Storms 01 - Family Storms

beautiful, but none was even half the size of the March mansion. That didn’t mean Deidre’s family’s home wasn’t a big, beautiful house in Pacific Palisades, too. As we approached, Kiera told me more about her. First, she explained that none of them talked about each other much with anyone who wasn’t a member of the VA club.
    “We hold each other’s trust sacred,” she said. “Any of us gossiping about any one of us would be considered worse than being a serial killer, but I can tell you more about Deidre now. Deidre, as you know, is an only child. I became friendlier with her than I was with the other girls because I frankly felt like an only child, especially after Alena came along. I think you’re beginning to understand why.
    “As I told you, Deidre’s father is an important business attorney with beautiful offices in Century City. Her mother works with her father. She’s his personal secretary. I think she became that because most men hire beautiful women to become their personal secretaries and then have affairs with them.
    “Look, everyone’s here already,” she said, nodding at the three cars parked in the driveway. We pulled in behind the one on the right and got out.
    Deidre’s house was a sprawling Spanish-style hacienda with a large courtyard. It didn’t have views of the ocean because of the tree line on the west side, but it was high enough to capture the sprawling vistas and the lights of sections of Los Angeles on the east side. Deidre opened the arched front door before we reached it.
    “Everyone has to take off her shoes today,” she said.“We just put in a new carpet in the living room, and my mother is anal about it.”
    Kiera kicked hers off, and I slipped out of mine. We put them next to the four other pairs there and followed Deidre over the tiled-floor entry, down a hallway, and into the living room, where the girls were sitting on settees. There were some soft drinks on the table and a bowl of popcorn with smaller bowls, but I was glad to see no whiskey. It looked as harmless as a gathering of teenage girls could look.
    “Everyone knows who Sasha is,” Deidre began. “Sasha, you know Marcia Blumfield and Doris Norman.”
    “Hi,” Marcia said.
    “Right,” Doris said. She sipped her soda and shifted her gaze to Kiera.
    “Sit anywhere you want,” Deidre said. She flopped into the big armchair to the right of one of the settees. Kiera sat beside Margot, and they made a place for me. “If you want something besides soda, let me know,” Deidre said. “Don’t spill anything or drop anything on the floor, or I’ll have my mother visit you late at night.”
    The girls laughed. I sat, and Kiera poured herself a Coke. She looked at me and offered some, but I shook my head.
    “Who’s first this time?” Margot asked. “I was first the day we inducted Doris.”
    “It might be instructive for Doris to lead off, then, don’t you think?” Deidre said.
    “You mean since the last meeting, no one’s made loveydovey dangerously?” Marcia asked.
    They all laughed again.
    “Okay, I go first, then,” Doris said. She looked at Kiera. “Unless I’m wrong.”
    “You’re not wrong,” Kiera said. “Go on.”
    “Well, you all know my father owns and operates a bowling alley in Manhattan Beach. On weekends, I often go in to waitress at the café. I’ve always had a crush on the bartender’s son, Crawford.”
    “Crush. Give me a break,” Margot said. I noticed how she looked at Kiera after practically everything she said to see if Kiera approved.
    “Well, what would you call it?” Doris fired back.
    “Hunger,” she said, and everyone laughed, even Doris.
    “Okay, hunger. No matter how I flirted with him whenever he was there, he didn’t seem to notice or care. Last weekend,” she said, smiling, “he did.”
    “Doesn’t sound dangerous to me,” Marcia said.
    “I didn’t get to it yet, genius.”
    I wanted to ask why it had to be dangerous but remembered Kiera’s warning about asking questions. She must have sensed it, however, because she turned to me to explain.
    “Sasha’s probably wondering about this ‘dangerous’ thing, right, Sasha?”
    I looked at the other girls. They were all focused on me. “Yes,” I said.
    “We came up with the idea to add some additional excitement,” Kiera said.
    “You mean you came up with it,” Deidre told her.
    Kiera smiled. “Whatever.” She turned back to me. “You see, Sasha, some of the recent sexual