Her comment is vague and leaves me with a lot to wonder about. I know there’s a possibility that Arthur told Evelyn everything to do with my mom and the things that got me sent to juvie. But she hasn’t brought it up or asked me any questions, and she hasn’t acted judgmental. I know Sebastian lost a parent like I did, but I can’t imagine what the other boys might have in common with me like she’s suggesting.
When Evelyn’s and Arthur’s houses come into view, my heart starts beating so fast. I silently plead with myself to not be awkward, to just try and be cool!
I don’t notice them until we’re about to pull into her driveway, but the boys are running around the front yards of both houses, laughing and shooting each other with water guns. Well, the four I met last night are, anyways. I’m not sure what Grayson looks like, and I don’t see a fifth boy.
“Those little punks had better not spray us!” Evelyn shakes her head and clicks her tongue.
I laugh quietly, still incredibly nervous. I take my time grabbing my coffee, but when Evelyn opens her car door, I know I can’t stall anymore. I’m barely halfway out of the car and not even fully standing when I’m hit with a stream of water straight to my face.
I really thought Evelyn was joking and that there was no way the boys would actually spray us. It startles me so much that I squeal and drop my coffee on the pavement.
“Oh, fuck!”
At the sound of his voice, I look up into a pair of light green eyes. I’m assuming this is Grayson, since he’s playing with the other boys and looks close to my age. And god, he’s really cute! He’s tall and lean, and his arms look muscular like Remy’s. His ash blonde hair is cut a little shorter on the sides than on the top, and it’s wet right now and laying over his forehead adorably. His pretty green eyes are framed by super thick lashes and he has thick, dark eyebrows. I also notice that he has plugs in his ears and a piercing on the side of his bottom lip.
“Grayson! What is wrong with you!?” Evelyn screeches, rushing around the car to where we’re standing.
He gapes at me, his cheeks quickly turning bright red. The other four boys are there within seconds, and they start yelling at him too.
I finally tear my eyes from Grayson’s when somebody hands me a towel. I turn to Remy and quietly mumble, “Thank you.”
Sebastian bends down and picks up my spilled iced coffee cup. Still halfway kneeling, he meets my eyes, looking completely frantic and distraught. “Do you want us to go get you another one?”
I widen my eyes and shake my head at the insanity of his offer. Holy crap, he’s so sweet! “No, it’s um, it’s okay.”
I meet Grayson’s eyes, and I realize he hasn’t torn his gaze from me at all. “I-I’m sorry. I thought you were my mom.”
Elliot barks out a laugh, and Liam punches him in the arm. When Grayson flinches and turns to scowl at him, Liam grunts. “You fucking moron. She doesn’t look anything like your mom!”
I feel terrible that they’re ganging up on Grayson. He looks so confused and apologetic. And the other four boys are so freaking cute, worrying over me for something so silly. I giggle nervously and turn toward Evelyn, silently asking for help.
Instead of looking at me, Evelyn is smirking at the boys. They go completely silent when I start giggling. When I stop, Sebastian gives me a lopsided smile and clears his throat.
“Grayson, this is Arthur’s niece, Charlotte. Charlotte, this is Grayson.”
Elliot gives me a wolfish grin and adds, “Yeah, and he’s an idiot.”
Grayson looks so embarrassed and uncomfortable. I give him a small smile and try really hard to not be awkward. “Hi. Your mom told me a lot about you.”
I wonder if it was a stupid thing to say when he turns to give Evelyn a look of betrayal. She beams at him and opens the trunk of the car. “Can you boys please help Charlotte take these bags up to her room?”
Since Grayson’s standing closer to the car than the others, he sees the excessive amount of shopping bags first. “God, woman! How much did you buy?”
I feel my face flush and my eyes automatically go to Sebastian. I mean, his stepdad is the one who paid for everything. He meets my eyes for a split second before hissing at Grayson through his teeth.
“Would you please shut up already?” He scoots past me and Evelyn, grabbing several of the shopping bags.
Liam and Elliot are quick to start shoving each other, each trying to grab more shopping bags than the other. Remy shakes his head at them and opens the door to the back seat, grabbing some of the bags there instead. Grayson’s face is still red, and he watches his friends for a few seconds before stepping forward to grab the rest of the bags from the back seat. The five of them are already on their way inside the house by the time I realize there’s nothing left for me to carry.
When I stare at Evelyn with a shocked expression, she bursts into giggles and shuts the car doors and trunk. “Oh, that was even funnier than I expected.”
I thought it was embarrassing, but I guess I’m glad she was entertained. I follow her into Arthur’s house, keeping my face blank so she can’t see the panic I feel. Arthur is sitting at the kitchen island, looking at a bunch of paperwork with another woman. I’m assuming it’s Ava, Evelyn’s wife.
They look up and smile at us. The woman chuckles and says, “Now why can’t they carry groceries in for us with that much gusto?”
Evelyn cracks up and walks over to her, pecking her softly on the lips. “Did they mention that Grayson sprayed Charlotte in the face with his water gun as she was getting out of the car?”
Arthur glances worriedly at the stairs, and Ava simply shakes her head like she’s not surprised. She turns to smile at me and offers a handshake. “I’m Ava.”
She has the same green eyes and ash blonde hair as Grayson, and her hair is cut in a sleek, shoulder-length bob. I shake her hand and give her a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I can’t help letting my eyes glance at some of the papers on the counter-top. It becomes evident that most of them are records from my file that Anne probably gave to Arthur. Evelyn mentioned earlier that Ava is a lawyer, so I’m sure that’s why Arthur is having her look at it, but I still feel ashamed.
Arthur quickly tries to divert my attention and nervously asks, “Did you have fun?”
I nod sincerely. “Yes, I did. Thank you so much!”
He relaxes and sighs in relief. “Good, I’m glad! And you don’t need to thank me.”
He’s wrong about that, but I don’t know how to show how grateful I really am. So, I just end up smiling at him again. And it’s like I can’t control myself entirely, because my eyes slowly wander toward the staircase.
Evelyn pats my shoulder with a small chuckle. “Go upstairs and hang out with the boys, sweetie. And don’t be a stranger! Come over any time, and let me know if you ever want your hair done!”
I don’t even think before I hug her, and she squeezes me tightly in return. I’m still kind of embarrassed about it, so I don’t waste any more time before quietly making my way up the stairs.
Chapter Five
When I’m standing in the doorway of my bedroom, I pause. The guys are standing around the room looking at the bags they’ve placed on the floor next to my bed. Elliot is the only one who’s facing me, and he grins as soon as our eyes meet. He doesn’t say anything or announce my presence.
It looks like Sebastian and Grayson are arguing because they’re standing close and glaring at each other. Grayson scoffs, “Oh, I’m sorry you guys decided not to tell me a hot girl was moving in with you and Arthur.”
I feel my cheeks getting warm, but otherwise I try not to outwardly react. Inside, I’m freaking out and I feel giddy. He thinks I’m hot?
Elliot’s grin widens. “Hi, Charlotte.”
The other four boys whip their heads around and stare at me in alarm. Liam shakes his head and widens his eyes at me. “How did we not hear you again?”
I don’t know how to respond, and my stomach is
twisting nervously at being around them again. I step into the room and look at all of the bags on the floor before smiling up at the boys. “Thank you for carrying these up.”
Sebastian laughs nervously and steps over to open the closet. He gestures inside animatedly. “I moved everything out of here earlier, and in the bathroom, um, I moved everything so the drawers and stuff under the left sink are empty for you.”
Before I can thank him, Remy settles his piercing gaze on me and adjusts his glasses. “Do you want any help putting this stuff away?”
I shake my head. “You guys don’t have to do that.”
Elliot grins and kneels on the ground, peeking into some of the bags. “I wanna see what you got. It looks like Evelyn turned you into a Barbie doll.”
I bend down to pull the coat hangers out and start laying them out on the bed. I smile timidly at Elliot. “Yeah, well, I know I was looking a little rough yesterday.”
Elliot’s smile falters, and he glances at my right hand before meeting my eyes again. “Am I allowed to ask why you got into a fight?”
Sebastian groans and hisses at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you and Grayson?”
Grayson hasn’t spoken since he realized I heard him call me hot, and he’s still blushing and avoiding my eyes. He mumbles, “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t realize my mom was in here talking to Arthur.”
I meet Sebastian’s eyes. The contrast between the brown and blue is stunning, and he looks genuinely concerned about me. I want to tell him he doesn’t need to baby me and that I’m completely fine. They have every right to ask me questions. I want to apologize for intruding in his space and for making things weird for him, for making him share his bathroom and Arthur. Mostly, I want to thank him for being so kind, but it’s like the words are stuck in my throat. After I’ve been staring at him awkwardly for a few long seconds, and it becomes clear I’m not going to be able to speak like a normal human being, I turn toward Grayson to try to talk to him instead.
“It’s okay. I’m not mad or anything.” I hate that my voice is so quiet and stupid, and I bite my tongue. “You surprised me outside, but it was actually sort of funny.”
Grayson smiles apprehensively. “Still, I am sorry.”
I pick up one of the first bags of clothing. It’s calming when my hands are busy pulling each piece out to put on a hanger. After I’ve hung up a dress and a button-up collared shirt, I turn my attention to Elliot.
“You can ask me anything you want. Did Arthur, um…” I pause for a second to calm my nerves. “Did he tell you guys I was in juvie?”
Elliot’s not smiling now. It’s not like I’ve been around him much, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him look unsure of himself. I’m kicking myself for making this weird. God, I should have just kept my mouth shut.
It’s Remy who finally answers. “Yeah, he did.” When I meet his eyes, he quirks his mouth into a half smile and softens his voice. “I was too, so please don’t feel bad or weird about it with us.”
My stomach flutters and my heart warms at his words, and at the thought that maybe Evelyn was right, and these boys might accept and understand me like nobody ever has before. I also feel terrible that he had to spend any time there, no matter what he did to get into trouble.
I smile gratefully at him and clear my throat. I continue putting my new clothes on hangers and answer Elliot’s original question without looking at any of them. “The fight was stupid. There was just this girl who thought I cut her in line at breakfast.”
It’s quiet for a few seconds, and then Liam gives me a friendly smile and sits down against the wall under the window. From the corner of my eye, I see Remy sit down closer to the closet.
Sebastian looks back and forth between the three boys who have made themselves comfortable on the floor, brushing his fingers through his hair. “Charlotte, we can leave you alone if you want.”
I blink at him, feeling immensely uncertain. I don’t want them to leave, but it would probably be really weird to say that. And I’m afraid I’m going to start losing my words any moment because I’ve been talking so much today.
I shrug awkwardly and mumble, “I don’t mind.”
Grayson shrugs at Sebastian and walks over to sit beside Liam under the window. Sebastian still seems extremely hesitant. I’m worried he wants to leave, and that he feels pressured to stay because his friends are. He finally gives in and sits down right where he’s standing, next to the closet door.
I finish with the first bag of clothes and pick up all of the items on hangers to put them in the closet. I’m surprised to see that it’s a walk-in closet. It’s not the biggest or most extravagant, but it’s definitely sizable.
When I finish with that, Elliot gives me one of his wolfish grins and hands me a Victoria’s Secret bag. “Here, I think you should do this one next.”
Grayson coughs to hide a laugh and Sebastian groans quietly from behind me.
I raise one eyebrow at Elliot and take the bag. His eyes light up and his smile gets bigger, like a little kid on freaking Christmas morning. I know he’s teasing me, but my stomach still flutters at his flirting.
There is a lot of lingerie in this bag, and another one as well. But there are also a few pairs of pajamas. So, with a sweet, innocent smile, I pull out a tee shirt and a pair of cotton shorts and hold them up for Elliot to see.
Instead of seeming disappointed, Elliot laughs heartily.
I pull the rest of the pajamas and anything that’s not lingerie out of the Victoria’s Secret bags before putting them on top of the dresser to put away later when the boys are gone. Elliot hands me another bag, smiling adorably up at me from the floor. I continue on like that for a while, hanging up my new clothes and setting aside everything I’m going to put in the dresser. The boys are quiet at first, but eventually they start talking with each other while playing on their phones.
I’m glad they seem okay just sitting in here, not demanding much from me. Every now and then, one of them will ask me a question, and I try to be as friendly as possible.
About an hour later, they’re laughing about something while I’m hanging up another armful of clothes in the closet. I don’t know anything about video games or most of the movies and shows they keep talking about, but it’s super calming to hear them joking around with each other, and it’s really nice to be included in their group even though I’m so awkward and quiet.
I don’t see him come in since I’m still in the closet, but I hear Arthur’s voice. “Where’s Charlotte?”
I quickly hang up the last two dresses in my hands and step forward to peek my head out. “I’m here.”
Arthur frowns at the boys sitting on the floor and rubs his hand on the back of his neck. “Are you guys bothering her?”
Sebastian glances nervously at me and shrugs. “We’re just keeping her company.”
Arthur furrows his eyebrows. “Charlotte, you can ask them to leave if they’re bugging you or if you’d rather be alone.”
The guys look offended, and I feel really confused. I don’t know why Arthur seems to think I don’t want to be around them. I shake my head and mumble, “No, I like listening to them.”
The boys smile at me, and they look really happy and relieved. I’m glad because I really like them already. I’m sure they’re still only being nice because I just moved in, but I hope eventually they might want to actually be friends.
Elliot picks up the last of my shopping bags and places it on the bed. “She’s just shy. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to be around people.”
My heart warms at his comment and I smile at him gratefully, so happy he understands.
Grayson snickers. “She’s so quiet that my mom probably talked more than usual while they were shopping, trying to make up for it.”
The other guys chuckle, and I giggle too because he’s definitely right. Evelyn talked pretty much nonstop for hours today and didn’t seem to care about how quiet I was most of the time.
Arthur
still looks slightly unsure, but he sighs and reaches into his pocket. I’m confused when he pulls out a cell phone and holds it toward me. I stare at it stupidly, wondering if he expects me to call somebody.
I reach out tentatively and he says, “I put my number in, as well as Anne’s and Evelyn’s.”
I pull my hand back like it was burned and stare at him in shock. He seriously got me a phone? Oh my god. How am I ever going to repay him for anything? I’ve been here for one day and I have my own bedroom, more clothes than I could ever dream of having, and now a cell phone? I’ve never had one before and I know my reaction is probably so freaking weird. I’m terrified I’m going to burst into tears any second—or worse, that this is all a dream or some kind of sick joke and any moment I’ll wake up back in juvie or a grimy, overcrowded group home.
Arthur looks so confused by my reaction that makes me feel worse. Why can’t I just be normal? I can feel the boys’ eyes on me, and I’m too afraid to see if they’re looking at me the way Arthur is.
Remy stands up and takes the phone from Arthur’s outstretched hand. “Here, we’ll all put our numbers in too. Then we can show you how to use it. Okay, Charlotte?”
His voice is so deep and soothing that I can’t help glancing up at him through my lashes. There’s absolutely no judgment in his eyes, just complete understanding.
I don’t break eye contact with him until Arthur clears his throat. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks around the room awkwardly. “Okay, well, are any of you guys staying for dinner?” All of the boys say yes, and Arthur blinks. “I’m just going to order Chinese. Is that alright?”
Nobody says anything until we hear Arthur on the stairs, and then Sebastian chuckles and smiles at me nervously. “Don’t worry, Charlotte. Arthur was the same way with me when he first started dating my mom. Even now sometimes, he gets really weird and awkward when he’s trying to act parental.”
Remy’s typing something on the phone while he mutters, “Yeah, and these guys and their parents sometimes forget that not everybody has money to throw around. It probably didn’t occur to Arthur that it might make you feel weird to be handed a brand new fucking iPhone after shopping all day.”
Smile Like You Mean It (Charlotte Reynolds Book 1) Page 4