“Allison’s here,” Cole said, looking at the top of the staircase, “And she has something to say to you, Julie.”
Julie’s eyes were glued to the top of the staircase as Allison appeared out of thin air. “Why did you do it, mom? Didn’t you love me? Didn’t you want me to be happy?” she asked, tears rolling down her face.
Julie looked the ghost of her daughter in the eyes, and for a minute, I thought she was going to apologize to her baby. I was wrong.
“I wanted to be happy, and you got in the way of that! You ruined my life,” she said, spitting when she talked, “I killed her because I wanted Harrison back. I couldn’t stand seeing Allison getting to be in love while I had lost the love of my life. It wasn’t fair! But, nobody will believe you three. I’ll continue to play the grieving mother and Mason will rot in the jail for the murder of Allison Talbot,” she said, snickering. That she was proud of herself made my stomach turn.
She had just spilled her guts, and she thought she was going to get away with it, but what she didn't know was Cole was recording the whole thing.
“I bet the police will believe your taped confession,” Cole said, pulling the small black recorder out of his pants pocket and taunting her with it.
“Malady?” Allison asked, causing me to turn and face her.
“Yes?” I asked, waiting for the insult I knew was coming.
“I’m sorry for treating you how I did. I really am. Thank you for everything. Now call the police and send her to jail. Let Mason go home and eat some real food,” she said laughing, before walking back up in the steps and disappearing into the light.
Picking up my phone, I dialed the police and turned Julie in. Twenty minutes later, they showed up and arrested Julie Talbot for the murder of her daughter.
Mason Blanchard was a free man.
25
“I can’t believe they cracked the case without me. I should have been there,” Daniel said for the millionth time as we waited for Mason to be released.
Julie Talbot was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison and Mason was a free man. Everything worked out in the end. I made sure I didn’t get too happy about it all though because I didn’t want anything bad to happen. I needed some peace and quiet.
“You space out a lot,” Daniel said, waving his hand side to side in front of my face. That's when it hit me with him around I wasn't going to get any peace and quiet. The only way he would have shut his mouth was to buy him a muzzle or me some earplugs.
“When are you moving back to Atlanta?” I asked.
“Um, never. Cat’s Cradle is so exciting, and Ms. Etta’s hummingbird cake is off the chain,” he said, licking his lips and rubbing his stomach in a circular motion.
I hadn’t heard someone say "off the chain" since Christopher got stuck in his hip hop stage in middle school.
“Do they still say that in Atlanta?” I asked, laughing at him.
“Duh, all of the cool kids are saying it,” Daniel said, flipping his imaginary long hair.
I had never been happier not to be cool than I was at that moment. I was happy being just Malady. But, not too happy because that's when stuff got dangerous.
“People like you are why I never wanted to be popular. I bet you were the jock, right?” I asked, reading him like an open book.
I could imagine him breaking all the cheerleaders' hearts and ruling the school. He probably walked down the hallway in slow motion making the occasional point to people that parted like the Red Sea when they saw him. His life was probably one of those teenage romantic comedy's Abby and Aggie loved to watch.
“No, actually I spent my summers at fat camp and in a Shakespearian pottery club. I was the president actually. I was even guilty of rocking some thick black rimmed glasses and suspenders,” he said.
Totally unexpected. It was hard to imagine Daniel as a nerd extraordinaire, but it made me like him a little more. Maybe underneath that frat boy personality he was still that nerd at heart. Things like that make you realize that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover or in Daniel's case a man by the amount of gel in his hair.
“Really? I would have never guessed.”
He had looked at me before he burst out laughing. “What's so funny?” I asked, thinking I had missed something.
“I can’t believe you fell for that. I’ve always been hot and had a killer body. I sucked at poetry. I was the captain of the football team. I didn’t wear glasses and suspenders, because I was too busy rocking my letterman’s jacket.”
Just like that the little sliver of respect I had accumulated for Daniel Price was gone. “Grow up,” I said, looking at the entrance of the county jail and seeing Mason walking toward me.
He had never looked happier than he did walking out of that jail. All of the shackles that held him were broken and gone. “Malady, how can I ever repay you?” he asked, picking me up and spinning me around.
“Oh, stop it. I’m glad you’re free, Mase,” I told him, holding on tightly so I didn't fall.
“Hey, how about thanking me? I worked on the case too,” Daniel said, feeling sorry for himself. He looked pitiful. Pouting was not a good look on him. He didn’t wear it as well as he wore a suit and tie.
“Yeah, yeah. You too,” he said, waving Daniel off. Daniel pursed his lips and turned away from Mason.
Everything was a competition to Daniel. He was acting as if we were on the finale of The Bachelor and we were the final two standing.
“Grandma Misty is cooking a celebratory dinner tonight, and she wants you to join us,” I told him as he sat me back down on my feet.
“That sounds great,” he said, smiling so hard it made my cheeks hurt.
“Am I invited?” Daniel asked, looking over his shoulder at us.
“Um, yeah, I can guess you can come if you want to,” I said, nonchalantly.
He looked so offended. I guess he was accustomed to being at the top of everyone's invite list. “I'm just messing with you. Of course, you're invited. It wouldn't be a party without Daniel Price.”
I didn’t really believe that, but I knew he would like it and make him stop sulking like a child. Adult Daniel was hard to deal with, so imagine toddler Daniel. He was a real pain.
We all loaded into Daniel’s car and started driving in the direction of Mason’s house. It was just down the street, so it didn’t take too long until we arrived. “Thanks for the ride,” Mason said, hoping out.
“Dinner starts at eight!” I called to him as he ran up the steps.
“See you then!” he called back, waving.
Daniel pulled out of the driveway on two wheels before I could wave back at Mason. “What’s your problem? I wanted to wave to him.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. He’s coming over for dinner. You can see him then and wave at him as much as you want,” he said, avoiding looking at me.
I could have been mistaken, but I could have sworn I sensed a hint of jealousy in his tone. Why would Daniel have been jealous of Mason? That didn’t make any sense. Daniel didn’t have a crush on me, did he? Wiping that thought from my head, I realized I wasn’t making any sense. He liked city girls with designer clothing and big bank accounts. Not small town Southern witches with a crazy family who couldn’t smile because if she did, someone might get hurt.
Daniel pulled into my driveway and put the car in park. “Don't be late tonight. Grandma Misty flips out if anyone is late for dinner and won't let us eat until everyone shows up. She made us wait three hours on a guest one time. Abigail fell asleep in her bowl of cream of tomato soup,” I told him, laughing at the memory.
“Dinner starts at eight, so I’ll be there at seven thirty,” he said, winking.
Getting out of the car, I tried not to blush. I failed.
“Darn you, Daniel Price, darn you,” I said even though I knew he couldn’t hear me.
26
Just like he promised, Daniel showed up at seven thirty on the dot, and he was dressed to impress as alway
s. “Told you I’d be here, Suzie Q,” he said to me as he kissed Grandma Misty on the cheek and handing her over a bouquet of flowers he brought with him.
“Has Mason arrived yet? I’m starving,” Abigail said, descending the staircase.
He hadn't gotten there yet. That wasn't like him because Mason Blanchard was always on time. Even in school, he was never tardy. He was always the first one to show up and the last one to leave.
“He's tried on thirty shirts and took longer on his hair than any woman in this room,” Daisy said, staring off into space indicating that she had a vision.
Mason never cared about what he wore or how he looked. He was one of those guys who just looked good naturally, and he knew it. So hearing that surprised me. “I’ll bet he wants to get back together with our Malady,” Christopher said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“Christopher! No, he doesn't. He had to wear those awful orange outfits for like forever, and I guess he's just happy to have other options of clothing. He is not trying to impress me,” I said, swatting him on the shoulder.
“I’m going with Christopher on that one, Malady. If a guy is taking that long to get ready he’s trying to impress someone,” Cole said, putting his hands on Grandma Misty’s shoulders.
“Maybe he’s trying to impress Abigail, Agnes, or Sadie. Maybe he wants to take our Misty on a date,” I told them, placing my hands on my hips.
“It better not be for Abigail. I’ll find out his most embarrassing secret and broadcast it to everyone in Cat’s Cradle and Cold Creek,” Cade said, wrapping my sister in his arms. She giggled as she looked up at him.
“I call dibs on Grandma Misty,” Cole said, getting laughs from everyone including Grandma Misty and a silent laugh from Agnes.
A knock on the door got everyone's attention. “I'll go get it,” I volunteered, hoping it was Mason so that we could eat. I heard a couple of stomachs grumbling as I made my way to the front door. Turning the knob, the door opened to reveal Mason and a big cloud of cologne.
“I’m glad you could make it,” I told him, accidentally inhaling his very strong cologne and choking on it.
“Malady, are you okay? he asked.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine I just have a really bad cold,” I lied, not wanting to hurt his feelings.
Smiling at me, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Whoa, who is wearing a whole can of old spice?” Abigail asked, stepping into the air infected by the cologne.
“Did I go a little too crazy with the body spray?” he asked, giving us an apologetic look.
“Just a smidgen,” she said, being brave and giving him hug, “I’m really glad you’re out, Mason.”
“Thank you. I’m glad I’m out too,” he said, patting her back.
“Cade will flip on you if he sees you hugging her. He’s the jealous type,” Daniel said, standing beside me. He was right. Bobby Lyons talked to Abby when we ran into him at the grocery store, and I thought Cade was going to order a hit on him. I was going to have to watch that one because I had a feeling I was going to be representing him at some point.
Mason looked at Daniel, and then his eyes flickered to me. His eyes held the same jealousy Daniels had earlier in the day.
They were both acting strange, and I didn’t like it. It was making me super uncomfortable.
“Who’s Cade? And what kind of name is Cade?” Mason asked just as Cade walked into the room.
His nostrils were flared. He was mad, but I didn’t know if he was mad over Mason making fun of his name or hugging his girlfriend. He was really angry, so maybe it was a combination of both.
“I’m Cade Blackwater, Abigail’s boyfriend, and Cade is an awesome name. What kind of name is Mason?” he asked, untangling Abigail from Mason’s arms.
“My momma liked it, and if she liked it then I like it too,” Mason answered with a shrug.
“Come on and eat before the food gets cold,” Grandma Misty called from the dining room.
Walking in the dining room, I made my way to my usual seat. Hearing a ruckus behind me, I looked over my shoulder and saw Mason and Daniel trying to push each other out of the way as they both tried to sit on the empty seat next to me.
“Let’s flip a coin to see who gets the chair,” Daniel said, pulling a quarter from his pocket.
I had never had anyone fight over me or flip a coin over me. I had to admit it was quite flattering.
“I call heads, and that leaves you tails,” Daniel said as the coin went up in the air.
The coin hit the floor, and it landed on tails.
Mason smiled at Daniel as he took the seat next to me. Daniel looked like he wanted to kill him. The drama between them was all so weird to me.
“Come on, Daniel, you can sit by me,” Christopher said, batting his eyelashes and rubbing the empty seat.
“You are so weird,” he said, reluctantly sitting down beside Christopher who was barefoot by the way.
“Thank you,” he said like Daniel had complimented him.
“I was insulting you,” he said, shaking his head.
Christopher didn't care. He just ate his food and occasionally smiled at Daniel who kept looking down at his food and stabbing his fried chicken with his fork.
“It's already dead, Daniel,” Sadie said, wincing every time he jabbed the chicken.
“So, Mason, how excited are you to be out and about?” Grandma Misty asked, munching on her chicken.
“Feels so weird not to be confined in a box and not to be called a murderer.”
“I can only imagine what you must have felt,” Daisy said, looking at Mason like he was the greatest thing she had ever seen.
“Every day was torture in there, but Malady came through for me, and I will never stop thanking her,” he said, leaning over and kissing my cheek.
Hearing dishes rattle, I turned and saw Daniel getting up to leave. “Where are you going?” I asked, standing up.
“I’m not feeling very well, Suzie Q. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight everyone,” he said, quickly walking out of the door before anyone could stop him.
A flower of curiosity blossomed in me, along with just a little bit of reluctant concern. I had never seen him act like that before. You usually couldn’t get him to leave at a normal hour, and tonight he was leaving before it had ever truly begun. Something didn't add up.
Tossing my napkin on the chair, I ran outside after Daniel, but he was already halfway out of the driveway. I watched until his headlights disappeared into the night.
“You’re going to catch a cold in this night air,” Abigail said, wrapping one of Grandma Misty’s knitted blankets around my shoulders.
Grandma Misty had tried to embed all of those weird Southern lady myths in our heads since birth, I knew better, but I couldn't say the same for my sister. She believed them all, swore by them even.
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” I told her, rolling my eyes.
“You ready to go back in?” she asked, pulling me toward the house.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I told her, linking my arm through hers.
“How does it feel, Mal?” she asked as we walked through the door.
“How does what feel?” I asked, drawing my eyebrows together in confusion.
“To have two very handsome men fighting over you,” she said, giggling like a school girl.
“They are not fighting over me,” I said, denying it even though I knew they were.
“Sure, Mal. Whatever you say,” she said, retaking her seat next to Cade.
Mason seemed even happier after Daniel left. He was laughing at everything even if it wasn’t funny and bringing up all of our old memories. He was really enjoying himself.
“As much as I’m enjoying this very long walk down memory lane, I’ve got to get going,” Christopher said, kissing his sisters and Grandma Misty on their foreheads before making his way to Sadie and then me, “I would give you a goodnight kiss as well, Daisy, but I don’t think your brothers would like it too much.”
“That’s okay. Goodnight, Christopher,” she said, laughing.
He walked out of the door at lightning speed because his hour of being a human was quickly coming to an end. Grandma Misty hated it when he flew through the house especially when people were eating, or we had a guest.
After everyone left, I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. The crazy events of the day had taken a toll on me. I always thought Daniel hated me and after tonight night he probably still would. He was finally starting to warm up to me, but I knew that after him seeing Mason kiss my cheek he would more than likely go back to how he was before.
And I didn't even know where to begin with Mason. He started dating the day after we broke up and he acted like I didn't exist. I knew that it was the curse and not him, but when he chose Allison over me, it really did something to me.
I drifted off dreaming of both of them, and in my dream, they were still fighting. So, it was more like a nightmare.
27
“I can’t believe I can actually be happy without having to worry if someone is going to get hurt or something is going to blow up,” I beamed, sipping on my sweet tea.
“I like you happy, Suzie Q, it looks good on you,” Daniel said, patting my knee.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath of the fresh air and just starting laughing like a crazy person. I had begun to do that often because I could. Me being happy no longer had stipulations. I was free to smile. I was free to laugh. I was free actually to live without being in a constant worry.
Sadie was no longer a slave to perfection, Christopher didn’t have to fly anymore, and the twins got to talk at the same time. I’m not going to lie. I didn’t miss only one of them being able to talk at a time. It was much more peaceful that way.
Cursed at First Sight Page 14
