Freefall (Santa Cruz Skydivers Book 1) (12 page)

“Forget that. Like I said, by the end of the night, he will be begging for it. I’m going to make you look so Goddamn hot, he won’t know what hit him.” She smiled and slapped my ass. “Now go and have a shower, I need my canvas prepped and ready to start on. And don’t forget to wax...everything. It’s always best to be prepared in these instances, if you know what I mean.”

I laughed, getting caught up in the moment, glad for the fact we were back to normal and, even though she was upset, this was helping take her mind of Scotty.

“Lucky I have about five hours to get ready then,” I quipped, then practically skipped my way to the shower to start my mammoth transformation.

Chapter Thirteen

Andi

Leaning into the mirror in the upstairs bathroom at my parents’ house, I applied a fresh coat of gloss to my red lips. A stranger returned my gaze. After I had showered, plucked, and waxed almost every hair on my body, and even managed to call Char and fill her in on the goss, Lili had waved her magic wand over me, well her GHD anyway, and had transformed me into someone else. Someone a lot more sophisticated-looking. Someone who was not me.

Somehow, she had managed to tame my wild curls and then had masterfully applied my makeup, accentuating my eyes without making me look like a drag queen. My mother couldn’t stop telling me how beautiful I looked. Once I changed into my black jeans and Lili’s low-cut top, the transformation was complete. I was like Cinderella except dressed in jeans and high-heel pumps. Fortunately, the little weight loss I’d had this week showed in my curves. My waist seemed smaller and the jeans weren’t as tight around the thighs, despite the fact they had just be laundered. I couldn’t wait to see Levi.

Emerging from the bathroom, I ran head-first into the chest of my brother Bobby.

“Watch where you’re going, little sis,” he scalded as I ricocheted off him and wobbled on my heels.

Reaching out, I grabbed his shoulder to help steady myself then punched him in the arm. “Shit, Bobby, how about you stop stalking around the house. When did you get here anyway?”

“Give me a break. I didn’t know you were in there. I’m just passing by on my way to work and needed to grab something. Anyway, what’s with the cuss words and punches? Since when did you turn so tough?” He dramatically rubbed his bicep where I had hit him.

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not ten.”

“Clearly.” He looked me up and down and folded his arms across his chest. “What’s with the get-up? It’s a little bit risqué, don’t you think? You got a hot date or something?”

“Just going out to a party with a friend.” It was the same story I had told my parents. Besides, it wasn’t really a lie. As far as Levi was concerned, that was all we were.

“Hmm, some friend,” he commented as I pushed past him to walk back downstairs. “Does your friend happen to be a male by any chance?”

He followed, breathing over my shoulder every step. Older brothers sucked sometimes. I ignored his question and his presence altogether as I walked into the kitchen. It was the heart and soul of our family home, and at any given time, Mom would be over the stove cooking pasta or baking brownies with Dad at the table drinking his pressed coffee and chatting away to her. It made my heart swell. After forty years of marriage, they were still going strong, something all of us children aspired to achieve.

“Mom, tell Bobby to leave me alone,” I whined like a five-year-old as soon as I saw her. “He’s annoying me.”

Mom turned away from the stove to look at us and waved her stirring spoon threateningly at him, bits of pasta sauce dropping on the floor. “Bobby, leave your sister alone.”

He gave her his best puppy dog eyes as he slid into the chair next to my father. “Just getting the details on her date tonight.”

“I told you, it’s not a date. I’m going out with a friend.” I leaned up against the kitchen bench, folding my arms across my chest defensively.

He grabbed a brownie from the table and shoved it in his mouth. “Looking like that, I don’t think so.” Bits of food fell from his open mouth.

Mom now pulled out her tea towel from her apron and started wiping up his mess. “I think she looks beautiful. If she said she’s going with a friend, I believe her. And if I see you talk with your mouth open again, there’ll be no more brownies for you.”

I stuck my tongue out at Bobby.

“What time do you want to leave, Bella?” my father asked.

Papa had agreed to drive me to the party. He was the strong, silent type. The backbone of our family, and the least likely of everyone to quiz me on the drive over.

I glanced at my watch. “Um, probably pretty soon. It starts at seven, and I don’t want to be too late. Just fashionably late, you know?”

Bobby grabbed another brownie. “I’ll take her, Papa, and drop her on the way to work. Where’s the party at,
Bella?”

“The Sports Bar. And before you ask, it’s a farewell party for a friend of a friend.”

“Didn’t know you were into jocks, Bella.” He pushed the brownie in his mouth as he raised an eyebrow, subtly still digging for info.

“Let’s just go,” I told him, and went and gave Mom and Dad a kiss goodbye on both of their cheeks. “Ciao. See you both tomorrow night. I’ll leave my Jeep here and pick it up then.”

Bobby followed me, farewelling my parents in the same manner I had. Once in his car, it didn’t take Bobby long to start up with the questions again.

“So, who are you really going out with tonight?”

“I knew it. The only reason you wanted to drive me here was to dig for questions.”

“Of course, that’s my job as third oldest and best-looking brother.” He batted his eyelids. “So, are you going to tell me or what?”

“Do you promise not to tell Mom?” I knew he wouldn’t stop pestering me until he got the truth.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On who it is, of course. I know you’re lying to Mom and Papa. I don’t believe for one second you are going out with a friend. Not looking like that. Seriously, you need to cover yourself. Put on a turtleneck or something.”

“Bobby, you know how over protective of me Mom and Papa are. I don’t even live at home and I’m still not even allowed to date.” I knew I sounded like a spoiled teenager, but I couldn’t help it. “And there is nothing wrong with me showing a bit of skin. I’ve seen you with girls dressed in way less than what I have on.”

“Completely different situation. Those girls aren’t my baby sister. And you haven’t answered my question. Who are you really going out with tonight?”

I exhaled noisily. “Fine. You’re worse than Tony, and he’s the cop. His name is Levi. I met him last night. He’s the son of Derek James.”

Bobby let out a long whistle. “Wow, little sis, I’m impressed. How’d you nab him?”

“I didn’t nab anyone and I didn’t lie to Mom and Papa. Levi and I
are
just friends, okay? Nothing more. Now stop with the interrogation.”

“You’re the one that mentioned ‘date,’ not me,” he noted. “You can’t have it both ways. Either you’re just friends or going on a date.”

“Well, I can,” I said defiantly.

“I don’t care who he is. Friend, or boyfriend, or son of a billionaire. If he hurts you, I’ll hurt him. And you can count on Tony and Mike lining up behind me, too.”

“Can you just drop the big brother thing? I can take care of myself. How am I supposed to meet anyone if you three are always hanging out in the wings?”

“We just want what’s best for you, little sis.”

“Well, concern yourselves with your own love lives, not mine.” Narrowing my eyes at him, I changed tactics. “Don’t you think it’s time you got married?”

He clutched his heart in mock pain. “Ouch, that hurts.”

I laughed. “Come on, Romeo, you’re pushing thirty. You should find a girl and settle down.”

“And disappoint all my female fans?” he asked, laughing back.

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

“No, we can’t. Speaking of females, I hear Lili and her boyfriend are through.” He glanced at me, raising his eyebrow.

“Gee, good news travels fast, doesn’t it? You and Tony are hopeless. I thought women were supposed to be the gossip queens. They had a disagreement, that’s all. And I don’t see why this concerns you.”

“She’s your roommate. I just need to make sure her choices are the right ones where you are concerned. I don’t want her to start dating some tattooed thug and put you in danger.”

I flicked at the cuff of his long-sleeved work shirt, exposing the briefest hint of the artwork on his wrist. “Um, you have tattoos. Two full sleeves, to be exact.”

Keeping one hand on the wheel, he adjusted the cuff so it was repositioned back to covering up his tattoo. “That’s completely irrelevant. I’m not talking about me. It’s your safety that concerns me.”

“Your concern touches me, bro, but it’s completely unwarranted. I can assure you, their break-up is only temporary.”

“Just keep me updated. I like to be in the know… Well, here we are, The Sports Bar.” Bobby pulled his car over, leaving the engine idling. His voice softened. “You know, it’s only because we care about you. If you need me, tonight or anytime, just call me, okay?”

“Thanks for the ride, Bobby.” I leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek, wiping away a smudge of red lipstick with my thumb. “I’ll be fine. Lili and Scotty will back together soon, and Levi and I are just friends. Besides, I’m not his type.”

“Well, that’s alright then. As long as he keeps his hands off you.”

“I can assure you his hands will be nowhere near me. Hope you have a quiet night at work, and you don’t have to deal with too many emergencies.” I climbed out of his car and shut the door. “”Night, Bobby.”

He leaned across the seat and looked at me through the open passenger window. “’Night, Bella. See you at family dinner.”

“Oh, I might need a lift tomorrow. Can I call you?”

“Of course. Just let me know.” Flicking me a wave goodbye, he turned his attention to the traffic in his rearview mirror, and merged safely into the traffic.

I waved back, watching as he drove away. Once he was gone, I turned around to walk into the bar and noticed Levi standing in the doorway, waiting for me.

“Hey,” I called out, and practically skipped up the sidewalk to meet him. “Great timing.”

“Hey back.” He took my hand in his. “Who was that?”

“That was Bobby, one of my brothers. He’s the youngest of my three brothers, but he’s almost nine years older than me.”

“Wow, that’s a big age gap.” He turned my hand over in his and linked our fingers together. I looked at his hand holding mine and noticed fresh cuts on his knuckles. Before I could ask him about it, he started talking again. “Tell me about your brothers. How old are they, and what do they do?”

“Well, Bobby is nearly thirty and is a paramedic. He would have loved to be a doctor, but my parents couldn’t afford medical school. The next oldest is Tony, he’s thirty-two. He’s the one in the Santa Cruz Police Department. And my big, big brother Michael has a construction company. He’s thirty-four. Only Mike is married, although you could say Tony is married to the force. He lives and breathes law-enforcement.”

“What about nephews and nieces?”

I smiled, happy that he was interested. “Mike has a gorgeous little girl, Stella. She’s two and a half. What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Only child,” he said simply. “You guys all sound very close.”

I frowned at him. Was that all he was going tell me? “Yeah, we are. How was lunch with your dad? Are you two close?”

“Lunch was just that. Lunch. Let’s just say we have a few issues. Come on, let’s go inside.”

His face shut down. I opened my mouth to ask him more, but he shook his head. His eyes had a sad look.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Tonight is for fun.” He smiled. He didn’t fool me, though. His eyes lacked their sparkle.

Now that our get-to-know-you conversation had rudely come to an end, he led me inside the bar. It was pumping. About thirty people were dancing on a small dance floor to a live three-piece band that played on the right hand side of the room. The service area of the bar was horseshoe-shaped, and it began near the dance floor and wrapped around to a dimmed seated area on the left-hand side of the room. Here there were numerous large TVs mounted on the walls, streaming various sporting games. Once inside, he led me around to the quieter side of the room, away from the hustle of the dance floor.

“Come on, let me buy you a drink.” His sparkle had returned, and we waited in line for service. “I thought we should start slow, save the shots for later.”

I smiled. “Trust you to remember the game.”

“Well, we are in a sports bar. There is no better place to play a game, regardless of its theme. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Three guys in front of us at the bar turned toward us, drinks in their hands. All three were laughing, and the taller one in the middle playfully pushed the guy to his right in the shoulder.

“LJ, thought it was you. What game are you playing?” asked the guy on the right.

“Just a little drinking game,” Levi replied.

I took a step back, to hide behind Levi.

“LJ. You better watch out, man, Phil’s on the hunt for you,” said the one in middle. He spoke with a thick southern accent.

Levi laughed. “How trashed is he?”

“He’s on his way, that’s for sure,” said the final guy. He looked at me, smiled, and nodded his head in my direction. “Who’s your friend?”

Levi turned slightly, not realizing I was hiding, and wrapped his arm around my waist, presenting me to his friends. I smiled shyly at them and tucked myself in close to Levi. It was amazing how at ease he made me feel, and how he drew me out from my shell. He made me feel special.