Deceptions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 2) (13 page)

I wanted to get away from him. I could excuse myself‌—‌pretend to go to the bathroom or something‌—‌and make a quick phone call to Tanner.

As this internal debate bounced around in my mind, Barry spoke. “Yeah? I’m glad she’s been able to help. Sounds as if this town could use some.”

Bart’s gaze cut directly to Barry, nostrils flaring. He pursed his lips as he studied Barry. After a moment, he nodded. “Be sure to tell your Mom hello from me.” His condescending voice hung in the air as he walked away.

Barry gripped the handles on the cooler so hard, I swore the plastic cracked. He remained tight–lipped as we strolled to the picnic area. I wanted to erase the last five minutes. The entire incident was uncalled for, and I didn’t understand Bart’s reasoning or what he hoped to accomplish.

“Barry, this is great,” I said while he dug out our sandwiches from the cooler. I had made the sandwiches, but he had brought a blanket, along with chips, and homemade cookies from his grandma.

While handing over my sandwich and drink, he said, “I thought you’d like coming here today.”

The light breeze blew my hair back. The warmth from the sunrays felt wonderful, calming me from the encounter with Bart. Desperately trying not to think about that man, I smiled at Barry. “I’ve enjoyed myself. Thanks for bringing me here.”

“You’re most certainly welcome,” he said before taking a bite. After eating about half of his sandwich, he took a gulp of his drink and said, “I know we haven’t discussed our college plans, but since the whole Nicholas incident, I’ve been thinking more about it. Did you have any particular college in mind?”

College
? He wanted to talk about colleges
today
?

“The University of Ohio is the only place I’ve thought about,” I replied honestly. That was the default choice. Since I had lived in Ohio, it seemed logical. After we moved, my heart no longer belonged to the Buckeyes. In its place was a six foot–three, sandy blond haired man.

“The University of Ohio, huh?” Barry tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.

“That was at the beginning of the school year before I moved. It would help knowing what I wanted to do. Unlike some people on this blanket, I’m at a loss.” I teased.

Barry already knew what he planned on studying. He wanted to go into mechanical engineering, so he had choices in mind, but mine was an open range.

“One school I’ve always wanted to apply to is Rose–Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana. It’s ranked number for the best undergraduate engineering program. Well, along with Harvey Mudd, but I don’t have a desire for the West Coast. Rose also has a nearly one–hundred percent job placement rating, so that alone is intriguing.”

A lump formed in my throat. There wouldn’t be any way we could be together if he chose that school. I would never be accepted there, especially given my recent ACT score. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, but it definitely wasn’t engineering. Now Barry, on the other hand, would be a perfect fit. He had done well on his ACT, scoring an impressive 31. Surely with that score he could get into the college of his choosing.

With my silence, he continued. “Of course, I’m checking into other schools as well.”

“Barry, you have to do what’s right for you.” The point was moot anyway, considering he wouldn’t want anything to do with me once the truth came out.

“Come here,” he said, motioning for me to sit between his legs. As I leaned back into him, he wrapped his arms around me. Mistaking my sad undertone as being about the potential distance looming between us, he said, “Let’s not worry about it yet. We still have another school year ahead of us.”

While repositioning myself next to him, my top fell to the side, exposing part of my shoulder. Barry let out a small moan and leaned down to plant soft kisses on my bare skin. His warm lips sent shivers throughout my body, erasing all thoughts about colleges. Our impending fate was no longer top priority.

My phone rang, shattering our blissful moment and causing my stomach to drop. Quickly scrambling away from Barry, I snatched it up, fearing Tanner’s name displayed across the screen. A quick glance revealed Nicole’s instead. While letting out a silent sigh, I swiped across the glass, answering her call with a “
Hey
.”

“Where are you? I stopped by your house, but you weren’t home.”

“We’re at the park, having a picnic. What are you up to?”

“Oh, cool, you need to relax,” she said, oblivious to how true her words were. “Listen, I won’t hold you up, but we’re going shopping.”

“What?” I asked. Shopping wasn’t one of my favorite activities. I’d never been a fashion plate, and didn’t caring in the least about new trends.
Shopping all day? With Nicole?

“Shopping, tomorrow. You and me,” she said as if I should’ve already known this.

“Uh…‌” I hesitated.

“Oh, come on. You’ve never been shopping with me. I’m not that bad,” she laughed. It was true, I’d never been shopping with her, but I could imagine how she would be to shop with. Nicole always wore the trendiest clothes, and most of the time resembled a runway model. If it wasn’t for her down–to–earth attitude, I would’ve of pegged her for a snob. Just goes to show that people shouldn’t be judged by outward appearances.

“All right, all right, I’ll go with you tomorrow. What time did you want to leave?”

“Sweet!” she exclaimed. “I’ll be there around ten. We’re going to Chesterfield, so be prepared for a little drive. It’s about 30 to 35 minutes away. But it’s such a great mall.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” After hitting the end button, I glanced at Barry, grimacing. “Guess I’m going shopping tomorrow. God, she’s bossy.”

With a chuckle, he said, “It won’t be that bad. The worst part will be being away from me.”

He had no idea.

~14~

Shopping

I walked into the kitchen the next morning and Mom’s eyes widened as she took a sip of her coffee.

“You’re up early,” she said, placing her mug in front of her empty breakfast plate. “I didn’t expect to see you before I left for work.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep any longer,” I said, stepping to the refrigerator. I grabbed the half–empty container of orange juice and shut the door. “Nicole’s picking me up around ten to go shopping. Guess I’m dreading it a little.”

“Oh, it won’t be that bad. It will be good for you to do something different.” She took another sip.

I unscrewed the lid to the juice and sniffed. Ah, the fresh scent of oranges. While I poured myself a drink, Mom sprang from her chair and practically bounced to the sink. I turned to observe her better and took a sip. There was something different with her today. Her eyes held a gleam as she washed her dish, and she was
way
happier than usual. Yeah, something was going on. My shopping trip alone couldn’t be responsible for that smile plastered across her face.

“What’s with you today?” I asked, curiosity dripping from every syllable.

She turned toward me and stared for a few seconds, trying to keep a neutral expression. A moment passed, and then she shook her head and evasively said, “Nothing.” She reached for the dishtowel and dried her plate.

My jaw dropped. Did she really just brush me off? She
so
wasn’t getting off that easily, not after all the times she’d grilled me.

“There’s something, all right. Spill.”

“Well.” She hesitated and tossed the towel on the countertop. “I have a date.”

“What?” I choked out.
My mom has a date?
“Who with?”

Her smile faltered slightly, but returned almost immediately. She took a deep breath and tightened her lips, forcefully trying not to smile. Her efforts were futile though; nothing was going to derail her happiness. “Steve asked me out.”

“Steve?” I asked. She just smiled at me with wide expectant eyes. “Oh, Detective Tanner,” I added as the connection clicked. I grimaced. The pain from having to call and tell him about the shed at Barry’s house rushed through me, and I couldn’t put off that call anymore.

“I’m sorry if that seems strange to you. He called me last night, and I was too shocked to say no. Will it be too weird for you?” Mom asked, sounding concerned.

She must’ve mistaken my grimace for disapproval.
Crap.
There wasn’t any way I could explain my reaction.

“No, Mom, that’s great. Tanner’s a nice guy. I think you’ll have a good time with him. When are you going out?” I turned back toward the counter and poured cereal into a bowl.

“He’s picking me up tomorrow evening to take me to a restaurant. Nothing fancy, just casual. A way of getting to know one another, I suppose.”

I picked up the bowl and went to sit down at the table. “That sounds nice. You should have fun.”

Mom glanced at the microwave clock and shook her head. The digital display changed to 6:27. “I’d better hurry, or I’ll be late.”

All the positive energy in the room left with Mom, and I finished eating the bland cereal. Of course, even Mom’s pancakes would’ve left a sour taste in my mouth with the impending phone call to Tanner looming over me. I wished time would speed up so I could call and get it over with. I looked at the clock again and sighed. 6:30 was too early, I would have to wait.

Mom hollered a goodbye. I couldn’t help but be happy for her. She worked hard and deserved to have a little fun. Even though we didn’t always agree on everything, I wasn’t selfish enough to begrudge her a social life. Besides, Tanner would be good for her. Whenever they were together, the chemistry between them sizzled. Even Barry noticed. I still needed to ask Nicole if his divorce was finalized‌—‌if it wasn’t, Mom would be crushed.

I made a mental note to ask Nicole about it when we were alone later. With nothing more to do, I washed my dishes and went to take my shower.

~~~~~

As Nicole and I walked out of American Eagle, we saw a Victoria’s Secret store, and the lingerie the storefront mannequin wore caught my attention. My mind became painfully aware of the boring underwear and bra I was wearing. Not that anyone ever saw them, but I couldn’t help but wonder about adding some variety into the mix.

As if she could hear my thoughts, Nicole said, “Let’s go over there next. They have a new style of bra I want to check out.”

Of course Nicole would know about bra styles. She probably had their best sets, matching and everything, while I bought from the local department store. Her fashion sense was by far superior to mine. The determination etched on her face confirmed that I was in trouble.

“Do you have a favorite designer?” she asked when we got to the display racks.

“Um…‌no, I’ve never bought anything from here.”

She turned toward me and gaped in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

“Well, no.” The heat rose on my cheeks. Talking about my underwear in a public place was stretching my comfort zone.

“Where do you buy from?”

“The local department store?” I stated, as though I was questioning it.

With a gasp, her eyes bugged out as if I’d sprouted a horn from my head. “Do they even have matching ensembles there? Or anything sexy?”

“Yeah, they have matching sets, but I just get white.”

“Oh my. Girl, what are you going to do when Barry gets a glimpse at what you have on? The goal is to feel sexy. No boring granny panties,” she huffed.

The heat on my face flared to degrees I didn’t know were possible. I glanced behind me. Thank God there weren’t any other customers around to overhear.

Nicole and I never actually talked about sex, and she didn’t have a regular boyfriend. I really didn’t want to discuss my love life with her right then.

“Okay, so we’ll start with a few of the simpler styles,” she said.

After a few embarrassing trips to the dressing room, I ended up with four matching ensembles ready to purchase. It was a good thing Mom had given me money, because otherwise I’d never be able to afford those matching sets. Although buying sexy underwear for the just–in–case–my–boyfriend–gets–a–peek moment probably wasn’t what she had in mind.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat,” Nicole said.

I finished paying the sales clerk and grabbed my bag, following Nicole out of the store. She pointed to the escalator.

“I want to eat at St. Louis Bread Company. It’s on the second level,” she said.

By this point, I was ready to eat and leave. My funds were almost depleted anyway. This mall was pretty sweet and we had fun, but I was spent. Besides, I needed time alone‌—‌time to think.

“Number 96,” the associate called out. The pager buzzed in my hand at the same time, startling me.

I returned the pager and picked up our trays before walking to the booth that Nicole had nabbed. I slid along the orange vinyl and stared at the crispy apples on my salad. Mmm.

“Have you picked out your prom dress?” Nicole asked.

“Prom?”

“Yeah, prom. Aren’t you and Barry going?”

“Well, he hasn’t officially asked me.”

“Heather, you’re going out. It’s implied that you’re going together,” she huffed.

“Well, who are you going with?” I asked, trying to divert the attention off me.

“Caleb,” she said.

I tipped my head to the side. “Oh?”

“Yeah, we always go to the dances together. It’s not a big deal.” She fidgeted in her seat. For something that supposedly wasn’t a big deal, talking about it seemed to make her nervous.

“Is there anything going on between you two?” I asked.

“Nothing exciting,” she said in a tone that indicated it was at least somewhat exciting. “Now, back to you. You’ll obviously need a dress.”

With a stab of my salad, I asked, “Isn’t it several weeks away?”

She lowered her fork and peered at me. “It’s four weeks away, but you need to start looking now. If you wait too long, all the good dresses will be picked over. I’ve already had the dress shop order mine; in fact, it’ll be ready on Saturday.”

“Oh, I guess I need to start looking…‌” Unable to focus on what I was saying, my voice trailed off as I took another bite of my salad. There was a slim chance I would even still be with Barry in four weeks, considering that he was going to dump me when he found out about my role in getting his mom arrested. Surely, within four weeks the police would have made the arrest, and my deception would be known throughout the town. I stopped chewing as the food became tasteless from anxiety and sat there for a second to let my stomach settle. Forcing myself to swallow, I picked up my glass and looked at Nicole. I wanted to tell her about my visions and the awful business with Bart and Julian so badly. Instead, I took a sip of my soda while listening to her chatter.