The Caledonian Inheritance (The Athena Effect) (6 page)

Caledonia
was perplexed. “That doesn’t seem like Crystal at all. No wedding? No big white dress?”

“Jarod said Crystal could care less about that stuff.” He studied her for a moment. “Do you?”

She ignored him, continuing, “No big cake… No bachelor party?”

“
Jarod could live without
that
,” he chuckled. “Me too.”

“And miss all the fun?” she teased him, thinking of all the crazy revelry they’d seen
during their time in Las Vegas.

“I have plenty of fun right here,” he said stroking the back of his fingers up and down her arm. She smiled and finished applying the lotion, recapping the bottle and getting up to rinse off her hands in the sink of their small attached bathroom.

She stood in the doorframe absentmindedly drying her hands on a towel. “It’s funny how things changed so fast. Last year Crystal was happy to have a drawer in his room and now they’re married and working together.” She smiled at the thought of how quickly Crystal had gotten everything she wanted.

She came over to sit down by his side. “Are you sure you don’t mind living here? I mean, would you rather be working with Jarod and your dad at the shop?”

He shook his head no, answering her for what seemed like the hundredth time. “The last place I wanna be is hanging around a garage all day. Working on bikes was always Jarod’s thing, not mine.”

“And what’s your thing?”

He smiled his charming lopsided smile up at her. “You are.”

“Calvin… I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” he said. “I know how important this place is to you, and there’s no way I’m gonna let you be here without me.”

“What about going to art school?”

“First things first. When we get things all squared away I was thinking about maybe taking a few classes over at the JC in the fall… And looking for work in town. Me and Michael were talking about painting houses or something.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she nodded, laying her hand alongside his cheek to inspect the swelling on his face. She sighed. “I’m so sorry. I keep getting you into trouble.”

“Cali?”

“What?” she asked.

“Shut up,” he said.

She smiled, bending down to kiss his nose, “Okay, okay. Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?”

She started to sit up, but he pulled her back down onto his bare chest, delivering a long, lingering kiss on her lips before whispering in her ear. “Are you positive that you can’t get it from me?”

“Uh huh,” her voice was husky.

“Then yes,” he started kissing her neck. “I’d feel a whole lot better if you took off your clothes.”

She sat up to regard him with a wry smile, finally unbuttoning her shirt.

“Anything to help.”

~

Chapter Five

DATE

~

“What if he asks me where I came from?” Layla fretted. “How much should I tell him?”

“Just… I don’t know… Start asking him questions about himself,” Caledonia advised. She was sitting on the bed, keeping Layla company and providing moral support as her cousin nervously primped and preened for her first real date.

“I suppose I could always make him forget what he was going to say,” she said, fluffing her brilliant hair in the mirror.

Cali almost said something, but she checked herself. It was quiet for a moment, and Layla turned around, placed her hand on her hip, and studied her cousin with demanding eyes.

“Spit it out,” she ordered.

“I was thinking that you should do your best to avoid doing that... It’s exhausting to have to change people all the time. If you really want to get to know him, you should try being honest with him.”

“But Cali,” Layla’s eyes were skeptical. “If he finds out too much, he won’t like me anymore.”

“Layla,” Cali said gently, “If he can’t handle the truth then he doesn’t deserve you.”

Layla turned back to the mirror, dusting her freckled nose with some more powder.

She
imagined that it would be much easier to be Cali, because she didn’t really care what most people thought of her. Layla didn’t know how to maneuver in the world without manipulating people to get her way, and she suspected that she would never be able get along without her powers. She tossed her head defiantly. Why should she even bother trying?

Aside from their shared abilities,
her cousin was completely opposite from her. As long as Caledonia was around a bunch of animals, she was happy, and Layla knew she would never be more like her. Besides, Cali already had everything she wanted, namely, Calvin wrapped around her little finger.

“I’ll try,” Layla sighed, but they both knew that she didn’t really mean it.

“I know you can do it.”

Layla paused again. “How did you know?” she asked Cali, “How did you know that Cal wouldn’t change his mind when he found out about you?”

“I didn’t,” she replied, “But sometimes in life you have to trust someone.”

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway made Layla’s stomach do a somersault. “Do I look alright?” she asked nervously,
adjusting her hair one last time.

“You look beautiful,” Cali reassured her,
getting up to give her a quick hug just as the doorbell rang. “Ready?”

Calvin called up the stairs, “Layla’s date is here.”

Layla took a deep nervous breath and picked up her purse from the bureau, “Wish me luck.”

Caledonia followed her down the stairs to see a handsome man in a suit standing at the door
with a bouquet of flowers. He was clean cut, with a freshly shaved face and neatly trimmed sandy blonde hair. From his grey suit and tie to the pocket square artfully arranged in his tailored jacket, he was the very picture of the perfect dream date. He smiled when he saw Layla coming down the stairs, holding out the flowers to her when she reached the door.

Layla flushed a vivid pink, taking the bouquet and standing uncertainly. “Uhm… Thank you.”

There was an awkward pause, “I’m Layla’s cousin, Cali,” Caledonia introduced herself with an outstretched hand. “And this is Calvin.”

The two men nodded at each other as Layla’s eyes flew open. “Oh! This is Conrad… He’s Millie’s grandson…”

Cali reassured her with a smile, reaching for the flowers. “Why don’t you let me put those in some water for you.”

Conrad looked at the enormous gold watch on his wrist, “We’d better get going… I have reservations for eight o’clock.”

Layla handed over the bouquet and stepped out onto the porch. A shining silver sedan was parked in the driveway. “Bye,” she waved a nervous little wave to Calvin and Cali.

Calvin called after them, “Have her back by curfew.”

Cali elbowed him in the ribs, calling out, “You two have a good time.” She pulled Calvin inside and closed the door. “I think she’s nervous enough already without you teasing her.”

He smirked, “Flowers? On the first date? Isn’t that kinda cheesy?”

“I think it’s sweet,” she said, taking them into the kitchen and rummaging in the cabinet for something to use as a vase. She finally settled on a juice pitcher, filling it with water and setting it on the kitchen table to arrange the flowers in it.

Calvin leaned against the tiled counter. “Would you have liked me better if I brought you flowers when I first met you?”

She heaved a dramatic sigh, “I don’t know… I guess you just took advantage of me being too stupid to know any better.” She looked up with mischievous eyes.

“Those…” he took a step towards her. “Are
fighting words.”

He lunged for her but she sidestepped him, darting to the opposite side of the table. They circled around a couple of times until she broke away, letting him catch her as they fell down onto the couch.

He brushed away the golden curls that were tumbling all around her laughing face, replacing them with his lips.

~

Conrad cruised around the parking lot three times before Layla pointed to an empty space right in front of the restaurant and asked, “Why don’t you park there?”

He looked up anxiously, “I don’t want to put her too close to these trees… They might mess up the finish.”

When he finally found an appropriate spot he pulled in and darted around the car to offer her his arm, escorting her to the restaurant’s door and holding it open solicitously.

“Mister Smithson, s
o nice to see you. Your table is waiting.” The maître‘d led them to a private table tucked in the back of the tastefully appointed restaurant.

“They know me here,” he boasted, pointing out the obvious.

Conrad pulled out a chair for Layla and she smoothed her skirt, taking her seat and looking all around her. The walls were painted a deep gold, accented with beautifully lit paintings. Candles on the tables cast a warm glow on the other diner’s faces. The low, friendly murmur of conversation rumbled throughout the room, and soft strains of music trickled in from the lounge. It was the perfect romantic spot for a first date.

“Would you tell the sommelier to send over a bottle of my usual?” Conrad asked the uniformed man.

When the wine arrived it was opened with great fanfare, and Conrad inspected the cork judiciously. For a moment Layla was reminded of Professor Reed presiding over the head of the dinner table, but she banished the thought from her mind.

With Conrad’s approval the wine was poured, and he raised his glass to her, “A toast, to a beautiful girl with beautiful eyes.”

She blushed ferociously, glad the lighting was low. She raised her glass to clink it with his, and when she took a sip her green and brown eyes met his blue ones over the rim.

“What do you think?” he asked her expectantly.

She lowered her glass, bending down to sniff at it. “I’m afraid it’s corked,” she replied.

He looked surprised, following suit. “I think you’re right.” He snapped his fingers, hailing a busboy. “Send the sommelier.”

When he arrived, Conrad handed him his glass. “Smell this.”

The man raised the glass and did as he was told. His eyes told the story even before he spoke, “I’m afraid the wine is tainted.” He swept their glasses from the table, removing the offending bottle. “Allow me to bring a replacement.”

The second bottle soon arrived, and this time, Conrad nodded towards Layla, “She’ll do the honors this time.”

She blushed again, setting aside the cork and swirling the glass a few times before she sniffed it. “It’s very nice,” she told the waiter with an encouraging nod.

When he left, Conrad shrugged sheepishly. “I can’t believe I missed that. Who taught you about wine?”

She shifted in her seat, suddenly on guard. “Uhm… My u
hm… My guardian was a collector. French wine mostly.” She looked up to see him smiling benignly. Whatever he felt, it wasn’t suspicion.

“What’
s good here?” she asked with forced cheer, eager to change the subject. She grasped the menu, suppressing the urge to send him enough confidence to make him forget all about it. She felt that she’d gotten off to a bad start by showing him up, and had to fight the urge to make it all simply go away.

“I like to start with the duck confit,” he said, eager to move on as well. “And the wild Alaskan salmon in season is delicious.”

Once they ordered, Layla took Cali’s advice and asked him about his work, surprised to discover how easy it was to get him to talk about himself. The dinner passed by pleasantly, and Layla could see that Conrad was having a really good time. Successful, she kept it up, feigning interest in the details of his latest project.

At one point he paused to look at her with evaluating eyes, smiling.

“What?” Layla asked

“I was thinking how lucky I am… to meet a girl who’s interested in architecture… And also happens to be beautiful.” Conrad beamed happily across the table at her, and she didn’t have the heart to point out that she only really cared about one particular house.

Instead she demurred, “I’m not beautiful.”

“Why would you say that?” he asked, feigning shock.

“I’m too pale... And I have all of these awful freckles.”

“You could get a spray tan to fix that,” he said.

“Yes,” she nodded, “I suppose I could.”

~

When they pulled back up to Layla’s house Conrad turned to her with a smile. “I had a really good time.”

“Me too… Thank you,” Layla replied nervously.

“I’d like to see you again.”

“Alright,” she agreed.

He pulled out his phone, “How about next Saturday?”

“Okay,” she
nodded. “That sounds nice.”

He entered
her information into his phone and got out of the car, coming around to get her door. He walked alongside her to the entrance, pausing when they got to the porch. Layla knew enough to realize that this was the moment for the goodnight kiss, and she tensed up, nervous and anxious, uncertain of what to do.