Chapter 12 ~ Away From the Sun

Junior Year

In less than a few months Jason would be graduating and Wyatt would be entering his final year of college. More than once he considered leaving without finishing; Wyatt did not feel as if he needed a degree to do what he wanted but both his parents would want him to finish. However he did take advantage of the opportunity to enroll in some business courses. At the very least he would feel in control of everything that happened on the business side of the industry much like Jason did. More than one unsuspecting and trusting musician had fallen prey to the sharks out there that controlled their money; some even reaped most of the money for themselves.

While he liked the rental he shared with Jett and Jason, Wyatt looked forward to moving on. To that end he considered his mother's house as a temporary residence until he was ready to find something on his own. Wyatt believed he could live there for awhile especially since their plans included going on the road soon after graduation to cut their teeth. That meant they would not be there often. Jason could move in while Wyatt and Jett got through their last year.

Right now however, his goal was to meet his father near the marina. Wyatt had received a call from Coop who sounded distracted but firm as he requested Wyatt meet him downtown to discuss something important. This would be the perfect time to fill Cooper in on his plans for his mother's house, get the keys and check it out. Feeling pretty confident his father wouldn't like the idea, Wyatt was prepared to plead his case. The house was his anyway so any argument Cooper had was moot.

His father was waiting for him as Wyatt casually strode down the boardwalk. The unease in Cooper's voice was reflected in his expression as Wyatt approached him. His face was drawn, almost haunted, Wyatt noticed as he drew closer to his father. Increasingly concerned over the unease, Wyatt joined his father at a small table near the water and studied him.

"You look stressed Dad. Is everything all right with Rayne and the twins?" Pulling out his chair Wyatt sat, signaled the waiter and waited.

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine, relatively fine anyway. Wyatt I need to talk to you about something, someone that I ran into at the benefit. There is no delicate way to put it so I'm just going to come out with it. I ran into a woman, Gemma Wilson. Wyatt she's your mother's cousin."

Hesitating, Wyatt looked at his father carefully wondering why this information was important or warranted a face to face. "Okay, is there more to this?"

"Yeah there is. Look Wyatt I have every reason to believe she is going to try and contact you even though I asked her not to."

"Why would you do that?"

"She's the spitting image of Julia. I don't know how you would react to that Wyatt. If nothing else I wanted you to be prepared, that's all."

Wyatt looked out at the waves that crashed into the bluffs below the pier. The vision of his mother, her hair, her smile, all of it had never faded from his memory. Although he had moved past much of the pain and anger that he felt over her death Wyatt had finally come to terms with it. He understood his father's concern but wanted to reassure him that he would be fine. The last thing Cooper needed was one more thing to worry over.

"Thanks for letting me know, Dad. If I hear from her, I don't want you to worry. I can deal with it."

Cooper smiled, visibly relieved that he had at least been able to prepare Wyatt. "Good, I knew you could. It's just...it shook me up Wyatt; I didn't want her appearance to do the same to you."

His brows knit tightly as Wyatt assessed his father's demeanor. Clearly he was still shaken even though he did his best to hide it from him. Or maybe there was more at play here that his father wasn't telling him. "Dad, are you all right? If you need anything at all from me..."

Coop waved his concern off and grinned reassuringly, "Don't worry about me Wy. I can handle Gemma. Let's eat."

South Beach - Julia's House

Night had fallen by the time Wyatt reached his mother's old house. It wasn't the first time he had driven here; each time before however, he did not enter. Drawing a deep, steady breath he headed up the stairs and entered the house. Moonlight streamed into the windows, silver beams that cast an eerie glow over the near empty rooms. It was cold.

Tentatively Wyatt stepped out onto the balcony. It was definitely warmer outside than in the house but Wyatt still shivered as a slight breeze ruffled his hair against the back of his neck. The gardenia his mother had planted still bloomed and he could smell the sweet fragrance as it wafted up on the wind. He should have had the power turned on, he realized as he peered through the inky darkness that hovered over the pool. It may have been the shadows or the slow undulation of the pool that played tricks with his eyes but Wyatt swore he saw movement. He inhaled sharply as a lithe figure, painfully familiar, emerged from the darkness oblivious to his presence.

His father warned him about the eerie resemblance that Gemma Wilson had to his mother. Wyatt had been prepared to deal with it if he ran into her but he never expected the chills he felt crawling along his skin. Almost as if sensing his presence above her, Gemma looked up and locked eyes with him. Wyatt wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence but found he was unable to utter a word as he stared into a face that tore into his heart.

"May I come up?"

Nodding, Wyatt turned, walked toward the stairs and waited as she slowly ascended the stairs. The closer she got the more Wyatt noticed the subtle differences between Gemma and his mother. The tension in his body seemed to ease a little as Wyatt released the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding.

Gemma smiled warmly. "Wyatt," she began, "I have been looking forward to finally meeting you! I expected you to look like your father but I see a lot of Julia in you as well. I hope it's all right - may I hug you?" She reached out tentatively and Wyatt managed a friendly if not awkward embrace.

"What are you doing here - at my mother's house?"

"I had business in the area. I haven't been in town long and I thought I might take a drive up here and check it out. Millwood isn't exactly a bustling hub of activity; I thought if the place was empty..." Gemma stopped talking and examined Wyatt as if sizing him up. "You can't imagine how delighted I am that you happened to be here although I was planning to make the trip out to your campus. You're just about through with school aren't you?"

"Yeah one more year after this and that's it. Look, if you want we can go inside and talk." Wyatt wasn't sure what he should have expected with Gemma but she didn't seem like the barracuda that his father made her out to be. His first impression after the shock of seeing her was good. He liked her.

Gemma smiled broadly as she followed him into the house. "I'd like that Wyatt, very much."

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