Nicole Peeler - [Jane True 01] (10 page)

“Yeah, I guess. I’m not sure how it’s spelled, actually.”

“Neat. Is it a family name?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m assuming it is.” If by “family” my dad meant the
genus
things-that-go-bump-in-the-nighticus
.

Speaking of family
, I thought.
What
is
Ryu, anyway?

“What does he do?” said my dad, bringing me back to earth.

“Um… he’s an investigator.”

“Oh, okay. With the police?”

“I’m not really sure. I think he might be private. A private
investigator,” I finished, lamely.

“Ah, a gumshoe. Well, that must be exciting.”

“I think it must be, yes.”

The timer on the stove
pinged
and I nearly leapt over to the oven
door. Our conversation was getting decidedly awkward. I knew suspiciously
little about this good friend of mine.

I made a big production of taking the foil off of the top of the lasagna
and turning up the oven to let it brown. I set the timer for another ten
minutes. “How was Joe?” I asked, using the opportunity to change the subject.

“Oh, fine,” my dad said, and then he rattled off to me what he and Joe
had talked about that afternoon, and what Joe had said about our old car.

I set my dad a place at the table after making him a small salad. Then
the lasagna was done, and I served him an oozing hunk—I make a mean lasagna—and
sat at the table with him while he ate. As usual, I told him about Grizzie’s
outfit that day. He thought of her as some sort of exotic bird and he loved to
hear about her ever-changing plumage.

My dad was just finishing dinner when our doorbell rang.

I leapt up, nearly knocking my chair over. My dad gave me a funny look,
and I managed to smile. “Guess I’m a little nervous,” I said, weakly.

Luckily, he let it go, and I forced myself to walk calmly out into the
hallway and to our front door.

Ryu was wearing gray trousers and another crisp button- up with
two-toned gray stripes, one stripe the exact color of his trousers and the
other almost black. His belt and shoes were black.
No coat
, my mind
whispered approvingly.
And you’re underdressed
, it chastised.

He grinned at me and I noticed he was carrying a large rectangular box.
He handed it to me and I took it gingerly by its handle. “I couldn’t find a
florist,” he explained.

“Oh, okay. Thanks. What is it?”

“A lobster.”

“A lobster?”

“A lobster.”

“Right. Well, thanks again. C’mon in.” I held the door open and told my
stomach to quit it with the butterflies as he edged past me. He smelled
good
—like
freshly scrubbed man with a hint of balsam and something darker. Maybe cumin…

My father was standing in the doorway between our kitchen and family
room, wiping his hands on a towel.

“Ryu, this is my father. Dad, this is Ryu.” I used the lobster box to
gesture awkwardly between the two. Something rattled inside and I silently
apologized for my rough handling, lowering the box gently to my side. The two
men shook hands, exchanging pleasantries.

“Well, Ryu, it’s nice to meet someone from my daughter’s school days.”
If my dad was surprised at just how posh Ryu was, he did a good job of hiding
it.

“And it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Your daughter often talks about
you.”

“Well, she’s really something special,” my dad said, and I blushed.

“Yes, she certainly is,” Ryu said, slipping me that naughty wink of his.
If I was blushing before, I now thought my cheeks would burst with the blood
surging through them.

“What’s that you’ve got there, Jane?” my dad said, noticing my
embarrassment.

“Ryu brought us a lobster,” I said, hoping Ryu had
not
noticed my
embarrassment.

“A lobster?”

“A lobster.”
Déjà vu
, my brain cackled, slightly hysterically.

“Well,” my dad said. “Isn’t that nice. Let me take that for you.”

I handed him the box with relief. I had a funny feeling that the lobster
was going to end up back in the ocean as soon as I left with Ryu. Both my dad
and I loved seafood but neither of us could abide the squealing of a lobster
being boiled alive.

The three of us stood there in awkward silence until, as if on cue, we
all started to speak at once. Ryu and I quickly ceded the floor to my father.

“You kids have fun, tonight. And be careful. See you in the morning,
Jane.” He kissed me on the cheek and shook Ryu’s hand, and then retreated to
his recliner to watch the Food Network.

Ryu turned to face me. “You look very nice, Jane. Do you need a coat?”
he asked.

“No,” I said, without thinking. “Oh wait, yes. And thank you.”

He looked at me curiously, but I ignored him and got my jacket.

We walked out into the crisp November night, and I noticed he still had
the top down on his Porsche. He opened the passenger door for me, and I sank
into my little seat. I’d never been in a car this fancy in my life, and I had
to admit that I was a little excited.

He got in and started the car. “I’ll put the top up for you,” he said as
I belted myself in.

“No, don’t,” I blurted, blushing again as his curious look returned. “I
don’t really get cold,” I tried to explain. “But I have to wear a coat so I
won’t stand out. Anymore than I already do.” I had no idea if he could
understand my need to fit in, but I hoped he did. “I’d really like to ride with
the top down, but if we could put it up before we get to town, I’d appreciate it.”
It sounded lame, I realized, and he would probably be disappointed with my
stupid human concerns.

“Of course,” he said immediately. “Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll put
the top up when you say so. And if anybody sees us before that, I’ll take care
of it.” He smiled at me, and then reached forward to straighten out my seat
belt where it was twisted over my chest. I froze at his touch, my heart racing.

I turned to face forward, my expression a blank mask. I hadn’t done
this—whatever this was—in a very long time and I had no idea how to act. So I
followed my favorite attention-diffusing mantra: When in doubt, act fossilized.

He pulled out of our winding drive in silence, the car’s powerful engine
purring like a tiger. I relaxed as the night wind blew through my hair, and I
closed my eyes and took a deep breath of pure anticipation. This ride was going
to be
fun
…

For at least five minutes we enjoyed the peace and quiet, the darkness
of the night only barely interrupted by the car’s low headlights. When he finally
spoke, he did so gently, as if not to disturb the mood. “Where would you like
to eat?” he asked.

I smiled. “Well, there’s not much choice in Rockabill. We have one diner
open at this time of year, and then there’s a place where you can get delicious
burgers that seal shut your arteries.”

Ryu didn’t have to think long about that one. “Rockabill’s only diner it
is, then,” he decided. He barked his funny laugh again. “What’s it called?”

“The Trough. It’s right on the main square, catty-corner from my work.
You can’t miss it.”

“ ‘The
Trough
’?” he asked, skeptically. “What’s with the name?”

“Well,” I explained, a little embarrassed. “Rockabill used to be a
fishing village, but now we’ve tried to move toward tourism and our tourist
attraction is the Old Sow.” Ryu looked puzzled, so I continued. “The Old Sow is
a giant whirlpool, one of the biggest in the world. She’s very powerful and
very unpredictable, and she creates all these really rare tidal phenomena. Like
thunder holes,” I clarified. “And standing waves.”

“Huh,” was his only response. Some people were more impressed by tidal
phenomena than others.

“Anyway, the town did a sort of big revamp a few years back and the
community thought it would be a good idea to make the Old Sow a recognizable
brand that could be associated with Rockabill. Hence all the pig connections.”

Ryu chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s hilarious. I get the logic, but
it’s a terrible idea. Why would anyone want to eat at a restaurant called the
Trough?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, too. “At least the Trough is just a diner,” I
told him. “We have what passes for a fancy restaurant here in Rockabill. It’s
only open in the summers, and it’s called the Pig Out Bar and Grill.”

Ryu could only groan. “That’s awful!”

I grinned. “Well, the owners are pretty awful, so I guess it fits.”

We were getting near town, and I asked if he would put up the
convertible top. He assented without comment and we rode into Rockabill in
silence.

Our entrance, even with the top up, received a fair amount of attention
from the few people in our main square. It was rare to see such an expensive
and impractical vehicle on the streets of Rockabill at this time of year. When
we pulled into a parking space right in front of the Trough, it took a moment
for me to work up the courage to get out. Everybody in the diner was already
peering at us from their tables, and I felt distinctly uncomfortable at the
thought of letting them see it was me in the fancy car.

In the meantime, Ryu had come over to the passenger side and opened my
door, offering me a hand out of the low seat. I took it, grateful for the
support even if he didn’t know why I really needed it. He shut my door without
letting go of my hand. Examining my face, he asked, “Are you all right?”

I tried my best to smile, despite the fact that I’d seen the looks
exchanged between some of the diners when they’d realized I was the mystery
vehicle’s passenger.

“I’m fine,” I said. Unsatisfied with my response, Ryu didn’t let go of
my hand nor did he unlock his eyes from mine. “It’s just that I’m not entirely…
popular, here in Rockabill.” I chose my words carefully. “I have a reputation
for being… unstable. There’s a lot of stuff that happened, in my past. It’s
been years, and I’m fine now, but people here haven’t really moved on. So I
don’t like to attract attention.” I looked down at my feet, embarrassed by my
outburst and terrified that now Ryu would ask me what had happened, and that
he’d change toward me once I told him the truth.

Ryu placed his free hand under my chin, forcing my head up so that I met
his eyes. “But we both know it’s bullshit,” he said, his voice low and serious.
“I know everything that happened to you, Jane. And I know you’re not unstable.
The humans fear you because they sense you’re different. And you
are
different. You reek of power and otherness. Look, my kind knows all about
living among humans and I can tell you this: They’re like wild animals. If you
let them sense you’ve a weakness, they’ll take advantage of it to hurt you.”

I mulled over Ryu’s words. The part of me that was pure girl whined that
he’d said I “reeked,” but I ignored her. For hearing he knew about my past and
that he didn’t care
floored
me. The breath I hadn’t realized I’d been
holding whooshed out of my body and, to my horror, I felt the telltale pinprick
of forming tears. I blinked fiercely. I would
not
cry in front of this
man just because he deigned to speak with me despite my history.

As Ryu stepped forward, his eyes locked on mine, and I was overwhelmed
by his physical proximity. His warm hand still cupped my jaw, and his face was
way too close for comfort.
His eyes are flecked with green,
I noted.
I
think they’re actually hazel. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen real hazel eyes
before…

Ryu let his hand drop from my chin as he took a small step backward, and
then he brushed my hair away from my face. My skin thrilled at his touch but
his movement also broke the spell of the previous moment. I took a deep breath
as he offered me his arm like a gallant Victorian gentleman.

“My lady?” he queried, with a slight bow.

I took his arm. “Regulators, mount up,” I muttered, channeling Warren G
to fortify myself for our entrance into Rockabill society.

*   *   *

If I’d
walked into the Trough singing the national anthem at the top of my lungs Ryu
and I couldn’t have attracted any more curiosity. The whole restaurant was
staring at us, silently, as the door chimes tinkled a sarcastic little welcome.

But then Louis Finch, my dad’s childhood friend and the owner of the
Trough, bustled over to give me a hug. He had been a tall skinny teenager
nicknamed “Beanpole,” a moniker that had stuck despite the fact that he was now
incredibly fat. He was also incredibly kind, and I still had the teddy bear he
and his wife, Gracie, had sent me while I was in the hospital.

He showed us to a seat in Amy Bellow’s section. Besides Grizzie and
Tracy, I considered Amy one of my few friends here in Rockabill, and my dad and
I always sat in her section when we came into the Trough. Louis handed us menus
and made a funny little congratulatory face at me as Ryu opened his, and I
couldn’t help but laugh. Ryu looked up and I think he caught the exchange,
which made me blush again. If I wasn’t careful I was going to turn red
permanently.