8. Foster
8
FOSTER
W hen I pulled up to the curb in front of the red and white, bricked split-level, I found everyone else already there. Damien s Ford was parked behind Keene s silver Jeep Rubicon and next to Oaklynn s Kia, which was in front of Hudson s Challenger.
Finding a spot between Thane s Equinox and Parker s Lucid Air, I cut the engine on my Dodge and pushed my way into the bright morning.
I d been coming to this house since I was eleven to hang out with Damien. It d been his childhood home. And even though his parents had retired and moved to Arizona, leaving it for him to live here with Keene, Alec, Hudson, and Oaklynn, it would always be just Archer House to me.
After jogging up the front steps, I pulled open the door to the main living room and found pandemonium inside.
Damien was trying to contain a hysterical Oaklynn, who was shrieking, I don t understand. Why her ? Why?
Heart pounding hard, I demanded, What happened?
Oaklynn spun toward me, and her eyes narrowed. You , she charged savagely, pointing in angry blame. Where were you? You should ve been here. She d still be alive right now if you d just been here.
I reared back, stunned by the accusation. What? I choked out in dread, and for some reason, my thoughts went to the nameless girl I d spent the night with.
From the couch, Hudson lifted his hands and waved them. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don t put this on Union.
Grasping Oaklynn s arm gently, Damien spun her back to him and pulled her against his chest so he could stroke her hair. Over her shoulder, he shook his head at me as if to apologize.
I can t believe this is happening, Oaklynn wept, burying her face in Damien s shirt and gripping handfuls of the cloth. Then she lifted her face to wipe her eyes and say, I m sorry, Foster. It s not your fault. It s mine. It s my fault.
No, Damien crooned, kissing her temple and urging her back around to him. It s no one s fault.
Meanwhile, Alec was sympathetically patting Keene s back, where he was slumped in a chair and gripping his head. I was the last person to ever have sex with her, he uttered in shocked horror. I mean, she died within an hour of my penis being inside her.
From the kitchen, I heard glass break. Will you stop telling me to calm down? Parker boomed, no doubt talking to Thane since he was the only other person not in the front room. I m the one who bought the fucking ride she died in.
Clued into the fact that someone was dead, I turned my attention to the couch, where Hudson and Faith seemed to be the least traumatized people in residence.
All I had to do was meet his gaze with a questioning lift of my eyebrows, and he jerked his head, motioning me over to the couch. Faith was quietly running her hand down his arm as if she didn t know what else to do, and he was wincing in pain as he rubbed the thigh of his leg that wasn t wrapped in a cast.
I sank down on a cushion not far from them, and he licked his lips, glancing at Keene, then Oaklynn before returning his attention to me with weary eyes.
You know that girl Oaklynn s been hounding you to go on a blind date with? he asked.
Holy shit! I exploded in surprise. She died? How?
Just— He lifted his hand to stop me. Shut up and listen.
I pulled back, closing my mouth.
And Hudson continued, So she was here last night with her sister, hoping to finally meet you.
This time, I did cringe. Seriously? How many times did I have to tell Damien s girlfriend that I was not fond of setups?
Hey, she wasn t so bad, Hudson told me. Cute, sweet, bubbly; you probably would ve liked her.
I made a face, not so sure about that, but Hudson kept talking.
Anyway, I plied her with one of my special brews while Keene hooked up with her sister. And then Parker sniffed her out and tried to hit on her until he learned she was reserved for you.
Whoa, hey. I lifted my hands, taking no part in claiming this complete stranger. She is not?—
But Hudson motioned me silent. So Ohrley bought her and her sister a ride to take them to Witt s so she could finally meet you.
I drew in a deep breath, beginning to catch on. Wait. That was the gift he said he was sending my way? A girl ? Jesus. Of course, it had been. My friends, I m telling you. Lately, some of them had made it their life mission to get me laid. The crazy weirdos.
Hudson winced with me before saying, Yeah, except they never made it to Witt s. A drunk driver ran into them, and the sister died on impact.
Oh God, I breathed, bringing a fisted hand up to my mouth.
And Oaklynn s friend, Raina… Hudson shook his head sadly. I don t know, man. We heard she coded once this morning, and they were able to resuscitate her, but who knows if she s going to make it through the day.
Fuck. Glancing around the front room, I realized Damien and Oaklynn were gone. He d probably hustled her upstairs to their room.
Oaklynn was right, I croaked, beginning to rock myself on the couch. I should ve been here. I didn t even want to go to Javonte s. I would ve rather been here with you guys. But he was expecting me, and?—
Union, Hudson warned sternly, nudging my arm. Don t even go there. You had nothing to do with this.
Are you kidding me? I blurted out a harsh, incredulous laugh. You just said she was coming to see me .
And you are not responsible for that in any way whatsoever. Fuck, I m the one who got her drunk so that she had to take a rideshare in the first place. Maybe she would ve been able to avoid the crash if she d been sober and driving herself. Or Parker could ve made her stay here and forced you to come to us instead. Or Keene could ve kept that sister occupied just a few minutes longer. And Oaklynn could ve stopped encouraging her to pursue you in the first place. There are so many stupid what-ifs floating around this house right now, the air is just thick with guilt. I don t want it coming off you too.
But—
I don t care, he cut in with a shake of his head. I m going to need you to just buck up and get over this one because—damn, Fos. He shook his head with a wince. Archer s busy comforting Dimples, Alec has his hands full with Duggie, and Thane?—
He was broken off by Parker s shout from the kitchen, I told you, I don t want to fucking talk about it.
Hudson tipped his head that way. Well, we all know where Eisner is. Which leaves you with me . And to be quite frank, my leg is fucking killing me too much to help you through your issues right now.
I ve already made him sit down three times this morning, Faith told me as she reached over to help him massage his thigh.
It d only been a month since he d been struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run, and his recovery hadn t been the easiest.
Dude… Hissing out a pained breath, Hudson shook his head in misery. She threatened to take sex away if I didn t sit. So now I m fucking staying on this couch.
Unable to help myself, I smiled. I hear you, I murmured in reassurance. And I ll deal with my own issues, I swear. I m good.
He nodded gratefully, believing me. Then, he reached out to bump his fist into mine. Thanks. As soon as we knocked knuckles, however, he tipped his chin at me. Bet you re wondering how Faith and I actually get it on while I m in this condition, though, aren t you?
My brow furrowed in bewilderment since that hadn t even remotely been on my mind. Not…really, I admitted.
Well, it s like this, he started, lifting his hands, completely willing to fill me in on all the details, despite my lack of interest.
Seriously! Faith shrieked, cutting him off there. You don t have to share everything , you know.
But I don t, he assured her with a gentle hand on her knee and a choirboy smile. Just my absolute most favorite parts.
Dear Lord, she groaned, slapping a palm to her brow in defeat.
Hey, I told her with a commiserating cringe. You re the one who fell for Mr. I-Don t-Know-What-Private-Means.
Private? Hudson echoed, playing along with a thoughtful tilt of the head. Sounds like a French dish. I bet I could cook the shit out of that.
Faith sighed and shook her head, even as she sent him a fond smile. What am I going to do with you?
Well, I have plenty of ideas, he replied, only to roll his eyes. But apparently, I m not allowed to mention them in front of Union because they re… Leaning toward her, he whispered suggestively, Private.
It was so obvious she loved his flirting ways; she practically shivered with excitement.
Which, for some reason made me think about the girl from last night.
I hoped she was doing okay and had gotten safely to wherever she d been going. Hell, I hoped she finally remembered her own name.
Hey. Hudson swung out a hand and slapped me in the knee to get my attention. What s up? You look as if you ve got something else on your mind.
Oh, do I? I asked, lifting my eyebrows curiously. Is there a blinking number above my head that says Foster now has thirty-five different things on his mind?
It was thirty-six actually. So come on, spill it.
I exhaled roughly and shook my head. Not now, I told him. I just had an…interesting night is all. But with everything else going on, it doesn t seem to signify at the moment.
Nonsense! Hudson claimed, while across the room, Keene threw Alec s hand off his shoulder and surged to his feet.
All I had to do was go down on her for thirty seconds longer , he growled, and she d still be alive right now.
As he stormed from the room and down the steps to the lower portion of the house with Alec hot on his heels, Hudson turned back to me, completely unaffected.
So lay it on me, he demanded.
I laughed softly and shook my head. Alright. So right after Park called me last night, ordering me to stick around Javonte s house because he was sending something my way, I took a walk along the beach by myself while I waited.
Fifteen minutes later, I sat back against the couch cushions with a heavy exhale, claiming, And I have no idea where she is now.
Let me get this straight, Hudson said. You came across some drunk chick…on a roof—which she magically got down from without a ladder—and she just poofed into thin air this morning before ever giving you her name. Chuckling, he shook his head. Are you sure you weren t the one who had something slipped in his drink?
I… I frowned at that thought because it actually made sense. But then I shook my head. No…no. I had beer in my cup, and I specifically remember not drinking any of it.
That s right… With a knowing nod, Hudson glanced at Faith. He s so weird. He hates drinking at parties.
I squinted at him in surprise. How did you know that?
What? He shrugged. I cook, and I know things.
Maybe the girl was a ghost, Faith spoke up, making both Hudson and me blink at her in surprise.
Except I can t see ghosts, I said slowly.
Faith and Oaklynn were the only people I knew who could actually perceive the dead.
Are you sure? she countered with zealous interest. Because I know you saw Hudson when he died. You looked right at where his ghost was standing, and you said his name.
My shoulders collapsed in fatigue because this wasn t the first time she d asked me about that day. But I guess when Hudson had been hit by that car, he d apparently been dead for a couple of minutes, and both Oaklynn and Faith had been able to talk to him and see his ghost.
I d been too busy trying to give him CPR to worry about that, but there had been a moment right before the first responders had shown up that I might ve seen him standing a dozen feet away from the body I was pumping on.
Except, to Faith, I shook my head. I m telling you; I don t know what I saw. I was delirious with fear and exhaustion from all the chest compressions. Maybe I saw him standing next to you for a split second; maybe I didn t.
I actually hated to think about it because it reminded me too much of the day Hayes had died.
When I was younger, I had sworn that he d come back to help me build my sandcastle after he d left with my mom. But when I d tried to tell anyone that, my mom promised me it wasn t possible. By that point, she d already spotted him out in the surf going under the water. They d convinced me I d been incoherent with grief and had made the whole thing up in my mind to cope with his death.
The mind was a funny thing and liked to play tricks on people. That s why I was sure I hadn t actually seen Hudson s ghost either.
But I know I never once saw Damien s sister for the ten whole years that she haunted her apartment, I added.
Faith bit her lip. That is strange, she had to admit.
Did you ever touch this girl last night to make sure she was a true, corporeal being? Hudson asked.
I raised my eyebrows before shaking my head. Believe it or not, I don t go around touching people, just to make sure they re not a figment of my imagination.
Well… He shrugged. Maybe you should start. And reaching out slowly with one finger, he very pointedly poked my arm before he released a relieved breath. Whew.
Funny. I rolled my eyes dryly, only to argue, I spent the entire night keeping her company. I think I would know if she was real or not.
Hudson shrugged. Oaklynn lived with Archer s sister for over a month before realizing she was a ghost.
Wincing, I leaned closer to him and Faith so I could admit, No offense to Vargas, but I still can t believe it took her that long to figure it out.
The mind, I m telling you, Hudson answered with a sad shake of the head. It s a wacky, freaky thing. It s amazingly easy to convince the brain to believe a preposterous idea with only a small amount of evidence to support it.
I blinked at his philosophical comment before slowly saying, Thank you, Dr. Ivey.
Hudson winked. Hey, you re welcome. I ll send you my bill in the mail.
Before I could respond, Parker came storming into the front room with Thane not far behind.
Jarring to a halt when he saw me, he breathed heavily before saying, So you re here.
Yeah. I instantly rose to my feet as the guilt slammed back into me all over again. I heard about what happened. You doing okay, man?
He barked out a hard laugh, and his eyes went a little moist. Yeah, I m fine. Everyone around me seems to drop dead without any problem, but I m just fucking fine .
You know it wasn t your fault, I had to tell him, even as I knew he wouldn t listen to a word I said. There was no way to know that would happen.
I should ve just fucked her, he growled, his chin trembling with emotion. She was so wasted; she wouldn t have known the difference. I should ve just snuck her into Ivey s room and kept her there all night. That way, she wouldn t be fighting for her life today, and she d still have a fucking sister. But no. She had you written all over her. And I thought of you instead of myself.
Feeling the responsibility of the accident weigh heavily on my shoulders, I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn t come on the first try. So I swallowed and tried again, rasping, I m sorry. I?—
Sorry don t bring back the dead, Union, he hissed. God. Shaking his head in disappointment, he swept by me and slammed the door on his way out.
Fuck, I better… Behind him, Thane motioned toward the exit, letting us know he wanted to follow his best friend.
I nodded in understanding, and he paused to clasp my shoulder. Don t take anything he said personally. He blames himself. Not you.
I know. With another nod, I motioned toward the door. You should?—
Yeah. He patted my back in farewell and raced off after Parker.
When the door shut behind him, I took a breath and glanced at the couple still sitting on the couch.
Hudson lifted telling eyebrows. Always a fun time at Archer House, eh? Then, he leaned back and glanced over his shoulder at Faith. As soon as I m out of this cast, we re moving into the love nest for some peace and quiet.
The love nest was what he called Faith s apartment since it was located above a shop named Jezebel s Nest, but they hadn t been able to stay there since his accident because he couldn t climb all the steep stairs up to it in his condition. So they d been lodging here, instead, where Hudson was renting a room from Damien.
Whatever you want, baby, Faith answered just as my phone rang.
I pulled it from my pocket, only to see my sister Amy s name on the screen.
Shit, I muttered, suddenly remembering I was needed elsewhere this morning. Hey, I answered her, even as I waved at Faith and Hudson and motioned toward the door, mouthing, I gotta go , to them.
They waved back, and I hurried from the house.
Are you planning on coming home any time today? the fifteen-year-old immediately scolded. Because I thought you were taking Brey to her soccer meet so Mom could take me shopping for a new dress for my sweetheart dance.
I am. I am, I assured as I hustled my way to my truck. I m sorry. It s been a crazy morning, but I m on my way now.
Well, hurry, she demanded before hanging up on me completely.
Blowing out a breath, I muttered, Yes, ma am, to the dead line as I yanked open the driver s side door and jumped behind the wheel.
I tossed my phone into the passenger seat and started the engine, but as I pulled away from the curb, I swore I saw the girl from last night walking down the sidewalk. Her red-brown curls bounced behind her, and she wore the same black top and striped-bottom jumper she d been in last night with her feet still bare.
I slammed on the brakes and did a double take. Except no one was there. Only a shadow from the swaying branches of a tree moved along the sidewalk where I d thought I d seen her.
Jesus, maybe I was drugged, I said, shaking my head before pulling onto the street and heading home.