“I’m lookin’ forward to hearin’ what stories you have planned about my visit,” he smiled, slipping his hands into his pockets before he looked back into the apartment.
Susan followed his gaze to me as I waited in the hallway, smiling politely and dressed in denim shorts and a plain white tee with my bag over my shoulder.
“Hi, Susan. Are you ready to go?” I said, gathering my hair into a low ponytail.
“I-I-I.” She couldn’t stop staring at Dean.
He smirked and dipped his head at her, winked at me, and then casually backed off in the direction of the elevator.
The bible study attendance numbers had doubled in size since the last one. I think it had less to do with the bible and more to do with the fact these mothers wanted a place to gossip about one another. This didn’t seem to bother Mom at all. She was just happy to be keeping up a good appearance and reputation within the elite society of the high school PTA.
For the first couple of hours, passages from the bible were read out loud and then discussed extensively. Though most of the women just wanted to relate the subject to something they had to vent about. Which opened up conversations that went way off-topic.
I didn't mind though, I was barely paying attention anyway. With my bible propped up on my knees at eye level and my phone snug between the pages, I was texting Kira as I sat on the couch under the front window. She had finally texted me back that morning, as Dean and I were having breakfast, and said she spent the night at Aiden's. Apparently, he was extremely sorry for the way he acted at Xavier’s housewarming.
Kira said Aiden wanted to make it up to her by taking her to a pop-up art gallery tomorrow. She extended the invite to Dean and me. I agreed to go, despite not wanting to speak with Aiden after his behavior at the party. I doubted Dean would want to see him again either, but, third wheel or with Dean, I was going for Kira.
When I locked my phone and slipped it into my back pocket, before Mom could notice me using it, Jane flopped onto the sofa cushion beside me. She was the unofficial waitress for the gathering, refilling glasses with iced tea or bringing out the cucumber sandwiches Mom set out on serving trays.
“You know it’s been four hours since they got here?” she grumbled, looking at the room, and then out beyond the doors where other mothers mingled in the kitchen and dining room. “Four hours. How can anyone talk for that long?”
I wasn’t about to mention Dean and I had talked for way longer last night. I definitely wasn’t about to bring up what he had done to me in my bathroom either.
“They should be wrapping up soon,” I said, trying to sound reassuring.
Jane rolled her eyes as she sank lower, resting her chin on her chest until Mom snapped her fingers at her from across the room. With a huff, Jane sat up again and muttered, “I’m not even baptized, for fuck sake.”
I slapped a hand to my chest, feigning shock as I gasped. “Such strong language for the youngest daughter of the Whitmore family.”
“Maybe I should stand up and start swearing at the top of my lungs. Being sent to my room would be way more interesting than this...” she trailed off and slowly sat up, looking around the room, searching for something as she frowned.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Can you hear that?” she said, turning to find whatever it was. “That low humming sound?”
I hadn’t at first, not when the room was already humming with the consistent chatter of the women, but then something began to bubble through the gaps in the conversations. The deep rumble of an engine.
Jane and I pivoted on the spot, rising to our knees on the sofa to peer through the sheer curtains hanging over the large sitting room windows, just in time for an emerald-green Cadillac to pull up outside. It idled for a moment before the engine revved loudly, crackling through the air and sending a flood of excitement through my veins. I smiled with elation.
The chatter of the room died down to nothing as the women drifted over to the window, including Mom. Her lips thinned in anger as she peered through the side of the curtain.
“You. Lucky. Little. Shit,” Jane whispered, grinning as the engine cut off and the driver door swung open.
In all black with a backward baseball cap and sunglasses on, Dean rose from the car, his arms on full display thanks to his sleeveless shirt. He moved around the front of the car, dropping the keys into the pockets of his knee-length shorts as he strode up to the house.
“Oh my,” one of the women breathed, fanning herself with a bible. “Is he a new member?”
“I hope so,” someone else muttered.
“No, he isn’t,” Mom snapped through gritted teeth, glaring at the man who had left the faint mark on my neck.
As Dean reached the porch steps and walked out of view, I pushed off the sofa and hurried from the room, dodging Mom’s attempt to grab my arm as I passed her.
“Lily, do not answer that door,” she hissed quickly and followed me out into the entry hall with the others in tow.
I pulled the door open before Dean could knock.
“Hello,” I smiled, suddenly breathless as I held the door open.
