Текст книги "Cole"

Автор книги: Tess Oliver

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

“Nice vintage jeans,” she said. “Saks Fifth Avenue?”

“Mutli-family yard sale,” I answered. “Third Avenue.”

The girl snorted a derisive chuckle.

“We’re going to get drinks.” Finley took my hand and dragged me mercifully away.

“Gee, I can’t imagine why you don’t like them,” I said. “And they really seemed to like me.”

Finley smiled. “Hey, if they didn’t insult you then you should be worried. Just the fact that they took notice of you means they consider you a threat.”

We reached the bar and a tall, thin guy with a pair of thick rimmed glasses smiled down at us. “Hey, Finley, long time no see. What can I get you girls?”

“I’m not much of a drinker,” I whispered to Finley.

“Something sweet with not too much alcohol,” Finley told the guy. She glanced around casually and then she grabbed my hand so tightly her nails dug into my skin. “There he is.”

I glanced in the direction she was looking and found a guy who matched her description of Max perfectly. He seemed to sense we were staring at him and looked over with a friendly wave. The bartender pushed two icy drinks our way.

I leaned over to Finley. “This is your chance. Go talk to him before you lose him in the crowd and before you draw blood from my hand.”

She looked down at the death-like grip she had on me and laughed. “Sorry about that.”

“Go talk to him. I’ll wait here in the shallow end.” I lifted my glass. “I’ve got my floaties, and if I stay close to the side, I’ll be safe.”

I felt a bit like a nervous mother watching her child go off to school for the first day. I definitely wanted things to go right for Finley. In fact, I worried what may happen if it didn’t.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show.” Jude was standing so close I could feel the heat of his body on my back.

I decided it was safer not to look at him. “Haven’t you heard the phrase fashionably late?” I glanced around at the crowd and realized Jude had instantly become the center of attention. Particularly with the female guests, and in particular, the two girls who’d I’d already met.

Jude pulled out his phone. “It’s eight minutes after ten.”

“I’ve already been here for at least five minutes.”

“Fine, then we’ll make your start time three minutes after.”

The two girls were making their way toward us. I looked back over my shoulder at Jude and wasn’t prepared for how close his mouth was to mine. It seemed to take us both by surprise and a heated hush fell between us.

“Here come the viper twins.” The words cracked out of my suddenly dry throat. “You’re on your own.” I picked up my glass.

“Jude,” the one with the nose diamond spoke using the same fake tone she’d used with Finley. “Cole said you weren’t going to show.”

I scooted away with no particular destination in mind. I could tread water for fifty plus minutes just to win the bet and then head back upstairs to the security of my room. Finley’s white blonde hair was easy to spot. She was standing next to Max, looking up at him with pure admiration. She seemed relaxed and thrilled to be standing there with him.

I peeked back through the crowd. Jude had vanished, but the two girls had been left behind. The only other familiar face in the crowd was Cole. He smiled and waved from across the room but appeared to be surrounded, and not surprisingly so, by a group of girls.

“And what is your name, beautiful?” I didn’t recognize the voice, but the mouthwash was definitely beer.

I turned around reluctantly. The guy was broad shouldered, semi-handsome, and completely drunk. And he was obviously not going to leave until I told him my name.

“I’m Eden.” I leaned out of the path of his toxic breath.

“I’m infatuated.”

I wondered how long he’d worked on that impressive little introduction. “Well, good for you.”

He stumbled closer. I took several steps back and glanced around for an escape route. Fortunately, Cole came to my rescue. “Hey, Mike, why don’t you slow it down? It’s early and you’re already shit-faced.”

The guy completely ignored Cole and leered hungrily at me. “Who’d you come here with?”

One match and I could have blown up the whole room fueled solely by his breath.

Cole took my arm and led me away and as slurred as Mike’s speech was he was able to pronounce the word bitch quite clearly.

“Sorry about that,” Cole said. “He wasn’t really invited. In fact, he’s never really invited, but he shows up anyway. His father owns a record company so most of us with family in the business just accept his presence. The dude really needs to go to rehab though. His liver is going to be toast before he’s thirty.” Cole walked me over to where his groupies were waiting anxiously for his return. They looked less than pleased to see me. I guess one more girl just meant one more competitor. “Hey, everyone, this is Eden. She’s a friend of the family’s and she’s staying with us this summer.” I guess it made complete sense that he’d made up a reason for my presence other than the true reason. But it was hard to know if he was doing it to protect Finley or himself. Surely other people in the room had to know that Finley had problems. For one, it would be ignorant for people in this kind of party hardy society to not notice that she never left the house. On the other hand, they all seemed so enamored with themselves, it was entirely possible they’d never taken note of it.

I nodded politely at Cole’s friends and then sipped my drink to keep from having to converse. The girls had no problem ignoring my presence until I asked a question that seemed to peak everyone’s interest.

“Where did Jude go?” I asked Cole.

“He rarely shows to my parties.”

“He was here just a second ago.”

A wave of pretty, powdered faces turned my direction. “Jude was here?” one girl asked. There was a glimmer of hopefulness in her tone.

“For a second,” I repeated and now regretted bringing it up.

One girl laughed. “I swear that boy does this just to torture us.” She looked at me and took the time to check out my shabby outfit before speaking again. “If you see him, you tell him that Kiley and her friends are waiting to see him.”

Cole threw me a small, almost imperceptible shrug.

I smiled back at the girl. “I will definitely tell him that. Cole, what time is it?”

He pulled out his phone. “It’s twenty-five after. Do you have some place you’ve got to be?” he asked with a grin. He caught sight of something over my head and motioned me to look that direction. Finley was sitting with Max on a small couch. She looked extremely happy and completely oblivious to her surroundings.

“Do you think she’ll be all right?” I asked.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.”

“Who?” Kiley asked nosily.

“Our cat. She wasn’t feeling great this morning,” Cole answered.

“You know,” I said, “it’s kind of stuffy in here, Cole. I think I’ll step outside for some fresh air.” I plastered a smile on my face. “Nice meeting you all.”

I stepped outside onto the small patio off the party room. There were several people sitting out there on chairs, so as far as I was concerned, I was  technically still at the party. And according to my estimation, I had about half an hour of the drudgery left. Hopefully, Finley wouldn’t be too upset if I left early. A hand took hold of mine. My thoughts seemed to have conjured her.

“Eden, I feel bad. I hadn’t meant to abandon you like this. It’s just that I haven’t seen Max in so long.”

I held her hand in mine. “Finley, please don’t worry about it. I can handle this alone, but I’ll probably turn in early if that’s all right with you.”

“See, you’re bored. I knew you would be.”

“Really, Finley, it’s fine. I’ve never been much for big parties. I’m just glad you’re having a good time.” I smiled. “So do you still like him as much?”

Her blue eyes sparkled beneath the fringe of white bangs. “I do, Eden. He’s gotten even better, if that’s possible. And it looks like he’ll be sticking around town longer now. He’s going to work with his dad.”

“Great. So you’ll be able to see him more.”

“Yep.” A small frown pulled at her mouth.

“What’s the matter?”

She sighed. “It’s just Max knows I’ve had some problems in the past, but I don’t think he knows that I can’t leave the house. What am I supposed to say when he asks me out?”

“Can’t Cole explain stuff to him?”

“My brother doesn’t admit it much, but he’s embarrassed about me.”

“Then we better start moving forward on your goals so we can get you out on a date with him.” My optimism sounded a little forced even to my own ears, and the look on Finley’s face was gloomy with defeat. It was definitely a daunting situation, and I had no real answers for her except to continue with small steps and see where they led.

“You’re right,” Finley said quietly. “For tonight, I’m not going to worry about it. I’m just going to have fun.” The conviction in her tone and words seemed genuine, and I was relieved to hear it.

“Good idea. Go back to him, Finley. I’ll be fine. I might even have one more of those super sweet drinks just to help me get in the party mood.”

She hugged me and went back inside. Seconds later, my alcohol soaked friend had found me again. This time he had the nerve to take hold of my arm.

“There you are, garden of Eden. I was hoping we could share an apple together.”

“I’m not really in the mood for fruit.” I pulled away from him and hopped down the small flight of steps leading to the yard. I was confident he wouldn’t have the balance to walk down stairs, but he proved me wrong. Annoyance was quickly morphing into fear. I looked around, but the few party-goers who had stepped outside were too busy with their conversations to notice drunken Mike staggering after me like a horny Frankenstein. With large feet and a lumber that bordered on clumsy, he was alarmingly fast on his feet. He grabbed my arm and twisted it. There was nothing I hated more than a scene, and I concentrated on keeping my cool. After all, I had my wits and one big advantage, I was sober. He, on the other hand, was having a hard time focusing as he swayed back and forth like a giant tree about to fall. I shoved him hard with my free hand, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. My theory of him being an easy pushover had been squelched. Leaving the patio had been a huge mistake.

I took a step back and realized we were tucked securely into a corner of the rose garden wall. Unfortunately, our location did not escape his bleary-eyed notice either. With no small amount of force, he had me pressed against the wall. He stuck his thick thigh between my legs and held tightly to both my arms. He leaned forward and smothered my scream with his disgusting mouth. He released one of my hands and grabbed at the shoulder of my shirt. I shot my fist into his stomach, but at such close range, it had little impact. Then a hand grabbed his wrist.

“Damn, is that you, Cole?  I’m just having some fun,” Mike mumbled without looking away from me.

“Guess again.”

This time Mike’s face snapped up and he backed away. “What the hell, Jude? Where did you come from?” Mike grabbed my arm again. “I found her first.”

“Let go of her now and then get the fuck off my property.”

“What are you, the bouncer?” Mike attempted to sound calm, but there was a streak of terror running through the center of his words.

Before I could take a breath, Jude had him pressed up against the wall with his arm across Mike’s neck. “I don’t know. Let me bounce your thick skull off this wall a few times and we’ll find out.”

Mike’s face turned red, and he flailed an arm at Jude but missed.

“Leave now and we won’t have to call an ambulance to pick you up.” Jude’s chilling tone caused the guy to put up his hands in surrender. Jude shoved his arm against Mike’s neck harder and then released him.

Mike stumbled away coughing and cussing. We’d attracted a small crowd, and I looked around at the faces then finally brought myself to look at Jude. I knew the moment I looked at him I would burst into tears. And I did not disappoint myself. His green eyes were a mixture of rage and concern.

He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.

“You win,” I blurted through sobs and ran back through the house and to my room. I was fairly certain I’d elbowed my way through the crowd without Finley noticing. I was glad for that. Even though my night had gone from bad to horribly ugly within the space of half an hour, I definitely didn’t want it to stop Finley’s night.

A whimper of relief fell from my lips as I reached my room. I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow just as a knock sounded on the door.

“Eden, it’s me. Let me in.” The sound of Jude’s voice pushed the tears harder.

“I’m fine, Jude. Just go away.”

The door opened and he stepped inside. I didn’t look up from the pillow.

“Go ahead and say I told you so,” I muttered into the pillow. “You were right. I couldn’t handle it.”

“Actually, I didn’t see that coming. I mean Mike’s an asshole and everything, but I had no idea he’d pull that shit.” He was directly over my bed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him.  “Come on, Eden, take your face out of that pillow. I just want to know that you’re all right.”

“Okay, but I must warn you that my nose and eyes get really puffy when I cry.” I wiped my tears with the palm of my hand and sat up against the headboard.

Jude crossed his hands in front of his face. “Holy shit, that is frightening.”

I threw my pillow at him, which he deftly snatched from the air before it made contact. He sat on the edge of my bed, and once again, I was acutely aware of his nearness as if electric charges were sparking between us.

“Thank you, by the way.” My eyes watered again. I’d had unwanted advances from guys before but I’d never been as scared as I had been this time. “Let’s not tell Finley.”

“Agreed,” he said. “Hopefully people are already too wasted to relay the story. At the moment, she’s busy swooning over Max.”

“Is he a trustworthy guy?” I felt better switching subjects and getting my mind off of my traumatic experience.

“Max is all right.” Jude combed his fingers through his black hair and it stuck out in every direction. I’d been so busy surviving the party, I hadn’t noticed just how heartbreaking he looked in his black t-shirt and jeans. “Fin has had a thing for the guy for the last three years. And I think he’s always liked her, but—”

“But he doesn’t realize how bad her problems are?”

“I don’t think Cole talks about it much. Just like my dad, he kind of likes to shrug it off like it’s no big deal. I don’t want her to get hurt. It’s the last thing she needs.”

“Your sister might be dealing with some things, but she has an incredible grasp on people and the world. I don’t think she’ll lose her head over him. He’s just a guy, after all,” I added with a grin.

“I’d say you’ve got a pretty incredible grasp yourself there, Valley. You’ve known my sister for a few days and it’s as if you’ve known her a lifetime.”

“I feel like I’ve known her a lifetime. Hey, she mentioned you were pissed at Cole for inviting someone you didn’t want to see. Was that sleazebag, Mike, the guy?”

He shook his head. “Nope. That was a different sleazebag. Although after tonight, Mike’s definitely the king of sleaze. The other guy didn’t show. I think Cole told him not to come after my subtle warning.”

I laughed. “Was it anything like the subtle warning you gave Mike? I thought he was going to pee his pants. It would have been so great if he had. Who was this guy that you disinvited?”

“He’s the reason I’m wearing this thing.” He held up his ankle. “His cocaine, my freedom. I got pulled over in my car for speeding, and the fool dropped it between the seats. But my sentence is almost done now.”

“Then I guess you’ll be leaving soon?”

“Did Fin tell you that?” The green in his eyes moved from light gray to green depending on the light.

“She mentioned you’d be out of here once they took it off.”

He nodded and pushed up from the bed. He stared down at me and the electricity I’d felt when he sat near me only intensified. “So you’ve never lost your head over a guy?”

The way he looked at me had knocked the breath from me, and it took me a moment to find the air to speak. “Nope, never.”

His mouth turned up on one side. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet.” He walked to the door, opened it, and looked back. “I guess we can call the bet a draw since unforeseen circumstances got in the way.”

“No, you won fair and square. But I have to warn you, I’m a boring subject for a painting.”

“Trust me, Valley, you’re anything but boring.” He shut the door behind him.

Chapter 11

I sat in bed reading, waiting for Finley to wake up. I could still hear voices downstairs as if people were just sobering up enough to leave. Her knock came earlier than I’d expected.

She raced across the floor and jumped into my bed reminding me of my little sisters. “So much fun last night.” She flopped back and brought her hands to her heart. “He’s just as awesome as ever.” She sprang up to sit. When she was excited about something, she tended to move quickly and without warning like a hummingbird. “I hope you weren’t too bored. I didn’t see you much.” She grabbed my hand and her eyes went wide. “Supposedly Jude had to come to some girl’s rescue last night in the garden. The guy he kicked out is a real jerk. Everyone was happy to see him go. Did you see any of it?” she asked.

“No. I got hit with a nasty headache, so I turned in early.”

“Your eyes do look a little swollen. How are you feeling this morning?”

“I’m feeling a lot better, thanks.”

She slid off the bed. “Well, Becky will be here in an hour to do our tattoos, so I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.” She skittered across the floor like an excited little kid. It was fun to see her so happy, but there was always that unnerving feeling that her mood could change instantly. “Jude drew me the cutest picture of Some Pig. I can’t wait to have Becky put it on my shoulder.” She flew out of the room.

Several pairs of unfamiliar bloodshot eyes peered up over the back of the couch when I stepped into the kitchen. They didn’t look terribly pleased with the clamor Finley was making. It was obvious she was being extra noisy on purpose. Even Some Pig seemed to be snorting in his food with extra loud zeal.

“Eggs all right?” she asked.

“Yep.

“Maybe we should add some onions and anchovies,” she said loudly in the direction of the couch. Groans of nausea followed the lingering party guests out of the room. “Ta ta and don’t let the door hit you on your sorry ass on the way out.”

“Uh, you were just kidding about the onions and anchovies, right?”

“Heck yeah. That would be gross even without a hangover.”

We sat to eat, but Finley just picked through the eggs and daydreamed with starry eyes.

I picked up a forkful. “You look like you’re stuck in fairy tale land.”

“I am. He’s just as funny and dreamy as ever,” she said. “And I’m pretty sure he likes me too.”

“Pretty sure? You two sat and talked together as if you were completely alone. An entire party went on around you, but neither of you were aware of it.” Momentarily memories of the horrid night flashed through my mind, but I pushed them back out of reach. Finley had been so absorbed in her evening with Max, she’d only heard vague rumors of what had happened, and I planned to keep it that way. It wasn’t anything she needed to hear about, and I definitely didn’t ever want to talk about it.

Finley stretched up and pulled a folded paper from her pocket. “Here’s the sketch for my tattoo.”

I looked at the drawing. Jude had captured the very essence of Some Pig in the simple drawing. “He’s truly talented.”

Finley smiled with admiration at her pig who was vacuuming up the rest of his food. “Yes, yes he is.”

“I meant your brother.” I thought about the bet and posing for him and wondered if I could endure it. I’d become absurdly self-conscious in his presence. And then there was the annoying trembling and fidgeting whenever he looked at me for longer than a second, which seemed to happen a lot. Standing for one of his paintings would definitely be nerve-wracking.

“Oh, of course. He’s definitely talented. He really wanted to go to art school, but my dad wasn’t very supportive. He wanted Jude to run the construction company. They had a huge fight about it, and Jude threw his fist through a wall. He broke three fingers. For a while it seemed he would never paint again.” She shook her head. “Jude has always been his own worst enemy.”

Tilly announced Becky’s arrival through the intercom.

“She’s early,” Finley said excitedly. “Do you want to go first? I have to warn you, it does hurt a bit.”

“I figured it was a little harsher than the rub-on ones I wore on Halloween. Why don’t you go first. I’m not completely sure I’m going to go through with it yet. I mean tattoos are really permanent.”

“What tattoo?” Neither of us had heard Jude walk into the kitchen. He looked at me. “You’re getting a tattoo?” I sensed some disapproval in his tone.

“Maybe.”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Finley said, “but she’s going to get a spray of stars on her shoulder.”

“Maybe,” I repeated.

Finley looked a bit disappointed by my lack of commitment. “My tattoo is going to take a few hours, so you have plenty of time to decide. But I think it would look awesome. Do you want to watch me get mine?”

“I’m pretty sure that would make me decide against a tattoo. I’m sort of squeamish about needles.”

“Good, then you can pose for a painting while you’re waiting,” Jude said. “I’ve got a canvas ready.”

Finley looked at me with round eyes. “You’re going to pose for him?” It was hard to read if she was horrified or intrigued by the news.

I opened my mouth to answer but Jude spoke for me. “Yep, she is. Let’s go, Valley, while the light is still good.” He headed out.

Finley was uncharacteristically silent as I carried the plates to the sink.

“If you don’t want me to pose, I won’t.”

“Huh?” she looked up at me as if she had been deep in thought. “No, no. I think it’s great.”

“Really? Because there’s nothing in your tone that says great.”

She sighed loudly and I knew her true feelings were about to pour out. “I just don’t want Jude to scare you away. He has this way about him. Girls end up obsessing and then they get heartbroken. And it kind of seems—”

“I’m just posing for his painting, Finley. Besides, I’ve never obsessed about a guy in my life. He’d have to be pretty damn spectacular to get that kind of commitment out of me. It’ll be fine. Plus, your brother still treats me like I’m an annoying pest who has landed here to upset his life.”

“That’s the problem,” she said. “Attention from Jude, no matter which kind, is a rarity.”

“Look, if you don’t want me to pose for him, I won’t. But I promise I won’t be scared off.”

My little pep talk seemed to have done the trick. The worry disappeared from her face.

“No, go ahead and do it. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She hugged me as if we were parting ways for years instead of hours. She walked out of the kitchen and Some Pig followed. I took a deep breath and headed out to the pool house. My confident speech had helped convince Finley that I could keep my head. Now I just needed it to work on me.