Seok tapped her shoulder and when she looked at him, he took off the muffs. "Okay?"
"You tell me,” she asked.
He did the same thing she did, running his palm along the newly sanded board. "Perfect."
One long-finger pointed to a drip of glue. "Make sure you sand those spots, we want it to be smooth when we paint and wax."
She nodded and he put the protectors back on her. Switching on the sander again, she got to work.
She lost track of time. The table was giant, more than six boards glued together, each of those boards about six or seven inches in width. When she got to the center of the table she had to lean forward, reaching as far to the center as she could before going to the other side of the board, and starting from the outside and working back to the center again. She spent more time getting into position than she did actually sanding. She didn't want to mess up his table. Everything he made was beautiful. He took so much time with each item she wanted to do the same. At a little more than halfway, she had to switch off the sander and pull off her ear muffs. She carefully placed the sander on the table before stretching from side to side.
Seok’s hand traveled the length of her back before he pressed his chest against her. "Sore?"
She nodded. "All that reaching."
He lifted his hands under her arms as she stretched, pressing into her muscles. Groaning, she leaned back into him, letting her arms fall. He dropped his hands to her sides and gently trailed his fingers along her. "How are the grazes... and the bruises?"
She covered his hand with hers, pressing it into her skin. "Doesn't hurt anymore. I have a little twinge sometimes when I breath, but miraculously, that's it. This soreness? This is because I've never worked these muscles before, and the sander vibrated all the way to my bones."
He laughed, reaching for her hands. He massaged his thumbs into the palm of her hand, pressing deeply into the meaty part near her thumb. He did the same with her other hand and then stepped away.
"What was it you need to tell us? Or are you going to make me wait?”
She sucked in a breath, resting her head on his chest and opened her mouth to speak. She formulated the words in her head, running them once or twice through her brain before she let herself speak them.
"There was someone who recognized me at the parish hall." She didn't know why she was being so careful with him when she'd been so blunt with Matisse.
He gripped her a little more tightly, kissing her head and waiting. Still, there was a tension in him that hadn’t been there before.
“A reporter?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Her husband died at the school. He was the one adult.”
“What’d she do?”
“Cornered me. She had a knife, but like I told Matisse, I don’t think she even realized she held it. She was overwhelmed. I mean, the church was her safe spot, I’m sure she didn’t expect to run into me there. It was traumatic for her.”
He sucked in a breath. “What about you, Nora? Maybe we need to call the police and have them reiterate your innocence. I mean— Jesus. You can’t even get a job. And that’s the second person who attacked you. Third, if you count the reporter.”
“I don’t count the reporter…” she mumbled.
He gripped her shoulders, lifting her chin with one finger. “I do. There’s…” He glanced away. “There’s got to be a way so you’re not blamed for this anymore.”
“It has to die out on its own. Or maybe I’ll always be associated with it. The only way people will feel differently will be if I show them I’m a good person. You know? Like, with good works or something.” As soon as she said it, she liked the sound of it. “I can’t change what happened. I’ll always have guilt, even if I know I shouldn’t. But maybe I can lessen it, and eventually people will realize I’m not all bad.”
“You’re not bad at all.”
She took on what she hoped was a wicked smile and waggled her eyebrows. “I’m a little bad.”
He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her back and holding her close. “A little bad is good. Keeps things interesting.”
Birthday
Nora woke up the morning of her twenty-first birthday in a way she never had before, wrapped in love. With pancakes.
“Happy Birthday…” Apollo whispered, kissing her ear.
She smiled, opening her eyes and humming happily. The boys stood behind him. Cai held coffee, and Ryan pancakes, while Seok held maple syrup. Apollo apparently took his task of waking her up very seriously, because he kissed her again and again. She closed her eyes, letting him get his fill before she pushed herself back on the pillows.
“I’m here!” The front door slammed and feet pounded up the stairs. Her door flung open and Matisse tumbled inside. “I’m here, don’t sing yet!”
“You’re going to sing?” she asked, covering her mouth with her hand.
Apollo nodded, pulling her hand away and kissing her hard on the mouth. “Yup.” He glanced back at the guys, who all began singing horribly, wonderfully out of tune.
Her face ached she smiled so hard. She tried not to laugh, because she didn’t want to drown out the sound of their voices. Matisse definitely wasn’t singing in English, and tilting her head to listen closer, neither was Seok. When they finished, all at different times, she clapped, letting loose the laughter she’d held back. “Wonderful! Again!”
Apollo opened his mouth, and Matisse smacked him. “She’s joking.”
He winked at her. “Birthday Girl gets what Birthday Girl wants.”
Ryan placed the pancakes on her lap, while Seok brandished his maple syrup like it was a fine wine. Confidently, he drizzled it over the pancakes. She cut into one, taking a huge bite barely fitting into her mouth.
She closed her eyes. “These are good.”
When she opened her eyes, Apollo’s cheeks were flushed. He bit his lip, trying to hide his smile, but his dimples gave him away. “Hats off to the pancake master.” She cut another, smaller piece, and cupped her hand beneath it. “Try it.”
He opened his mouth, teeth sliding against the tines. He chewed and swallowed thoughtfully. “She’s right. I am the best pancake maker.”
She cut another bite, and offered it to each guy. Ryan smiled, holding up his hand and she made a play sad face. “But it’s my birthday.”
He groaned and opened his mouth, taking the bite. “I hope none of you are sick.”
Apollo took her empty plate and Cai handed her her coffee. “What are we doing today?” She took a sip, the warmth of both the coffee and her happiness make her giddy.
“Apollo and I have to go.” Ryan imitated her sad face. “I know. Boo.”
“Last test?” She took another sip.
“Two for me.” Apollo pointed. “One for him. But his lasts three hours and one of mine is a presentation. We’ll be back to go to dinner.” He gave her a kiss on her head. “I have a present, but you have to wait for tonight.”
“You do?” Her voice squeaked. It had been years since anyone got her a present besides what she bought herself.
He nodded before leaning down. She tilted her chin up, and he dropped a kiss on her mouth and then one on her nose. “Happy Birthday, baby.”
Ryan was next. As soon as Apollo stepped back, he sat next to her and taking her coffee and putting it on the bedside table. “I missed you this week, Nore.”
“You’re a studying fiend.” She wanted him to know she understood. “Go get A’s.”
He kissed her. His kiss was different than Apollo’s, who was always so careful of her. Ryan took command of her body, wringing out whatever respond he wanted from her. His kiss had her arching toward him, holding his face to hers when he would have pulled away.
“See you tonight.”
“Good luck, Ryan.”
He gave her one more kiss before waving and leaving.
“Are the rest of you headed out, as well?” she asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. This birthday already
left every other birthday in the dust.
There were a serious of head shakes, and one giant yawn from Matisse. “Nope. We are at your beck and call.”
“I beck you to bed.” She pointed to Matisse and then the door.
He pulled out his phone. “I don’t know if you can use that word like that…” He shook his head. “No. Definitely not used that way.”
She pushed her blankets aside, standing up and yawning. “Okay. Well, I want you to go back to bed. In a few hours, maybe, I will call you.”
He threw himself on her bed. “Nope. I don’t want to miss the fun.” He turned on his side, putting his hands under his head.
She pulled the covers over him and smoothed his long hair away from his face. She leaned over and kissed him, holding herself close to his face and smiling. “Go to sleep. For a little while.”
He leaned forward, kissing her quickly. “You sure?”
She nodded, standing up straight. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt from her dresser and followed Cai and Seok out of the room.
“I’m going to throw these into the bathroom.” She indicated the room with her elbow, hurrying down the hall. She put her clothes on the sink and hurried back.
“So you’re mine today?” She followed them down the stairs and into the kitchen, accepting her mug of coffee from Seok and warming it up in the microwave.
“We are. What will you do with us?”
She thought about it, looking out the window. “Could we go to Mt. Charlotte? It’s only a mile up. We could be back after lunch.”
“You want to go on a hike?” Cai stared at Seok. “You don’t want to, I don’t know, go shopping?”
She hadn’t even considered shopping, and she shook her head. “Nope.”
Seok grabbed her and spun her. “Birthday hike. You got it.” When he stopped he held onto her, waiting until her body stopped listing from side to side.
“When do we leave?”
“As soon as you’re dressed. We let you sleep late.” The microwave clock showed it was nearly ten. “Why’d you even bring me downstairs!” she called over her shoulder as she charged back through the house. “Chop chop! I want ass-in-seats in fifteen minutes!”
“She’s demanding little thing on her birthday, isn’t she?” Seok told Cai, but she couldn’t hear how he replied.
She ran up the stairs and into the bathroom, brushing her teeth, washing her face and braiding her hair so it rested over one shoulder. She noticed how much longer it was getting, how her eyes were sparkling. Usually she looked tired, or… regular. But now, she was happy. Excited. Her cheeks were pink and her mouth turned up, ready to smile. She put her hands to her cheeks. She was jumpy and energized, and completely unlike herself.
She was the girl she always wanted to be.
Pausing at her bedroom, she opened the door slowly. Matisse was on his back, one hand hanging off the bed, the other covering his eyes. He still wore his jacket.
Dead to the world. She crept inside and found a piece of paper. Scribbling a quick note to him, she risked giving him a kiss and then propped the note on the pillow next to him. She grabbed her backpack and phone and she was set.
Cai and Seok waited at the bottom of the stairs. They smiled up at her, and for a moment, she had a flash of herself descending to them like it was the prom, or her wedding.
“Have either of you been hiking at Mr. Charlotte before?” she asked after they were all in the car and Seok pulled out of the driveway.
He shook his head, but Cai nodded. “We bring the kids up there in the summer. I’ve camped there a few times. Have you?”
“Once. In elementary school. We had a field trip. Hiked to the top, had lunch, walked down the access road. It was beautiful. I’ve wanted to go back forever. I remember I could see the lake, and all the way to the Adirondacks.”
“Should we grab some snacks for the way?” Seok asked.
“I’m good. But probably water. I forgot water bottles.”
Cai rummaged at his feet before handling a bottle back to her. “I was on it.”
“Then we’re good!”
They were well out of town now, and on either side of them stretched grassy fields. The sun was shining so brightly it felt like summer. She hoped there would still be enough foliage left to see some color when she got to the top, but she didn’t really care. In the fall, after the leaves fell, the far off mountains took on purple hues which were just as pretty.
“Tally-Ho,” she read. A giant iron horse stood guard in front of a run-down building proudly declaring itself the Tally-Ho Hotel.
“We’re almost there,” Seok chuckled. When Cai nudged him, he laughed. “Oh. HA!” He snorted.
She laughed at his snort, and Cai laughed at her laugh. If she had come across three people as goofily happy as they were, she would not have held back any eye-rolls. But she loved how she was the goofy one today. She got to laugh and she had nothing to do, nothing to worry about, except enjoy her birthday. Her laughter tapered off. She thought about past birthdays, but tried to shove those memories away. She didn’t want them tainting her best day.
Seok pulled into a small parking lot at the base of Mt. Charlotte. The leaves were mostly gone, but near the base, there were still a few trees hanging onto their colorful foliage. With the sun shining, the air was warm and dry. There was a slight nip, but only when the wind blew.
She pushed her sleeves above her elbows and tucked an errant curl behind her ear. She took her water bottle from Cai, and slipped it inside her backpack before settling it on her back.
“I’m ready.” She bounced on her toes the way Apollo did when he was excited.
Cai and Seok watched her for a second, then laughed. There were two signs pointing toward the mountain trail, easy, difficult. She didn’t even pause, heading toward the side reading, difficult.
“Are you sure you want to go this way?” Seok asked, jogging to catch up.
“Yes. The easy way is the road.”
“It’s better to come down the road. The trail can get muddy, and it’s pretty steep. They don’t want you stepping off the trail and ruining all the flora, so it’s best to take the road.” Cai adjusted the straps on his backpack, tilting his head back to look up at the mountain.
She took a moment to appreciate his beauty. The sun reflected off his hair so she could see all the shades of gold. There were strands nearly white, and those such a deep gold they were almost brown. She touched his hair, running her fingers through the longer strands and cupping his neck. He turned and smiled at her, his golden eyes crinkling at the sides.
“Thank you,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe to kiss his chin. It was as far as she could reach without him bending down to her. She should have known it wouldn’t be enough for him, because he dipped down again, this time making sure to catch her lips.
“You’re welcome.”
She reached for Seok who’d walked a little ways ahead, snagging his hand and pulling him to a stop. She entwined her fingers with his, lifting his hand to her mouth and kissing it. “Thank you, Seok.”
He held onto her hand, lifting it to his chest and pressing it against his heart. He bowed his head and stared at her with dark intense eyes. “My pleasure.” He kissed her quickly. “Since you are the last person who was here as an adult,” he told Cai. “You lead the way.”
Cai saluted him.
The hike was quiet. At first, the trail meandered along the base of the mountain. It crossed the access road, and went through a campground shuttered for the season. Soon though, the pitch increased. She panted, her lungs and calves burning as she lunged from one rock to another. She stopped.
“I don’t remember it being so steep!” She turned around. Cai looked like a fitness model, one foot propped on a rock, backpack on his back.
“Need a hand?” A long-fingered hand appeared in front of her face. She followed the arm up to Seok’s chest and then to his face. He was smiling widely. His posture
courtly.
“Yes.” She pushed off the rock and then the next. From time to time when the steps between each rock were longer than her stride, he would help her up. At one point, Cai pushed her butt, while Seok dragged her forward. It was inelegant, at best, but she didn’t care. She had Cai’s hands on her butt, and Seok tucking her hand under his arm. She thought quite a few girls in the world would envy her position. So what if she was, maybe, not having as much trouble as she pretended. She got to hold their hands and feel them touch her body.
Wicked. But completely worth it.
The trail narrowed and flattened out, and the sun shone brighter. They emerged from the woods into a large grassy area: the top. Seok and Cai dropped their bags at a picnic table, pulling out their waters, but she went right to the look-out. The rocks jutted out, and she could see the land, from Vermont to Lake Champlain, and into New York state. The fields were patchworks of green and brown, and the roads, small blue rivers bisecting the fields. She could turn, 180 degrees, and see miles away. The air left her body, her shoulders relaxing.
“This was a good idea,” Seok said from behind her. He pulled her into his chest, resting his head on hers like he did. He crossed his arms in front of her chest, keeping her close to him. “But I don’t like you standing so close to the edge.”
She hadn’t looked down, but his words made her glance directly in front of her. The rocks gave way to a steep drop off. A wave of vertigo made her knees weak and she grasped his arms hard. She thought about Tilly falling to her death, and wondered morbidly if falling from this height would kill her.
Always, doom and gloom. Be grateful you’re alive to see this. You almost weren’t.
Cai’s warmth pressed against her arm. He gave her a small, tight-lipped smile after peering over the edge. He shuddered. “Nope. Too close. Back it up.”
Seok chuckled, his voice vibrating through Nora’s entire body before he stepped back, and then back again.
They stood in silence, all of them taking in the view until Seok asked, “How long do we stare at the mountains?”
Finding Nora: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Searchers Book 2) Page 12
