Eva gasped drawing my attention to her. Her hand was placed on her chest as she looked at me with pity in her eyes. “Honey, I’m sorry to hear that. That must be so hard for you.”
I cleared my throat and admitted. “It has been somewhat trying.”
Silence settled over the table as we continued to eat. I ate everything on my plate excruciatingly slow. Making sure I savored each little morsel just in case I couldn’t get anything else to eat later in the week. The twins were working on their second helping when Dev asked. “You talk kinda funny. Where ya from?”
I chuckled taking another sip of water. “I grew up all over England. My father’s job had us moving around quite a bit until I turned thirteen, when we finally settled down in a suburb of London.”
Remi interrupted. “How’d you get that scar in your eyebrow?”
I laughed as the memory assaulted me. “I was fourteen around Charles’s height at the time. My father wanted me to get active in sports so he signed me up for the RFL. Rugby Football League. During one of the practices at a scrum, I was elbowed in the face by another one of the locks. After the practice was over, my father took me to the doctor to get stitched up. It took a total of six to close it.”
Dev and Remi looked at each other and asked at the same time. “What’s rugby?” “What’s a scrum and lock?”
“Rugby is kind of like American football but without the pads and tight pants. A scrum is a contest for possession of the ball, used to restart the game after a minor penalty. Because of my size, I was a forward so we took place in that scrum. How can I explain this easily?” I looked down on my plate and pushed a few stray pieces of corn into the scrum formation. “These three here are the front row. You have two props and the hooker between them. The second row is the locks and this guy back here is called the number eight. Mainly because that’s the number on his shirt. Now these two over here beside the scrum are the flankers. They give the ‘tight five’ and the 8 additional weight and power to push the opposition off the ball.”
“And you do that without protection?” Dev asked curiously.
“Of course. All that extra padding just slows you down plus having to wear all that extra stuff for 80 minutes of nonstop action would wear you out.”
Remi sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of him. “Bet Beau could. He was awesome on the field.”
I looked up at Beau who just sat there with a guarded expression. “I’m sure he could.”
Eva stood up which caused me to involuntarily do the same. “Time to clear the table. Marie it is your turn with the dishes. Boys you can use your dad’s study to discuss the issue. Nate can you give me a hand with the twin’s bath?”
“Of course, chèr. Come on you two. Let’s go.” Nate stood up and ushered them out of the room.
Marie stood and started clearing off the table. She stopped at the door and looked at Beau. “Can you wait for me to finish before you start talking about it?”
Beau shook his head at her. “No. I think it’s best if we men talk it out.”
She glared at him, her amber eyes twinkling in the hostility that replaced the brief shimmer of hurt. “Really? Then you better go find some men then.”
Charles started to laugh before realization sunk in. He stopped suddenly and pouted. “Hey! We’re men.”
*****
I took a seat on a sofa that stood in front of one of the many bookcases. Beau leaned against his father’s desk. Luke sat in an oversized chair in the middle of the room and Charles took up post by the window. Beau looked over at me. “Why don’t you tell them what happened after school.”
I leaned back and rested my arm over the back of the sofa. “I was in the locker room when they came in from practice. Just as I was getting ready to leave, I heard one ask Bus what the ETA was on getting that hot Latina in the book. He said that since her and that Cajun had broken up it would be easy for him to get her by the end of the week. They laughed at the idea of a rebound fuck then one said that he couldn’t claim her purity points anymore. He laughed that off and said that it was her black cherry he was really after. I left after that knowing I had to tell you about it.”
Luke jumped up out of the chair so fast it tipped back slightly. He stalked around the room running his hands through his short hair. He stopped and yelled. “Dat fuckin’… fils de pute! Il n'est rien de plus qu'un morceau de merde sans valeur!” He took a few calming breaths and growled. “Dat’s it. I’m gonna kill him. He done crossed da line. Roxy told him dat we were not broken up. Now he gonna try ta ta…. Dat salaud! Il a besoin d'obtenir son botter le cul. Dieu aide-moi, je serais ravi de le faire.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I had no idea they spoke a second language. I looked over to Beau whose expression matched my own. He took a small step toward his brother with his hands held up slightly in front of him. “Luke, calm down. We all know he is a worthless piece of shit and I know you want to kick his ass. Hell, we all do. But screaming and yelling about it is not going to help.”
“Wha’ do ya suggest we do den? Cause all we have been doin’ is jus’ sittin’ back wit’ our tumbs up our asses lettin’ him treaten her. Now tanks to me getting’ caught by her dad, I can’t even be near her ta protect her.” Luke fumed and threw his hands up in the air with his frustration.
“I can do it.” I surprised myself by speaking. All eyes turned toward me. “I can walk her to her classes, keep taking her to lunch to be with you and escort her to her bus until things smooth over.”
“Ya’d help us out?” Luke asked a glimmer of hope sparkled in his eyes.
“Of course for as long as I can be of help.” I shrugged at them. My eyes darted over to the door in hopes that Marie would barge in and demand to know what was said. She seemed like the kind of girl that did not like to be told what to do. I suppressed a smirk at the image my mind painted of her.
Luke sighed as he collapsed back in the chair. “That should be for a month at least.”
“Or until y’all graduate.” Charles chimed in.
“What happens in a month?” My curiosity was peeked. Luke’s cheeks developed a faint hint of pink as Beau cleared his throat in an attempt to cover a nervous laugh.
Charles rolled his eyes at the two of them. “Roxy could be knocked up by the boy wonder here. If she is well… our family is kind of old fashioned and so is her dad from what I’ve heard. So we might end up getting a new sister.”
I sat forward on the sofa in astonishment. They were so young. I couldn’t imagine the stress the two of them must be under in a situation like that. “Pregnant? Damn. Wait, you’re saying that they will be forced to marry?”
“Yup.” Charles drawled out causing his lips to make a popping sound at the end of the word. “Are you sure you still want to help us?”
I stared at them taking note of the distress and worry that graced their faces. Now would be a great time for me to just back out and worry about my own life. I still needed to find a place to live, get a job, and get food on a regular basis. I didn’t really have time to insert myself in this kind of drama. I pinched the bridge of my nose when I realized that I was going to regret this. “Yes.”
*****
Chapter Three
Marie
After finishing up the dishes last night, I just went straight up to my room and locked my door. If they wanted to exclude me from their little talks, fine. It’s not as if they are really going to do anything about it anyway. I rolled out of bed and stretched my arms over my head. With a sigh, I grabbed my bathrobe, unlocked the door and walked to the bathroom. That is the best thing about waking up an hour before everyone else. I can hog the hot water and take as much time as I wanted in there without having someone banging on the door telling me to hurry up.
I locked the bathroom door and stripped out of my pajamas. If I plan on wearing a skirt today, I needed that extra time to make sure my legs were hairless. There was nothing worse than thinking you got all the hair only to find those li
ttle stragglers later in the day hidden behind your knee. After shaving twice, I jumped in the shower and scrubbed the specialty shampoo, momma bought for me last month to tame the flyaways, into my mass of hair.
I shut the shower off, dried my body, put on the robe and wrapped my hair up in the towel, turban style. I wiped the condensation off of the mirror with my hand and grabbed my toothbrush. I scrubbed my teeth as I plugged in the hairdryer. The door down the hall opened up causing me to groan. Dang it I don’t have time to dry and straighten my hair. I spit the toothpaste in the sink and groaned my frustration. Any minute someone was going to knock on the door and demand for me to get out.
I unplugged the dryer, unlocked the door and headed back to my room with my dirty clothes and hair stuff in hand. Dev stumbled out of his room rubbing his eyes. He gave me a sleepy smile, “Morning, Marie. Anyone else up yet?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you head downstairs and see? If no one is up come get me and I’ll fix us some breakfast. Okay, Boogey Bear?” I ruffled his hair and walked to my room.
I placed my dirty clothes in the hamper and set the hair dryer on my vanity. I picked up the bag with my new underwear in it and pulled out the black lacy boy shorts and matching push up bra. After putting them on, I pulled out the black flowing skirt and a silky red fitted polo. I think I’ll try the red heels today. At least at the house this morning, if I can’t stand wearing them here then I’ll wear the boots. I quickly tossed everything on before sitting down in my vanity chair.
I pulled the towel off my head and ran a comb through the tangled mess after towel drying it. A soft knock sounded on the door. I stood up, walked over to the door and opened it to see a confused Dev. “So which would you like pancakes or an omelet? What’s up?”
“That guy from yesterday is sleeping on the couch.” He scratched his head. “Everyone else must be in their rooms. I think I want an omelet but only if you put some bacon in it.”
My heart skipped a beat. Drez was still here. I plastered a smile on my face and ushered him to his room. “I can do that. Now go get ready and I’ll be down there in a minute. I still have to do something with this hair.” I closed his door behind him silently hoping he didn’t wake up Remi when he put his clothes on.
I rushed back into my room, plugged in my hairdryer, attached the diffuser to it, bent over letting my hair hang down and started to dry my hair. Once I was done, I flipped my hair back and decided that a little bit of make-up would be a nice touch. My make-up was a bit on the sparse side. I had maybe three eyeshadows to choose from, a hand full of lipsticks and some concealer for the freaking freckles that dusted my nose and cheeks.
I grabbed the concealer and went to work on covering those imperfections up. I decided to focus on my eyes. They were perhaps the only thing I really liked about me. They were a light brown with golden flecks that took up most of the iris. Anytime I’d get emotional, my brothers swore that they would appear more cat like. I gently applied a golden brown to my lids then added a touch of shimmery yellow to my upper brow and finally applied the eyeliner. To top everything off I added a light red lip-gloss.
Satisfied with my appearance for the first time in a long while, I headed down stairs. I grabbed the eggs, cheese, pre-cooked bacon, onions, green peppers and mushrooms out of the fridge. By the time Dev came down, I had enough food on the breakfast nook to feed everyone. I grabbed a glass of orange juice and set it in front of him.
He tilted his head to the side, looked me up and down and nodded. “You look really pretty today, Marie. Like magazine cover pretty.”
“Aw, thank you. How’s your food?”
“It’s good. So why is that guy still here?” He asked in between bites.
“I don’t know. Maybe by the time they’d finished talking last night it was really late.” I shrugged as I took a sip of the orange juice.
“Remi said he was going to find out before he comes in for breakfast.”
“Seriously? You guys need to leave him alone.” I chastised him giving him the same look our mother gives us when we do something she disapproves of.
“Wha’? We can’t have someone running around you or Luke’s Roxy without knowing something about them.” He rolled his eyes at me like I should have known that.
“Um…. He is Beau’s friend. If he didn’t like the guy, he wouldn’t have invited him to the house. Or are you two questioning his judgment?” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.
His little eyes widened and quickly shook his head in denial. “No!”
“That’s what I thought.” I smirked into my orange juice.
*****
Drez
The smell of eggs and bacon woke me up. My stomach growled with anticipation of possibly getting fed again. I yawned and languorously stretched on the sofa. My eyes blinked open spotting a little dark head staring at me from the other side of that oversized chair. I can’t believe I passed out after our discussion last night. I sat up and ran a hand through my hair. “Hey. What time is it?”
He glared at me in a look that mirrored one Beau was prone to use. “Six-thirty. Why are you still here?”
“I must have fallen asleep when I was talking with your brothers.” I explained and stood up that’s when I noticed the blanket that had fallen to the floor sometime during the night. Apparently, someone must have covered me up.
He nodded his head in acceptance. “Food should be ready if you’re hungry.” He shuffled out of the room and shut the door behind him.
I picked up the blanket, folded it and placed it on the sofa cushion. I headed to the washroom across from the study to take care of my full bladder. After washing my hands, I glanced up at the mirror and washed my face. When I get to school, I need to grab my razor and shave cream so I could get rid of the night growth that marred the chinstrap and soul patch I had grown in over the summer.
I turned off the water, grabbed the towel and dried my hands and face. I opened the door and headed toward the smell of food just as Eva marched down the stairs. She turned briskly walking down the hall toward the study and stopped when she noticed me standing there. In what I can only describe as, a motherly smile crossed her face as she held out a small bag.
“Here, honey, I figured you might need these this morning. Did you sleep well?” I gingerly accepted the tote and peered inside. An unopened toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shave cream and a comb were nestled inside. “Oh I almost forgot. I didn’t know what size pants you wear but I figured an extra-large shirt should fit. I’m sure you won’t have much time to go home and change for school. So a fresh shirt should do you.” She smiled and patted my arm before turning back to walk into the kitchen.
I shook off the emotions that threatened to overcome me and went back in the bathroom. After I shaved, brushed my teeth and combed my hair, I slipped out of my black T-shirt and pulled on the white one she gave me. I placed the stuff back in the small tote, slung my shirt over my shoulder and left the room.
I walked toward the room with the voices flowing out of it. When I entered the large kitchen, my eyes widened at the sight of legs. My body instantly came alive. Those soft silky smooth legs were emphasized by red heels and a short black skirt that begged to be lifted. A glossy red shirt topped the skirt. It was slightly parted at the neckline allowing a glimpse of the perky breasts hidden beneath. I raised my gaze slowly up the curve of her neck to the upturned chin then the plump lips that were curved in a smile. I moved up to her eyes, those golden orbs twinkled in her amusement. I found myself with the compulsion to stalk over to her and draw her in for a long languid kiss.
The sound of the twins laughing broke the spell she wove over me. I blinked a few times and forced myself to stop gawking at her. I turned my head away and I caught the watchful gaze of Eva standing by one of the twins. She raised her brow at me in a mixture of amusement and disapproval. I quickly ducked my head and scratched the back of my neck in an attempt to hide my embarrassment.
Charles raced into
the room almost knocking me over. He ducked behind the kitchen island next to Marie just as Luke stormed in after him. “Where did you put it, Charles?” He growled out.
“I have no clue what you are talking about.” Charles stood up from behind the counter and dusted off his pants. He glanced over at Marie and frowned when he noticed her clothing.
Eva crossed over to them asking, “What is this about?”
Luke narrowed his blue eyes at this brother. “He has my phone.”
Charles shook his head no longer interested in teasing Luke and handed him the item in question. He nodded toward Marie who was quietly eating her breakfast trying to ignore everyone in the room. “Momma, you can’t approve of that can you?”
Eva sighed. “There is nothing wrong with it. In fact she looks very pretty today, don’t you think so Drez?”
My eyes widened when she tried to drag me into the conversation. Both Charles and Luke turned and glared at me. I shrugged and grabbed a plate of food. “I guess.” They narrowed their eyes at me. I swallowed hard and tried to sooth their protective nature. I really don’t need them jumping me before school. “The skirt is a bit short though. It might give people the wrong idea.”
“What will give people the wrong idea?” Beau asked walking into the room.
One of the twins popped their head up from their plate and answered. “Marie’s clothes. I don’t see why though. She looks pretty.”
“Oh shut it, all of you. The skirt is longer than those worn by the cheerleaders.” Marie snorted standing up from the island. She walked over to the rubbish bin and scraped her plate. I suppressed a groan when she bent over slightly as she cleaned off the plate. The back of the skirt slipped up an inch exposing more skin and a hint of lace at the top of her thigh. I kept my head downcast as I watched her through my shaggy hair.
Lost in the Moment (A Savioe Family Novel) Page 5