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ZACH
Dad led me into the study. What had I done now? Or worse, what had I not done? I took my seat across from him as he shuffled through papers on his desk. He took off his glasses and set them down.
"I see you got your marks up. Your mother and I are pleased."
The threat of being cut off could scare anyone straight.
"I've been working hard."
"Good. We're proud of you."
"Thanks, Dad." I knew he meant it. Dad was out of town for most of the year, but he still tried to be around for us. I had to give him credit for that.
"About Steve."
"I know. She insisted on having him here."
"If he steps out of line, I want to know. That bastard will not embarrass us tomorrow."
"I'll let you know if I see anything untoward."
"I thought Genie might tire of him, but clearly I was wrong. How serious are those two?"
"I don't know for sure." I couldn't tell him she was living with that idiot.
Dad leaned back in his chair and tilted his head. "About this Emma. Who is she?"
"A friend."
Dad nodded. "A friend who lives with you."
My mouth fell open. How the hell did he know? "Who told you?"
"Your sister."
Shit! Genie and her big mouth. Could she not keep a secret? And here I was covering her ass while she was blabbing any chance she could get. "Dad, it's not what you think."
"Zach, I was once twenty years old. I know how this works."
"Really, it's all innocent. I'm helping her out because she fell into some trouble."
Dad's eyebrows raised. "What sort of trouble?"
Right, optics. I gave him the shortest version I could of the story regarding Jake and Bianca. "She needed a place to stay,” I finished. “It's temporary."
"That Smythe family drives me crazy. They are supporters, but those kids of theirs are uncontrollable."
Meaning, especially, Bianca's older brother, the cokehead. "I know. Bianca isn't a nice person."
Dad grunted. "That's putting it mildly. But back to this girl, Emma. She doesn't have any baggage we need to worry about? If people find out about your situation with her, they may get the wrong idea. We don't need any trouble."
"She's a small-town girl, nothing more. And like she said, her Dad owns an antique shop. Her mother is out of the picture." Did I tell Dad more? "Look, her parents were very young, teenagers, when they had her. Her mom walked out and her dad raised her with the help of his parents. Nothing else."
"She seems like a good kid. Don't let her distract you."
"I won't."
"And if you're wondering, I know about Genie's living arrangements too. She's not fooling anyone."
I fought a smile. Nothing got past Dad. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."
Dad smirked. "That's all then. If you're hungry, Louisa made dinner."
For once I left a meeting with Dad unscathed.
Next up was Mom. She was off the phone now and enjoying a late dinner with Louisa. They were gabbing about the party and Mom motioned for me to sit next to her. Louisa pulled out a plate and filled it with rice pilaf, pork tenderloin and a generous serving of salad. Louisa was big on making sure we ate our vegetables.
"Tell us about Emma," Mom said, a sly smile on her face.
"Not you, too."
"I want to know everything," Louisa said, pouring me a glass of water with a slice of lemon. I've never had the heart to tell her how much I hated lemon in my water, but because everyone else drank it that way, I suffered through it.
"She's a girl I met from school."
"She's living with Zach," Mom told Louisa.
"She is?" Louisa asked, her ebony eyes growing wide.
"It's not what you think," I said, throwing my hands up in protest. "She had nowhere to go."
"She's sweet,” Mom said. “I like her. Pretty, too."
"I haven't seen her yet. Zachy, do you have a picture?" Louisa asked.
"No."
Louisa turned to Mom. "He likes her but he doesn't have a picture? That's not right."
Mom shrugged.
"This conversation isn't happening," I said, wanting to get up and leave.
"Not a denial," Mom pointed out.
"If the two of you gang up on me, I'm eating upstairs."
Mom put her arm around my shoulder. "We're only teasing, but I think we can agree this is the first time you've brought a young lady around."
I scratched my head. I had no idea how to deal with this. "She's just a friend."
"If you don't tell us everything, we'll ask Genie. You know she'll spill all."
Like with Dad only moments ago, I relayed the story to Mom and Louisa. They listened, barely blinking, as I recounted it all. "Now don't go repeating it, please. Emma's sensitive about it."
"I hate those Smythes," Mom said.
"I look forward to meeting this young lady," Louisa added. "I know you say you don't like her, but I think she sounds special."
Mom grinned. "We've waited a long time for you to bring home a nice girl."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I'm eating upstairs."
Mom and Louisa giggled as I gathered my plate and the putrid lemon water. I went to my room and collapsed on the bed. I took out my phone and googled Grant Wood. Man, I was an idiot. That Grant Wood.
A text popped up.
Genie: We're going down to the pool in ten minutes. Emma is going to look hot in her new bathing suit. Made sure to give her a choice of ones that will make her look amazing.
I rolled my eyes.
Me: Okay?
Genie: Did I mention how hot she'll look? Try to keep your boy parts in check.
Me: Did you really just text me that?
Genie: Yup!
Me: Nice of you to tell Dad she was living with us.
Genie: Oops. That kind of slipped. And she's living with you. And you like that.
Me: Goodbye!
Genie: See you in ten. Take a cold shower before. And after, lol!