That drew a laugh from her. “No.”
“Cool.” He jingled his keys. “Want me to bring my car around and drive you to yours?”
“No, I’ll be okay.” She stared at the rain. “Not the first time I’ve gotten soaked, and won’t be the last. Hasn’t killed me yet.”
Although one night years ago wasn’t very healthy for someone else…
Chapter Two
Then
“You aren’t even trying,” July scolded her sister.
June rolled into a sitting position where she’d landed on the mat following her failed double double and flipped her sister a bird.
“We’ve been at this for nearly three hours. I’m exhausted.” Trying to cram several days’ worth of practice into one evening wasn’t going very well for them.
“You’re the one who insisted we’re going to make Nationals,” July reminded her.
“That’s because we are. It’s the only way we’ll make the US team. Nationals, World, Olympics.”
Their older sister, May, sat at the far edge of the mat. Three years older than the fifteen-year-old twins, she was also involved in gymnastics, but she knew she wasn’t at a world-class level and had no desire to be. She’d focused more on dancing and did better with that.
She was, however, happy coaching her little sisters during their practices when their regular coach wasn’t around and May wasn’t focusing on her studies. Now that she was in college, May treated gymnastics and dancing as hobbies, not as an obsession the way her little sisters did.
“You’re both going to kill yourselves, if you don’t kill each other first,” May said. “When was the last time you two took a day off?”
The girls looked at their older sister. “Screw you,” they said in stereo before giggling. They didn’t get gym time every day, like they wanted to, but they did practice for a couple of hours every day, even if out in the backyard, on the springy grass behind the pool lanai.
It wasn’t the same. June would be in the gym every day, seven days a week, if their parents would let them.
May rolled her eyes at them as she climbed to her feet. “The problem is, you’re in a rut. You’re trying too hard. You need to do something different. Shake it up a little. You’re focusing so hard on what you’re doing that you’re kind of missing the fact that there’s a whole forest around you because you’re trying to climb one particular tree.”
May glanced at her watch. “Okay, it’s six thirty. Mom wanted us home by seven. Pack up. Let’s get moving.”
It was a Monday evening, and usually the gym was closed then. But because May worked part-time for Cara Jones, her sisters’ teacher and the owner of the place, she had given May a key so the girls could get in extra solo practice.
They were definitely on track to try out for the US team if they could keep it up. Nationals first, then World. They’d wanted to take the track to Nationals before the last Olympics, but they’d only been thirteen and their parents had nixed that, saying they were too young and needed to focus on school and keep their grades up first. They’d be sixteen in a few months. Yes, they’d be a little older than many of their fellow competitors, but age didn’t matter if they could produce results.
They’d just loaded into the car, June in the backseat, when July let loose with snark. “Yeah, we need to get Miss Mystery Chick home so she can watch cheesy TV shows and call Marrrrrrrk.”
June rolled her eyes at July and pulled a paperback from her bag, an Agatha Christie mystery she was reading for the fourth time. July’s favorite pastimes—after gymnastics, studying, and her boyfriend Matt—were teasing June about her love of mystery books and shows, and teasing her about Mark.
Mark was a year ahead of them in school and almost two years older than them. They weren’t exactly dating, but June suspected that’s what he wanted to do. One of the things she adored about him was he didn’t try to pressure or guilt her into spending time with him, the way Matt did to July, and she seemed to be the only girl he wanted to spend time with. They were friends first, with a lot in common.
Laid back, smart as hell, and not bad-looking, either, despite the fact that he was already over six feet tall and towered over her tiny frame.
“Oooh, June’s got that look again,” July teased. “Red in the face. Must be right about Mark.”
“Shut up,” June muttered.
“June and Mark, sitting in a tree. K-I—”
“Yeah, that’s real mature, July.”
“Both of you knock it off, or I won’t do this for you anymore,” May threatened. “I have studying I could be focusing on, you know. College isn’t frigging high school. You two have no idea how lucky you’ve got it right now. I’ll be up until midnight hitting the books just because I took you two bickering idiots to practice this afternoon.”
“Sorry,” the twins mumbled, knowing she was serious. It’d taken copious amounts of begging on their parts, and agreeing to shoulder her burden of chores around the house in exchange for her shuttling them to practice. Their parents’ work schedules wouldn’t allow for it.
They were only two months into their junior year of high school. On the first day of their second week of school that year, June had met Mark, during lunch.
“That guy’s staring at you,” July hissed at June after elbowing her in the side.
“Who?”
“That guy over there. The tall one.”
June started to look.
“Don’t look!”
“Why not?” June tried to look nonchalant. When she locked eyes with the cutie, who she didn’t recognize, she felt her heart flip. They’d had a huge influx of students to their school that year due to a massive building expansion project, so there were plenty of unfamiliar faces, and not just the underclassmen.
Every time June glanced his way, she caught him watching her.
“How do you know he’s looking at me and not at you?” June asked July. “We are twins.”
“Because he is.” Before June could stop her, she watched in complete and utter mortification as July bounced up and sauntered over to the guy.
June was torn between watching and wanting to crawl under the table and hide.
Another difference between them—July had no problems randomly meeting and talking to people. June preferred her books.
“Oh, no, no, nonono!” June softly groaned.
The guy got up and picked up his tray, following a very smug-looking July back to their table.
“You’re welcome,” July whispered at June as she retook her seat.
He looked as nervous as June felt as he stood there, holding his tray. “Um…hi.”
“Hi.”
“Is it okay if I join you?”
June nodded, her face feeling impossibly aflame.
July rolled her eyes. “Mark Jarette, this is my sister, June Corden.” She elbowed June. “Relax, doof. He’s a senior in AP Algebra II with me, and he knows I have a boyfriend. Duh. That’s how I knew he was looking at you, because he never looks at me like that. And I might have told him I have a twin sister and been talking you up to him last week, especially since Mom and Dad won’t let me go on solo dates with Matt yet. If you have a date, you can stop arguing about why you can’t come with, and me and Matt can finally start to escape the living room. You’re welcome.”
June was hoping a hole would open in the cafeteria floor and swallow her, but none appeared forthcoming.
She was also torn between wanting to shove July out of her chair, or hug her in thanks for introducing them. He was even cuter close up than he had been from a distance.
He noticed the book on the table next to her lunch tray. “I love Agatha Christie,” he said. “I’ve read all her books at least twice. Have you read anything by Dashiell Hammett?”
“I love those books!” She thought maybe she was just a little bit in love with him already. “And Sherlock Holmes, of course.”
“Aaannd they’re off.” July flashed a grin as she stood and grabb
ed her tray. “I see Matt over there. I really hate this mixed-up, spread-out lunch period. I hardly ever get to see him in school now.”
June watched her sister walk away before her focus returned to the very tall guy in front of her. “Sorry she’s not subtle.”
“No, hey, that’s fine.” He offered up a nervous smile. “Will you think I’m a total dork if I admit I love Murder, She Wrote?”
“That’s my favorite show!” She extended her hand across the table. “June Corden. Hi. I’m not brainy like July is.”
He shook with her. While he didn’t squeeze her hand, she sensed he was holding back, not wimpy. “You seem pretty smart to me, if you read mysteries.”
“I mean, not math smart. I pull straight As in English and Social Studies, but I’m barely keeping my head above water in Geometry, and there she is in AP Algebra II.”
“She seems pretty driven. Intense.”
“I am, too, but about gymnastics.”
“Oh, that’s cool. I’m in drama. And I’m planning on being an accountant. Does that totally make me nerdy?”
“Not if you do one thing.”
“What?”
She smiled. “Promise not to laugh when you help me out with my math homework.”
“Your sister doesn’t help you?”
June rolled her eyes. “She can’t understand why I don’t understand it. She just makes it worse.”
June was shaken out of her memory when they pulled into the driveway at home. Their house wasn’t on the river, but across the road from it. It sat on a deep, wide lot an acre large. Lots of old-growth pine and oak trees around the house and down by the road meant once they turned off their road and into the yard, heading up their winding dirt driveway was like being alone in the world. The whole neighborhood was like that, very rural and quiet.
It’d rained earlier, so May parked off to the side, on the grass, so they didn’t have to slog through mud to get to the side door of the garage, where they’d go inside.
Yes, it was hard to believe she’d only known Mark a few weeks. They talked every night on the phone, and now ate lunch together every day.
While she’d wanted to kill July that day just a few weeks ago, now she couldn’t imagine Mark not being in her life.
It didn’t hurt that he also hated July’s boyfriend, Matt, as much as June did. She thought Matt was a jerk, a bully, and would end up causing July a lot of heartache one day.
Their mom had dinner almost ready when they arrived, just enough time for them to grab showers. After dinner, and then getting their chores done, June and July settled in to do their homework. July preferred to spread out on the dining room table, while June camped out on her bed in their shared room.
By the time she’d finished that, she barely had time to call Mark before she had to go to bed.
He answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath. “Hey, June.”
She grinned. “I love this new Caller ID stuff.” It was easy to tell who was calling.
“Yeah. How’d practice go?”
That was another thing. Not once did June ever remember hearing Matt say anything about their gymnastics, except to bitch about how much of July’s time it took up.
Mark, on the other hand, was fascinated by it.
“Good. We’re having some trouble with a couple of things right now, but it’ll come together before our next meet.”
“So, I have a question.”
Her heart raced. “Yeah?”
“My parents said I can pick you guys up early in the mornings on weekdays and take you to practice and then school, as long as my grades hold. I can’t do afternoons because of drama club and work, though. Would that help?”
She blinked. It wasn’t what she’d expected, but in some ways, it was even better. Besides the weekends, they could only make Friday mornings right now because of May’s class schedule, and one or two evenings a week. If they could go every morning, and be there when Cara was there to coach them, it would really help their performance.
“Let me ask Mom and Dad if that’s okay.” She laid the handset down and walked out to the living room, where they were sitting on the couch and watching TV. As she was repeating it to them, July perked up and walked over.
“Why didn’t you ask me first?” July said. “I need to find out if Matt’ll be okay with that.”
June and her parents, as one, swiveled their heads to stare at her. Their father spoke first. “Matt doesn’t get a say in this,” he said. “Frankly, neither your mother nor I are fond of that boy.”
July’s face reddened, but for once she had the sense to shut up.
Their mom chimed in. “If Mark wants to get up early and take you two to practice and school, I’m okay with that. As long as he’s willing to commit to it and not suddenly leave you two in the lurch. I like Mark. He seems like a nice, responsible young man. Plus it means you’ll have more time for homework in the afternoons.”
June fought the urge to stick her tongue out at July. “Thanks. I’ll go tell him.”
The gym was open every morning at five for anyone who wanted to train. June also knew being able to train every morning, when they were fresh and not exhausted, would be a huge help.
“They said yes.”
July had followed her down the hall and June sensed her standing in the doorway.
“Okay, cool. What time do you need me to pick you both up?”
“Four thirty. You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“I almost pass the gym on my way in anyway.”
“But it’s out of your way to come get us.”
“You’re only ten minutes from me. I can study while you’re practicing. I’ll just go to bed a little earlier.”
“I really appreciate this, Mark.”
“No worries. Listen, I need to get off here and get to bed. So, four thirty tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah, thanks.” She hung up and didn’t move until July cleared her throat behind her. June turned. “What?”
“You should have asked me first. So I can ask Matt.”
“Matt can go screw himself. I want to train in the mornings.”
“I’m not going to have any time with him at school now before class.”
“That’s not my problem,” June said, sinking onto her bed. “I thought you’d like having more time at night to study. And we can practice every morning now instead of a couple of nights a week.” She stared at July. “So what if Matt gets upset? He can come over after school and spend time with you.”
“You heard Mom and Dad. They don’t like him.”
“Yeah? Well, honestly? Neither do I.” She stood and headed for the door. “I’m getting ready for bed. Morning will come awfully early.”
July blocked her path. “What has he ever done wrong? Why won’t you give him a chance?”
“I have. He’s mean, and he’s a bully, and he treats you like crap.” She ducked around July and locked herself in the bathroom. This wasn’t a conversation she’d wanted to have with her tonight, but she was also done lying to her about not caring about Matt one way or another.
She did care—for her sister.
And she cared that she got a bad vibe from Matt every time she was around him. Creepy.
Like maybe he was the polar opposite of Mark.
Chapter Three
Now
June closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, desperately grateful this conversation with her younger daughter was taking place over the phone and not in person. Outside, thunder rumbled, a summer storm settling in far earlier than usual due to unsettled tropical weather patterns. It was only a little after nine a.m. that Wednesday morning, and June knew it would be a stormy day.
Hell, apparently it was already storming at her daughters’ Tampa apartment.
“Maren, I don’t know what to tell you. You girls are adults. When I tried to get between you two in high school, you both turned on me and claimed you wanted me to treat you like adults. So I’m tre
ating you like adults.”
“Mom, please! I’m begging you! Sonya’s driving me absolutely crazy. I swear I want to wring her neck.”
A flashback swept through June’s mind, unbidden, of her saying something similar to her own mother about July.
Just as quickly, she shoved it back, hard, and locked it away.
“So I’m going to tell you what I think you should do, and you’re going to actually listen to me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Let her handle all the laundry.” Silence met her suggestion. “Maren?”
“Seriously, Mom? That’s the best advice you’ve got?”
“You hate the way she folds towels, and she hates the way you fold towels. If she’s just going to refold them anyway, let her. Why should you do the work for nothing? Let her do it. Why? What’d you think I was going to say?”
“I thought you were going to offer to do something sensible, like tell her to knock it the heck off for me because she’s being a butthead.”
“Nope. Let her do it. Besides, that’ll leave you more time for practice, right? She can’t complain about that.”
The sisters were sharing an apartment not far from USF, where they were attending. Sonya had graduated with her four-year, but was now going to grad school. Maren was there on a swimming scholarship and in her final year of undergrad studies. But she was seriously considering going for a medical degree instead of settling for being a sports therapist.
“But she’ll fold them wrong!”
“Does it really matter how she folds them as long as they’re clean and folded?”
“But she doesn’t fold them the way you fold them! That’s the way you taught us to fold them.”
“I fold them the way I do because of our bathroom shelves. If I fold them any other way, they’d hang off the edge and when you stack them, they’d fall off. If the shelves were wider, I’d fold them however I wanted.”
More silence.
“Maren?”
“I was hoping you’d back me up.”
“There is no super-secret moms’ guide to folding towels, honey. Is that all you needed me for today?”