Page 98 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
“That’s Ted. And my Aunt Amelia.”
Barrett whirled around. “What?”
I couldn’t say it again. “That’s them.”
I turned to Julian. To Phoenix. To Jeremy. To Barrett. I tried to speak to all of them at once. “I’m going to faint. I’ve never fainted but I am. I’m going to faint, or I’m going to die. I don’t know which.”
Barrett stormed over to his mother and Kit, still in conversation with my aunt and uncle while the other three surrounded me. “What is happening?” Jeremy demanded my attention and it actually helped me to think.
“That’s my aunt. I lived with her in Chicago. Her boyfriend T-Ted.” Apparently, I was stuttering. “He tried to rape me one night. Fortunately, I got away, but he told my aunt I tried to seduce him, and she believed him. She beat me up for it, and sent me away. That’s why I’m in New York. They all think I’m some slut that hit on her boyfriend, but I’m not. I swear I’m not.”
I didn’t want to make a scene, but I could tell heads were turning in our direction. I turned to run but Julian stopped me. “That man, there?”
What is he going to do?My hands shook, but I couldn’t force myself to answer him.
“Alatheia,” my aunt called out to me. “I can’t believe it. Are you aware good people shouldn’t have you in their homes?”
“Get out,” their mother said in sharp tones. “Get out of my house, Amelia, and don’t ever come back here. I didn’t invite you, and you aren’t welcome in my home. Alatheia is our guest and you, and your nightmare date, need to leave right now.”
Kit extended his hand, pointing toward the door. “You can leave, or I can throw you out.”
What is happening?Phoenix took my hand. “Just breathe if you can. I know that sometimes it seems like it’s not possible. I can promise you, they just made an error they won’t recover from by coming here.”
I couldn’t complain about them being dealt with—but they’d already won. Everyone around us had heard what they said about me. They would spread the story, and others would hear it, too. There would be whispers. Wherever I went, I would be Alatheia, the girl who tried to seduce her aunt’s boyfriend. Alatheia, who imposed herself on the family after she did that awful thing. My family did it on purpose. They believed Ted, and they wanted me ruined because Dina Lent had taken my aunt Tricia to task.
Everything always blew up in my face.Why did I forget?Just because I dressed like one of them, it didn’t make me their kind.
27
Idon’t remember going back to my room, but I panted within my own safe walls.I must have just run. They kicked my aunt out of the house, but she’d almost seemed amused. Did she know that would happen? I kicked my shoes off. I needed the dress off, too. It might be beautiful, but I never wanted to wear it again. I would find a way to pay them back for it. It was too expensive to have been on my body just for those short minutes.
Tears flooded down my face, but I couldn’t even be ashamed of my own weakness. I was downright disassociating or something. I wiped them away, since I didn’t feel connected to them in particular.
I pulled the dress over my head then hung it on the hanger. Someone else would love the dress. Gently, I took off my pearls, but my hair remained swept up as I stood in the bathroom. My hair looked ready to be counted, to be important, even if the rest of me was a hot mess.
The door was flung open, and Phoenix stood there panting. “Here you are.”
He must have realized the moment I did how little I wore. He lowered his gaze for a second before he pulled off his jacket thencame around behind me to put it over my shoulders. Quickly, despite his shaky hands, he buttoned me up. It was a strange look, but at least I wasn’t nearly naked anymore.
“Okay.” He turned my chair around to face him. “Look at me. They’re gone.”
I nodded. “Yes, but the damage is already done.”
“What do you mean?”
I had to find a way to explain this. “Everyone heard it by now. There were enough ears in that room to fill the ocean.” Maybe not, but it was a good enough image. “There will be whispers, so when my family finally sends me away, they will be congratulated for putting up with me as long as they did. Dina stood up for me, and they intended this as punishment. They showed me that even your family can’t protect me from their wrath.”
“She’s right.” Julian leaned against the door frame. “That’s what they intended, but it isn’t going to happen. There will be punishment forthem, trust me on that.” He walked into the room. “Don’t cry, please.” Julian touched my hair. “Let’s get these pins out.”
I swallowed the tears that rose at the sweetness of him worrying about my hair—because honestly, I’d had enough of the lies and secrets. I wanted everything out in the open. “ I need you to be really forthright and honest right now, because it means a lot to me. Is there any part of you that doubts me? Do you even a tiny bit believe I had an interest in Ted? That man who thinks that …”
“No, Baby.” Julian put his arms around my back, pulling me close. “We don’t think that. We know that’s not who you are. I know we’re still early in our relationship, but it doesn’t feel that way. You did not try to seduce that man.”
I breathed out a gust of air, relieved beyond measure for some reason. I really didn’t know what I would do if hebelieved that about me. I met Phoenix’s gaze, wondering what he thought.
He shook his head. “There’s no way you wanted anything to do with that old man. Creeper. End of story.”
Ted would hate being called an old man, which made me love their description more.
