Page 57 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
I scrunched up my face, since he still wasn’t making sense. “What is normal? I mean … this whole scene in New York isn’t normal, if we’re being honest. I don’t think the other two cities I lived in represented normal. For that matter, I learned that the life my mother and I lived wasn’t normal, either, even if I always thought it was the most normal experience of my life. That’s not even touching on when my father was alive. For sure, not normal.” I shrugged. “You guys have been very nice to me. Even that isn’t reallynormal. Not for me.”
He groaned. “Niceness is odd? I suppose that makes sense, but still... So, what you’re saying is that everything and everyone is weird. You’re not wrong, but we are solidly in the different category. I promise you that.” He sighed. “Come on. I’ll be glad you’re with us in the Hamptons, at least. I hate it there, but everything’s more fun with you around. Even things I don’t generally enjoy, like a jazz club.”
I smirked, amused at him and myself, but still mildly concerned about invading their vacation with family. “Are you sure? I really hate feeling like I’m intruding, and your family might want some time without any strangers looking at them.I live like an intrusion all the time, a bother to everyone. I’m intruding here. Everywhere. I would really hate to get hauled all the way to the Hamptons if you guys really don’t want me to be there.”
He stroked the side of my face, his eyes gone soft in a way that made parts of me melt. “We all want you there. My parents will even want you around, once they get to know you. I just … I wish I hadn’t said anything. It’s not about wanting you with us or not wanting you there. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
I followed him, explaining, “Life is so strange. I never even heard of the Hamptons before my aunt explained how they couldn’t go this year because of me. I had to look it up to figure out where and what it was, and now I’m headed there myself.”
He winced. “I think there are other reasons they didn’t go this year, and you were a handy excuse.”
I couldn’t argue. “I always assume they’re lying to me, but what do you mean specifically?” I might not be crazy about asking questions, but if it involved my family, I needed information. I still didn’t know why they set a private detective after me, not that the idea made any more sense now than it did when it happened.
Then again, I didn’t bother to try to ask my aunt why she hired the investigator. Despite Dina mentioning my safety, I could almost guarantee my family wouldn’t bother. If Julian knew something about them that I should know, he should tell me.
“They sold their house last year, before you came here, and very quickly and for less than market value, according to my dad. He’s always watching sales of houses in our area or the market in general. He thought about buying their place because they were asking so little. Ultimately, he didn’t because he hates your uncle and didn’t want to deal with him, not even in a real estate situation. I can’t see them selling that place for so little unlessthey had to, and that didn’t have anything to do with you, do you see what I’m saying?”
Because they had to?I nodded, despite wondering about his choice of wording. “They seem very wealthy. I mean look how they’re living. My whole family lives like this, but you think they’re in trouble?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea, truthfully. If my parents know, they haven’t told me.”
I considered it, but it still didn’t explain why they would have me followed. If I was spending too much money, they would have simply told me, probably as meanly as possible. It would cost more money to hire him than I could spend on pizza or a pair of new sneakers, even if I had been using my credit card.
Unless they worried I would use the card to do something really expensive?I wondered if they thought I used drugs or something.
We stepped out of my room to find my aunt waiting in the hall. She stared at me as I exited then lifted her eyebrows slowly. “Alatheia, I’ll speak to you alone.”
Julian met my gaze. “You okay with that?”
My aunt’s tone went shrill when she said, “She is my niece, and you are a minor child visiting my home. You’ll leave, young man, because I told you to go. Alatheia, a wordnow.”
I shivered, sensing violence snapping in the air around her. Attuned to it from practice, I knew when it was coming and I wondered if she would really strike me.
“I’ll be fine,” I said to Julian, because it wasn’t his job to protect me. He’d only known me for a few days, and despite letting his brother sleep in my bed and the unusual amount of kissing, I didn’t expect him to handle my aunt. If I didn’t know how to handle my aunt, how could I expect anyone else to face her?
I steeled my spine as Julian obeyed my request and left, throwing me a lingering look over his shoulder I couldn’t ponder at the moment.
My aunt grabbed the end of my hair and ran it through her fingertips as if testing the texture. My heart rate kicked up and I caught my breath. It took me way too long to grab my hair back from her.Why did I freeze? What is wrong with me?
“I don’t know what you have been saying to the Lents about us, little girl …” She leaned closer, her breath hot on my face. “But I don’teverwant to be spoken to by Dina Lent in that way again.” She lowered her voice, her face so close, I could smell her toothpaste. With that scent came a realization—she wasn’t drunk or otherwise out of it. Tricia was showing me how she really felt about me, and to be honest, it hurt. “She may get to look down on me, but guess what? You are nothing. Less than nothing. You’re a gnat. After she is done with you, you’ll have even less than that nothing. I don’t know which one of those boys you opened your legs for, maybe all of them? It fits you, especially after what you did in Chicago to my sister. You deserve to suffer for what you put my poor sister through, so go. Have agreattime in the Hamptons. Just remember while you’re there, you’re nothing but the burden my shit twin saddled the whole fucking family with after she overdosed on drugs.” She turned her back on me before she strode down the hall, leaving me shaking. As a parting shot, she tossed over her shoulder, “I’ll see you after the Lents get tired of you.”
Stunned, I couldn’t force myself to breathe, not to mention move. She might not have dished out any physical violence, but tears pricked my eyes at the emotional damage. Sure, I knew she felt that way about me, but she’d never said it to my face before. Tears flooded my eyes, spilling over because I couldn’t hold them back anymore. I wouldn’t let her see, but I could break for just a moment.
Overdosed?No one ever told me, but maybe they wouldn’t. They told me that she got sick and died, but maybe they made that up?
Tears still streaking down my face, but unable to stop them, I rushed out of the apartment, dragging my suitcase behind me. Julian waited in the hall, leaning against the wall where the elevator would appear. My lips trembled when I spotted him, so I turned around so he couldn’t see my face.
“Sorry. I just need a moment,” I said, trying to collect myself.
I didn’t hear him move, but he was a light-footed walker in his boat shoes. His hand seemed warm, though, and ever so strong when it made contact with the skin on the back of my neck.
“Sorry,” I apologized again, trying not to sob and keeping my face to the closed door. “I don’t want to cry, but I can’t stop it right now. Maybe you could just … wait for me downstairs.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “No. Come on, turn around. I knew she was going to do or say something terrible. Come on.”
I let him turn me to face him because I didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. I was just … so damn alone. Then again, maybe I wasn’t. Maybe someone followed me still, taking pictures of my every move. Julian hugged me against him, so I turned into his embrace and buried my forehead down in his shoulder. His white t-shirt smelled like laundry soap and something slightly spicier, but as I sniffled, I worried I might get it wet.
I squeezed my eyes closed tighter, but the tears streamed out of them just the same. “I’m sorry. I know we don’t know each other well enough for this.” I didn’t manage to say more before a sob shattered me, breaking through my barriers as if they were made of cotton candy.
