Kaycee

Chapter 2

It was a hot summer day mid June when Anna and Kaycee Lane moved into the Cherry View Apartments. Their life before Cherry looked like the average day to day family that sent out Christmas cards, went on vacations and took family portraits. They had a nice house on a cul-de-sac in a gated community, two cars and a dog named Jupiter.

On the outside they were perfect. On the inside was a hard working but absent father, a former model housewife who liked many secret men on the side and a very pretty but loner daughter who despite her popularity would rather be alone than deal with the world beyond her bedroom.

Anna's consistent infidelity finally caught up with her and when all was said and done she was out on the street but at least with a car, a little bit of money and custody of Kaycee. What she didn't know was that Kaycee overheard her mother talking to her father about the possessions and that she would rather have kept the dog than the kid. 'I prefer the dog too' he said and finally walked away.

The bitterness of rejection had burned on Kaycee's tongue but in the end she was used to it. And yet everyone wondered why she was such a solitary, unsociable person. Emotionally she was broken and alone and no amount of friends could ever change that.

But then she met Jacob McVeigh.

Kaycee was seventeen when her mother got a housekeeping job at McVeigh Manor and then they moved to Cherry. Anna was that cliche hot woman in a s****y maid outfit but she got paid a lot of money to play the part and that's all that mattered. Money was what she cared about. She was sure she would eventually work her way back up out of the dirt.

Emma and Jacob McVeigh were twenty-two year old twins both with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. Together they owned and worked in Club Fyre and the Fyre Grille in the same building downtown in Alivon City. They also oversaw the McVeigh cannery, a McVeigh fish processing plant and two fishing boats docked at Alivon Harbor on the nearby Black Rock River.

It was in that river where Kaycee spent most of her days that summer. She had found a little cleared out spot that no one else seemed to use and claimed it as her own. There was conveniently a large rock that rested on the bank nearby that she would sit or lay on in the sun for hours on end.

Eventually, for the Fourth of July, she was invited to McVeigh Manor for the first time. She was reluctant. She hated social events or meeting new people. She was already dreading having to start her senior year in a new high school. In the end, no thanks to Anna's nagging, she gave in and decided to go.

Kaycee threw her long dark hair up in a messy bun and put on a cute sundress. She normally didn't wear dresses at all but had acquired a few over the years for special occasions where her tomboy look wasn't appropriate. She added some eyeliner around her bright blue eyes, slipped on some sandals and went out the door.

The mansion sat by itself in a quieter space on the outskirts of Cherry. There were a few houses across the road but was mostly kept private on all sides by brick walls. Large trees covered the front of the property and the manor which made it almost impossible to see it from the main gates.

"Ok, here we are." Anna announced as she drove up to the roundabout at the front of the house. There were many other cars moving around and being parked as other valet opened Anna and Kaycee's doors and let them out.

They walked up the stairs and went through the double doors into the huge foyer. A wide open staircase sat in the middle and many hallways and doors led to other places on each side on the main floor. Kaycee looked around and was amazed by the space and cleanliness of it all as people leisurely wandered about, lost in their own conversations.

"So, you take care of all this then?" Kaycee admired as she wandered farther towards the staircase and curiously looked upward.

Anna grinned and followed her daughter to the stairs. "I do. There are some others so I don't take all the credit. I am glad though that I was allowed to enjoy the party today instead of working it."

Kaycee turned back to face her. "And how did you get out of that?"

Anna chuckled lightly and pretended to look around so she wouldn't seem flustered. "Oh, I have my ways."

Kaycee huffed and headed into the direction of a hallway beside the stairs, admiring a vase and a painting on the wall. "That's your signature move, isn't it, mother?"

Anna was about to reply to her sarcastic remark when William and Nancy McVeigh exited out of double doors at the end of the hallway and walked towards them.

"Anna!" William announced excitedly as he greeted her with a slight hug. Nancy stayed a step behind with a quiet hello and a smile. "This is your daughter, I presume?"

She turned to Kaycee with a smile and put her arm around her. "Yep, the one I always talk about."

Kaycee snorted lightly to herself and looked to the floor as William continued. "You look just as beautiful as your mother." She looked back up slightly and noticed Nancy feeling as awkward as she did.

With no reply imminent and silence filling up the space, William wrapped up the conversation, ready to mingle among more guests. "There are drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the kitchen and I have some staff working on grills out on the patio out back."

"Thank you." Anna finished up as they all parted ways and continued down the hall towards the back of the house.

"Okay, so, that was weird." Kaycee finally spoke as they got to the double doors that William and Nancy came out of earlier. They opened up into the kitchen.

"He was just trying to be nice. He wouldn't hurt a fly." Anna replied just as a crash came from somewhere in the kitchen and she automatically flew into action. "I have to go see what that was about. I'll be right back."

"But," she started as Anna took off into the kitchen. "you're not working." Her voice trailed off with a sigh as she looked over her shoulder to the right and noticed another set of double doors that led outside to the patio.

She waited for a moment and when her mom didn't return right away she decided to go explore on her own. There were people everywhere outside. Some in their clothes and some in bathing suits walking around with drinks in their hand or sitting in loungers around the pool.

The smell of barbecued meat and music coming from somewhere filled the air. There was laughter and splashing coming from the gigantic pool in the backyard that had its own fountain in the middle and a waterfall at the farther end. There seemed to be a guest house and another building attached that was used for taking care of the pool near the back of the property.

Not really in the mood for socializing with all these people she didn't know, she grabbed a plastic cup full of lemonade from a waiter walking by and returned back to the double doors in search of her mother.

"And who might you be?" an intrigued voice called out from behind her which made her stop in her tracks. "I've never seen you before."

Kaycee turned around to face a young guy wearing only swim trunks and holding some kind of alcoholic beverage. He had an athletic build with tattoos on both of his upper arms and a strong chiseled face.

She flustered a little and looked around to make sure he was actually looking at her. "Are you talking to me?"

He laughed and edged closer. "Who else would I be talking to? What's your name?"

"Um, Kaycee." she replied slowly as she shifted nervously with the drink in her hand. She took a sip to keep herself occupied. Her heart was racing and her blood was boiling. She had never seen anyone as beautiful and yet bad at the same time. It was exhilarating.

"Well, hello, um Kaycee." he snickered a little and held out his hand to shake hers. "I'm Jacob McVeigh. William and Nancy are my parents."

She offered her hand and let him take it. His was strong yet soft and his touch was electric. She blushed slightly as he continued. "Who are you here with, Kaycee?"

"Oh, uh, my mom." she stammered, almost forgetting how to talk. "She works for your family. Anna Lane."

Jacob grinned as he took a long look through her blue eyes. "Makes sense now. You look just like her."

Kaycee brushed a stray hair back and turned her attention down to her feet. "So I've been told."

He was about ready to continue the conversation when someone off to his left yelled his name and drew his attention away. He held his finger up and looked back at Kaycee. "I gotta go, Kaycee, but I'd like to see you again if you don't mind?"

She smiled ear to ear which was very rare of her to do. "Maybe I can stop by again sometime."

"I'm looking forward to it." he flirted and then briskly turned into the direction of the person who had called his name.

Kaycee watched him walk away until he got lost in the crowd. She remembered that she needed to find her mom and started to turn back around to the doors when someone standing farther into the yard by the pool caught her attention.

It was a young woman wearing a navy and gold bikini with her blonde hair up in a ponytail. She had dark sunglasses on and her arms were crossed across her chest. Kaycee could tell she was staring at her by the angry scowl on her face. It obviously had something to do with Jacob.

She had just made her first enemy.