Dancing With A Stranger (Londyn Carter Book 1)

by A. L. Martin

  “You okay, Londyn?” Valerie asked, walking over to the refrigerator, grabbing the pork tenderloin out of the meat drawer.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You were over there shaking your head like you didn’t agree with something. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress this past few weeks. You and Jules can talk to me about anything. I know your father isn’t the warmest of souls to confide in.”

  “I know. Thanks, Valerie. Gavin and them will be here in a few minutes. Can I warm up the muffins in the oven real quick before you put the tenderloin in there?” I wrapped my arms around her neck.

  “You mean these muffins?” she said, pulling them out of the oven.

  “You’re the greatest, Valerie. I’m going to miss you when I go away to college.”

  “I’m going to miss you too. You better text and call me as often as you can.”

  She grabbed the breadbasket, placing a cloth in the bottom of it so there wouldn’t be a ton of crumbs in between the tiny holes of the basket. She placed the last muffin in the basket when the doorbell rang. I told Valerie I would go get the door, so she could get ready to leave for her daughter’s birthday dinner. Gavin walked in, inhaling deeply with a huge smile on his face. Wyatt walked in behind him, mocking his exact reaction to the sweet goodness coming from the kitchen. Sam scooted past them, taking off toward the kitchen while they were still standing next to the front door. I closed the door behind them and started to walk back to the kitchen. I wasn’t going to keep standing there with they kept inhaling the warm white chocolate raspberry muffins. I wanted a muffin before Sam decided to take them all for herself.

  Valerie must have been reading my mind because she made sure to give Sam a muffin instead of letting her help herself to them. She learned years ago after Sam pretty much ate most of the muffins, not leaving enough for the rest of us.

  Gavin and Wyatt managed to make it to the kitchen. Valerie handed them each a plate with a muffin. Gavin held the plate under his nose all the way over to the kitchen table. He inhaled deeply, then placed the plate on the table.

  “These smell amazing,” Wyatt said, looking down at the huge muffin on his plate.

  “They taste even better than they smell,” Gavin said, getting a glass out of the cabinet.

  Gavin was practically family and didn’t need permission to get things out of the cabinets. He asked Wyatt if he wanted a drink while he was pouring himself some juice. Gavin handed Wyatt a glass of juice. Wyatt joined Gavin over at the table, while Sam and I sat at the island talking with Valerie as she finished getting dinner read for the oven. I told her I could watch dinner and to go be with her daughter. Valerie gave me a big hug and told me she would see me in the morning. Gavin and Wyatt were talking about Lucas falling face first into the tray and the look on his face afterward. I don’t see how they can comment on the expression on his face, seeing it was covered in mashed potatoes. Sam joined in on some of the conversation from the island, then she quickly got tired of yelling over to them, so we both walked over to join them at the table.

  I checked dinner, before we left the kitchen to go into the living room to watch a movie while we waited for it to get done. We decided on an action movie instead of comedy or a chic flick. None of us were in the mood for either. Besides, we got to witness real life comedy today at lunch and nothing was going to top that kind of entertainment. Gavin and Sam pretty much ran over, taking up most of the couch so I would have to go sit by Wyatt on the other couch. I had news for them, I didn’t mind having to sit with him on the other couch. Wyatt sat close but not too close.

  I got up frequently throughout the first part of the movie to go into the kitchen to check on dinner. I didn’t want to burn it. The last time I went to go check on dinner, I must have stayed in there longer than the previous times. I was busy getting dishes down, silverware out of the drawer, and serving bowls for the roasted veggies and potatoes. I had just opened the oven door when I heard someone walk into the kitchen.

  “Gavin, dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” I said, checking the tenderloin.

  “Okay.”

  I paused, closing the door when I realized that wasn’t Gavin’s voice. “Wyatt. Can I get you something?” I stood up, turning around to find him a couple feet away from me, closing in the space between us.

  “No. Do you need any help in here?” he asked, easing his way closer and closer to me.

  “Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes. I’m going to stay in here. You don’t have to stay with me. Go enjoy the movie with Gavin and Sam.” I smiled.

  “I’m okay. I’d rather be in here with you.” He was inches away from my face.

  I gazed up into his ice blue eyes, unable to move. He stood there looking down at me, desire in his eyes. I felt guilty for letting him believe that there could be anything between us.

  “Wyatt, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about us.” I found myself staring at his lips and imagining how they would feel on mine. I quickly closed my eyes, taking a step backward.

  “Are you okay, Londyn?” Wyatt asked, not moving toward me.

  “Um. Yeah. It’s just…”

  “I know. You’re still hoping that guy Hunter will talk to you. You can’t wait on him forever, Londyn. If he doesn’t want to be with you, then he has some serious issues. You don’t want someone that runs away when things get complicated. You deserve someone who will stand beside you and who is willing to fight for you.” He took half a step closer.

  I knew everything he was saying was true, and I couldn’t really argue with logic. I just wish someone would explain it to my heart. My heart kept whispering to me to hang in there and wait for Hunter. Then again, Wyatt was here and seemed to show genuine interest in me, and I would be crazy not to go out with him a couple of times.

  I inched closer to him, about to say something when the oven timer started buzzing, startling us both. I stood there for a few seconds staring into his eyes until the time went off again.

  I grabbed the potholders from the counter, opening the oven door to get the food out. I asked Wyatt if he could go tell the others that dinner was done. The oven timer saved me from making a big mistake, especially if Hunter did get a hold of me, while I was at my mom’s. I got the tenderloin cut up and placed on the meat platter. They came in when I finished putting the veggies and potatoes in bowls. I called Jules down for dinner, letting her get her food first. She wanted to eat with us in the kitchen, so we made room for her at the table. I was glad she decided to eat with us because I didn’t want her to eat alone in her room.

  After dinner I sat at the island while Sam, Gavin, Wyatt and Jules helped clean up the dishes and kitchen. They told me since I helped cook dinner, they would clean up. I wasn’t going to argue with them. Who in their right mind would argue with someone that offered to clean up after eating? I had to laugh a couple of times. When Wyatt would ask me where something went, Gavin would tell him and point to exactly where it went. Wyatt, looking skeptical, would walk over to where Gavin had pointed to find similar things in the cabinet. He asked how he knew where everything was at in the kitchen. I explained to him that he would come over here and sometimes spend weeks at a time while his parents were away on business or getaways.

  I went to make sure there weren’t any glasses left in the living room. The last thing I needed was Dad lecturing at me, telling me I didn’t have respect for other people’s property and what not. He made me feel like a guest a lot of the time. I turned to walk out of the living room and bumped into Wyatt, knocking me back a couple of steps.

  “Sorry.” Wyatt said, pressing his lips together. His eyes were laughing even if he was trying to keep his mouth shut.

  “It’s okay. I didn’t hear you come in. I was checking to make sure we didn’t forget any glasses in here.”

  He stepped closer, looking down at me, not saying a word. He leaned down a little more, inches away from my mouth, his eyes locked on mine. I wanted to kiss him so bad, but I didn’t kno
w how much longer I would be able to keep fighting the desire.

  “I can’t keep away from you anymore. I know you feel it too,” he whispered.

  I was about to say something, when I heard Sam and Gavin walking out of the kitchen.

  “Hey Londyn, the dishes are done. Do you want to watch another movie?”

  “We can watch another movie,” I said, turning around to look at Wyatt, who had taken a couple steps backwards, widening the gap between us.

  “I think, I’m going to go ahead and leave.” Wyatt walked toward the kitchen.

  Gavin and Sam motioned me to go follow him. I let out a huge silent sigh and followed after him.

  “Why do you have to leave so soon?” I asked, walking into the kitchen.

  Wyatt was looking for his keys over on the counter where he had left them earlier. “I need to go before I can’t control myself around you anymore. So, it’s time for me to leave, that way I won’t do anything to ruin our friendship.”

  “I’m sorry.” I lowered my head.

  “Don’t be sorry. You have been honest with me about how you feel.” He smiled.

  “Can I ask you something? I’ve been meaning to ask you this whole time, but I kept getting side-tracked.”

  “Sure.”

  “Today at lunch, how did you know Lucas was going to fall onto the table? You told her it was going to happen before it did.”

  “I saw him lose his balance.”

  “He was still seated, when you mentioned it to her.”

  “And…”

  “And, how did you know he was going to fall?” I asked again.

  “I told you. Let me give you some advice. Don’t go searching for answers that you won’t be prepared to hear.”

  “You aren’t going to tell me?” I blurted out angrily.

  “No.” He brushed past me, out into the hall toward the door. No explanation for his answer or anything.

  I stood there in the kitchen until I heard the front door close, then I stepped out into the hall to find Gavin and Sam staring at the front door.

  “What the hell was that about?” Gavin asked, pressing his lips together.

  “I asked him about what happened today in the cafeteria with Lucas. How did he know Lucas was going to fall over the table before it happened? He got defensive about it.”

  Gavin stood there speechless for a few minutes, his lips tightening on and off. “Now, that you mention it. He did say it before it actually happened. That is weird. Why did he get defensive and leave?”

  Because I kept asking to know how he knew. He told me not to search for answers that I wouldn’t be prepared to hear.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Sam asked, walking over to me.

  “I don’t know. But, he was pretty serious when he said it.”

  “Maybe he was just playing around with you, Londyn?” Sam said, walking toward the kitchen.

  “I’m not sure, but he didn’t act like he was playing around.” I followed her into the kitchen, with Gavin following a few steps behind me. I got glasses out of the cabinet and poured us all a glass of sweet tea. I walked around the island and hopped up on the middle stool between Gavin and Sam. We sat there in silence, drinking our sweet tea, looking straight ahead at the stove and cabinets. I think we were all thinking the same thing and trying to figure out why he got defensive when confronted with the truth.

  Gavin turned his head at Sam, then over to me. “Do you think he could’ve seen Lucas stumble and that is how he knew he was going to fall onto the table?”

  I looked at him, then leaned forward to see the expression on Sam’s face. I could tell by her narrow-eyed look that she didn’t believe a word he just sputtered out of his mouth. It was almost like Wyatt made it happen, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud to anyone. I couldn’t believe I was thinking it. No one could make something like that happen. I sat there listening to them go back and forth analyzing the situation and logical reasons for how he knew it was going to happen. They tried including me into the conversation, but I sat there, shrugging my shoulders in between drinks of my tea. I didn’t want to risk the chance of my reasoning escaping through my mouth only to have them tell me I was crazy.

  They left after debating for another thirty minutes only to come up empty-handed. I locked the door behind them, turned off the lights in the living room, making sure there were no glasses left in there. I went back into the kitchen to wash and dry the glasses so Valerie wouldn’t have to do them in the morning when she got here.

  I left the hall table light on for Dad, so he wouldn’t come home to a dark house. I stepped onto the second stair, turning around to take one last look around in case I had missed something earlier. I remembered I had left my phone on the kitchen island, and I hurried up to grab it when I saw lights turn down our drive. I ran up the stairs, tripping up most of them. I had just opened my door when, I heard the front door open. I tiptoed the rest of the way into my room and eased my door shut. I tossed my phone over onto my bed, walking over to my dresser to change into a pair of joggers and t-shirt. I went into the bathroom to wash the makeup off my face and brush my teeth before I started studying.

  I couldn’t shake the ridiculous thought that Wyatt was the cause of Lucas falling onto the tray. He was sitting with us, so it’s not like he could’ve tripped or pushed him. I raised up from rinsing my mouth, grabbing the hand towel next to the sink to dry my mouth. I patted my mouth dry, still holding the towel up to my mouth, I stared at myself in the mirror. How in the hell could I even think he was a wizard.

  Chapter 16

  When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t help but smile, despite the crappy week I had. Today was Friday, and that meant Jules and I were going to Mom’s tomorrow. I was getting a week away from Dad, which would make anyone who has had to put up with him smile. I laid there for a few minutes, thinking about the wonderful weekend and week that awaited me. I forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom before I made both of us late for school. I jumped in the shower, then realized I hadn’t picked out my clothes for the day.

  I opened both closet doors, scanning my clothes for the right outfit. I didn’t know why I was worried about how I looked at school. The one I wanted hadn’t talked to me for almost a week, and the other one was too busy making people fall onto tables. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a light pink tank, and my cream-colored, tie front cardigan. Now, I had to decide on what shoes to wear with it. I stood there looking down at the numerous shoes on the floor of the closet, trying to decide what would look good with the outfit. After a few minutes, I decided on a pair of beige flats. I closed my closet doors and sat down at my vanity. I must not have slept well, judging by the semi-dark circles under my eyes. I ran a wide-toothed comb through my damp hair because I thought I had slept pretty well.

  Once I got my eyes looking almost perfect, I dried my hair and threw it up in another bun, seeing I didn’t have time to do anything else to it. I grabbed my phone and book bag, and headed down the stairs.

  “Good morning, Valerie. What smells so good?” I asked, grabbing a glass for juice.

  “I got here early and saw the kitchen was all cleaned up, so I had extra time to make a breakfast casserole.” She smiled.

  “It smells so good.” I walked around, sitting on the far-left stool at the island.

  “It’s almost done.” She walked over to the refrigerator to get out the bottle of juice and a glass for Jules. She knew Jules would be walking through the doorway at any minute. No sooner did she sit the glass down on the counter, Jules came walking in.

  Jules hopped up on the stool next to me. “Your makeup looks good this morning.” She took a drink of her juice.

  “Thanks. I had to cover up the circles under my eyes. Guess I didn’t sleep as good as I thought I had.” I sighed.

  “Well, you can’t see them unless you point them out. Don’t mention them anymore today.”

  “She’s right,” Valerie chimed in, while taking the casserole out
of the oven.

  I just sat there, looking at the both of them as they exchanged giggles.

  After our wonderful breakfast casserole. Jules and I raced out the door to the car before we were late to school. I managed to pull into the parking lot with almost fifteen minutes to spare before the first bell rang. Jules took off in the direction Asher was parking his car. I walked up to the school and was welcomed by Gavin at the door, instead of by my locker.

  “What the special occasion?” I asked, walking past Gavin.

  “Nothing. I wanted to make sure you were okay after last night.

  “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I asked,

  “I don’t know. I figured you were upset with how Wyatt left last night.” He shrugged.

  “I’m not upset. He left because he didn’t want to face being asked questions about what happened at lunch.”

  “You may never find out the truth about how he knew it was going to happen. Sometimes, you just have to let things go and not dwell on them so much.”

  I nodded my head in agreement, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how he knew.

  “I know. You are right. Besides, I think Hunter is going to text me this weekend while I’m at Mom’s house. He knows this is the weekend I switch back to her house.”

  “Be careful, Londyn. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I wouldn’t wait around for him to get a hold of you. Maybe I will come over tomorrow afternoon.” He smiled.

  “I will let Mom know that you might be coming over tomorrow afternoon. Just you. Don’t bring Wyatt with you,” I said, reaching for the lock to my locker.

  I gave him a quick glance to make sure he knew I was serious about Wyatt not coming over. I knew Mom wouldn’t mind if he came over with Gavin, but I minded. I wasn’t giving up on Hunter yet. He shook his head yes, then reached into his pants pocket for his phone. I grabbed the books I needed for my morning classes, then checked my makeup and hair in the little mirror hanging up on the inside of my locker door. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep this crazy thought to myself for long. I had to try to not let it slip that witches and wizards had popped into my head last night. Gavin would tell me I was being crazy, that there were no such things as witches and wizards. Then, he would tell Mom that I had told him, causing her to worry. The worry would transpire into me lying on a couch, telling me problems to a stranger. No, thank you. I didn’t need any of that right now.