Not too high up on the scale to be intimidating to everyone, and not too low on it to be dismissed.”
He added looking right at me, “Adria, right?” He smiled wide. “I’ve seen you at Finch’s Grocery a couple of times. I work in the back. I’m the stocker.”
“Oh yeah!” I said, but the reply was really for me. That was where I had seen him before. “Yeah, my aunt practically runs the place now with Mrs. Finch being sick and all.”
Nathan moved from Isaac and tossed his arm around the back of my neck. “Be careful,” he whispered, leaning into my ear. “My brother has this problem, you see.”
“Nate,” said Isaac, glaring, but then he looked at me instead. “Don’t listen to him. Really.”
Nathan pulled me closer. I could feel the humor in his pose, the huge, mischievous smile plastered all over his face.
“No, seriously,” Nathan went on, “Isaac is what your folks might call a Ladies’ Man.”
I saw Isaac’s expression out of the corner of my eye; it shrank into something less solid and more humiliated. I laughed. Inside, of course.
“He even has his own cologne,” said Nathan. “It’s called...Dark Allure or some cheesy thing like that.” He swirled his hand that hung over my shoulder, melodiously at the wrist.
“Nathan is a complete liar,” Isaac said shaking his head. “Besides, I don’t wear cologne.” His leering eyes left mine and fell upon Nathan for a telepathic moment. “You haven’t tortured Xavier in a while. Why don’t you go see what he’s up to?”
“Yeah, Nate,” Daisy said from the side; a crooked smile lay faint in her lips. “You should find Xavier. I think he’s in the back room with the lot.”
She and Isaac shared a knowing look.
All of the sibling banter eased my nervous mood, but it also made me think of Alex.
Nathan seemed suspicious. After all, neither Isaac nor Daisy exactly hid the fact that there was some plotting going on between them. I felt his arm slip from around my neck.
“Alright, alright,” said Nathan, giving in to Isaac though not falling for his obvious tricks. “Tell the big boss, Beverlee, I said hi.”
“I will,” I said as he walked past Isaac and slugged him playfully in the stomach.
Isaac waited until Nathan was out of sight.
“Sorry about him,” he said. “He doesn’t get out much.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I sensed that maybe Isaac really was embarrassed by what his brother said to me. But why would he care?
No...That’s a stupid thought....
I shook off the stupidity fast enough to remove that sudden hopeful look on my face. It seemed that killing the strange infatuation was going to be harder than I thought.
I doubt I was hanging out with Isaac and Daisy for more than thirty minutes when Zia joined us. But when she came back she seemed stressed and said to Isaac something about needing Trajan home ASAP and that Aramei was sick. It must have been pretty bad. I was politely rushed out and driven home by Isaac, Damien and Dwarf.
“Tomorrow around eight,” Isaac said. “We’ll pick you up if that’s a good time for you.”
We were sitting at the farthest end of my dirt and gravel driveway. The hot amber of a cigarette glowed brightly and then faded from the front porch. No one smoked in our house, but I was certain it was a cigarette.
“Eight o’clock is good,” I said and then opened the door and stepped down from the Jeep. “Thanks for the ride...again.”
“Not a problem.” His lips never smiled, but I could see the smile in his eyes as if we were sharing some secret moment that could only be relayed through them.
I didn’t know what was happening to me. I mean aside from his jerk-like tendencies, strange family life and plethora of girls, which I did realize Zia had been right about his disinterest in them; I was completely into him. Everything about him. How he was gorgeous underneath such a rough exterior and how he didn’t care about popularity and fifteen-dollar socks. He
He added looking right at me, “Adria, right?” He smiled wide. “I’ve seen you at Finch’s Grocery a couple of times. I work in the back. I’m the stocker.”
“Oh yeah!” I said, but the reply was really for me. That was where I had seen him before. “Yeah, my aunt practically runs the place now with Mrs. Finch being sick and all.”
Nathan moved from Isaac and tossed his arm around the back of my neck. “Be careful,” he whispered, leaning into my ear. “My brother has this problem, you see.”
“Nate,” said Isaac, glaring, but then he looked at me instead. “Don’t listen to him. Really.”
Nathan pulled me closer. I could feel the humor in his pose, the huge, mischievous smile plastered all over his face.
“No, seriously,” Nathan went on, “Isaac is what your folks might call a Ladies’ Man.”
I saw Isaac’s expression out of the corner of my eye; it shrank into something less solid and more humiliated. I laughed. Inside, of course.
“He even has his own cologne,” said Nathan. “It’s called...Dark Allure or some cheesy thing like that.” He swirled his hand that hung over my shoulder, melodiously at the wrist.
“Nathan is a complete liar,” Isaac said shaking his head. “Besides, I don’t wear cologne.” His leering eyes left mine and fell upon Nathan for a telepathic moment. “You haven’t tortured Xavier in a while. Why don’t you go see what he’s up to?”
“Yeah, Nate,” Daisy said from the side; a crooked smile lay faint in her lips. “You should find Xavier. I think he’s in the back room with the lot.”
She and Isaac shared a knowing look.
All of the sibling banter eased my nervous mood, but it also made me think of Alex.
Nathan seemed suspicious. After all, neither Isaac nor Daisy exactly hid the fact that there was some plotting going on between them. I felt his arm slip from around my neck.
“Alright, alright,” said Nathan, giving in to Isaac though not falling for his obvious tricks. “Tell the big boss, Beverlee, I said hi.”
“I will,” I said as he walked past Isaac and slugged him playfully in the stomach.
Isaac waited until Nathan was out of sight.
“Sorry about him,” he said. “He doesn’t get out much.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I sensed that maybe Isaac really was embarrassed by what his brother said to me. But why would he care?
No...That’s a stupid thought....
I shook off the stupidity fast enough to remove that sudden hopeful look on my face. It seemed that killing the strange infatuation was going to be harder than I thought.
I doubt I was hanging out with Isaac and Daisy for more than thirty minutes when Zia joined us. But when she came back she seemed stressed and said to Isaac something about needing Trajan home ASAP and that Aramei was sick. It must have been pretty bad. I was politely rushed out and driven home by Isaac, Damien and Dwarf.
“Tomorrow around eight,” Isaac said. “We’ll pick you up if that’s a good time for you.”
We were sitting at the farthest end of my dirt and gravel driveway. The hot amber of a cigarette glowed brightly and then faded from the front porch. No one smoked in our house, but I was certain it was a cigarette.
“Eight o’clock is good,” I said and then opened the door and stepped down from the Jeep. “Thanks for the ride...again.”
“Not a problem.” His lips never smiled, but I could see the smile in his eyes as if we were sharing some secret moment that could only be relayed through them.
I didn’t know what was happening to me. I mean aside from his jerk-like tendencies, strange family life and plethora of girls, which I did realize Zia had been right about his disinterest in them; I was completely into him. Everything about him. How he was gorgeous underneath such a rough exterior and how he didn’t care about popularity and fifteen-dollar socks. He
Similar Books
