House Without Lies (Lily’s House Book 1)

by Rachel Branton

  “You mean Bing.” Saffron began to type on her phone. “I like that search engine better.”

  “Whatever. I’m sure we can figure it out.” To me, Makay added, “It won’t be for long. Just until the adoption is final and I figure things out. Of course, I’ll help with rent.”

  I grinned. “One thing for sure is that wherever you live, you’ll always have plenty of babysitters.”

  Jameson pointed at himself and mouthed. “I’m the best.”

  Once again a holiday had rolled around, bringing me another girl, this time Makay, a little older than the others, but every bit as much mine. The other two additions, Nate and Jameson, made it the best holiday yet.

  My mother finally called me on Friday. Because of the holiday, there was no Teen Nature campout, and I’d spent the day with Jameson and the girls picking out paint colors. I’d decided to let them each decorate their rooms however they wanted, except for the carpet, which I’d choose. Paint was changeable, but not carpet.

  “Hi, Mom,” I said. Could she tell anything was different by the tone of my voice? The entire world felt different to me now with my future looking so bright.

  “I’m just calling to make sure you really are coming.”

  “Yes, Mom.” I walked away from Jameson and the girls so they wouldn’t hear. “Hey, I was wondering how you’d feel if I brought some of my friends.”

  “Friends?” Her voice was wary. “Do you mean those girls? Sweetheart, I know you’re helping them, but surely you can spend just one day alone with your parents. Just one.”

  She really knew how to lay on the guilt. It wasn’t so much the words, but the wounded, put-upon tone. Fine. I’d give her this one final day. “Okay, Mom.”

  “Good.” She was all peaches and cream now, the kind of cream that was sour just under the surface.

  I hung up and stared into the rows of paint cans, seeing nothing, my happy mood shattered. Then Jameson’s hand slid over my back. “Bad news?”

  “Just my mom.”

  He put his arms around me and pulled me close. “You’re really worried about tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. My family . . . they’re not like yours.”

  “So you keep saying, but it’s okay. I love you no matter what happens. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you tomorrow? Because I’m willing to talk to them. It doesn’t matter what they say about me. Or to me.”

  “It matters to me.”

  “I can take it.”

  “I hope so, because you’ll have to on Sunday, and I have the feeling this is a train wreck about to happen.”

  His laugh filled me with sunlight again. “Good thing we’re survivors.”

  Tessa picked me up early on the Fourth. I felt grouchy at leaving the sleeping girls. They’d be going to a parade later in Arcadia with Jameson, and I’d much rather stay with them. I’d almost canceled the trip to Flagstaff, but I needed to tell my parents about Jameson before he came to meet them tomorrow. Knowing how nervous I was, he’d asked three more times to come with me today, but I wanted to make sure it was okay first. I didn’t want his perception of them to be forever colored by their surprise.

  “So you’re really going to tell Mom and Dad about Mario?” Tessa glanced over at me.

  “Yeah. He’s a great guy.”

  “You know they’re not going to be happy, right?”

  “I know. He’s lacking a couple million dollars and a different last name.”

  “They’re not that bad.”

  I stared at her. I wanted to say, Yes, Tessa, they are, but instead I said, “I hope you’re right.”

  “Well, I do really like him.”

  I grinned. “So do I.”

  “A big wedding would really help you furnish the house.” This time Tessa kept her eyes on the road. If my parents agreed to give me a wedding, she meant. “Are you really going to be able to afford the house?”

  “Jameson has a good employment history, and he’s been full time for the past two years. I have my record with our company, and Teen Remake gave me a letter saying they plan to keep me on. With my inheritance coming, we’ve been told we’ll be able to get the loan. Coming up with the down payment is the problem.”

  “Right. A house that size, you have to put down at least ten thousand, right?”

  “Actually, they wanted fifteen or twenty, but because of Grandpa’s money, they’ll take ten.”

  “And you have that?”

  “Not quite. Jameson has been working for two years to save money for college, and he thinks he can put five thousand of that down on the house. Makay talked to this guy she works for, and she says she can get a thousand, which we’ll just take off the rent she’s going to pay us until we pay her back.”

  “You don’t have any saved?”

  “I did, but I spent most of it on the girls. They’ve needed so much this past year. I think I’ve got enough left for paint and material for curtains—if Google can teach us how to make them—and I’m planning on using the check I get for the girls to buy used appliances, or at least a fridge and a stove. We’ve already got mattresses that will have to do for beds. Well, except for Jameson and me.”

  “You two can use the double mattress and get Zoey and Bianca more of those chair beds.”

  “Yeah, that’ll work. The carpet is the biggest cost, and the windows.” I sighed. “Jameson says if we can’t get them to go lower on the down payment, he’ll work full time another semester or two and use all his savings on the house. He’ll probably have to anyway.” I made a face. “I’m sad for him to delay it again. I told him I should be the one to work full time, but he doesn’t want me to risk my scholarship.”

  Silence fell as Tessa sped up around a curve. My sister might toe the line with my parents, but she was a bit of a speed demon on the road. “I have money saved,” she said. “Close to seven thousand. You can have all of it.”

  “You can’t do that. You might need it.”

  She flashed me a bored look. “I’m not getting married any time soon, or buying a house. Besides, it’s not like you won’t have the money to pay me back once you get the money Grandpa left us.”

  I reached out and took her hand. “Thank you. How about we use just what we need for the rest of the down payment?”

  “Okay, but it’s there if you need it. I know you, and it’s not like you’re only going to help girls who are in the foster care system. Like Makay and Saffron. I’m sure there will be others.”

  She was probably right. I wasn’t going to turn any needy girls aside, not as long as I had room to keep them—and now I’d have a lot more rooms to fill.

  The two hours under the sweltering sun with my parents at the parade weren’t so bad, but the picnic in the park afterward was already shaping up to be something of a horror story. They’d invited the Boswells, whose son, Steve, I’d briefly dated. My mother loved Steve, but his roaming hands and eyes had made our relationship short. Did my mother know me so little that she expected me to lay eyes on the boy and decide I’d been too hasty?

  Unfortunately, I knew my mother well enough to know that was exactly what she planned. I groaned. “This is to punish me for having Jameson in my apartment when she came. I just know it.”

  Tessa giggled. “Man, every time you say Jameson, it throws me off. Should I call him that instead of Mario?”

  “Nope.” I liked reserving it for myself. Well, and for his mother.

  Tessa and I had driven her car instead of riding with our parents, and we’d stopped at a gas station for a cold drink with plenty of ice, which had made us fifteen minutes late to the park.

  “Maybe we should just leave,” I said, glaring at the Boswells. Sweat dribbled down my back, despite the air conditioning we’d had running in the car.

  “Yeah, right.” Tessa rolled her eyes. “That would get you off to a good start with Mom and Dad about your new boyfriend.”

  Fiancé, I wanted to say, but Tessa knew that, and we were too close to the table to discuss it
now. Telling my parents about Jameson in front of the Boswells was not an option.

  Mother’s face flushed as she saw us coming. “There you are. I was beginning to worry. Look who’s here, Lily. It’s Steve.”

  “Hi,” I said.

  Steve grinned. “Hi. Good to see you. I’ve been meaning to call.” He patted the bench next to him.

  Great. I sat as far away from him as possible, but he scooted over to close the gap.

  The food came out: fried chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, green salad, gelatin, croissants instead of biscuits, chocolate cake, and more. All from a restaurant, of course. I filled my plate with chicken and three flakey croissants.

  Steve’s hand snaked up my back as he leaned over to say. “Hey, you want to go see the fireworks tonight?” He wasn’t bad looking, with dark hair, a nice—if unremarkable—face, and bedroom eyes, but for some reason I couldn’t explain, his touch made me cringe.

  “Sorry, I can’t. Tessa and I have plans.”

  “That’s okay. She can come.”

  “You kids go ahead,” my mother said. “We’re staying in this year and watching them from the balcony.”

  Steve smirked at me, and I shrugged off his hand. “Actually, we’re staying in with you guys. I have some things to discuss, and I’m only here for today.”

  My mother looked ready to argue, and my father’s face grew red. They must suspect something. “We’ll talk about this later,” my father said. “Let’s eat.”

  Not even Steve Boswell dared to go against my father, so everyone fell to eating. I concentrated on the yummy croissants. They weren’t quite as good as the ones Jameson had brought to my house, but they were close.

  Lunch couldn’t end fast enough for me. I finally finished the rest of my three croissants while standing up near Tessa to get away from Steve and his hands. I was anxious to get home, but my parents decided to walk around the park and look at the Fourth of July booths with the Boswells.

  “Could you kids pack all this in the car?” my mother asked. “I’m sure Steve will help.”

  “Love to,” he said with a winning smile that made me want to gag.

  Mother took me aside. “We’ll meet you back at the house. But give him a chance, Lily. He comes from a good family.” Not giving me an opportunity to respond, she headed off with my father.

  “So, about tonight,” Steve began.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I’m engaged. I just haven’t told my parents yet.”

  He let out a long sigh. “Man, what a wasted afternoon.”

  “You should have known that already,” Tessa told him. “But you can leave now.”

  “Yeah, right. See you around.” He stood and ambled away.

  Tessa shivered. “Man, I dislike that guy.”

  “You didn’t have him rubbing your back through half of lunch. Come on, let’s get this stuff into their car and go back to the house.”

  “Why the hurry?”

  I smiled sadly. “I want to get as much of my stuff as I can into your car before they come home.”

  We packed Tessa’s car and gathered a bunch of other things to put in Jameson’s Mustang when he came tomorrow. I hadn’t much use for my belongings at college, but I’d need them as I furnished a new home. Pictures, electronics, knickknacks, bedding—all of it would be useful. My clothing I’d already moved over the past months, but there was a lot I’d left here because I didn’t have the room.

  Tessa went into our six-car garage and came out with a box of outgrown clothing, old sets of dishes, and small appliances my mother had replaced.

  “I already have a toaster,” I said.

  “You’ll need another one.” Tessa tucked it in.

  “Any material or curtains?”

  “Not yet. She has a lot of junk out there, though. Might take me weeks to find anything useful.”

  Tessa’s foraging was put to an abrupt halt by our parents’ arrival. “Come help me put the leftovers away, girls,” Mother said, as our father set the cooler on the kitchen counter. We dug obediently into the cooler, but our mother didn’t move to join us. She paused before the large window overlooking our back yard and the horse pasture where Tessa’s horse, Serenity, grazed peacefully.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” I asked, hoping she didn’t have some plan that involved getting rid of the horse. If she did, she’d regret it, because Serenity was the main reason Tessa came home so often.

  “Mrs. Boswell heard that an ex-con is buying one of those homes,” she said with a disgusted snort, frowning at the tract homes you could barely see through the row of fast-growing trees she’d planted when she learned the property was being developed. “What’s this neighborhood coming to?”

  “It’s probably just a rumor. Do you mind if I take some of these croissants back with me?”

  My mother turned. “Of course not. I know how much you like them. That’s why I bought so many.”

  I snagged one and stuffed a bite into my mouth. Here was a glimpse of the mother of my dreams, the one who thought about details and could show small kindnesses that always surprised me. “Thanks.”

  “So,” she said with an encouraging smile, “are you going out with Steve tonight?”

  I glanced at my father, who had settled at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. He’d be reading the financial section, though we’d told him he could find better news online.

  “No,” I said. “Look, I’ve been wanting to talk to you guys. I’ve met someone. I’d like you to meet him tomorrow.”

  Silence fell, and for a long moment no one spoke. Even Tessa froze by the refrigerator, her eyes wide. My father lifted his gaze from the newspaper, his glasses on the end of his nose. “What’s his name?”

  “Mario Perez.” I didn’t know what made me use Mario, because Jameson would have been more appealing to them.

  My mother’s smile vanished. “Is that the man who was in your apartment?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Oh, Lily,” she said, folding her arms over her stomach in a pointed gesture. “This is your future, and your children’s future. You have no idea what it is to manage a household or to pay for it. You need someone who can support you, who will be an asset to our family and your dad’s company. You can’t throw your life away on a sexy accent and hormones.”

  Accent? What was she talking about?

  “Look, you go ahead and get this guy out of your system if you must,” my father said. “But when you’re ready to settle down, you need to make a choice you’re not going to regret.”

  The only thing I regretted was coming home. Train wreck did not even begin to cover it. Or maybe the train analogy was a mistake because our train hadn’t even gotten underway. Anyone could see that it didn’t matter what I might say about Jameson or his family. Jameson’s plan for the future and his love for me and my girls wouldn’t change anything. My mother had made up her mind, and my father agreed with her.

  “Are we clear?” my mother asked. At the table, my father had already gone back to his newspaper.

  “Oh, we’re clear.” Just like that, her words freed me. Freed me from having to introduce them to Jameson, from seeking their blessing.

  “Good. Now what shall we have for dinner?”

  19

  The house was dark and quiet. It was after one in the morning, and the alarm was on, but Tessa and I had long ago figured out how to bypass the sliding glass door leading to the second-floor balcony, which had stairs leading down to the lawn. We had carried several loads out to the front and were now waiting for Jameson. I’d texted him after the conversation with my parents, and he’d started driving the minute he’d dropped the girls off at the apartment after the fireworks were over in Phoenix.

  Tessa leaned over to whisper. “I had no idea they’d be so . . . hard. They’re never going to let you marry him.”

  “Well, fortunately, they don’t have a say.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, we’re going t
o elope.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Or tomorrow. Why not?”

  Her mouth rounded to an O. “Are you absolutely sure? You’ve known him such a short time.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. I can’t explain how I know or how he makes me feel.” How could she understand before she loved someone herself? “I love him so much. He’s like the air that I breathe. We love the same things, we want to help people, and we don’t care if our dishes and silverware match. We just want a house with love.” A house without lies. “He’s a hard worker, and I know we’ll make it. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  Tessa hugged me. “Air that you breathe, huh? I hope someday I find someone who means that much to me.”

  “You will.” At least she would if my parents didn’t interfere.

  “They do want the best for you,” Tessa said, as if reading my mind.

  “I know.” The best in their view. “And Mom did buy me those croissants.”

  “Do you have them?”

  “No. I don’t think I can.” I couldn’t take anything like that from her, not now, not after the scene we’d had today.

  She nodded. “Right.”

  My phone buzzed. “He’s here.”

  “I should come with you. Someone from your family should be there when you get married.”

  I thought of the girls and Makay and knew I wouldn’t be alone.

  “I’ll call you and let you know what we decide.” I hugged her. “Goodbye! Lock up.”

  When I rounded the house, Jameson was packing my belongings into his car, but he stopped to hug me. The ice that had encased my heart all evening melted. This was right where I was supposed to be.

  “That’s some house,” Jameson said, staring up at the mansion. “I knew your family was well off, but I didn’t expect this.”

  “Having second thoughts?”

  “No. I love you. How could I ever have second thoughts?” Oh, his eyes were doing amazing things to my insides. “I may not be able to give you all this, but I promise to give you everything I have.”

  He already had. “Good, because I want to elope.”