The wolf matched her cry, and took a slow step toward her, then another and another until it was mere inches from her. It eased its thick muzzle toward hers, their noses grazing. The wolf licked its lips, and then licked at Carly’s ear. She cooed, and returned the gesture.
Somehow, she understood that the wolf wasn’t to be feared. It was her friend, and it wanted nothing more than to protect her. And, in turn, Carly wished to protect it.
The wolf gave the top of her head a few hearty licks, stopping to scratch at its ear with its back paw. Its clumsiness was adorable, but didn’t hold her attention long. Carly’s ears perked up as the ground behind her echoed with the distinct cadence of footsteps.
They were not alone.
* * *
Carly woke from the dream in a sweat, her down comforter on the floor, her sheets a mess of tangles around her. Her heart was racing, and she took in a few deep breaths hoping to calm it. The dream had been so real, so vivid, that she wasn’t entirely convinced it had been a dream at all.
She glanced at the clock and saw that it was eight-thirty. Carly picked up a hooded sweatshirt from the floor, slid it over her head, and grabbed her cell before she headed downstairs. Dad had left a note on the kitchen counter: he’d be out for a while.
Carly started a pot of coffee and Bright Eyes playing over headphones. Her fingers wouldn’t stop tap-tap-tapping on the counter as she waited for the coffee to brew. She didn’t realize she’d zoned out until the coffeemaker beeped to indicate it was done.
A hot cup of coffee later, she guided her feet into a pair of flip flops and headed out the back door. The Great Lake was magnificent, especially in inclement weather. Carly melted into a slow smile as she stared over angry waves. Their tenacious fury was one of the most exquisite things she’d ever encountered.
Carly’s thoughts began to wander as the album played on and coffee disappeared from her cup. No matter where her mind led her, she couldn’t seem to get those pale blue eyes out of her head. She didn’t know what the dream had meant, but was certain the wolf was somehow her mind’s interpretation of Gabe. It had to be.
Why had she blown up at Gabe again? He was her best friend here—he had been nothing but nice to her. And she had freaked out like a complete and total loser.
“Nice, Carly,” she scolded herself. She took one last look at the water, finished off her coffee, and headed back inside. She’d make this right the only way she knew how, the way her mother had taught her. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a few sticks of butter.
Half an hour later, Carly had her first batch of chocolate chip and walnut cookies in the oven. She wiped flour from her sweatshirt as the front door creaked open. Good, Dad was finally home.
“I’m making cookies!” Carly called out.
“What inspired this?” Howard asked as he joined her in the kitchen.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, I thought I’d take some over to Gabe later. I’ll have a few done for you soon.”
“Chocolate chip and walnut?”
“Just like Mom used to make.”
Howard got that sad look on his face like he always did when Carly mentioned Mom. “Well, they smell wonderful… Guess what else is wonderful?”
“You got another John Grisham novel?” Carly teased as the buzzer sounded. She pulled out the cookie sheet, leaving it to cool on the stovetop.
Howard shook his head as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Not quite. I have something outside for you.”
Carly couldn’t help her goofy smile, or her sudden urge to start jumping up and down. “You didn’t… Did you? I mean, there’s no way you could have bought me a car without me knowing about it, right?”
“Of course not,” Howard said, handing her the keys. “Which is why I asked Gabriel to help me pull it off.”
“Gabe helped you? How?” But she was out the door before he could answer. Carly came to a halt on the porch as she drank in the black Jeep Cherokee parked in the circular drive. “It’s perfect.”
“Is it? That was Gabe’s consensus, too. He said it suited you.”
“It’s really mine?”
“It’s really yours. Well, aren’t you going to take me for a ride?”
Carly raced to the driver’s door, barely making it inside as she turned over the engine. Howard joined her in the passenger seat, his stern look reminding her to fasten her seatbelt. This car was the coolest thing she could have imagined, and it made sense that Gabe had somehow been a part of it. They were alike in so many ways that it kind of scared the crap out of her.
“This is great, Dad, really,” Carly oozed as she eased her way down the driveway. “I can’t believe you got me a Jeep. Thank you.”
“Well, you were right. It’s not fair to drag you to school so early every day. Besides, I’d really like to start going in earlier anyway. I figure you’re old enough to have your own car, and you’ve more than proven how responsible you are. Keep being responsible, and we won’t have any issues.”
“How’d you get home with two cars? Yours is in the driveway. You didn’t walk into town or something, did you?”
“No, I didn’t walk into town,” Howard chuckled. “Gabriel’s father, Paul, owns the dealership in Sterling. Paul and Gabriel drove out here with me this morning to deliver the Jeep.”
“That’s how Gabe helped you,” Carly realized. “Did he, uh, did he say anything? About me or anything?”
“He said he hopes you enjoy your new car. I’m afraid we didn’t really have time to talk, but you said you’re going to see him later today, right?”
“Right.” She turned onto the main road and gave the Jeep some gas. She was surprised when it jolted down the highway, and she couldn’t help her laugh. “This thing has power.”
“It sure does, which is why you always need to wear your seatbelt. And make sure there’s plenty of gas in the tank, especially with winter coming up. You can’t be too careful around here. You never know what kind of trouble you might run into in these woods.”
Something about the way he’d said it sent a chill racing through Carly. “Got it. How’s the stereo? Does it work?”
“Not only does it work,” Howard replied, “but Gabe gave it his seal of approval. I’m supposed to tell you the subwoofer’s aftermarket, whatever that means.”
“It means I’ll like listening to music in here.”
“Maybe now you won’t feel the need to blast it in your room all the time,” he teased.
“Oh, I’ll still do that,” she assured him. “I think I’m going to head back, take a shower, and finish my cookies.”
“Do you want me to make you lunch first?”
Carly shook her head. Her stomach was too twisted to eat. She needed to talk to Gabe, to apologize, to get her friend back. Because this place was too lonely without one. “No, I’m not really that hungry. But thanks.”
* * *
It was almost one when Carly parked on the street in front of Gabe’s house. His Jetta was in the driveway, but that was no guarantee he would answer the door. She grabbed the Tupperware container from the seat beside her and hopped out of the Jeep.
There was no taming her nervous thoughts as she stepped up to the front door. What if Gabe didn’t want to talk to her? She liked that they were getting to know each other, that he was becoming a close friend. Losing her mom had been… the worst thing she’d ever been through. Gabe understood that heartache, how much it hurt to miss someone so irrationally. Life would be a lot easier if she could turn to him on the days when she really got to missing Mom.
“Are you going to ring the doorbell or what?” Gabe asked, popping open the door.
“I was…” Carly managed, giving him some sort of idiotic smile. “I mean, I just…”
Gabe looked over her shoulder at the Jeep parked on the street. “Do you like it? The stereo’s great, huh? And if you were wondering, yes, it was handpicked by yours truly.”
Carly opened her mouth, but what was th
ere to say? What was it about him that always seemed to catch her off guard? His eyes were just… So, just…
“I’ve got to say, Carly, I’m surprised you’re here,” Gabe told her as he leaned up against the doorframe. “After you took off last night, I didn’t think—”
“I’m so sorry about last night,” she blurted out.
“You were really upset.”
“I know.”
“If you’re upset with me, that’s fine, but you should at least let me explain—”
“You don’t have to explain anything,” Carly said. “Look, I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out at you like that. You’re my best friend here, and I feel like I totally blew it. No, wait—you’re not just my best friend here. You’re my best friend anywhere, and… And I’m sorry.”
Gabe pursed his lips as he peered down at her. “I’m your best friend, huh?”
“Well, yeah, you are. And I know it was really stupid to ditch your party last night. Your friends must think I suck.”
“No one thinks you suck, Carly.”
She thrust out the Tupperware container, slinking back as he took it. “I made these for you—cookies. I don’t even know if you like cookies, but… they’re the thing I do best.”
Gabe hinted at a smile. “Cookies, huh?”
“Yeah, I know it’s stupid—”
“You want to come in? It looks like it’s going to start raining any second.”
“Sure.” Carly followed him into the foyer, flinching as her gaze landed on the painting of the wolf once more. “Gabe, I…”
He popped the lid off the container, pulled out a cookie, and ate it in one bite. “Wow, Carly. You are a cookie genius.”
“Thanks.”
“You won’t think any less of me if I eat all of these right now, will you?”
She shook her head. “I just want to… explain.”
Gabe shoved another cookie in his mouth. “Carly, really, you’re talking to me again, and that’s all that matters.”
“Gabe, this wolf has been in my dreams the past few nights.”
He wiped crumbs from his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze falling. “You mentioned it was in your dream, but… You keep seeing it? The wolf?”
She nodded. “I started having the dreams before I saw this picture, and… I mean, the wolf has the same color of eyes as you. Not just the wolf in the painting, but in my dreams, too. I don’t know what it means, but… I guess… I guess it must mean that you’re pretty special. You know, that we’re supposed to be friends or something.”
Gabe opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“I just want you to know why I reacted the way I did,” Carly rambled on. “And that I’m not mad at you, not even a little. I just left all my friends, and I lost my mom, and I just… need to know I have people I can count on. If you even want me to count on you.”
“Carly—”
“Again, I am so, so sorry, Gabe. Really.”
“Just… stop apologizing—you don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Gabe insisted. “And yes, you can count on me. I mean, we’re friends, right? Best friends, apparently.”
“Yeah, I mean, we are.”
“We never got to finish that tour last night. Are you up for it?”
“Yeah, if you are,” she agreed. “I mean, duh, of course you are, because it’s your house.”
He chuckled. “Come on, we’ll start in the kitchen. I need some milk to go with these cookies anyway.”
She followed him down the hall, taking in dark walls and masculine decor. It was pretty damned slick for two bachelors. “My dad said your dad owns the car dealership in town?”
“That’s right,” Gabe confirmed.
“Is he home?” Carly asked. “I thought it would be cool to meet him.”
“He works a lot, but he should be home later if we stick around long enough,” Gabe said.
“Where else would we go?”
“The caves, remember?”
Carly twirled a strand of hair around her finger as they stepped into the kitchen. “My, um, my dad said he doesn’t want me hanging out there—in the caves. Actually, he pretty much told me to stay away from them altogether.”
“Okay then, we’ll stay away from them altogether. No big deal.”
“I, uh… Cool.”
Gabe grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge and two glasses from the cupboard. “You want some?”
“No, thanks.”
“Coke instead?”
“Yeah, Coke sounds great.”
He pulled out a bottle, handed it to her, and then poured himself a glass of milk. “So, I heard Abel was going to ask you to Homecoming.”
Carly smirked as she twisted the cap off the Coke bottle. “He did ask me to Homecoming.”
“Maybe we can double then.”
“Double? Why, who are you going with? Esther?”
“No, Esther’s going with Jeremy,” Gabe said.
“When did that happen?” Carly questioned.
“Last night, when I asked Crystal.”
“Crystal?”
“I don’t know if you’ve really talked to her. She’s a senior.”
“No, I… haven’t really talked to her,” Carly confirmed.
“Are you up for it then? Doubling?” Gabe asked, bringing the glass to his lips.
“I, uh… I’m actually not going with Abel, but yeah, let’s double.”
“Sure. If you’re not going with Abel, who’s the lucky guy?”
“My friend from the city, Ross. He’s driving up on Friday.”
“Ross, huh? I haven’t heard you mention him before.”
“Yes, you have. He’s my ex.”
“Y-yeah,” Gabe stammered, grabbing another cookie. “Cool, you’re bringing your ex to the dance. That should be fun.”
“I just… thought it would be weird to go with someone from school,” Carly explained. “Since I just moved here and everything.”
“Yeah, that would be weird—going with a friend instead of your ex-boyfriend.”
Carly fidgeted with the cap on her Coke, not sure how to respond. “You might want to slow down with the cookies. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“I have to eat a lot,” Gabe replied. “We all do.”
“We?”
“I meant boys—teenage boys. We have to eat a lot because of the whole growing thing, and… Look, do you want that tour, or what?”
“Yes, I would love a tour,” Carly agreed. “I’m especially excited to see your room.”
“My room?” Gabe asked, some of his charm returning. “Why would my room intrigue you?”
“Because I haven’t seen it yet. Is it upstairs?”
“Yeah, it’s upstairs. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Carly followed Gabe up the staircase, to the first room on the left. She drank in every little detail as she painted a better picture of him. There were shelves of CDs and LPs lining one wall, music posters covering the others, and an acoustic guitar next to the bed. She instantly felt like she’d known him her entire life. “Holy crap, you have so much music.”
“I do,” he replied, snatching up something from a desk across the room. “That’s something we seem to have in common. I thought you might want to borrow this. It’s the new Radiohead—it won’t be out for another week.”
“I, too, downloaded it when they made it available, but thanks.”
“Of course you did. So, this is my room. I know, I know—the dirty clothes on the floor are a work of art. But what can I say? I’m a slob.”
Carly started flipping through his CD collection, her fingers fumbling over jewel cases. “You have this? Danielson? I don’t know anyone else who has this.”
“Well, now you do,” he told her. “Are you ready to move on? My room’s really not that cool.”
“Your room really is that cool,” Carly insisted. “But I would like to see the rest of the house.”
“Then we shall continue with
the tour. What else do you want to do today? I mean, assuming you want to hang out. In which case, could you make me some more cookies? I’m going to go through the rest of those in five minutes.”
Something on one of the shelves caught her eye, and Carly stepped over to steal a copy of the original Psycho. “We could watch this.”
Gabe snatched it from her hands. “Awesome idea. I’ll make some popcorn.”
Legacy: Bloodline Book 1 Page 5
