“Gravitate to him? Why?” I asked as I nervously played with my hair.
“Think about it. The two of you have been together since you were babies. Being the only child in each of your families, you really only had each other. You grew up together. It was only a matter of time before you decided you loved each other or you couldn’t stand each other.”
“Oh, yeah,” I muttered in relief. “Well, it’s definitely not a case of not liking each other. I love him, but I’m not sure if I’m in love with him. It feels different.”
“Lex, that’s all just semantics. The truth is, you have feelings for them both and they obviously love you, too. The only difference is that you’ve known Chace a lot longer, and definitely a lot better, than you do this other boy. You’re in your comfort zone with him. You know more than most married couples know about each other, so there won’t be any surprises down the road. That’s not to say he’s a better candidate, but you should be careful that your feelings for either of them aren’t for the wrong reasons. I guess I’m just saying you have to give some serious thought to why you love each of them. That’s a lot easier said than done, I know. I hate to say this, because I didn’t like hearing it when it was said to me, but you have to consider it. You really are so young. What’s the rush? Do they know about each other? Is one of them forcing you into something?”
“They know about each other, but they have no idea how I feel about the other one. Chace isn’t forcing me into anything, but I’m feeling a little pressured to make a decision by Wil—” I caught myself before I blurted out his name. I couldn’t take the chance that Aunt Fay heard me talking in my sleep or had stumbled across my writings of the conversations William and I had. It dawned on me, too, that I could have even said his name in the hospital when I was in and out of consciousness. “Wilson.” I finished.
“Well, hats off to Chace! He always had a special place in his heart for you, no doubt. I know he loves you a lot, Lex, and I’m sure it’s not easy for him to feel he has to compete with this guy. But he’s smart not to force you into a decision about something more than you’re willing to give. I’m glad he has enough sense to wait until you’re both older and have a little more of life’s experiences under your belts. He’ll wait for you, but this Wilson guy? What decision does he want you to make? He wants you to get rid of Chace?” she asked as she dunked her biscuit into her coffee.
I wasn’t prepared for that one and I had to think quickly, especially if I wanted an honest answer. Well, as honest of an answer as I could get based on the half-truth I told her.
“No, he hasn’t asked me to stay away from Chace. Wilson wants me to go to Europe with him after we finish high school. He used to live there a few years ago and plans to go back to go to college. I could go to school there, too, but that would mean only seeing Chace every once in a while when I came back. I don’t know if I can deal with that.”
She dropped her biscuit and stared a worrisome glare at me. “Honey, are you sure you’re all right? When you came out of the coma, you were convinced that you went to England and met a boy named William at school. Are you having hall—” she stopped herself before she finished the word ‘hallucinations.’ I couldn’t let her think I was nuts. I had to do some major damage control so this little blunder wouldn’t kill my plans.
“Would this have anything to do with that?” she finished.
“It might. Maybe it was just part of my memory trying to come back. I mean, I was dating Wilson before the accident and he was from England. It probably just came out all wrong in the hospital. My head was such a mess back then.” That sounded close enough and I thought that was a pretty nice save. I looked at her expression to see if she bought it. It looked like she did.
“Honestly, Lex, you’re going to think I sound like your mother, but you’re too young to be so consumed with one guy. Do you think what you’re feeling for Wilson could be infatuation and not a real true love? Really, you couldn’t have been seeing him long enough to make such a commitment. He should be able to understand that you aren’t ready to pick up and leave the life you know to go with him. Maybe you can talk to him about tabling the discussion until you’ve got a better handle on your emotions. You wouldn’t be the first couple to have a long distance relationship for a while. Your future is in your hands, Lex, and nobody else’s. If he can’t respect your decision, he isn’t the right one for you in the first place.”
She wasn’t mad but she spoke with such conviction I knew she was afraid I would make a knee-jerk decision.
“And as for Chace, don’t you think it’s possible you could be kind of leaning on him and mistaking that for love? After all, he knows you better than anyone and would be the best candidate in helping you get your life back. I’m just giving you some food for thought. I can’t make the decision for you, honey. No one can. I can only try to help you see another point of view that you might have missed. My advice to you is to give this a lot more thought before you do anything drastic. Who knows? It just might be that neither of them is right for you. Time is on your side, Lex. Don’t be in such a rush.”
Even though I hadn’t told her the exact truth, Aunt Fay gave me a lot to think about. I had to sort out my feelings for both of them. As much as I hated to admit it, she could have been right. I could have been infatuated with William and I could have been using Chace as a crutch. I had to think. It was a life-changing decision and I didn’t want to take it lightly.
“Thanks, Aunt Fay. I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I’ll give it some more thought and let you know what I come up with.” I smiled slightly to try to pretend the situation wasn’t weighing heavily on me.
“Anytime, sweetheart. I hope I gave you at least a little more clarity. I don’t have the experience in these heart-to-hearts like your mother had.” The sadness took over her expression at the mention of my mother. It was still tearing her up inside just as much as it was me. The only difference was I knew that my parents were only dead in my world and that I would see them again in the other one. Aunt Fay didn’t have that luxury.
“You’ve done her proud, Aunt Fay,” I said softly as I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Now, why did you wake me up so early on a Saturday morning? Teenagers need their beauty sleep, you know?” I joked.
She snapped out of it and smiled a huge smile at me. “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I wanted to give you your birthday present a little early. Would that be all right?”
She was so much like a little kid when it came to things like this. I couldn’t take it away from her. “Sure. I hope it’s nothing outrageous. You know I don’t like when you spend so much money on me.”
“Oh, honey, stop. I have too much money and no one to spend it on! And, besides, it’s only a small present. Don’t forget you said I could get whatever I wanted. Maria!” she called into the next room.
“Yes?” Maria responded as she appeared in the doorway.
“Will you bring in that box I left in the sunroom, please?”
She no sooner spoke the words than Maria was back in the doorway with the small red box covered in silk flowers. Even Aunt Fay’s gift-wrapping was elaborate. Maria handed it to Aunt Fay, who quickly handed it to me and said, “Happy Birthday, Lex.”
I carefully picked off the flowers and then ripped the paper open. I started fooling around and shook it a few times, trying to guess what was inside. Aunt Fay got a big kick out of it. That was present enough for me. I opened the box and saw my mother staring back at me. It was a heart-shaped key chain locket with a picture of my mother and father on either side. The sight of it brought a tear to my eye. Aunt Fay quickly jumped to her feet to console me.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I thought this would be a symbolic way to keep them close to your heart at all times.”
“No, I love it, Aunt Fay.” I sniffed. “Thank you. I’m not upset by it. These are happy tears. I haven’t seen them in a long time and it makes me feel good to have them close to me a
gain. Oh, and, what’s the key for?” I asked while trying to shake the thought of my parents not being with me on my big birthday.
“Oh that,” she said dismissively. “It’s just a little something extra I bought for you to keep your keychain on. I’ll have Maria get it for you while you let the dogs out for me.” I called for Gus and Odie, the huge Bernese who had been part of the family since they were pups. I opened the front door and there stood the most elaborate gift Aunt Fay had given me yet. A beautiful, champagne-colored, two-seater Lexus with a big red bow on it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had told her nothing big.
“Aunt Fay!” I screamed, not realizing she was right behind me. “I... I can’t believe you did this! I told you nothing pricey,” I whimpered, trying not to hurt her feelings.
“Oh, Lexi, it’s just a car. You needed one anyway and it is a small one. Besides, I hate driving you to school. I thought Lexi needed a Lexus,” she joked.
“You really shouldn’t have. You could have gotten something way less expensive and I still would have been happy.”
“Honey, please let me do this for you. Your parents’ passing and Uncle Jack being missing have given me a whole new perspective on life. You just don’t know when your last day is, so you have to live every day like it’s your last. I want to do this for you, Lexi. I’m not putting any financial strain on us whatsoever. We can well afford it and it’s not a frivolous gift. Just accept it and enjoy it. That will be your gift to me.”
My ears tuned in on the ‘us’ part. Aunt Fay had truly considered all that was hers to be mine. The ‘us’ as she said, worried me. I needed her immensely, but I never realized until then how much she needed me. The sadness built a wall inside me. How could I leave her? She loved me. She needed me. And I felt the same about her. I was back to second-guessing myself, and the big decision.
“Oh, Aunt Fay, thank you! Thank you so much! I don’t know what I did to deserve this.” I flung my arms around her and we shared a huge, emotional hug.
“Just you being you, Lexi. And you do deserve it. Now, why don’t you go and get dressed so we can go for a spin?” she proposed.
“One step ahead of you!” I said and bolted for the stairs.
The draft in my room was eerie. I knew I had closed the window over the stream and I never opened any other window. I walked over to it and the rushing water got louder. I knew I had closed that window. I knew it. Maria and Aunt Fay were both downstairs with me so there was no way they could have opened it. Why would they anyway? William. Was he here? I wondered. I would have to ask him about that when he came for his visit. Until then, there was no sense in worrying about it.
I turned on the shower and caught a glimpse of an old picture of Chace and me on horseback. It was Aunt Fay’s favorite and one of the pictures with which she had decorated my room. I smiled and picked up the frame that held the best memories of my childhood. A raging pain shot through my fingers and into my hands. Impulsively, I dropped the frame, shattering it into slivers of painted glass at my feet. A burned outline of Chace's body sat behind me on the horse. He was gone. I was scared. I couldn’t be sure if it was one of my uncontrolled abilities or something more malevolent. I had never asked Chace if the evil ones from the other world could, or would, come after me. Could they have done something? The sight of Chace’s image all but destroyed and mine left without a scratch had given me an enormously ill feeling. Was something going to happen to him? Would it be my fault? I had to talk to Chace. He was the only one, if there was anyone, who would know what that was about.
˜ * ˜
Aunt Fay and I enjoyed our ride in the new Lexus. Even though it was unseasonably chilly, we opened the top and blasted the stereo like two teenagers. Aunt Fay was really cool like that. It was hard to believe she was forty-ish. As we arrived home and started down the driveway, Chace’s car came into view.
“Looks like your number one is here,” Aunt Fay teased.
“I wonder why he’s here so early? We didn’t have plans or anything. I hope nothing’s wrong,” I remarked and then stepped on the gas harder.
“Oh, look at you, Lex. You’re just like a concerned wife. Surely that has to account for something in your decision,” she joked.
We pulled up alongside Chace’s Beemer and found him standing by the stream. “Nice ride!” he shouted and made his way up the rocks to the house.
“Good morning, Chace. Want some coffee?”
“Oh, no thanks, Mrs. Warren, I’m good. I just came over to see if Lexi wanted to hang with me today and maybe catch a movie and dinner or something later on.”
“Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind,” she said and she darted inside to share the details of our morning ride with Maria.
“What’s up? I know the dinner and movie thing was a farce, so what gives? What happened?”
“Whoa! Slow down there, sweetness! Don’t I get a ‘Good morning, Chace? Did you sleep well?’” he asked sarcastically.
“Good morning, Chace. Sleep well?” I sneered. “Now, why are you here so early on a Saturday morning? C’mon, Chace, it’s been a rough day already and it’s only eleven-thirty!” I said with a crabbiness he didn’t deserve.
“Sorry, hon. I didn’t realize...Well, I came here to take you out so we could talk. I... I have some things I have to say to you and I can’t wait anymore, Lex. Can you please just humor me for a while and come with me?”
Shiiiiiit, that sounded serious enough to not question him. What could he possibly have to say to me now? After all we’d been through, we were practically inside each other at that point. We could have even shared a brain. I couldn’t believe there was more.
“Yeah, okay. As long as you don’t have any cars or elaborate gifts for me,” I chuckled. He smiled quietly as his eyes caught mine. That was all wrong for Chace. I knew something was askew. I could feel it.
“Aunt Fay!” I shouted into the house. “I’m going out with Chace, if that’s okay.”
“Sure.” Aunt Fay came into view as she started walking toward the door. “I thought we could spend some time together tomorrow, before your birthday dinner, if Chace can share you just a little bit,” she said with a wink at Chace.
“Mrs. Warren, you’re the only one I don’t mind sharing her with,” he quipped back. Fay and I glanced at each other, replaying in our minds the earlier conversation we had about William and Chace. He always managed to say the right thing at the right time. I started wondering just what abilities Chace had.
Chapter 16
Change Is Good—Depending on How You Look at It
Chace did his usual, manly door opening and I hopped in. He smiled a shy, nervous smile and we drove off. I didn’t ask where we were going. Probably because I didn’t care. I just wanted to know what he had to say and I had a few questions of my own to ask him about this morning’s events. After about a half-hour, we pulled into the Hilton Hotel parking lot on Route 10.
“Wait right here. I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”
“Well, yeah.”
Seeing as I was no fan of surprises, it took a little willpower, but I waited in the car. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, like the last time he asked me to do that. A few minutes later, he came back out with a very pretty and well-put-together woman. Who is she and why is she smiling like a nut-job at me? I thought.
“Lex, this is Jamie. She’s a friend of mine. Could you do me a solid and go along with it, no questions asked? Just go with her and I’ll meet up with you in a few hours.”
I had to indulge him this once. It was the least I could do for him. “Hi, Jamie.” I shook her hand. “Okay, Chace, I’ll go along with this, for now. But don’t take too long—you know how impatient I can be!” I laughed.
“Don’t worry, sweets. And uh... thanks for appeasing me. I know how you hate being clueless.” He laughed, gave me a quick peck on the cheek and off he went.
Jamie took me into a suite where we were met by a pack of beautiful people wielding brushes
, dresses, shoes and curling irons. “What’s all this?” I asked.
“Your friend wants us to help you look and feel your best today. He has something special planned. What’s the occasion? Is it your birthday?”
“No, not ’til Monday.”
“Then maybe he’s got an early birthday present for you,” she guessed.
“Okay, then let’s get to it. You can do whatever you want to me. I’m not really good at all of this fancy stuff so... make me beautiful!”
“You’re already quite beautiful,” Jamie said softly. “No wonder Chace has that look in his eyes whenever he says your name.”
“How do you know Chace?” I inquired, not really thinking she would give me an answer.
“Enough talking and more primping!” a man’s voice came screeching from the other room, along with some very loud hand clapping. I jumped at the sound.
Jamie’s hand pressed my shoulder back down into the seat. “It’s just Jeffrey. He gets a bit snippy when we’re racing the clock.”
Jamie and her friends really didn’t say too much after that. Chace probably had them on a gag order, no doubt. When they were all finished, Jeffrey wheeled out an old-fashioned full-length mirror and walked me to it. It was the first time I had seen myself since they started that beauty ambush.
I opened my eyes when Jeffrey ordered me to, and looked into the mirror, impressed at all they had done. The beautiful red gown I was wrapped in made me look sophisticated beyond my years. My hair was swept up into a loose twist that showed off pretty chandelier earrings. My makeup was a little darker than I normally liked, but it was perfect for the ensemble. I felt the same way I had at my homecoming party, like a princess. Only this time, I had a prince in tow. Chace.
The Dragonfly Prophecy Page 13
