Текст книги "Cole"

Автор книги: Tess Oliver

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

“I have a newfound appreciation of this movie,” Jude commented, as I scooted closer to him with each horrendous scene.

“Yep,” Cole said from the seat he’d taken two rows back. “I make a point of showing it when I’m with a girl who I’m sure will climb into my lap before the end of the movie.”

“I’m feeling nauseous,” Finley called back from the front row where she’d situated herself with a giant bucket of popcorn. Jude and I had chosen seats between their two rows and we’d lifted the arm rest to make it one large seat.

“I’m just saying, if you’re going to watch a horror flick make sure the girl is easy—”

An entire shower of popcorn flew at Cole from the front seat.

He picked a piece off his shoulder and ate it. “Needs butter. And you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say easy to scare.” More popcorn flew his way.

Jude threw his arm around my shoulder. “The boy never knows when to shut up.”

Finley stood and stretched. “I’m tired. I think I’ll turn in. I already know how it ends.”

“I’ll walk you upstairs just in case there are any cannibals lurking in the hallway,” Cole said. “Hey, Jude, I’m going down to Corky’s Bar and Grille to meet some people. You want to come?”

“Nope.”

“Kind of thought you’d say no. See you later.”

Finley and Cole left the room and Jude grabbed me. “I thought they’d never leave. Now where were we?” He laid me down on the seat and his mouth devoured mine instantly. But after a few moments, I pulled my lips away. The look of disappointment in his eyes nearly made me laugh. “I understand your newfound respect for this movie and all, but do you really want me to think about Hannibal and his fava beans every time we kiss?”

“Good point.” He hopped up, muted the movie, and turned on music instead.

This time he lowered himself over me slowly, his gaze never leaving my face as he pressed his body along the length of me. His mouth lowered over mine, and the kiss built with urgency again, the same unequaled urgency I’d felt in the pool house. His hands explored every inch of skin on my arms, stomach and breasts. My fingers grasped for the hem of his shirt and I pushed it up, exposing his skin. I lifted my head and ran my lips and tongue along the hard, muscular ridges of his chest.

Physically, I felt completely vulnerable as if I had no intention of stopping what we’d started, but my mind kept tugging at my self-control, pulling me from the dizzying swirl of pleasure and back into reality. I wasn’t prepared for this yet. I knew once I’d given into it all, I was risking everything, including my heart. Jude seemed to sense my hesitancy. His hands moved up to my face, and he pressed his palm against my cheek and kissed my lips.

“I’m sorry, Jude. I’m not ready yet.”

“I understand,” he said. “It’s killing me but I understand.” He stretched out next to me on the seat.

“Now that you’re free again, I suppose you’ll be taking off soon. At least that’s the rumor I keep hearing.” I wasn’t completely sure what’d prompted the topic at this particular moment, but suddenly, I wanted to know.

“Rumors, huh? This town is famous for gossip.” He leaned down and kissed me lightly. “Look, Eden, I know this complicates things some—”

I peered up into his incredibly perfect face. “You think?”

“All right, it complicates things a lot, but contrary to what my sister may have told you, I’m not a complete jerk.”

“Actually, she uses the word ass more than jerk.”

“I’m not a complete ass,” he continued. “Maybe a partial ass but not a complete one.” He fell silent and then reached up and pushed the hair off my face. “I’m here right now because I badly want to be with you. And as my sister can tell you, there aren’t many people I want to be with.”

Everything would have been much easier if my initial dislike of the guy had stuck, but it had been obliterated almost from the start. In fact, it had disintegrated so completely I questioned whether I’d ever truly disliked him at all. Now there seemed to be no turning back. I just needed to remember to keep my head.

Jude leaned down and kissed me again, and a tingling sensation warmed my skin.

Keeping my head was not going to be easy.

“Hey, tomorrow, I’ll take you on a ride on the bike. If you want to go-that is? And we’ll have to clear it with the Empress. But we could just take a short ride. What do you say?”

“Uh, let me think– hell yeah. Do I get to wear one of those cool Harley helmets?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of the law out here in L.A.”

“Yippee.”

Chapter 14

Finley and I had spent the morning attempting to knit. She was quite skilled at it, but I’d spent more time untangling the yarn than actually getting it around the needle point.

I held up my project. “It looks more like a spider web than a scarf.”

Finley’s phone had buzzed several times during our knitting session, and each time she’d looked at it and then put it back down.

“You’re a popular girl this morning,” I said.

“It’s Max. He wants me to call him. He says he’s worried about me.”

I lowered my yarn disaster into my lap. “So call him. You know how many guys out there take the time to worry about anyone but themselves?”

“Three maybe four?” Finley laughed.

“That’s being generous. Call him.”

“I will. When you go on your ride with Jude.” She looked slyly up at me.

“Oh, he asked you already?”

“This morning. But I told him not to go far. That thing is dangerous.” She picked up her yarn, and her fingers moved quickly with the needles. “Just be careful, Eden.”

“I wasn’t planning on jumping off the back or anything.”

She stopped knitting. “You know what I mean. And it has got nothing to do with the ride.”

“I know.” We’d been sitting with our legs crossed on the floor, and I stretched them out to wake my sleepy feet. “All I can tell you is that I’m usually pretty level headed when it comes to guys.”

“Have you ever been with a guy like Jude?”

“No, definitely not.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to be careful. He likes you for sure. That I’ve known from the start, but my brother has never settled down with one girl before.”

I wasn’t sure if she was telling me this for my protection or her own. I knew falling for Jude completely screwed things up, and I as much as I didn’t want to mess up this awesome summer job, I’d never had a guy like Jude interested in me before. I was, after all, only human.

Finley stretched out her legs too. “Like I’ve said before, I love him but sometimes he’s an ass.”

“Mental note taken.” Unfortunately, I sort of knew what I was getting into with Jude. For a guy like him this was probably just a summer fling, or now that he was off house arrest, it might just be a June fling. Or even a one week fling. I was determined not to go crazy about the guy. Even if he left, I would stay on with Finley and be perfectly content. Hopefully.

I pulled on jeans and sneakers for the ride. I only wished I’d had a pair of cool motorcycle boots to go with the helmet. And maybe a leather jacket with a flaming skull on the back.

Jude was out front dressed head to toe in black and looking completely breathtaking straddling his bike. His smile matched my enthusiasm for the ride.

He adjusted the helmet strap beneath my chin and then leaned over and kissed me. “Let’s go, biker mama.”

I threw my leg over the seat and wrapped my arms around his rock hard stomach. “I’m ready to roll.”

The bike rumbled beneath us as we turned down the tree-lined path and through the security gates. The experience was exactly as I’d dreamed it. It felt like we were flying, and I laughed like a little kid as he picked up speed and raced down the street. We toured the scenic streets around the estate. Grand, stately mansions lined both sides of the road, as we rode through a world so different than mine it was like being on a different planet. And as beautiful and grand as it all was, I still missed my modest little home and nutty parents. Even though I was having a blast and the summer of a lifetime, I felt the constant ache of homesickness.

We pulled onto a pathway that led to a small park. The grass was as green as an Irish landscape and flowers lined the children’s play area. Aside from one older woman in a maid’s uniform who watched attentively as two small girls played on the slide, the place was deserted. We parked the bike and got off.

Jude took my hand. “There’s a cool, little manmade waterfall and pond around the bend.”

“Well, of course there is. I mean every park I’ve ever been to has a waterfall and pond.”

We walked along a neatly paved path. One side of it was bordered by a small stream that looked as if each polished stone had been hand placed to create the perfect flow of water. Large, smooth rocks and a sparkling waterfall sat at the top of small hill. We walked under the shade of a tree with manicured branches that jutted out like a massive umbrella. Jude leaned back against the wide trunk and pulled me into his arms.

“You seemed to know exactly where to lead me– to this wonderfully secluded tree. Almost as if you’ve been here quite often before,” I teased.

“Contrary to what my backstabbing siblings may have told you, I am not an animal.” He reached up and held my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I like you a lot, Eden. And I don’t like many people. I’m not using you.”

“No?” I lifted my face and kissed his jaw. “Because I’m totally using you for that friggin’ Harley back there.”

“Yeah, I already figured that out. But I’m willing to accept it as long as you spend time with me.”

I startled when a squirrel traveled across a branch overhead but was certain my nerves had more to do with the guy standing in front of me than the small woodland creature. I laughed at my silly reaction. “The wildlife in Beverly Hills is fearsome.” I glanced around. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people here.”

“Nannies aren’t done with their chores yet. This place gets crowded later in the afternoon.”

“Nannies? So mommies don’t come, just nannies?”

“For the most part.”

“And that,” I said, “is where this whole idyllic world falls apart.”

He yanked me closer against him. “What do you mean? Are you making a social comment on my people?”

“Your people? You make rich and snobby sound like its own culture.”

“It sort of is.”

“I guess. But what’s the good of coming to a park if you can’t show your mom how good you are at climbing the slide? A nanny isn’t going to give a hoot about your accomplishments.”

“Some mothers don’t either,” he said. “So you think we’re all out of touch?”

“Strangely enough, no. Even though you three have grown up in a magnificent house with every luxury you could wish for and a father who is supremely famous, or as my dad would say, the god of rock, Finley, Cole and you are completely down to earth. You argue just like everyone else and you watch each other’s back. Just like regular siblings. One might even say normal. Even the stuff Finley deals with is pretty common. Everyone gets anxiety. I used to panic right before tests. I used to pressure myself so much, I was certain if I got anything less than a perfect score the whole world would dissolve beneath my feet. Once I pushed myself into a major panic attack before a calculus test and was convinced I was having a stroke. So everyone deals with stress in their own way. Finley just deals badly.” I rubbed my palm along the stubble on his chin. “I guess you know she blames herself for her sister’s death.”

“I know. It never mattered how hard we tried to convince her otherwise, she insisted she caused it.”

“That’s a lot for anyone to swallow.”

He grew quiet for a moment and held me against him. “For Fin, it’s not just the anxiety. She can fall pretty low sometimes. That enthusiasm she gets when she’s in a good mood can plunge into darkness in a second. That’s when I really worry about her. But I know she’s glad to have you around this summer.” He kissed me. “Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever kissed a brainy girl. I mean calculus– damn. Hey, were you one of those school girls who wore the short plaid skirt and white blouse?”

“Seriously, is there anything about me that says private prep school?”

“I guess not.” His mouth brushed mine. “But you would look so fucking hot in one of those uniforms.” His long, muscular thigh pushed between my legs, and he reached up and pulled the edges of my sweatshirt so that I nearly slammed against his chest. Then his hands slid beneath my t-shirt and he caressed my skin as his mouth covered mine.

My skin felt on fire as his kisses deepened, and his hands explored the bare skin of my back and shoulders. I leaned forward and moved against his hard thigh, gasping softly with the rhythm of his movement. My hands slid up his muscular arms and circled his neck. I felt the desperate need to hold onto him. His mouth moved down my neck and my head dropped back as his tongue flicked lightly at the hollow in the base of my throat. I shifted against him again and again, knowing full well that I was heading to a place where turning back was impossible. My hands tucked beneath his shirt, and I smoothed my palms over the muscles of his chest and abdomen. Everything about Jude made me lose control, and my hands and mouth could not get enough of him.

His hand drifted down my waist and before I could protest, though that was unlikely now, he pressed it between my thighs. I groaned softly against his mouth as his thumb moved over the worn denim. I fought the intimacy of it for a moment, and my fingers tensed around his shoulders.

“Damn, Valley, I need to touch all of you.” His teeth bit lightly on my bottom lip. “Just relax.” Even his whispered command sent shuddering waves of heat through me. I clung tightly to his arms as I moved against his hand until the need I’d built up deep inside sent shuddering waves through me and then exploded in every direction. My fingers dug into his hard arms, and I pressed my mouth against his chest to muffle a small cry.

He wrapped his strong arms around me as I collapsed against him. I felt completely secure in his arms. My fingers traced along his strong jaw. “I’m feeling a bit selfish.”

“Well, you should.”

I looked up at him and he smiled. “I’m kidding. Watching your face through it all made it worth it.” He kissed my lips. “Made me ache for you that much more but still worth it.”

A warm blush rose in my face, and I pressed my cheek against his chest again. “Just so you know, I’m not really the kind of girl who does stuff like that in the center of a public park.”

“No? Why’d you do it this time?”

“Because it was with you. And I can’t begin to tell you how much that terrifies me.”

He took hold of my face. “Like I said before– relax, Eden.”

Badly, I wanted to surrender my heart and soul to him, but my sensible side, a side that always reared its annoying head when I least wanted it, told me to keep my feet on the ground.  “I suppose we should head back. Finley and I are going to take an excursion around the grounds.”

He didn’t say anything, but his expression laid bare his thoughts.

“I know it’s not much, just a few steps around the property, but for her, it’s a big deal.”

He nodded. “It’s been good for her, but there’s so much turmoil brewing in my sister, I’m worried she just won’t be able to tamp it down. I worry that one day it’ll all come boiling out of her in one massive eruption.”

“Then maybe these miniscule steps toward normalcy are helping her blow off some steam. Last night, Max upset her and she pouted but didn’t lose it. I’d say she handled it well. Maybe in the long run, small steps will help her cope enough to avoid any big melt down.”

He lowered his arm around my shoulder and led me out from beneath the tree. “Let’s hope so, Eden.”

Chapter 15

The ride back home was equally awesome. I had not just imagined the thrill all these years, riding on a motorcycle was fun. Jude pulled my arms tighter around him and then sped up as we climbed the impossibly long driveway to the house. He stopped the bike out front and was helping me remove my helmet when the front door opened.

Cole was standing in the doorway holding his phone. Just like the night before, when he’d knocked on the pool house door, his face showed that something was definitely not right. “How come you didn’t answer your phone?”

Jude pointed to his bike. “Can’t really answer a phone on that thing.” He looked past Cole into the entryway, and I felt his body tense next to me. “What’s wrong? Where’s Finley?”

Cole looked back and stepped outside. “She’s inside. Ray called. Dad collapsed during rehearsal. They’re taking him to the hospital. It might have been a heart attack.”

“Shit.” Jude stormed up the steps and flew into the house.

I followed behind Cole. Jude had Finley in his arms before Cole and I had reached the room. She was crying hysterically and gasping for breath. “Purse your lips together and breathe, Fin.” He rubbed her back, but she was crying too hard to control her mouth or her breathing. “Shhh, breathe. Dad’ll be fine.”

I grabbed a clean dish towel and wet it with cold water. I handed it to Jude and he pressed it against her forehead. Her face was bright red, and she looked close to puking.

I leaned my face close to hers. “Finley,” I said quietly, “think about your breathing. Breathe through your nose slowly.”

A few tense moments passed, and Finley started to relax. She was weak and barely able to stand, but her breathing had slowed and she was no longer gasping for air.

“Ray is going to call as soon as they know something,” Cole said. “They were just finishing up with rehearsal and then Dad went pale and dropped to his knees.”

Finley pushed her face against Jude.

“Cole, hold off on the updates until she’s calmer,” Jude said.

Finley pushed off his chest and shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I’m not a little kid.” Her eyes were swollen and red as she looked at Cole. “Was he in pain?” Her voice was small and faint.

“I don’t know. Ray didn’t really say much more except that an ambulance was taking him to a hospital in Berlin.”

Jude led his sister to the couch, and her very concerned pig sat next to her feet. She patted his head with a shaky hand.

I wasn’t completely sure what to do. It was definitely an intimate family moment, and for the first time, I felt like an outsider. Finley looked miserable, so I did what my friendship instincts told me to do. I sat next to her and didn’t say a word. There was nothing for me to say at the moment since there was little information to go on. All I knew to do was to sit there in case she needed me. One thing was certain, her brother Jude was the person she turned to when things were really bad. And he knew exactly how to comfort her when she was distraught.

At first, Finley had her arms wrapped around herself as if she wanted to tuck herself into a tight ball and fade into the couch. I felt unnecessary and out of place and like a paid companion who had no real purpose except to keep her from being bored while housebound. That grim realization weighed heavily on my chest. Then without warning, Finley reached over and wrapped her arms around me. I hugged her to me and we both cried. Not wanting to be left out, Some Pig pushed his snout between us and snorted softly.

Major sob session completed, Finley and I sat back and she rested her head against my shoulder.

“Does your dad have heart problems or any health problems that you know of?” I asked. A man like Nicky King had to have the best doctors and health care coverage.

“No, nothing,” Finley said weakly. “He even has low cholesterol for a man whose favorite breakfast is steak and eggs.”

“He sounds low risk for a heart attack,” I said. My future dreams had always been medicine and as a result I’d done a lot of reading in medical journals. In retrospect, I really was a nerd.

Finley held my arm tightly. “I’m sure you’re right, Eden. I’m sorry about freaking out like that.”

I looked down at her. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’d do the same thing if it were my dad.”

“Thanks, Eden.”

The atmosphere in the room had mellowed some. Jude and Cole sat on the couch and waited for the phone. Once again we found ourselves staring at a blank television screen.

Some Pig snorted twice and sat down in front of the T.V. as if he expected it to come on any second. Finley and I laughed and I realized how and why this pig was so important to Finley. He was one round, pink ball of charm.

Jude’s phone rang and Finley tightened her grip on me. I held her just as tightly.

Jude stood from the couch. “Hey Ray, what’s going on?” He walked into the kitchen to talk and Cole followed him.

“Please, please, please. Let him be all right, let him be all right, let him be all right.” Finley said quietly. It hadn’t taken me long to notice that for Finley everything worked better in threes. I leaned over to the coffee table and knocked three times, something I’d seen my mom do often, only our table was plastic instead of wood.

Jude returned to the couch looking slightly relieved. “They’re doing some more tests, but they don’t think it was his heart. Just dehydration and exhaustion.”

Finley jumped up and threw her arms around her brothers and cried. After a short, joyful breakdown, she sat back down on the couch next to me. “I told him to take his vitamins. I’ll bet he forgot.”

Cole popped open a soda. “Our old man is just that, old, but he’s still keeping up the same performance schedule he followed when he was twenty-five. He needs to slow it down, or the next time it’ll be worse.”

“Then why don’t you be the one to tell him to lay off the tours,” Jude said.

“You’re the oldest,” Cole replied.

“Like Dad listens to me about anything. He’s usually too busy telling me what I’m doing wrong to hear any advice about his life.” It was the first time I’d heard Jude talk about his relationship with his dad and there definitely seemed to be tension between them.

“Well, I plan on having a long chat with him when he comes home,” Finley said.

“That’s a good idea,” Jude said, “He always takes things best coming from you.”

“Oh shit, with all this, I completely forgot,” Finley said pulling out her phone. “Your mom wants you to call her. I’m so sorry, Eden.

“Finley, please don’t apologize. It’s all right.”

“Everything is fine, but I think she has some news to tell you. We had a long chat about panic attacks. Did you know she used to have them really bad when you were little? Anyhow, she told me to lay off the caffeine.” She smiled. “You’re so lucky, Eden. You have such a cool mom.”

I took the phone from her. “You know something, Finley, I do feel lucky.” I walked out of the room and dialed our home phone.

“Hey Mom.”

“Eden,” she said excitedly. Janie and Sophie were in the background begging for the phone.

“All right girls, but just for a second. I need to talk to your sister.”

“Edie, we’re moving to the forest and there might be bears. I’m going to leave a bowl of honey for them.”

I laughed. “What on earth are you talking about, Sophie?”

Mom grabbed back the phone and Janie cried. “Your dad got a job as a fry cook in a small restaurant on a lake up north. It’s a little resort town.”

“But I don’t understand,” I said. “How can he have a job so far away?”

“We’re moving up there. The job comes with a small cabin that’s paid for, so we won’t have any rent. It was too great to pass up. Summer and winter are the busy seasons.”

“But, Mom, what about me? Is there a city college nearby?”

She paused. “That is the one drawback.”

“That’s a really big drawback.”

“We’ll figure something out.” My mom was always good at pushing away problems in hopes that they would solve themselves. But this problem wasn’t going to fix itself with time.

“Mom, I worked really hard to get into a college, and now even junior college is going to be out of reach.” It had been a day of high emotions between fighting to keep control of my feelings for Jude and then coming home to the drama with Finley’s dad. And now with the news that my parents were moving to some small, college-free town up north, I suddenly came apart at the seams and tears flowed freely.

“Edie, are you crying? Don’t cry, Sweetie. It’ll work itself out.”

“Unless this town you’re moving to builds a college this summer, I don’t see how.”

“Maybe with the money you make and with what your father makes, we can pool our funds and send you to live on campus somewhere.”

“Great, I could live on campus and just not have the actual money for tuition. Never mind, Mom. When are you leaving? I want to see you guys before you go.”

“So this summer job is working out all right? Finley sounds terrific.”

“I really like her, and I think it’s working out fine. But it’s temporary, remember?” And then it dawned on me, eventually I’d be leaving here and Finley  . . . and Jude. And now, I’d be living farther away. I wiped at my tears and sniffled loudly into the phone.

“Oh, baby, I didn’t mean to upset you so much.” I had to cool it or she would be blubbering into the phone next and then Sophie and Janie would follow.

“I’m fine, Mom. When should I come see you? I can take the bus.”

“The manager at the resort wants your dad to start right away. We’re leaving the furniture because most of it is junk and the cabin is furnished. This apartment is ours until the end of the month, but we’re going to leave town next Saturday.”

“So soon?”

There was a long pause. “Why don’t you just quit and come with us Eden? It’s really nice up there. We miss you.”

“I miss all of you too, but I need this job, Mom. It’s been good being out on my own.”

“I know.” Her voice sounded shaky as if the tears had started on her end too. “You can’t blame a mom for trying.”

“I’ve got to go, Mom. I don’t want to tie up Finley’s phone any longer. I’ll get out to see you in the next few days. Love you.”

Cole had stretched out on the couch, and Finley was on the rug with Some Pig and the dogs. Jude was having a smoke outside.

“Is everything all right, Eden?” Finley was as in tune with my feelings as I was with hers.

“My parents are moving up north for some job.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’m going to go see them in a few days before they leave– if that’s all right.”

“Of course it’s all right,” Finley said. “Dad’s driver will take you.”

“No, I’ll be fine on a bus. I’ve ridden on them a lot.”

“Don’t be silly,” she insisted, and I wasn’t in the mood to argue the point for now.

Cole sat forward and read a text. “Dad’s going to come home for a few days. His doctor wants to give him a full physical.”

Finley hopped up to her knees. “He is? I can’t wait. When is he coming?”

“As soon as they release him,” Cole said. “It means they’ll have to cancel a few concerts.”

“Good,” Finley said. “I wish they would cancel them all.” Her mood had changed dramatically, and it seemed we would have to peel her off the ceiling soon. Complete and utter elation had replaced uncontrolled despair.

Cole moved his thumb over his phone and shook his head. “The internet is already blowing up with the news.” He laughed. “Here’s a good one. ‘Rock Legend Nicky King near death in a Belgium Hospital’. They couldn’t even get the friggin’ country right.” He put down his phone. “I’m starved.”

“I could make some sandwiches,” I offered. “I’m pretty hungry too.”

Finley winked at me. “Those motorcycle rides can really work up an appetite.”

I countered her cryptic comment with one of my own. “I had no idea how exhilarating it could be.”

“I’ll bet it even left you breathless,” she said.

“Would you two stop already,” Cole said. “So Jude and Eden made out. I’m wasting away here.”

Jude came back inside while I was making sandwiches. He walked into the kitchen. His arm went around my waist and my back pressed against his chest. “Finley said your parents were moving up north.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m going to be living up in the woods with no college degree. I think I’ll take up pine cone collecting or something.” I continued making the sandwiches as he held me against him. I’d hoped the disappointment in my tone wasn’t obvious, but it was too hard. “The sad thing is, I would have killed to live up in a cabin in the woods when I was a kid. But now, it’s the worst thing I can think of.”

He leaned down and kissed the side of my face. “Then you can just stay here with me– in the pool house– preferably naked.”

“Yes, Mr. One Track.”

He laughed and his arm tightened around me. “I’m sorry, Valley. I shouldn’t tease you. You’ve still got all summer. Maybe my aunt can figure something out for you.” He leaned his mouth near my ear. “Although, I was completely serious about the naked part.”

I elbowed him away. “Step back, Sir. I’m armed with a butter knife, and I know how to use it.”

He picked up the tomato and started slicing it.

“So your dad is coming home,” I said.

“Yep.”

“You sound much less enthusiastic than Finley about the news.”

“I’m glad he’s coming home to rest, but Dad and I aren’t always on the same wave length.”

“I sort of gathered that.” I placed the tomato slices on the sandwiches.

“Dad was hoping I would go into the music business. I had talent on the drums, but I liked art. He was really disappointed that I didn’t pursue music.”

“What about Cole and Finley? Didn’t he want them to go into music?”

“His dream was that we all got into the music business. But Cole is basically tone deaf. He’s good with his hands though, which is why my dad bought a construction company. He wanted to give Cole a career. And Dad never pushed Finley into anything. He’s always treated her like a fragile, porcelain doll who just needed to be loved.”

“Construction isn’t your thing?”

“Actually, I like building houses too, but as much as Cole and I get along, we don’t work great together.”

“That seems understandable.” I cut the sandwiches in half. “It would be hard to work side by side with a sibling.”

“Yeah, we’ve nearly come to blows a few times.”

I handed him two plates and we walked toward the couch.

“Well, Valley, ready yourself. You’re about to find out what it’s like to live with the god of rock.”