I didn’t really want to, but if I got on her good side, maybe it would make things easier.
If I forced Marie to do everything, she might spill way more information than I wanted. Making her life easier might spare us all.
I swallowed and raised my hand just over the edge of the table.
Carol brightened and seemed to relax. “You don’t have to raise your hand, Sang, but I appreciate you volunteering.”
It was a split second after that I considered I’d be downstairs doing the dishes and that would give Jimmy a chance to search the attic space alone.
I hoped Gabriel was watching. We needed a better way for him to hide up there.
Marie was still chewing her last bite when she stood up. “So I can go back upstairs now?”
“I need to see your room clean tonight before you go to sleep,” Carol said. “It needs to be vacuumed, the ceiling fan dusted, and new sheets put on that bed. Wash them now so they’re dry by the time you want to go to sleep.”
Marie kept her head down, strands of her long brown hair covering her face. She mumbled something on her way out. Despite her dour attitude and the fact that I had to worry about her betrayal, I was sorry for her and what we were going through.
I needed to talk to her. I needed to know what Carol knew, and hopefully convince Marie not to say too much.
I wished she’d let me help her more. Like me, she’d been through so much. She didn’t deserve much of it. As much as I wanted to dislike her because of how she sometimes treated me, she was still my sister, and it was hard to forget the times when she had tried to help me.
Suddenly I wondered if trying to plan an escape helped her at all. What happened to her if I left at any point?
For Marie, Carol might be good for her. Sure, she was a shock right now, but Carol could help her finish up school and make sure she was taken care of. If she’d hoped for something normal, like I always had, this might be something she needed.
Was I selfish to want to disrupt it all by getting Carol to go away? Or if I left, would it somehow affect how Marie was treated by Carol? Would it ruin things for all of them to be normal?
My father left the table to sit at his computer in the family room. Not a word spoken to anyone. I wondered if he had any sort of plan at all. His quiet, tense disposition felt like he was just letting things fall where they might and hoping nothing fell apart under him.
I pressed my lips together, trying not to appear to be frowning, but I couldn’t help but feel I was secretly trying to clean up his mess. He didn’t seem to want to be here at all. He didn’t have the guts to stand up to Carol to stop her.
Jimmy thundered up the stairs. Marie walked up, heading to her room. I heard their footsteps. Jimmy’s were as loud as my heart in my chest.
Carol found containers to put the rest of the food away. I cleared the table of dishes. “You need to wash everything by hand before putting the dishes into the dishwasher,” she said. “And wash the pots and utensils separately and don’t put them in the dishwasher. Just dry and put them away.”
I wondered why she wanted everything done by hand, but she didn’t offer an explanation.
This was going to take longer than I’d thought. I cleared the table and soaked everything in soapy water. I opened the dishwasher, still full of dishes.
When I opened the cabinets, they’d been rearranged. Some items were new. I studied them quietly for a moment. I glanced at Carol to see if she’d noticed me hesitating. She had her back to me, saying nothing, but focused on clearing the table and wiping it down.
I couldn’t imagine being in a new house and rearranging everything. Things that belonged to other people.
I had let things go, wanting to leave. I couldn’t imagine how angry Marie was right now. In a sense, this had been her house for a while.
Carol dumped crumbs and a paper towel into the trash and then reached for the phone. She pushed the voice mail button and put the phone to her ear.
My muscles tensed, and I moved slower, trying to pretend I was focused on dishes. I waited, trying to hear what she was listening to. I could hear mumbling, but I couldn’t make out what was said.
Carol’s face changed, an eyebrow lifting. She looked at me.
My heart raced, and I felt my blood drain from my face. School? My stepmother? The guys calling and she hated that a boy was calling for me? I couldn’t imagine who it was or what the guys were planning.
Carol pushed a button on the phone and then passed it to me. “You’ve got a job?” she asked.
What? I dried my hands on my clothes quickly, reaching for the phone to listen.
“This message is for Sang Sorenson,” Uncle’s voice came through on the phone. In the background, there was the clanging of pots and other kitchen sounds. “Is she back yet? Luke’s out on Sunday. Came down with the flu. I can’t have him here getting everyone else sick. I know it isn’t the schedule we agreed to, but if you can help me out, give me a call.”
I hoped Luke didn’t have the flu. I thought it odd that Uncle was calling now. He didn’t really need me.
The guys might have asked him to. But I didn’t understand their plan. Why get Uncle involved?
What was going on?
I had to run with it. I saved the message and nodded slowly to answer Carol. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “The diner that opened up. I...” I stalled, unsure what to say, trying to figure out this plan the boys might have come up with.
The phone rang in my hand, startling me into dropping it on the counter.
Carol rolled her head back shortly. “My God, child. You’re a skittering mouse.”
“Sorry.”
She picked the phone up quickly and answered it. “Hello. Sorenson residence. This is Carol speaking.”
My skin prickled at “Sorenson residence.” It suddenly occurred to me if she managed to marry my father, she’d take that name.
Carol listened and instantly shot a look at me. “She’s here. May I ask who is calling?” Pause. “Yes, one second.” She covered the phone to talk to me privately. “Your friend Jessica is on the phone.”
Jessica?
How many people were the guys going to get involved?
I reached for the phone, feeling odd that I could have a phone conversation at all. Especially in front of her.
I wondered if my father could hear this. Such things had never been allowed before. Jobs? Phone calls? It was unheard of.
Carol remained nearby, watching me as I spoke into the phone. “Hello?” I said quietly.
“Hey,” Jessica said quickly. “Kota’s here. One second. Talk about camp. Like tell me what happened.”
What were they doing? Couldn’t he have waited for me to get back upstairs and use the cell phone? I faked a smile, even though it was awkward. I did my best to come up with something to sound like I was just chatting with a friend. “Oh, uh, camp was fine. It...was cold. The first night, I couldn’t sleep very well. I didn’t even realize my sleeping bag was heated.”