Casey’s lips turned into a smile and then she nodded her head. She understood the time I needed to deal with my loss. However, she and Charlotte would be there when I needed them. Shortly after, she was showered, dressed and out the door. She promised with a smile she would return in a few hours. Casey still had errands to run for her father.
I was grateful as it would give me more time. More time to adjust and see exactly how my little box was holding up. I watched her drive off in her little black sports car and waved behind her.
I paused, and then walked back into the house. Walking through the large open living room, I headed toward the patio. Unlocking the large glass door, I slid it open and walked through. The air was fresh, clean and crisp. I could smell the grass when I walked out onto the patio. Glancing around, I noticed the dew on the freshly cut lawn. I moved slowly with my hand gliding across the wood rail and walked down the steps until I reached the ground. Not missing anything in the back yard, everything was perfectly trimmed, manicured and landscaped. The summer flowers were all in bloom. The fullness of the green foliage surrounded the edge of the yard which sang with the hum of the bees already out for a taste of the nectar in the new blooms. As I looked around, I noticed what looked like an open trail at the end of the yard.
Slowly I walked toward it, moving a small tree limb from out my way. This was odd. My father could have added it after I went to college. I remember another trail in the front we all used to walk on in the summer to go to the river and fish. However, I never remembered this one. Following the trail, I took notice of the birds above as they sang. A woodpecker in the distance pounded out his breakfast. Shortly after, I heard a squirrel. I figured it must have been a mother squirrel barking a warning to her nearby young as I approached. Smiling to myself, I continued through the forest following the newfound adventure. Looking ahead, I saw a break in the forest. The closer I came to the edge the more uneasy I became. Standing at the edge of the forest, I stared out into a meadow. The meadow was exactly like the one in my dream. My breath caught in my throat while my heart drummed loudly. I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, forcing myself to calm down.
My mind raced back to the dream. Did something happen here? Did this have something to do with my father’s death? I heard a twig crack and I froze. I held my breath and listened. My eyes darted to all corners of the meadow to see where the noise came from. Suddenly from the left of me I heard a short snort. My heart drummed loudly, but I didn’t move. I was afraid the horrid image of the monster wolf would appear. What if they were real and right here? I heard another snap. The urge was too strong not to look. I turned my head slightly to the left. Hearing the short snort again, my body remained in a frozen state. The foliage moved. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. My eyes fixed on the foliage, watching as the thick brush parted and a large buck stepped into the meadow. The wind blew lightly and he turned his head my way. He stared at me and snorted again.
This time he darted across the meadow to the other side of the forest. I let loose the breath I held and breathed new air. Shaking my head, I realized this was just an overreaction to the dream. Still, I felt there was more to it. I decided to go back to the house and mull over it there.
Turning around I gasped. My heart slammed into my chest again. Before the day was over, I just knew I was going to have a heart attack.
“Hey!” Daniel walked toward me. “I thought I might find you here.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“Well, you left the door open on the patio in the back and I noticed footprints that led down this path,” he stated flatly. “I wanted to see if you were okay. You didn’t come back with Casey for breakfast. Mom sent over some muffins for you.”
“Blueberry?” I asked already knowing the answer. She was cooking breakfast and baking muffins.
“Of course.” He chuckled. Standing beside me, he looked out onto the meadow. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I just don’t remember it being here.” I kept my eyes straight ahead of me. I was afraid to look at him, but I also couldn’t help from stealing a glance.
“This is where Martin would always come.” He gave a halfway smile, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
“Really?”
His smile turned into more of a wicked grin that started from the corner of his mouth. With his face in full view, I wondered if he could tell my reaction to his beautiful eyes that my blood rose a few degrees.
“Yes, really.” He grinned and lowered his eyes to the ground.
My thoughts eluded me. Where was my safety net? He had never done this to me before. Who is this new dark and mysterious Daniel?
“So,” he continued, “Casey mentioned you had a bad dream about werewolves last night?” His tone serious, his body rigid, and his face stern, kind of reminded me of Thomas in the courtroom.
“I guess she told you about it. It really wasn’t anything,” I lied, hoping he wouldn’t persist with the issue any further. I felt a little silly about the whole thing.
“She said your screaming scared her half to death. So you were being attacked by a werewolf?” His eyes fixed on mine for an answer.
“Well, not exactly attacked. There were two and one jumped out from the bushes and attacked the other.” I felt like an idiot for such a stupid dream.
Daniel stood in silence, waiting for me to continue. I didn’t say any more hoping that he would let it go. He took a couple of more steps toward me. My heart thundered.
“What do you think the dream means?” The tone in his seductive voice caused me to lose my train of thought.
Daniel frowned slightly, the muscles tightened in his strong jaw line. His eyes peered through the beautiful eyelashes waiting for my answer. He clasped his hands in front of him while I watched the muscles flex in his strong arms.
“I… I… ” Realizing I was stuttering, I stopped and frowned. “Not sure. It may just have something to do with my Dad on a hunting trip. Considering the fact he is… .” I paused, when I felt the box unraveling, I inhaled a deep breath.
“Well, you have to deal with a lot right now.” He spoke in a sweet and soothing manner. The concern in his eyes was evident. Dear Fate, he had an adorable face. My heart started that silly thumping again.
“So how’s Virginia?”
“Who?” My eyes and mind focused somewhere else.
“Virginia? The state where you attend college?”
Well, here was another embarrassing moment to add to my collection. My cheeks suddenly turned warm. So much for paying attention.
“Oh. It’s a beautiful state. I enjoy all the mountains.” I managed to turn away from him, but not before I caught the wicked smile that crossed his lips.
“Casey tells me you are in your last semester of college.”
“Yes. I’ll be finished.”
“Any plans afterwards?”
“Not really. We should talk about what you are doing. I hear your project is more interesting than mine.” I felt a little embarrassed with all the questions he asked. Talking about myself made me feel uncomfortable.
“I doubt that anything would be more interesting than you.” His eyes met mine again.
A wave of butterflies hit my stomach. Hot blood coursed in my veins. I felt the heat of it sting my face. A sly grin erupted at the corner of his mouth; raising his eyebrows, he turned his focus back to the meadow again.
“Since when are you so easily embarrassed, Julie?”
Immediately, the blood that ran through my veins boiled. It wasn’t the flush from blushing. No, this one was a temper surge. I frowned to myself when the revelation hit me.
Daniel may have changed physically, but he was still the same gangly kid that tortured me to death when we were young. I huffed a discontented breath.
“Daniel?” I glared at him and turned around toward the house. “You are still an ass.” With my back facing him, I marched toward the house. I heard a chuckle from behind, which dro
ve the blood to a new level of heat.
“What did I say?” he continued. The laughter was louder. I wanted to pull up a tree and hit him with it. No, a tree wasn’t good enough. A baseball bat would do it. No, not enough damage. I was still contemplating deadly weapons when I broke through the trees into the back yard. I saw Casey standing on the deck. I was still murmuring to myself as I walked by her. Her eyes followed me with a long and surprised stare.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was tense.
“Ugh!” I surprised myself. It sounded more of a roar than a grunt.
“What did you do this time?” she aimed at Daniel. That’s my girl, I thought. Get him! I rounded the corner to the kitchen still contemplating weaponry. Butcher Knife! That is exactly what I need.
“Nothing!” he retorted.
“Daniel! You are an ass!” she snapped at him. That’s my girl!
“Well then, be that as it may, I shall return to the zoo!” he snapped back at her. I listened and heard his footsteps walking toward the front door and stop. “Enjoy the muffins, Jewels! Try not to blush while you are eating them!”
“OH!” I shouted as I rounded the corner toward the living room I heard the front door slam. I was so angry I could have shot knives from my eyes. Casey’s face was shocked at the angry look I had on my face.
“What did he do this time?” I turned to her only to find she was holding back a laugh.
“Just being himself!” I seethed. There really wasn’t any surprise when she let loose a laugh. I didn’t see anything funny in this situation. She, on the other hand sat down on the sofa with tears running down her cheeks. I was still not laughing. “What is so funny?”
Casey wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. Looking at me as seriously as she could, she blurted out the most irritating words. “HE LIKES YOU! AND I THINK YOU LIKE
HIM!” I turned and walked back into the kitchen.
“Julie!” I heard her plea from the great room. “Please, seriously I have to talk to you about these dresses! I’m sorry! I won’t say anything else about your little crush!” I would’ve probably taken her more seriously if I hadn’t heard the hee, hee, hee after the last word.
She rounded the corner with a dress in each hand. I planted myself on a barstool in front of the kitchen counter and stared at the beautiful black dresses.
“Mom and I went shopping. She figured you didn’t bring anything so she bought these two for you.” She held out in her right hand a beautiful long black silk dress.
The dress was pretty much straight and sleek. I walked over to examine it more carefully. Draping in the front, two strips of small rhinestones acted as the shoulder straps to keep this beauty from falling off me. It was dressy but not revealing, something which was appropriate.
“Do you like it?” Casey’s eyes watched me intently.
“Yes, it is lovely,” I sighed.
“Good, because this is the dress you are wearing this evening. The other is for tomorrow. She also picked out some shoes for you as well. Dad is picking us up in about three hours.” Normal just went out the window for me.
≈≈≈
The doorbell rang just as I put the final touch on the top of the dress. The drape of the fabric fit perfectly, but it would’ve been nice if I had a strapless bra to wear. The designer wasn’t thinking of me when he made this creation. I turned again to the mirror. The black color against my olive colored skin and brown hair did give me an alluring quality.
Unlike Casey, who truly looked more like a model, but I would survive. Casey popped through the bedroom door.
“They are here!” she announced in a hurried voice.
I turned to look at her. Her face brightened when she looked over the dress.
“Mom was right, you look breathtaking.” Her smile comforted me. I looked down again, sighed and then put both hands on my breasts. Casey laughed a little.
“They look fine too. It’s modest.”
I glanced one more time in the mirror. An ancient Greek or someone with the same taste must have designed the dress. This is what I imagined the dress to be.
Quickly walking down the stairs, we headed toward the front door where the driver awaited to escort us to the car. Following Casey out the front door, I paused and switched the lock to the on position. My eyes lifted and caught a glimpse of the black limousine waiting in front of me. The driver stood beside the limo in his black uniform with the door open. Stepping toward the limo, I realized I had to keep myself in check. The high-heeled shoes were something I wasn’t accustomed to, and it took a little effort to keep my balance intact. I bent over to climb inside. Once my head was inside, Casey settled in on the left side of me. Charlotte sat across from her, Thomas and then, of course, Daniel. My eyes caught his when I climbed into the back and sat down. There was no way to hide the expression on his face, or mine for that matter. At first, the surprised look on his face told me it was my appearance. Then the hot rush ran over my cheeks when I realized his eyes didn’t stare at my face, but my chest. Only then, did I realize the top of my dress hung down a bit too far when I climbed into the limo. I suppose if he had ever wondered what my bare chest looked like, he surely had his answer by now. I sat back in the seat, adjusted the top of my dress, and glared at him. Clearing his throat, he turned and looked casually out the tinted window. The door shut and the spacious limo darkened, with the exception of the lights on the bottom of the inside doors.
I sat still, trying hard not to look at Daniel. The voices of Charlotte and Thomas spoke softly to one another. I blocked out their conversation. The feeling that Daniel’s eyes were already on me again, was more than I could stand. Uncomfortable I readjusted myself in the seat to lean more toward Casey. I felt the coolness of the air touching my leg.
Apparently, when I shifted in my seat, I had forgotten the long slit in the right side of the dress, which exposed my leg up to my thigh. I quickly grabbed the dress and pulled it over my leg to cover the exposed skin. Glancing up, I saw Daniel staring at my leg. The dim light in the limo hid the expression on his face. His body looked somewhat stiff when he sat with his back straight up in the seat. Glancing away from him quickly, I remained quiet and held my thoughts.
Checking my box, I knew it was tightly sealed. The evening may not be as difficult as I imagined. My thoughts then drifted to my father and the wild animal attack. I wondered exactly what happened. Most of their hunting expeditions were successful, and no one ever was even injured. This time, the only incident cost him his life. I checked the box again. The box was still safe, so I continued with my thoughts. I wondered what kind of animal could have done this. I have heard about bears and mountain lions. Could my father have run into one of those? The image of the attack was too difficult to imagine. My father was an excellent sharpshooter. There must have been more than one. His aim was flawless. I had spent enough time with him on the shooting range to know this. I needed answers. This wasn’t the time for questions, but I would find the right time to get my answers.
The cordial announcement from the driver stating we had arrived at our destination broke my intense thoughts. I couldn’t believe that my thoughts had consumed me for over an hour. The door to my right opened, allowing the light from the hotel to seep into the car. The lights from underneath the overhang were bright. Leaning toward the open door, I squinted at the bright lights. A sudden memory made me stop for a second and place my hand to my chest when I bent forward to step out. Daniel released a low chuckle that made my lips twitch. My head quickly snapped up to give him a disapproving glance. A grin formed on the corner of his mouth and then he raised his hand to try to hide it.
However, his eyes, even in the darkness of the limousine showed the humor on his face. I took the hand that gently supported me while I stepped out onto the pavement. While smoothing out my dress, I looked up to see Casey stepping out the limo. Daniel followed, then Thomas. Thomas and Daniel both stood in the opening as Charlotte’s long leg stepped out onto the pavement. Thomas
ever so gently held her hand, supporting her weight while Daniel remained on the right side ready to assist. Charlotte emerged from the limo and stood. The long black elegant dress suited her perfectly, reflecting the soft lighting against her slim figure. She was the vision of beauty. She adjusted the sheer black shawl that draped around her back to cover her shoulders. My attention turned to Daniel. How gingerly he handled his mother as if she were a china doll. He looked great in his black tuxedo. His black hair smoothed back straight. He walked toward Casey and me placing a hand on the small of our backs.
“Ladies,” he gestured, indicating that he would escort us inside. I felt a little silly, but took his arm anyway and we walked into the Plaza. Toward the left, voices chattered over the soft classical music that played in the background. We walked toward the room and stepped inside. Glancing around the large room I noticed so many people. Located to the left corner, a table held an assortment of finger foods. Waiters and waitresses carried drinks on their trays through the crowded room. My eyes widened when I saw a few of the people turn their attention to us. Daniel loosened his arms for Casey and me.
Instinctively, I held tighter to his arm. He leaned down to me, pressing his lips against my ear. “It is okay, I will not leave you.” The words were not as bad as the hot breath that tingled my senses. A sudden chill ran through me and I shivered. His arm slid around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Warm heat emanated from his body to mine, giving me the security I needed to make it through the night. He took a step forward and paused briefly for me to follow. We walked through the crowd. A waitress walked up to Daniel from his left.
“Could I get you something from the bar?” Her voice was soft and pleasant.
“Yes, a Scotch and soda please.”
“Lime and soda please,” I managed to return to her. With Daniel securely by my side, we walked toward the tables covered in white linen. Slowly we made our way to the table that carried a little card saying “RESERVED MAXWELL”. Daniel pulled out the chair for me and I sat down. I heard the chair next to me slide out from underneath the table and then his body was next to mine again. Glancing around the room, I had lost Thomas and Charlotte. I couldn’t see Casey. Where did they go? “Are you okay?” his soft voice asked. I nodded while my eyes darted around the room in search of my best friend.
Dark of kNight Page 3
