Rebelonging (Unbelonging, Book 2) (28 page)

"And what happened then?"

"Well, before I know it, Loretta takes Josh's
plate and crashes it onto the floor, food and all. Then she goes
after the serving dishes, the gravy boat, the chicken platter, a
couple of wine glasses. It totally sucks, because everyone's
freaking out. But part of me's thinking 'So what? At least Josh
won't have to eat a bunch of fish barf.'"

I pushed a hand through my hair. "And in the
end, Loretta storms off to her room, and my dad gives us yet
another lecture, this one about how we ruined Loretta's favorite
holiday."

"Easter?"

"Supposedly. But they say that about every
holiday, so I dunno. Talk-Like-a-Pirate-Day could be her favorite
for all I know. Anyway, after my Dad tells me to get the hell out,
Josh is stuck dealing with the fallout."

I looked down at my lap. "And as far as that
gravy? Loretta made another batch, special just for him. And they
wouldn't give him anything else to eat until the whole thing was
gone. And they wouldn’t him eat anyplace else either."

I swallowed a lump, and continued. "And I
knew
it was all my fault. Because if I hadn't said
something, it would've ended at dinner, one way or another. Swear
to God, I'd have eaten that whole bowl myself if I could, but after
I was kicked out, I wasn't allowed inside at all for at least a
year."

"When you left, you couldn’t take him with
you?"

I shook my head. "I didn't have my own place,
still don't. Besides, he's a minor. My dad has full custody, so,
well, you know how that goes."

Lawton said nothing, and I glanced in his
direction. I took in his clenched jaw, his narrowed eyes. The
silence stretched out.

"It's not like we were abused or anything," I
assured him. "Lots of kids have it worse, right?" I tried to smile.
"And at least Grandma lives next door. So Josh spends a lot of time
at her place."

Lawton's voice sounded carefully controlled.
"How much time is that?"

"Well, pretty much all of it actually, except
for when he's sleeping, or when Grandma's out of town."

"On that Easter," he said, "was your Grandma
there, too?"

"No. She's my mom's mom, which puts her way
down on Loretta's guest list."

"But they're neighbors?"

"Sort of. Grandma rents Loretta's guest
cottage."

"So renting the cottage is okay, but coming
to dinner isn't?"

"It's complicated," I said. "The cottage is
nice, but it's not a real rental. It's got no driveway of its own,
and besides, their neighborhood isn't zoned for that sort of
thing."

"So it's all done on the sly. That's what
you're saying?"

"Yeah. Grandma can't drive anyway, so there's
no car. And since she's a relative, the neighbors think she's just
a guest."

"But she's paying?"

"Yeah. All cash, so there's no zoning
trouble."

"You ever think of renting the cottage for
yourself?" he asked.

"I tried. But Loretta wouldn't let me. She
still won't let me stay overnight there, even as Grandma's
guest."

"Why not?"

"Because," I said in a mocking tone, "I need
to learn real responsibility." I looked out the window. "Just as
well. I work most nights anyway. But Grandma, she's works from
home, so–"

"Are we talking about that job that isn't
real?"

"Oh," I said. "Yeah. I guess I did mention
that huh?" I nodded. "Yup. That's the one."

I glanced up, surprised to realize we were
almost there. I reached out, putting my hand on his arm. "Lawton,
no matter what she does, don't set her off, alright? She'll
probably be pissy about what you're wearing. But that's okay,
because it'll keep the focus off Josh."

I looked over at him. For all my vows to make
Lawton pay, it suddenly occurred to me that this was an awful lot
to ask of anyone, even him. "I'm sorry," I said. "You don't mind,
do you?"

"Nope," he said. "This'll be fun."

"I'm serious," I said. "She's a total
psycho."

"Yeah?" He gave me a crooked grin. "Haven't
you heard? I am too."

We squealed into the driveway with one minute
to spare. Glancing at the house, I caught movement in the front
window.

Josh.

"C'mon," I said, shoving open my car door.
Salad in hand, I jumped out and watched as Lawton circled the car
and retrieved the two desserts from the back.

By the time we reached the front door, it was
already open. Josh stood just inside the doorway, his hand on the
doorknob and his gaze troubled.

"You made it," he said, stepping outside and
shutting the door behind him.

For his sake, I summoned up a smile. "Told
you I would."

Josh glanced briefly over his shoulder, and
then lowered his voice. "She was just about to lock you out."

He didn't need to say who
she
was.

For Josh's sake, I kept the smile in place.
"Good thing I found myself a fast driver then." I cleared my
throat. "Speaking of which, this is Lawton, my, uh, friend." I
turned to Lawton. "This is Josh."

Lawton held out his free hand. "So you're the
genius Chloe's always talking about."

"Aw, I don’t know about that," Josh said,
looking down at his shoes. He wore dark slacks, a white dress
shirt, and a grey neck tie with tiny polka dots.

"You look good," I said.

Josh looked up. "Thanks. So do you."
Absently, he reached up to tug at the knot of his tie. "I wanted to
wear jeans." He shrugged. "But you know."

I did know. And then, as if we were thinking
the same thing, we slowly turned to look at Lawton.

He stood with his legs shoulder-width apart.
He had the dessert boxes cradled in one arm, and the other arm
loose at his side. But even relaxed, the muscles and tattoos of his
bare arms were hard to ignore, not to mention his greased-stained
white T-shirt.

But Josh wasn't looking at Lawton's shirt, or
his tattoos. He was looking down at Lawton's jeans, taking in the
shredded fabric and grease stains.

Josh blew out a low whistle. "She's gonna
totally chew you up," he said.

"Who?" Lawton said.

Behind Josh, the door swung open so fast and
hard, it hit the doorstopper with that weird, clangy noise I knew
so well.

"Her," I muttered under my breath.

Loretta gave me a cold, withering look. "You
think I can't hear you?"

Oh crap. Time to shape up fast, starting with
an apology.

But before I had the chance, her cool gaze
swept to Lawton. She gave him a long, disapproving look, taking her
time as if cataloging everything, from his tousled hair to his
tattered jeans.

Her lips pursed.

In spite of my nervousness, or maybe because
of it, I wanted to laugh. Loretta prided herself on impeccable
manners, at least in front of strangers – except, I knew, when the
stranger in question was deemed beneath her notice.

Her opinion of Lawton was pretty obvious. She
already had him categorized somewhere between the guy who mowed her
lawn and the panhandlers she was always complaining about.

She leaned around him to look at the
driveway. "Who are you?" she said. "The tow truck driver?"

Loretta knew damn well that Lawton wasn't a
tow truck driver. For one thing, there was no tow truck, a dead
giveaway in my book.

But there
was
his car. I followed her
gaze and tried to see it like she'd see it – an ancient muscle car
with chipped paint and ugly dents.

I cleared my throat. "Loretta," I said, "I'd
like you to meet Lawton. My friend, and uh, my ride."

"I see." She pursed her lips. "Lorton, is
it?"

"Close enough," Lawton said, holding out his
hand.

Loretta looked down at the hand, but didn't
take it. "Are you some kind of mechanic?" she said.

Lawton grinned. "You could say that." With a
shrug, he put down his hand. "Just part-time though. You know how
it is."

"No," she said with a little sniff. "I'm
afraid I don't." She glanced again toward the driveway. "I assume
you're also providing our Chloe with a ride home?"

Lawton grinned. "Definitely."

Loretta consulted her watch. "Fine. But don't
be later than two o'clock." She turned to me. "Will you be waiting
for him in the driveway? Or shall he knock on the door?"

"Actually," I said, "he's my guest. You said
I could bring one?"

Just then, Lauren Jane's face appeared behind
Loretta's shoulder. "Oh my God," she said. "Is that–? Are you?" She
turned toward me. "Is that Lawton Rastor?"

Loretta whirled around to face her daughter.
Standing outside, I heard her voice, hushed and urgent as she
asked, "Who's Lawton Rastor?"

Ten minutes later, we were all settled around
the long, oval table, with my dad at the head and Loretta at the
foot.

With a smooth, practiced move, Loretta
settled the cloth napkin onto her lap and gave me her sweetest
smile. "We're all
so
glad you could make it, Chloe."

With a tittering laugh, she looked around the
table and added, "We were just about to send out the cavalry." She
gave my dad a significant look. "Weren't we, Dick?"

Nodding, my dad pulled out the booming voice
he used only in front of company. "Anything for our little Chloe,"
he said. "It sure wouldn't be a family dinner without her."

Resisting an eye-roll of epic proportions, I
glanced at Lawton across the table. Either he had one heck of a
poker face, or he didn't see the humor.

He'd been seated between Josh and Lauren
Jane. Josh was looking at Lawton with undisguised awe. Lauren Jane
was all teeth and eyes, studying Lawton like a wolf studies a
mutton chop.

Lauren Jane reached over and ran a finger
along Lawton's forearm. "I like your tattoos," she said. "Do you
have more?"

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or rip Lauren
Jane's arm off and beat her over the head with it.

So instead, I stood. "Who's ready for
salad?"

At Loretta's insistence, we were eating the
meal in courses. Salad first. And the way it looked, it was time to
get the show on the road.

My heart racing, I stood and retrieved my
salad from the sideboard. The salad plates were already on the
table, so all I had to do was pass the bowl around and pray that no
one noticed it was already half empty. With a shaky smile, I handed
the bowl first to Loretta.

Her brow wrinkled. "Where's the rest of it?"
she asked.

I bit my lip. "Well, you see, on the way
here—"

"I ate it," Lawton said.

She turned toward him. "Pardon?"

"I thought it was a snack." He shrugged.
"Sorry."

Loretta's gaze narrowed. I was still holding
the bowl. She looked up at me. "Is that true?"

"Oh Mom," Lauren Jane said, "of course it's
true." She licked her lips. "I mean, just look at this guy." She
gave Lawton a long, appreciative look. "You don't get a body like
that on cheeseburgers."

I stifled a laugh.

"Is something funny?" Loretta said.

I shook my head. "Nope. Sorry."

With a little sniff, Loretta started serving
herself some salad. She nodded toward my chair. "Sit. Please." She
gave me a stiff-looking smile. "We'll just pass the courses around,
family style." She looked around. "Now, isn't this nice?"

"Mmm…it sure is," Lauren Jane said in a low,
husky voice.

I looked over and spotted Lauren Jane's hand
wrapped around Lawton's right bicep. The way it looked, she'd
caught him in mid-motion of sipping from his wine glass.

The glass, still poised at his lips, was
nearly full. This wasn't good. A few more minutes of this, and he'd
be needing the whole bottle.

Matter of fact, I should've gotten him drunk
on the way. Better yet, I should've gotten myself drunk. Lawton was
driving, after all.

Lauren Jane gave the bicep another squeeze.
"You must work out like crazy," she told him. "Just how much
can
you lift, anyway?"

"Wait," Josh said, "I know this.
Three-hundred pounds."

We all turned to look at him.

He shrugged. "I read it on the internet."

"Chloe dear," Loretta said, "Will you be
taking your seat any time soon?"

I looked around the table. Was I still
standing there? Oh crap. I was.

Silently, I returned to my seat. I watched as
the salad was handed from person to person around the table. When
it got to Lawton, he passed it along without taking any.

"You don't want any?" Josh said.

"Nah. I'm good," Lawton said. "Since I
already ate half on the way." He made a show of lowering his voice.
"Don't tell anyone, but there was also this chocolate cake."

Josh's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Lawton said. "And a side of beef,
couple of hams." He shrugged. "A pie. A dozen donuts. After that, I
lost track."

"Oh, you," Lauren Jane said with a playful
pat on his arm. "Stop teasing that boy. He'll believe
anything."

"No I won't," Josh said.

"Josh," Loretta said, "don't sass your
sister. It's not polite."

Josh looked to his plate. "Sorry."

Lawton leaned over and said something in
Josh's ear. Josh grinned.

Loretta cleared her throat. "Lawton? Care to
share with the rest of us?"

"You mean salad?" Lawton glanced down at his
empty plate. "Sorry, I didn't take any." He turned to Lauren Jane.
"How about you? Got any spare salad for your mom?"

Frowning, Lauren Jane looked down at her
salad plate. She gave it a worried look. "There's not that much
here," she said.

Loretta pursed her lips. "That's not
necessary. I wasn't referring to—" She made a little huffing sound.
"Oh, never mind."

When the salad reached me, I took two small
pieces of lettuce. Then I stood to return the bowl to the
sideboard, located just behind Lawton. On the sideboard were silver
platters covered with big, domed silver lids.