No, it was more like a punch in the gut.
A crow uses its voice, its song, to communicate with its family members from far away. And his grandmother opened this place to reach family members who were far away. It made me wonder how much of the details of this place were coincidental, and how much had been carefully considered by Drew’s grandmother.
“Not sure if you’re aware, but a group of crows is called a murder, just like a group of fish is a school,” he said, pulling me from the depths of my thoughts. He continued to explain while dusting the furniture in the main part of the room. “Anyway, it has been called that for hundreds of years, though no one truly knows why. Some believe it got its name from their cry—which, as I’ve said, closely resembles someone screaming in pain or fear.”
“It says here they communicate over great distances.”
He glanced at me, likely wondering if I’d meant that as a question or was simply telling him what his own information card said. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure how I meant it. All I knew was that I was confused.
“Yeah, think about it…their screams are so awful and loud that they travel quite far. Which is great if you’re part of their tribe, not so great if you’re outside trying to enjoy the peacefulness of nature.”
I couldn’t help giggling under my breath at that. The visual of Drew hanging out in the forest for no other reason than to listen to nature was comical. “What do you mean by being part of their tribe? I assume it’s not like a dog whistle, so wouldn’t all animals be able to hear it?”
“Each family has their own dialect, kind of like how we all have different accents depending on where we’re from. So when they hear it, they know if it’s a bird from their tribe or not. It’s actually pretty fascinating. When they join another tribe, they pick up their dialect.”
“Any reason they’re so loud then?”
“Well, I would assume it has something to do with how territorial they are. If they’re defending what’s theirs, it only makes sense that the louder they are, the scarier they sound to whatever they’re trying to run off. But on top of that, they also use their voices to send out messages to their tribe—be it a warning or cry for help.”
I hummed and leaned against the wall with my shoulder. So much of what I’d learned today connected on some level to the stories he’d told me about the family who’d gone missing from the lost town below the lake. I could only pass so much off as coincidence before I started questioning the intent of the names that his grandmother and dad had used for the resort. But I didn’t want to ask about it. I didn’t want Drew to think I was crazy for connecting dots that weren’t meant to be connected—or for making something out of absolutely nothing.
Instead, I settled on a more neutral question. “You know weather, natural disasters, and birds. Is there anything you don’t know, Drew?”
“Probably. I’ll let you know when I find it,” he said with a coy smirk and a wink.
He finished his to-do list, took the trash to the back—where I assumed the big bins were—and put the cleaning products away; then he returned to the main room. Although, rather than continue to look around at the displays and glass cases, I sat on the worn leather couch and waited for him to return. I had entirely way too much on my mind after that last bit about their cries. Or screams or squawks or songs, whatever they were called.
“Everything all right?” Drew asked, taking a seat next to me.
His voice was enough to snap me out of my trance, but his scent was enough to put me in a completely different one. “Yeah, just waiting on you to finish.”
“Why? Are you done looking around?”
“I’ve already seen it all.” That was a lie, but I knew if I’d told him otherwise, he’d probably walk me all around the room, and I didn’t think I had the mental capacity for that today. So instead, I told him I’d checked everything out before he showed up. It was believable enough.
However, rather than get up to leave, he remained seated next to me, as if we were in his living room instead of the main house. I mean, it wasn’t a bad place, quite nicely put together, but it didn’t have the same warmth as his place. Then again, I doubted being alone with him anywhere other than a public area would be a good idea. That thought alone made me wonder if that was his reason for staying here.
“Did you know I was going to be here?” he asked, leaning against the back of the couch as if getting comfortable for a long stay. “I know we made plans to hang out after I finished work, but I can’t remember if I told you that I had to clean here or not.”
“No, you didn’t tell me. I was just killing time before you got done with work. I assumed you’d be doing office stuff or fixing someone’s toilet.”
He scrubbed his palm down his face, hiding his smile. “Not today.”
“I take it that means you didn’t know I was here, either?” When he shook his head, I decided to go for it. “Are we staying here to avoid a repeat of last night?”
I realized how that sounded—as though I were hoping for round three—but rather than try to correct it, I ignored it and the familiar heat burning my cheeks. Not to mention, knowing my luck, if I tried to explain my reason for asking, I’d likely make it worse. I’d learned a long time ago to just leave things alone.
This time, it was his face that turned red. Well, with his complexion, it was more of a bronze than a blush. Whatever the color, the sight made my stomach do backflips and my heart vibrate with an undeniable attraction. “I don’t know, Kenny. Is that what we’re doing?”
“Don’t turn it back on me. You’re the one who sat down instead of making a move to leave.”
“Nah, I just wanted to hear the story of how you lost your virginity, and I figured it might be more comfortable to have that conversation here instead of at my place or yours. But if you would rather have it at—”
“No…” I practically shouted before getting my reaction under control. “I mean, here’s fine. We can leave after we finish discussing the single most embarrassing thing about myself.”
He slowly lifted his hand to caress my cheek and studied me with careful eyes. “Why do you say it’s embarrassing?”
His obvious concern ignited something deep within me, buried in the very center of my chest—a confidence and strength I never knew existed. Yet the sincerity in his voice and honesty in his eyes did more than reach into my chest to find suppressed courage. It swam in my soul, answering questions I hadn’t yet asked. Solving problems I hadn’t yet discovered. The smooth authenticity that glided through his tone rocked me into a comfortable state of acceptance so a few more pieces of our puzzle could fall into place.
In the short amount of time I’d been at the resort, Drew had managed to sharpen my edges and strengthen my core. At the same time, it seemed that I offered him a softness he’d never had a purpose for before me. We complimented each other very well, and this wasn’t the first time I’d recognized it. However, this was the first time that its impact was strong enough to provoke such a severe reaction within me.
I wanted to avoid the question, offer a blanket response, anything other than be vulnerable by speaking the truth. But I couldn’t. The courage he’d gifted me wouldn’t allow it. So instead, I sat up a little higher, held his stare, and exhaled. “I’d dated this guy in high school, and after two years, I guess he thought it had been long enough, and it was time to take things to the next level. I wasn’t interested, which pissed him off.”