Mi Casa Es Su Casa

Holy shiitake mushrooms. I leaned forward between the driver and passenger seat to get a better view. My mouth fell open. Literally. I may or may not have let out an undignified squeal.

This cottage was huge. We pulled up a long-ass driveway to a "cottage" that was bigger than any house I'd ever seen. I gave a slow, disbelieving shake of my head. I looked at Ty, then back at the cottage and back to Ty, speechless.

The cottage was surrounded by tall trees and manicured hedges and shrubs. Off to the side was comfortable outdoor lounging furniture with a mixture of Muskoka chairs, throw pillows, and little side tables. And that was just out front. I wonder what was in the backyard? Maybe a waterfall? A gazebo? Who knows?

I didn't even know words to describe the cottage; architecture wasn't my thing. But it wasn't a modern glass monstrosity or anything like that– the building fit the cottage vibe. The cottage was made of wood and was just massive, with patios and balconies and an expensive-looking entryway.

Will turned off the car and climbed out.

I sat back, my seat creaking. My gaze stayed on the cottage, eyes blinking slowly. This was a prank or something, one of them was gonna turn around and say 'gotcha,' right?

My brain finally started working again and making words. I leaned towards Ty, who was stretching and cracking his knuckles. "Is this the right place? Did we get the address mixed up?" I whispered.

"Yes. And nope," Ty answered my two questions. Yes, this is the right place, and no, we didn't get the address mixed up. Huh. His brow furrowed. "Why are you whispering?"

"Because this place is whisper-worthy," I whispered again.

"Okay," Ty drew out the word, still clearly confused but going with it. He waved a hand at the cottage. "This is Will's place. We've been coming here for years, ever since his family got it." He shrugged his broad shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. I guess if he'd been coming here for like ever, it didn't seem like a big deal.

"Layla?" I said, expecting her to have a similar reaction.

"What?" She twisted to look back at me.

"This place is unreal, no?" I prompted her. My brows went up, questioning. C'mon, she had to agree with me.

"Yeah, I guess. But I came here in the summer with Beckett before school started, so the novelty isn't there anymore for me. Especially since I spent a morning cleaning puke out of the carpet."

So everyone already knew about the place except me. Cool, cool, cool. Act cool going into the for sure multi-million-dollar "cottage," Nat.

Understanding dawned in Ty's eyes. "Don't worry, Will's family is chill. They're not gonna be here this week anyways. Just have fun."

"Cool." I nodded, bobbing my head. "Yup. I can do that." Just have fun and not think about how Will's family must be freaking loaded. Easier said than done, Ty.

"I'll grab the bags and meet you guys inside," Ty said, climbing out of the car.

"Thanks!" I called over my shoulder before unbuckling and following Layla towards the cottage. The air was fresh and crisp and smelled like the frickin outdoors. It was a mixture of that cut grass smell, flowers, leather, and firewood smoke.

I ran to catch up with Layla, lush grass underfoot. "So earlier, we didn't really have time to talk about how you're doing, you know, about Emily not being here and all that...."

"It's fine." Layla crossed her arms. "I'm fine." She chewed her bottom lip, brow tight.

She sure didn't look fine. I prodded a little. "You sure?"

"Yup." Layla didn't meet my gaze, jaw tight.

"If you ever wanna talk..." I trailed off, trying to get a read on her, but she was closed off. She was hurting and trying to hide it. I definitely had my fair share of doing that to recognize the signs– avoiding eye contact, closed body posture, and verbal denial.

"Gotcha." She tossed back her braids. "But I'm fine. Totally fine." Layla ended the conversation by pulling open the door to the cottage.

We took our shoes off and left them next to Will's. I took in the cottage from the front door. Wowza.

Right in front of us was the living room, which had gorgeous high windows and a view of the lake. The living room itself was a perfect mix of comfy, cozy and chic, with upholstered furniture made of one of those fancy types of wood, I'm sure. Walnut or oak or something like that. I bet this place had a billiards room. I didn't know what a billiards room even was, but this place probably had one. The kitchen was off to the left, but I was still taking in the living room. Jeez.

Will went around the living room, turning on the lights. "Mi casa es su casa, or whatever the saying is." He threw his arms wide. "Pick whatever room you want, except the top floor. The primary bedroom is up there, and it has all my parent's crap in it, so I'll stay there. And it's the biggest, so I'm taking it."

Ty nudged the door open and put the bags down. He straightened and closed the door, locking it. He lifted his grey baseball cap to run a hand through his hair and put it back on.

Will's gaze flicked to him. "Sawyer, you taking the room you usually stay in? Or are you two staying together?" He motioned at Ty and me. "Might want to take one of the bigger rooms if you are."

My mouth went dry. I chewed the inside of my cheek. Were Ty and I staying together? What did it mean if we stayed in the same room? What did it mean if we didn't stay in the same room? What di–

Ty cut off my spiraling thoughts. "Nat should take my usual room with the bathroom attached. I'll grab one of the other ones." He leaned back against the wall, shoulders low and loose.

My chest tightened. I ducked my chin, hiding my neck. Guess that answered my question for me.

I clasped my arms. "Is that because I take massive dumps?" I joked instead of overthinking that Ty didn't want to stay with me. "I promise I won't clog your toilets, Will." Or maybe I would. But I didn't add that on.

Ty shook his head. "No, it's 'cause it's an adjoining bathroom so you and Mia can share and have your own bathroom. Plus, then you'll be close to her but not sharing a room." He looked down, voice going quiet. "Ellis used to stay in that room when we were all here."

"True, that makes sense," Will agreed.

I tipped my head to the side. Ellis used to stay here? Huh. I guess they all stayed here during the summer like Ty said. There must be so many memories here, good and bad. Maybe I'd open up more about Ellis here. Or not. Fingers crossed he would.

It was nice of Ty to think about Mia staying here and that it'd be good for me to stay close to her. It was very considerate of him. And to think that I was worried that there wouldn't be enough space for Mia. This place could probably sleep another twelve people.

Will walked further into the cottage, and we followed him. "Alright, here's a quick overview. There's the kitchen, the most important room in the house. Out back, there's the hot tub and the lake. We have a dock, and if you need a key to the shed, it's in the kitchen by the door. And there's other stuff but if you have any questions, ask Ty because he's been here like a million times. Or I can answer if you can find me. Go put your shit away, and then let's go get food because I'm starving."

Ty carried my bag and dropped it off in one of the rooms on the second floor. I thanked him, and he went into the room across the hall. Layla grabbed the room next to him, across from what I assumed would be Mia's room.

I went into my room. Wow. It had the typical bedroom things– a bed, desk, chest of drawers, mirror, chair, closet, and nightstand. But it was a king bed, all fancy oak or whatever wood and a walk-in closet. And not like my shoebox walk-in closet at school– a walk-in walk-in closet.

I flopped down onto the enormous bed, air whooshing out of me. Why was I so sleepy and tired when I literally slept the entire drive? I scrubbed a hand over my face.

With a tightness in my gut, I stared at the wooden plank slab things that made up the ceiling. I chewed on the inside of my cheek more, the metallic taste of blood hitting my tongue. Bleh. I forced myself to stop irritating my cheek. So, I guess Will's family was loaded?

I rubbed at my temples. And I wasn't staying with Ty, which opened a whole nother can of worms. Should we be in the same room together? Was it awkward that we weren't? Ugh. Time to overthink everything.