Finley lifted up a slice of bread. “Do you want a sandwich or not? Final offer.”
“Nah, I’m going out for a burger.” He left the kitchen.
I picked up a knife and started slicing tomatoes. “He was definitely in a bad mood.”
“Yeah, that’s unusual for Cole. Jude is almost always brooding about something, but Cole just coasts from day to day with hardly a worry in his pretty boy head.” She spread some mayo on the bread. “I think he and Jude had an argument earlier. Cole texted me about it while you were downstairs with Jude.”
“Do they fight a lot?”
“Not really. They get along most of the time. Cole invited someone to the party that Jude doesn’t like, so they got into it. Sometimes Cole is just plain stupid, and sometimes Jude is just too bossy. It makes for trouble. But this time I sided with Jude, so Cole is extra pissed.” She cut the sandwich in half, and we each took our share. “Let’s eat fast. The longer I think about our little adventure, the less likely I am to try it.”
We decided to leave Some Pig behind. It was one less worry for Finley, and he seemed just as pleased to curl up in front of the television. Finley left soap operas on for him, and we headed out in tense silence as if we were about to explore a new and forbidden planet. In a way, I guess it was like that for Finley.
The same woman who’d passed the pool yesterday, walked by us today. “How’s it going?” she muttered as she sidled past us and on to the pool house.
Finley didn’t answer her. She was deep in thought.
“So where does this self-constructed fence begin?” I asked, deciding if I allowed her to dwell too long on her thoughts, she’d turn around and head back.
“The end of the hedge, where the massive stretch of lawn begins, that’s where my world stops and the other world begins.” She stopped and took hold of my arm. “I’m not sure about this, Eden. Today already started out badly.”
“Right. So the bad stuff is already out of the way. Let’s at least make it to the edge before you decide to turn back.”
Finley’s mouth was drawn tight as she considered my proposal. “All right, let’s get to the end of the hedge and then we’ll see. But it’s not looking good at this point.”
An incredibly long, perfectly trimmed hedge grew along one side of the yard. There was a pathway of bricks running parallel with it, and we walked along it in silence. The tension and fear radiating from Finley was palpable. And then I thought about back at home when Sophie or Janie had had a bad dream and couldn’t go back to sleep. I would get their minds off the nightmare by bringing up a different subject that interested them. For Janie, it was dolls, and for Sophie, it was princess stories, but I had the perfect topic for Finley. I knew that Finley’s fear was on a whole different level than a bad dream but getting her mind off our task seemed like a plausible tactic.
“What is Max like?” I asked.
The edge of the hedge was in sight, and Finley eyed it with trepidation for a second before answering. “He’s got long brown hair and brown eyes and he has a great smile.” The tension slowly drained from her voice. “His father is a big shot producer, and they have megabucks but Max doesn’t let it go to his head. He’s super down to earth, and he makes me laugh.”
“Humor has to be my favorite traits in a guy. I mean broad shoulders and a sexy smile are great, but if a guy can’t make me laugh then he’s history,” I said.
Things were going smoothly and Finley had definitely loosened up, but when we reached the edge of the hedge, she stopped abruptly as if there was a glass wall in front of her. I took a step past the hedge and then turned back to her. Some of the color had drained from her face, and I was having doubts about my bright idea.
“What are you going to wear to Cole’s party?” I asked casually.
I stood there just a step away, and she looked down at the ground, seemingly assessing the space between us. To her it must have been the size of the Grand Canyon.
“Max isn’t the kind of guy who likes expensive, designer stuff. I’ll probably just wear jeans.”
“That’s my whole wardrobe, so I guess I’ll be wearing the same.” I took a step back and Finley looked at me as if I was about to fall into an abyss. “The ground is solid out here, I promise. You can join me if you want. I noticed that both your brothers have tattoos symbolizing your dad’s band. What about you? Any tattoos?”
“I have a small pair of black angel wings on my butt cheek.” She pulled in a long breath and took a step as if she were stepping off the edge of a cliff. Her foot landed on the grass and she stared down at it. “Shit, shit, shit, I did it.”
“You did.” I took one more step back and sat down on the grass. “I can’t believe how lush your lawn is. You should have some horses grazing out here.”
“I keep telling my dad that, but he got kicked by a horse once so he thinks they’re dangerous.” She stood in the same place, but I noticed that her hands started unfurling from the tight fists she’d had just seconds before. “Jude races around town on a motorcycle and Dad thinks it’s cool. I, of course, pointed out the irony in it all. I mean, he thinks a horse is dangerous but speeding through Los Angeles on a bike is fine.”
“I thought Jude seemed like the motorcycle type.”
“I guess.” She took another step and looked around as if the landscape had changed with the second step. She took a furtive peek over her shoulder at the hedge, the end of her safety zone, and for a second, I was sure she’d flee back to it. But she stayed.
“I’ve always wanted a tattoo,” I said, deciding to keep the conversation moving. I was certain if she thought about anything too hard she’d jump back to the hedge.
“You should get one.”
“Some day, when I can afford it. Nothing fancy. I just want a spray of stars along one shoulder blade.”
“That would be really cute. And it would look great with your new suit.” That insatiable enthusiasm that snuck into her demeanor several times a day had returned. “I’ll call my tattoo artist. She makes house calls— for me, at least. I’ve been meaning to have a picture of Some Pig tattooed onto my shoulder. I’m sure she can put a few stars on you too.” She took a step and sat down next to me. Her hands smoothed over the tips of the green grass. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been on this grass. I used to play soccer out here with Jude.”
“You should have a web with a spider added above the picture of your pig with the words Some Pig written across it.”
“Oh my gosh, I love that idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Your mom won’t be mad if you get a tattoo, will she? My dad was pissed after I got mine. The man has tattoos all over, and rumor has it, even some raunchy ones in places I don’t even want to know exist on my dad. But one little tattoo on my ass and he went ballistic.”
I laughed. “My mom? She’ll be totally jealous. She’s always wanted one.”
“Your mom sounds cool,” Finley said.
“Yeah, I guess. But I confess, sometimes I dream about what it would be like to have one of those nerdy moms who wears polyester and bakes oatmeal cookies and always does the right thing. My mom was really young when she had me, so I could kind of understand why she didn’t always make great decisions. I really thought she’d change once my sisters were born. But she’s still pretty immature and selfish. I get suspended from school because of her joint and I had to spend the day consoling her out of her guilt trip.”
“That is pretty tweaked. But she loves you.”
“No doubt about that. Both of my parents would be devastated if something happened to one of us.”
Finley slipped off her sandals and dug her toes into the grass. “My mom never put up much of a battle for me. She despised my dad by that point and just wanted to get away. Not that she wasn’t devastated by Chloe’s death. She was. But then she left me without ever really looking back.”
“That’s brutal. As funky as my mom is, she’d never leave us.”