The Sight Seer (19 page)

Chapter
Thirty-five

I almost closed the door in his face. I know that’s not nice, but Evan being here only meant one thing.

Trouble.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed quietly, hoping I could get him to leave before the others spotted him.

“I’m here for dinner, of course!”

“But…” How did I say this without being rude? “You’re not invited.” Yeah, that was totally rude.

But Evan was unfazed.
His smile grew wider as he deposited the bottle of cider in my arms and strolled past me into the house. “Nice place.” He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the arm of the couch. Unlike Rafe, who had made an effort to dress up, he was wearing a graphic t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. His hair was hanging loose, framing his face like a golden curtain. A couple of thick necklaces hung around his neck, and there were bracelets on both of his arms. He looked very “Californian surfer boy” today; Chloe would flip when she saw him. Which I wanted to avoid at all costs, if possible.

“Evan—
”

“I heard Rafe talking about roast chicken and suddenly I was craving it, so here I am,” he said as if that actually made sense.
Well, maybe in Evan World it did, but all it did was leave me standing there, staring at him dumbly. “So, where’s Papa Harkins?”

I wondered if I should start yelling for Rafe.
But that would bring everyone to the front room, thinking something was wrong, and I didn’t want to make a scene.
Oh Evan, you are too exhausting. How does Rafe deal with you on a daily basis?

I was saved from mak
ing any decisions when Dad walked in. He took one look at Evan and froze, unsuccessful at hiding the surprise from his face. “Hello?”

“You must be Gabi’s father!” Evan said, reaching for his hand and shaking it very enthusiastically.
Grinding my teeth together, I scurried over to the hallway and yelled for Rafe. He appeared two seconds later (probably thinking I was being mauled by a demon), took one look at Evan
still
shaking Dad’s hand, and groaned.

“Excuse me,” Rafe said, cutting in and pushing Evan away from Dad.
“What are you doing here?” he hissed.

Evan spread his hands out in front of him.
“I was lonely and wanted to see Gabi again. Is that really that horrible?”

“You don’t just invite yourself over to other people’s houses!”

“Oh.” Evan looked confused. “You don’t?”

I felt Dad’s eyes on me.
“Another friend of yours, Gabi?”

“Rafe’s, actually,” I said.
I grimaced, knowing I was going to regret what I was about to ask. “Can he stay for dinner?”

Everyone fell silent as they waited for Dad’s response.
Finally, he said, “I don’t see why not. I made enough food.”

“Yay!” Evan cried, pumping a fist in the air as Dad went back into the kitchen.
Rafe, rolling his eyes, grabbed Evan by the collar and proceeded to whisper threats into his ear, giving him a shake for extra measure. Evan nodded the entire time, but I was certain it was going in one ear and out the other.

I groaned.
Here I was, thinking surviving this dinner was going to be difficult before, when it was just the four of us. With Evan here, it was going to be a miracle if we got through this without Dad forbidding me from ever seeing Rafe again.

“Hey, congrats on getting Rafe to come around, by the way,” Evan said before we could rejoin the others.
“With his lack of interest in girls, I was beginning to think he was gay—”

“Will you shut up?” Rafe asked, turning an adorable shade of red.

“Hey, no one would blame you if you fell for me.” Evan stroked his chin. “I am a pretty amazing specimen, after all.”

“When we get home, I am going to kill you,” Rafe said through gritted teeth.
“Slowly, and painfully.”

I wasn’t sure who I should feel bad for: Rafe, for having to put with Evan, or Evan, who was bound to meet an untimely death before the night was through.
Shrugging, I realized Evan probably had it coming and decided to root for Rafe.

Things got a thousand times worse when Chloe saw Evan for the first time.
She had been pouring water into her glass and the water began overflowing as she stared at him, her brown eyes nearly popping out of her head.

“Chloe!” I snapped, pointing at the water as it spilled onto the tablecloth.
Honestly, what was it about Evan that made a girl lose her mind?
I’m glad I’m immune to it,
I thought as I traded a look with Rafe. I must have been glaring, because Rafe flinched, and then turned to stare daggers at Evan. Evan was oblivious to all of this as he swooped around the table to greet Chloe.

“And you must be the sister!”
He embraced her and she giggled even louder than she had with Rafe. “Gabi didn’t tell me she had such a pretty older sister.”

“YOUNGER sister,” I corrected, annoyed.
“She’s fifteen, Evan.”
As in, hands off, you eighteen-year-old pervert.
I could feel Chloe’s eyes on me but ignored her as I glared at Evan. Who ignored me, the jerk.

When Dad came in with the roast chicken and saw Evan flirting w
ith Chloe, he started frowning—never a good sign. I looked to Rafe for help and he quickly volunteered to slice the chicken. I think he was afraid Dad would turn the knife on either him or Evan (or both), but Dad waved him away, telling me to get an extra place setting for Evan. I guess even he couldn’t turn away a hungry young man, but I was still very afraid of what could and probably would happen during the meal.

“Oh, Evan brought cider,” I said.
“Rafe, can you help me open it in the
kitchen
?” I added extra emphasis to the last word and he followed me, practically on my heels, to the kitchen. “What is he doing here?” I hissed, shoving the bottle into Rafe’s chest.

“I
… I don’t know. Do you want me to get him to leave? He’ll make a scene, though.” Poor Rafe looked super worried and I softened immediately.

“No, don’t.
Rafe,” I said, putting my hand on his, “I’m not mad at
you
, I just don’t want Evan to do something stupid. Chloe is… well, you can see how she is. She falls in love easily and then proceeds to have her heart broken. And I don’t want Evan to break her heart.”

“I’ll talk to him,” he promised as he opened the bottle of cider with a quick twist of the cap.

I appreciated that, but I couldn’t help but wonder if, by the time he did speak with Evan, it would already be too late.

* * *

When I walked back into the dining room with an extra place setting, Evan had both Chloe and Dad laughing over something. The scene was so bizarre that I stopped in my tracks, causing Rafe to bump into me. I felt something cold slosh over my back and froze.

“Oh shi—I mean, crap,” Rafe said as the cider dripped down my back.

I raised my eyes to the ceiling. It. Figured. I was never going to be stain-free around Rafe. NEVER.

“It’s alright,” I said as he grabbed a napkin and started dabbing at my back.
“Forget it. Rafe!” I caught his hand and nodded towards the table. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. It’s just cider.” I even smiled for him.

He eyed
me nervously. “You’re going to kill me later when we’re alone, aren’t you?”

“Sit down and start eating!
I’ll be right back!” I ran out before anyone could say anything, going up to my room and quickly picking out a new shirt. God, I should just wear a spacesuit like Rafe said! I mean, at the rate we were going, I was going to run out of clothes very quickly.

Well, at least cider doesn’t stain
,
I thought ruefully as I tossed the shirt in the hamper. Everything else I had been forced to trash, much to my disappointment.

Sounds of laughter met my ears as I walked down the stairs and I smiled.
Maybe I had been worrying for nothing. Maybe Evan could be charming and normal when he wanted.

I reentered the room for what felt like the millionth time that evening and loaded up my plate before sliding in next to Chloe.
She was pushing her food around her plate, too busy watching Evan to even make an attempt at eating. Evan was telling some silly story and she laughed way too loudly when it was over. I poked her in the side, which only earned me a death glare that rivaled my own.

Well,
who
do you think taught her how to glare like that?

But in all honestly, the meal was neither painful nor horrible.
Dad asked questions and either Rafe or Evan answered. They gave him a mostly truthful version about their living conditions, except they said they were living with Evan’s uncle. Hopefully Dad never wanted to meet this uncle, because then things would get tricky.

Unfortunately, Evan’s uncle led to Rafe’s parents.
Dad asked an innocent enough question about them, but there was no denying the flash of plain in Rafe’s eyes. I shot Dad a look, which he correctly interpreted because when Evan shifted the topic very quickly—and very obviously—Dad let it drop completely. I thought that would be the end of Rafe’s good mood, but after a few minutes of silence, he managed to jump back in to the conversation. Once Dad found out Rafe’s passion for baseball, forget it. The guys spent the rest of the meal talking about that while Chloe huffed loudly over being ignored. Which everyone, naturally, ignored, although Evan did start paying attention to her once we finished eating and were cleaning off the table. Against my better judgment, Rafe and I left them alone, retreating to the kitchen to help Dad with the dishes.

After Rafe finished drying the last dish and handed it to me so I could put it away, Dad said, “Why don’t
the four of you relax in the living room for the rest of the night? You can even have the pie in there.”

“What about you?” I asked, suspicious.
Was he going to spy on us from the doorway?

He shook his head.
“I’ve tortured you enough with my presence.”

“Don’t say tha
t,” Rafe quickly said. “This has been…nice.” He cleared his throat, suddenly looking uncomfortable. I took a step closer to him, wondering what was wrong. After sparing me a glance, Rafe said, “I wasn’t entirely honest with you, Mr. Harkins. My parents… passed away.”

I felt my eyes widen in shock.
It had been so hard to get Rafe to talk about his family with me that I had never imagined he would put himself through that pain again for my father.

Dad’s eyes softened as he put a hand on Rafe’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Rafe.”

“I just—
” He swallowed, took a steadying breath, and tried again. “I just wanted you to know that I appreciate things like this. You know, sharing a dinner with family and friends. It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but to me…”

“Family is very important in this house,” Dad said quietly.
“And you are always welcome to join us. Even on pizza night.” He clapped Rafe on the shoulder. “Take good care of my daughter, Rafe.”

“I will,” he said, green eyes shining.
I took his hand in mine and he pulled me next to him. “I promise.”

Wow.
Dad just okayed this relationship. Maybe he would ease up on being so strict, too.

When Dad walked out,
Rafe leaned in to finally give me that kiss he promised hours ago. I titled my face up in eager anticipation when Dad stuck his head back in the kitchen and said, “Gabi, the boys have to go home at ten.”

We jumped apart, Rafe suddenly fascinated with the workings of the stove.
“Sure, Dad,” I muttered, wondering if, along with X-Ray vision and super human hearing, Dad could read minds, too.

He winked at me before disappearing again.

Oh parents.

Chapter
Thirty-six

“So tonight wasn’t too bad, right?” I asked Rafe anxiously as we stood outside in the dark on my porch. One of my neighbors was using their fireplace—the smell of burnt wood was heavy in the air. The chilly air was seeping through my shirt and I kept jumping up and down to stay warm while Rafe watched in amusement.

“It was great,” he reassured me, holding open his arms.
“Come here before you freeze to death.”

“Dad’s not looking out the window, is he?”
We both stopped to check the windows on the second floor, but they were all closed with the blinds shut. Figuring we were safe, I let Rafe wrap his arms around me and sighed contently. “I’m glad you came tonight.”

“Me too.
The food was delicious and hey, your dad no longer wants to kill me!”

“For now.”

“For now,” he agreed. “Evan wasn’t awful, was he?” He had left before Rafe, much to Chloe’s disappointment. “I mean, your dad doesn’t want to kill him either, right?”

I fell silent.
Evan
had
been better than I expected, but he had still flirted shamelessly with Chloe and I knew she was going to pounce on me the moment I got back inside, hoping I could match the two of them up. Which I wouldn’t. “You told me after I first met Evan that I shouldn’t take anything he says seriously. Is that still the case?” I pulled back so I could see Rafe’s expression as he answered my question. The porch light threw his face in shadows, giving him a hooded, guarded look. But he answered me honestly.

“Yeah, that’s still true.”

“So he wasn’t flirting with Chloe for real.”

“Nope.”
Rafe briefly shut his eyes. “Gabi, I’m sorry. It’s my fault for mentioning I was coming here. I should have lied and told him I was going hunting.”

“You didn’t know he was going to follow you here.”

“Actually I did, which is why I’m apologizing,” Rafe said. “He’s like a cockroach; you can’t get rid of him. I’ll talk to him.”

“And I’ll talk to Chloe.
And hopefully she’ll forget all about Evan by Monday.” Pretty unlikely, but I didn’t want Rafe to worry unnecessarily. This was
my
sister, making it
my
problem. It wasn’t his fault Chloe was desperate for attention.

No, it was Mom’s
.

“Gabi?”

I blinked, realizing Rafe was studying me closely. Something in my face must have given me away when I thought about Mom. I burrowed my face into his shirt, his cologne filling my nostrils as I breathed in deeply.
It’s pretty amazing how well he’s able to read me,
I thought. And how he knew that just standing there, tucked in his embrace, was exactly what I needed.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked quietly.

I made a face against his chest. “I have work.”

“I’ll come visit you.”

“No!” I said, recoiling in horror. “Absolutely not!”

He looked taken aback.
“Why not?”

Because I would die before I let him see me in that lime green shirt.
“Rafe, please. You
cannot
come to the Corral when I’m working.
Ever
.”

“Alright, alright.
How about after? We can go out to eat?”

Tha
t was so tempting and yet…I bit my lip. “I should probably do some homework. I don’t think I’ve done any since I met you.”

He laughed until he saw I was serious.
“Wait, what? Are you saying I’m a bad influence on you?”

“Uh, maybe?” I replied.
“Why, do you do yours?” When he didn’t answer, I groaned. “Let me guess, on top of hunting and playing baseball, you’re a straight-A student as well.” When he
still
didn’t answer, I punched him in the shoulder. “I hate you!”

“I can tutor you,” he said, green eyes dancing with mirth.

I stood on tiptoes and his arms hooked around my waist, pulling me closer. “Why,” I asked, my voice suddenly low and throaty, “do I get the feeling that studying with you would probably make me fail even worse?”

He proved me right by leaning down and kissing me.

“Wait,” I said after a couple of perfect kisses. He groaned but pulled away, looking at me curiously. I pushed him towards the edge of the porch. “Go down a step.” He complied without question, bracing one arm on the porch’s railing while his other hand still held me. “Mmm, one more step.” Rafe took another step backwards and I smiled when I saw we were at eye level. “Perfect! Now I don’t have to strain myself and you don’t have to bend over at the waist to reach me,” I said, echoing Penny’s words.

“It’s not that bad!” Rafe laughed.

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re huge!”

“It didn’t seem to get in the way of our kissing last night.”
He smiled slowly. “Although, this is pretty nice, too.”

“Then why aren’t you kissing me?”

* * *

On Sunday, as I stared at my math textbook, I wondered
why I hadn’t taken Rafe up on his offer. I mean, I picked homework over my boyfriend? What the hell was wrong with me?

But then my phone rang, and it was him, and my day got instantly better.
We ended up talking for over an hour, just about stupid things, although he did let me know that he had done some scouting but found neither the nest nor the Boneless twins.

“Evan’s looking too,” he said, “so we’ll find them, eventually.”

“Alright,” I said, wondering if our lives would turn into something normal once the nest was found and exterminated. Not that I minded what we did—I
liked
saving innocent people—but a normal date would be nice. A normal date involving just the two of us. No Evan, no Penny and Harrison, no Dad and Chloe. Just me, Rafe, and lots and lots of kissing.

And no blood.

God, I wanted that so badly.

Before I could share that with him, Chloe burst into my room and demanded to know who I was talking to.
I scowled at her, covering the phone with my hand to say, “Sheesh, Chloe, ever hear of something called privacy?”

“Is that Evan?”

I frowned. “No, it’s my boyfriend. Rafe. Why would I be talking to Evan?”

“Is Evan there?
With Rafe?”

“Chloe, please!” I snapped.
“Forget about Evan, alright?” My words came out harsher than I intended, but I made no move to apologize.

“Forget?”
Red blotches appeared on her cheeks, a sure sign that she was getting angry. “So, what, you didn’t see what was going on between us last night?”

What you thought was going on, you mean
, I thought. “Chloe—”

“And what, you’re going to keep him to yourself, is that it?
Does Rafe know?” She gestured towards my phone, which I was still covering, making her words louder so Rafe could hear.

“I’ll call you back later,” I told him quickly before hanging up.
“Chloe, stop it.”

“Stop what, Gabi?
I’m interested in Evan, and I don’t think it’s fair that you’re trying to stop something from happening.”

I got off the bed, tossing my phone on my night table.
“Nothing is going to happen! The way Evan was last night is the way he is with every girl. It’s not just you, Chloe.” I regretted the cruel words the moment they came out of my mouth.

She recoiled as if I had struck her.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her voice was steady when she spoke. “How typical of you, Gabi. You’re all nice and sweet when I’m upset over Christian, but the moment I might have a chance of happiness, you won’t allow it. It must suck to be such a jealous person.”

“I’m not jealous!” I said, squeezing my hands into fists so I wouldn’t hit her.
“I’m trying to look out for you, Chloe. Evan is a flirt, but he’s not serious—”

“Who said anything about wanting to be serious?
Dammit, Gabi, you make it sound like I want to marry him tomorrow!”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
I shook my head. “Why can’t you see that I’m looking out for you? I’m always looking out for you—”

“Who asked you!” she shouted, the tears spilling from her eyes and creating two shiny tracks down her cheeks.
“You’re my sister, Gabi, not my mother, so stop trying to act like you are! I had one mother and she sucked—I don’t need another!”

“Chloe—”

She turned on her heel and stomped out, slamming the door so hard behind her that one of my picture frames fell off my shelf and cracked. I picked it up, cursing when a shard of glass cut my finger as I pulled the picture out of the frame. It was a recent picture of the two of us, before Rafe and Evan, before even Christian, when things didn’t seem so complicated. My vision blurred with tears. Is that how Chloe really thought of me? As another mother? Did I hover over her? Did I tell her what she could and couldn’t do? I didn’t think so, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was too overprotective.

I hurled the frame into the garbage pail with more force than necessary and stuck the picture behind a book in my bookshelf so I wouldn’t have to see it.
If that’s how she wanted to be, then fine. I’d live my own life, and she could live hers. I just hoped she didn’t expect me to greet her with open arms and a pint of ice cream when things went bad.