"That sounds like a plan." I have a day to get all this ready. I have to invite Kevin - and politely tell him to leave his crazy girl at home - find something to wear from the clothes Kane brought over from my place, and figure out exactly how I'm going to tell Mia and Wesley what's happening with Derrick. All those thoughts are overwhelming at first, but when I think of having this all out in the open I actually feel a little better; I hate keeping things from the people I'm close to. I already feel guilty for lying to Sally about why I couldn't come in - I told her that I got the stomach flu and couldn't stop throwing up long enough to serve people waffles - she was nice enough to understand.
I've also been blowing Kevin off because I didn't want to bring this up, but I know that I'm fooling myself to think that this could all be handled without them knowing at some point. I feel bad about being secretive, but the idea of having the whole gang here to talk about things is a weird sort of comfort. I still have my phone in hand, so I text Kevin and tell him about tomorrow. He gets back to me right away:
Kevin: where the hell have you been? You went MIA on me.
Dacia: sorry - haven't been myself - I promise I'll explain tomorrow.
Kevin: why is dinner at Kane Marsden’s place?
Oh Jesus. I suddenly realize how much has happened in my life over the last few days that Kevin has no idea about. Last time I saw him he was dog sitting and I was single (wait...are Kane and I together?), and I wasn't being stalked by my ex-boyfriend.
Dacia: Mia and Wesley are back from honeymoon and want to have a dinner with everyone.
It's always weird when the truth helps you cover up a lie, but I'd rather leave out the rest of the story until I can see him face to face.
Kevin: okay. Wanna get food later?
Dacia: I can't - Kane asked me to come to his place to help set up for dinner tomorrow. I'll probably stay over here so I don't have to drive back and forth.
Kevin: Okay
Dacia: see you tomorrow then?
Kevin: of course
I'm not sure how to say the next part so I decide to just be the Dacia that everybody knows and loves and go with some blunt honesty.
Dacia: how about you leave Wackadoo at home and come out by yourself tomorrow night?
I wait for him to get pissed and write back something telling me to piss off - my honesty can either inspire people to want to hug or hit me, depending on the topic I'm being honest about. I'm hoping in this case Kev doesn't get too defensive.
Kevin: broke up, so already taken care of - was gonna tell you about it
Oh shit. Worst-friend-ever. He finally takes my advice and breaks up with her and I’m not there to help him through it. I can’t wait until all this is over with and I can go back to normal life.
Dacia: I’m so sorry – I’ve been terrible – are you ok?
Kevin: Surprisingly well. And don’t apologize, you’re forgiven. We’ll talk more tomorrow. What time?
Dacia: Good question. I’ll find out and get back to you.
We get off the phone as I continue to wander around my gilded cage a little longer. Jordan does her dog duty and follows just about a foot behind me at all times, stopping whenever I do and lying down next to me as I snoop. It isn’t long before I end up in Kane’s bedroom. At this point it’s practically my bedroom also, since I’ve been sleeping next to him every night. There’s no TV in his room (so old-fashioned) so I haven’t spent much time in here except when I want to catch up on some reading. He really does have an impressive collection of books – a few of them are even collectible first editions!
I’m supremely bored right now, so I just find myself wandering around this huge room, snooping like a new sort-of girlfriend might be inclined to do. Next to Kane’s side of the bed there are a pile of magazines and papers – which stands out to me because the rest of the room is so neat. I walk over and start looking through them, tossing them to the side as I do. Nothing strange: an old National Geographic, a copy of Mia & Wesley’s wedding invitation (I didn’t realize that he’s sentimental), a Reader’s Digest, and. . . the last thing in the pile catches my eye, and I sit down on the corner of his side of the bed to read more. It’s newspaper dated from two weeks ago, opened up to the business section, about midway through the paper. On the left-hand side, a half-page article is titled “Marsden Inc. the potential victim of a hostile takeover.” Holy shit! I don’t know exactly what that is but it doesn’t sound good at all, so I Google the phrase ‘hostile takeover’ and read. Apparently it’s a type of business acquisition where a company can forcibly buy another company. Why hasn’t Kane told me anything about this? I have to talk to him about it, but not now. The article is short, and I try to read the whole thing, but before I’m finished I get another text. Kevin never knows how to end a conversation; he’s that guy who’ll text back ‘ok’ even when you don’t have to.
I open my screen and see that the text isn’t from Kevin, it’s from Mia.
Mia: hey there. I hear we’re having dinner tomorrow.
Wow that was fast. Kane’s on top of his game.
Dacia: It’s really good to hear from you. When do you land?
Mia: In a few hours.
I know that the big plan is to reveal everything tomorrow at dinner, but I decide that I want to see Mia before dinner tomorrow.
Dacia: I know you’ll be exhausted and jet-lagged, but wanna come to salon with me in the morning? Wanna get my hair done.
Mia: Sounds great. Pick you up at your place?
Shit! She doesn’t know about Kane and me either. I’m going to need to make a checklist of things I need to tell her about.
Dacia: Actually, I’ll meet you there.
I can’t wait to see her; it feels like an eternity since we’ve really talked – maybe that’s because so much has happened in the meantime. I don’t know if I’m definitely going to tell her at the salon, but I do know that Kane’s going to be pissed at me for leaving the house. Time for my third text discussion of the day.
Dacia: Hey – spoke to Mia. Don’t freak out, but I’m going to meet her at the salon we go to.
Kane: Are you sure?
Dacia: Yeah, I need to get out. I’ll be okay.
I expected him to try to be controlling; to tell me I couldn’t go anywhere like he’s my dad, but he doesn’t do that at all; he lets me make my own assessment of the situation.
Kane: I get it. You’ve been stuck inside like a prisoner. I’d be going out of my mind if I were you. Can we compromise, though?
Dacia: Compromise how?
Kane: Let me have John drive you. I know Mia doesn’t know about us yet, but he can drop you and off and pick you up without anyone knowing. It’ll just make me feel better.
Dacia: That’s fine; I kind of miss John, anyhow.
Kane: Okay. I’m taking the day off tomorrow to get things ready for dinner. Been stressful here anyhow, so I’ll let him know he’s your driver tomorrow. See you later on.
Stressful? If what I even started to read is true, I can only imagine how stressful his job must be. A rival company is looking to buy his company and I’m guessing that he’s been spending his days fighting them off. I’ll talk to him about that soon, after we get through tomorrow night. But in the meantime I’m having one of those impulsive thoughts that I’ve been known to have from time to time. I turn and see myself in Kane’s bathroom mirror. I've been brunette for a while, but blonde doesn't suit me at all; I leaned that the hard way during a tragic phase after high school. But I'm thinking...red. Red would suit me perfectly.
Chapter 15
John the driver might be the nicest man ever. He's much older than me, but not old-old like you'd think of a grandpa. I guess the word I'm looking for is dignified; he's a dignified older guy, like the polite butler in a movie about a rich person. His hair is a light gray, and perfectly combed; he's clean shaven, and has a kind face, a trustworthy face that’s always smiling when he looks at you. An added bonus is that he also doesn't drive one hundred
miles an hour like Kane does, so the odds of getting to the salon on time for my appointment without getting into an accident are pretty high.
Speaking of Mia, I'm so excited to finally see her, and I've been obsessing over how to tell her what's been going on in my messed up little world. On the one hand I don't want to rain on the honeymoon parade - I know she'll have a million stories and pictures to share with me, and I'll have to do the best-friend thing and smile while she does. But how do I go from that normal girlfriend moment to 'oh what have I been doing this whole time? I'm glad you asked - actually I've been hooking up with Wesley's brother, and he's been helping me conduct a covert investigation into the psycho ex who wants to kill me- the one who the police are actively looking for whose been threatening me - now let's see those beach pics again.' Yeah, this is going to be weird no matter how I play it.
"How long has your friend been away?" John asks in a soft voice that I swear has a hint of an accent.
"A few weeks now. I'm not even sure where she's been, actually."
"I'm sure it's been a short trip around most of the world. I've known the boys for most of their lives and Wesley's been waiting to meet the girl of his dreams forever- I'm sure he spoiled her."
The more John speaks the more I hear his accent, but I can't place it. "I'm sorry if this is insensitive, John, but where are you from originally?" He hesitates for a second after I ask, and I start to panic that he doesn't have an accent at all, and that I basically just insulted him.
"Is it still that obvious after all these years?" He asks me, "no matter how much time I spend in this country I guess I'll always sound like I'm from home."
"Where's home?" I ask.
"Dublin, originally, but I've lived in the United States since I was around your age, and I've worked for the Marsden family the entire time. Good people. Tell me, is the accent that obvious?"
"No," I say, mostly because he almost seems a little embarrassed by it; like he wants to sound more American, "it's barely there, but I've never heard you speak before and I picked up on it right away. I like it." I smile at him in the rear view and I can see a grin come across his face.
"Thank you, miss Dacia," he says sweetly I his faint Irish accent, "and we're almost there."
It's nice to be driven around, especially when I've been cooped up in a house for what seems like an eternity. I roll my window down and take some very deep breaths, and let the wind mess up my hair a little. It's not like it matters how I look when I get to the hair please, it only matters how I look when I leave.
We get there a few minutes later, and I see Mia's car as John pulls in front of the place. I didn't want her to see being driven around, so I ask John to keep driving a little past the place, and he parks around the corner where Mia can't see us. "Thanks," I tell him as he puts the car in park. "Shit!" I don't even realize I'm yelling out loud, but I just remember something that inspires me to curse.
"What's the matter?" John asks, turning around to face me and looking more concerned than the situation requires.
"Oh, sorry," I say, "I'm just being dramatic, it's nothing."
"In my experience, when a woman spontaneously yells out, it's seldom nothing. Tell me."
"It's so stupid."
"I'll be the judge of that. What is it?"
"It's..." I stop myself at first cause it's so dumb, but then blurt out, "it's a pair of shoes. My favorite pair of shoes. Kane's having a dinner tonight and I wanted to look my best. I haven't been feeling great, so I thought maybe looking great would be the next best thing. Like I said, it's silly."
"Do you have a spare key? I'll gladly pick them up and be back here by the time you're finished." He's such a sweet man, he really doesn't have to do that at all.
"No, it's okay, you really don't have to."
"I know I don't have to," he says softly, "I want to. Now, about that spare key."
I reach into my bag, pull out my house keys, and place them in John's already outstretched arm. "Has anyone ever told you that you're too nice."
"Not in a while, no."
"Well now you have. You're too nice - if that's even a thing." I smile at him and give him an unexpected hug, which totally makes him uncomfortable because he just stands there while i give him a squeeze and doesn't move. After he gets back in the car I walk around the corner to meet up with Mia. All I can think about right now is how good it feels to be outside, and to be doing something resembling normal. Plus I'm excited to switch my look up.
I see Mia waiting on line, and as I walk up to tap her on the shoulder, I can see how tan the back of her neck is from all the sun-bathing. "Someone's working on early melanoma, huh?" She doesn't answer back right away; she just wraps her arms around me like we haven't seen each other in years and squeezes tightly. "Damn, aren't you sick of having your body pressed up against another person by now? I'm sure that's all you've been doing for the last few weeks." She let's go and we both laugh, and I can see even more clearly how tan she is now that she's facing me - we literally look like we're different ethnicities. "Remind me to visit whatever exotic locations you went to when it's my turn, my pasty ass could use some of that sun."
"It's not all that it’s cracked up to be," she says pointing to her back, "I forgot the sun screen on our second trip to the beach and I'm still in pain. My back's been peeling like I got a fresh tattoo, it's kind of gross."
"Just the cost of doing business, I guess."
"Yeah, and how are you? I feel like I've been monopolizing all of our conversations since I've been away. How's everything in your world?" It's too soon to get into all of that, so I do what I do best - change the subject until I'm ready to discuss it.
"I'm good, but at least tell me where you guys went, we can get into my stuff when we sit down."
I'm great at stalling, and although I'm listening to all her stories about amazing dinners, hot sex, and exotic locations, I'm also only half listening. The other half of my mind is going through the script I've prepped to drop all these bombs on my best friend with as little shock as possible. We talk for a little on line, then we get seated. I do my best-friend duty and smile and nod a lot, all the while thinking about what to say to Mia when she asks about me again.
"Okay so now it's your turn," she says kind of suddenly, "how's Sally? Meet any new guys or what?"
At this point a very clear voice speaks to me; it's a voice I've heard only a few times in my life, but the few times I've heard her I just knew to trust every word she says. After Mia asks about me for the second time I hear her in my head, and she says in a soft, but unmistakable tone, "Fuck it." Well, who am I to argue with her?
"I'm kinda-sorta dating Kane. So now tell me about that sunburn again." I wonder if she heard that first part.
“What!” Damn, I guess she heard me.
“Yeah.”
“Wait, you’re dating Kane Marsden? As in my new husband’s younger brother? The one you hated last I heard?”
“Yes, yes, and yes.” I’m trying to read Mia’s face; it’s a weird mixture of complete surprise and a little confusion. She doesn’t look angry, which I’m happy about, but I know I definitely need to explain some more.
“I didn’t want to get into it while you were on your honeymoon, but I’ve wanted to tell you since it happened.”
“Since what happened?” she asks.
I tell her the whole story: the chance meeting at Sally’s; the impromptu flirtation and almost date; the real date, and me spending the night with him. She hangs on my every word so closely that she barely seems to blink, and I’m careful to avoid the pats of the story that involve Derrick. “So there you have it. Now only you, me, Kane, and the nice lady doing our toes knows about us. It actually feels really good to finally tell you.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe it. How weird is it that we’d each end up with a different brother?”
“Pump the brakes. You’re the only one of us who’s ‘ended up’ with anyone, right now I don’t even know what I’d c
all me and Kane. Neither of us has used the term boyfriend or girlfriend, and no one’s said it yet.”
“Said what?” Mia asks.
“It. . . I love you.”
“Kane doesn’t strike me as the type to use any of those words, to be honest. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel it. Wesley’s the romantic one; at least once you get past his anxiety issues. But Kane never struck me as the type to even be in a relationship, let alone be loving and romantic. But you never know – I thought Wesley was a basket case for a while when we first met, so it’s possible to be completely wrong about a person.”
Hearing her speak about Kane doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence in whatever we may be to one another, but she is right about impressions. When she first met him, Mia spent almost a week thinking her future husband was a shady character who was cheating on her with another woman, and not only was she wrong about all that, he also turned out to be the love of her life. Kane didn’t make the best first impression on me either – he was arrogant, and way too sexual for having just met me. But it isn’t those random meetings that matter when you’re evaluating a person; it’s how they are with you in times of crisis; times when you need them the most. So far, in my time of crisis, Kane’s been my savior; a complete champion for my mental and physical health, and I don’t know if I’d be standing here right now without him. I’ve never really thought of it before this conversation, but I wonder what Kane thought of me when we met. I’ll have to ask him one day.
“There’s more to the story,” I say reluctantly, my voice lowering for some reason. “Some details that I left out about what’s been going on the last few weeks while you’ve been away. I think I need to tell you about them before tonight.”
“Okaaay. . .” she says, and for the first time in since we got here Mia looks concerned – probably because I’m being super cryptic. It takes a few minutes, but as we sit here having out toes and nails done, I tell her everything. By the time I’m done Mia’s crying.
Impressions of Me (Impressions Series Book 2) Page 13
