring to your new place?” Tristen asked while I unzipped the duffel bag and shoved my windbreaker in. I also had room in the bag to put the battery pack, phone charger, sunglasses, and pencil bag.

“No food left. We cleaned out the fridge and cabinets this morning. I ate the last of the granola bars and drank the energy drink.”

“We’ll get you set up with some groceries in the morning,” Joel said.

“It’s not necessary. I can get to the grocery store that’s nearby.” I knew I had some money in my account that I’d be able to use for groceries.

“Let’s go,” Tristen said as he opened the door and then picked up my duffel bag and headed toward the Porsche SUV. I carried my sketchbook and stepped onto the porch. I fished the keys from the pocket of my jeans, locked the door, and held the keys in the palm of my hand for Joel.

“Hang onto those. Call the cleaners tomorrow morning to schedule services. You’ll need to be here to unlock the door for them and lock up when they’re done. Remember?”

“Yes, got it,” I confirmed that I understood the task.

I got in the backseat of the SUV and marveled at the interior. This had been the first time I’d ever been in a Porsche. Everything felt heavy and elevated. Nothing was over the top glitzy. Simple, but I could tell the way everything felt and looked so far that the materials used were really nice. I clicked the seat belt in place as Joel brought the Porsche to life with the press of a button. As we crept along the dirt road to my new place, I felt nothing in the way the SUV rode that made me feel like I was roughing it on a dirt road. I felt like I was in a cocoon of an extremely capable car. This SUV could easily go out for a night in the city and then romp around in the wilderness. But who the fuck would take this off-roading?

As we parked in front of my new cabin, I undid the seatbelt and opened the door. I followed Tristen to the back of the Porsche and Joel opened the hatch from the driver’s seat before joining us.

Tristen handed me my duffel bag, and I slung the long strap over my shoulder before I followed Joel to the porch.

“I’ll bring in the boxes with the guest bag contents,” Tristen said from the back of the Porsche.

“Okay,” Joel called over his shoulder.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Joel began as he unlocked the door. He pointed to the porch lights and said, “When you’re looking over the cabins, make sure the exterior lights are all working.”

“Got it,” I confirmed and nodded.

Joel stepped inside, flipped the lights on, and then went back outside to help Tristen. I set my duffel bag on the first step of the stairs and put my sketchbook on the kitchen counter. As Iheaded toward the entryway, Tristen walked inside with some boxes in his arms and bags wrapped around his wrists. I took the boxes from him and set them on the kitchen table while Tristen untangled the bags from his wrists.

“Is there anything else that needs to come inside?” I asked.

“No, Joel has the rest,” Tristen said.

I looked in the direction of the door when I heard Joel walking up the steps to the porch. He stepped inside carrying some sort of basket and a few grocery bags. With his foot, he gently shut the door and headed to the kitchen.

“Here you go,” Joel set the cellophane wrapped basket on the counter. “Bea, from the rental office, put together a basket of snacks and stuff until you get some groceries.”

“Wow, this is great, thank you!” I said as I turned the basket around to check out the contents. It was full of cookies, chips, granola bars, fruit, and some microwave soups and pastas.

“Speaking of, are we ordering some food, or what?” Tristen asked.

“Yes. Cash, do you like pizza?”

“Absolutely.”

“Order the food, Tris,” Joel said as he took some drinks out of some bags. “We picked up some sodas, juices, and bottled water for you.”

“Thank you, it’s perfect. I really appreciate it.”

“Starving man over here,” Tristen announced. “Cash, what kind of pizza do you like?”