Heart of Stone (Camp Bexley), page 1
Contents
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Want More Camp Bexley?
Dear Reader,
Over the Moon Excerpt
Center of Gravity Excerpt
More K.K. Allen Books
Acknowledgments
About K.K. Allen
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by K.K. Allen
Cover Design: Qamber Designs
Cover Photography: Wander Aguiar
Editing / Proofreading: Red Adept Editing
Formatting: K.K. Allen
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Contact SayHello@KK-Allen.com with questions.
Benson Bexley has always had a heart of stone.
Apparently, nothing has changed.
When he returns home after a decade gone, I recognize him right away.
How could I forget him?
He’s the same cocky flirt who slid dirty poetry to me in art class.
With the same stone-cold stare that shielded his soul from the world.
And that same sharp-edged jaw that cut straight through my heart like a dagger.
Fortunately, this time I see right through his arrogant charm.
Even better, he doesn’t remember who I am.
I have no intention of reminding him.
After all, it’s only a matter of time until his nomadic lifestyle takes him away again.
When his poetic charm strikes again, I play along.
Maybe it's time he got a taste of his own medicine.
Revenge.
It’s not in my nature.
But Benson Bexley deserves nothing less.
It’s time for that heart of stone to shatter.
To my #bossbabe, Lindsey. You’ve been with me since Treehouse, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for all the support and love you’ve given over these past years. I love you more than all the chocolate covered strawberries in the world. This one is for you!
Prologue
BENSON
They say the walk of shame is an embarrassing way to go, but is that still true when no one is awake to watch you leave? Not that anything embarrasses me anymore. I went numb at the ripe age of fifteen and have rarely looked back since. Why would I when my dark shadow follows me everywhere I go?
I can’t turn around to face it. I won’t. Forward is a much safer option.
One final look down catches the rustle of seafoam-colored sheets as they stir above my naked classmate beneath them. If memory serves correctly, she was a willing victim in my pursuit of happiness last night—a farewell fuck, I suppose. Today, I’m hitting the road.
Goodbyes aren’t necessary, so I sneak out of the oceanfront mansion while still buttoning my plaid blue shirt, leaving my graduation gown behind. I don’t have the patience nor the energy to search for it now. And there would be no point, considering the only memory I want to keep of this place is the dust I leave in my wake.
Bitterness filters through me as I reach my vehicle, a used conversion van that I spent all my hidden savings on to buy the day after I turned eighteen. It was on that day at the dealership that a spark ignited inside me, and for the first time in years, I felt motivation for something more than despising the ground I was forced to walk on.
My bags are already packed and waiting for me inside the van, but I need to make one more stop before I disappear for good. I drive the short two miles to our family-owned campground, a popular attraction for school trips and corporate team-building retreats. It’s practically a city in and of itself with the endless acreage of woods surrounding the waterfront property.
For as long as I can remember, my father has owned and obsessively operated the place. And he’ll run it into the ground at the rate he’s going. If it weren’t for my big brothers, Anderson and Jamison, he’d have done exactly that by now. It frustrates me to no end that they continue to carry on like the man is some sort of legend we need to protect for generations to come, but that’s how it is. So be it, but I want no part in it.
Once I’m through the main gate, I enter the giant parking lot and take a detour through a private drive on the back side that leads to our private residence. No one will be at the house at this early hour. My mom works as the camp nurse and wakes up before dawn on most days. My sister, Silver, is already posted in the lifeguard tower at the main dock. My dad is most likely pouring over boring financials in the office with my brother Jamison. And Anderson, my oldest brother, is working the morning shift at the marina. That leaves my younger brother, Cayson—just the person I’m looking for.
He’s not inside the main house when I go searching, so I set off down the trail that leads to the cafeteria. Cayson often gets stuck working with the breakfast crew every morning. You’ll never hear him complain about it, though. In fact, you’ll never hear him complaining about a damn thing. He treats every responsibility like it’s an honor, which beats the hell out of me. He’s the most jaded out of all of us. Probably because we’ve done our best to shelter him from the tragedies that have befallen our family. If one Bexley is going to make it through life without pent-up resentment, it’s going to be Cayson.
I’m only halfway to the cafeteria when the path clears just enough to catch a glimpse of the stables, stopping me in my tracks. My breathing comes a little faster, and there’s a galloping in my chest that has nothing to do with my quick exit out of town. I get like this every time I come near this area, hence the reason I never continue in that direction.
“Benny?”
I swivel around to find Cayson who’s squinting hard at me with an amused quirk twisting his lips. “You’re eighteen now. You don’t have to sneak in and out of camp like you’re about to get grounded. Dad couldn’t care less.”
I roll my eyes. “No shit. Can’t remember the last time he did.”
Cayson stiffens, realizing he overstepped, then he shrugs it off like it never happened. “How was the grad party? Hopefully it was more entertaining than that ceremony. You looked like you were falling asleep.”
My nod is as cool as my indifference toward that lame formality. I only went to be a good role model to my baby brother, but it was impossible to hide my distaste for being there. “I think I did a few times. Don’t mind me.” I fold my arms and lean back against the tree with a cocky smile. “At least I graduated. Betcha thought I’d fuck that up too.”
Cayson’s disapproval is clear in his downturned brow. “You’re so hard on yourself, Benny. I’ve never thought you were a fuckup. No one else does either.”
I bite my lip so I don’t make a retort about Dad. The man showed up for my graduation yesterday, so maybe there’s a glimpse of love left in his old, withered heart, but it’s not enough to resurrect the months of hate I felt at the worst time of my life. Still, the fact that I’ve managed to be a person that Cayson somewhat looks up to warms my chest just a little.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m hitting the road, but I wanted to say goodbye first.”
Cayson’s eyes widen. “Wait. What? Already? I thought you’d stick around a bit this summer before you took off.”
I shake my head. “No can do. The road’s waiting, brother.”
The shock is only deepening in Cayson’s expression. “But you haven’t told anyone you’re leaving. You told me to keep it a secret.”
Regret hits me, not because I wish I had announced my plans but because I never should have given Cayson as much information as I did. He may be two years younger than me, but he’s my best friend—my only friend, if I’m being honest.
“Look, Cay. It’s easier this way. I’ll call to check in from time to time, so no one has to worry.”
Shock transitions to confusion as Cayson shakes his head. “How are you going to call? You don’t even have a phone.”
I wink. “You think pay phones still exist?”
Cayson rolls his eyes. “Get a phone, Benny.”
“I’ll never understand why people want to be so accessible. That’s not the way life should work. We should be out there living. Enjoying everything this planet has to offer before we destroy it all with our meaningless devices.”
“Not this again,” he mutters. “Everyone’s going to shit bricks
“They’ll be fine without me. Better off, even.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true, Cay. Just you wait and see. They’ll be happier when I’m out of their hair.” I clap my little brother on the back to avoid thinking about the lump lodged in my throat. “Do good in school, okay? Only another couple of years and you’ll be out of here too.” I point up at the airplane passing us overhead, referencing my brother’s dream to join the Air Force and become a pilot. “That’ll be you one day.”
Confidence and pride lift his shoulders. “Oh, yes it will,” he tells me with a nod. “Just you wait and see.”
I grin. “And I’ll be watching you soar proudly from some mountaintop out there.”
Cayson’s eyes linger on me for a few seconds, like he’s debating whether to argue with me or let me be. Finally, he sighs and nods toward the house. “Come with me before you leave. I’ve got something for you.”
I follow him, not at all excited about a physical gift but touched by Cayson’s constant thoughtfulness. He’s good to the very core, and there’s no one on this earth that I want to protect more.
That right there is yet another reason I’m choosing to leave. The longer I stay in this town, the darker my bitterness grows. It’s time to let that go—for me and for everyone who dares to give a damn. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll finally be able to breathe again. And then maybe, just maybe, I can be the big brother and role model that Cayson deserves.
When we get to the house, Cayson runs inside and returns with a gift bag in his hands. He knows how I hate unwrapping things. I frown and take the bag from him, reach inside, and grip something sleek and sturdy, knowing exactly what it is.
“No way, Cay.” I pull out the new 35-millimeter camera with genuine shock rocketing through me.
“It’s about time you had a camera that matched your skill. And I know you’re too stubborn to buy your own.” He nods at it. “I’ll never forget that time you took me hiking and started taking pictures of the sky. That jet just happened to be flying overhead and you snapped the coolest photo I’ve ever seen.”
I chuckle, remembering my young brother’s awe at something that felt so insignificant to me. “You begged me to get a print of that, and then you made Mom frame it.”
“It’s still my favorite picture ever. You know, it’s that photo that made me start to obsess over jets?”
He stares at me long and hard, but I refuse to meet his gaze for fear of getting too emotional.
“You’ve always inspired me, Benny,” he continues. “I’m really going to miss having you around.”
Something kicks in my chest before I feel it harden almost instantly. I clear my throat and shake my head. “Just don’t stop dreaming, kid. Promise me that.”
Cayson nods. “I promise.”
With a pinched smile, I give him a sideways hug then clap him on the back as I step away without another word. If I open my mouth again, I know words will be impossible to form. So I hold up the camera in salute and walk away from the family I’m responsible for breaking.
I’m leaving because it’s the right thing to do.
It’s the only thing to do.
And I’m never coming back.
Chapter One
BENSON, PRESENT DAY
My breathing becomes heavier the closer I get to the main house at Camp Bexley. Not even the sights and sounds of spring can calm me. So much for never coming back. Ten years away clearly wasn’t enough, but what other choice did I have?
Four months ago, Cayson was on a rescue mission with the Air Force, piloting a cargo plane from Puerto Rico back to his home base in North Carolina, when his engine malfunctioned, sending the aircraft crashing into the Atlantic.
After getting the news a week later, thanks to my stubborn decision to never own a cell phone, I went straight to the hospital in North Carolina, only to find out Cayson had already been airlifted to our family campground. While Cayson made it out alive, he’s been on bed rest recovering from broken bones and a head injury ever since.
So, for the past three months, I’ve been back in the one place I said I would never return.
“Good morning, Benny.” My sister, Silver, smiles at me from where she’s sitting behind a desk in the corner of the room.
I do a double take at the sight of her, with her blond hair spun up in a bun and her white nurse jacket over her maroon scrubs. It’s not the first time I’m seeing her since I’ve been home, but I’m surprised to see her suited up in her nurse attire. While Silver worked many odd jobs at the camp when our family first took her in at seventeen, she eventually decided to become a nurse. She worked hard alongside my mom for years at the nurse cabin, tending to the kids who traveled to our camp. Eventually, my mom retired, and Silver became the full-time nurse. That is, until she fell in love with an NFL player and moved to Seattle, where she’s been working for the past year or so. Before Cayson’s accident, he kept me apprised of all the juicy gossip.
“Don’t tell me,” I comment dryly while still taking in her nurse uniform. “Anderson got to you, too, and you moved back.”
Silver’s laugh is light and joyful, just like her demeanor one hundred percent of the time. It’s nice to see her so happy in life after the state she was in when she first arrived at our camp when she was seventeen. Her mysterious arrival was something we were never to question. We were simply asked to embrace her with open arms, and she made it easy to do just that.
“I wanted to come back,” she says when her laughter fades and she’s left with a smile. “I was already traveling back and forth so much, so Kingston suggested we move here for his off-season.” She nods to my brother, whose eyes are closed in the hospital bed behind her. “And I know you guys would have never asked for my help, so I’m giving it anyway.” She shrugs. “Besides, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to be back here with you all. It’s been years since we’ve all been together.”
My frown settles on Cayson. “We’re not exactly all together yet.”
She gives a confident lift of her shoulders. “It’s only a matter of time before Cayson’s back on his feet, and then it will be just like old times.” She must see the dark cloud roll in over my head because she adds, “But better.”
Every day, I stop by Camp Bexley with the sole purpose of spending time with my little brother. I just need to know that he’s going to be okay, back on his feet, and up in the air like he’d always dreamed.
He’s too young, too good, to be stripped of everything he’s worked so hard for. Until then, I’ll be right here with him and filling all the moments in between with whatever distraction I can find.
I’m no fool. I know there’s nothing I can do for Cayson other than encourage him to get better. And according to the doc, his full recovery will depend on sleep, rest, and an excruciatingly slow rehabilitation program. But he doesn’t need to just relearn how to use his muscles. It’s his speech too. While my brother is finally responsive in certain ways, that crash took a major toll on his brain function.
