Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
TEDDIE
"It doesn't sound like you hate living there," Lyra remarked.
I glanced down as the edge of a wave covered my feet before drawing back out again.
"It's complicated," I said. "On one hand, I'm happy I'm not imposing on you anymore."
"I didn't mind," she said quickly. "You know that, right?"
“Yeah, I do, but you deserve your space." I glanced over at her, insisting she not argue with me. I couldn't go on sleeping on her couch, even without the guy's proposal.
"Okay, okay, I surrender." She threw her hands up in the air and dropped them back down. "So, why is it complicated?"
Where did I even begin to answer that?
When I’d asked Hel to explain why he knew what happened after Oak left the restaurant, Fade conveniently came to the door, with some story about a job. He'd been amused to walk in on us like he had. I'd stared him down, but all he did was grin back.
Hel gave me a glance before putting my panties back in place and handing me my shorts. "I'll let you get dressed." He hadn't said another word before stepping out of the office and closing the door behind him, leaving me to fix myself up.
That was four days ago. I hadn't had a chance to ask him again but I’d thought about it.
In the end, I concluded the server must be working for him.
Her, or someone in Heartbeets, told him about Victor.
Saltgrave grapevine at its finest. Apparently, I couldn't do anything without it getting back to the three men I was living with.
I thought they might, but none of the rules said I could’t talk to other men. Instead, they were relatively harmless things like wearing a particular shirt over a black bra, or eating extra kale with dinner. If that was what got them off, I could accommodate it. Even the kale.
I let out a soft sigh. "Would you believe they leave the toilet seat up all the time?" That seemed like a small infraction compared to getting angry at some random man for talking to me in a restaurant.
Lyra laughed, her head tipped back. "Yes, I completely believe that.
It's exactly what three men would do. That's why I grabbed the chance to live by myself when it came up. Although…” Her expression sobered.
"I should have picked somewhere big enough so we could both live there without being on top of each other. Figuratively speaking."
"You picked a place you like that's close to your work" I pointed out. "You shouldn't have to worry about me when choosing where to live. I'm a big girl, I can more or less look after myself."
She hooked her arm through mine. "I know you can. You're the big badass Theodora Ward. No one would dare call you anything different."
"I'm pretty sure they would," I said with a laugh. Fade called me sweetheart. Hel referred to me as a good girl. Those words still got my pulse racing. Who knew I was into praise that much?
What would Oak call me? Probably not something nice. Nosy bitch came to mind.
"They can go through me," Lyra declared. "I know how to give a death stare that will make them piss their pants." She scrunched up her face, giving me a glare that made me burst out laughing.
"Was I supposed to wet myself laughing or be scared?" I ducked away before she could elbow me in the ribs.
"You were supposed to be terrified." She grinned. "Are you saying you weren't?"
“Oh, absolutely," I said jokingly. "I'm going to need therapy after that. Lots of it.”
"That's better." She nodded. "I was starting to think I lost my edge."
"Definitely not. No one has more edge than you," I assured her. "As a matter of fact, that should be your middle name. Lyra Edge Henderson. It has a ring to it."
"What were my parents thinking giving me the middle name Margaret?" she asked. "Clearly it should have been Edge. I'll run off and change it immediately."
It was good to laugh and joke around with her. I didn't miss living in a shoebox, virtually on top of each other, but I missed seeing her so often. Having breakfast with her, going out. Keeping up with everything she was doing.
"You haven't told me what you've been doing," I said. "Have you been out much?"
"I haven't been out anywhere," she complained. "I keep trying to convince Genesis or Jupiter to come out with me. Or Juno, from Heartbeets. Every time they're available, I'm busy and vice versa. At some point we'll all have to catch up."
Genesis and Jupiter were sisters, both around my age. I used to go to school with Juno. Was she the one who'd spoken to Hel?
“Which reminds me," I said. “Do you want to go out this Friday night?” I told her about the plan to see Scarlet Felony. “We could go to Vertical and dance until our feet hurt."
"I love that idea," Lyra said. "I'll message them all and make sure they turn up. We're going to have the best time."
"Yes, we are," I agreed. I was already looking forward to a night out with the girls. Living with three men was testosterone overload at times. They didn't really leave the toilet seat up but they may as well have. Their presence was in every room whether they were there or not. Especially Hel.
"How is Loams doing?" Lyra asked, her expression tentative.
"It seems to be going okay," I said.
I hadn't checked in with my dads as often as I should. Honestly, I was worried I'd tell them why I was doing what I was doing. What would they think? At some point I was going to have to explain. My plan was to tell them when it was too late for them to say no, or try to talk me out of it.
On the other hand, they knew me better than anyone. They'd find a way to get it out of me if I let them. No, I was going to have to be careful.
"Why don't we go there for dinner before we go out dancing?" she suggested. "Or we could spend the whole night there."
"I know you adore my dads as much as I do," I said, "but staying there all night would cramp your style. And our friends’ style.” Not to mention, Hel probably had us on the guest list already.
"I don't mind," she said, her lips drawn back from her teeth.
"Yes, you do and it's okay," I said. "My fathers like to think they're cool, and they are, but if we're going to let our hair down, it's going to be somewhere other than Loams."
"You're right," she said, looking relieved. "Unless it's drag night. Then you wouldn't drag us away, no pun intended."
"I think that pun was very much intended," I said.
She grinned. "You caught me. Although, you know what would be funny?"
"What?" I asked, giving her the side eye.
"Those three men joining in drag night," she said grinning wider.
I stared at her for a moment before tipping my head back and laughing. "That would be funny."
I couldn't decide which of them would be the least impressed.
It might be a three-way tie. Of course that made the idea even more compelling.
I should have insisted on daily rules myself.
I would have added that straight onto the list. All three of them in full drag, hair and make-up. Standing on stage, singing and dancing.
On the other hand, if I did that to them, they'd do something in return. Whatever it was, it might not be something I'd enjoy. Or would it?
The next time I signed a contract to live with three strange men for a year, I'd do things differently. They'd look adorable in colorful wigs.
"We should head back," I said reluctantly.
We'd already walked a couple of miles along the beach.
My car and her bike were back at the start and it was going to get dark soon.
As much as I loved the beach, I didn't want to be caught out here in the middle of the night.
Not without a sleeping bag and a pillow.
A girl needed her creature comforts, even on the beach.
"Yeah it looks like it's going to rain." She glanced over her shoulder.
I looked back too. She was right, the sky was getting darker and darker. A flash of lightning illuminated gray clouds before disappearing. That was followed a few heartbeats later by a rumble of thunder.
We exchanged glances before starting to run back down the beach, struggling through the damp sand as the storm grew closer.
"I'll text you," she shouted before jamming her helmet onto her head and throwing herself onto her bike.
"Yes, let me know as soon as you get home safe," I called out.
I watched for a moment while she peddled away frantically, regretting not having a car big enough to fit her bike inside. I would have insisted on driving her home.
Luckily, she only lived around the corner. She'd be home before the storm hit.
Should I follow her there instead of going back to Hel's house? Who knew how long this storm was going to last? It could be all night for all I knew. Better that I get back now before they wondered where I was. If they came looking, Lyra would have all sorts of questions I didn't have answers for.
Someday, but not yet.
I unlocked my car and hoped like hell the engine would start. I pushed my key into the ignition and turned it, my eyes closed hoping for the best.
As the sky started to drizzle, the engine roared to life.
"Thank fuck for that. I knew you wouldn't let me down." I patted the steering wheel.
She wasn't much but she showed up for me when I needed her. With any luck, she'd keep doing that for a while longer.
I pulled out out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction from the one Lyra had gone.
Lightning flashed as the wipers swished back-and-forth across the windshield. Thunder rumbled, closer this time.
I leaned over to turn the music up. I liked a good storm as much as the next person, but driving through one was disconcerting. We should have headed back from our walk sooner.
Not to mention, I liked this song.
The moment my hand touched the knob, the car's engine started to whine. If the car didn't like this song, couldn't it have said so?
"Not now," I told it. Hang on for five minutes, we'll be back at Hel's house, safe and dry. Well, I’d be dry, the car would be parked out in the rain.
Apparently the vehicle figured that out. She clunked a couple of times before whining again.
"Don't do it. Don't do it." The vehicle was becoming more difficult to steer. Slower and increasingly wobbly. If I tried to stay on the road, I was going to get into an accident. I didn't feel like dying today or killing someone else.
I barely pulled over onto the side of the road before the engine completely died.
Shit.