“Hi!” Samantha cries out, glancing between us. “I heard something weird out in the hall!”
Lexi announces, “That was us,” as if it’s supposed to make sense, and Sam makes room for our entry into a bright living room with two cats lazily staring our way — one ashen-furred on the sofa surrounded by colorful throw pillows, the other one a ball of white fluff on a chair almost as fuzzy. “This is Gage. Gage, my sister Sam.”
“Samantha,” she corrects, adding, “You have to earn the name Sam,” with a smile much sweeter than that of the ginger’s who gives me a run for my money.
I smirk, “Will do,” and shake her hand. “How’d the audition go?”
Her brown eyes warm at my manners, nose crinkling at the touchy subject. “I’m still waiting to hear but thank you for asking. I’m sorry,” she laughs, “Your mouth is hilarious!”
Lexi waves, “Come on!” walking ahead to lead me into a hallway with four closed doors, swinging open the one first on the left. It’s hard not to check out framed photographs from their lives, but her laugh captures my attention and gives me a distraction.
“Mirrors aren’t my thing today!” she mutters, digging out a glossy packet from her medicine cabinet.
I get a look at my face as she closes it, and cock my right eyebrow. “Should get a job at the circus.” She wipes at my mouth with a moist cloth oozing lavender and I grab it, “Thanks Mom. I’ve got it.”
She teases me, calling out to Samantha, “He has a fear of not knowing things and of being treated like a little boy.”
I grumble, “No, I don’t,” wiping away until my skin’s raw enough that it doesn’t matter there’s no lipstick left. “Well shit.”
Lexi sighs, and turns for the reflection, gently patting her face back to cleanliness. Digging out the red lipstick, she stares at it, and frowns, “This isn’t going to work,” opting for a clear gloss instead.
I lean against the open door, and cross my arms as I watch her slide it around. “Look at the brains on Cherry.”
Trying not to gratify me with a smile, and failing, Lexi murmurs through the process, “You’re ridiculous.”
“First your sister says I’m hilarious. Now you say I’m ridiculous.”
With a firm tightening of the cap, she corrects me, “Sammy said your face was hilarious. Not you. There’s a big difference, Crocodile.”
“Give her a chance to get to know me and she’ll say both are pretty damn funny.”
Lexi grins, spinning around, dress flying with her. “Funny looking!”
“Come here.” I pull her to me and make that gloss a waste of her fucking time.
In the distance we hear Samantha hurrying off to give us space. Lexi pulls back, eyelids heavy. “You ready to go?”
“I’m ready for whatever you give me, Cherry.”
As she searches my eyes, her smile comes slow.
Uh oh.
Chapter Sixteen
LEXI
O ur upscale dinner turned into wrapped up takeout from a restaurant that wasn’t made happy by our last-minute cancellation.
But I was inspired.
I’m ready for whatever you give me? That’s an open door I’ll walk through whenever given the key.
Speaking of keys…
I point to an old street sign overgrown with weeds, “Take a left right there,” warm Georgia wind blowing back my hair. My gaze travels to the sky’s glittering stars, attention drawn to its brightest ones. “Such an amazing night!”
Slowing down to turn the wheel, Gage agrees, “We lucked out. Was supposed to rain.”
“They never know, do they?” I wistfully smile, staring up at galaxies whose mysteries I’ll never fully understand. “Mother Nature laughs all she can, doesn’t she?”
“Best way to live,” he quietly says while concentrating on a forgotten road skipped by renovation’s selection despite old rumors that this area would grow to be hip one day. Atlanta expanded several other directions instead, leaving these early twentieth-century buildings to decay until further observation.
Lifting my head to look out the windshield again, I point to a large metal warehouse strong enough to withstand time. “That huge one on the right, Gage, park there.” With windows designed too high for easy breakage, the only damage done has been minimal, just some artless graffiti.
Atlanta’s well known, beautiful murals are abundant elsewhere, done by street artists with incredible talent — their work preserved by the city’s officials as well as community.
Whoever tagged this place knew nothing of art. But it was a long time ago, weathering even their paint.
Gage puts the truck’s gear in park as he glances around silent weeds and cracked asphalt, eyes landing on a single door. “Why this one? What is this place?”
I shuffle through my clutch bag for the key ring, selecting and holding up the only one I added tonight after he inspired me.
Black eyebrows twitch. “Don’t tell me…”
“Just another reason I made you wait with Sam in the living room while I gathered up some fun!”
“How in the fuck do you have a key to this place?”
“I’m not telling.”
A grin flashes, but is quickly subdued by cool detachment — the man who must know everything, back. He’s not sure how he likes being purposefully kept in the dark about my treasure.
So exciting!
I wave the special key. “Are you going to open my door or aren’t you?”
Playing along, he volleys back, “Which one?”
“If you open my car door, I’ll let you open that dirty old metal door, too.” Slicing the air with it I smirk, “Interested?”
Gage jumps out, “Deal,” shaking his head with amusement since he was going to come get me anyway.
I snatch our take-out bag, hand it to him, carefully lifting my backpack to keep for myself.
“What’s in that?”
“I’m not telling.”
He grumbles a funny, “Grrrrr,” helping me down to slide into his arms for a quick kiss before he snatches the keychain.
“Hey!”
He strolls away. “You said I could.”
Shutting the passenger door I call after him, “Giving it and taking it aren’t the same!”
“You said you’d give it, so I took it.”
“Rude!”
Jamming it into a rusty
