“So you do like him?”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, yeah, but that’s not really the point.” She shook her head. “Someone like Traevyn would never go for me.”
“Why?”
She huffed. “Okay well, first of all, I think that Traevyn Whitelaw is about the last person on the planet who is looking for a relationship at the moment. He had his heart ripped out and stomped on.”
“That happened three years ago.”
She met his eyes again. “Does it seem like he’s coped well to you?” She shrugged. “Besides, even if he was looking for someone, I doubt he’d look my direction.”
Seth appeared to contemplate strangling Evie for a minute, but decided against it. “Why wouldn’t he?” he asked. “Evie, gimme a break. You guys love the same things, you laugh together, he opened up to you when he’s been living like Quasimodo in the bell tower for the past three years. You spend hours every night in his bedroom by the fireplace reading classics and drawing! Come on! Do you not see the signals?”
She shook her head vehemently. “It’s not like that. I think Traevyn would have opened up to anyone who just cared a little. He doesn’t like me that way. He couldn’t. I’m totally not his type. You’ve seen pictures of his wife. She was beautiful and elegant. I’m neither. I would look frumpy and ridiculous in Traevyn’s world.”
Seth frowned. “Evie, don’t be stupid. Who gives a crap if his wife was beautiful and elegant? She was a sleazy ho who turned him into a complete loner. I mean, come on, the girl had no shape. She was an anorexic stick. You, on the other hand…” He made the shape of an hourglass with his hands. “Va va voom.”
She smacked him in the arm.
He laughed. “Seriously, Evie. Don’t get all down on yourself. He opened up to you for a reason. He turned his living room into Italy and celebrated your crazy anniversary with you for a reason. He let you read this,” he pointed to the journal, “for a reason. Don’t ignore all of that.”
Evie chewed on her bottom lip as Seth’s words rolled around in her head. Could he be right? Could Traevyn really feel anything for her besides friendship? She thought of how badly she had wanted to kiss him that night they had danced and how many times she had wanted to kiss him since then. She thought of his laugh and how she would do anything, give anything, if she could make him laugh every day for the rest of his life. She thought of the many innocent touches they seemed to share. How he would stand behind her to watch her paint and rub her back just before he walked away. How she liked to rest her head on his shoulder if they happened to be watching a movie or something on television. How sometimes he would absently play with her hair if she was near him while they were reading together. Sometimes he would even just touch her arm briefly when he would walk past her in the kitchen. Could those be signals? Small signs that maybe he could care for her?
She shook her head and let out an aggravated growl. “Seth, you’re insane,” she stated. “This is just my lot in life. I always fall for guys I can’t have.”
Seth frowned again. “What’s stopping you from having Traevyn? He’s not seeing anyone… Unless you want to count me since I’m the only other person he’s ever in contact with.”
“Well, I could never compete with you,” she teased.
He puffed his chest out. “I am a sexy stud in a waiter’s uniform.” He sniffed.
She laughed.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said. “I bet that Traevyn will make a move on you by the time we come back from Sedona. If he doesn’t, I won’t play anymore video games for the rest of the summer.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You are going to be one bored guy.”
“I really doubt it, but I guess I’ll have to be proven right for you to believe me.”
“Whatever.” She glanced at her watch and sighed. “We’d better keep shopping because I’ve got to find something. At this rate I’ll be going to the gallery opening naked.” She stood and brushed the sand off of her pants.
“That would definitely insure Traevyn making a move,” Seth remarked.
Evie giggled and they headed back up toward town.
* * * *
The bedroom was on the top of Evie’s list of places to mope as she entered the house exhausted and empty handed. She heaved a sigh and headed into the kitchen to try and figure out what she was going to make for dinner. She took a step back in surprise when she entered and saw Traevyn standing over the stove, stirring something.
He glanced over at her and smiled. “Welcome home.”
She fought a shiver at those words. “What are you up to?” she asked, pushing her feelings aside.
“Making dinner,” he replied.
He smiled at her. A soft, gentle, affectionate smile that tugged at her heart. An entire scene snuck up and played through her mind like an excerpt from a movie. One of her coming home to this exact situation, only it really was her home, and when Traevyn smiled, he bent to press a soft kiss to her lips. He would whisper how much he had missed her and nuzzle her neck, then pull her into his arms… She sighed. Great. Now the romantic fantasies were starting. If she had to count how many times she’d had imaginary romantic interludes with Maxim deBoer over the years…
Evie forced herself back to the present. “So, why are you making dinner?”
“You were shopping all day. I thought I’d be nice and let you rest. Why don’t you go up to your room and relax? I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”
“What is it?” she asked, peering into the pot.
He glanced down at what he was stirring. “Well, this is mac and cheese.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Gourmet.”
He gave her a playful scowl. “It’s just a side dish.”
She giggled. “All right, I‘ll go upstairs and wait till it‘s ready.” She shot him a warning look. “And don’t use the gong to call me to the table.”
He chuckled.
She wandered her way up the staircase and into her bedroom. She swung the door open and started as her eyes fell on the closet door. She stared in bewildered wonder at it. A gown was hanging there. A shining gown of a shimmering turquoise color. The sleeves weren’t really sleeves, but sheer strips of material that tied at the elbow, then flowed freely. She walked over to it slowly and touched one of the gossamer sleeves. Tiny, sparkling rhinestones spilled down the skirt, and all she could do was gape at it. It was the most beautiful garment she had ever seen.
“Do you like it?”
She spun to see Traevyn standing in the doorway. She pointed to the gown. “You got me this?” she squeaked.
He looked down in a shy gesture. “Seth told me you weren’t having any luck in Monterey so… I thought I’d look.”
She frowned. “Seth?”
He nodded. “I called earlier today from the grocery store to find out what we needed.”
She tried to ignore the fact that he had just said what we needed like they were a family. “And you called Seth?”
“Well, I called your cell phone, but Seth answered. He said you were trying on gowns and having no luck. There’s a small formalwear store I know of so I thought I’d take a look.” He shrugged. “If you don’t like it, I can return it.”
“Oh no!” she exclaimed, catching the faint glimmer of disappointment in his eyes. “No, Traevyn, I love it. It’s gorgeous. How did you know I love this color?”
He smiled. “You wear turquoise often. And you use shades of blue and green a lot in your paintings.”
She stared at him in awe. “You pay that much attention to me?”
He averted his eyes to the floor and shrugged. The gesture was completely self-conscious, and awkward, very non-Traevyn.
Evie blushed and looked away in much the same fashion that Traevyn just had. “Thank you,” she murmured. “It’s perfect.”
He gave her a soft smile and glanced up at her. “I hope it fits all right. Seth told me your size, but you can never be sure.”
She frowned, looking e
ven more perplexed than before. “Seth knows my size?” She shook her head. “I’m beginning to realize that he pays more attention than I thought too.”
Traevyn grinned.
“Well, I’ll pay you back for the dress,” she stated.
He frowned and waved away the suggestion.
“Come on, it’s your own money anyway.”
“No, it’s a gift. Please, Evie, just take it.”
She met his eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. “Thank you, Traevyn. You have impeccable taste.”
He smiled and gave a slight shrug. “This dress told me to buy it. It just looked like you…like something you would wear.”
Evie approached him tentatively and laughed in apparent apprehension. “Well, thank you so much.” She held her arms out to indicate an embrace. He moved forward and caught her up in his arms, holding her closer than she had expected. He bent his head to rest his cheek against the top of her head and, with great care, ran one hand down the length of her hair.
Evie had only intended it to be a thank you hug, but as his arms wrapped securely around her, she melted against him without even thinking. She had wanted her entire life to be enfolded in the embrace of a beautiful man and, in her opinion, there was no man more beautiful than Traevyn. She sighed and tried to memorize the way he felt. He smelled like paint, like the passion that made him who he was. It was intoxicating.
She started to tremble against her will and wished she could just stay in his arms forever. She’d always been such a hopeless romantic and she’d only ever been looked upon as a “great friend.” She hated it. She hated the fact that this would probably be the only time she could be close to Traevyn like this. She hated that she was ninety percent sure that Seth was wrong when she wanted him so badly to be right. But what could possibly make this situation different than all the others? Traevyn was so out of her league. She was just fooling herself to even think she was more than a passing thought to him.
“Evie?” Traevyn pulled away gently and looked down at her in concern. “You’re shaking again. What’s wrong?”
She felt the horrible, betraying sting of tears and shook her head, trying to fight them off as long as possible. “Nothing, I just…” She wanted to die as one tear succeeded in trailing down her cheek.
His eyes widened. “Evie…” he murmured. “Why are you crying?” He reached up and, with tremendous tenderness, caressed her tear away.
Of course, this only made her want to cry more. She forced a smile. “Oh, I think I’m just tired, or…hormonal, or something.” She gave a little laugh.
He smiled and framed her face with his hands. “Are you sure?” He tucked back a strand of her hair. “Want me to get you some chocolate?”
She forced a laugh. She couldn’t take it anymore. He really needed to leave before she lost it. She nodded emphatically. “I’m fine… Shouldn’t you go check dinner?”
“Oh!” he exclaimed. “Fantastic. It’s probably on fire. I’ll come back when it’s done.”
She waved away the suggestion for fear he’d come in when she was blubbering. “I’ll just come down in a minute.”
He nodded and left the room.
Evie waited until she knew he was down the staircase and then plopped onto her bed. She cried. She felt like an idiot, but she didn’t care. “Seth!” she shouted. She must have sounded very demanding because he rushed into the room within seconds.
“What is it?” he asked, looking worried.
She stabbed an accusing finger at him. “I hate you,” she declared.
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because you messed me up, that’s why! Look, Traevyn bought me a dress! Then I said thank you and he hugged me and I freaked out because of you! I was fine before you insisted that he liked me, and now I’m all screwed up because this is going to be just like every other guy I’ve ever liked and I’m going to end up really, really hurt!” Tears ran tracks down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother to wipe them. She was entitled to a moment of girlish weakness once in awhile.
Seth stared at her, then sat down next to her. “Evie, you didn’t exactly make a whole lot of sense there. Did he say something to you?”
She shook her head and sniffed. “No, but there is no way on this planet that that man would go for me. He’s so talented and high class. I’m just ‘fun’ and ‘nice.’ I’ve always been ‘fun’ and ‘nice.’ Evan Woods started it in the fourth grade and it was followed up by every guy I was ever interested in from that moment on. Lee Harris, Jeremy Frost, Steve Jackson, Robert Warner. ‘Oh, you’re a great pal, Evie. I just don’t think of you that way.’ ‘You’re a great friend, Evie.’ ‘I’m sorry, but you’re like a sister to me.’” She let out a frustrated growl. “I am sick of being a great friend and a sister! I want to be a goddess from Mt. Olympus!” She dissolved into soft sobs, feeling humiliated, upset, and in dire need of something chocolate, even though she had denied Traevyn’s offer to get her some.
Seth stared in bewildered silence for a moment, then sighed. “Evie,” he started, “you are a great friend and, well, you are my sister so this whole conversation is kind of awkward for me, but that’s not really the point.” He sighed again and shook his head. “Evie, you are a goddess from Mt. Olympus and any man who doesn’t see that is not worth having.”
She looked up at him in surprise. Seth was not, by nature, a sensitive person. He was, more or less, a typical guy. The fact that he had just said, not only the nicest thing he’d ever said to her, but the nicest thing she’d ever heard in her life, floored her. She gave him a wobbly smile. “Thanks, Seth.”
He grinned and winked at her.
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “You know, you’re not such a bad brother.”
He chuckled.
Chapter Fifteen
Evie still clung to Traevyn’s hand as they waited in the airport for Seth to get out of the bathroom. She’d been holding onto him like a lost little girl ever since they’d boarded the plane. She hated flying. She hated it with a passion. She had only ever flown once, but it terrified her. It didn’t matter that the flight from San Luis Obispo to Phoenix was relatively short. Flying was still flying. She hated the take off the most. When the engines revved up and the plane started to climb, she swore it always sounded like it was going to explode. She hated flying.
Traevyn glanced down at her. She knew she still must look scared to death even though they had been on firm ground for ten minutes. He smiled a bit and lifted her hand, which had been clamped onto his for the past several hours. He gently pried her fingers away and took her hand between both of his, rubbing it. “Evie, we’re on land now,” he reminded her. “You’re alive.”
“I hate flying,” she stated.
“Yes, you’ve made that very clear, but you’re on ground now. You’re all right.”
She glanced up at him dismally.
He smiled and brought her hand up to kiss her fingertips.
Evie’s stomach lurched and she looked away. Why did he have to do that? It only made her have more unrealistic fantasies that, in turn, made her very sad.
Seth emerged from the bathroom and they all headed off toward the baggage claim.
“How far is Sedona from Phoenix?” Seth asked.
“About two hours,” Traevyn replied. “We could have flown into Sedona, but this was easier. Talis is picking us up and driving us the rest of the way.”
“Bummer, I would have liked to check out Phoenix,” Seth said. “They have a great metal scene.”
Evie nudged Seth with her elbow. “Hey, do I look okay?” she whispered.
He glanced at her. “You look fine. What, did you decide to go for the other brother now?”
She rolled her eyes. “Gimme a break. I don’t want to look all frazzled and awful.”
Traevyn started to go ahead of them and Evie glanced after him. He was heading toward a shorter man with black hair and two full sleeves of tattoos. She smiled. The man from the picture. Tr
aevyn’s brother. One of the only people who knew him completely. The two men embraced and she stood back, watching.
“Hey, Traevyn,” Talis greeted with a wide grin.
Traevyn smiled. “Hello, little brother.”
Talis pulled back with an almost puzzled expression. “You look different.” He frowned as if trying to figure out the change. “You’re…smiling. Like a real smile. Not one of those forced polite ones you usually give me.”
He looked down and gave a bashful shrug.
Talis raised an eyebrow. “Okay, now that is a gesture I haven’t seen in decades. You’re freaking me out.”
Traevyn gave his brother a playful scowl and turned. He held his arm out to indicate Evie and Seth. “This is my apprentice, Evie Austin. She’s been staying with me for the summer.”
Evie stepped forward to shake Talis’s hand, noticing that he had several more ear piercings than he’d had in his picture and Celtic rings of all patterns adorning most of his fingers.
“I’m Talis,” he greeted with a warm smile.
She smiled in return. “It’s good to meet you. This is my brother, Seth.”
Talis reached out to shake Seth’s hand.
“Dude,” Seth breathed in wonderment. “Check out all your ink! Where did you get all of that done?”
“I did a lot of it myself,” he explained. “At least all the stuff below the elbows. My friend did the rest.”
“You’re a tattoo artist?” Seth sounded awestruck.
He nodded.
“Can you give me one?”
“Seth!” Evie reprimanded. “I’m sure that would just make Mom and Dad’s day. You coming home with a tattoo. They’d never trust me with you again.”
Talis chuckled. “All right, let’s get your luggage and get out of here. I don’t want to hit rush hour. Evie, after you.” He motioned for her to go first with a graceful sweep of his arm.
Evie raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I take it you’re the courteous Whitelaw brother.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Traevyn remarked, Shoving his brother out of the way in a playful gesture. “He spends all his time jousting and sword fighting. He gets paid to be chivalrous.”
Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) Page 14
