Chapter 16 #3
Jeremy waited in front of the elevator, staring at his phone. He stepped back so we could get out. “I was just coming to check on you two. Here, give me your bag.” He took it from me, scowling at his brother accusingly. To me, he asked, “Were you crying?”
He tugged me against him as he asked, which meant I wasn’t hugging Julian anymore.
“Watch it.” His brother roll-punched Jeremy in the arm. “I’ll take her stuff to the curb. The others out there?”
Jeremey nodded before kissing my temple. “Did Julian make you cry?”
“No.” I could smell the same soap Jeremy used on Julian, but the scent changed, as if their bodies altered it for them each individually.
My cheek was starting to ache again, so I closed my eyes and sighed.
How long is that going to last? “My aunt was mean to me, as usual. Among other things, she claimed my mom died of a drug overdose, which is news to me. Julian thinks she could be lying about it.”
He remained quiet, letting me talk as he led me from the lobby. I didn’t bother to glance at the doorman, but I knew I probably looked like a wreck. I pursed my lips, wondering if the doorman answered to the private investigator, too.
Jeremy finally spoke again. “If you want to get some concrete answers about your family, Kit can look into it. He’s a lawyer, and they have their own investigators. I’m sure they could find out more than we could.”
I blinked, surprised at the way he worded it. “Kit? Do you mean your father?”
“Yes.” He answered quickly—almost too quickly. “My father. Kit.”
For a second, I thought about asking him about it, then I admitted, “Maybe I don’t want to know the truth about my mother.
Her own family hated her so much, it trickled down to me before I was born.
I haven’t even been able to find anything about my dad other than he’s dead. Maybe they were really bad people.”
“I get that.” We stepped through the door onto the street as a horn blasted down Park Avenue, the city alive and loud.
“But if I was you, I would hate to have someone else telling the story of my life. I would want to know the truth, whatever that might be. It is your decision, though, so think about it. If you want to find out, we’ll make that happen. ”
Barrett turned to greet us as we approached while Phoenix stared at his phone.
“All okay?” Barrett asked. I was spared answering because Dina breezed out the door.
“Hello, children.” She grinned at us. “Ah, and here is your ride.”
A long limo pulled up to the curb. I tried to hide my surprise, but my eyes probably gave me away.
I’d never ridden in a limo before, but then again, where I came from, they were mostly used for proms and weddings.
Barrett narrowed his eyes at his granny.
“ Our ride? I thought you were coming with us to the Hamptons.”
“I’ll meet you there.” She shrugged, not seeming bothered. “I’m taking a helicopter.”
Julian squeezed her arm. “I’ve been trying to talk you into using one for convenience for ages, but you hate flying. Why the sudden change of plans? Get in the limo with us.”
A gust of wind hit us then, lifting the tendrils of her hair, and I could almost see the girl from the journal in Dina’s expression.
“Vic used to tell me, Dina, you should do something new every day. Never get stuck in monotony. Of course, he said it while we folded clothes in a stockroom. Something new to him meant trying a different fruit or walking in the rain. He never could have imagined me riding to the Hamptons on a helicopter, but I think he would be so proud.”
She waved her hand, blinking fast as if she could clear her gaze of the memories. “Here is my car now, to take me to the helipad. Get in the limo, kids. Be good company for Alatheia, then I will see you all at the cottage. Goodbye, my loves.”
Dina rushed toward her car, blowing us air kisses before she vanished into the vehicle.
“You have helicopters?” I was a few seconds behind, but that casual mention of them stunned me. “Really? You ride helicopters to the Hamptons, back and forth?”
Phoenix shrugged. “I hate them, personally. I don’t mind airplanes but helicopters suck. Come on. Let’s get the trek back to the Hamptons done as quickly as possible. I’m leaving as soon as the welcome party is over.”
No one mentioned a party to me, but then again, he might mean something else entirely. I wondered if there ever would come a time I wouldn’t feel like the outsider, never knowing what would happen next, just going where they shoved me.
The doorman , Rick, and the driver loaded my suitcases into the car while we all loaded into the seats. I glanced at the guys, surprised when I realized there weren’t more suitcases. “You don’t need bags?”
Barrett shook his head. “It’s our house, so we have everything we need in both places.”
And their grandmother was hopping on a helicopter. I bit my lip, reminding myself they lived in a different world than the one I knew. “Should I sit somewhere specific?”
Barrett and Julian were already seated with their backs to the driver. Jeremy patted the seat next to him, so I took it. Phoenix got in on my other side. I was surprised he didn’t take the row by himself.
He stared at me for long seconds before he spoke. “Were you crying? Where is Granny?”
We had just discussed it. He had even participated in the moment. How out of it was he right then? I didn’t answer, but I wished he would get some sleep. His hands shook as I watched him tuck them over his chest. He still hadn’t slept.
“Did I remember to bring my board?” he added, glancing at each of his brothers.
Barrett groaned. “No. Hold on. I’ll go get it.”
“Traveling with us is such a joy,” Julian said then winked at me.
I took a deep breath. Whatever happened, for the moment, I was safe in the car with them. I couldn’t stop one question from banging around in my head, though. Did my mother overdose on drugs, which left me at the mercy of her family? I chewed on my lip. Did I really want to know?