Chapter 46: [book 2] chapter nine: late-night rendezvous

AFTER THAT EVENTFUL dinner, I went upstairs to my bedroom and dialled Brenton's number on my phone. It rang once, then twice, then three times, but no answer. I called him a couple more times before giving up. It seemed like he needed to blow off steam and had no interest in interacting with anyone. I skimmed through my contacts and clicked on James' name as I gave him a call. Similarly, the line rang but no answer. I was just about to call it a night when the light in the bedroom across from my window lit up.

Maybe I was feeling reminiscent, or maybe I didn't want to be in this house any longer, but I slipped on a hoodie, covering my head with the hood to conceal my identity, and I tiptoed out of my bedroom and down the stairs. I heard the sound of muffled voices coming from Mom's office —presumably hers and Adam's— but I left before either of them could come out. I slipped on a pair of flip-flops and stealthily exited the house as I crept next door. I rang the doorbell and used this opportunity to touch up my hair and look slightly presentable.

A wide grin appeared on my face as the front door swung open, disappearing almost instantly.

"You're not the pizza delivery guy." Behind the door stood a boy who looked to be a few years younger than Alex. He had a video game controller in one hand and a half-eaten chocolate bar in the other.

I placed my hands on my hips and raised my eyebrows. "And you're not my boyfriend."

A flirtatious smile formed on his face. "But I can be."

I scoffed at him. "Not a chance, kid. Who else is inside?"

"Why the hell would I tell you?" he retorted.

I gasped at his sudden attitude, but the kid didn't care. He was about to shut the door on me, but there was shuffling from behind him, and soon a woman appeared.

"I am so sorry about my son," she excused. "The sugar he consumes is rotting his brain." She snatched the half-eaten candy bar from his hand.

I eyed her strangely. "That's fine, but who are you?"

She wiped her hand on her apron before extending it for me to shake. "I'm Rebecca Finch. I recently moved here with my son and husband."

The sudden sound of footsteps caught my attention, and before I could register what was going on, I was tackled to the ground. I let out a groan as I fell back, which was soon replaced by a shriek when I saw the face of a massive St. Bernard staring back at me.

"Benji," Rebecca scolded. I assumed she was talking to her son, but I was surprised to see the dog suddenly get off of me. "I'm sorry, he must really like you."

I slowly rose to my feet as I watched the dog carefully, hoping he wouldn't make any more unprompted displays of affection. "What happened to the old owners?" I asked Rebecca.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It was never disclosed to us, but for the price this house was listed at, I wouldn't even care if there was a murder here!"

Ignoring that this woman was a bit of a loon, I glanced around at the exterior of the house. I had to admit they did a good job taking care of it. The shingles had all been replaced, the plants actually looked alive, and... Wait, that wasn't the point. Why did James lie about living here? Okay, maybe he didn't exactly lie, but why did he let me think he still lived in this house?

As I left the new neighbours' porch, I decided to call James. I really didn't want to fight since he was leaving so soon, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Hey," he answered after a couple of rings.

"Where are you?" I asked as I walked to my house. There was a lot of background noise and I could hardly hear him.

"I forgot my laptop at Penbrooke so I went to go get it," he answered over the noise, at least that was what I thought I heard.

"Are you at a party?" I didn't want to pry, but if he was going to retrieve his laptop, why was there excessively loud music in the background?

"Yeah." There was a pause. "I ran into some friends and they wanted to get a few drinks."

I took a breath before I responded. "Sounds like fun."

"It would be if you were here."

Any ounce of butterflies I got from his cuteness disappeared in a millisecond when I heard the faint voice of a girl from his end.

"James, let's dance!"

"I'm on the phone," I heard his muffled voice say. "Hey, Dani, can I call you back later?"

The butterflies in my stomach were now replaced by a sinking feeling. "Sure, yeah."

"Okay, talk soon."

"Love..."

He hung up.

"...you."

I felt a pang in my chest as I stared at my reflection on my blank phone screen. One thought led to another and I found myself looking at my unread messages.

Are you free tonight?

~*~

"Right here is good," I said.

The car pulled to a stop a few houses down from mine. "I can drop you in front of your house if you'd like."

I chewed on my lower lip nervously. The drop-offs were the worst part. "You know it's too risky." I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the car door, but I froze when he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"When can I see you again?"

"I don't know," I admitted. With James back, the ongoing family drama, and my newfound personal drama, no time seemed like the right time anymore.

"Well let me know," he said. I nodded my head as I got out of the car. "I love you."

"Me too," I muttered, shutting the door behind me. I watched him drive off, not breathing out a sigh of relief until the car was no longer in sight. I was casually walking toward the house, but my eyes widened when I saw a figure loitering outside. I tried to retreat, but I knew it was too late when the person turned around.

Crap, don't tell me that was...

"What are you doing out at this hour?"

I folded my arms across my chest as I took a step forward, realizing it was too late to stay hidden. "I could ask you the same, Rollins."

"I'm here for your idiot brother," he explained. "We were supposed to go out."

It made me feel slightly better knowing Brenton was also icing out Holden and not just me. "Mom found out about the sports car and they got into a huge fight."

"I'm guessing he left to clear his head," my twin's best friend mused.

I sighed. "It appears so."

"Were you looking for him?" Holden asked. When I raised my eyebrows, he gave me a questioning gaze. "I mean, that's why you're out this late, right?"

"Oh." I paused. "Yeah, I went around here and there."

"On foot?" he asked in disbelief.

I innocently shrugged my shoulders. "He took my car and I don't have a licence, what did you expect me to do?" I made a mental note to get my licence replaced as soon as possible.

From the look on his face, I could tell Holden didn't believe me, but surprisingly he didn't push the topic any further. Before either of us could continue the awkward conversation, the porch light turned on and I caught the outline of two shadows behind the front door. Mom didn't know I had left and I wasn't up for another lecture, so I grabbed Holden by the arm and dragged him to the bushes beside the porch.

"Dani, what are—"

I pressed my finger to his lips to silence him before yanking him to the ground behind me. I peered through the bushes as the front door opened to reveal Mom and Adam.

"Um, Dani?" Holden whispered.

"Shut up," I hissed before focusing back on the scene in front of us.

"Darling, it's nothing to be upset about," Mom's voice filled the quiet summer night.

"He doesn't respect me!" Adam's voice boomed. "How can I see a future with my girlfriend if her children don't respect me?"

"He'll come around," Mom said. "Brenton has had his defences up since his father left."

I felt a sinking feeling in my chest at the mention of my dad. It had been years since my mom ever discussed him. Holden whispered to me again, so I slapped my hand over his mouth to shut him up. Now was not the time.

"Then maybe your children need space from me," Adam said in response to my mom.

"What are you suggesting, Adam?"

"Perhaps I should keep my distance from the house for a bit."

"Adam..."

He kissed my mom's cheek before walking off the porch and to his car. Mom stayed outside until he started the engine and drove off before quietly returning back to the house. A very small part of me felt guilty, but a larger part of me was relieved I wouldn't have to see him as often.

Once my mom was out of sight, I uncovered Holden's mouth. "What was so important you couldn't wait?"

"Um, you're kind of on me," he answered in a bashful tone.

I shot him a sheepish smile when I realized I was practically sitting on his lap. I muttered an apology as I stood up, but I hadn't made it too far when I froze in place, my eyes widening. When I felt Holden stiffen behind me I mentally cursed myself for being in this situation. "Is that..."

"I'm going home."

I didn't even spare him a glance as he bolted off of my lawn and to his car. Once I heard his car speed down the street I let out a huge breath. I had three words for what just happened: what the hell?

Of all things, Holden got a boner? Seriously?

I internally groaned as I powered on my phone to tell James, but the thought left my mind as soon as it came. James would be beyond furious, and if he knew then Brenton would too, and if Brenton knew, then Holden would cease to exist. I had to get this off my chest to someone so I dialled Amber's number.

"Hey," her voice chirped.

"You won't believe what..." The ringing of my phone stopped me from talking further. My eyebrows shot up in surprise when I saw James' name flash on my screen. "Let me call you back, Amber."

"But I want to hear what—"

"Bye!" I ended the call and answered James'.

"Sorry about earlier," was how he greeted me.

"It's fine."

He paused. "Is it?"

I chewed on my lower lip as I thought about his question. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

I ran my hand through my hair as I walked up to the porch before sitting down on the concrete step. "I know you don't live beside me."

"Oh, that."

"Why would you let me think that?" I egged on. "You got so mad at me for being dishonest when you did the exact same."

"You're right."

I couldn't deny it, I was a bit disappointed he admitted he was wrong so soon. I was just getting ready to ramble on and on.

"I was embarrassed to tell you the truth," he continued.

I rolled my eyes even though I knew he couldn't see me. "I think we're well past that point."

"Tate got arrested for getting into a fight at a bar."

Not surprising.

"He couldn't make bail so he's locked up and the bank eventually took over the house," James explained. "He's no longer my legal guardian so I've been staying at my Penbrooke apartment."

"Are you crazy?" I said a bit too loud. I looked around to make sure no one's lights turned on. The continuous drives from Penbrooke to Stone Creek must have been exhausting and I couldn't believe he was doing all of that just to make me think he was around. "You should have just told me. I feel awful."

"Don't be, it's my fault." James paused for a moment. "No more secrets for real this time."

"Yeah, sure," I lied through my teeth. To redeem myself for the many things I wasn't being honest about, I decided to be truthful about something, so I told James about the Niko situation. It had been far too long since I heard from him and I was getting really worried.

"You have to make it right," James told me when I finished.

"How?" I whined. Regardless of my intervention, Mom was bound to go ballistic over the news.

"You can't change what already happened, but you can be accepting of Niko and his fiancée moving forward," he advised.

"Even if I don't like her?"

"Especially since you don't like her."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked. "He's not even answering my calls."

"Come to Penbrooke with me," James offered. "I'm sure he's staying at his apartment, so if he won't talk to you then you go talk to him."

A slight smile formed on my lips. "You want me to come with you?"

He scoffed. "Why wouldn't I? You're my girlfriend and I love having you around."

All of the paranoia I had from our last phone call dissipated and my face was in a full-blown smile. "Let's go to Penbrooke then."

"Good," he said with a chuckle. "So, Niko's fiancée is thirty, huh?"

"Don't get any ideas," I warned.