He nodded. “Where do you work?” Evan was still trying to comprehend. He’d never seen someone from his previous life before. And what were the odds for the first person to meet would be his wife from a previous lifetime? Surreal.
Again, Shadow smiled, putting Evan at ease.
“I’m an interior designer at Storm, Inc. I started right when I moved out here. You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a small startup.”
Evan chuckled. “I think I’ve heard of it,” he said with a beaming smile. He figured Shadow was the new girl Denise was trying to set him up with during their dinner. “How do you like working there so far?”
She thought about it for a moment, recounting her day. Shadow looked out into the street before answering. “I really like it.”
“Let me know if anyone gives you a hard time there,” he said, looking down at his feet and then meeting her eyes once again. “I know the person who runs the whole show.”
“Denise Storm-Smith?” she exclaimed. “How do you know her?”
“She’s my older sister.”
Her eyes traveled across his face, trying to find a resemblance. She couldn’t. “Wow. I would’ve never guessed.”
Evan chuckled, bypassing the comment. “Let me know if you’d like to get a tour of Lake View. There are some pretty good bakeries if you have a sweet tooth. There’s a lot to see around here, especially Cherry Park. I just came back from there.”
“Yeah,” she said as her lips curved up into a smile. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”
Mr. Jingles paced his way to Shadow, wondering who the new guest was. The cat lingered in the doorway, looking up at Evan.
“I see you have a house mate.” Evan grinned as he bent over to scratch Mr. Jingles behind the ear. To Evan’s surprise, the feline enjoyed it. He could hear him purr with satisfaction.
With a smile she responded, “Yeah. This is Mr. Jingles. It looks like he’s fond of you. That doesn’t happen often.”
“I love animals. I used to help out at the shelter in downtown, Athens Animal Shelter, but I couldn’t really commit to a whole year.”
“Oh.”
“You have to sign all these papers saying you’ll commit to these many hours for an entire year,” he said, stroking Mr. Jingles’ head before rising to his feet. “I wasn’t sure if I could make that big of a commitment. Didn’t want to let down the little guys, you know?”
Subconsciously, Shadow put her hand over her heart as if she was about to be proposed to. “I understand.” She tried to remain nonchalant but couldn’t help but grin.
From having a really long day to fearing for her life, Evan’s voice managed to make her smile and feel calmer. There was something about him that made her feel at home. It was like if she’d known him from somewhere but couldn’t grasp where.
“It was really nice meeting you, Shadow,” Evan concluded. “I gotta get dinner started and work on some stuff.” He took a moment to study her face and features. “I’ll see you later,” he said finally.
“Yeah, sure. No worries.”
“Have a good one.” Evan waved as he walked across the lawn to his front door.
There was no way he was single. Women would be fawning over him. She was sure every time he stepped into the grocery store, or just into the world in general, ladies and teenage girls would help themselves to a long, exaggerated stare. Who wouldn’t?
Shadow stood in the doorway as she watched Evan enter his home. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the door with her hand planted against her chest. She broke into a smile and covered her eyes. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl with a crush on the quarterback.
***
Shadow stood in the kitchen as she poured Mr. Jingles his dinner. She still couldn’t manage to wipe away the smile Evan had left her with. It had been a while since she had the butterflies after meeting a cute stranger, who just so happened to be her neighbor. She fantasized about what his body looked like. She rested her elbow against the cold countertop, forgetting about dinner, the nursery she was supposed to work on for the Pences, which wasn’t complete. All she wanted to do was fantasize about Evan. The feeling of knowing him some time ago lingered in the back of her mind.
A moment later, she was distracted by the sound of the doorbell. She gradually walked toward the door in hopes of seeing Evan again. Maybe he needed to borrow an ingredient for dinner, she hoped…
She opened the door and to her surprise, he was standing there.
“Hello, Shadow,” said Marvin. The corners of his mouth lifted, knowing how fast Shadow’s heartbeat must have been right now.
Shadow’s face grew pale. He looked at her, feeling a sense of satisfaction by Shadow’s reaction. She couldn’t hide from him forever. Even if she thought she was out of his sight, he would find a way to get back into her life.
Just as everything was registering in her mind, she pushed the door shut but Marvin was quick. With his two hands, he pushed back, throwing Shadow off her feet and let himself in.
Marvin unbuttoned his blazer as he graciously walked in. Shadow looked at Marvin with disgust as she closed the door behind her. There was no way he was going to hurt her, she was guaranteed of that, but still, she feared him. Being around him raised her stress level and gave her anxiety. Much of it she hid pretty well.
“Why are you here?” she said in a stern voice.
Shadow made sure to keep her distance from him.
“Begin dinner preparations and I’ll tell you why.”
Marvin’s pronunciation was clear-cut, which made him sound sophisticated, matching his appearance. His attire always consisted of a pantsuit. It was the only thing he wore once he stepped out of his house; it didn’t matter where he was going.
He removed his blazer, placing it on the couch as he made his way into the kitchen.
Shadow, anxious, followed.
Chapter 10
T his is insane!
Evan was mind blown. Shadow, no, Samantha was living right next door. He paced back and forth in his living room, trying to make sense of it all. He rested his arms on his hips, staring down at the floor. He scratched the side of his head, not knowing how to feel, or what to think. It was overwhelming.
This had to be a sign from the universe.
He slumped into the couch. A moment later, after feeling the dampness against his back, he realized he needed a shower.
Evan jogged upstairs to his room as he removed his shirt. He pulled out a clean white T-shirt from his drawer and threw it over to his bed. Then pulled out comfortable pants from the second drawer, also throwing them over to the bed, along with a new pair of underwear.
Right now, all he could think about was Shadow.
He ambled into the bathroom, turning on the shower. He turned to view himself in the mirror. This was surreal. He was a doppelganger of Derek and Shadow was the doppelganger of Samantha. How was this possible? Questions started to pour in and it was up to him to figure it out. There was always a reasonable explanation for things that happened out of the ordinary. There had to be.
Evan threw his damp shirt and Nike pants in the hamper before stepping into the steamy shower. Evan squeezed shower gel onto the loofah and rubbed his entire body. As he scrubbed himself clean, water running down his face, he thought about Samantha. She didn’t deserve to be treated the way Derek treated her. Cruel and inhumane were among many words to describe the way Derek treated Samantha. Alongside many other memories he had, the night Derek had a fit because dinner wasn’t ready on time was the one that stood out the most, mostly because it had become a repetitive memory. Her lying on the floor, with her lips bleeding from the cracks, made Evan’s soul jump out of his body. It was gruesome and heart-wrenching.
He pressed his forehead against the shower wall. Why did Samantha stay? She could have filed for divorce. She could have gone down to the police stat
ion and filed a report for domestic abuse. She could have run away. Why didn’t she do that? What made her stay? What made her want to continue her life with Derek?
Why? Why? Why? The question would linger in his mind until he found the answer.
***
Shadow worked quickly in the kitchen. The quicker she had dinner ready, the faster she’d have Marvin out of her hair.
Asparagus marinated in olive oil and seasoned, was ready to be pulled out of the oven. The pot boiled with penne. She poured basil pesto into a big glass bowl and scurried her way to the refrigerator, where she pulled out the fresh mozzarella.
She gracefully made dinner for two.
He looked pensive as he peered out the window.
This reminded Shadow of the days when they lived together and were set to get married. She didn’t receive any help in the kitchen from Marvin other than his company and prude comments about the people he worked with.
“You are very good at hiding things from me,” he said, turning back to Shadow, who was cutting cubes of mozzarella.
You found out where I moved, so not really, she thought. Shadow continued to dice, feeling uncomfortable in his presence.
“Sometimes I don’t understand what I did wrong. I don’t know what I did to lose you.”
Shadow shot back a glance. Really? You don’t know what you did? Are you that delusional? This, she answered herself. He was more than delusional. He was a flippant human being who worked for a secret agency, high on marijuana.
She continued to dice mozzarella while Marvin continued to spill his unanswered questions.
“You took away everything I wanted, Shadow, but I still love—”
“Listen to yourself!” Shadow blurted as she slammed the knife on the wooden cutting board. “Do you have any idea what you took from me?”
“Shadow, my darling, I did not take anything from you. You made all those decisions on your own. You aborted our baby, without telling me. You moved here, without telling me.” He looked at her forcefully. “I deserved to know, did I not?”
Marvin was exceptional at keeping a cool, calm composure when it came to Shadow. Rarely did he lash out, but his gentleman-like aura made up for the threats and blackmail. Yes, he represented himself as a gentleman and spoke like one, but he was far from it. Pushing the right buttons would reveal what Marvin was really like.
“I had a reason for all those things. Having an abortion was my only option. It was the best thing I could do for that baby,” she said, pausing for a moment. “Maybe I’ll go to hell, I don’t know.” She shrugged. “But I sure as hell know that I didn’t want to raise a baby with you.”
“Now you’re just making a mockery out of me. We could have had the baby and it would have grown up in a home filled with love. Perhaps it was because you were afraid of becoming a mother?”
Shadow pressed against her temples. “Are you kidding me right now? You really think I was afraid of being a mother? I have always wanted a baby, more than anything. But you being the father is what I was afraid of. Even if I put the baby up for adoption, you would somehow manage to meddle in the baby’s life. Kill the parents and bring the baby home. I know what you’re capable of, Marvin.” She glared at him for a moment. “You’re a killer,” she whispered.
The word made the hairs on her neck rise.
“I am not a killer,” Marvin reassured. “You know exactly what I do for a living.”
Shadow shook her head and laughed under her breath.
“You did everything possible to lose me. You’re obsessive. A control freak. Manipulative. Scary as hell. Crazy, and not to mention…a murderer!”
Marvin snorted in disbelief. “I am far from those evil labels, dear. I took care of you. I gave you everything you wanted. Is that something you have forgotten?”
“Took care of me, as in make sure to have me followed to and from work? Everything you gave me was not everything I wanted. I wanted someone who I could fully trust, whose soul was genuine and filled with love.”
“Was I not genuine, my love? Was my soul not full of love for you?” he asked, confused. They were on two different pages.
Shadow scoffed. “Your soul? It’s dark. It’s pitch black,” she said as she threw in the mozzarella cubes. “There’s no love there.”
He navigated toward her from the window. “This is coming from the very person who hid her pregnancy from her fiancé?”
“Why do you think I hid it?” she screamed. “You’re a menace. You fool people into thinking you’re this amazing guy. But you’re really not. You’re full of corruption. It’s disgusting. I can’t and will never trust you, knowing what you do for a living.”
“I should have never told you.” He said softly.
“No, thank you for telling me. Otherwise I would have married a monster,” she said, turning back to the boiling pasta.
In a couple of minutes the pasta would be ready to drain. Marvin was standing next to the sink. For Shadow, he was too close. She dreaded the walk to the sink.
“I’m not a monster. I care about your safety, Shadow. I care about you.” He paused. “I want you to come back home. You do not belong here. You will not fit in here with these peasants.”
Shadow scoffed. “I like it here. I fit in just fine.”
He looked at her for a moment, feeling as if Shadow had completely changed. Marvin’s eyes flicked toward the boiling pasta. “Here, let me help you with that.”
Before Shadow could utter a word, with utmost grace, Marvin jolted toward the stove. He placed the colander upside down on top of the pot and made his way back to the sink, where he poured the pasta into the colander. The steam fogged the kitchen window and within seconds, the window was clear again.
Shadow looked over her shoulder as she threw in the rest of the mozzarella pieces. Marvin didn’t look frightening at all, but that was all a disguise and for a person meeting him for the first time, they were sure to be deceived.
“Thank you,” she forced out.
He brought back the colander, placing it in front of Shadow. Marvin stood behind her, breathing against her neck. Shadow’s heart started to pick up the pace. Before being overwhelmed with fear, she moved away.
Shadow pulled out the asparagus from the oven, keeping her attention focused on everything but Marvin.
“Are you making what I think you’re making?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” she seethed. She used tongs to pick up the asparagus, then placed them on the cutting board.
“It looks like you’re making pasta Caprese.” He grinned. “One of my favorite dishes.”
“Oh, I didn’t know,” she said, sounding the least bit enthusiastic.
Shadow let the asparagus sit and cool as she set the dinner table. She wanted to drink wine with dinner, but given the circumstances, knowing how Marvin was around alcohol, it definitely wasn’t the best idea—he would get drunk, and she certainly didn’t want a drunk Marvin in her new home. There was no telling what he would do. Thankfully there was a liter of soda in the pantry.
Marvin stood in the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
She looked at him, confused. He’d never offered to help ever before. Why now? “Uh,” she said, thinking for a moment, “yeah, the soda is in there,” she said pointing to her left. “The pantry.”
“No Cabernet?” he said, smirking. “It seems you have changed a lot in a short amount of time.”
It had been a month since Shadow had broken off their engagement. Within that time frame, Shadow learned a lot about herself. Being engaged to Marvin for a year took away her independency, her sense of control—she was merely a marionette. Now, she was beginning to find who Shadow was as an individual.
“I have changed, but I still drink wine,” she said as she walked
toward the cutting board. “Just not with you.”
Marvin found Shadow’s new attitude to be comedic. But he knew over the façade, Shadow was still the same girl he loved. She was going through a phase, which he was sure would pass.
The asparagus cooled down enough to touch. She cut one-inch pieces. Shadow stopped cutting for a moment as soon as she felt Marvin’s eyes lingering on her.
“Where do you keep your glasses?” he asked as he held up the liter of Pepsi.
“Umm…just use the wine glasses. They’re over there.” She pointed to the upper left cabinet.
“Okay.”
Marvin snatched two wine glasses off of the shelf, holding the stems between his fingers as he walked to the dinner table. He poured a glass, reminiscing his first date with Shadow. It was similar to today, except she had burned the asparagus and had little experience in the kitchen. She had come from a home where she had her own butler and never had to lift a finger. She could have had her food cut into little pieces if she wanted. Everything was practically done for her, but it was evident that things had improved in the kitchen. There was no smoke coming from the kitchen. The fire alarm hadn’t gone off. Things had gone smoothly compared to three years ago.
One thing that didn’t change and probably wasn’t going to change any time in the future was Shadow’s fondness of drinking out of wine glasses, regardless if there was wine or not. There was elegance the way the wine glass looked, tall and slender, a nice round large rim. The way the wine swirled inside the bowl, around and around. Then slowly, it would settle down as the legs appeared. There was a unique chemistry involved in winemaking that intrigued Shadow. She always had the interest in learning more about winemaking and the different types of tastes and fermentation. For now, it was on her bucket list.
Once the asparagus was added into the bowl, Shadow poured in the pasta, mixing it together; making sure each pasta noodle was coated with basil pesto. After seasoning the dish with salt and pepper, it was ready to serve.
Marvin seated himself across from Shadow. Mr. Jingles sat on the living room couch, where he could see Shadow and Marvin having their dinner. The cat didn’t like Marvin much. There was always an uncertain vibe Mr. Jingles felt every time he was around Marvin. The man made him cautious. It was the reason why Mr. Jingles kept his distance from Marvin whenever he could.
STORM: IT'S A CURSE TO REMEMBER Page 8
