“Sorry, I won’t bring them up again.” I rested back and looked out the window. I decided to stop worrying about Jude accompanying me home. There was no way to avoid it now.
There was a frustrating amount of stops on the way to the freeway, and the bus filled up quickly. Two energetic teenage girls got on at the final stop and walked to the back. They sat down across the aisle from us and stared openly at Jude.
He hurled a charming smile their way. “How’s it going?”
They nearly fell out of their seats with glee.
“Great,” one of them chirped. “You look so familiar. Were you at Sadie’s party last night?”
“Yeah,” he pointed at them, “you’re—” he snapped his fingers, trying to summon their names.
“I’m Katie and this is Bree,” the girl answered.
“Right, right. Great party.” He leaned back and I stared long and hard at the side of his face. He seemed to be enjoying it and knew full well I was dying of curiosity.
“Who is Sadie?” The question could no longer be contained.
“No fucking clue.”
“And your under-aged groupie friends across the aisle?”
“Never seen them in my life.”
“And the party?”
“Nope. After my Dad and I went a few rounds, I needed to blow off some steam. I went to a bar in L.A. where some of my friends hang out.” He faced me now and his green gaze was sincere. “No girls, Valley. Just a few of the guys.”
“Why did you act like you knew them?”
He shrugged. “I get the, haven’t we met thing a lot. My dad has always tried to keep us from being photographed, but it’s impossible to avoid altogether. People see me in magazines and on line. Then they see me and they know I look familiar but they don’t know why. It’s just easier to go along with it.”
The bus chugged along onto the freeway, which meant the stops had ended and we would be heading into the valley.
I scooted down in the seat and Jude did the same.
“Your new found friends have not taken their eyes off of you,” I muttered through the side of my mouth.
“Can you blame them?” He pulled his jacket up over both of our heads, and we were in our own private tent. Even in the dark, cramped space beneath his coat, he looked irresistible.
I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I wasn’t too sure about this at first, but now I’m glad you’re coming along.”
His hand pressed against the side of my face, and he kissed me so long that the air beneath the leather coat grew hot and dense. He grinned at me in the dark of our leather shelter. “I think we’ve used up all the oxygen in here.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
He threw down the coat, and the musty smell of bus air struck us. I leaned my head on his shoulder. “How long will your dad be staying?”
A laugh spurted from his mouth.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just curious. Not that it’s any of my business, it’s just—”
He tangled his long, thick fingers between mine. “Just what?”
“I’m feeling really out of place right now. I feel like an employee who should just stand in the shadows and wait to be summoned when needed.”
“Dad makes everyone feel that way. Even me. He’ll be gone in a day or two and then things will go back to the way they were. Besides, last night, when we were having our stupid family meeting, Finley went on and on about how awesome you were. My dad doesn’t really know how to show appreciation, but I know he’s glad you’re there for Finley. It’s one less thing for him to worry about.”
I lifted my head. “You don’t know how much better that makes me feel. Honestly, I was almost thinking about not coming back. I figured I wouldn’t really be missed.”
He lifted our entangled hands and kissed the back of mine. “I sort of got that impression from you this morning. It was one of the reasons I followed you.” He didn’t lift his head from the seat as he rolled his face toward me. The vibrant color of his eyes contrasted with the black of his eyelashes. He was as beautiful as a painting. “I was afraid you were going to vanish, and I would never see you again.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder again and squeezed his fingers between mine. As hard as I tried to stay resistant to his charms, he always seemed to know exactly what to say to break me down.
The bus dropped us off several blocks from the apartment building. The neighborhood came back in ugly slices, the trash cans that were constantly overflowing onto sidewalks, the crummy little mini mart, and the construction lot. I’d completely forgotten the construction lot. Jude noticed it immediately.
“Cole mentioned there was a job out in the valley. In fact, he’s starting back here tomorrow. His wrist is feeling better, and Dad wants him back on the job. I’m starting back to work too. But not here. Cole and I working on the same site just doesn’t work.”
“What about your art?”
He shrugged. “I’ll do it in my spare time. As far as Dad is concerned, it is just a stupid hobby of mine.”
“Your art is way past the hobby level.”
I threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. “Thanks, Valley.”
I stopped and looked through the chain link. There had been a great deal of progress since the morning I’d walked past it to buy milk. “I saw Cole standing on the steps of the trailer once.”
“No way,” he said. “What a coincidence. Small world, I guess.”
“Not really.” I glanced ahead to the shabby, rundown apartment building. The disgusting, shirtless landlord was out washing his car. Someone had thrown out a stained, torn sofa, and it leaned against the giant trash bin. The flowers that someone had taken the time to plant along the driveway were brown and dead. I lifted my hand and pointed. “I present to you my home sweet home.”
He grabbed my hand. “Then let’s go.”
My pace quickened up the steps, not only because I was nearly giddy with the thought of seeing my family but because the entire upper floor smelled like smoke. I knocked briskly. Two seconds later Mom threw open the door and plumes of smoke billowed out of the apartment.
“What’s burning?”
“Your Dad’s cooking.” Then she threw her arms up in the air and screamed. “Edie!” She grabbed me into a wild hug and Janie and Sophie held us both around the legs. We hopped around in a giant hug, crying, screaming, and laughing. The moment we stopped to catch our breath, Janie and Sophie grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
My mom looked at Jude. “Hi.” She took hold of his hand and dragged him inside in similar fashion to Janie and Sophie. “I don’t know who you are, but I hope you like burgers.”
“I usually like to wait until at least ten in the morning before I slam down my first burger, but I think I can handle it,” Jude said.
Dad was standing over the stove with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail and an apron I’d never seen before. It was stained in grease and ketchup and looked completely contrary to the silver hoops in his ears.
“Is that Edie? You’re just in time for a taste test.” He was holding a spatula heavy with a dripping meat patty as he turned around. His eyes grew wide when he looked at Jude. The patty, grease, onions, cheese and all, dropped to the floor. Janie and Sophie broke out in shrilly giggles, and Mom covered her mouth to force back a laugh.
Jude stared down at the splat of meat on the floor. “I think I’ll take a rain check on that burger.”
“I’m sure we can get you one without the linoleum print,” Mom said.
Dad stepped over the fallen burger and wiped his hands on his food crusted apron. “Holy shit, I can’t believe it. Holy shit”
Janie clapped her hands and giggled. “Oly shit.”
Mom shot Dad a rare, admonishing glare.
“Sorry. Holy Moly, Holy fucking moly. You’re Jude King.”
Jude smiled and stuck out his hand, which was brave considering the condition of the apron Dad had just wiped his hands on. “Pleased to meet you, Sir.”