Strangely Normal by Tess Oliver Read Free Book Online Page B

pressed it to her ear. “Hey, Daddy, what’s up?” She paused. “Yes, she’s here.” Finley smiled at me. “I think it’ll be great. Auntie made a good choice.”
    Her words helped bolster some of the confidence I’d lost after meeting her brother. Even though I’d definitely suffered some feelings of homesickness throughout the morning, I needed this adventure. I needed to be on my own and away from my highly dependent family for awhile. My college and my future had been put on hold, but I was sure this would prove to be a learning experience. And the money would at least help pay for city college this fall. Without any mode of transportation, my summer job prospects were going to be limited to the mini mart or fast food restaurants. I looked around at the park-like surroundings and the resort style pool. No matter what twists and turns this job took, it would definitely be better than standing over a counter folding burritos.
    “Don’t stay up too late, Dad, and take the vitamins I sent with you. Love you, bye.” She grunted as she hung up the phone. “Sometimes I feel like the parent.”
    I laughed. “I know exactly what you mean. Hey, do you think I could use your phone to call my parents? I just want to let them know everything is great. Is there a number I could give them to reach me at if they need me for something?”
    She handed me her phone. “Of course. They can use my number. I’ve always got my phone on me—” she smiled. “In case my dad needs me for something.”
    “We really have to get our dads together,” I said. “Something tells me they’d get along perfectly.” As I made the call, a statuesque woman with auburn hair and high cheekbones strutted behind us out toward the pool house. Finley glanced back at her and the woman looked our way, but there was no greeting or acknowledgement exchanged. Like Jude, she disappeared into the pool house.
    “Hey, Mom, it’s me.”
    “Eden, I miss you already.”
    I could hear Janie crying in the background. “Is Janie all right?”
    “Yes, she and Sophie were fighting over a toy. Sophie has been a total grump since you left. How is it?”
    “Great. I’m having fun.” With Finley sitting right next to me, I couldn’t go into much detail. Mom would have loved to hear about it too. “I wanted to leave a number in case you need me.”
    “You call us if you need to come home,” Mom said with a wishful hitch in her voice. “Dad’s out looking for a job, but I’ll tell him you called.”
    “Kiss the girls for me. Bye, Mom.” I hung up. “My poor Mom. She sounds like someone who just lost her best friend. I guess in a way it’s true. My sisters are cute, but their conversation topics are rather limited.”
    Finley smiled. “How old are they?”
    “Sophie is six and Janie is four. I love them, but I confess, it’ll be nice to hang with people my age for a change.”
    “Good.” Finley relaxed her head back against the chair and turned her face to the sun. “Then this should work out well.”
    I looked back at the pool house. There was no sign of Jude or the woman who went inside. There was no way a guy like him would stick around once he was off house arrest. “Yeah, it should be great.”
     

 
    Chapter 6
    Finley and I had spent the rest of the afternoon deep in girl talk. Cole had returned from the hospital dazed and sleepy on pain medication. He’d gone straight up to his room, and Jude hadn’t emerged from the pool house again. I could only assume that the woman was his girlfriend, but Finley never said anything and it was none of my business to ask. Aside from the tension with Jude the day had gone well.
    I reached across the counter for the bottle of red pepper flakes and sprinkled some more on my slice of pizza. “You’re right; these flakes do add a certain touch of diner-like elegance to a frozen pizza.”
    Finley wiped the side of her mouth with her pinky. “Told you so. Of course, if it weren’t for Jude and his