Vindicate (Recovered Innocence #1)(38)

Cora


We stop at Leo’s parents’ house for him to pack a bag. I’m not excited about having a roommate, especially one who pushes all of my buttons, even the ones I didn’t know I had. I’m used to living alone. I’ve been on my own for a long time now, nearly a quarter of my life. I like being alone. Having him there is going to be awkward and weird, and I’m not sure how long I can be on my best behavior. I’m not hostessy. Jamie is the only person who has ever spent the night at my house and I’m ashamed to admit that most of those mornings I couldn’t wait for her to leave.

Leo’s parents’ house looks a lot like the house I grew up in. The neighborhood with the toys in the yards, the dads out doing whatever dads do in garages, and the occasional dog walker give me an unexpected nostalgic pang. I took it for granted that things would always stay the same and that someday I’d bring my own family back to my childhood home for a visit. I don’t imagine a converted garage apartment would have the same effect.

He opens the door and the sound hits me first. A dog barks. Female voices drift from somewhere at the back of the house and the play-by-play of a baseball game blares at us from the left. Mr. Nash sits in a recliner with a beer in hand. For a moment I tense and then I remember that not everyone drinks to forget until the blackout of oblivion turns him into someone you don’t recognize or want to know.

“Hey, Dad.”

Mr. Nash raises a hand, his concentration on the game.

“Come and meet my mom,” Leo says to me.

I don’t remember the last time I met someone’s mom.

We move into the kitchen area, where a woman lifts the lid on a pot and gives the contents a stir. Now I know where Leo got his good looks. He’s the young male version of his mother. A young woman sits at the counter bar, doing homework. The radio is on, tuned to something classical.

“Hey, Mom. This is Cora.”

Both sets of feminine eyes turn in my direction. Mrs. Nash smiles and puts the lid back on the pot.

“Cora, this is my mom, Laura. And that’s my youngest and most annoying sister, Anne.”

“Leo,” Mrs. Nash admonishes. “Don’t talk about your sister like that. Nice to meet you, Cora. Will you join us for dinner?”

Anne takes her time looking me over. “Hey,” she finally says.

“I don’t know,” I answer Mrs. Nash, because I really don’t know. I don’t know how to act or what to say or how to get Anne to stop looking at me like she’s memorizing me for a police sketch artist.

Another chick comes into the room, this one a little older than Anne. She skids to a stop when she spots me. “Oooo, Leo brought home a girrrrl.” She strings out the last word, making it sound like Leo brought home a giant cockroach or something.

“Cut it out, Mary,” Leo growls. “That’s my other sister. Feel free to ignore her.”

Mary walks right up me. “I love your hair. It totally matches your eyes. How did you get it that color?”

I touch my hair, more than a little self-conscious. “It took me a while to get the color just right. Lots of trial and error.”

“You do it yourself? Will you do mine?” Mary separates a section of her hair that falls to one side of her face. “I want a pinkish-red streak right here. I know the exact color I want. Hang on, I’ll get it and show you.” Off she goes before I can answer her.

“Mary, Cora isn’t going to do your hair,” Leo calls after her. “I’m sorry,” he says to me. “Just ignore her.”

“No, it’s okay.”

He leans in so only I can hear. “Do you mind staying for dinner? I don’t know when I’ll be back home. Family dinners are kind of a thing with my mom.”

“All right.”

Mary slides across the wood floor again like an ice skater, coming to a stop inches away from me. “Here.” She thrusts an opened lipstick in my face. “This is the color I want my hair. Think you can do it?”

“Leave her alone, Mary.”

“Easy,” I answer.

“You don’t have to do it,” Leo says.

“I want to.”

Anne’s suddenly interested in me. “You’re a hairstylist?”

“Not really.”

Mrs. Nash pats Anne’s hand. “Go tell your father dinner’s ready. You two are staying?” she asks Leo and me.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Set another place at the table, Leo. Mary, help me put the food on the table.”

We all sit down to eat. I’m between Leo and Mrs. Nash. Across from me are the two sisters, who don’t stop asking me questions about hair and beauty. Leo tries to shut them down, but I tell him it’s okay. I don’t have a sister, so I kind of like the back and forth. Plus, they don’t know anything about my life or me. They’ve probably never heard about Beau’s case. The Nash family is so normal. I forgot what normal feels like.

Mrs. Nash turns to me. “Ed tells me you and Leo are making good headway on your brother’s case.”

I glance over at Mr. Nash, who is busy talking to Leo. The girls are arguing about Anne ruining Mary’s sweater. It’s just Leo’s mom and me.

“It’s going okay,” I answer.

“I remember hearing about the murder on the news. Terrible. How is your brother doing?”