Strangely Normal

chapter 10


Finley and Some Pig trotted into my room while I was still in bed. Finley slid under the covers. “Becky is coming tomorrow,” she said.

I stretched and yawned. “Who’s Becky?” I glanced at the clock. “It’s ten? I can’t believe I slept so late.”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you were ever going to get up. Becky is my tattoo artist. Well, she’s not my tattoo artist, but she does all the family tattoos.”

“So she’s the official King family tattoo artist. That is an auspicious title indeed.”

“I know, right? She said she’ll do a spray of stars on your shoulder at no charge. And I have to convince Jude to draw me a picture of Some Pig for the tattoo. I was thinking of putting a little suit and tie on him.”

I sat up. “Or you could just let him look like a pig.”

“You think? Maybe.”

“Did I hear voices downstairs earlier?”

She slid out of bed. “Cole had a bunch of food and beers delivered for his party. Oh yeah, the main reason I came in here was to tell you that your mom called. We had a long chat this morning while you snoozed.”

“She did? Is something wrong?”

“Step off the panic button, my friend. Nothing is wrong. They’re going up north to check out some fry cook job for your dad, and they’ll be back in three days. Oh, and let’s see, I talked to Sophie, and it turns out that Parker Smith, the boy who liked to push her, actually really liked her. And he gave her a candy necklace on the last day of school, but Janie licked it and now it’s too sticky to wear. I explained to her that stickiness was one of the pitfalls of jewelry made from candy. And I talked to your dad a minute, but it kind of sounded like he was hyperventilating because I mentioned that he should come out here when my dad was in town. Your mom took the phone back and told him to breathe into a paper bag.”

“Way to keep your cool, Dad,” I muttered. “Does she want me to call her?”

“Nope. She said she’d call you as soon as they got back.”

“Up north? I wonder where?”

“Your mom said something about near Yosemite.”

“Whoa, all the way up there?”

“Hey, I’m just the messenger. Now get out of bed. I’m going to go work out in the gym. Do you want to join me?”

I pulled my legs around to the side of the bed. “I probably should do something in the form of exercise. Jude won’t be there, will he?”

“Nah, I think he’s painting already. I saw a model walking to the pool house.”

I looked over at her. “Those women that visit him, those are models?”

She laughed. “Yes.” She laughed again. “I guess you thought he was entertaining all kinds of women out there. Not that Jude hasn’t had an obscene amount of girlfriends, but a different one every week would be a lot even by his standards.” She shook her head as she walked to the door. “Too funny.”

She closed the door behind her, and I wanted to kick myself for feeling ridiculously relieved that they were only models. Then I wondered just how many an obscene amount would be.

Finley and I hopped up onto two side-by-side exercise bikes, but we did far more gabbing than riding.

“After yesterday’s excursion, I think I’m ready to go a good ten steps past the hedge,” Finley said brightly.

“Let’s make it a place this time and not just a ten steps. Maybe a tree, or something.”

“There are two apricot trees about a third of the way across the lawn. I used to go out there and pick them in summer. But they’re kind of far out there.” For a few seconds her mind seemed to be humming like the gears on the stationary bikes. “Let’s do it. There isn’t any fruit yet, but there will be next month and then maybe I can pick some again. They’re really good apricots and I can never get Jude or Cole out there to pick them.”

“I suppose if there were steaks or hamburgers growing on the tree, you’d have better luck with that.”

“So true. They’re like a couple of cavemen when it comes to food. Me want saber tooth flank steak, no green stuff.”

The door to the gym opened and Cole walked in.

“Hey,” Finley called to him, “it’s ladies’ day at the gym.”

He walked over and hopped up on a treadmill but didn’t turn it on. “Great. I love ladies’ day.”

Finley stopped her bike. “We’re done here, so you can have the place to yourself.”

The door opened again and Jude walked in.

Finley threw her towel over her shoulder. “It’s like you two have radar or something.” She looked over at me. “Trust me, they don’t usually follow me around like this. It all has to do with you.” She glanced toward Jude. “Thought you were painting.”

“That model wasn’t right. I wasn’t inspired.” Jude walked over to the panel on the wall and music blared out of the speakers. Finley and I made a quick escape.

By the time we’d showered and eaten, Finley had talked herself out of the apricot tree excursion, and I decided not to push the point. She seemed distracted and tense at the prospect of seeing Max, so it was probably a mistake to adventure out of her comfort zone.

Tilly, the housekeeper, called to us on the intercom while we rinsed breakfast dishes. “Miss King, there’s a package for you.”

Finley’s eyes rounded. “Your suit is here. Perfect. The morning fog has cleared, and we can get some color before tonight.”

I stood looking in the mirror pulling at the meager amounts of pink fabric and when that didn’t work, I began pushing at my skin to see if I could tuck more of it underneath the skimpy suit. The brief meeting with the lawyer had had me so flustered, I hadn’t really taken a good, critical look at the suit. It was definitely the most revealing suit I’d ever worn or imagined wearing.

Finley knocked and walked in. “I can’t wait to see it.” Her heavily glossed bottom lip dropped. “Uh oh, you’d better wrap up in a towel.”

“Maybe I should put the old one back on. Does it look that bad?”

“No, that’s the problem. We’ll have to take a stealthy path through the house to make sure we don’t run into a brother. They’re already fighting with their inner demons when it comes to you. And while I’m finding their turmoil completely amusing, I don’t want to be cruel. You look drop dead gorgeous in that suit.”

“I’m feeling more naked than drop dead.” I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around like a toga.

Finely tapped her various points of interest down the staircase, and we traversed the hallways unseen. Some Pig’s hooves clicked along behind us.

“I think Cole’s still working out, and Jude probably went back out to the pool house.” She waved Some Pig to the rug in front of the television. “You stay here. I don’t want another disappearing incident like yesterday.” Finley picked up the remote and turned on the television. As she walked away, Some Pig snorted loudly. She stopped, swung around, and picked up the remote. “Sorry, I thought you liked Animal Planet.” More snorts of protest and Finley lifted her hand. “Yeah, yeah, snort to the hand. I know, I know, they’re a bunch of furry tools. You’ve said that before.” Finley pointed the remote at the screen. “Here’s the cooking channel instead. Just don’t complain to me if someone makes a pulled pork sandwich.” Some Pig dropped down to his stomach. “Let’s get out of here before he changes his mind about the channel.”

I slid the glass door open and motioned her through. “You two are like a friggin’ Vaudeville act.”

The pool area was deserted which made my towel removal much less daunting. We stretched out on the lounges and buttered up with a fruity smelling suntan oil.

I smoothed the lotion over my shoulders. “I don’t usually burn, but since I don’t have any color yet and since I have just about every inch of my skin exposed, I better not stay out too long.”

Finley was so busy adjusting the straps on her bikini top, she hadn’t heard me. She moved them up and down and then up and down again. She grunted in frustration. “I knew I shouldn’t have worn this suit. The straps are going to annoy me.” She shook herself like a dog throwing off water. “There, I’m just going ignore the straps and relax.” She looked anything but relaxed. Her phone buzzed which took her mind temporarily off the straps. She looked at it, smiled, and texted something back. “That was Max. He was checking to see if I was going to show at the party tonight.”

“Definitely a good sign.”

Finley leaned back and closed her eyes. “Now I’m going to need that paper bag.”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”

“About three months and six days.”

I couldn’t hold back a smile. “About three months and six days?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure about the hours.”

I leaned back and closed my eyes as well. The June midday sun in California was already intense, but it felt good on my bare skin. In the distance, a door opened and shut. I’d only heard the door to the pool house a few times, but I already recognized its distinctive sound. Finley and I both lifted our heads and shaded our eyes as we looked toward it.

Jude plopped down in his usual chair.

“Let me guess,” Finley called across the pool area, “the model is getting ready.”

“Nope,” Jude replied without further elaboration.

“Then you needed a smoke.” Finley turned toward me. “Dad doesn’t let anyone smoke in the house or pool house.”

“Nope,” Jude answered. “Just came out here to watch.”

Finley leaned her head back and dropped her hand. “I suppose I should have started with that.”

I leaned back too. “You’ve got to give him points for honesty.”

We lay there greased and primed for the UV rays, but Finley’s straps were still causing her angst. And knowing Jude was across the way watching us sun wasn’t helping my nerves either.

Apparently, the vantage point of the pool house was subpar, and Jude strolled across the path and pulled up a chair near the lounges. I was now acutely aware of the ridiculous lack of coverage provided by my new suit.

Finley grunted in frustration. “It’s no good. I have to change my suit. Whoever designed this suit should be burned at the stake while being drawn and quartered.” She pushed off of the lounge and stomped back toward the house. “I’ll be right back after I change and push this suit through the shredder.”

Jude watched her march off and then looked at me with a told you so type of look.

“So she doesn’t like the straps on her suit.” I waved it off. “That happens all the time.”

“Right. So you talked her into walking past the hedge yesterday,” he said.

“Sure did. And she was really excited about that little accomplishment.”

“I’ll bet.”

“You really are a pessimist, aren’t you?”

He held his arms out to the side. “What? All I said was, I’ll bet. I think it’s great.”

“But?”

“But, what,” he said. “I didn’t say but, you said it.”

“You were going to say it. I could see your top lip begin to curl in to form the letter B.”

Half of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “You’re kind of nuts, do you know that?”

I leaned back with a harrumph. “You think everyone is nuts. Maybe you’re the one who needs to have his head checked.”

“No argument here.” He propped his bare feet, complete with ankle monitor, on the edge of my lounge. “So I’ve heard you and Doolittle are going to Cole’s get together.”

“Your sister wants to see Max, and I’m not opposed to a party.”

“Some of Cole’s friends are real asshats. And the girls are pretty damn venomous.”

I looked over at him. “Judge much?”

“It’s not a judgment. It’s a fact. I’ll bet you don’t last one hour with his friends before you go scurrying back to your room.”

“I’m not that delicate. I can handle some venom.” I lifted my head and grinned over at him. “But if you care to make a wager—”

“I never turn down a good bet.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. His sudden nearness flustered me, and I had to consciously control my breathing.

His hungry gaze drifted from my lips down to my thighs as if he could feel my bare skin with his eyes. That paper bag was sounding better and better.

“So what are we wagering?” he asked, looking far more intrigued than he should have, which only flustered me more.

“If I stay longer than an hour, even one minute longer, then you have to give me a ride on your motorcycle.” I’d always been crazy about motorcycles, and this seemed like an opportunity to live out a dream and ride one.

“Easy enough.” He caressed my skin with his heated gaze one more time. “And if you leave before one hour then you have to model for one of my paintings.”

“You’d really want me to pose for you? Wait, would I be naked?”

“Not completely.”

It took me a moment to respond. I would just have to suffer through Cole’s asshat friends for sixty minutes. There was no way I could lose.” I stuck out my hand. “It’s a bet. I better shine up my motorcycle boots.”

“We’ll see.”

Our handshake lingered overlong. I slid my fingers from his grasp and he stood. He fished in his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Then he held it between his thumb and forefinger as he squinted down at me through a thin veil of smoke. His silent stare was enough to heat every inch of my already sunbathed skin. I shifted nervously on the lounge.

“How do you like my new suit? Finley picked it out.”

He continued to look at me as he took a long draw on his cigarette and blew out the smoke. “Once again, Valley, I wasn’t looking at the suit.” He walked away, and I slid my hands beneath my thighs to stop the trembling.

***

Finely tried on eight different outfits for the party before finally deciding on the pair of skinny jeans and top she’d tried on the first time. I, on the other hand, had only one pair of jeans decent enough to wear in front of a large number of people making my wardrobe decision quite simple. Sometimes less is better.

Finley also checked her hair and make-up enough times in the mirror that even I was beginning to question her mascara application.

“You look beyond adorable, Finley. Stop fretting. Besides if Max is as cool as you say, he doesn’t sound like the type who will be turned off if you’re wearing too much lip gloss.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Shit, am I wearing too much lip gloss? I knew I went too crazy with the applicator.” She reached for a tissue, but I grabbed her hand.

“The gloss is fine but something tells me if we spend much more time getting ready, the party will be over.”

She waved that suggestion away. “Cole’s parties last until dawn or until everyone passes out. Whichever comes first.”

“Will Jude be there?” My question immediately solicited a raised eyebrow of interest from Finley.

“Maybe. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” I hadn’t mentioned the bet to Finley, and now I was attempting to convince myself that the wager was my only motive behind the question.

“Uh huh, I see.” A small smile creased her cheek.

“Not every question has a hidden meaning.” I opened the door and ushered her out to the hallway before she had a chance to rethink her bracelets.

“No,” Finley said slyly, “but that one did.”

I decided to ignore her teasing. Music drummed through the house, and it sounded as if a lot of people had already congregated downstairs. There was an actual party room complete with wet bar and pool table, which I suppose should have been expected in a house with an elevator and theater.

One step into the room and I immediately felt out of place. The people gathered around the pool table and wet bar reminded me of the snooty half of my high school, only the snobbery was taken up a notch. My stomach twisted into a nervous knot, and suddenly, just as Jude had predicted, this was the last place I wanted to be.

“Finley!” two girls screamed with fake excitement.

“I hate these two girls,” Finley whispered from the side of her mouth.

Both girls looked as if they’d spent an entire day getting ready for the party, not a hair, eyelash, or fake nail out of place. They hugged Finley with even more overdone drama than they’d put into their greeting. One of the girls, who was passably pretty mostly because of the professional make-up job and expensive haircut, looked at me and made no effort to conceal her lack of approval. The diamond stud in her nose danced a bit while she crinkled her nose and stared down at my jeans.

“Nice vintage jeans,” she said. “Saks Fifth Avenue?”

“Mutli-family yard sale,” I answered. “Third Avenue.”

The girl snorted a derisive chuckle.

“We’re going to get drinks.” Finley took my hand and dragged me mercifully away.

“Gee, I can’t imagine why you don’t like them,” I said. “And they really seemed to like me.”

Finley smiled. “Hey, if they didn’t insult you then you should be worried. Just the fact that they took notice of you means they consider you a threat.”

We reached the bar and a tall, thin guy with a pair of thick rimmed glasses smiled down at us. “Hey, Finley, long time no see. What can I get you girls?”

“I’m not much of a drinker,” I whispered to Finley.

“Something sweet with not too much alcohol,” Finley told the guy. She glanced around casually and then she grabbed my hand so tightly her nails dug into my skin. “There he is.”

I glanced in the direction she was looking and found a guy who matched her description of Max perfectly. He seemed to sense we were staring at him and looked over with a friendly wave. The bartender pushed two icy drinks our way.

I leaned over to Finley. “This is your chance. Go talk to him before you lose him in the crowd and before you draw blood from my hand.”

She looked down at the death-like grip she had on me and laughed. “Sorry about that.”

“Go talk to him. I’ll wait here in the shallow end.” I lifted my glass. “I’ve got my floaties, and if I stay close to the side, I’ll be safe.”

I felt a bit like a nervous mother watching her child go off to school for the first day. I definitely wanted things to go right for Finley. In fact, I worried what may happen if it didn’t.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show.” Jude was standing so close I could feel the heat of his body on my back.

I decided it was safer not to look at him. “Haven’t you heard the phrase fashionably late?” I glanced around at the crowd and realized Jude had instantly become the center of attention. Particularly with the female guests, and in particular, the two girls who’d I’d already met.

Jude pulled out his phone. “It’s eight minutes after ten.”

“I’ve already been here for at least five minutes.”

“Fine, then we’ll make your start time three minutes after.”

The two girls were making their way toward us. I looked back over my shoulder at Jude and wasn’t prepared for how close his mouth was to mine. It seemed to take us both by surprise and a heated hush fell between us.

“Here come the viper twins.” The words cracked out of my suddenly dry throat. “You’re on your own.” I picked up my glass.

“Jude,” the one with the nose diamond spoke using the same fake tone she’d used with Finley. “Cole said you weren’t going to show.”

I scooted away with no particular destination in mind. I could tread water for fifty plus minutes just to win the bet and then head back upstairs to the security of my room. Finley’s white blonde hair was easy to spot. She was standing next to Max, looking up at him with pure admiration. She seemed relaxed and thrilled to be standing there with him.

I peeked back through the crowd. Jude had vanished, but the two girls had been left behind. The only other familiar face in the crowd was Cole. He smiled and waved from across the room but appeared to be surrounded, and not surprisingly so, by a group of girls.

“And what is your name, beautiful?” I didn’t recognize the voice, but the mouthwash was definitely beer.

I turned around reluctantly. The guy was broad shouldered, semi-handsome, and completely drunk. And he was obviously not going to leave until I told him my name.

“I’m Eden.” I leaned out of the path of his toxic breath.

“I’m infatuated.”

I wondered how long he’d worked on that impressive little introduction. “Well, good for you.”

He stumbled closer. I took several steps back and glanced around for an escape route. Fortunately, Cole came to my rescue. “Hey, Mike, why don’t you slow it down? It’s early and you’re already shit-faced.”

The guy completely ignored Cole and leered hungrily at me. “Who’d you come here with?”

One match and I could have blown up the whole room fueled solely by his breath.

Cole took my arm and led me away and as slurred as Mike’s speech was he was able to pronounce the word bitch quite clearly.

“Sorry about that,” Cole said. “He wasn’t really invited. In fact, he’s never really invited, but he shows up anyway. His father owns a record company so most of us with family in the business just accept his presence. The dude really needs to go to rehab though. His liver is going to be toast before he’s thirty.” Cole walked me over to where his groupies were waiting anxiously for his return. They looked less than pleased to see me. I guess one more girl just meant one more competitor. “Hey, everyone, this is Eden. She’s a friend of the family’s and she’s staying with us this summer.” I guess it made complete sense that he’d made up a reason for my presence other than the true reason. But it was hard to know if he was doing it to protect Finley or himself. Surely other people in the room had to know that Finley had problems. For one, it would be ignorant for people in this kind of party hardy society to not notice that she never left the house. On the other hand, they all seemed so enamored with themselves, it was entirely possible they’d never taken note of it.

I nodded politely at Cole’s friends and then sipped my drink to keep from having to converse. The girls had no problem ignoring my presence until I asked a question that seemed to peak everyone’s interest.

“Where did Jude go?” I asked Cole.

“He rarely shows to my parties.”

“He was here just a second ago.”

A wave of pretty, powdered faces turned my direction. “Jude was here?” one girl asked. There was a glimmer of hopefulness in her tone.

“For a second,” I repeated and now regretted bringing it up.

One girl laughed. “I swear that boy does this just to torture us.” She looked at me and took the time to check out my shabby outfit before speaking again. “If you see him, you tell him that Kiley and her friends are waiting to see him.”

Cole threw me a small, almost imperceptible shrug.

I smiled back at the girl. “I will definitely tell him that. Cole, what time is it?”

He pulled out his phone. “It’s twenty-five after. Do you have some place you’ve got to be?” he asked with a grin. He caught sight of something over my head and motioned me to look that direction. Finley was sitting with Max on a small couch. She looked extremely happy and completely oblivious to her surroundings.

“Do you think she’ll be all right?” I asked.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.”

“Who?” Kiley asked nosily.

“Our cat. She wasn’t feeling great this morning,” Cole answered.

“You know,” I said, “it’s kind of stuffy in here, Cole. I think I’ll step outside for some fresh air.” I plastered a smile on my face. “Nice meeting you all.”

I stepped outside onto the small patio off the party room. There were several people sitting out there on chairs, so as far as I was concerned, I was technically still at the party. And according to my estimation, I had about half an hour of the drudgery left. Hopefully, Finley wouldn’t be too upset if I left early. A hand took hold of mine. My thoughts seemed to have conjured her.

“Eden, I feel bad. I hadn’t meant to abandon you like this. It’s just that I haven’t seen Max in so long.”

I held her hand in mine. “Finley, please don’t worry about it. I can handle this alone, but I’ll probably turn in early if that’s all right with you.”

“See, you’re bored. I knew you would be.”

“Really, Finley, it’s fine. I’ve never been much for big parties. I’m just glad you’re having a good time.” I smiled. “So do you still like him as much?”

Her blue eyes sparkled beneath the fringe of white bangs. “I do, Eden. He’s gotten even better, if that’s possible. And it looks like he’ll be sticking around town longer now. He’s going to work with his dad.”

“Great. So you’ll be able to see him more.”

“Yep.” A small frown pulled at her mouth.

“What’s the matter?”

She sighed. “It’s just Max knows I’ve had some problems in the past, but I don’t think he knows that I can’t leave the house. What am I supposed to say when he asks me out?”

“Can’t Cole explain stuff to him?”

“My brother doesn’t admit it much, but he’s embarrassed about me.”

“Then we better start moving forward on your goals so we can get you out on a date with him.” My optimism sounded a little forced even to my own ears, and the look on Finley’s face was gloomy with defeat. It was definitely a daunting situation, and I had no real answers for her except to continue with small steps and see where they led.

“You’re right,” Finley said quietly. “For tonight, I’m not going to worry about it. I’m just going to have fun.” The conviction in her tone and words seemed genuine, and I was relieved to hear it.

“Good idea. Go back to him, Finley. I’ll be fine. I might even have one more of those super sweet drinks just to help me get in the party mood.”

She hugged me and went back inside. Seconds later, my alcohol soaked friend had found me again. This time he had the nerve to take hold of my arm.

“There you are, garden of Eden. I was hoping we could share an apple together.”

“I’m not really in the mood for fruit.” I pulled away from him and hopped down the small flight of steps leading to the yard. I was confident he wouldn’t have the balance to walk down stairs, but he proved me wrong. Annoyance was quickly morphing into fear. I looked around, but the few party-goers who had stepped outside were too busy with their conversations to notice drunken Mike staggering after me like a horny Frankenstein. With large feet and a lumber that bordered on clumsy, he was alarmingly fast on his feet. He grabbed my arm and twisted it. There was nothing I hated more than a scene, and I concentrated on keeping my cool. After all, I had my wits and one big advantage, I was sober. He, on the other hand, was having a hard time focusing as he swayed back and forth like a giant tree about to fall. I shoved him hard with my free hand, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. My theory of him being an easy pushover had been squelched. Leaving the patio had been a huge mistake.

I took a step back and realized we were tucked securely into a corner of the rose garden wall. Unfortunately, our location did not escape his bleary-eyed notice either. With no small amount of force, he had me pressed against the wall. He stuck his thick thigh between my legs and held tightly to both my arms. He leaned forward and smothered my scream with his disgusting mouth. He released one of my hands and grabbed at the shoulder of my shirt. I shot my fist into his stomach, but at such close range, it had little impact. Then a hand grabbed his wrist.

“Damn, is that you, Cole? I’m just having some fun,” Mike mumbled without looking away from me.

“Guess again.”

This time Mike’s face snapped up and he backed away. “What the hell, Jude? Where did you come from?” Mike grabbed my arm again. “I found her first.”

“Let go of her now and then get the f*ck off my property.”

“What are you, the bouncer?” Mike attempted to sound calm, but there was a streak of terror running through the center of his words.

Before I could take a breath, Jude had him pressed up against the wall with his arm across Mike’s neck. “I don’t know. Let me bounce your thick skull off this wall a few times and we’ll find out.”

Mike’s face turned red, and he flailed an arm at Jude but missed.

“Leave now and we won’t have to call an ambulance to pick you up.” Jude’s chilling tone caused the guy to put up his hands in surrender. Jude shoved his arm against Mike’s neck harder and then released him.

Mike stumbled away coughing and cussing. We’d attracted a small crowd, and I looked around at the faces then finally brought myself to look at Jude. I knew the moment I looked at him I would burst into tears. And I did not disappoint myself. His green eyes were a mixture of rage and concern.

He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.

“You win,” I blurted through sobs and ran back through the house and to my room. I was fairly certain I’d elbowed my way through the crowd without Finley noticing. I was glad for that. Even though my night had gone from bad to horribly ugly within the space of half an hour, I definitely didn’t want it to stop Finley’s night.

A whimper of relief fell from my lips as I reached my room. I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow just as a knock sounded on the door.

“Eden, it’s me. Let me in.” The sound of Jude’s voice pushed the tears harder.

“I’m fine, Jude. Just go away.”

The door opened and he stepped inside. I didn’t look up from the pillow.

“Go ahead and say I told you so,” I muttered into the pillow. “You were right. I couldn’t handle it.”

“Actually, I didn’t see that coming. I mean Mike’s an a*shole and everything, but I had no idea he’d pull that shit.” He was directly over my bed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him. “Come on, Eden, take your face out of that pillow. I just want to know that you’re all right.”

“Okay, but I must warn you that my nose and eyes get really puffy when I cry.” I wiped my tears with the palm of my hand and sat up against the headboard.

Jude crossed his hands in front of his face. “Holy shit, that is frightening.”

I threw my pillow at him, which he deftly snatched from the air before it made contact. He sat on the edge of my bed, and once again, I was acutely aware of his nearness as if electric charges were sparking between us.

“Thank you, by the way.” My eyes watered again. I’d had unwanted advances from guys before but I’d never been as scared as I had been this time. “Let’s not tell Finley.”

“Agreed,” he said. “Hopefully people are already too wasted to relay the story. At the moment, she’s busy swooning over Max.”

“Is he a trustworthy guy?” I felt better switching subjects and getting my mind off of my traumatic experience.

“Max is all right.” Jude combed his fingers through his black hair and it stuck out in every direction. I’d been so busy surviving the party, I hadn’t noticed just how heartbreaking he looked in his black t-shirt and jeans. “Fin has had a thing for the guy for the last three years. And I think he’s always liked her, but—”

“But he doesn’t realize how bad her problems are?”

“I don’t think Cole talks about it much. Just like my dad, he kind of likes to shrug it off like it’s no big deal. I don’t want her to get hurt. It’s the last thing she needs.”

“Your sister might be dealing with some things, but she has an incredible grasp on people and the world. I don’t think she’ll lose her head over him. He’s just a guy, after all,” I added with a grin.

“I’d say you’ve got a pretty incredible grasp yourself there, Valley. You’ve known my sister for a few days and it’s as if you’ve known her a lifetime.”

“I feel like I’ve known her a lifetime. Hey, she mentioned you were pissed at Cole for inviting someone you didn’t want to see. Was that sleazebag, Mike, the guy?”

He shook his head. “Nope. That was a different sleazebag. Although after tonight, Mike’s definitely the king of sleaze. The other guy didn’t show. I think Cole told him not to come after my subtle warning.”

I laughed. “Was it anything like the subtle warning you gave Mike? I thought he was going to pee his pants. It would have been so great if he had. Who was this guy that you disinvited?”

“He’s the reason I’m wearing this thing.” He held up his ankle. “His cocaine, my freedom. I got pulled over in my car for speeding, and the fool dropped it between the seats. But my sentence is almost done now.”

“Then I guess you’ll be leaving soon?”

“Did Fin tell you that?” The green in his eyes moved from light gray to green depending on the light.

“She mentioned you’d be out of here once they took it off.”

He nodded and pushed up from the bed. He stared down at me and the electricity I’d felt when he sat near me only intensified. “So you’ve never lost your head over a guy?”

The way he looked at me had knocked the breath from me, and it took me a moment to find the air to speak. “Nope, never.”

His mouth turned up on one side. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet.” He walked to the door, opened it, and looked back. “I guess we can call the bet a draw since unforeseen circumstances got in the way.”

“No, you won fair and square. But I have to warn you, I’m a boring subject for a painting.”

“Trust me, Valley, you’re anything but boring.” He shut the door behind him.