I finally decided on, “I really like the school. Sue has practically dragged me under her wing, which is awesome. She’s definitely one of my rocks.”
“I do hope you’ll consider me as one of your rocks in the future.” Johannes looked straight into my eyes.
I smiled. “I hope so too.”
Chapter Three
I called out to my grandfather as I came home from work. I didn’t get a response, but I hadn’t expected one. The constant noise of the television usually drowned me out. I’d also prepared myself for his somber mood.
Today was my late grandmother’s birthday.
She’d passed away when I was very little, so I’d never gotten to know her, but from what I heard from Grandpa, she was fun and outgoing, with sass that could stop anyone.
“God, if I forgot an anniversary, I ate mushed peas and Spam for a week,” he had told me one Thanksgiving. When I had asked him why he didn’t just make something else or go out for dinner, he’d responded, “Oh, everyone in town would know not to feed me. Your grandma was a force no one wanted to mess with. Strong, crafty… beautiful… The whole package.” He had smiled.
I carried the bouquet of daisies—her favorite—my grandpa had requested and headed toward the living room where I knew he would be sitting while watching his favorite court show at a volume that bordered on too loud.
He started as he finally noticed me in the room. “Oh, Alice, I didn't hear you come in.”
I smiled warmly before teasing him. “That's because you're watching Judge Judy so loud I could hear it down the street.”
“Of all the things you could've taken from your grandma, you chose the sass.” He shook his head, but he was laughing. It wasn’t his usual jovial laugh, but it made me happy nonetheless. “Why not the baking skills? I'd love a good peach cobbler.”
“Hey now, my baking skills aren’t bad... usually.”
“Hm, is that why one Christmas you tried to bake me a pie, and the fire department had to make a stop in?”
“You said we would never speak of that again, Grandpa. Are you ready to go?” He nodded. I unlocked the safety on his wheelchair, then pushed him to the front door. I handed him the bundle of daisies.
“Maybe we can stop at the diner she liked before we get home. Now that's a cobbler almost as good as Maggie’s.”
I rolled my eyes. I would never hear the end of that stupid cobbler.
~~~
We were both quiet as I wheeled him up the gravel road of the small cemetery. A brisk wind and the overcast of the day certainly wasn’t helping to alleviate the somber mood. The grass was neatly trimmed and the stones of the graves well taken care of. Johannes wanted everything maintained beautifully and it clearly showed, especially here.
“Help me up, I want to walk to her.” He moved his feet from the footrests in preparation to stand.
I bit back any objection I had to him walking on an uneven surface. There was no point in arguing with him once he got that determined look on his face... Damn Barlow stubbornness. Leaning over, I extended my arm for him to use to anchor himself. On unsteady legs, he managed to right himself and let go of my arm, then shuffled over to her grave without too much trouble. He rubbed a thumb over the top of her sun-warmed stone before placing the bouquet of flowers on the earth before it.
“Can I have a moment?” His dark-rimmed eyes were filled with unshed tears. I nodded and walked down the way, reading headstone after headstone of our family.
One in particular caught my attention. It seemed far more looked-after than the others and was a ways apart. No grass grew over the headstone, and no dirt was caked in the recesses of the engraved message. It was also marked with a single yellow daisy, just like the ones my grandfather was leaving for my grandmother. Curious.
I moved closer to read the inscription. “Forever in my heart. Zella,” I whispered to myself, making a mental note to ask my grandfather about her later. He certainly wasn't leaving the flower for her. What was even more curious was that the headstone had no dates or even a last name.
But something was pulling me toward it. Something from deep in my chest was tugging.
A crunch nearby made me tear my gaze away, and I was immediately trapped in the sight of an animal only thirty feet away, partially behind a mausoleum. It was a wolf—the wolf—and it was larger than any I had seen. My heart thundered in my chest as I watched it. The wolf made no move, showed no malicious intent. Without more thought, I found myself moving toward it, eyes never breaking from each other. I stumbled over the low-rise headstone in front of me and gasped sharply. Before I could hit the ground, someone caught me with one hand on my waist, the other on my arm.
“Are you all right?” Johannes’s voice was unmistakable. His piercing blue gaze was full of concern. He helped me back to my feet, touch lingering on me long enough for me to feel the heat of it seeping through my sweater.
“Yes, there was a…” I trailed off, looking where the wolf had been to find it was gone, as well as any trace of it ever having been there.
“A what?” He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. “Are you sure you're all right?”
“Yes, it’s—nothing. I just managed to startle myself. I'm so sorry. Thank you for helping me.” I looked down, blush heating my cheeks as he maintained close proximity. My heart was fluttering in my chest.
“You are very welcome, my dear.” He smiled and nodded his head in the direction I had come from. “I just helped your grandfather to his chair, and I was coming to fetch you for him.”
I smiled. “That was very kind of you. You’re taking your role as rock very seriously.”
“Of course, Alice. We all can use assistance from time to time. Please don't hesitate to ask me if you need help with anything at all.” I could have sworn his eyes dipped briefly down to my lips, but I had to be mistaken.
The flower on Zella's grave caught my attention again. Hmm… “Actually, Johannes,” I said, “do you know anything about her?” I motioned to the headstone.
“I may know a thing or two. Why don't we talk over coffee later?” A smile spread across his face, he suddenly seemed so much warmer. I nodded in response.
“Sure, that sounds nice.”
“Great, have a splendid day, Alice.” With that, he left, hands in the pockets of his ironed black slacks.
~~~
Grandpa knew something was up as soon as I’d walked back to him. At the diner, he finally laid into me to get the details. I blushed as red as the cherry tomatoes in my salad.
“You’re an awful lucky gal, Alice,” Grandpa told me. “Lots of ladies in town would go crazy over him givin' them some attention. And he ain't a bad-lookin’ fella either.” He pointed at me with his fork as he talked, a piece of steak still attached to it. “Plus, if you two get serious, you'll hafta stay in town,” he added, voice going quiet.
My look softened. “Grandpa, I'm not going anywhere. Now stop pointing your steak at me and eat it.”
It was dark when we finally started making our way back home. I was mentally going over the list of things that I needed to get ready for class the next day. Luckily, the lesson plan was already done for the week for Mrs. Hanson’s class, where I would be subbing in for a while during her maternity leave. All I needed to do was rent the—
Something huge darted across the road.
I slammed on the brakes, the car’s tires squealing loudly in protest as we slid to a stop.
It was the wolf. It had to be.
Heart pounding, I turned to my grandfather.
“Grandpa, did you see that?” He blinked his eyes blearily at me.
“Huh? Are we home?” He rubbed at his mouth and looked around.
“How did you even fall asleep, it's only like ten blocks from the house? You know what, never mind,” I said more to myself than anything.
~~~
The next day, Suzanne called me over to our usual table in the lunchroom. Cole was already sitt
ing beside her.
I set up and plopped into my seat a little more ungracefully than I meant to, but I couldn’t sleep last night. I stayed up thinking about the wolf and had even fallen asleep against the windowsill. I had sat there until I woke up. My back ached.
I opened my lunch bag and balked when I realized I’d packed one cold dinner roll and a packet of mayo. I don’t even like mayo… What is wrong with me? I was taking a nap as soon as I got home… Probably after eating something, though.
I sighed deeply before taking a bite out of my sad little roll.
Suzanne folded her arms under her chest to lean on the table before she batted her long lashes at me. “Sooo, that date with the mayor?”
I swallowed the piece of bread I had been eating before responding. “He was so nice, Sue. We talked and ate scones… It was relaxing even if my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I did see him again yesterday, though.”
“Ooh, two days in a row? Tell me about yesterday.” Sue was all ears.
“There's nothing much to tell. I just almost fell and he caught me.”
“Ooh, romance movie style? Did you swoon at his feet and beg him to take you like a wild animal?” She growled and made a claw with her hand.
“That's one hundred percent what happened. It's like you were there.” I rolled my eyes. As silly as our nonexistent Hollywood love sounded, there was another part of the night that was straight from a movie—and it had actually happened. “I did see a really big animal, though.” I cut her off with a glare as she opened her mouth to make what I had no doubt would be a penis joke. “It was the wolf again.”
Cole looked up from his lunch, then leaned toward me. “No way. That has to mean something… It’s hardly showed up in years and years, but it’s shown itself to you multiple times. The legends are true!” Cole rubbed his chin and pursed his lips like he was contemplating something deeply profound and not a fairy tale.
Sue rolled her eyes and shoved at his shoulder. “Don't fill her head with nonsense, Cole. That's so stupid.”
“Well, how do you explain the same wolf being around since the forties?” he challenged.
“Wolves have babies. They're probably all from the same pack.”
“This wolf has a particular white splotch on his chest. Some say it’s in the shape of a skull and the eyes of it glow red just before it attacks. How do you explain that?”
“I don't know, maybe genetics or something, Mr. Science Man.”
As they argued back and forth, all I could think of was the wolf. I hadn't even mentioned the white patch on his chest. Even if people thought of him as nothing more than an urban legend, I needed to know more. There had to be something online. Maybe a similar wolf somewhere else. Small-town urban legends were like gold-mines for those ghost hunter type websites.
When I came back to the present to pay attention to what Sue was saying, I realized the rest of the noise in the room had gone down to a quiet murmur. What did I miss?
“Ah, there you are, Alice.”
I looked up to find the source of the voice, and my breath nearly caught in my throat as the mayor smiled down at me.
“Johannes, hi. Was there something you needed?” Was that rude? That may have been rude.
He merely chuckled. “I know we talked about meeting over coffee earlier, and I realized I have the afternoon off. So, I thought I would formally invite you in person. We could take a walk down to the new gazebo they just completed.”
A blush warmed my cheeks as I realized everyone in the lunchroom was tuned in to our interaction.
“Sure, I'm actually done for the day. Mrs. Hanson’s kids are joining Mr. Albert’s for the afternoon for a special visitor. I usually just stick around to get some planning done, so I'm more than happy to join you now.”
“Shall we be off, then?” He took my hand to help me up from my seat before handing me a to-go cup from Berta’s.
I quickly took a look at Sue and instantly regretted it. She was raising her eyebrows at me suggestively as soon as Johannes turned his back to lead me out of the cafeteria.
I packed up my things and followed Johannes outside with my hand on his offered am. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Worried it might be my grandfather, I discreetly checked the message. It was Sue.
Suzanne: Let me know how big his animal is. ;)
In that moment, part of me wanted to throw my phone into the street and walk away. Seriously, Suzanne?
“Something wrong, Alice?”
“No, sorry, just checking on something.”
He nodded. “Do you mind terribly if we walk? It isn't far, and the weather is pleasant today.”
“Of course. How could I turn down a personal tour from the mayor?” I grinned at him cheekily.
“Fantastic.” He laughed slightly and patted my hand on his arm.
I took a sip of the coffee when we’d gotten outside and headed off toward the park. I was instantly warmed despite the cool autumn breeze that ruffled my skirt.
“How’d you manage an afternoon off, Mr. Mayor?” I teased.
“I was looking forward to seeing you again, so I sped through my emails and phone calls. I don’t think I’ve ever typed so quickly in my life.” Johannes smiled a little.
The park was only a ten-minute walk from the school. We passed it in a comfortable silence while I took in the sites of Janafield. The architecture was beautiful. Many of the buildings were brick with wide glass windows and hand-painted signs.
A crunch underfoot caught my attention. I stopped to see a sheet of paper. Johannes looked at me curiously when I released his arm.
I bent down to pick it up and grimaced at the image. It was one of the missing posters. Nine smiling faces looked up at me from the paper. The ages varied, but most were younger, maybe middle school aged.
The paper crinkled in my hand from how hard I clenched it. All these people were missing, and so many thought I had something to do with it. Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes when they landed on a sweet-looking little girl with big sparkling eyes.
Johannes slowly pulled it away. It took me a few seconds to realize it had even left my fingers. He folded it and put it into his back pocket.
“It must’ve gotten loose from the bulletin board. I’ll have them put another up,” he reassured.
I looked up to the board that was only a block or so away. A group of people stood around it while looking our way. I swallowed heavily.
Johannes reached out and gently gripped my chin until I was looking at him. “Alice, we should hurry along. The temperature is supposed to drop later this afternoon.”
I nodded numbly. “Yeah, that’s true.”
The coffee was no longer covering the chill of the day. I barely even registered the rest of the walk or my drink. I dropped the empty cup into the nearest trash can when we reached the park.
The screech of two toddlers pulled me away from my thoughts. They couldn’t have been older than four, twins by the look of it, and were being chased after by a small pug that clearly had the zoomies. I couldn’t hide the smile from my face. They were so sweet and pure.
“That’s more like it,” Johannes said with a small nudge.
He placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me over to the new gazebo. Planters were set up on all sides of it, and it would surely look gorgeous when spring came and warmed everything up. From inside the gazebo, there was a perfect view of the small lake next to it, where a few ducks were swimming across the surface of the water, occasionally diving down for a brief moment.
“It really looks amazing,” I said. “I'm sure there’s going to be so many parties here over the summer.” Turning back to him, I met his gaze. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled.
“I'm glad you think so. Shall we sit and enjoy the view? Maybe go for dinner afterward?”
My skin jumped as we sat on one of the benches, the cool air causing a tremor through me. Johannes must have noticed, because he pulled me close agains
t his side, his body heat quickly warming me up. I tried to ignore the scent of his cologne as it wafted off him. It was masculine and sophisticated, and it suited him perfectly.
He squeezed my shoulder. “How is your grandfather? Making good progress I hope?”
“He’s got a ways to go, but he’s definitely doing better not trying to do everything on his own.”
Being able to help Grandpa was worth taking the pay cut, having to move, having to lie to my dad… Plus, I couldn’t ignore the fuzzy feeling I got around Johannes.
“That's great to hear. He's been in that house on Randall as long as I can remember.” He gave a small laugh.
“Yup! He probably hasn't changed a thing about that house since my grandma passed.” I sighed. “I'd like to help him with the house, but it's hard with only working part-time right now… I definitely have the time, but money is the big issue. I’m sure there’s some things I can do with a good bucket of paint and an afternoon, but that doesn’t help any of the structural stuff.”
“What sort of things do you think it needs? Out of curiosity.” He turned to look at me more fully. His thumb was rubbing small circles against my arm.
“His wood siding is a nightmare, and it’s starting to mess with the windows. There’s a small hole I found that I patched, but only after a stink bug tried to dive bomb my face!” I pushed lightly on his arm as he laughed at me. “It’s not funny, they are terrifying when they come right for you! Anyway, the carpet has no padding left whatsoever. And I'm fairly certain the appliances are older than I am.”
“Wow, is that all it needs?” he teased.
“Eh, he could probably use a new water heater and water softener.” I nudged my shoulder into his. I laughed, and he joined me with a small chuckle of his own.
We fell into a comfortable silence, Johannes watching the ducks and me sneaking glances at him. His gaze seemed faraway. He appeared more melancholy than our last meeting at the cemetery, which reminded me why we had gone on this date.
Eyes Like Autumn (Seasons of the Magi Book 1) Page 3
