If I Lie : Book 2

34. He Whom Paints His Nails

Do you like boys who paint their nails?  Normalize it anyway! Answer in the comments!

Ashley POV

The party was quiet and small, they mostly welcomed Noah with hugs and talked about their lives and only their lives, their memories about the good times. Joss and Vera had nothing nice to talk about from their childhood. How Eliza explained it to me, she had a terrible childhood, her mother was finding love wherever she could and her birth father died so she married often and the husbands or boyfriends were all shit. 

They touched her, or tried too. Vera stood in the place more so, so Eliza and Joss didn't get hurt as much. Other times they hung around the streets of New Orleans and would go make trouble to keep themselves out of the house. 

I'll never forget that she told me that, it stayed with me and bothered me that someone like her could've lived that existence as a child. But she put that forward in good graces, giving our children everything that she could. "so?" I asked her, leaning against a column in the backyard. We watch Noah swim in the pool with his brothers, sisters and cousin. They look happy, he looks like he's acclimating. 

"He's going to transfer and go to school with the kids, but highschool won't be easy for him-- those rich assholes are all sucking from old money's tits," Eliza spat; she passed me a joint, I take it gladly and shift my view to Lita, who has her head cocked to Noah as if she is taking notes. I can't put my finger on the home wrecker but it's not my job to care anymore so I take a deep inhale, smoking. "his house isn't far from the school so it doesn't matter if he's here or there."

I blow out smoke. "cool," I mutter. "how's the work coming along?" I passed the joint back after taking one more puff. 

"Slower, since you don't work at the office anymore."

I sighed. Of course she would give me some blame on this. But I knew Eliza, she worked hard to become a billionaire and she would finish her project. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do with myself, I am twirling in the wind about my source of income. Sure I could just lie on the money from the divorce, what I had collected and my art I had sold a few months back but I wasn't making any commissions because I had been busy working with her. "you'll figure it out." I tell her.

"You should try working full time at the school, they need better art teachers and this way you can watch Noah," Eliza had a point. Noah was going to get picked on being an eleven-year-old in highschool. 

"I'll take it up with the staff."

"We should wrap this up, it's getting late and I have to drive them to school."

I agreed, it was 9:40 and they needed to get ready for bed, Noah especially. I knew how hard it was to sleep when you're not in your own home or used to sleeping in a different place. She put the joint out against the column and stashed the remainder a pouch that went back into her purse. "okay, let's wrap it up now!" I yelled across the yard, grabbing two towels for the kids. They all came out of the pool and took one for themselves. I covered Dallas and Georgia up in a towel and kissed their foreheads. 

"Did you have a good time?" I asked. 

"Yes mommy!" Georgia squealed. 

I pat them off and send them into the house, "go on,  auntie Joss will run you a bath and then I'll come to your room to tuck you in."

"Okay!" They run off with their siblings. Noah is left behind, with a towel covering his shoulders. "what's wrong son?" Alan asks. 

I come to his side with Eliza as Lita and Alan are cleaning up along with the rent-a-maids. "I just want to thank you guys."