the afterword and bibliography before I interrupted your failed attempt at astral projection.” She could feel the heat literally rise up to her cheeks and knew that her face was red. Damien chuckled softly at her dismay.
“I had been paying attention – she said defensively and then added softly – somewhere along in there.”
“I am sure that you were riveted.” He said mirthfully, which showed how little he knew about his influence on her sanity. “It is almost seven.” He remarked on the hour.
She was grateful that he was thoughtful enough to remind her to stay out of trouble with her mother. However, she didn't like that it was him who always pointed out the inevitable passing of time. The fact that she had come to depend on their meetings as a normal part of her day scared her. Any moment now, he would put an end to it and she would be left with that empty space inside of her again.
“Yeah, I noticed.” She lied through her teeth, knowing that he knew.
“Your mother will be home soon.” He stated the obvious which meant that he obviously didn't want her there anymore.
“Okay, okay. I'm leaving.” She said in an annoyed tone and stood up.
He caught hold of her hand and she felt it to the core of her being. It was as if a pleasant shock of something that she didn't exactly recognize shot through her veins in a rush.
Her stomach flipped over as her eyes went straight to his, inquiring. Had he felt it too?
“I am not throwing you out.” His electric cerulean orbs held her gray ones for a few seconds, then lowered to rest on their still joined hands.
He let go of her slowly, lifting finger by finger as if he was afraid that she would crumble with any wrong movement. Kennedy wanted to say something, anything, but her voice died in her throat and she merely nodded as his eyes came to rest on hers again.
“You might end up under lock and key if she finds you here again.” Damien cleared his throat and stood up way too close to her.
Had she truly never noticed how tall he really was before? Standing besides her like that, he almost looked like a giant. The crown of her head barely reached his shoulders.
She stepped back and let him walk her to the door. They reached the front entrance of his house in silence. Always so proper now, he held open the door for her. Kennedy walked by him, the hand he had been previously holding clenched tightly at her side.
She inwardly debated whether to ask him about reading another book. He spoke, almost as if reading her mind.
“Tomorrow, then?” She looked quizzically at him and tried desperately to conceal her excitement at his question. “I am almost sure that I can find another thrilling book somewhere in those shelves, but I will not make you any promises.”
“I'd like that.” She beamed up at him, but she didn't mind if he noticed now, he had asked her to come over again.
“Good night, Kennedy.” He whispered as he closed the door.
“Night.” Kennedy let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding and set to walk back to her own house, fighting the strong urge to look back all the way.
Four hours later, Kennedy sat on her bed already showered and ready for sleep. She dialed her father's number on the house's cordless phone. It had become a nightly ritual and just as every time before that, the call went straight to voicemail. She now knew the greeting by heart.
She ended the call and glared at the blameless device on her hand as if it could do something about her problems. Kennedy was getting tired of talking to answering machines and she felt like she was starting to develop some ugly abandonment issues.
She cursed her stupidity at not writing down Archer's number from the Caller ID when she'd had the chance. He was the only lead that she had so far, and unless her mother came clean about things, she had no way of contacting him.
The muffled sound of the music tone she had designated for Lauren reached her ears. She hummed along to the song as she snuck a hand under a pillow to take out her cell phone, glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand as she set the house phone besides it.
“Indecent hours.” She said into the phone and earned a snort in reply.
“It's only eleven thirty, sit your lazy butt up and tell me how you've been.” Lauren tried to kid, but Kennedy heard the concern in her voice.
“I was awake. Is everything okay?”
“I should be the one asking you that, I'm a lousy friend.”
“What's wrong, Laurie?”
“I was reading the newspaper.”
“And?” She urged her friend on.
“There's an article following up the investigation of a murder case.”
“And?” Kennedy had a very good idea as to where this was going.
“Kennedy, you're listed as the person that found the body!” Lauren exclaimed horrified.
“Oh, that.” She had been right.
“When where you planning on telling me?” Apparently indignation won over concern in that particular case.
“When you finally decided to answer the phone when I call you.” She played the indignant card too.
“I'm sorry.” Ha! It always worked. The wonders of reverse psychology.
“How's Nathan?” She couldn't help it. As long as she had the upper hand, a few more nails in the coffin wouldn't make it any less depressing.
“I'm sorry.”
“It's okay Lauren, I'm a big girl. Tell me, how's your vacation going so far?”
“I feel horrible. First, your dad leaves and now this, I wish that I was there for you.” Kennedy knew that she meant it and it made her feel horrible in return, she was acting like a bitch to her only friend in the world.
“Believe it or not, I've been dealing.” More like drooling over Damien, but that was a shame that she wasn't ready to share yet.
“Good, we'll deal together then. I'm coming over tomorrow.”
“What happened with your summer romance thing?” She doubted that she really wanted to know but she had to ask.
“Nathan went back to his father's home in England this morning. We exchanged info and he said that he'll keep in touch. I guess we'll see.”
“That sucks.” Lauren sounded too nonchalant about Nathan's departure. It made her worry for her sanity. There had to be something more to it. Her friend couldn't be that well adjusted.
“A little, but it was beautiful while it lasted and I'm okay with it.” There! Lauren had always had something to complain about. She was being too nice about the whole situation which meant that inside she was not all that together after all.
“What about your parents?”
“They're staying over here for another week. I told them that I'm staying with you until then, I've been neglecting our friendship.” Sad excuse, but true nonetheless.
“At least you've finally seen the error of your ways.”
“Better late than never.” Her friend said.
“Useful proverb.”
“See you tomorrow then?” Lauren asked. Kennedy thought about Damien and their reading.
Payback was a bitch.
“Yes, you can stay at my house for a week. Now shut up and let me sleep, I'll tell mama in the morning.” Hopefully before Lauren arrived. She hung up and went to bed.
The following morning Kennedy woke up to the delicious smell of coffee and the tell tale sounds of pots and pans banging around in the kitchen. She lay back for a moment and relished in the welcome feeling that those noises brought her.
Then she realized what the sounds meant.
It was Wednesday, her mother's day off, the one day that she wouldn't be able to go to Damien's house. She had completely forgotten about it when she had agreed to go over that day.
A wave of consternation flowed through her body, that was still in the middle of the process of waking up. She felt guilty about keeping her visits to Damien from her mother, but she wasn't prepared to stop them.
She needed to come up with a way of seeing him today to explain what had happened. S
he'd rather he thought her a ditz than have him think she didn't want to be there.
Kennedy remembered her brief conversation with Lauren just before she went to sleep. Her forgetful nature had gotten her into a pinch this time.
She got up and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
She tried to figure out how she would sort out that mess. Easily enough, she thought in the midst of splashing cold water on her face. She would tell Lauren about Damien and get her to make her mother think that she wanted to meet the new neighbor.
Sure, Teresa would find it fishy, but since Lauren would be with her, she would have no valid reason to object. Kennedy looked at the clock. It was only eight thirty in the morning and she had it all sorted out.
She was brilliant!
But, first things first, she had to go tell her mother about Lauren's stay with them.
“You know that I don't mind, Kennedy. Lauren can stay with us for as long as she wants.” Her mother said when she told her. Things were going as smoothly as she had planned.
“Thank you, thank you, thank–” The doorbell rang and Kennedy smiled widely from ear to ear. Lauren was there.
Teresa, who was closest to the door walked out of the kitchen to answer it. Sure enough, the door opened to reveal a sun tanned Lauren, clad in a green summer dress with orange flowers printed at the hem.
Kennedy was not a big fan of that dress, but the bright colors complimented her friend's normally olive skin, that was actually a few shades darker than it had been the last time she'd seen her. No doubt from lounging at the beach all day.
Lauren smiled courteously and removed her white oversized sunglasses. She pulled them back on her