The Girl and the Gargoyle: Book Two of The Girl and the Raven Series (13 page)

I gasp. “Thirty kids are coming to your party?”

“So, you agree it should be held at a restaurant.” Ethan raises his eyebrows at me.

I pat him on the shoulder, careful not to mess his hair again. As much as he acts like a mini adult, he’s still such a little boy. Once again, I notice his big brown eyes. He and Dylan have the same eyes as their father. Same with the hair. Brandi, however, looks more like her mother with her fair skin and blue eyes. I’m guessing Mrs. Douglas’s hair color looked more like Brandi’s before she started dying it.

“What’re you staring at me for?” Ethan grumbles. “Fine. I’ll stop complaining about the stupid birthday party. Okay?”

“You’re the best, Ethan.” I give him a big smile.

He rolls his eyes at me.

“I was thinking we’d go to the pool today.”

Ethan and Brandi both jump up to high-five me. “Yes!” They shriek in unison.

“Call Dylan! I want him to go, too!” Ethan’s eyes bug out in anticipation.

Where did Mr. Grumpy go?

“Actually, he texted me last night. He’ll be here in an hour.”

“Sweet!” Ethan punches the air.

As the kids run off to pack their swimsuits, I join Charlene in the kitchen and give her a hug.

“Did you hear about the birthday party?” Charlene collapses onto a stool, blowing a damp lock of hair from her eyes. She’s not wearing any makeup, and there are dark circles under her eyes. “You would think we were planning a party for the president.”

“That’s insane. Why don’t they hire someone to help you?” It’s not like they can’t afford it.

“She’s invited all these ladies she knows from the club. Brandi doesn’t even hang out with their kids. Those little girls are sharks. They’re going to eat her alive at her own birthday party.” Charlene leans forward, her gaze meeting mine. “For a while, Mrs. Douglas was acting like a real mom to them. Playing games and tucking them in bed at night.” She shakes her head. “I should’ve known it was too good to be true. She’s back to being her normal self.”

Mrs. Douglas thought she was going to lose her kids to Jude last year. I noticed the change, too, and had hoped it was permanent.

Just then, Ethan and Brandi return to the kitchen and take their seats. While they eat breakfast, I call and order the cake. The woman at the bakery probably thinks I’m a loon after I reviewed the cake decorations and inscription three times with her. I set the notes on the counter near the phone to go over with Mrs. Douglas when she gets home.

I quickly braid Brandi’s hair while she finishes eating.

“Do you want more eggs?” I ask Ethan as he scrapes his plate clean.

“Nope. I’m full.”

“You’re sure?”

Ethan screws his face up tight and shakes his head at me.

As Brandi climbs off her stool, she teeters. I race to her side and grab her glass before it falls from her hands.

“Dylan’s here!” Brandi calls out.

Charlene grabs hold of my arm and tugs me backward. “You’re acting like a nervous mother hen. What’s going on?”

My breath hitches. What if Ethan, Brandi, and I never work on another jigsaw puzzle together? Or snuggle on the couch and watch a movie? Or bake cookies together? What if I never feel their arms wrapped around me in a tight hug? Or smell Brandi’s strawberry shampoo?

I turn away from Charlene and take a deep breath. “Do you two have your swimsuits?”

Ethan holds up his backpack, and I’m relieved it’s a fraction of the size of his normal swim bag. “In here, along with my towel, goggles, and fins.”

“Me, too!” Brandi squeaks, holding up her pink backpack.

Dylan strolls into the kitchen. “I have mine on. Do you want to see?” he leans in and whispers in my ear.

I roll my eyes. “I’ll pass.”

I hand the order receipt for Brandi’s party invitations to Dylan. “We need to stop and pick these up on the way. Is Arnold in the car?”

“I’m driving. I told Arnold to go meet up with his buddies for a few hours.”

I pause, knowing Mrs. Douglas doesn’t like any deviation from the schedule or the rules. And she’s not a big fan of Dylan. “Are you allowed to do that?”

“What my step-monst…my
stepmother
doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” He stares menacingly at Ethan and Brandi. “Right?”

They both giggle, mimicking Dylan as he draws his fingers across his lips like a zipper.

* * * *

By the time we reach the pool, it’s crammed full of shrieking, splashing children.

Brandi clings to my side as Ethan and Dylan hurl themselves into the deep end. “I can only swim in the shallow end. Okay?”

“Of course.”

She grips my hand tighter. “Don’t let go of me, okay?”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Brandi and I make a game of sinking to the bottom of the pool, flapping our hands frantically to help keep us submerged, then jumping up from the water.

“We’re like mermaids,” Brandi says excitedly.

My heart swells so large my chest hurts. “You can be Ariel,” I tell her.

“And you can be one of her sisters!”

After a while, Dylan joins us, leaving Ethan to hang out with a bunch of his friends from the swim team.

Dylan leans close. He glances at us, then to the deep end, his voice low so only Brandi and I can hear him. “Brandi, I have to warn you. I heard there are sharks in this pool.”

Brandi’s eyes grow as large as fifty-cent pieces.

“No…” Her voice is a whisper.

He mimics her solemn expression and points to the deep end. “I thought I saw one down there.”

She squints real hard as she searches the water. “I don’t see—”

Dylan slips under the water, his hands skimming the surface, mimicking a shark fin.

Brandi jumps and shrieks before lumbering away in a fit of giggles. Dylan swims back and forth in the shallow end, chasing her while I stand in the corner and watch. Several other kids Brandi’s age join in, racing through the water, splashing and giggling, trying to escape from the killer shark. If Mrs. Douglas could see this, she’d cease her crusade to keep Dylan apart from his brother and sister.

If I die, will Brandi and Ethan lose Dylan?

Two hours later, family swim is over, and we’re back in Dylan’s car. The kids are asleep in the back seat, snoring softly. Brandi’s head rests on Ethan’s shoulder, and his head is tilted against hers.

My vision blurs and my throat burns. What will their lives be like without me? They live in their museum-like house, with an emotionless mother and a workaholic father. All the toys in the world aren’t going to compensate for a lack of love and attention.

I have to stay alive for them.

Dylan breaks the silence. “Spill it.”

I blink away tears as I pull my attention away from the kids. “What?”

“You can’t stop staring at them. Ever since I showed up this morning, you’ve been acting like…like my mother did last year when I came home from the hospital.” He slides a dark glance my way. “What are you afraid of? Is Jude going to come after them again?”

“I told you he’ll never come after them—or you—again.”

“Then what is it? And—”

“It’s nothing.”

“I was about to say…and don’t say it’s nothing.”

“I adore them.” I glance at the sleeping figures in the backseat. “That’s all.”

I’m dying to tell Dylan about Garret, but I can’t risk him telling Jude. Guilt twists my heart. Garret might come after Dylan too. He deserves to know. But can I trust him with Jude’s life? And my own?

“Whose life is in danger now?” His tone is sharper this time.

“You’re so dramatic!” I force a laugh. “Nothing’s going on.”

Dylan’s grimace tells me he doesn’t believe me, but he leaves it alone as we pull into the parking space at the printing company. I grab the order receipt from the dashboard and dash inside to pickup Brandi’s party invitations, relieved to get away from his probing stare. My phone buzzes, and I slide it from my pocket. My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I read the text message. Marcus has a sister?

Chapter Seventeen

Marcus paces across the living room of his apartment. “Her name is Selima. Camille told me about her,” he explains to me.

A car with a loud muffler roars down the street. Marcus slams the window so hard the walls and floor tremble. I sit stiffly on the couch. Camille, Garret, and now a long-lost sister. Marcus’s life has turned into one of those soap operas Momma used to watch when I was young.

I think back to the last time Marcus met with his mother, before that horrible night at the condo. That was a couple of weeks ago. “Why are you just telling me about Selima now?”

Marcus stops his pacing and faces me. His expression shifts from fear to panic. “Because she’s coming here. On Monday. After school.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question.”

Marcus rakes his fingers through his hair. “I should’ve told you. I’m sorry.”

I really thought we were past the point of secrets. I guess not. “I’m more curious
why
you didn’t tell me.”

Marcus sits on the couch next to me. “My mother left me. My stepfather bailed, leaving me at St. Pat’s in the middle of Sunday service. Then I find out my birth father supposedly didn’t want kids.” He struggles to make eye contact. “And then Camille tells me about Selima, the daughter Garret adores. I struggled with that.”

I slide my arms around him. “I’m an idiot. And I’m sorry.”

“You’re not an idiot.” He pulls back. I see the worry in his eyes. “Will you go with me? To meet my sister?”

There are lines around Marcus’s eyes, and he’s wrenched his hair into a crazy mess. After all he’s been through, I should cut him some slack. But is it safe to meet with Garret’s daughter?

“What do you know about her?”

Marcus rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands and exhales. “If you’re worried about her coming here to attack me, don’t be.” He stretches his lips into a partial smile. “She seemed more nervous about the meeting than me.”

I frown at him.

“Okay…equally nervous.”

We both laugh. I relish the sound. We haven’t had much to laugh about lately.

Chapter Eighteen

Dylan Douglas

I wait until Marcus pulls into the gas station before I climb out of my car. Rain streams down my scalp, diluting my gel.
Great
.

Marcus climbs out of his car and remains standing beneath the gas station canopy. He doesn’t bother meeting me halfway. His hair stays dry.
Jerk.

“This better be important, Dylan.” It drives Marcus crazy that Lucy and I are close. If I had it my way, she’d leave him in the dust. Some day—and I’m hoping it won’t be long—she’ll realize I’m the better choice. I make her laugh. With all the crap in her life, that should mean something.

I recall Lucy’s expression last weekend, as she watched Ethan and Brandi sleeping in the backseat of the car. I know that look. I’ve felt the exact same way, fear you wouldn’t see them again. I’ve asked her about it twice since then, and she keeps dodging the subject.

I nod at Marcus grimly.
Need to be convincing here, D-Man.
“Lucy told me what’s going on.”

Marcus tries to mask his surprise as he shoves his keys in the pocket of his jeans. It feels pretty damn good to watch him fumble. His eyes narrow. “How much did she tell you?”

I grin inwardly. I like getting under that brooding exterior.

“Everything.” I lie. “The question is…what are you going to do about it?” I fake a dramatic sigh and stare off for a moment. “And what can I do to help?”

“You? What makes you think you can do anything?”

“You have a short memory. I was there for her last time. I did whatever was asked of me, for her sake.”

Marcus frowns, unable to dispute that. He starts to say something, then stops. He glances at the ground, then back at me. It takes a lot of effort not to laugh at his sheepish expression. “You haven’t told her about that night, have you? I mean…I figured you haven’t. I’m not sure she could handle it.”

I cross my arms over my chest and rock back on my heels. “I haven’t said a word to her and don’t plan to.” I pause for effect. “But you might want to think about this. Lucy’s powers are growing. And she’s smart. Don’t you think she’s going to wake up one day and realize a simple embrace from you isn’t enough to save a girl near death?”

Marcus’s Adam’s apple bobs.

“She’s going to figure out there was more to that night, and when she does, she’s going to be furious we kept it from her.”

Marcus nods thoughtfully. “You have a point. I did what I had to do…but I owe her the truth.”

Lucy’s going to freak
. A part of me feels bad for him. I’m grateful to Marcus for saving her, but at the same time she deserves to know the truth. And I’m sick of holding onto it. But that’s not why we’re here. “So what’re we going to do about the current situation?”