None Other Than You Page 16

  I give both of them huge hugs as soon as I make it down into the crowded kitchen. (Did I mention Sarah and Bryan keep showing up with the triplets for breakfast now too?) Dan, Sean, and Ryan are busy scarfing down mom's delicious buttermilk pancakes drowned in syrup next to Eleni, sipping a cup of tea. I swear I've never seen her eat in five years.

  "Where are you off to so early on a Saturday?" Eleni asks, scrutinizing my outfit.

  I glare at her and stuff a muffin into my mouth. "Work."

  "How is Peter these days?" Grandma Violet asks.

  "He's great! You and Grandpa should stop by today while I'm at work." She smiles and I know she was already planning on it.

  "How's Allen, Mom?" Eleni asks. Dan, Sean, and Ryan roll their eyes, silent for once with all the food residing in their mouths.

  Mom smiles brightly however. "Wonderful. I'm excited for you all to meet him. He'll be back from his trip in about an hour and he told me once he showers he'll come over."

  Grandma Violet shakes her head and frowns slightly for a split second. I think I'm the only once who sees it. I give her a questioning glance and she waves it off, as if she didn't notice.

  So Grandma Vi feels there's something off about Allen.

  I agree with her.

  We haven't seen him around the house for a week or so because he's been on some kind of business trip. I really don't know why, but I just have this weird feeling about him. Ever since we met him that strange, strange night at dinner, I haven't felt comfortable with my mom dating him.

  "Well I'm off to work." I say, heading to the front door.

  "I'll drive you!" Sean shouts with his mouth full, muffling the sound.

  "Me too!" Come the resounding shouts of Ryan and Dan. The three boys are in the living room within seconds.

  "I'm perfectly capable of walking, you know." I say as the three boys pull on their coats and shoes.

  "We know." Sean says, still munching on a muffin.

  "But it's cold outside." Dan finishes. I hate it when they do the finish-the-sentence thing.

  "And we just want to take the car." Ryan adds. Sean and Dan glare at him. I laugh aloud; apparently I wasn't supposed to know that part.

  Opening the door, I walk out into the chilly morning. "Whatever boys, let's go." Snow is falling lightly and the sun shines dimly through the clouds. I smile, loving the weather for Christmas Eve. I'm with my family, and it's a wonderful day.

  We hop into the immaculate Impala, Sean driving and me claiming shotgun, and drive around the corner to Pete's.

  So unnecessary, I think, rolling my eyes.

  "You do that too much, Baby Sis." Sean says once we're out of the car and he has his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

  "Do what?"

  "Roll your eyes."

  "Only around you buffoons." I grin.

  Walking into the store, we're greeted with the tinkling of bells and white Christmas lights lining the ceiling around the café. Bethany, John, and Mason are already here and are taken by surprise at the sight of my brothers.

  "You didn't tell me Dan and Sean were coming for Christmas!" Bethany tells me as I walk behind the counter. She blushes, glancing at Dan, and hides behind her hair.

  "I forgot myself." I look at her expression and stifle a laugh. "Does someone like one of my brothers, Beth?"

  "What? No!"

  "I do!" John says in a sing-song voice, passing behind us.

  "Why don't you guys take a seat for a second and I'll get you some coffee." They nod and take a seat. Inside, a maniacal laugh breaks loose. They sat in Bethany's section. "Go get 'em tiger." I wink, nudging Bethany over to their table.

  "Jerk." She mutters before walking over.

  I hear footsteps on the stairs and look over to see Pete entering the café. He's in his usual attire, blue jeans, flannel shirt, and black baseball cap. He smiles when he sees me, and an even broader grin enters his face as he sees my brothers in the corner.

  "We have a full house of Knights today." Dan, Sean, and Ryan all look up at the sound of Pete's voice.

  "PETE!" Dan and Sean yell, jumping up to shake his hand and greet him. Bethany, who had been taking their order moments before, stands shocked in front of the half-empty table. I laugh at her stunned expression and head to my section to wipe down the tables.

  Before long, the café is full and there is plenty to do. My brothers end up staying for at least another hour before leaving, all the while talking animatedly with Bethany. Walking behind the counter to put in an order, I nudge her side.

  "Getting friendly with the older Knights, huh?" I say suggestively.

  Bethany blushes. "No. We were just talking." I raise an eyebrow. "Really!"

  "Then what was that slip of paper I saw you give Daniel?" Her eyes immediately shoot to her feet and her blush deepens. I laugh aloud. "It's alright. I'm just teasing."

  We go back to our tables, the next few hours passing easily with the provided entertainment. Working with John, Mason, and Bethany, all of whom have very strong personalities, are bound to have their fair share of amusing banter and pranks.

  Grandma and Grandpa do end up coming as I thought they would. Grandma harassing Pete; I can tell by the blush she's probably badgering him about dating my mother. Grandma seems to like that topic.

  Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind either.

  They leave as soon as they came though, and it's back to the usual buzz of work.

  As I'm closing up the last tables in my section before Pete takes over for me, Bethany walks up beside me, doodling on her notepad as she often does.

  "So, Duke, what are you wearing tonight?" My eyes turn to her expressionless face, suspicious.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean to the party! Dan, Sean, and Ryan were telling me all about it." Her expressionless face breaks into a taunting grin.

  "Did they?"

  Bethany nods, the smirk still in place. "They mentioned your friend too. A one Darren Teigan, whom you seem to be pretty friendly with."

  Those boys are dead.

  "I think they mentioned something about you staying the night at his house? Now why on earth would you do that, Delaney Knight?"

  "I'm going to shove their heads in the coffee grinder."

  "Touchy, are we?" I glare at her and she laughs heartily. "Well, I know he's going to be at that party tonight, and I know your brothers are pissed as hell. They're a little protective of you."

  "You think?"

  "What I'm trying to say is, if you don't want your friend to get it bad from your brothers, whatever he is to you, it might do you some good to give him a heads up so he isn't so caught off guard." Bethany peers into my eyes, trying to perceive what I'm thinking.

  "So you're warning me." She nods. "Thanks." Bethany smiles and waves it off.

  "It's nothing. I got your brothers number. Besides, I'm just teasing." She winks and walks back to one of her tables.

  "That boy could use a dose of the Knight brothers' wrath."

  * * *

  "You look gorgeous, really! So stop fidgeting!" Emma says as she twirls my hair and pins it intricately atop my head. To me it just looks like random placement, but Emma seems to have some kind of system to it. She's been working for half an hour at least.

  "I don't want to look good, I just want to get it over with!" I whine, impatient in my seat.

  "Sit still." Emma says, pressing firmly on my shoulder. I fold my arms and slump on the stool in front of the mirror stubbornly. "I'll tell Dan and Sean that you and Teigan made out in his car the other day."

  "What!?" I say, turning around and staring at her. She frowns—I probably messed up my hair—and puts her hands on her hips. "We did not—"

  "I know you didn't, but if I tell the boys that they'll torture him Knight style and I know you like him so—"

  "I do not like him!" I hiss at her, standing from the stool to stare her down. Seeing as Emma is taller, this is a slight problem.

  "Fine." Emma says, spinning
me around and pushing me back onto the stool. "You believe what you want and I'll believe what I will, but I'm finishing your hair, you're going to look stunning, and you're going to at least try to enjoy yourself tonight, Duke."

  Still glaring at Emma in the mirror I nod slightly. "Good." She says, and continues to work on my hair.

  Another half hour, a can of hair spray, hundreds of bobby pins, and one cocktail dress later Emma stands back to look at her masterpiece.

  "You're going to knock him off his feet." Emma says, grinning thoroughly.

  "Who?" I ask, waiting for my chance to observe myself in the mirror.

  "Anyone you choose. If you want a guy tonight, Duke, you'll get him." She steps aside so that I can look at myself in the full-length mirror on my closet door. As soon as I step in front of it, I can understand Emma's comment.

  My hair has gotten longer this year, so even as Emma pinned half of it up in curls on the back of my head, half of my hair hangs just to the middle of my shoulder blades. A few curls hang near my face, framing it; the rest are pinned back securely while still falling freely behind my back.

  The dress in itself could make any girl look decent. Dark red satin envelopes my skin tightly from my bust down to just above my knees, the fabric clinging to my figure. Two thin straps of satin hold the dress up on my frame; the cut at the top and bottom a straight line except for, at the top of the dress, a thin slit exposing what cleavage I may have. To top it off, Emma has let me borrow a pair of her heels: four inches and black with straps cascading about an inch up my calf.

  I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding and Emma giggles behind me.

  "You're going to be the talk of the party." She says giddily.

  "And Dan and Sean are going to kill you for making me so." I say, grinning all the while. Emma pales slightly, but that doesn't deter her excitement. I can see the thoughts running through her mind. 'My best friend helped me get together with the guy I've been in love with for years, now it's my turn to repay the favor.'

  The problem is, I don't have any guys in mind.

  Right?

  I hug Emma, thanking her anyway. I know she likes to dress me up. It's Christmas Eve after all, and I do have a heart, believe it or not.

  Emma doesn't look too bad herself. Decked out in a formal gown instead of a cocktail dress, she's got her hair in curls in a sort of elegant pony tail pinned expertly on the back of her head. Her dress, a sleek black number, has imitation diamonds across the bust, a low v-neck, and up the one inch straps that meet the back of her dress below her shoulder blades.

  "C'mon gorgeous," I say, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her downstairs. We stop at the middle of the stairs and Emma clears her throat, quieting the living room downstairs that is occupied by my three brothers, two sisters, and one brother-in-law. Mom and Allen have gone ahead (insert scowl here) to the party and told us to meet them there.

  "Ah, dramatic entrance then?" Dan says. I hear Sean and Ryan laugh and then a drum roll. That would be everyone (except Eleni, I'm sure) slapping their hands on their knees.

  "Shall we?" Emma says, laughing. I shrug, laughing myself. I have some weird relations and friends, I decide.

  As we walk into the view of everyone in the living room, I hear and see several things happen at once; Eleni gasps in horror, Ryan's breath is sucked right out of his lungs, Sarah and Brent cat call at the two of us, and Dan and Sean stand up, their faces tight.

  "Change." Dan and Sean say mechanically, pointing at the stairs and indicating for me to walk back up them.

  "No." I say defiantly. I walk over to the coat closet, confident for the first time in a few days. I've been so knocked off by the whole family showing up and the way Teigan has been acting around me that I haven't been myself.

  Tonight, I was going to knock the socks off some poor guy, and enjoy the hell out of it.

  Grabbing my dress coat I turn around, looking at my finely dressed family and grin. Dan and Sean frown at my outfit, then at Emma, then at my outfit again.

  "Just deal with it." I say, shoving them back into their chairs.

  I hear a cough from the corner of the room that sounds a lot like 'whore'. I look at Eleni and smile my widest grin.

  Not tonight, sis.

  "Hold on!" Emma says before I put my coat on. "You're mom told me to get a picture of the whole family all dressed up." Everyone mumbles— my family doesn't enjoy pictures— and gets into a sort of formation in front of the fireplace.

  I can just imagine how we look from Emma's point of view; Eleni scowling down at me and Sarah, Dan and Sean frowning at my choice of outfit, but grinning nonetheless, Ryan smiling at Emma behind the camera, and Sarah and Brent holding each other lovingly.

  Aren't we all just adorable?

  Emma snaps the picture and we all pile into the Impala and Sarah and Brent's minivan. Dan, Sean, Ryan, Emma, and I are lucky enough to dive into the Impala, leaving Sarah and Brent to deal with the still scowling Eleni. She'll probably complain the entire ride there and then find someone's ear to chew off at the party.

  I glance out the window of the backseat as Ryan and Emma carry on their own conversation and Dan and Sean listen intently to the cassette player.

  Yeah, Dan is a little bit old fashioned.

  I tune out the Metallica and scan the sky. It's fairly cloudy, and the weather forecast both on the news and online said there was over an eighty-five percent chance of snow tomorrow, but you could never trust either of those sources truly. So I'll just cross my fingers and pray for there to be snow tomorrow. Sure there are drifts outside right now, but what Christmas is Christmas without snow?

  We arrive to the Milovich's house in no time. Though none of us had been there before it wasn't hard to find. Just follow the line of expensive foreign cars to the doctor's house.

  Sorry, did I just call the Milovich's home a 'house'?

  Let me correct myself. The word to describe the building in front of me is 'mansion'. The two-story house looks as though four floors could actually fit inside of it. The ceilings must be immensely high. Four columns stretch across the wide front porch and the circle driveway has a valet parking service set up for tonight. Dan hands over his keys reluctantly and the five of us wander up the steps, Sarah, Brent, and Eleni coming the same way only a minute behind.

  We drop our coats with a man standing outside of a closet that looks to be about the size of my room and walk into the mansion. The first thing I notice is that the mansion is packed. There is very little room to move, even in the grand foyer with its enormous staircase in the middle and several parlor and dining rooms off to the side.

  The second thing I notice; the building is packed with adults.

  "I thought this party was for any age." Dan whispers over my head to Sean.

  "Where the hell are the babes?" Sean whines. "Milovich promised me babes!"

  Dan shrugs, "I only see old wrinkly—"

  "Hi mom!" Sean says, seeing our mother coming around the corner.

  She grins and pinches Dan and Sean's cheeks. "I'm so glad you all made it alright!" She says, looking at her six children, son-in-law and a friend of the family. "Allen is getting us some drinks, but I wanted to find you and tell you that most of the kids are downstairs."

  Everyone in the addressed group winces. Calling us kids isn't exactly appropriate anymore.

  "Thanks mom." I say as she bounds across the room to meet Allen. I send a small glare in his direction before Emma pulls my arm in the direction of the stairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sarah and Brent pulled aside to talk to one of mom's friends. I send her a pitiful look and she winks in my direction. I smile and slide out of her sight down the stairs with Dan, Sean, Ryan, Emma and, to my dismay, Eleni.

  The difference between the two floors is amazing. For one the music down here is louder, and for another, if it's even possible, there are even more people down here. No adult was thick enough to bring a child under sixteen tonight, and with good reason: the alcohol
is being handed out by a makeshift bartender that I think sits behind me in English, and another kid, possibly in my gym class, hurried down the stairs behind us with another bottle; the look on his face triumphant.

  My guess: the adults know the kids are sneaking booze, but its Christmas, so who cares?

  I gaze across the sea of bodies as we try to force our way through the crowd, scanning for someone promising. Tonight is going to be my night of fun.

  "Hey gorgeous," I look to my left and see a boy with dark brown eyes, spiked brown hair and a smile to die for.

  "Hello there." I say sweetly.

  His grin widens and he nods towards a mass of bodies in the middle of the room swaying in time with the music. "Dance?" He asks.

  He'll do for starters.

  The boy takes my hand and begins to lead me away from our little group. I grab Emma's hand for a moment, giving it a squeeze and sending her a wink to let her know I'm leaving. Dan and Sean somehow catch sight of me and, as they look like they're going to say something, I hold up a hand. 'Not tonight' I mouth, and let myself be led onto the floor.

  There is no place I belong more than on a dance floor, and even in the tight space, I manage to sway in time with the music, taunting the boy in front of me as we move as one. After the song ends the boy, breathless and staring at me openly, says he's going to get some drinks, but he'll be right back.

  I grin and scan the room again. He was cute, but not quite a good enough dancer to catch my attention all night. I spot a few people I know throughout the room. I see Jessa talking to a boy I don't know and, as we catch each other's eyes, I nod in her direction.

  It seems as though Allison isn't here tonight.