Shadows (21 page)

"You always call me beautiful. You didn't that
time."

"Forgive me, princess, I was unaware of the
formalities of it all. I love you, beautiful." He leans down and
softly kisses my cheek.

"I love you, too." I watch him as he stands
and walks from our room. Who knew that I would fall head over heels
in love with a man and move in with him in less than two weeks? I
surely didn't. He has completely taken me by surprise. Fluffing my
pillow, I sit back against the headboard. My hand may be sore, but
I'm not tired. I need something to do. Hearing a knock on the door,
I look up to find Robert.

"Hey, butthead. I was told you were defending
little old ladies from dastardly villains and you broke your
hand."

"Something like that."

He sits beside me and holds out his hand. I
take my pill from him and pop it into mouth. He hands me another
glass of water and I have no problem finishing that one as well.
Putting his arm around my shoulder, he pulls me to him. "I worry
about you, kid."

"I know."

"You've known him a little over a week and
you’re already living with him? That's crazy, Eve. You have to be
the most rational person I know. I come back from California and I
find out you have a new boyfriend and you move in with him only
after a couple of days. Plus, I haven't heard from you for a couple
of days, and we usually talk daily even if it's just a text. Now, I
get a phone call saying you've punched someone and broke your hand.
I don't know, kid. This all seems pretty crazy to me."

"I know." I put my head down and look into my
hands. It does all seem really crazy, but it all feels right except
for my hand, that shit hurts.

He sighs and kisses the top of my head. "I
love you, butthead."

"I know. I love you too."

"If this gets to be too much, I want you to
call me." Yawning, I rest my head on his shoulder. "I know you’re
tired, but before you doze off, I wanted to give you some news." My
stomach drops. The last time someone gave me news, it ended
horrifically. A tear falls from my eye as I sit up to look at him.
"Hey, hey no tears. This is good news, kid. I promise. Rycore is
opening a Chicago office, and since I'm already here, they've asked
me to help start it. I get to help the new branch get on its feet.
I'll be around for at least the next six months possibly longer.
That's good, yeah?"

I can't contain my excitement. I've missed him
so much. Texting is not the same as having your big brother around
to harass every day. "Really? Oh my, God. That's so exciting!" A
couple more tears fall from my eyes and I wipe them away with my
injured hand. "Damn it!" I really need to stop using it, but it's
just a natural reaction.

"Seriously, if you don't stop hurting your
hand, I'm going to tape it to your body. Theron told me you rolled
over on it and knocked it on the door. Try not to do anything else
to it while I’m here. Get some sleep, kid. I'll be here when you
wake up." I lie back on my pillows and Robert fixes my covers for
me. He stops at the door and turns to look at me. "Hey, butthead,
your boyfriend has some fancy digs." I roll my eyes at him as he
walks away laughing.

* * * *

“
B
eautiful, can you wake up for me?" I want to open my
eyes, but they feel so heavy. "Come on, Eve, I need you to wake up
for me." Managing to get one eye open, I squint from the light. I
open my other eye and it takes a minute for them to
adjust.

My mouth is so dry. My lips are sticking to my
teeth, and my tongue feels like I've been licking sand. Thunder
booms and lightning flashes outside my window. I can hear the
pitter patter of the rain just starting to fall. I love the sound
of thunderstorms. For some reason, I find them relaxing. “It’s
raining?”

“
Yeah, it just started, but it’s
really coming down out there.”

I attempt to clear my throat, but my voice is
still croaks. “What time is it?”

"It's just a little after seven. You've slept
most of the day. I made you some soup. Let's prop you up and I'll
get you a tray." I sit up and stretch making sure not to move my
arm. Fixing my pillows, I lean back against the headboard. I look
at my hand and the swelling has really gone down. Theron places a
tray over my lap with my soup on it. I try my best to eat it
without making a huge mess, but I'm right handed so I end up
spilling more than I get in my mouth. "Maybe a sandwich would have
been better, sorry I didn't think about it."

"No, it's fine. It's really good and my mouth
is really dry." I take another sip of the broth. The hot liquid
feels amazing pouring down my throat. "I feel out of it. My head is
so foggy."

"That would most likely be the pain meds. The
doctor said as needed, so I'll wait until you ask before I give you
more. Kayla called. I'm not sure how she found out, but I have a
guess." Theron nods his head towards the hallway. I'm sure Robert
told her. I'm not worried about it. She would have found out Monday
at work. I didn't even think about work, typing with one hand is
going to suck.

"So, I was just thinking about
work."

"Do you want to stay home? I can call in for
you now if you want." He really doesn't want me to work, but I have
to. I'm not going to be a leech. He picks up my phone from the
nightstand, but I stop him.

"No, that's not what I meant. It's going to
suck typing with one hand. It's going to take me twice as long. I
can log in tomorrow and bring up Monday's accounts. Would you help
me log them? If I could finish at least half of the entries I
should be able to finish the rest at the office."

"I wonder if this new company knows what a
dedicated employee they have. Not only is she willing to work on a
Sunday, but with a broken hand as well."

"Technically, it's just two
fingers."

"Technically, it's just two fingers on your
right hand, so broken hand counts. I'll help you though, babe, I
don’t mind. Speaking of company, Gram's business partners can't
find that company. I'm not sure I feel safe with you working there.
How does a company not exist? There's no data or records for it. It
must belong to a larger conglomerate, but why would they hide
it?

"Maybe so nosy people like you can't find
them."

"Oh, so now I'm nosy. Here I thought I was
your handsome follower. I've been downgraded." Laughing, I crinkle
up my napkin tossing it at his head. "You've got pretty good aim
for someone who doesn’t use their left arm."

"You should keep that in mind. Perhaps the
next time I'll use my left hand when I punch someone." I laugh at
the thought, but when I look at Theron is not amused.

His eyes are incredibly dark, and I watch his
jaw muscle flex as he clenches his mouth shut. Taking a deep breath
in through his nose, he looks directly at me. "No. You shouldn't be
punching anyone at all. I can't believe you even did it the first
time. I will always protect you. Don't ever put yourself in harm’s
way again." I feel like a chastised child. I finish my soup in
silence. Taking the tray off my lap, he sets it at the end of the
bed. "I love you, I just don't want to see you hurt."

"I know."

"Would you like to take a shower? I can wrap
your hand so it doesn't get wet."

"Yes, please. I smell like a
hospital."

Theron has wraps my hand with plastic wrap and
tape. It's a makeshift wrap, but it should work okay. Stepping into
the shower, I close the glass door behind me. I let the hot water
spray down on my back and sides as my thoughts race through my
mind. I still can’t believe Theron’s dad could be so hateful. It
must be absolutely awful having a parent so cruel. Once the shower
fills up with steam, I dip my head back into the water. The water
washes over me, taking my thoughts with it.

Once I have most of the water wringed out of
my hair, I slip on a pair of Theron's boxers and one of his
undershirts. The arm holes are loose so I'm able to put it on, with
minimal usage of my hand. Carefully, I peel the plastic wrap and
tape from my arm. I'm about to leave the room, when I spot the
sling laying on the nightstand. Slipping it over my head, I ease my
arm into it. My feet pad along the hardwood floor as I make my way
into the kitchen. I find Theron sitting on the couch watching a
movie.

"Where's Robert?”

"He stepped outside to make a phone call."
Making myself comfortable on the couch, I lay my head in Theron's
lap. He fingers comb through my wet locks. "You didn’t dry your
hair."

"Kind of hard with one hand."

"I bet." His fingers leave my hair and find
their way to the back of neck massaging it with slow circles and I
close my eyes. I'm so relaxed, I barely register the sound of the
front door closing.

"Ssh." I can hear Theron whisper to my
brother, but I don't open my eyes.

"Is she asleep?"

"I think so." I can hear Robert walking across
the hardwood floors. Theron just sits quietly massaging my neck. I
don't plan on moving from this spot. I'm so comfortable. "So, what
did the guy at your office have to say? Was he able to find
anything out? I'm coming up dry on my end, but I have my
suspicions."

"He was able to find some records, but they
are linked with some kind of computer entry data system. It's not
much of a trail, but at least it's something. My question for you
is whether or not you think he would go this far."

"He has the means, and his hate for me is
immeasurable. He will go to any means to destroy me."

"You need to tell her. Everything. She needs
to know."

"I will, but not until I find out for sure.
She's been through so much in the past two weeks. I don't want to
worry her about anything."

"It's your call, but if she gets hurt in the
process, you and I will have more than words."

Words about what? I have no idea what they are
talking about. Theron's words haunt me. I can only assume he is
talking about his dad. Maybe tomorrow I will pay Isa a visit and
see if I can get some information from her. I hate secrets. I'm
irritated, but I'm supposed to be asleep so I keep up with charade
and take some deep slow breaths. Pretty soon it's not a charade,
and I welcome the dream that comes to claim me.

"Why do we always meet here? Why
can't you come to my house? My dad built us a tree house. He says
it won't last long, because the sand will take the tree away, but
we can go there. I don't have to ask my other friends. It could
just be us."

I stare at the boy with the
sunglasses. I wish he would talk to me. He's always so quiet when
we play. Kayla thinks he's dumb because he won't even tell us his
name. I don't think he's dumb. I think he's broken. My cousin had a
dog once that was afraid of people. It was never mean or anything,
but it would hide whenever people came around. My cousin saved his
dog from some mean people that were hurting it. It took a while for
the dog to get used to me. I wonder if it will take a while for the
boy in the sunglasses to get used to me too.

He draws me a picture in the sand.
It's my name in a heart. There's another letter at the top, but the
waves wash it away before I can see what it is. "Do you like me? Do
you like beach? Is that why we meet here?" I can see Kayla chasing
Matt down the sand dune. They are laughing and having fun. Looking
back at the boy, I notice he is smiling at me. "What?" He's always
smiling at me.

"You're beautiful. Your parents
should have named you that." My cheeks turn red and I turn my face
away from him. It's the first time I remember him saying a complete
sentence.

"That's not my name,
though."

"I know, but it's what I call
you.” I look back at his face, wishing I could see his
eyes.

"Does the sun bother you? You
never take them off."

"Not really, I just like them. My
mom says they hide my secrets." He reaches across towards me and
rests his hand softly on my cheek. His skin is so hot.

"I don't like secrets. They hurt
people." He turns away from me, dropping his hand, and looks back
out at the lake. It's a clear day. I can see Chicago way off in the
distance. It looks like a bunch of gray and black rectangles on the
horizon. It looks so small from here. We sit there quietly for a
while. I hear someone yelling. I turn to see an older lady with
long dark black hair waving at us.

"I guess I have to go. If I tell
you a secret will you come back and meet me this afternoon. I
should be able to sneak back out. I hid my skateboard earlier so
they can't find it."

"I'll meet you."

He takes my hand in his. "I have
to go away for a while. My mom is really sick. My dad doesn't like
me coming here. If he finds me here again, he'll send me away. I
think he's going to anyways. Can you meet me here so I can see your
smile one last time? I'll show you some tricks on my skateboard."
He bites his bottom lip. I feel the urge to kiss him, but I've
never kissed a boy before. I lean over and place a kiss on his
cheek. I kiss my brother and Matt on the cheek all the time, but
they don't count. The boy with the sunglasses smiles at me. He has
perfect white teeth. He looks over at the lady with dark hair,
she's waving for him to come with her as she walks closer. He
kisses my cheek and it feels hot like a sunburn. I watch him walk
up the beach. The lady with the dark hair stands straight and looks
right at me. She's incredibly beautiful and has piercing green
eyes, I can see them from where I sit.