“I’ll help,” she insisted.
“Me too,” said Saul with a wink.
We all walked to the kitchen together. I poured Lina a cup of coffee and she took it to the counter, where she added milk and sugar. She hoisted herself up next to the stove top and sat, hot coffee in hand.
“Just kick back, Sis,” Saul said teasingly.
“I’m really sorry to dump this on you guys,” she mumbled into the steam coming from her mug. “I know you’ve had your own crap going on.”
“I’m really sorry about Benny,” I said as I poured the egg mixture into a hot pan on the stove.
“Thanks. He was the greatest kid. Smart, and funny, you know? I just can’t get the images of him and his folks out of my mind.” She hung her head and looked down at her feet. “I really loved him.”
My phone chirped, sounding like a bird in the spring. I was a bit surprised since as far as I knew Saul was the only one with the number. Saul was the closest to it, so peeked at the screen.
“Hattie, it’s your brother.”
“Joe? How’d he get my number?”
I took the phone from him and slid the bar on the screen to the right, unlocking it. “Hello?”
“Hey Hat, it’s Joe. Just making sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah I’m fine. Just about to eat breakfast. How’d you get my number?”
“Uh, your boyfriend gave it to me last night.”
I glanced at Saul, mean mugging him just slightly. He shrugged at me and winked for good measure. He tossed a pinch of shredded cheese into his mouth and I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. I noticed Lina roll her eyes at us.
“Uh, so what’s up?” I asked Joe.
“We’re having a barbecue over here tonight. Dad wants you to come.”
“Oh God, Joe…I can’t take anymore of Helen. Seriously.”
“I guess she has some appointment later, so she won’t be here. I promise,” he said.
“What time?”
“Oh, like four o’clock. I’m gonna throw some t-bones and bratwurst on the barbie. Justine’s making her famous baked beans.”
I grunted in frustration. I really didn’t feel like seeing my father.
“C’mon, Hat. Miranda and Everett will be there. A few other friends. Bring your boy toy.”
I felt my face flush. As comfortable as I was with Saul, we had known each other for such a short time that the terms “boyfriend” and “boy toy” made my stomach form a bit of a knot.
“I’ll talk to him and let you know in an hour, okay?”
“Sure. Oh and if you come bring some chips?”
“Oh, Joe, I interrupted his thought.”
“Huh?”
“Saul’s sister is in town.”
“Well bring her with, duh.”
“I’ll call you later. Bye.”
I hung up and looked over at Saul, who was dishing the eggs onto the plates.
“What’s up, buttercup?” he asked me.
“Joe and Justine are barbecuing tonight. They want us to come.”
“Okay,” was all he said.
“My dad will be there.”
“Okay.”
“You guys should go,” said Carolina.
“No…Joe said ‘well bring her with, duh,’” I said, trying to imitate my brother. “You’re more than welcome to come with, Lina. Seriously. I mean if you feel up to it.”
“It might be good for you,” said Saul as he took the empty frying pan and set it in the sink.
“I dunno,” said Lina as she hopped down from the counter.
I heard the toast pop up, so went over to spread butter and strawberry jam on top. I piled it onto a plate and carried it to the table.
“Why don’t you want to go?” asked Lina. “If you don’t mind me asking?”
Saul shoveled a huge bite of eggs into his mouth and spoke with his mouth full. “You two girls talk about that. I’m eating.”
“Rude,” said Lina, chuckling. “Close the trap when there’s grub in there.”
“You sound like Mom,” he said with a grin once he had swallowed.
“My dad showed up in town last night. I don’t get along with his wife.” I took a bite of toast.
“She’s a bitch?” asked Lina.
I swallowed. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“What about your mom? Is she around?”
Saul glared at her in warning.
“It’s ok, Saul. Seriously. My mom died when we were born.”
“We?”
“Hattie has a twin brother,” explained Saul.
“Joe,” I added. “Anyway my dad and his wife live on the East Coast. Joe and I live in the house our mom willed to us. It’s a sore spot with Helen.” I took a sip of coffee. “AKA the megabitch.”
“Joe got married two days ago,” said Saul.
‘Oh, cool. Was it a big wedding?”
I shook my head no. “It was scheduled for the day of the explosion. It would have been small anyway but they went to the Justice of the Peace the next day. Oh! Saul, I forgot to tell you. Justine’s having a baby.”
He was sipping his coffee and sputtered into the cup, ending with a laugh.
“What’s funny?” whispered Lina.
“Is it his?” asked Saul.
I kicked him playfully under the table, causing him to grin. I liked this fun side of him.
“I think it’s her neighbors,” I said to lighten the overall mood of the morning.
“Well, we should go then,” said Saul with a hearty laugh. “You know, congratulate her and the neighbor.”
“Dork,” I mumbled as I crammed a bite of toast into my mouth.
I felt his hand on my leg. I smiled slyly at him.
“Lina? You’ll come?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Sure. But the food better be good.”
“Rude,” said Saul, teasing her.
She smiled, obviously enjoying the teasing.
“I should get home and help them get ready.”
“I’ll drive you,” offered Saul. “Lina, will you be ok here alone for about an hour or so?”
“Uh...yeah,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “What do I look like, a four year old?”
“Nah, I’d say at least ten.”
Saul stood and walked to the counter, where he fished his truck keys out of a little wicker basket.
“I’ll clear the table and do the dishes,” said Lina.
“Thanks, Sis. Hattie Cakes, you ready?”
I sighed. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Boy, you look excited,” said Lina with a giggle.
I gathered my phone and purse and left the little house with Saul. Oddly, I was just slightly excited about the dreaded barbecue.
CHAPTER 14 ~ PARTY LIGHTS
Saul dropped me off in front of my house, and I kissed him briefly and sweetly on the cheek before opening my door.
“Don’t be too long?” I asked, making a pouty face.
“I’ll be back with Lina in a couple hours or so. I promise.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot. Can you guys pick up some beer and chips?”
“Sure. Any particular kind?”
“Nah. Whatever you want. Maybe Doritos?”
“You got it. See you soon, sweet thing.”
I smiled as I slid from the cab of the truck and shut the door. I watched him drive away, took a deep breath, and made my up the walkway to the front door. I only saw Justine’s car in the driveway, so was hopeful that my father wasn't there quite yet. I knew I’d have to face him sooner or later, but just wasn't ready. Not today.
The front door was unlocked, a bad habit of Joe’s. I let myself in and felt my mood lighten when I saw balloons set around the living room, in blue and pink.
“Justine? Joe? I’m home,” I called out.
“We’re out back,” I heard Justine call back.
I walked to the kitchen and walked through the still-opened sliding door that led to our small cedar deck. Joe had built it hi
mself just the year prior, and I had helped him lay paving stones down below to extend the entertaining area. It had been a fun project, and we were both proud of the results. In one corner of the deck was the charcoal barbecue that Joe insisted upon using. He said the flavor of meat was always better than when cooking with gas. In another corner was a large steel wash basin that had reportedly belonged to our great-grandma Katie. Joe had filled it with ice and cans of beer and soda.
“Looking good out here,” I said with a smile. “New patio table?”
“It was a gift from your dad,” said Justine, who was glowing. “For our wedding.”
“Awesome. I’m surprised Helen approved.”
“C’mon, Hat. Be nice.”
“Sorry,” I grumbled. “Hey, I need to go shower and change.”
“Where’s the boy toy?” asked Joe, who obviously enjoyed teasing me.
I pouted. “Stop calling him that. He’ll be here in a couple hours.”
“Sorry.”
“Hey, I saw the balloons. Are you announcing the baby tonight?”
“We sure are. Do you want to help set them up when you’re done getting ready?” asked Justine. “We’re going to tie them to the patio rail.”
“Awesome. I’ll be down in about half an hour and start bringing them out.”
***
I hurried in the shower and dried my hair until it was straight. I decided to wear it down, keeping it simple. I figured since it was a special occasion I might as well put on some light makeup to make my eyes stand out. After a quick spray of my favorite perfume, I made sure my towel was wrapped around myself tightly and walked across the hall to my bedroom. I picked out a pale blue sundress with cream-colored tropical flowers. The dress fell to just above my knees. I left my arm uncovered where my skin was still marred from the explosion several days earlier. It was healing and the bandage was a bother. I settled on a pair of cream-colored flip-flops and hurried back downstairs.
The living room was still filled with balloons and I could hear Justine laughing from the backyard. I grabbed a handful of the balloons and walked them to the patio, where Joe and I began tying them to the rail. My mood instantly dropped when I heard my father’s voice coming from inside the house. I had expected at least another hour before anyone arrived.
“Hey there, Hattie Girl!” boomed my father’s voice. He sounded unusually chipper.
“Jim, come help me with this!” It was the grating voice of Helen.
“Be right there, darling!”
“I thought Helen had something else to do,” I said with a sigh.
“Well, she decided she should be here. Cut her some slack, please? She really is trying, Hattie,” said my father.
“She doesn’t try to do anything nice.”
“Come on, this is Joe’s day. Just try for one day. I need to go help Helen bring in the meat for the barbecue.”
I watched as my father walked back into the house and out of habit rolled my eyes at his back. I tied the last three balloons onto the rail before glancing down to the patio, where Joe and Justine were cleaning the grill together.
“Hey guys, balloons are all out. I need to run back upstairs but will be down soon. Dad’s here; says he brought meat. And Helen.”
“Thanks Hattie,” called back Justine.
As much as I despised my stepmother I knew that my dad was right. The day belonged to my brother, his new wife, and their new baby. I could go back to hating Helen tomorrow. On my way back through the house, my father and his wife were busy making their way to the kitchen. His arms were full of steaks and sausages while hers were empty. She was wearing a cranberry colored business suit, high heels, and a string of gaudy fake pearls. She had obviously just had her hair done. It had been bleached platinum blonde. She wore it in a spiky short hair do and it was rather obvious that she thought she looked like a high-class piece of fancy ass. I did my best to not outright laugh.
“Hattie. Nice to see you,” she said to me in an obviously forced sing-song voice.
I could hear a couple of Joe’s friends coming into the kitchen behind us. They were busy greeting my father and helping him with his arms full of meat.
“Helen. Don’t you just look…lovely,” I said while still trying to stifle laughter.
The woman looked at me for a long moment without saying anything. It was rare to see her speechless.
“Are you going to change soon?” asked Helen.
I looked down at my own dress and smoothed the sides of the skirt with my palms. Looking back up at her I simply smiled and said “no.”
“Well, it’s a bit revealing, don’t you think?”
“Nope,” was all I said in reply.
The dress showed just a touch of my cleavage and I needed to be careful if bending over, but it was perfectly acceptable for a spring barbecue.
“Well, Jim. She’s your daughter,” said Helen snidely. “Hattie you should put on a turtleneck to hide that awful hickey.”
Of course my father didn’t answer.
“Excuse me for a moment. I just need to run upstairs and grab something,” I said.
As I began to walk away Helen made sure to call after me.
“Hurry up, there’s a lot to do before guests arrive.”
I ignored the woman, her spiky platinum blonde hair, and her fake pearls and continued on to my bedroom. I grabbed my phone from my dresser and flopped onto my bed with it. I turned it on and smiled when I saw Saul’s face looking at me. I found his number in my contacts list and tapped the screen with my finger until I got to a blank text message. I began tapping at the on screen keyboard to send him a message of desperation.
Saul. Lina. Please hurry! Helen’s here. She looks like an albino artichoke! Help! –Hattie
I rolled over onto my belly clutching the phone in my hand as if it were a last lifeline to my own sanity. It seemed an eternity before the phone chirped back at me. I rolled onto my back again and held the phone in front of my face. I tapped the screen until a new text message appeared.
Be there in two. Avoid spiky veggies. S & L
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and wished for a moment that I was back inside Saul’s small house wrapped in his arms.
“Hattie, hurry up!” I heard Joe call up the stairs.
I groaned quietly to myself and force myself up off the bed and onto my feet. I cringed when I heard the grating sound of tires squealing and metal crunching from somewhere nearby. Keeping my phone in my hand, I reluctantly walked back downstairs and into artichoke danger zone.
“Ahhh, there she is! How are you, sweetie pie?” came Miranda’s gentle voice.
“Thank God you’re here! I was about bored to death,” I said as I walked to her and quickly hugged her. “Helen’s here,” I whispered with dread in my voice.
“Be nice,” she warned. “You look pretty, Hattie.”
“Thank you,” I said, followed by a quick smile.
“Everett’s outside. I think he’s asking Helen about her new hairdo.”
I actually had to force myself to not laugh. “I’ll go say hi in a minute.”
“I’m glad you two are getting along again. You know I think of you as one of my own, right?”
I nodded. “The feelings mutual.”
Miranda took hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, which was yet another reminder of how important she was to me. In the distance I could hear sirens.
“Hey, Hat.”
“Hi,” I said to Everett.
“Did you two hear that wreck?” he asked us.
“Yeah it sounded nasty,” said his mom.
“It’s just outside at the end of the block,” he added.
A knock on the door caused my heart to speed up. I let go of Miranda’s hand and practically ran to answer it, anxious to see Saul. As I swung my door inward, instead of being met with a warm spring breeze, the sight of Lina standing on the porch with blood dripping down her face made me go numb to my core.
“Lina? Wha
t the fuck…” I began to say.
Everett pushed me aside and pulled her into the living room. Blood dripped all over our carpet, but that was the least of my concerns.
“Lina! What happened?” The girl looked like she was in shock and stammered incoherently.
“Mom! Grab a towel and call 911,” shouted Everett.
Lina, obviously about to collapse, was quickly gathered into Everett’s arms; he rushed her to the couch, where he set her down carefully. Miranda hurried to his side, a kitchen towel in one hand and a cordless phone in the other.
“Carolina, where’s your brother?” I asked, somewhat panicked. “Where’s Saul? What happened?”
The front door had been left open and another siren rushed by, followed by the telltale deeper whoop of a fire engine. Everett gently put pressure on a wound on Lina’s head, using the towel that Miranda had brought in.
“Saul,” whimpered Lina.
I could hear deep voices coming from somewhere out front, and a woman shouting instructions of some kind.
“What’s going on?” It was my father’s voice.
I looked up at him as he entered the room.
“Good Lord Almighty, what happened? Oh my Lord she’s getting blood all over the couch!” shrieked Helen in her stupid fake accent.
I stood on shaky legs and ran to the front door, leaving the house behind. I knew they would take care of Carolina, but right now I had to find Saul. I was sick to my stomach with worry. The driveway was filling with smoke and the horrible smell of burning oil and plastic. An ambulance was pulling up in front of our house. One of the medics was asking me who was injured.
“She’s in here!” I heard Miranda yell to them from the front steps.
The street was a chaos of emergency vehicles, flashing red and blue lights, and mangled vehicles. A police officer tried to hold me back, but I forced my way past him to approach the wreck. Saul’s truck was on its side; the hood badly caved in and shoved toward the cab. Glass and oil littered the street, along with bits of broken light covers and twisted pieces of metal. Steam or smoke was spiraling from a second vehicle, headed high into the late afternoon sky. I couldn’t tell what the other vehicles make or model was, but I was quite sure it had been yellow. It was so crushed and twisted. As I got closer to the dangerous scene, arms encircled me and held me back. The thunderous roar of the Jaws of Life started at the same moment that my screams began.
This Side of the Sun (The Sun Trilogy) Page 11
