Page 15 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
My stomach grumbled and made the decision for me. Steak sounded great, regardless of the company. I glanced down, realizing I still clutchedDunein my hand. “The book is great so far.”
“It is. Surprisingly, I’m likingWrinkle in Time, too. We can talk about books over dinner and leave Jeremy out.” He grinned back at his brother. “He hates being left out.”
Jeremy flipped his hair out of his eyes. I wondered if he missed his last haircut or kept it long on purpose, since the hair flip seemed such a rich boy move. I almost checked myself for being mean, then remembered it wasn’t like he’d been charming when we met.I can think all the mean thoughts I want.
“I’ll eat. You two can talk about whatever you want, so long as the food is good.”
Julian sighed. “I would prefer if you talked, actually. I hate it when you go quiet, and you know it.”
“Do you talk a lot?” Jeremy asked, head turned my way, intentionally ignoring his brother. Wind caught my hair, dragging the strands into my eyes and I wished for an elastic to pull it back.
Finally, I shrugged. “I talk. A normal amount, I think.”
“Mostly inside her own head, in my experience. When she does speak aloud, it’s fascinating.” Julian grinned at me. “This way.” He tilted his head left, and I followed where he indicated. Without meaning to, I ended up in the middle, a twin on either side.
Jeremy caught my eye when I stole a glance in his direction at a crosswalk. Despite looking so different from his brother, something about him made me think twin. Maybe it was the way they sort of moved in sync. I didn’t notice in the library, but I did now.
“You’re not who I thought you would be,” he said.
I gulped only once before finding the words to respond to him. “What did you think I would be like? How much could you have heard about me? I only met your brother yesterday.”
He stared at Julian and then me. When the sign changed towalk, we automatically slid into motion without him answering.Finally, when we reached the other side, he said, “You might be surprised how quickly Julian can assess someone. I heard a lot about your first encounter. He’s kindhearted, much more so than the rest of us, which makes me feel protective of him.”
“I’m not that nice,” Julian disagreed.
I followed the brothers into the restaurant without further comment.
Themaître d’fawned over just them like the one at the Italian restaurant.Does everyone in town know them?I wondered how far their influence reached—the other side of Manhattan? Philadelphia? What about Miami?
I tuned it out mostly, but I realized the conversation had changed to water polo and Jeremy wasn’t participating in their banter. When I glanced his way, he whispered in my ear, “I said something very mean to you earlier, insinuating that you might be bad for my brother. I also mentioned I liked to keep him protected, yet you haven’t said a word. Are you going to?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “No.”
My response obviously bothered him. He rocked back on his feet, shifting his shoulders and staring at me. “That’s all you’re going to say?No?”
In my mind, there wasn’t much more for me to say. I followed Julian and the host to a table in the back, near a window. Outside, drizzle pattered softly. A mist rose off the sidewalk, the captured heat from the day nearly making it sizzle when it was confronted by the moisture. I stared at it, considering it a very uniquely city phenomenon. I never saw anything like it in my childhood. At home, I could smell the rain before it fell, a clean fresh scent on the air. In San Francisco, Chicago, and even New York, the sidewalks fogged when rain began, making it a city experience.
“Alatheia,” Julian said then grinned. “Penny for your thoughts?”
I smiled back at him. “Not worth that much.”
“I bet they are.” He shook his head. “You do like steak, right?”
I nodded. “I love it.”
“So, she really does talk to you.” Jeremy side-eyed me. “And, yes, I’m speaking about you in front of you, which is rude. Still, maybe not as rude as talking about you behind your back, which we’ll probably also do when you’re not around.”
I opened and closed my mouth, considering my response. He knew the profound rudeness of his comment, grinning despite his actions, so I cleared my throat. “Well, my imagination is darker than anything your lackluster brain can come up with anyway.”
As soon as I spoke the words, I wished I hadn’t. Julian laughed but Jeremy didn’t. Instead, he leaned toward me, considering me carefully. Since I was seated between the two of them, it brought him closer to me than I preferred. I doubted Jeremy ever did anything he didn’t mean to do, so I recognized the intention.
“What terrible things could come into your head?” The weight of his full attention kept my mouth from opening, since my brain refused to form words. His smile didn’t waver as the waiter appeared, saving me from having to respond.
I decided then that together, the twins meant danger. I struggled with Julian on his own. With Jeremy as his counterbalance, I wasn’t sure I could get away from either of them fast enough. I also determined, for my own wellbeing, it would be the only dinner we would all share together.
The smart move was to protect myself from as much pain as possible, at least until I could make my own decisions and control my own life. Plan in place, I only had to stick to it. I straightened my shoulders, reminding myself my mother managed to escape, and I would too … somehow. Sticking to the plan would help me survive until then.
“You upset her.” Julian frowned. “Knock it off. She’s not like our classmates, and she doesn’t want to play with you. You’ll have to be real or you’re going to get nowhere with this girl. It’s why I liked her right off the bat. It’s also why you’ve been acting so squirmy.”
