Free Dust to Dust: A Broken Fairy Tale by S. P. Cervantes Page B

Stop playing around and get up here and say hello to our visitor who came to help save Mantoloking.” My dad is clearly not concerned with our precarious position on the floor. I instantly begin blushing, imagining what we must look like lying here like this.
    Holden gets up, smiling cheekily at me and helping me to my feet. “And who do we have the pleasure of seeing today, Mr. D?”
    Holden doesn’t let go of my hand; instead, he gently rubs his finger along my palm, making my heart flutter. I lean into Holden and jab my elbow into his side, trying to let him know the flirting is going too far. He only laughs and pulls me securely under his arm. I can’t help but smile and find comfort in his embrace as we make our way over to my dad.
    My happiness is instantly sucked out of me when we walk around the bar to see the visitor my dad is talking to. You know that feeling of complete terror you get when you know something very bad is about to happen? Well, that is how I’m feeling right now, times a thousand. I feel all of the blood leave my face and my stomach drops out of me. Everything in the room begins to spin, and I actually feel like I am going to faint. My heart is racing and I can feel sweat starting to pool on my forehead. Jake Waters is standing in the doorway of the restaurant, chatting with my dad as if there is nothing wrong with him being here. As if he isn’t the one person I fear more than anyone in the world. Not now.
    “Hey man! What’s it been—fifteen, sixteen years? How the hell are you, Jake?” Holden is patting Jake on his back, completely oblivious of my visceral reaction to facing evil. All I can do is stand there and stare; my body is paralyzed with fear.
    Jake eyes me cautiously when he notices me at Holden’s side. I can see concern and uncertainty cross his face. I can’t take my eyes off him. At a closer look, he seems so much smaller than in my memories. He stands just under six feet tall, with a thin, almost frail looking frame. But his eyes are what I remember the most, and the distant, disconnected look he had back then is still there, and is just as horrifying as I remember.
    Jake breaks his gaze from mine and clears his throat. “My dad asked me to come down and help check on our properties, make sure everything is in order before the storm hits.”
    Holden is noticing the uncomfortable way Jake is acting; he looks back at me and instantly notices my change in attitude from moments ago. My mouth is dry and I still can’t speak. I turn to the bar, trying to gather myself, aimlessly moving glasses and bottles around, avoiding his gaze at all costs.
    “Hey sweetie, grab Jake here a drink,” my dad tells me cheerfully, oblivious of the fact that I am about to crumble into a million pieces.
    “No thanks, Mr. Dade. My dad’s waiting for me. Maybe another time.” Jake looks over at me as if he is talking only to me. “I’m going to be in town a lot more now that I am working with my dad on his campaign. Only a month to go and he needs all the help he can get.”
    “Great, then we’ll be working together. I’m throwing my hat in the ring and helping out your dad through the final lap, too,” Holden chimes in, still eyeing me curiously. He walks over to my side behind the bar and begins rubbing my back, knowing something is up.
    “Yeah, that’s what I heard,” Jake replies and starts backing out the door, clearly as shaken with the situation as I am. I am sure he knows I have never told my family about what he did to me, but I can tell he isn’t quite sure about Holden. “Have you moved back to the area? Are you two together again?” he asks, noticing the affectionate way Holden is caressing my back while I lean into him, accepting freely the comfort he is providing.
    We both instantly step away from each other, realizing that our actions do seem a little too intimate.
    “No, man—she moved on long ago.” Holden doesn’t seem fazed by the mistake and playfully rubs