Page 39 of Embracing My Nightmare
Devlin: What time will you be home? I want to take you out tonight.
His words gave me a brief respite from the fear building inside.
Me: I’ll be home in about an hour. We are about to eat, then I can leave them to catch up.
I typed my response and set the phone down, before walking over to Blaire and wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She glanced at me and I nodded, letting her know I felt it too. Something was off and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
I had purposely left out Cameron and the bad feeling that has washed over me, not wanting to make Devlin worry. The minutes away from him tore at my heart and the fleeting seconds we had together were never enough. My phone chimed again and I looked at the screen, smiling briefly.
Devlin: Hurry home my precious lamb.
“You can go home if you want to,” Blaire explained, moving to the counter to finish making the dessert, her gaze drifting to the yard periodically.
From her position, she could see the grill and was watching the brothers get reacquainted. Chuck’s posture was tense, and we were worried for him. The sudden reappearance of Cameron had all of us on edge.
“I’m not leaving until after lunch. Besides, I want to see what his deal is.” I lifted my chin toward the backyard.
“Something about this whole thing seems wrong. Why just knock on the door after all this time? Why not a phone call?” She put the cobbler into the oven and leaned against the counter, her arms crossed in front of her.
The door opened and Chuck walked in, the plate from the raw burgers in his hand. Closing the sliding glass door, he placed the plate in the sink, and washed his hands. He spoke while he was working, and Blaire and I were attentive to his words.
“I think he’s looking for money. He keeps talking about some big deal he has in the works and hinting he’ll be hanging around for a while. I told him he couldn’t stay here, and he seemed offended.”
He turned, drying his hands, then continued to speak while he poured two lemonades.
“Could you go into the garage and grab the umbrella for the table? I think we should eat outside, and I don’t trust him in the house. After lunch, we’re going out for ice cream. Anything to get him to leave.”
I worried he may be just another user, trying to swindle from the people who loved them. I had seen a few of them in the foster system and it was sad the level of greed that existed. He took the drinks to the patio and Blaire went to the garage, carrying the large umbrella to the outside table.
It was too hot to be outside, but if Chuck thought it best to keep him out there, I could sweat a little. I wanted to question Cameron during lunch and see what he wanted from my parents. I carried the side dishes to the patio table and was startled by Cameron’s raucous laugh. It was probably my overactive imagination, but I could swear there was a depravity in his laughter that couldn’t be hidden, no matter how hard he tried.
They seemed to make small talk, but every so often Cameron would talk about his big deal coming up and Chuck would cringe slightly. I don’t think Cameron even noticed how uncomfortable everyone was and he kept putting his arm over Chuck’s shoulder, laughing and squeezing him.
The burgers were done and we finally sat down to eat. I was across from Cameron and kept catching his eyes on me before he turned to answer a question or overtake the conversation. He was loud in an annoying way and I was starting to see what Chuck meant. He seemed to be a wheeler dealer and I wouldn’t be surprised if he offered Chuck the ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ before he left today.
“Are you Blaire’s sister, Elise?” he asked, and I looked to Chuck for guidance.
He shrugged and I answered a question with a question. “Do you live around here?”
“Honestly, I’m just passing through. After I make my deal, I’ll be moving on, but I wanted to see my big brother while I was in town,” he responded, leaning back in his chair.
“So, this is a one-time thing? You disappear for two decades then return for a quick lunch?”
“Elise,” Blaire chastised and I felt her hand grip my knee lightly.
“I was hoping to rebuild our broken relationship. Chuck is the only family I have.” He turned to his brother. “You know they died a couple of years ago. I found a friend from before we took off, on social media, and he let me know. Some kind of electrical thing that burned the trailer to the ground.” He shrugged like the death of their parents was no big deal.
I don’t know how I would feel if I found out my parents were dead, but I think I would be a little less callous about discussing it. Chuck pursed his lips and nodded abruptly. Blaire reached across and took Chuck’s hand briefly, squeezing it before returning to her lunch.
“Good riddance, I say,” Cameron added and I dropped my fork on my plate with a clatter.
Pushing back from the table, I stood and looked at Cameron. “I’m going home. I suddenly don’t feel very well.”
Blaire hugged me and Chuck motioned for me to call him later, with a weary expression on his face. I ignored Cameron and walked out the front door, the feeling of his sleaziness coating me in a thick blanket. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but it wasn’t my place. I would let Chuck handle his asshole brother how he chose. I sent a text, letting Devlin know I was on my way home and pulled out of the driveway.
I saw a car pull out of the empty house a couple doors down, and each turn I made, they followed. Cameron’s reappearance had me feeling jittery as I made my way back to my apartment. The car turned into the tavern and I shook my head at my overactive imagination. Pulling into the garage, I quickly made my way to my floor and let myself in, locking the doors behind me. Shaking off the strange feeling, I let Devlin know I was home and went to get comfortable. I might not smoke often, but today was the kind ofday I needed to numb my brain.
The locks disengaged behind me as I was reaching into the cabinet and pulling out the small amount I kept from Chuck’s bag a few weeks ago. I had put it away, not needing anything but the high I got from Devlin. He walked in and stalked to me, turning me in his arms and picking me up, encouraging me to wrap my legs around his waist.
