now. Jade, get back here,” Gene commands as the girl marches toward the long expanse of window to stare down at the street below. “Claire,” he says. “Do something.”
“Like what?” my half-sister asks. “You want me to sit on her?”
I watch their faces as they bicker. There is even less of my father in Claire than there is in Gene. Her nose is wider, her eyes a paler shade of blue. She is approximately ten years my senior, about two inches shorter than I am, and twenty pounds heavier. We both look like our mothers and absolutely nothing like each other. No one would ever take us for half-sisters. But she has a kind face, I think, although maybe what I’m seeing is fatigue. Something we have in common.
“Where the hell are you going now?” Gene shouts as my niece leaves the living room to amble down the hall toward the bedrooms.
The girl stops, spins around on her heels and swivels back toward us. She is wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a loose white T-shirt. She makes a face that says she’d rather be anywhere but here. I want to tell her I understand completely. “Sorry. Where
are
my manners?” she says with mock outrage as she comes to a stop in front of me. “You must be Bailey.” Cherry red lips move furiously as she manipulates a giant wad of bubble gum from one side of her small mouth to the other. “Sorry about your rape.”
“Jade, for God’s sake,” her mother says.
The girl’s heavily shadowed blue eyes widen with disdain.“What?” She looks toward the door. “You should get that lock replaced,” she tells me. “It’s a piece of shit.”
“I just had it replaced,” I say.
She makes another face. The face tells me to replace it again.
“How did you get it open?” I ask.
“Piece of cake.” Jade returns to the door and opens it, indicating the locking device. “See this? It’s really cheap stuff. All these so-called luxury condos and they all install this absolute crap. You just have to insert something long and thin, like a nail file or a bobby pin, and give it a few good twists. I thought you were a private investigator. Shouldn’t you know this stuff already?”
I don’t know what to say. She’s right, I suppose. I should know this. And maybe I did. Before.
“Here, you want me to show you?”
I’m about to say yes, when Claire interjects. “Not now, Jade,” she warns.
“What you just did is against the law,” Gene says sternly. “It’s called breaking and entering.”
“Oh, please. You gonna arrest me?”
“Haven’t you spent enough time in Juvenile Hall?”
Jade’s eyes roll toward the ceiling. “Who are
you
?” she asks Sean, as if just becoming aware of his presence.
“Sean Holden.” He smiles, amused by her antics.
“You Bailey’s boyfriend?”
He winces, as do I. “Her boss. Who really should get going,” he adds in the next breath. Jade has provided him with the perfect exit line.
I don’t argue. He squeezes my hand, then leaves. I watch him through the peephole as he walks briskly down the corridor toward the bank of elevators.
“Nice of him to stop by,” Claire says.
“Just protecting his ass,” Gene tells her as I step away from the door, my eyes on the lock.
“Where did you learn to do that?” I ask Jade.
“Dog the Bounty Hunter,”
she answers matter-of-factly.
“What?”
“Reality TV,” her mother clarifies. “It’s all she ever watches.”
“You learn a lot from shows like
Dog,
” Jade says. “You have a TV, don’t you?”
I point down the hall. “They’re in the bedrooms.”
She looks relieved. “You ever watch
1000 Ways to Die
?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You should. It’s the best.” Jade’s formerly sullen face is suddenly full of enthusiasm. “You wouldn’t believe the stupid things people do that end up getting them killed. Like this one time, this woman had cement injected into her butt to make it bigger.…”
“Okay, Jade. That’s enough for now.” Claire turns her
“Like what?” my half-sister asks. “You want me to sit on her?”
I watch their faces as they bicker. There is even less of my father in Claire than there is in Gene. Her nose is wider, her eyes a paler shade of blue. She is approximately ten years my senior, about two inches shorter than I am, and twenty pounds heavier. We both look like our mothers and absolutely nothing like each other. No one would ever take us for half-sisters. But she has a kind face, I think, although maybe what I’m seeing is fatigue. Something we have in common.
“Where the hell are you going now?” Gene shouts as my niece leaves the living room to amble down the hall toward the bedrooms.
The girl stops, spins around on her heels and swivels back toward us. She is wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a loose white T-shirt. She makes a face that says she’d rather be anywhere but here. I want to tell her I understand completely. “Sorry. Where
are
my manners?” she says with mock outrage as she comes to a stop in front of me. “You must be Bailey.” Cherry red lips move furiously as she manipulates a giant wad of bubble gum from one side of her small mouth to the other. “Sorry about your rape.”
“Jade, for God’s sake,” her mother says.
The girl’s heavily shadowed blue eyes widen with disdain.“What?” She looks toward the door. “You should get that lock replaced,” she tells me. “It’s a piece of shit.”
“I just had it replaced,” I say.
She makes another face. The face tells me to replace it again.
“How did you get it open?” I ask.
“Piece of cake.” Jade returns to the door and opens it, indicating the locking device. “See this? It’s really cheap stuff. All these so-called luxury condos and they all install this absolute crap. You just have to insert something long and thin, like a nail file or a bobby pin, and give it a few good twists. I thought you were a private investigator. Shouldn’t you know this stuff already?”
I don’t know what to say. She’s right, I suppose. I should know this. And maybe I did. Before.
“Here, you want me to show you?”
I’m about to say yes, when Claire interjects. “Not now, Jade,” she warns.
“What you just did is against the law,” Gene says sternly. “It’s called breaking and entering.”
“Oh, please. You gonna arrest me?”
“Haven’t you spent enough time in Juvenile Hall?”
Jade’s eyes roll toward the ceiling. “Who are
you
?” she asks Sean, as if just becoming aware of his presence.
“Sean Holden.” He smiles, amused by her antics.
“You Bailey’s boyfriend?”
He winces, as do I. “Her boss. Who really should get going,” he adds in the next breath. Jade has provided him with the perfect exit line.
I don’t argue. He squeezes my hand, then leaves. I watch him through the peephole as he walks briskly down the corridor toward the bank of elevators.
“Nice of him to stop by,” Claire says.
“Just protecting his ass,” Gene tells her as I step away from the door, my eyes on the lock.
“Where did you learn to do that?” I ask Jade.
“Dog the Bounty Hunter,”
she answers matter-of-factly.
“What?”
“Reality TV,” her mother clarifies. “It’s all she ever watches.”
“You learn a lot from shows like
Dog,
” Jade says. “You have a TV, don’t you?”
I point down the hall. “They’re in the bedrooms.”
She looks relieved. “You ever watch
1000 Ways to Die
?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You should. It’s the best.” Jade’s formerly sullen face is suddenly full of enthusiasm. “You wouldn’t believe the stupid things people do that end up getting them killed. Like this one time, this woman had cement injected into her butt to make it bigger.…”
“Okay, Jade. That’s enough for now.” Claire turns her
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