Page 7 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
More soon. How could therenotbe?
D
I always feltout of it after I read Dina’s journals. I remembered her words from June—there’s always the other side of the lake. I wondered what she meant, especially now that she gave me a peek at the other side. I knew that better than most how fickle happiness, money, and joy could really be, easily popped like a soap bubble in a heartbeat. I spent my first eleven years in trailers—I probably looked a lot like the barefoot, dirty faced children on the other side of the lake at one point. But why didn’t Dina and her Lents like it on the other side?
Dina wasn’t a snob. Well, no more of a snob than any other rich person, I guess would be more accurate. I knew she loved her family, seemed to love me, was kind and cared about people, and that had to count for something.
Phoenix—who was lost and blurred at the moment—might have been kidnapped by someone from Rosalind’s family, who lived on the other side of the lake. The second oldest of eight,Rosalind’s kids didn’t even know the older sister existed until they were told recently she was murdered when their mother was a kid.
We need answers. Due to the private nature of that town, though, I wasn’t sure how to go about getting them.
Or even if it was my place to try. In a few months, I could be off at boarding school, far away from all of it.The kinder option.What did that even mean?
I put away the journal, deciding that was sufficient for my first day back to work. Julian tore through the door, making my timing perfect, his hair still wet.
“Are you okay?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer, just kissed me. I closed my eyes and let him, his kisses made me feel a little drunk on the taste of him. From the couch, Jeremy snored while Barrett listened to music. Phoenix hung out alone in his room—everything so perfectly normal. Dinner would be soon.
Meanwhile, Julian’s lips slid across mine, his tongue tangling with me until my breathless gasps had his lips trailing down my throat. It still baffled me—to be touched by one of them while the others were still so close, but he stroked a hand up my side, making me groan in need.
Julian kissed me like he might lose me, claiming my very soul with his mouth.
With a sigh, he dragged his mouth away, leaving me trembling. “I’m sorry. I don’t check my phone when I’m in the pool.”
“It’s okay.” I kissed his chin. “I’m okay, other than I’m starving.”
“Me too.” He released me with a sad sigh then shook Jeremy’s arm. “She’s starving. Let’s go eat.”
Jer lifted his blond head, blinking in surprise. “Okay.” He got up, blinking his equally pale lashes blearily. “How long was I out?”
“An hour,” Barrett said as he rose. “I have class at eight, so it’s good if we go now. We all have to be up tomorrow.” He shot a glance toward Phoenix’s room. “Is he awake?”
“Last time I saw him.” I headed to check as Phoenix strolled out of his room.
“Did we pick a place?” He rocked back on his feet, stroking his hands up and down my arms.
Picking dinner might be the hardest decision of our lives lately. Everyone always wanted the other person to pick, until inevitably someone didn’t want to eat what another person finally did pick.
“How about the Italian place where Julian took me for our first date?” I didn’t usually suggest anything, since I was still learning the neighborhood, but I wanted pizza—theirs was great.
They actually liked my idea. I snorted, remembering how Phoenix said they just did what I wanted. Could they be happybecauseI suggested it?
My stomach was toofull to care about big things. I slipped into my pajamas and crawled into bed with a yawn. It was Julian’s turn with me, and Phoenix always had one side of me since he couldn’t sleep alone. Everyone completed all their getting ready for school preparations.
“Do you two want to sleep in your own rooms?” I asked Barrett and Jeremy. “Jer, I worry because you’re exhausted. Barrett, you have a huge new day tomorrow.”
Their refusals rang out in unison as Barrett shut off the light from his phone and stretched out onto the mattress on the floor—the one they rotated on and off, depending on who was with me. Two of them crammed into the room with us.
“I’m exhausted, too,” Julian admitted then yawned next to me.
Phoenix lifted his hand as if voting. “I’m always tired.”
I sighed. “You should probablyallgo to your bedrooms, and I’ll sleep on the couch. If you’re not getting enough sleep because of me, we should figure something else out.”
“We are.” Julian rolled to face me on his side. “We’re just water poloing, so this is always how the season begins for us. Barrett isn’t exhausted. And Phoenix—well, dude, you know what you’re doing.”
It earned a laugh from his younger brother. I sighed, deciding it wasn’t on me if they thought they were fine. The twins would have to practice before school every day, getting up at five starting tomorrow. Phoenix wasn’t likely to rouse at that hour even if they got dressed on top of him. Barrett probably wouldn’t, either.
I got slapped.How bizarrely awful is that.
