The Sisters McFadden

Chapter 24 - Sibling Rivalry

His father was right, all of Rolling Hills was on lockdown when Dalton arrived at the entrance to the gates. Sheriff's Deputies were checking driver's licenses and inside the cars of all those who tried to enter. Dalton concluded that it was the safest place on the hill to be that night. While the sun had yet to set, the fog smothered out most of the remaining daylight. The forecast for tomorrow promised a return to sunshine. Dalton was not so sure. He had to coach twelve-year-olds in water polo tomorrow morning at the PV High pool and work his Cadet shift down at the beach in the afternoon. In the hour window between jobs, he had arranged to meet Ash at the beach and go for a quick surf. In truth, he secretly hoped there would be no waves and they would end up in his bed again as both his father and grandfather also had to work.

            There were patrol cars up and down the neighborhood waiting for the horseman to make a mistake. When Dalton drove to the end of Saddle Road, sure enough Chelsea's father was standing with her at the end of the driveway. This time, however, Mrs. McFadden was standing there as well. He wanted to ignore Mr. McFadden and stay in his truck until Chelsea climbed in, but his father had raised him better. He needed to introduce himself to Chelsea's mother. Ash's mother. As he approached, the resemblance between Ash and Mrs. McFadden was evident, like twins.

            "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. McFadden."

            "Dalton," said Warren as he tested Dalton's handshake again. "We are seeing a lot of each other."

            "Yes, sir, we are."

            "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dalton," said Aneke.

            "Likewise, Mrs. McFadden. Ash told me you grew up on a game reserve. That must have been amazing."

            "It certainly was," said Aneke. "And my daughters have not stopped talking about you today. They may just be keen to live in California after all."

            "Take good care of our number one daughter tonight," said Warren.

            "You have my word."

            "Love you, papa," said Chelsea as she kissed her father on the cheek and took Dalton's hand. "Bye, mother."

            Dalton got his first good look at her. Chelsea looked simply spectacular. Dressed to the nines, she wore a very short, very thin, silky black dress that complimented every curve. It looked more like a sexy robe that cut down to her naval. Doubtful she was wearing much underneath. Dalton felt foolish in shorts and a T-shirt. There was no doubt that in Chelsea's mind, this was their first official date. He knew right then and there, she was not going to let her kid sister win that easily. It was a competition to Chelsea.

            "You look truly beautiful," said Dalton as they drove up the street to Lexie's house. "I love your... shoes."

            "Thank you," said Chelsea with a confident smile. "How was your little playdate with Ash today?"

            "Fun." Dalton laughed. "We had some great waves until the fog moved in and it crapped out on us."

            "What did she wear?"

            "What? A swimsuit?"

            "Which one?"

            "I don't know."

            "Don't be such a bloke. I need to know what I am up against."

            "Didn't you two talk when she got home?"

            "We don't talk. We coexist."

            "That's a little sad."

            "Let me guess, she wore the powder blue bottoms? Super skimpy?"

            "Yes, her bottoms were blue. And yes, they were small."

            "I knew it. So now I know for sure."

            "What are you talking about?"

            "My little sister has a crush on my new American boyfriend."

            How arrogant, he thought. Yet again, he admired the confidence. He wanted to just tell her he'd fallen madly in love with her sister and end it right there. But he made a promise to Ash and he could now see the problems he would surely cause. These were uncharted waters for Dalton. He thought back to how simple things had been with Sam. Young love on the beach. Not a care in the world.

***

"Oh my god," said Lexie as Dalton and Chelsea walked through the front door holding hands. "Are you two now the hottest couple in school or what?"

            Lexie handed Chelsea some alcoholic concoction in a martini glass. Lexie's folks had left their overindulged baby of the family home alone less than an hour ago and Lexie was already four drinks deep. Jimmy handed Dalton a beer as the boys worked their way through the vast kitchen and into the formal dining room. About twenty-five kids were over, mostly cheerleaders and water polo players, and relatively well behaved. Dalton told himself he could have a few beers early on then call it quits. Jimmy pulled Dalton aside.

            "Dude, you sure you know what you're doing?" said Jimmy, concerned for his friend. "Sisters? I thought you were with Ash all day?"

            "I was," said Dalton. "She blew my mind. I am hooked."

            "Then what the hell are you doing here with Chelsea?"

            "Keeping a promise to Ash. She wants to talk to her mom tonight and not cause any problems with her family. I just need to make it through tonight and not rock the boat."

            "Boat is about to sink, my friend. Here she comes."

            Chelsea, attracting a lot of attention in her dress, followed Lexie into the dining room in search of the boys. Once found, Chelsea leaned up against Dalton and propped her elbow on his shoulder. It felt like a 200 pound weight digging into his shoulder. He was in physical pain. When she'd held his hand earlier, it felt like his arm was being pulled out of its socket. Dalton started to believe he was somehow allergic to Chelsea in a supernatural way. The voodoo sex they'd had the night before still disturbed him. That said, he could not deny that he was attracted to her.

            "This is just the beginning, Chelsea," said Lexie. "Senior year is going to be a blast."

            "What is your thing, Chelsea?" asked Jimmy. "Everyone has a thing they are into or good at. Believe it or not, Lexie here was a soccer star until she destroyed her knee freshman year."

            "She doesn't need to have a thing," said Lexie.

            "But I bet she does," said Dalton. "You have one sister who surfs and another one who rides horses. What is your thing?"

            "You want to see my thing?" said Chelsea.

            "Absolutely."

            Chelsea smiled, kicked off her sexy shoes and hopped up onto the huge dining room table. Within seconds, she broke into an intricately choreographed contemporary style dance routine. She danced with a grace and ease that had been developed from an early age. The years of ballet training showed. Everyone around her was captivated watching her dance across the table as if she were on a lighted stage.

            Damn it, thought Dalton. He did not want to like Chelsea but he did. Watching her dance, he started to better understand her. Somehow he knew this girl would be part of his life for many years to come.