Текст книги "Cole"
Автор книги: Tess Oliver
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Chapter 5
“Ta da,” Finely sang out as she flipped the sandwiches onto plates. “Half-burned but plenty of gooey cheese.”
“Gooey cheese is definitely a bonus.” I hopped up onto one of the stools that lined the granite counter. I picked up the hot crisp sandwich. “I just realized I’m starved.”
Finley poured us each a glass of lemonade, pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, and sat next to me.
“How long have you been a vegetarian?” I asked around a mouthful of sandwich.
“Since I was five. Jude, Dad, and I were in the back of the limo on the freeway and we drove past a giant stock trailer filled with pigs. I smiled and pointed at the pretty pigs and asked if they were going to a farm. Dad assured me they were, but Jude chimed in to let me know that he thought they were going to the ham factory. I haven’t eaten meat since.”
“I guess it’s easy to figure out why your brother calls you Doolittle.”
“Jude has tons of nicknames for me. About the only name he doesn’t call me is Finley.” Her bracelets jangled as she lifted her sandwich and took a bite. She sipped her lemonade. “I’ve been blathering on like a grocery store tabloid about my life. Tell me more about yourself. What do you like to do? Do you have a boyfriend?”
“I’m kind of a book nerd. I liked to read, and I was an honor student up until last week when your aunt found my mom’s joint perched on the top of my backpack.”
Her eyes widened. “No way. Aunt Julie must have had a stroke.”
“She was actually pretty cool about it. My mom cried about it all day. She had me when she was sixteen, and we’ve always been more like friends than like mother and daughter. We’re really close. She can take one look at me as I walk in the door and know exactly what kind of day I had. My dad and I are close too. He has always had the dream of becoming a rock star. I think that’s what has always stood in the way of him holding a real job. I think deep down he figured if he ever got trapped in a mundane nine to five job like other guys his age then his dream would be shattered forever. The big break he needed just never happened.” I laughed. “You should have seen him when I told him about coming here for the summer. He was pacing our apartment with a starry-eyed look that only a true man-crush could produce.”
“We’ll have to get them together this summer.”
“That would be great. My dad would have to be tranquilized first, but he would love that.”
Finley’s phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen and went back to her sandwich. “Let’s remember to exchange numbers to put in our cell phones.”
I stared down at the half-eaten sandwich on my plate. Occasionally, our family had splurged on a prepaid phone but it was definitely a luxury.
Finley seemed to sense what I was thinking. “I’m a knucklehead. I don’t know why I assume everyone has a phone. Honestly, I hate having one, but my dad insists that I carry it. He calls a lot to check in on me.”
“That’s sweet. He sounds like a good dad.”
“He is. It’s just he’s so busy, he’s rarely home. I’ve been trying to convince him to retire from the whole rock scene, but he still loves it. But I worry about him when he’s on tour. He always gets rundown and then he gets sick.”
“Your dad is living the life my dad always dreamed of.”
Her phone vibrated again. She glanced at it and then ignored it.
“I’ll bet you have a million different friends texting you,” I said. “That would get annoying fast.”
“Nah, only a handful. I don’t give my number out much. It’s kind of hard to stay private when you’re the daughter of a rock legend. My dad has forbidden us to use Facebook too. We get all kinds of weirdoes posting on there.”
“Wow, I hadn’t thought of that.”
One of Black Thunder’s songs jingled through the ring tone on her phone. She sighed audibly and pressed it to her ear. “What do you want?” she asked. “In the kitchen. Make your own lunch. You’re the reason the cook quit.” She placed the phone down again.
Seconds later, footsteps plodded down the hallway. Jude stepped into the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. His scrutinizing gaze flashed my way. Just like his sister, he was definitely a person who could steal the attention of a crowded room. And he seemed well-aware of it. I made a point to focus on my sandwich. As comfortable as I’d felt eating lunch with Finley, her brother had stripped that confidence instantly.
The dogs lifted their big heads as he walked over and flopped onto the couch. He plunked his feet, unwieldy cuff and all, hard onto a highly polished coffee table. “Hey, Freak Show,” Jude called without looking back, “bring me that carton of milk, would you?” He switched on the television.
Finley’s blue eyes skewered the back of his head, but she jumped off the stool and went to the refrigerator. She pulled out the milk and then walked to a cupboard and opened it.
“I don’t need a glass.” He called again without looking back.
“Other people might want to drink from this carton, you swine.” Finley looked at me. “When it’s in an insulting context, we always say swine instead of pig. Some Pig is super sensitive.”
Jude twisted around this time. “How much is in there?”
Finley shook it. “It’s still half full Or as you would probably say, half-empty.”
He spun back to face the television. “Like I said, no glass necessary.”
Finley stomped over and placed the carton on the table hard enough that some of the milk splashed out of the top. She returned to the stool and hopped up onto it. “So, anyhow, Eden,” she spoke to me but looked Jude’s way, “as I was saying,” she winked at me, “we used to have a really great chef.”
“Shut the hell up, Doolittle.” Jude raised the carton in the air and swallowed back the contents.
“But last week, Tanya, the chef,” she spoke loudly enough to be sure that Jude heard every word over the sound of the television, “crept into Jude’s room, took off her clothes, and climbed into bed with him.” Finley was trying hard to suppress laughter, and I wasn’t completely sure I wanted her to finish the story.
“Shut the fuck up, Freak Show.” He lifted the remote and turned up the volume.
She laughed once and continued. “Well, Jude told her to get out. The next morning he came in to breakfast, and she was spitting in his scrambled eggs.”
“Ooh, gross. I take it that was the end of her employment.”
“Yep.” She glanced over at Jude. “I told Dad what happened. He said it is your job to hire a new chef.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” He held the carton up in the air. “Empty.”
This guy was beyond arrogant, and I wanted to slap him. I only hoped that like Finley had said, he’d be gone once the ankle monitor came off. Finley was about to push off the stool, but I put my hand on her arm. “Allow me. I’m used to waiting on two baby sisters.” This time I spoke loudly enough for him to hear.
I tromped up behind him and reached for the carton, but he moved it out of my reach. Refusing to give in to his teasing, I walked around to the front of the couch. He was focused on the television as I reached for the carton. My fingers grazed his. They were unexpectedly calloused. His grip on the empty container had not loosened. His hardened gaze shifted to me, and he stared at me for a few long seconds before releasing it.
I returned to the kitchen and Finley pointed out the trash. We carried our plates to the sink and rinsed them. The dishwasher was also camouflaged in a cupboard. “This dishwashing thing is going to get old real quick,” Finley quipped.
“Unfortunately, I’m rather skilled at it. Years of practice. And yes, it gets old.” Especially without a dishwasher I thought but didn’t add.
Jude turned off the T.V., pushed up from the couch, and left the room.
Finley had grown uncharacteristically quiet. “You know, Eden,” she said quietly, “I haven’t left the estate in nine months.”
“Your aunt mentioned something about it.” Her change of tone made my throat tighten.
“But I’m not a freak.”
“I know.” I paused a second before speaking. “Why don’t you tell him to stop calling you that?”
“He doesn’t mean anything by it. He just worries about me.” It was amazing how she stuck up for her brother. He was obviously a jerk. Then her face brightened and her tone changed completely as if a switch had been turned off and on again. “Do you want to take a tour of the grounds? We’ve got a great pool area.”
“Sure.” I was slightly taken aback by her abrupt mood change, but something told me I was going to have to get used to it.
“Wait here and I’ll run up and change shoes.” She opened a cupboard and threw a box of cookies on the counter. “These are delish.” She walked out of the room, and Some Pig trotted behind her.
I sat munching on a cookie looking around at the unbelievable décor when both dogs lifted their heads again. The side door to the kitchen opened, and a guy walked in wearing a motocross shirt and pants that were completely splattered in hardened mud. Dirt crusted goggles hung around his neck. The skin around his hazel eyes was the only area not covered with mud.
He looked at me and nodded. “How’s it going?” One of his hands was covered in a motorcycle glove. He fished in a drawer, pulled out some long scissors, and began sawing at the leather glove. It was a futile attempt. “Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to work.” He looked up at me again. “Do you think you could help me? I just need you to pull off the glove.”
I stood from the stool. “Sure.” It definitely seemed like a task I could manage. I took hold of several fingers.
“Wait a second,” he said. He grasped the edge of the counter with his ungloved hand. “Go.” He sucked in a deep breath and I pulled. The glove came free but not as easily as I would have expected.
His face had paled some as he lifted the uncovered hand. “Shit. Why’d you have to pull so hard?”
Now I was the one holding the counter. His wrist was twisted into a grotesque, unnatural curve. “I’m– I’m so sorry,” I stuttered, swallowing back the grilled cheese I’d just eaten.
His face broke into a smile, a smile that was oddly familiar. “I’m just kidding you. I dislocated it on the track. Sorry about that. I didn’t know it would freak you out so badly.”
I pressed my hand to my chest. “That’s all right. I think my heartbeat will eventually return to normal.”
He reached out with his untwisted hand. “I’m Cole. Are you here for Jude?”
The question seemed strange, and it took me a moment to answer. “No, I’m here visiting Finley.”
To my relief, Finley walked in right then. “What the hell, Cole? It looks like your hand isn’t even attached to your arm anymore.”
Cole held it up and admired his contorted wrist a moment. “I kind of like it.”
Jude walked past all of us, opened the fridge, and pulled out a plate of chicken. He glanced at Cole’s arms. “Shit, Cole, put that deformed thing away. I’m trying to eat.”
Cole looked at Jude and then Finley. “You know what’d be cool– if both of my siblings weren’t house bound. Then one of them could drive me to the emergency room so a doctor could pop it back into place.”
“I could try but we’d probably have to participate in a police chase on the way there.” Jude grabbed up a drumstick and took a medieval style bite before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Finley twisted her face at him. “Use a napkin, Neanderthal.”
Cole had nice hazel eyes to go with typical, California boy good looks. “Maybe Finley’s hot, new friend could drive me.”
“Drive yourself,” Jude said angrily before I had a chance to respond.
I took the opportunity to shoot a quick scowl at Jude before answering for myself. “I’m afraid it would be safer having me pop your wrist back in place. I don’t have a license.”
Cole stepped closer to me and even with a completely tweaked wrist managed to flash me a flirtatious grin. “No? Well, maybe I could teach you.”
Jude rudely pushed between us, reached for a shaker of salt on the counter, and sprinkled some on his chicken.
“Oh my gosh, could you two be any more obvious?” Finley took hold of my hand and pulled me away from both of them. “Let’s go, Eden. I could really use a walk.”
I gladly followed.
“Sorry about that,” Finley said as we stepped out onto a long brick pathway that led to a long, ivy covered fence. The dogs followed but Some Pig stayed inside.
“Will your brother be all right? I feel sort of bad that he has to drive himself to the hospital. His hand looked pretty wrecked.”
“He doesn’t have to drive himself. Dad’s chauffeur will take him. He was just looking for some sympathy from you, and he takes every opportunity he can to piss off Jude.”
We continued along a path that was bordered by perfectly trimmed hedges and turned right at a rose garden that was rich with red and pink blooms. The path led to a pool that was so large it circled around a small island of palm trees.
“That is not a pool. It’s a lagoon.”
“My dad drove himself nuts designing the thing. He fashioned it after some resort in the Mediterranean. I still remember the day they dug the hole. I was only six, so to me it looked like the Grand Canyon.” We walked around the edge to the beach front entry. “We all put our footprints in cement.” She placed her shoes next to a small footprint. “My feet aren’t much bigger now.”
I smiled down at the comparison. “Hey, I’ll trade my basketball player feet for yours anytime.”
“Your feet aren’t that big. And if they were my size, you’d be knocked over in a hard breeze.”
“I guess my boats do serve a purpose. I can also stomp out very large cockroaches. Unfortunately, I learned about that talent when we moved into our last apartment.”
“You know, I’m usually dorky enough to pick up a cricket or even a harmless spider to carry outside, but I’ve got to say, my empathy ends with the cockroach. They really are disgusting.”
I glanced at the other footprints. They’d scratched their names beneath them. “Cole’s penmanship was lacking some back then.”
“Trust me. It hasn’t improved any with age.”
The prints had been somewhat faded by time but it was easy to see that there was a fourth pair of feet in the cement. There were just as small as Finley’s. The name was hard to read. “Finley, who does this last pair of prints belong to?”
“Those are Chloe’s. She was my older sister. She died the year after we pressed our feet into the cement.” She said the words casually as if she was telling me the weather, but there was something in her expression that made it clear she’d practiced the cool, unaffected tone. And I was quickly learning that there were some subjects she would talk freely about and others that she would not. Her sister seemed to be one she preferred not to talk about.
Finley’s face brightened and she skipped excitedly over to a chaise lounge and sat down. “Let’s take off our shoes and soak our feet.”
I sat down on the lounge across from her and removed my shoes and socks. “I’ve got to say that looks like a really fun pool.”
“We can swim tomorrow,” she suggested. “It’s in full sun all day so it will be warm enough.” The dogs had stretched out nearby, and once again, they lifted their big heads.
Jude walked behind us along a path that led to what looked like a rather spectacular pool house. It was a small replica of the house. Even the landscaping matched. He ignored us completely and disappeared inside.
Finley hopped up and grabbed a chair. She dragged it across the cement to a large potted plant, leaned over and knocked three times on the ornate planter. Then she nodded for me to grab another chair. Small ripples of water lapped at the entry of the pool just like the ocean shore. We carried the chairs into the water and sat. Cool, crystal clear water covered our feet, and the warm sun spiked down on our heads from above.
I squinted up. “You weren’t kidding about the sun shining on it.”
“This whole pool heats up like a bathtub in August. It actually gets too hot to swim. That’s when my dad likes to go in.” Her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket. “Speaking of Dad.” Her long row of earrings pinged against the phone as she pressed it to her ear. “Hey, Daddy, what’s up?” She paused. “Yes, she’s here.” Finley smiled at me. “I think it’ll be great. Auntie made a good choice.”
Her words helped bolster some of the confidence I’d lost after meeting her brother. Even though I’d definitely suffered some feelings of homesickness throughout the morning, I needed this adventure. I needed to be on my own and away from my highly dependent family for awhile. My college and my future had been put on hold, but I was sure this would prove to be a learning experience. And the money would at least help pay for city college this fall. Without any mode of transportation, my summer job prospects were going to be limited to the mini mart or fast food restaurants. I looked around at the park-like surroundings and the resort style pool. No matter what twists and turns this job took, it would definitely be better than standing over a counter folding burritos.
“Don’t stay up too late, Dad, and take the vitamins I sent with you. Love you, bye.” She grunted as she hung up the phone. “Sometimes I feel like the parent.”
I laughed. “I know exactly what you mean. Hey, do you think I could use your phone to call my parents? I just want to let them know everything is great. Is there a number I could give them to reach me at if they need me for something?”
She handed me her phone. “Of course. They can use my number. I’ve always got my phone on me—” she smiled. “In case my dad needs me for something.”
“We really have to get our dads together,” I said. “Something tells me they’d get along perfectly.” As I made the call, a statuesque woman with auburn hair and high cheekbones strutted behind us out toward the pool house. Finley glanced back at her and the woman looked our way, but there was no greeting or acknowledgement exchanged. Like Jude, she disappeared into the pool house.
“Hey, Mom, it’s me.”
“Eden, I miss you already.”
I could hear Janie crying in the background. “Is Janie all right?”
“Yes, she and Sophie were fighting over a toy. Sophie has been a total grump since you left. How is it?”
“Great. I’m having fun.” With Finley sitting right next to me, I couldn’t go into much detail. Mom would have loved to hear about it too. “I wanted to leave a number in case you need me.”
“You call us if you need to come home,” Mom said with a wishful hitch in her voice. “Dad’s out looking for a job, but I’ll tell him you called.”
“Kiss the girls for me. Bye, Mom.” I hung up. “My poor Mom. She sounds like someone who just lost her best friend. I guess in a way it’s true. My sisters are cute, but their conversation topics are rather limited.”
Finley smiled. “How old are they?”
“Sophie is six and Janie is four. I love them, but I confess, it’ll be nice to hang with people my age for a change.”
“Good.” Finley relaxed her head back against the chair and turned her face to the sun. “Then this should work out well.”
I looked back at the pool house. There was no sign of Jude or the woman who went inside. There was no way a guy like him would stick around once he was off house arrest. “Yeah, it should be great.”
Chapter 6
Finley and I had spent the rest of the afternoon deep in girl talk. Cole had returned from the hospital dazed and sleepy on pain medication. He’d gone straight up to his room, and Jude hadn’t emerged from the pool house again. I could only assume that the woman was his girlfriend, but Finley never said anything and it was none of my business to ask. Aside from the tension with Jude the day had gone well.
I reached across the counter for the bottle of red pepper flakes and sprinkled some more on my slice of pizza. “You’re right; these flakes do add a certain touch of diner-like elegance to a frozen pizza.”
Finley wiped the side of her mouth with her pinky. “Told you so. Of course, if it weren’t for Jude and his inability to turn off the charms and magnetism,” she quipped, “we’d be eating some awesome quiche or cheese soufflé right now. Tanya was a talented chef.”
I lifted my brow at her. “Seriously?”
“Well, except for that whole spit thing.”
I laughed. “I can just imagine your brother’s face when he walked in on that. Lucky for him his timing was good.”
We both fell silent and simultaneously put our pizza slices down. “Lost my appetite, how about you?” Finley asked.
“Yeah, I think I’m done too.”
Tiny hooves clattered across the kitchen floor, and Some Pig trotted from around the counter where Finley had poured some food into a dish. He stared up at us and wiggled his snout a couple of times.
“All done with dinner?” Finely leaned down and kissed the tip of his head. “Sleep tight.”
Then Some Pig turned and trotted out of the kitchen, curly tail raised high in the air.
“Dinner always makes him sleepy,” Finley explained.
“Was his earring inspired by a pirate movie?” I asked.
“No, but at the farm they’d tagged his ear, and he had an ugly hole there to remind him of the awful place he came from. So I put an earring in one day just for fun. Man, did he squeal like a pig when I tried to take it back out.”
“I think it suits him.
“Apparently, he thinks so too.” She picked up the plates and put them in the sink. “Hey, I know,” she said enthusiastically, “let’s go down to the theater and watch a horror flick. Ooh, let’s watch the original Halloween.”
“Is that the creep in the hockey mask?”
“Wrong psycho. But I think the Michael Myer’s mask is even creepier.”
“Sounds fun. I don’t see many movies, and when I do, there are talking starfish and singing mermaids. But I’ve got to ask– are all of your pets feeling content with their names right now?”
Finley smiled and took my arm to lead me down to the theater. “I think they’re all satisfied at the moment, but I don’t blame you for asking. I once had a parrot and after one night in the theater, he insisted we call him Hannibal.”
We stopped in front of a shiny silver door. “You have an elevator. There’s a friggin’ elevator in your house.”
Finley tapped the down button three times and the doors opened. “Kind of eccentric, I agree.” We stepped inside and the door slid shut. “And now for your listening pleasure– elevator music.” She hummed loudly and I joined her until my laughter prevented it. After an extremely short journey down, the door slid open. I followed her down a dimly lit hallway to a set of ornately carved wooden doors. She pushed a switch and the door opened.
“Holy shit.” I looked around in awe. “I thought it would be a nice couch in front of one of those really big television sets. This is a theater. Actually, this is way nicer than any theater I’ve ever been in. And I’ll bet I won’t be leaving here with a piece of spitty licorice stuck to my butt or a candy wrapper on my shoe.”
Finley started down the richly carpet aisle and pointed to a pair of seats in the front. “These have the best view.”
I sat down in the plush chair. “And there won’t be any kids running between the rows or annoying people kicking my seat or rattling loud wrappers or crunching popcorn loudly.”
Finley laughed. “Wow, you’ve really had some traumatic movie experiences.” She walked up to a control panel and pressed some buttons. The monitor in front of her lit up. “So is Halloween all right?”
“Sure. I haven’t seen too many movies, so anything is good.”
The movie started up and the surround sound shook the room. Finley sat next to me and reached over to the arm of my chair. She hit a button and the chair reclined back as the legs lifted up. “There’s a popcorn machine if you want any snacks.”
“I’m still full from pizza. This chair is so comfy, I could easily sleep in it.”
“I fall asleep in here all the time.” She laughed. “One day, I came down here to watch a movie and halfway through I heard this weird snoring sound. I looked back over the seat. Cole was fast asleep in the chair behind me with a bowl of popcorn spilled across his chest. He’d slept in here all night, and I hadn’t even noticed him sitting there.” Her phone buzzed and she glanced at it and answered it. “What?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m in Paris standing on the Eifel Tower, where do you think I am, Sir Nosy? We’re in the theater.” She paused. “As I mentioned this morning, the lack of prepared food is your fault. It would figure the one time you decide to be virtuous had to be with the chef. Find your own dinner. We’re busy watching people get slashed.” She put down the phone. “Man, that boy is needy today. He needs to get that thing off his ankle before he drives me crazy.”
“I guess he’s probably itching to get out of here, huh?” I had to make a concerted effort to dampen the hopefulness in my tone.
“Yeah, Jude doesn’t like to stick around in one place too long. This house arrest has been killing him. The worst part is, he didn’t really do anything wrong. He took the fall for a friend.” She pointed at the screen. “This prologue, where they show Michael as a little boy, always creeps me out.”
While it seemed there was a noble cause behind the ankle monitor, it seemed that I was not going to hear the whole story anytime soon. We rested back to enjoy the movie and were both poised to jump in fright as the theater door opened.
Jude dropped into the seat next to me and instantly every muscle in my body tensed. “Damn, I forgot my hockey mask.”
“Wrong psycho,” Finley and I said simultaneously.
“Sorry, my mistake.”
Finley leaned forward and shushed him loudly.
“Yeah, you don’t want to miss any of the riveting dialogue in this flick,” Jude said. “Where’s the popcorn?”
“Could you be any more annoying?” Finley asked.
“I’m sure I could if I put some effort into it.”
“Shhh.” I said to both of them. “This is a pivotal scene.”
Finley’s phone rang. “Hey, Daddy.” She walked out of the theater leaving me completely alone with a serial killer and her brother. At the moment, I was opting for the guy in the mask.
“You know, this isn’t going to be as easy as you imagined,” Jude said suddenly.
I turned to face him. He stared at the screen for a moment. His profile couldn’t have been more perfect if it had been chiseled by Michelangelo. He turned to face me.
“She’s in a good mood right now, but that can change in an instant. My sister doesn’t need a pal, she needs a doctor. But my dad is in denial. You might have thought that you landed a nice, cushy summer job, but it won’t be easy. Just hope you can handle it, Valley.”
Quiet rage filled me with each of his words of warning. I decided we needed to get things out in the open now or I would be suffering his attacks constantly. “You don’t know anything about me or what I imagined.” I said quietly. “I’ve lived in squalid, flea-infested apartments, the backroom of a dry cleaner, and even the backseat of a van. I wake up every day and wonder if there will be any food in the cupboard. In school, I was the new kid more times than I can count on my fingers, and yet, I still managed to get into a university. But that dream was smashed by my parent’s lack of money.” I hated the waver in my voice, but I was angry enough to continue and he didn’t seem inclined to stop me. “I’ve slept on a mattress that had more fucking holes than the moon, and a day with hot water in my life is a day of wondrous luxury. Easy? I wouldn’t know easy if it slapped me in the face. I can handle it.”
He stared at me without responding, but his expression was not contrite or empathetic. And I was glad of it. The last thing I’d wanted in spilling my embarrassing life story to him was his pity. My only motive was to let him know I wasn’t some spoiled, naïve twit from the valley, looking for easy cash. And from the intensity in his green eyes as he looked at me, it seemed I’d made my point.
The door opened signaling Finley’s return. Jude didn’t pull his gaze from my face until his sister flopped into her chair. She seemed uncharacteristically quiet.
“Is Dad all right?” Jude asked.
One thing I’d discovered in my short time on the job, Nicky King’s kids adored him. It was something you didn’t always expect with movie stars and rock stars, but the man had obviously done something right during his wild years of fame.
“He’s fine,” Finley answered. As I’d witnessed several times throughout our first day together, her demeanor had changed dramatically. I was certain she hadn’t heard the conversation I’d had with Jude, so it must have been something her dad had said. Maybe he’d decided against this whole thing. Even though I truly liked Finley, and while I never liked to fail at anything, after the charming exchange I’d just had with Jude, I wouldn’t be all that disappointed to leave.
We leaned back and watched the movie without commentary for a stretch of tense silence and then my shoulders relaxed in relief when Jude stood and walked out of the theater without another word. Finley relaxed too, eventually, but it was obvious her tension had had more to do with the phone conversation than with Jude’s presence.
We’d finished the movie and evening peacefully, or as peacefully as a horror movie could provide. We went upstairs to bed. Finley never divulged what had her upset, and I certainly never mentioned my tense chat with Jude. I decided not to fret about any of it and get a good night’s sleep to see what the next day would bring. I’d grown up living day to day, never quite knowing what was coming next, and that life skill was definitely going to come in handy on this adventure.
