by Deanna Chase
As Jared rested his hand on her leg, she marveled at how wonderful it felt to be near him. He had this astounding ability to help her forget about anything else. Despite money problems, sinister psychics and missing children, Kate sensed that everything was going to be all right as long as Jared cared about her.
Although she really wanted to discuss Max and divulge meeting Declan to Jared, Kate wanted to keep the mood light to enjoy their night out. The intensity of how they met had prevented any fun during the first few weeks of their relationship. Giving statements to police about Cori’s kidnapping along with media interviews and post-traumatic stress psych sessions left little time for more pleasurable pursuits.
“So, is Gage as bad as you say he is?” Jared questioned. He had been drumming on her knee for the past couple of minutes in tune with the song playing over his radio.
Kate gave a dramatic shudder. “Worse. But Julie thinks the two of you will be fast friends. So who knows? Maybe his charms are only lost on me.” She gave him a serious look. “Is this weird for you? Going out on a date with a bunch of college kids?”
“No, but I feel old now,” Jared chided. “I never went to college, so school does seem far away to me since I graduated ten years ago.”
“I’m lucky that I’m totally mature enough to date someone seven years older than me.”
He shot her a mock serious look. “I love when you make comments that make me feel like a dirty old man.”
Kate giggled and again appreciated Jared’s silly side. Most guys may have been put off by her sarcasm, but Jared could dish it out as well as he could take it. As much as she had tried to scare him off in the beginning, he had persisted and their friendship had grown.
Living at home and steering clear of social situations since her coma had the affect of stunting her emotionally. However, the past couple of months had helped her grow immensely. The old Kate would’ve never gone out of her way to use her gift to help out as many people as possible. The old Kate would’ve worried about being labeled the town freak. The new Kate was ready to let her freak flag wave high if it meant getting the missing back home.
Gage and Julie were easy to spot when they arrived at the restaurant. Although Julie’s hulking he-man of a boyfriend was nearby, it didn’t stop many of the men seated at the bar from shooting the attractive brunette appreciative glances. Julie’s black dress was skintight with a peephole back. With a tall and willowy frame and gorgeous coffee colored hair that looked straight out of a shampoo commercial, Julie was model gorgeous. Instead of gazing adoringly at his beautiful girlfriend and thanking his lucky stars she would even stop to give him the time, Gage was chugging down a beer.
“Katie!” Gage bellowed upon seeing her. As heads turned towards her to see what the rumpus was about, Kate stopped in her tracks and shot Jared a helpless look. Jared gave her a quick squeeze before urging her forward. The bar was fairly busy and they had to elbow their way through the crowd to reach her friends.
Walking up to them, she said hello to Julie and gave her a long hug. Once they disengaged, she turned to her friend’s boyfriend. “Gage,” she said as greeting and gave him a terse smile.
Gage rolled his eyes at her greeting and fluffed her hair. After Kate pushed his hand away, Gage stuck his hand out to Jared and the guys shook hands vigorously. Jared’s pleasant expression never left his face as he genuinely smiled at Gage. Immediately the boys launched into small talk.
Julie pivoted her body to face Kate and handed her a drink. Kate strived to smooth out the mess Gage had made out of her mahogany mane. Julie whispered, “I ordered you a vodka and tonic. Barely any calories and it will calm your nerves.”
Kate took a sip and screwed up her face in disgust. She preferred the fruitier drinks with tons of calories. Also, the heat from the hibachi grills was make the temperature unbearable and Kate needed a beverage to quickly guzzle down. “That drink is gross. I’ll see if Jared wants it. Order me a fruit drink instead, maybe a Mai Tai?”
Julie pursed her lips and shook her head, but flagged down the bartender and ordered Kate’s drink. After she handed over the concoction, she questioned Kate, “So anymore information on boy wonder?”
Kate tried to send her friend a look to silence her, but of course her detective boyfriend picked up on the sudden tension in her. Jared stopped his conversation with Gage and met her eyes. “Who’s boy wonder?” he asked flippantly.
Kate chose her words carefully. “I was going to tell you about it later because I didn’t want to ruin our date. But remember that guy I mentioned from last week that creeped me out?” At his nod, she continued, “Turns out he’s another psychic.”
After a beat, he asked, “Really?”
“Yes, guess he was watching me around the campus to decide if I was a true psychic or not. Definitely a lame way to go about it—but us psychics are known for our eccentric ways,” Kate said and shrugged as she felt his stare on her face.
His expression remained attentive and Jared didn’t seem to buy into her frantic attempt to blow the whole thing off. “What did he want?”
“Well, he didn’t say he was interested in starting up a psychic support group, so I’m not exactly sure,” Kate quipped. “He told me to contact him after and I quote ‘realize he’s the real deal,’” she said and rolled her eyes for added effect. Jared didn’t look amused in the slightest and she decided to change the subject as quickly as possible. “Let’s talk about normal things tonight, please? Can we table the paranormal nonsense just for the evening?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Julie said sensing Kate’s discomfort. Jared hesitantly nodded and stuck his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.
“Well then…” Gage started breaking the uncomfortable silence. After an awkward moment, he gave Kate a long look. “How’s thirteenth grade going at the community college?” he asked with a chuckle.
Before Kate could unleash a string of expletives, Julie intervened by pinching Gage’s arm hard. “Stop being a jerk.”
Jared shifted from side to side and cleared his throat. “I think the waitress is signaling us that our table is ready.”
The foursome moved towards the hibachi table with seating for ten and Kate hoped they wouldn’t be stuck with any of Franklin’s degenerates. She once got stuck next to this guy with the worst body odor ever. Luckily, when they arrived at the table they only saw a couple who seemed too busy making googly eyes at each other to be too much of an annoyance. Gage went for the end seat, but Kate elbowed him out of the way to score it first. From the gleam in his eye, she guessed he was contemplating his payback. Jared sat next to her while Julie and Gage sat parallel.
After the waitress took their orders, Gage turned to her and Jared with a patronizing grin. “I’m glad to finally meet you, dude. Katie isn’t exactly one to date.”
“Gage…” Julie began in a warning tone. Julie gripped his arm, but Gage’s expression never wavered.
“I’m just saying, Kate will probably be a lot less uptight now that she has a man around,” he said with a smile. His emerald eyes scanned the menu with practiced nonchalance.
“I’m not uptight, I just have a low tolerance for general douchieness,” Kate replied in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Gage leaned back in a chair and let out a guffaw. He put down the menu and studied her. “You still seem tightly wound,” he addressed her before turning to Jared. “You’re making sure our Katie is satisfied, right?”
Jared looked momentarily flustered and opened his mouth to reply, but Kate beat him to it. “Only you, Gage, would think my sex life is appropriate dinner conversation.”
“Sorry Katie, but I can smell your sexual frustration from a mile away,” he laughed.
Throwing down her palm hard against the table, she noted the whole table jump. The couple across the way had to pick their jaws off the floor as they began to take note of the interaction. Picking up her chopsticks, she pointed them maniacally at Gage. “One more word and I swear I’ll
shove these chopsticks so far up your…”
Jared turned to Julie who had a far away look in her eyes. “Are they always like this?” he questioned in an alarmed tone. Jared shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked on the verge of bolting for the nearest exit.
Shaking her head, Julie gave him a faraway smile. “Sorry, I didn’t notice if they were still at it. I usually tune them out when they’re fighting and replay old episodes of The Vampire Diaries in my head.”
Kate took a deep breath and lowered the chopsticks. She figured it was best to calm down. It was hard not to notice the alarmed look on the faces of the couple across the way. The man seemed to be signaling the waitress about switching tables. Gage slapped Jared heartily on the back. “Dude, I was totally kidding. I just get a kick turning Kate into a complete spaz.”
Jared gave him a tight smile and turned to her. He clutched her hand and shot a full blown grin her way. Any tension she felt was relieved as she began to giggle at the silliness of the situation. Maybe Gage was right and she was sexually frustrated. It was absurd that a few off color remarks had sent her in a tizzy.
The rest of the dinner went surprisingly well. Their hibachi chef was hysterical and he was generous with the saki. After a few shots of the alcohol, she was even finding Gage tolerable and actually laughed at a few of his jokes. Before they parted ways, Kate was in high spirits and suggested they make this a regular thing and make plans to all go out together soon.
Kate leaned contently into Jared as they walked to his car. “Are you being affectionate or am I helping you stay vertical?” he laughed looking down at her. At least he had no problem being her designated driver for the night.
“You smell delicious,” she sighed into his shirt.
Jared laughed loudly before helping her get into his car. He lingered in front of her after buckling her seatbelt. “Remember the last time you were drunk and I drove you home? Same rules apply.”
“Does that mean you’re going to take me to get coffee again and refuse my advances? It’ll be just like old times,” she said flippantly. He shook his head and closed her car door.
After settling into his seat, Jared tilted towards her. “When I do take advantage of you, I’d like you to be fully conscious.” He pecked her on the lips before throwing the car in reverse. “We’ll stop for that coffee though. I thought we could maybe take a ride somewhere if you’re up to it.”
“I’m up for anything, baby,” she said huskily followed by a fit of laughter. Tucking a loose wave behind her ear, she thought about how she made a horrible seductress. “You probably have serious doubts after tonight about dating someone like me.”
“No doubts at all,” he said and she could tell he honestly meant it. The time she got to spend with Jared made her irrationally happy. Not only was he kind and handsome, but he put up with her immaturity and quirky sense of humor. Plus, she thought as he handed her a warm cup after stopping at Dunkin Donuts, he knew exactly how she took her coffee without being prompted.
Kate knew that what she felt towards Jared was strong and her life had completely changed since the moment he rang her doorbell months ago. She understood that the smart thing would be to take things slow. Kate hadn’t dated anyone since high school and Jared had just gotten out of a long-term relationship. Yet to tone down the intensity of her emotions was impossible.
Kate hadn’t noticed where they were headed until he parked the car. It was dark, but a few spotlights shone on the walkways and the parking lot. After a couple of seconds, Kate recognized the local park where Jared had taken her last month when they worked together to find Cori.
“Our lake!” she cried hopping out of the car and running towards the path. She almost tripped, but luckily her boyfriend had quick reflexes and caught her. His arm wrapped around her waist and he embraced her in a way that left her faint.
“Slow down there champ. Remember the geese weren’t the biggest fan of you last time,” Jared said dryly. It was his favorite thing to joke about.
He took her hand and led her towards the lake’s edge. She had never been inside the park at night. Long shadows were cast from the trees and the bugs created a loud symphony of chirps and rattles. It was equally parts romantic and creepy. “You didn’t take me out here to kill me, did you? I hope you’re not that furious over not mentioning the other psychic sooner.”
He put a finger to her lips to silence her. She was about to come up with a witty retort to the condescending gesture, but decided against it when she noted the seductive gleam in his eyes. As flattered as she was over his intense stare, Kate hoped this wasn’t the special night he had talked about. She imagined her mortification if a park ranger caught them getting it on. Looking around, she guessed they could always get friendly with each other in the gazebo. But that didn’t exactly scream romance. Plus, who knows what kind of crawly things made their home in that thing at night? Feeling pressure on her mouth, Jared’s kiss silenced her inner monologue.
His hand worked his way through the soft waves of her hair. Pulling her into his body, she could feel the firmness of his muscles. Kissing him back, she ran her fingers through his hair and sighed into his mouth. Breaking the kiss, Jared let out a little laugh. “I love when you do things like that.”
“What?” Tilting her head, she gave him an inquisitive look.
His hand rested on her cheek as he looked deep into her hazel eyes. “Sigh when you’re kissing me. It makes it hard for me to ever be upset with you.”
“Good to know. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I end up doing anything that really will make you mad,” Kate teased.
“About the whole new psychic thing…”
She interrupted him. “You’re not going to say anything that ruins our happy place, are you?”
“No, but I want you to realize you can talk to me about the psychic stuff. Things are getting hectic at work, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have time for you.” He paused and said thoughtfully, “That vision of Max must still be bothering you.”
The mention of Max was instantly sobering. Closing her eyes, she could envision the boy’s tortured brown eyes as Max listened to the woman say his parents were dead. “It’s been tough,” she conceded. “But I’ve seen nothing else since that one night. I’m hanging my hopes partially on this other psychic. He didn’t elaborate, but he hinted that he could help me with my visions.”
Jared didn’t reply which encouraged her to continue talking about Declan. “His caseload was impressive. I can’t imagine he’s gotten this successful without having some way to control his gift,” Kate said thoughtfully.
He hugged her and gave a quick kiss on the top of her head. “It wouldn’t hurt hearing him out. We should’ve figured there were more actual psychics out there. Just be careful,” Jared cautioned. “People are bound to try and take advantage of you.”
“Like Franklin’s best-looking detective?”
“You know it.”
Chapter Six
Max didn’t like this place. He missed his mommy, daddy and his dog Molly. He didn’t like the weird lady who kept asking him to call her mommy. Even if his mommy was in heaven now, she wasn’t his mommy. She could be so nice to him, but then be really mean too. She hit him hard twice already for not listening to her rules. She spanked his bottom hard enough that he cried for hours afterward when he sat down. His mommy and daddy never hit him, even after the time he poured all the red paint on Molly.
She now sat across from him at the kitchen table staring off in space. Sometimes she would mumble words Max could barely make out. He pushed around the cereal in his bowl and worked up the nerve to ask her to call his grandma. She explained the bad guys wouldn’t let him see her, but why couldn’t he talk to her on the phone? Maybe if he could just talk to his grandma for a minute, Max could tell her that she had to come get him. Everyone knew his grandma was one of the nicest people in the whole world. She would never let him stay here if she found out what the mean lady had done to him.
> “Can I call Grandma today?” he asked in a small voice.
It took the woman a moment to snap out of her daze and answer him. “No.”
“But why?” He heard the whine in his voice, but none of her rules made any sense to him.
“I don’t have her phone number,” she barked and narrowed her eyes at him. This was usually a sign she was going to lose her temper. Max imagined he could still feel the sting of her slap the last time when she got mad.
“Maybe you could call my house? I know my number by heart and she might be there taking care of my doggy,” he pleaded and tried to keep from crying. The world had turned upside down for him overnight. If this woman was supposed to take care of him, then why would she keep him from talking to his grandma?
“I said NO!” A primal scream came out and her movements became wild. In a rage, she grabbed the cereal bowl in front of him and smashed it against the wall. The glass shattered and soggy cereal mixed with milk slithered down the wall. Max cowered under the table and began to sob. Why would his mommy and daddy leave him with this nasty lady?
Kate woke up in a tangle of sheets with sweat dripping off of her. Her heart was racing and she fumbled for the light switch. She was tempted to call out for her mother or dial Jared’s number, but this wouldn’t bring Max home from his nightmare. The woman who took him was unbalanced and she would probably end up seriously injuring the boy if Max didn’t get away from her soon. With resolute steps, she fished the sub shop card out of her purse along with her cell phone. Not even bothering to look at the time, Kate dialed the number.
