21. Joshua
Chapter 21
Joshua
“ W hat’s all this?” Keelan strolls in, sweaty and flushed. Back from another run.
“Breakfast,” I say, motioning to the array of food. “The pancakes are a little undercooked, the bacon is a little overcooked. But I think I’m nailing the eggs.”
I pick up the pan and scoop the scrambled eggs into a bowl before they get too rubbery.
Keelan stares at me, water bottle dropped to his side.
“What?”
“What did you do with Hicks?”
“What are you talking about?”
He pulls out a stool and watches me drop the dirty dishes into the sink.
“You haven’t cooked anything in the entire year you’ve lived here,” he says. “You hardly ever wake up before nine unless there’s practice. And even then you’re almost always late. So… as I said –what have you done with Hicks?”
Cassidy strolls into the kitchen, she’s freshly showered, her hair sitting on top of her head in a topknot.
She grabs a mug and doesn’t look at me, before saying good morning to Keelan from over her shoulder.
Keelan’s mouth drops.
I shake my head, silently warning him not to say a word.
He mouths, “you mother fucker” and points a finger at me. Cassidy is now stirring sugar into her coffee and turns around to see us silently motioning to each other.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
“Nothing,” we both say a little too fast.
“Okay…” she turns to me. “I was thinking of taking the kids out today. It’s supposed to be pretty cool out. We don’t get many of these days in the summer.”
“Sure,” I say. “Maybe the park? I know a place we can take out some kayaks.”
Her eyes brighten. “Kayaks might be cool.”
“Let’s do it.”
“I’ll go get them ready.”
She leaves and Keelan stands waiting until she’s all the way up the stairs before laying into me. He turns, rubbing a hand down his face.
“Hicks.”
“Don’t,” I say.
He sighs heavily. “You’re both grown. You’re going to do what you want, I get it. But this is going to blow up in your face. It’s a ticking time bomb.”
I turn the faucet off. “No, it’s not. Becaus e we have an agreement.”
He scoffs. “Oh, an agreement,” he laughs sarcastically. “You should’ve told me you had a fucking agreement.” He throws his hands up.
“Keep it down, you nut. You’ll wake the kids.”
“Hicks, I love you, man. I really do. But sometimes you make really stupid decisions.”
I turn, stepping up to him.
“I make stupid decisions? Wow, that’s rich coming from you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you and Rina, Lando. And you sneaking out of her room at ungodly hours. You know, Rina? The one getting married this weekend? Or did you conveniently forget that when you buried inside her at the beach house?”
His eyes go from chocolate to black at the mention of her name.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know what you saw.”
“I can take a wild guess. So you want to judge my decisions? Why don’t you look at yours first before you think of yourself as so high and mighty, Captain!”
“Whatever, man. Good luck taking care of those kids without the help of your nanny. History’s proven you have t-minus forty eight hours until everything goes to shit.”
He grabs his water bottle off the counter and storms off in the direction of his room.
“The fucking nerve,” I mutter to myself.
I finish cleaning the dishes, still heated with Keelan, when Maddie and Parker come bouncing down the stairs.
“We’re going to the park. We’re going to the park,” Maddie chants.
I school my face into a smile when she comes bounding into the kitchen. Parker is slower, taking his time down the steps, one at a time.
“Hey, brats!”
“What happened to the bacon?” Maddie scrunches her face as I set the burnt offerings on the kitchen table.
Parker pulls on my shirt for me to pick him up. “Hey! You hungry, bud?
He nods his head and I pop him into the hair chair. I’m buckling him in when the doorbell rings.
“I’ll go get it!” Maddie says, jumping out of her chair and rushing into the hall.
“It’s probably just Julia here to clean!” I call out to her. “Check before you open the door.”
I listen closely when Maddie opens the door.
“Hi,” she says.
“Oh, hi. I think we have the wrong house. So sorry!”
Mom?! Oh shit.
I unbuckle Parker and carry him with me into the hall.
“Mom! Oliver! What are you guys doing here?”
My mom stops mid-spin, she was about to leave when she sees me in the hall.
“Josh?” She eyes the kids. “You knew we were coming to town. I didn’t realize you had visitors.”
“Oh–I guess, I figured you’d call, Mom.”
“I did call. Last week. I told we were coming.”
Cassidy strolls down the stairs, she’s wearing shorts and a cropped t-shirt. “Hey, I couldn’t find Parker's sneakers have you–” She sees my mom and Oliver still standing at the entrance. “Oh, hello.”
Mom looks at me with wide eyes.
“Hello,” she says to Cassidy. “I’m Josh’s mom, Catherine Hicks. This is my husband, Oliver.”
“His stepdad,” Cassidy says. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Cassidy looks at me puzzled but reaches a hand out to shake them.
“And you are?” Mom asks.
“That’s Cassidy,” Maddie says, “She’s–”
“My girlfriend,” I blurt out.
Mom smiles, slack jawed and a little too excited.
“So you must be the reason he’s been MIA all summer! I’ve barely got a call from this kid.”
Cassidy and Maddie both look at me, confused.
“I thought you said she was–”
“Hey, Maddie! If you go find Parker’s shoes, I’ll make sure you get ice cream.”
Maddie smiles. “Ice cream, yes!”
Parker bounces in my arms. “I want ice cream. I want ice cream!”
“Ok, ice cream all around– go find your shoes.”
I set him down and the two of them run off up the stairs.
“So girlfriend,” Mom says. “Are those your kids?”
Cole appears at the bottom of the steps, holding up Parker’s shoes. Mom looks at the teenager.
“Their her siblings,” I quickly say. “They’re all staying here for the summer.”
So stupid.
Cassidy doesn’t say anything she just stares at me. So do Mom and Oliver.
Cole breaks the silence by saying, “I’m not going to ask.” He sets Parker’s shoes on the floor and heads into the kitchen.
“I made breakfast if anybody’s hungry.”
“Sure,” Mom smiles. “We’ll just go grab the bags. Our driver is still out there.”
“We’ll be right back,” Oliver says. They close the front door behind them and the second they do Cassidy whirls on me.
“What are you doing?” she hisses.
“Hear me out… Mom can’t know about these kids okay?”
“Are you serious right now? Are you just going to keep lying about them every time you see your parents?”
I brush my fallen hair out of my face.
“I won’t have to,” I whisper. “They’re not staying with me when I move.”
Her face falls. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying them being here is only temporary. Their caseworker is looking for a more… permanent situation.”
“So a foster home! You’re going to send them to a foster home?”
“Shh,” I peek into the kitchen but Cole is wearing headphones.
“I’m sorry but I’m trying to keep up here.”
I pull her into the living room and look out the window to make sure Mom and Oliver don’t pop back in.
In a rush I tell her everything. “My mom hates, James. Their dad. She can’t know that I’m their legal guardian. It’ll break her heart. Ok. So… I need you and the kids to just pretend your siblings while they’re here. It’ll be easy. They like you like a sister anyways.”
“And I’m your fake girlfriend?”
“Will that be so hard to play?”
She glares at me.
“Just consider part of your job, Cassidy. I’m now officially paying you to be my girlfriend and Maddie, Parker and Cole’s sister.”
“I cannot believe you right now.”
“I’ll throw in an extra twenty five grand, okay?”
“Money isn’t going to help you when this all comes to bite you in the ass,” she whisper yells.
Yeah, Keelan seems to think so too.
But I don’t have time to dwell on all that right now. Right now, I just need to get through a weekend with my parents and my fake girlfriend’s fake family.
“They’re coming in. Just tell me you’re on board.”
She huffs out a breath. “Fine. But I’m negotiating for more money after this because right now… I really don’t like you.”
“Fair enough, Princess.”
The front door opens and I help my parents with their luggage. Cassidy asks Cole to help her with something upstairs and before she heads up I shoot her a grateful smile, mouthing “thank you.”
She shakes her head and disappears up the stairs. I know that that’s the best I can expect from her. Especially now that she knows the truth. I wasn’t planning on keeping the kids when I leave to Georgia.
And I realize that makes me look like an even worse asshole than lying to my parents about them in the first place.
But I can’t handle anymore disappointment this summer. So we’ll play along.
It’s only one weekend.