2 Deja Blue (3 page)

We pulled into the
classy
beachfront r
esort
,
and I climbed out of the car, stretching my arms and legs while I twisted around at my waist, taking in the sights around me. I had been to Traverse City plenty of times before but I had never stayed at this resort.
Talk about swanky. The resort featured several three-story pale-yellow buildings with slate-grey rooftops lining the long white sugar-sand beach of East Grand Traverse Bay.

We walked into our suite
,
and I looked around the soothing environment. There was a private balcony featuring a panoramic view of the water that seemed to stretch on forever. The small hillside at the back of the resort led past the outdoor pool, down to the Adirondack chair-lined beach. It was like a
freakin
’ postcard
!  Our room itself was just as gorgeous as the scenic outdoor view.
It featured p
ale yellows, crisp whites, hardwood floors,
plush
carpets, bright watercolor-painted beach sce
nes hanging on the walls, and that vacation-y feeling of
airiness, especially wi
th our balcony overlooking the b
ay. There were two bedrooms, a sm
all kitchenette, a living room with a huge flat-screen T.V.
and double bathrooms
. Nick’s parents
took one of
the bedroom
s
and Nick offered me the other one.
He was going to sleep on the pull-out couch in the living room.
I absolutely refused. I was their
guest after all! I felt weird enough crashing their little family tradition, so I insisted on sleeping on the pull-out
couch
. His parents
of course demanded
separate sleeping quarters
for us
, and after all, they were our chaperones. (Plus, no respectable girl would shack up with her boyfriend on a
family
vacation when his parents are sharing the same hotel room!
Eeesh
!)
 

I really didn’t mind sleeping on the pull-out. It’s not like I was going to want to get frisky with Nick while his parents were in the next room. And besides, we hadn’t got
that
close
yet. We were still in the heavy making-out phase of our relationship. To be honest, I hadn’t slept with any guy yet. I’ve done other things, but, you know…I guess I’m holding out for
the one
. I know it’s pr
oba
bly very old-fashioned of me, bu
t I wanted to be in love with the person when I finally decided to have sex. I knew I really liked Nick.
A lot.
And I was definitely
in
lust
with him. But we’ve only been dating for about a month…so
I still have
a little time to figure some stuff out.

After we got settled, Nick’s parents agreed to let us explore the town for a bit on our own
,
and they would meet up with us for a late dinner in a few hours. I didn’t normally eat my dinner at 9:30 at night, but being in the restaurant business, I guess they were used to eating at weird times.
Nick and I decided
we’d just strol
l around and see some local si
t
e
s and shops while we unwound from the drive. Tomorrow
with his parents,
we were planning to spend the morning at the beach,
have
lunch d
owntown
,
and then
go cherry
picking, walk through the c
arnival midway,
and
finish it off with the concert in the park
and
fireworks over the b
ay. It was going to be a pretty packed day (mostly with his parents) so we figured we’d take advantage of this alone-time. Thankfully, Nick’s parents did
not
treat us like
we
were six years old and agreed to our need for independence…at least for a few hours anyway.

As we headed out onto the main street of town, I told Nick, “Maybe we’ll run into Anya and Brennan tonight!” Nick smiled. “Yeah, Brennan’s cool.
Anya too.
Although, I prefer blondes,” he winked at me. “You said they were staying at the Tamarack Lodge, right?” I nodded while my insides did somersaults at his affectionate wink and declaration of his preference
for
blondes. Just about every boy I knew who met Anya went gaga over her (not that she noticed), so it was exciting that she didn’t seem to have that effect on Nick.  “I’m sure we can meet up with them while we’re here,” he said as he grabbed my hand and led me through the crowded sidewalk.

It was early in the evening, approaching dusk, but since it was July, the sun wouldn’t set for some time. We comfortably strolled along the sidewalks and chatted about the various shops and displays along the way. We stopped in a fudge shop on the corner to try some samples and watch them make the sugary-chocolate confection.  We’ve both seen it at least a hundred times before, but I still loved watching the bakers make the famously-known
treat
the way it’s been made for over a hundred years. Mackinac Island fudge is legendary, but any tourist town up north will feature a fudge shop selling the age-old treat. I watched as two
apron-clad
college-aged guys, carefully tip
ped
the big copper cauldron to pour
the molten dark chocolate liquid onto the huge six-foot long marble table to cool. On another marble-
slabbed
table, where the chocolate was already set, I watched as one of the guys scooped and turned and flipped the now-thickening
fudgie
-batter
with a paddle
and slowly formed it into a long log. It was mesmerizing watching the paddle moving fluidly back and forth,
flipping the chocolate over and over,
hearing
the scraping sound of the wide metal-edge
d
spatula against the marble.
I kind of zoned out, just like when I stare into a fire
, watching the flames flicker.
I mindlessly popped another piece of the dark chocolate fudge into my mouth and stared at the confection being twirled and shaped into the yummy dessert that was now melting on my to
ngue. It was in this half-zoned-
out state that I suddenly felt like I was being watched. I glanced around the fudge shop, but didn’t see anyone looking at me. Nick was watching the baker
s
intently
,
while shoving another huge piece of candy into his mouth
.
I looked back to watch the
culinary confection show
again. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a stocky, dark figure quickly slink out of the shadows of the doorway of the shop. I got a strange jingly feeling that something wasn’t quite right as I stared at the now-empty doorway. Could it be some
Fairy
sense that I picked up from
Sirrush
? When he bit me and sent some of his magic coursing through my veins, Anya and Brennan told me
I may have received
more powers,
besides
being able to hear their silent telepathic language. Maybe this weird jingly
feeling was the beginning of yet another one of
Sirrush’s
“gifts” to me. Or, maybe I was just being paranoid. As quickly as the sensation came, it faded, and Nick and I were ready to check out some other sights. I decided to tuck that little thought of
Sirrush
far away and just enjoy this night with Nick. I hated that stupid old dragon and
the
little “gift” of magic he gave me. I didn’t know what was going to come of it, and I didn’t want to waste any more of my precious alone-time with Nick worrying about it either. We walked out of the shop
, once again holding hands,
and continued down the sidewalk admiring the various cherry-themed window displays and sales. As we stopped at the crosswalk to wait for the signal to change, Nick leaned over and kissed me. As his soft lips melted into mine, the busy street and tourists bustling around us seemed to disappear. Whoa. Am I ever going to get used to his warm, soft lips sending those jitters through my body? As I dreamily pulled away and saw
that
the
traffic
signal had changed
,
I walked out into the intersection to cross the street. That’s when I got shocked to my very core.

I heard it before I saw it.

A really fast, really big motorcycle was headed right towards me, obviously running the red light, and
was
about to plow me down. The seconds stretched on for what seemed like an eternity as I stopped dead in my tracks and stared wide-eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights, at the powerful huge Harley Davidson
rumbling towards me at seemingly lightning speed. Just then, I blinked and I felt myself being yanked backwards as Nick just about pulled my arm out of my shoulder socket. I tumbled backwards into him.
Nick shouted,
“
Whooaaa
!” as I fell into him, pushing him back as we both landed in a heap on the curb. I shook my head as we watched the motorcycle and its black leather-clad figure zip off into the distance.
“ASSHOLE!”
Nick yelled after him as I sat stunned.

“
Ohmygoshhh
!”
I finally said as Nick helped me up and we began to walk across the street again. “I can’t believe that guy almost hit me! And you saved me! I must have been in a daze or something. I didn’t even see him ‘til he was just about on top of me.” I was still shaking as adrenalin pulsed through my body. Nick wrapped his arm around my shoulder, “Yeah, my kissing has
that e
ffect on girls I guess,” h
e teased. “No biggie. We’re both okay.” But
,
he seemed a little shaken too. “He was an asshole.
Freakin
’ moron.
Not cool. Not cool at all,” he grumbled.

Safely on the other side of the street, I gradually relaxed into Nick’s side and put my arm around his waist as he kept his arm wrapped around me while we
continued our walk through town browsing
in
the shops
.
W
e stopped mid-way down the
block to listen to a small jazz
group that was playing under a gazebo tucked into a small courtyard between the old brick buildings. There was a fountain and some benches scattered throughout the courtyard
where small groups of people had gathered to listen to the rhythmic sounds that echoed down the quaint street.
The
gazebo was laced with white twinkling lights glowing against the hazy pink sky. Co
mbined with the smell of cherry
flavored
confections and chocolate fudge, it painted the most romantic backdrop.
(Sigh.)
This was more than a girl could ask for. I snuggled closer to Nick, rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes in contentment when my romantic bubble burst.  

Chapter 4

“KANSAS!
HEY, KANSAS!”
I heard Brennan’s familiar voice
calling out t
he nickname he had given me, quickly bringing me out of my dreamy fantasy with Mr. Hotness. You see, if I didn’t mention it before, my mother is obsessed with the
Wizard of Oz
. That’s how my brother, Leo, and I got our names.
Ruby, for the ruby slippers that Dorothy wore, and Leo, for the Cowardly Lion.
Brennan got a kick out of teasing me about that (and any other lame
Wizard of Oz
reference he can come up with), so now he calls me Kansas. At least it’s better than Scooby, which is what Leo usually calls me.
(As in Scooby Doo, the cartoon dog?
Plus, it rhymes with Ruby, so how could he resist? Ugh.
Boys.
They are
s
ooo
o
dumb.)

I straightened up and looked around to see Brennan and Anya coming up the sidewalk to greet us. Their walks were as different as their personalities. Brennan was kind of bounding down the sidewalk in his navy blue board shorts and white t-shirt
,
his jet-black
was
hair sticking up in every direction, and…Oh my gosh! Was he barefoot?
Again?!
That kid wore shoes less than I did. I hate wearing shoes (unless they’re my Converse) but even
I
wear them out in public. Besides, city streets and sidewalks are nasty.  Anya waved and was smiling brightly. She was wearing a short, white sundress and ballet slippers and seemed to be smooth
ly
floating down the sidewalk. Nick smiled
,
and Brennan tipped his
chin up in acknowledgement at him,
“ ‘Sup
?” I rolled my eyes.
Boys and their dumb chin-nod.
It’s like they’re too cool to smile or say, “Hello.”