Lily Kane was hotter than a stolen blow torch.
Weevil knew what his cousin would say if he'd brought up the real reason he was so sullen to be shifted to a new job site today. "Rich girls like that… they're trouble. Remember, they live in a different world than us."
The current resident watching them from the safety of her pool house with the two Great Pyrenees panting at the window beside her on the lounger while "Hustlin'" by Rick Ross hummed low on the beaten up radio sitting on the nearby tree stump.
He hoped the lecherous hag was enjoying the view.
Eli and Felix weren't at the Kane estate today; instead, they were helping clear the local tree surgeon's mess from the Lockhart's yard. It wasn't nearly as pleasant a job as watching Lily Kane in her bikini beside the pool. As Eli lifted and hauled felled tree branches, the sweat dripping down his back, he wondered what Lily was doing today. Was she still arguing with her mother, Celeste, about that incident in Italy—disappearing on a yacht most of the day with her father's Russian business partner? The thought lingered as he wiped his brow, missing the distraction she often provided.
Chardo stopped by, a paper bag in hand, grinning as he approached Eli and Felix. "Just signed in with the sheriff's office. Brought you guys some lunch."
The midday sun bore down on them, making the air feel thick and heavy. Eli could feel the sweat trickling down his back, his muscles sore from hours of hauling branches and debris. He looked at his cousin with a mixture of gratitude and concern. "Thanks, Chardo, but don't linger too long. You know how our boss gets nervous when he sees you hanging around."
Chardo waved him off, setting the bag down.
Mrs. Lockhart stepped out onto the patio, her overly Botoxed face a mask of unnatural smoothness. Her skin was pulled tight, giving her an almost alien-like appearance. The excessive plastic surgery had rendered her features oddly symmetrical but disturbingly unnatural. Her lips were plumped to the point of resembling a cartoonish pout, and her high cheekbones looked like they had been carved from marble.
The result was a face that lacked the expressive lines of age but also the warmth and humanity of youth. Her eyes, wide and permanently surprised, seemed out of place beneath her meticulously arched brows. The contrast between her taut skin and her mid-fifties body was jarring, a desperate, vain attempt to turn back time that had instead made her look like a bizarre, ageless entity. As she moved, her expressions remained oddly fixed, the only signs of emotion coming from her overly made-up eyes.
Spotting Chardo standing at the periphery of her property, Mrs. Lockhart's gaze sharpened. She hurriedly walked over to the poolside, where her designer handbag and phone lay abandoned. With a quick, almost robotic motion, she snatched them up, glancing warily in Chardo's direction.
"Can I help you?" she called out, her voice carrying a forced sweetness that didn't match her stiff expression.
Chardo raised his hands in a placating gesture, a friendly grin on his face. "Just dropping off some lunch for my cousin and his friend, ma'am. We'll be out of your way soon."
Mrs. Lockhart gave a tight nod, her eyes flicking to Eli and Felix before returning to Chardo. "Make sure you do," she said curtly, turning on her heel with her bag and phone clutched tightly to her side.
As she moved back inside, the surreal contrast between her overly youthful face and her middle-aged body was even more pronounced. The desperation to maintain her youth had created a visage more unsettling than beautiful, a stark reminder of the extremes some go to in the fight against time.
FFelix, always ready for a break, stopped working and wiped his brow. "Hey, Chardo, ¿supiste lo de los Lockhart? Mr. Lockhart tiene una familia secreta en nuestro lado de la ciudad. ¿Y adivina quién es la mamá? Su ama de llaves, Isabella Martinez."
Chardo's eyebrows shot up, his face lighting up with intrigue. "No me digas. ¿La misma ama de llaves que trabaja aquí?"
Felix nodded, grinning. "Sí, Isabella Martinez. Ha trabajado para ellos por años. Todos pensaban que solo era buena en su trabajo, pero resulta que tiene un hijo con Mr. Lockhart."
Eli's stomach tightened as he thought about Isabella. He remembered seeing her, a young pregnant woman, whose aunt worked at the Dirty Nickel launderette. Isabella already had a young daughter, almost his niece's age. The idea of two of Mrs. Lockhart's 09er children, seniors at his high school, being unaware they had half-siblings living in the poorer side of town made him uneasy.
Chardo shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "Pinches ricos. El dinero está desperdiciado en ellos. Dejan sus electrónicos caros y bolsos tirados en sus jardines como si nada."
Eli, trying to ignore the nagging pain in his shoulders, reached into the bag and pulled out a burrito. He took a bite, savoring the burst of flavors—the spicy kick of the salsa, the tender meat, the creamy avocado. It was a welcome distraction from Felix's gossip. "Chardo, really necesitas irte. No quiero que te metas en más problemas. Ve a recoger a Abuela del estado Echolls."
Felix, ever the joker despite the oppressive heat, slapped Eli on the back and offered his friend what remained of his water. "For a guy whose grandmother makes the best Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo this side of the Mexican border, you cannot handle your spices."
Eli forced a laugh, but his mind was elsewhere. He had seen Lily Kane many times in the garden, her fiery arguments with her mother, Celeste, ringing in his ears. He couldn't understand what a girl like Lily saw in Logan Echolls, other than the fact that he was rich and white. The thought of sitting at the Kane dinner table, as unwanted as the branches overshadowing Mrs. Lockhart's garden, gnawed at him.
Felix's voice broke through his thoughts. "Seriously, man, what's up with you? You've been zoning out a lot lately."
Eli hesitated, then took another bite of his burrito, chewing thoughtfully before replying. "Just thinking about Chardo. His erratic behavior has me worried. He's been getting into a lot of trouble lately."
Felix nodded, sympathy in his eyes. "Yeah, Chardo always has been a handful. But you know if you need to talk, I'm here."
Eli appreciated the sentiment but kept his true thoughts to himself. The taste of the burrito lingered on his tongue, a brief respite from the heat and his swirling thoughts. As they continued working, the scent of freshly cut branches mingled with the salty tang of sweat, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the Kane house. Lily's presence was like a magnet, drawing his eyes and thoughts no matter how much he tried to resist.
Eli glanced over at Felix, who was now humming along to "Hustlin'" as it played softly from the radio. Despite the heat and the hard work, Felix always managed to keep a positive attitude. It was a trait Eli admired, even if he couldn't always emulate it.
They continued working until the yard was cleared, the once cluttered space now neat and open. As they packed up their tools, Eli felt a sense of accomplishment mixed with the persistent hum of his unresolved thoughts.
"We did good today," Felix said, clapping Eli on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here before Mrs. Lockhart finds something else for us to do."
Eli nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow one last time. As they walked away from the Lockhart estate, he couldn't help but cast a final glance toward the Kane house. The setting sun painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, and for a moment, he allowed himself to hope that maybe, just maybe, things could change.
As he hoisted the last of the gardening equipment into the back of the work truck, Eli cast a glance back toward the Kane estate. Just as he did, he saw Lily Kane walking toward her house after getting out of the passenger side of her boyfriend's obnoxiously yellow, expensive, flashy Nissan Xterra. Eli had seen it in the press, a gift Logan Echolls' movie star parents had bought him for his 16th birthday.
His heart clenched as he noticed the bruises marring Lily's otherwise flawless face. The sight of her injured made his stomach churn with a mix of anger and concern. She looked around cautiously before heading inside, her movements hesitant and guarded.
As the Xterra roared away, Lily walked slowly toward her house. His heart clenched as he noticed the bruises marring Lily's otherwise flawless face. The sight of her injured made his stomach churn with a mix of anger and concern. She looked around cautiously before heading inside, her movements hesitant and guarded.
Just then, her mother, Celeste, stepped outside, her face twisted in anger and worry. "Lily, what were you thinking? How are we supposed to explain this to people? Your brother just got back from soccer camp in England yesterday. How's that going to look in the pictures? Why did you have to get him all riled up like that?"
Lily shrugged nonchalantly, dismissing her mother's concerns. "Tell them it was a volleyball."
Celeste's eyes widened in disbelief, but she didn't argue further. She simply watched her daughter with a mixture of frustration and helplessness as Lily walked past her and into the house.
"We did good today," Fernand said, clapping Eli on the shoulder and nodded for him to climb into the back of the truck. The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the yard. Eli's muscles ached, but the repetitive labor kept his mind from wandering too far. Felix's playful banter helped lighten the mood, but beneath it all, Eli felt a restless unease.
His thoughts drifted back to Isabella Martinez and her young daughter, and the tangled web of secrets that seemed to connect everyone in Neptune. It wasn't just about the rich and the poor, the 09ers and everyone else—it was about the hidden lives and silent struggles that people carried with them every day.