Moonsong (20 page)

“Wow, I’m guessing you’re not a vegetarian, right?” she teased, knowing full well from his orders at the café he was definitely a meat eater.

“Christ, you’re not one of those are you?” he looked up sharply.

“Relax, I like meat fine. But ah, this looks more like you were aiming to feed a hungry trucker, I don’t think I can finish all of this,” Millie replied, hefting the sandwich to make her point.

“Oh,” Cutter gave her a half shrug. “No fridge; I had to use up all the cold cuts. I’ll eat whatever you don’t finish.”

“My human garbage disposal, now
that’s
what I call sexy,” she teased, patting his cheek lightly.

Cutter took his seat beside her and they ate in companionable silence, sharing from a water bottle passed back and forth. True to her word, Amelia was only able to eat half the sandwich, but Cutter had no trouble polishing off all of his and the rest of hers to boot.

“I was thinking of maybe driving over to Hanson, to take a look at the falls or we could go into the City, do dinner and a movie, that kind of thing.”

“So, we’re talking about a night time date? You come and pick me up at my house and my grandmother asks about your intentions?” A note of skepticism crept into her voice.

“I don’t know… it feels like there’s more they’re not telling me. Like they’re revealing only so much information at a time for fear I’ll bolt at any second. Just when I start to relax, something else comes to light.”

“Like what?”

“Like those delegates that came from Seattle to
negotiate
for me,” her brows drew together at the memory.

“Alphonse came here for you?” Cutter’s brow darkened, his arm tightening around her reflexively.

“Not him in person, but his representative, little guy with a goatee, I forget his name. You should have seen the pile of cash they laid down, and Gran scooped it up, pretty as you please, like it was no big deal at all.”

“Jaeger, he handles all of Alphonse’s business dealings. I should have known the man wouldn’t come himself,” he snorted. “How did they leave things?”

“Gran says she has no intention of selling me off to the highest bidder, but I dunno, it wouldn’t surprise me if she thought it was to her advantage, you know?”

Two men ready to risk death on her behalf and she still found herself unable to make any kind of real commitment to either of them. But maybe that was because Cutter hadn’t offered commitment to her yet. All he offered were a few kisses and the promise of a date, no other talk of the future. If she didn’t have the prophecy thing hanging over her head, it would be enough.

“You know the only way I’ll be safe from this negotiating and squabbling…”

“I do.”

Amelia waited for something else, his thoughts on the subject and if he was offering more, but he remained silent, so that she turned her head to look back up at the sky again. For the moment, it would have to be enough. And as they lay there together, his hand moving lazily in her hair, it was.

Chapter Nineteen

“Millie!” Scarlett’s voice rang through the crowded café as she threaded her way back to the rear counter.

Amelia’s head came up with a smile of acknowledgement before she looked back down to the cup of coffee she was delivering before it spilled. “Hey,” she waved her over to a seat at the counter, clearing away the dirty dishes and giving the counter a swipe.

“Oh come on, can’t you take like a ten minute break? It won’t take that long to get there and back,” Scarlett took on a wheedling tone.

“It won’t take that long to get where? What’s going on?” Amelia demanded before she even considered leaving.

“To the gallery, that’s all I’ll say. Now come on, Juliet won’t mind covering your tables for ten minutes, will you Juli?”

Juliet’s plain face showed the beginnings of a frown before it grew shuttered and the frown was replaced by a placid smile. “Not at all, Miss LaRoche, Millie can take as long as she likes.”

Not liking the sound of that tone from her friend, nevertheless Amelia couldn’t wait to see what had Scarlett so hot and bothered. “I’ll be right back; I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” She gave Juliet a helpless shrug and mouthed
‘I’m sorry’
even as Scarlett dragged her towards the door.

“What in the hell is so important you have to practically kidnap me in broad daylight?” she demanded, but her cousin would only smile that infuriating smile as she steered her towards the gallery.

“You’ll see.”

It didn’t take long at all to get there and soon they were moving towards the rear corner of the house where Cutter’s wood carvings were displayed. “I’ve already seen the exhibit, don’t you remember?” Millie hissed, a brief smile going out to the owner who nodded at them politely but kept her distance.

“Yes, but did you see this before?” Scarlett beamed in her moment of triumph as the item in question came into view. Where the large sculpture of the mermaid on the rock had stood was a new sculpture, one that looked vaguely familiar even before Millie made the connection. Captured in the large burl of wood was the relief of a young woman, her face turned up to the sky, lips parted in a gasp of pain, or was that… passion?

Millie gasped as she found her own face there in striking detail, her hair whipped around her as though caught by the wind, stained to match her own dark tresses. Recognizing the hunk of wood Cutter had lugged home the day she’d arrived to remove his stitches, she marveled that he’d completed a project in such exquisite detail in so short a time.

“Something you want to tell me, Millie?” Scarlett’s lips curved into a smile.

“What?” Tearing her eyes from the work of art, Amelia turned to Scarlett. “What do you mean?”

“Oh come on, you’re telling me he carved this masterpiece solely based on the memory of your brief encounter in the woods?” she tilted her head to one side.

“Scarlett, you can’t say anything to Grandmother about my… friendship with Cutter, she’d freak out for sure.” Not to mention Chase going ballistic, that was all she needed.

“No, I know,” the assurance came automatically, “but Millie, on display like this… she’s bound to find out.”

“So, why would she assume anything is going on between us, as far as she knows I’ve never even met Cutter. Right?” Emphasis was given on that last word, or had Scarlett reported in on her actions?

“No, I don’t think she does, she hasn’t mentioned it to me at least,” Scarlett was quick to answer.

“Maybe I can buy it? It looks expensive; do you see a tag anywhere on it?” Amelia circled the sculpture, but could find no markings on it. “The thing’s too heavy to put it on the bottom…” she muttered, “I’ll go ask the owner.” Millie found her, arranging cut flowers into a huge vase shaped like what looked like a sea urchin.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes, Miss LaRoche?” a bright smile was given.

Millie bit back the correction that sprang to her lips and returned the woman’s smile. “That new sculpture by Cutter, can you tell me how much that one is, please?”

“Oh, that one isn’t for sale, it’s only on loan from Mr. Cutter. We’re very fortunate to have it; it’s generated very positive interest on our website,” she smiled widely.

“It’s not for sale?” Millie’s brows rose in surprise.

“No, he changed his mind as soon as we had it set up on display, said he couldn’t bear to part with it.”

“Oh… thank you for your time,” Amelia returned the knowing smile with a slightly uncomfortable one. Was it Cutter’s way of making some kind of declaration of his feelings for her? Even more perplexed, she returned to Scarlett, only then remembering her promise to be back in ten minutes. “Crap, I have to get back,” she frowned, eyes glancing at the clock on the wall.

“But you didn’t even get to tell me… okay, okay…” Scarlett relented as she caught Millie’s expression. “Later though, alright? I want details,” her eyes glittered in anticipation.

“Yes later, I promise, but for now I have to book if I don’t want Juliet to strangle me with a wet noodle when I get back,” she grinned, all but running out of the gallery, hoping more than ever Cutter would drop by the café that morning.

Unfortunately it was two more days before he stopped in again, and by then everyone in town seemed to have seen the sculpture and remarked to Millie about how much it looked like her. Those who worked at the café and the regular morning customers weren’t at all surprised by it, having seen first hand the artist’s obsession with the girl, or at least that’s what they were calling it after years of his being the local recluse. The general consensus was, he was sweet on the pretty waitress, even if she was Chase LaRoche’s girl.

Only nobody wanted to mention anything about it to Chase himself for fear of how he’d take it. The boy wasn’t known for his even temperament. But news of the sculpture spread like wildfire in the little town, and it wasn’t long before Chase went out to see it for himself. After that, his feet carried him straight to the café.

Chase threw open the door, brushing rudely past a couple in the process of trying to leave, sending her purse crashing to the floor. The husband choked back an angry retort, but at seeing who it was, he retrieved the purse without a word, ushering his wife hurriedly out the door.

Her back turned, Amelia didn’t see Chase’s entrance or the thunderous look on his face until he leapt over the counter, grabbing her arm to swing her around to face him. “Are you fucking him?” he accused in a low growl, loud enough to be heard by most of the patrons.

Millie blanched at the accusation, even as she gasped at the sting at her arm. “W-what?” her eyes teared up as his nails dug harshly into her soft flesh. “Chase, you’re hurting me.”

“Answer me, damn it!” he gave her a little shake. Skinny Pete edged closer to the window between the kitchen and the prep area, brandishing his spatula, but in the end he backed off again at catching Chase’s expression.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about; I’m not sleeping with anyone,” Amelia insisted, still in a state of shock over the sudden violent outburst.

“Don’t screw with my head, Millie. You know exactly who I’m talking about. Now answer me, are you fucking him?” Chase’s eyes blazed with unchecked fury.

“No!” Millie’s snapped, indignation rising as she found her gumption. “I’m not fucking him, and I sure as hell am not fucking
you
, so get your fucking hand off my arm,” she threw the profanity back at him, drawing a gasp from the crowd.

Instead of releasing her, Chase pressed her painfully up against the rear counter, pinning her there with his body. “I will kill any man that stands between us, Amelie LaRoche. You are mine, do you hear me?” he vowed, his voice low and deadly.

A shiver went down her spine at the threat; would he go after Cutter next? “Get your hands off me, Chase. I don’t think Gran would want to hear about you manhandling me, would she?” Millie bluffed, having no idea what the woman would think of his treatment of her, for all she knew he was there on Adele’s orders.

Chase gave a short bark of laughter, “Adele knows a woman’s place, she’d be glad to know I’m keeping you in line, keeping you from disgracing the pack.”

Despite the bravado, there was a kernel of fear behind his eyes. The hesitation was enough for Millie to shove against him with all of her strength, moving him enough to slip out from between him and the counter, but not enough to dislodge his grip on her arm. “Let me go, Chase. What are you gonna do, force me to love you? It doesn’t work that way.”