Page 75 of Eight Steps to Alpha

Chapter 27

“Why did you do that?”Fe yelled as she slammed the passenger door behind her. She was pissed. Pissed and embarrassed. She turned to face Elliot, yanking the seatbelt over one shoulder.

“I could ask you the same question,” he stated, fastening his seatbelt before turning to face her.

“What’s that supposed to mean? All I was trying to do was get us out of this mess, but nooo…” She threw the wad of bills on the dash before sitting back in her seat. “Now we have this!”

“Why did you tell them we were a couple?” Elliot asked, his voice low and unreadable.

Oh.She froze. She’d forgotten about that detail. “It was a long time ago.”

“So?”

“It was…easier.”

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Easier now?”

She heaved out a heavy sigh then slowly wiped down her face with both hands. “Because my mom is always on my back. She thinks if I’m not dating, it means I’ll end up alone, and that she’ll never have grand babies because my brothers…” She shook her head, having gotten too far off track. “There was this guy,” She met Elliot’s eyes. “She wanted to set me up with him, and well, I just blurted it out.”

“Blurted what out?”

“That you were my boyfriend. That we’re a couple.”

His frown deepened, and he shook his head, as though he still didn’t understand.

“I just wanted my mom off my back, you know?”

He nodded.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

He turned on the truck, threw the transmission into gear, and grinned. “Well let’s do this then.”

* * *

It wasa couple hours later when Fe flipped her hair over for the last time and turned off the blow dryer. Across the hall, through the walls and doors of both bedrooms, Elliot’s voice could be heard bellowing out some song about frogs, and fishing, and true love. She grinned into the mirror, brushed her hair down over her shoulders, and smoothed it down with her hands. With limited supplies, there was very little she could but wear it down, but that was okay. Her aunt’s parties were never fancy. Just full of good food, lots of wine, and dancing.

She slipped the light blue dress from its hanger, dragged it over her head, and fastened the small button at the back of her neck. The dress was simple, with delicate sleeves and a skirt that fell loose around her thighs. Most of all, it was something to keep her mom off her back about always wearing jeans. Taking the lip-gloss from her pants lying on the floor, she smeared some over her lips, then pinched her cheeks to add some color.

David was waiting for them in the kitchen, so she walked out of her bedroom, down the hall, searching for him. She found him quickly, standing by the counter, dressed in slacks and a dress shirt with a glass of whiskey in one hand. “Yeah, she’s coming. Yeah, he’s here too,” he said into his cell phone.

Davin’s home was large, big enough for a family of ample size, but David lived alone. He had more money than sin, but he had no one to share it with. She looked around the kitchen, taking in the top of the line appliances and pristine marble counter tops.

“Is that ma?” she whispered to him, making him turn in her direction.

He held up one finger, and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll be there soon. Yeah, as soon as they’re ready. I love you too. Bye.” He set is phone on the counter, then picked up his drink and took a long sip. He studied her for a moment, as though there was something on his mind he wanted to say. “Want one?”

Fe moistened her lips and nodded. “Sure.” Placing one hand on the counter, she dragged it along the cool surface, and tried to push down the nervous fluttered that were crawling up her insides. David was the least approachable of her brothers, and the one who was the most likely to make things difficult.

He opened a cabinet, seeming amused by her behavior and pulled out a glass. He filled it a good inch with whiskey, then lifted his own glass and took a long sip. The sound of Elliot’s voice still carried across the hallway, and made David smile. “Quite the song bird you have there.”

Fe paused, hearing Elliot belt out something about true love. Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a drink, attempting to hide her amusement. “He sings when he’s happy,” she stated. But then she sobered. Because somehow, that realization bothered her. She turned in the opposite reaction, sure her reaction was evident on her face.

What did he have to be happy about anyway? He’d just been tortured by her brothers, was about to be given the third degree by her entire family, yet here he was, in an unfamiliar shower, washing off all the layers of dirt pushed into his skin when he was tackled a million times, singing. She looked out the window above the sink, realizing her heart was suddenly beating faster than usual.

Rarely did she find Elliot in a bad mood. Rarely was he ever unhappy. She took another large sip of her drink, hoping the whiskey would settle her nerves. She set the glass on the counter, realizing she was completely ignoring her brother and turned around.

He was watching her, almost like he could read her thoughts. “I never pictured you with a guy like that,” Dave said, flashing his eyes toward the hallway again.

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