His Old Lady - Debra Kayn Page 0,97

when Chuck was home to keep her out of the house.

Chuck hated children and believed she shouldn't be seen or heard. In fact, today, he'd told her to get the hell out of the garage and go somewhere else to play when she tried to get her bicycle when he wasn't looking.

Hazel, her older sister, had moved out when Chuck moved in. She stayed with two friends in a two-bedroom apartment and had to sleep on the couch. Hazel was eighteen years old and worked at the same grocery store as their mom.

Once a week, Hazel came over and took Scarlett out for ice cream. She was too old for treats to make her happy. But, because she wanted Hazel to keep coming to see her, she pretended ice cream was her favorite thing in the world.

Nelson pushed the top of two fence boards, making the bottom of them pop out. She dropped to her knees and crawled through the opening he created for her, back to her own yard. For as long as Scarlett could remember, the boards had always moved like that. She only found out about the easy escape when she'd spied on Nelson and his brothers sneaking away from Mr. Steel when she was little.

She wasn't tall enough to push the fence but found out she could pry the bottom open with her fingers and squeeze underneath.

"Nelson?" She peeked between the old fence boards. "Don't let Butch out until I'm in the house, okay?"

The dog could also work the fence and squeeze underneath when he wasn't on a chain.

"Is Chuck drinking?" Nelson took his pocketknife out of his pocket and flipped the blade open, then cleaned under his fingernails. "Don't lie to me."

Nelson hated people who drank like Mr. Steel, who was a mean drunk. Chuck wasn't mean, he just didn't like kids around.

She sighed. It would be easy for Nelson to find out if she lied.

"Yeah, but I'll sneak in the house," she whispered. "He won't do anything but tell me to go outside and play if he catches me."

Chuck wasn't like Mr. Steel. Her stepdad had never hit her. He just wanted her to stay away so she couldn't tell her mom he was drinking. He thought he was hiding the alcohol from everyone, but after a couple beers, he no longer cared who seen him.

"I'll put Butch on his chain until your mom comes home." Nelson glanced at her through the space between the boards. "She should be home in an hour, and then I'll have to let the dog loose."

Warmth filled her. "Thanks, Nelson."

"Go play until your mom gets home, and stay away from Chuck." Nelson walked away.

She squinted, watching him until he disappeared around the building. Since Nelson graduated from high school, he worked all the time.

He must be good at what he does because when he wasn't fixing a car, he worked on his motorcycle outside because his dad wouldn't let him use the garage unless he was earning money. That's how he'd heard her creeping through the back lot. She would've snuck past him, too, if it hadn't been for stupid Butch.

She sat down by the fence, wishing she was across the street from Nelson's house in the blackberry bushes. It'd taken her two months to cut out a hidey-hole where she could watch him from the other side of the block.

Spying on Nelson helped the hours go by faster until her mom came home. Ever since they moved into the house when she was five years old and spotted Nelson, Ollie and Josh hiding behind the building from the window of her bedroom on the second story, she'd found the three boys fascinating, if not scary.

They never wanted a little girl around, though. Even Nelson, being the youngest Steel brother, was eight years older than her. She picked a blade of grass. That would make him twenty years old now.

She hoped he never moved away like her sister. If he were gone, she'd have nobody around to talk with and keep her company.

A dog barked on the other side of the fence. Scarlett jumped to her feet, ready to run. Beyond the fence, she could barely see Butch at the end of his chain, straining to get to the back of the lot. To her.

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she walked toward her house. She missed Hazel.

When her sister lived at home, she had someone to tag around with and talk to. They were the Color Sisters—that's what their mom called them.

Each named for something her mom noticed about them after they were born. Hazel—for the color of her eyes. Scarlett—for the color of her hair.

It was a silly thing to do. If she ever had kids, she'd name them something normal and easy to spell. Like Amy or Bree.

She walked through the sliding glass door of the house, stopped in the kitchen, and got a drink of water from the faucet. If she would've been born first and bald, she could've been named Green—for her eyes. Instead, she was born with red hair and named Scarlett.

No one ever heard of Scarlett colored hair. It was auburn or just plain red.

"Scarlett," yelled Chuck. "Bring me another beer."

She glanced at the open door leading to the garage, estimating if she had enough time to run outside, pretending she hadn't heard—

"Scarlett!"

She sighed, opened the fridge, grabbed the last bottle on the bottom shelf, and walked to the garage. A stench tickled her nose. She pinched her nostrils and handed Chuck the can.

"What's your problem." Her stepdad opened the beer and tilted it back.

"It stinks."

"Then, get out of here." Chuck turned his back on her and tinkered in his toolbox.

She held her breath, let go of her nose, and grabbed her bike, rolling it out of the garage. In the driveway, she exhaled and hopped on the seat.

Pedaling fast before Chuck changed his mind, she rode out on the street. Only allowed to ride around the block when her mom was at work, she weaved around the parked cars and turned at Mrs. Philamin's house, cutting through the empty lot at the end of the block.

Barely slowing, she popped the front of the tire off the ground and hopped onto the sidewalk, staying away from the busy main road. Looking ahead, she prepared to ride fast if Butch was loose out front, but she spotted the heavy chain around his neck, laying in the parking lot, so she slowed.

Nelson's head popped over the seat of his motorcycle as he worked on the engine. She braked and put her feet down, waiting until he stopped what he was doing.

Butch barked and charged his chain. She put her foot on the bike pedal, prepared to ride off if he slipped his collar.

Nelson straightened and looked at her. "I thought you were going home?"

"How'd you know I was here?" She jumped off the bike, letting it fall to the sidewalk, and walked to the motorcycle and stood in front of the tire, out of view of Butch.

"Butch only barks like that when you're on the property." He wiped his hands off on his jeans, leaving black streaks.

She shrugged. "He barks at everyone."

He picked up his wrench. "You tease him."

"No, I don't."

"Do, too," he said.

"Don't," she mumbled, walking away from him.

"Do."

She looked over her shoulder, glared, and mouthed, "Don't."

She got on her bike and rode away without looking back. He always tried to get the last word, but she knew if she stayed and argued with him, he'd end up laughing at her. She hated it when he made fun of her.