I swear the woman’s handshake tightens when she learns that, and then she drops my hand as if touching me burned her. I wonder if anyone noticed that or if it was just my imagination.
“Is that so? Does that mean you moved out?”
“Uh, no,” I say, looking at Troy for help.
Finally, he notices I’m floundering and jumps off his chair to come stand next to me. “Why would she move out?”
“Do you think it’s a good idea to live with a girl you just started dating? Living together is a commitment, not a whim.” She turns to me. “No offense, darling.”
Yikes. Tell us how you really feel, why don’t you?
“Oh, sit down, Elaine, and stop raining on everyone’s parade,” Ophelia butts in. “Just because you couldn’t make your marriage work doesn’t mean your son can’t live with his girlfriend without causing the Rapture.”
She twists her face into a scowl. “I’m sorry. I felt it was my duty to point out the obvious. But you’re right; it’s not my place to comment. Kids are so independent nowadays.” She glances at Jane. “But don’t you get any ideas. You’re not going to move in with any boy while you’re still living on my dime.”
“Gee, Mother, double standards much?” Troy retorts angrily.
“Oh, honey, society is full of double standards. I’m merely protecting my daughter.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Did she just insinuate that my parents don’t care about me because they didn’t say I couldn’t live with Troy? To be fair, they don’t know I’m dating him, and I doubt they would bat an eye, considering their marriage is hanging by a thread.
Immediately, my anger dissipates, and it’s replaced by an overwhelming sadness.
If I knew how this day would toy with my emotions, I wouldn’t have left the bed.
37
TROY
Charlie is morose after we leave Golden Oaks. I don’t need to be a genius to guess meeting my mother put her in that state. Curse the woman and her evil ways. I wish Grandma had told me Mom would be paying a visit today. I’d have canceled ours.
The drive back home is quiet, and not even the radio manages to fill the void.
“Hey, don’t let my mother get to you,” I tell her once she parks in front of the house. “She’s a witch, and she will suck the joy out of you if you let her.”
Charlie gives me a pitiful smile. “I’m not upset about what she said exactly. She did remind me about my parents’ fight though.”
“Do you want to drive to Littleton today? I’ll come with you.”
She shakes her head, staring straight ahead. “No. Only if Ben needs me. I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with what’s coming.”
She means if her parents get a divorce. I hate seeing the sadness in her eyes. When my parents split up, I had already been in a dark place, so one more bad thing didn’t impact me as much.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we invite your friends for another board game party?”
She turns to me, and this time, the smile seems more genuine. She cups my cheek, and because I can’t help myself, I take her hand and place a kiss on her open palm.
“Thanks for suggesting it, but everyone is busy today. But I know what can make me feel better.”
A sly grin unfurls on my lips as my mind wanders off to Hanky-Panky Town. “What?”
“A Lord of the Rings marathon. It’s high time I introduce you to my favorite series ever.”
My smile wanes a little as a smidgen of disappointment comes through, but I hide it from Charlie. It’s not like we haven’t had plenty of sexy times in the past twenty-four hours.
“Sounds good, babe,” I reply.
“I promise you’ll love it.”
“And if I don’t and end up falling asleep, I know you have a special way to wake me up.” I wiggle my eyebrows up and down.
Her cheeks become bright pink, and suddenly, the air between us is charged with electricity.
“Let’s head inside before you get any ideas,” she says.
I follow her out of the car, rearranging my cock in a more comfortable position. “Too late; they’re already in my head.”
When we come to the front door, we find a box waiting for us. It has Charlie’s name written on top in block letters.
“What is it?”
She lets out a squeak. “This must be from Fred.”
I open the door and let Charlie walk in ahead with box in hand. She sets it on the kitchen counter and peels off the note attached to it.
“What’s in the box?” she reads out loud. “Oh my God. No way.” She laughs, but I don’t get it.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
She widens her eyes. “Come on, Troy. Seven? The epic final scene where Brad Pitt loses his mind over the box?”
It finally dawns on me. “Oh shit. Don’t tell me Gwyneth Paltrow’s head is inside that.”
“No, silly. Actually, I have no idea whose head is inside.”
Charlie grabs a pair of scissors from the drawer and cuts the tape. The first thing I see when she lifts the flaps is blonde hair and fake blood. Carefully, Charlie pulls the prop from the box. She lets out a yelp and then drops the prop back in the box.
Damn. If she got spooked even knowing what it was, I can only imagine Andreas’s reaction.
“Hey, I want to see.”
She closes the box again, keeping both hands on top. “Better if you don’t.”
“Charlie, what the hell? What’s in the box?” I know I sound exactly like Brad Pitt now.
She grimaces, keeping her hands in place. “Before I let you see it, you have to understand that Fred has a dark sense of humor, and I’m sure he didn’t mean to upset you.”
I bristle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Charlie lets out a heavy sigh. “The head in the box is a fake of your sister.”
“What?” I shout, making Charlie wince. “Let me see this.”
I pry the package from her and reopen it. Bile pools in my mouth when I remove Jane’s fake severed head from the box. It’s so lifelike that it feels like I’m holding her actual head.
“This is so fucking wrong,” I say. “Why would he pick Jane as his model? Is he a fucking psycho?”
“Oh my God, no. I’m pretty sure it’s because he also noticed Andreas’s interest in your sister. Like I said, twisted sense of humor.”
“We can’t use this.” I put the head back, wishing now that I had listened to Charlie and not peeked.
“Are you sure? It would be epic.”
“Imagine if it were Ben’s head.”
Charlie’s eyebrows furrow, and her eyes become hard, but the moment only lasts a few seconds before she relaxes once more. “Disturbing, but Ben would probably love it.”
Now that the shock has passed, I can see the appeal of using the prop. “I guess we could use it if Jane agrees.”
“Yeah, and we should totally invite her to come to the party.”
“No, absolutely not,” I object vehemently. My visceral reaction to the idea surprises even me. I’m protective of Jane, but not to this level. Maybe it’s the certainty that Andreas has a thing for her that triggered it.