My F*cked Up Paradise by JB Salsbury

Author:JB Salsbury [Salsbury, JB]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-11T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

“To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces.” – Ansel Adams

I wake to the feel of the Jeep lurching to a stop. I wipe drool from my mouth as discreetly as I can before turning to Mateo to make a joke about me snoring, but he’s already out of the car.

Where are we?

We’re parked on the side of a road I don’t recognize, and I watch him walk with the box of food in his arms to a trail that seems to lead under a bridge. I turn to the backseat and spot the box that I noticed earlier but the farm box is gone. A few minutes pass, and he hasn’t returned. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I peek inside the box wedged behind his seat.

A dozen large Ziplock bags each filled with a bottle of water, first aid supplies, meal bars, and cash. Does he hand these out to people?

“Aloha!” I hear him yell.

Closing the box quickly, I resume my position and pretend to be asleep. The door opens and I stir awake in an Oscar worthy performance.

“Oh, hey. I fell asleep.”

He turns the ignition and we’re back on the road.

“Where are we?”

“Close.”

I chew my lip and go back to staring out the window as we pass over the bridge. And below is a cluster of tents, tarps, and lean-tos made from cardboard. A homeless encampment. There are children down there. He gave the farm food to them.

The guy isn’t an asshole at all, he’s a saint.

Stuck on that thought, minutes pass and we’re back in the North Shore.

He parks blocks away from the house and hops out of the car.

I grab my things and follow. I close the door behind me. “This is by far the best—”

The alarm chirps and he’s gone. Loaded with my gear, I watch his back until he disappears around a hedge.

“Was it something I said?” I mumble to myself and start the trek back to the house.

Maybe he has somewhere he needs to be. Someone he needs to see. Kya maybe.

I stop in my tracks when a thought hits me. What if the issue is he doesn’t want to be seen with me? Now that it’s there, the prospect sits heavy in my mind and sours my gut.

“You’re back!” Quinn launches to her feet when she sees me trudging through the sand to the patio. She throws her bikini-clad body at me, the scent of tequila and sunscreen wafting from her. “I thought you’d be back hours ago!”

Reggae music plays while Jake and Dylan curse at each other over a game of darts.

“How did it go?” She helps by taking my camera bag.

“Really good.” The anticipation of seeing what kind of photos I got today helps ease my concerns about Mateo. “But I could use a drink.”

“You got it!” She scurries off, placing my camera bag on the kitchen counter while I head to Grant’s room to get my laptop.

When I hit the top of the stairs I look to the direction of Mateo’s room.

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