“Mr. Flynn,” I said when I reached them. “This is my, uh…” Come on, Estella, think fast! “My uncle,” I finished, and Noah’s eyebrows rose, his mouth forming an entertained smirk. “He just stopped by to collect me. I wasn’t feeling well.”
Mr. Flynn looked from me to Noah, his eyes squinting. Noah obviously looked far too young to be my uncle. “Is that so?”
“By marriage,” Noah put in, throwing his arm around my shoulders. I bristled at the contact. “I’m Veronica’s brother.”
Mr. Flynn’s gaze narrowed, like he was trying to remember him but couldn’t. He cleared his throat. “Right well, normally members of the public aren’t allowed on school grounds after hours, but I’ll make an allowance just this once.”
“Very charitable of you,” Noah replied with the tiniest hint of sarcasm.
As soon as Mr. Flynn turned to walk away, I stepped out from under Noah’s arm.
“Your uncle?” he asked with a grin as we headed back toward the car.
“It was all I could think of,” I said, annoyed. I definitely didn’t see Noah as an uncle, especially considering how unnervingly attractive I found him. “What took you so long anyway? I was about to come over there.”
“Why? Did you think I needed rescuing from big, scary Sam Ryan?”
I folded my arms. “Well, he does have a reputation.”
“Most reputations are bullshit. And anyway, Sam’s pushing seventy. I’m pretty sure I could handle him.”
I didn’t doubt that. Like I said, Noah seemed like a person who could fight. We got back into the car, and Noah pulled out his wallet, handing me a crisp ten and a five. I took the money without question and put it in my skirt pocket. Noah’s attention stayed on me a moment before he put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking spot.
The drive back to the house was quiet. I wanted to ask him why he’d gone to meet the caretaker. I also wondered what was in the envelope he had tucked inside his jacket, but he didn’t seem in a mood to talk.
As soon as he parked outside the house, I fled the car, about to run around to the back door to avoid Vee, when the front door flew open. There she stood in her housecoat, expression drawn in narrow-eyed suspicion, as she looked from me to her brother.
“Where have you two been?”
Noah walked around the car and handed her the keys. “Just went for a drive.” He didn’t offer any further explanation before he stepped by her and into the house.
I froze as Vee’s attention honed in on me. Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt guilty. I always felt guilty, even when I was innocent. It was a disorder.
“Where did he bring you?” she asked, eyes travelling over me as though looking for clues.
“He didn’t bring me anywhere. He collected me from school.” Even though I had nothing to hide, the lie fell easily from my lips. Why was I lying for Noah? The instinct made no sense.
Vee was silent for a long moment, thoughts flittering behind her eyes. She stepped closer, never taking her attention from me. “Stay away from my brother,” she warned, then turned and went back inside the house.
I frowned at her retreating figure, unsure why she didn’t want me spending time with Noah. I doubted it was because she worried I might be a bad influence. If anything, he would be the bad influence, what with his clandestine meetings with school caretakers and all. Or maybe she just didn’t want us bonding because she couldn’t stand the thought of me having a friend, or any kind of ally while I was still living under her roof.
Yes, that sounded about right.
3.
Grief was a strange creature. Most days I was fine, and then bam, I missed my dad like he’d died only yesterday. Several days after Vee warned me away from Noah, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, no motivation to get up, no desire to do anything at all. Today my insides felt all hollow, like I was nothing but an empty shell.
Anhedonia was a word I’d read in a psychology book. It referred to a lack of motivation and the inability to experience pleasure. That’s how I felt when I got this way. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget I even existed.
“Estella! Estella!” Vee’s voice echoed around the house, calling on me to complete some chore. I turned over and pulled the covers above my head, determined to ignore her. A few minutes later there was a knock on my door.
“Go away,” I groaned, wishing for the floor to open and swallow me whole. I couldn’t deal with Vee today. I just couldn’t.
The door opened, and I shot up, my face contorted in outrage. “I said go away!”