Текст книги "Cole"
Автор книги: Tess Oliver
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 24 страниц)
Chapter 16
An entourage of people arrived hours before Nicky King’s plane landed, and a whirlwind of activity flooded the house. Finley avoided the circus downstairs as much as possible, leaving Jude and Cole to deal with it all. Oddly enough, by the time the limo pulled up out front, most of the people had gone and things had quieted down.
Finley and I had been listening to music and hanging out with Some Pig in her room when she heard the car pull up. She jumped to her feet. “He’s here. Let’s go down.”
I hesitated and realized that I was more than slightly nervous about meeting her dad. Not because of who he was but because of what he might think of me, or if he would think anything of me at all. “I think you should go down alone, Finley. You haven’t seen him for awhile and after the whole health scare and everything.”
Her bracelets jangled as she held her hand out to let me know my reasoning wasn’t going to fly. Reluctantly, I took her hand and we headed to the stairs. There were still unfamiliar voices coming from the front room, but the crowd had definitely diminished.”
“What if he doesn’t like me?” I asked.
“Impossible. If I like you then Dad will like you.”
Nicky King, the rock and roller who my dad worshipped, the man whose voice I’d grown up listening to, was standing in the kitchen with a phone pressed to his ear. He looked smaller than I’d imagined and skinnier and a bit more wrinkly, but his presence could not be ignored. He looked our way, and his eyes lit up when he saw Finley. “Got to go.” He put down his phone and held out his arms.
Finley ran to her dad and hugged him so tightly it seemed she had no intention of ever letting him go. Instantly she broke into tears. “I was so scared, Dad.”
He kissed the top of her head. “It was nothing, Fin Fin. I’m all right.”
She peered up at him. “You didn’t take the vitamins, did you?”
“I will now. I promise.”
A man with an earpiece walked into the kitchen. “Nick, they can’t book the whole suite of rooms– just half.”
“Then find another bloody hotel, Ray.”
The man walked away.
Finley reached back and grabbed my hand. “Dad, this is Eden.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Eden, Finley has told me a lot about you. Welcome.”
“Nice to meet you.” They were the only words I could push out. I’d never been the type to be star struck, and maybe it was just because my dad had glorified the man so much, but I was truly feeling shy and nervous around him.
His phone rang. “Excuse me.” He turned away to answer it.
Finley reached into the fridge for a soda. “Want one?” she asked.
“No, I’m good.”
Jude walked into the kitchen, and it dawned on me that just seeing him made my heart speed up. That may or may not have been a good thing. A small muscle in his jaw twitched as he reached for a glass. I could tell he was upset, and the fact that he basically ignored me, made my racing heart slow and drop to my stomach.
His dad hung up the phone. “Look, Jude, it’s just that if you were the reason for Tanya leaving then the least you could have done is hired another fucking chef.”
Jude placed the glass down hard on the counter. “First of all, Dad, I’m not the reason Tanya left. She’s the reason.”
His dad waved a ring-covered hand at him. “Yeah, yeah. You could have handled the whole damn thing better.”
“Just because you sleep with every woman who blinks at you, doesn’t mean I have to follow in my old man’s footsteps.”
Nicky looked harshly at Jude. “I guess that’s why they named a bloody saint after you, Jude.”
Finley grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the kitchen. “They don’t always get along. Jude knows how to push all of the right buttons.”
“Sounds like some pretty mutual button pushing,” I said, and realized it was a comment better left unsaid.
Finley didn’t respond, but it was obvious she didn’t want to hear anything negative about her dad. The glass door slid open and Jude stormed out.
Finley returned to the kitchen, took hold of her dad’s hand, and dragged him to the couch. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy, Dad.”
The couch was filled with several strangers, two were on phones and one was on a laptop. I was feeling awkwardly out of place and Finley was occupied with her dad, so I slipped out the door to find Jude.
He was a few hundred yards ahead on the path leading to the pool house. I hurried to catch up to him, terrified that he might not want to see me at all. He was upset, but a cold greeting would be heartbreaking. I’d have no other choice but to face the sobering reality that he didn’t care for me that much.
“Jude.” At first it seemed he was ignoring me, and it felt like a fist in the stomach. But then he stopped and turned around. His face was a torrent of emotions, and the anger and sadness in his expression only made the pain in my stomach worse.
His long legs closed the gap between us in seconds, and he grabbed my arms roughly and pulled me into an urgent kiss. His arms wrapped around me. He held me so tightly it felt as if my ribs would crack and yet I wanted him to hold me even tighter.
After a deep, long kiss my head felt as if it might float away from my shoulders. He held me against him.
“I’m sorry things went so badly for you in there,” I said.
“It’s nothing new. Dad and I are alike in a lot of ways, so we’re always butting heads. Sometimes, when things are calm around here, we actually get along.” His arms fell away, and he took hold of my hand. “I’ve got to warn you though, when Dad’s around, Finley doesn’t know anyone else exists. So don’t feel too hurt if she seems distracted and distant. She thinks he’s a god too.”
We wandered past the hedge border of Finley’s invisible perimeter and across the verdant green lawn. “The man does have a presence. No doubt about it. There are half a dozen people in that room but your dad is like a—”
“Like a giant meteor that just crashed into the room?” he asked.
I laughed. “Sort of. I don’t know if it’s because my dad built him up as larger than life or what, but I was totally tongue tied when he greeted me.”
“He definitely steals any room he walks into.”
“You two are alike.”
He shook his head. “I usually only attract negative attention when I walk into a room filled with people.”
“Not true.” We stopped at the edge of the lawn that sloped down toward some professional looking tennis courts. “Finley mentioned the tennis courts. We are planning to play out there one day.”
He sat and I plopped down next to him.
“Fin was really good. She had a huge career ahead of her but then life got in the way of it.”
“Her moods do swing really sharply, just like you warned.”
“Trust me, she’s really mellowed out since you’ve arrived. Dad doesn’t see it as often because he’s never home, so he thinks it will all work itself out.”
“He sounds just like my mom. Somehow, she thinks a college will magically appear in the small town they’re moving to. She’s never really been a fan of college. My parents had to quit high school when my mom got pregnant with me. But I’ve always dreamed of becoming a doctor, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need some college for that.”
He put his arm around me. “A doctor? I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. At this rate, I’ll have to buy one of those toy doctor kits and just pretend.”
“All right, this sounds demented, but having you talk about playing doctor is really turning me on.”
“Yes, slightly demented. However—” I straddled his lap and wrapped my hands around his neck. “I have had a lot of practice on my dolls and various stuffed animals who’ve all suffered some terrible maladies.” I kissed him lightly. “And I must admit, I’m a fairly skilled physician.” I kissed him again. “Just tell me where it hurts.”
His hands clutched at my hips. “Well, Doc.”
I kissed him again. “Yes.”
“You see, I’ve got this terrible ache, and there’s only one way I can think to ease my suffering.”
My mouth hovered over his. “Sounds serious.”
“It is definitely serious.” He lay back and pulled me down on top of him. My light teasing kisses intensified just as a giant, cold nose touched the back of my neck. I flew off of Jude and landed hard on my butt. Butch sat back on his haunches, apparently satisfied that he’d saved his master from a vicious attack.
Jude looked back at the dog and laughed.
“You won’t be laughing when I send you the bill, Mister.” I looked down at the tennis courts below. “I think I’ll go down there and look around.”
Jude got to his feet. “I’ll go with you. There’s an awesome little make-out spot behind the equipment shed.”
“And you know this because . . .”
“I know because I’ve made out there on several instances.” He started walking down the hill. “Come on, I’ll show it to you.”
“You go ahead. I’m not planning to walk down,” I said.
He turned back to me with a puzzled expression.
I stretched out on the grass, crossed my arms, and rolled down, laughing hysterically the entire way. As the incline disappeared I came to an abrupt stop.
Jude was peering down at me. “Not exactly doctor behavior.” He pulled me to my feet.
I looked back fondly at the hill I’d just rolled down. “I would have killed to have a hill like that in my backyard.” I took hold of his hand. “Who am I kidding? I would have killed to have had a back yard.”
“In the winter, we used to ride down on big blocks of ice.”
“That would be fun.”
“Only if you don’t mind getting frostbite on your ass.” Both dogs had joined us as we made the journey down to the tennis courts, but before we reached cement, a loud whistle turned our attention back toward the house.
“Dad wants to see you, Jude,” Cole called across the lawn.
“Shit. Well, I’ll have to show you that spot another time. The master is summoning me.”
***
There had been a long family meeting, and I‘d taken the opportunity to hang alone in my room and read. Nicky King’s arrival had definitely left me feeling obscure and unnecessary, but he did send some money to my bank account for my first week’s pay and then he handed me an extra hundred in cash. I looked at the bill like it was a Wonka Golden Ticket. I’d never held a hundred dollar bill in my life. I decided to arrange for a cab to pick me up in the morning just for a ride to the bus stop. And from there, I’d take the bus home. Finley didn’t need me for the time being, and I missed my family. I wanted to see them before they left.
Finley knocked on my door and climbed onto my bed. “I hate family meetings. Dad and Jude spend the whole time grumbling at each other and nothing ever gets accomplished. But I think Jude is going to have to head back to construction work until he decides what to” she held up air quotes, “do with his life”.
“He wants to be a painter,” I said.
“I know. Poor guy.” She dismissed his dream rather callously. It was the first time I’d felt some anger toward her. “He rode off on his bike after the meeting.”
“He did?” I was certain my disappointment was evident, but Finley didn’t take notice.
“Anyhow, Dad was extremely pissed about my tattoo because now I have a pig on my shoulder, but I pouted and he got over it.”
Her dad was much more pliant when it came to her wishes than to Jude’s.
“Dad’s agent, Ray, ordered some food to be delivered, and Dad has invited a few people over, which in his world means at least a dozen and most will be women. We could hang out with them if you want.”
“I thought your dad was supposed to rest.”
“Believe me, for him, that is rest.”
“I’m hungry but I think then I’ll turn in early. I figured since your dad is home, I’d go see my parents tomorrow.”
“You should definitely see them before they leave. Dad’s driver can take you in the limo.”
“No really, Finley, I’d feel silly pulling up to our apartment house in a limo. Besides, I like riding the bus. I’ll have a taxi pick me up here and take me to the bus stop. I’d walk but I’m fairly confident I’d get lost.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, all right.” She hopped off the bed. “You’re coming back though, right?”
“I was planning on it. Do you want me to?”
“Absolutely. I think the food’s here. I’m starved and they ordered some vegetarian lasagna.”
I plodded behind her, upset at myself for being completely distraught that Jude had left. It was stupid to think he would hang around just because of me. He’d been trapped here for months, and I’m sure he had friends he hadn’t seen for a long time. And, no doubt, some of them were girls, and that thought left me even more distraught.
There were a lot of voices coming from the pool area and the music was blasting. Trays of hot food were spread out across the kitchen counter. Nicky King was standing in the kitchen pouring beer into a glass. “Hey girls, help yourselves. Lots of food.” He looked across to the couch. “Cole, do you want a beer?”
Cole was sitting on the couch with his head turned to the side as he checked out a nude centerfold.
His dad leaned forward and squinted at the picture. “I think I know that girl,” he said.
Cole grunted in disgust and threw the magazine onto the coffee table. “Well, that just took the gloss off Miss June. Thanks, Dad, I will take that beer.”
Finley handed me a plate, and I scooped up some lasagna but discovered my appetite had shrunk with the news of Jude’s departure.
“So, Eden, Finley tells me your dad is a fan of Black Thunder.” Even after talking to him several times throughout the day, having the man address me directly still churned up a case of nerves. It took me a moment to answer.
“The word fan might not capture the true scope of his admiration. In fact, I would go so far as to say he worships Black Thunder. When I was little and couldn’t sleep, instead of a lullaby, he sang Angel Tears.”
His laughter echoed off the kitchen walls. “I haven’t met him, but I like him already. We’ll have to get together some day.”
“As I told Finley, that would be great but it will require tranquilizers.”
He laughed again. “No wonder you like her so much, Finley. You girls should join us at the pool when you’re done eating.” With that, he picked up his beer, tossed a can to Cole, and headed outside. He took a certain amount of kinetic energy with him when he left the room.
Finley and I sat alone at the counter. “Where’s Some Pig?’
She sprinkled some cheese on her lasagna and handed me the packet. “He hates big crowds. I fed him upstairs so he could go to sleep early.”
“Sleeping early sounds like a plan,” I said. I badly wanted to ask her if she knew where Jude might have gone or if she thought he would be meeting someone. And even though I’d felt I could talk to Finley about everything, I decided to keep my feelings about Jude to myself. It just seemed the smart thing to do. And for the moment, I was still in utter confusion about my feelings for him. So there wouldn’t be much to discuss.
Chapter 17
I’d heard the clamor of the party go on until way past midnight, so the entire house was dead silent as I climbed out of bed at seven. As I showered and dressed, I wondered if Jude had ever returned home last night. More reason to solidify my heart against this whole thing. Jude lived in a world so completely different that mine, it was almost laughable to think that he’d ever commit to someone like me.
I brushed my hair up into a ponytail and couldn’t help but be amused by the pouty face staring back at me in the mirror. I was excited about seeing my family and decided to focus on getting home. Yesterday, for the first time since my arrival, I’d felt horribly uncomfortable and out of place. The thought of going home to a place where I fit and where I was important made me anxious to see my family. Maybe I would even decide to stay.
As silently as possible, I packed a few things in my duffle, tucked the money in my pocket, and headed down the stairs. I’d arranged for a taxi to pick me up outside the security gates.
Jude came around the corner just as I reached the landing. He was shirtless and sweaty from a workout in the gym. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he looked down at my duffle bag with confusion.
“I’m going to see my parents,” I said quickly.
“Hold on a minute. I’ll shower and then I can take you on the bike.”
“No, that’s all right. I’m going to take the bus. Besides, my mom would have a fit if she saw me ride up on a motorcycle.”
“I’ve got a car. I’ll drive you.”
“No.”
Disappointment covered his face. “Why not?”
Spending time alone with Jude had its hazards and it definitely didn’t fit into my plan to stay strong and steadfast, but I had another reason. “Jude, your dad is home and you’re busy.” I looked down at the floor. “And, truthfully, I don’t want you to see where I live.” My throat tightened around the words. I felt silly and shallow about it, but it was the truth.
Jude grazed my arm with his fingers. “Eden, you could have crawled out from beneath a toadstool, and I would still think you’re amazing.”
His words sparked tears, and I desperately wanted to know that he meant it. But our lives were so outrageously different I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about it. “I’ve got to go, Jude. The cab is here to take me to the bus stop.” I turned and hurried out the front door.
I’d managed to compose myself on the ride to the bus stop. Fortunately, there was still time before the bus came, and I walked to a small, nearby strip mall. I went into the drugstore and bought two Barbie dolls, a muffin, and a coffee and returned to the stop just as the bus arrived.
Several of the front seats were already filled, so I made my way to the back and slid in. The bus driver got out to help a man attach his bike to the front of the bus, and I pulled out the dolls to decide which one Sophie would like best. Janie would be happy with anything, but Sophie’s taste was already more discerning. One doll was dressed in sporty gear with sneakers and sunglasses, and the other wore a pink, frilly party dress. Suddenly I was regretting not buying another one with a party dress. It might have been easier with two of the same. I was deep in contemplation over my doll purchases when someone plunked down hard next to me. I recognized the scent of his soap immediately.
My face turned toward him. He was holding his motorcycle jacket and helmet.
“Hey, Valley, how’s it going?” He glanced around at the interior of the bus. The seats looked as if they’d been recently upholstered but half of the tinted windows had graffiti scratched into them. “Nice ride.”
“I guess you’ve never been on a public bus before.” I was still debating whether I was happy or upset to see him.
“Actually, I have. Two times.”
I lifted a brow of disbelief at him.
“Long stories and not that involving. Suffice it to say, one involved a liter of tequila and another a Halloween party gone incredibly wrong.” He tucked his helmet between his feet.
“Did the bus driver put your Harley on the rack with the other guy’s bike?”
“I wish. I had to park it in the mall lot. Hopefully it won’t get towed.”
I broke off a piece of muffin and handed it to him. “Jude, why are you here?”
“Purely selfish reasons.” He stuffed the muffin into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “I decided I would much rather spend the day with you than my dad.”
I sat back and blew a strand of hair off my face. “It’s yellow,” I said quietly.
“What’s yellow?”
“Our apartment. The whole place has this weird yellow glow to it so everyone looks like they have liver disease. And it’s ugly and small and stuffy.”
“Would you stop, orphan Annie. I told you I don’t give a shit about that. Now tell me what your dad is like. I want to make sure he doesn’t hate me. Dad’s always hate guys their daughters bring home.”
I looked over at him. “Are you kidding me? Have you not heard me mention my dad’s obsession with Black Thunder?” I leaned back again. “You came directly from Nicky King’s loins. He will be falling all over himself when he meets you.” Jude was silent and I turned to look at him again.
His mouth was pulled tight.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He cleared his throat and tapped his chest. “It’s nothing. It’s just that the muffin tried to come back up after you mentioned my dad’s loins.”
“Sorry, I won’t bring them up again.” I rested back and looked out the window. I decided to stop worrying about Jude accompanying me home. There was no way to avoid it now.
There was a frustrating amount of stops on the way to the freeway, and the bus filled up quickly. Two energetic teenage girls got on at the final stop and walked to the back. They sat down across the aisle from us and stared openly at Jude.
He hurled a charming smile their way. “How’s it going?”
They nearly fell out of their seats with glee.
“Great,” one of them chirped. “You look so familiar. Were you at Sadie’s party last night?”
“Yeah,” he pointed at them, “you’re—” he snapped his fingers, trying to summon their names.
“I’m Katie and this is Bree,” the girl answered.
“Right, right. Great party.” He leaned back and I stared long and hard at the side of his face. He seemed to be enjoying it and knew full well I was dying of curiosity.
“Who is Sadie?” The question could no longer be contained.
“No fucking clue.”
“And your under-aged groupie friends across the aisle?”
“Never seen them in my life.”
“And the party?”
“Nope. After my Dad and I went a few rounds, I needed to blow off some steam. I went to a bar in L.A. where some of my friends hang out.” He faced me now and his green gaze was sincere. “No girls, Valley. Just a few of the guys.”
“Why did you act like you knew them?”
He shrugged. “I get the, haven’t we met thing a lot. My dad has always tried to keep us from being photographed, but it’s impossible to avoid altogether. People see me in magazines and on line. Then they see me and they know I look familiar but they don’t know why. It’s just easier to go along with it.”
The bus chugged along onto the freeway, which meant the stops had ended and we would be heading into the valley.
I scooted down in the seat and Jude did the same.
“Your new found friends have not taken their eyes off of you,” I muttered through the side of my mouth.
“Can you blame them?” He pulled his jacket up over both of our heads, and we were in our own private tent. Even in the dark, cramped space beneath his coat, he looked irresistible.
I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I wasn’t too sure about this at first, but now I’m glad you’re coming along.”
His hand pressed against the side of my face, and he kissed me so long that the air beneath the leather coat grew hot and dense. He grinned at me in the dark of our leather shelter. “I think we’ve used up all the oxygen in here.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
He threw down the coat, and the musty smell of bus air struck us. I leaned my head on his shoulder. “How long will your dad be staying?”
A laugh spurted from his mouth.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just curious. Not that it’s any of my business, it’s just—”
He tangled his long, thick fingers between mine. “Just what?”
“I’m feeling really out of place right now. I feel like an employee who should just stand in the shadows and wait to be summoned when needed.”
“Dad makes everyone feel that way. Even me. He’ll be gone in a day or two and then things will go back to the way they were. Besides, last night, when we were having our stupid family meeting, Finley went on and on about how awesome you were. My dad doesn’t really know how to show appreciation, but I know he’s glad you’re there for Finley. It’s one less thing for him to worry about.”
I lifted my head. “You don’t know how much better that makes me feel. Honestly, I was almost thinking about not coming back. I figured I wouldn’t really be missed.”
He lifted our entangled hands and kissed the back of mine. “I sort of got that impression from you this morning. It was one of the reasons I followed you.” He didn’t lift his head from the seat as he rolled his face toward me. The vibrant color of his eyes contrasted with the black of his eyelashes. He was as beautiful as a painting. “I was afraid you were going to vanish, and I would never see you again.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder again and squeezed his fingers between mine. As hard as I tried to stay resistant to his charms, he always seemed to know exactly what to say to break me down.
The bus dropped us off several blocks from the apartment building. The neighborhood came back in ugly slices, the trash cans that were constantly overflowing onto sidewalks, the crummy little mini mart, and the construction lot. I’d completely forgotten the construction lot. Jude noticed it immediately.
“Cole mentioned there was a job out in the valley. In fact, he’s starting back here tomorrow. His wrist is feeling better, and Dad wants him back on the job. I’m starting back to work too. But not here. Cole and I working on the same site just doesn’t work.”
“What about your art?”
He shrugged. “I’ll do it in my spare time. As far as Dad is concerned, it is just a stupid hobby of mine.”
“Your art is way past the hobby level.”
I threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. “Thanks, Valley.”
I stopped and looked through the chain link. There had been a great deal of progress since the morning I’d walked past it to buy milk. “I saw Cole standing on the steps of the trailer once.”
“No way,” he said. “What a coincidence. Small world, I guess.”
“Not really.” I glanced ahead to the shabby, rundown apartment building. The disgusting, shirtless landlord was out washing his car. Someone had thrown out a stained, torn sofa, and it leaned against the giant trash bin. The flowers that someone had taken the time to plant along the driveway were brown and dead. I lifted my hand and pointed. “I present to you my home sweet home.”
He grabbed my hand. “Then let’s go.”
My pace quickened up the steps, not only because I was nearly giddy with the thought of seeing my family but because the entire upper floor smelled like smoke. I knocked briskly. Two seconds later Mom threw open the door and plumes of smoke billowed out of the apartment.
“What’s burning?”
“Your Dad’s cooking.” Then she threw her arms up in the air and screamed. “Edie!” She grabbed me into a wild hug and Janie and Sophie held us both around the legs. We hopped around in a giant hug, crying, screaming, and laughing. The moment we stopped to catch our breath, Janie and Sophie grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
My mom looked at Jude. “Hi.” She took hold of his hand and dragged him inside in similar fashion to Janie and Sophie. “I don’t know who you are, but I hope you like burgers.”
“I usually like to wait until at least ten in the morning before I slam down my first burger, but I think I can handle it,” Jude said.
Dad was standing over the stove with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail and an apron I’d never seen before. It was stained in grease and ketchup and looked completely contrary to the silver hoops in his ears.
“Is that Edie? You’re just in time for a taste test.” He was holding a spatula heavy with a dripping meat patty as he turned around. His eyes grew wide when he looked at Jude. The patty, grease, onions, cheese and all, dropped to the floor. Janie and Sophie broke out in shrilly giggles, and Mom covered her mouth to force back a laugh.
Jude stared down at the splat of meat on the floor. “I think I’ll take a rain check on that burger.”
“I’m sure we can get you one without the linoleum print,” Mom said.
Dad stepped over the fallen burger and wiped his hands on his food crusted apron. “Holy shit, I can’t believe it. Holy shit”
Janie clapped her hands and giggled. “Oly shit.”
Mom shot Dad a rare, admonishing glare.
“Sorry. Holy Moly, Holy fucking moly. You’re Jude King.”
Jude smiled and stuck out his hand, which was brave considering the condition of the apron Dad had just wiped his hands on. “Pleased to meet you, Sir.”
“I feel like I know you,” Dad gushed. “I still remember when you rode your first two wheel bicycle in that documentary they made about your dad.”
Jude looked over at me and smiled.
“Creepy ain’t it?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
Dad’s face pulled tight suddenly. “How’s your dad doing? I’ve heard everything from a heart attack to a drug overdose.”
“He’s fine. It was just exhaustion. He’s at home resting right now.”
Dad turned to me and it looked like he’d swallowed his tongue.
“Yes, Dad, I met him, and we talked about you.”
“Whoa!” Dad yelled. “You met Nicky King.” He looked at me with more pride than I’d ever seen him muster.
“By the way, Dad, I saw my last grades on-line. I graduated third in my class. Well, I’m not sure if it counts since I wasn’t actually at the graduation but—”
“That’s great, Sweetie,” he said, brushing off my school accomplishments to get back to what mattered most. “So did you make a good impression? Did you practice all the good manners your mom and I taught you?”
Mom and I burst out laughing.
“My dad was thoroughly impressed.” Jude smiled over at me, and my heart did that little jolt thing it did whenever he looked at me. “We are all thoroughly impressed.”
“Is that right?” My mom was searching my face for clues of just how thoroughly things had been between us. Fortunately, I’d learned how to put on a poker face when it came to boys.
Sophie grabbed my hand. “Edie, did you bring gifts?”
“Gifts,” Janie repeated.
“As a matter of fact, I did.” I slid the back pack off my shoulder, removed the toys, and held the boxes face down. “Pick one, and you both have to promise to be happy with the one you choose.”
“I promise,” Sophie said. She grabbed the sporty Barbie.
I handed Janie the party dress Barbie, and Sophie immediately craned her neck to see if Janie got the better doll. “Oh, I like that dress,” she whined.
“Sophie, you promised.”
“That’s O.K, my doll is prettier,” Sophie said.
“No mine is,” Janie cried.
“They are the same dolls but with different outfits.” I looked at Mom for help, but it was obvious that she was glad to have a break from them. I’d spent a lot of time taking care of my sisters and after I left, Mom had probably felt it more than anyone. “I knew I should have bought them each the same doll.”
“Then they would have complained that they wanted different ones.” Mom put her arm around me and led me to the couch. Dad had already corralled Jude in the kitchen. He sat him down at the table and prepared him a burger. I heard them talk about Jude’s career in music and his artwork. Apparently Dad knew a lot about the entire King family. Jude sat politely in the small, smoky kitchen listening to my dad tell an entire narrative of Jude’s childhood, probably knowing more about Jude’s than mine.
