“You’re obviously not right for the job.” That was the only thing I could think of in response.
“And why is that?”
“Because I said so.” Yeah, I went there. I was twenty-years-old and I’d just used that as an excuse. I wanted to punch myself in the face.
Estella stared at me like I was crazy. “That might usually work for you in your line of work, but that isn’t going to fly with me. You really need to come up with something better than that if you expect me to believe you.”
She took a step towards me, irritation clear in the lines of her forehead. I didn’t know why she was being so damn stubborn about this. Why did she want the job so badly?
Well, I wasn’t going to let her throw me off my game, so I took a step closer to her until I was so close that I could see the faint freckles that dotted her cheeks.
I folded my arms across my chest to match her. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
“That’s what happens when you get high on power.” Irritation flared up in her eyes and she stared at me like she wanted to throw something at my head.
“I’m not high on power.” I smirked at her. “I’m just on a steady diet of awesomeness.”
She let out a small sound of indignation and raised her hand as though she was about to push me, but my fighter’s senses kicked in and I reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could make impact.
“Are you attempting to act violently towards me, Estella?” I could feel a smile tugging at the edges of my mouth as she shot me a dirty look.
“I-you-ugh!” She stammered, her expression changing from irritation to embarrassment. “You are so frustrating!”
I lowered my head closer to hers. “Darlin’, I think you mean ‘attractive’, ‘irresistible’, ‘sexy’.”
“You’re none of those things,” she scoffed, looking pointedly at a spot just past my ear. She took a deep breath and then turned back to me. “Look, your brother seems to want me as his tutor so I don’t get what your problem is.”
My smile fell as we go back to the point. She was right; Dylan wanted her as his tutor and I couldn’t disappoint him. He’d had enough disappointment in life. Finally, I nodded, still unsure why Estella made me feel so conflicted about, well, everything.
“Fine, you can tutor him, but it has to be here.” I nodded at the library. “That’s if you pass the interview.”
“But the tutor always comes to the house!” At some point during my conversation with Estella, Dylan had approached us and was now standing in between us with a pout on his face.
Estella raised a brow in question at me which made knots form in the center of my stomach. There was no way I was going to let Estella in my house. If she was already affecting me like this, if she already had the ability to get inside my head and bring my guard down, I didn’t even want to know what was going to happen once she saw how we lived.
“It’s either the library or nothing.” My tone was firm and Dylan could tell I was being serious about this so he didn’t push the issue.
“That works for me,” Estella took a step back and let out a deep breath. “Um, why don’t we go inside and talk over what Dylan would like to work on and then I guess you can interview me.”
She led the way and Dylan and I followed closely behind. Beside me, Dylan gripped my shirt excitedly, but then stopped mid-step and shot me a curious look. “You know what I don’t get, Vin? How did she know your name? I never told her.”
I tousled my brother’s hair and continued walking after Estella. “Magic, Dil; she’s magic.”
Chapter Five
Estella
Vincent’s idea of an interview was to ask me about my availability, go over the amount he’d be paying me, and to make sure Dylan and I were on the same page where his Math work was concerned.
It was safe to say that I was hired.
We’d both agreed that the lessons would take place every Tuesday and Friday at the Penthill library since Vincent had made it clear that I wasn’t welcome at his house. I mean, I wasn’t even sure if I really wanted to go there anyway. Did I really want to step inside the Madden house? The sensible part of me was telling me no.
And, with all seriousness, could my life get even stranger? How could it be possible that Vincent and I had crossed paths twice already in the span of 24 hours? And what was that strange pull I could feel between us?
Whenever he got too close or we fell into our banter, the air would charge between us, like we were tangled up in a web of electrical currents. It was the strangest sensation.
Once all the formalities were done and out of the way, Dylan turned his earnest eyes onto me. “Estella, do you have a boyfriend?”
Well, this wasn’t something I expected to come out of a ten-year-old’s mouth. It was a question that always made me uncomfortable. Things were made even more uncomfortable by the fact that Vincent was sitting across from me watching me with his obsidian eyes.
People always wondered why I was single or had never had a boyfriend. Truthfully, it was something that didn’t matter to me. And, besides, no one wanted to date the girl with the out-of-control, alcoholic father.
Vincent was still studying me, and my body was starting to grow warm under his steady gaze, so I focused all my attention onto Dylan. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Husband?”
A small laugh escaped me. “Uh, definitely not.”
Vincent shifted in his seat, and I couldn’t help but dart a glance in his direction. He was still watching me, a satisfied smirk on his lips. Those lips were a part of the most gorgeous face I had ever seen. Even though I wasn’t interested in having a boyfriend, I couldn’t deny how attractive Vincent was, Madden or not.
“How old are you?” Dylan asked, leaning forward.
My eyes went back to Dylan. “Seventeen, but I turn eighteen on December 1st.”
“Dil, she’s a bit too old for you, don’t you think?” There was a smile on Vincent’s face as he poked his brother in the arm.
Dylan looked disappointed as a frown filled his features. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Hey, you know what?” I bent my head towards Dylan, lowering my voice. “Give it ten more years and you never know.”
It looked as though Christmas had come early for Dylan, because his entire face lit up and there was a big smile on his face as he stuck his tongue out at Vincent. “See! I do have a chance!”
“Yeah, Dil, I see.” Vincent’s tone was cool, but I could see amusement in his eyes as he studied his little brother. There was a fondness there, and it was pretty obvious how much he cared for him.
Being in a criminal gang didn’t make you completely heartless, I suppose. Seeing the bond between siblings always touched me.
After about thirty minutes of talking to Dylan about his favorite TV shows and which Pokémon was the best—Vincent was silent during this time, though I was well aware that he never took his eyes off me—we finally decided it was time to leave. It was almost five and Savannah was supposed to pick me up soon.
I’d mentally settled on a rough outline of what we would cover over the next few weeks. When I got home, I was going to go through my fifth grade Math text book to refresh my memory. Yes, I still had my text book from fifth grade. I kept all my school books organized in order of year and subject.
Vincent and Dylan were speaking with their heads bowed close together, foreheads almost touching. It looked like they were having a serious discussion about something, and for several seconds, I felt uncomfortable.