Phoenix: Book One of The Stardust Series (16 page)

At the unexpected
memory of my dad, I felt a pang of guilt. Although I was happy to be here, I
hated that it came at such a high cost. I would trade all of my new experiences
just to know that my dad was okay. Hit with a sudden wave of sadness, I picked
at my food while Chase and Theo talked.

When I heard Chase
mention Jackson, my ears perked up. “Speaking of Jackson, have you guys heard
when I am going to start work? He spoke to me about the job when I met him a
few days ago, but I haven’t heard anything since.”

Chase shook his head.
“No, but he’s been kind of busy. He did mention that we should all come to his
uncle’s house this weekend to hang out. You could talk to him about it then, or
I can call him now, if you want.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll
talk to him this weekend.” Relieved that I’d have a chance to find out more in
a few days, my mind wandered to the many other questions I had about what the
guys did and where they worked. There was one that immediately came to mind,
and it was out of my mouth before I even realized it. “Jackson kept referring
to the ‘team’; how many of you are there?”

Between bites, Chase
answered, “Six.”
Six?
Holding my hand under the table, I counted.
Chase,
Ethan, Knox, Theo, Jackson.
Realizing that was only five, I wondered what
the sixth member of their team was like.

Theo said, “I forgot
you haven’t met Liam yet! He’s going to love you!”

Interested to learn
more, but deciding to move on, I asked, “So, what can you tell me about my new
employer? I realized after talking to Jackson that I don’t even know the name
of the company.” I kept my voice even, hoping they wouldn’t realize the depth
of my curiosity.

Chase and Theo
exchanged a subtle look, and I caught a twinge of hesitation on Chase’s face.

Theo responded, “Well,
that one is easy. The name of the company is Zenith. We work at the San Jose
branch, but there are also branches in a few other states. The office is
located in a skyscraper downtown.”

“Zenith, huh? I like
the celestial name.” When they both looked slightly confused, I continued, “You
know, a zenith, the highest point in the sky?”

Chase nodded, “Oh yeah,
I guess I’m so used to hearing the name that I forget its meaning.” He paused.
“You weren’t kidding about choosing astronomy as your major, huh? You seem to
really like the subject.”

I nodded. “That would
be putting it mildly, but yes.” I refused to say more, not wanting to admit the
extent of my obsession.

Theo clapped his hands
together. “This is awesome! Do you know how popular stars and celestial bodies
are right now? I am already picturing clothes and jewelry that we can buy for
you!”

I smiled and shook my
head. We just went on a mini shopping spree and he was already buying me shoes
and thinking about what to purchase next.

When the waiter arrived
to retrieve our plates, Theo spoke. “I’ve got lunch; you guys go ahead. I know
you have some stuff to work on, Chase.”

I reached to pull out
my wallet, but Theo immediately objected. “Haley, what do you think you’re
doing? Put that away before I throw it in the trash.” I rolled my eyes at his
extreme reaction.

Theo grinned
mischievously. “Don’t think I wouldn’t; you need a new one.”

I hunched slightly.
“Are you sure I can’t pay for my share?”

He glared at me.
“Absolutely.” He paused, placing a credit card with a giant cartoony banana
slug in the leather folio.

As we pushed in our
chairs, Theo looked pointedly at Chase. “Don’t let her out of your sight. I’ve
seen quite a few guys checking her out. Maybe I shouldn’t have let her out of
the house in that dress.” He winked at me, and I felt heat rising from my chest
to my face.

I was quiet on the
drive back to the loft.
What would Dad think if he could see me now?
I
thought about all of the things that had changed in the past week: a new city,
different clothes, friends, and even a job. Would he see these things as proof
that I could live a “normal” life? Was this even normal, surrounded by five
(soon to be six) guys, always guarded by at least one of them?

Elegant Accents

I knew it was almost
time to leave, and I could feel a thin layer of sweat forming on my forehead.
Clothes were strewn across the bed, and I had just pulled on a shirt. I fumbled
around in the closet, looking for my cork wedges, frustrated by what seemed
like a futile search.
I don’t even have that many clothes, where can they
possibly be?

Knox’s voice called
down the hall. “Almost ready, Haley?”

I squeaked, throwing a
few more things in the large canvas tote bag and tugging my shirt down to cover
my stomach. Knowing that we were going to Jackson’s uncle’s house to hang out
with the other guys, I had debated my outfit several times, wondering if it was
dressy enough, too dressy, too fill-in-the-blank. Now that it was time to
leave, I wanted to hide in the closet.

Knox’s voice was closer
now. “Everything okay in there?”

“Be right out.” I
answered quickly, hoping that would be enough to keep him from coming in to
check on me. Normally very tidy, I didn’t want him to see the room in this
state, or worse yet, catch me between outfits. Finally spying the wedges, I
slipped them on before throwing the remaining clothes in the closet and
shutting the door.

After locking up the
loft, Theo, Knox, and I headed out to the garage. I wondered what car it would
it be this time. It seemed like every time I went somewhere lately, I was
riding in a different one. I still hadn’t been on the black beast.
Yet
,
I thought, reminding myself of Knox’s promise to take me for a ride.

Knox pointed toward a
black truck, and I had a sudden flashback of this truck sitting in the woods
outside the cabin in Markleeville. It seemed so long ago, and yet I knew it was
just after my birthday. I shook my head.
Whoa, has it really been almost two
weeks since my birthday?

Despite my lack of a
consistent schedule, I was easily settling into my new life, especially now
that I was free of the crutches. I alternated between hanging out at the loft,
running errands, and seeing more of Santa Cruz. Like Jackson had promised, at
least one of the guys was always with me, which usually meant some variation of
Theo, Knox, and Chase. So far, I had avoided facing Ethan again. Knowing he
would likely be there tonight, as well as Liam—who I had yet to meet—made my
pulse race.

“Shotgun,” Theo yelled,
jogging to the truck ahead of me.

Knox growled, “No.
Haley gets the front.”

I looked back and forth
between them, wondering if I should get involved. “Oh, it’s fine. I don’t mind
sitting in the backseat. Theo’s taller anyway.”

Theo playfully stuck
out his tongue at Knox, “See.” He put our bags in the back before holding out
his hand to help me climb in the tall truck. Its interior was spacious and
immaculate, complete with black leather seats, dark tinted windows, and a
high-tech dashboard with digital maps and a backup camera.

I mentally counted Knox
and Theo’s cars, quickly tallying four: the Mustang, the black beast, Theo’s
Outback, and the truck.
Private security must pay well
, I thought.
Or
maybe Theo and Knox came from a family with money?
Somehow that didn’t
quite seem to fit.

As I was pulling the
seatbelt across my stomach, Theo stopped me. “Sit in the middle so I can see
you.” I moved to the middle seat and caught Knox watching me in the rearview
mirror. He rolled his eyes at Theo, and I laughed out loud.

It was fun seeing the
brothers like this. Although I had been spending time with each of them at the
loft, we were rarely all three together. Knox was mostly absent, and according
to Theo, work was crazier than usual for him. I wondered how much of that was
related to the situation with my dad. Hopefully busy was a good thing in this
instance.

The garage door closed,
and a Willie Nelson song started playing through the stereo. Theo groaned and
immediately grabbed Knox’s cell phone from the cup holder. “You are not going
to make us suffer through Willie and Waylon this entire trip.” A few seconds
later, another song started playing.

Knox snatched his phone
from Theo and changed it back to Willie. “You know the rules. My truck, my
music.”

Interrupting their
bickering, I said, “Hold on a second.”

Before I could
continue, Theo cut me off. “See, Haley doesn’t want to listen to that either.
Now you have to change it.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m
fine with Willie Nelson.” Theo groaned again. “I just wanted to ask how you’re
playing music through Knox’s phone. It isn’t plugged in anywhere.”

Theo turned around and
gave me a surprised look. He reached back and patted me on the cheek, “Oh, our
sweet, sheltered little Haley doesn’t know about Bluetooth.”

Embarrassed, I realized
that I should have figured it out. “I’ve heard of Bluetooth, but I’ve never
used it. I didn’t know you could use it to play music as well as talk on the
phone.”

Knox tucked his phone
in his pocket before smacking Theo on the arm. “Stop making Haley feel bad.” He
gave me a small smile through the rearview mirror. “The technology hasn’t been
used for that purpose for long. It’s not even standard in most cars yet.” Knox
merged onto highway seventeen northbound.

Theo’s face lit up as
he turned to look at me. “Speaking of cars, Haley, I have a very important
question for you.”

“Okay . . . ”

“What is your dream
car? And make sure you think about it before you answer, because your taste in
vehicles tells a lot about you. For instance, the fact that Knox spends most of
his time on the back of the black beast or in this over-sized hunk of metal
suggests that he’s overcompensating for . . . ” he paused
dramatically, “something.”

Knox grunted. “At least
I don’t drive a soccer mom car.”

I laughed, looking back
and forth between the two of them; it was like watching a game of ping pong.

“Hey! It is the
top-rated vehicle for cyclists, thank you very much! And don’t distract me.
This is about Haley.” He turned back to me. “So?”

I thought for a few
moments and finally said, “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.
The only thing I’ve ever driven was my dad’s truck, which was fine, but it
wouldn’t be my first choice.”

“Well then, you can try
out each of our vehicles and see what you like the best.” Theo’s smile widened,
“I see you in something cute and sporty.”

Knox shook his head.
“Forget cute, she needs something safe and reliable. Maybe a Honda.”

“Stop being such a
stick-in-the-mud,” Theo said. “We’re talking about dream cars here, not grandma
cars.”

Wanting to stop their
argument before it really started, I interrupted. “It’s not like it matters. I
can’t afford a bicycle, much less a car, dream or otherwise.” Theo started to
protest, but I continued, “At least I know who to ask for advice when I’m
eventually ready to look at cars.”

My statement seemed to
appease Theo for now, and he changed the subject. “I’ve decided that I’m going
to climb El Gigante. I know things are busy right now, but I want to fit in
more training when I can so that I’m ready by Christmas break.” Theo’s voice
sounded unsure, almost like he was hoping Knox would give his permission.

Knox stared straight
ahead, silent. I was tempted to duck behind the seat to make myself invisible.
Clearly this conversation was not going to be pleasant.

Theo, obviously annoyed
by Knox’s reaction, or lack thereof, tauntingly said, “What? You don’t think I
can do it?”

Knox gruffly replied,
“What do you want me to say, Theo? I’ve already told you that I don’t want you
to climb that stupid rock. It’s not safe, and there’s no reason for you to take
that kind of risk, not only by climbing it but in going to Mexico.”

“Oh, so it’s fine for
you to take a risk every time you get on your motorcycle or go kiteboarding?
But I can’t do the same? You’re not my father, Knox. Stop treating me like a
child!”
What is kiteboarding?
I tucked the question away for another
time. There was no way I was going to speak right then; the air in the truck
was already crackling with tension.

Knox’s jaw clenched and
his scowl was deeper than I’d ever seen it. “You’re right. Unlike our father, I
actually care what happens to you.”

Theo hung his head.
After a few moments, he quietly said, “I know, and I’m sorry. But I really wish
you would start treating me like an equal. This is important to me.”

Knox ran a hand through
his hair and glanced back at me. “Can we talk about this later? Haley doesn’t
need to witness our family drama.”

Theo laughed darkly.
“She’s living with us. She might as well get used to it.”

Uncomfortable, I sat
there quietly. I didn’t know anything about their family, but clearly there was
more to the story than two brothers living together.

Theo turned around and
looked at me, his face unusually stoic. “You’ll find out eventually, so I’ll
give you the CliffsNotes version now. Our dad has been out of the picture since
we were young. Mom couldn’t cope and was pretty much absent until she died. So,
we’ve been taking care of ourselves for a long time. And, Knox likes to think
that just because he’s older, he’s in charge.” Theo turned back toward the
front and stared out the windshield.

Knox tapped his hand on
the steering wheel angrily. “Damn it, Theo. What is your problem? Do you really
think this is the right time to get into all of that?” He gave me an apologetic
look. “I’m sorry, Haley. Ignore him.”

As awkward as the
moment was, I found myself wanting to make sense of their family dynamics. It
was clear that Knox was serious about his role as the protective older brother.
And though Theo appeared to love and respect Knox, he was pushing back against
Knox’s self-imposed authority.

I probably should have
stayed silent, but I couldn’t help myself. “I’m sorry about your parents, but
I’m also kind of jealous. You two are really lucky to have each other, to have
someone that you can always count on.”

Theo sighed. “You’re
right; we are lucky. Not just because we have each other, but because we have
the team as well. It’s like we make up our own little island of misfit
orphans.” He grinned, and I relaxed a little.

Ignoring his
Rudolph
reference for the moment, I asked, “Orphans? Does that mean that all of the
guys on the team have parents who have died?” It occurred to me that as
attached as I was feeling to Theo, Knox, Ethan, and Chase, I barely knew
anything about their personal lives.

Knox responded,
“Technically, no. But all of our parents have either died or deserted us in one
way or another. That’s why we are so close; despite our different backgrounds
and personalities, our friendships were built on common ground.” He paused and
looked at me through the mirror. “Maybe now you can understand why it was so
important to us to bring you to Santa Cruz and watch out for you.”

Knox’s green eyes
burned into me, and I experienced a moment of clarity. The guys weren’t helping
me just because they felt responsible or guilty. They all had something
significant in common with me and maybe even identified with me better than I
ever imagined.

Turning off highway
seventeen, we headed toward Saratoga. Not long after, we passed through a gated
entrance, easily clearing the security booth before reaching a large fountain
with lush ornamental landscaping. Theo said, “We’re almost there.”

As we drove further
into the neighborhood, my jaw dropped. Enormous houses in all different styles
were nestled in amongst the rolling hills. I tried to reassure myself that
perhaps Jackson’s uncle’s house would be one of the smaller ones. “Does Jackson
live here with his uncle?”

Knox replied, “Not
since he finished college. Now he lives in a little bungalow right on the beach
in Santa Cruz. It’s perfect for surfing.”

A minute or two later
my conjectures were firmly put to rest when Knox pulled up to a large and
elegant house. When he parked behind Chase’s car, I gulped.
Would it be
obvious that I really didn’t belong here?
Theo grabbed my canvas bag and
his own duffle and opened my door. “Come on, Haley!” He smiled.

Considering I didn’t
really have any other choice, I silently followed Knox and Theo up the wide
pathway toward the house. The landscaping was simple but pristine, mostly
hedges and grass. The clean design of the landscaping complemented the large,
two-story home. It reminded me of French chateaus I had seen in books at the
library, complete with a beige stone facade, evenly-spaced tall windows, and a
slate gray roof. Each of the upstairs windows were French doors with metal
railings, and a large walk-out balcony was centered above the enormous front door.

Apart from the metal
railing of the upper balconies, the front door was one of the most ornamental
and decorative items on the house. As we approached the threshold, I admired
the iron scrollwork design that covered the glass center of the arched doorway.
I expected Knox to knock or ring the doorbell. Instead, he flipped a lid,
revealing a small keypad into which he quickly entered a code, and then placed
his thumb on a screen. My eyebrows raised so high I wasn’t sure there was any
space left on my forehead for them to go. If I hadn’t already been wondering
what exactly Jackson’s uncle did for a living, I sure was now.