03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales (25 page)

“Marina, darling, are you alright? Tell me
what happened.”

“I’m fine, it was no big deal, just a surfing
accident.”

“I can only imagine… Shayla tells me that you
singlehandedly pulled two grown men out of the ocean.”

I cringed, realizing that Shayla could never
stand up to an interrogation by Evie.

“I just helped a little. Shayla was the one
who performed CPR…”

Evie laughed, “To hear her tell it, she’s
being forced to take the credit for something she didn’t do. The
press is going wild over her– They can’t get over how modest she’s
being. She’s absolutely
the
toast of the town!”

“That’s good,” I said, flopping my head back
down on my pillow.

“No dear, she’s fine,” I heard Evie’s muffled
voice, and the murmuring of another in return.

“Is Shayla there?” I asked, “Can I talk to
her?”

“No, I’m breakfasting with my dear friend
Olivia… You remember her from the meeting, right? She was so
very
disappointed not to have the opportunity to get to know
you better.”

My hair stood on end, and I sat bolt upright,
“Uh…Uh, Yeah… Well, I wanted to be there for Shayla.”

“I understand dear, we were just making plans
for Olivia to come for a visit to San Francisco. She’ll stay with
me, and that way she can meet Cruz as well. Won’t that be
lovely?”

“Yeah… lovely,” I said, icy fear sitting in
the pit of my stomach.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked,
concerned.

“Yes, absolutely. I have to be going. Enjoy
the rest of your time in Paris.”

“Oh! Marina–”

“Yes?”

“They’re putting Shayla on the cover… That
sports magazine thingy? She’s very excited about it.”

I hung up the phone and paced around my room,
fatigue forgotten. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being
pushed into a corner. It felt like a trap was closing in on me, and
my skin was crawling with the sensation of being stalked. I thought
about my new art studio sitting empty, and it felt like my only
safe haven. Shayla and Megan were the only ones who even knew that
I had rented it, and they were both out of town.

I turned off my phone and dressed, packing an
overnight bag. I hurried out the front door, cheerfully telling
Abby that I had plans, and not to bother waiting up for me. She
nodded, and I was relieved when I saw her check herself, refraining
from questioning me. As more and more time passed without incident,
Abby was starting to let her guard down and keep from fretting over
me so much. I think she realized I was chafing under her
stewardship, and getting a little old for such babying. She’d have
a real baby to fuss over pretty soon, I thought with relief.

She smiled up at me tiredly, her head on
Dutch’s shoulder, “Have fun sweetie. Drive carefully.”

I turned into the dark, deserted alley,
parking and nervously making my way up the stairs. I slipped in the
door quietly, and looked around, relieved to find the place exactly
as I had left it. I rummaged through the little refrigerator and
sat down to eat some crackers and cheese. Candles unused in the
holders stood next to a sad bouquet of dead flowers, dredging up
memories of how I’d let Amber spook me out of bringing Ethan
here.

I wandered over to the easels with their big
blank canvases and closed my eyes. I was seized with the urge to
paint, and decided to try and capture the beautiful waves of
Hawaii. I started hesitantly, and as I picked up the tempo I got
lost in the memories. I could almost feel the warm turquoise water
surrounding me, and smell the ocean’s perfume on the balmy
breeze.

I dove into the work headfirst, focusing only
on the white canvas, blocking out all other thoughts and giving
myself over to the sweet relief of forgetting. Before I knew it,
the sun was rising, and I was shocked to discover that I’d been
painting all night. Mission accomplished; I had successfully kept
my mind off of Ethan, forgetting Olivia and the strange vision to
boot. I flopped down onto my own comfortable couch, pulled a throw
blanket over me, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

By the time I woke it was Saturday afternoon,
and I sat up and stretched, pondering what I should do next. I
splashed some water on my face and studied the painting I’d gotten
so lost in. It had morphed from a simple wave into the blue tube of
water I’d been so thrilled to surf on. Looking at it made me want
to be in the water, and I decided I’d go out surfing again,
thinking that at least my sisters would be happy to see me.

When I pulled up at Abby’s to retrieve my
board, Ethan was there before I could even step out of the
Rover.

“Where have you been?” he asked loudly, “I’ve
been looking all over for you!”

I squared my shoulders and hardened my face,
“You told me to go away.”

I brushed past him and made for the house. I
wanted to go surfing, not be accused of chasing around after Kimo
again. He darted past me onto the porch, positioning himself
between me and the door.

“Please,” he said, softly this time, “I was
wrong… I’m sorry.”

I looked at him skeptically, not even close
to forgiving him, “Really? Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked
sarcastically.

“Shayla called me… she told me what
happened.”

My eyes flew open with outrage, and now it
was my turn to raise my voice, “You believe Shayla, but you won’t
believe ME? That’s just
great
!”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I saw that picture
of you with him… and–”

“Could you
please
move?”

“Marina, I wasn’t thinking straight… it made
me crazy.”

“Go away!”

“No. I’m not leaving.”

There it was again, another “no”, and it
aggravated me once more. Evie had to be wrong about that whole “no”
thing.

“Let me go in,” I said through gritted teeth,
like an angry ventriloquist.

“Not until you talk to me,” he held up his
hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Like you talk to Amber?” I hissed,
surprising myself. I guess I was never going to get over it.

“It’s not like I can avoid her when I’m at
work,” he said defensively.

“At least I’m not talking to Kimo about you!”
I replied harshly.

“I told her we were getting
married!
”
he yelled.

“Yeah? Well, I told Kimo the same
thing
!” I yelled back.

He paused for a second, and his eyes flashed
blue at me, beautiful. They crinkled up at the corners, “I thought
you said you didn’t talk about me.”

He had me there, and as hard as I tried, I
couldn’t suppress the smile that started to play on my lips. He
stepped towards me with his arms wide but I shied away, missing the
porch step and staggering backwards into the rosemary hedge to land
on my butt.

To his credit, he didn’t laugh, even though
it was probably a pretty funny sight. He sprang forward, taking my
hands, and pulled me up into his chest. Then he put his arms around
me and I let him, in spite of myself. Why did he have to feel so
damn good?

He pressed his face in my hair, “I’m sorry,”
he said, his voice muffled. “I don’t wanna fight with you. I missed
you so bad… I acted like a jerk… I’m just a jealous guy.”

I sucked in a breath, but nothing came out. I
didn’t know what to say. He took my hand and led me over to the
bench on the porch, pulling me down to sit next to him.

“Tell me what happened in Paris,” he said
solemnly, “Please.”

I bit my lip and looked into his earnest
eyes. My first impulse was to keep it all to myself, and I very
nearly did. After all, there was no point in upsetting him when
there was nothing he could do about it. Then he kissed me, slowly
and tenderly, like he really meant it.

His voice was husky, and he spoke with an
imploring tone that was irresistible, “Tell me.”

I started out haltingly, telling him about
the woman who came to summon us at Shayla’s show, explaining how I
could tell she was a hybrid from across the room. Then I told him
about the actual meeting, describing the various women in the room
along with their questions and my answers. He listened to me
intently, and surprisingly, the more I talked the better I
felt.

“When you called me from Hawaii, you said
something bad happened. Why did you need to leave Paris?”

I met his eyes again, wringing my hands as I
told him about Marissa, repeating the warning she gave me.

“Did you tell Evie?” he asked in alarm.

I shook my head no, “Olivia is her good
friend… it turns out she’s been advising Evie about me all
along.”

“That’s not good,” he said, pulling me a
little closer.

“She called me yesterday… and Olivia was
right there with her. She told Evie she was sorry she didn’t get a
chance to get to know me better… and she’s coming to stay with her
in San Francisco,” there was a little hitch in my voice, “And she
wants to meet Cruz.” I was scared for them, and I looked at him
with worried eyes.

“What are we gonna do about it?” he
asked.

I smiled wryly, “We?”

“Yeah, we,” he said, just before he leaned in
for another kiss.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

SEDUCTION

Long arrived at the back of the stand,
nodding to Ethan, but seemingly unable to peel his gaze from me,
“Break time,” he announced, his eyes following me as I closed my
book and slipped on my sandals.

“Hi Long,” I said lightly, ignoring his rude
stare.

Ethan slipped his arm around me as we walked
away.

“
Now
what’s up with Long?” I
asked.

“Everyone’s talking about you surfing Jaws
with Kimo and Matt,” said Ethan sourly as we sat down at the break
table behind the stands.

All the surfers in town had taken particular
note of the tabloid coverage of our mishap in Hawaii, and whenever
I ran across them on the beach or in town the all of the whispering
started up anew. The only one I really knew was Mike, and I
suspected he had already told them tales about the time we surfed
with Kimo at the point. Shayla would have been highly amused at how
many of the guys were claiming to have dated her.

More pictures from that fateful day had
eventually surfaced. It turned out that there were paparazzi
following Matt twenty-four seven. There were shots of Kimo towing
me and Matt out behind his jet ski, and images of Gabe and Shayla
hauling Matt up onto the beach, with me in the background, turning
to dive back into the sea for Kimo. Ethan had already heard the
truth from Shayla, but he got more and more irritated every time
his buddies brought it up.

“I still can’t believe he took you surfing
out there, he could have gotten you seriously hurt,” Ethan
grumbled, angry all over again at the thought.

“It’s not his fault. I wanted to,” I
protested, popping a strawberry in his mouth to shut him up. To be
honest, it was entirely my fault, but Ethan would never see it that
way.

It didn’t stop his complaining for long,
“That place is
way
too dangerous… I mean, look what could
have happened if those mermaids didn’t show up,” he frowned.

“It was scary… but the waves were amazing.
Besides, I do have a lot of experience being towed,” I mused.

He shook his head with a defeated gesture, “I
wish you’d be more careful. What would I do without you to worry
about?” He reached out to pull me closer, kissing my ear. His warm
breath tickled, and I giggled, turning my face to look into his
saltwater blue eyes.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he said, just
before he kissed me.

He didn’t realize it, but I was beginning to
believe that I was. He was pushing himself harder than I ever
thought possible, working almost every waking hour, and if he
wasn’t at work he was out hustling for more work, handing out
flyers advertising his landscaping services. If I wanted to spend
time with him I had to tag along, sitting in his truck waiting, or
reading quietly at the farmer’s market.

At least I hadn’t seen Amber since I’d been
back. It was probably inevitable that I’d run into her at college,
and I wondered how she’d act when our paths crossed again. I smiled
inside when I thought about him telling her about our engagement,
but she didn’t strike me as the type that would give up very
easily, and I was still feeling insecure. I scooted closer to
Ethan.

My art studio was my sanctuary, a distraction
from my troubling thoughts, and I’d kept it to myself for the past
week like my own little secret garden. Whenever Ethan was working
and I was feeling edgy, I’d head over there to furiously paint out
all my anxiety. I’d started spending most of my time there, taking
long afternoon naps on the couch, luxuriating in my
independence.

I brought more and more of my things there,
and the place started to feel like home. I planned on surprising
Ethan with it, but I found myself holding back, waiting for the
perfect time. I liked having a clandestine place to go and be
alone. In solitude was precious control, and the freedom from
having to depend on anyone else.

“How about we go surfing tomorrow?” I
suggested hopefully.

“Can’t,” he said firmly, “I have to
work.”

I sighed, for thoughts of Olivia plagued me,
making me so anxious that I’d have to sneak out to see Lorelei at
night, purposefully surfing myself into exhaustion. I knew that
Ethan wouldn’t like it, but I ignored the little flush of guilt I
felt. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“We can surf a lot more when we’re married,”
he said bending down to kiss me, and I really wanted to believe
him. Kissing Ethan made me feel better no matter what the problem.
The sound of shuffling feet and a clatter of plates broke us
apart.

“Marina, my friend,” Lue was beaming at us as
he set down a platter with a wheel of grilled sausage, coiled like
a snake on a mound of steaming rice. This was followed by a tray
stacked with delicious looking fried spring rolls. “Kaj yaub,” He
announced, setting it down with a flourish.