"Get in" He told me from the driver's seat, leaning his head toward me
"I'm good thanks" I tried, using all my might to ignore him, refuse him the power Penny insisted I held
"They say hail is on its way, so I'm going to ask you one more time, get in" He attempted to persuade me.
I had heard of no hail, but the deep blue colour of the clouds above me held a small amount of green tinge, only making his demand that much harder to ignore.
I stopped my long strides and stared up at the sky, cursing at it for betraying me in such a wicked way, and then I did as I was told, getting into the small import race car.
It was just as I remembered it, only this time, it held more history, more detail in its small space. I shifted uncomfortably in the seat, knowing yet unknowing to who had earlier been sitting in it.
"Are you cold?" He asked, the gruff in his voice deeper than I remembered
"I'm fine" I folded my arms over my chest, keeping my eyes firmly out the window
"I see your sister is home" He urged conversation
"She is"
"For how long?"
I sighed and forced my eyes to sustain away contact with his own
"Not sure"
He knew I was dodging him, in every way I could, but that didn't seem to stop him from forcing dialogue on me.
"I wasn't expecting to see you at the track on Saturday"
I gave a snort, watching outside the window as small coin sized hail began to drop from the sky, small dings pounding on the vehicle
"I hope you have insurance" I muttered
"I do" He replied, unbothered "Do you know Brody personally?"
My jaw moved slightly sidewards at the sentence, his tone intrusive
"He's Brad's brother"
"I figured that, but do you know him personally?"
"No, why?" I snapped
"So you just make it a habit of yours to get into strangers cars down at the race track do you?"
I couldn't help but snap my head towards him, angered at the question
"The blond, you know her personally?" I turned on him
Suddenly, his eyes avoided mine, the question just as rude as his own
"That's what I thought" I snickered, moving my eyes back out the window, concentrating on the sound of the hail stones pelting down on the metal exterior of the car.
"You have to be careful of who you trust because of what you know now"
"I am careful" I retorted "Are you?"
"Don't spin this around Eden" He rolled his eyes, pulling into my driveway where I knew Grace would return at any moment.
"You know, you're quite the hypocrite. You can hang around anyone you want, take them racing and take them to god knows where else to do god knows what, but I can't befriend my friends brother?"
I placed my hand on the car door handle, ready to leave, no matter how violent the weather outside was
"What are you talking about?" He shot, all wounds on his face nearly transparent
"Don't play stupid with me" I scoffed "I don't even know why I bother"
"You've been talking with Brad's friends, haven't you?" His eyes narrowed
"Excuse me?" I demanded, watching him with a fierce gaze, ready for battle
"His friends, they've told you things about me, haven't they?"
I was through playing games
"Yes, they did, so what? Is any of what they say untrue?"
Again, he moved his eyes from my grip
"That depends on what they've said" His voice was low, defeated
"You know what, I don't care, do what you want with whoever you want, just don't come knocking on my door at an ungodly hour because one of the dozen girls you sleep with has a boyfriend that tracks you down and beats the shit out of you, okay?"
My words were full of poison, and my tone shocked even my own brain.
I spun around and pulled at the door to leave, only to have it collide with something, someone standing outside of it.
Great
"Eden, is this Oscar?" Grace asked, holding an umbrella over the opened door
"No, he's just some guy that lives across the street, he gave me a lift, that's all" I brushed her off, pulling myself out of the car under her protection
"Oh" She smiled, staring at the man and his disguised clever good looks.
"Hi, you must be Eden's sister, I'm Phoenix" I glared as heavily as I could, knowing he was being sly and crafty.
"Hi I'm Grace" She replied, leaning in for a brief handshake
"We should get inside, Oscar will be here soon" I rushed out, pulling on Grace's umbrella, rain hitting her dark navy coat
"Eden Skye, don't be so rude" Grace smiled, her total mien changing
"You live across the street?"
Phoenix nodded "I do, with my older brother"
"I'm surprised we've not met before" Her eyes were narrow as I tugged on her again "Say, what are you doing at 7?"
I closed my eyes and grit my teeth "Grace, don't" I voiced lowly
Phoenix was eating out of the palm of her hand, a perfect smile in place, his eyes warm and kind - full of lies "No plans"
"Would you and your brother like to join us for dinner?"
I cursed under my breath as Phoenix nodded "Sure"
I pulled back, confused, less than a week ago, he had been blasting me for turning up - unintentionally - to one of his underground matches, and now he was seducing my sister for a dinner invitation.
"Great, we'll see you then" Grace smiled, stepping back, pushing the door closed
"You shouldn't have done that" I mumbled as Phoenix pulled out of the driveway, making the short trip back up to his own garage.
"Care to explain?" Gracelin urged as she moved us inside, blocking us from the rain above
"He's bad news" I began, shrugging as I emerged from the shower, pushing my hair up into a messy top bun
"How do you know him, how long have you known him?"
"Not long, we... we just, we were checking our mail at the same time and got talking" I lied, hoping to inform Phoenix of this lie too before he blew our cover.
There was no way I was going to involve Grace in this mess
"Why is he bad news?" Her eyes were on me as she stood in the kitchen chopping up capsicum
I plucked a piece off of her chopping board and shoved it into my mouth. Like a mother would, she slapped my hand away
"Set the table would you?"I rolled my eyes and did as I was told, also pulling my phone from the pocket of my loose fitted jeans, multitasking.
'SOS' I messaged Penny, needing a game-plan
"So what about his brother, have you met him before?" Grace continued curiously
I nodded, placing down a table runner "I have"
"What's he like?"
"He's great" I honestly told her "He's very smart and charming..." I trailed off
"Does he look anything like his brother does?" She grilled, a whole new side of Grace evolving
"They have the same face, same eyes, same hair, although Jett's is a little longer around the face, they may look similar, but their personalities are completely different"
"And what about Oscar, what does Oscar look like?"
"Oscar is... he's okay, he's cute" I shrugged "I think he's Spanish"
"Interesting" She mused, tossing her ingredients into a sizzling pan over the cook-top
"Grace?" I stopped, holding 5 ceramic white plates firmly in my grip
"Mm" She responded
"Why the sudden interest in boys?"
Grace and I hadn't talked about boys in years, not since Kaiden. Kaiden was a rough topic, even back then. Whenever Grace was in town, we talked about school, Penny and her latest flings, but when it came to me and boys, it was never a conversation starter. All of a sudden, here we were, hosting a dinner party for three of them.
Grace shrugged "Since I've been back, I've seen something different in you" She leaned her arms on the counter top, narrowing her eyes on me, scrutinizing me
"I saw it in Penny, and realized it was because of Bradley, and I've seen it in you, and I assume it's also a boy, but which one, I'm having a difficult time deciding on"
I scoffed "It's not like that"
"You know you can't lie to me, right?" She quirked an eyebrow
I shook my head and decided silence was the best course of action here, returning to setting the table. Grace left it alone as she resumed cooking dinner, the smell drifting up my nose, refreshing and delicious.
Tonight was going to be a nightmare, but at least dinner would be a dream.
Once I was finished designing the table to Grace's standards, my phone vibrated in my pocket, Penny replying to my message as I trudged back towards my room.
'What's going on?!' I dialled her number, closing my door behind me.
Explaining my dilemma to Penny via call would be a whole lot easier than texting her, especially when 7 o'clock was nearing closer and closer, teasing and taunting me.
"What's wrong Milford?" Penny answered after the first ring
"Grace invited Oscar, Phoenix and Jett to dinner tonight, I'm going to pass out, or run away, or... fake my own death" I panicked, pacing my bedroom
"Wait, what?" She spat "Why would she do that?"
"Because apparently she see's something in me that could only be the doings of a boy" I rushed "Thanks to you and your twinkle eye romance with Bradley"
"So she's playing detective, inviting them all to dinner at once?"
"Yes, and I'm freaking out a little" I bit into my nails, anxiety setting in
"Just relax, it's not going to be that bad" She attempted to soothe me, hopeless
"Sitting with Phoenix and Oscar at the same table as my sister for a night isn't going to be that bad? Is that how you go about settling me down Penny?" I snapped
"Eden, settle down, do you want me to come over? I can unexpectedly arrive and crash the party, will that make it easier on you?" She offered "I'm good at talking, they won't get a word in"
"No, no Grace will see right through that, you need to figure out a way to get the brothers not to show up" I told her "I don't want Phoenix in my house, I don't want them telling Grace about what's going on when she isn't here"
"How am I supposed to do that?" Now she was the one panicking. I was screwed.
Abruptly, the doorbell sounded, exactly on 7pm, exactly the moment my heart fell into my stomach and my eyeballs fell out of my skull.
"Was that the doorbell?!" Penny shrieked
"Yes it was Nancy Drew, thanks for your help" I barked, hanging up on her and darting down the hall to where I could see Grace pull open the front door
"Good evening" She greeted the two brothers standing in the doorway, neat and tidy, showing off.
I propped myself against the hallway entrance, struggling to keep myself together.
Grace could read my body language, she could see through my lies, if I made one wrong move tonight, she would know about it. She was on the prowl, investigating the inner-workings of my social glitches, something which she could at no cost discover.
"I'm Gracelin, but you may call me Grace" My sister introduced herself, her language formal as though the boys were clients of hers
"I'm Jett, and as you've already met, this is Phoenix" Jett spoke, his voice rough and amiable"
Jett, it's nice to meet you, and good to see you again Phoenix" Grace politely spoke, allowing them entry to our home.
The boys then proceeded in direct view of me, awaiting Grace's directions.
"Hello Eden" Jett smiled toward me, his hair combed back and shaped
I gave him a small smile in return. Jett wasn't the problem. It was Phoenix I had a problem with.
When I sincerely thought about it, I didn't mind Jett being here, I would rather sit with him and Grace any day to have dinner with than Phoenix.
"So how long have you lived across the street, I'm surprised we haven't met before" Grace began as she and Jett moved towards the dining room, Phoenix pausing where he could see me with my arms across my chest
"What are you doing here?" I thoughtlessly shot
He didn't seem bothered by my lack of graciousness
"I was invited over for dinner" He shrugged his unbuttoned black pea coat
I rolled my eyes and moved towards him, stopping a few steps away from his overpowering arrogance
"You and I" I began "We barely know each other, we met while retrieving our mail, got it?"
He tucked his hands into his pockets, his face smug "You mean you don't want me to mention the fighting over dinner?"
I narrowed my eyes, lethal "I'm surprised you turned up you know, I thought you'd be out with that gorgeous blond at the drag track, gallivanting around any abandoned shack you can get your scarred hands on" I mocked.
As tension filled silence fell, the doorbell rang for a second time tonight, another guest in our wake.
His face had fallen a little, my words somehow affecting him. Satisfied, I allowed myself a celebratory smile, pushing past him towards the door where I knew Oscar would be.
Before I could reach for the handle, Phoenix had grabbed me, his fingers wrapping around my wrist, holding me beside him at a closeness that made my breathing stop.
"A lot of the rumours you've heard about me, are probably true, except that one" He whispered gently towards me, his breath running across my face
Again, the doorbell rang, breaking the silence
"Did you want me to get that Eden?" Grace called as I yanked my hand away, mentally shaking my head free from Phoenix and his fluent appeal
"No, I got it" I called back, moving from Phoenix towards the front door, pulling it open
"Hey Oscar" I smiled, inviting him inside.He, like the brothers, was dressed smart and tidy. He had his hair brushed and pulled back into a small ponytail at the back of his head; small strands were tucked behind his ears. He wore black jeans and a dressy red shirt, tucked in.
"Who are they?" He noticed the Marx brothers, Jett sitting at the table with Grace while Phoenix sauntered around the living room beside them, glancing over our framed pictures on the fireplace.
"Just some guys from across the street, Grace invited them" I shrugged, brushing them off
"I've seen them before" He narrowed his gaze as we entered the dining room
"Probably around town or something" Grace then turned and remembered the original interrogation, standing to greet Oscar.
"Hi, you must be Oscar" She smiled "Sorry for the change of guest list"
"Oh no, that's fine, thank you for having me" Oscar respectfully smiled, shaking her hand
"Please, have a seat, I'll get dinner out now" Grace instructed, eyeing me off with a raise of her eyebrows suggestively approving.
I sat down at the table, Oscar to my left, Jett and Phoenix opposite me and Grace at the end of the table. In front of us, sat mixed Italian salad, Chicken tenders with lemon and garlic, lamb chops with Rosemary and potato salad with bacon. For Grace, Phoenix and Jett, there was wine, red. For Oscar and I, coke. What a date.
"Dig in" Grace instructed, rubbing her hands together
It was quiet, the clatter of kitchen utensils being used, the sound of silence ensuing, until Grace lifted her eyes and began the examination.
"So Oscar, you're in the same grade as Eden, do you have any plans for college at the end of the year?" Oscar quickly swallowed his lamb, fiddling with his fork
"I'm not too sure yet. My family owns a few mechanic repair shops around the state, one here, so my mother wants me to work for my uncle on a traineeship"
"Oh" Grace smiled, phoney "Is that what you want?"
He shrugged "I like cars, I've grown up around them so I think it would be okay"
"Have you ever worked on any import cars?" Jett asked, joining conversation
Oscar nodded "Yeah a few"
"Would you be interested in having a look at an RX-7? We've been having problems with the motor, Phoenix here thinks he knows, but, I have my doubts" Jett joked, earning a small laugh from Grace and Oscar as I buried my face in food.
"Sure" Oscar nodded, eager for the experience
"I don't even know what an RX-7 is" Grace snickered
"We take it down to the track sometimes, you should join us the next time you're off of work" Jett invited, his tone soft, engaging.
I hadn't heard Jett speak too much, but there was something about his character that changed when he spoke to Gracelin
"Speaking of, I heard you work in Europe Grace, that's pretty cool, I mean, what part have you enjoyed the most?" Oscar continued, his façade to changing her 'mind' about the holidays at hand.
Grace seemed to think for a moment while chewing her chicken "I think Portugal would be my most liked, the scenery is quite beautiful and the people are very kind and friendly"
"Do you get much time off while you're over there?"
She shook her head "No, not really, I mean on some occasions we have shorter business days, so I do get the time to explore, but even then, my mind always seems to be on other things, like the cases I'm working, home, Eden..." She trailed off, smiling towards me "It's nice to see the world, but the world is a whole lot nicer from where I'm sitting right now"
"Nothing can compare to family" Oscar took another bite of his lamb, slowing chewing as though he was savoring the meal
"Do you come from a big family Oscar?" Grace resumed, keeping it casual as the brothers opposite me ate quietly, listening in on conversation
I could see Oscar's hand lightly twitch, the topic as touchy as my own
"Grace" I mumbled, uncomfortable
"No, not really" Oscar answered anyway "There's just my mother, my older brother and my younger brother"
Grace nodded, taking in the information slowly. I waited for her to quiz him on his father's whereabouts, and it was obvious Oscar could sense it too
"My father died about a year ago, a motorcycle accident" He revealed publicly
"I'm very sorry" Grace apologized "I bet you miss him a lot"
"I do" He briefly smiled, returning his eyes to his meal
"Sounds like we've all lost someone important to us through tragedy" Jett added "Our mother and father died when we were young too"
Now it was Phoenix who grew rigid, gripping his fork unusually tight
"Oh, that's awful" Grace sympathized, tilting her head slightly sidewaysI wondered why Jett hadn't mentioned his sister Arabelle.
"It's always hard to cope when you lose a parent, even after a reasonable amount of time, it always feels like a part of you is missing. Eden and I can't imagine what it would be like if our parents were still here, let alone a little brother running around the house" Grace persisted with kindness and wise words, her healing past my own coping rate.
I was having a hard time sitting still at this point. The table conversation had become dark and gloomy, and at the mere mention of my parents and my little brother and their deaths, I wanted to curl into a ball and rock myself into a deep slumber. I couldn't think about it, and every time someone mentioned it, the thoughts forced their way into my brain.