Strangely Normal - By Tess Oliver Page 0,28
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