Our Secret (The Benson Brothers Book 1) Read online

  All three boys were covered in grass stains and dirt. But Jake wore it well. Who was I kidding, the boy could have been dressed in animal skins and worn them well.

  Suddenly, the thought of sharing this house with him for the next year seemed like either the dumbest or smartest decision I had ever made. Only time would tell which. For a brief moment, I wondered what my mother had been thinking. No way she knew Jake Benson was this handsome. She’d have shipped me off to Switzerland instead.

  Thankfully, the other two boys seemed oblivious to the energy passing between me and their older brother. They wiped their feet and came in.

  “Parker, Buck, this is Karla,” Aunt Kim said. Then she shot Jake a furious glare. He sighed heavily as his shoulders slumped. But he finally decided to join us.

  “And this is Jake,” she added. I could tell she was upset about something. Probably the angry scowl on his face. Why was he mad? I wondered. Had I interrupted something important.

  “Welcome,” Buck said as he stepped forward to shake my hand. Then quickly pulled it back to wipe it on his jeans before extending it again.

  I couldn’t help but smile. The boy was obviously happy to see me. A naturally nice guy. Big for his age. With an open, welcoming face.

  “Yes, welcome,” said the second brother as he too wiped his hand. Again, good looking, but without the hint of danger his old brother possessed.

  “Nice to meet you, Parker,” I said as my heart stopped beating for a second when I turned to Jake.

  “Hi,” Jake said with what I could have sworn was significant reluctance. As if acknowledging me was a major chore that he would have preferred to ignore.

  “Hi,” I managed to say as I took his hand. A burst of energy shot up my arm when our hands touched. For just the briefest of seconds, it was as if it was just the two of us in the room. But then he pulled his hand back and the connection was lost.

  But not before I noticed the roughness of his large palm. Suddenly I was very aware that I was a girl and he was a boy. Suddenly, my world looked different.

  “Buck, Parker,” Aunt Kim said, breaking my train of thoughts. “Go get Karla’s bags,” she added as she handed them the keys. “Come on,” she said to me. “I’ll give you the quick tour.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to force myself back to reality and joined her. I could feel Jake’s eyes on me as I left the room.

  “This is the boy's room,” she said as she opened their door. “I wouldn’t go in there unless somebody is dying and even then, I’d weigh my options.

  I glanced in quickly, a set of bunk beds and a single bed. Two dressers, and a combination of posters on the wall. Football players and a print of a DaVinci sketch. Different I thought.

  “This is the bathroom,” Aunt Kim said. “It gets crowded in the morning. But you can always use mine if you want.”

  My heart dropped as I realized I would be sharing a bathroom with three boys. Why hadn’t I considered that? Suddenly, this wasn’t such a smart idea. I had always had my own bathroom. How was I ever going to be able to share it? With boys no less.

  “That’s my room, down the end,” Aunt Kim said. “And this is yours.”

  I took a deep breath as I stepped into my room. A dozen different thoughts flashed through my mind. Bare walls with pin holes where posters used to be. A single bed and side table. Aunt Kim had placed a vase with flowers on the dresser. I smiled at the welcoming attempt.

  “Feel free to make any changes you want,” she said with a nervous edge to her voice. “I didn’t have time to make it girly.”

  I studied her and realized for the first time that it was important to her that I be there. That she really wanted me to be comfortable.

  Unlike her son, I thought. Then it hit me. This had been his room. He had been forced to join his brothers. Of course he was upset.

  A sick feeling of failure filled me. I had never really considered the adjustments they would have to make to host me for a year. All I had really calculated was the impact on myself. No wonder the boy looked at me like I was last week’s lunch.

  Chapter Three

  Jake

  Okay, that was a surprise, I thought as my eyes followed her hips when she left the room. Blond, hazel eyes. A body designed to drive a guy crazy and a smile that could melt a demon’s heart.

  Crap, I thought as I shook my head. This was going to create so many problems I couldn’t even begin to count them.

  Beautiful, Intelligent, rich, and living in my house. How was a guy supposed to sleep at night knowing something that fine was across the hall.

  I swallowed hard. I needed to get out of there so I could get some perspective. Besides, it was Saturday night. The last thing I was doing was spending it at home.

  Both Parker and Buck frowned at me as I pulled the motorcycle out from the garage, but they had enough sense to not ask questions.

  I kicked it over and was out of there without a backward glance. Mom would give me crap later on. But I didn’t care. No way was I sitting around socializing. Something about this Karla chick just sat wrong.

  Everything from the perfect make-up. The expensive clothes, the way she talked. Like she was twenty-five or something. I could just tell. She thought she was better than everyone else.

  The fact that she was better was beside the point. No, Miss Perfect had lived a charmed life. Traveling the world. The best schools money could buy. Like I said, beautiful, Intelligent, and rich. It just seemed wrong to me. Unfair almost.

  I continued on out of town until I realized I wasn’t going anywhere in particular. Sort of a metaphor for my life I thought with a laugh. Making a U-turn, I headed for the shop. There was a Honda Accord that needed some bodywork. I could knock out a couple of hours. E.J. would be happy. We were falling behind.

  As I pulled into the shop’s parking lot I realized what bugged me about the Karla chick. She knew exactly where she was going. One look told me she had it all figured out. An Ivy league school. Some high priced job doing important stuff. Marriage to a fellow lawyer and 1.5 kids in some McMansion.

  I shuddered thinking about it. A long slow death as far as I was concerned.

  Luckily there was more than enough work to keep me busy. I started on the front fender and became lost as my hands took over. E.J. had shown me how to shape and smooth the sheet metal until it did what I wanted.

  A sense of contentment filled me. It was the closest thing to music at making the anger subside. I could never forget, but when my hands were busy I was able to push it down to a manageable level.

  Once that was done, I taped it off and primed it. E.J. could add the coat of paint on Monday. Not for the first time, I swallowed a dozen regrets. If I quit school I could make some money. I know Mom could use the help.

  I spent the next couple of hours cleaning up around the shop. We’d been so busy that things were getting messy. Smiling to myself I shook my head. One of the many things I had picked up from dad was an abiding hate of things not being put away.

  A cold shiver ran down my spine when I realized that I was living in the same room as Parker and Buck. My brothers did not share the same regard to orderliness that I did. I swear if I tripped over their crap I was going to kick it out the window.

  After I had finished sweeping up, I looked up and realized how late it was. Mom was going to be pissed but there was no putting it off any longer. Not unless I wanted to crash on the couch in E.J.’s office.

  Mom had purposely left the porch light off when she turned in. Her way of letting me know just how mad she was at me. I laughed to myself. Somethings never changed.

  I microwaved a leftover plate of spaghetti. Mom might be mad, but she would never have denied me a meal. It would have broken some kind of Mother code.

  After wolfing it down, I rinsed off the plate and headed to bed. Just as I started to open the door to my room, a faint gasp inside reminded me that this was no longer my room.

  “Sorry,” I whispered as I closed the door and hea
ded to my new digs. But not before the thought of Miss Karla in her pajamas flashed into my mind. She would have been sitting up in the bed, the blanket pulled to her chin, terrified.

  I hadn’t intended it, but I had to smile at the thought.

  .o0o.

  Karla

  My heart raced in my chest as I held the blankets to my chin. Jake had almost walked into my room. Had it been a mistake? Or …

  Taking a deep breath I hurried across the room and turned the lock. Something I probably should have done before going to bed, but honestly, the thought had never occurred to me.

  Things are different, I reminded myself as I crawled back under the blankets.

  That wasn’t saying much. Everything was different. Both Parker and Buck were nice, but they were so loud. Fighting over the last piece of garlic bread at dinner. Yelling at each other about whose turn it was to do the dishes.

  Then, they had insisted on watching some slasher movie that made my stomach churn just thinking about it.

  Aunt Kim seemed oblivious. I realized she had long ago grown used to their boisterous ways. But really.

  And then there was the entire Jake issue. I wasn’t used to people being mad at me. And then, for him to just take off like that before we could talk about things. He hadn’t given me a chance to apologize for taking his room. We hadn’t discussed anything. He just disappeared and expected everyone to be okay with that.

  The idea of avoiding an issue was just wrong. It would be so much better if we brought it out into the open and dealt with it.

  I sighed heavily as I turned over and tried to go back to sleep. Yes, things were different and I was going to have to adjust.

  “It’s only a year,” I whispered to myself and realized that was going to have to become my new mantra.

  The next morning, I woke up early, still on East Coast time and slipped on my robe. As I stepped out into the hall, the bathroom door opened and my heart slammed to a halt.

  Jake, wearing nothing but a towel around his narrow hips stood there like a Greek statue. Perfectly male. Every aspect chiseled stone. Wide shoulders, broad chest, wet hair, and a cold stare.

  “uh, … uh,” I stammered.

  His eyebrows squinted as his frown grew deeper and deeper. Then he brushed past me and into the boy’s room.

  I caught a faint hint of soap and aftershave. My mind whirled as I had to hold the door jam for a moment to regain my bearings.

  Things are different, I reminded myself.

  Of course, when I entered the bathroom I was reminded once again of just how different. The mirror was all steamed up. A razor and can of shaving cream were sitting on the counter next to the sink and a wet towel sat in the middle of the floor.

  Even worse, the seat was up. My heart fell as I realized it was going to be like this all year. Should I say something to Aunt Kim? I wondered. Suddenly, the thought of Parker and Buck hating me as much as Jake did sent a cold shiver down my spine.

  No, I couldn’t go running to their mother. I would just have to deal with it. What really sucked though was the fact that the three of them wouldn’t even be aware of what I was putting up with. To them, life would be normal.

  Of course, I left the seat down.

  Chapter Four

  Karla

  Monday morning, the first day of school. My heart skipped as I quickly applied my eyeliner.

  A heavy pounding on the bathroom door made me jump and squiggle a line across my eyelid. I ground my teeth in frustration.

  “Come on Karla,” someone yelled. “You’ve been in there forever.”

  I glanced over to make sure the door was still locked. Seeing that it was, I returned to applying my make-up. This was important, they could wait.

  A heavy huff on the other side of the door let me know that they had given up and I could relax and focus.

  Didn’t they realize just how important first impressions were? I had gone to eight different schools over the years. I had a lot of experience being the new kid. Number one lesson, first impressions were important.

  When I was done, I checked myself out in the mirror and sighed. I hoped I had chosen correctly. I’d worn a uniform to school for the last three years. It had eliminated the whole female judgment issue. Or at least tamped it down. And that had been at a school without boys. I could just imagine how critical the right clothes were in a real school.

  The guys had been absolutely no help. When I asked them what I should wear all three of them had looked back at me as if I had grown a second head. Jake had scoffed, Parker had frowned, obviously upset at not knowing the answer, and Buck had shrugged, saying it wouldn’t matter, I would be pretty no matter what I wore.

  I smiled thinking about it, Buck was a born flirt and a sweetie at heart. But none of them had any idea. Aunt Kim hadn’t been much more help.

  “The last time I thought about what to wear to school,” she said, “Bill Clinton was president. I’m sure things have changed.”

  I’d settled on going middle of the road, a cute top and good jeans. That way I wouldn’t be overdressed or not dressed up enough. It would have to do, I realized as a nervousness filled me. What happened today could set the tone for the entire year.

  As I stepped out of the bathroom, Parker threw his shoulder into Buck, knocking him out of the way as he rushed in behind me. I ignored them. Something I was learning to do, and got my book bag from my room.

  Almost empty, I knew the bag would be filled with textbooks by the end of the day.

  Aunt Kim, examined Parker and Buck, sighing as she wet her fingers to try and get Parker’s hair in place. He flinched away from her, obviously not wanting to be mothered.

  No Jake, I realized as a small worry gnawed at me. Things had not gotten easier between us.

  “You two help Karla,” Aunt Kim said as she gave her sons that motherly look.

  Buck laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ll walk her to her classes,” he said.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I quickly answered. “I am sure I’ll be fine.”

  He laughed again. “I’m not doing it for you. I’m a sophomore. If the girls see me hanging out with a pretty senior, my datability shoots through the rough.”

  I smiled at him, “Something tells me you won’t need any help.”

  “I’m serious,” Aunt Kim said. “And tell your brother that applies to him too.”

  Both boys nodded. My stomach tightened a little. The last thing I wanted was to be a burden to these two. And especially not Jake.

  “Hurry,” she added. “Or you will miss your bus.

  Parker shook his head. “I should get a car.”

  His mom frowned at him then said, “If you’re going to the University of Washington it’s going to be on an academic scholarship. You are going to need every spare penny.” Then she smiled at Buck and said, “If you’re going to college, it will be on a sports scholarship, so you need to keep your grades up to remain eligible. Got me?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” both of them said in tandem.

  A pang of guilt filled me, my college would be paid in full by my father. Some people were not so lucky.

  “And Jake?” I asked. “What college does he want to go to?”

  Aunt Kim frowned deeply as she shook her head. “If he goes to college it will be a major miracle. I lost that battle years ago. I’ll consider it a success if he graduates High School.”

  My insides shifted as I realized that I hadn’t ever known someone my age who wasn’t planning on going to college. Where I was from, it was just a given.

  “Come on,” Parker said as he headed for the door. “And Karla, pay attention. You will have to come home on the bus alone. Buck’s got football practice and I’ve got a student council meeting. So we catch the late bus.

  Again, I wondered about Jake but kept my mouth shut. It didn’t pay to pry too much.

  The big yellow bus was as an experience, to say the least. A weird combination of an Orwellian dystopia and summer camp.
r />   The school wasn’t much better. A couple of thousand kids jacked up on excitement fed by nervous energy. When we entered I was hit by a wave of noise mixed with the sharp aroma of floor wax and fresh paint.

  “This way,” Buck said as he started pushing through the crowd. Parker gave me a quick nod and turned the other way.

  “Is it always like this?” I yelled above the commotion.

  Buck frowned for a moment. “Hey, this is pretty good. Wait till it’s raining.”

  I bit my tongue as I followed him through the crowd. A dozen new things jumped out at me. The girls were dressed in a wide array of different styles. Everything from vintage goth to flannel. But thankfully, most of them were like me, Jeans and a cute top.

  I silently congratulated myself for selecting correctly.

  The next thing that hit me were the boys. Everywhere. All shapes and sizes. And they seemed to stare at me like hawks eyeing a rabbit in a field.

  My insides turned over when I saw three large boys in the corner, each scoping me out. Blatantly not caring if I caught them at it or not. The tall blond one looked particularly menacing. As if he wanted to drag me into a spare room.

  Buck caught my shudder then followed my look to the other boys and stiffened for a second.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll get the word out. You're with us.”

  “Us?” I asked as I stepped out of the way of a particularly serious girl determined to fight against the tide.

  “The Benson Brothers,” he said as if it were obvious and as if that made all the difference in the world. “The kids around here learned long ago not to mess with us or they have to deal with Jake. As he puts it, only he is allowed to kick our butts.”

  I froze for a second until I realized he was deadly serious.

  “Here you go,” he said indicating my class. “Your next one is across the hall. The bathroom is three doors down on the right. Your locker is back the other way. Third period is around the corner.”

  I scrambled to try and remember it all. “Find us at lunch,” he said over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd.