Deceptions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 2) (20 page)

I had been so focused on his actions when I saw him in my visions that I had somehow overlooked how handsome he was.

He stood leaning on crutches, his lower left leg sheathed in a cast. Miraculously his face had escaped damage. He looked remarkably good, considering the mangled condition of his truck.

“Heather?” Nick’s deep voice interrupted my thoughts.
God, he must think I was an idiot!

“Hi, Nicholas.” I said embarrassed.

“Please call me Nick. That’s what my friends call me.”

“Okay, Nick.”

He turned and waved goodbye at a silver BMW sitting in my driveway. I blushed at the fact it was the first time I noticed the car. The driver slowly backed away as Nick returned his gaze. He remained silent for a moment as his eyes roamed along my body before slowly traveling back up to my face.

Did he just check me out? Really?

“Sorry, I’m being rude, please come in,” I said, opening the door wider to allow him to pass.

As he hobbled into my house, my eyes inadvertently wandered toward Barry’s grandma’s house. The curtains shifted, and I knew someone was watching us. I grimaced. I wanted to rush over and explain Nicholas’s presence to Barry, but I didn’t understand why. I had every right to have visitors. Regardless, I was sure Barry hated Nicholas for his role in his mother’s incarceration and our breakup, and seeing him on my porch wasn’t going to help us reconcile.

I shut the door with a quiet sigh, then led Nicholas into my living room. “Would you like something to drink?” I asked politely.

Nick shook his head no. He winced as he slowly sat down on the couch, awkwardly maneuvering his crutches. When he was settled, I sat across from him on the recliner

“I wanted to thank you for saving my life. If you hadn’t done whatever it is you do, I would be dead.” He straightened, staring at me intently with his smoldering blue eyes. “I owe you my life.”

“Stop…‌Nick, there’s no reason to thank me. I’m just thankful we found you in time.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I spoke before he had the chance. “You look great.” His eyebrows rose and my cheeks warmed at the realization of how that had sounded.

His stare never wavered. “I’ll take a compliment from you anytime,” he said in a rich deep voice.

My face had been pink since he checked me out on the porch, but they must have darkened to a shade just shy of a tomato. I remained quiet, not knowing how to respond. Was Nicholas Canter flirting? With
me
? What about his girlfriend, Jocelyn? Finally, I cleared my throat. “I meant your injuries. You’re not hurt as badly as I expected you would be when I saw you in your truck.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m lucky‌—‌just a broken leg, and a few cracked ribs.” He groaned as he pointed to his ribcage.

The afternoon flew by as we chatted. Nick ended up being easy to talk to and we learned we had a few things in common. He admitted that he had been living his life carelessly but promised that he had changed his ways after the accident. I joked that he owed me at least that much for saving his life.

Then I preached a little. “Take this second chance at life and live it to the fullest, and be smart about it. The choices you make have consequences. Living a happy life is simple, so long as you make good choices.” He listened intently. Whether he would follow through was up to him, but at least I had said something.

The clock chimed three times. Nicholas exclaimed he lost track of time and placed a phone call. When his ride arrived, he tried standing. After adjusting his crutches, he said, “It’s was nice getting to know you better, but I need to get back. Mom seems to get worried about me now if I’m gone too long.” With a glance down at his phone, he added, “I’m surprised she hasn’t called to check in yet.”

With a nod, I rose to walk him to the door. I fully expected us to exchange goodbyes and never see him again. Now that he had thanked me for saving his life, there was no reason for our paths to cross again. Before he turned to leave, he leaned over and gave me a one–armed hug. His touch sparked a vision and my body became rigid as my mind swirled to the night of his crash. Luckily, the vision didn’t last long. Nick quickly withdrew from his embrace as he felt me stiffen.

The present swam back into focus, and my legs felt weak. My gaze swept upwards, and I stared into a pair of eyes filled with questions. I cringed with embarrassment, realizing I had had a vision in front of Nick Canter.

“Did you just…‌was that a vision?” he asked.

I closed my eyes and nodded, trying to keep from falling apart.

“Are you…‌are you okay? You appear a little shaken.” The concern in his tone was surprising.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said reassuringly. I even added a smile for extra emphasis. A weak one, but a smile nonetheless.

He raised his hand like he was reaching out to me. “Are you sure?”

Unable to hide the panic sweeping through me, I glanced back at him, unsure if I would be convincing if I insisted I was okay. I was about ready to explain when a door slamming drew our attention.

All my thoughts evaporated as I stared at a seething Barry, looming on his grandma’s porch as though he was about to pounce. He obviously considered Nicholas a threat‌—‌I would have gone all warm and fuzzy inside if not for the cold stare on his face. At least he no longer had that vacant look he had been wearing to school.

Nick shifted back to me. “Possessive much?”

It wasn’t an awful statement, but I didn’t like him talking bad about Barry. He didn’t deserve that. “These past couple of weeks have been rough for him,” I said defensively.

He paused and tilted his head to the side. “So…‌I take it you guys are together?”

I lowered my head and inhaled deeply.
Will I ever get used to us not being together?

“Um…‌no, not anymore.”

A small smile spread across Nick’s face. Why would he care if I was with Barry or not. He had a girlfriend. “Well, that’s too bad.”

When I didn’t respond, he glanced back at Barry, who was still standing there scowling at us.

The silver BMW pulled into the drive and Nicholas turned around to leave. “It was nice to meet you Heather. I’ll keep in touch,” he said as he hobbled away.

I remained quiet, not sure how to respond. The afternoon spent together was pleasant, but did I want to keep in contact with him? I didn’t think so.

After his car backed away, I angled my body toward Barry and my eyes widened at his stance. He stood there guarded, legs planted wide, chin held high. His eyes seemed cold, almost dark from this distance, guarding his thoughts. But it was painstakingly obvious he wasn’t ready to forgive me, yet.

A light breeze blew my hair into my face, but I didn’t move a muscle. Trapped by the intensity of Barry’s stare, I barely breathed. A few moments passed, then he squeezed his eyes shut, wincing as if he was in physical pain and the last fragments of my heart broke. He just turned and walked in the house, leaving me with that all too familiar emptiness brewing inside.

~23~

Atonement

The time on my phone read 8:30. An exasperated sigh escaped as I plopped on my bed and stared up at my ceiling. I had a half–hour to kill before Nicole arrived. What was I going to do?

Nicole had called yesterday after Nick left, which she only knew about his visit because she was standing next to me when he called and she pestered me until I told her. The reason she claimed for calling was to find out how it went, but a few minutes into our conversation, the actual reason for her call became clear. She asked‌—‌no, demanded‌—‌that I go kayaking with her today. I tried to decline, but she insisted.

“You have no choice, you have to go with me.”

“Isn’t Barry going to be there?” I asked in a high pitch.

“More than likely. I’m not a keeper of his schedule, you’ll just have to get used to him being in some of the same places as you. You don’t have to talk to him. I’m tired of you being cooped up, hiding like a hermit. Granted he acts like a zombie, but even Barry goes out with his friends; there’s no reason you can’t go.”

“Nicole, I don’t think anyone but you wants me there.”

“Nonsense. Where is it written that during a break–up the female has to hide? Get your butt into gear, it’s high time you got out and had fun.”

I shook my head, but reluctantly agreed. As I hung up the phone, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
She’s so bossy.

I glanced around the room and realized Nicole’s assessment of me as a hermit hit closer to home than I’d like. I hadn’t been anywhere except home and school since the breakup. These walls had served as my sanctuary, but they no longer provided the same feeling of safeness. Instead, they seemed constricting, like my room had transformed from my safe place into my personal prison. The need to escape escalated. I ran past my mom and out the backdoor to release this pent–up tension.

I sat on the top step and stared into the woods, letting the gentle sway of the trees calm my anxiety. I loved it out here. I had missed it; I hadn’t been out on the porch since the breakup for fear of running into Barry. I was in the clear today, though, because I had heard his car take off about fifteen minutes before. A shiver ran through me as I recalled the cold stare he had given me last night after Nick’s visit.
Will he ever forgive for my deception?

A clinking of metal caused me to turn sharply to the left. My chest tightened at seeing Vivian Elliott, Barry’s grandma, standing on her back porch. I had not seen nor talked to her since the breakup, and the sight of her neatly twisted white bun and the cotton apron draped loosely over her dress caused a lump to form in my throat. God, I missed her.

With a quick glance at my cell phone, I estimated I had about twenty minutes before Nicole’s arrival. If there was ever a chance to approach Ms. Elliott, now would be the time. I stood and brushed off my hiking pants. With my head held high, I walked over toward her house.

As soon as Ms. Elliott saw me, she gave me a wide welcoming smile and my body relaxed. It was funny how a simple smile put a person at ease. She stretched her arms toward me. “Heather, it’s been too long.”

Tears stung my eyes as she wrapped her arms around me. I leaned back for a second. “You don’t hate me?”

“Oh, sweetie, I could never hate you. Despite what you and Barry might think, it’s not your fault.” After draping the rug over the railing, she motioned for me to follow her. “Come on inside, we’ll have some sweet tea.”

I stepped inside and bit my lip. Heat began in my core and worked its way up until my entire face, ears, and forehead were on fire. Sweat beaded on my upper lip as guilt from having her daughter, Jillian, arrested surged through my mind. I shouldn’t have come over here.

Ms. Elliott filled our glasses with her famous tea. We seated ourselves on two kitchen chairs and her eyebrows drew together, the lines of concern prominent. I shifted in my seat and dropped my head, no longer wanting to see her analysis.

“My grandson is stubborn, as stubborn as his old man was. Don’t get me wrong, his father was a wonderful person. Barry inherited most of his traits from him‌—‌including being a jug–head,” she said. A small smile crossed my lips at her revelation. “He may get his good looks from my daughter, but that’s about it.”

My chin rose and I gripped my glass tighter as I looked at Ms. Elliott. She stared at the empty space behind me with a faraway gaze. I was intrigued. Nobody ever talked about Jillian and all I had heard about her was her bad side.

“She used to be a better person, but that all changed after Barry’s father passed away. She just couldn’t cope anymore. Although Barry resembles her, his mannerisms mimic his dad’s‌—‌which became too much for her to handle. That’s when I stepped in to help raise him. Instead of embracing the life around her, Jillian chose a different path, one she felt was easier and less painful. But living life in the fast lane isn’t always easy. It may seem like it at first, but it’s a pace that’s hard to keep up. It takes a toll on you until you reach your breaking point. That’s where Jillian’s at now‌—‌her breaking point. The fallout from her poor choices is Barry. He’s lost right now, but I have faith he’ll find his way. He’s strong.”

She snapped out of her trance and stared intensely at me. “You’re strong, too. Have faith child, it will all work out. You’ll see.”

Tears streamed down my face unrelentingly. Ms. Elliott would never know how much I needed to hear those words. “Thanks, Grandma,” I choked.

“Sweetie, don’t fret,” she said, patting the top of my hand.

My cell phone buzzed, alerting me to a text. With a quick peek, Nicole’s words screamed through the phone.
Where are you? I’m outside your door. You better not be inside hiding!!

With a laugh, I told Grandma Elliott that Nicole was waiting for me. Before I left, she instructed me to come and see her more often. After assuring her that I would, I jogged to my yard to calm my irritated friend.

“Were you over at Barry’s?” she asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, but he’s not home. His grandma and I had a nice,
short
visit,” I replied with a smirk. She let out a “humph,” which made me laugh. “So where are we going exactly?”

“We’re going kayaking on the Meramec River. We have to drive over to Bourbon, which is about two hours away.”

“What am I going to do if we run into Barry?” I asked.

I wasn’t sure if she tried to hide her hesitation, but I definitely noticed. “We’re running thirty minutes behind, so I think you’ll be all right. The only chance of seeing him would be when we’re done, and by that time, the crowd will be so large, it won’t matter.”

My stomach dipped anxiously, but I decided that I wouldn’t let Barry‌—‌ or, rather the fear of Barry‌—‌ruin my fun. I would enjoy this day, regardless.

Nicole went on, explaining how this kayak/canoe trip was a tradition that had started over twenty years ago with the senior class, but in the years had expanded to include juniors, and later even a few sophomores. She described how it had become so popular, that surrounding schools participated. As she kept talking about water levels, I closed my eyes. After she reassured me that the water wouldn’t be dangerously deep, I zoned out.