Page 59 of My Life with the Walter Boys
“So, are you still mad at me?” I asked as he reached for the top card from the remaining deck. He paused and looked up at me. “Because if you are, now’s a pretty good time to talk about it.”
“I guess not,” he said. Then, after a long moment, “But I would really like to know what Mary said to you.”
“This is about you and me, not her.”
Before anything more could pass between us, I heard a distant shout.
“Where the hell are you guys?” It was Cole from somewhere in the basement.
Alex rushed over to the locked door. “Over here,” he shouted.
After a few minutes of searching in the dark, Cole found the key his dad kept on a hook outside the workroom and unlocked it. His hair was still dripping from the rain and his shirt clung to his shoulders, revealing the definition of muscle beneath, but he hadn’t been able to get the power back on.
Much to my annoyance, as we headed back upstairs with a few candles in hand, Alex told Cole how I’d locked us in the workroom.
“Don’t worry, Jackie,” Cole said, still laughing at me as we stepped into the kitchen. “We’ll protect you from all those scary monsters.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, a little grumpy. “What are you going to do? Stand guard outside my room all night?”
“Nope.” He pointed to the living room. The floor was covered with sleeping bags and piles of blankets and pillows. “I thought we could all sleep down here since the power is still out.”
Alex turned to Cole, grinning from ear to ear. “Good idea.”
Cole’s signature smirk was plastered across his face. “Yeah,” he said, “I know.”
“Awesome,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. On a scale of burned toast to global warming, this was a disaster. In my head, I could picture Heather melting to the floor in joy, but after a month of living with the Walters, I knew better. These boys were pure trouble.
In the end, I managed to snag the couch. Cole and Alex fought over the love seat, and it was no surprise when Cole came out victorious, leaving Alex to make himself comfortable on reclining chair.
I had just finished arranging my pillows when Cole started to unbuckle his belt. “What are you doing?” I hissed, and averted my eyes.
“I sleep in my boxers,” he said, stepping out of his pants as he bit back a grin. Next he tugged off his shirt, revealing his photoshopped abs. “It’s okay if you stare,” he said, plopping down on the small sofa. He stretched out, and his long legs dangled over the edge of the armrest. “I don’t mind.”
“I was not staring,” I snapped at him.
“Yeah, Cole,” said Alex, who, after watching his brother for a few hesitant moments, made the decision to yank off his shirt as well. “Not every girl is obsessed with you.”
“All I’m saying,” Cole said, wiggling down into the cushions, “is that Jackie wasn’t looking at your scrawny self when you pulled off your shirt.”
“Would you both be quiet?” I said, thankful for the cover of darkness that hid my blush. And for some amazing reason, the boys actually listened to me, both falling silent as we settled into our makeshift beds for the night.
My muscles were tired from the long day, and I thought I would drop off instantly, but I lay there wide awake, unable to close my eyes. I was exceedingly aware of Cole and Alex, one on either side of me. I was so tense, that when a drop of water hit my forehead, I nearly screamed.
“Jackie?” Alex said, his voice sleepy. “What’s wrong?”
“I think the ceiling is leaking,” I said, holding my hand out in the air. Sure enough, after a few more seconds of waiting with my palm outstretched, I felt a cool splash against my skin.
“I’ll get a bucket,” Alex said. With a yawn, he scooted off the chair and made his way into the kitchen.
“Here, Jackie,” Cole said, standing up. He picked his pillow and blankets up off the sofa.
“Don’t worry about me,” I told him as I spread my blanket out on the living room floor. “I’ll be fine.”
Not surprisingly, he didn’t listen, and soon he had a bed laid out on the ground right next to me. He flopped down, and I could practically feel him lying there, his arm inches from mine.Canyoupleasemoveover?sat on the tip of my tongue, but I refused to say anything, not wanting to admit that he had an effect on me.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked when he came back from the kitchen with a mixing bowl in his hand.
“Couldn’t let the lady sleep on the floor by herself,” Cole responded. “Not with all those psycho murderers on the loose.”
