Caleb stretched his legs out in front of him, his arms extended behind, supporting a lounged position. Not wanting to get too close, I sat cross-legged near his knees and faced him. I handed out our burgers, and placed the fries between us. Caleb took his burger and placed it on the ground next to him. I dove into mine the second I got the wrapper off.
"Oh my God, this is so good," I said with a mouthful of cheeseburger, forgetting my manners completely.
Caleb laughed.
"What's so funny?" I asked him, swallowing the burger and grabbing a few fries.
He pushed himself to sit straighter and reached his hand towards my face. Before I could react, his thumb gently swiped the corner of my mouth, coming away with a dollop of ketchup. "Watching you eat that burger reminded me of the way you drank your beer at Luke's. You seem completely engrossed in it."
"It's a great burger!" I pleaded my defense. "Aren't you going to eat yours?"
"Naw. I'm not really hungry. I ate a little while ago."
I choked slightly on the fry that became lodged in my throat. "What? But it was your idea to get lunch."
"I know, but it seemed the only way to get you to go out with me. You already blew me off at Luke's with the excuse you didn't have time. Figured you had to eat, right?"
I wanted to be angry at him for tricking me into this "date" that wasn't really a "date". I should have gotten up and left him sitting there. But looking at him, so relaxed and sexy, in his faded jeans, black T-shirt, and sandals, made me think that maybe this was just what I needed. Something exciting, in a normal kind of way. Something that didn't involve death and mysterious men with haunting blue eyes.
Speaking of blue eyes, Caleb's were so light and inviting, they reminded me of the sky on a bright sunny, cloudless day. He had cute little creases that came out on the sides when he smiled. His blond hair, which seemed to wave despite its short length, accentuated their lightness.
"That's pretty low, Caleb. Tricking a hungry girl with a greasy burger. What's next? Faking a sore neck so I will rub it for you?" Please tell me those thoughts did not come through my lips. What in the hell made me say that? I had been admiring the way his T-shirt emphasized his broad chest and shoulders. Note to self: do not talk while wondering what Caleb looks like without his shirt. Scratch that, self. Quit wondering what any of his body parts look like – period.
The way his eyes lit up, I knew the answer. "Would it work?" he asked.
I avoided looking at him. Suddenly weeding the grass became of utmost importance, as I said, "So... Caleb... um... yeah... What are you going to school for?"
He seemed to find humor in my escape from his innuendo, but answered, "I'm in the law school, educating myself on being a more persuasive person. Apparently, I need more studies."
I laughed. "What year are you?"
"First year law student and first year at Waitling. I did my undergrad back home in Lubbock, Texas."
"Wow! Texas! I'm sure there are plenty of law schools in Texas. What brought you all the way up to the Midwest?"
"None came with a huge discount. My uncle and I have always been pretty close since my dad passed, even though we live thousands of miles away. He offered to let me stay in an apartment above his garage for free. And he also pays for part of my tuition in return for working at his bar. I couldn't beat his offer. I'd be in debt for life going anywhere else. You done with that?" he pointed to the bag of fries and my empty burger wrapper.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself anymore eating in front of you," I laughed. He grabbed the wrappers and headed for a garbage bin a few feet away. "So your uncle owns Luke's?"
Caleb threw the wrappers out and sauntered over to the statue of Wright. "Yep. And before him, my grandfather owned it." He crouched down in front of the flowerbed and picked one of the red roses and held it to his nose. Seemingly satisfied with its scent, he walked back over. "For the beautiful lady," he smiled, handing me the flower.
I stood, facing him, and took the rose, placing it under my nose, and inhaling its sweet scent. The aroma was much stronger than I'd ever smelled. It saturated my senses like a drug. I was immediately addicted; I just wasn't sure if it were to the flower or Caleb.
I tried not to let it show that this one simple gesture affected me as much as it did. "Thanks for stealing me a flower, Caleb. That was sweet."
He grabbed my hands and I felt that small jolt of electricity again that nearly made me pull back, but he held them tightly. "So what do you say to that date now?"
"Now? I... I can't now, Caleb. I'm sorry, but I promised my roommate that I'd be home after classes today and we were going to..."
"Not now, Cassie. I meant now that we've shared your love of greasy burgers and you know that I'm not some serial killer planning to do crazy things to your body."
The blood rushed to my face at the mention of him doing anything to my body, but his eyes never strayed from mine. It was how I measured honesty and trust in someone. Not that I judged completely on this trait, but it helped me get an idea of them. His eyes were so clear; it was as if I could see straight to the truth of his words. He wasn't a serial killer – I trusted that, but he held a lot of power with those eyes. And even though I really didn't know Caleb, I did know that this power was hard to resist.
"I still don't know if you're a serial killer. In fact, I hardly know anything about you, other than you're from Texas, you came to Waitling for law school, and you live above your uncle's garage. That's hardly enough for me to compare with serial killer profiles. I mean, did you set any fires when you were a kid?"
His grin widened. "Oh, more than you know, just not the kind of fires you're thinking of. How about I tell you all about them over dinner? No greasy burgers this time, somewhere nice."
I knew I shouldn't even consider bringing someone else into my unstable life at the moment, but I really wanted to see him again. I felt a connection to him that was indescribable, but it was definitely there. I wanted to know more about him. Was I being too reckless going out with this man I just met?
"I would really love to go out with you tonight, but I promised my roommate we'd do something together. As a matter of fact, I have to get going. I told her I'd be home about an hour ago. How about I call you? I haven't thrown your number away yet," I said smiling.
"How about I walk you home, and we can pick a date on the way?"
"You don't like to take no for an answer, do you?"
"No I don't," he said, squeezing my hands a bit harder.
"Well, I guess I don't really have a choice then, do I?" I pulled my hands from his and turned to walk down the block towards my apartment.
***
We walked side-by-side the entire way back. He didn't try to hold my hand, or anything else, which I appreciated. We decided that tomorrow night we would meet for dinner. I had to work at the hospital until five. The plan was for me to come straight to Luke's. Caleb was supposed to work until seven, but was almost certain his uncle would give him a break.
My apartment building was a multi-unit complex divided into several two-level buildings, each with its own parking garage and several entrances for easy access to everyone that lived there. I lived on the second floor, half the distance between the entrance and the end of the building, so we had neighbors on two sides. It wasn't a bad location except for the fact that ours was one that overlooked the parking lot instead of the woodsy view on the opposite side of the building. It had been the only one available at the time I was looking, and the only complex close enough to Waitling, so I snatched it up.
We reached the entrance door and Caleb turned his back to it, facing me. Gently, he took my hands into his, as he had done before in the park. The stimulation from his touch started to feel almost familiar and not as shocking to my body. "I really had a great time with you today, Cassie. I'm so glad we ran into each other, although I'm sure you would have called me anyway," he laughed. "Right?"
"Of course," I laughed along with him. "And I'm
really looking forward to dinner tomorrow night. I'm glad we—"
My words died out as I watched a scowl come over Caleb's face. He was looking intently over my shoulder. I turned around just as Hunter walked into the parking lot, towards a row of cars. It looked like he had come from the other building's entrance door.
"Is that... Hunter?" I asked, squinting my eyes in his direction.
As if he'd heard me, Hunter gave a nod in our direction before getting into a black Mustang.
"What is he doing here?" I asked quietly, more to myself than to Caleb.
"I was thinking the same thing," Caleb murmured.
Hunter slowly drove past, as we watched from the entrance door. Caleb tensed next to me, and I watched his jaw set and fists clench, as he glared back at Hunter. I could feel the anger emanating from him.
Hunter's taillights were out of sight, but Caleb's tension did not wane. I touched his arm, afraid he may violently snap from his own body's rigidity, but it seemed to soften immediately from the light contact. He looked at me, eyes coming back into focus. He put his hand over mine, forcing it to rest tighter against his skin.
"Look," he said with a sigh. "I know you probably think I'm being overprotective of you or something, but I really would feel a lot more comfortable if you'd let me walk you up to your apartment."
He looked uneasy about something. What that something was, I had no idea. Did he know more about Hunter than he let on? Was he trying to protect me from something that I wasn't aware of?
I looked to the street off the parking lot. There was no sign of Hunter's Mustang. But the tingling sensation I was getting on the back of my neck from the concern Caleb showed was really starting to give me the willies.
"That's fine. If it will make you feel better." All of my inner independence argued with me, but my nerves at this point won out.
I unlocked the entrance door. He followed me up the flight of stairs and down the hall to my apartment.
"This is it," I said, turning towards him. "Thanks for walking me up."
"Is your roommate home?" he asked.
"Yes, her car was in the lot, so she should be here." Caleb nodded and then there was an awkward silence that seemed to emphasize my heavy breathing. He was so close.
He took another step forward so that we were only inches apart. "Okay then, Cassie. Goodbye." His face moved even closer. The air between us seemed so charged, I held onto my breath as his lips hovered over mine.
Suddenly, the door to my apartment sprang open and I almost fell inside, not even realizing I had been leaning against it. Nora broke my fall as I crashed into her. Dazed, it took me a few minutes to realize what had just happened. I was both furious and grateful for the interruption of our potential kiss.
"Oh my God! Cassie, what are you doing lurking at our door?" Nora asked, running her hand over her top as if brushing out any wrinkles our collision may have caused. Since she was wearing a cotton tank top and a pair of boxer shorts, wrinkles were highly unlikely. Her bare feet told me she hadn't intended on going far. Nora had a thing about needing to wear at least some kind of shoes, whenever she left our apartment, even if they were fuzzy, bunny slippers.
When she saw Caleb was standing there, she said, "Oh! I didn't realize you were with someone. Hi, I'm Nora." She extended her hand towards Caleb.
Caleb studied Nora. There was nothing sexual about his examination; it was more like he was trying to figure out if he knew her. The same look a person got when they ran into someone they knew from long ago and couldn't remember their name.
"Caleb," He took her hand and gently shook it. "Nice to meet you, Nora."
"Now I understand why you were lurking, Cassie," Nora said with a smirk.
"Shut up, Nora," I said with a small laugh. "Caleb and I met at school. Well actually we met at Luke's last night and then ran into each other at school today. We got to talking and he was nice enough to walk me home. What were you doing?" I asked her right back, trying to draw her away from an embarrassing conversation of what Caleb and I might have been doing at the door before she so elegantly interrupted us.
"I was checking to see if our paper came. I thought I heard the delivery guy at the door. Obviously, it was you two," she said, as if we had disappointed her in some way.
Turning back to Caleb, I said, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then, Caleb." This time I stuck my hand out towards him in anticipation of a goodbye handshake.
He grabbed my hand, pulled it up to his lips, and lightly kissed my fingers, right below the knuckles. "I'm really looking forward to it, Cassie. Goodnight."
Enchanted, my hand drifted slowly back to my side. "Goodnight," I managed to whisper.
He nodded towards Nora. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Nora. Have a good night."
"It was good to meet you too, Caleb," Nora answered.
I stayed in the hallway listening for the front entrance door to shut with its familiar clunk. When I knew Caleb was gone, I turned towards Nora, my hands on my hips.
"Okay, what gives?" I accused her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"What?" she made a feeble attempt at claiming her innocence.
"What were you doing out here, Nora Hawthorne?"
"I told you, I was checking to see if our paper had come."
"Nora, I live here. We don't get a paper! Now 'fess up!" I pushed her back into the apartment and closed the door.
Avoiding me, Nora went to the cupboard and grabbed a wine glass. She held it up, raising her eyebrows, her tacit invitation for me to join her. I nodded and she grabbed another glass, along with a bottle of wine from the cabinet. She filled the glasses slowly, and I started to lose my patience.
"Well? Spill, Nora. Were you really spying on me?"
"What? No! Of course, not! I was just as surprised to see you guys at the door as you were to see me."
"C'mon, Nora. I've lived with you for two years now. I know all about your 'Nosey Neighbor' habits."
I met Nora in one of my undergrad classes when we were paired up for a psych project. We hit it off from the start. She asked me soon after we met why I disappeared so much and I told her it was a long, complicated story that I'd tell her about someday. She never asked again, accepting me with all of my absences and stand-ups without questions or complaints. I often thought about telling her, but I was too afraid of losing the only other person in my life, besides my mom, that seemed to accept me for who I was, or at least, who she thought I was. I knew people had a tendency of shying away from what they didn't understand.
"Okay, you got me!" she said, laughing. "I was being a 'Nosey Neighbor', but not to spy on you. I heard voices earlier coming from the empty apartment next door, so I decided to see what was up. When I got out into the hallway, the property manager was out there with this gorgeous hunk of maleness. Of course, I stuck my tail between my legs and ran back inside before they could even say, 'Hey, Nosey Neighbor'."
As talkative and outgoing as Nora usually was, she seemed to lose all sense of formative words when it came to good-looking men. Unless she was all prettied up, she lacked the confidence to initiate anything. Her shoulder-length, blond hair was piled on her head and there were no signs of makeup. She was probably at the gym earlier and just took a quick shower to freshen up. She couldn't even try to appear less than beautiful, but it was definitely not a look that would have given her the confidence to strike up a conversation with the hunk she claimed was next door.
Wait! Hunk next door looking at the empty apartment? Could it have been Hunter? That would explain why he was at the complex. There were only two apartments open, one next door, and the other in the building next to ours.
"So when I heard voices again," Nora continued, "I planned to go out there and apologize for being such a rude potential neighbor. I didn't want to scare this one—"
"Nora, what did he look like?"
My narrowed eyes and tightened body language must have shown how serious I was, because her normally light demeanor
changed.
"I only saw him for a minute, but he was tall and muscular, not bulky muscle though, you know? Um, short dark hair, a little messy on top. Oh! His eyes! They were the bluest I've ever seen in my life! When he turned to look at me, I nearly lost my breath!"
No doubt about it. Hunter had been next door with the property manager. So he was looking for an apartment now? And it just happened to be in my complex? This was really starting to freak me out. Maybe Caleb was right, and I should be careful. Something wasn't right about all of this. Who was this guy? I made a mental note to talk with the property manager in the morning and see if she could provide me with any more info on him.
"So what's the big deal?" Nora asked.
I wasn't ready to tell her about Hunter yet. I could see her going straight to the cops if I told her that I'd met him, as well as Caleb, at Luke's yesterday, and they both mysteriously showed up in my life today. Nora didn't like to take chances. Not that I did, but I had a little more going on in my life to relate to these coincidences. I had to find out for myself first. It was better to keep her in the dark until I knew more. I hoped the info my mom was tracking down would shed some light on all of it.
"Oh, nothing," I waved it off, walking over to the couch with my wine in hand. "I just saw the same guy coming out of the other building while I was in the parking lot tonight. He must be looking at both apartments." Well, at least I hadn't lied completely. I sat down, placing my wine on the end table next to me as I picked up the remote for the TV.
"Hold up there, sister." Nora came around and sat next to me, putting her hand over mine on the remote, before I could turn it on. "Are you sure that's it? You actually looked pretty freaked out when you asked me about him. You sure you don't know him?"
Nora was good at reading me - too good. I had to tread carefully unless I wanted to tell her everything. If I told her even an ounce of it, she wouldn't be satisfied until she knew the whole thing. I hated lying to her, but as usual, when it came to my secret life, I had no choice. I wasn't proud of it, but I was pretty good at it.
Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) Page 5
