Skin (22 page)

Tania wanted to go back to the others and skip this part, but it wasn’t to be.

Jenna held it up and read the title. “Skin. What a powerful title.” Then she started at the top of the title page and proceeded to read it out loud,

“Skin

A journey of healing

A journey for healers

A journey from the inside out.”

“Isn’t it, though,” Kane said.

Jenna glanced up, her gaze going from one to the other, putting them both in the spotlight of her gaze that saw too much, and said, “Is there anything you want to say about the project before I take a look?”

Kane glanced over at Tania and raised an eyebrow.

Tania shook her head, suddenly tongue-tied and wishing she was anywhere but here.

Jenna smiled. “Then let’s take a look.”

She turned to the first image where Kane stood staring wistfully, yearning for something in the distance. Tania knew he was staring at a sailboat, but she’d cropped the image so only his face showed. Jenna turned the page, stopping to read the caption and study the images.

Only once while she worked her way through the pages did she say anything. She said, “You are truly gifted with your camera, Tania.”

Tania wiggled, a bit uncomfortable with such a personal project being seen for the first time. It said a lot about Kane. She hoped he didn’t mind, but it also said a lot about her. She knew that a part of her did mind. The rest of her said deal with it.

It was why she had come, to bring light to her darkest places. She’d done that big time.

After what she’d been through so far at the seminar, this was nothing.

She could do this.

She sighed. “Thank you. It’s something I really enjoy doing.”

Jenna moved from page to page, stopping to read and study the captions. At one point, she looked up to study the two of them, both so silent and still, and then continued her progress without saying a word. When she finally got to the page where Kane’s hand was outstretched, Jenna smiled, and maybe it was Tania’s imagination, but she thought Jenna’s eyes were over-bright. When she got to Tania’s hand tentatively held out, Tania knew she was correct.

Then she turned to the last page and sniffled, then sighed happily. She lifted her teary eyes first to Tania and then to Kane, and her smile warmed. “It’s beautiful. Sincerely, heartwarmingly beautiful.”

“Tania is responsible for the entire project. She took the pictures, put this collection together, and added the captions.” Kane had to say honestly. He couldn’t take credit for Tania’s success. “I only added one piece to the project.”

But Tania was shaking her head. “Not true. You were there every step of the way.”

Jenna turned to Kane. “Which part did you add, Kane?”

He grinned sheepishly. “The last line.”

Jenna looked down. Turning the last page over, her eyes watered again.

“What does it say?” Tania asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She wished he’d told her first.

Jenna looked from Kane to her. “You haven’t read what he wrote down?”

Tania shook her head. She jumped up and ran around so she could see for herself. On the last page, in thick bold printing, Kane had added, “To Be Continued…”

She gasped and burst into tears.

Kane stood up and opened his arms.

She ran into them and sobbed as they closed securely around her.

This was what she’d always wanted. The only thing she could say she’d never had.

A man to love her – broken, mending, or healed; someone who could love her for who she was, regardless of where she’d been or what she’d been through. And she’d finally found him.

Kane.

Thank you for reading Skin! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review
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Dear reader,

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Dale Mayer

If you’d like to read about other books I’ve written, please turn the page.

Some scars are visible…

Some scars are hidden…

The worst scars are buried deep inside…

Robin and Sean are existing in their private worlds. Hiding in plain sight, not really living, definitely not thriving. They both need to move forward… if they can.

Yet the price of success is pain as they confront issues that have plagued them for years. They’re so different, with such opposite problems. Yet they complement each other – or at least they will, if they can work through their issues and find each other.

This is a story of pain and sorrow, joy and success… and… love.

Go ahead. Take Charge of your life. Move forward…if you can…

Changing her future means letting go of her past. Karina heads to a weekend seminar and discovers the speaker is the person she needs to move on from. But she soon realizes bigger issues are facing her…

Brian has moved on, at least he’d believed he had… until he sees Karina in his audience…and realizes he’s been lying to himself.

Passion pulls them together, love binds them together, but a revengeful enemy determines to keep the two apart…and destroy them both.

H
er heart racing,
Karina pushed open the glass double doors and walked into the almost deserted pub. Her breath quickened as she searched the faces of the few patrons inside.
Had he left already?
Or was Brian Saunders somewhere here, drowning his sorrows? Wendy, Brian’s girlfriend of two years, had broken up with him and taken off for Europe, or some such thing. Karina knew she should feel sorry for him, but instead her mind wouldn’t stop pestering her.

Here’s your chance. One last shot to make him notice you before you go home and never see him again.

That the timing sucked wouldn’t stop her.

Besides, if anyone asked, she was just here having a drink. And she could use one. Her last exam was done. She’d finally finished school and damn if she didn’t feel like crying instead of cheering.

“Hey, Karina, thought you’d have booked it by now.”

She waved at one of several friends having a good time at a nearby table. Most of the students who’d finished exams had already left, and the few stragglers writing tomorrow were either cramming or here trying to forget about writing in the morning.

“Nah. Leaving in the morning. It’s a long drive and I
so
don’t want to deal with that tonight. Or the ferry.”

That elicited several nods. Anyone who lived on Vancouver Island knew about ferry woes to the mainland. She’d tossed around the idea of staying on the island, had even looked for work, but nothing had come of it, so she was heading home to Vancouver. Victoria, and the university in particular, would stay a happy memory. And, in some ways, a tough one.

She ordered a draft at the bar and turned around to take another look. Maybe she’d missed Brian in her first skim.

Shit. Ian Blackburn was here, too. And he’d seen her. Shit, shit, and triple shit. He’d always been super friendly to her, but there was something about him that gave her the creeps. And then last week she’d seen another side of him altogether. A professor in one of the classes they’d been in together had given Ian a poor grade on an assignment. Ian had lost it…big time. Someone had even called campus security to get him out of the lecture hall. He’d turned into something that terrified her and probably every other student there. She shuddered at the memory.

Karina turned around and glanced the other way, deliberately putting her back to Ian.

And there he was.
Brian.

Her heart sighed even as it started to pound. She should go over to him. He looked sad, like he’d lost his best friend. Which, after the end of a two-year relationship, she guessed he had. But Karina told herself she was still a friend, right? Albeit a casual one, but still… They’d had classes together, the odd beer-and-pizza night as part of a group. That kind of thing. He had no idea that she’d been in love with him for a long time. She’d been careful to keep her feelings hidden. He hadn’t been free and she wasn’t the type to break up relationships.

She checked out the other half of the bar before her gaze zinged back to Brian. He lifted his beer bottle and poured the remaining golden liquid down his throat. Slamming the empty down, he reached for the spare, waiting. Damn, she hated to see him like this.

All right. She was going to go over there. Just a sip of beer for courage, first. She raised her glass to her lips.

“Karina. I’m glad you’re here. I was hoping to see you before you left. May I sit?”

Ian. Shit. He’d somehow evaded her awareness and seated himself on the barstool next to her without her knowing. This was what she got for being nice and polite to a guy who mistook it for encouragement and, frankly, gave her the willies.

She attempted a smile behind her glass as she drowned a big gulp. She had to get away. Now.

“Sorry, I came here to meet someone.” She said it lightly, dismissively. She’d planned to wait another minute or two before approaching Brian, but Ian’s crowding was forcing her hand. “Oh, there he is. Brian.”

She got up and waved in Brian’s direction, tossing a good-bye smile at Ian.

His brows came together in a dark vee and his lips thinned, the expression causing her smile to falter and her stomach to heave. His thick nose and heavy brows might indicate a Mediterranean ancestry, but the darkness in his eyes gave her the spooks.

“I hadn’t realized.”

Keeping her face averted she took another big step and cast a glance back, relief washing over her when he didn’t follow, but instead walked back to his seat.

Well, she’d started down this road, so…

“Hey.” She slapped a bright, friendly smile on her face and sat down across from Brian. Now that she was safely seated her unease over Ian abated, even while her heart lurched at the deep unhappiness on Brian’s face.

He looked up at her, a lopsided attempt at a smile peeking out. “Hi, Karina. I’m not good company right now.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. His pain was a palpable thing. Impulsively, she reached across the table and laid her hand on his. “I heard and I’m sorry.”

Surprise lit the dark depths of his chocolate eyes.

When he didn’t say anything, she stood. She’d intruded on his private pain, and that wasn’t right. She turned to leave.

“Wait.” His husky voice reached out to her. “Please, don’t go.”

She smiled warmly at him and sat back down.

She stayed there for several more rounds as they talked deep into the night. Once or twice she glanced over at Ian. Every time she looked he appeared to be seething with anger as he stared toward her and Brian. She shuddered.

“This place is closing soon.” She tugged Brian to his feet. “Come on, you look ready to drop.”

“I’m not that bad,” he protested, but allowed himself to be shuffled out the door. The cool night air hit them and snapped some of the buzz away. Karina looked at the stars, her heart full and happy. Not exactly a dream date, but it was Brian…and her…alone.

“Let’s go to my place. I think I have a bottle of wine,” he suggested.

“You’re going to fall asleep before you ever get it open,” she scoffed as she fell into step beside him.

He looked at her, his little-boy expression pleading that it couldn’t possibly be bedtime already. “I don’t want to be alone tonight,” he admitted softly. “Please come share a bottle of wine with me.” There was only a slight slur to his voice and she’d had just enough to drink to feel the same.

Besides, she didn’t want the night to end either. It might not be the wisest move but she couldn’t come up with any convincing reasons why she shouldn’t spend the last few hours with him.

She gave in.

He grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “How come we didn’t do this before?” His sloppy grin made her heart laugh. “We should have. I’ve always liked you.”

Magical words.

They walked toward his room, arms around each other, talking, murmuring in low voices. The heat of his voice, the tenor of his words, the glow of moonlight, Brian’s touch – it was magic. And she wanted more. She wanted it all. Tonight.

*