Chapter 37
CRUTCH
$56.
Why do stupid khaki pants cost so much? They’re not even cargo pants.
Lulu thinks I look dead sexy in my jeans, and they only cost $20 a pop. And I sure as hell wear them way more than I ever plan on wearing these pants.
But we had a deal. Lulu stays the weekend with me, if I go with her to this dumb annual charity brunch her parents are having at their house.
Lulu crawled out of the tent this morning, wearing the sleep shirt I gave her and hot pink cotton panties, and it hit me—I would crawl over glass, dig through a mountain of dog shit, and attend a hundred different charity galas, if it meant she would be by my side. Talk about love. I’ve got it bad. And if there were a cure, I don’t think I would take it.
I’m the addict turning down help. The junkie running from the intervention.
We drove back into town this morning in her car, stopping at the mall to buy these pants. Of course, I refused to let Lulu pay, and then I had a panic attack the whole time I was in shower thinking about the cost versus utilization rate. Now, I’m sitting here, waiting on Lulu to get ready, flipping through the channels on her big screen TV. She refused to shower in Carrie’s shower, so she didn’t start getting ready until I was dressed.
Well, to be fair, I dressed, then I undressed , and then I dressed again. Instantly, I’m drawn back to just an hour ago when her hand was wrapped around me, while at the same time my fingers plunged into her milky core, dragging a screaming orgasm from her perfect little mouth.
There’s a jiggle on the front door, and I quickly grab a pillow, covering the lingering effects of my daydream.
Kristie.
Yay.
“Oh! I thought y’all would already be over in the Big House for the party.”
“I’m just waiting on her to finish getting ready. She’ll be done any minute.” Erection suddenly dead, I toss the pillow to the side and sit up, clasping my hands between my knees. “I thought she told you to knock and not use the key.”
Something about her really rubs me the wrong way. Well, let me rephrase that. Something—besides the fact that I’ve seen her drunk, seen her high, and seen her red panties as she offered me a blow job—really rubs me the wrong way. It’s something…else. Something more.
She twirls her auburn hair around her fingers, and I try to look at her objectively, without my biases clouding my vision. She’s cute. She definitely cakes on the makeup, but still, she’s cute. She should get her act together and maybe she would find someone to be with. It’s weird that she wants to spend all her free time hanging out at the house of her younger high school friend.
Not that I’m one to talk. I just had my fingers shoved inside of said high school friend.
She peeks down the hallway, checking for Lulu, and then sits on the loveseat. “Look, I’m really sorry about hitting on you that night. I was drunk. I know that’s no excuse, but you have to know that I normally don’t act like that. Carrie and Ella are the closest thing I have to family, to sisters. I would never jeopardize that.” She sits back, straightening the collar on her dress. “And yes, I should have knocked. I just thought y’all would be at the party already. It won’t happen again. You have my word.”
She seems genuine. What choice do I have but to take her at her word. It’s not like I can judge someone for getting drunk. I mean, DUI should be my father’s middle name. And hopefully the getting high thing was just a one-time deal. I nod. Accepting my absolution, she sighs and smiles.
The sweetest voice interrupts us. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I turn my head, sighing in my own absolution when I see Lulu standing there in a flowy, pink dress and high-heel sandals. The sleeveless dress has a high neckline, fully covering her ample chest, but it falls to mid-thigh, showcasing her amazingly perfect legs and the tan that’s easily baked her skin in the time she spends outdoors with me. As she struggles to put on a tight white sweater—she keeps missing the arm holes—I jump up, helping her.
Perfect. She’s just damn perfect. Not even caring that Kristie is staring at us, I bend down, gently kissing my girl’s mouth. I don’t have to bend far; those heels make her even taller. Her lips are sticky with some kind of lip gloss. She giggles when I pull away, quickly brushing her thumb across my mouth, wiping it clean.
I whisper against the shell of her ear. She loves it when I do that. “You’re damn gorgeous.”
She grabs my neck, holding me in place, and whispering against the shell of my own ear. Hell, I love it when she does that. “You clean up fairly nice yourself. And you rolled your sleeves up to your elbows.” Her free hand brushes across my skin. “You know your forearms drive me crazy.”
“You know your everything drives me crazy.” I mean it. I really do.
Eventually she pulls away. “Kristie, you look nice. Is your dad already here?”
Kristie bites her lip, fidgeting with a ring on her finger. “Yeah, I think he got here about thirty minutes ago.”
“Well, I guess we better get this over with, huh?”
I grab the remote and turn off the TV. “So, tell me one more time, this whole benefit is to raise money for your school? The richest private school in the state? That school ?”’
She purses her lips. “Yes.”
“How is that a charity function?”
“Well, the school operates a charitable foundation. It does some good things, don’t get me wrong. In fact, it’s helping with some of the travel expenses for the two-week graduation trip. But most of the time, it supports self-centered activities disguised as charitable events.” She taps her heel, thinking. It clanks against the marble floor. “There was the benefit to raise money for the new gym, when the one we had was only five years old. There was the benefit to establish a teacher surplus fund with the intention of those monies being earmarked for higher education learning for the teachers who wanted to get their master’s or doctorate degrees. But in fact, most of it was used to buy new cars as a sign-on bonus for teachers they hired after they fired a bunch of old teachers for not fully representing the qualities of our school—meaning the teachers were modest and not into social climbing and giving out A’s like candy.”
“Calm down. You’re getting me so excited. I may never wanna leave this party.” I roll my shoulders, trying to loosen the tension.
Kristie opens the back-hallway door and walks down the long corridor, heading into the Big House. We give her time, watching as she disappears, so the two of us can make the journey alone. This breezeway feels more haunted than Carrie’s bedroom. Like walking through this hallway and into the lifeless, loveless mansion of Lulu’s parents will suck the eternal soul from our bodies. She feels it too. She reaches behind her neck, rubbing her scar. Her heels echo all around us as she places one foot in front of the other. And I watch in speechless awe as each step drags My Lulu away, replacing her with Ella Hill.
We walk down the hallway, eventually passing the threshold into the Big House. We pass designer-decorated rooms on both the left and right. Guest rooms, guest bathrooms, something that looks like a home theater room. There’s a room with wrapping paper and ribbons hanging on the wall and what looks like covered Christmas trees standing in the corner. That room by itself is three times bigger than my bedroom at my grandparents’ house.
The soft music of a piano and muffled noise of party-goers filter through the air, growing louder the closer we get. Lulu’s back is so straight and stiff, a construction crew could use her as a leveler. At last, we reach the main living room. The room is massive, with vaulted ceilings, and one side of the room has a large staircase that winds up to the second floor. The wooden banister and railing are draped from bottom to top in garlands of fresh spring flowers. Tucked underneath the curve of the staircase is a grand piano, where someone sits, playing a classical song. The whole back wall of the room is comprised of huge glass doors. They are all standing wide open, allowing people the luxury of walking around the custom-built swimming pool, hot tub, and waterfall. I see people sitting outside. In the matching outdoor furniture.
If I thought Lulu’s wing of the house was boring with its white and gray and navy, I was completely mistaken. This room brings a whole new meaning to that style. I can only assume that her mom frequently redecorates the living room, matching to whatever style may be on trend at that particular moment. The wall next to us is lined with white bookshelves, filled to the brim with books that look just as boring as all the people in this room. All hardcovers with non-descript gold lettering along the spine.
“Have your parents read all these books?”
Lulu looks over my shoulder. “The last thing they do in their free time is read for fun. In fact,” she nods her head at a buxom blonde in a tight-fitting purple dress, “there’s one of Dad’s hobbies right now.”
“Addison? The assistant?”
“No. This girl is a pharmaceutical rep.”
“Ma’am,” a waiter in a black bow tie stops in front of us, offering us a flute of orange juice.
We each take one, and I quickly drink it down, wetting my parched mouth. The tangy sweetness catches me by surprise. I’m too late to stop Lulu, she already has the glass tilted to her mouth. “Lulu, it’s a Mimosa.” Even though the champagne is mild, it still has Lulu scrunching her nose and grimacing. She covers her mouth to cough. Grabbing her glass, I set them both on the bookshelf.
“Your parents are letting the waitstaff serve alcohol to minors?”
“You know you make our relationship sound very scandalous when you call me a minor.”
I wink. “Maybe I like scandal.”
Lulu’s gaze darts off to the side. Her jaw twitches. I turn to see a whirlwind of a woman sweeping in our direction. “Ella, sweetheart. I was growing concerned about your whereabouts. So many people have been asking for you. Come, mingle.” She grabs Lulu by the arm, urging her to follow.
Lulu yanks her arm from her mom’s grasp. “Mom, I’ll be happy to mingle, after I introduce you to Ryland. Ryland, this is my mother, Susan.”
Her mom looks different from the last time I saw her on the news, talking about Carrie. Even different from the picture Lulu showed me on her birthday. I can’t quite place it though.
“Oh, my.” Susan covers her mouth in exaggerated shock. The diamond ring on her finger is large enough to ice skate on. “I wasn’t aware you’d be joining us.”
“Yes. You were very aware. I told you twice.” Lulu’s voice is cold and stoic.
Susan leans over, fake whispering at her daughter. At least she’s attempting to pretend for my benefit. “Does Hudson know about this?”
“ This meaning Ryland attending this function. Or this meaning my relationship with Ryland? Because last time I checked, Hudson is not the chairman of the party planning committee, nor am I indebted to get permission from him on whom I date. And yes, he is very aware that Ryland and I are dating.”
Susan narrows her eyes and wraps Lulu in a fake hug, invading her personal space. “I do not know what has gotten into you, young lady, but you will not embarrass me today. I do not ask much of you. The least you can do is represent this family with the dignity and grace that we taught you.”
Pulling away, she straightens her already straight dress and turns her attention to me. “Ryland, it is a pleasure to meet you.” She limply dangles her hand in front of me.
What the fuck? Does the woman think I’m deaf? Or is she just delusional?
Having no choice, I try to shake her hand as graciously as possible. “Pleasure is all mine.”
You can tell the second she actually acknowledges my full presence. The second she actually looks at me like I’m a human being. How can you tell? Because her skin flushes. “Well, I can certainly see why my daughter is drawn to you. You are quite handsome.” She giggles and plays with the strand of pearls draped across her neck. “Any friend of Ella’s is a friend of mine.”
You have got to be kidding me.
Fortunately, she’s called away by someone before she embarrasses herself any further.
Sucking in a deep breath, Lulu doesn’t look at me. “It’s the nose.”
“What?”
“You were trying to place what was different about her. She just had a nose job. She thought her nose looked too big in one of the camera interviews she did for Carrie, so she just had a nose job.”
“Her daughter is still missing, and she decides to have elective surgery?”
She points her chin in the air, not answering my rhetorical question. “Time to mingle.”