Back to the Cabin

A pair of brown eyes watered as they watched the owner’s best friend and first-ever lover share a half-hug and handshake. A hiccup brought upon by holding in a sob came from the eyes’ owner while her younger sister rolled her own set.

“Don’t worry. We’ll let Newt know what happened whenever he resurfaces,” Jared promised.

“And he’s getting a swift kick in the nuts for not answering our calls and texts,” JoJo vowed, blinking her glistening eyes. Then, she moved forward to hug Sean, but he held up his hands to stop her.

“Whoa! I don’t want you to wrinkle your dress. You’ve finally dressed up while looking like a cartoon princess,” Sean said. He meant the part about not ruining his friend’s dress, but added the joke as Jo looked ready to burst into tears.

It didn’t work as the busty brunette shot forward to throw her arms around her next-door neighbor and BFF. The ferocity of the hug warmed Sean’s heart while stopping any effort to pry himself loose.

“When does Jo ever care about wrinkling her clothes?” Zoey remarked, leaning against the wall. “Besides, Belle’s dress won’t be on for much longer based on the Beast’s hungry expression.”

Jared sheepishly shrugged, but Sean didn’t find it amusing.

The three teens had accompanied Sean to his hotel room to help him hurriedly pack. All of them had noticed his depressed, sullen attitude and shared worried looks. And this bitter reaction to the news of his parents’ impending divorce didn’t end once they got to the room. Instead, it intensified as Sean insisted on hobbling around to gather his clothes.

Still, Sean surprised JoJo when he whispered a warning into her ear.

“Don’t let him hurt you, Jo.”

“In bed?” the brunette joked.

“I mean it, Jo,” her BFF hissed.

“We’re not together,” JoJo reminded. “So knock it off. You’re not turning into a Negative Nelly on my watch. Got that?”

“Agreed,” Zoey said, overhearing enough to understand. “Do I need to inform the Babybees that their duties will also include your mental health? Kizz’s mom is a therapist. Just saying.”

As Jared glanced at the other three in curiosity over what he missed, the packing finished in the next-door hotel room. Bridget gave her room another scan before nodding at having grabbed everything. She’d handed over the responsibility to several others as she’d needed to say her goodbyes to the Banks. It had been yet another emotional moment, but Cassie's parents fully understood why Bridget needed to leave.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll give the rooms another look over before checking out tomorrow,” Peyton reassured.

“I know you will,” the blonde doctor leaned in to kiss her daughter’s forehead. “And thank you so much, girls. You’ve both been a tremendous help tonight. Now, it’s time for you to go have fun.”

“You’re welcome,” Harley replied, shooting forward for a hug.

Bridget nearly started crying again at the compassionate concern her old teenage archenemy’s daughter showed. If anyone had suffered through a horrible divorce, it had been Harley. So Bridget leaned down to kiss the top of the ginger’s hair while offering another whispered thanks.

“Are you really going to keep pushing Sean until he’s gone?” Peyton asked the other girl, who also watched the embrace.

“All the way to the car,” Kizzy vowed.

“Not in this cold,” Bridget declared, breaking the hug. “I don’t want any of you girls catching a cold.”

Kizzy’s grumpy expression showed that she didn’t care about the cold air outside. But, on the other hand, Harley had a different thought.

“How are you going to get Sean to your car? It looks like the police are still out front.”

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Bridget admitted, glancing over toward the window. But, of course, Peyton was already on it.

“It looks like they’re still clearing people out,” the younger Tarver woman reported.

“I guess we’ll have to see what Harvey thinks,” Bridget said before checking the time. “And we better head upstairs and see how much longer Whitney’s going to take.”

That brought snickers from the two younger cheerleaders.

Joining up with the others in Sean and Peyton’s room, the two Babybees quickly took their places, no matter what anyone else thought. Harley began pushing Sean with Kizzy out front, protecting Sean’s injured foot and leg. Peyton shook her head, knowing that the rest of her winter break appeared destined to be filled with teenage cheerleaders. As if dealing with ex-pom-pom fanatics didn’t already fill her days at college.

Walking down the hallway toward the elevators, they got a shock at around a third of the way left. Harvey popped around the corner with an impatient expression.

“All finished?” he inquired with **** joviality.

“How did you finish first?” Bridget questioned, her voice carrying down the hall.

“Dad made me leave most of my stuff behind, including my dresses!” Whitney shouted indignantly from the elevator.

“Skye offered to pack the rest and bring them with her tomorrow. It was very thoughtful of her to offer,” Harvey revealed, turning to shoot his daughter a glare.

“Considering that Skye gets a penthouse suite all to herself tonight, I think she made out the best,” Whitney complained. Yet, her eyes lit up mischievously when Sean appeared around the corner. “I bet that gets your fantasies flying, Seanie. Too bad you went and got stupid. You sure you don’t want to stay behind and keep a bed warm with Skye?”

“It’s just going to be me. I swear!” Skye insisted after Whitney’s knowing expression.

“Yeah, right,” the teenage queen bee remarked. “There is zero chance that you’re in bed alone tonight. I don’t care what you keep telling yourself.”

Standing at the elevator banks, the group realized they’d need to split up as the elevator couldn’t hold all of them. First, however, Bridget brought up Harley’s previous question to Harvey.

“Graham’s already on it. He’s bringing the SUV to the rear loading dock. That way, we can avoid the crowd and sneak out.”

“Seriously, what did you do?” Bridget questioned.

Harvey brushed off the question as a final series of hugs happened.

“I’ll say one thing, I’m sick of hugging people,” Sean muttered.

“If that’s the case… how about this?” Skye queried.

Lowering her head, she leaned forward to give the teenage hero a soft kiss on the lips. Lasting only ten seconds, Sean attempted to follow the gorgeous brunette’s lips as they pulled away, setting off a round of chuckles.

“That’s a sample of the midnight kiss you’ll be missing,” the waitress and wannabe model stated.

Another brunette bounced up and down in anticipation of her early midnight kiss. Whitney caught sight of the excited expression and shook her head firmly.

“Not happening, Lil’ B.” Whitney watched as the younger Beal sister’s excitement faded. “Still, you two did an excellent job with Sean tonight. Despite letting him get injured in a fight, I’ll remember your efforts when we return to school.”

“Our fault?! You’re the one who punched Sean in the–” Kizzy pointed out as the elevators closed. That left her, Harley, Peyton, JoJo, Jared, and Zoey to wait for the next elevator.

---

Fifteen Minutes Later

“Do I want to know what you did?” Bridget asked from the front passenger seat. “Skulking doesn’t suit you.”

Harvey had just made the third turn since leaving the Witzler’s loading dock.

“Ooh, I like that, Bridget!” Whitney squealed, leaning forward from her spot directly behind her father. “Rushing away while skulking is not the Harvey Diamond that raised me. Something fishy is going on here.”

“I agree. So tell us, Harv,” Bridget prodded, winking at the teen.

“Nope. I’ll tell you later. Maybe in the morning.”

“The morning? Please, Dad, if it’s one of your usual episodes, it’s going to be all over town as soon as Nosy Nectar gets a whiff.”

“She does have a point. Although I’m willing to bet I hear the story from a friend back at the hotel before it hits the internet,” Bridget speculated. “Yet, there is The Stinging Truth and its interest in you.”

“I’m not talking,” Harvey declared.

“About this or anything at all?” Whitney questioned.

However, she suddenly didn’t care as her phone buzzed with an incoming message. And what she saw brought a boisterous cheer.

“Has it come out already?” Bridget asked.

“I don’t care. Ramsey’s okay!” Whitney announced. “Lacey said they heard that your sister found her, and she’s on her way back to the Witzler.”

“What happened?” Sean asked, finally speaking.

“They don’t know. That’s all Ms. Graff told Daisy. Lacey’s going to send more when she learns it.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Bridget said, but stopped as the teen’s phone buzzed again. “What now?” she asked, noticing the younger blonde’s frown.

"Uh, Dad, you should turn your phone off.

"Why? Is my…has it leaked?" Harvey asked, straining to turn around to see his daughter.

“No.” A long pause ensued. “Um, Mother might be looking for us.”

“Wait; what? Looking for us? You said you’d inform her that we were leaving.”

“Whoops! Must have slipped my mind,” Whitney lied without even trying. “Hey, you’re the one that made us skulk out the back door.”

“Don’t blame me. I’d think more about how you’re going to apologize to your uncle,” Harvey replied. “Poor Graham is going to have his hands full with another problem.”

“Geez, you sure do mess up Uncle Graham’s life, don’t you? It’s a wonder why he even likes you these days.”

“What’s that mean?” Harvey challenged, straining again to see his daughter as he drove. “Why the hell are you behind me? I can’t see you, and I need to keep an eye on you.”

“I told her to sit there,” Bridget revealed. “I’m the one that needs to watch her.”

“She’s my daughter,” Harvey grumbled, shooting a glare at the older blonde.

“Well, I’m the one who went to medical school while you pretended to play house with Willow,” Bridget shot back with an arched eyebrow.

“Played house?! Isn’t that what you did with Leonard?”

“Father!” Whitney admonished, unbuckling her seatbelt to lean between the seats. “Apologize at once!”

“Oh, I’m fine, honey. Don’t worry about it,” Bridget reassured Whitney. “I tried to make my marriage work for over twenty years. Gave it everything while giving it up plenty. Mr. Sex Party wouldn’t understand.”

“Did you just bring up my parties in front of her?” Harvey bellowed.

“So now I’m not supposed to know about them?” Whitney asked, chuckling. “Bee, maybe you should drive. I think my father suffered a head injury.”

---

Twenty-five Minutes Later

Whitney's phone buzzed, only this time, her face showed surprise. Then, lifting it up, she answered.

“Hello? What happened? Seriously? Ohmigawd…where is Rammy now? How the hell did she…oh!”

The conversation went on like this for nearly ten minutes, annoying the other three occupants who wanted an actual update. Instead, they got exclamations, snarky comments, and odd bits of information here and there. Finally, Whitney sat up straighter.

“No, no, you’re not on the phone with me. Shit! Tell her…bad reception. I’m turning my phone off–Whew!” Whitney breathed a sigh of relief as she ended the call and turned it off. “You'd better shut your phone off, Dad.”

Nobody needed an explanation to understand that the person on the phone, likely Lacey, had Willow accost her at the end of the conversation. Harvey gripped the steering wheel in frustration. He knew it would be pointless to scold Whitney for not speaking to his ex-wife, but he also knew he would pay for it several times over starting tomorrow.

Bridget merely shook her head at the strained mother-daughter relationship. In the seat behind her, Sean tried to bury himself deeper into the door to hide. Unfortunately, his mind kept having flashes of Whitney’s mom, thrown food, and bouncing boobs. He couldn’t quite piece it together precisely, but realized his early fears had been confirmed. The stuff at Diamond Manor with Ms. Rycroft and Chastity hadn’t been a dream.

“What happened?” Bridget asked.

Whitney offered a long-winded rundown of everything that Lacey learned. After listening, Harvey realized that it’d been a long time since he’d had excitement like what went down at The Penalty Pub. In the backseat, Sean felt envious, almost bordering on jealousy, at missing such a fun-sounding adventure. It reminded him of his grandpa's tales. It also made him wonder if he’d ever experience a rivalry with the Klackhursts like the rest of his family.

“Honestly, that sounds pretty tame. I expected it to be far more violent with Brandy involved,” Bridget admitted. “I'd say it’s because of Fawn, but maybe having Wrenn with them also helped.”

“It sounds like Nate got into an actual fistfight,” Whitney pointed out.

“Tin’s going to be awful about this,” Bridget replied before shocking the two Diamonds. “She’s going to be gloating about Nate’s involvement while my kids were nowhere to be seen. And she’s going to complain nonstop about missing the fun.”

“Really?” Whitney questioned, glancing at Sean.

“Sounds about right for Aunt Tinny.”

“You know, Ramsey was probably in the office, not a random back room,” Harvey offered.

“Did we fail to mention something earlier?” Bridget teased.

“Well, you know how Fred can be. He likes to place a bet if he thinks he’s found a sure thing. So we’ve watched several games at The Penalty Pub over the years.”

“Gambling, huh?” Bridget repeated, glancing at Whitney with an amused expression. “And never once did it cross your mind that the illegal gambling might be under the Klackhursts’ control?”

“Illegal gam–It’s just sports betting!” Harvey defended.

“I didn’t say anything earlier in front of our friends, but how are you this clueless, Harvey?” Bridget challenged. “Frankly, it’s embarrassing that you don’t know something as well-known as Sig Wiberg’s friendship with Jethro Klackhurst. They used to be partners on the ****.”

“Oh, really? So it’s okay to call me an embarrassment in front of my daughter but not in front of my friends? The same with clueless?”

“I’m sure your daughter already knows that about you. I have the feeling that Whitney learned to exploit that obliviousness over the years to the fullest,” Bridget smirked while turning to look at the teenager. “How many murders have you gotten away with?”

“Real nice. Insulting a father in front of his kid,” Harvey barked indignantly.

“Hey! I am not a kid!” Whitney shrieked.

“Of course you’re not, sweetie. You’re all woman,” Bridget remarked, winking at the teen.

“Hey, don’t wink at my kid! You two are hatching a scheme against me, aren’t you?”

“Stop calling me a kid!”

“Gawd, Harv, don’t be paranoid,” Bridget said, waving her hand dismissively at him. “And your daughter isn’t a kid. Not with that body of hers.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, yes, I saw your little pumpkin in all her glory earlier.”

“Wait; what?! You s-saw…n-naked?” Harvey stammered, his head swinging around the SUV.

Bridget ignored the questions as she found Harvey’s bewilderment amusing. Instead, she carried on.

“Yes, your daughter is an adult, even if she occasionally acts like a bratty eight-year-old.”

Whitney gasped at the other woman’s comment.

“You’re not wrong about that,” Harvey agreed with a chuckle.

“The hell, Bridget? Why is everyone picking on me? What about Sean? Pick on him for once,” Whitney ordered, pointing at the other teenager.

“Sean is a goddamn hero; that’s why not,” Harvey proclaimed.

“Sean’s problem is that he’s too good at most times,” Bridget stated.

“I’m trying to change that. Don’t I get any credit?” Whitney questioned in exasperation.

“So far, so good, girl. But you don’t get praise until the project has successfully completed benchmarks.”

Up to now, Sean had ignored the conversation. However, a message on his phone changed that.

“Uh, Mom, you might want to check your phone.”

“Why is that, honey?”

“Um, I don’t know how Aunt Brandy managed to do two things at one time, but…you know Uncle Teddy’s high school girlfriend….”

“Yes, her name is Crystal. What did my kid sister do now?”

“Well…you need to see the picture. Words don’t do justice,” Sean replied.