Strangely Normal - By Tess Oliver Page 0,43
working. He mentioned that he was having some friends,” she forced back a smile, “including Max, over for a bonfire tonight. He won’t be inviting that jerk from last night.” Without warning her eyes watered.
I grabbed her hand. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, except I’m a terrible friend.” She squeezed my hand. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were the girl he attacked?”
“It wasn’t really an attack, Finley. Nothing happened. Jude stepped in quickly.”
She swallowed back what appeared to be a sob and a faint smile appeared. “I heard Jude was so mad, it looked like he was about to kill the guy.”
I nodded. “The boy does have a temper.”
“Only when necessary,” she said. “I’m just glad he was there because I was too self-centered to even realize you were in trouble. I hope you can forgive me.”
“None of it was your fault, Finley. Don’t take blame for something that you didn’t cause.”
“I know, but I feel guilty about it.”
“Stop doing that. Stop feeling guilty about stuff you have no control over. So, should we attempt an excursion this afternoon?”
“Yes,” Finley said confidently, but I knew that could change in any moment. “Let me tell Becky we’re done for the day and then we can make our plans. Afterward you can help me decide what I should wear tonight. I figure we should get an early start on it so I can actually make it to the bonfire.”
It turned out that Finley’s invisible perimeter circled around the entire property. She had not gone past the end of the circular driveway and giant fountain at the front of the house. We decided our next goal was the jacarandas that lined the long road up to the house. It was June and they were in their full lavender glory, and the ground was covered with a layer of purple snowflakes.
Surprisingly, Finley had not changed her mind about the outing, and even more surprisingly, she did not hesitate when we reached the end of her safe zone. She kept pace with my feet and after a few steps we found ourselves beneath the purple shade of the trees.
Finley lifted her face to the sporadic rays of sunshine that managed to squeeze between the bloom covered branches. “I’ve always loved these trees.” She lowered her gaze back to the ground and kicked around the fallen blossoms with her feet. “My mom picked jacarandas for the driveway. These trees always remind me of her.”
“I’d say she left a rather unforgettable piece of herself here by picking jacarandas. They are breathtaking.”
Footsteps crunched dry foliage behind us, and like a silly ninny, my heartbeat sped up. I spun around certain Jude would be standing there, but it turned out that Butch and Sundance had followed us out of the house. Several blossoms drifted down from the branches above and clung to bigger dog’s fur.
Finley laughed. “Sundance, you look good in purple. I think I’ll knit you a lavender sweater this winter. I haven’t picked up my knitting needles in a long time. I should start that up again. It’s a great way to occupy your mind and hands.”
“I’d love to learn it. My mom doesn’t know how to knit or sew or cook for that matter. Although she does make a mean pancake.”
“I taught myself to knit through You Tube,” Finley confessed.
“You can learn a lot of crazy stuff on there. I even learned how to trim Some Pig’s hooves from some farmer in Kentucky.” She scooped up a handful of fallen blossoms and tossed them in the air like confetti. “You haven’t talked about your modeling session with Jude,” she said almost hesitantly as if she sensed that it hadn’t gone well.
A purple flower floated down. I attempted to catch it on my palm, but it was just as elusive as a snowflake. “Let’s just say that Jude will be searching for a different muse to inspire him.” It took some effort but I kept my tone completely non-committal. But deep down, I was still feeling the pain of Jude’s cold dismissal.
“You’re better off. Sitting there in the same position for hours is pure drudgery. I hope he was at least polite about it.” She searched my face for a reaction, but I kept my expression plain and clear like my voice.
“As polite as one can expect from Jude.”
“Oh well, forget about it. Tonight should be fun. Cole is picking up some marshmallows and chocolate for s’mores.” She spun around with her arms straight out. “I’m standing