C.A.K.E

Chapter 7: Aiding and Abetting

Arden steps back into the apartment, with the after-effects of Casper's touch still clouding her thoughts.

She presses the front door closed and leans her shoulder against it. When she turns, two freckled

smirks are waiting for her.

“He likes you,” Teagan says in a sing-song tone. She swirls a lock of her auburn hair around her finger

and swings side to side. The hem of her floral sundress swishes with her every move.

“A lot,” Rowan adds, his stance firm and Converse tapping the hardwoods.

“He's a friend.” Arden wipes the smile off her face and walks past them.

“What kind of friend?” Teagan asks.

“A friend. No other adjectives to report.”

“How long has he been a friend?” Rowan eyeballs her.

“You heard, a little over a week.” Arden puts a hand on both of their shoulders and directs them over to

the sofa. “Enough of the third degree. I believe you two are the ones who owe me an explanation.”

The twins plop down on the couch in a simultaneous flurry of fiery hair. They avoid Arden's expectant

gaze, by pretending to be too engrossed with the new artwork on the walls.

“Oh, you bought the Cezanne,” Teagan points out.

Ardi rolls her eyes and addresses Rowan. “Ro?”

“I thought you were leaning toward a more contemporary piece,” Rowan muses.

“I too was of this mindset. But the Cezanne is much more nuanced.” Teagan swirls her hand through

the air like she's flicking a paintbrush.

Rowan runs his hand over the peach fuzz on his chin and crosses his legs.

“I concur, dear sister. Indeed, a remarkable piece.”

Arden folds her arms across her chest and stares them both down. She looks at Rowan, before

deciding to zero in on Teagan.

Her green eyes peek at Arden, before finding a less intimidating focal point. Tea has never been a good

liar.

She scoots in between the two.

“Why aren't you in New York, Teagan?” Arden smooths Teagan's hair away from her face.

The girl plays with her dress and refuses to look at her Ammi. Neither one is willing to answer Arden.

They are supposed to be spending the summer with their mother in Manhattan. That's been the

arrangement since they were in elementary school.

When they were five, Elliott asked for a custody review. Before that, the twins lived with their mother

full-time. The judge asked them who they would like to live with, and they chose their father.

They chose Arden.

So she and Eli have primary custody of the twins. Once the academic year is over, they belong to their

mother. Elliott and Arden put their babies on a plane, and count the days until August rolls around

again.

The twins will be starting their senior year of high school at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in the fall,

which means soon they'll be spending more than three months away from Arden. And Ardi is not ready

for that yet.

She'll be rattling around in this house all by her lonesome. Elliott's absences will be even more

noticeable when they're gone.

Arden sighs deep and glances at the two silent teenagers. They want to play hardball. That's fine. She

heaves herself from the sofa and retrieves her phone.

“Since you two won't talk, I'll just give Melinda a call. Maybe she can tell me why you're not in New York

with her.”

Ro and Tea abandon the statue act and scramble from their seats.

“All right, all right. We'll talk.”

“Just drop the weapon.” Rowan pats the air, signaling her to put down the phone.

Arden keeps her finger poised to dial Melinda's number. She is in no mood to unleash the crazy that is

Eli's ex-wife. But she will. The kids need to know who's boss around here.

“Let's hear it first.”

The twins look at each other, and sigh. Rowan decides to take the lead.

“Melinda has a new boyfriend, and he's an asshole.”

Arden raises her eyebrow at Ro.

“Sorry.” He shrugs and tries again. “He's not the easiest guy to get along with.”

“Did he do anything to you?” Arden searches the twins for any signs of foul play. They brush off her

worried hands.

“No, he's just a dick.” Teagan's nose wrinkles and her freckles glow like embers leaping from a fire.

“They stay out all hours of the night. He smokes weed constantly. And the other night we heard him

talking about shipping the rugrats back to their dad.”

Ro chimes in. “So we granted his wish.”

“Did you say something to Melinda about this?”

“Melinda hasn't said boo to us, since her assistant picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at

her office.”

“Two weeks and she hasn't spent any time with us.”

Ardi knows they aren't exaggerating. Melinda has been known to ignore her own children, then

remember they exist when she needs two smiling faces for her holiday cards.

After the three seconds, it takes the camera to flash, Rowan and Teagan become life-sized dolls she

thinks can be put on a shelf until she needs them again.

Arden puts down her phone and sighs. “Well won't be long, before she's calling here looking for you

two.”

“Melinda will notice that her American Express is missing first.” Teagan dismisses Ardi's concern. “The

fraud department will be her first call.”

“I'm aiding and abetting fugitives.” Arden scoffs. “You should have called me.”

“You would have talked us out of it.” Rowan frowns, shaking his head. “And there was no way we were

staying.”

“Melinda hates me enough already, without you guys adding fuel to the fire.”

“You're the sexy, trophy wife. She's supposed to hate you,” Tea says matter-of-factly.

“Wouldn't be right, if she didn't.” Rowan grins at her.

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Arden laughs and gives them both a kiss on the cheek. “Being on

the run must have made you hungry. Want something to eat?”

“Is the sky blue?” Teagan smirks at her.

“All right, give me a minute.”

Arden changes out of her skirt and cardigan, and into a pair of dark jeans with a cotton button-down

shirt. By the time she makes it back to the kitchen, the twins have taken their luggage upstairs and are

waiting for her at the kitchen island.

They help her make a couple of roasted chicken paninis and some fresh lemonade. After they eat, they

sit around the dining table playing a high-stakes game of poker.

Arden plays cards with them at least once a month when they're home. The twins love it because she

lets them play for real money. She tallies up their chips and converts it to cash. However much they win

goes into a savings account that only she and Eli can access. But she lets them keep a third of the

money to do with as they wish. Between the two of them, they've fleeced her for eleven hundred dollars

tonight.

“Straight flush, suckers.” Rowan throws down his hand like he's at the Bellagio. He gloats, as he rakes

in his winnings.

“Keep in mind, I still have to call your father. So don't get too comfortable taking all my money.”

“Don't be a sore loser, Ammi.” He smiles behind the red plastic of the visor covering his blue eyes.

Arden smirks at him and reaches for her cell.

Elliott answers on the second ring. No matter what he's doing, he'll always answer her call.

“Hello, my love.”

Something in her heart starts to ache when she hears the affection in his gentle voice.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“How was your day?”

Almost kissing Casper, and her fainting episode earlier in the day flashes through her head. She

pushes the former out of her mind, and Eli doesn't need to know about the latter either.

“Fine, until two very hungry packages arrived from New York this afternoon. I think they were sent here

by mistake, but I didn't have the heart to send them back.” She winks at the twins, and they smile back.

“Would these two packages also be the same ones, who will be costing us a substantial amount of

college tuition next year?”

“That would be them.” Arden puts the phone on speaker and holds it so the twins can scream into the

receiver.

“Hi, Dad,” they yell in unison.

“What are you two doing home? You're supposed to be with your mother.” Surprise and irritation are

apparent in his tone.

The twins launch into a frenzied explanation of their exodus from the Big Apple. The result is three

people talking over each other, and no one doing any listening.

Arden raises her hand to quiet Rowan and Teagan and takes the phone off speaker. She steps out of

the kitchen, and into the living room, out of earshot.

“I just wanted to let you know they're here. We can discuss it when you get home.” She shoves her free

hand into her jeans pocket, buying some time to prepare her nerves before she asks him a question.

“When will that be, by the way?”

“I don't know, baby. I'm drawing samples to be Carbon dated, there are layers of soil and debris

deposits to examine, and the coroner's office still hasn't faxed me their records yet ...”

She butts into his rambling of reasons why she won't see him before midnight.

“All right, Elliott. I understand. We'll see you ... whenever.”

If they owned a dog, she'd kick him right about now.

“I'm sorry, Ardi.” He groans.

Arden imagines he's removed his glasses and is running his hand over his face. He doesn't like this

arrangement any more than she does.

“Don't be. You have to work. What you do is very important.”

“So are you and the twins.”

“I know ...” She sighs and plays with a button on her shirt. “We know.”

“I love you.”

“Yeah ... love you, too.”

Eli hangs up and she feels even more alone than if she'd just watched him walk out the door. She

stares at the phone in her hand like it's the culprit that's keeping her husband away from her. A couple

of defiant tears escape her eyes, despite her trying to hold the waterworks at bay.

Arden stares out the window at the cars and traffic signals that are painting the city's shadows a

mixture of red, yellow, and green with their blinding lights. Her eyes shift in and out of focus as her mind

drifts, making the world outside her window seem like a blurred Christmas tree. She catches two pale

reflections in the glass behind her. Wiping her eyes, she faces her children.

“Let me guess,” Rowan begins, taking a step toward her. “He's not coming home, is he?”

“Not for a little while. Looks like it's just us for dinner tonight.” She puts an arm around either child. “You

know what that means, don't you?”

“We get to eat our weight in junk food,” Tea says with a smile.

Arden nods. “Right.” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“And watch The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad.” Rowan throws that request in, hoping to strike while

the sympathy iron is still hot.

“The Walking Dead is marginal. And you know good and well about Breaking Bad.”

“Worth a shot.” He shrugs.

The twins decide to order a pizza, giving her a little break from the kitchen. Their bit of consideration

earns them sundaes with homemade brownies.

She sits between the twins on the sofa, while they pig out and watch desperate groups of survivors

fight off the dead and each other.

“He's just like Melinda.” Rowan throws the statement into the air, where it hangs for Arden to resolve.

His sister adds her two cents to the already brimming jar of hurt, that their Ammi has to somehow put a

band-aid on.

“They're both too busy for us.”

Teagan passes her bowl of ice cream to Arden, who takes a spoonful before handing it back to her.

“That's not true.” She takes a moment to search for the right words. “Both of your parents love you. It's

just that sometimes their careers get in the way.”

“You have a career, too.” Tea points out.

“Yeah, they could make time for us like you do. If they wanted to.”

Rowan stabs his ice cream over and over with his spoon. Arden runs her hand over his hair.

She oftentimes catches herself feeling the same as the twins do. Eli doesn't have to spend half the

night piecing together remains, or performing analyses. And Melinda damn sure doesn't have to be

such a vacuous bitch. But Arden doesn't run the world. And wishes are just arrogant dreams.

She tries to assure Ro and Tea with the same line that seldom helps her sleep in an empty bed.

“Your dad's helping people. He's bringing closure to grieving families. You can't be upset with him for

that.”

The twins put down their food, and slide closer to Arden. They put their arms around her, linking them

together. Then they rest their heads on her shoulders.

“You wanna know the real reason we came back?”

“And what's that?”

“You.” Tea looks up at her, her emerald eyes sparkling in the dim lighting of the living room.

“Dad's always working. You don't deserve to be alone.”

Arden squints and blinks, then holds her head back. Her eyes are stinging. She stops fighting and lets

the salty tears streak her cheeks. She hugs them even closer.

“You'll have to leave me eventually. You can't come home from school every weekend.”

“We're not leaving for college,” Ro states, matter-of-fact.

Arden straightens up. “What do you mean you're not leaving for college? You two are going—.”

“Mom, mom ...” The twins take Ardi's hands and interrupt her swandive off the deep end. “Let us

explain.”

“You'd better.”

“We've been accepted at UAB. We can live at home—with you.”

Rowan and Teagan have academic scholarships to NYU. Both have brilliant minds, and giving that up

for her is out of the question.

"You're not staying here." Arden shakes her head.

“The campus is five minutes away. There's no point staying in a dorm when we live so close.”

“I'm not going to let you do that.” She asks both of them to look at her. “You're not giving up what you've

worked so hard for, just to hang around here with me.”

“But—.”

“But nothing.” Arden cradles both of their chins in her hands and divides her gaze between the two.

“Rowan, you're going to be my Anderson Cooper. And Teagan, you're my Picasso. Got it?”

They nod. “Yes, ma'am.”

“Thank you.”

Ro and Tea settle their heads on her lap, their hair tangling into a collective fireball. They sit in silence

with only the sound of gunfire thundering through the room. Thanks to the high definition soundbar

attached to the flat screen, it sounds like every shot is hurtling toward them.

“What are you going to do without us?”

Her soft laugh battles the bedlam coming from the television. “I do have friends, Ro.”

Tea shifts her head so she can see Arden's face. “Like Casper?”

Arden sighs, and fans herself with the collar of her shirt. All of a sudden, she's sweating like a woman

going through menopause.

“Yes, the Callaghans are friends. And your uncle, Adam, is always around.” She shrugs. “I will be fine.”

“Why don't I believe you?” Rowan asks.

Rowan and Teagan might have honed their bullshit radars, while they were away. If so, Casper won't

be Arden Stone's best-kept secret for long. But it's not like there's anything to tell ... yet.

“You can't pretend you won't miss us, being here all alone.”

Arden lets go of the anxiety that took hold of her with Ro's question.

“Of course, I'll miss you. But I'm not going to be alone. Your dad will be here with me.”

“Occupying the same space isn't the same as being here.”

Arden smirks. She might have passed on too much of herself to these two by osmosis. Then again, the

three of them may just be similar products of their shared situation. They've been getting lost in the

shuffle together for years now.

“Look, I will make you a deal,” Arden says.

“No dice, if it involves me giving up my poker winnings.”

“Shut up, Ro.”

Teagan nudges her brother, which sparks a back and forth of pinching and hair tugging across Ardi's

lap. She sits back and rolls her eyes.

The question is, what will these children do without her. They bicker with each other like they're still five

years old. She can't unleash them on anybody's college campus if they keep up this behavior.

The twins stop hitting each other long enough to notice the stern look on Arden's face.

When that left eyebrow reaches for the rafters and those lips are pursed, they know it's time to cut the

nonsense—and fast. Ammi's trademark look is all it takes, and they become as docile as a breeze in

springtime.

“As I was saying ... I will keep your father off your backs if you promise to stop worrying about me and

accept the NYU scholarships.”

They look up at her, before turning their heads back to the dismal storyline on the television.

“Well Teagan, you know what that means.” Rowan sighs.

“Yep, looks like we're getting our asses handed to us.”