When the last float passed, Luke pulled me up with him and pressed his body up against mine, blocking me from the crowds that had begun leaving. His lips were mere inches from mine and his eyes dilated as I leaned in closer.
“Let’s go inside,” he said, letting the sweetness of his breath wash over my face.
Luke grabbed the door behind us and I ducked under his arm to escape inside Jackie’s shop.
“Did you enjoy the parade?” Jackie called from the back of the store.
“We did,” I answered for both of us.
“You look much better today, Logan,” Jackie said as she stepped into view, retrieving the chairs from Luke’s hands.
“Thanks for letting us hide in here while the crowd disperses. It’s good to see you again, how’s Old Man Charlie?” Luke asked.
“Well, still old. Should be back later this evening. He had to run to the Big Horns yesterday. How are your brothers?” she asked.
“They’re good. I haven’t seen a whole lot of them this past week.”
“Getting it out of their system, I suppose,” Jackie interrupted.
“Getting what out of their system?” I inquired. I knew I was missing something.
“She…?” Jackie started and then paused, not finishing the question. She kept her eyes locked on Luke, like a hunter watching its prey. The hairs on my neck stood up and I felt the sudden urge to step back.
“Jack and Jesse are big hunters. They were out hunting every night before you got here,” Luke answered keeping his eyes locked on Jackie’s.
“Right,” Jackie agreed, but I wasn’t convinced. Before I could push the issue, Luke reached out and ran his fingers lightly down my arm. The caress surprised me, momentarily rendering me speechless.
“We should get going, it looks quieter outside,” Luke said as he guided me toward the door.
I knew they were hiding something, but I hadn’t the slightest idea and my loss for words kept me from investigating. Pity, I was sure I could have gotten answers from Jackie. Luke was another story.
“I’m going to close the store in a couple minutes. If there’s something you need, I’d be more than happy to help you before you go,” Jackie said, looking directly at me as if encouraging me to stay and give myself a chance for the questions to come out.
“That won’t be necessary, we’re heading out now,” Luke answered before I could. Maybe they weren’t hiding something from me. Maybe it was just Luke.
He took my hand firmly and we left the store. As soon as we were away from the boutique, I slowed my stride and squeezed Luke’s hand.
“What was that all about?” I asked, intertwining our fingers.
“What?”
“That conversation with Jackie. It was weird, like I missed something.”
“I told you, my brothers are serious hunters and so is Charlie,” Luke replied casually.
“Are you sure that’s all? I feel like you’re hiding something from me.”
He pulled me closer. For a moment, I thought he was going to tell me until I realized we were only slowing for a crosswalk filled with people. I looked at the ground disappointed until the light changed to green and the crowd started moving again.
“I got the same feeling yesterday, when we saw that wolf,” I said.
Luke slowed his stride for only a moment and I knew I was onto something.
“It’s nothing,” he finally spit.
“If it’s nothing, that means it’s most likely something,” I argued.
Luke stopped, giving me a grimacing look.
I glared back.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. Once again, I hadn’t been paying attention and it took a moment to realize he’d stopped directly in front of a restaurant.
“Sure,” I lied.
I was still full from lunch with Kate, but wasn’t about to let the night or our conversation end just yet. I’d sign autographs all day if it bought me time to get the answers I wanted. Luke released my hand and walked to the hostess through the lines of people standing in the waiting area. I kept my head down and waited by the door so we could leave when they told him it was going to be a ridiculously long wait. Luke returned and silently grabbed my hand, guiding me to follow the hostess to a table in the very back.
“How did you get us in?” I asked.
“I told them who you are,” he said with a crocked smile.
“What? Are you kidding me?” I said, angry, though I’ve used the same move to get into most places my entire life.
“I’m joking, Logan. Has anyone ever told you that you have a quick temper?” he laughed.
“Tell me you didn’t use my name to get us a table.”
“No, I didn’t. Be serious,” he said confidently.
I felt like an idiot for snapping at him. I had to admit, it was nice having someone around who didn’t attempt to use me every chance they got. The BMW Brody was driving a year before it hit the showroom floor was a recent case-in-point. I looked down at the large menu pretending to read it intently, skimming back and forth through the pages, wondering what my first day of school was going to be like. I wondered if Luke was going to treat me the same way at school. It was typical for people to be phony around me in public, but I didn’t think Luke was the type. I wanted to believe he respected me more than that.
Our waitress came and I ordered soup and salad, making Luke frown. I could fake my way through eating soup and salad though. While Luke ordered, I thought about how to bring the whole ‘Jackie thing’ back up. It was still bothering me, mainly because it was the second time he’d acted weird around me and when confronted, brushed me off. I was investing a great deal of trust into this person and couldn’t afford to have him let me down.
The waitress left and I glanced at Luke, catching him staring at me. Or – staring at the wrinkle between my eyes. I smiled and rolled my eyes playfully.
“What did you order?” I asked, proving his point I had been lost in thought. He didn’t answer. He was staring at me with a tortured facial expression, but said nothing.
“Luke, what’s wrong?” I demanded, now worried.
When he didn’t respond, I realized he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me. I turned my head to follow Luke’s gaze. A man was effortlessly darting around people and tables, quickly closing in on us, his fierce stare locked with Luke’s. My body went rigid and I couldn’t have moved if I had wanted to. And I wanted to. I wanted to ask Luke what he’d gotten me into, but couldn’t move my lips. Luke finally got up, walking to my side and placing his hand protectively on my shoulder. I reached up, locked my fingers in his and looked into his eyes, questioning, though he didn’t return my gaze to offer any answers.
“Don’t say a word,” Luke hissed in a low voice. There was no time to ask why.
“Good evening, Alexander,” Luke said snidely to the man standing before us.
“A good evening it is, Luke. Did you enjoy the parade?” the man replied. He seemed only a few years older than us, but talked with an accent from another time and had clothing to match. His eyes were bright green and penetrating. I couldn’t look away.
“I did,” Luke answered, “I didn’t realize you were in town.”
“You know why I’m here, Luke. Xavier and Raphael sent me a couple days ago and it wasn’t hard to pick out a sweet, youthful new face in town. They will be pleased when I tell them Logan is with you and doing well.” I flinched when he said my name. My instincts told me this was one person I shouldn’t feel flattered by the fact that he knew who I was.
“She’s not here with me, she’s staying with Kevin and Kate,” Luke hissed, acting as if he barely knew me. Suddenly, Alexander was the one flinching away.
“Logan, I’m surprised to see you looking so happy, so quickly, after…”
“Get on with it!” Luke growled, cutting Alexander off, though I wanted to hear more. I couldn’t begin to imagine what Luke had gotten me involved in, but I deserved to know more. Luke’s temper didn�
��t seem to faze Alexander who stood quietly, as if deciding whether or not to press his luck.
“Please, don’t let me interrupt your lovely evening any further. My work here is done. I’ll be on my way.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I think that would be best,” Luke growled in a low sharp voice.
“And Logan, it’s been a brief pleasure meeting you. I look forward to seeing you again soon,” Alexander said as he reached out to kiss the back of my hand. A chill fell down my spine as Luke stepped between us, blocking my view.
“Luke,” I heard Alexander say, “it’s always a pleasure.”
When Luke finally moved again, Alexander was nowhere in sight, though he left behind infinite questions. Luke avoided my eyes as he sat back down. I said nothing, waiting for him to speak first. As if to prolong the silence, our waitress returned with our meals. I’d fully lost my appetite and so I sat back in my chair, waiting. Stared and waited. When Luke finally looked up from his plate, I knew he wasn’t about to tell me what I wanted to hear.
“We’re not going to have this discussion now, so I suggest you let it go and eat your meal,” Luke said sternly. His coldness caught me off guard like a slap in the face. I grabbed my clutch and got up from the table.
“Where are you going?” he nearly yelled at me.
“To the restroom, Luke. Is that okay with you?” I said as defiantly as possible.
“Logan, I would prefer you wait. Otherwise, I will have to escort you.”
“I have to go, so if you feel the need to escort me, then I suggest you start moving.”
I turned to leave, unconcerned with whether he was following or not. I went into the restroom without ever looking back and headed for the last stall. Was this really happening? Every day, since the moment I found out my mother had died, I had wished I was trapped in some sick nightmare and would soon wake up. Then, in the midst of my broken heartedness, I met Luke and had pulled back from the darkness. Now, in a moment’s notice, I was sinking back into the nightmare.
I’d had enough. Something wasn’t adding up and I deserved answers. Not able to put the pieces together on my own, Luke owed me an explanation. Otherwise, he needed to take me home. I shoved the stall door open.
“What are you doing in here?” I yelled at Luke who was sitting on the counter.
“I told you I was following you,” he said, with a guilty smile. Seeing that smile again and his perfect form perched on a tiny counter in the women’s restroom was oddly disarming. I fought down a grin.
“What’s going on, Luke? I need answers. Now. My dad has been acting weird, now you, Jackie, Alexander…” I said, trailing off. Luke took one of my hands gently and then the other, pulling me toward him. I tried to speak, but couldn’t focus on words. He slid off the counter when I reached him, forcing his body tightly against mine. I held my breath. He ran his hands up my hips, inside my jacket, and around my back, pulling me in even closer. The conversation was slipping from my mind as he ran his hands from under my jacket toward my face. He cupped his hands around my cheeks and pulled my face toward his. His lips touched my cheekbone then traced down my jaw. He lingered for only a moment before tracing back up to the tip of my ear.
“Just breathe, Logan,” he whispered softly against my ear, sending a hard chill through me I knew he felt. Hands still on my face, he traced back up to my forehead, kissing, and then tracing his lips to my nose, placing a kiss on the tip. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the moment. He pulled his hands down from my face slowly, but never taking them off my body.
“I’ll let you finish up. I’ll be just outside,” he said as he slid away from me and out the door.
I dropped my hands to the counter to brace my weak knees and focused on breathing while the minutes ticked away. When everything slowed down again, I was able to unclench my hands from the counter and ran them under cold water. I realized what had just happened. He should’ve apologized, but he didn’t. He tricked me; changing the subject without saying a word. Two could play that game, I thought. When I opened the door, he was patiently waiting with a devious grin. He held out his hand and laced his fingers through mine.
“Where are we going?” I asked, pulling back on his hand.
“While you were finishing up, I took care of our order and the check. We should get back home. It’s a school night, you know?”
This was going to be easier than I’d thought.
Though we strolled slowly hand-in-hand toward my car, I hadn’t forgotten about what had happened. If anything, Luke was buying me more time to think things through. I needed to be up front and to the point with my questions. If Luke wouldn’t answer them, I’d ask my father. I pulled the car keys out of my clutch and unlocked the door. Luke tried to open it for me, but I beat him to it. Smugly, he handed me our boxed up dinner and closed the door after I was inside.
He walked around the front of the car, and got in the driver’s side without taking his eyes off mine. I held the keys up in the air. He reached for them and I dropped them back into my purse. He put his hand on the steering wheel and slumped back in the seat as if he knew this might take a while.
“I need answers, Luke. I need to know,” I proclaimed forcefully. “Why is my dad being over protective of? What was the conversation with Jackie after the parade all about? And who is Alexander? You go from being a sweet normal guy to this weirdo following me into the restroom and I may not completely know what’s going on, but I know something’s not right.”
Luke didn’t say anything while he tapped his fingers lightly against the wheel. I had all night, nowhere to be and wasn’t about to give up.
“This is about my mother, isn’t it?”
His silence told me all my questions had real answers. Answers that he had. He finally let out a sigh as if giving in.
“Logan, it’s late and I need to get you home before your dad starts to worry,” he said, sounding slightly defeated.
“Fine,” I said, pulling out the keys. “I’m sure my dad would be more than willing to answer these questions for me. You should take me home.” I held out the keys again while my words sank in.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said, putting his hand over mine and the keys. “I’ll tell you everything, just not tonight. I promise it’s not that big of a deal.”
“If it’s not that big of a deal, Luke, tell me now.”
Another deep sigh told me I was breaking him down.
“I want to tell you everything when the time is right.” I started to open my mouth to argue but he put his hand up to silence me. “And, I want to show you.”
I considered his words, but could see from the pain in his eyes he was struggling. The coldness from before had disappeared.
He tiredly, yet quietly, sighed again.
“Show me?” I finally questioned.
“I promise,” he whispered, anguished.
His sincerity caught me off guard and I turned to look at him. Mistake. His eyes were liquid sapphire against the dim streetlights. They melted every part of me. I knew he was telling the truth and he knew I was giving in – or – giving up for now.
As if to seal his promise, he pulled my hand toward his face and gently pressed the back of it against his lips, making a vow.
Andrea Wells – The Violet Hour
Chapter 9
I spent two hours getting dressed and doing my hair before I was ready to face my first day at Sheridan High. I felt amateur – I usually took my time getting ready in the morning, but not that much time. I was wearing the last outfit my mom bought for me, a mustard colored sweater dress that stopped just above the knees. I checked. Over the dress, I had on a wide brown leather belt that perfectly matched my Chanel leather knee-high boots and bag. Paired with my mother’s real emerald ring and earrings I took from her jewelry box, I felt confident my look wasn’t going to be too fashionable for school, yet still met my standards. As I looked in the mirror, I realized with sadness it wasn’t my mother’s
jewelry anymore – it was mine. However, the sadness was bittersweet as I remembered with a smile our last shopping trip. It felt good to think of her with something other than complete anguish.
I had been excited all summer for this day. It was supposed to be the first day of my senior year at Laguna High, but my excitement had been replaced with nerves and dread. New school, new teachers, new students, new friends, new everything. I thought about my Laguna friends getting ready for school, but they didn’t even make up half of what was on my mind. The conversation I needed to have with Luke hung heavy in my thoughts. He had put it on such a high pedestal by making me wait that I could hardly sleep. I was dwelling on it even though I had no idea when and what he was going to tell me. If it was going to be easy, he would’ve already told me, but he hadn’t and the anticipation gnawed at my patience.
“Logan?” my dad called from downstairs.
“Coming!” I yelled.
When I walked into the kitchen, everyone had already eaten breakfast and was milling around waiting, knowing I wouldn’t eat anything on a morning like this. I avoided looking at Luke so I wouldn’t feel awkward.
“Good morning, Logan,” my dad said as I approached him for a hug. It was becoming easier to show affection with him.
“Morning, Dad.”
“You look nice,” Kate said when she appeared from behind the fridge door to hand me a little brown paper bag. The type of bag I hadn’t seen since kindergarten.
“Well, we’d better get going or we’ll be late,” Jack said as he headed toward the garage door. Jesse shoved through the kitchen after him while Luke waited to hold the door open for me. Jack and Jesse pushed each other, racing for the driver’s side, and in the end Jesse won. I followed them to the edge of the garage until Luke took my hand, tugging me softly back.
“Why don’t we take your car so you can drive home? That way you’ll know how to get to school the rest of the week,” Luke said. I frowned, wondering if this was a hint he wouldn’t be around. He waved Jesse on and they took off down the drive.
The Violet Hour (The Violet Hour Series) Page 7
