Cousins

"No way. No fucking way," Lana thought aloud.

She spoke it more to herself than to Nate, who stood slightly behind her with a bemused expression. The short, stocky young man honestly had no clue as to which hotel room he might stay in that night. But if the keycard in his partner-in-crime's hand worked, Nate's surprise trip to his childhood hometown might take a lavish turn.

"Fucking way!" Lana squealed as the keycard unlocked the door. With big, wide eyes, the redhead glanced at her companion as she nudged the door open. "Who did we have to fuck to get upgraded?!"

Suddenly, as if catching herself, Lana shook off the feeling and look of excited disbelief. In their place, the ginger strolled into the Executive Suite with her head held high, confident that she belonged in the top-floor opulence. Strutting almost ten feet into the interior, Lana's head swung to the left side as a voice spoke.

"I see you've continued to ignore my suggestions to take etiquette classes. Such a lack of class will lead you to associate with--ah, Nathan Toone. The very type of individual that I was just referring to."

"Ahhhhhhh!" Lana screamed in an over-the-top and embellished manner. "Protect me, Nate. It's Master Manners, the supervillain."

"Stand back, fiend!" Nate warned, throwing his arm in front of the damsel in distress.

The already dour expression on the immaculately dressed man somehow seemed to turn even more sour. At twenty-seven and as an up-and-coming attorney, Justin Stratton should be one of the most in-demand bachelors in all of Honey Hollow. Handsome with short, light-brown hair, baby blue eyes, and a sleek figure, Justin always appeared perfect. Yet it was the drive for perfection that turned many women off. Although his high standards caused him to dismiss them before they realized his uptightness. Serious beyond his years since childhood, Justin's cousins often joked that he lacked the fun gene.

"No way! I am not sharing this elegance with you," Lana proclaimed, pointing her finger at her eldest cousin.

"Nor do I ever wish to share a room with you either," Justin replied, oozing disdain. "Now, relax; I only stopped by to see if my father was here."

"Not Uncle Clarence, too. Why can't you people go spend the holidays in Blackbridge for once?" Lana whined.

"Why would we celebrate the holidays there? Our family and friends live in Honey Hollow," Justin pointed out with a bewildered face, failing to correct Lana about his father's whereabouts.

"First off, you don't have friends. Second, our family would love your absence as our gift for one year."

"Perhaps the feeling is mutual. Your side could go visit his family in the ocean," Justin suggested, gesturing to Nate.

Any comeback got cut off as Clive's voice roared as he left the bedroom.

"You already gave my rooms away?! No, I won't calm down. I never requested an upgrade. I want my regular rooms back." Clive barely paused to listen to the response before he interrupted the person. "None available?! This is preposterous... No, I highly doubt that Mr. Pierce signed off on this change. What? Oh, I can personally assure you that I will be discussing this screwup with him."

"Dad! What are you doing? Don't give this away," Lana pleaded, throwing her arms out.

"Not now, Lana! I have to find out where Dalton is at," Clive said, slamming down the suite's phone.

"But Dad!" Lana yelled to no avail as her father re-entered the bedroom. "He can't do...why would he do this to me?"

"You can't seriously mean that, can you?" Justin challenged. Realizing that his cousin did mean it, he shook his head in contempt. "Uncle Clive is the district attorney. That means he's a public servant. He must maintain the appearance of impartiality at all costs. That includes never accepting gifts."

"It's just a room upgrade," Lana replied, exasperated.

"It can be called a gift."

"From a friend since college?"

"Even more so. What if Diamond Corp or the Witzler Hotel is accused of a crime? Uncle Clive can't have any suggestions of favoritism. You do know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No tilting the scales of justice...blind whatever," the redhead grumbled. She knew that her suite life for the night would soon vanish.

"It's far more than a whatever. Try not to be so vapid when it comes to the family profession," Justin remarked bitingly. "Thankfully, you have enough sense to find another route in life."

Lana's eyes narrowed at the comment about her choice to study business at Zurbrugg College. I should apply to law schools just to show up Justin and Honor.

"Now, if you don't mind removing yourself from my path, I have to attend to my main reason for coming up to this floor," Justin said, motioning for Nate to get out of his way.

"Wait, why are you up here?" Lana questioned. She'd realized that Uncle Clarence couldn't be in the suite. He could never be quiet for this long. The man loved to hear himself talk.

"It's none of your business, but my date is staying on this floor," Justin revealed. The slight smirk on his usually all-business face caught Lana's attention.

"Cut the bullshit, Justin. You don't have a date on this floor."

"I can assure you that I do."

"Sure you do. Just like...Hey, Nate, remember that time when Justin claimed he had a girlfriend at summer camp, and it turned out--"

"Cathy existed!"

"Cathy from Canada," Lana sang.

"The worst, most overused lie ever," Nate added.

"Dammit, she was from Toronto! I showed you pictures," Justin snapped, his serious demeanor slipping.

"Obvious photoshops," Lana declared. "Are you going to do the same tonight?"

"I have a date, and she is staying on this floor," Justin insisted, his face turning red.

"Hmmm, I doubt, but let me think it over." Tapping her chin, Lana pondered the possibilities. "There are seven suites on this floor. Of the three corner penthouses, the Diamonds have one. Whitney would laugh in your face at a date offer. And I doubt that Sage Pierce would ever touch you. The final penthouse is likely a Wynwick. Most of them wouldn't...Oh, it better not be Estelle. If I have that bitch for a cousin-in-law, I'll ruin your wedding."

"No, my date is not Estelle. However, she is on my list."

"Your victims list?" Nate questioned in mock horror.

"Pretty much," Lana drawled before continuing. "Okay, we currently have one of the other four suites. I'm guessing the Falkenburgs have one, but the girls of that family are either taken or too young for you. The Vandermeers left the country. Oh, gawd! It's an ugly Unger, isn't it?"

"The Ugo girls? Damn, that's worse than a fictional summer girlfriend," Nate chuckled.

"It's not an Unger. If you must know, it's Elizabeth Buglehall," Justin announced proudly.

"Buffy the Bug?!" Lana screamed in shock.

"Who?" Nate queried.

"That is not a nice name to call her, Lana," Justin hissed through clenched teeth. "Elizabeth rated highly in every category on my rankings."

"Rankings? Wait, you do have a list?" Nate asked, thinking it had been a joke.

"I told you about it," Lana replied first.

"Oh, that power trip thing?"

"Power couples. The women need to fit a list of fucked up criteria. It's weird."

"My goals for finding the perfect wife are not weird. I consider our family's image and legacy to be the highest priority," the eldest Stratton cousin said indignantly. "Elizabeth has proven to hold top-notch confidence, intelligence, and ambition to go with people and organizational skills."

"Oh, c'mon, she only won a beauty pageant," Lana laughed.

"Wait, beauty queen? What was her name again? Bugglehill?" Nate inquired, pulling out his phone.

"Elizabeth Buglehall," Justin corrected automatically. "And she is more than just a beauty pageant winner. The Buglehalls are a prominent, widely respected family in Moose Point."

"Moose Point is the boonies, Justin!"

"Granted, it's not the most influential city."

"It's a town. A tiny town," Lana corrected, shaking her head. "Look, I never really liked you, Justin. I'll admit that."

"You've admitted it multiple times a year for most of our lives."

"Indeed, I have. However, you still are my cousin, so I don't want to see you marry a psycho bitch. Now, hold on a sec." Lana cut him off with a raised hand. "You know about Buffy's sorority history, right?"

"Of course. She served as both secretary and president during her time. Getting elected twice as president scored her highly on my rankings."

"This her?" Nate questioned, holding up his phone. Seeing Lana's curt nod, he nodded. "Sorority girl, huh? Not bad. Some of those girls can be closet freaks."

"Buf--Elizabeth is not that kind of woman. I can assure you that she's full of class and--"

"Hey, I was just going to say that she looks doable. Way too much makeup, but I think my kid sisters could give her a few tips," Nate commented. "Whoops. I mean, I guess that your sister could give her those tips."

"That is no way to talk about my date, Toone," Justin warned. He started to step forward but halted as Nate cocked his head to the side slightly. Then, recalling the other guy's reputation, Justin took a different tack. "Maybe Lana is jealous of Elizabeth's accomplishments."

"Yeah, you haven't been able to bait me with cheap tactics like that since junior high," the redhead responded dismissively. "Look, there is a reason why she's called Buffy the Bug. Well, besides caking on the makeup to cover up her face. It's because people hate her. And don't say it's jealousy. No, she was generally hated at Zurbrugg. Buffy's presidency was a reign of terror. Cruel and thin-skinned, she held grudges over the tiniest things. Hazing and humiliation happened there every single day. Not just during rush week."

"Those are merely rumors created by girls that couldn't--"

"No, it's true. Ask Buffy about the investigation. The national sorority sent people to Arbor Corners to dig into the local chapter. The findings weren't revealed until after Buffy graduated, but the sorority earned a two-year suspension," Lana recounted.

"Ambitious people are often misunderstood," Justin stated, brushing aside Lana's facts.

"Buffy is ruthless with a capital R. Oh, she's going to go places in life. It's just that I wouldn't put it past her to use a dead husband to get there," Lana speculated. "Don't argue with me, cuz. Your side of the family might consider themselves the worldly ones, but my side is the street-smart branch. I learned all about murders growing up around my dad's cases. Moose Point is the boonies. What happens there? A lot of 'hunting accidents'." Lana air-quoted the words. "I can just picture you all decked out in orange, awkwardly attempting to bond with your in-laws in the woods. Suddenly, a tragic accident happens, and I have to deal with your funeral."

"That's ridiculous speculation. And it sounds less like your father's cases and more like those trashy novels he reads," Justin replied sarcastically. Yet, his paling face exposed his false bravado. He knew that Elizabeth's family liked to go on family hunting trips on their vast lands.

"I don't know; it sounds plausible to me. It's a little different in Hawaii. We get so-called honeymoon drownings and drunken falls off the hotel balconies," Nate chimed in.

"Oh! Look at the time. You better not keep your date waiting," Lana warned, glancing at the time on her phone. "You never know what..."

"Nonsense. Utter nonsense," Justin muttered as he sped to the door.

"Cathy from Canada was hot," Nate said once the door closed.

"I know! I wonder how he smooth-talked her into liking him," the redhead replied.

"What's the plan for Honor?" Nate inquired as Lana dashed toward the window.

"Shockingly, I actually meant what I said about Buffy. One of our old cheer captains, Tuesday Brass, got into a catfight with her at a fraternity party when I was a freshman. Buffy had this wild look in her eyes that was frightening. Ooh! Check out that fucking view!" Lana abruptly changed the subject, her head pressed against the glass window. Looking side to side, she wondered how much better a view from the corner penthouse might be. "Damn, Dad should've offered a wife swap with Mr. Pierce for his penthouse."

"Lana," Nate warned.

"What? Dad would've gotten a good deal. Mrs. Pierce is no slouch. And I would totally do--Oh, hi, Mom!"

"I really don't know what to do with you. Nate, could you make sure that--oh, who am I kidding? You'll just make things worse," Rachel grumbled, recalling all the times that his mother caused her trouble.

"Yep, that's Finny and Peyton's jobs," Nate stated needlessly.

"So, are we staying in this suite?" Lana questioned hopefully. She could tell by her father's current tone on the phone that he wasn't getting his way.

"Probably. Your dad is talking to Florence, Dalton's secretary. She's as confused as we are," Rachel revealed.

"What's there to be confused about?"

"I heard Justin remind you why. With no other rooms available now, we'll have to stay in this suite but pay full price for it."

"So what?" It can't cost that much," Lana said, shrugging her shoulders. Then, her mother told her the price for one night during the holidays. "Holy fuck! Maybe you and Dad should take up my swapping idea. Hey, where are you going?"

"I'd better find Uncle Teddy's room," Nate said, walking toward the door. "That's my fallback plan if I don't get lucky.

"But you can stay here," Lana called after him.

"If I were you, I wouldn't count on staying here."

"Oh, I say stuff like that to my parents all the time. It's not a big deal."

"It isn't?" Rachel inquired after Nate left the room. "Let's talk, shall we?"

---

KNOCK KNOCK

"Yes?"

"Uh, it's me, Mom," Austin replied through the door.

The hotel door immediately swung open, revealing Miranda Rusk in a red robe. Austin ignored the hint of cleavage, focusing on his mother's slightly different hair. After submitting to a short hug, the teenager walked into the room.

"Um, did you do something different to your hair?' Austin inquired. It wasn't that he cared, but he learned from dating Lacey that girls seemed to like it if you noticed. And, from his mom's beaming face, he guessed she liked it too.

"Why yes, I did! I had the bob cut a little bit shorter. Thank you for noticing, sunshine." Miranda chuckled as her son cringed at his childhood nickname. "Your father won't notice unless he doesn't like it."

"Where is Dad?" Austin asked, glancing around the room.

"Somewhere in the hotel," his mother waved off the question. "I brought Rory early to meet the girls and told him that I'd come back to get him. Instead, he got all pissy and said one of the guys would pick him up. Something about a meeting. Wait, how did you know I was here?"

"Lacey sent me a message. She said that Rory was with them, getting her hair done. So am I staying in here with all of you?" Austin asked, not thrilled with the idea.

"With us? Aren't you staying with your friends from the trip?" Miranda inquired, suddenly worried. "Is this about the accident?"

"What? No, I didn't go on the trip with any friends. Just Lacey, you know."

"What about that old football guy you knew that drove you up? The Nevin boy."

"Owen. Nah, he was dating Whitney, but they broke up. He drove back to town the other day. So I've just been hanging out with Lacey. Where's Rory sleeping?" Austin questioned.

"We have a connecting room," Miranda explained, walking over to a door on the sidewall. "But your sister planned to share it with Beyza. Maybe Delilah, too."

Miranda frowned at her son. She didn't like the vibe that he gave off. What about the other boys on the trip? Isn't he hanging out with them? Bridget's son is...oh, that better not still be happening. "Auss, why are you only spending time with Lacey?"

"Why wouldn't I? She's my girlfriend, and there aren't any other guys that I care to talk to."

"No other...I thought you and Sean Tarver had put all that behind you years ago. And Rachel mentioned that his friend went with to the cabin. I'd hoped you'd find something other than football to talk about."

"Newt Denton?! Good one, Mom. I'm not hanging out with a nerd like..." Austin's laughter died as he caught his mother's glare. "It's not my fault! There is this other guy there. He played linebacker for Rattle Ridge. I swear he's been gloating like crazy about beating us."

"You mean Gabby Lockett's son?"

"You know him? Wait, did you know that he'd be there?"

Miranda stared at her son in disbelief. She'd realized that her son wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch at a young age, but she wondered when he became so self-centered.

"Austin, I think it's time we seriously reconsidered you playing football in college."

'What? Why?!"

"At the very least, I'm going to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tarver."

"Tarver's mom? She's a girl doctor!" Austin panicked, wondering why his mom wanted him to see her.

"Oh, geez," Miranda mumbled under her breath. Then, raising her voice, she explained, "I meant Bridget's husband. He's a neurologist....and that's not what you call a doctor like Bridget."

"Why would I need to see his dad?"

"Because either I need to be worried about my son's brain from playing football, or be worried about his selfishness."

"Huh?" Austin sounded with a dopey look on his face.

"Sunshine, do you not pay attention whenever I talk with Aunt Annette? Or maybe when Lacey's mom is talking about her friends and our cheer squad?"

"Not really. That's girl stuff."

"Gabriela Lockett, or Gabriela Ariza, went to high school with me. She was a year older and on the cheerleading squad with me. She's also Rachel Stratton's best friend," Miranda patiently explained.

"Yeah, I know that."

"So how did you not know that Lacey's mom's best friend had a son who played football in Rattle Ridge. Knowing Lacey, I'm sure she mentioned it."

"Oh, yeah, she did remind me that she said something right before I stormed out of the cabin. No, I didn't mean that I stormed out like that," Austin tried to deny what he just said. Seeking to avoid trouble or his mom asking if anything else happened with Jared, Austin changed the subject. "I saw your pictures!"

"Pictures? What pictures?"

"All the moms brought pictures from when you were growing up. They had tons of photo albums."

"Oh, right. We all pooled our pictures for Cassie's parents and to display them downstairs tonight. I can't wait to see what the other girls found," Miranda remarked, smiling in anticipation.

"I saw ones from the car wash!"

"What? The car...no, no, you couldn't have."

"I did! Lacey's mom and the others freaked out. It was from a fundraiser, and the police came," Austin revealed as his mom's eyes grew larger and larger.

"No, no, no! Those pictures were destroyed. No one could have--Tinny! Oh, that little shit!"

"Whoa! Mom, you said shit," Austin pointed out in shock. His mother rarely swore around him and Aurora.

"Well, this is not good! If your father sees those pictures, he's going to blow a gasket."

KNOCK KNOCK

Austin watched as his mom shot into the air. A discomforting feeling fleetingly washed over his body. Is Mom afraid of what Dad might do? No. Dad's tough, but he would never...

"Auss, can you get the door? I only have my robe on."

Saying sure, the teen walked over and received another mild surprise. His uncle, Tucker Underwood, stood in the hallway. His mother's older brother lit up as he saw his nephew.

"Hiya, sport! How are you doing?" Tucker greeted, ruffling his nephew's hair. After several long seconds, he asked, "So, you going to let us in or not?"

"We?" Austin repeated.

"Austin, let your uncle and cousins inside," Miranda called, moving into view.

"Kaia and Kelsey are here?" Austin questioned dumbly.

"Well, I hope that's who I brought with me. Those are your names, aren't they, girls?" Tucker doubled-checked, peering behind him. "Whew! I almost thought I picked up the wrong girls."

"Hi, Austin!" Kaia greeted.

Two years older than her twin cousins, she was a short, slim brunette with large breasts. Friendly, compassionate, and a go-getter, Austin always felt awkward when she hugged him. Ever since her breasts grew so big on such a small frame, Austin struggled with how to interact with Kaia.

"Hey," Kelsey greeted next.

At eighteen, Kelsey proved to be the opposite of her older sister in many ways. Where Kaia had light-brown hair, the younger sibling had a darker shade of brown. She also had even bigger breasts, which, for Austin, proved less awkward as Kelsey avoided putting them near him. More of a shy bookworm, she nudged his arm with hers.

"Ohmigawd! Are your friends alright?" Kaia blurted out as soon as the door closed.

"Oh, I feel horrible now for not asking right away," Miranda gasped, her hand clutching her upper chest.

"Are they okay?" Kelsey asked in a whisper.

"What happened?" Tucker questioned, having no clue.

"Austin was on a trip to Wasp Lake with--" Miranda began to explain before she was interrupted.

"Whitney Diamond fell through the ice, Dad!" Kaia announced.

"Harvey's daughter?" Tucker asked, looking at his sister.

"And Sean Tarver saved her life," Kelsey revealed.

"How do you know this?" Austin challenged.

"It's on Nosy Nectar!" Kaia pointed out.

"You read it? You don't live in Honey Hollow," Austin said, his head starting to hurt.

"Lacey told us all about it," Kaia replied. "Funny that Rory never did."

"Auss, how is Whitney?" Miranda hurriedly questioned. She knew when Austin wanted to avoid a subject, and it seemed like this might be one.

"Yeah, she's going to be okay, I guess. I mean, she did die, but--"

"What?! She died?"

"Is Sean going to be okay?" Kelsey asked worriedly. "Oh, I hope so."

"Yeah, he's going to be fine too. Just broke a dumb bone in his--Do you know Tarver? How?" Austin challenged once his brain recognized that something was off.

"He dated Beyza," Kaia stated. Then, noticing the blank look on her cousin's face, she added, "And Beyza is Rory's best friend. How wouldn't we know who she dated?"

"The Tarvers are also family friends with the Strattons. And his mom was Aunt Miranda's cheer captain," Kelsey rattled off. "Lacey told us all that."

"Lacey talked about Tarver?" Austin growled.

"I bet he's the talk of tonight. He's a hero," Kaia gushed. "I've never met a real-life hero."

"Hey, he's not the only hero!" Austin yelled.

Suddenly, with all his family watching and waiting for him to say more, Austin began to recount the tale of the ice incident, albeit from his point of view.

"So there we were, standing on the ridge overlooking the lake. Lacey, Ramsey, and I could see Whitney go under the ice. Tarver stood there looking around for help. I knew that she wouldn't last long. So I screamed at him to get in the water and help her. It took several shouts for him to get his as--butt into action. I could tell he was afraid, so I knew we needed to get down there as fast as possible. I sent Ramsey to find the parents while Lacey and I raced down the path."

"Wow, you took charge," Kaia murmured, impressed at her younger cousin's leadership.

"I had to. When we got down to the cove, we saw Whitney and Tarver lying on the ice. Her ex-boyfriend stood over them. It turns out he punched Tarver, so I knocked a little sense into him."

"Why did he punch Sean?" Kelsey questioned, feeling that her cousin's story was off somehow.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I gave my jacket to Lacey and ordered Owen to do the same. We had to warm their body temperatures up. Then, knowing that we needed medical help and fast, I took off in a full sprint down the path. Luckily, I found a ranger who could radio for help. Sounds like it was a close call, too."

"This is way cooler than any football stuff," Kaia gushed.

"Nosy Nectar hasn't had many details posted yet. However, what they have sounds different," Kelsey pointed out.

"Who are you going to believe? A gossip site or your cousin that was right there," Austin boasted confidently.

"We totally believe you," Kaia stated. "The town should give you a reward."

"I'm waiting to hear what Lacey says," Kelsey muttered to her father.

Tucker nodded, catching his sister's eyes. Austin's story sounded far too much like the kind that Orrin and Thurman Rusk loved to tell about their football glory days. A little bit of truth sprinkled in with a whole lot of embellishment.

"I'm sure that we'll hear all about the details all night long," Miranda said, causing her son to blanch. "Now, we need to hurry up and get dressed. I know that I'm running behind."

"Ooh! Let's go, Kels," Kaia ordered, grabbing her younger sister's arm.

"Uh, where should I dress?" Austin asked.

"You can use the bathroom in the other room," Miranda suggested. Then, noticing that her nieces had left the room, she turned to her brother. "Darn, I forgot that I needed their help. Can you be a dear, Tuck, and wait here for a minute? I need help zipping up."

"Sure. It wouldn't be the first time."