Wishing Pearl (5 page)

“What
I’m
doing?” Olivia sighed in disgust. He’d never get it.

“What does that mean? What are you getting at?” Jake shook his head when she remained silent. “I wasn’t the one drinking and smoking tonight.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Olivia turned her head away as she mumbled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe Mom can get to the bottom of this.”

Olivia snorted.
Only if she doesn’t have a massage appointment
.

The ride home passed too quickly. They sat at the base of the long driveway while Jake punched in the security code for the gate. Olivia had one more chance to change his mind before it was all over. She touched his arm to make him turn and look at her. “Jake. Please. Don’t tell Mom.” She fought against the tears burning in her eyes. “Mom
will
tell Charles.” She rubbed her flat palm on her heart. “Please.”

Jake gripped the steering wheel. “Liv, I love you. I wouldn’t do anything to harm you on purpose. I’m doing what I think is the best thing.”

Olivia leaned her head back against the seat and squeezed her eyes shut. “You don’t understand. It’s … it’s different for you.” One lone tear leaked out of her right eye. She wiped it away before Jake could see it. Maybe she should just tell him everything. Surely he’d keep her secret then. Olivia opened her mouth to speak … then closed it. She just couldn’t do it.

“It’s for your own good.” Jake pulled up to the garage and waited for it to open.

My own good?
Like Jake had any idea what she needed. This sure wasn’t it. Olivia got out of the car, went into the house through the front door, and stormed up to her room. She slipped the chain into the lock and pulled the chair in front of the door, wedging it under the handle—something she wished she’d done last time. Perhaps that would keep Charles out. No, nothing could.

Wonder what Mom and Jake are saying
. Didn’t really matter. If they were going to have a conversation about Olivia, they were going to have to do it without her.

But wait. If she didn’t face Mom now, it might come up sometime when Charles was around. It might be better to talk to Mom while he was out of the house—especially with Jake there as a buffer. Plus there was still the chance Jake decided not to fill Mom in on
all
of the details of the evening, and there was only one way to find out.

Olivia popped a piece of gum into her mouth to mask the smell of smoke and beer, sprayed herself with just a touch of body mist—too much would be a dead giveaway—and crept down the stairs, avoiding the squeaky parts. She approached the arched entryway to the kitchen and peeked around the corner.

Mom stood at her usual spot behind the island with her forearms resting on the granite slab. Jake towered just across from Mom with his back toward Olivia.

“Olivia’s smart. She’ll be okay. She’s just testing the waters a little bit.” Jake shrugged. “We all do it.” Jake wasn’t signing, which meant he’d calmed down enough to concentrate on speaking his words clearly. Just the way Olivia had taught him.

Mom shook her head. “Yes, but there’s more to it with Liv. She’s never gotten over losing your dad.” She spoke carefully and deliberately, allowing Jake to read her lips. “And she hates Charles so much for trying to take his place.” She lifted her head and closed her eyes. “I’m just not sure she’s not going to take it too far.” She signed
too far
.

Wait. She thinks Charles trying to take Daddy’s place is the problem?
And what did she fear Olivia would take too far?

“Have you considered getting her counseling?”

“I mentioned it about a year ago, but Charles had a fit.” Mom shook her head. “He hated the idea and forbade me to pursue it.” She smacked her pointer finger against her open palm.

I’ll bet he did
. No way he’d let someone go digging around in Olivia’s head, unearthing dirty memories and dark secrets, revealing him as a monster. She’d heard enough. Olivia pulled her shirt down to cover her belly, squared her shoulders, and breezed into the kitchen like nothing was amiss. “What’s up?” she signed to Jake and then went right to the fridge and grabbed a Coke. “I’m thirsty.” She drew a line down her throat with her pointer finger.

Mom sighed and rubbed her temples—not too hard though. Of course she wouldn’t want to bring back the wrinkles she’d recently had removed. “Care to tell me what happened tonight?”

“Oh, the party?” Olivia gave a sheepish grin as she signed her words toward Jake. “I just did something stupid. It’s no big deal. It was my first time—you could even ask Jordyn. I probably looked like a complete dummy. She could have taught me a thing or two.”

“Oh?” Mom raised an eyebrow. “So maybe you’re spending too much time with Jordyn, then?”

Oops. Backtrack
. “No. No. It’s not her fault. I know I’m responsible for my own choices. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay. I’m counting on that.” Mom smiled and took a sip from Olivia’s can.

Phew
. That wasn’t so bad. Would Mom really let it go that easily? Olivia took a long drink and waited for more.

“So I was thinking.” Mom’s eyes shifted from Olivia to Jake. “How about we go to church on Sunday?”

Olivia sputtered and almost spit out her Coke. “Church?”
Where’d that come from?

“I ran into Jodie Swinley at the mall today. She said that she and Pastor Tom were doing great, and the church has grown a lot since we were there a few years ago.”

“I don’t know, Mom.” Jake shook his head. “What’s the point? I’m going to be leaving in a few days. I plan to find a church when I get to Michigan.”

“Yeah, I’m with Jake.” Olivia grimaced. “I don’t think it’s a great idea.” Church was the last place she wanted to go. And what if Charles went with them and she was forced to act like they were a happy family?
Eww
. “Who wants to get up that early anyway?”

“Well, it was only a thought.” Mom pulled them both into a hug. “I just want you guys to stay on the right path. Maybe church would help. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

Jake nodded; then his eyes darted to Olivia. “On second thought, maybe we
should
go. Not like it would kill us.”

“I promise I’ll think about it.”
Sorry, not happening
.

“I’m packed up and ready to go.” Jake stood in Olivia’s doorway with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He looked so tall and grown-up standing there—like a man.

“You’re headed out, huh?” Olivia tried to sound lighthearted, even though her heart was breaking.

“Yeah, Coach wants us there for a meeting today, so I have to leave now.” His eyes traveled to the floor. “I’m going to miss you, Liv.”

Olivia nodded but couldn’t look at him for fear of crying again. What would she do without him? How could he leave her? Didn’t he know how scary every day of her life was? Then again, how could he know if she didn’t tell him?

Jake loved her. Olivia had no doubt about that. Maybe she should tell him.
Right now
. Before he left and it was too late. No way he’d leave if he knew the truth about Charles and what had been going on the past few years.

She lifted her face and turned to her brother with every intention of blurting out the horrible truth. But there he stood, looking every bit like a panting golden retriever in his Michigan sweatshirt with a basketball tucked under his lanky arm. He couldn’t wait to get to school and play college ball. He was so excited, and he deserved it. She couldn’t selfishly ruin it for him, no matter what it meant for her. Olivia loved her brother more than life itself. He needed this, and her pride for him was far stronger than her fear for herself.

“Play for me?” Jake gestured to the oboe near the music stand in the center of the room and made the sign for
song
.

Olivia laughed. “I’ve never understood why you like to watch me play. You can’t even hear the music.” She went to the chair and sat down on the edge, her back straight and her oboe poised.

Jake shook his head. “No. But I can feel it.” He had tried to explain many times how he felt the strains of the melody floating through the air and rising up from the floorboards. “Mostly, though, it’s the look you get on your face that speaks to me. It’s when you’re the happiest, and that’s the sight I want to take with me.”

Olivia placed the reed between her lips and closed her eyes as she began to play the piece she’d been working on: “Adagio for Oboe Concerto in D Minor.” She swayed lightly to the swells of the song—felt every note in her soul. As the last melodic breath faded away, she opened her eyes.

Jake was gone.

O
nly hundred-dollar bills? There had to be a dozen in Mom’s wallet. Would she notice if one disappeared? Olivia thumbed through the cash, hoping to find a twenty. Her gaze darted toward the bathroom door. Once that shower stopped, her decision time would be over. Mom had given Olivia her fifty-dollar weekly allowance earlier that day, but it needed to cover lunch at school plus extras for the whole week. Jordyn said a case of beer cost close to twenty dollars. Her friends would probably want a couple of those.

Mom would never miss a mere hundred bucks. If she did, she’d just assume she’d spent it somewhere and forgotten about it. She could drop that much over lunch and not even blink an eye.

Olivia shifted from one foot to the other. Her friends waited in the driveway, and Olivia really wanted to be gone before Mom got out of the shower and before
Chuck
got home. The thought of seeing Charles made her shudder—plus he’d probably embarrass her in front of her friends by saying something stupid or acting really nice to them.

Just do it!

Olivia plucked a bill from her mom’s wallet and shoved the money into the front pocket of her jeans.
Snap
. Wallet closed, she put it back in Mom’s bag, tightened the turquoise leather drawstring, and draped the strap across the purse exactly like it had been before she opened it. Hurrying from the room, she let the door softly close behind her and waited until it clicked before she finally gasped for air. Amateur! Hardened criminals didn’t forget to breathe.

Oh boy. She’d just stolen money from her own mother. She’d really crossed a line this time. What if she got caught? Not like it mattered. Mom couldn’t really do anything to her. Could she? Visions of her laptop, her car privileges, and her recent freedom all flashed before Olivia’s eyes. Okay, so Mom
could
do something. But Olivia wouldn’t get caught—she’d make sure of it.

The rush of running water turned to a trickle then slowed to drips. Time to get out of here.

Olivia hurried down the stairs, an overnight bag hanging from her shoulder. She’d be sleeping at Jordyn’s again. Or so she’d told Mom. If it turned out to be anything like the last party a few weeks ago, there’d be no sleeping. And at least with Jake away at college, there’d be no chance of an unpleasant encounter, like when he caught her drinking at that very first kegger.

Olivia stepped onto the front porch and grinned at her friends as she pulled the towering front door closed behind her. She could already hear the bass thundering from the cloth-top Jeep. Jordyn, in the driver’s seat, danced and bobbed her head to the beat. Tara’s red hair fanned out across the backseat next to Bailey’s shiny black hair. Who was that scrunched next to Bailey?

Olivia settled into the passenger seat and turned around. “Hi, I’m Olivia.”

“Hey. I’m Emma, Bailey’s sister.”

“She’s in college, and she has a fake ID.” Jordyn grinned and slipped the car in reverse just as Charles pulled around the curve and started toward the house.

“Hurry. Go. Go. Go.” Olivia turned and put her hand on the seat behind her, pretending to talk to the girls so Charles wouldn’t expect her to wave. “What’s he doing?”

“He never even glanced at us.” Jordyn sounded confused. “What’s your problem?”

Olivia waited until they rounded the curve that took them out of sight of the house.
Phew
. “No problem. At least not now.” She unrolled her window a little and let the fresh air flow across her face.

“Um”—Emma turned backward in her seat and peered out the back window—”I just have to say, your dad is gorgeous.”

Olivia shuddered. “He’s my stepdad, and he’s disgusting.”

“I don’t know, Liv. He really is cute.” Bailey winked. “That spiky brown hair. Those dark eyes and huge muscles.”

Gross
. Were they serious? “Trust me. You want to stay as far away from him as you can.” Olivia looked each girl in the eye. “Promise me?”

“Okay. Okay.” Bailey laughed. “Someone’s sensitive about her stepdaddy.”

Tara grinned. “He’s not my type anyway.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Jordyn flipped down the visor and checked her teeth in the mirror.

Olivia couldn’t help but notice that Emma eyed her a little longer than the rest. Did she suspect? Surely not. But it would be a good time to change the subject. “Can we take the top off the Jeep?”

“Yeah.” Emma leaned forward between the front seats. “It is kind of stuffy back here. My little sister’s big rear end is taking up so much room.”