“I don’t know,” he mutters. “I’m not here for a lecture, okay? I just came to give you your stuff back and to tell you to keep your mouth shut.” He throws a hand into his hair and glances away.
Maybe I’m sleep deprived or maybe I’m just insane, but I somehow gather up the courage to ask him the question that’s been playing on my lips since Friday. “Why do you hate me so much?”
This takes Tyler by surprise. He suddenly looks perplexed. “Who said I hated you?”
“Um,” I say. “You kind of insult me every chance you get. I get that it’s weird having a stepsister all of a sudden, but it’s weird for me too. We got off on the wrong foot, I think.”
“No,” Tyler says, shaking his head as he laughs. “You don’t get it at all.” Quickly scanning my room, he narrows his eyes and finally turns for the door again.
“What don’t I get?” I call after him.
“Everything,” he shoots back.
Chapter 7
On Tuesday, I set my alarm for sunrise and make a point of heading out for an early morning jog before everyone else wakes up. Tiffani’s words about the tight dress are still echoing in the back of my head, so I venture farther than the neighborhood, tracing a route down to the coastal highway and back again, pushing my body to its limits. I’m dismayed to discover that the beach has a layer of fog covering it, but the air is still warm. By the time I get back to the house, Dad is awake and brewing some coffee.
“Nice jog?” he asks as I enter the kitchen.
I heave a sigh, pressing my hands to the edge of the countertop and catching my breath. “Yeah,” I say, but it’s closer to a pant. “Almost four miles. It was super foggy down by the pier.”
“I’d pass out after the first,” he jokes. “Oh, the famous fog. It’s called the June Gloom. Coffee?” He holds up the jug.
“I’m good.” I might love coffee, but 7:00 a.m. is just too early. The only thing I could do with right now is a long, hot shower. “Anyone else awake?”
“Ella’s getting dressed,” he says, turning back around to fetch a mug, “but the guys are still sleeping.” After my abrupt remark on Saturday night, he has lightened up and is trying his hardest to be overly nice at every chance he gets. He knows now that I haven’t forgiven him, that I’m still upset with him for leaving us. He has a lot of sucking up to do.
“Does she have work to go to or something?” Yesterday she didn’t seem to have a job. When Dad left for his, she simply cleaned the house, made small talk with me, argued with Tyler a little, and then drove Jamie and Chase to wherever they needed to go.
Dad gives me a small smile. “Ella’s a civil rights attorney.”
I blink. I wouldn’t have taken her for an attorney—she seems to lose every argument with Tyler, giving up after only a few minutes. “Shouldn’t she be at an office or something?”
“She’s on a career break,” Dad says, but he doesn’t give me any opportunity to press the subject further before he asks, “You said you’re going to the beach today, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I say, “with Rachael.” And Tiffani and Meghan, but I doubt Dad cares about every single detail.
“If you need a ride there, Ella will take you,” he offers, which is ridiculous, because I only met her four days ago and am far from comfortable enough to be asking her for rides.
“Rachael’s already giving me a ride,” I say. “Thanks though.”
“Alright.” He takes a long swig of his coffee, then tucks his shirt into his suit pants and adjusts his tie. “I’m going to leave and try to beat this LA traffic. Some mornings I win, others I lose.”
“Why the shirt again?”
“I’m the supervisor.”
“Oh.” Finally, an answer to why this house is so luxurious. Dad’s been a civil engineer since before I was even born, and the years of experience must have finally landed him a better paid position. Obviously.
“I’ll be home at six,” he says and gives me a two-finger wave as he passes me.
I roll my eyes and head over to the faucet, pouring myself a glass of water, and then I make my way up to my room. I hear Ella swinging open the master bedroom door as I walk down the hall, so I quickly dart up the staircase before she can see me. However, there’s still no sound from Tyler’s, Jamie’s, and Chase’s rooms.
I grab a shower—a long, hot one, long and hot enough to relax my muscles and leave my body feeling great again. I remember to shave my legs this time.
“Eden,” Ella says as she enters my room without knocking, leaving me desperately clinging onto my towel. “Sorry—I—”
I tighten my grip on the fabric and offer her an awkward smile. “It’s fine.” Although, I think, it’s really not fine. I’m half naked in front of a stranger.
Ella clears her throat, dropping her eyes nervously to the floor and keeping them fixed on the carpet. “I was wondering if you’d like any breakfast. Or did you have some with your dad?”