“Don’t underestimate the lengths I’ll go to for your happiness Catalina.”
“My happiness? Mom, you sound crazy. Meg is dead. This man is her husband which makes him my brother-in-law. He isn’t a potential catch for me or some pawn to be used in your schemes. Leave it alone.”
“My schemes?” she scoffed. “I’ve never schemed.”
“Agree to disagree.”
“I’ve got to go, alright? I’ll call you later so try to be near the phone.”
My cell beeped twice, signaling she’d just ended the conversation, taking my appetite with it. I stared at the screen with furrowed brows, hoping to high hell she wasn’t serious. While her response wasn’t out of the ordinary, the reaction is what troubled me.
And frustrated me.
I needed to speak to someone levelheaded so naturally I sent a text to Chloe, the only friend I had.
As I waited for her to reply, I took a good look around the square-shaped room that made up majority of my home. Everything looked the same as it had for the past three years, much to my mother’s dismay.
The walls were a basic gray, the furniture a mix of navy blue and coral. In the far corner was my hamster’s cage. Some days it felt as if he were the only constant in my life. No fault of his, of course.
I was aware of my shortcomings as a friend, a sister, and a daughter. I’d never graduated high school, obtaining my GED a year after dropping out. My friend with benefits left the picture entirely two years ago, vanishing without so much as a, “fuck you”.
This was months after meaningless sex and his abuse of prescription pills, so I wasn’t too heartbroken about it. We were too screwed up and dysfunctional to ever become a real couple.
All in all, there wasn’t much for me to be proud of other than the fact I was still breathing and could take care of myself.
This was to be expected seeing as I was unfortunately an adult.
I’d have given my left lung to go back to being young again. I was more motivated and determined—fearless even. I wasn’t sure when that changed, why, or when. All I knew for certain was that being a grown-up was overrated.
The silence was shattered abruptly by the Halsey song Chloe had assigned as her exclusive ringtone. I swiped across the screen without hesitation. Unlike with my mom, I could talk to her all hours of the day.
“Hey.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Do you have a minute?” I asked.
“Always for you. What’s going on?”
I stood and went to rinse my bowl, relaying everything as I poured soggy cereal down the garbage disposal.
She blew out a breath when I was done. “Wow. That’s a lot to take in. Your crazy ass mom aside, are you okay? Do you want me to come over? Stupid question, I’m on my way.”
Though she couldn’t see me, I quirked a brow. Her reaction was much more endearing than my moms’, and just as unnecessary. “You don’t have to do that. I’m fine, but I need your advice.”
“All the more reason for me to come. I don’t have to work until four. I’ll be there in an hour.”
I went to protest again, being met with the silence that came from no one listening. For the second time that morning, I’d been hung up on.
With Chloe coming over I had to put actual clothes on. She wouldn’t have cared, but I thought the least I could do was make myself presentable. Presentable being an oversized T-shirt that covered a pair of booty-shorts.
I unlocked the door so she could come right in, then busied myself refilling Hamtaro’s water-bottle and straightening up the front room.
Almost an hour later exactly, Chloe came bursting through my front door, her deep red hair in perfect barrel curls, outfit chic and stylish.
The effort she put into looking so gorgeous all the time exhausted me mentally just thinking about it.
“I brought you food.” She shook one of those put-together meals you could grab from the grocery store.
“This isn’t a wake.” I laughed, accepting the container.
“I knew you wouldn’t accept flowers or sympathy cards, so.” She took a seat on the sofa while I put the food in the kitchen area. “You’re not sad at all?” Her tone wasn’t judgmental, merely curious.
“Not really. You know how our relationship was. Or lack of. Maybe it hasn’t sunken in yet? I don’t know. I’m more upset that I barely knew her and now I never will.”
She nodded, a look of understanding on her cherub face. “How did she die?”
“She’d been sick for a while. I’m assuming it was that. I didn’t ask.”
Gnawing the inside of my lower lip, I pondered the entire situation. Questions began to form in my mind, ones only Alaric would have the answers to. There wasn’t anyone else to speak with about it. I didn’t know anyone else that knew her.
“Would it be wrong to ask him things about her?”
Chloe scoffed and flipped one side of her hair over her shoulder. “Cat, she was your sister.”
That was the response I’d expected, but I wasn’t sure why I’d bothered asking when deep down I didn’t feel as if I had the right to interrogate the man. I’d been physically and emotionally absent when Meg was alive.
I wasn’t there at the most crucial times she would have needed me; my presence now was useless.
But I also knew if I simply went on as if none of this happened and she didn’t exist, the small amount of regret I felt would intensify by ten-fold. It would attack me at the worst possible moments, festering in the back of my mind until suddenly I could think of nothing else, even when I told myself to stop thinking about it.
“I told you he wants to fly me out there. Should I go?”
Chloe jerked her attention away from the screen of her phone. “You answered your own question by asking me that.”
I stared in confusion.
“You just suggested you willingly leave your house to go meet not just a human being, but a man.”
“Isn’t a man also a human being?”
“That’s debatable.”
“Chloe,” I reprimanded mockingly.
“Look, the point I’m trying to make is that you suggested this on your own. Not because your mom pushed a Voo-doo pin in your ass.”
“While accurate, that assessment doesn’t help me in any way. Would you go?”
“Yes, but this isn’t about me. It’s about you. Do you want to meet her husband?”
“No, but like you just said, this isn’t about him or me. It’s about my sister. I feel it’s the right thing to do given the circumstance.”
She pursed her lips, looking thoughtful for a moment. “If you feel like it’s the right, then go. Just don’t guilt trip your way into something you can’t handle.”
That was a rather nice way of saying, “Don’t do something that will push you over the edge again.”
Chloe was one of the rare individuals who’d seen me at my absolute worst. She’d gotten a glimpse of the all the execrable things I kept locked in a tight little box.
Instead of running for cover like any other sane woman would, she’d stuck by me and pushed me to overcome it, proving she was someone I could rely on. She wasn’t one of those people who disappeared when your life went to shit.
“I’ve been feeling fine. I haven’t had any blackouts or time lapses. Look, I’ve even kept up with my hair.” I ran my hands over the ombre ends for emphasizing.
From the way she observed me, her perfectly plucked brows drawn tight, I knew my words did little to ease her concerns. I couldn’t be upset about that when she knew exactly how bad I could get.
My mind had two variations. Some days it burned bright and I was a ball of positivity. Other days the light was completely extinguished, leaving me with nothing but a heavy darkness and thoughts better left unspoken if I didn’t want to wind up in a strait jacket.
“Okay!” Chloe exclaimed suddenly, clapping her hands together. “Come sit, let’s do some research.” She patted the sofa cushio
n beside her.
“What kind of research?”
“On your mysterious brother-in-law.”
I snagged my phone from the island and meandered over to the couch, sitting where she’d instructed.
“What’s his name?”
“Alaric Sch-yu-ler,” I sounded out, probably butchering his surname.
Chloe nodded once, then her fingers were flying over her screen. “Does he live in Oregon, Cali, or South Dakota?”
“Cali.”
Her lips pursing again, she grew quiet as she scrolled. I leaned over trying to see what she was doing, getting swatted away. After another minute, her doe-brown eyes met mine.
“What do you think this guy looks like?”
“Knowing what I do about my sperm donor and how he raised Meg. Older. Grey at the edges. Wealthy,” I tossed out a few adjectives.
“If this is the right dude then you’re not wrong.” She dimmed her screen without bothering to show me. It didn’t matter. His looks held no relevance to the situation. I wasn’t too concerned about his vanity.
Chloe kicked her heels off and pulled her legs up onto the couch, tucking them beneath her bottom.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I think so.” I glanced down at my area rug, focusing on the swirled pattern. “She wrote me so many times and I never replied. I opened her messages and…left her on read.”
Clearing my throat, I rubbed the back of my neck and rolled my shoulders. I’d never been one for having deep conversations. They made me uncomfortable.
“Look, I know that sucks, but you can’t change anything by feeling guilty now. Megs gone. All you can do is carry on.”
Gone.
There was so much finality in that four-letter word.
But she was right. Trying to figure out how I could have made this better wouldn’t undo the unchangeable. I looked over at her with a half-smile.
“Thanks for always being the voice of reason.”
“Don’t call me that. You and me both know that I’ve made more than my fair share of shitty choices. I’m speaking from experience, so you don’t do the same.”
My phone chirped and vibrated, the screen lighting up. I glanced down at the preview box seeing a new text from Mom.
Everything’s been handled.
I read the text three times, a swirl of emotions beginning to unfurl in my gut.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked, peering at my screen just before it blacked out. “What does that mean?”
“It means my mom did the one thing I asked her not to. She made the decision for me.”
With a dramatic groan, Chloe leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.
CHAPTER TWO
I couldn’t believe I’d come this far.
Two days ago, I had spoken to the brother-in-law I forgot existed, about a sister I rarely claimed.
Fast forward past a sleuth of anxious jitters, lecturing from my overdramatic mother, and a five-hour non-stop flight--here I was.
I stood awkwardly inside an unfamiliar airport, trying to get a grip on my nerves before I totally lost it.
The flight itself hadn’t been that bad. No one bothered me, and Alaric had gotten first class seating, which trumped the seats I’d sat in the last time I’d flown by a milestone.
I felt better sitting above everyone else for the simple fact if the plane were to crash, they would all die first, and then their corpses could serve as a protective shield. At least, that’s how I mapped it out in my head.
After grabbing my suitcase from the belt, I didn’t know what the hell to do next. I searched for some sign of a taxi pick-up, unsure which way to go. The airport was a cocoon of arched steel and massive windows. People milled around my frozen form. More than a few shifty eyed glares were sent my way.
“Miss Haven?” a deeply cultured voice came suddenly from my right.
I brought my bag closer to my person and turned towards a man that was only a few inches taller than I was.
“That’s me,” I replied, eyeing him without discretion. He was in his early thirties if I had to guess. Had flawless dark skin and honey brown eyes. dressed in a neatly pressed suit.
He flashed a friendly smile. “I’m Demetri, here on behalf of Mr. Schuyler. I’ll be your driver.”
This man bought me first class tickets and he had a chauffeur? Not for the first time I wondered what it was Alaric did for a living. I’d spent almost the entire flight conjuring up different versions of him, imagining what kind of man he was.
I knew he had money thanks to Chloe and Mom, just not how much. It had to be on the larger end for him to be hiring person drivers.
This new development had me pegging him as someone that wore those fancy sweaters that tied around the shoulders.
“How did you know what I looked like?”
I was in a pair of black sweats that I’d paired with a fitted white t-shirt and Nike sandals.
Unless he had specific instructions to keep an eye out for a bi-racial woman that looked like hell, and had that same emotion scrawled all over her face I didn’t know how he would have picked me out so quickly. I could’ve been any random chick at the airport if not for the pink ombre weaved through my hair.
“We should be on our way,” he replied, skipping right over my question.
“Why didn’t Alaric come himself?” I asked, reluctantly following him.
“Mr. Schuyler is a very busy man. He had a meeting, but I assure you he wanted to be here in place of me.”
That was a reasonable excuse, one that had my curiosity regarding Alaric growing even more. Outside, the sun was still sitting high in the sky. I’d forgotten about the time difference between home and here. The heat was nothing new. I could handle that just fine.
“Your bag,” Demetri implied politely, reaching back to take it from me.
“Oh, thanks.” I passed my lone suitcase off, then sped up so that I could walk beside him.
We didn’t go but a few feet beyond the entryway when he approached a Mercedes-Benz.
As he loaded my suitcase into its trunk, I could feel people staring at us, making this ordeal even more awkward.
Instead of standing around like some helpless damsel who couldn’t open her own damn door, I climbed into the backseat, instantly regretting the decision.
This felt weird. Why didn’t I get in the front? I contemplated doing just that but as I reached for the door handle, Demetri slid into the driver’s seat and started up the car.
“Do you know where the hotel is, I’m staying at?” I asked after he pulled away from the curb.
“It is my understanding you will be staying with Mr. Schuyler.”
What? “Are you sure?”
“I was told to retrieve you and bring you home. I know how to follow instructions.”
Well, okay then. From his tone I could tell he didn’t like being questioned. I sat back knowing this had to be my mother’s doing.
I’d specifically told her I didn’t want to stay at this man’s house, going as far as sending her the link to a few hotels that were close by. The woman was impossible. She wouldn’t win this, though. I’d get everything worked out after I met Alaric.
The ride was uneventful, thankfully. Demetri made sure I was comfortable, and that was that. We didn’t speak a word to one another nearly the entire duration of the drive.
I sent a text to both my mother and Chloe letting them know that I had made it safely, and then I began to take in my new surroundings. Demetri drove through a heavy tourist area with towering buildings and various shops.
Passing gated communities that contained homes large enough to hold two of mine. With each lucrative neighborhood we neared, I was certain he would turn off into one, but he simply kept going, offering no comment on how much further we would be travelling. It got to the point that I slouched down and used the door as a headrest, allowing myself to doze off.
When I woke it was to the sight of two large iron gates swinging op
en soundlessly. As Demetri proceeded to drive through them, I sat up, giving myself a better view.
One of the first things I noticed was that wherever we had ventured to, there weren’t any houses nearby, just a towering variety of trees.
My nose tingled from the familiar scent of the ocean.
I couldn’t yet see it, but I knew it was nearby, could practically taste its salt on my tongue. It was comforting in the sense that it reminded me of home. Without any warning, the terrain changed, going from flat to elevated.
“Mr. Schuyler’s estate is just at the top of the bluff,” Demetri alerted me.
“So, this is basically his driveway?”
“That’s correct.”
Short and blunt, but also polite. If this drive taught me anything about Demetri it was that he was a man of few words.
After a minute or two the car curved around a bend, and I got my first glimpse of Alaric’s house.
It was gorgeous.
A cape cod—pure white with a balcony that looked as if it wrapped around the entire upper level.
As the driveway flattened out into a large square, Demetri bypassed a three-car garage with a lone, dark green vehicle parked in front of it. The thing looked like the result of a luxury sedan and sports car being combined.
There were two wings on its rear end with a letter B sandwiched between them. Bugatti? Bentley? Whichever one it was I knew by looking at it the thing had cost a pretty penny.
Demetri braked near a pathway that led to the front door, popping the trunk before getting out. Left alone momentarily, I stared up at the house through tunnel vision, close to demanding I be returned to the airport.
This was a fresh reminder that my sister and I had lived in two extremely different worlds. I was still studying the house’s exterior when Demetri pulled open my door.
I made no attempt to leave the vehicle, mind scrambling to find a way out of this situation. The universe decided right then that it was going to fight against me.
The front door swung inward, and I knew I had to either risk embarrassing myself or get out.
Okay, I breathed. I could do this. I wasn’t a child. This was no big deal. Like Mom said, Alaric was merely a family member I hadn’t met yet. I’d come all this way at his expense. The least I could do was meet him.
Opaque Melodies (Coveting Delirium Book 1) Page 2
