FAE-ted (3 page)

Dragging my gaze from his flannel sleep pants, I turned my
attention to a hillside castle, a flying dragon, and a brilliant green
forest with the head of a friendly giant sticking up from it. I could've
been standing in the middle of faerie land, an illusion further
enhanced by the size of the room and the garden that was Anna's
bed with its flowery bedspread and matching curtains. "You're going
to move to Nate's house when your mom gets home?" She'd
definitely miss all this.

"Uh-huh."

"And Ginny, that's her mom, is going to paint her new room
just like this one. Want to eat with us before I take you home?"

Since I couldn't shift gears that fast, it took me a sec to
realize I'd been invited to breakfast a second time. "Sure. Now would
you please leave so we girls can get dressed?"

"Gotta teetee first." Anna shot out of the room.

"Her mom won't thank you for spoiling her," I told
Nate.

He shrugged. "She's only little once."

True words, those. For a moment I got lost in memories of
when I was her age.

"What are you thinking about?" Nate asked.

"Barbie dolls. I played with them until I started dating."

He hooted.

"I'm serious," I said, pretending to be hurt.

His smile vanished. "Sorry."

I gave in with a
gotcha!
laugh. "Actually I put away
my faerie Barbies when I turned twelve, which was still a little old.
Didn't have a real date until I was sixteen."

"So how'd you spend your spare time in the interim?"

"Lessons. Gymnastics, violin, a couple more. I can tap dance.
Want to see?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Resisting the
urge to smooth his bed head, I did a little number that made my
boobs bounce, something I didn't realize until too late. I tried to
pretend it hadn't happened, but Nate's avid stare told me otherwise.
"Ta-da!"

He clapped.

Anna came flying out of the bathroom, her gaze shifting
from one to the other of us. I didn't explain the applause, knowing
she'd ask me to dance again, something I wasn't going to do. I urged
her into her bedroom, shutting the door behind us.

After dressing in the clothes I'd brought, I helped Anna put
on jeans and a Disney princess top, carefully setting aside the
leotard. Figured I'd take it home after breakfast and wash it, myself. I
tackled my face and hair next, using the full-length mirror on her
wall. Unfortunately, a banana clipped mess was all I could manage
without the products I hadn't packed. "Do you want a French
braid?"

"Uh-huh," said Anna, falling back on her favorite
answer.

So we took care of that before brushing our teeth and
walking to the other end of the mobile home, where Nate patiently
waited on the couch. He stood when we got to him. Naturally I noted
how good he looked in his long-sleeved camo T-shirt, holey jeans,
and Nikes.

The three of us went outside, hurrying through the sprinkles
of rain to the SUV. The sultry air felt unnatural, even for an Arkansas
December. A glance at the dash told me two things. It was
eight-thirty with an outside temperature of sixty degrees. I once again
thought of the weather reports I'd recently heard.

If the guy on TV was wrong and we did have
tornado-producing storms, I did not want to be in that trailer. Especially at
night, when we could be caught sleeping. Though North Little Rock
undoubtedly had a warning system as efficient as Little Rock's, it
would only sound after a tornado warning was officially announced.
We'd have to leave the trailer to take shelter, which meant things
could get scary and even dangerous.

Nate drove us to McDonalds, expertly negotiating back
streets. I guessed he'd driven this route many times. "How long did
your dad and her mom date?"

"A year. She was hard to land, but I wouldn't let Dad give
up."

"Memories of a bad marriage?"

He kept his voice low when he answered. "Memories of a
good one, I think. She's a widow. And there was the money thing.
Dad owns a construction company, so we have plenty. She
doesn't...er, didn't...and thought people would assume she was
marrying him for reasons besides love."

"How'd he win her over?"

"He told her he didn't give a shit--" Nate flicked a rearview
mirror glance at Anna. "Er, crap--"

I glared at him.

"I mean
flip
what people thought."

"That's so romantic."

He looked at me and grinned. "So F-a-e-r-i-e Indigo is a
sucker for a good love story. Why am I not surprised?"

I deliberately gazed out my window. "I just like it when two
people who are meant to be together find each other. The perfect
in-
fae
-tuation."

He chuckled at my made-up word.

Though the order line at McDonald's was long, we got to the
counter in ten minutes. Nate took charge. "What do you want,
Anna?"

"Pancakes."

He shifted his attention to me. "And what's your
fae
-vorite?"

I had to smile. "Biscuits and gravy."

"They have that?" Nate scanned the menu. "I'll be
damned."

I popped his head for the profanity.

He ducked too late. "Ouch! Sorry. Think I'll have that,
too."

Anna, Sparky, and I made a beeline to the only unoccupied
booth in the building. After bussing it myself, we sat and waited for
Nate to bring the food. When he did, we all dug in. Outside, a gust of
wind blew trash across the parking lot. My eyes met Nate's. I could
tell he dreaded the day.

"Maybe we should stay at your house tonight, Nate. It might
feel more, um, cozy." Did he get my drift?

A quick nod told me he did. "Would you like that, Anna? You
and Leeloo can sleep in your new bed. We can even take some of
your stuff over there if you want."

She didn't seem thrilled by the idea. "I don't know..."

Wondering why, I tried to find out. "Don't you like Nate's
house?"

"It's awful big."

"Like a faerie castle. You're so lucky. I've always wanted to
live in a castle." I wiped a drip of syrup off her chin.

"You have?"

"Uh-huh. You know you're safe when you're in one,
especially if there's a handsome prince around. He'd never, ever let
anything bad happen to you."

She thought about that. "Or to you. You'll keep us both safe
won't you, Nate?"

"For always and always, happily ever after. And Sparky,
too." He sounded so serious that I almost believed him even though I
knew we'd lose touch when we parted ways Christmas Eve. After all,
we really had nothing in common but Anna's two-night need.

Suddenly sad, I changed the subject. "We can drop by the
trailer on our way there. I'll pack up her things and her clothes from
yesterday so you can wash them."

Nate groaned. "Shi-- I mean shoot. I forgot all about that
stain."

"When mommy gets home, I'll have to sleep in my own bed
all the time," Anna told us. "My new daddy will be in my spot."

"I bet your room will be so awesome that you'll never want
to leave it."

Anna's hesitation revealed her doubts. "I just don't
know."

Once we'd eaten and visited the bathroom so Anna could
pee, we went back to the trailer for our things. Nate then drove us
across the Arkansas River, the natural division between Little Rock
and North Little Rock. I stared out the window en route, noticing
how the flags we passed whipped in the wind. The rain seemed to
come in bursts, pouring one moment and little more than sprinkles
the next.

A brick wall surrounded Nate's gated subdivision. I saw the
streets I'd seen the one and only time I'd driven through it, all of
them flower names: Gardenia Circle, Daisy Lane, Petunia Drive. Nate
turned right onto Magnolia and then turned again into his driveway.
His house looked just the same, and Anna was right. It was big...even
to me, the girl with a big house of her own.

Stepping inside his foyer was like stepping inside a
magazine spread. I'd never seen rooms decorated so elegantly, which
seemed odd. Wouldn't two guys have been more comfortable in a
man cave? "Did someone in your dad's company do all this? An
interior decorator, maybe?"

"My mom did it, and that's exactly what she was. She and
dad met on the job. She dumped her husband, married my dad, and
had me. Then she bailed on us."

Whoa. Hadn't seen that coming. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged off my apology. "Not your fault. And it's all
good. She remarried again and seems happy enough. Now Dad has,
too. Life goes on."

I changed the subject by holding up Anna's stained leotard.
"Washer?"

"Downstairs." He nodded toward a closed door and started
in that direction.

I noticed that Anna hung back. "Have you seen the
basement?"

"It smells funny."

"Most of them do. Come on. I'll hold your hand." I held mine
out; she slipped hers into it. Together we followed Nate, who'd
descended some stairs and disappeared from view. We found him
stuffing clothes in a front-load washing machine. A swift appraisal of
the area revealed a laundry corner with a chute above it, a basic
bathroom and, beyond that space, a no-man's land filled with
lumber, electrical conduit, and boxes--stacks and stacks of them. I
could see why Anna didn't like it.

"Just look at all this crap." Anna rolled her eyes.

Nate winced and ducked, clearly waiting for me to pop him
one.

But I didn't. He'd gotten the message loud and clear from a
four-year-old mouth. "Little faeries don't say 'crap', okay?"

"Nate says it."

"Does he look like a faerie?"

Anna doubled over, giggling. "No, sil-ly."

I zoned in on the non-faerie in question, who looked
properly chagrined. "Did you pre-treat her stuff?"

"I'll do it now." He dug the leotard back out of the
washer.

I took the garment and scanned the contents of a nearby
shelf for what I needed. Finding a spray bottle of prewash that would
do, I misted the leotard and handed it back. Nate once again
crammed it in the washer. He added detergent and pushed a button.
The tub came to life.

"This area is perfect for stormy days like today," I said to
Anna, trying to lay the groundwork in case she and Nate had to run
for cover. "Wish I had a basement. We have to hide in the hall closet
if the tornado alarm goes off."

"Tornado?" Her big brown eyes got even bigger.

Now
I
winced. Me and my big mouth. "Oh, don't
worry about that. This is the safest room in the whole wide
world."

Nate chimed in. "And I'd never let anything happen to you,
remember?"

Anna clearly had doubts.

"Would you feel better if Leeloo stayed with us for a while?"
he asked.

She quickly nodded.

Nate's eyes met mine. "Guess I should've checked to see if
you're free today before I mentioned that."

"No problem. I am free."

"So what's this going to cost me?" His green eyes twinkled
mischievously.

I had to drag my gaze away to get Anna's attention. "A
kiss."

"Do it, Nate! Do it."

My face flamed. "Not from him, sil-ly." I said it just like she
did. "From you."

"We'll both give you one, won't we, Anna?" When she
nodded eagerly, Nate picked her up. I got a simultaneous kiss on
each cheek. Was it just my imagination that his landed on the corner
of my mouth?

Flustered, but with a genuine smile, I looked from one to the
other. "You two are all paid up. Let me call my Mom, and then we'll
figure out what we're going to do today." I dug my cell from my back
pocket and headed upstairs, pausing at the top to make the call.
When she didn't answer, I tried Dad.

"Yo."

"Where's Mom?"

"In the garage without her cell. Will I do?"

"Yes. Just wanted you guys to know I'm at Nate Marshall's.
I'll be here all day and hopefully tonight since the weather is so iffy.
Our other option is a house trailer."

"You're sleeping over with a boy?"

"Haven't you and Mom talked today?"

"Yeah, and I know this Nate is the love of your life, so mind
your Ps and Qs, Tink. I'm not ready to be a grandpop."

"Dad-
ad!
" I glanced up in alarm, hoping that Nate and
Anna hadn't heard his warning. With cell phones, you never knew.
"I'll be home by the time Josh and Mick get there, okay? Okay!" I
ended the call. "I'm good."

Nate had a question. "Josh and Mick?"

"My big brothers. They share an apartment in Fayetteville,
where they both go to college. So what do you two want to do?"

"I need to teetee."

"Again?" said Nate.

Now
I popped him. "Let's try out this
bathroom."

When we emerged shortly after, Nate was ready for us.
"Show Leeloo your room."

"Oh all right." Could Anna have sounded less thrilled?

Determined to get to the bottom of her aversion to the
house, I smiled enthusiastically. "Can't wait to see it."

Anna turned and began dragging herself up the stairs. I
looked to Nate for an explanation, but a shake of his head told me he
didn't have one. Her demeanor became more of a mystery when we
got to her room. I know my mouth fell open as I took in the sight of
her full canopy bed; her dresser, bookshelf, and nightstands; the
petite table and chairs in the corner. She also had the biggest toy box
I'd ever seen, and there was still space for more. That, I decided, was
the problem. A little girl could feel awfully small in a bedroom this
big, especially if her old room was one-fourth the size of it.

"I'm so jealous," I said, kneeling to her level. "You must be a
very special faerie to have a room this wonderful."

"Oh she's special, all right," said Nate.

Anna just shrugged. "Want to see Nate's?"

I stood. "Sure."

"Give me five minutes." He darted out the door and loped
down the hall.