Page 74 of Crossing the Line
“Well, I know how Waverly will be spending her weekend now,” Emmett sighed, as Hamilton romped back with the burger.
Carol gave the dog an absent-minded pat as he barreled past her to get to Waverly.
“I am not happy with you,” she said, jabbing an unpolished finger in Xavier’s direction.
He caught her wrist easily and reeled her in for a hug. “If I told you who I was bringing, you would have had the house torn apart and refitted for royalty, which Waverly wouldn’t have wanted.” He winked over his mother’s head at her. “Is that pot roast I smell?”
“Yes,” Carol said extricating herself from her son’s hug. “And you can watch the rest of us eat it.” She wasn’t quick to forgive, and Waverly could respect that.
A horn sounded three short bursts from the driveway, and Hamilton, burger in mouth, skidded for the door.
“The girls are back,” Carol said. She gave Xavier a sharp tap on the cheek. “You thought my reaction would be bad? I can only imagine what Chelsea and Maddy will do.”
“That’s why I told them already,” Xavier grinned that heart-breaker smile.
At Carol’s gasp of indignation, he laughed. “Mom, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to go psychotic on the hospitality. I told them so they wouldn’t completely humiliate the rest of us by asking what co-star is the best kisser or squealing like a twelve-year-old.”
Just such a sound tore through the kitchen, and the screen door slammed shut behind the two women who had entered. Hamilton plowed under the table, bumping chairs out of his way.
Xavier swore and put himself between Waverly and the new arrivals.
“I told you she was coming!” he protested.
Both girls strained to see around his broad shoulders. Once again, the family resemblance was unmistakable. They had their mother’s nose and cheekbones, their father’s coloring, and Xavier’s mouth. The one Waverly judged to be slightly older wore slim gray pants and a navy silk blouse. The younger one rocked denim cutoffs and a faded Idle Lake High t-shirt that had seen more than a hundred washings.
“Yeah, but now we’re actually seeing her,” the younger of the two said, bouncing on her toes. Her ponytail sprang over her shoulder. “Oh my God. Waverly Sinner is in my kitchen!”
“You make one move toward that cell phone, and I will put you in the oven with the pot roast,” Xavier threatened.
His sisters were obviously immune to Xavier’s threats. Ponytail rolled her eyes in an exact replica of their mother. “Relax, big brother.”
“No pictures,” Navy Silk said gruffly in a spot-on imitation of her big brother.
“No Tweeting,” Ponytail added in the same.
“No Facebook, no SnapChat, don’t tell Mom…” they continued to tick off Xavier’s commands one by one, and Waverly snickered.
“I’m disowning you all,” Carol said and stormed back to the stove. “Waverly and Em and I will enjoy this delicious dinner, and the rest of you can scrounge for scraps with Hamilton.”
At the word “scraps” the dog thrust his head between two dining chairs and barreled over to Carol. “I was making a point, buddy, not offering a meal,” Carol told him. The dog slunk back to Waverly and gave her a devastated look.
“Come on, Zav,” one of the sister’s begged. “You can’t keep her from us the whole weekend.
“Fine,” Xavier relented. But before they could rush her, he grabbed both in a headlock and spun around to face Waverly.
“Waverly, these mutants are my sisters, Chelsea and Madeline, who have promised to behave themselves or they’ll be banned from the house this weekend. Mutants, this is Waverly. Don’t bother her.”
He released them and looked as though he immediately regretted his decision when they rushed her for hugs. “Oh, for Christ’s sake!”
“Shut up, Zav,” Madeline squealed. “We’re hugging famous!”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
They settled her into Chelsea’s old room, a bright upstairs bedroom with a Jack and Jill bath and a view of the lake that butted up against the property’s backyard. The walls were a mossy green, the furniture decidedly feminine, and the bed soft. Carol had offered her the master, but Waverly had politely and firmly declined. Twice.
Waverly stashed her suitcase in a corner near the closet and took a few minutes to freshen up in the bathroom to erase the travel weariness. As she changed into a long, flowy skirt and simple black tank for dinner, she could hear the sounds of family rise up from the first floor. Raised voices, excited chatter, and quick bursts of laughter.
Xavier’s room was next door to her own, and when she saw the door open, she paused. He had changed, too, she noted. He lay on top of the handmade quilt on his double bed in casual khaki shorts and a t-shirt. His feet were bare, hands tucked under his head as he stared up at the lazily circling ceiling fan.
