A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read this story. It is my baby and I am happy that so many people are enjoying it! Summer vacation has started and even summer can't be all fun and games. Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Summer Jobs, Anyone?
There was three weeks until the Lang Lodge opened for the summer season. Landon Lang, Casper's father looked over the ledger of jobs that still needed to be filled for the summer. He knew there was a gaggle of high school kids just itching for something to do for the summer. Of course he was weary of hiring any of the high school kids after they trashed the place during their last dance. Always a fair man, he decided to give them a chance. He picked up the phone on his desk and called the local paper. He listed one hostess/front desk representitive, three lifegaurds and three housekeeping/dining room servers.
His son Casper, poked his head into the office. "Hey, Pops," Casper called. "I'm running into town to help Mollie pack for her trip to New York. You need me to pick up anything while I'm there?"
Landon was happy that his son had chosen such a wonderful girl to spend his time with. Mollie Reynolds was a very good girl in Landon's eyes. Of his son's various girlfriends, Mollie was his favorite. Landon eyed the list of stuff they needed not just for the lodge but for their own personal use. Figuring if Casper was already going to Hidden Rocks he could do the shopping for him.
"Yeah, boy. That would be great," Landon said, handing his son the three page list of stuff. "Tell Katherine when you see her that Mom's got an entire spa day planned for her when she feels up to it."
"Sure thing Pop," Casper answered, going over the list. "You want Carson's to just deliver the meat and such like they always do?"
"Yeah. If they can manage it. We're ordering quite a lot aren't we?"
Casper made a note next to the Carson's order. "Anything else?"
"You could mention to your friends that there are some openings here if they're looking for a job."
"Cool. See you later then."
Casper left the office and headed for his heavy duty truck. Living in the mountains a truck or a Jeep was the best car to have. More so in the winter. There was one particulary rough winter that the Langs got snowed in and weren't able to dig themselves out for a week. Casper used to like living so far away, however now that he was dating Mollie, he despised the distance. It took him too long to get to her if she needed him. Ever since Harris manhandled her at the party a week ago, Casper hated leaving Mollie on her own. Which he knew was silly because all her brothers, minus the non-college ones were home and were on the lookout for any of Harris' friends.
Casper blasted his Ipod in his truck on the drive down the mountain. Casper was a rock kind of guy. He listened to everyone from Flogging Molly (ironic isn't it?) to Metallica. As long as Mollie was in the truck with him, he would listen to the Christian station. Not that he minded, because occasionly the Newsboys or Switchfoot would come on and Casper liked them. His and Mollie's relationship was a lot of give and take. Whenever they would go out for dinner, Mollie always prayed and Casper would always pay, even if Mollie offered her fair share. Casper gave up swearing and Mollie would occasionly drop a word or two just to prove to Casper she could say them.
The first place Casper stopped at when he got to town was the closet gas station. He had made it to town on his truck's will power and a whole lot of faith. He couldn't wait for the construction on the gas station at the lodge to be up and running. After Casper filled his truck he drove from the even side of town over to Mollie's. When he arrived he was met by a line of cars all crowded around the Reynolds' house. Something was happening.
Casper ended up parking in Matt's driveway and walked over three houses to Mollie's. There were cars in the driveway that Casper had never seen before. Something had to have been going on that Mollie had forgotten to tell him about. He rang the bell and was ushered in by a small woman Casper had never see before. Casper looked around the foyer of the Reynolds' trying to spot his five foot two girlfriend. Along the way he was handed a plate of food and a drink. Somehow, Casper wasn't sure how, he ended up in the den. Sitting on the arm of the one chair that always remained empty was Mollie and a large man sitting next to her. It finally dawned on Casper what was going on. He was at a welcome home party for Mollie's father Jack.
Mollie spotted Casper and left her father's side and went over to him. Happiness was oozzing from her every pore. Casper had never seen Mollie this happy before in all the time that he had known her. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She let go and took his hand. Mollie led Casper over to where her father was sitting.
"Daddy?" Mollie called, pulling him out of a conversation he was having with another guest. "Daddy, this is my Casper. Casper this is my faher Supervisory Special Agent Jack Reynolds, Undercover Unit."
The two men shook hands. "You can call me Jack," Mr. Reynolds said. "You must be the young man that my daughter is talking about constantly."
"Mollie speaks very highly of you as well, sir," Casper said nervously. He had a speech prepared when he finally did meet SSA Reynolds but when it came time for it, Casper was too terrified of him to say anything more. Jack Reynolds was by far the scariest dad Casper had ever encountered. He was as tall as Casper but he was more muscular than Casper could have ever hoped to be. If Casper could be compared to Wolverine than Jack Reynolds was the Hulk. There was a break in the conversation that Mollie noticed. She took over.
"I think you and Casper will get along wonderfully, Dad," Mollie said. "You have a lot in common."
"I'm sure we do," Jack replied, giving Casper the fatherly once over. His gaze soon turned from the teenagers and to a woman coming down the small flight of stairs to the den. "If you'll excuse me, someone very dear to me needs my attention."
Jack moved quickly through the people gathered. He got to his cherished wife's side and helped her to the nearest chair. Mollie was gone from Casper's side before he even realized she had moved. It astounded Casper how the Reynolds' worked to keep Katherine's spirits high. Sebastian came down from the kitchen with a cup of his mother's favorite tea. Another large man, whom Casper could only assume was Mollie's eldest brother Gavin, laid a quilt over his mother's lap. Jack knelt down beside his beloved wife. He was whispering to her. Katherine shook her head. It was not one of her good days, but ever the gracious hostess Katherine insisted on having the welcome home party for Jack.
Jack and Katherine had been married for 32 years. They had been high school sweethearts. The eloped two days after their high school graduation and went to college together. Katherine majored in nursing while Jack double majored in Pyshcology and Criminal Behavior. They had their oldest child Gavin just days before they were to graduate from college. Jack was working with the NYPD with their undercover unit. In that time Katherine had become the Director of Nursing at the Columbia University hospital and was juggling being a young mother of four. The triplets; Raine, Steven and Miles, were two at the time and Gavin was six. It was a crazy time for the young family.
After years of applying and school, Jack finally got his dream job: Undercover agent with the FBI. Thus began his and Katherine's biggest adventure of their lives. He was able to train in New York City but soon he was off on his first assignment in Denver, Colorado. By now their family had grown three more boys: JD, Bryan and Hunter. Sebastian and Mollie were born in Denver. Over the next seventeen years the Reynolds had relocated five times. After Denver they went to San Francisco, Baton Rouge, Boston, Seattle and finally Hidden Rocks, Wyoming. Of all the places they had been Hidden Rocks was the family's favorite. Gavin had been gone and out of the house by the second move to Baton Rouge. The triplets soon followed.
Casper and Mollie ended up outside with her nephews, Edward, Dylan, Ethan and Davis playing tag and other run them dry games. Her sister in law Amy came out to tell Casper and Mollie that Katherine was feeling much better after her nap and the whole family was planning on going out to dinner.
"I should get home. I still have a ton of errands to run for my dad," Casper said, trying not to sound like he was begging off.
"I understand," Mollie said. "Lang Lodge is opening soon. I'll call you later."
Casper kissed her lightly before leaving the backyard. He walked back over to his truck to which he found a parking ticket from Matt. Casper laughed it off and headed off to do the chores he had put off hours ago. He drove to the other side of town. Luckily he mentioned to Mollie that a bunch of openings were available at the lodge and to pass the news along. It took him a long time to get all the things his father needed for the lodge and for their house.
Three days later...
The Lang Lodge was full to the brim with many people. Landon had all of his managers ready to conduct interviews. Of Casper's friends the following had arrived: Emma, Jo, Becca, Matt, Jesse and Marc. The boys were on for lifegaurding at the warmer pool and for the lake. Emma, Jo, and Becca were fighting the other girls for the server postions. What was nice for anyone applying for postions on the lake, Casper had the most pull with the manager, since it was himself. Matt had the boatmaster's postiton before he even stepped in the door.
It wasn't like Matt needed the job at the lodge. He just wanted to have something productive to do during the day. At least by working at the dock he was able to do the two things he loved most; being outside and on the water. Plus if both he and Becca got a job there, they could spend some time together.
Things weren't perfect between Becca and Matt but they were trying. They were talking more. Talking instead of yelling. Sometimes their friends wondered how they even managed to be together. Becca would be the first to tell yoiu that her relationship with Matt has never been easy or always easy. Her and Matt are very different and those differences were ulitmately the reasons for their various, public blowouts. Matt didn't have enough fingers or toes to count the different times that Becca has full on slapped him for something he had said. They rarely agreed on anything but the one thing that both of them could truly agree on was that they loved each other with all their heart.
By the end of the day all the openings at the lodge had been filled. Becca, Jo and Kate all got jobs as servers and Matt, Marc and Jesse all ended up runnig different outdoor programs. Matt was of course the boastmaster. His job was to assist lodge guests with the boats and other boating experiences. Marc was on he hiking guide team. He was to lead guests on the trails and make sure no one got lost. Jesse worked with the trail guides along with Marc and was in charge of ATV rental. Emma got the best job of all. She was the front desk hostess and Amy's assistant. She got to be inside all day and run errands for Amy if needed. Mostly she took a lot of reservations for vacations and dinners.
Mostly Emma wanted to use this summer to really decide what she wanted out of her senior year. The top of her list was making things right with Maddie or least scaling back the war some. The second and to her the more important thing was to talk herself out of her feelings for Cohen Atwood. Ever since that conversation they had at school, Emma had been seeing him almost everywhere. It was painful because she knoew that she truly loved Jesse and didn't want to hurt him. What was making this harder is that for some time now, she and Jesse's relationship had started to falter. Just the fact that Emma could fall for another guy seemed to be a giant red flag.
Back in town Halle and her mother Anita were having the biggest argument they had ever had. Anita was getting suspicious of Halle disapperaing to almost everyday since school got out. Halle would be up an gone at the break of day and would return well after midnight. Halle was acting strage on days she didn't vanish. If she wasn't gone she would lock herself in her room and be on the phone all day. Anita was worried and just wanted Halle to talk to her.
Halle and her mother never had the wonderful mother-daughter relationship that Mollie had her with her mother. Halle and Anita fought about everything. Anita wanted all of her girls to be proper debutantes. Audrey, Judy, Julie, Jenny and Joanna all had their coming-out parties and when it came time for Halle's last fall, Halle revolted. She fought to have everything her way and not her mother's. Anita wanted a proper coming-out ball with ball gowns and tuxedos. Halle wanted a fun night of video games, movies and non-stuffy food with her friends. Halle hated dressing up. She was her mother's rocker tomboy. In the end her father Frank made a deal with Halle; go along with her mother's nuttyness and he would buy her dream car. And that is how Halle got her Jetta.
"Halle, would you please tell me what is going on with you?" Anita begged. "You're gone all the time. What is going on?"
"Nothing that you need to be worried about, Mother," Halle answered, moving around her mother to reach for her phone tha was buzzing a new text message. Halle flipped open her phone and read her new plans with Ty.
"Halle, please. Talk to me."
"Theres's nothing to talk about, Mom. I have to go meet a friend."
Halle tried to leave the kitchen but her mother had her blocked. "You are not leaving this house until you tell me where you're going."
"It's none of your business where I am going Mom. I'm meeting a friend and I'll be home later. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. I'm late as it is."
"Hallelujah Renee Valmont, you are not going anywhere!" Anita shouted.
"This is me leaving. And this is you unable to do a thing about it."
Halle left the kitchen with her mother fuming behind her. She soon heard the clicking of heels behind her and she turned to face her mother yet again. Halle stood stiff and unmoving as her mother stared her down.
"You want to know where I am going Mom? Do you really want to know?" Halle snapped. "I'm going to be with a boy I met online that I have fallen for!"
Halle paused to gauge her mother's reaction. Seeing that she was shocked Halle continued to speak. "His name is Tyler Morris. He lives in Greely and we have been meeting just outside Cheyenne for almost a month now."
"I forbid you from seeing this boy," Anita managed to say. She knew in an instant that she said the wrong thing. Anita remembered very clearly when her mother forbid her to see Frank, her husband. All it did was make her want to see him more.
"Well guess what, Mom. I am going to see Ty as much as I want and there is not a damn thing you can do to stop me."
Halle hadn't spoken to her mother like this in a long time. In fact this was the most she ever spoke to her mother. Halle and Anita had an unspoken agreement that they would co-exsist after the coming out ball. Halle took one last look at her mother and left the house. She got in her car and sped away. Anita sank down in the window seat of the living room and wiped away a tear.
Back at the lodge Matt, Marc, Casper, Jesse, Jo, Becca and Emma were hanging out by the lake. Casper and Marc had a line in the water, hoping to catch something. Everyone noticed that Casper's mood had changed signifacantly since the day before. He was mopey and kept sighing. It was getting to the point that Marc and Jesse were seriously considering shoving Casper in the lake.
"Will you get over yourself Casper?" Emma teased. "Mollie will be home before you know it. You're actling like she left without saying goodbye."
Mollie left yesterday with her brother Gavin and his family. Casper had come down to see her off. She had told him when she would be leaving an hour after she and Gavin's family would already be gone. Mollie had left a note with her mother to give to Casper when he arrived.
"My Casper," the letter read. "I'm sorry for leaving like this but I had no other choice. After everything that had happened I need time to reevaluate everything and come to an understanding about us. I'm very confused right now and I need to take some time to get unconfused. Please Casper, please don't contact me while I am away. Don't write, don't call, please. I will contact you when I feel ready. Casper, please honor my wishes. Please know that I care about you deeply. I just need this time to reflect and pray about us. I will talk to you soon. With all my heart, Mollie."
Emma looked at Casper, wondering what had happened between him and her best friend. "What happened Casper?"
"Mollie left without saying goodbye," Casper said, looking over the water. "She doesn't want me to call her or anything while she is in New York. I think I went too far."
Mollie hadn't told Emma about what had transpired after she was manhandled by Harris and his goons. All Emma knew was that after Casper and Zach got in the fight they went back to Mollie's and played Scarbble with her mom and Sebastian.
"What did you do?" Emma asked, genuinely concerned.
Casper looked back over the water and then down at his feet. "After the fight with Zach I told Mollie that I loved her."
"Jiminy crispies!" Emma exclaimed. "Well no wonder! Casper Mitchell Lang you scared Mollie off! Just before the party I had to give her a bloody pep talk about how much she had to offer."
"For the record you have been dating a Brit for fat too long," Casper muttered. "I meant what I said. Mollie is just-she's-it's just that-she's-she's Mollie. Wonderful, beautiful, amazing, honest, loving, adorable Mollie."
"And as Mollie's best friend, Casper please do as she wishes. And also, please do us all a favor Casper and chill," Emma said, inflecting on the last word. "'Cause you really suck when you're all mopey and whiny."
At that Emma got a faceful of cold mountain lake water in her face. The shocked and not amused look on her face only caused Casper to laugh and splash her again. The water war was on! If Mollie had been there she would have taken off running for the lodge after Emma's first splash. Marc and Casper ganged up on Jo and tossed her into the lake. Marc had never heard his girlfriend use more Gaelic swear words in his life. Jesse was trying to toss Emma in and only ended up going in with her. It was a good time that made everyone, at least for a moment forget all about the outside world.
When Jesse returned home from the lodge, most of his family had gathered in the kitchen. His mother had tears in her eyes and his other sister's weren't doing as well either. His father was staring stoically out the widow, staring south.
"What's going on?" Jesse asked, slightly confused.
"What do you know about a Tyler Morris?" his father asked from the window.
"Umm, that he's a friend of Halle's who lives in Greely. Why?" Jesse said.
"Halle has run away from home," Anita said, tears dripping from her eyes. "She would rather live in her car than stay here with us."
"That's crazy," Jesse said, defending his twin. "Halle would never run away. Something must have happened."
After her fight with her mother, Halle drove out of sight and waited until she saw her mother's car leave. Halle figured Anita would go looking for Halle or down to Main St Even to do some shopping. Halle drove back to the empty house and back up to her room she shared with Jenny and Joanna. Halle and Ty's relationship was in a good place. They loved to be together and just hang out playing Guitar Hero or some other video game. After the fight with her mother, Halle realized that she needed to take a stand in her own life for once.
All her life Halle had caved to her mother's wishes. She took dance in London because her sisters had done it therefore Halle had to as well. To Halle it felt like her life was being led farther and farther away from the dreams and goals that she had. Halle was smart and excelled in math and science. She wanted to become a criminal forensics analyst. Basically she wanted Danny Messer's job on CSI:New York. But Anita had other plans for her daughters and they were all the same dream. She wanted her daughters to marry well and raise families, just like she did. In a way you could call Anita Valmont the modern day Mrs. Bennet. This plan was not what Halle had in mind.
After Halle had driven away from the house she watched from a distance until her mother had left. She figured her mother would be either be looking for her or heading to Main Street Even to go shopping. Halle went back inside the house, packed a small bag and left a note on the side table in the foyer. "Family, Gone to Ty in Greely. Halle" Not the best "Look Mom I'm Running Away From Home" note on the planet but it would do for the time being.
Jesse stood next to his father, trying to figure out why Halle would take off like that. He figured that his sister was ignoring everyone's phone calls. At least maybe Anita's. Jesse soon slipped upstairs to his bedroom and called his twin. Of all the people that Halle could ignore, her twin brother was not one of them. Halle picked up on the second ring.
"Hey Jesse," Halle said. "You just get back from the lodge?"
"Let's save the small talk, Halle," Jesse said, getting right to the point of his call. "Mom's sobbing her bloody head off thinking you've run away from home. What is going on?"
"I'll be back in a few days," Halle said. "Ty and I are together at the moment. We'll be back in a few days. Jesse, I have never once asked you to cover for me, but can you?"
Jesse sighed and looked over to the family picture he had on his wall. He and Halle were laughing together while the rest of the family had a stoic look on their face. "What do you want me to tell them?"
"Ty and I are camping with his family and we'll be back in a few days. Thank you Jesse."
"I'd say you owe me, but I won't. Be safe, with whatever it is that you're doing."
The twins hung up and Halle snuggled in closer to Ty as they drove away from the Wyoming state line. They were taking a road trip, not caring where they end up. They had flipped a coin. Heads they would go east towards New York and tails they would go west to LA. They were headed west. They didn't look at a map or anything, Ty just drove. They would stop when they got hungry or tired.
Two days later...
Emma was at home, bored since Mollie and Halle were gone. She wasn't needed at the lodge until the next week. She was reading a book that Mollie had loaned her, many moons ago. Emma was sprawled out on the couch in the den, flipping through Cold Mountain. She had seen the movie and wasn't really wanting to read the book. She was just out of options. She tossed the book aside out of boredom and wandered into the kitchen for a snack.
Both of her grandparents had been bakers in Hidden Rocks for years. Emma could remember after her mother's murder and her father's trial she would spend hours with her grandmother in their small bakery making everything from cookies to fudge to cracked wheat bread. Emma's house never had store bought bread. Nanna was always baking fresh loaves and taking them to various homes around town. Mollie's mother always got at least two a week.
While poking around the kitchen for something to much on the house phone rang. Very rarely did the house phone ring during the day, mostly it was telemarketers wanting to conduct surveys. Feeling in the mood to screw with a telemarketer, Emma picked up the phone. "Ross residence."
"May I please speak with either Harlan or Isabelle Ross please," a male voice said.
"They're not home at the moment, may I take a message?" Emma replied.
"With whom am I speaking?" the man asked.
"Their granddaughter Emma. Who is this?"
"Miss, my name is Thomas Davenport and I am the warden at the USP Florence. I am calling about inmate Jeffery Blythe."
"Has he died?" Emma asked, hopefully.
"No miss," Warden Davenport said. "He has escaped. We have reason to believe that he is armed, highly dangerous and heading in the northern direction."
Emma went stiff and pale. The phone slipped out of her hands and crashed to the floor. Emma's knees went weak and she fainted to the floor. She felt like it had only been minutes when she woke up later in her bed. Her grandparents were knelt by her bed.
"Nanna?" Emma called out. "Nanna?"
"I'm here baby," Isabelle said, taking Emma's hand. "Sweetheart, what happened? Poppa found you passed out on the kitchen floor."
Emma tried to recall what had happened hours beforehand. The memory of what the warden had said shook her to the core that she began to breath heavily and tears formed in her eyes.
"The warden of his prison called. He escaped and is headed this way."