Secrets: The Hero Chronicles (Volume 1) (21 page)

“Hey, Nicholas. Instead of coming over at 7:00, could you be here at 6:30? My dad would like to meet you before he leaves for his meeting.”

“I can do that. Do you need me to bring anything for dinner?” I asked.

“No, just bring yourself.”

“Okay, see you soon.” Her angelic voice was soothing, but then I realized what she had just said.
My dad would like to meet you
. I was supposed to meet both of her parents together. So if he was unable to be there, why did I have to come over earlier? Did her dad have to meet all of her friends? It seemed so strange.

“So what time do you have to go over tonight?” Cora asked, standing in my door.

“I have to be there at 6:30 now.” I rubbed my eyes trying to wake up.

“You better get a move on; it’s 5:30,” she said, walking out of my room.

“Cora,” I called to her, “do you think it’s odd that her dad wants to meet me?”

Cora walked back into my room and said, “No, that’s normal,” and walked back out.

I was still groggy from the nap. I had totally forgotten about the fight I had with Cora earlier about going over to meet Elle’s parents. She didn’t want me to get too close to her and her family because it would already be hard enough to move away at the end of the year. She didn’t want me to experience a “broken heart” as she put it. Also she was concerned about the questions they would ask. Cora didn’t like for me to be questioned without her, and I didn’t care for it either. But as much as I hated the questions, if I chose not to go, the pain of not seeing Elle would be far worse.

I glanced at the clock; it was 5:40. My heart started to race. I didn’t want to be late. The shower had not warmed up yet, and I was already halfway done. I quickly shaved, only cutting myself once. I got out still soaking wet. I ran down the hall to my room, drying off on the way. I put on my favorite pair of jeans and a nice red button-up that Cora had bought for me last Christmas. I fixed my hair and glanced at the clock. 5:55. I slipped my shoes on and hurried down the stairs.

“You’re looking sharp, Nicholas.”

“Thanks, Cora. What’s that?”

She was holding a small potted plant with a ribbon around it. The brown pot had three green sticks coming out of it, each supporting a vine that had several deep pink flowers on it. For such a frail looking thing, the flowers were radiant, full of life.

“It’s a Phalaenopsis Hybrid Orchid.”

“No, not what
is
it. What’s it for?”

“It’s a gift that you are going to give to Elle’s mom for her house.”

“Why? Elle told me not to bring anything.”

“If you want to make a good impression, then you need to bring a gift.”

“I am just going over there for dinner, probably pizza or something.”

“I doubt that very much,” Cora said. “Here, take it and make sure you say ‘Thank you,’ and ‘Yes, sir. No, ma’am.’”

“I always do.”

She pushed the plant into my hands, walked me to the front door, and opened it.

“Can I at least have a jacket?” I asked.

The lightly powdered snow on the ground was whipping up in the wind, making it feel much colder than the actual temperature. She took the plant out of my hands and grabbed my winter jacket from the closet. I put it on and she gave me back the potted plant. “Go, already. You don’t want to be late. The truck has the keys in it.”

This was the first time I was able to drive after getting my license. My birthday, November 23, had come and gone with little excitement. Just how I liked it—no fuss. I kept my birthday a secret from Elle. As much as I was now getting used to everyone knowing me, I still didn’t like the attention. So the only thing that I did was go get my license.

Driving to the house took no time at all. Even with the snow, I arrived five minutes early. I got out of the truck with the small pink flowers swaying back and forth in the snowy wind.

Elle’s house was not like any of the other kids’ houses that I had seen. Hers was more modest and a lot older, but kept up very nicely. I walked up to the door, which was adorned by a large bell-covered wreath. I rang the doorbell. Elle opened the door before the ringing had stopped. She looked more beautiful than usual. Her hair was pulled back, exposing her neck. Her cheeks were full of color and her lips shined. She had on a white blouse with lace around the neck. I had an overwhelming urge to lean in and press my lips to her neck and feel her warm skin. When she opened the door farther, it allowed her perfume to surround me, making me dizzy. I stood frozen to the front step.

“Hi, Nicholas.”

It took a second for me to answer. “Hi, Elle. You look stunning this evening.”

She blushed and smiled, opening the door and motioning for me to enter.

“Well, this must be Nicholas.”

“Good evening, Mrs. Canan.” Mrs. Canan was standing at the top of a short flight of steps that led up to their family room. She was also pretty. I could see where Elle got her blue eyes and beautiful hair.

“Please, Nicholas, come on in and take off your jacket.”

“This is for you.” I handed the plant to Mrs. Canan.

Her eyes met mine, and she said in the most sincere way, “Thank you so much for the flower, Nicholas. That was very thoughtful. I know the exact spot for it.”

Then she said, “Please, sit down.”

“Thank you very much. You have a beautiful home.”

Elle took my jacket and hung it on a coat rack that looked like a Christmas tree. Their house had dark wood floors. The walls were painted a rich brown color and covered by art and pictures. All of the furniture was dark wood with a lot of colorful accents. The couch was leather. I could tell that Mrs. Canan took great pride in her home. Everything was perfect. The entire house had been decorated for Christmas. From the large Christmas tree with a train around the bottom to the Santa Claus doorknob covers, it was one of the most festive houses I had ever seen. Cora was more into the modern Christmas decorations. This house felt so warm and cozy.

“Would you like something to drink, Nicholas?” Elle asked, but her angelic voice was not as calm as it usually was; she sounded nervous.

“No, I am fine, thank you.”

“No really, please have some warm spiced apple cider. We made it fresh today.”

I looked at Elle and she gave me that adorable smile. “Well then, I would love to have a glass, Elle. Thank you.”

“So, Nicholas, Elle tells me that you just moved here this year. Where did you move from?”

“I moved here from a small town in upper Ohio. My mom got transferred because of her job.”

“What does she do?”

“Mom, don’t ask him twenty questions,” Elle said, walking back into the room with three mugs on a Christmas tree platter.

“I was just trying to get to know him, dear.”

“Here is your apple cider.” Elle handed me a glass, and then gave one to her mom. She sat down next to where I was standing. I had been waiting for Elle to sit down before I did. My father always waited for my mom to sit, and he also used to open every door for her.

Mrs. Canan sounded as if she was choking on her drink. I turned and looked at her, and she was smiling at Elle. Elle was giving her an evil look. I was missing something.

“Nicholas, are you hungry?” asked Mrs. Canan.

“Yes, ma’am,” I told her.

“Well, let’s eat then.”

I followed them into the small but elegant dining room, which was also decorated for Christmas.

“Nicholas, you can sit here next to Elle.”

I pulled out Elle’s chair and she sat down. I waited for Mrs. Canan to be seated and then I sat. Again the two of them were talking with their eyes. I felt like asking them if they wanted me to leave so they could talk. The table was definitely not set up for pizza. It was set with fancy place settings.

“Mr. Canan will be down in a minute. We should start dinner without him. He will eat at his meeting,” said Mrs. Canan.

The table was set for four people, so his meeting must have been a last minute change. We passed around the roasted chicken and three different vegetables, which were all prepared differently. They bowed their heads and I did too. Then Mrs. Canan said a very short prayer. Mrs. Canan and Elle began to eat and so did I. The food was incredible. I usually didn’t like other people’s food because I was used to the gourmet dishes Cora made, but Mrs. Canan’s food was what I considered a good home-cooked meal.

“Mrs. Canan, this food is incredible.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it, but you should tell that to the cook,” she said, glancing at Elle.

“Elle, the food is delicious.”

“Elle is our personal chef. If I was going to cook, we’d be having pizza tonight.” We all laughed. It was funnier to me because that’s what I thought we would be eating.

“Honey, is he here yet?” Mr. Canan said in a booming voice, walking down the stairs.

“Yes, dear. We are in the dining room.”

Mr. Canan walked around the corner. I stood up. Mr. Canan stood about a foot away from me. I felt like he was surveying me, making sure he could identify me in a police lineup if he had to.

“Well, this must be Mr. Keller, who I’ve heard so much about and watched on the football field.” He extended his hand and I grasped it.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Canan.”

“Please, sit down, Nicholas. Don’t feel like you have to stop eating on my account.” This seemed like a test, so I continued to stand.

“Sit down, Nicholas,” Elle said to me.

I sat down slowly, and Mr. Canan sat across from me at the table. It was like we were about to arm wrestle or play a game of chess. I slowly began to eat my food, feeling Mr. Canan staring at me.

“So, Nick, is it okay if I call you Nick?”

“Yes, sir,” I said immediately.

“What are your intentions toward my little girl?”

I was not expecting that question, and with a mouth full of food, I nearly spit it out all over the table.

“Dad, what are you doing? I told you that we are just friends,” Elle said.

“Well, I wanted to hear what he thought about you for myself,” Mr. Canan said to Elle, while looking at me.

I cleared my throat. “Well, sir, your daughter was one of the few people who befriended me when I first moved here. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful friend in my life.”

Mr. Canan stood quickly. “Okay. Well, it was nice to meet you, Nick.” He walked over and kissed the top of Mrs. Canan’s head. “See you, honey,” he said and then winked at Elle. He smiled, grabbed his jacket, and disappeared down the flight of steps.

The rest of dinner was not as eventful as the beginning. Mrs. Canan continued to ask me question after question about Cora and me. She also apologized several times for how abruptly Mr. Canan left. I think Elle was trying to eat fast so that she could take me away from her mom’s questions. When dinner was finished I helped clean the table and thanked Mrs. Canan for having me over.

“Mom, we are going downstairs to watch some TV.”

“Okay, dear. Nicholas, if I don’t see you again tonight, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

Elle dragged me downstairs away from her mom. Right when we got to the bottom of the stairs, she turned to me.

“I’m sorry, Nicholas. That was so embarrassing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my mother asking you all of those questions.”

“Don’t worry about it; the questions weren’t that bad.”

“Also, sorry about my dad.”

“I have to admit that was uncomfortable.”

“I told him that we are just friends over and over.”

“It’s okay. When I’m a dad, I think I’ll be the same way.”

She smiled and took my hand. “Thank you for all those nice things you said about me.” Her smile paralyzed me. I couldn’t say anything. She turned the lights on, illuminating the basement.

“So what do you want to do?” she asked.

“Not sure,” I sputtered.

“Well, do you want to watch a movie?”

“That sounds fine. Whatever you want to do. But can I ask you a question? What were you and your mom talking about?”

She looked at me with a confused expression.

“You know, when you were both using your eyes to talk.”

She smiled. “My mom is not too subtle. She was happy to see you were such a gentleman.”

She turned away from me and walked over to one of the two big black leather couches forming a massive L. She grabbed the remote and turned on the large widescreen TV. She walked over and turned the lights back off. The TV was now the only light in the room. She sat down right next to me. My pulse quickened; I had never been this close and completely alone with her. My nervousness made me cold and numb.

She grabbed a blanket that was draped over the couch and threw it on her legs. “Are you cold?” she asked.

I was ice cold, but even if I had been on fire, I would have still told her I was cold just to share the blanket with her. She scooted closer so the blanket would cover both of us. The room had a couple more blankets in it, but she chose to share with me. Is this what friends do—share blankets? She scrolled through the movie guide. She rattled off several movies and asked if I liked any of them. I was so nervous I nodded at every movie she said. Finally, she turned on a movie that I had never heard of and probably would never have picked out for myself. It was about women from the early 1900s.