Chapter 1
" I can't believe you guys booked a trip to Hawaii without me!" Adelina pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's not fair."
Her parents, Rick and Maddy Schmidt, gave each other a long look. Rick was a pale, thin man with light brown hair that was just beginning to be sprinkled with grey. His wife was a rosy, curvy older woman with the same golden locks as their daughter. They made a striking couple, even with their current strained expressions.
An unspoken communication seemed to pass through them, and Rick was chosen as the one to appease the angry young woman. He put down his fork, his waffle still only half eaten, and looked at his daughter seriously.
"Adelina, we are just going to be gone for a week. You'll have a good time here by yourself," he said soothingly, reaching out to pat her on her shoulder. "You can read books, hang out by the pool, and watch all the TV you want."
Adelina's lower lip only stuck out further. "I just got home from my first year of college two days ago, and I find out my parents are going to be leaving right away. To Hawaii, where they will be sitting by gorgeous beaches and eating fancy food. Yeah, I feel so loved right now."
"Honey, we’ve been over this. Your father won this trip from a raffle at his office. We can't control the scheduling. Besides, when we get back, we'll have the whole rest of the summer with you," Maddy broke in, her voice tight with annoyance. "You are a grown woman now - you don't need us around constantly."
"Besides, parents need some alone time," Rick added, raising his eyebrows suggestively at his wife.
"Yuck," Adelina announced, her voice filled with the petulance only a nineteen-year-old can manage. "I didn't need to know that." She pushed pieces of her waffle around the syrupy mess on her plate, her shoulders slumped. "Honestly, this place just gets creepy by myself, you know?"
"This is a perfectly safe neighborhood, Adelina. The worst thing that has ever happened here was a trashcan being knocked over by raccoons," Maddy said with an eye roll.
"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to take a class last semester on serial killers," Adelina retorted. "It scarred me for life!"
"Ok, ok. No need to be dramatic." Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, if you feel scared to be in the house by yourself, Vincent can come check on you. Isn't that right, Vincent?"
Vincent Monroe looked up from his coffee cup in surprise. He had been listening to the family drama occurring around him, but had chosen to stay out of it. Vincent was a quiet man and didn't often get involved in Schmidt family politics. Rick was his best friend, and had been for fifteen years, so he spent most Saturdays enjoying brunch with the family. He just enjoyed having a little adopted family to call his own and didn’t want to rock the boat.
"Well…" he started, looking around the room cautiously.
Maddy was nodding her head enthusiastically at him. Rick had mentioned that Maddy badly wanted some 'personal time' to fuck her husband like a newlywed again, so Vincent knew why she was looking excited. The pleading grin on Rick's face showed he felt the same. Not wanting to disappoint the couple, Vincent gritted his teeth and decided to go along with the plan.
With a sigh, he nodded his head in agreement. "Oh, alright. I can come over and check on you from time to time, Ade. If you want."
He looked at Adelina, half afraid she'd say yes and half afraid she'd say no. If she declined, his pride would undoubtedly be hurt. If she agreed, well, then he'd be alone with her. In a big house with plenty of time to let his mind go to places it shouldn't. If he had learned anything about himself over the past year, it was that he couldn't trust himself when it came to the beautiful, untouched Adelina.
"That'd be great, Uncle V! I'm a bit of a scaredy cat and still get nervous being alone. The dorms at college weren't so bad since there were always security guards and stuff.
" I can't believe you guys booked a trip to Hawaii without me!" Adelina pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's not fair."
Her parents, Rick and Maddy Schmidt, gave each other a long look. Rick was a pale, thin man with light brown hair that was just beginning to be sprinkled with grey. His wife was a rosy, curvy older woman with the same golden locks as their daughter. They made a striking couple, even with their current strained expressions.
An unspoken communication seemed to pass through them, and Rick was chosen as the one to appease the angry young woman. He put down his fork, his waffle still only half eaten, and looked at his daughter seriously.
"Adelina, we are just going to be gone for a week. You'll have a good time here by yourself," he said soothingly, reaching out to pat her on her shoulder. "You can read books, hang out by the pool, and watch all the TV you want."
Adelina's lower lip only stuck out further. "I just got home from my first year of college two days ago, and I find out my parents are going to be leaving right away. To Hawaii, where they will be sitting by gorgeous beaches and eating fancy food. Yeah, I feel so loved right now."
"Honey, we’ve been over this. Your father won this trip from a raffle at his office. We can't control the scheduling. Besides, when we get back, we'll have the whole rest of the summer with you," Maddy broke in, her voice tight with annoyance. "You are a grown woman now - you don't need us around constantly."
"Besides, parents need some alone time," Rick added, raising his eyebrows suggestively at his wife.
"Yuck," Adelina announced, her voice filled with the petulance only a nineteen-year-old can manage. "I didn't need to know that." She pushed pieces of her waffle around the syrupy mess on her plate, her shoulders slumped. "Honestly, this place just gets creepy by myself, you know?"
"This is a perfectly safe neighborhood, Adelina. The worst thing that has ever happened here was a trashcan being knocked over by raccoons," Maddy said with an eye roll.
"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to take a class last semester on serial killers," Adelina retorted. "It scarred me for life!"
"Ok, ok. No need to be dramatic." Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, if you feel scared to be in the house by yourself, Vincent can come check on you. Isn't that right, Vincent?"
Vincent Monroe looked up from his coffee cup in surprise. He had been listening to the family drama occurring around him, but had chosen to stay out of it. Vincent was a quiet man and didn't often get involved in Schmidt family politics. Rick was his best friend, and had been for fifteen years, so he spent most Saturdays enjoying brunch with the family. He just enjoyed having a little adopted family to call his own and didn’t want to rock the boat.
"Well…" he started, looking around the room cautiously.
Maddy was nodding her head enthusiastically at him. Rick had mentioned that Maddy badly wanted some 'personal time' to fuck her husband like a newlywed again, so Vincent knew why she was looking excited. The pleading grin on Rick's face showed he felt the same. Not wanting to disappoint the couple, Vincent gritted his teeth and decided to go along with the plan.
With a sigh, he nodded his head in agreement. "Oh, alright. I can come over and check on you from time to time, Ade. If you want."
He looked at Adelina, half afraid she'd say yes and half afraid she'd say no. If she declined, his pride would undoubtedly be hurt. If she agreed, well, then he'd be alone with her. In a big house with plenty of time to let his mind go to places it shouldn't. If he had learned anything about himself over the past year, it was that he couldn't trust himself when it came to the beautiful, untouched Adelina.
"That'd be great, Uncle V! I'm a bit of a scaredy cat and still get nervous being alone. The dorms at college weren't so bad since there were always security guards and stuff.
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