“We’ll do that together.” Aric swayed back and forth, occasionally meeting Sami’s glare with a challenging one of his own.
For her part, our daughter made a big show of picking out a hoodie, making sure not to come close until we separated. When she finally did approach, she looked leery.
“Here.” Sami slapped the hoodie’s hanger into Aric’s hand as she avoided eye contact. “I’ll be in front of the store if you need me.”
Aric snagged her by the back of the neck and shook his head, the warning evident as his expression darkened. “We talked about this,” he said, lowering his voice. “I don’t care how embarrassed you are by your mother’s actions. You will not wander away from us here. Do you understand?”
Sami solemnly nodded. “It’s just … people are staring.”
“The only person staring is you.” Aric released Sami and handed the hoodie to me. “Why don’t you pay for that, Zoe, and I’ll wait with Sami in front of the store.”
I nodded and moved toward the register, although something occurred to me and caused me to swivel back. “Why would she be embarrassed only by my actions?”
Aric appeared confused by the question. “What do you mean?”
“You said you didn’t care how embarrassed she was by my actions,” I reminded him. “What about your actions?”
“Oh, well, I’m not embarrassing.” Aric’s smile was chipper as he squared his shoulders. “I’m every teenager’s dream when it comes to parenting style.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Sami countered. “You might not be as embarrassing as Mom, but you’re still embarrassing.”
Aric’s smile slipped. “If you’re not careful, we’ll make a game out of seeing just how much we can embarrass you.”
“You’ve already won.” Sami crossed her arms over her chest. “Seriously, are we done here?”
Aric heaved a sigh. “Almost.” He winked at me. “Buy the hoodie and then I’ll buy you lunch at the cafeteria. That might be fun for old time’s sake.”
I nodded. “I’ll meet you there.”
“I can’t wait.”
IT TOOK me twenty minutes to wind my way through the line at the bookstore. I forgot how busy the store was right before the start of a semester. Part of me thought it wouldn’t be the same because of ebooks, but apparently I was wrong.
I didn’t find Aric and Sami in the cafeteria when I entered, and after a long search I turned my attention to the patio. I saw them sitting together near the edge of the balcony, Sami happily chatting away as she munched on her lunch. Aric, his long legs extended in front of him, listened as she talked. There was a plate on the table between them, which I assumed was mine.
I slipped through the door and headed in their direction, pulling up short when I heard my name.
My skin crawled as I turned, as if something terrible was about to happen. When I realized who I was looking at I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded … and not in a good way.
“Brittany?”
And there she was, my freshman dormitory roommate and all-around pain in my backside. Brittany, the girl who went after my first boyfriend and turned against me every chance she got because the animosity between us was too great to do otherwise. She slept with Will, fought with me when I put up a fight, and ultimately fell apart when he died.
“Hello, Zoe.” Brittany looked happy as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. The color obviously came from a bottle, but I kept that observation to myself. It wouldn’t go over well. I remembered her well enough to know that. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I … .” I worked my jaw, uncertain what to say. Around us oblivious students ate lunch, drank coffee and openly flirted as they prepared for an exciting new semester. I felt trapped in a past I couldn’t escape from.
“Is something wrong?” Brittany asked, concern etching her features. “You look unwell.”
That snapped me out of my potential fugue state, and I regained control of my senses relatively quickly. I squared my shoulders, reminding myself that Brittany was never a physical threat to me and that I left her on good terms. “We’re just here for a visit,” I offered, forcing a smile. “We haven’t been back in a long time … not since we last saw you … and we wanted to see the old stomping grounds again.”
Brittany nodded, her expression momentarily darkening. “You haven’t been here since the whole Mark debacle.”
That was a nice way of putting it. The Mark debacle resulted in her memory being restored and him being dragged off to a cell before being killed by James’ men. Because Mark had sort of been her fiancé at the time it was hardly something either of us could forget.
I shook my head. “We saw no reason to return … until now.”
“We?” Brittany arched an eyebrow and followed my gaze to the far side of the patio. She seemed surprised when her eyes landed on Aric and Sami. “You’re still with Aric.”
Even though almost two decades separated the time when she made a point of going after my ex-boyfriend and the man who would one day be my husband, her surprise was like a punch to the gut. “Did you think we wouldn’t be together?”
“I didn’t know what to think,” Brittany admitted. “I mean … you guys have been through so much that I guess it makes sense that you’re together. Most people don’t manage to make a relationship work that long. You guys must really be made for each other to keep it together.”
I relaxed, if only marginally. I understood what she was saying, despite her lack of tact. “We’re still together. We’ll be together forever. We promised that at the wedding, and we still promise it almost every day of our lives.”
Brittany flashed a brief smile. “That’s nice. I’m married, too. He’s a good man.”
“I’m happy for you.” I found I honestly meant the words. “I really am.”
“I’m happy for you, too.” Brittany focused on Sami. “Is that your daughter?”
I nodded. “That’s her.”
“She looks like Aric.”
“She acts like me.”
Even though we were supposed to be adults, Brittany couldn’t contain her snort. I even joined in the laughter when I saw how much fun she was having.
“Are you ever afraid she’ll kill you in your sleep?” Brittany sputtered, her chest heaving.
“Only every night.”
“Oh, well, at least you’re still smart.”
“I am.” I bobbed my head, making up my mind on the spot. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
Brittany slowly collected herself. “Oh, I don’t want to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting. I want you to meet her. Aric will want to see you, too.”
“Okay.”
I knew Sami would hate Brittany on sight. She definitely got that from me.
Eight
I led Brittany to the table. I don’t know whether Aric felt my presence, but he looked up as we crossed the room, locking gazes with me. I saw a brief flicker of surprise wash over his handsome features, but he recovered quickly and pasted a bright smile on his face.
“Look who I found.” I felt nervous when I got to the table, moving closer to Sami when her head snapped up. She clearly didn’t recognize Brittany, and odds were she might say something snarky when she realized the woman’s identity.
“Hello, Brittany.” Aric got to his feet and offered her an uncomfortable hug, exchanging a quick glance with me before returning to his seat. “You look great.”
Brittany beamed at the compliment. “You do, too. In fact, you look better than ever.”
“Yes, he does have that annoying ability, doesn’t he?” I moved to the open chair between Sami and Aric, momentarily wishing Aric had picked a better seating configuration when Brittany took the final open seat across from me.
“Well, he was always a handsome man,” Brittany said, offering Aric a flirtatious smile. “Every female at Covenant College had a crush on him.”
“Even you?” Aric asked, hand
ing me a napkin as I focused on my chicken strips and fries.
“Even me,” Brittany confirmed, bobbing her head. “I think I might’ve been a little jealous because you only had eyes for Zoe.”
“They still only have eyes for each other,” Sami grumbled, dousing her French fries with ketchup. “It’s really gross.”
Instead of being offended or put off, Brittany barked out a heartfelt laugh. “I see Zoe was right about you, huh?”
Sami lifted her eyes, her face unreadable. “What did she say?”
“I said that you looked exactly like your father, and she said you acted exactly like her.”
Aric relaxed a bit at the old joke, leaning back in his chair and chuckling. “She has a lot of both of us in her. It’s both a blessing and a curse.”
Sami rolled her eyes. “More blessing than curse, right?”
“Sometimes.” Aric squeezed my hand before turning his full attention to Brittany. “Forgive me for saying this, but after everything that happened … um … I’m surprised to find you here.”
“You’re not the only one.” Brittany appeared relaxed as she made herself comfortable. “I was well on my way to leaving town after the whole … thing … happened back then.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening. “It was difficult, and I wanted to leave. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that would be a mistake.”
“Why?” I asked, legitimately curious. “This place hasn’t exactly been kind to you.”
“It hasn’t been unkind either,” Brittany pointed out. “Most of the problems I incurred were of my own making. It took weekly sessions with a therapist to come to that realization, by the way. It wasn’t some great epiphany on my part.”
I couldn’t help but be surprised. “You’re in therapy?”
“Don’t act so high and mighty,” Brittany chided, wagging a finger. “A lot of people benefit from therapy. Of course, I couldn’t exactly tell the truth because my therapist would’ve had me locked up for a psych evaluation, but I came up with a story that was a decent approximation of what happened. I mean, I couldn’t admit that my former roommate fed the first guy I ever loved to a hungry vampire, could I?”
My heart twinged at the words and my first real boyfriend’s face popped into my head. I rarely thought about Will these days. He was from a past long since discarded. Still, every once in a while on a hot summer day I’d let my mind wander to the good times. That was before everything turned so bad. So very, very bad.
“Wait a second … .” I watched Sami as she put things together.
“You were telling us about why you stayed at Covenant College,” I prodded, hoping Sami would take the hint and let whatever she thought she knew remain buried in her busy brain until we were alone.
“Oh, right.” Brittany shook herself from her reverie. “I realized that I loved this area and this college; that I wanted to stay in the academic world and I didn’t want to do it anywhere else. Eventually I simply decided that I wouldn’t let bad memories eradicate the possibility of good memories. After a time I didn’t have to remind myself that things would get better because they were better.”
“That’s good,” Aric said, and I could tell he actually meant the words. “It’s good that you fought for what you wanted.”
“Speaking of that, you said you were married,” I interjected. “What is your husband like?”
“Oh, well, he’s a brilliant man,” Brittany said, warming to her topic. “He’s a professor here, and he’s extremely educated and handsome.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Aric offered, grinning. “I’m glad. You deserve some happiness after everything that happened.”
I’d just about convinced myself that the conversation was going to be smooth and pleasant when Sami proved she really was my daughter.
“You’re the woman who Mom used to live with, aren’t you?” Sami’s eyes were keen when they locked with Brittany’s.
“I am.”
“You’re also the woman who slept with Mom’s ex-boyfriend and betrayed her.” Sami gripped her plastic fork tighter, and I briefly worried she’d try to claw Brittany’s eyes out with it.
“That was a long time ago,” I said, grabbing Sami’s wrist. “You’ve heard only bits and pieces of the story. You’ve never heard everything all strung together, so don’t … freak out.”
Brittany didn’t look bothered by the possibility of Sami having a meltdown. “Your mother was just as mean to me as I was to her.”
Now wait a second … . “Excuse me?” My eyes flashed as I kept a firm grip on Sami. “You went after my ex-boyfriend. You also went after my current boyfriend whenever you could. You stood with Will when the Alpha Chis tried to kill us. How was I just as mean to you as you were to me?”
“She’s evil,” Sami gritted out. “Kill her.”
“I’m not going to kill her,” I shot back when Brittany widened her eyes. “She’s not evil in the same way that the zombies were evil.”
“What about Becca and her mother?”
“She’s a different kind of evil,” I replied.
“I’m not evil,” Brittany snapped, her voice hopping an octave. “Why would you tell your daughter that?” Brittany swiveled to face Aric. “Do you want to say something?”
Aric shifted, uncomfortable. “Honestly? I’m a little worried about you sitting there. How would you feel about switching seats with me? That way you’ll be close to Zoe so she’ll be sure to hear whatever it is you’re whining about.”
“That’s a great idea,” I added, bobbing my head as Aric stood. I could feel the magic twitching in Sami’s fingertips. Much like me, she tends to lose control when her temper flares. “I will completely listen to whatever nonsense you want to spout if you move to the other end of the table.”
Brittany tilted her head to the side, confused. Her gaze bounced between the three of us until reality set in – which frankly took a lot longer than it should have. “Oh.” She got up, her face pale, and switched places with Aric. I could feel her eyes on us when Aric rested his hand on Sami’s shoulder to soothe her.
“Sami, Brittany isn’t a bad person,” Aric said, keeping his voice low. “She and your mother had a few issues, but as you well know, your mother isn’t always easy to live with.”
I couldn’t help but be affronted. “Hey!”
Aric ignored me. “A lot of the issues your mother and Brittany had were a mutual thing. Even the ones that weren’t, though, are very much in the past. Brittany and your mother made amends thirteen years ago.” A small smile played at the corner of his lips as something occurred to him. “They made amends right around the time your mother was first pregnant with you. She didn’t even know you were with us yet.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Sami asked, flummoxed.
“You were magic even then,” Aric answered. “You helped Mom make up with Brittany. They put everything bad that happened between them in the past that day. She’s not evil, not like the other people who have come after us.”
“She’s not,” I agreed, swallowing hard. “She’s not evil.” I spared a glance for Brittany. “She was never evil, just … misunderstood.”
Brittany pursed her lips. “Perhaps that can be said of both of us.”
I nodded in agreement even though my heart wasn’t really in it. “Perhaps.”
“PERHAPS THAT can be said about both of us.” I mimicked Brittany’s voice with glee as we walked down a residential street a few hours later. Darkness was almost here, the moon climbing even as the sun hadn’t quite finished setting. We were in that strange hour between light and dark as we paid a visit to another familiar place.
“You agreed with her,” Aric pointed out, linking his fingers with mine as Sami trudged ahead of us. After Sami’s brush with danger, Brittany stayed long enough to invite Aric and me to have dinner with her and her husband before begging off with some task she had to accomplish. It was only after she left that I rea
lized she’d told us practically nothing. We also hadn’t exchanged phone numbers. That was probably for the best.
“I didn’t agree with her,” I countered. “I simply didn’t want Sami to accidentally set her hair on fire or something.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” Sami protested, adopting the patented whine I recognized so well.
“I know you wouldn’t have done it on purpose,” I offered, releasing Aric’s hand and moving to her side. “But you were angry. You thought she betrayed us. When you’re angry you’re prone to … lashing out. I do it, too. You need to work on controlling that.”
“You don’t control it,” Sami shot back.
“That’s not true,” Aric argued. “Your mother doesn’t lose her temper nearly as much as she used to. No one is saying she’s perfect, but she works overtime to keep you safe and control her emotions. I don’t think you can ask for much more than that.”
Sami made an exaggerated face as she glanced at the house on the corner. It was a two-story monstrosity with bad music seeping out of the windows and drunken college students loitering on the front lawn. “When do these people study? All they do is drink and … kiss.”
Aric arched an eyebrow, amused. “Kiss? Who’s kissing?”
Sami pointed to the bushes about fifty feet away. “There’s a guy and a girl in there. The guy already has the girl’s bra off and it’s hanging on the bush.”
I stilled, surprised. I couldn’t see anything like that. I didn’t doubt her instincts, though. “How do you know that?”
“I … .” Sami broke off, biting her lip. “I’m not sure. I just know.”
Aric and I exchanged a quick look. I remained with Sami while Aric walked to the bushes to check. I knew Sami was correct the second the people in the bush started screaming about Aric invading their privacy. By the time he made it back to us Aric looked more amused than stricken.
“She’s right. She even got the detail about the bra right.”
Oh, well, that was interesting. “I’m guessing you got a good look at that, huh?”
Aric grinned. “I blocked the image out of my head because it was terrifying. Why would I want to see that when I have you?”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 60
