The Secret of Village Court - Day 01

"You know she is into you, right?"

I looked over to my friend Ben in the passenger seat of my truck. He nodded to me as he waited for my answer. I rolled my eyes and waited for the light to change. "How do you figure all of this?"

"Bro, all she ever talks about is you. I was at a party a few nights ago. Your cute little cousin that you refuse to set me up with comes in with a flock of chicks. I go and try to chat her up and all she can talk about is you. Oh Derek this. Oh Derek that. Oh, have you seen what Derek has done? Dude, she killed my ability to have an erection that night."

The traffic light turned green and I pressed on the accelerator gently on my truck. It had just started to snow in Liverpool, New York and the roads were slick. I struggled to move out of the way of a snow plow as it pushed past me and cleared snow for the line of cars behind it. I turned my attention slightly over to Ben. "Dude, she is my cousin and she is younger than me."

"Like third or fourth right? That shit ain't even illegal. Also, she is nineteen, that is legal pussy right there." Ben said as he unwrapped a taco from the local taco joint and began to munch on it loudly.

"She is my first cousin."

"Really?" Ben said with some bits of taco falling from his mouth. "What a shame."

I nodded. "I don't know why you are even bringing this up. We grew up together. She is like a little sister to me. When we were kids, my aunt would bathe us together in the same tub."

Ben laughed out crudely, "Shit, you already seen her naked!"

"Idiot."

"Hey, I'm just saying dude. I know you haven't gotten laid in like six months. All you ever do is work. She is a nice girl and she has definitely taken a liking to you. Although, I don't see what the appeal is."

I stopped at another traffic light. "Unlike you, I am trying to save up and move out of my parents' home. We're twenty-two. I don't know about you, I am ready to leave the nest."

Ben shrugged, "Shit, I give my folks rent. I'm in no hurry to leave."

"So, where do you bring chicks?"

Ben smiled, "I don't. I always go to their places or take them by the lake and bang them in the car. At this point in my life, I am not looking for any kind of relationship. I just want to enjoy life, enjoy some pussy and call it a day. I'm not going to get tied down by no chick."

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess you have a point there."

Ben finished his taco and unwrapped another before he asked, "What are you doing for the weekend? You want to go hang with some of the guys from work? Do a strip club crawl?"

I shook my head. "I have to pack and head up to Village Court tomorrow morning."

Ben nodded and said with bits of taco coming out of his mouth. "Oh yeah, the annual family gathering at the lake. Dude, it's snowing. Do you think it will get called off?"

I shook my head, "We drove up north when it was snowing last year and it was ten times as worse as what is going on right now. Besides, the snow makes the time there fun as hell. We do some skeet shooting. We do campfires in the snow. We go ice-fishing. We drink this crazy moonshine my uncle makes. All in all, a pretty damned good time."

Ben nodded, "Is your cousin going too?"

*

I zipped up my Vanquest Gear Ibex 30 and took a deep breath. I was amazed at how much of my clothes and needed gear actual fit in the large tactical backpack. I looked over to make sure that my shotgun was secured in a rifle bag. I walked around my bed and grabbed my pistol case from below my bed. I thumbed the number combination into the lock and it popped the securing locks opened. I opened the case and brought out my Glock 21. I pulled the slide back and did a visual check in the barrel for grit, obstructions or fowling. Satisfied that the gun was clean and ready for use, I placed it back into the case and secured four loaded magazines. As much as I had a concealed carry permit, I would rather not be traveling long distances with a handgun strapped to my waist. I locked the pistol case, gathered my things and walked downstairs just in time to hear someone ringing the doorbell.

I dropped my gear next to the front door with all the other things needed for the trip and opened it. It was my cousin. She stood there cutely. She wore a pair of tight fitting leggings with winter booths. The leggings showed off her curvy legs. She had on a tight sweater that accentuated her B-cups. Her dirty-blonde hair was tied up neatly into a ponytail and was covered with a fuzzy cap that had a tangling ball on it. "Hey Kacey, you're right on time."

Kacey smiled, "You know I always am, Derek. Are you ready to go?"

I nodded, grabbed my gear and the duffel bag of cabin supplies. Kacey leaned down to help me. Not wanting her to carry the heavy things I had, I handed her my pistol case. "Can you make sure you stash this behind you in the truck?"

"You're bringing your pistol?" Kacey asked as she walked with me down the short driveway to my truck.

"Yeah, after last year's coyote incident, I am not taking any chances walking around the woods without it."

"Oh yeah!" Kacey said with her deep green eyes wide opened from me jogging her memory about the coyote that stalked us in the woods while we had taken a walk. "I thought we were going to die!"

I nodded. I stuffed my gear in the back seats of my truck and looked up at the skies. It was still snowing. "Damn, I wished the snow would let up a bit."

Kacey stashed my pistol case behind her seat; she grabbed her duffel bag of clothes and tossed it in as well. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and looked at it. "The weather app I have says it will slow down and be alright if we leave as soon as we can."

I turned back to the house, armed the security system, locked the front door and hurried into my truck. I watched as Kacey got into the passenger seat. She stretched cutely and put on her seatbelt. She looked around her seat and made a face.

"What?" I asked as I started my truck and began our way to Village Court.

Kacey held up a piece of shredded lettuce. "Has an animal been eating in your truck? Or does this belong to you?"

I rolled my eyes as I pulled onto the main road and made my way to the highway. "I gave Ben a ride home last night. He was eating tacos from El Canelo."

"Oh, I love that place! My friends and I go there all the time." Kacey said as she rolled the window down and flung the shredded lettuce out. While she was rolling it back up, she looked over to me and said, "Do you eat there a lot?"

I shrugged, "Usually only when Ben goes. He is like an animal. I don't know how he eats so much and still be so damned skinny." I looked over to Kacey and with some envy in my voice, "I wish I can eat like him. I look at water and gain weight."

Kacey laughed, "It is because he is always high and has the munchies. And stop it, you look good."

"That's true about him being high all the time."

"So, what have you been up to? I didn't see you at the family dinner last Sunday."

"I was working a double-shift. I am trying to save up as much as I can. There is this cool apartment I want to move into. Mom and dad are cool with me moving out as long as I can financially afford it."

"Moving out? Wow." Kacey said with wonderment in her voice. "I think dad intends on me to stay under his rule for the rest of my life."

I nodded. My uncle has always looked at Kacey like a prized treasure. Ever since she started noticing boys in high school, he made it his personal mission to scare off any potential suitors that even come close to her. I peered over to Kacey as she was thumbing through her phone and could appreciate my uncle's desire to keep men away from her.

"Oh, did Ben mention to you that I bumped into him at McAllister's party the other night?"

"He did."

Kacey giggled, "He was trying so hard to hit on me."

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded, "He kept trying and trying."

"Ben's a good guy."

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. He is cute and all. He is smart and witty, but he isn't my type, a little too tall and lanky for my tastes."

I turned onto the on-ramp of the highway and gunned the accelerator on my truck. My Ford Ranger wasn't much to look at. It was an older truck than most of the ones on the road. But, it had the power I needed and desired with the tires that would get us there and back. I merged onto traffic and began our two-hour long drive to Village Court. "So, what kinda guy are you into? I have a lot of friends that are available if your dad doesn't scare them away."

Kacey shrugged, "Kind of an odd question to be asked by a cousin."

"What?" I said, "Come on, you can return the favor by hooking me up with some of your friends!"

"Oh, kind of a trade hooking-up thing?"

"Well, not just for sex, Kacey."

"Ughh, I didn't mean hooking-up in that sense, you pervert!" she cried out laughing as she playfully punched me in the arm.

"Ok, ok, but you know what I mean." I said as I smiled. I genuinely enjoyed her company. Ever since we were children, there was a bond between us. We never acted like cousins. We acted more like siblings. We acted like best friends. I looked over to her, "But seriously..."

Kacey shrugged, "I'm not looking for anything special. I would like a guy that isn't just in it for the sex, someone who is smart, funny and kind."

"Well, duh, dude. Who wouldn't want that in any life-mate?"

Kacey rolled her eyes. "Are you asking about physical attributes?"

"Physical attributes are the primary attracting factors, my dear." I said as I maneuvered around traffic. I grew a bit concerned as I noticed that the snow was coming down harder. There were several vehicles in ditches beside the highway. "When you first meet someone, it isn't his personality you are seeing; you are looking at his physical traits."

"Thank you Doctor Love. I get the point."

"So?"

Kacey shrugged, "To be honest, I am not into the muscular guys. I like the chubbier men. The ones that can enjoy a burger while swigging a beer. But, I'm not looking for fat either. It's just that I have dated those muscular guys that my friends adore. You know? The guys with the ripped abs and muscular arms? I just feel those guys spend more time maintaining their appearance than they do with the women they are with. And nine out of ten times it is the truth."

I nodded.

Kacey poked me with her finger, "A guy that looks kind of like you."

I was flushed. A warm blanket of modesty and embarrassment covered me as I tried to shake it off and not make it look like I was uncomfortable. "Well, thanks. I am glad I meet your physical attributes check-list."

Kacey nodded cutely, "Well, what about you? I haven't seen you with a girl in a while."

I shrugged, "I'm not picky."

"Oh really?"

"My list of qualifications for dating required from a girl is quite broad."

"So, breathing, warm and wet will do?" Kacey joked.

I made a face, "No, nothing like that."

"Well? I showed you mine, show me yours. Come on Derek, it is a two-hour drive. We have time to kill."

"If you insist on it. I like my women to be funny. Funny is key. Not like a comedian selling shtick the entire time, but having humor to laugh with and at me sometimes. I need someone that has my back, not just some girl I can parade around like a trophy, but even though deep down I do. I mean, look at me; I'm a chubby beast so having a girl that seems well above my pay-grade would be great. The girl has to have pretty eyes and a smile. Someone I can get lost with just by sitting with her at a park bench or whatever we happen to come across." I felt myself blush as I was beginning to describe Kacey. I glanced over to her. She was listening with intent and nodding to everything I was saying. "Importantly, the girl has to know how to cook. I mean, I can cook for myself, but when I move out, it would be nice to come home from a long day and have dinner waiting for me."

Kacey smiled, "What would you want to eat?"

"Huh?"

"Like, what would you want this perfect girl to cook for you?"

"Promise not to laugh?"

She nodded.

"I would kill for some oven-roasted chicken, some quinoa with goat cheese and a pile of roasted veggies. I would crush all of that."

Kacey giggled, "That wasn't what I expected."

"What? Why?"

She shrugged, "You don't seem to be a quinoa and veggie kind of guy. I was expecting you to say steak cooked bloody and a big mug of beer."

"Well, that can be the next day's meal."

"Ok, got it."

"Got what?"

"What I can cook for you when you move out."

I looked over puzzled, "Are you volunteering for the position? The vetting process is grueling and most women drop out before it is over."

Kacey scoffed playfully with a full blush on her cheeks, "As if! You're my cousin and besides..." she rubbed her hands half-playfully and half-seductively across her body. "...you can't handle this."

I shook my head, "Yeah, ok."

"I meant I would know what to cook you if I ever got invited over to your place. I miss how we used to hangout and just vegetate on the couch watching movies."

"Dude, you will have a key to the place."

"I will call first so I can avoid the embarrassment of walking in on you when you have a lady-friend over."

"How dutiful and polite of you."

The weather began to tack on time to what was supposed to have been a two-hour drive. I frowned as the snowing intensified. I looked over to Kacey who seemed worried as much as I was. She kept looking at her phone and checking for weather updates. I peered down at the fuel gauge of my truck and decided that a gas stop was in order. The last thing I wanted was to be trapped on the side of the road with a truck that had no fuel. I pulled off the next exit that and hurried to a gas station. I hopped out at the pump and paid for gas before pumping.

Out from the warm confines of the truck and the company of Kacey, the world was silent, dim and gray. The snow was coming down almost at a forty-five degree angle. My gut was screaming at me to turn back. I was amazed that we didn't hear from family. We were only thirty minutes away from Village Court. But, with the snow, I only hoped that it would take only that. As I hopped back into the truck after fueling it up, Kacey was on the phone with a concerned look on her face.

"What? Are you guys ok?" Kacey said into her phone. "No, we left hours ago. We are at the gas station right before the exit to the camp. I don't know how we made it through all the snow. Derek's truck has huge tires I guess."

"Everything ok?" I asked.

Kacey held up a finger. "What do you mean we can't turn back? Accidents? They closed the highways? But, daddy...what are we going to do?"

My gut began to twist from the conversation.

"Yeah, sure, sure...we can wait it out at the camp. Derek brought food and supplies. I got the spare keys to the doors. Uh-huh...yes, daddy. He has his shotgun and his pistol. Uh-huh...I know where all the switches are at the cabin. Ok, I will call you when we get there. I love you too. Yes...we will be safe. Derek will keep me safe, daddy." Kacey said. She ended the call and looked over to me with eyes of worry.

"Is everything ok?"

She shook her head cutely, "No. They turned back hours ago. My dad said Aunt Tina's car hit an ice patch and slid off the road when they made the decision to skip the trip. I guess they tried to call us, but we might not have had reception."

I quickly pulled my phone out and found several missed calls. But, during our conversations, I never recalled my phone ringing. "I got missed calls, but I didn't hear anything."

Kacey shrugged, "Neither did I. But, they are stuck on the highway a few exits from home. He tells me there is about a foot and a half of snow now on the roads."

"But, it is bad here, but not 'close-the-roads' bad. And, we drove through what I thought were the rough parts."

Kacey shrugged, "The plows must have gotten a lot of it off by the time we drove through. But, it doesn't change the fact that we are stuck at the camp for a few days. Daddy told us to go ahead and stay until you think it is a good time to head back when the roads are safe to be driven on again."

I groaned as I leaned my head on the headrest, "Damn. What do you wanna do? Do you wanna chance going back?"

"I don't know. I'm not the one that is driving."

"It's our decision, Kacey."

"If it is ok with you, I don't want to chance driving back home."

I nodded. "Village Court it is then."

I pulled the steering wheel of the truck and we started our way to Village Court. My uncle was right, the snow was pretty bad. I looked around carefully to see if there was traffic on the highway, but we were the only ones on the road. The ride from the gas station didn't take nearly as long as I thought it was going to take. We pulled off the highway and onto a few roads before a large sign greeted us, 'Village Court'. It was a community of cabins that had been a popular vacation spot for families. Ever since I was a child, we would come here several times a year. Our spot at Village Court was one of the largest in the group being that our family was pretty big. As we closed in on the family lot, I looked over to Kacey and could see that there was a sense of relief on her face. She reached over and patted me on the leg.

"Thanks for getting us here alive, Derek."

"Haha...but the trouble isn't over yet." I said as I looked around our family lot. "It looks like they plowed around our lot, but most of our cabins are still covered in snow, except for your family's."

"I guess we are bunking there for the time being?"

I nodded. We both hopped out of my truck and began to unload our things. Silence. There was absolutely no noise other than the snow crunching beneath our boots as we walked back and forth with our things. I gathered the last of my things and walked it over to the cabin before turning around to make sure my truck was locked up.

"I will get a fire going in the fireplace. I am sure we can use a break from the cold." Kacey said. "Would you be my knight in shining armor and see if we have firewood?"

I nodded.

"You might want to bring your pistol." Kacey warned.

"Why?"

She pointed to a piled up snow bank not far from her family's cabin. "Those look like fresh coyote tracks."

I cursed under my breath as I stepped into the cabin. I quickly thumbed the combination to the lock of the pistol case, opened it and pulled my Glock out. I slapped in a loaded magazine and pulled the slide back chambering a round. I placed it in the holster I wore on my belt and took a deep breath.

"Be careful."

"You know it."

"I wouldn't know what to do if you were hurt, Derek."

I stepped back into the cold and made my way behind the cabin through snow that came up to my knees. I was five foot seven, not the tallest guy on the planet. The snow between cabins dwarfed me. I struggled to the pile of wood that was covered with a tarp and undid the cords for it. A swift gust of wind swept through Village Court and snapped the tarp out of my hands and sent it down the property. I gathered a few big logs and decided to turn back. The wind began to sting my unprotected face as I made my way back to the cabin entrance. I looked up and found Kacey walking towards me.

"Be careful, it's slippery..." Kacey began. But, just as she began to warn me, she lost her footing.

I watched in horror as she slipped backwards and fell hard onto the snow covered ground. I dropped the logs and rushed to her.

*

I sat in the cabin quietly with the fire going in the small fireplace. I looked over to Kacey who was sipping a cup of hot chocolate that I had made. She smiled at me warmly giving me the bravest face that she could muster under our certain circumstances. Outside of the cabin, the storm was getting worse. Howling winds swept through Village Court angrily. I sat back in the rocking chair my uncle made and sipped hot chocolate of my own.