Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 49 - Keep Me From Evil

"Yes, I was there. I wear wigs all the time. Where were you?" Anna asked suspiciously.

"You went into that store right after I did." Jake responded.

"What?" Anna asked and started laughing again.

"As you were leaving with bags in your hands. I had called your name but you didn't answer. I wasn't sure it was you, but I called to you anyway." Jake said, feeling suspicious of Anna's answers and watching if she was going to lie.

"I sometimes bury myself under disguise. I have one hundred and thirteen wigs I can wear. I hide, or people who know me want to hang out and talk. You wouldn't believe how many people I know that I run into." Anna said, then dabbed at her eyes to rid of the tears she formed from laughing so hard.

"My collection of wigs and costumes could accommodate several years' worth of Shakespearean plays. My Dad gets them all over the world" Anna replied proudly.

"Wow. That's impressive and different. I can honestly say I've never met anyone who collects those things. That must be an expensive collection." Jake said feeling even a little more foolish.

"My Daddy loves me." Anna giggled and shrugged her shoulders.

"This is so funny but yes I stopped at this store on the way down." Anna said then controlled her laughter. He smiled at her laughter which sounded a tiny bit forced.

"I stop at that shop each time I come to ski on the state border mountains. A thing my family has done since we discovered the store. We order what the last customer ordered because with so many delicious things to choose from we can't decide on our own. It is like being surprised at Christmas. So, it's a game Harmony, Nate, Daddy, and I play now." Anna laughed harder. Now expressing the laughter more naturally he started to see where she was going. He let out a little laugh as she continued.

"I was so shocked. I had stepped away to the look at the rest of the store in a slow glance, and when I turned back around, I saw the counter lady had already filled the box with twelve items. There were also two other boxes sitting on the side. I almost panicked. There was no way I was going to eat all of that sugar." Anna laughed harder as she grabbed the side of the couch to steady herself.

"Normally the order isn't so big. I couldn't believe how much stuff I got. Then I thought why not. It should last the whole trip. I'm going to be walking an island for exercise next week anyway so I would work off everything I ate then." Jake was now laughing with Anna as she told her story.

"So, your mom ordered this? Who are the two gift boxes for?" Anna asked innocently.

"They're for my mom's best friend and her family." Jake said not sure why he wasn't being honest about Brittany. Stacy flashed into his head about Brittany dating and it was messing up his mind.

"Well, I stopped her before she started to fill another box but paid for this group. I couldn't help thinking that it was either a large family or someone fighting an addiction to replace it with that much sugar." She wiped her tears. Jake relaxed a bit and couldn't help feeling the humor of the situation.

"I cannot believe you eat so unhealthy." Anna said to Jake. "I've only consumed three things from the box and feel ten pounds heavier." Anna said making Jake laugh.

"My mom does that to me. She wants to make sure I don't fall asleep driving. I can't make them last for a full trip though. Half the box is usually gone by the time I get to where I'm going." Jake laughed.

Anna took a sip of her drink. Jake was going to take a sip of his, but the doorbell rang and he automatically put his drink down.

Room service came with hot toddies and coffees topped with sweet cream, as well as shards of chocolate, cinnamon sprinkles, and each topped with a mini chocolate truffle. There were fluffy fruit pastries decorated and stuffed, as well as small sweetbreads, spreads, and candies. His eyes could barely take in all the colors.

"Speaking of, how is it, you aren't fat?" Jake asked.

Anna laughed. "I don't eat like this every day and when I do, I make sure to work out before bed. I usually eat these treats when traveling or when my chef forces them down my throat." Anna giggled.

Jake was going to help carry the trays but the attendant asked him to have a seat and he set everything up on the table in front of the couch so they could snack while they watched their movie. Jake was amazed but felt almost guilty at the luxury he was experiencing. Anna tipped the attendant and she settled next to him in front of the television. The deep brown plush thick sofa felt like they were sinking into astronaut foam that molded to their bodies.

On two place settings were two crystal plates each filled with a chocolate brownie topped with ice-cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. They were to top it with whatever they wanted from the smorgasbord of sugared fruit, syrups, nuts, mini chocolates, and colorful dipping spoons from small crystal bowls sitting on a separate gold tray.

Anna got up and grabbed the remote. Jake leaned forward and drank some of the chocolate flavored coffee before sampling a few things on the other trays to decorate his brownie a la Mode dessert.

"I mostly have scary movies to watch when we come here. They throw a great Halloween party in Ashland that takes over downtown. We had such a blast that we try to duplicate the experience in our room no matter what time of year it is. So now the newest scary movies automatically load up when I check in." Anna said as she focused on her choice.

"That's fine." Jake said, although he didn't like scary movies much because they enhanced his nightmares, he wasn't ready to leave yet. He enjoyed Anna's company no matter what the trepidations he was feeling were.

"We weren't allowed to watch these when I was growing up." Jake replied not giving a glimpse into his mind.

"Really? I couldn't imagine not being allowed to do something. I think my father says 'yes' all the time because he feels guilty for not being with me as much."

Anna turned the main lights off. With the movie on, the fireplace lit as well as candles everywhere there was plenty of light to see what they were doing. Together they built up their ice cream Sundays and ate most of them halfway through the movie because it was intensely scary. They weren't fully aware of how fast they were taking bites until Jake complained of a brain freeze head pain for a few seconds. After a few more bites, Jake ended up lying back on the couch. Anna moved up beside him and handed him his blue drink. He was going to refuse but took a healthy swallow before setting it down.

During the scary parts, Anna moved closer to Jake so their arms lay next to each other. She had even set her hand next to his. He wanted to laugh, he felt as nervous as he did in high school, even if it was a little different. The room seemed to be heating up and he let their fingers intertwine. For some reason, he felt comfortable with having Anna cuddled up against him. They got through intense parts of the movie by hiding within each other or peeking through fingers. The movie was not so much gory as it was pop-out-of-the-closet suspenseful. He knew he was going to get a nightmare from this one.

After the movie was over, Jake helped Anna clean up their mess and returned the dishes to the cart they came on. Jake set the cart outside of the cabin. The breeze that wafted in through the open door refreshed him from the dizziness he was feeling.

It was late but for some reason, Jake was feeling a rush of energy and relaxation at the same time. He knew he should leave but he was feeling a little bit drunk even though he only had a little bit of his drink.

"I couldn't ever commit murder. It would tear at me until I broke down from the insanity and turned myself in." Jake argued.

"Not me, I would hide my secrets forever. Why would anyone want to spend the rest of their lives cooped up behind bars?" Anna said nonchalantly.

Jake looked at her and thought of another place that used bars on the windows: a psyche ward.

"That sounds like something who could get away with murder would say." Jake said.

Anna laughed.