Strangely Normal

by Tess Oliver

  “I’m not following,” I admitted.

  “A couple years ago, Dr. Houston, one of the many silly shrinks my dad hired to listen to my problems, advised me to find an outlet for my frustrations.” She crinkled her nose. “The man always smelled like peppermint, and he was constantly smoothing down the ends of his moustache. Anyhow, he told me to sketch things that angered me, so I could deal with all my problems. I wasn’t really into drawing but I loved to sew. I got out my sewing machine and started making voodoo dolls. But instead of the dolls representing one person, they represented certain human traits that I really despised. Like this one.” She held up the doll again. “This doll represents all those awful people who don’t take decent care of their pets, people who leave their dogs out in the rain, or people who forget to feed their hamsters. It represents all the people who are selfish enough to have a pet but not decent enough to care for them.” She lifted the piece of plastic poop. “Instead of pins in the doll, I decided to be more creative with my hexes. All bad pet owners are cursed so that unless they change their ways, everything they eat smells like dog poop.”

  “Okay, that is clever but also very twisted.”

  She tossed the doll back into the box. “They deserve it. And strangely enough it made me feel better after I’d created the doll. Of course, when I showed it to Dr. Houston, he told my dad that he wasn’t sure how to proceed with my treatment.” She laughed. “I guess he thought I was too nuts to be saved.”

  “Obviously the man had no imagination. Or maybe he was a bad pet owner.” I reached into the box and pulled out another doll. This one wore a t-shirt that read ignoramus. I held it up. “Let me guess. Ignorant people?”

  “Yep. Can’t stand close-minded, stupid people, like Dr. Houston,” she added. “Anyhow, I’ve cursed them all to a never-ending ride on a roller coaster.”

  I reached in and plucked out another doll. “You really are great at sewing. The stitching on these dolls looks professional.” I rubbed my thumb over the embroidered letters that spelled out the word virus. “I see your anger moved on from humans and on to microscopic organisms.”

  She nodded but didn’t elaborate at first. I sensed a mood change and wondered what had triggered it. I was definitely going to have to learn which subjects to avoid. She’d brought out the voodoo dolls, so I’d assumed they were harmless. She scooped up the dolls and took the one I was holding from my hand and dropped them in the box.

  “It was a silly exercise, and in the end, it was worthless, just like Dr. Houston and all the other psychiatrists.”

  Her expression grew grim as she carried the box back to the closet. “Your sister died of a virus, didn’t she?” I asked the question knowing full well it might be a grave mistake. But at the same time, I sensed that she wanted to talk about it.

  Finley shut the closet door and stared at it for a moment. She still faced the door as she spoke. “I came home with the flu one day. It was a bad one, but I got over it in a few days. Chloe had been born prematurely like me. My mom’s doctor had told her she cooked babies too fast.” She turned around and faced me. “Chloe caught the flu from me, but she just couldn’t seem to kick it. She ended up in the hospital. Dad took me to see her, but she didn’t even look like my sister. There were all kinds of tubes coming out of her.” Finley sat on the bed, and Some Pig trotted over as if he sensed her distress. She played absently with the pig’s ear as she continued. “She didn’t make it. I brought the flu home, and my sister died from it.”

  I reached down to touch the pig. “And that’s what all this is about. Your anxiety all has to do with the fact that you think you caused your sister’s death.”

  She scooted back and flopped against her pillows. I joined her.

  “Yep. Nothing too deep or complex in my psyche. Just major guilt. And by the way, it took Dr. Houston eight two-hour sessions to figure out that little plain as day mystery.”

  “I suppose he was the inspiration for the ignoramus doll?”

  “You got it.”

  Some Pig snorted mildly as he rooted around in Finley’s shoes. I stared at the long shelf of trophies for a moment. “Have you ever tried walking past it?” I asked.

  “Past what?”

  “The invisible perimeter.”

  “Not for a long time.”

  “Well, then that will be our first goal.” I propped up on my elbow and looked down at her. “After lunch today, we’re going to take three steps past the perimeter.”

  “I don’t know, Eden. It’s already been a crummy day.”

  “Today, when Cole was talking about his party, he mentioned his friend Max. You like this guy don’t you?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Well, how are you ever going to go on a date with Max if you can’t get past the barrier?”

  “It’s hopeless. I’m nuts.”

  I sat up. “Finley Tate King, you are not nuts. Fucking eccentric, yes, but you’re not nuts. And if I can walk out to that pool area in the ugliest bathing suit ever sewn, then you can take three friggin’ steps out of your comfort zone.”

  She seemed to be mulling over my pep talk. Then she laughed. “Oh my god, that suit really is hideous.”

  “Yes, thank you. I know.”

  She sat up. “Three steps and no more.”

  “Just three.”

  A knock on her door was followed by Jude’s voice. A slight tremble returned to my hands upon hearing it, and I wondered what the hell that was about.

  Jude opened the door and poked his dark head inside. “I need to borrow Eden for a second. William is here.”

  I looked questioningly at Finley, but she avoided direct eye contact with me. She slid off the bed, walked over to her computer, and sat down. “Don’t keep her long. We’re going to shop online for a bathing suit.”

  Hesitantly, I slid off the bed and walked to the door. I had no idea what was going on or who William was, but I followed Jude down the stairs. We ended up in the kitchen where a middle-aged man in an expensive suit sat at the counter sipping a soda. His briefcase leaned up against the legs of the stool he sat on. He stood as I stepped into the kitchen behind Jude.

  “Hello, Miss Saxon. I’m William Shuster, lawyer for Nicky King.”

  “Lawyer?” A pile of legal looking papers sat on the counter next to a pen.

  “Yes, Mr. King has all of his employees sign a contract.”

  He motioned for me to sit on the stool next to him. Jude did not join us, but he stood nearby to watch. I wondered if this was all his doing. Obviously, he still didn’t trust me, and that thought tightened a knot in my stomach.

  The lawyer flipped the pages through his fingers once as if I could magically read them.

  “I’m an excellent reader, Mr. Shuster, but I’m afraid my reading skills don’t allow me read at the speed of light.”

  A small laugh came from Jude’s direction, but I was too angry to even look his way.

  “It’s all basic legal terms releasing my client from liability if you’re injured or killed on his premises. There is also a clause that prohibits you from relaying anything of a personal nature that occurs here at the King residence. As you can understand, Miss Saxon, my client is very well-known, and the tabloids are constantly looking for stories to exploit.”

  I pulled the papers from him and skimmed through them, but the legal language was foreign and difficult to understand.

  “Everyone employed in this household signs this exact agreement.” He cleared his throat. “Different names and positions, of course, but the same clauses are listed.”

  My eyes drifted to the line below my name. The words companion to Miss Finley King were typed on the line. I thought back to Finley’s reaction when Jude had asked to see me. She knew about this whole thing. I was hurt that she hadn’t clued me into it first. A warning would have been nice. I had to trust that Mrs.
Vickers would not have sent me into a shady situation.

  I picked up the pen and signed my name. “Is that all you need?”

  The lawyer checked the signature and nodded. “That’s all. Thank you.”

  I hopped off the stool and brushed past Jude without looking at him. I heard the man say something, and Jude followed with the words, “excuse me for a minute, Will.”

  Heavy footsteps pounded behind me. “Eden.”

  I ignored Jude and picked up my pace down the long hallway.

  “Eden.” His calloused, paint-stained fingers wrapped around my arm, and he spun me around to face him. I still hadn’t learned to steel myself against the impact of his gaze. “This is something my dad has everyone sign. He has to protect himself from lawsuits and slander. This had nothing to do with me.”

  An angry laugh escaped me. “That’s funny. All of a sudden, you’re concerned about my opinion of you.” I tried to pull from his grasp, but his grip was too strong. “Can I go back upstairs?” My traitorous confidence had vanished and my voice wavered.

  “Eden, I do want you to stay. Finley likes you. She doesn’t put trust in many people.” His grasp on my arm loosened, and he dropped his hand. Strangely enough, the heat from his fingers lingered on my skin as if he still touched me.

  “You’re as changeable as your sister.”

  “I know. You were right last night—” He smiled down at the floor and then lifted his face. “—when you basically laid me flat for my ignorance.”

  I looked at him. “You know, Finley has a voodoo doll for people like you.”

  “Yeah. I guess I’m destined to spend eternity on a roller coaster.”

  I continued to the staircase but was acutely aware of the fact that he watched me walk away. I got to Finley’s door and knocked but didn’t wait to be invited inside.

  She was staring at the monitor. “Come see this one, Eden. I think the color would be great on your olive skin.”

  “I have no money for a suit and you’re a coward.”

  She didn’t respond at first but then swiveled her chair around. “I’m sorry. I wanted to warn you, but I was afraid you’d pack up and leave.”

  “I’m not fickle like that. And it would have been a lot easier to swallow coming from you.”

  “I really am sorry, Eden. I won’t betray your trust again. Now, let me make it up to you by buying you a swimsuit.”

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  “Yeah,” she laughed, “I really do. Of course, it’ll probably be a big mistake. After seeing both my brothers react to you in that unflattering suit, I’m not completely sure what will happen if you walk out in a stunning suit. Should be entertaining. Check out this pink bikini.”

  I looked over her shoulder. “It’s cute.”

  She looked back at me. “Hmm, size six, I think.” She tapped the keyboard a few times. “Done. It’s coming overnight. Now let’s go down and eat. I’m starved and I want to attempt our first goal. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think with you by my side, I can do this.”

  Chapter 9

  Cole was leaning in the fridge groaning about the absence of lunch. He pulled out a can of soda and slammed shut the door. “I thought Jude was supposed to hire another chef. I’m going to waste away to nothing.”

  Finley pushed by him with a disgusted sigh. “Not you too. By the way, where’s the dark half of the sulk and whine duo?”

  “He’s down in the garage tuning up his Harley. Just watch, as soon as that ankle monitor comes off, he’s going to fly out of here like The Flash. And he’ll leave us all to starve to death without a chef.”

  “You guys are ridiculously helpless. There’s bread and there’s cheese.” Finley opened the fridge and pulled out tomatoes and lettuce. “There are even veggies for a sandwich.”

  “Yeah, that’s great for a rabbit like you, but I need to gnaw on some flesh.”

  I looked down at Some Pig. “Cover your ears, S.P.”

  Cole scowled down at the pig. “Yeah, cover ‘em, Dude. You’re the reason bacon, the finest food on earth, was banned from this house.”

  Finley elbowed Cole out of her way at the counter. “Shit, you’re cranky.”

  “I know. My arm hurts like hell, and there’s no damn food to eat.”

  Finley lifted up a slice of bread. “Do you want a sandwich or not? Final offer.”

  “Nah, I’m going out for a burger.” He left the kitchen.

  I picked up a knife and started slicing tomatoes. “He was definitely in a bad mood.”

  “Yeah, that’s unusual for Cole. Jude is almost always brooding about something, but Cole just coasts from day to day with hardly a worry in his pretty boy head.” She spread some mayo on the bread. “I think he and Jude had an argument earlier. Cole texted me about it while you were downstairs with Jude.”

  “Do they fight a lot?”

  “Not really. They get along most of the time. Cole invited someone to the party that Jude doesn’t like, so they got into it. Sometimes Cole is just plain stupid, and sometimes Jude is just too bossy. It makes for trouble. But this time I sided with Jude, so Cole is extra pissed.” She cut the sandwich in half, and we each took our share. “Let’s eat fast. The longer I think about our little adventure, the less likely I am to try it.”

  We decided to leave Some Pig behind. It was one less worry for Finley, and he seemed just as pleased to curl up in front of the television. Finley left soap operas on for him, and we headed out in tense silence as if we were about to explore a new and forbidden planet. In a way, I guess it was like that for Finley.

  The same woman who’d passed the pool yesterday, walked by us today. “How’s it going?” she muttered as she sidled past us and on to the pool house.

  Finley didn’t answer her. She was deep in thought.

  “So where does this self-constructed fence begin?” I asked, deciding if I allowed her to dwell too long on her thoughts, she’d turn around and head back.

  “The end of the hedge, where the massive stretch of lawn begins, that’s where my world stops and the other world begins.” She stopped and took hold of my arm. “I’m not sure about this, Eden. Today already started out badly.”

  “Right. So the bad stuff is already out of the way. Let’s at least make it to the edge before you decide to turn back.”

  Finley’s mouth was drawn tight as she considered my proposal. “All right, let’s get to the end of the hedge and then we’ll see. But it’s not looking good at this point.”

  An incredibly long, perfectly trimmed hedge grew along one side of the yard. There was a pathway of bricks running parallel with it, and we walked along it in silence. The tension and fear radiating from Finley was palpable. And then I thought about back at home when Sophie or Janie had had a bad dream and couldn’t go back to sleep. I would get their minds off the nightmare by bringing up a different subject that interested them. For Janie, it was dolls, and for Sophie, it was princess stories, but I had the perfect topic for Finley. I knew that Finley’s fear was on a whole different level than a bad dream but getting her mind off our task seemed like a plausible tactic.

  “What is Max like?” I asked.

  The edge of the hedge was in sight, and Finley eyed it with trepidation for a second before answering. “He’s got long brown hair and brown eyes and he has a great smile.” The tension slowly drained from her voice. “His father is a big shot producer, and they have megabucks but Max doesn’t let it go to his head. He’s super down to earth, and he makes me laugh.”

  “Humor has to be my favorite traits in a guy. I mean broad shoulders and a sexy smile are great, but if a guy can’t make me laugh then he’s history,” I said.

  Things were going smoothly and Finley had definitely loosened up, but when we reached the edge of the hedge, she stopped abruptly as if there was a glass wall in front of her.
I took a step past the hedge and then turned back to her. Some of the color had drained from her face, and I was having doubts about my bright idea.

  “What are you going to wear to Cole’s party?” I asked casually.

  I stood there just a step away, and she looked down at the ground, seemingly assessing the space between us. To her it must have been the size of the Grand Canyon.

  “Max isn’t the kind of guy who likes expensive, designer stuff. I’ll probably just wear jeans.”

  “That’s my whole wardrobe, so I guess I’ll be wearing the same.” I took a step back and Finley looked at me as if I was about to fall into an abyss. “The ground is solid out here, I promise. You can join me if you want. I noticed that both your brothers have tattoos symbolizing your dad’s band. What about you? Any tattoos?”

  “I have a small pair of black angel wings on my butt cheek.” She pulled in a long breath and took a step as if she were stepping off the edge of a cliff. Her foot landed on the grass and she stared down at it. “Shit, shit, shit, I did it.”

  “You did.” I took one more step back and sat down on the grass. “I can’t believe how lush your lawn is. You should have some horses grazing out here.”

  “I keep telling my dad that, but he got kicked by a horse once so he thinks they’re dangerous.” She stood in the same place, but I noticed that her hands started unfurling from the tight fists she’d had just seconds before. “Jude races around town on a motorcycle and Dad thinks it’s cool. I, of course, pointed out the irony in it all. I mean, he thinks a horse is dangerous but speeding through Los Angeles on a bike is fine.”