Shadows (29 page)

"This is not a bump in the road, Kayla. This
is a caution: Warning! Bridge Out."

"Then build a new bridge."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I just can't. I'm going back to work. I'll
talk to you later sometime."

I cannot believe everyone is taking his side
on this. As I walk back to the bookstore, my phone starts ringing
in my purse. Not in my right state of mind, I yell when I answer
it. "What?"

"Eve?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Isa, dear, I'm calling you from my office.
I'm just trying to tie up a few odds and ends. My apologies for not
getting back to you earlier. The gardener came by again to lay some
new mulch down, and I had to make sure he did it correctly. He
always bends at the knees, but he's young. His back can handle it
if he bends over at the waist. I don't think he believes me,
though."

A laugh escapes my lips, "I can't imagine why
he wouldn't". Rolling my eyes, I walk back into the store, waving
at Olivia as I head to the back. "Isa about your text
message."

"Say no more. I know you would like to meet
tomorrow, but can we do tonight? I'm not feeling quite myself and I
would rather make my peace now."

"I don't know. Will Theron be there? I don't
think I'm ready to see him just yet."

"I won't let him bother us. If I need to, I'll
send him on a wild goose chase for Spanish chocolate covered
strawberries."

"Do they even exist?"

"I don't know. I guess he'll find out. Evan
will be at your place at six o'clock sharp to pick you up. Text me
the address, and I'll forward it to him so he can put it in his
GPS."

"Will do."

"Great, see you then."

Staring at my phone, I notice the time and I
start filling more orders. It's so much easier, now that it's
organized. I love getting lost in books. Feeling a tap on my
shoulder, I turn around to see Olivia with her purse on her
shoulder.

"It turns out Harold isn't feeling well. I'm
going to try to get him in at the doctor. I went ahead and put up
the closed sign for today. You can stay if you want, but you don't
have to."

"I think I'm done for today too. I'll follow
you out, just let me grab my purse."

I'm walking to my car and I notice a pink
paper tucked under my wiper blade. For some reason, instead of
tossing into the garbage like I normally would with a flyer, I turn
it over to read it.

"Where's your pretty car
now?"

My heart slams to a stop, my skin crawls, and
the hairs on my arms stand on end. What the fuck is this? It has to
be Bridgette or Thomas playing games with me. I decide whoever left
this is probably still around somewhere. I don't know want them to
know they got to me, so I crumple the note and toss it in my back
seat. Turning my radio up, I sing along to the songs playing on my
drive home.

Chapter 17

R
obert must still be
at work when I get home. The house is completely empty. Taking
advantage of the quiet, I hook up my phone to my Bluetooth speaker,
letting Hozier's voice belt out across my room. I flop down on my
bed and stare at the ceiling. If I'm going to meet Isa today, I
might as well tackle everything at once. I can be brave. Setting
the box down Matt left for me on the bed, I slice the tape open
with my keys. I slowly open the box, pulling the flaps back, and
look inside. The first thing I see is a dried corsage. It must be
from one of our dances. Matt and I had an unwritten agreement. If
neither of us had a date by the time the dance came, we would go
with each other. Looking back, I can't remember Matt ever having
another date. I'm sure those were his intentions all
along.

I lay the corsage on the bed and pull out a
small shoe box. Peeking inside the box, I see it's full of tickets
from movie, concerts, and dances we went to. I never knew he kept
all this, of course, I didn't know he was in love with me then
either. There's a rather large blue and white striped book. I pull
it out thinking it's a photo album, but it's more of a scrapbook. I
set it on the bed by my pillow so I can look through it. Grabbing
the box to move it, I notice there is still one more book in it.
It's not as large as the scrapbook, but it's really thick. I lay it
on the bed placing both books in front of me. The blue scrapbook
instantly brings a smile to my face. It's filled with pictures of
the three of us goofing off in the apartment, taking vacations
together, and just messing around. A laugh escapes my lips with
delight, when I see our pictures from last Halloween. I went as
naughty librarian, Kayla was a zombie, and Matt went as a cowboy.
He wore these ridiculous chaps. They were made with a fake ass
stitched in them, so he appeared to be naked under them. He went
shirtless and tried to lasso people all night with his rope. He
never caught anyone, but I remember him getting it stuck on a
mailbox during our walk back to the apartment.

Closing the scrapbook, I grab the smaller
book. I open it to find it full of pictures from when we were
little. Each picture has a caption, and some have notes tucked in
with them. One picture is from second grade on the first day of
school. I was totally rocking my Spice Girls t-shirt with some
flared jeans. I thought I was so cool in that outfit. Matt was
dressed in a yellow polo shirt and jeans. He was always so neat, he
used to organize his clothes by the days of the week.

Turning the page, I look at pictures of us at
the beach. They have to be from the first summer we spent there on
our own. My mom would always make us sit with her, but when I
turned twelve I remember she would sit farther away from us so we
could be on our own, so to speak. We were all moving up to the
seventh grade. We wanted to be cool, but we were far from it. As I
flip through the pictures, I realize they are all of Kayla and me.
Matt isn't in any of them. I remember when Matt got his first
camera. It was his birthday. He was so excited, we spent most of
the day watching him try to figure it out. I never thought I would
be his muse. I'm staring at a picture of Kayla and me trying to
bury someone in the sand. It's the boy with the sunglasses. I turn
a couple more pages, and the boy just keeps popping up in the
pictures. In every picture, whether I'm looking at him or not, his
face is turned towards me with a soft smile on his face. I never
knew he was looking at me like that.

I pull out a note tucked behind a picture of
the boy with the sunglasses and me sitting on the beach, our backs
to the camera. I unfold it and tears slips down my face. Wiping my
cheeks, I take a deep breath trying to find my courage as I read
his words.

Eve,

I remember this summer. It was the
first time I have ever felt true jealousy. I don't remember his
name, but I do know he captured your attention. He would show up
and instantly you would be by his side. He never talked to Kayla or
me, he just followed you around. He would look at you and this
amazing smile would appear on your face. Your laugh would get
lighter, and you seemed to float when he was near you. I was so
jealous of him. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at
him. I never did get that incredible smile he got. I'm glad I was
there. You were so upset when he had to move away. We had only
known him for a summer, but you were swearing up and down your
heart was broken. I remember Kayla and you making a pact not to
date until high school. I was so relieved to know no one else would
be able to be close to you like that for a while. He was
skateboarding, showing off in front of you and your mom when his
dad came for him. You were so sad. It took me days before I got you
to smile again, and when you finally did, it was all for me. I'm so
relieved you know how I feel about you now.

I love you,

Matt

A tear lands on the page and the ink starts to
run. I wipe my face, putting the note back in its spot. I wonder
how long ago he wrote all these letters, and what would have
happened between us if he would have told me sooner. It doesn't
matter now, I can't change the past. I need to figure out today.
Does Isa know about Theron and me meeting when we were younger? The
thought catches me by surprise, but I'm sure she does. Why didn't
she tell me? I put everything back in the box except for the photo
album, keeping it to the side so I can take it with me to Isa's.
Glancing at my phone, I check the time. It's four thirty. I have
plenty of time to shower and get ready for Evan.

I'm drying my hair, when I hear Robert yelling
for me. Turning the hair dryer, I look in the mirror at him.
"What?"

"I was just letting you know I'm home. You got
plans?"

"Sort of. I'm going to Isa's for
dinner."

"Are you going to see Theron?"

"Isa promised me I won't have to. Evan will be
here at six to pick me up."

"Cool. I'm going to chill and play some Call
of Duty then." He gives me a simple wave of his hand, and I go back
to finishing my hair.

It's exactly six o'clock. I'm watching out the
door for Evan. It's raining, again. I watch as he pulls up into the
drive in the familiar black BMW. I've never noticed before, but
Evan is built. He looks more like a bodyguard, than a driver. A
thought slips through my mind. Why would Isa need someone like him?
I pull my hood up, trying my best to cover myself. I hide the photo
album in my jacket, protecting it from the downpour of rain, and
run to the car. Evan holds my door open for me, never flinching as
the rain soaks his jacket. Slipping into the backseat, I put my
seatbelt on. Evan starts the car and we are on our way. I watch the
rain fall outside my window for most of the drive, occasionally I
look up and catch Evan watching me in his mirror.

Once we turn onto the driveway for the house,
time seems to slow. I never realized how far back the estate is
tucked in from the main road. There's a light on in the guest
house, my stomach twists into knots wondering if Theron is in
there. Does he know I'm here? Evan opens my door distracting me
from my thoughts. No words are said between us, but he glances
towards Theron's house and back to me, a look of sympathy filling
his eyes. He holds his hand out to me and I slip my hand into his.
Stepping out of the car, I take a deep breath. Evan holds an
umbrella up for me as we walk to the front door.

Isa is inside waiting for me when we enter the
house. Her smile is so warm and inviting, yet I notice it still
doesn't reach her eyes. Something seems off.

"Eve, sweetie, I'm so happy you are here. I've
missed our conversations. You know it's not every day, I can
surprise someone with my words."

I hand my jacket to Evan, and wrap Isa up in
my arms. "I've missed you, too." I place a kiss on each of her
cheeks.

"Then don't stay away for so long next time.
It was getting dreadfully boring over here, I'm so glad you've
came. Rebecca has made us some soup for dinner tonight. I thought
you might want to warm up after all of that cold rain."

"Sounds wonderful. Isa, who's
Rebecca?"

"She's a part of my staff. She helps me
maintain the house, and helps with meals. She's very sweet. I think
you would like her."

Following Isa through the dining room, I
notice there are three place settings out. I stop dead in my
tracks. "You promised he wouldn't be here tonight." My voice is
shaky and laced with worry.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. It's not for my jerk of a
grandson, it's for Evan. He normally joins me for dinner. Is that
alright?"

"Sorry, I just saw the place setting and I got
nervous."

"No worries dear. I should have told you
earlier, when we spoke. This will be a jerk free zone
tonight."

Shaking my head, I let out a giggle. She has
such a way with words. I take my seat next to Isa, across from
Evan. Rebecca brings out wine and pours us each a glass, mine being
first. I down my glass of wine before Rebecca can even finish
pouring the other glasses. Isa lays her hand on Rebecca's arm,
stopping her before she walks away. "Perhaps you should just leave
the bottle." She nods in my direction making my cheeks flush. This
is just great. Now, I look like a lush. Rebecca sets the wine down
in front of me, before heading back to the kitchen.

I fill my glass up again and smile towards
Isa, "Nerves."

"I can imagine. You've been through a lot this
past month."

With Isa having someone to cook for her, I
assumed the soup would be something unheard of, but to my surprise
Rebecca carries in bowls of chicken noodle soup. She places a bowl
of soup and a salad by each setting. Grabbing a basket of dinner
rolls off her serving tray, she places them in the center of the
table. She nods and heads back into the kitchen. Everything smells
amazing.

"Chicken soup?"

"Not everything is complicated. Sometimes it's
just exactly as it seems."

We finish our meal with little conversation.
Evan inquires about my new job at the bookstore. Isa nods her head
and makes little "hmm" noises as we talk. She doesn't say much, but
her body language is giving her away. She's either distracted or
not feeling well, maybe it's both. After dinner, we move our
discussion into the library.