Page 13 of The Stand-In

He nods and presses a button to open the enormous iron gate, and I pull through.

I’m not a stranger to wealth. While my parents are not wealthy, I have aunts, uncles, and other family members who are. I’m used to big homes, fancy cars, and luxury goods of all kinds. We understood that we were a privileged family, but it was never really a big deal to any of us cousins.

But the kind of wealth that London’s family has? That’s foreign to me. I don’t know a lot about them, or how they amassed such a huge empire, aside from knowing that their father was one of the tech guys that made it really big in the nineties. They have access to billions of dollars, which is a concept that I can’t really wrap my head around.

Not that I need to.

At the end of the road is a smaller driveway with a brick mailbox, and I turn to follow it through some trees that have lost their leaves. It winds around for another quarter mile or so before the house comes into view.

The sun has just gone down, and the house is lit up from the inside out. It’s a two-story estate, and it sprawls with beautiful, old trees surrounding it. There’s even a fountain in the middle of a circular driveway.

Fancy.

I climb the steps to the front door and press the doorbell. I can hear some shuffling inside, and then the door opens.

But it’s not London who answers.

“Who are you?” a young voice asks as he peeks out from the side of the door.

“Caleb!” That’s London’s voice yelling out from inside the house. “You can’t just open the damn door.”

“She saiddamn,” the boy says with a snicker, and then the door opens wider, and London’s frowning down at the kid. She’s in a white terrycloth robe, with one eye made up and the other one naked. I can still smell the soap from her shower.

“Hi,” she says and huffs out a breath. “Sorry, I’m running a little late, which seems to be the norm today. Come on in.”

She steps back, making room for me to step inside, and I feel my eyebrows climb, despite myself.

My entire family would fit in the foyer. And that’s saying something, given that my family is massive.

“Your home is lovely.”

“It’s big,” the boy named Caleb says with a shrug. “Come on, I’ll show you my game room.”

“You don’t have to—” London begins, but I shake my head and offer her a wink.

“Go get ready. We’ve got this.” London’s a mom. I had no idea. How didn’t I know this?

She sighs, seems to weigh her options, then shrugs. “Okay, thanks. I won’t be long, and Miss Quinn is in the kitchen fixing a snack, so she’ll join you in just a few.”

“Don’t worry. Go.”

Caleb gestures for me to follow him and leads me into a room that is, indeed, a game room.

There’s a big couch facing a huge television, and I see he has his game console on, and Mario Kart is ready to go.

There’s a popcorn machine and a candy station that seems to be locked, and that makes me grin.

“How often do you get to raid the candy box?”

“Only when Mom and I watch movies in here. I guess the last people used this as a movie room, but I mostly play games in here. What’s your name?”

“Drew. And you’re Caleb?”

“Yeah. Caleb Rome Ambrose. I’m named after my uncle. He’s thebest.”

“I’ve met him,” I inform him and sit on the edge of the couch. “He’s a really nice guy. My dad is named Caleb, too.”

“Is his middle name Rome?”

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