Adjournment (The Fate Series) (25 page)

They never leave!

“Oh sorry, I was just coming down for breakfast. Why are you here so early?” I say moving around him to hurry toward the food.

“Oh, me? Well, I—well—breakfast… of course,” he says, running his hand through his hair.

Stuttering, nervously shifting, bad eye contact… yup he’s lying. We both tilt our heads to the side, waiting for the other to speak. Wait… he’s wearing the same clothes!

“Oh. My,” I gasp, my hand covers my mouth. “Did you have sex with my sister?” The words come out a little louder than a whisper, and I scan our surroundings for people.

“Could you maybe yell that louder? I don’t think the neighbors heard you. Where did Molly go?” He shifts his attention from me, looking around for her help.

That little tramp! She has been sleeping with the enemy for…

“How long as this been going on?” I push my finger against his chest, backing him into the coiled banister.

“Well—you see…” Looking around nervously over my head, he shifts back and forth.

“Spit it out, Dean!” I shout.

“Since last night,” I hear Molly behind me. “You know, Sid, we aren’t kids anymore. Some of us grow up,” Molly says with a bite of attitude.

Backing away from him, I look at her with widened eyes as we walk down the hall to the great room.

Grow up? Is she freaking kidding me? She was just threatening to push him down the stairs two weeks ago. Wait… I know what’s happening. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. This isn’t reality… I must be sleeping still.

Grabbing the back of my arm I pinch my skin and flinch from the pain. 

Dammit! Not a dream.

“If you are finished abusing yourself, lovey,” Grams says from the table she is sitting at, “I would love some company for breakfast.”

“I’ll be right back to join you. I have to go get Lexi up,” I say turning away from everyone.

“No need lovey, she already ate and is gone for a run on the beach.”

Turning back around to join this horribly awkward breakfast, I snatch a plate and begin to shovel on the food.

Today’s goal is to eat all of my feelings.

You can do this, it’s just a big awkward breakfast with Molly and Dean who just had sex and Grams who only talks about sex… This should be fine—if Molly acts up, I’ll just throw her under the bus to Grams.

I would love to watch Molly squirm under Grams’ thoughts about hot men and not knowing how to use their equipment.

With a devious smile I sit down and stab at the fruit filling plate.

“Lovey, dear…” Grams starts which means she wants something. “Fetch me a mimosa if you will.” She takes a bite of her hazelnut chocolate roll and gives me the most pathetic sad face.

Oh… hazelnut chocolate rolls…

“Okay, Lovey…” I say before sinking my teeth into a piece of watermelon.

“Good morning, Chandlers.” Simon’s deep voice rings out from behind me as he enters the room. My top lip curls up in irritation as I push away from the table to get her drink.

This breakfast just gets better and better.

“Sidney, you’re joining us? I didn’t think you would since there’s no fruit or bird seed,” he jokes, walking over to the buffet to grab a plate.

I watch him from the corner of my eye, slowly scanning over his outfit. Dark washed jeans replace his tailored suit pants and a slate blue button-down shirt with its sleeves cuffed up to under his elbows shows off his muscular forearms instead of a perfectly fitted suit jacket that he normally hides them under.

Casual Simon is a much better look.

He walks down the table balancing three dishes that are filled with food. He looks over at me, a knowing smile plastered on his face.

Did he just see me checking him out?

“There was, I took it all… Sorry.” I squint at him.

His jaw flexes and I smile with delight that I took what he’s annoyed.

“Don’t you have someone else to bother?” I say with a sweet fake voice.

“Just you for now, Pet.” He bumps me with his elbow sending a quick charge through me.

Breathe.

Grabbing the mimosas, I walk next to him over to the table. He sits down in the empty seat next to mine, and I set his drink down in front of him before passing the rest out.

“You shouldn’t have, Pet.” He grins, picking it up.

“I know, but there’s plenty of time for regret later,” I muse, clinking glasses with him as I sit down.

I catch Simon making a sandwich next to me as I stab a piece of fruit. He breaks open a biscuit, filling it with scrambled eggs and bacon, then places the top on it and sets it next to the sausage gravy.

I showed him that!

That’s my sandwich!

It’s been so long since I’ve had one. No one does sausage gravy like my mom who got the recipe from Grams.

Longing for his food I reach over and grab my drink. I pout inwardly. Looking at the fruit on my plate that suddenly doesn’t appeal to me.

“Simon, that’s a lot of food for you.” Dean gives him a look.

Placing his finger on my plate he slides it away then replaces it with one of his.

“It’s not all for me,” he replies.

Staring blankly at it, I don’t know what to say. Half of me wants to throw it at him for thinking he knows me so well and the other half wants to dive in, savoring every morsel of deliciousness.

“Don’t act like you don’t want it.” His words are low with a hint of double meaning.

But right now he’s right, I do want it.

The sandwich that is…

“I guess it’s alright. I’m on vacation after all.” The smell circles around me, daring me to eat it.

I lift up the sandwich and dip it into the gravy without any further discussion, humming as I bite into it. The flavors dance around my taste buds.

What is his game?

Nothing, Sidney. Stop being crazy, it’s just a sandwich. Don’t read into it.

Taking another bite I mentally force myself to relax even though stress is building in my chest.

I’m stronger than it though.

“Are you two training for an eating contest?” Dean’s shocked expression causes something in me to crack.

“You calling me fat?” I say with a mouth full of biscuits, eggs, and sausage while holding my fork at him like it’s a knife.

“Not at all. You are so small though. Do you really think you can finish all that? Where did you get the sausage gravy?” he asks spinning in his seat to scan over the table again.

Dipping my egg sandwich into the sausage gravy I chuckle as Simon points toward the tall round chafing dish that is currently keeping the sausage gravy at a perfect temperature.

“Sidney, can you try and eat like a lady?” Molly says taking a small bite of food.

Hello pot, I’m kettle.

I lift my head up to look at her, dipping it again, this time holding it in front of Simon who grabs my wrist and takes a bite. The tiny memory of us doing this to her and Morgan as kids breaks free.

“That’s so gross. You two will never change,” she mutters cutting her food up.

The corner of Simon’s mouth curls up, and he shoots me a wink that sends a small zap through me. I turn away trying to focus on eating and in a couple of bites mine’s gone.

I’m still hungry.

Sucking my bottom lip in, I glance around, debating if I want more.

Simon is the slowest eater ever. By the time he eats, most of his food it will be cold. As though he heard my thoughts he grabs my chair from under the seat and the back to pull me closer to him, then slides his dish between us.

“Here.” He hands me another biscuit.

“I’m just helping you. I don’t want to see it get cold before you can enjoy it.” I turn my body toward him.

Rolling up a pancake he dips it into syrup then bites into it.

“Thank you for being so considerate. That’s very sweet of you,” he mumbles as he chews.

“You know me.” I squint at him.

He sits back in his chair, his chest brushes against my arm with every breath as I lean over to make up another sandwich from his plate.

I mean, really, the man has enough to feed everyone at the table.

I sit back hovering over my plate to eat.

“I do…” he says in a low tone.

He doesn’t.

Rolling up another pancake he dips it into my coffee and holds it out to me, so I pass the sandwich off to him.

Taking a bite, I close my eyes and hum again.

So freaking good!

I dip the pancake again, remembering how we all used to sit at the counter watching Mom as she taught us how to make breakfast. Breakfast was always a big deal with my mom.

“It’s the most important meal of the day, don’t forget that.”
She would smile and point at us with her spatula.

Pain begins to fill my chest, making it difficult to breathe or swallow. Putting the food down, I sit back trying to swallow through the lump of emotion that’s stuck in my throat.

“If you didn’t take such big mouthfuls, you wouldn’t have that problem.” Simon hands me his drink.

When I was younger I would eat so much so fast that it would feel like it got stuck in my chest. I’ll let him think that’s what’s happening now.

Tipping the glass back, I drink the rest of the liquid hoping it will help.

Amazingly it does. Probably because there’s alcohol in it…

He stands, taking the glasses over to refill them.

“She’ll never learn.” Molly shakes her head at me. I shoot her a dirty look but I can see she is smiling at me and not at all being nasty. My face changes, my lips curve into a smile, and we all settle into silence as we continue to eat.

Simon walks back over, passes the drinks out, then sits back down—I decide for the moment to just accept it.

Like I said to him, there will be plenty of time later for regret.

When Grams is finished she tosses me one of her extra rolls. I tip the mimosa back, and it’s quickly followed by the heavenly sweet chocolaty roll.

They still taste the same.

“Are you finished?” He slowly slides the plate away from me.

“Yes, now I’m too full to workout… Oh well.” I exhale.

He grabs my fork, gathering one more bite and hovers it in front of my mouth.

Jackass.

I’ve lost my self-control when it comes to food so I take the bite, then slouch back in my chair to chew.

“I give… I can’t eat anymore. I can’t breathe.” I frown from discomfort.

“Well, it’s nice to see you both getting along.” Grams looks at me with a warm smile. “And I see you two are becoming familiar with each other.” She turns to Molly and Dean.

Poor Dean is chewing when she says it, and he chokes.

Good for him, now he knows what it feels like to be caught off-guard while eating.

Sliding lower in my seat, I try to avoid the conversation. “What? Was it something I said?” Her tone lets me know she did that on purpose.

“I am actually very interested in this topic, since I went in to get Dean this morning, and he was nowhere to be found. Isn’t that strange, Grams?” Simon grins into his glass before taking a drink.

The doorbell chimes, and the three of us jump up to answer. “Oh no, Mol, you stay—let her know how familiar you both are with each other and all that gross stuff,” I smirk. “And Dean, well it’s not your house so have fun with all this.” I motion to the table.

Exchanging one last devious smile with Simon, I walk over and lean down to kiss Grams before leaving the room to answer the door.

“That woman is
pure evil
.” I hear a chuckle from behind me.

“You would be smart to stay on her good side. I would hate to see jackass sunburned across your shoulders again,” Grams quips back.

“I would still like to know how she did that,” he adds. I laugh to myself, thinking back to that camping trip. He thought it was so clever putting salamanders in our tent, until the trip was over… He never asked me to lotion his back again.

I already know it’s the tent people coming to set up before I even answer the door. Opening it, I grin at the man in front of me and point to the side of the house where the tent is going. Soon my mother joins us to show them where the dance floor and bars need to be. A short while later the florist and the caterers arrive to set up. There are people bustling around everywhere I look, making sure everything goes exactly how she wants it. 

Who looks at all this chaos and thinks “I can’t wait to get married.” I look around with my hands on my hips, my sunglasses cover my scowling eyes.

Molly walks over with a bright smile on her face.

“I can’t wait to get married.” She stretches her arms out in front of her.

Well, there’s my answer I guess…

Shrugging, I continue to look around, my face now frozen in a state of disgust.

“What’s the matter?” She looks at me.

“The sun, it’s strong.” I cover the top of my sunglasses with my hand to cover the light from getting in through the top. She agrees, then walks away when Dean calls for her help.

Between my sisters, my mother, the triplets, myself, and Lexi, it all comes together rather quickly. Well, by our standards rather quickly, and there has yet to be any fights.

I said yet.

“So what are you ladies up to this afternoon?” Chase asks the group, but he’s really looking at Morgan.

“Swimming… drinking… relaxing…” Morgan replies.

Watching their exchange makes me feel uncomfortable.

“Are you going to get dressed today?” Simon walks up beside me.

“I am dressed.” I look down at myself. “Linen pants and a bathing suit are acceptable when you’re home.” I give him a confused look.

What’s wrong with my outfit?

“I was just checking.” He offers me his drink.

I look from the glass back to him. “Is it poisoned?” I take it from him and smell it.

“Yes, I thought I could poison the both of us so we don’t have to watch Chase attempt to talk to Morgan.” He grins, and we both look over at them. “It’s nice to see you back.” He shifts his attention to the ground.

Trying to come up with something to say back, I take a long sip of his drink. It’s fruity and fizzy with a hint of… vodka? I’m about to tell him it’s just for the weekend when my mother interrupts us to let us know we are all finished.