AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you want help unloading your stuff?” Matt turns Eva toward the door, then waves at me behind his back with his other hand. I can’t decipher his short, choppy motions. Does he want me to hide? Or to come downstairs?
I pull out my phone and text him. “What should I do?”
Downstairs, the front door opens again. “I’ll be there in a second,” Matt says. Then he reappears at the foot of the stairs. “There’s a tripod in my room. Can you—”
I cut him off. “Got it!” I hurry the few steps down the hall to his room.
The space is tidy and almost barren. The queen-sized bed has a pale blue blanket and two matching pillows. Blinds cover the large window, and thin stripes of sunlight shine on the beige carpet. A craftsman-style dresser stands beneath the window, low and long. A matching, taller set of drawers flanks a closed door. There are no clothes scattered around, no knickknacks, no dust. It looks like a room in a model home—clean and comfortable, but not much indication of the character of the owner.
The tripod stands beside the door. I grab it and set it in the doorway, facing Eva’s room. I pull out my phone and snap it into the jaws of the tripod’s holder. Something bangs downstairs—the front door hitting the wall as it swings wide. Tapping the “switch” icon to use the back camera, I aim the phone at Eva’s room and step back, hoping she won’t notice the device.
Steps sound on the stairs, then pause. “What are you up to, old man?” Eva’s voice is faint, as if she’s turned away. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice the tripod? It’s not six a.m. this time.”
Matt’s laugh filters up. “Rats, foiled again.”
Something heavy hits the ground—a bag maybe—and steps move toward me. I retreat farther into the room, debating the wisdom of trying to hide. Maybe I should just say “hi.”
Eva doesn’t even look into the room as she reaches for the phone on the tripod. “I don’t know what you have up your sleeve, but there will be no record—hey, did you get a new phone?” She pulls the device from the holder and turns away.
While her back is turned, I scurry toward the bathroom.
Despite my attempted stealth, she spins. “Who are—wait, I know you!”
I freeze in the doorway. In her father’s bedroom, where I’m attempting to hide. I close my eyes for a brief second. Could I have made a worse decision? What a way to meet a romantic interest’s adult daughter.
“You look like Nica Holmes.” Eva moves the tripod out of the doorway and advances toward me. “Are you—” She spins around as Matt appears in the hall behind her. “Is she Nica Holmes?”
“I told you I met her.” He gives an apologetic smile.
“Yeah, but honestly, I didn’t believe—I thought you were messing with me!” She swings around again. “Why is Nica Holmes hiding in your bedroom?” Her eyes dart around the room, as if looking for evidence of something untoward.
I put on my best “meeting the parents” look—it should work for meeting the kids, too, right? “Hi, I’m Nica.”
Eva shakes my outstretched hand, her expression dazed. Behind her, Matt gives me a thumbs-up and steps out of sight. What is he up to?
Eva gestures helplessly around the room. “Why are you hiding in here?”
I wave at the tripod beside the door. “I was helping your dad with the camera.”
Her eyes go wide. “Were you going to post his prank on your account? Because I’d be okay with that. Let’s get it set up again.”
I laugh. “You don’t even know what we were going to film.”
She waves that away as she drags the tripod into the doorway again. “I don’t care! I’ve never gone viral. I’ll have a better shot on your account, right? And you’ll tag me? How many followers do you have?”
“Not that many.” I take the phone from her and put it back into place.
While I work, she pulls out her own and starts swiping. “Holy crap! Three point two million? That’s not that many?”
I chuckle self-consciously. “I know people with a lot more. Ryan Davis has a hundred and forty million.”
“Yeah, well, he’s Ryan Davis.” She slides the phone back into her pocket. “Everyone loves him. Plus, he has all those movies. And the phone company. And the whiskey.”
“Good point.” I aim the camera at the bedroom. “How are you at faking surprise?”
“I took an acting class this term. Got an A.” She winks outrageously. “I can be hella surprised.” She herds her dad toward the stairs. “Outta my way, old man. Time to become a star!”
I laugh and tap the record button. “Ready? Action!”
