by Tamara White
Then she turns to me. “Zane thought he would be the best choice of the four of them to make me cookies for Mother’s Day. Well, he had no chocolate chips so he thought, rather than ask one of the others to pick some up while they were out buying flowers and gifts, he would just cut up some licorice and put that in.”
“And licorice is definitely not chocolate,” I laugh, finishing her thought.
Zane ignores our chuckling and goes over to the sink to rinse out his mug. After that’s done, he turns to leave the room, “I’ll go grab the guys.”
Cassandra shakes her head in amusement, a wide grin on her face. “He can be so sensitive. Hopefully he doesn’t take it to heart. But to be honest, I’d rather you were warned.”
“Is he really that bad?” I ask.
“Yep! If you see him cooking or even attempting to, you get out of the house—fast.”
I shake my head at the thought of someone being that horrible at cooking. I mean, it’s a basic skill. I wouldn’t have survived this long if Dad hadn’t taught me the basics. And then after he left, I was responsible for all the meals in the house, so I had to learn a lot more than just pasta.
Ditching the dregs of my coffee in the sink, I turn to face Cassandra. “Did you need some help, Cassandra? I don’t mind prepping if you’d like?”
“Oh, that’s so sweet. Thank you, Valerie. I just need the mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach chopped. Everything else is already done.”
I take the tomatoes over to the sink and wash them.
“And please, Valerie, call me Cassie. Cassandra just sounds so formal,” she tuts. I watch as she pulls out pans from the cupboards, placing four of them on the stove before pre-heating the oven.
I smile and then focus back on my task. Tomatoes are diced and placed into a bowl. I get another one for the mushrooms and slice them up before moving on to the spinach. When I’m done, I place everything neatly next to all the bacon, sausages and eggs Cassie has lined up, and I can’t help the gasp that slips out. There’s enough food to feed a small army. How the hell are we all going to eat that?
As if hearing my thoughts, Cassie chuckles. “Don’t worry, Valerie. They’ll eat all this and more if I let them. My boys have very hearty appetites.”
“Wow. Sorry, it’s just, I can’t even imagine someone eating so much.”
“Just you wait. All this will be gone in a matter of minutes.” She laughs, pouring a drop of oil into each pan. Then she turns to a bowl I hadn’t see before and uses a spoon to mix its ingredients.
I lean forward. “Are those Dad’s homemade hash browns?” I ask excitedly, wiping my mouth to make sure I’m not drooling all over the place like an idiot. Be still my heart. Dad used to make them all the time. They were freaking amazeballs, but my mother hated them. After he was gone, I wasn’t even allowed to make them for myself.
She gives me a heart-warming smile. “Yep. Your dad asked me to cook them for you.”
“Oh.” It makes me so happy that he remembered how much I loved them.
I watch as she cooks the food, and we fall in a comfortable silence, at least until a loud squawk grabs my attention. I look out the kitchen window and see a crow flying from tree to tree, before landing on a dark green car. It walks across the front of the car, talons scraping across the paint. I pity the owner.
“Uh, Cassie? Who owns the green car out there?” I ask, a smile in my voice. It looked so pristine in the rising light, but now its beauty is marred.
She joins me and peeks out the window, a chuckle escaping her. “That would be Jaxson’s. He’s not going to be happy about that. He spends hours each week making sure that thing stays shiny. I don’t get the big deal. It’s just a car,” she says with a shrug, before going back to her cooking.
I watch the crow fly off and grimace. That’s going to be a nightmare to fix.
Cassie grabs me by the shoulders and leads me out of the kitchen to the dining nook. “Would you be a dear and set the table for me? The boys should all be down in a minute.”
Right as I’m finishing the table my dad walks into the room, dressed in the same suit he used to wear to work when he lived with us. Either he has a stockpile of identical outfits, or someone is magical with laundry.
“Hey, Dad. Do you want me to make you some coffee?”
He pulls me in for a quick hug. “No, you sit down and look through these forms. I’ll make the coffee.”
“What are they?” I ask, taking the bundle of papers from him and sitting down at the kitchen counter. I watch as he joins Cassie, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before going to the coffee maker and starting it up.
He turns his back to me and I start reading through the forms. It’s a college transfer application. “Dad, I thought you said you had already organized for me to attend the college. Or academy. Whatever it’s called.”
“Yeah, but you still have to fill out the required paperwork. You’re not a child anymore, so they want you to fill those out and hand them in to administration. Then you’ll have to have a quick meeting with the dean.”
Shit. Okay. I look through the forms and groan when I come across a particular section. “‘Write a five-hundred word essay about why you deserve to be here?’ What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Before either of them can answer, Cooper, Carter, Jaxson and Zane all come into the kitchen, laughing about something. Carter grabs a stool and joins me while the other three just plop down at the dining table. My dad places a carafe of coffee in the middle of the dining table and the three of them all immediately try to reach for it. Carter, however, just leans close over my shoulder and grabs the papers out from under me.
“Damn, they’re making you write an essay? That sucks balls.”
“Carter! What have I told you about saying vulgar things in front of a lady? Valerie doesn’t want to hear about your balls!”
Cooper smirks from his place at the dining table. “How do you know, Mom? She could be the type of girl who loves hearing about balls.”
Cassie marches over to the fridge, pulls out a squirt bottle and sprays Cooper in the face with it.
He splutters and looks up in shock. “What the hell was that for?”
The look she gives him is one filled with such mischief and I’m just glad I’m not the object of her gaze right now. “You remember a few weeks ago when I told you if you didn’t start treating women with respect, I was going to spray you in the face like a dog? Well, this is a little something I picked up before Valerie arrived.”
Then she goes back to the stove and resumes cooking as if nothing happened.
Carter regains my attention by handing me a pen. “Here, you better get these done. We leave for classes soon, and I doubt you want to be late on your first day. Especially if you have a meeting with the dean.”
I nod and take the outstretched pen, before digging in to the forms in front of me. By the time I’m done, Cassie has started putting food on the table. I sigh and Carter grabs my hand, dragging me over to the table.
He sits me down beside Zane before taking a seat on my other side. Cooper is directly across from me, with Jaxson directly across from Zane. My father scoots out from his chair to help Cassie bring the last of the food to the table. They then sit down side by side at the end of the table and we all dig in. Not a word is spoken while we eat, yet the silence is comfortable.
Any time I made dinner for my mother, it would be so awkward. We would just sit there. Even on nights when Nat came over and we tried to make conversation with her, my mother would just grunt or make noncommittal noises.
This is actually pretty nice.
My mind wanders back to Natalie. Is there any chance she’s still alive? Will I ever get the memory of that night back and find out just what happened?
I eat my breakfast slowly, adding extra hash browns to my plate before Cassie speaks, drawing me out of my thoughts.
“Boys, which of you is going to show Valerie around today?”
I’m sure Cass
ie means well, but I don’t want her or Dad forcing the guys to be around me if that’s not what they want.
“Uh, I don’t need a guide. It can’t be that hard to find my classes,” I inform her, smiling so she knows I don’t mean any ill will.
The guys, however, all look up at me, with varying degrees of hurt on their faces, except Jaxson, who’s the same stoic guy as always.
He speaks up, saving me from having to say anything. “It’s okay. Valerie needs to learn her way around here. Besides, she’s not a child. She’s more than capable of finding her way to classes.”
“Exactly. Thank you,” I say, grateful he understands my need for independence. Especially now that Nat is no longer in my life, I need to find a way to survive on my own, not just use someone to fix the hole she’s left.
“Are you sure, Val? Seriously, we don’t mind,” Carter says, his usual flirting tone gone.
I smile back at him. “I’m sure. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, you four are kind of intimidating. I’d like to make friends of my own, not have you guys drawing more attention than I need,” I admit as I get to my feet, taking my dishes to the sink.
My leaving the table seems to have triggered the others, as they all get up and start talking about things other than school.
I go to leave the room, but Dad pulls me over into a sitting room off the kitchen.
“What’s up, Dad?”
He runs his hand through his hair, the trademark sign he’s got bad news. He sits down on the sofa in the room, leaving me standing. Another bad sign. “I have to leave in a few days. I won’t be back for a month.”
My back hits the wall as I step away, shocked by his announcement. “You’re going to leave me here, alone?”
“I have to. They may have new evidence in your case and I need to work with the team to sort it out. I can’t do that from here. I’ll know this afternoon what they have, but I thought you should know. It also means you have to be extremely careful not to step out of line while I’m gone. It will only take the smallest thing for them to send back, and I don’t want to see you end up in prison over some stupid mistake.”
“Jeez, Dad. You make it sound like I’m a juvenile delinquent or something. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
He gets to his feet, straightening his tie nervously. “I know you’re not a juvenile delinquent, Valerie. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
He moves in front of me, his eyes conveying his concern. “Life is going to get tough, Val. This is just one of the many challenges you’re going to have to overcome. I wish I could save you from everything, but that’s just not possible anymore.” Then he walks over picks up a bag resting by the door. “I trust Cassandra and the boys to take care of you and I will buy you a new phone before I go, so you can contact your friends while I’m gone. I hate to leave you alone, but I need to get this sorted out for you.”
With that, he leaves the room. My head starts swimming with questions. What other challenges is he talking about?
I sigh and follow after him, only to find Zane waiting for me. He looks me over. “You’d better get changed out of those. I’m sure the dean doesn’t want to see your koala bear jammies. And if you could hurry, that would be great. We have to leave soon.”
I look down at my pajamas and smile sadly. They were a gift from Natalie when she found out I was planning a trip to Australia after college. I meet his eyes, ignoring the tingle that goes through me. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
Eleven
Rushing around my new home, I throw on a pale blue polo and black jeans. Then I grab my bright pink Converse sneakers as a pop of color to add that bit of personality that’s all me. Nat bought them for me for Christmas, but I have hardly had a chance to wear them. I’m glad Sally and Jess thought to pack them for me. To top it off, I add in my necklace that Nat gave me and now I feel like she’s with me. She will keep me strong today.
Shit, I’m gonna be late on my first day. I dig through my luggage and pull out a messenger bag, thankful once again for the girls’ packing skills. If Dad had been the one to pack my things, he would have forgotten half the crap in here.
Bolting out of the pool house and over to the garage, I run straight into Jaxson as I open up the door. He must have been standing right behind it. He grabs hold of the door to stop it from flinging back into my face. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”
Then he turns and stomps away, as if expecting me to just follow him. I do, not because I have to, but because I’m going to be late otherwise. I hurry after him around the corner and almost walk straight into Carter.
“Jeez! What is it with you guys appearing out of nowhere? You scared the crap out of me,” I admit, holding a hand to my chest in the hopes of calming my racing heart.
“Sorry, I was waiting for Jax. He was supposed to tell you we were leaving, but he stomped out here without you. I figured he forgot until you came barreling around the corner.” Then Carter grabs onto my hand, gently dragging me along behind him. His touch sends shivers up my arms, making me flush excitedly.
“What about lunch?” I ask as we reach a blue SUV. Carter lets me climb in first, sliding in after me. Zane is already sitting in the backseat, waiting for me with a smile. Jaxson’s driving, which I expected, and Cooper is in the passenger seat.
Carter shoves my bag in between my legs before slamming the door shut behind him. A moment later, Jaxson speeds out of the garage and off the property. Then he turns to me, “Don’t worry about lunch. We have meal plan cards for the cafeteria. Until Troy gets one for you, you can just use ours.”
Wow, that’s actually pretty nice of them. I thought last night was going to be a rare show of kindness, but it seems to have carried over to today. Not that I’m not happy it, it’s just surprising.
“Thanks,” I murmur, keeping my gaze focused on the road ahead of us.
As we get closer to the academy, my heart begins to speed up, nerves rearing their ugly head. What do I have to be nervous about, though? I’m going to go to class, get a degree, then I’ll leave this place. Maybe I will have answers about Natalie by then. One could hope.
We pull into the parking lot, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. Seriously? Jaxson’s nice car makes a whole lot more sense now.
All through the parking lot are high-end cars, such as Lamborghinis and Porches. This is gonna be a fucking nightmare. After we park, I slide out after Carter with a sigh. I pull my bag out and go to sling it over my shoulder only for Zane to snatch it off me. His brothers offer sly grins before hurrying away. Then Zane walks around the car and holds out the forms from earlier. “Come on, let’s go.”
I offer no arguments, following him until we reach the registration office. He says a few words to the secretary and she hands him my schedule, along with information for the required textbooks I’ll need to pick up from the campus bookstore later. He then leads me over to a bench, where we sit and wait for the dean.
Ten minutes later, a door opens behind the secretary and the dean steps out. He’s at least a head taller than me and his long blond hair is tied in a ponytail. His brown eyes show kindness, and my fear at being new eases.
“Valerie?”
I nod and he offers a gentle smile. “Step into my office. Zane, you can wait right there. We’ll only be a moment.”
The nerves come back in full force when the door closes behind us, and I focus on studying the room rather than meet the eyes of the dean.
It’s filled with all kinds of fascinating mythological artifacts. I’m drawn to one in particular: a painting of a woman in a deep red dress, holding a baby. She looks so happy, but there’s also a sadness etched across her face, as if she knows the happiness won’t last.
“Hecate.”
“Huh?” I ask in confusion. I was engrossed in the picture with the woman, so I wasn’t paying any attention.
The headmaster comes to stand beside me, and he stares at the woman in the painting. “That woman is Hecate. Goddess
of Magic, Witchcraft, Necromancy, the Night and the Moon.”
“She’s so beautiful. Who painted this?” The picture looks old, but somehow still new, if that even makes sense. It’s mesmerizing.
He chuckles and walks over to his desk, where he sits down. “A friend of mine. How about you take a seat?” He gestures to the chair across from him.
I take the offered seat and try not to fidget as I meet his dark brown eyes. Overall, his whole image radiates power and control. It’s both terrifying and fascinating.
In order to keep my hands busy, I give him the papers Zane handed me and then lean back in the chair, trying to calm myself.
He looks through the papers before placing them on the desk. “Now, Valerie, your father has filled me in on some of the details of what’s been going on. I want you to know that in my opinion, and most of the staff’s, you’re innocent until proven guilty. However, that doesn’t mean you’re not walking a fine line here. If you misstep, I’ll be forced to contact the authorities, and that will lead to your arrest. But as long as you go to classes and keep to yourself until all this has been sorted out, then everything will be fine. Understand?”
“Yes, sir. I just want to experience college and, hopefully, get a degree. Thank you for giving me a chance.”
He smiles at me kindly. “You’re welcome, Valerie. Now, your father has offered the school a generous donation and is covering any expenses you need, including textbooks. I took the liberty of having them collected for you,” he says, gesturing to a pile of books on the corner of his desk.
I pick up the stack and shove them into my bag, wondering if I’m going to need to make a stop at the car. There’s no way I can carry this much all day.
The dean continues speaking while I place my bag back at my feet. “I thought for your first month we would do a trial period. Your father wasn’t sure which classes you would be interested in, so we agreed you could try a bit of everything. You will do all exams that each class has set, unless you decide to drop from those courses. This will mean your class load may be a bit much, but we’re hoping that after the first month, you’ll have an idea of which ones you’d like to continue with.”
