Page 6 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
The food arrived then, thankfully. As they served us, I watched Julian. He made eye contact with everyone in the room for at least a few seconds, and in return, they bathed in his attention. He seemed like more than the average rich teenager, with charisma that couldn’t be denied. I lowered my gaze, reminding myself he doled out the charm for everyone, and I wasn’t special.
But, in a way, I was, wasn’t I?My mom thought so, at least. For the moment, though, my hidden talents remained my little secret, my way to make myself a future regardless of other people’s plans for me.
Realistically, I understood it didn’t make me special to Julian—a plethora of girls likely fell at his feet all the time. Other girls could afford to bask in a few minutes of his adoration then get over it when he was done with them. In my case, he was my employer’s grandson and nothing more.I wonder what she plans to pay me?I shoved the thought away, since it didn’t really matter. I didn’t have a bank account anyway, but that could be a problem for another day. I turned my thoughts back to Julian.
He isn’t going to be my friend.I long ago came to terms with the fact I wouldn’t have friends until I was on my own. Only then would I have a shot at figuring out how to be around people who didn’t find me lacking at first sight.
“So where is your dad?” Julian asked conversationally.
He took a bite of his food, so I did the same. Immediately, warm, gooey, cheesy flavor filled my mouth, with just the right amount of crunch on the crust. Despite having had a lot of pizza since moving to New York, I still loved it. The city might never be my favorite place—too noisy—but their pizza was exceptional.It worked out great for me, since my aunt didn’t mind the pizza deliveries coming to the apartment. She didn’t have to remember to feed me if I took care of it on my own.
I chewed and swallowed before I answered him. “Dead, too, four years before my mother.”
He shook his head slowly. “That really sucks. And you didn’t know her family, but now you’re stuck with them? Well, I’m sorry about how things worked out for you, but if I’m being honest, my father doesn’t care much for your uncle. In fact, the word he uses to describe him issnob.”
Considering their world, if someone was calling someone else a snob, it must really be bad. I shrugged, though. “He could be worse, trust me on that. I don’t see him much. He’s hardly ever home.”
My mother’s older sister had been worse than my aunt’s husband.Muchworse. I shook away the memories as inconsequential.
“I’ll take your word for it. But you’re not going to the same school as your cousin? I used to see her a lot around the Hamptons, despite mostly skipping out on those visits, but she moved since then, right? She is … what, twenty-one?”
“Yes, she moved to London after she got married.” She had married someone with a title, so no one cared that she didn’t finish college. “I never really knew her. I mean, I never met her or anything. I’ve heard a lot about her, though, because her mom is proud of her.”
I sighed. Anytime they talked about me, it only ended up being a list of complaints.
He smiled at me. “Surely there must be something you want to know about me. I can tell you’re the type to keep things to yourself and think about things you aren’t saying.”
Oh, he really is dangerous.
“I’m not a mind reader—at least not when it comes to you yet—but I can tell you’re thinking hard. That’s fine, but if you have questions, this isn’t a job interview. I don’t get to decide who Granny wants around her. Actually, she would laugh if I suggested such a thing. Even her sons can’t keep Granny in line. Despite the fact that we have a lot of men in this family, we are very much a matriarchal group.” His smirk didn’t seem annoyed at admitting the fact.
Well, what does that mean?I’d never heard the term before, so I asked for clarification. “Your mother’s in charge?”
“Yes, mostly.” He smiled, waving his drink before taking a sip. “That doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally sneak out of our beach house without telling anyone then come to New York City because I hate it there. I mean, not the house, per se, but the whole scene.”
Oh, to be so rich.I couldn’t even imagine being rich enough to afford to be above it all.
He pointed at me abruptly. “What did you just think? Tell me, even if it’s mean or rude.”
“No,” I sipped my drink then set down my food. I was full, but I would take it home and eat the rest at three a.m. when I was up creating.I’m always starving then.I didn’t eat or sleep at normal times, and I hadn’t for years. Even when my mother was alive, I wanted food at three a.m. and not at noon. I’d always been weird that way.
Just built differently in some ways.
“No?” He grinned. “Oh, come on. Tell me. I’m dying over here. People love to tell me things. I’m a people person.”
I blinked at him. I could see it. “What is your brother, your twin, like?”
He laughed, throwing his head back. “That must have been some bad thought you had about me, if you’re willing to ask me a personal question to avoid answering. Fine. Jeremy? He’s allaround an exceptional human being. He’s my best friend, my ride or die. We don’t look alike. I got the dark hair, and he’s blond . You wouldn’t guess we were even related if you didn’t know us, because he’s the only blond one in our branch of the family. Our older brother is eighteen and starting Columbia in the fall—Barrett. He’s quiet and serious, but he really cares about things and people. The baby, Phoenix, is sixteen, like you. He’s … complicated.”
Complicated.I considered the different implications of the word, then realized I’d only asked about Jeremy, but he’d shared a lot more. “Your mom had four babies in three years?”
He nodded. “She did. Barrett was planned. After they had him, they thought it would be great to have two kids grow up really close together, so they tried for another. Surprise, they got two of us! At that point, they said,okay, we’re done. This is too much.Fate had a different plan, because they got Phoenix next. No more surprises after that, luckily for them. Four boys in three years, so we grew up together, but there were more of us than they expected.”
It sounds like heaven. I could even imagine liking Julian as a person, theoretically. Not because his kindness wasn’t faked—it very likely was—but because he came home to a dedicated and amazing support system.
The waiter and themaître d’approached our table. They both grinned at Julian, talking to him like he was the king of Manhattan. I nodded when they asked if I wanted my pizza to go. My gaze slid back to Julian, and I reminded myself of the charisma I noted earlier.The shoes never lie.
When I pulled out my credit card to pay, he shook his head. “I’ve got this. Put that away. Granny made it sound like your card comes with strings. No need to get on some checklist because you ate pizza tonight.”
