No More Secrets

I was led up stairs and into the kitchen. “Ry” was ahead of us as we walked up the stairs to the house. He was as tall as Brendon with equally dark hair and light brown eyes and a very small body frame. He nimbly jumped up the last three stairs and opened the door for us. Brendon motioned for me to go in first.

It was a nice kitchen; there was an island with pots and pans hanging over it and a few boxes that had “Kitchen” written on them. There was a brunette woman in a pink bathrobe and slippers waiting, pacing in a circle. She was in her late forties, on the short side and had a natural pink flush in her cheeks.

“What happened? Is this the person who was in the river? Is this her?” she asked looking very worried.

“Mom she’s ok.” Brendon said. The woman sighed in relief, came over and put her arm around me, leading me to a table and some chairs.

“When Ryan came in and said there was someone in the river and they went under I got worried. You know someone did drown a few years back. Well, we just moved here, but our neighbors, the Crawfords, they lived here when it happened and…”

“Mom!” Brendon said laughing a little bit. “She was…swimming.” He looked at me.”And her foot got caught in the weeds. She’s fine now, right?” He looked at me as if to make sure I wasn’t about to faint from the exertion.

“Yes. I’m fine.” I said, reassuring them. His mom smiled and started moving around the kitchen, taking thing out of cupboards and digging things out of boxes.

“That water is freezing! Do you all want some hot chocolate? I’ll make you some hot chocolate. Are you hungry…um I don’t think I caught your name dear.” She said stopping to look at me. Brendon and Ryan both looked at me too.

“My name is Lillian Adams. But everyone calls me Lilly.” I said.

“Well Lilly, I’m glad Brendon pulled you out. We moved here a month ago and he refuses to go and meet anyone.” Brendon blushed a little bit.

“Mom, I’m going to be leaving in three months. Making friends will make it harder to leave. And I just had to leave friends in Las Vegas.”

“You didn’t leave me!” Ryan smiled raising his hand high in the air. Brendon caught Ryan in a head lock.

“That’s because you are staying with me until we leave, stupid.” Ryan struggled for a moment, and managed to get out the head lock.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

They side glanced at each other and said in unison: “East Coast.”

Brendon laughed nervously. “We are going to go to New York and see some friends who moved. It’s a late senior road trip” Ryan looked a little uncomfortable but nodded in agreement. Brendon’s mom gave us our hot chocolate then went upstairs and came back with a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt for me to change into.

“Oh, no.” She said. “Your pretty dress is ruined.” There were stains all over it from the dirty water, mud and the wet weeds. Even though I didn’t like dresses, it was too bad that it was ruined. Mom might not get too mad if I told her it was an accident. Mom! I went over to the window and looked at the house. There where lights still on, and a few people inside.

“I need to be getting home. Thank you for everything. And I’m sorry that I scared you.” I said turning to Brendon’s mom.

‘Oh don’t worry about it. I’m glad you are ok.” She said giving me a hug. “Brendon can take you home”

Ryan and Brendon’s mom walked us to the front door. Their house reminded me of Deidre’s only more like a home, not a museum. There where boxes stacked by the stairs that were labeled which ones went to what rooms and a small pile of shoes by the hall closet. I liked this house. Brendon opened the door for me and I went outside and saw an orange 1980’s Voltz wagon. He closed the door and saw me staring at his car.

“I had to save up for a car on my own.” He said scratching his neck embarrassed.”I could have gotten a newer one, but…”

“I like it.” I said.

“You do?”

“Yeah,” I said as he opened the door for me. “It reminds me of a pumpkin.”

We didn’t talk as Brendon drove down the road. The only words we exchanged where directions to the house and what one to stop at. When he pulled up to the house he whistled softly. “Your parents must be filthy rich to live in this palace.”

I laughed. “It’s just me and my mom. I don’t have a dad. And we’re don’t…”

He cut me off. In the dim light I could tell he was pretty embarrassed. “Oh. I’m sorry. I just assumed that you…well…uh. Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” I said taking off my seatbelt. Brendon jumped out of the car and opened my door, helping me out. And people said chivalry was dead! He walked with me up to the door step and was seconds away from saying something, when Reginald opened the door.

“Miss Lilly? What on earth are you doing outside? Are you wet?” Reg said looking at my messy hair and stained dress.

“Uh, well. I’m drying.” I said with a small smile.

“Come inside miss before you catch a cold.” Reg said ushering me in. “And thank you, sir, for bringing her home.” He said barely turning to Brendon. “Your mother was very worried when you didn’t show up for dinner. It’s very rude to not show up for your own party. Thank you for bringing her home.” He said to Brendon who was standing in the door way hesitating on coming in. “Good night.” Reg said pointedly, and with that he closed the door in Brendon’s face.

“Reg! You didn’t give me a chance to say goodbye!”

“I’m sorry Miss Lilly. But isn’t HE that musician your aunt Deidra wanted you girls staying away from?”

“She wanted Charlotte and Samantha staying away from him. She said nothing about me.”I opened the door, but Brendon was already in his car headed to the end of the driveway.

“Lillian? Where have you been?” asked a male voice from behind me. I turned to see Richard marching to me from the dining room. “Why do you look like that?” He asked looking at my dress.

“Well, I wanted to go swimming, so I went in my dress and it got ruined… Why am I telling you this? I don’t even know you?” I said walking past him.

“You there!” Richard said pointing to Reg who had closed the door behind me. “Why didn’t you get a blanket or something warm to wrap her in? Do you want her to get sick?” He wrapped his jacket around me and forcibly led me up the stairs.

“You can’t…” I started before Richard interrupted me.

“I know. The help these days are so incompetent.” He led me up the stairs to the third floor, right to the door to my suite (I don’t know how HE knew) and turned me and looked me in the eyes.

“Now,” He said, talking to me like I was five.” I want you to go take a warm shower and go straight to bed.”

“Excuse me?”

And then he kissed me! It was a quick peck on the lips but I was horrified! What was this guy doing? I didn’t even know him! But before I had time to react Richard turned and left me at my door.

When mom finally came in, I had taken a shower and was sitting on the balcony. I was sitting there thinking about what had happened that night. I was rescued by a complete stranger, and was kissed by some guy I didn’t even know. Just when you think you’ve gotten into a comfortable routine, life throws in a couple of surprises.

“Lilly?”Mom came and sat by me.” Where were you at dinner? I didn’t see you and Reg and Nancy said they hadn’t seen you either.”

“I met the guy who lives across the river.”

“The one Deidra doesn’t want Charlotte and Samantha to see?”

“Yeah, he was really nice and he…”

“Lilly, if Deidra doesn’t want Samantha and Charlotte to meet him, maybe she has a good reason.”

“Mom, you don’t know him.”

“And neither do you. Stay away from him. He might seem nice until he gets you alone…”

“MOTHER!”

“It happens!”

“He drove me home! If Brendon had an inclination to do anything, he had his chance.”

“I’m just saying; don’t put all your trust into someone you don’t know.”

“What if I get to know him?” I challenged.

“Lilly, I’m serious. I don’t want you around him, he’s a stranger. Remember ‘Stranger Danger’?”

“Yes, I remember.” I said exasperated.

“Promise?”

“Yes.”