Page 134 of Haunt Me

“Do you need to get that?” I ask him in a low voice.

He looks right at me, and just says, very intentionally: “No.”

Then he turns his full attention back to Walter, who is telling a story about Eden to Mom. Mom is listening with a smile on her serene face, and I admire her so much. She is the one person I can always rely on, no matter how hard the situation is. It’s because of her that everything has gone so smoothly today, and it’s because of her that Walter looks so much more relaxed now.

Justin has also left, and it’s just us five: Walter, James and Mom talking softly by the window, and Faith and me standing by the stairs, as if we’re waiting for Manuela to appear to tell us that Eden is all better. As if that’s going to happen. I mean, hopefully it will, but not in the next five minutes, I don’t think. Not in the next five hours either.

“Gosh, your brother is hot,” Faith murmurs and I jump.

“What?”

“Sorry, you are too.”

“What?!”

“But in a dark, tortured poet way,” she replies, her eyes gazing dreamily upon my brother’s stupid face. He looks oblivious. “He looks like a Greek god’s statue come alive.”

Kill me now.

Does James even know about the effect he has on women? I bet he doesn’t, the oaf. On the other hand, he is enough of a moron to know and not care.

“What are you talking about, Fee?” Suddenly, my head is splitting.

“But he is…” Faith goes on, mesmerized. Good lord, is she shivering? “He is as handsome as you, and then some. Those long, strong fingers with the silver rings… That lip ring… He has that look about him, like he’s kind of an ass, you know?”

“He is,” I murmur.

I doubt she even realizes I am standing next to her right now. She’s so far gone, it would be funny it if weren’t disgusting.

“He looks like the fantasy of every girl, and not in a good way. He looks like he’s every single woman’s type,” she says dreamily. “Every red flag rolled into one delicious package.”

Ok, this has gone on long enough.

“Faith,” I say sharply, trying to snap her back into reality. “No offense whatsoever, but you do know that he is about a hundred years younger than you, right?”

“What did you say?” she looks at me suddenly, jumping a little, as if she is surprised to find me standing here. I knew she had forgotten all about me. That’s the effect James has on people. Magnetic. My dad used to be the same, except he was much less of an ass about it.

“I said, you are a bit older than Eden, right?”

“I’m thirty-four,” Faith replies, her voice trembling.

I take a sip of my soda, smacking my lips. “James is barely twenty,” I tell her and she turns the most alarming shade of purple.

“You… Oh my, I’m mortified. I am so embarrassed, I didn’t… I am so sorry, Isaiah,” she says. She can’t even look at me, as she tries to explain: “He looks like a man. Well, not that he isn’t, I meant that he… The way he acts and carries himself, the way he commands the room, the way he…”

I know exactly what she is talking about; I decide to put her out of her misery.

“He looks older,” I agree with her. “He acts older too. He’s had to, you see. You wouldn’t believe the things he has been through. But he is just a kid.”

I can see her thinking‘you both are’as she looks at me, but I shoot her a menacing glare, and she swallows the words.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I am so sorry. I am so embarrassed, I don’t know how…”

“Hey, hey.” I place a hand lightly on her elbow. “Don’t be embarrassed, not when you’re with me. It’s the rule: we can’t be embarrassed around each other.”

“What rule?” she asks suspiciously.

“A new one. I just made it up.”

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