Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(21)

I was unloading my bags when my mother descended the steps. It was an unseasonably warm November and she was in a loose blouse and slacks. Her heels clomp-clomped down the front steps and she folded her arms and glared at me.

"You're late."

"I guess you didn't check the traffic report," I said, coldly.

"Lance!" she called, cheerily.

Hawk's younger brother jogged down the steps. He was sixteen at the time but just as creepy. I wasn't exactly dressed provocatively-sweats and sneakers and a hoodie, but he leered at me anyway, and I swear he tried to look down my top. No easy feat with a hoodie. He grabbed my bags and carried them inside while I hauled the big suitcase up the steps, and I made it five steps inside before May almost knocked me down, throwing her arms around me, burying her face in my chest. I hugged her back and for a brief, warm moment felt something like being at home.

Then it ended when Tom appeared. He walked out of his office and looked at me with his cold flat gaze.

"There you are," he said. "May, show your sister her room."

I shuddered as the two of us carried my bags up the stairs. My stuff, what little I'd left behind, was still in boxes. The furniture was all antiques, stuff that was already there. An unmade bed, an empty dresser. I didn't want to talk to my mother, at least not yet, so I had May help me unpack and fill up my closet and armoire, and put sheets on my bed. We worked in silence for the most part, but she kept shooting me curious looks, and finally closed the door and twisted the lock.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked, so softly.

I shook my head.

"We shouldn't talk about this."

"My room is right above his office," she said, rubbing her arms. It was cold in that house. "He meets with a lot of people."

"What people?" I said, against my better judgement.

"This Amish guy." She shrugged. "The mayor, some guy named Elliot."

"Elliot Katzenberg?"

"Yeah. They were talking about construction or something."

"He's probably doing work for the government."

Why would he be meeting with an Amish guy? That didn't make much sense. I shook my head.

"Alex, I'm scared."

She looked more than scared. May was shaking, her big eyes locked on me. I hugged her hard and sat down on the bed, and waited for her to calm down.

"I want Hawk to come back."

I shushed her. "Me too, but don't talk about him."

"I know. I tried. Mom went nuts, started screaming at me. She said I can't ever mention his name again."

I nodded. "So don't. I'll figure something out."

"I hate it here. Lance is creepy and Tom’s scary, and mom’s acting weird. I don't understand what's going on or why she married him. What are we doing here?"

"I don't know," I said, softly. "Let's just take it easy, okay? I'll be here all week. We can figure out what's going on."

"Alexis?" My mother called, from the first floor. "Where are you?"

"Just a minute," I called back, trying to sound relaxed.

I trudged down the steps like I was going to my own execution. I'd only been to Hawk's house a few times and inside the house even fewer. His mom was cool, she liked me, but she'd been gone over a year now and I was persona non grata around here until, I guess, my mom shacked up with his dad. I had a sudden, creepy thought. Oh my God, Hawk is my stepbrother now. As I stepped down into the foyer, my mother nodded at me from the kitchen. I stepped inside, a little shocked.

Not for the first time, I realized the kitchen of this house was bigger than our apartment. Mom seemed quite at home, packing dough into a pie plate.

"I'm making pumpkin pie," she said.

"I can see that."

I never knew she liked to cook. Cook in this instance consisted of opening a can of pumpkin pie filling and spooning it out into the crust. I shifted on my feet.

"I didn't know you two were even engaged."

"We've been seeing each other for a year now."

Alarm bells went off in my head. That's an understatement. My head was on red alert. If they'd been involved for a year, that would mean they hooked up not long after Hawk's mom died. I didn't say anything.

"There are some rules," she said, in a flat voice. "Number one, do not mention your stepbrother."

"You mean Hawk."

"His name is Howard."

"His name is Hawk and if you know where he is, you can feel free to share."

"I don't. I don't expect to find out. You shouldn't either. Let him go."

"It's not that easy."

"Find a nice boy at school, Alexis. Howard’s not coming back. Just accept it."

"He wouldn't leave me."

"That's enough!" she said, sharply. "We're having our first Thanksgiving together tomorrow. I want you on your best behavior, and wear something nice."

I glared her. "My best behavior? I'm not a twelve year old, Mom."

She glared right back. "You will behave."

"Can I go now?"

"Fine."

I was on break, but the term wasn't over. I headed upstairs, left my door open a crack in case May came calling and spread my books and papers out on the bed, then opened my laptop. I was working on a paper for history class and every word made me ache for Hawk's help. He could do this history and English crap, I felt helpless without him, even though I was pulling a solid B in both classes. After about an hour, May came in, closed the door and climbed on the bed with me, and sat their with her legs folded. She'd be eleven soon and was in fifth grade now.