Page 26 of Find Me
Colt and Knox seemed to be caught in a stare-off. I looked at Creed, already forming an excuse to leave. He startled me a little by putting one hand on my shoulder and the other on my back. Pushing me forward gently, he steered me over to one side of the table, across from Keelan. He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to take a seat. I stiffly plopped my butt in the chair, while Creed sat in the seat next to me. I glanced over my shoulder at the two remaining brothers standing.
Knox sighed before walking over to the head of the table. “Thank you, Shiloh,” he said tightly as he sat. Colt took a seat at the other head of the table, to my left.
“You’re welcome. I hope it’s good. I was trying a new recipe,” I rambled. Everything was at the table—the salad, garlic bread, serving utensils. Creed was the first one to cut into the lasagna and to everyone’s surprise he put the first piece on my plate. “Thank you,” I mumbled. That seemed to break the ice of awkwardness and everyone started piling food onto their plates. Everyone’s first bites had me grinning happily. More than one of the guys murmured that yummymmmsound.
“How was practice today?” Knox asked the twins.
“Coach was up our asses the entire time,” Creed answered. “It’s like the rest of the swim team doesn’t even exist.”
I glanced at Creed. He sounded really pissed off. I guessed that was what he’d meant earlier bysame old shit.
“Coach Reed always was an asshole,” Keelan mumbled around his food.
“Are you guys coming to the meet Thursday?” Colt asked. Both Knox and Keelan nodded. “Good. Shiloh can sit with you.”
“I promised to sit with Ethan,” I said quickly. I didn’t want his brothers to feel obligated.
“Are you dating Ethan?” Knox asked me.
His question appeared to blindside everyone at the table, because Keelan and the twins gaped at him. Again, Keelan was the quickest to recover, smirking as if he was privy to something the rest of us were not.
I shook my head. “No. Ethan is my friend. My obnoxious, doesn’t-know-when-to-shut-up, womanizing friend.”
Colt and Creed snorted.
Keelan outright laughed. “That sounds like Ethan. I bet his ego is suffering with you around.”
Colt nodded. “You should have been there when they first met. She put him in his place before he could even introduce himself. Poor guy didn’t know what to do.”
“You’re a senior?” Knox changed the subject, his attention fully on me.
“Yes,” I answered.
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“The house next door is your uncle’s?”
Wow, this was feeling like an interrogation. Instead of feeling nervous, my hackles began to rise. What the heck was his problem? “No. I own it.”
“You’re still a child and still in high school,” he said harshly. “Why aren’t you living with your uncle or another adult? It’s not safe for someone as young as you to be on their own.”
“Knox, that’s none of your business,” Colt snapped. I really liked that he defended me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t capable of taking care of myself.
Knox shifted his attention to Colt. “It is my business because you’re my business, especially if you’re going to be bringing her around here.”
I had often wondered why the four of them lived together and where their parents were. I hadn’t asked the twins because I was afraid they’d ask about mine. Listening to Knox, I either figured they were deadbeats or had passed away like mine.
I understood where Knox was coming from. It wasn’t easy to find that understanding under the cloud of my anger. If my sister were still alive, I had a feeling I’d be just as protective. Taking in a deep breath, I put a comforting hand on Colt’s arm. I might as well get this over with.
“My uncle is a U.S. Marshal, and his current assignment requires him to travel a lot. He took something like a sabbatical last year to take care of me after my parents and sister died. Now that I’m eighteen, it was time for him to return to work. I didn’t want to travel with him. I wanted to finish my last year of high school without interruptions. I don’t live with another relative because I don’t have anyone else. I chose to move to Arizona by closing my eyes and putting my finger on a map of the U.S. I wanted to move somewhere new because I wanted to start over and find a way to move on. I bought the house next door with my family’s life insurance money. My birthday is July twenty-seventh. I’ve been a straight A student all my life. My favorite food is popcorn. I hate the color pink. I’m currently trying to quit smoking. I haven’t had a cigarette in over a week. Only reason I picked up the disgusting habit was because my family had just died and drowning myself in alcohol and smoking seemed like better vices than drugs. I dyed my hair this strange color because my sister used to dye her hair wild colors all the time and it’s my own way of honoring her. Plus, whenever I look in the mirror, for just a minute, I forget that it’s me standing there.” I looked to Colt, then Creed, who were wide-eyed. “I used to be a twin,” I said, my voice just shy of a whisper.
I might have overwhelmed them with the information overload but once I’d gotten started, I hadn’t been able to stop. It had felt good to vent, yet at the same time it had made me feel sick to my stomach. The table had gone dead silent. I stood from my chair while staring at the floor. “I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your dinner. Please excuse me, I have to go.” No one tried to stop me as I left.
* * *
A few hours later, after a long steamy shower, I was relaxing on the couch in short pajama shorts and a tank without a bra. I had popcorn popping in the microwave and the gorgeous Bobby Flay barbecuing on the TV. This was how my evening should have started. The microwave beeped, signaling the popcorn was done. As I got up to head into the kitchen there was a knock at the door. Cautiously, I looked through the peephole. It was Colt and Creed.