Page 13 of Tell Me Softly

But then I heard that familiar voice behind me. “Kamila, what time did you come back last night?”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed strawberries and milk out of the fridge. “Twelve or something, I don’t know.”

I spoke over my father, who was on the phone with some lawyer or accountant or something, shouting, “Impossible, I told you. That building was purchased more than three months ago; ask my secretary.” He was usually so calm, but he looked upset today.

He was holding his cell phone so tight against his head, I was worried he’d crush it.

“Damn right I will!” he screamed. My mother, brother, and I all jumped in the air. She quickly regained her cool and asked, “Who brought you home, then?”

I was grabbing the blender from under the sink just then, and I pretended to be fiddling with it as I tried to come up with a convincing story. I couldn’t tell her it had been Taylor––she’d kill me if she found out.

“Kate’s brother did,” I lied, but at least there was a grain of truth to it––Julian had offered, after all. My brother turned on the TV in the corner and flipped to the cartoon channel.

“Kate’s brother? You mean the one her father tried to pretend didn’t exist for all those years?” Mom asked sternly.

“It’s her brother, Mom. He’s going to go to school with us, and I’m going to be hanging out with him.

He needs it. He doesn’t even know anyone here.

” To keep from having to hear her, I turned the blender on high and watched the strawberries disintegrate, turning the milk of my smoothie pink.

She seemed to be waiting for me to finish so she could continue interrogating me, but that was when Dad walked back in.

I guess he was done screaming at whoever was on the other line.

“I need to go out of town this weekend. There are problems with the company,” he said, for some inexplicable reason addressing this statement to me.

“Everything OK?” I asked, pouring my breakfast into a glass. He smiled, but it was hollow.

“Yeah, everything’s great, Kam. Nothing to worry about.” Then he turned to my brother: “Cameron, we’re going to have to put the park off for another day, OK?”

My brother was used to Dad canceling plans out of nowhere, so he nodded and kept chewing his cereal, barely paying any attention to him.

“Tell Prudence to pack my suitcase,” he said to my mother, who nodded, her mind clearly elsewhere. “Two suits and two shirts should do it. And my golf clothes. I’ll swing by to get it after a while, when I wrap things up at the office.”

“Bye, Dad,” I said, hugging him. My mother gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Take care,” he said. “I’ll be back Tuesday afternoon.” And then he left.

“What’s going on with the company, Mom?” I asked.

“You know I don’t like to get mixed up in your father’s business, especially when he’s having problems. It gives me a headache.” She took a hand mirror out of her purse and started spreading scarlet lipstick across her lips.

“Are you going out?” I asked. Some timing. Cameron couldn’t stay by himself, and I had plans. I was going for a run, and then Ellie and I were headed to the mall for clothes and school supplies.

“Yeah, they’ve opened a new spa about an hour from here, and I want to go check it out. I won’t be home till late.” I tried to respond, but she cut me off: “So Cameron will have to stay with you.”

Looking over from the TV, my brother asked, “Can we go to the park, Kami?”

I wasn’t going to disappoint him in front of Mom, especially not after Dad had done so. Really, she should have stepped in, but asking her to act like a real mother would be like asking for a miracle.

“Sure, but I’m going for a run first. Mom, what time’s Prue coming?”

“Kamila, Prudence won’t be here until this afternoon.”

“Then I guess I’ll talk to Ellie and tell her I’ll have to meet her later.”

I ran out before Mom could catch me, putting in my earbuds on the porch and taking out my phone to find my favorite playlist. I stretched and flexed my hips and, without meaning to, found myself glancing at the Di Bianco house.

Thiago was out cutting the grass and…my God, he didn’t have a shirt on.

Taylor was nowhere to be seen. When their mother stepped out on the porch, my heart stopped.

Kate Di Bianco had always been attractive, but her brown hair and green eyes made her fade into the background more than a person like my mother.

I scurried down the steps, turning my back to her.

If Mom came out and she and Kate saw each other, I didn’t want to be there to witness it.

At best, it would be uncomfortable; at worst, it could get dangerous.

To hell with my warm-up, then. I took off running.

I was sure Thiago had noticed me, but I wasn’t about to stop and chat.

My mother would be proud of me––she always thought we were too good for the people in our neighborhood, and she never bothered waving to them.

The run helped me clear away the tension of the preceding days and think through my frustrations.

I stayed out for an hour, and when I got home, I couldn’t believe what I saw: my brother was with our neighbors again!

He had his iguana with him and was talking a million miles a minute with Taylor and Thiago.

I didn’t see their mom anywhere. My mom’s car was gone too.

She didn’t even have the decency to wait until I’d gotten back.

Cameron heard my footsteps and looked up, and that meant I had to continue over. I took out my earbuds and tried to act cool, even though I was dripping with sweat and panting. If only it had just been Taylor there! Thiago’s eyes made it impossible for me to cool down. At least he’d put a shirt on.

“Kami, come here!” Cameron shouted. “I want to introduce you to Taylor and Thiago!” I didn’t tell him we already knew each other well. What would my mother have said if she knew he was hanging out with the Di Bianco boys? There would be hell to pay.

I walked up behind him and put my hands on his shoulders, looking at our two neighbors doubtfully. Taylor was clearly happy to see me. Thiago was—well…less so.

“Out for a run, huh?” Tay asked with characteristic cheerfulness, ignoring Thiago, who just stood and stared.

“Yeah. I mean…” I trailed off and turned my brother around to face me. “What are you doing here, Cam?” I asked, trying to make the situation comfortable.

“They asked me to come help them with their yard, and Mom never lets us do anything in ours because supposedly only the gardener can. Thiago’s even letting me use the saw! A real saw! I’m gonna actually cut some wood! My friends will FLIP OUT!”

Flip out was my brother’s favorite phrase those days. But the person about to really flip out was me. Taylor asked if we wanted to go with him to Lowe’s, adding, “We need some gardening stuff before we pull out all the weeds growing in the back.”

“HECK YEAH!” Cameron screamed, so excited he dropped his iguana.

“Sorry, Cameron, it’ll have to be another day,” I said. “I need to take a shower and make you some lunch.” I could tell I had disappointed Taylor.

“No, Kami!” Cameron protested, on the verge of tears. “Please! I’m so bored!” Those blue eyes of his were so hard to resist! Thiago stepped away to pick up the prunings, tucking the shears in his back pocket with his back turned to us.

“I don’t mind taking him if you’ve got stuff to do,” said Taylor, while my brother jumped up and down, pleading. “It’s not far; we won’t be long.”

I knew Cameron would be in good hands, but I didn’t want to burden Taylor. My brother was my job.

“Nah, it would be better to save it for another day,” I said. My brother started throwing a tantrum, much to Taylor’s amusement.

“Really, Kami, I don’t mind.” I knew he meant it, but I couldn’t allow it. Mom would kill me.

“I’m sorry, but I really feel like he should stay with me.” It sounded rude––I could tell––and my brother totally lost it.

“You suck, Kamila!” he shouted and ran home.

That was a bad sign, calling me by my full name.

That was the same thing Mom did when she was mad.

I was embarrassed, but I couldn’t let my brother hang out with them.

It wasn’t appropriate. It was against Mom’s rules.

My brother wouldn’t understand, but he’d have to deal with it.

“I’ll see you guys,” I said, walking away.