Time stops as we stare at each other, neither of us knowing what to do.
His mouth opens, then snaps shut just as quickly. A blush creeps up his neck as he leans back, his face turning beet red. I know mine is a match as I feel the heat simmering in my ears, a tell-tale sign I’m just as embarrassed. I go to say something—anything—to take away the awkwardness of this moment, but he beats me to the punch. A breeze follows him as he makes a quick exit towards the guest bathroom. The door bangs against the frame after he enters and I stand there in the middle of the entry, feeling vulnerable and exposed.
“Oh my God.” Glancing to my right, I notice Lia for the first time since I left the den. Her mouth is agape, her eyes cartoonishly big, and shock is written all over her face. Our little tiff apparently had an audience the whole time. “What the hell was that?”
I look to my left where Luca still hides in the bathroom, then up at the ceiling, where unfortunately there were no clear answers written.
What the hell, indeed?
A few weeks later, I still have no answers.
Thankfully, Lia had dropped the subject after I refused to talk about it for the third time. Kieran came back in to see what was holding up Luca, so I pointed to the bathroom, grabbed Lia and a box of pizza, and headed to the pool. We stayed out there until Mom and Dad got back that evening, but neither of the boys ever came out. I came in once during our swim to use the guest bathroom. Two of the pizza boxes were gone and the grunted curses as well as typical video game sounds filtered through the door of the room where he’d set up his equipment.
After that, Luca and I had been able to avoid each other completely for the most part since the incident, with the exception of one Saturday night when we were both in from school...
Dad had barbecued, something Kieran and I never missed because it was heavenly, so Luca came over to eat as well. I had invited Lia over, but Giacomo had some event that he needed her at, so my buffer was gone. Honestly, I don’t know who was in more misery that night—me or her. He and I had managed to avoid too much awkwardness until we both reached for the spoon in Mom’s sweet slaw, brushing each other’s fingertips.
Lightning bit through mine, but Luca withdrew quickly, like he had been burned. “Go ahead,” he murmured, avoiding eye contact with me. After grabbing the nearest utensil, he started to scoop out the contents of another dish.
“Dude,” Kieran asked with a semi-full mouth, “I thought you hated pea salad?”
As Mom chastised Kieran for speaking with food in his mouth, Luca glanced down at his plate, realizing what he had done. We all knew he hated peas, so he paused for a moment, no doubt trying to think of a reason he had loaded up with it. “I, uh…it looks so good, I thought I might give it a try.” Mom beamed, thinking that her pea salad was going to make a convert out of him. Considering his face turned as green as the peas, I’d say that was a mistake Luca would avoid making in the future at all costs.
Dad chuckled as Mom went to go fetch some more lemonade from the kitchen. “It’s all right, son,” he mused in a hushed voice. “You don’t have to finish it.”
We all broke out in laughter. Luca knew he was busted, but at least we had been able to break some of the tension.
“Here.” Dad handed him the bowl I had made. “Have some of this deviled egg potato salad.”
Luca took two scoops, probably to cleanse his palate of the pea taste, and took a bite. I watched beneath my lashes, afraid to look up and see disdain on his face, while pretending to concentrate on my own plate. My dad loved my potato salad, but Luca was a bit picky when it came to food at times. To my relief, his eyes lit up on the first bite. “Wow, that’s really good.”
Mom had returned with the lemonade, so Luca made sure to compliment who he thought had made it. “Mrs. Greene, this potato salad is amazing,” praising it while eating another forkful.
She glanced at me, then replied while topping everyone’s glasses off. “Thank you, honey, but that’s not mine.”
Luca looked at Kieran, who just snorted. “I just eat it, man. You know I can’t cook to save my life.”
He turned his attention back to my dad, who was bursting with pride as he looked at me. “My girl knows her way around a potato, doesn’t she?” he said as he patted me on my hand. “She comes by it honestly.”
“Oh, please. Like the Irish are the only people who know how to cook a potato,” Mom joked, poking the bear.
“Make no mistake, love. Others can try, but only a true son or daughter of Eire knows how to coax out the delicate essence of a potato. It’s one of our many wonderful qualities.” He grinned as he waggled his brows at Mom, who just rolled her eyes.
Mid-laugh, mine and Luca’s eyes met, and for the first time since that awkward day, he genuinely smiled at me. “It’s really good, Ev.”
“Thanks,” I softly replied, trying to keep my nerves steady and not blush.
“I tell ya, Luca, it’ll be a lucky man who wins over my Kher Bear’s heart one day.” Dad winked at me as he picked up his barbeque rib.
Braving a glance up, I caught Luca’s gaze. He studied me for a moment, making me squirm ever so slightly. My skin prickled at his analyzing stare, until he replied, “Yes, sir. He’ll be a lucky man…”
It’s been two weeks since that last exchange and my head’s a bigger mess than ever. I shouldn’t be overanalyzing it. I shouldn’t even be giving it a second thought. Yet, those words coming from him gave me hope—hope that I shouldn’t cling to yet can’t seem to let go of, even though I keep trying to talk myself out of it.
You know you can’t be together. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s true. Luca Giordano isn’t meant to be mine. He has obligations to fulfill. Kieran would flip his lid if anything ever happened because of the “sister code.” But maybe, if only in my dreams, we can find a space for “us” to exist.
I shake the thought out of my mind as I leave the building where my dance classes are. Stop obsessing over impossible things, Everleigh. Checking my bags, I make sure I have everything I was supposed to bring. Dad’s picking me up tonight because we have a family wedding to attend out of town this weekend, so I told Lia I’d see her next week at school. Thankfully, she has Eden to hang with in their own dance class; a sweet girl who attends school with us. I like to think they recognize a kindred spirit in each other as Eden sometimes has that same haunted look Lia has so often—like she has her own secret burdens to bear. Hopefully, she’ll feel comfortable enough to tell us her story one day. She’s been a good fit for our dynamic, and I’m glad to have her as a friend.
It’s a nice night, so I decide to wait outside on Dad. I scan my surroundings, looking for anything suspicious or off. Being a cop’s daughter, there are certain things that get hammered into your head at a young age that become second nature over time. It’s probably made me more paranoid than I care to admit, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
As I wait, a sharp town car with tinted windows pulls up near the building and parks several yards away from where I’m standing. Knowing I’m only seven steps away from the door, I pretend to be on my phone, watching out of the corner of my eye for movement. We’re in a safe neighborhood, but after a young lady in one of my mom’s domestic abuse support groups was kidnapped from a notoriously safe community and murdered, a person can’t be too careful.
Almost there. Dad’s text pings through, breaking the silence.
Faintly, I hear the sound of a car door opening and look over to see a man in an expensive suit getting out of the back seat. His movements are calculated and meticulous, first adjusting his jacket then checking his dark, slicked-back hair. Even though his persona screams money, there’s something in his aura that gives off that universal sleaze vibe.
Subtly checking the pocket away from his line of sight, I make sure Osiris, my carbon fiber-handled balisong, is right where he’s supposed to be. Of all the weapons Dad and his crew trained me on, it’s by far my favorite. I know a few party tricks as well as
all the places on an assailant to use it for maximum blood loss. Entertainment and annihilation. A lethal combination in a beautiful casing. If this knife were a guy, I’d be head over heels in love.
“Evening,” he nods as he leans back on the vehicle.
I reply as I smooth my fingers against Osiris, “Good evening.”
He glances at his watch, which catches a glimmer of light from the streetlamp above, then takes in my attire. “Has the 6:30 class been dismissed yet?”
I eye him as my hackles raise, schooling my expression to be the face of calm.
“I’m here to get Eden.” My sense of unease continues to mount until he follows up with, “I’m her guardian.”
Slightly easing my apprehensions, I relax just a little bit. “They should be down in just a minute.” Tonight’s classes ran a bit longer since it was the last session for most until Monday.
He doesn’t respond, just stares. That sense of unease returns more forcefully. Yes, he’s a good-looking guy, but there’s just something off about him. “You know my Eden?”
“Um, yeah. We’re friends.”
Peeling off the side of the vehicle, he confidently strides towards me. I slip Osiris halfway out of my pocket when he extends his hand to me. “I’m Vince.”
I subtly tuck my knife back in and return the goodwill gesture, still feeling a bit tense. “Everleigh.”
Even in the dim light, I catch a flicker of something—recognition, maybe? His smile widens as he covers my hand with his other, caging it in. “Pleasure’s all mine.”
The door behind me squeals as it opens, and the girl who connects us stands in the flesh, her eyes on our joined hands. She pales and swallows as her spine stiffens noticeably. “Vince?”
He releases my hand to extend one towards Eden, taking her bag from her. “I told you I’d be picking you up tonight, remember?”
“I-I remember,” she stammers as she gives me an odd look before turning towards the vehicle. “I’ll see you Monday, Ev.” Her hurried stride carries her to the waiting town car, Vince hot on her heels. She tucks into the car as he holds open the door. Strange. She’s always chattier than that after dance.
I watch Vince as he plants a foot inside the car, noticing his pause. “See you again soon, Ms. Greene.” That sly smile still lingers on his face as he maneuvers into the car after Eden.
No sooner does the car door close, my father pulls into the space in front of them. “Hey, love,” he calls out through the open window.
I quietly place my bags in the back, then jump in the front seat, my thoughts still stuck on his last comment. See you again soon, Ms. Greene. How did he know my last name?
“Sorry it took me so long. Caught every red light on the way,” Dad’s voice fades in as he explains his tardiness, merging into traffic.
I watch the taillights of Vince’s town car disappear down a side street as we continue on the main road.
“Everything okay, Kher Bear?” Fatherly concern is evident in his tone as he pats the top of my hand, which is planted on the console.
I look at him, my amazing dad, and give him a small smile.
For me, yes. But based on Eden’s reaction, I don’t know if I can say the same for her.
Blurb - Magnolia
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RISE: THE PREQUEL NOVELLA TO THE SIN AND SECRETS COLLECTION Page 5
