Brandon was sitting on one of the stools at the island looking at his phone. I noticed he had changed out of the grey shirt he had on earlier and into a light blue button up with the same slim cut jeans.
“Am I underdressed? I thought we were just having dinner at the Pages.’” I didn’t think I looked too casual, but it had been a few years since I had seen the family and I didn’t want to stick out.
“No you’re fine. I’m trying to appear like a responsible adult. I know Diane has her own opinions about Mom and her parenting style, but she’s also a supporter of you living with me. I don’t want there to be anything negative reported back.”
“So, fake it ’til you make it, right?” He returned my smile as we walked to the elevator that took us to the parking garage.
☀☀☀
The Pages’ house was exactly how I remembered it. We parked along the back of the house and walked around to the front. The house was made of more windows than walls that faced out to an unobstructed view of the beach. It was pushed back from the sidewalk so the pool and hot tub were in the front closer to the ocean. Like Brandon’s condo, the house was white and a modern design with sharp angles and geometric details. A large patio led to the pool and on the second floor a walk out balcony extended from the master bedroom. Everything was designed with the desire to maximize the ocean view.
I always loved visiting their house because it felt like a real home. No off-limits rooms, expensive art pieces that must be minded, or staff walking around. Their house was lived in and full of love. Something that could never be said about my home in Chicago. Most of my favorite childhood memories were visiting the Pages. They always seemed to be having fun together rather than each person isolated in their own wing of the house.
Before we could consider knocking on the door, it burst open as Mckayla screamed and dove at us, hugging me tight. She too had grown taller since I had seen her last and her blonde hair was sun kissed, almost white, and had grown to her waist. She epitomized the ideal California girl, her long tan legs seeming to go on forever before reaching the short jean cutoffs she was wearing. She held me back and we smiled at each other like crazy people and squealed before hugging again. Brandon laughed as he passed us on his way into the house.
“I’ve missed you so much! Do you know how happy I was when mom told me you were moving in with Brandon? I thought she had mixed up Christmas with April fools’! I can’t believe you are going to be at my school too! Can this possibly get any better? Wait! Don’t jinx it! You are beautiful! What happened to you since I saw you last? I feel like a bum next to you!”
“I forgot you are the only person that can talk as fast as me, we are going to drive Brandon crazy! I have missed you so much! I couldn’t believe it when Brandon said he lived in the same boundaries as you so I would be going to school with you! And please, you are gorgeous and so tan! It’s not fair, I’m lacking any pigmentation, and you look like you just got back from a month-long tropical vacation! It’s December. No one should be that tan.” She threw her head back and laughed as she led me into the house bumping our hips back and forth as we met her parents in the kitchen.
Even though it had been a few years since we were together in person, it felt like we fell right back into place as best friends. I had been worried that it would be awkward to be together again or that we wouldn’t get along, but it felt like no time had passed since our last summer together when we were thirteen.
The outside of the house might be similar to Brandon’s condo, but the inside was anything but. The floors were a warm, dark hardwood and the walls, furniture, and decorations were all what you would imagine in a picture-perfect beach house. Tans, creams, and cool blues made it seem so inviting and cozy. Mckayla’s parents were making dinner when we walked in.
Diane was chopping ingredients for a salad when she looked up and saw us. My mother and Diane were opposites in every way possible while still claiming to be related. My mother was a natural redhead that she kept perfectly styled and she would have never been in an outfit her stylist didn’t select for her. In contrast, Diane was a natural blonde, like her daughter, but she kept her hair just past her shoulders. Her friendly green eyes were surrounded with traces of smile lines that made her seem even more open and loving. She was wearing a flattering pair of jeans rolled just above her ankles and a lightweight yellow sweater. She walked over to me barefoot, another thing that set her apart from my mother who never wore anything but stilettos.
“Aubrey! My favorite, most gorgeous niece I am so thrilled you are here!” She hugged me and whispered, “I mean that even if you are my only niece.” I laughed as I stepped back and said hi to her before walking around the island to their stove where Steven, her husband, was stirring something.
“Oh hey there McSteamy.” Steven turned and smiled at the nickname I gave him several years ago, much to the disgust of Mckayla, who was sitting on the counter near her mom pretending to gag.
“I’m telling you Aubrey, I don’t see the resemblance, but I will continue to take it as a compliment as long as Mckayla gags when you say it.” There was no way he didn’t see it, he was just being modest. He had light brown hair that was barely starting to go grey near his temples and had a beard he kept trimmed. Around his brown eyes there was more wrinkling than on his wife but that had to be due to his morning ritual of surfing from sunrise to the last second he had before getting ready for work. Luckily his law office was close to the house so he was usually out there for a few hours keeping him tan and in shape.
Matt, Mckayla’s little genius brother, walked into the kitchen carrying a book and plopped down on the stool next to his sister. “Why is Mckayla being a drama queen again?”
Matt had the same hair and green eyes as his mom and sister, but had little tolerance for their humor or inferior intellect. He was obviously the smartest in the family, unless it came to pop culture, and the kid had no chance at excelling at anything athletic.
“Hi Matt” Moving around the table I gave him a quick hug before releasing him. “Okay, when did you grow? You’re just a few inches shorter than me!” Matt beamed before returning to his book to tune us out.
Diane clapped twice to get our attention. “I hope everyone is hungry! Steven and I have made our specialty for Aubrey’s ‘Welcome Home’ party. Steak and chicken shish kabobs with wild rice and a chopped salad! Brandon, I’m planning on you helping Steven and Matt keep their promise. We doubled the normal amount of kabobs because I challenged them to a food eating contest, but I doubt they will make a dent without you.”
The boys looked at each other briefly before grabbing plates and loading them to capacity with food. Diane looked to me then Mckayla as she rolled her eyes. “Alright, tonight we are the civilized ones. Let’s eat out on the patio since it’s still warm out.” We each made our plates and met the boys outside. They were already downing the food on their plates, Steven and Brandon must have declared a race since they were barely chewing before their next bite.
This was the most barbaric and entertaining meal I had ever enjoyed. I took in the scene and thought about last night. It was Christmas dinner, and my mom forced us all to dress in formal wear even though it was just the four of us. The Christmas party had forced my mother to call the previously invited dinner guests and cancel. I was beyond relieved that no one else would be showing up, but my mother blamed me for embarrassing her and ‘forcing her’ into making the inexcusable decision to uninvite the VIP guests from our family dinner. We sat silently through each course that was served, despite my stepfather Neil’s attempt to keep the holiday spirit alive. The second it was acceptable, I asked to be excused so I could pack and Peyton, my little sister . . . half-sister if you want to get technical, followed me out of the dining room and upstairs to our separate rooms without speaking one word.
Shaking the memory, I smiled at the people in front of me who I could now consider my family. We finished dinner and sat together in the living room, and I listened as
they caught up on the happenings in each other’s lives. It quickly became apparent that Brandon was close to each of them. He seemed to fit right in with their family in a way he never did back in Chicago. I tried not to feel jealous of the relationship they all had with each other since I’ve never felt like I belonged with my family. I suddenly realized how badly I wanted to fit in with the Pages, too.
“Can I get them now?” Matt asked, finally having put down his book again.
“Yes, sure you can,” Diane replied.
Matt ran over to the Christmas tree decorated with sea shells and garlands of beach grass, and picked up two packages nestled under it.
“For you,” he said as he handed one to Brandon and one to me.
“Merry Christmas!” everyone chimed in.
I opened the box and nestled in its cotton bed was a sea dollar done in silver, dangling on a delicate chain. Brandon was holding up a beautiful blue glazed pot that I knew had all the colors of the Lambert. Someone else wanted a bit of color in Brandon’s home.
Brandon asked Matt how his classes were going and it seemed like he actually knew Matt’s schedule. Steven mentioned that his law practice was continuing to grow since he added a new partner, but focused more on how the surf had been lately. As the guys continued to discuss business, Diane moved over to sit by me, scooching Mckayla over just a bit.
“We’re all so happy you’re here Aubrey. It might take some time to get comfortable, but I want you to know that we’re all here for you.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder in a loose hug before continuing. “Let me catch you up, my pottery business has been getting a lot of notice from some local magazines and next summer I’ll have my own booth in one of the art festivals down south!”
“That’s incredible Diane! I noticed some pieces around your house, but I didn’t know they were yours!”
“Yeah, but I’m not the only one with big news. Has Brandon told you about his business?”
Brandon heard her and shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal. We just have another app that we recently developed that sold and we’re working on a new web program for company I can’t name specifically.”
Diane cut in. “Don’t downplay your success, Brandon. You’ve worked hard for the past few years to get your company where it is.”
“I had no idea things had grown so much for you!” The condo was impressive, but I was blown away at how truly successful he had become since graduating. I felt like I missed out on being a part of his life. Mckayla was even asking him about the business like she was familiar with it. Why did she know things about my brother that I had never heard of? I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I needed to catch up. I sat back, observing everyone and trying to remember details so I could be involved in the conversation next time we were over.
Later, as the sun was setting, Brandon stood up and signaled to me it was time to go. Before I made it to the front door, Mckayla called out to me. “Do you already have plans tomorrow? We should go shopping before New Year’s or maybe I can introduce you to some people?”
I appreciated the effort she was making to include me; hopefully we could get back to being as close as we once were. “Brandon is taking me to pick out a car and I think he has most of the day planned for us. We should get together Thursday to go shopping. I need some pointers of what to wear here since I was mocked for wearing boots and a sweater earlier.”
“Perfect! Ava Howard is having a bon fire on Friday night as a sendoff for this year. One last party before the New Year comes. A lot of people from school will be there so you can meet them before classes start again on Monday.”
“That sounds great, thanks Mckayla. Call me on Thursday!” I walked to Brandon’s car and waved to her as I got in. Things were really falling into place. Mckayla and I had once been close considering the distance, and I could tell she wanted to get back to that as much as I did. This whole change was a lot easier knowing I have a least one friend to count on.
Chapter 3
I knew I was being followed. Darkness surrounded me, and I kept running in no certain direction. There was no one behind me whenever I stole a glance over my shoulder but I knew someone was there. I could feel it. Something caught my foot. Stumbling, I fell to the ground in a heap. My heart pounded in my chest. This was it. The haunter of my dreams was finally going to reach me.
I shot up in my bed confused at my surroundings. Shaking the memories from my head I looked around the white room remembering where I was and then turned toward my window trying to guess what time it was. Noise was coming from the living room so I slowly slid out of bed and grabbed my robe throwing it on as I walked out of my room.
Brandon was sitting on the couch with his laptop on the ottoman in front of him. Music was playing from the speakers scattered around the room, so he didn’t hear me walk in.
“Good morning.”
Brandon jumped a little and looked at me as if he forgot I now lived with him. “Morning Bree. I’m checking when the dealership opens so we can pick out a car without wasting the whole day. Any idea what you want? Neil told me to just go to whomever I trusted and get what you like.”
I sat beside him and thought for a second, trying to picture myself in a car other than my beloved Jetta I left behind. “I think I want a convertible. Is that okay? I want to enjoy this weather as much as I can.”
“You can get whatever you want, this is as good of an apology you’ll ever get from Mom and Neil so I say take advantage of it. I think I have an idea of what you will like.” A mischievous grin started to grow on his face. “One question, can you drive stick?” He was enjoying this a little too much, but then again how often can you take advantage of Mom’s money without consequence?
☀☀☀
We pulled into the dealership lot and I gawked at Brandon waiting for him to say he was kidding. Brandon had brought me to the BMW lot as if he expected me to find something here Neil would approve of.
“You do remember that I had a Jetta back home, right. This is quite the upgrade. I don’t know if Mom and Neil will approve.” I still didn’t want to get out of the car in case I fell in love with one of the cars.
“You do remember that Neil said to go wherever I trusted and let you pick what you like. Don’t worry. I mentioned this to him and he agreed to do whatever I thought was best, and this is what I think is the best for my little sister. So get out and start looking.”
Man, he could get bossy. I opened the door and stepped out as Brandon shook hands with a middle aged man I assumed he had worked with before.
I walked away from them and started looking at the different options I had. I knew I wanted a car that was close to the same size as my old one, and definitely not an SUV. I noticed a row of convertible top cars and headed that direction. I passed any silver one since I didn’t want to match, or copy, Brandon.
I stopped in my tracks and stared at the pearl white car in front of me. It was beautiful, perfect in every way. I didn’t even need to test drive it. I waved Brandon over as I walked around the car bending to peek inside at the plush beige interior. Brandon and the man met me at the hood of the car waiting for me to give the okay.
“This is the one.” I beamed at Brandon and he returned the smile and told the man to deliver it to the condo later today. It was shocking how easy this had been and that Brandon had simply agreed to the first one I said I liked. If this was how our relationship was going to be, I had a feeling things would work out marvelously for us.
After a few hours he signed all of the necessary papers and it was agreed the car would be delivered to us later in the afternoon. Brandon mentioned he needed to go to the nearby outdoor mall. A short drive later he pulled into the parking lot of the mall and parked in front of Neiman Marcus. I was curious about why he chose this store of all the high end department stores and why it seemed like he had done this a hundred times before.
“Is this your favorite store or something? I pictured you somewhere more low
key, like Gap or Banana Republic.” I continued to study him as he confidently strutted, yes strutted like a male model, into the store and directly into the men’s clothing department. Yeah, he had definitely been here once or twice.
He ignored me as a woman stepped out from behind a counter and greeted my brother like an old friend. She looked to be about my brother’s age with over processed white blond hair and an offensive fake tan. Her chest was barley contained in the blazer she was wearing and her tight miniskirt looked about one step away from ripping at the seams. Her nails were filed to points and painted blood red making them look more like dragon claws than sophisticated or chic.
“Brandon, my love! It’s been so long I was beginning to think you were cheating on me with some sleaze from Nordstrom. Are you here for the usual? I have some new items picked out for you to look at as well.” The woman finally noticed me, raised a perfectly shaped brow, and looped her claw-like hand around Brandon’s shoulder and guided him away.
I stood frozen trying to figure out what was happening and why my brother was letting this awful woman pull him into the dressing room. I caught his reflection as he walked into the personal fitting room and noticed he was smiling like an idiot at the woman! He obviously loved the attention. What happened to my smart, logical, self-proclaimed geek brother and who was the cocky flirt that replaced him? I wasn’t going to leave him alone with the dragon lady so I marched forward and sat in the chair outside of the room to wait.
She sashayed from the counter with the pile of clothes and back to his room to get his opinion and approval before returning for more options. Never once did she acknowledge me or even look in my direction which was probably for the best since I couldn’t stop myself from glaring.
Begin Again Page 2
