CHAPTER 6
Under Pressure
Saturday arrived too quickly. I was totally unprepared to be charming and witty. I wasn't settled yet. I wasn't comfortable in my new surroundings. It was different back home. What if my family embarrassed me? I knew that was extremely likely. Especially if the conversation turned to parentage. I hated the fact that the five of us had three different dads, plus another brother from my dad's wife. Ugh! I'd do my best to steer the conversation away from that topic.
I fetched the newspaper from the front porch and sat in one of the rocking chairs, deciding to familiarize myself with the local news instead of stressing about our dinner plans. With my second cup of coffee in hand, I started reading the front page of the Pen Observer. Effingham County commissioners meet to discuss budget for upcoming fiscal year; curbside recycling coming to Pooler; blah, blah, blah. Holding these few pages in my hand reminded me that I hoped to one day be writing Pulitzer-worthy articles in a major market. Page three contained the first story I found to be even remotely interesting. "IS EDEN HAUNTED?" read the titillating headline. It seems there had been a series of unexplained events in Eden - a motorist who swore that his car just drove itself off the road; a couple of public works employees who claimed that their backhoes had a mind of their own; a teen who believed she was pushed into the street by an invisible force, barely avoiding being hit by a car; etc. Hmmm. Dinner conversation? Perhaps.
I spent too long obsessing over my clothing options that afternoon. I didn't want to look like I had tried too hard. But I also didn't want to look like I didn't care. Capris and a couple of layered tank tops? Some cute flips?
We all piled into the Suburban at about 5:45. I read the directions aloud as my mother navigated through the tiny town that mainly consisted of two-lane roads with no sidewalks. After about ten minutes, I spotted the blue house number sign on the right side of the road. She turned in to the tree-lined driveway, but there was no hint that a house was close by. It was a good thing Ty had warned me that their home was about a half mile off the road. The low hanging branches of the large trees crowded the SUV on both sides. Hollie and Danny were whimpering that they were scared and thought that the trees were going to get them. Mum and I laughed and assured them that the branches were not arms.
Much to the delight of all the kids, we finally arrived at the most amazing house I'd ever seen in my life. Because my dad was an architect, I was familiar with a variety of structural designs. This was a three-story American gothic style home with three large archways across the front - the middle one, slightly larger, showcased the large, arched door. The three third floor windows each had a small balcony at the base, and on the point of the front of the roof sat an imposing gargoyle. It appeared that he was staring right at us as we got out of the car that we parked on the edge of the circular drive. Even though the house and landscaping were beautiful, there was something dark about it as well, something eerie that I couldn't quite put my finger on. As I was taking note of the ivy that was growing up the sides of this magnificent dwelling, the front door opened.
Ty walked out to greet us. "You must be Mrs. Jacobs," he drawled, his perfect manners on display.
"Actually, it's Rosen, but please call me Caroline," she gushed, immediately impressed by his smooth southern charm. He flashed his amazingly bright smile and turned to look at me. And, again, once our eyes met, I found myself unable to break away from his gaze.
"Essie, won't you introduce me to your sisters and brother?" he said without looking away.
"Of course," I complied, wanting, yet unable, to take my eyes off him. "You remember Jennie from the Piggly Wiggly," I said with a slight smirk and a shake of my head. It was still hard for me to say that name with a straight face. He nodded. "And this is Laurie, Hollie and Danny."
"It's so nice to meet y'all," he said politely, finally looking away from me. "Please come in," he continued, as he led us in through the front door.
The foyer was truly grand. An antique chandelier hung from the high ceiling, its crystals sparkling as the sun's rays, streaming through a half-moon window above the front door, bounced off various glass objects in the two adjacent rooms. Costly antiques placed tastefully here and there revealed one of the Gregorys' interests. As Ty was leading us to the dining room, a large, ornately framed painting caught my eye. There was something vaguely familiar about it. When I stopped to examine it further, Ty noticed my interest and walked up behind me. The others kept walking. He startled me when he whispered, too close to my ear for comfort, "That's Penemue. He taught men to understand writing, and the use of ink and paper; hence, the name of the local newspaper which, not coincidentally, is owned by my family. What do you think?"
Honestly, I couldn't think with him standing that close to me. I purposefully cleared my throat and gulped, then stepped to the left and turned to face him.
"Uhm?," I started. Truth be told, it wasn't my taste at all. But it was interesting. So that's what I said. "?it's interesting. And colorful. Is he an angel?"
"Yes. Although, some say he was a fallen angel. And that symbol is the same symbol we use for the paper."
"That's what caught my attention. I knew I had seen that somewhere."
He smiled. "Ready to join the others?"
"Sure."
Joining our families in the huge dining room, Ty introduced me to his parents and his twin sister, Mara. They were all dressed in casual couture and everything about them screamed sophistication and refinement which did nothing to alleviate my self-consciousness.
Dinner went by fairly quickly, despite the fact that the prevailing thought in my head was how very strange this all was. Mrs. Gregory had their cook prepare a delicious southern meal consisting of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, a green bean casserole, biscuits, sweet tea, and peach cobbler for dessert. She said she wanted to be sure we were properly initiated to the South.
Being the owner of a newspaper, it was no surprise that Mr. Gregory asked each of us lots of questions, even the younger kids. They were excited to be included in the conversation and answered every question enthusiastically. When it was my turn, I explained that I was the editor of my former high school's paper, or rather, was supposed to be, before the unexpected move. I suddenly realized that my disappointment might be seeping through, so I quickly forced a smile. At that, he graciously said that there was always room for eager young reporters at his paper. Of course, I was thrilled, but I doubted that I could seriously consider it. After all, I had no idea what was going to happen between me and Ty, and I certainly didn't want to invade his turf if I wasn't welcomed by him. Mara, trying to be helpful, suggested that I might want to write a piece on Eden from a Yankee's perspective.
Mara. Where do I begin? Mara was tall and beautiful, with fluffy, blond hair, golden brown eyes like her brother's, and a body that I'm sure garnered her much attention among the male populace. She was only sixteen, like me, but she could probably pass for twenty-one. When she spoke, I couldn't help but imagine her in a sash and tiara. We couldn't be more different, yet she mentioned several times how she just knew we were going to be "the best of friends". With my possible interest in Ty, though, being friends with Mara might turn out to be a good thing.
I decided to mention that I had read the entire newspaper this morning and was intrigued by the article on Eden being haunted. It seemed to me that the Gregorys all glanced at each other knowingly, but quickly looked back to me and forced a laugh.
"What?" I asked, puzzled.
"You know, Essie, I wasn't going to allow that article to be published. But I'm glad you liked it. I thought it was too silly. But Miss Andi insisted that it was in the public interest, so I relented. It will probably open the flood gates to all kinds of crazy stories now," Mr. Gregory answered, seeming amused.
I had inadvertently ended any hope for normal conversation after bringing up that article, not that I minded. For the rest of our time there, the Gregorys entertained us, especially the little ones, with s
tories of hauntings and strange events around the area since the early 1700's. We were also informed that Savannah had been named "America's Most Haunted City". Laurie and Hollie were so excited to hear that that Ty promised to take them on one of the many ghost tours offered daily.
That night, as I lay in my bed, my mind was racing once again. This was quite possibly the most bizarre and, yet, most amazing night of my life thus far. I had never met a boy who had had such an immediate impact on me. I didn't like feeling this way, totally out of control. When he looked into my eyes, I couldn't think. Not cool.
I woke to the buzzing sound of my phone vibrating on the nightstand next to my bed. With my eyes still glued shut, I reached blindly for it. Despite having had a great time with Ty and Mara and their parents last night, I had another dark dream; this time I found myself wandering through their house all alone. Trying not to think of it, I attempted to open my eyes. The left one opened slowly, but the right one was stubborn. And when my defiant eyes finally surrendered to the inevitable, they looked like puffy marshmallows. As I forced the right eye open with my thumb and forefinger, I could barely make out the text message icon at the top of the screen. It was probably Jane. She had wanted me to call her as soon as we got back from dinner at the Gregorys, but I hadn't felt like talking last night. Some time needed to pass and I needed to figure out what was bothering me before I could coherently recount the events of the evening.
My eyes refused to focus. I got up, got a cup of coffee, and went outside to the porch swing. I looked at the phone again and tapped the text icon. To my shock, it was a message from Ty. "Good Morning, Essie. Just wanted to say thanks for coming to dinner last night. My parents enjoyed your family's company. Hope to see you soon." I sat there for a long moment, not knowing what to think. I had never known a boy like this. What happened to the three day rule? Did he not care if it seemed like he really liked me? This was unchartered territory.