Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set

by Amy Miles

  “What? It was a double date. Sort of.” I shrugged.

  “I can’t believe you stood there and lied to her.” He exhaled sharply and the tires squealed as he steered the car from the curb. “It’s my life, my family, Autumn. Mine.”

  “I didn’t lie to her. Everything I told her was the truth.”

  “It wasn’t a date.” His eyes shot to me, wide and wild.

  Poor guy. He was pretty worked up. “Not to us. But technically, since it was us and another couple, you guys picked us up and paid, it was a double date.” I let that sink in, before speaking again, but in a softer tone. “I’m sorry it upset you, but I’m not sorry for making your mom so happy. Did you see her face?”

  Zack eased up on the accelerator and the Jeep slowed, his shoulders relaxing. He blew out a breath. “If you could let me do most of the talking over dinner, I’d appreciate it,” he said stiffly. At least he was calmer.

  “I’ll try, but if someone asks me something, they’ll think I’m an idiot if I don’t answer.”

  “Eat dinner. Then go. The sooner you leave, the less trouble you’ll get me into. Where are we going, by the way?”

  “There’s a dealership I want to check out on Palm and Brand.”

  He changed lanes to make a left turn. “Did you quit smoking?”

  “What?” I stared at him, my eyes bulging and my jaw slack “I can’t quit something I never started.” I wondered if that was why Zack sniffed me sometimes.

  “Normally, you smell like smoke. Not today.”

  God. I hadn’t realized the stench of the house had followed me. I shrunk in my seat and gazed out the window. “My parents smoke inside,” I mumbled toward the glass. “They’re out-of-town and I cleaned this morning. There wasn’t as much stink to cling to me, I guess.” Why hadn’t anyone ever told me?

  A few minutes later, Zack parked and I made a beeline for the Cruisers.

  “These are good cars. Gas mileage isn’t great, but not horrible either. Built for off-roading, so they’ll move when you need them to. They’re not cheap though.” He stopped to scan the rest of the lot. “I don’t see any other used ones except these.”

  “None of them are in my price range.” My whole body deflated and I sagged against a silver FJ. “I’d have to get one that has something seriously wrong with it or super high miles. Either way, my parents won’t like it.”

  “Let’s see what else they have.” He nodded his head for me to follow.

  I trailed after him. He occasionally stopped at a car and raised a brow, then I’d shake my head. When we’d gone through the entire used inventory, we returned to his Jeep.

  “Did you Internet shop like I suggested?” he asked.

  “Yes, but it’s hard to tell. You can’t walk around a picture or get inside it. I researched a bunch of SUVs and found the Cruiser. I really liked it but, well, we know how that turned out.”

  “This isn’t life or death, Autumn. Relax. We’ll find you the perfect car. Come on.”

  “You don’t know my parents,” I said, climbing back into his car. “It’s a miracle they’ve come this far. I need to seal the deal before they realize what they’ve done.”

  He chuckled softly. “Duly noted.”

  We drove a little further and stopped at a Honda dealer.

  “These aren’t cheap either,” I pointed out.

  “The idea is to see the real thing, not pictures. Walk around the car and get inside, like you said. We’ll go to several dealerships today and you’re not allowed to buy anything. When we’re done, we can regroup and decide what to do next. In the meantime, we’re window shopping, okay?”

  That didn’t ease my anxiety at all.

  “Are you trying to get this done before your parents come back to town? Less interference?”

  “Exactly.”

  “When do you expect them?”

  “Not sure.” I shrugged. “A few days maybe.”

  “Then there’s no pressure. We have all day today and tomorrow too.”

  Except that would be two more days with Zack, torturing myself with someone who could never be mine. But what choice did I have?

  When we were done with Hondas, we did the same thing at two more dealerships. We were examining the fact sheet of an SUV when Zack gave a man-nod to someone outside my line of vision. I turned to see the man we’d met before. Except this time he wasn’t wearing a cowboy hat. I glanced at Zack. “Do we have to leave?”

  “I don’t think so.” Zack carried on, business as usual, but kept the man in his view.

  I already knew not to invade his personal bubble. “What time does your family usually have dinner?”

  “Around five-thirty, since my mom usually falls asleep early. We should get going.”

  “Good. I’m starving.” I snuck a peek at the man, but a quick scan told me he’d taken off.

  On the drive to Zack’s house, he frequently checked his rearview mirror. I wondered if he was making sure we weren’t being followed.

  “How was your date with Gina? Or is that later tonight?” Not that it was any of my business. I fully expected Zack to shut me down.

  “Date?”

  “The other day, she asked if you two were still on for Saturday. You said yes. Remember?”

  He waved a hand. “It’s not a date. We have Science together and need to work on our project.”

  “Oh.” Gina had been at his house, sharing his family with him? I struggled to ignore the jealousy gnawing at me. “Your mom must have been excited for you to have a girl over.”

  He snickered. “My mom didn’t like her at all. She doesn’t see Gina as settling down material.”

  His mom didn’t like Gina, but she liked me. I turned away and smiled smugly.

  Wait… did that mean she thought I was settling down material? Sure, I lusted after Zack — okay, I lusted after him a lot — but settle down with him? “At eighteen, she wants you settled? What does that mean? Engaged or married?”

  “She married at our age.” He shuddered. “She’s old school.”

  “Gina told me you already have a girlfriend.” I peered at him from under my lashes, trying to act casual.

  “She said that?” He glanced at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road.

  “Yep,” I said. “On your first day at school.”

  “The subject never even came up. I think Gina’s a little insecure. By making me unavailable to you, she eliminates the competition.”

  “I’m hardly competition. You and I haven’t exactly gotten along.”

  He stopped for a red light and glanced my way. “Yeah, but Gina didn’t know that.”

  Gina, the sneaky witch. “You spend a good amount of time with her at school.”

  “Gina’s pretty.” He made a face. “But she’s not the kind of girl I’d get serious with.”

  “But the fact that you’re nice to her at all…” I cocked my head. “She’s a bigger snob than I could ever be.”

  “I pegged Gina the second she opened her mouth. No surprises there. But you…” He blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting you to kick me to the curb when Daniel made an ass of himself.”

  “Yeah, well, I scolded him, but you’d already left.”

  Zack seemed to absorb that. “Gina’s always trying to hook up with me.”

  “Why don’t you go for it?” We were having a real conversation and it wasn’t unpleasant at all. Yay. “You don’t have to marry her.”

  “The other day she asked me if I liked girls,” he said, but I noticed he hadn’t answered my question.

  I’d never thought about the possibility of Zack playing for the other team. “It’s a valid question, I suppose, since no one at school has seen you, uh, interact with anyone.”

  He squinted, tilting his head as if he couldn’t believe I’d said that. “I’ve been going to that school for a week.”

  “Oh, right.” I shook my head. “So, do you like girls?”

  He laughed, low and deep. “Funny.”r />
  Zack hadn’t answered that question either. Whatever. I wasn’t going to date him, so it didn’t matter.

  But since he seemed open to conversation, why not pry? He may not answer all of my questions, but he might answer some. And I just couldn’t get past how mature Zack looked for his age. “How much older are you than Trevor?”

  “Two months.”

  An answer, finally. “Did you two grow up together?”

  “Yeah. Since I don’t have any siblings, and Aunt Cara didn’t have Brian until years later, Trevor and I were raised like brothers.”

  I was an only child too. That was one thing we had in common. But I was envious, because Zack grew up with a good substitute. My parents hadn’t stayed in a city long enough for me to develop a relationship like that. Or any relationship. “Your mom said something to me in another language. Do you know what she said?”

  “Tesora. It’s Italian for darling.”

  “So you’re Italian.”

  “Partly.” Zack nodded as he turned down our street. “My mom is full-blooded, but not my dad. He was German, but grew up in Italy. That’s where they met. She was educated here though, which is why she doesn’t have an accent.”

  “Like me.” I loved this talkative side of Zack. “My mom’s half Italian and my dad’s parents were English.”

  He parked in front of his house. “Let’s go in and say hi to my mom.” He sighed. “Please just stick to facts and not give her any ammunition.”

  I gave him an innocent look. “I’ll try.”

  Trevor was on the couch playing a video game with his two younger brothers. “Hey Autumn,” he said as I stepped over the threshold.

  “Boys,” Cara called from the kitchen. “Dinner in five.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Zack replied. “Let’s go get my mom.”

  I shadowed Zack. At his mom’s door, he knocked twice, then opened it.

  “Did you two have any luck?” she asked, looking even prettier than last time I’d seen her. She wore a white blouse with a high neckline and puffy sleeves. She’d pinned up her hair, which reminded me of women I’d seen in old photos.

  “No,” I said while Zack answered the opposite.

  “Yes and no,” he clarified. “She didn’t buy anything, but we set out to window shop, which is exactly what we did.”

  “Oh.” Favianne gave a sly smile. “So you have to go out again tomorrow?”

  “We are. Right?” he asked me.

  I would’ve been okay with not car shopping, so Zack could enjoy a day off. But the idea of having him all to myself again appealed to me. I needed to get a grip. “Uh, I hadn’t thought about it. I assumed you had other things to do.”

  “I could use the extra money.”

  And… crashing back to earth. “Of course.”

  His mom sighed and shook her head at Zack. “Let’s not be late to dinner or Cara will be annoyed.”

  Zack reached behind the door and pulled out a wheelchair. He pushed it up against the bed and leaned over to scoop up his mom.

  Favianne swatted him away. “I can do it, Tesoro. You all treat me like an invalid. I can still walk when I need to.” She dragged her legs over and scooted off the bed. Zack repositioned the chair so the seat touched the back of her knees and she slowly lowered to the chair. He wheeled her out of the room to the dinner table.

  Whatever Cara was cooking, it smelled heavenly. Garlic, basil and bell pepper. Mmm. Something else too. Sausage?

  Cara and the two younger boys occupied one side of the table. Both ends were vacant until Zack wheeled his mom to one of them. He pulled out a chair for me next to her and sat on my other side. “Aunt Cara, did you cook the meat separately? Autumn is a vegetarian.” He glanced at me as an afterthought. “Or have you gone carnivore?”

  I chuckled. “Still vegetarian. So far.” A giant bowl of salad sat at the other end of the table, but I’d skip that today. I got plenty of that kind of food at home.

  “It’s mixed into the pasta and cream sauce, but they’re big pieces. You could easily pick it out. Unless you don’t like the juice either.” Cara bit her lip and furrowed her brows, but it wasn’t her fault no one told her I didn’t eat meat.

  “It’s totally fine. I don’t mind picking it out. Thank you.” It smelled so heavenly, I wanted to eat it right then, meat and all. But considering how I’d devoured the hamburger, I didn’t want to open myself up to anything new just yet. At least, not in front of Zack and his family.

  Cara went around the table with a large bowl and a pair of tongs, filling everyone’s plate with the pasta.

  I stared down at my serving. It smelled mouth-watering and I determined to hold out until everyone had been served.

  “Uncle Mac, this is Autumn,” Zack said.

  I’d been too wrapped up in the aroma of the food to notice the big man with massive shoulders and light reddish-brown hair who now sat at the other end of the table. The red explained why Trevor and Zack’s coloring were so different.

  “Nice to meet you.” I smiled.

  “You too. Welcome.” He returned my smile, then eyed his plate. “Smells great, babe.”

  Cara finished serving him, then returned to her chair. Once he took the first bite, everyone else began eating. We didn’t do that at my house, but there were only three of us. The bigger the family, the more rules, I supposed.

  “Did Maya get a hold of you?” Trevor asked me.

  My phone hadn’t rung all day. If it had, I would’ve heard it. “I think my cell is at home. Why? What’s up?”

  “We’re going to Santa Monica Pier after dinner. Wanna come with us?”

  If Zack didn’t go, I’d be a third wheel. If he did, it would be an awkward double date again. Or maybe not so awkward. Zack had been well-behaved the last few hours. “Uhm.”

  “You’re coming, Zack?” Trevor asked.

  “Sure. I’ll walk Autumn home after dinner to get her phone and we’ll meet you and Maya back here.”

  I didn’t remember agreeing to go, but when Zack was being nice, saying no was much more difficult. Seeing his mom’s face, I realized resistance was futile. Not that I wanted to put up a fight, but I hoped his mom wouldn’t be too disappointed when he didn’t marry me. “This is yummy, Cara. Thank you so much for having me over,” I said, trying not to think about Zack’s sweet side and all the things it could lead to, but probably wouldn’t.

  When everyone finished eating and dispersed, Zack began clearing the table. I thought he was going to set everything on the counter or in the sink and then bail. Instead, he dumped the leftovers down the disposal and loaded the plates into the dishwasher.

  “I can wipe everything down. What should I use?” I asked.

  He tossed me a sponge. I snuck a peek at him now and then as I cleaned. Even though it was hopeless, seeing him be domestic upped his market value. He even loaded the dishwasher correctly with everything orderly. By the time I finished, he’d started on the pots and pans. Impressive. And incredibly sexy.

  With everything in its place, he washed and dried his hands. “Let’s say goodnight to my mom before we go.”

  Visiting her at bedtime seemed more intimate than daytime. I hesitantly shadowed him anyway. Zack tapped the door twice and went in. Leaning over, he dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, Mom.”

  “’Night, Tesoro.” She turned to me. “Come visit again soon.”

  “Thank you. I will.” I gave her an awkward wave.

  We said our goodbyes to the rest of his family and walked at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk to my house.

  “Zack?” I glanced his way to see him watching me. “Why are we hanging out again? You could’ve said no.”

  “Yeah, but did you see my mom’s face? You were right. I don’t have much time with her. Whatever she has left, I want to see her happy.”

  I was oddly disappointed she was the only reason he hung out with me. I stopped in front of my house and faced him. “Right. But…”

  “But what?�
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  “Well, you’ve been awfully pleasant today.”

  He laughed. “Are you complaining? We might have a few more days together. Why make it harder than it has to be?”

  That sounded good. But not safe. If he was polite and hot, how could I not crush on him? This could be bad.

  When I turned and resumed walking, he grabbed my hand, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Autumn, I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said. “And I do like girls.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Gina will be happy to hear that.” I laughed nervously, but my mind was screaming, “Oh, my God.”

  Zack gazed into my eyes as he inched closer.

  My heart thumped in my chest as I imagined that he might kiss me. As every nerve ending in my body went on red alert, I held my breath.

  He shook his head and released my hand. “Uhm, when my mom is gone, whether it’s weeks from now or months, Aunt Cara will probably want me to stay. But I wouldn’t feel right imposing on her any longer than we already have.”

  I couldn’t be sure why he told me that, but my mind was even more muddled by my great disappointment over him not kissing me. I was sure he’d been about to. I struggled to focus. “Maybe your aunt loves you and won’t consider you an imposition.”

  He nodded. “But I can’t stay. I have no idea where I’ll go. Mexico. Canada. Maybe I’ll go to Italy. When I’m on the road, I don’t know how often I’ll talk to Trevor and I’m closer to him than anyone.”

  I got the picture. He wasn’t going to be around and wanted me to know that once he left, I’d never see him again. Don’t get emotionally attached. “So you’re saying that you don’t want to form any ties that can’t be easily broken?”

  Zack exhaled in relief, nodding. “Exactly.”

  If he felt the need to tell me, I must’ve given myself away somehow. Maybe when I’d been waiting for him to kiss me. God, how obvious I must have been. “Thanks for letting me know,” I said lightly. “That’s nice of you, Zack.”

  I let us inside my house and he waited downstairs while I ran to my room to change. Leaning over the bed, I steadied myself with my palm flattened near the edge of the mattress. Damn it. He was just a guy. And a grouchy one at that. Nothing special.