Chapter 19 #2
A groan sounded before Phoenix entered followed by his granny, who wore an amused expression.
“How many times does poor Alatheia have to go through this? I heard the whole thing over text before I even met her. Born in Colorado, Alatheia lived with her mom in North Dakota until her mom died. She then moved to San Francisco. Boom . That was a mess, so they shipped her on to Chicago. Boom . Didn’t work out.
So they shipped her here, so she can attend Pullman with the rest of us. ”
I pointed at him. “What he said.”
That made everyone laugh, shattering the tension from the second of horror that crossed his family’s faces when they feared I might be offended.
He grinned at me, and it felt like we shared a secret.
The smile looked really good on him, warming parts of me I didn’t expect.
He tapped his foot, moving a lot, but the pill for his ADHD must have helped.
He snagged a diet soda before he dropped cross-legged on the floor in front of us. Why is he on the floor?
“You look good.” Daniel sat forward. “Or better than you did a few days ago.”
Phoenix sipped his drink loudly. “I slept for four hours in the limo.” He sipped again. “Maybe the longest stretch in years, on Alatheia’s lap.”
Kit shook his head. “Did you thank her for the use of her lap for four hours?”
“Four and a half,” he said waving the drink before he leaned back against my knee. “I apologized and she told me not to worry about it. So, yes, I’m awake.”
I noticed no one was sharing how he’d also popped a pill.
His brothers must have their reasons for keeping quiet about it, and I wasn’t going to say a thing.
It isn’t my business . Maybe they kept each other’s secrets because they didn’t quite trust their parents?
As far as that went, from my first impressions, I’d seen worse.
Much, much worse . But I hadn’t spent enough time with their family to guess at their dynamics yet.
“Well, I’m certainly glad to hear you slept.” Eric smiled at Phoenix. “That’s very good. Hopefully it can become a trend, rather than an anomaly.”
Daniel pointed at Stephen. “Aren’t they the family that sold that house for half its value last summer?”
“That’s them.” Stephen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Her uncle is a shit businessman. Wins and loses fortunes over and over, like there is endless opportunity to make it back.”
I found his take interesting, trying to compare it to the uncle I only vaguely knew. Rosalind played with the end of her hair before saying, “Your aunt is mean. That sounds unkind, but I can’t think of a better word for her level of petty. I’m sorry you have to live with her.”
Barrett rose, smacking his hands on his legs as if to get our attention. “Let’s eat. I’m hungry. We don’t need to sit and have conversations here that we can have at the table.”
They all stared at him, surprised by his interjection.
I wondered if he did it to distract from the topic of me and my aunt, but I couldn’t be sure.
One by one, they rose and meandered toward the dining room.
I kept my mouth shut, listening to them and trying to learn more about the family.
They talked about the upcoming party, which seemed to make everyone tense—even their parents and uncles, who were throwing the affair.
Their lack of enthusiasm did make me wonder, though, why even throw the party if none of them enjoyed it?
The rustic theme continued into the dining room. Another tall domed ceiling in light wood hovered over a massive table. They each took seats and then Rosalind gestured to one next to her. When I would have obeyed and sat, Julian slid into it first, forcing me to sit between him and Barrett.
At the end of the table, Phoenix and Jeremy quietly argued about something but I couldn’t quite hear the topic, and I gave up after a minute of trying to guess.
The chef’s daughter served everyone beautifully presented dishes. Julian squeezed my knee under the table. “This is because of you. Otherwise, we all would be eating soy Jell-O right now.”
Rosalind laughed. “It’s real food. Julia Child has aspects in her cookbook.”
“Since when have you ever used a cookbook?” Jeremy asked from the end of the table.
She shook her head, scowling at him. “I cooked for years, Jer. Years . Starting at about eight until I … until things changed for me … I cooked for my whole family. I can cook.”
“Okay,” Phoenix’s foot tapped audibly on the floor. “But you weren’t cooking Julia Child at eight.”
“Fair enough.” She cut into her steak, her tone even.
“You know,” Eric said while waving his fork, “I’m a good cook. No one ever asks me to cook, though. Why is she always being laid into because we have help?”
Julian threw up his hands. “I didn’t lay into her. I said I didn’t want vegan aspects, so I thanked Alatheia because I didn’t have to eat them tonight. Take a breath and tone it down a notch, or I’m taking her back to New York tonight and screw the party.”
Dina interrupted, her tone smooth, “Speaking of the party, what is the theme this year?”
Rosalind smiled gratefully before saying, “Under the stars.”
Barrett looked at Phoenix. “Didn’t we already do under the stars? Like five years ago?”
“When dealing with this kind of thing, it is best not to have too long of a memory.” Kit grinned at Barrett.
Rosalind lifted her fork and pointed it at them. “That was Reach for the Stars . This will be themed about the actual stars, not successes and goals.”
I tuned out the rest of their party planning, disinterested in the whole affair.
Instead of worrying about what to say next, I glanced around at my companions, trying to get a read on their moods.
Jeremy remained very quiet at dinner, and Barrett, too.
Phoenix completely tuned out, his eyes almost glazed over with boredom.
The adults sometimes spoke to Julian, who was cordial with everyone.
It seemed like everyone at the table had a hidden agenda except for Dina, who was treated like royalty by her family.
They clearly adored her. My lips curled in a smile, because I had to admit I was a pretty big fan of her myself.
I also loved it for her on a level she might not understand.
I had read about where she had been when she was my age.
Alone. Scared . Something happened with the Lents—I didn’t know yet what—but she wrote that she could never see them again, despite her uncle, the glass genius and an abuser at home.
When the final course—ice cream sundaes—had been cleared, everyone rose to their feet.
Kit walked over and squeezed Rosalind to his side.
I might not be able to translate what they meant between them, but I saw something unspoken passed between them.
When their gazes shifted to us, I wondered what it might have been.
“Don’t get in trouble.” Stephen smiled at the four boys. “You want to make a good impression on your friend, hide your hellraiser side until you’re sure she likes you.”
I could almost see the awkwardness in the room like a physical presence, but finally, Rosalind spoke. “It was so nice to meet you, Alatheia. We’ll be glad to have you here this summer. I promise not to drag you into any more family meals.”
Because she didn’t want to force me or because she didn’t want me there? Maybe both.
Maybe they couldn’t talk freely in front of me or they didn’t like strangers around.
Barrett took my hand and tugged me from the room in a hurry. “Sorry about my family,” he muttered, not bothering to say goodbye to them.
“They were very nice to me.” I put on a smile but was afraid it didn’t reach my eyes. I’m doing my best here, this is new territory for me.
“No,” he shook his head, his lips thin with tension. “They weren’t. If you think that was nice, then I’m even more sorry about the life you have had to live so far.”
Phoenix rushed past us, giving my hair a gentle affectionate tug. “Come on. We’re having a bonfire. We’re here, have to be here, so let’s have a massive bonfire. I’m putting out the word. I’ll put it together, too.”
Jeremy shook his head. “He says that, but you know that I’ll end up putting it together.”
We stepped outside as the wind picked up, bringing the lovely beach smell all around me again. “Barrett, I really don’t want you to worry. They were nice to me. I promise. Something about me puts most people off, but I’m working on it. I plan to be happier or something, so that I am not so …”
“Stop.” He tugged me to him, nuzzling at my neck until I sighed.
“There is nothing about you that puts anyone off. Not one thing. My family is weird, so busy guarding their own secrets that they can’t even see they lost something.
This party? It’s so no one talks about us, so we meet the status quo.
They don’t actually want to have this party.
They don’t want to entertain all of Water Mill and part of South ampton.
So let’s have a bonfire and just forget about my parents and my family and all of it.
Let’s just be us for a while. I like us, especially with you.
They’ll just have to get over whatever issues they’re having because Granny loves you and we are … ”
Julian laughed. “Finish that sentence. I dare you. Be the first.”
“Come on, enough,” Phoenix yelled. “If we have to be here, then let’s make it wild. Oh shit, I forgot my favorite lighter.”
We passed his granny’s house and the path sloped down toward the beach. I let go of Barrett’s hand. “I’ll go get it for you. Where did you leave it?”
He bounced from foot-to-foot. “In my room. Go up the stairs, last door on the left, on my desk. Don’t touch my computer. Just devving out some combat mechanics for a game I’m working on, no big deal, but it could get messed up.”
He is what? I stared at him, surprised. “I didn’t know you devved games.”
“Yeah … I’m a drug addict and I’m fucked up. The kid who got kidnapped. The one who might destroy all the family secrets. I can board like a pro. I can make games. I am also kind of good at a lot of various shit.”
Barrett hit him in the shoulder. “No one thinks you are going to blow up the family secrets.”
“You should. I might.” Despite his words, he grinned when he said it.
I jogged back toward the house to find his lighter. Easy enough to backtrack our path, so I made it halfway up the stairs before I heard the voices coming from the room where we had met before dinner. I might have had the best intentions, but I slowed when I overheard part of the conversation.
“They can’t be finding random charity cases and hoping for the best.” Rosalind’s soft drawl snapping the words brought me to an abrupt halt. “She’s a sweet, pretty girl, but we all know this is going to blow up.”
Kit answered, “We don’t know that.”
“She’s sixteen years old,” Rosalind said again, scowling at him when I peeked through the crack.
“You were seventeen when you showed up at our door—wet, alone, and running for your life.” Dina sighed. “You may have forgotten how young you were, but I haven’t.”
Daniel cleared his throat. “She makes a good point.”
“She isn’t from this life. She wasn’t raised like us. It is so much easier if they come from the life first.” Rosalind must have been pacing, because the volume of her voice went up and down.
Dina answered after a long silence. “I wasn’t from the life.
You ran like hell from it. I’m grateful she’s not part of that world.
If you wanted that for your sons, you could have left here and raised them on the Lake like their grandfathers.
But you didn’t, and neither did I. She isn’t a charity case, the kind and it is unkind of you to even suggest it.
You haven’t been taking them down to the Lake for the summers, and even I did that.
You haven’t been telling them that their choices remain there, even though they live here.
I never guessed this would happen when I met her, but it did.
I’m telling you, instantly. I’ll point out again, she isn’t a charity case.
Don’t think about her like that, and don’t you dare talk about her like that. It’s hurtful and not accurate.”
“Then I guess it’s good she didn’t hear it,” Kit replied smoothly. “But I agree, that wasn’t … nice.”
Rosalind blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t mean to be unkind. I’m very sorry for whatever she has been through, but does she seem like she would be ready for this kind of commitment? For what it means to live like this? And the boys? Do they seem ready to you?”
I swallowed, leaning closer. Ready for what?
What did she think was going to happen or was happening?
I curled into a knot, wrapping my arms around my knees as I listened at the crack.
Charity case. In their eyes, I wasn’t much better than an unwanted dog hanging around for scraps while they were all thoroughbreds.
“Actually, with her they do,” Eric answered easily. “They do. I see what Mom sees. Even Phoenix seems … better.”
I couldn’t listen anymore, my eyes burning still because I was just another charity case.
There were probably hundreds of people just like me.
I forced myself to get up and head to Phoenix’s room.
Fine, they don’t like me? Fine . The pearls made me strong, so I clutched them, their warm weight somewhat comforting.
I knew Dina had some agenda of her own, so I would have to be careful around her, too.
I rushed up the stairs on quiet feet and retrieved Phoenix’s lighter.
Tomorrow I will leave . They couldn’t force me to stay, and why would they want to? I would have to go back to my aunt who hated me, but she wouldn’t be surprised I failed here. She probably expected it, honestly.
I didn’t need the Lents or their opinions about whether I belonged with their kids or not. I wasn’t interested in their classist nonsense.
Not to mention the way the conversation sounded, it seemed they would be picking me for something, maybe a competition? Whatever it was, the brothers could do far better with a teammate other than me.
Art covered most of the walls in Phoenix’s room and clothes littered his floor. On another day, I might have snooped out of curiosity, hoping to learn more about him, but in that moment, I grabbed the lighter and headed back out the door.