Chapter 7 #2
“Aunt Emmy,” he said in a long-suffering voice, but he reached out across the seat, and I took his hand again.
∞
The beach was the perfect place to go. We stayed for a few hours, walking and wading up to our knees (it was bone-chilling cold).
I got a text from Luke saying that he was with his dad, who wasn’t feeling well.
I asked him to pick us up to go to Annie’s house for the dinner, so I knew we’d have a secure ride.
After a few hours, we drove the Bronco over to Martha and Carl’s house.
Charlie went with Frankie to see his room, and Martha invited me into the living room.
It was very clean, and very pink and floral.
Martha’s favorite color was mauve, and it showed in her house.
“Honey, I just feel terrible taking the Bronco from you,” she said. She looked distraught.
“Martha, it’s ok.” I took a deep breath. “Mike came home, so now we have a car to drive.” I hadn’t wanted to tell her about Mike, but there was no use hiding it.
“Mike. Michael Finn came home?” her voice rose, and Carl came in to the living room. “Did you hear that?” she demanded to him. “Michael Finn has come home like the prodigal son. And I’ll just bet that Cassandra Finn has killed the fatted calf for him.”
I thought about Mike slapping Cassie on the butt. “She took him right back. They’re picking up where they left off.”
Martha started muttering angrily under her breath, and Carl patted her shoulder. He never said much.
“Anyway, the good news is that I can drive the Jeep.”
“He’ll let you drive it?” she asked incredulously.
I shrugged a non-committal answer. Mike wouldn’t have any choice once I took the keys tomorrow morning.
I hadn’t wanted to fight today, with Charlie so down, but tomorrow the Jeep was mine.
It wasn’t a great plan, but he owed us. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
Let Cassie try to make me leave. I’d take Charlie with me, and they wouldn’t even notice that he was gone.
Charlie came back down, talking excitedly about Frankie’s rocks. “They’re all organized and labeled. Frankie is a real scientist,” he told me. Martha and Carl smiled.
We said goodbye, and Carl drove us home. “Be careful with Mike,” he admonished me in his laconic way, as we shut the doors and thanked him.
Cassie was dead asleep in their bed, which was a rumpled mess.
I cleaned up the disgusting kitchen, sighing over the empty refrigerator, then opened the windows to the afternoon air to clear some of the smoky smell out of the house.
By the time I was done, I could hear Cassie calling me, so I made her and Charlie some sandwiches and brought her a tray.
She had huge dark circles under her eyes. “Thank you,” she said when I set down the tray. That was different. I started to straighten up the bedroom a little, then dropped the pile of clothes I was holding back onto the floor. I wasn’t Mike’s maid.
Cassie had been watching me. “I’m glad he’s back,” she said.
I nodded at her. “I know. I’m glad you’re happy.”
I went to my room to look for something to wear to the Shark team dinner, and as it turned out, miraculously, no new clothes had grown in my closet that afternoon.
I had absolutely nothing to wear to Annie’s house.
I helped Charlie pick out a nice shirt, and gave him the purple plaid tie I had searched for in two Goodwills and a resale shop.
He loved it. “It really is your color,” I told him.
He nodded, entranced by his own image in the mirror. “Looking good, pal.”
I took a shower and then went through my closet again. Nothing. I heard a little noise, and saw Cassie at the door, watching me.
“Can I get you something? Are you feeling ok?” I asked her.
She came into my room and sat on the bed. “Where are you guys going?”
“There’s a dinner tonight for Charlie’s swim team.” I gestured at my closet. “I’m looking for something to wear.”
“I saw Charlie in his tie. He looks cute.”
“He looks like you,” I told her. “You, with blonde hair.”
“The curls are mine, the color is all Dad.” She reached up and touched her hair. “Charlie reminds me of Dad, sometimes.”
God forbid.
“What are you wearing?” Cassie asked.
I sighed. “Jeans, I guess. I don’t have anything fancy.”
She studied me for a minute. “What about my black dress?”
“You’d let me borrow it?” I was shocked. In my whole life, I had never, ever been allowed to touch Cassie’s things.
“It would fit you, I think. But it’ll be short. Go get it and try it on.”
I brought it in from her room, and it did fit. She helped me pin up my hair into a messy bun, with pieces framing my face, and looked at me critically and told me which eyebrow hairs to pluck. I had so much fun, I didn’t want to leave when I heard the doorbell ring.
“Thanks, Cass,” I told her softly.
“Sister stuff,” she said. “You look pretty good in that dress, even if your ass doesn’t fill it out like mine did.”
Well, nothing was ever perfect.
Charlie and I went to open the door, and Luke was there with Danny Bob.
Charlie shrieked and grabbed the dog, twirling around with him, then running to put him back in his usual place on the bed.
“You probably can’t tell, but he’s pretty happy to see Danny Bob,” I explained.
“Just a little. Thank you for bringing him home.”
Luke looked me up and down. “Wow. You look beautiful,” he said.
I shook my head. “It’s a nice dress.”
“It’s you.”
I smiled at him, feeing really shy, and he bent and kissed my cheek.
So despite my verbal puke into his voicemail, maybe he still liked me.
I put on my old coat as Charlie came back down, and I nudged him into thanking Luke for returning his dog BFF.
In the car over to Annie’s, we peppered Luke with questions about New York.
Had he gone to the Statue of Liberty? Eaten a hot dog from a cart (that was Charlie’s dream)?
Seen the Museum of Natural History (mine)?
Sadly, he hadn’t done any of these interesting things.
“I was busy doing boring stuff,” Luke said. “In fact, I’ve always been busy with boring stuff in New York. I’ve never done any of that.”
Charlie was aghast that Luke had let the opportunity of eating from a cart pass him by. “Maybe we could go together, someday,” he suggested. Nothing like inviting yourself.
“I’d like that,” Luke told him. I frowned at him, and he shook his head at me, not understanding. He couldn’t raise Charlie’s hopes like that. Or mine.
We turned into a long driveway. “Oh my,” I breathed, when the Whitaker/Rendics’ house finally came into view. It was totally modern, with huge glass windows and flat, straight lines, grey with some blonde wood and dark steel mixed in. And it was huge. Like five of Nana’s houses, combined.
“People LIVE here?” Charlie demanded, stunned. I had to agree.
“Macdara and her mom and dad live here,” I answered.
“Who else?” he asked, and Luke laughed.
A valet came up to the driver’s side, and we all got out. “Why is that man taking Luke’s car?” Charlie whispered to me.
“He isn’t stealing it,” I whispered back. “I’ll explain later.”
I was smoothing my hair, tugging my dress, and running my tongue over my teeth as Luke rang the doorbell.
He raised an eyebrow at me and I smiled weakly.
“I’m a little nervous,” I told him. “After the way we left the last meet.” Not to mention the fact that Coach Sean would be inside, maybe waiting to remove us from probationary status and give us the boot.
“No one cares about that,” Luke was saying, when Annie Whitaker swung open the huge steel door.
“Lukie, I didn’t know you were coming!” she cried, and gave him a hug.
“Oh! Hi, Emily. Come on in, guys.” She was looking at me with unabashed interest. I wanted to walk back outside, but then Macdara came running down the open riser staircase and into the—well, it seemed like a lobby, it was so big.
“Hi, Charlie! Come upstairs! We’re all in the game room!”
Charlie glanced at me and I gave him a little push. “See you in a while, pal. Remember your manners.”
Annie took my worn coat and then gave me another once-over. “I like your dress,” she said. Luke put his hand on my lower back, and her eyes widened as she watched him.
Annie looked stunning in a short, grey dress, with a kind of loose ruffle coming down from one shoulder, very simple and very elegant. It looked like it was—no, I knew it was—extremely expensive. Huge diamond drop earrings hung from her ears.
“I like yours, too,” I answered, feeling so uncomfortable I wanted to sink into the floor. Look at me in my silly borrowed clothes, in this beautiful house. What was I kidding?
“Come on in!” she said, and led the way into another enormous room dotted with low, sleek furniture. My shoes clicked on the marble floor and I tried to walk more quietly.
Thankfully, there were a lot of people already there. I had never, ever been so happy to see Tara. Luke kept his hand on my back as I walked over to see her and Diego, who looked as ill-at-ease as I felt. Ties were not his thing.
“Wow, you really are Cinderella!” Tara said, stepping forward and giving me a hug. “You’re hot! Right, Luke?” she asked him, staring at him pointedly.
“Tara, you look great too!” I said quickly, not looking at Luke. “Diego, I’ve never seen you in a tie.”
“Funerals, Christmas mass, and this party,” he informed me, shaking hands with Luke. “Me in a tie is like seeing a unicorn.”
We all laughed. “I’m going to find Milos and say hello,” Luke said. “You ok?”
I nodded, and he walked away.
Tara was staring at me. “Emily Louisa Brennan, what the hell is going on?”
“Shhh!” I admonished her. This house was too fancy for swearing. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You come in here dressed like a Vogue model, with Luke Whitaker acting like he owns you? Emily, you better spill, fast.” She looked irate.