Strangely Normal

chapter 9


Cole was leaning in the fridge groaning about the absence of lunch. He pulled out a can of soda and slammed shut the door. “I thought Jude was supposed to hire another chef. I’m going to waste away to nothing.”

Finley pushed by him with a disgusted sigh. “Not you too. By the way, where’s the dark half of the sulk and whine duo?”

“He’s down in the garage tuning up his Harley. Just watch, as soon as that ankle monitor comes off, he’s going to fly out of here like The Flash. And he’ll leave us all to starve to death without a chef.”

“You guys are ridiculously helpless. There’s bread and there’s cheese.” Finley opened the fridge and pulled out tomatoes and lettuce. “There are even veggies for a sandwich.”

“Yeah, that’s great for a rabbit like you, but I need to gnaw on some flesh.”

I looked down at Some Pig. “Cover your ears, S.P.”

Cole scowled down at the pig. “Yeah, cover ‘em, Dude. You’re the reason bacon, the finest food on earth, was banned from this house.”

Finley elbowed Cole out of her way at the counter. “Shit, you’re cranky.”

“I know. My arm hurts like hell, and there’s no damn food to eat.”

Finley lifted up a slice of bread. “Do you want a sandwich or not? Final offer.”

“Nah, I’m going out for a burger.” He left the kitchen.

I picked up a knife and started slicing tomatoes. “He was definitely in a bad mood.”

“Yeah, that’s unusual for Cole. Jude is almost always brooding about something, but Cole just coasts from day to day with hardly a worry in his pretty boy head.” She spread some mayo on the bread. “I think he and Jude had an argument earlier. Cole texted me about it while you were downstairs with Jude.”

“Do they fight a lot?”

“Not really. They get along most of the time. Cole invited someone to the party that Jude doesn’t like, so they got into it. Sometimes Cole is just plain stupid, and sometimes Jude is just too bossy. It makes for trouble. But this time I sided with Jude, so Cole is extra pissed.” She cut the sandwich in half, and we each took our share. “Let’s eat fast. The longer I think about our little adventure, the less likely I am to try it.”

We decided to leave Some Pig behind. It was one less worry for Finley, and he seemed just as pleased to curl up in front of the television. Finley left soap operas on for him, and we headed out in tense silence as if we were about to explore a new and forbidden planet. In a way, I guess it was like that for Finley.

The same woman who’d passed the pool yesterday, walked by us today. “How’s it going?” she muttered as she sidled past us and on to the pool house.

Finley didn’t answer her. She was deep in thought.

“So where does this self-constructed fence begin?” I asked, deciding if I allowed her to dwell too long on her thoughts, she’d turn around and head back.

“The end of the hedge, where the massive stretch of lawn begins, that’s where my world stops and the other world begins.” She stopped and took hold of my arm. “I’m not sure about this, Eden. Today already started out badly.”

“Right. So the bad stuff is already out of the way. Let’s at least make it to the edge before you decide to turn back.”

Finley’s mouth was drawn tight as she considered my proposal. “All right, let’s get to the end of the hedge and then we’ll see. But it’s not looking good at this point.”

An incredibly long, perfectly trimmed hedge grew along one side of the yard. There was a pathway of bricks running parallel with it, and we walked along it in silence. The tension and fear radiating from Finley was palpable. And then I thought about back at home when Sophie or Janie had had a bad dream and couldn’t go back to sleep. I would get their minds off the nightmare by bringing up a different subject that interested them. For Janie, it was dolls, and for Sophie, it was princess stories, but I had the perfect topic for Finley. I knew that Finley’s fear was on a whole different level than a bad dream but getting her mind off our task seemed like a plausible tactic.

“What is Max like?” I asked.

The edge of the hedge was in sight, and Finley eyed it with trepidation for a second before answering. “He’s got long brown hair and brown eyes and he has a great smile.” The tension slowly drained from her voice. “His father is a big shot producer, and they have megabucks but Max doesn’t let it go to his head. He’s super down to earth, and he makes me laugh.”

“Humor has to be my favorite traits in a guy. I mean broad shoulders and a sexy smile are great, but if a guy can’t make me laugh then he’s history,” I said.

Things were going smoothly and Finley had definitely loosened up, but when we reached the edge of the hedge, she stopped abruptly as if there was a glass wall in front of her. I took a step past the hedge and then turned back to her. Some of the color had drained from her face, and I was having doubts about my bright idea.

“What are you going to wear to Cole’s party?” I asked casually.

I stood there just a step away, and she looked down at the ground, seemingly assessing the space between us. To her it must have been the size of the Grand Canyon.

“Max isn’t the kind of guy who likes expensive, designer stuff. I’ll probably just wear jeans.”

“That’s my whole wardrobe, so I guess I’ll be wearing the same.” I took a step back and Finley looked at me as if I was about to fall into an abyss. “The ground is solid out here, I promise. You can join me if you want. I noticed that both your brothers have tattoos symbolizing your dad’s band. What about you? Any tattoos?”

“I have a small pair of black angel wings on my butt cheek.” She pulled in a long breath and took a step as if she were stepping off the edge of a cliff. Her foot landed on the grass and she stared down at it. “Shit, shit, shit, I did it.”

“You did.” I took one more step back and sat down on the grass. “I can’t believe how lush your lawn is. You should have some horses grazing out here.”

“I keep telling my dad that, but he got kicked by a horse once so he thinks they’re dangerous.” She stood in the same place, but I noticed that her hands started unfurling from the tight fists she’d had just seconds before. “Jude races around town on a motorcycle and Dad thinks it’s cool. I, of course, pointed out the irony in it all. I mean, he thinks a horse is dangerous but speeding through Los Angeles on a bike is fine.”

“I thought Jude seemed like the motorcycle type.”

“I guess.” She took another step and looked around as if the landscape had changed with the second step. She took a furtive peek over her shoulder at the hedge, the end of her safety zone, and for a second, I was sure she’d flee back to it. But she stayed.

“I’ve always wanted a tattoo,” I said, deciding to keep the conversation moving. I was certain if she thought about anything too hard she’d jump back to the hedge.

“You should get one.”

“Some day, when I can afford it. Nothing fancy. I just want a spray of stars along one shoulder blade.”

“That would be really cute. And it would look great with your new suit.” That insatiable enthusiasm that snuck into her demeanor several times a day had returned. “I’ll call my tattoo artist. She makes house calls— for me, at least. I’ve been meaning to have a picture of Some Pig tattooed onto my shoulder. I’m sure she can put a few stars on you too.” She took a step and sat down next to me. Her hands smoothed over the tips of the green grass. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been on this grass. I used to play soccer out here with Jude.”

“You should have a web with a spider added above the picture of your pig with the words Some Pig written across it.”

“Oh my gosh, I love that idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Your mom won’t be mad if you get a tattoo, will she? My dad was pissed after I got mine. The man has tattoos all over, and rumor has it, even some raunchy ones in places I don’t even want to know exist on my dad. But one little tattoo on my ass and he went ballistic.”

I laughed. “My mom? She’ll be totally jealous. She’s always wanted one.”

“Your mom sounds cool,” Finley said.

“Yeah, I guess. But I confess, sometimes I dream about what it would be like to have one of those nerdy moms who wears polyester and bakes oatmeal cookies and always does the right thing. My mom was really young when she had me, so I could kind of understand why she didn’t always make great decisions. I really thought she’d change once my sisters were born. But she’s still pretty immature and selfish. I get suspended from school because of her joint and I had to spend the day consoling her out of her guilt trip.”

“That is pretty tweaked. But she loves you.”

“No doubt about that. Both of my parents would be devastated if something happened to one of us.”

Finley slipped off her sandals and dug her toes into the grass. “My mom never put up much of a battle for me. She despised my dad by that point and just wanted to get away. Not that she wasn’t devastated by Chloe’s death. She was. But then she left me without ever really looking back.”

“That’s brutal. As funky as my mom is, she’d never leave us.”

“Cole’s mom put up a good fight, but in the end, my dad won custody. Cole still sees her on birthdays and holidays. Jude’s mom was always wild. She left my dad and then died before any custody battle took place. Jude hardly knew her. My dad truly loved her, or at least that’s what he claims.” Finley looked around. “This is nuts. I’m just sitting out here and chatting.”

“Yep.” I looked back over my shoulder. “Where are those tennis courts?”

“Across the lawn and down a slope of grass.” She looked in the direction of the courts. “Someday we’ll make it out there. Do you play?”

“Yeah. It’s a sport I actually like. I’ve only ever played at school, of course. We decided not to renew our county club membership this year,” I laughed.

“Believe me, those memberships come with a lot of rules as my rather promiscuous rock star dad discovered one day. He was stripped of his membership, and I’m pretty sure he’s on every country club’s no entry list from here to New York.”

I looked over at her. “Really?”

“Yes. Apparently sex in a golf cart” she lifted her fingers into an air quote “is frowned upon.”

“Finley,” Jude called from the pool area.

“Over here, Jude.”

He came dashing around the hedge as if someone was chasing him and from the look on his face it must have been the devil. He slowed and quickly regained his usual cool composure once he saw his sister was all right. He strolled toward us, flanked on each side by an Irish wolfhound, which only enhanced that breath stealing aura that surrounded him.

“A long, black frock coat and some tall black boots and he could be Mr. Darcy of Pemberley,” I said out of the side of my mouth. He seemed to always sense the impact his presence had on me and I really hated that.

He lifted his phone. “Where’s your phone, Doolittle. I was trying to call you.”

Finley pressed her hand against her pocket. “I left it in the kitchen.”

Jude stopped at the end of the hedge and took a double glance at it. Then his green gaze focused on me, and I flashed him a confident grin.

“You went past the hedge,” he said.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Finley quipped. “And I’m not making you lunch if that’s what you’re out here for.”

“No,” he hesitated, “I was just worried about you. You didn’t answer your phone. But I can see you’re fine.” He turned and left. Damn, if he didn’t look just as good walking away as walking toward.

“That’s cute that he was worried about you,” I said.

“I suppose,” Finley said. “I think it was less worry about me and more curiosity about my new friend. I can see the way he keeps an eye on you.”

I stood and brushed the grass from my bottom. “Yeah, like someone keeps an eye on a pimple growing on their forehead.”

I reached down and she put her hand in mine. I pulled her to her feet. “Say what you will, but I know my brother.” We walked back to the hedge. Finley stopped and looked back over the grass. “It was a small accomplishment, but that was good, Eden. Thanks.”