Lonely Souls (21 page)

I turned my body toward his, tucking my leg under so I could turn safely in the seatbelt.

“I didn’t think of it as one. More like a bargaining point,” I said, placing my hand on his knee this time, feeling the electricity that I didn’t want to give up yet.

“We’ll get it figured out then. Sounds like I have no choice.” His eyes were dancing with a playfulness I wanted to tap into and absorb for myself.

“It can’t be as bad as you’re making it. I bet my imagination not knowing the truth makes it far worse. It’s like in a movie when they build up some big part and then you get to it and it’s like, ‘What’s the big deal?’” I said grinning, not realizing my fingers were circling his knee until he stilled.

“Let’s hope that’s exactly what it’s like,” he replied. “Now this road trip has gotten far too serious so put on your iPod. We’re probably about to get to a spot where the radio sucks anyway.”

I plugged in my iPod, got the channel set up, and hit shuffle hoping that our music tastes were somewhat in line, or it could make for an extremely painful experience.

The Shins came on, and I looked over to gauge his reaction and was relieved when he nodded in approval.

“Perfect song,” he said in approval as his finger tapped on the wheel.

“Scored a point in that department,” I said giggling, feeling a little bit like someone my age should be allowed to feel. “That could’ve been a deal breaker.”

We turned off to follow the signs for State Route 20, and my nerves started to get the better of me again.

“Do you really think being at the cottage will help get us closer to bringing my mom back?” I asked.

He seemed a little surprised by my question but answered it immediately.

“I think it will keep you safe, which is the first step to getting your mom back,” he replied.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think she was planning on going somewhere, but whoever came and got her,” I said.

“What do you mean?” He turned down the music.

“I think she thought that she would derail whatever plan she found out about by going to them, but instead they got to her first. Now all we have to do is figure out who it is,” I said, moving back in my seat.

I glanced at him and noticed the darkness was back in his eyes.

“That’s what I’m scared of—right there,” I whispered, tapping his leg.

“What?” He glanced over at me confused.

“That look. There’s something you’re hiding, and I never know what’s going to set it off, or what subject I touched on to make you barricade yourself from me,” I said, hoping I wasn’t going to shut him down completely.

“The same could be said about you,” he replied coolly.

“I’m sure my eyes don’t do that,” I disputed.

“No, they don’t, but you have a keen method of being able to hold people back at an arm’s length. You give no warning signs at all, which could be even worse, or as you so succinctly put it, scary.” He smiled. “Take down your walls, and maybe, I’ll take down mine.”

“Anyway, back to what I was saying.” I waved my hand at him. “If we can figure out what or who is in that area back east, we might have a much better shot at figuring out whose got my mom.”

“I don’t disagree, Triss,” his voice curt.
Now what I did say?

I rolled my eyes, and somehow, even though he’s driving, he caught it and smiled.

“I’m really proud of everything you said last night to those pariahs. It was so eloquent and beautiful. My mom and your aunt were finally rendered speechless,” he began. My stomach tensed up thinking back to the hatred I felt rolling off from my ex-coven members. It seemed so displaced yet so fitting.

“You have some pretty amazing qualities, Triss,” he finished.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. “My bossiness can have a purpose at times, I suppose, but I certainly jumped the gun with Brenda last night. I could have gotten us killed.”

“No, Triss. That wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t have let it,” he smiled, his eyes softening once more as he turned the volume up on the radio.

I sat back in my seat, enjoying the selection of music my iPod was picking out for us and realized I’d better text Jenny back before we reached where there might be sketchy cell service.

“Thx for checking on the ceremony. It took an odd turn, but the good news is that Logan and I are taking a trip together for the summer. Not sure where all we are going, but we already started today, and I’ll keep you posted. Heading into no cell service soon. xoxo

Within seconds, I got a reply from Jenny. It was too much for her to handle.

“Sounds like Logan’s already proved he very well might be the medicine the doctor ordered. I’m impressed, but I’ll be sure to keep it quiet from Trevor. Doubt he’d be thrilled. Have fun and keep me posted on your trip. Should be fun! xoxo

Not sure what she meant by the Trevor comment, but I wasn’t going to worry about it. He never showed interest until he moved several states away, and he’s not my type. I’m not sure what my type was, but then I glanced over at Logan and realized I knew exactly what my type was, and he happened to be sitting right next to me.

“She approve?” he asked. Funny he’s been around me long enough to know how few options I have for texting people.

“Jenny was excited for me. I made it sound pretty awesome, I guess. Can’t really text, ‘hoping to find my mom… hiding in forest… wish me luck’,” I said.

“Very true. When you put it that way, what the heck are we doing?” He started laughing, and I was thankful for his sense of humor.

Chapter 20

We pulled down the long dirt road that was almost completely obscured by the blackberries and tangled grass. It was probably better that it was overgrown because it had that “do-not-trespass” vibe surrounding the place. I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue down the drive as my nerves started getting the better of me. The winter weather hadn’t been kind to the road leading up to the home.

As our car bounced in and out of the potholes, my body tensed and my nerves started to take over again. I glanced over at Logan and his jaw was clenched, accentuating his already angular features and creating a thin line in place of his lips. I placed my hand on his leg, and he flashed me a grin, but it fell quickly.

“A little nervous?” he asked.

I nodded, “And I don’t even know why.”

“I’m unsettled too,” he replied.

“I know.”

“How do you know?” he challenged.

“I just do.” I didn’t want to tell him it was because I found myself staring at him so much I could tell when his muscles tensed or his brows furrowed.

We rounded the last corner, and I sat upright in my seat, finally letting the excitement begin to flow through me as we got closer to the cottage. This place held a special place in my heart, and I hoped somehow it would bring me closer to my mom.

The overgrown thicket alongside the drive began to diminish leading way to a clearing that allowed the wildflowers to take over. This very snapshot is what I remembered about our cottage property. My mom and I always managed to time our visits when everything was in full bloom, right out of school. Our little cobblestone house was staking a claim in the middle of a clearing with splashes of color framing the entire area. The wildflowers were exploding in color spraying brilliantly in every direction I looked, each with a different color from the rainbow. The bright yellow of the alpine cinquefoil trailed up the driveway, and the brilliant red columbine, deep purple fairy slippers, and fire-engine red skyrocket, peppered through the tall grass made me feel completely at peace and at home, our new temporary home.

I rolled down the window taking in a deep breath, letting the smell of the mountain air bring new life to my world. Looking over at Logan, I saw the beauty of what we were witnessing bringing calmness to him too. His eyes softened, and his lips were no longer stretched thin.

“Look at that. The alpine aster’s in full bloom,” he said, with his lips curling mischievously.

“How do you know that name?” I asked, beginning to tease him, and then it hit me.

My heart sunk a little thinking about how self-absorbed and thoughtless I tended to be, and now, I’ve got another example to add to the list. When we were around nine, he made me a crown out of the daisies, and I stood there correcting him the entire time. He called them daisies, and I wanted him to call them by their correct name, the alpine aster. We were playing house, and I was actually wearing the crown for our pretend wedding.

“I’m glad I’m that memorable,” he said laughing, unable to resist the jab.

“You made me a daisy crown, and we got married. I remember it perfectly,” I paused, my voice softening. “You are very memorable, Logan. Sometimes I just need a gentle reminder to get out of my mess of thoughts with everything.”

“So am I allowed to call them daisies now?” he asked, still grinning.

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed.

“It’s so beautiful. It’s hard not to feel guilty about being here while my mom might be who knows where,” I sighed.

“We are here for a reason, Triss. You’ve got to stop with the guilt, or it’s going to eat you alive,” he said, pulling in front of our cottage built of stone. He got out of the car and started throwing the straps of some of our bags over his broad shoulders. He was distracted with something again.

“Let’s hope no raccoons have gotten in and made a home,” I said quietly.

“Are you serious? That’s happened before?” He stopped and turned to look at me through the pile of bags and boxes in the car.

“No, just wanted to see if you were listening to me or not. You got distracted again. I could tell,” I replied. “If you want me to start breaking down my walls, you’ve got to do the same.”

“You’ve got a deal,” he nodded, his eyes beginning to sparkle again.

I hopped out of the car and grabbed a bag, before walking up to the porch. With every step closer to the front door, I placed more and more hope on finding the answers we needed to bring my mom home. The cottage would hopefully provide the protection we needed to figure out and execute our plans, but I still had a sense of worry creeping up inside that anything we did couldn’t bring her back anyway.

I swung open the door, and Logan was right behind me taking in the view of the place that held so much hope for us both.

“It hasn’t changed at all,” he murmured into my hair, pushing me gently from behind. I fought with all my strength not to let my mind wander.

The kitchen was directly to the left with a butcher-block island in the center where my mom and I would often prepare whatever herbs and flowers we had picked for the day. To the right was the great room with a huge fireplace that was our only source of heat. Down the hall at the back of the house were the two bedrooms. Everything was pretty open and airy, but all the curtains were drawn, making it darker than usual. My fingers found the switch on the wall and flipped it on.

I set my bag down on the ground and went over to the kitchen, sliding open the window.

“I think we should open all the windows and get some fresh air circulating. Seems a little stuffy,” I said.

“Sounds good to me,” Logan said, putting the many bags he somehow managed to strap onto himself down next to my one lone bag on the wooden floor.

He walked over to the window in the great room and opened the curtains and window, letting the light flood in. I walked to the back of the house and opened the window in the bedroom that I stayed in and a sigh escaped as I was about to enter my mom’s room.

“Everything okay?” Logan asked.

He must have heard my not-so-subtle sigh.

“Yeah, just going into my mom’s room. Sorry,” I hollered back, and he was there instantly. Not that it was that hard to do since it was such a small home.

“Triss, there’s nothing to be sorry about.” And he followed behind me as I ventured into my mom’s room, providing the support I didn’t want to admit that I needed. Her room was larger than mine was and filled with a bed, dresser, and rocking chair. I didn’t bother flipping on the light. I went over to her window and shoved open the drapes and slid the window open. I opened the closet and grabbed the plastic bag that housed the quilts and sheets and threw them on the bed. I turned back around to face Logan. “See, I’m fine. I think this is the room you should take. I’ll stick to the one I’m used to. This one’s too big.”

“Sure thing,” he replied, his eyes warm.

“Let’s continue to bring stuff in, and then we’ll figure out what all we might need to go get.” I felt better when I was in control of the task lists. It kept my mind focused on things other than my mom.

Walking through the hall in a daze, I ran right into some very elaborate cobwebs that our time away had produced. I began spitting and blowing air in a not so polite way in case some had gotten some in my mouth.

“Triss, don’t be alarmed, but you’ve got a huge spider on your shoulder. I’ll get it,” Logan’s voice warned.  His tone was very deliberate as if any excitement would lead to some fiasco beyond help.

“How big is it?” I asked, unable to crane my neck in that direction.

“Large enough to freak me out,” he mumbled.

“That’s all right. I’ve got it,” I replied calmly. “I’ll take it outside.”

Walking gingerly through the house to the front door, I went outside with Logan following right behind me to shake off the hitchhiker.

When the spider fell to the ground, my jaw fell with the size of it. It had to be just under the size of my palm. I didn’t think Washington grew them that big.

“You weren’t kidding about it being a biggie,” I said in amazement.

He grinned and began combing out the cobwebs from my hair with his fingers, and I enjoyed the rush that his touch stirred inside of me.

Being at the cottage felt right. I started to feel the hope that I was lacking back at the house and at the covenstead. The bright pops of color that my mom had decorated with helped to cheer me up. The cottage had been in my mom’s family since the early 1900s, but it didn’t seem that old with all the remodeling and decorating my mom had done to it over the years.