Page 18 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
Interesting.I blinked before I came up with a response. “Kind of nice, though, if your family wants to be together. Mine doesn’t. They all hated my mom. They still do, even after death. My other three aunts and uncles talk to each other, and then only sporadically. It doesn’t make sense to me for a family who loves each other to not try harder to find more time together.”I shook my head, annoyed at my own continued babbling. “I’m shutting up now.”
Julian finally joined us at the edge before he slowly looked down. After a few seconds, he took my hand in his. “True. That’s the idea, anyway. Our family is different than most of the families we know. We have two other uncles. One is a venture capitalist—he gives money to startups and things like that. The other is a doctor. They both rent offices in the city in buildings my other uncle owns.”
I nodded, impressed by their ability to remain civil with so many family members. I sniffed the air, loving the way the wind seemed to tangle its fingers in my hair despite the mess it was going to be later. I could smell a hint of rain on the air, the tease of a storm to come that had threatened but not shown up at the library. Mist and the fog would rise up the sidewalk, some things easy to predict as clockwork.
I would be lying if I pretended not to find it interesting that Jeremy pointed out they once took heat for something they couldn’t control. I also wondered what they got made fun of for, exactly.
“You have questions.” Jeremy nudged my shoulder. “I can see you thinking, but you stopped talking, as promised. You shouldn’t. Say whatever. It’s what friends do.”
Julian squeezed my fingers. “He’s pushier than me, but not pushier than Barrett. I just want you to imagine how out of control Phoenix and I feel when we’re with both of them. We just do what they say.”
Jeremy shook his head. “You do not. You both do whatever you wanted to do in the first place. Take recently for example. You took off from the Hamptons because you’re bored and appeared here. No one had a clue where you went, and you turned off the tracker on your phone, until you finally told Dad.”
Julian frowned before shrugging a shoulder. “I don’t like being leashed. You don’t like it any more than I do. Where’s your tracker?”
“Not here.” Jeremy smirked. “Point taken. If I’m honest, our parents don’t much care where we go. They stopped paying attention to us years ago.”
Julian shook his head. “Not true. So long as we don’t embarrass them, they allow us at least the illusion of freedom. Still, there are things about our lives very well tracked. The consistency of their attention has sometimes caused brutal consequences, in fact.” Julian squeezed my fingers again. “Answer his question, though. What were you thinking about?”
I sighed and weighed the possibility of them later using any of the information against me, but then I realized nothing I was thinking about was that important. “In addition to contemplating the weather and likelihood of rain, I thought about how your father and uncles are really impressive in their careers. My mom was a waitress, and I don’t know what my father did. He died when I was so young, so it isn’t like I remember. I guess not much of anything, probably. They were both from New York City, but other than that, I know next to nothing about him. I guess the rest of my mom’s side of the family is doing well.” At least financially, in their careers. “Or maybe not? I really don’t know. My aunt doesn’t work, but she does a lot of volunteering. My uncle works, but I don’t even know what he does, except he’s the CEO of something.”
Jeremy lifted his eyebrows, surprise evident in his expression. “He works in hedge funds. He runs a fund of funds.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but I could look it up online later, since I wasn’t about to admit my ignorance to Jeremy. I wasn’t sure what my aunt and uncle in San Francisco did for a living. My aunt in Chicago lived off her divorce settlement andactively sought another husband, but the knowledge brought me no special pride.
“How can you not know anything about your dad?” Jeremy took a step back then wandered toward the other end of the roof. He called over his shoulder, “Everything is on the internet.”
I shrugged, since he wasn’t wrong. I had looked. I’d found a small announcement of his death and that was it. I wasn’t even listed in the obituary. “I know, right? But he’s not. Weird, isn’t it?”
Julian met my gaze. “It is. So, your mom left New York, and you were raised without a clue about her life here until she died.”
So simplified. Simplified to a degree that made it sound much less dramatic, but I wouldn’t argue with his assessment. Still, suddenly, I felt bone tired. I rubbed my arms, wishing I wore something warmer. “I think I need to go home.”
Julian touched my lower back, drawing my gaze. “Sure. We’ll take you home.”
“You could just tell me how to get home. No reason to spoil your night.” I stepped away from his touch and tamped down on the urge to stay in his embrace. I really did need to get away from them. They made it too easy to talk about things best left buried. But when I moved, he did too.
Jeremy joined us in a few quick steps. “Of course we’ll take you home. You’ll know the city before long, but tonight, we’ll get you there. Afterward, maybe I can even drag Julian to a party.”
“You can’t.” Julian nodded toward the door, so I followed him to it. “Besides, you know all the good parties are in the Hamptons. If you want parties, you should go back. I came to New York for peace and quiet. I don’t see why I have to spend my summers around the same people I endure all year long.”
Jeremy laughed. “Because that’s what we do.”
“Right.” Julian grimaced. “The other thing we do is see our friends home.”
The plan started with me reading books in the library with Julian. I wasn’t sure when the night took a turn in a direction I didn’t foresee.Oh, that’s right. When Jeremy appeared.
They got us a rideshare, but the ride ended up being a blur to me as I fought off exhaustion. I didn’t know if it was because I wasn’t used to talking so much or because I wasn’t used to baring my soul. Either way, tiredness hung on my shoulders like a mantle.
The lights of the city swirled together as the car whisked us through the streets. The driver seemed to know every dip and bump in the street and went out of his way to hit them all, so we jostled along together, bumping shoulders in the back. Skyscrapers loomed above us like silent giants, while the city’s pulse resonated through the night. As we approached my building, relief and apprehension made my stomach clench. Home meant rest, but also the possibility of encountering my aunt. The thought of another conversation where she listed all my faults wasn’t appealing in the least.
We piled out of the car when it came to a stop. The nighttime doorman eyed us for a second before he recognized the twins and glanced away, giving us the pretense of privacy. Staff always amused me—they saw so much, probably always watching the occupants of the buildings. They could probably write bestsellers if they ever divulged the truth.
“Thanks for the company,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “It was … different than I expected but also unforgettable. Thank you. Also, I would like to pay you back for dinner.” They hadn’t let me pay. In fact, I never saw the bill. I didn’t even know how they managed it.
Julian offered a warm smile. “Anytime, really. We’ll go out again tomorrow night. I don’t know where yet. I’m sure Jeremy won’t want to sit and read.”
His twin laughed, as if the very idea was ridiculous.
