The Good Sister: Part One (5 page)

I stood still for a moment, and considered exploring. At first, the prospect was a difficult concept, but in the end I wanted to find out where the music was coming from.

Curiosity killed the cat, Trinity.
I strummed my fingers on the countertop and shook my head.
You’re such an idiot
. I took two steps away from the window.
The ground around the property is secure.
And this was my home, all be it a new home. Besides, it wasn’t like going into the city or walking out into public. There wouldn’t be any crowds, and the property was divided up with differing gardens so it didn’t seem like a vast open space.

I took in a large deep breath, rambled to the front door, and froze, mulling over all the reasons to stay inside, and all the reasons to go outside. My list of reasoning seemed to be a lengthy one in favor of staying inside, and I found only one reason compelled me to turn the front doorknob: the possibility of seeing Reid Addison.

I headed to the rose garden, watching the bees and butterflies flit around the colorful blooms before my gaze went to the large line of hedges in the near distance. I walked forward. Once again, music. It was a little louder. The breeze blew some of my curls around my face, so I reached up to brush them back. With a stumble, I felt something poke my foot. Loosening the heel of my flip-flop, I lifted my foot. I glanced down to see a pebble bounce free.

Once steady, I went back to studying the line of hedges. I walked through an arched opening. The hedges formed a wall, enclosing another garden area that held a fountain, a shallow pool with large bright orange koi, and a boulder carved into a bench. To the north was a small area of Bonsai trees with a twisting Japanese maple enfolded within a weaving patch of low-line grass.

Next to that lush spot of greenery, was a sea of sand with undulating patterns grafted into the surface, and smaller boulders plopped in interesting placements within the sea of white sand. It was beautiful, but more than that, it appealed to my sense of being enclosed. It was a secret place, a secret garden, and I would make this outdoor space my own.

I took a seat on the stone bench and sat quietly, listening to the sound of the music. It was a radio. I heard the break in the song.

“You are listening to K-J-A-M, music to rock your soul.”

Mixed into the sounds of the DJ’s voice were the sounds of birds chirping, followed by a large splash. I stood up. Carefully, I stalked forward like a cat, keeping my movements stealth-like. Another splash. I walked over in the direction of the splash to a wall of hedges. It blocked me from moving forward any farther. I moved the sprigs of green until I peeked through the thick greenery.

On the other side of the hedge wall, there was a stunning aqua blue pool, large and square shaped with a columned portico to the south. My eyes were drawn to the shimmering diamond facets as the ripples of the water caught in the light of the midmorning sun. The glimmer formed diamond hash marks, liquid in movement, on the bottom of the pool.

I stayed focused on the shimmer of the water until I saw him. My throat tightened when I realized Reid was coming up from the water. I narrowed my gaze and watched him walk up the wide stairs, leaving the pool. He shimmered as bright as the sun, with rivulets of water running down his perfect muscled, sun-bronzed body. Something around his neck caught brilliant and twinkled.

I bit the inner curve of my thumb, holding in the breath that was turning into a breathless pant. For a moment I wonder what was wrong with me.
Am I going to have a panic attack?
I realized it wasn’t panic, just how
he
made me feel. Hot, bothered, and on the edge of breathless.

Reid turned; the muscles of his tight stomach crackled. I panicked, backed up as if he could see me, hit the corner edging of the rock pathway, and lost my balance. I fell, screaming to the ground. My butt made a dull sounding
thud
on the loose gravel path. Upon impact my glasses slid down my nose, dislodged, and fell into my lap. I was also pretty sure my ankle was bleeding. I sat there for a moment, brooding over my stupidity, when I heard…

“Trinity, are you okay?”

Oh God, Reid
.

I didn’t see him. He was too far away, and I lost my glasses into the tangled folds of my shirts.

“Yeah,” I replied, meekly.

Reid instructed, “Stay still.” His wet warm hand skimmed across my ankle. I jerked as though a bee stung me. “It’s okay. I’m just looking at your ankle.” I felt him turn my ankle along with a trickle of water that dripped from his body onto my leg. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t want to talk. I made my jaw tight, teeth grinding together, and my body trembling as if I were sitting on an iceberg.

“Trinity, you are not going to flip out on me, are you?”

That question brought my eyes open.

“No.”

“Good.”

I wanted to close my eyes again, but something about the way he’d asked if I was going to flip out burrowed deeply under my not so thick skin.

“Do you think you can walk? You might have sprained your ankle.”

I searched in the folds of my shirt for my glasses. Reid found them and handed them back to me. I slipped them onto my nose, sliding them up into position. “I can walk.”

Reid helped me to my feet. I wavered. He scooped me up into his arms. I let out a small gasp of air. He was carrying me. My body became as hard and as stiff as a board.

“Trinity, everything is all right. You need to relax; I won’t hurt you, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, but my body remained rigid. I held my breath.

Reid carried me out of the garden, over past the long span of lawn, and in through the back entrance to his house. I had to take a breath or pass out. I opted to take a breath. Upon my inhalation I smelt chlorine and sunshine. Reid smelled like summer.

“I’m going to put you down,” Reid forewarned. He placed me onto the countertop in a large bathroom. Glancing down, I saw my legs and feet dangle over the edge. “Sit still.”

Reid rummaged through a cabinet for a moment. He pulled out some peroxide, Neosporin, and a couple of Band-Aids before turning around to face me. I watched him, intently. Observing the hard lines of his body. The wet shirt clung to his muscles like a lover. I also noticed the look of concentration upon his perfect face. My gaze slid down the slope of his nose, over the jet of his cheekbones, the angle of his jaw, the curve of his mouth. He noticed my looking. My head dropped down. Curls enclosed around my face like a golden curtain that very effectively shut me off from view. I was hidden in plain sight.

As though Reid were moving in slow motion, his large hand reached out for my ankle. A sensation of flushing heat seeped though my leg just as his fingers outlined the cut. My ears were burning hot. It was a mix of mortification and desire that blazed over my skin.

“This might sting,” he said. He placed the peroxide onto a cotton ball then placed the cotton ball to my cut. I jerked, but stopped when his hand found my flesh again. Reid massaged my calf. “Sorry. I know that has got to sting like a bitch.”

Reid reached over to grab another cotton ball, more peroxide, and carefully cleaned up the blood that trickled down my ankle. Once the blood was gone he swiped some Neosporin onto the cut, and placed a bandage over the small crescent-like wound.

“You don’t need stitches,” he offered, “but you’re probably going to have a small scar.” Reid removed my daisy covered flip-flop. It hit the floor. He rubbed his thumb over the top of my foot before moving my ankle, rotating it. I shuddered. “Does that hurt?”

“No,” I whispered.

“Good,” he replied.

The high intonations of a female voice called out. “Reid, are you home?”

Immediately I stiffened then flinched. Reid patted my leg as if to tell me everything was all right.

“Yes. I’m in the downstairs bathroom.” A pause. “The blue one,” he clarified.

An elegant, well-dressed woman with blonde hair worn in a French braid walked through the door. She wore a tailored dark blue dress suit, black seamed stockings, and high heel shoes made out of some form of exotic leather.

“Hello,” she said in a smooth cultured soprano voice, acknowledging me.

I stared. Like an idiot.

“Mom, this is Trinity Winslow.”

“Of course, Trinity,” Mrs. Addison said. “I’m glad to meet you.” Mrs. Addison looked at her son then back toward me. “It looks like you might be having a bad day.”

I wanted to say something. Acknowledge her, but I continued to stare.

“Trinity is very shy,” Reid said.

Mrs. Addison smiled kindly. Her eyes were the color of lilac. I assumed contact lenses; I’d never seen lilac colored eyes before.

“She fell, cut up her ankle so I thought I better help her out,” Reid continued.

Mrs. Addison’s face looked worried. “Trinity, my dear. Should I call for a doctor?”

I shook my head no.

“She’ll be fine,” Reid assured, “it’s not broken. And since she can move it, I think everything is okay.”

“Well, Reid, you better help her back home,” Mrs. Addison instructed before she turned her attention back to my face. “Or would you rather stay? Have some lunch with us? Ryder, that’s my husband,” she explained, “is bringing home Thai.”

I finally spoke in quite breathy words. “Um … I better go.”

Mrs. Addison nodded. “Of course, dear. Maybe another time.”

Reid helped me to my feet, but to my shock, he never let loose of my arm. I slipped my shoe back on, and Reid walked me to the door.

“Mom, I’ll be back in a few,” he said before he helped me down the hall.

“Your father should be home in an hour. Are you going to stick around?”

“Sure!”

He led the way past a huge living room, what looked like a game room then out through a back entrance.

I heard, “It was nice to meet you, Trinity!”

But there was no way I was going to yell back my reply to Mrs. Addison so I stiffened.

Once outside, I glanced up at Reid. “Sorry,” I said.

“For what?”

I pushed my glasses back up my nose. “I don’t do well with people.”

“Really? I would not have noticed,” he joked, a smile peeking out from the edges of his luscious lips.

“Your mother probably thinks I’m insane.”

Reid shrugged his shoulders. A perfect piece of hair fell over his brow. He pushed it back. “No more than any other girl I’ve brought home, I’m sure.”

I believed there probably had been a lot of girls.

Reid took ahold of my elbow when we crossed over a stone path, making sure I was steady. I stiffened again. He smirked.

“If you are going to stiffen every time I touch you than I guess I will need to stop. But that presents a problem because how am I supposed to kiss a girl I can’t touch?”

I stared at him. I was pretty sure he was trying to joke around with me, but I wasn’t quite sure how to take him.

“I don’t do well with touching,” I admitted.

Reid chuckled. “You don’t do well with a lot of things, do you?”

“No.”

Reid stopped at the front door to the guesthouse. He let his hand drop from my elbow.

“Are you going to be okay, Trinity?”

No, I would probably never be okay, but I knew he was asking in more specific terms of my ankle.

“Yes,” I muttered.

“Okay.” He smiled, flashing his perfect teeth and those tempting dimples. “Be careful, all right?”

All I could do was shake my head in agreement.

“Hey, asshole!” As if this voice hit me, I jumped, stumbled, and clutched at Reid’s arm.

“It’s okay,” Reid assured me.

A tall lanky boy with sandy brown hair and a rounded face approached at a sprint. I tucked myself behind Reid.

“I’ve been trying to get ahold of you, dickhead. Why aren’t you answering your cell?” the boy said in a deep raspy voice. He noticed me, clinging behind Reid. “Who’s this?” he asked.

“Trinity, everything is fine. I promise. This is one of my friends. His name is L.J. He didn’t mean to scare you. He’s just obnoxious and loud.”

“Hey!” L.J. protested.

Reid turned his head. He gave L.J. a mincing glare. “Can you shut up and give me a minute?” he snapped. He turned his attention back to me.

“What the hell?” L.J. spluttered and play punched Reid in the shoulder. “Since when does pussy come before bros?” he said with a smart-ass laugh. “Is she why you haven’t been answering your phone? You too busy tapping her little ass?” L.J. stared at me as if I were nothing, confirming what I already felt, more than nothing. “Besides, this chick isn’t your type. You going slumming?”

Tears streamed down my face. I didn’t want to cry. I wanted to be bold, tell L.J. off, but I wasn’t that person.

“What the fuck, L.J.? You either apologize to Trinity or I am going to kick your fucking ass!”

“Are you shittin’ me?” L.J. said, incredulous.

Reid moved forward, his face stone cold, and harsh. He wasn’t messing around; in fact, he was intimidating at the moment.