Page 53 of Breakaway Heart
“I’ll just say we met in Mexico. We’re dating. It’s mostly true.”
Randy nodded, but he began to look a little uncomfortable, and at first, I wondered if it was because of my answer.
“Lucy. I know I told you my family can be difficult. Well, it’s worse than that. It’s why I started to hide myself away. But I might have to be him today.”
“You mean,Bad Randy?”
His brow had a worried crease now, and his mouth was flat and serious. All the humor had gone from his eyes.
“Yeah.Bad Randy. Otherwise, it would be like throwing a chicken sandwich to a polar bear.”
“Likewhatnow? But okay, I get it. Good to know, I guess.”
It unsettled me a little. I hadn’t seen him this flustered before. It didn’t seem natural for him.
23
CRAP-ACCIO
We pulled up outside the faded cream townhouse, and I looked outside, just in time for a football to thump against the window, making me screech in surprised terror. As I opened my eyes and looked again, a heavy-set man with an exhilarated look was coming along the lawn toward us.
“Goddamnit!” Randy hissed. “Sorry. That’s Bobby, my step-brother. And he’s the smart one.”
“Rrrrrrandy!” Bobby hollered at us, like a boisterous child, spoiling for a fight.
Randy climbed out of the driver’s side and walked around to my side. Before he could open the door for me, Bobby had him in a headlock and was wrestling him to the ground. I watched the two of them thrash around before an older man emerged from the front door and started barking at them.
“You bums get out of my flowerbed or I’ll beat the both of you!”
They stopped at the sound of the voice and dusted themselves off, standing embarrassed in front of him. Tiredof waiting, I pushed open the car door myself, and their attention turned to me.
“Well, who’s this?” The older man said, a small twinkle in his eye that I tried to ignore.
“Pa, this is Lucy.”
“Sure is.” He said, his gaze still fixed on me. “Well, c’mon in.”
I joined Randy’s side, his once pressed shirt now untucked and grubby from rolling around in the dirt.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Randy whispered to me. Then he took a firm jab on the arm from Bobby when his father wasn’t looking.
As we stepped across the weather-worn porch and into the living room, the first thing I noticed was a musty smell that seemed to be in everything, as if the dust and age and lack of care had formed its own aroma.
The second thing I noticed was that there were no photos of Randy in the house. I mean, there were pictures everywhere, filling the walls and covering the cabinets. The oafish step-brothers holding up impossibly-sized fish, some old black and white pictures from a different generation, even the dog that was now sniffing around my feet featured on those walls.
A woman who featured prominently in many of the pictures suddenly stepped out in front of me, loud and cheerful, but at the same time looking tired and wrung out. On top of her head, her frizzy blonde hair was wild and spiralling out of control, her hands constantly trying to push it back down.
“Oh, hello!” She said cheerfully, the smell of boiled sweets coming with her words.
“Hi!” I said, trying to sound as delighted as I could. “I’m Lucy.”
“Carol.” She said in return, and then seemed to be thinking of what to say next. In the end, she yelled “JAKE!” over her shoulder and then returned to smiling at me.
“WHAT!” A voice hollered back from the other room.
“WE’VE GOT GUESTS!”
“IT’S JUST RANDY!” Jake screamed back.
